Chapter 771

Chapter 771
Clack.
Even though the steps were soft, the atmosphere grew heavy in an instant.
The high priest representing the Salvation Order was an elderly figure clad in dark robes.
He appeared frail and pale, looking much like a sickly man, yet the sheer weight of his presence was enough to level mountain ranges.
Roaaaaaar!
At that moment, the beasts lunged toward the clergyman. With the black mage dead and unable to lead them, they could no longer tell ally from enemy.
“Pathetic little insects…”
Boom!
As the priest unleashed his pressure, the monsters swarming him were shredded and disintegrated.
Even Kyle, who had been facing him, was forced to retreat several paces from the abrupt impact.
He was clearly drained. Although he had reached a new level of understanding and stepped into the rank of a superhuman, he was in no shape to continue the struggle.
Under ordinary conditions, he could have endured such a minor strike—but not in this state.
The priest peered intently at Kyle and began to speak.
“So you were concealing your true depth this whole time?”
“……”
“You restrained yourself, hoarding your strength until a more formidable foe showed up. And now that you are at your limit, you’ve finally revealed your full potential.”
“……”
“To possess such mastery of the blade, while also commanding magic and spirits… Truly remarkable.”
“沉默.”
Kyle remained silent. The man had obviously reached his own conclusions after witnessing Kyle’s recent display.
Actually, that was a stroke of luck. If the priest had intervened sooner, Kyle would have perished long before reaching this height.
The priest started to pace around Kyle slowly, his voice continuing to drift.
“You can’t utilize that magic any longer, can you? If it were possible, you would have done so already. Am I mistaken?”
“……”
Kyle fought back the urge to chuckle.
He was well aware that the Salvation Order was obsessed with preserving their assets.
Through Ismoken, he had discovered how incredibly cautious they were in their maneuvers. Even within the Elven Forest, the Salvation Order wouldn’t have engaged unless victory was an absolute certainty.
But for someone to be this hesitant even now… This man must be exceptionally paranoid.
The priest lifted his hand, wearing a cunning smirk.
“You look quite spent. Then again, I would be exhausted as well after such a clash.”
Whish—!
Shadows coiled at his fingertips, sharpening into a jagged lance.
It whistled through the air directly at Kyle.
K-Boom!
The massive lance of shadow slammed into the earth.
The force fractured the ground and sent debris flying everywhere.
“Ugh!”
Kyle contorted his body, barely tumbling away to escape the explosion.
In his current condition, that level of ruin was far too lethal. He had no choice but to remain wary and avoid a direct hit.
Observing this, the priest let out a grin.
“Yes, indeed. You are definitely at your breaking point.”
Kyle offered no reply this time either. He wordlessly lifted his blade.
The priest was now convinced—Kyle was finished. His breathing and gait were nowhere near what a superhuman should display.
Yet, the priest still refused to close the distance.
‘There might be one last hidden trap…’
Consequently, he stayed back, merely firing off pulses of energy to further drain Kyle’s remaining life.
Crash! Boom! Bang!
Kyle was unable to even get near him. He was forced to keep rolling and dodging just to stay alive.
‘Damn it…’
It was effective for stalling, but in terms of an actual fight, this was the worst possible situation.
If he could only bridge the gap, he might find a crack in the defense—but the adversary had no intention of letting that happen.
This was the most irritating aspect of fighting someone so overly careful. They would never commit until they were entirely sure of the win.
Against a depleted Kyle, this was a particularly brutal pairing.
KABOOM!
Dozens of shadow hexes cascaded down like a deluge.
Kyle moved with speed, but evading every single one was a physical impossibility.
Ultimately, he was forced to parry several with his steel.
Clang!
A portion of the incoming strike was turned aside by the fierce vibration. But in his weary state, he couldn’t deflect the rest.
Rip!
A jagged shard of energy dug into Kyle’s shoulder. Another gouged his flank.
The sound of tearing skin and snapping bone rang out simultaneously.
“Gah…!”
Kyle ground his teeth together. Blood leaked from his gashes and clouded his sight, but he didn’t falter.
Hanging onto his fading awareness, he lunged forward and attacked the priest. In this state, taking the initiative was his only path.
He unleashed a rapid series of swings, refusing to give the priest a moment to collect himself.
Swish!
The first stroke cut through nothing but air. The second tore through the hem of the priest’s dark robes.
And the third…
Slice!
