Chapter 153: Cleanup
Boom—
A gigantic ice ball suddenly plummeted from the night sky. The knights below shouted in alarm—some scattered in panic while others desperately activated the Sin Barrier above their heads. But their tiny holy light beliefs were like ants trying to shake a tree; it was entirely laughable. They couldn’t even manage a feeble block.
“Oh divine one…”
They could only tremble in terror, watching the frigid meteor crash down, shattering the Sin Barrier. With a tremendous boom, every building connecting the rear church to the courtyard was instantly obliterated!
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom…
The earth shook beneath them.
A frenzied cold wind rushed in, chilling enough to freeze the very eyebrows off your face.
Everywhere you looked, the church courtyard had been smashed into a massive pit by the ice ball, nearly half of it buried underground. Many knights and holy figures who didn’t escape in time were turned into meat patties, entombed beneath the wreckage in an instant.
“Ross—”
“Ahhh!!”
Debris flew everywhere, and cries of pain erupted as some had broken legs, writhing on the ground. Those knights and clerics who had managed to escape were now being knocked about by the howling winds, their ears ringing from the blast, incapacitated and unable to fight back.
But…
Frost’s assault was far from over.
I watched the chaos below with a face devoid of emotion, my blue eyes glowing brighter.
Crack—
In the next moment, the enormous ice ball suddenly cracked open from the top.
“Get out…”
“Find! Cover! Quickly—”
In the chaotic shouts, the fallen knights began to struggle to their feet. They heard the ice ball cracking, understanding that something even worse was about to happen, desperately searching for cover and trying to flee. But… there was no chance left.
Crack, crack, crack, kaboom!
A second later, the ice ball exploded in a thunderous roar before the eyes of countless despairing souls, scattering sharp ice shards that shot out like bullets in all directions. Many knights found themselves easy targets, their armor piercing as ice turned them into pin cushions on their thighs, chests, and even heads.
Those who had just barely managed to stand, or those still coming in for backup, fell like wheat being harvested.
“Uh…”
“Ahhh!!”
The cries of agony crescendoed.
But soon, those sounds faded.
Amidst a series of muffled thuds, the ice shards embedded in bodies seemed to explode, sending bl**d flying everywhere as more ice spikes burst from within, blooming like frosty flowers from where the knights had been struck.
They could no longer scream.
The intense cold visibly froze the bl**d splattering from their wounds, solidifying their flowing lifeblood and organs. The knights’ eyes widened, slowly freezing over with ice as frost issued from beneath their armor. They remained in various poses of struggling for survival, until gradually, they all just froze in place.
And the blue glow in my eyes faded too.
My white hair returned to black, and my little horns retracted back into my head.
“Huff…”
I exhaled softly.
There were still some alive…
This didn’t wipe out all the knights here.
Yet, the rear church had left practically no one capable of action. However, further away in the courtyard and the church hall, quite a few knights and clerics, having regained their senses after the initial shock, slowly began to respond.
Buzz…
Golden light rose as someone shot a beam at the night sky, which exploded in the distance.
Clang!
I heard the sounds of battle behind me.
Suddenly turning around, I found Tarlasya having jumped out of the hole, swinging his long sword in a clash against the Sword Demon. Sparks flew as each attack connected, but in the next moment, he charged toward me with his sword raised.
“Historically the youngest legendary hero…”
His words dripped with sarcasm. The bear of a man closed in on me in an instant, fire trailing along his sword as he swung it at me: “Your actions make me question whether I’m on the right side.”
Clang, clang, clang, crash!
An ice scythe took shape in my hand, blocking his furious strike.
The incredible force pushed me nearly ten meters across the rooftop, almost sending me tumbling off. Seeing the Sword Demon preparing to pursue Tarlasya, I quickly shouted, “Get down, protect my mother!”
Once she leaped into the hole, I turned back to face the man just in front of me, gazing into his calm yet slightly furious eyes, and said softly, “Understood.”
Clang! Clang! Crash—
His long sword danced like a fiery serpent, each fierce attack accompanied by the howl of the wind. His angles were crafty but none were fatal. I clearly understood his mindset and feelings. While effortlessly blocking his attacks, I had no intention of launching a truly lethal counter.
“I’ve also had my naïve moments, just like you.”
As soon as I said that, the fury in his eyes intensified.
“This isn’t naiveté…”
His next swing came with even more force than before. I raised my hand to block, but surprisingly, that strike pushed me back a few more steps.
“This is a bottom line.”
