Chapter 245: Walpurgis Night (3)

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Carl looked around.

He had already noticed that there were other presences besides the woman in front of him.

However, the moment the two of them appeared, the sense of dissonance Carl had been feeling deepened.

‘…I see.’

Tracing back through faint memories, Carl finally realized the source of the unease he had felt.

‘A cult that serves a different demigod than Kylos, is it?’

The title of ‘Saint’, the cryptic dialogue that resembled a Zen riddle, and the strange aura he sensed from them all aligned.

It was the same power as the one used by the masked man who had introduced himself as Lucas at the beginning of the semester.

Having identified their true nature, Carl twisted his lips into a smirk as he looked at them.

“So that’s what it is. You’re followers of a half-baked god. It really must mean Ragnarok is approaching if even these halfwits are…”

Pit.

Carl tilted his head slightly to avoid the opponent’s attack, then let out a snort and finished his sentence.

“…running wild like this.”

“Heh.”

A muscular man rolled his wrist as he slowly stepped forward.

“I was going to let this slide since the Saint is watching, but you… What the hell are you?”

“You want to know?”

“That’s not the answer you’re supposed to give, brat.”

The man’s figure vanished from view in an instant.

At the same time, Carl clenched his fist and lightly struck the air.

Clang!

Fist met fist.

As space rippled and shockwaves spread out, Carl peered past the locked fists with a curious gaze.

“A monk, huh. It’s rare to find one this well-trained.”

He was a master-level fighter.

If Gallon For completed his realm, it might look like this.

Not only was his visible physique strong, but even the mental image and energy forming its foundation were incredibly solid.

“Palmas.”

“Saint. This man is a threat. I don’t know how he knows about us, but now that this opportunity has come, we can’t let him go.”

“I feel the same. I’ve been sensing it from the start—he’s dangerous.”

Unlike the monk called Palmas, the swordsman who had stepped back and folded her arms also watched Carl with narrowed eyes.

A chill unlike anything she’d felt before crawled down her spine.

The alarm ringing in her head was warning her of just how dangerous this man was in real time.

“……”

The woman called the Saint remained silent for a moment, looking between Carl and the others.

“Not very loyal, are you? The Saint just gave her word, yet you’re trying to intimidate me?”

“Fool. Eliminating threats to the cult has always been our top priority.”

Palmas scoffed coldly as he flicked Carl’s fist away.

“…Understood. I’ll leave it to your judgment. I shall resume my prayers.”

“I’ll join you soon.”

Just as the woman nodded, Palmas lunged forward.

Fwoosh!

A fist glowing with blue divinity shot toward Carl like a meteor.

‘So be it.’

He had hoped the Saint’s intervention would allow for more conversation, but unfortunately, these two had been wary of him from the beginning.

Which meant he couldn’t enter that hut without taking both of them down.

Whoosh, slash.

Dodging the falling fists completely, Carl glanced in the direction where the Bayern team was located.

‘They’re far enough that even if a commotion breaks out, they won’t notice.’

The only concern would be Laysis and Lewis, who were scouting nearby, but since they were in the opposite direction, it shouldn’t be a big issue.

“I know how to throw a punch or two myself.”

Carl stopped dodging and clenched both fists tightly.

Dark demonic energy surged upward, radiating fist pressure.

Palmas’s eyes widened at the sight.

“Demonic energy!”

“…No, something’s different. It wouldn’t be wise to approach carelessly.”

“Step back, Jenny. Go inside and assist the Saint.”

“Will you be alright alone?”

“Of course—”

Boom.

The air next to Palmas’s face exploded.

As Carl grinned at the bright red blood trickling down Palmas’s cheek, he said,

“Doesn’t look like you’ll manage on your own.”

“You unbelieving scum.”

As flames sparked in Palmas’s eyes, the woman called Jenny sighed and slowly drew her sword.

“This won’t do. We can’t let ourselves be held back here. Let’s clean this up quickly. You there, Carlos Leipzig, was it? I won’t kill you. We’re priests too, so we try to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. But instead…”

Shing.

An invisible slash flew forth.

Lifting the sheath of the Heavenly Thunder Sword to lightly block it, Carl let out a low murmur of admiration.

“You’ll have to pay the price for running your mouth. Maybe I’ll leave you bedridden for a month or two?”

“Or maybe we break all your limbs and leave you half-dead. That should be enough.”

Their light banter was a stark contrast to their real strength.

‘Not bad at all.’

Slowly drawing the Heavenly Thunder Sword, Carl’s lips curled into a faint smile.

The fact that they served the Saint and still possessed this level of skill likely meant they held significant positions within the cult.

They must have plenty of information—and conveniently, he had just thought of an experiment he wanted to try.

“I probably won’t need both. I should take one out first.”

“Ridicul—”

Before Palmas could finish, Carl’s figure vanished from where he stood.

“…!”

It was a speed unlike any he had shown until now—on an entirely different level.

Just as Jenny began to raise her sword slowly, Palmas shouted sharply at her.

“Behind you!”

Clang!

She swung her sword the moment she registered the warning.

Even so, her form twisted and was pushed back.

‘What is this strength…!’

Jenny’s face contorted.

Even though he had speed and momentum on his side, he had still swung his sword with a fair degree of preparation.

And yet, to be pushed back this one-sidedly—it was a staggering difference.

“What’s wrong? I wonder where that confidence from earlier has gone.”

Carl let out a laugh and stepped back.

At the same time, his figure blended into the forest’s shadows and vanished once again.

Kwaaaang!