Managed to graze the priest’s torso, even if only a shallow mark.
“You pest!”
Shocked, the priest struck back.
Clink!
With a heavy thud, Kyle’s weapon was batted away.
His grip was gone—he couldn’t hold on. A heartbeat later, the priest shoved his hand forward once more.
BOOM!
Darkness slammed into Kyle’s chest at full force.
‘Ah…’
His frame was tossed into the sky.
The agonizing sensation of cracked ribs forced the air from his lungs.
He attempted to steady himself, even for a second, but his balance was shattered—and he was violently slammed back into the dirt.
Thump!
“Cough… hack!”
Blood filled his throat and sprayed outward.
His internal energy was entirely gone. One arm refused to move—it felt shattered. His legs would not obey. He couldn’t even push himself up.
His entire body felt like lead. His heart hammered as if it were about to burst. He couldn’t even twitch a finger.
It was only logical. He was in a condition where death would be expected.
He had only managed to endure this long because of the breakthrough that had elevated him to the superhuman realm.
Now, the priest walked over at a casual pace, smiling. He was certain Kyle had hit his wall.
‘…Is this truly where it ends?’
Sprawled on the ground, Kyle felt an overwhelming wave of hopelessness.
His flesh had already conceded that it could move no more—that the journey was over.
The priest lifted his palm as he gazed down at Kyle.
“I do not know your identity, but you were truly a titan. If you had led a legion, it would have been a nightmare.”
The priest spoke with genuine respect. A man who could wage war like this alone—what could he have achieved with an army behind him?
It was a relief he could snip this dangerous thread here and now.
Hummm…
Dark power began pooling in the priest’s palm. He held nothing back—he intended to finish this permanently.
Kyle could only watch with hazy eyes.
He desperately needed to move, but he possessed no strength.
More than anyone else, he realized—this was the conclusion.
‘Even so… I did alright.’
Shadows began to settle over his mangled body.
Weariness weighed down his eyelids like heavy stones.
Past his blurring vision, the flickering image of dwarf youngsters running for safety appeared.
Those tiny, defenseless children… the ones who had been sobbing… they were safe now.
That was sufficient.
Then memories of his comrades started to drift through his consciousness.
Julien, Deneb, and Astion—those who had been with him since they were boys.
The boisterous mercenaries who bellowed and bled alongside him in savage conflicts.
Dark—sarcastic and noisy, but always steadfast at his side.
And then…
“Ghislain.”
The name whispered softly from his mouth.
If anyone had guided him to this moment, it was Ghislain.
Because of Ghislain’s guidance, he’d found the power to shield others and had finally reached the peak of a superhuman.
How could he not be filled with gratitude?
Those recollections wrapped around his soul like a warm blanket.
What brought him sorrow was that he would never see them again.
But he had done everything within his power. He had sacrificed his all.
His body had collapsed—but his will never shattered.
This was not a death born of weakness.
It was a death that had secured someone’s life.
And for Kyle, that was enough.
‘My part… is finished.’
With that final thought, he managed a small smile.
The priest was displeased by the expression on Kyle’s face.
“A man on the verge of death is grinning?”
It felt as if he were being taunted. Begging for mercy would have been more appropriate in his view.
So the priest summoned even more destructive power. He intended to turn Kyle to ash—leaving not a trace behind.
And just as he was about to deliver the final strike—
Whirrrrr…
From the distance—like the very first ray of sunlight—
A quiet and staggering force erupted—more hallowed than any energy felt before.
“…What could this be?”
The priest went still for a second, tilting his head up.
His gut screamed at him. This wasn’t standard sorcery. Nor was it simple holy power.
It was something far more profound.
And in the moment he paused—
A brilliant radiance, like a crashing wave, rolled across the field.
FLASH!
The light tore through like a hurricane, bathing everything in its path.
The dark energy the priest had been gathering dissolved the second it met that light.
“ARGH!”
His form caught fire, consumed by holy embers.
Simultaneously, Kyle’s eyes slowly blinked open.
‘…This feeling…’
A thin smile stretched across his blood-stained face.
‘Deneb.’
He knew it by instinct.
This was Deneb’s hallowed power.
That comforting, all-encompassing grace—he had only ever sensed it from her.
‘You… you achieved it too, didn’t you.’
He didn’t know the method or the reason. But there was no doubt—a miracle had occurred, and Deneb had grasped it.
And that made him proud. Immensely proud.
