The Third Card (3)
“Catch the heretic!”
“Execute the demon worshipper right now!”
Of course, there was no way he would come back obediently. No, it seemed hard to come up with a positive result even if he didn’t resist, so this would be a natural choice for him.
As such, our priests in the court were engulfed in pure anger.
Pfft.
Simply put, he had no choice but to resist.
“Just obey and get right onto the interrogation, you devil worshipper!”
“Shit!”
The two people around him fell out in an instant
The restraints on his hands were broken so easily that it was futile. He wasn’t even properly trapped in the first place. He must have taken over some of the Imperial Knights.
“That… Catch and kill the demon worshipper right now!”
“Catch him! It’s heresy! Bring that heretic to this place right now! Helena! Get that guy’s neck! The neck!”
“Yes.”
In an instant, our surroundings fell into chaos.
The problem was that no one there was on a level that could harm Ito Souta, but seeing them rushing to fill the courtroom seemed quite unwise.
The guy had to make a decision quickly.
‘He has to decide whether to fight or avoid.’
Even Gandhi, who shouted about nonviolence, eventually made the Holy Knights’ side scream when he pulled out his sword to protect himself.
Ito Souta wounded a knight when trying to take down the sword flying towards him.
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
“That dirty heretical bastard!”
Lee Jihye, who saw it, quietly looked this way and muttered.
“Oppa, I think it would be a little dangerous to stay here.”
“No. It’s not dangerous; you just have to watch the situation. I think things will get a little fun.”
“Ahhh… I see.”
Some were already leaving. The Supreme Court or those in high positions were preparing for any possible danger in the Imperial Knights’ warm arms.
It was a bit fun to watch Cardinal Basel.
The sense of duty to save the Holy Empire from danger seemed to move him.
“Get him here right now! Director of Inquisition Helena! Doing that kind of thing in the sacred inquisition… It must be heresy. You must be a demon worshipper!”
“Yes!”
“No! I’m going myself. I will kill him myself! Bring my mace! Right now!”
“It is not wise for you to move.”
“If that’s the case, hurry up and catch him!”
It was more scary than ridiculous to see an old man who seemed unable even to walk properly. After all, the chosen warrior who received the revelation of the Goddess was truly different.
Eventually, as Helena, the Director of Inquisition, quietly moved her body, the war situation began to grow slightly.
‘She is a powerful woman.’
It was not comparable to Victor Hart or Cha Hee-ra, but she was powerful enough to lead the armed group. She would probably be on the same level as Lee Sang-hee or Hwang Jeong-yeon.
Seeing her running with a mace reminded me of a holy warrior preparing to go to war.
Seeing Archbishop Jessica doing all sorts of divine spells, putting shields and buffs, the Holy Knights once again struck at Ito Souta.
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
‘This is a spectacle, a spectacle.’
At first, Ito Souta was stopping those who kept running towards him, but how far could he go while still maintaining his pace?
I thought he wouldn’t last long, but Agility 99’s abilities were more than 1 imagined.
‘He won’t be able to resist any longer.’
Seeing dozens of knights rushing at once, Ito Souta moved his body backwards. Of course, there was also a knight behind him getting ready to rush him.
After pushing the knight with his arm, he took down the sword flying down from the side.
It was certainly incredible for him to avoid all attacks in such a situation, but I could definitely see his crumpled face when Helena jumped into the front line.
All this was because of my doing.
Laughter burst out of me for no reason. His desperate voice felt like a catalyst that would summon my laughter.
“Cardinal Basel! All of this was planned!”
“Shut up! You dirty heretic!”
“Everything is a misunderstanding. For now… Please tell them to stop!”
“Shut your dirty mouth!”
“Helena-nim, you know well enough that I’m not that kind of guy!”
“Don’t call my name, you devil worshipper!”
“Bishop Jessica, please say something…”
“What are you doing?! Are you thinking of watching that devil worshipper teasing us with his cunning tongue?! Go ahead and shut his mouth!”
