Chapter 154

This woman… made no further offensive moves.

—She was here to gather intelligence.

The sharp-minded Gustana quickly came to that conclusion.

She’s trying to test the trump cards I hold…

Having already used two gems, the Pope had no intention of continuing to expose his abilities before the eyes of the Demon Clan.

Moreover, he had already discovered the reason the opponent could break through absolute defense magic.

Dodging the oncoming wind blades, Gustana steadied himself, deliberately raising his staff as if preparing to cast a spell.

Sure enough, Ailellek on the opposite side halted her assault, seemingly waiting for him to release his magic.

That confirmed the Pope’s suspicion.

But that magic was never going to be released.

Instead, the conclusion he had drawn echoed from his lips.

“Your Highness’s attacks… carry no magic fluctuations at all. You never had magic to begin with, did you?”

“Exposed already? I thought I’d get to mess with you a little longer.”

Ailellek showed no urgency in taking the Pope’s life—after all, that wasn’t the purpose of her visit.

Heh… Not that it’d matter much even if I killed him, but that would probably trouble my royal brother and little niece, wouldn’t it?

She spread her hands, her expression seemingly pitiable, but paired with the six wings unfurled behind her, there was nothing worthy of sympathy.

“Yes, yes… You guessed right. Among the Demon Clan, I’m a complete anomaly… Have you ever seen a Demon without magic? I sure got ostracized a lot by the others, but thanks to that, my physical abilities are pretty good! I run fast—wanna see?”

“!”

The Pope was still maintaining 【Super Acceleration】.

Yet in the time it took him to merely lift his gaze, Ailellek had vanished from where she stood. By the time her presence resurfaced, she was already behind him.

No time to turn around—Gustana hastily cast magic to continue teleporting, yet Ailellek always managed to stick to him like a shadow.

Are all six-winged Demons monsters…?!

By now, Gustana had fully analyzed her combat style.

This woman had no magic. She had achieved the strength of a six-winged being purely through her physical capabilities!

In other words, sheer physical power.

Her speed wasn’t due to 【Teleportation】—it was pure running.

Her wind blades weren’t wind-element magic, but just gusts generated by the swing of her arms!

No wonder absolute magic defense couldn’t block them—because it wasn’t magic to begin with.

Ailellek’s pursuit was like a hunter chasing her prey. Her laughter grew more twisted and maniacal—she was a bona fide battle maniac.

“Ahahahahaha…!! Run, run! Honorable Pope, if you don’t use your trump card magic soon, I’m going to catch you! And I promise you, the moment I do, I’ll twist off that precious head of yours myself, ahahaha!!!”

“You lunatic…!”

The Pope raised his staff and shattered the ceiling of the cathedral, leaping up to land on the tower top, bathed in the light of the twin moons.

Ailellek landed steadily across from him, her maddened grin completely unrestrained.

“Come on, come on…! Let me have some fun! My little niece is strong, but she never fights me! Isn’t there anyone worth fighting?! Come on, old man, use all your magic already!”

Unfurling her six wings, she cast a shadow over the moonlight, rendering it utterly insignificant.

The earth-shaking pressure blanketed the moon behind dark clouds, yet her light-footed steps didn’t so much as stir the sleeping citizens of the Holy Theocracy of Coreia’s capital.

To control her strength to such a degree… Who knew how terrifyingly powerful this former First Princess of the Demon Clan truly was?

There was no other choice…

The five remaining gems on the Pope’s staff simultaneously lit up with a gentle glow.

In the piercing cold wind, they illuminated the aged Pope whose killing intent had begun to awaken.

If the fear was of intelligence leaking—then the only solution was to eliminate the one who possessed it.

As long as Ailellek was killed here… even if she had seen the full nature of rule-type magic, she wouldn’t be able to leave Coreia with the information.

But doing so would undoubtedly enrage the Demon King.

So be it.

After all, the time when the united higher races would declare war on the Demon Clan wasn’t far off.

Seeing that her opponent was finally about to make a move, Ailellek took her stance, white light coiling around her fist, distorting the surrounding space.

The Pope raised his staff, and starlight infused with destruction began to shimmer at its tip.

Just as the two sides were about to unleash their decisive blows—

A breeze swept across the plains, showering everything in golden light.

Both of them paused, expressions turning solemn as they looked forward.

She had arrived.

A golden orb floated between them, dispersing into the shape of a humanoid golden silhouette.

The voice of a god echoed in the air for a long while.

“Though I am frail… it is not your place, you juniors, to be so impudent. Very well… little one of the Demon Clan, I shall teach you on Tieer’s behalf, what it means to be humble and respectful.”

“So you’ve finally shown yourself… the ‘god’ that my royal brother spoke of? Ha… then by all means, teach me. I’m curious how many punches a god from legend can withstand.”

64. It Was Said From the Beginning (4K)

At the sound of the divine voice, Gustana immediately reached a conclusion in his heart.

Faith was called faith because when the gods descended, everything could be declared settled.

“Lady Aimeris, I shall join you in subjugating the traitor.”

“No need.”

“Eh?”

Just as Gustana was about to declare his full support to the divine being, he was bluntly refused before he could even finish speaking.

This octogenarian Pope—his aged face actually revealed a faint sense of dejection, the kind only a child could show.

The golden, wavering figure advanced step by step toward Ailellek.

