Chapter 269: The Clash Between Magic Power and Sacred Relics

“This is wrong!” Jeven fixed his gaze on Jared, his voice a hoarse growl. “Commoners are also human. They ought to live in houses, drink clean water, eat fragrant bread, then in the childhood blessed by the Lord, grow up happily. When they become adults, under the Lord’s guidance, they should fulfill the missions they are meant to fulfill.”

“This is what it means to be human, this is what people should become—not breeding machines in your eyes, not your private property.”

“If human life were truly private property, then it would belong only to the Lord—it would be the Lord’s wealth. Whether commoner, gentry, or noble, whether man or woman, this is the sacred wealth of the Lord. It is not the private property of you nobles!”

Jeven’s voice seemed to carry power, battering Jared, leaving him gasping for air.

Jared felt immense pressure. He glanced at the attendant beside him, who had already fainted under the shock.

This power was like the time he faced Raymond’s gaze, except Raymond had only glanced casually, while Jeven now seemed seized by some kind of frenzy.

His legs felt nailed to the ground, immovable. He thought that if this continued, he too would collapse like the attendant.

Shakily, he opened his mouth and stammered, “You are right. Every life is sacred, each is the Lord’s blessing. This is the answer you have found—it is something to be celebrated. But before celebrating, I think you ought to tell the Grand Duke your answer.”

Only then did the terrifying gleam in Jeven’s eyes fade a little.

Jeven closed his eyes, drew a deep breath, and slowly regained his reason, pressing down the fatigue that had come from unconsciously invoking Divine Word out of anger. When he calmed down fully, he opened his eyes again and looked at Jared.

Blood still lined his eyes, but compared to his earlier ferocity, his gaze was now much gentler.

Looking at Jared, whose face was drenched in cold sweat, Jeven said apologetically, “Forgive me, Sir Jared.”

Jared replied dryly, “No, it’s nothing.”

What else could he say? Someone who could speak as an equal with Raymond was certainly no ordinary man.

Jeven then said, “I understand your meaning, but this is wrong—it violates the order of human society’s functioning. In the eyes of the Lord, all lives are equal. Only the radiance life shines forth is worthy of praise.”

Jared answered quickly, “Yes, that’s right. You are correct.”

What else could he say? He was merely a third-generation lord. Just the angry voice of Jeven had nearly crushed him to death. At this moment, naturally, whatever Jeven said was correct.

Jared then asked, “Do you intend to meet with Grand Duke Raymond? To tell him your answer?”

Jeven hesitated, then shook his head. “No. I only know the reason, but I have not yet drawn the answer to the Grand Duke’s question.”

Jared’s heart sank in bitterness. He had no wish to feel that same powerless terror again. It was too dreadful. This bishop seemed unlike Grand Duke Raymond, who could carefully restrain his strength.

But in truth, Jeven had already sensed the answer within. From where did the Sacred Scriptures’ power come? Naturally, it came from the might of the Lord. Just as the Lord could redefine the world’s operating rules, the Lord’s power was infinite.

Yet… was this not exactly as Raymond had said? In the end, both he and the nobles alike were imposing their will on others through sheer strength.

But Jeven believed this was only the surface. Beneath it lay a deeper reason—he had simply not discovered it yet. He wished to continue searching, to seek out that deeper truth.

Only when he uncovered the true underlying reason would he feel he could give Raymond an answer.

Just as he resolved doubts for believers, as a priest—no, as a bishop—every word he spoke carried the power to shape a life.

Jeven looked toward a pile of beast hides neatly stacked together. These were gathered by the Corlay Family, recording all known history.

At that moment, a booming sound suddenly rang out, and the entire fortress trembled.

The two men’s faces changed. They rushed toward the lookout of the chamber.

When they reached it and looked up, they saw Raymond high in the skies. He wore a suit of armor, its surface carved with glowing patterns. Behind him stretched a pair of steel wings, while stone and dust fell from him.

Clearly, Raymond had burst straight out from inside the fortress.

“Is that the expansion of the Suit of Armor?!” Jared’s voice trembled, his pupils quivering violently, as though even looking directly at Raymond was a heavy burden.

