The familiar meat wall tissues were an indirect and concise proof of the appearance the monster had prior to its transformation.
Despite the numerous questions in his mind, Ji Bai had fulfilled his duty as a knight — Stubbornly opposing the enemy of humanity… Though he was instantly killed before he could even draw his sword out of its scabbard.
“Mr. Ji Bai!?” The only response Ke’er got was the sight of incessantly shaking and wiggling meat wall tissues, as well as the “zzzzzt…” sound of decomposing flesh.
“Ah, stop yelling. He can’t hear you anymore.” In a split second, Lan Yu came almost within reach of her.
“Wauuuu!”
“Hehehe… Still trying to run?? Two fishes that slipped through the net actually made use of the time this sovereign being was digesting to make a run for it? Do you think you can escape me??” Lan Yu heartily laughed in ridicule. Grabbing onto Ke’er’s wrists with his long and powerful black arms, he lifted her in the air.
“Uuu…L-Let go of me, it hurts…”
“Noisy. Shut your mouth in the presence of this sovereign being.” As soon as those words came out of his mouth, Ke’er’s struggling body turned sluggish.
Under the forceful fatigue raising up from the deepest part of her soul, her eyelids slowly dropped downwards.
Verbal commands were indispensable if one wished to raise their magic to the next grade. Moreover, verbal commands of a higher-tiered species carried the effect of a [forceful order] when used against a lower-tiered species.
Demons like her were undoubtedly second-tier species. A tier that could forcefully hypnotize them hadn’t been discovered yet — at least in this world.
Third-tier species, four-tier species, and finally, deities. These were all legendary creatures that belong solely in myths, with the majority of them being fabrications.
Although the later generations of human scholars still hadn’t figured out the veins and arteries of the continent, they were able to make a definite conjecture — God doesn’t exist.
…………
“Sssss…” Flesh from all over his body surged and burned as if it was on the verge of evaporating.
The armor on his body only gave him limited protection against physical attacks; It was completely useless against spirit-, aura-, and magical attacks.
‘My hands… Are my hands still around?’
With his consciousness clouded, Ji Bai stretched his hand outwards to touch his helmet.
A corrosive white smoke, along with a pool of pus made it impossible for Ji Bai to know what parts of his body he had lost exactly.
‘However, all of that doesn’t matter anymore…’
Silver holy flames ignited his entire body, together with a resplendently dazzling dark-silvery armor.
“Crack, crack, crack…” The manifestation of [Radiant Armor] was accompanied by its tooth-achingly groans under high pressure.
It seemed like a strand of formless power was currently pressing against it.
Either way, the threat had been alleviated; The corrosion that operated on an unknown principle no longer afflicted his body. Although, from the looks of it, it wouldn’t be held back for long…
Ji Bai gave the meat wall a ferocious strike with his fist.
“Sssst…” A series of white smoke rose up from his gauntlet. Along with an abnormal purplish-black color present on the surface of the [Radiant Armor], a stiff and painful sensation could be felt from the bones in his hand. Ji Bai hoped that they would be alright.
“Crack, creak, groan…” The [Radiant Armor] incessantly let out mournful sounds, as if urging him that it didn’t have much time left.
Ji Bai hammered with his fists and struck with his elbows, with the result being only a pair of swollen hands. The meat wall didn’t budge even the slightest under his attacks.
[Watcher’s Fury]
“Clank!” The fang-shaped profound metal longsword bounced off, with a jag appearing on its corroding blade.
‘Now, this is somewhat of a problem.’
‘Even [Radiant] is incapable of disposing of this enemy easily… Is this kind of sacrifice even worthy of a knight?’
“Creak, creak…” The invulnerable [Radiant Armor] was seemingly on the verge of collapse.
Ji Bai sat cross-legged on the ground, seemingly somewhat dispirited.
His swollen and purplish hand caressed the shoulder armor of the [Radiant Armor] engraved with the Sun Cross coat of arms.
‘How many years have you been with me now, old partner? …I don’t remember anymore, maybe… since that moment.’
…………
“Hey, isn’t that the Grand Young Master of the Flame Lance Family?? Why are you always by yourself? Well, as I thought, these young masters from notable families and great clans can’t get along well with people from petty officials’ households like us, do they?” A series of words filled to the brim with scorn resounded.
“Flame Lance? Ah, right, right. His adoptive parents are high officials that hold a lot of authority, he must be living a high life there. Except I heard that this guy has a good-for-nothing constitution, and his sacred martial ability is innately damaged… Tsk, tsk… I’m afraid that the Flame Lance family has been greatly humiliated this time.”