His gruff voice fell heavy in the air. Tarlasya sharply swung his sword to the side, and the flames around it flared even more violently, the blade extending by over a meter as it transformed into a three-meter-long fiery serpent, illuminating the entire night.
“No…”
I shook my head, stepping closer: “This is war.”
The ice scythe danced in my grasp, spinning rapidly as I strode forward. When he swung at me again, I dodged to the side and slashed back at him.
“The situation didn’t evolve into this because of me…”
“Nor the Northern Region.”
With our exchange mingling and short words interspersed, the larger and smaller figures darted across the rooftop, leaping off the tiles and into the bustling chaos below.
Swoosh, swoosh—
I ducked under two holy lances flying from afar, hearing the roaring shouts drawing closer. I parried Tarlasya’s next sword strike, already feeling a significant shift in his attitude—he was no longer so aggressively intent.
Let’s finish this…
With that thought, I looked into his eyes, quickly switching my scythe to my left hand. As I dodged his next swing, I lunged forward, my right fist coiled and ready. Tarlasya held his sword, adrenaline coursing through him, and I could tell he finally understood he wouldn’t be able to dodge this one.
Thump, thump, thump—
In an instant, I heard a weird sound echo from his chest.
In my view, the chest plate of his armor, already deformed from my blows, suddenly fell away, dirt like fine sand swiftly flowing from his chest and forming rocky armor in the blink of an eye!
The Order of Earth…
I see.
So, that’s why he’s so tough?
Impressive…
This thought flickered momentarily, but everything happened so fast. Just as Tarlasya’s earthen armor formed, my fist launched forward, striking his chest like a bolt of lightning!
“See you outside the city.”
Boom!!!
The explosive sound shook the already shattered courtyard, swirling chaos erupted from the impact zone, and amidst the flying ice shards and rubble, Tarlasya shot out like a dart, moving so fast he was just a blur.
Boom! Boom! Boom—
He smashed through several walls, crashing out of the church and into the streets, disappearing into the distant night with a trail of dust and wind.
I stood there, staring for a moment.
Then shook my aching fist.
…So hard.
“Lord Tarlasya—”
“Did he just clear out everyone in an instant…”
“Evacuate the civilians! Get them all out of here—”
“Don’t be afraid! Reinforcements will arrive soon; until then, we must hold him off—”
The chaotic shouts were growing nearer. I turned to look beyond the ruins of the rear church, seeing groups desperately rushing in for their doom. My heart felt as cold as the swirling frost and snow around me.
Next…
It was time for slaughter.
…
I don’t know how long had passed.
The short scythe continued to sweep, the ground covered with countless sharp ice spikes, pristine frost mingling with dark red bl**d, surrounding twisted, fallen knights and holy figures, their bodies frozen stiff.
In the courtyard, the panicked civilians had long vanished.
Standing at the entrance of the courtyard, I realized that no knights were rushing in for d*ath anymore.
The night seemed to fall into an eerie quiet.
Suddenly, with a boom, lightning cracked behind me. I turned to see my mother and a group of Shanter Army hunters emerging from the courtyard, standing not far away looking astonished and fearful.
Even my mother… wasn’t an exception.
Oh no…
I must be covered in bl**d.
The smell of bl**d was overwhelming, now I realized how repulsive it was.
With a clatter, I dropped the scythe from my hands and turned back, somewhat reluctant to approach them. But after confirming the area was safe, my mother and Hoover were the first to jog toward me—my mother looked stunned, pale, her hair a mess, making her appear even more haggard.
She ran up to me, scanning me anxiously from head to toe. I instinctively wanted to step back, not wanting her to get bl**d on her, but she disregarded everything and suddenly wrapped her arms around me tightly.
“Are you hurt, Pepé…?”
“Mom, I’m… not clean…”
“You scared me to d*ath…”
She patted my back, her concern warm and soft, not questioning anything else. On the other hand, Hoover couldn’t help but interject, “Pepé, did you do all this… by yourself?”
“……”
I didn’t reply.
A sudden bellow of the Horned Horse echoed from afar. I saw the Sword Demon Miss riding a giant black beast leaping out from behind the collapsed walls, calling to us, “The stables are here—they’re getting reinforcements; if we don’t leave now, it’ll be trouble.”
“Mom, we should go.”
I gently pulled away from her embrace, reluctant to meet her gaze: “Once we’re out of the city, we’ll meet up with the Northern Army with Annie, then we’ll discuss everything else.”