I felt a little sorry for the guy, but the Director of Inquisition Helena and Archbishop Jessica were already on my side. I didn’t even have to use the sacred wine. They spent a long time eagerly discussing about Ito Souta with me.
Cardinal Basel’s wrath was decisive.
This breathtaking game was fun no matter what, but it needed new winds.
As I looked at Jung Hayan, I saw her chanting a spell.
“The magic chain.”
A chain made of blue magic power eventually wrapped around him. However, Ito Souta destroyed it with ease.
Although Jung Hayan seemed a little disappointed, I nodded and clapped my hands to encourage her. Praise bred both willingness and desperation within Jung Hayan.
“Wind blade! Magic chain! Air boom!”
I hadn’t expected her to cast a triple-effect spell.
She had reduced the output a lot, considering that others got caught up too, but as raid’s main damage dealer, Ito Souta was in perfect condition.
I felt like I needed to pitch in as well. Since my magic would be of no use here, I decided to call upon Juliana.
“Juliana!”
Juliana, shooting out according to my gestures, was faster than most of the knights’ movements. She moved on her own, towards Ito Souta.
The tanker group of the Heretic Inquisitors and Holy Knights were in the front line, so the main damage dealers like us were at ease in the rear. Moreover, Ito wouldn’t be able to get past them.
I didn’t know if he would attack me or not, but seeing that he was still eagerly claiming innocence, it looked like I wasn’t safe anymore.
Ito Souta didn’t want the dispute to get any bigger. He believed that if he continued to persuade, this madness would calm down.
“Ah… This is not easy?”
“I know, right.”
“I couldn’t really imagine him to be this strong…”
“How about getting the Red Mercenary Queen and the shaman?”
“No, I don’t think they’re needed… First of all, I have to protect the VIP guests if anything happens. Hee-ra seems to be enjoying herself… If something happens, she’ll join the war.”
“Ah. I avoided it! Please, focus.”
“He’s not easy to catch even with Juliana’s speed. He’s really fast. Are all those who are masters of large guilds like that?”
“It would be nice trying to connect with Hayan-ssi. Or perhaps we can look for another way to attack. You said that if one gets hurt by Juliana, he will be cursed? I think it would be better to start by making shallow wounds one by one rather than aiming for the big one from the start. And didn’t you say that she can directly curse and move things like black tentacles?”
“Oh, that’s a feature that is currently unavailable. I think I can use it when Juliana’s ego awakens…”
“Then it can’t be helped. Since we can make the mental attack, try talking to them first. It wouldn’t be bad to lead the Heretic Inquisition or the Holy Knights.”
This was an excellent suggestion from the Strategy Team Leader Lee Jihye.
Originally, a raid had to be done regardless of means and methods. My mouth began to open before I even finished thinking.
“We must capture that dirty heretic. He has been rendered strong under the power of the devil, so I think we should join forces as well!”
As expected, I could see him staring at me. However, what else could he do?
As soon as I said this, we clearly got in a systematic formation. The excitement had encouraged everyone to clear their minds and focus.
“Good! Let’s kill that demon right now! Everyone!”
“Kill the heretic!”
“You mustn’t let him run away. If you block the door and stick to it, you will soon weaken the filthy demon’s power attached to him. Let’s try a little more, everyone! For Benigore’s Goddess!”
“For Benigore’s Goddess!”
Ito Souta was still staring at me.
That was when Jung Hayan’s magic hit his arm.
It was just bondage magic, but taking advantage of that, Juliana passed by his arm.
“Damn!”
‘Good’
At this point, I was unconsciously clenching my first. If the setting had been outdoors, Souta’s agility would have helped him, but since we were inside, he was put at a disadvantage.
Countless humans who are blocking him, he can’t even attack properly.
Of course, as time passed, he also started to change.
I didn’t know if it was because he decided that he had no hope anyway or because he wanted to rip my talkative mouth off, but the important thing was that he was resisting with all his might.
In the meantime, it was his condition that caught my eyes.
‘It’s not ordinary
The damage that almost killed him from Cha Hee-ra still remained.
