Chapter 1480 – 1480. Paladin: The Journey Of Eradication
I arrived at the witch’s house, located deep within the forest.
The witch’s house was ordinary. It was a typical house made of wood.
I turned around, facing the witch’s house. Hans was panting heavily, drenched in sweat. His face was ashen. He looked so anxious, like he was about to have a heart attack and die. It was the result of constantly hearing the ghosts’ screams on the way here.
“I’ll face the witch head-on. You aim for her back.”
“…Understood. I’ll definitely stab her in the back with this dagger when I get the chance.”
Knowing that he wasn’t in a condition to fight head-on, Hans agreed to my instructions and hid himself in the forest.
‘He’s a mercenary from a hunter background, and he’s excellent at hiding.’
At this rate, Hans wouldn’t be discovered by the witch.
I strode towards the witch’s house. I clenched my left fist and slammed it into the wooden door. The door flew backward, smashing a table. The items on the table fell and shattered. The witch’s house was instantly turned into a mess.
“Who the hell is it?!”
A witch with red hair burst out of the room. The witch, dressed in black, was beautiful.
Flawless white skin and distinct features. Any man would say she was beautiful.
And what about her figure? The black dress that clung to her body revealed her alluring curves. A shapely waist and voluptuous hips. It was the kind of body that men preferred.
But I wouldn’t fall for her.
Kiiiiiiing.
I activated the Holy Aura. Demonic power surged around her.
The witch, who had been wearing a venomous expression, burst into laughter when she saw me.
“You! The new paladin of Valentier! Hahaha! I can’t believe the rumors about you coming to kill me were true!”
“Witch Helen. In the name of the Goddess Herianne, I will execute you.”
“A rookie who’s only been a paladin for a month? I’ve lived three times your life. I made a pact with a demon and gained eternal youth. If I kill you and offer your corpse to the Great Demon… Ahh. Just imagining it is thrilling. I’m getting wet down there. How about we go to bed together?”
“You vile creature! Go wallow with the monsters in hell!”
“Hahaha! You know better than anyone that there’s no hell! We just wander this world after death! Or get eaten by demons!”
“My soul will be taken by the Goddess Herianne. Die, witch!”
[Using Acceleration. Lasts for 10 minutes. Remaining stacks: 6]
I gripped the sword hilt with both hands and charged at the witch, using Sprint and Acceleration. Thump, thump, thump! Three heavy footsteps echoed in succession. I arrived in front of the witch and swung my sword, imbued with golden divine power.
Kwaang!
An explosion rang out.
My body flew backward, past the hut, and rolled on the ground.
‘Air explosion! Is it magic? It would have been dangerous if I didn’t have armor.’
I jumped up and swung my sword. Golden sword energy sliced through the hut and flew towards the witch.
The witch covered her mouth with the back of her hand and giggled. Just before the sword energy reached her body, another air explosion occurred, scattering the energy. The scattered fragments of sword energy made a mess of the house.
“Hahaha. My house is a mess? But it’s okay. I was planning to move to another place anyway. A paladin’s corpse as a housewarming gift… How wonderful.”
The witch stretched out her hand. A broom that had been lying on the floor flew into the witch’s hand. As the witch swung the broom, the broken house and fallen objects floated into the air. It was the witch’s magic.
All the objects floating in the air were pointed at me.
“Don’t die so easily. It’s been a while since I’ve used this much magic… It wouldn’t be fun if it ended too quickly. Hehehe.”
With the witch’s frivolous laughter, the objects flew towards me.
Trusting my armor, I moved forward. The objects flew and shattered against my armor. I felt an invisible force trying to push me back. It felt like walking into a storm.
‘Holy Aura!’
Holy energy spread out in all directions from my body. The magical force that had been binding me was neutralized, making it easier to move. I started running towards the witch.
The witch’s giggling face cracked. The corners of her mouth turned downwards. The witch rode the broom and went up.
“Young paladin. I have some babies prepared for times like this.”
The ground shook, and monsters popped out. These monsters had human bodies, but they were not human in form.
“How are my babies? Cute, right? I made them one by one whenever I had time. At first, it was just to pass the time… but it became fun. Now it’s a hobby.”
