Chapter 162: Selfish Malice

A cluster of pure white light surrounded the area.

It was like a barrier created by the prayers of the priests.

At this, the pitch-black dragon faltered as if startled.

“Priests, continue offering your prayers! And bring the priests and Holy Knights from the annex palace!”

“Those people?”

In this situation, if they were brought here, it was certain that the other priests would see them.

“We have no choice right now! Quickly!”

King Harlan Mineta drew his sword and waited with the other knights.

The dragon was barely being held back by the priests.

If the priests exhausted themselves before the pitch-black dragon did, then there might be no way left.

Several soldiers moved toward the royal capital.

The once crowded streets emptied out rapidly.

“O Goddess Zigasis! In Your holy name, protect us so that no unclean thing may take root!”

The prayers continued.

The pitch-black dragon, which had been stepping back, seemed enraged; just like before, it formed a sphere before its long snout.

The wind turned pitch-black and was sucked into that sphere.

Shuaaaaaaaa!

Luteo, who stood in an attacking stance beside the king, grew desperate.

“Your Majesty! That attack erased both the knights and the street along with them.”

“Are you saying even the priests won’t be able to block it?”

“I do not know. But it’s a dangerous power.”

The wait didn’t last long.

The filled pitch-black sphere flickered, then shot toward the priests who were chanting on one side.

“O Goddess—!”

There was not even time for a scream.

In an instant, five priests disappeared without leaving a trace.

“……How could such a power exist.”

A sigh escaped Harlan Mineta’s lips as fear settled in.

The people around him felt the same.

Because of this, fear shook the priests, and their prayers wavered.

The white, wavering blessing barrier trembled.

Cracks widened, and another sphere formed on the dragon’s lips.

Shuaaaak!

This time its target was Harlan Mineta and the knights.

“Everyone, take your stance!”

Considering the speed of the pitch-black sphere, dodging was impossible.

That meant the only option was to block it.

At once, Harlan Mineta emitted a faint blue aura.

Power of a mid-high-level Swordmaster.

At the same time, the pitch-black sphere burst forth as if waiting.

“Hold it back! Uraaagh!”

While lowering the aura-coated sword, Harlan Mineta swung upward with all his strength.

Chwaaaaaak!

Perhaps it was because he poured in his full effort.

Or perhaps the dragon had weakened slightly after firing several times.

The dragon’s breath, which clashed with the sword’s tip, seemed as though it would forcefully push through—but then it rode the blade upward and veered off.

Swoooosh! Kwa-kwa-kwaang!

The breath exploded in midair, sending a violent shockwave in all directions.

“Huff… huff…….”

Barely blocking the attack, Harlan Mineta’s breathing became rough.

At the same time, the knights who had been watching from behind rushed forward.

“Your Majesty! We will block it.”

They stepped up because they had witnessed the king block the attack with aura.

Because they saw a possibility.

But the dragon’s next attack did not aim at the knights—it turned toward the priests again.

It seemed to have realized what was weakening it.

“Block it somehow!”

If only the High Priestess and the commander of the Holy Knight Order arrived, handling this would become far easier.

Of course, they were worried about the priests from the temple as well.

If the situation worsened, they might have to turn their backs on the temple immediately.

If that happened, the plan to delay negotiations with the Moratz Kingdom would completely collapse.

Moreover, the initiative they thought they had gained might reverse entirely.

If possible, the best solution was to resolve this with military force alone.

“Priests, press harder with your blessing! If you retreat, the Mineta Kingdom will hold your actions accountable!”

The temple was obligated to stand at the forefront in dealing with unclean beings.

If they violated that, the trust between the temple and the kingdom would shatter.

The priests knew this well.

“Hold it back somehow! After that, continue unleashing attacks!”

Harlan Mineta once again drew upon his strength and charged in.

The aura-coated sword carved a path toward the dragon’s leg and torso.

Chwaaaak! Chwak!

The long streaks of wounds did not deepen.

The blazing pitch-black hide quickly healed even those gashes.

Other attacks were the same.

Even though arrows, swords, and spears relentlessly scraped its hide, they were useless.

Ting! Ting! Titing!

Without aura, attacks didn’t even land properly.

[Kraaaaaaah—!]

The dragon’s roar echoed as if drilling into their skulls.

The knights who had been charging forward grabbed their heads and halted.

The aftermath was tremendous.

Harlan Mineta stabbed his sword downward as his knees buckled.

“Ghhk……! It could even use such an attack?”

Unlike its focused breath, this one stopped the hands of the entire force.

And as if waiting for that moment, the pitch-black dragon formed a sphere before its snout again.

The priests had stopped praying entirely.

“No……!”

Its direction was toward Harlan Mineta.

At that moment—

A single human silhouette shot out from behind, swinging a sword strike filled with white light.

Chwaaaaaaak—!

The blazing pitch-black flames along the dragon’s scales split like a crashing wave.

Because of that, its roar echoed like a scream.

[Craaaagh!]

The dragon’s breath spewed wildly into the air, as if the pain was immense.

The figure that suddenly appeared landed on the ground and immediately drew his sword upward, leaving behind a trail of white light.