In that condition, he had to face Helena, the Director of Inquisition, buffed by Archbishop Jessica. Jung Hayan’s chains holding him in place also played a huge role.
“We must punish that heretic! Everyone!”
“He is the cancer of the Holy Empire! No, he is the Free City’s Cancer! We must remove him! The sprouts! The roots.”
“Let’s all gang up together and do it!”
“S-Shut up…”
“The finish line is right in front of you!”
“Shut up! Please, please shut up!”
“You should be the one to shut up, not me. This filthy demon worshipper! Benigore’s Goddess will punish you!”
“This… This motherfucker! Motherfucker!”
“It is God’s judgment! You dirty heretic! Benigore’s Goddess, give me strength!”
He certainly wouldn’t be able to come to me. It wasn’t just that.
Not only was he noticeably anxious, but he responded with insults to me, who he had initially ignored.
He looked angry, but that wasn’t all. This was because of Juliana’s curse.
“Receive the power of the goddess!”
“Goddamn it!”
“Everyone, the filthy devil’s power is gradually fading away. You must be tired, but we’re almost there. Let’s try a little more!”
“This… This weak trash! These pieces of shit!!”
“The devil is revealing its true color!”
“Shut your mouth!”
“You are finally revealing your true color! You dirty devil’s servant!”
As time went by, the more wounds accumulated on his body, the angrier Souta got. I once again felt like the chemistry between Juliana and I was quite good.
In the end, Souta’s gaze fell on me once more.
‘Ah.’
The explosive magic power began to spread in all directions. This meant Ito Souta had given up on trying to persuade and defend at the same time. He had already made his decision.
No, perhaps because of the curse, he couldn’t figure out the situation, but no one would ever know the truth. It could simply be because he wanted to exact revenge on me, or perhaps he thought it would be better to render the Holy Knights incapable of combat first.
One thing was certain, however.
‘He’s very strong.’
He was stronger than I thought.
I heard screams from everywhere. It was already hard to see him, but the Knights and the Heretic Inquisitors fell ridiculously.
If he had a sword in his hand, his arms and legs would have been flying in all directions.
The divine power that filled the area retains the existing troops, but in fact, their role was only to limit his movements.
The Holy Knights and Heretic Inquisitors were by no means weak.
The armed groups that the Holy Empire considered as the elite, Helena and Jessica, and some visible people, also had considerable stats.
The fact that ito Souta is holding up so far doesn’t make sense.
‘In a wounded body condition? With no equipment? Are you serious?’
I could understand why the Holy Empire was sure to respect such strong people.
I felt it with Cha Hee-ra last time too, but there was definitely a reason for calling non-standard beings out of standard.
“Catch him! Ahhhhhh!”
“Don’t let him move! Surround him as much as possible!”
“Helena-nim!”
“Don’t make space for him!”
“Everyone, please give me a little more strength!”
The road opened up in spite of me talking. Ito Souta was now running towards me.
‘Whoa!’
I was surprised but not disconcerted.
There were still many rough mountains left for him before hitting me.
I could see Cha Hee-ra, who approached quickly, kicking him on his side even before he came to me.
Baaang! With this sound, he got stuck in the opposite wall while screaming.
He succeeded in breaking through the first gateway, but unfortunately, he did not pass through the second gateway.
“Ahhhhhh!”
“Stop him right now!”
“Cough. Let me go! Let me go! I will kill you! Blaaargh… Kill you! I’ll kill you no matter what. At any cost! At any cost! Lee Kiyoung. Lee Kiyoung! Let go of me right now! Cough!”
“Tie up his arms and legs!!”
“Let go of me. Blaaargh! I will kill all those who approach me.”
It wasn’t intended, but the appearance of Ito Souta, who had been influenced by the curse, now looked like he was really drunk by the power of the demon.
Seeing him spit blood out of his mouth after getting hit by Hee-ra, the possibility of him being affiliated with the devil became even more believable.
This was a fitting end for a guy who pretended to be nobler than he really was.
“Whoo… I’m feeling way better now.”
I had to nod at Cha Hee-ra’s words