“Aha? So he is just a foster son with no blood ties. Does he really think of himself as some sort of bigshot now? What’s even more revolting is how he’s so close to my Lil’ Yue, is he trying to be a toad hungry over a swan’s flesh??”
“Hey, hey— The great Miss Ji Yue doesn’t know of your existence at all, alright? Since when is she yours??”
“Tsk! What does that have to do with you?!”
“Alright, alright. Stop arguing now, leave him a bit of self-respect, alright? Hahaha… Eh, why did he leave?”
…………
A boy entered the classroom, only to be ‘enlightened’ by a bucket filled with ice water. He was thoroughly drenched to the point of absolute chilliness, with the wooden bucket forcefully pressed down onto his head.
“Oh dear? Guys, quickly see who’s that? My… My sincerest apologies, grand young master. I only wanted to play a prank on the teacher, but I didn’t realize that it was you. Hahaha….” A freckled teen with blonde hair walked towards the boy, gesticulating and talking while unleashing a tirade of ridicule onto him.
“However… You’ve been at the knight’s academy for a year… and haven’t built up even such a degree of muscle reaction. You must’ve been spending all this time on milk-drinking, right, grand young master? Hahaha…”
“Hahahaha…”
The boy slowly took off the wooden bucket pressing down on his head and carefully placed it to the side before leaving the classroom filled with mockery.
Dragging his clammy clothes, he quickened his pace before eventually breaking out into a run.
He wasn’t sure what his destination was, nor what he was going to do. Just the same with his life.
“Thud!” The boy tripped and fell flat, planting his face into a pool of mud.
Dripping wet and covered with dirty mud from head to toe, he was in a wretched state.
A salty liquid flowed down his cheeks and into his mouth.
“Big brother…”
A tender and soft voice sounded out. A tender, spotlessly-white hand like porcelain grabbed onto the boy’s dirty hand.
The boy raised his head.
A black-haired girl, with an appearance as pure as an angel, came into view. Worry and heartache filled her violet and crystal-like eyes as she blinked.
“Yue’er…”
“What’s wrong, big brother… Did those guys in your class bully you again?”
The boy shook his head and stubbornly stood up again.
“That must definitely be the case… That bunch of guys is just too much!” The girl couldn’t be any clearer about the stubborn temperament and taciturn personality of the boy before her. In a fit of rage, she walked towards the academy while dragging him along.
“No.” The boy stopped the girl and shook his head.
“No one bullied me, really.” He lowered his head and gently pushed her aside.
“I’m dirty from head to toe, so don’t touch me.” The boy shakily walked towards the interior of the campus, before turning his head to shoot a glance at the girl.
‘I’m so weak that I can’t protect you… Instead, you still have to come out and stick your head out for me. I’m sorry…’
‘If I could get stronger and become a knight, would I be qualified to stand before you and say words like ‘Let me protect you’?”
Before he could even expound his thoughts and take two steps forward, the boy’s feet turned unsteady. He fainted after tumbling to the floor.
“Big brother!” The girl wrapped her hands around the boy’s head and pulled him into her embrace, a few droplets of tears landing on his somewhat delicate face.
“Big brother really wants to become a knight so strongly… Would he be happy if he could become a knight?” The girl quietly murmured to herself.
Looking at the unconscious boy, she reaffirmed her decision.
“Even though my dear father had warned me over and over again… One or two drops should be alright, right?”
The girl bit on her finger. Prying the boy’s mouth open with her hand, the other pinched the area where her heart was situated.
Covering her heart with one hand, the girl revealed a painful expression as droplets of golden blood flowed out from her fingertip and entered the boy’s mouth.
“Revered older brother… From now on, we’ll truly be family~”
…………
Within the meatball, the gaze from within the helmet had regained its light like a raging and flourishing inferno.
Ji Bai slowly got up.
‘This isn’t the end yet…’
Adopting a lunge stance and shifting his center of gravity onto the heel of his back foot, holy particles gradually assembled at his shoulder armor where the sun cross was.
“Vata Trasta!” Accompanied by a deep roar in Deepspeak, brilliant rays of light burst out from his shoulder armor. A pair of fiery wings burning with silver radiance emerged from his back.
[Disaster Class — Radiant War Chariot]
(In Deepspeak, Vata Trasta means ‘Frail Life’)