Swaaak—!

It crossed over the path that had been carved earlier.

Judging by how well it struck, pitch-black smoke gushed out from between the overlapping sword marks.

The identity of the figure was Larsen Heights, the Holy Knight Commander of the Bachenan Holy Kingdom.

Meanwhile, the other Holy Knights drove their swords into the ground and formed a blessing barrier together with the priests.

“O sun that embraced all the earth, and Goddess Zigasis of blessings… answer our prayer… beneath Your ideals… I shall embrace the unclean in my arms…”

Just like before, a wave of white light spread outward and wrapped around the dragon.

Its power exceeded that of ordinary holy power.

At the center of the priests and Holy Knights, High Priestess Marianne was offering a blessing prayer with all her strength.

The priests who had been unable to stand earlier widened their eyes in shock.

It was because Larsen Heights, the Holy Knight Commander who was said to be difficult to meet even within the Holy Kingdom, and High Priestess Marianne were now right before them.

“Priests, assist the High Priestess so the dragon cannot escape!”

At Larsen Heights’s shout, the priests—half out of their senses—hurriedly stood up.

Their arrival restored the momentum.

“Since you have requested our assistance, you will have to take responsibility for what has happened.”

He meant the imprisonment of the Holy Knights and priests.

Of course, Harlan Mineta knew that fact better than anyone.

His expression darkened.

“For now, let us handle that thing first and talk afterward.”

“It will not change anything.”

Larsen Heights’s sword continued to shine pure white.

It was not the aura of a high-rank Swordmaster, but pure holy power.

When Larsen Heights leaped high and swung his sword again, a glowing trail slashed across the dragon’s torso.

Chwaaaak!

[Craaaaagh!]

A scream layered with multiple voices.

The furious pitch-black dragon shot a dark, burning heat from its eyes and formed a sphere even larger than before.

Its direction was toward the priests and Holy Knights who were praying.

At that, Larsen Heights landed on a roof and charged toward them.

“Holy Knights, use the ‘Holy Shield’!”

It was one of the blessings learned by Holy Knights of the Bachenan Holy Kingdom.

At the command, the Holy Knights drove their swords into the ground, held them tightly with both hands, and recited a prayer.

Before their long-formed line, layers of white light rose like overlapping shields.

Swaaaak!

And as if waiting for that moment, the dragon’s breath poured down.

Kuwuuuaang—!

The impact split left and right along the Holy Shield.

The already ruined buildings of the street collapsed into rubble.

Fortunately, the Holy Knights’ Holy Shield held firm.

Then Larsen switched direction and charged toward the dragon together with the Holy Knights.

“We push forward using holy power!”

A fierce counterattack followed.

Whether from repeatedly shooting its breath or for some other reason, the pitch-black dragon’s movements had slowed compared to the beginning.

Thanks to that, its wounds increased, and it released thick plumes of pitch-black smoke.

[Aaaaaagh!]

The dragon tried to counterattack in its own way, but it struggled to catch the swiftly moving Holy Knights.

Moreover, the priests’ continuous blessing prayers from afar weakened it further as time passed.

Soon, a stronger burst of white light exploded from Larsen Heights’s sword.

“This ends now.”

He could feel the pitch-black dragon’s life reaching a critical point.

Focusing his holy power to the utmost, Larsen Heights ran along walls and rooftops, leaping high.

Sensing danger, the dragon swung its massive forepaw to block him.

“Haaap!”

Such a simple attack.

Larsen Heights predicted it easily, used the arm as a stepping stone, and leaped even higher.

Tatak!

With a sharp shout, his shining sword rose—then drove straight toward the dragon’s head.

Puuuk—!

From the beginning, his target had not been the dragon’s torso, but its head.

[…]

The dragon, which had been shrieking loudly enough to tear ears apart, fell silent.

Then its massive body staggered and tilted to one side.

Kuung—!

With a heavy crash, Larsen Heights leapt down from the dragon’s head and landed on the ground.

Silence fell.

Those who had fought against the dragon were in wretched condition.

“Is it over…”

Just as Larsen Heights let out a sigh of relief, smoke erupted from the dragon’s fallen body.

Swaaaaaa!

It was like throwing water onto a blazing furnace.

King Harlan Mineta and the knights approaching from behind froze at the sight.

And when the smoke cleared, they were stunned by what appeared.

The dragon had disappeared, and in its place lay five people in a ruined state.

“……Humans?”

Their forms certainly matched.

But the fact that people appeared after the dragon vanished left them bewildered.

Knight Commander Luteo Candir, who had paused for a moment, approached the men with tension in his posture.

Luteo lifted the robes slightly with the tip of his sword to check their condition.

His face hardened instantly.

“Your Majesty…”

At his call, Harlan Mineta also turned his gaze toward them.

Larsen Heights and High Priestess Marianne, who had come closer, could also see.

Then Luteo, after a brief hesitation, spoke.

“These men are priests!”

The clothing hidden beneath their robes—

It was the same as Marianne and the other priests standing nearby.

Though stained with blood, it was unmistakable.

Harlan Mineta’s expression turned cold as he shouted:

“Surround them immediately!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep