Chapter 24

Episode 24. It Was You Guys? (5)

Sun Sword.

A sword technique created by Reynaldo Helios, the leader of the “Five Great Heroes” who sealed the Devil God 500 years ago.

The Sun Sword consists of a total of 9 “forms,” and as the number increases, the difficulty and power increase exponentially.

“According to Yuren, even Reynaldo Helios, who created the sword technique, only theoretically created the 9th form and couldn’t perfectly execute it.”

Anyway.

Although it’s called a sword technique, the Sun Sword takes the form of a typical “sword technique” only up to the 4th form.

Upward slash, downward slash, horizontal slash, thrust.

These four movements are honed to the extreme to create the four forms.

From the 5th form onwards, it can no longer be called a sword technique… It transforms into something closer to magic or a miracle.

“With my usual magic power, I can only use up to the 4th form.”

Originally, sword techniques beyond the 5th form were techniques I couldn’t perform with my magic power.

“But.”

Now that I’ve taken the Holy Mark Amplifier.

Although it’s only for 5 minutes, I can reach a realm I couldn’t before.

“Ugh… My, my eyes!”

“What, what is this light!”

The Mynes squint their eyes at the pure white light emanating from the sword.

Without giving their eyes time to adjust to the intense light,

Swoosh! Slash! Crack!

With eerie sounds, the heads of three Mynes are separated from their bodies.

“What the…!”

It’s not Dale who moved to cut their necks.

The pure white light emanating from the sword.

The bodies of the Mynes touched by the light are split as if cut by the sword.

“Th-the light! Avoid the light!”

One Myne urgently shouts and throws himself to avoid the pure white light emanating from the sword, but.

Swoosh!

As the tip of the sword slightly moves, the Myne’s upper and lower body are split in two.

A slash that ignores distance.

The bodies of the Mynes touched by the light from the sword fall one by one, spraying blood.

“Idiots! Don’t just clumsily dodge, rush at him together and kill him! He’s alone!”

Calix fiercely scolds his subordinates.

“W-we will follow your orders!”

“Surround him!”

“Raaaah!”

At his shout, the Mynes draw their weapons and charge at Dale.

Swoosh! Slash!

Even as they charge, two Mynes are split in two by the light, but the other Mynes who weren’t directly hit by the light manage to get close to Dale.

“Die, you bastard!”

The Myne who closed the distance thrusts a spear imbued with magic.

It seemed like Dale, who had just swung his sword, wouldn’t be able to block the spear aimed at his vitals, but.

“Huh.”

Dale’s lips curl up, revealing his white teeth.

He steps and twists his body slightly, catching the spear between his armpit.

A move close to a death-defying stunt where even a slight mistake would have pierced his heart.

Even for a hero with considerable combat experience, there would have been a moment of hesitation in such a life-threatening move.

“This crazy…!”

But Dale didn’t have even that moment of hesitation.

Yeah.

As if he had multiple lives.

“Ugh!”

Crunch!

Grabbing the spear caught in his armpit, he twists the Myne’s neck with his bare hands.

“Eek!”

A Myne charging with a weapon in hand sees his comrade’s neck being twisted right in front of him and lets out a frightened groan.

“What’s the big deal with this?”

Dale tosses the Myne’s corpse, whose neck is twisted at a grotesque angle, to the ground and licks his lips as if savoring it.

“Only a minute has passed.”

Dale charges at the Mynes surrounding him like a beast.

“Ugh, ugh!”

“Ahhh!”

“P-please… Ugh!”

Against Mynes trying to attack from a distance, he swings his sword to shoot out pure white light, and against those who get close, he subdues them with martial arts.

While guiding them to prevent the formation of a siege by keeping his back to walls and pillars, he suddenly charges in, causing the charging Mynes to tangle with each other.

A scene more fitting to be called a “massacre” than a “battle.”

The thirty Mynes are reduced to half in less than three minutes.

“P-priest!”

The helpless Mynes turn their gaze to Calix.

“Useless fools…!”

Calix grinds his teeth and scolds his subordinates.

‘What the hell is that guy?’

How can that be called a “candidate”?

No, fine.

Even if we assume a candidate can be as strong as, or even stronger than, an active hero.

There are rumors that “Yuren Helios,” who has been ranked first in the comprehensive evaluation of candidates for three years, is much stronger than most professors.

‘But.’

The movements that effortlessly handle the coordinated attacks of thirty Mynes without a hint of retreat, and the ruthless hand speed.

‘This isn’t a candidate, it’s like…’

Something you’d only see from a hero who has been on the battlefield for decades and retired.

“Dammit!”

Calix chews his lip with an anxious expression.

Although he hasn’t joined the battle yet, just seeing that guy’s combat… no, massacre scene, he could tell.

‘We can’t win.’

No matter how much he’s a Myne who has risen to the position of a “priest,” he can’t win against a monster who cuts down fifteen Mynes in less than three minutes.

‘But if I run away like this, that person won’t just sit still.’

Imagining the enraged Archbishop sends a chill down his spine.

He takes out a wand embedded with a magic stone the size of a fist from his pocket and points it at Dale.

‘If I’m going to die either way!’

A black light emanates from the Holy Mark on his left chest, and dozens of magic spikes float around him.

“Haa!”

Swoosh! Crack! Slash!

The magic spikes shoot out with terrifying force.

