## Chapter 213 – Für Elise
A jet-black trophy.
Violet beams, as if carved from darkness itself, brightly illuminated the ghoul’s excavation site. If that trophy wasn’t just a groundbreaking interior design piece brought in for lighting purposes, it was clearly worth a considerable sum.
Enough to compensate for all the hard work we’d put in until today.
“That’s a very sinister-looking object… I suspect it’s a sacred relic of the heretics.”
“A sacred relic?”
“Perhaps ‘sacred relic’ is a bit of a misnomer. Let me correct that to a sinister artifact.”
A deep greed began to well up from within.
Was there no way to snatch it? The priests and ghouls seemed quite numerous. No matter how much we were champions of God, chosen by the Order God Izzermart and the Buddha who transcended the Savā World, we couldn’t possibly win against such a large number of enemies.
Elise seemed to agree, as she didn’t show any signs of bursting out in an uncontrollable impulse as she usually did.
“Indeed, there are far too many enemies. It would be good to have support, but for now, it’s just the two of us. Of course, Saint, you are valiant, but I don’t believe our combined strength is enough to guarantee victory.”
“I agree. Those bastards! Those cowardly sons of bitches! Using numbers to win!”
But to give up on that thing?
Absolutely not.
We had to find a way…!
“However, we cannot retreat. This is a holy war, a trial. As it is a test given by the Order God, there must be a breakthrough.”
“Is that so.”
I didn’t think so.
That was a slightly bizarre way of thinking, so I couldn’t agree.
But I couldn’t give up either.
No matter what kind of crazy shit I had to pull, I absolutely had to snatch that expensive-looking heretical trophy. If we left it there, I didn’t know exactly what would happen, but the world would surely fall into misery. There might even be a world war and a holocaust.
I had to get it to Risha quickly to prevent any misfortune.
“Fortunately, they don’t seem to have noticed us yet.”
“Hmm… it seems so. If they knew, they would have taken action by now.”
As Elise said, the heretical group didn’t seem to have noticed our presence yet. Were the ghouls from earlier the only guards? Well, with all this noise, it wasn’t surprising they didn’t know.
The work site was quite noisy.
It was a good opportunity for us.
“But… even if they don’t know yet, I don’t see any brilliant ideas.”
“If we pool our wisdom, we will surely find a solution. Let us devise a plan.”
Still lying prone, I pressed my shoulder against Elise’s and observed the heretics. The way they were moving busily made them look like ants.
Ants, ants…
Bug-like bastards.
Bastards as awful as they looked.
Let’s kill the heretics.
Heretics are my enemies.
“…”
Lina was gnawing on the tip of her thumb as she watched down below with us. Her eyes were unusual. Those were… the eyes of a warrior. But the eyes of a warrior who hadn’t overcome her sorrow.
The eyes of a Tear Warrior.
Seeing that firm gaze, I didn’t think we needed to worry.
I felt like her eyes were somewhat dead, but that was probably the mark of a warrior. It would be better to live as a warrior than to make a living as a thief.
Having lived so fiercely, I believed she would overcome it.
“…Saint. Look over there.”
“Did you find a way?”
“Yes.”
With a serious expression, Elise pointed to a heretical priest wearing a robe. He was standing there blankly holding a wand, and seemed to be the one supervising the ghoul laborers.
“Look at the wand that heretic is holding. Do you see the black flames burning in the crystal ball?”
At those words, I focused my eyes and glared at what he was holding. A wand that seemed to be worth at least 2 silver. Its crystal ball was burning with black flames.
“…A spell? Is he using some kind of spell?”
“I believe that is probably the spell controlling the ghouls. It doesn’t make sense for mindless ghouls to be doing labor like that. Surely, sinister magic is involved.”
“Hoo, there’s a possibility.”
Controlling the ghouls with a spell, huh.
A reasonable conjecture.
“If we kill them, there is a chance the ghouls will lose control and run wild. If that happens, it wouldn’t be impossible to take advantage of the chaos and annihilate them.”
A confident expression.
If that was true, as Elise said, it was a very possible story.