Kyle faced the agony crushing his body once more.
His bones creaked in protest, but he could shift—just a little.
The holy power that had washed over him had partially closed his wounds and breathed new life into his lungs.
“Ungh…”
Kyle clenched his jaw and shoved strength into his shaking arm.
His internal reservoir was still dry, but the fact he could move at all was what mattered.
As he panted for air, a slight smirk touched his lips.
“Hey. Let’s go for one more. I’ve got a final trick to show you.”
“You little brat…!”
The priest glared at Kyle with a distorted snarl.
The burning had only lasted a moment, but it had been excruciating. A massive amount of his essence had been scorched away.
He had no clue why holy power had suddenly flooded this region.
‘It originated from the heart of Vallscrum. Something is happening there…’
That was where the two Prophets were engaged in battle. They shouldn’t have been defeated.
And yet, this staggering divine energy made his heart throb with anxiety.
‘I must slay him swiftly and investigate myself.’
Only then could he decide—to retreat or stay and fight.
“Perish!”
The priest summoned his remaining power and lunged at Kyle.
The man had already spent every drop of his vigor. He was only standing now due to a passing miracle.
So the priest intended to shatter his skull and ensure no further wonders could take place.
Zip!
Just as the priest’s palm lashed out, Kyle instinctively crouched.
But he couldn’t evade it entirely.
Slash!
The dark energy raked across his back like a bolt of lightning, ripping away strips of skin.
Kyle swallowed the pain and gripped his hilt firmly with both hands.
There was no way he could keep up a prolonged fight. He had neither the breath nor the energy left.
Therefore, this single strike had to be the end.
‘This will be… my concluding act.’
He pivoted his frame and hoisted his blade.
The spiral began at his heels and traveled up through his hips and shoulders.
Creak!
His energy was gone. The sword was nothing but a cold piece of iron. But Kyle didn’t mind.
— It isn’t just about channeling energy. You must feel the rhythm of existence. If you move with that rhythm, you can slice through anything.
Ghislain had always told him that.
Back then, Kyle hadn’t grasped the meaning. Even now, he didn’t entirely understand it.
But it felt like—just barely—he could perceive it now.
The fabric of reality brushed against his fingers.
And to tear through it, a single edge was all that was required.
SHWIIIIIING!
Kyle’s sword traced an arc from the dirt up toward the clouds.
This wasn’t just a swing. It was a desperate, total strike that held every grain of resolve and suffering he had faced until this moment.
“NOOOOO!”
The priest wailed in misery, reeling backward with a massive gash opening across his torso.
But beyond the physical pain—it was the impossible logic that terrified him.
“H-How… without any energy…?”
A mundane sword with no mana had carved through a superhuman’s hide. It contradicted everything he believed.
Even if he had been dampened by the holy light, this should not have occurred.
A blade art he couldn’t fathom. A willpower he couldn’t comprehend. A situation he couldn’t explain.
All of it manifested to the priest as sheer horror.
Fwoosh!
Dark vapor leaked from his gaping wound.
The priest gripped it tightly. In a normal fight, it would have sealed in seconds, but the holy residue clinging to the cut was stopping it.
“Grrr…”
Bloodshot eyes locked onto Kyle.
How could a dying man still be upright, still ready to kill?
Even now, he was swaying—but he was holding that sword.
The priest ground his fangs. His state wasn’t ideal either, but he was still in far better condition. One more strike—he could end him.
Just as he attempted to gather force for another lunge—
BOOM!
Light burst from the heavens.
The priest looked up in bewilderment—and his eyes went wide.
From within that radiance, a shape plummeted down like a falling star.
CRASH!
A palm slammed into the priest’s throat, driving his entire frame deep into the dirt.
Rumble!
With a thunderous snap, the ground fractured as the priest’s body was pulverized into it.
He had no opportunity to fight back. The absolute power and velocity pinned him down and dragged him through the earth.
“AAAGH!”
The priest shrieked. He didn’t even know who had struck him—all he could do was suffer the burning agony in his neck, which felt as though it had snapped.
When he finally regained a sliver of awareness, he saw the man crushing his windpipe.
The one who had descended from the sky—Ghislain—looked down at him with a frozen stare and spoke.
“Is this enjoyable? Bullying someone weaker than you?”
“Wh-Who are…?”
The priest blinked in shocked horror.
He had no idea which of them was being called the “weaker one” right now.