“Suit of Armor?” Jeven asked, his eyes holding faint doubt.

Closing his eyes, Jared explained, “That is the Corlay Family’s Suit of Armor, a powerful set capable of conquering the skies. Because of this, it is also called Sky-Ripper.”

“Sky-Ripper?” Jeven echoed softly. He looked skyward and saw the wings behind Raymond tremble faintly—then in an instant Raymond vanished. Only space seemed to rupture, leaving visible voids behind, followed by a thunderous explosion that shook the fortress, stone blocks crashing down.

Their ears rang with an endless buzzing, their skulls muddled by the shock. When Jeven glanced at Jared, he saw blood trickling from his ears.

Jeven instinctively touched under his own ear and felt wetness too.

…

Just as the name implied, Raymond cut through the skies, leaving behind a white streak as though tearing heaven itself. He appeared before Olivia’s gaze.

The steel wings behind him vibrated faintly as Raymond looked down from above and said, “So you are the little girl who seeks to judge me?”

“I can feel the intensity of your battle aura. It is incredible that someone your age possesses such power.”

Seated on a stone throne, Olivia looked up at him. “You defied the will of the Church, and so you must be punished.”

Raymond said, “Even if you are just a little girl, the world is cruel. It does not grant leniency because of youth. Fight me. If you lose, I will kill you without mercy—this is my respect for your formidable aura. But if you win, I shall, as you say, go to the Great Church and repent.”

Olivia answered, “Repentance at the Great Church was the choice given to you before. But now, having defied the Church’s will a second time, the only punishment left for you is annihilation.”

She rose as she spoke, a sword gradually forming in her hand, reaching up to her shoulder. The blade radiated dazzling golden light, wrapped in pure magic power.

Raymond’s eyes grew solemn. With a wave of his hand, a two-handed greatsword taller than Olivia appeared. Its blade was dark red, and at its hilt was inlaid a ruby.

He drew in a deep breath. His heterochromatic eyes shone faintly as the greatsword flickered with dark red light. Black arcs of lightning crackled across its surface.

Olivia swung her sword fiercely. A torrent of golden magic power surged skyward.

Raymond swung in turn. His dark red blade, wrapped in arcs of lightning, clashed with the golden flood.

The air quaked. Golden magic and the power of the Sacred Relic in liberation collided, the aftershock carving scars across the earth. Yet ultimately, the golden torrent engulfed the Relic’s force, swallowing Raymond in the sky, then roaring upward before crashing down like meteors, gouging craters in the ground.

But Olivia only gazed grimly at the heavens.

Raymond still stood there. His emerald-like eyes glowed. Blue patterns covered his body beneath the armor. In his hand he held a small round shield, glowing faint violet, resonating with the translucent violet barrier surrounding him like a sphere.

Raymond said, “Such immense magic power… Even after linking with this land and drawing upon its Earth Vein Magic, I cannot compare. And that sword—you wield no Sacred Relic, yet driven by your magic, its force surpasses that of a Relic. So this is the Church’s power?”

Olivia gave no reply. She only shifted her stance, sword drawn behind her as more magic surged into it.

Raymond chuckled. “Such a pure knight. Very well—then after defeating you, I will speak again.”

He loosened his grip. The two-handed sword floated beside him. In his shield hand, a bow appeared. He drew it tight, a solid arrow condensing on the string.

Releasing, the arrow shot toward Olivia. Her ruby-like eyes contracted sharply as torrents of blue magic burst outward, enveloping her body. Power surged into her sword, blasting a massive crater beneath her, propelling her body skyward.

Olivia’s small frame shot like an arrow. She collided with the incoming arrow, and an earth-shattering explosion erupted. A massive mushroom cloud rose from the ground, the earth quaking, the roar of ruptures echoing like the wail of the land itself.

Raymond’s emerald eyes trembled as he looked down. His expression shifted, wings beating as he tried to ascend further. But it was too late—Olivia shot from the mushroom cloud. Hastily, he raised his small round shield before his chest, bracing to block.

Olivia’s petite body, like an arrow launched from the earth, clashed with him. At that instant, her surging, colossal magic threatened to crush Raymond to pieces.

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