Looking closely, I saw a few more heretics with black flames lit on their wands. They were all standing near the ghouls digging the infiltration tunnel.
Reasonable suspicion.
“Alright, Elise. It’s worth testing.”
“Then immediately…”
“Wait, wait. But if it doesn’t go as planned, I think we need to strategically retreat. If those bastards all rush us at once, we’re screwed.”
It was just a possibility, after all, not certain.
We needed a backup plan.
“But the holy war and the trial…”
“Elise. Surely, the God who gave us this trial has something in mind. It’s impossible to break through recklessly. Our God wouldn’t give us a trial that can’t be solved.”
Elise pondered for a moment at those words.
“That is a reasonable thought. I apologize. I seem to have made a rash judgment. If the attack fails, we will retreat immediately.”
“Good. Then let’s start.”
“Understood.”
Having made her decision, she stood up.
Elise, standing up, aimed her warhammer and recited an incantation. It was a spell I had heard before. A divine spell that fired a powerful sphere of light, Light Bolt.
“Light Bolt!”
—Fwoosh!
The condensed light energy formed a sphere and shot out with fierce momentum. The radiant sphere emitted holy light, tearing through the sinister purple mist as it headed towards its target.
“…?”
Drawn by the bright light, the heretical priest looked in our direction. —Thwack! At the exact moment he turned around, the Light Bolt struck him in the face, causing him to drop his wand and fall backward.
“…!”
“…!”
Then a commotion arose. The heretical priests, confused by their fallen comrade and the sudden attackers, began to look around. And then.
—Gweeeee…
—Gweeeeeet…!
—Gwet, Gweeeeeeeck!!!
Suddenly, the ghouls who had been laboring near the fallen heretic began to scream, their mouths splitting into four. As if bursting out with held-back breath, they roared and began to thrash spasmodically.
“It seems we were correct.”
With a satisfied face, Elise looked down and fired another Light Bolt. As another priest fell, the commie bastards’ tunnel excavation site instantly transformed into hell.
—Aaaaaaaargh!!
—Kuaaaaaaaargh!!
The ghouls, having lost control, began to attack the priests!
The priests tried to do something, but the speed of the grotesquely twisted ghouls was not something they could overcome with their physical abilities!
—Gweeeeck!!
The ghouls rampaged, and more priests fell. Each time, more ghouls lost control! A chain reaction! It was utter chaos!
“Nice one, Elise! Look at those bastards! Look at them!”
The battle between the priests and ghouls unfolded. I called out to Elise with joy. She was already poised to run out.
“Saint!”
“Elise!”
—Paaat!
Without either of us saying it first, we madly ran down the slope! Cutting through the chaotic war situation to snatch the trophy! That was our ultimate goal, world peace! An absolute desire!
“Lina! While we’re fighting, keep an eye out and bring that trophy!”
“Y-Yes?!”
“I’ll give you a lot of money! I believe in you!”
“O-Okay!”
—Kieeeeeeeeeeeeeeck!!!!!!!
I roared with all my might to intensify the chaos of the battlefield! I believed in Lina, the pickpocket! Surely, Lina would be able to snatch the trophy!
—Thud!
Just as we came down the slope and were about to clash with the ghouls!
Elise raised her warhammer and shouted!
“Diiiiiiiiivine!!!!!!”
Of friendship.
“Frieennnddddddddddddddd!!!!!!!!!!”
A shout of!
—Thwack!
At the same time, the head of a ghoul blocking our path shattered, and the heart of a heretical priest was pierced. “Uooooooo!!!!” Riding the momentum, “Order God!!!” We charged in at once!
“Celestial Demon’s Descent Steps!”
—Kwaaang! In a frenzy of joy, we trampled over the fallen corpses and butchered the enemies. The ghouls charged, but the cult priests, already rallied, were responding with magic and swordsmanship, so there weren’t many of them.
Divine Friend vs. Heretical Priest vs. Ghoul: a three-way battle!
With the forces dispersed, we could break through!
“Holy Enchant!”
—Patzzt!!