A beat later, Palmas’ fist flew through the air toward where he had just been.

Even though over a dozen trees were uprooted and the ground was torn apart, Carl’s figure was nowhere to be seen.

“What the—?”

Not even his presence could be sensed.

As a martial artist, he had trained repeatedly to hone his senses to their extreme.

And yet, how was that guy able to slip past even his sensory perception?

‘Stealth? A technique that hides in shadows? Or perhaps an artifact.’

Either way, there was no doubt he was a troublesome opponent.

“It’s like we’re fighting an assassin.”

“Indeed. But there’s no way a man the Saint kept such a close eye on is just some assassin.”

Thud.

Matching fists again and catching his breath, Palmas narrowed his eyes and drew forth his divine power.

“Jenny, this won’t do. He’s not someone we can deal with half-heartedly.”

“But…”

“This is actually cleaner. Let’s finish this quickly and go.”

Vwooom.

Blue divine power surged from his entire body.

Focusing his consciousness inward, he released the restraints that had been suppressing his mental image and declared in a low voice.

“Divine Release.”

“…So you were hiding something after all.”

“…!”

This was why Carl hadn’t confronted them head-on and instead stalled for time while leading a hunt.

It was because Palmas and Jenny had been holding back.

The energy he gave off was clearly at the Master level, but he hadn’t even used half that strength when fighting Carl.

Which meant there was a reason.

Thwop.

“…!”

But Carl’s target wasn’t Palmas, who had unleashed his power, but rather the Guardian who had been protecting him.

The Heavenly Thunder Sword pierced through her chest and savagely tore through her insides.

Though it didn’t kill her instantly, it dealt damage severe enough to render her completely immobile.

“…Kuh, agh!”

“Jenny!”

Surrounded by azure lightning, Palmas pushed off the ground and lunged at Carl.

Clang!

With a single light punch, Carl was pushed back, his expression showing a flicker of surprise.

‘He’s become much stronger than I expected.’

Was it a spell formula that amplified one’s power by releasing restrictions?

“For someone from a religious cult, you sure use all kinds of tricks.”

It was a method more fitting for the Demon Realm or the underworld.

“Shut up!!”

Cradling Jenny’s fallen body as she coughed up blood, Palmas imbued divine power into her gaping chest wound.

Soon the bleeding stopped, and the injury began to heal.

However, the energy of the Primordial Unity Divine Art wasn’t something that could be expelled so easily.

“…This is…”

A peculiar energy was gnawing away at Jenny from within.

Realizing he couldn’t treat it right away, Palmas carefully laid her body down and stood up.

“If I kill you, this curse will be lifted.”

“Will it, now?”

Carl gave a cold smile and flicked the Heavenly Thunder Sword.

“It’s about time to wrap this up. I’ve got companions waiting too.”

“Not if I can help it!!”

Kwaaaang!

Palmas’ punch tore through the forest.

Dozens of trees were obliterated, and the shockwave extended in a straight line beyond them.

If he wasn’t careful, the Bayern delegation might notice this disturbance.

Clack.

Intent on ending the fight quickly, Carl’s smile faded as he assumed a stance.

“Heaven-Flow Twilight Flash.”

Fwoosh!

A tidal wave of aura blades surged forth.

Caught off guard by the sudden bombardment, Palmas’s expression froze before he kicked off the ground and widened the distance.

It was to prevent Jenny, lying on the ground, from getting caught in it.

“A tearjerking sense of comradeship, I see.”

Carl twisted his lips and played along with his intention.

However, Palmas had to endure the barrage of aura blades with his entire body as the price.

Crack, craaack!

“Grrrraaaaaaaaah!!!”

Each time the protective aura forged from divine power rippled, blood flowed down his body.

By the time the Heaven-Flow Twilight Flash ended, he was staggering, drenched in blood, and collapsed to his knees.

“H-How…”

Palmas’ eyes trembled at the power that far exceeded his expectations.

‘So this is why the Saint had been watching him.’

It was certain—he couldn’t win in his current state.

So he needed to flee…

Clench.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to do.”

Carl reached out and grabbed Palmas’ neck.

“But I can’t just let you go. I’ve got a lot of questions too.”

Swoooosh!

A massive suction force erupted from Carl’s hand.

It looked like he was trying to absorb Palmas’ energy, much like the Absorbing Star Great Technique.

“…!!!”

As the divine power within him flowed into Carl’s hand, Palmas’ eyes shot open.

His bloodshot eyes twisted in pain as he struggled desperately to break free from Carl’s grip.

“Looks painful. If you want to be set free, tell me what you know. What are you people planning at Walpurgis Night?”

“S-Shut… up…!”

With bloodshot eyes, Palmas spat out a curse.

He twisted his leg and struck Carl’s throat, but the subtle gray protective aura lightly blocked what should have been a critical blow.

“A race that doesn’t understand words, I see.”

Craaaack.

Carl began absorbing Palmas’ divine power even more forcefully.

An unfamiliar energy flowed through his arm.

It felt distinctly different from Kylos’ divine power, so he decided to store it in one place for now.

Drip, drop, drip.

But at the same time, cracks began to appear on Palmas’ face.

“…?”

Carl furrowed his brows.

He hadn’t taken that much divine power—certainly not enough to cause physical cracks.

But soon he realized something and let out a soft sigh.

“It was a puppet.”

He tilted his head slightly and looked toward Jenny in the distance.

It seemed she had already been judged unsalvageable and had become a cold, lifeless puppet.

Click.

Carl clicked his tongue lightly, then flung aside Palmas’ limp body and walked into the hut.

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