The heavy, echoing voice resounded only within the top floor of this clock tower.

“Gustana, can you not see the situation in the city? Now, go and do what you must.”

“!”

Such divine command rang in the Pope’s ears, and he understood immediately, turning his head to the side.

From the high vantage point of the clock tower atop the cathedral, one could overlook nearly the entirety of the Holy Theocracy of Coreia’s capital.

The once pitch-dark city now faintly flickered with lights. More and more illuminations joined together into a web, and people clad in priestly robes and nun habits hurried through the streets, converging in this direction.

Clearly, the commotion caused by the rooftop being pierced earlier had drawn the attention of nearby residents. Like ripples stirred by a pebble dropped into water, this attention was now spreading outward.

The area of effect would only grow larger, and the capital would descend into increasing chaos.

With this, the Pope understood Lady Aimeris’s intent.

“I shall now go and maintain order in the city. Lady Aimeris, may victory be with you.”

“Heh…”

Aimeris’s soft chuckle offered little explanation. It sounded almost like mockery—mockery of Gustana’s foolishness in worrying for a god while being but a mortal.

In any case, Pope Gustana raised his staff horizontally, golden light circling his body. He floated into the air and leapt down from the top of the clock tower, gradually disappearing into the night, melting into the myriad lights of the city below.

The Pope was gone. Ailellek made no move to stop him.

Now facing the golden figure whose features were indistinguishable, Ailellek let out a yawn, almost out of boredom.

“Haaa…! So you’re finally done talking? Can we fight now? I don’t care who it is—as long as someone can give me a bit of fun, I’m in!”

“Since the day the Demon Clan was born, they have always been this arrogant.” Aimeris’s tone was calm and echoing, devoid of emotion. “But this cannot be blamed on you. It stems from Tieer’s own arrogance—she is your ancestor, and you resemble her in some ways. I will not hold it against you, but you would do well to restrain yourself. Therefore, leave at once, and I shall spare your life.”

“Spare… spare my life?”

Ailellek blinked her blood-red eyes, as if she had just heard the funniest joke ever.

She slowly wrapped her arms around herself, her waist curling like a shrimp, and low giggles escaped her lips—so hot with anticipation they made even the night wind on the tower’s top feel a few degrees warmer.

There was no need to guess—

Ailellek wasn’t angry.

—She was excited.

Extremely excited.

“Ahahahaha…! This is the first time someone’s said that to me! ‘Spare my life,’ huh…? Fine, fine! If the great god can kill me, then I’d say today’s a total win! Oh right… before we start, can I ask something?”

“It matters not. Final words before death—speak freely. Listening to the words of mortals is among the duties of a god.”

Ailellek wiped away the tears that had leaked from laughing too hard.

She straightened up, waved her left hand, and with a twisted grin, she spoke in an excited, trembling voice.

“So hey… that Tieer person you mentioned earlier—who’s that again…? Sounds kinda familiar. Another one of those big shots who can put up a fight?”

“……”

Heh, arrogant as expected.

Lost in your so-called strength, you don’t even bother to remember the names of gods.

That’s worthy of praise.

But after praise—comes the price.

In her heart, Aimeris had already silently declared Ailellek’s time of death.

And when Aimeris raised her eyes, she saw that the entire sky above the cathedral had been engulfed in fire clouds, illuminating the land as if it were broad daylight.

There shouldn’t be fire clouds in the night sky.

But they had indeed formed in an instant.

That was the result of Ailellek’s serious punch wind, which ignited the surrounding space—it was nothing more than her warm-up.

With her six wings soaring, Ailellek flew up and hovered in front of the fiery curtain, overlooking the tiny speck of golden light at the top of the tower.

At this moment, it was as if she were the true god, and that indistinct golden light was nothing more than an insect.

“Not making a move?” Ailellek’s expression showed faint disappointment, but soon the gleam of unrestrained bloodlust gathered on her face. “If the great god won’t act… then I’ll strike first!”

The golden light didn’t move, but Ailellek had already stepped into the void, shooting forward like an arrow from a bow, rushing toward the platform where Aimeris stood.

Howling like a mad wind, a six-winged demon—the very existence of such beings was often accompanied by natural calamity.

Her punch, whose destructive power was beyond reckoning, slammed forward. Even before it reached the rooftop, the supporting pillars of the cathedral were already trembling and groaning in protest. And in the instant her fist actually touched the rubble, a dazzling white light exploded outward—half the cathedral collapsed in a thunderous crash amidst billowing smoke!

Even though the Pope was personally stationed in the city, cries of alarm rang out from all directions.

Anyone could guess… something monumental had happened in the Holy Theocracy.

Unfortunately, no matter how significant the event, no one could get close enough to watch.

A battle of this scale was not something civilians dared to approach.

Inside the cathedral, dust and smoke choked the air. Half of it had become ruins, surrounded only by fractured walls and remnants of pillars, forming a sealed space.

Ailellek crouched atop a broken column—its cross-section smoothed by wind blades. Her six wings wrapped around her body, and her sharp, piercing gaze frantically scanned the surroundings.

That punch just now—she was certain the golden light hadn’t dodged. It had been a direct hit.

But… there was no sensation of impact at all, as if she had punched through a water curtain, touching nothing solid.

From Aimeris, she could also sense no magic.

That bastard… where did she go?

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