The now-familiar buff. The light that surged from the sword tore through the darkness and slit the throats of the wicked. —Gweeeeck!!! Ghouls were no match for us now. I stabbed the approaching ones with my sword, kicked them away, and pulled out the sword. When purple fireballs flew in, I threw myself to the side to avoid them and stuck close to Elise to slaughter the priests.
“Dejaaaaaaaaat!!!”
—Swish!
Cutting and slashing.
My sword had enough power to do so! Each time the shining trajectory passed, evil beings lost their lives and sprawled out!
“Kuaaaaaaa!!!”
—Thwack!
It was a Morning Star!
When the iron mass flew in like a meteor, ghouls and heretics alike spewed brain fluid from their heads and fell! It was truly a whirlwind sprint across the battlefield!
“You are no match for me!”
“Kneel before the holy power!”
Back to back, we could tell.
Even without seeing each other’s faces, without confirming each other’s expressions.
That we were already smiling at each other.
“Haha, haha! Hah ha ha ha ha!!!”
“Heh, heh heh… Heu heu heu!!!”
The maniacal laughter was enough to dig deep into the heart and completely erase any fear. The priests began to point their swords at us and shout something, and even the mindless ghouls began to subtly step back.
“All of them, all of these bastards!”
“I will kill them all!”
An uncontrollable impulse!
“Holiness, Divine!”
“Friend, Friend!”
And beautiful friendship!
“Gathering the power of friendship into one!”
“Gathering the power of faith into one!”
Shouting together as if singing!
“The wicked evil that has seeped into this land!”
“Shall all be burned away!”
“I am Kim Kat, your nightmare!”
“I am Elise, a humble servant of the Order God!”
—Ppa-bam!
This was no longer a cross!
It was a super cross!
Taking on bizarre religious poses, we slaughtered all the enemies in a frenzy of religious ecstasy. The ghouls dodged us and attacked the priests, and the priests, in turn, dodged us and collided with the ghouls.
The world began to look beautiful.
—Pabat!
“N-Now, let’s escape!”
And just then, Lina, having snatched the trophy, began to run towards us! “Good job, Lina!” She had succeeded in snatching our top priority! Good! The enemies’ strength should be weakening!
“Elise! Now, let’s slowly…”
—Whoosh!
I was about to suggest to Elise that we slowly get out of here.
—Thwack!
Something, something flew in and landed in the center of the battlefield.
What was it?
Smelling the scent of impending doom that was slowly rising from somewhere, I turned to look. What had flown in was the twisted lower half of a ghoul.
Lower half?
Why did the lower half fly in?
The spine, severed from the middle, was impressive.
—…
I traced the direction it had come from.
“E-Elise?”
It was.
A perfect white person, shining white even in the darkness. No, this description would be rude to white people. ‘That thing’ was so white that its entire body looked like it had been bleached.
“…”
A giant, no.
A Giant (巨人).
A bald giant with snow-white skin and bulging macho muscles, estimated to be 3 meters tall, was clutching the upper half of a ghoul, staring at us with bright, pitch-black eyes.
The pattern embedded in its massive pectoral muscles was a familiar one.
The world froze for a moment.
“Saint. That is…”
The ghouls and heretical priests alike were distracted by the newly appeared naked giant.
—Thud. At that moment, I secretly took a step back.
「 —BUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! 」
The giant’s mouth split into four, and a roar of tremendous volume, as if from another world, erupted!!!!!!!!! What the hell!!!!!!!!! A ghoul, no!
“S-Screwed!!! Elise, we’re screwed!!!!”
It’s a Hyper Ghoul!!!!!!
“Th-That is…”
“We’re screwed, I said!!! Elise, run!!! Lina, you get out of here too!!!!”
There was no need to see any more! We could never win against that thing!!!!!!
I grabbed the wrists of Elise and Lina, who were frozen in place, and ran away like crazy! My life was in a huge pinch! A super crisis! The danger detection sensor was ringing at its highest level!
“Teeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeng!!!!”
I ran madly up the slope, and a crazy sound came from behind. Blood splattered and torn limbs flew in. Realizing what was happening, Elise and Lina let go of my hands and began to run away with all their might.
—Buooooooooooooooooo!!!!