A Myne who couldn’t dodge in time is pierced by the spikes and screams, but Calix doesn’t slow down his attack.

“Trying hard, huh.”

Dale clicks his tongue as if unimpressed by the magic spikes pouring from all sides.

He throws his body towards the fiercely shooting magic spikes and stomps his foot hard.

Berald Martial Arts.

Earth Shaker.

Boom! Crash!

The entire hideout shakes as if an earthquake has struck.

Rotten wooden planks and piles of dirt rising from the broken floor act as shields, blocking the pouring magic spikes.

“Ugh!”

As the thick dust rises, Calix frowns.

Swoosh!

A pure white light pierces through the dust and grazes Calix’s arm holding the wand.

Flesh tears and blood pours.

A dizzying pain spreads through his arm to his entire body.

“Ugh!”

Calix, gritting his teeth, clutches his half-severed arm.

After letting out a painful groan for a moment, Calix grabs the wand with his other hand and glares sharply at Dale.

‘Strength won’t work.’

Whether he shoots out dozens or hundreds of magic spikes, it seems impossible to subdue that monster.

‘Then.’

Sigh.

Calix takes a deep breath and covers the magic stone the size of a fist at the head of the wand with his hand.

Whoosh!

The power flowing from the magic stone resonates with the magic and spreads.

Crack, crackle!

The magic stone at the end of the wand begins to crack and crumbles into powder.

“Come forth, power of dreams!”

The magic used by sacrificing the magic stone is the magic of his master, Archbishop Ashtaroth.

A terrifying magic that traps the target in a world of illusions called “Dreams,” collapsing their mind.

“Ugh…!”

Blood flows from Calix’s eyes and nose as he uses magic beyond his level.

For a mere priest, not even a bishop, using the “Archbishop’s” magic is a life-threatening risk, but now is not the time to worry about that.

“Die trapped in dreams!”

The black light seeping from the crumbling wand wraps around Dale’s body.

Dale, who had been rampaging like a wolf among sheep, suddenly stops.

“Huhu… That’s right. No matter how much you struggle, you can’t resist his magic.”

No matter how strong you are, if your mind collapses, it’s useless.

Calix smirks bitterly as he looks at Dale, who has stopped in his tracks.

“Kill him before he wakes up…!”

As he shouts at his foolishly standing subordinates.

Thud.

The cold sensation of metal piercing his abdomen.

“Ugh.”

A choked groan escapes along with the unbearable pain.

Turning his head, he sees Dale, who was supposed to be trapped in “Dreams,” standing right in front of him.

“H-how…?”

How did he escape from “Dreams”?

Calix’s eyes widen in disbelief.

“Didn’t work on me, huh.”

Dale smirks as he looks at the shocked Calix.

“Ugh… Ugh, cough!”

Calix clutches his pierced abdomen and slowly collapses.

Whoosh.

The black light that had enveloped Dale’s body returns to its owner, Calix.

The remaining magic returns to him as “Dreams” is broken.

In that brief moment when the mental magic is dispelled and returns to the caster, Calix’s mind and Dale’s mind are momentarily connected.

A phenomenon commonly called “mental resonance” among mental magic users.

“…Ah.”

Swapping visions.

Calix’s body, connected to Dale’s mind, twitches as if having a seizure.

“W-what… What is this?”

The whole world is burning.

The entire world is burning.

Crackling, sizzling.

No matter where, no matter which direction you look.

‘Fire.’

A massive… a massive flame that seems to engulf the world.

The crimson flames, like a devil’s tongue, greedily burn the illusion of “Dreams” he risked his life to create, blazing fiercely.

‘What… What is this…?’

Although “mental resonance” has happened before, this is the first time he’s seen such a sight.

‘What is that?’

As Calix looks around the world engulfed in flames, a figure catches his eye.

In the fiercely burning flames.

A black figure crouching within.

‘What… What is that?’

As if hearing his own voice.

The crouching black figure slowly raises its head.

And.

The green eyes within the burning flames turn towards him.

“…Ah.”

Calix, with the sword still in his abdomen, staggers back.

“Ah, uh. Ahh.”

As if forgetting the sword in his abdomen, Calix crawls on the ground, trying to escape from Dale.

“Ahhhhhh!!”

Calix crawls towards the hideout entrance, trying to get as far away from Dale as possible.

The aftermath of running away? The fear of Archbishop Ashtaroth?

Such things are no longer in his mind.

“R-run… q-quickly…!”

All that remains in his mind is the intense fear of that nameless candidate.

“What’s with this guy all of a sudden?”

Dale is rather bewildered by Calix’s sudden behavior.

Dale approaches Calix, who is bleeding and trying to escape, and presses his foot firmly on his neck.

“Ugh.”

A choked groan escapes Calix’s lips.

“Well, I won’t get anything useful from you anyway due to the restrictions… Tsk.”

Dale clicks his tongue and puts more pressure on Calix’s neck with his foot.

“Just die.”

Crunch!

Calix’s neck is twisted grotesquely.

“P-priest?”

“This can’t be…?”

The Mynes, shocked by Calix’s death without even putting up a proper fight, hesitate and step back.

“Let’s see… about a minute left?”

Dale checks the time on his Hero Watch and smirks at the retreating Mynes.

“Plenty of time.”

Once again, a pure white flash illuminates the dark hideout.