What caught my eye was a particularly small monster. It was a monster with the heads of a young boy and girl. Its four arms and four legs were twisted, and its two torsos were fused together. Its intestines were wrapped around its torso like a belt.
“…A disgusting hobby, befitting a woman who offered her family to demons.”
“Hahaha! You like it? You haven’t been able to take your eyes off it. Were they perhaps people you knew?”
They were strangers.
But I knew they were Hans’s children.
Hans was still hiding. I was secretly impressed by Hans’s patience. Hans was suppressing his anger, waiting for the opportunity to stab the witch in the back with his dagger.
‘I need to create that opportunity.’
The monsters charged. I ran forward, swinging my greatsword. One monster was crushed by the sword, spraying blood everywhere. I didn’t stop, continuing to swing my sword.
Kwaang!
Wind fell from above, pressing down on my body. It was the witch’s magic. I barely managed to hold on, planting my sword into the ground just before kneeling. The monsters didn’t miss the opportunity and clung to my body.
“Hahahaha! Just die like that! I’ll take good care of your corpse!”
The monsters that were Hans’s children clung to my shoulders. They opened their mouths wide, trying to gnaw at my helmet. The other monsters were also pounding on my armor.
I could feel my armor slowly breaking and tearing. This was dangerous.
‘Holy Aura!’
I used divine power to increase the output of Holy Aura. The monsters hesitated and backed away. I grabbed the head of the monster that was Hans’s child with my grip and crushed it, then slashed the nearby monsters to death with my greatsword.
Greatsword, fist, foot. I used everything to kill the monsters around me one by one.
The witch stared at me with a look of disgust.
“You cleaned up those kids so quickly? There’s a real monster in front of me. Do you know what you look like right now? A demon covered in blood, that’s what you are.”
“Shut up, witch. You’re next.”
“Hmm. What are you going to do to me? You don’t even have wings.”
Being able to fly was an absolute advantage. Especially for a witch who specialized in ranged attacks. But the witch wasn’t the only one who could do ranged attacks.
I picked up any object on the ground and threw it at the witch.
It didn’t reach the witch’s body. Magic was protecting her.
‘But there’s a limit to the witch’s power.’
As proof, the smile had completely disappeared from the witch’s face. The witch pointed her finger at me. An invisible air bullet was fired at me. I relied on my combat senses to dodge the air bullet. Even if I got hit, the armor could withstand it once.
I kicked off the ground and ran towards the witch. When I reached a distance that was barely within reach with a double jump, the witch shrieked and went higher. My sword barely missed the witch’s ankle.
I landed on the ground with a small groan. The weight of the armor was working against me.
‘I confirmed that the magic protecting the witch has disappeared.’
The witch raised her hand. Wind swirled around her hand. The wind was so fierce that it was visible. If I got hit by that now, I would surely die instantly.
‘I have a skill prepared for this moment. Holy Light.’
Holy light fell from the sky towards the witch.
The witch’s body caught fire from the holy light. The holy light was weak, so it didn’t finish the witch off in one go.
“Aaaaaaah!”
The witch screamed in pain and fell to the ground. While falling, the witch used magic to create as much distance as possible between us. It was a wise choice and a desperate struggle, but I wasn’t the only one here.
“Die, witch!! This is revenge for Bill, Dora, and Julia!!”
Hans stabbed the witch with the dagger I gave him. Thwack, thwack, thwack! The dagger moved relentlessly. The witch’s screams gradually subsided.
I approached Hans.
“Hehehe! Bill… Dora… Julia…!”
“Get out of the way, Hans.”
“Paladin! I! I killed the witch! I’ve finished my revenge!”
“The witch is not human. Don’t let your guard down and get out of the way. We need to finish her off for good. I’ll use my sword… Hans!”
The witch’s arm grabbed Hans’s head and pulled him in. Hans’s head was buried in the witch’s chest. No, it was being absorbed.
[Using Moment. Remaining stacks: 5]
Using Moment, I instantly jumped and cut off the witch’s head with my holy sword. The witch’s soul screamed and clung to me. My body staggered. I gritted my teeth and endured. The witch’s soul was stronger than any demon or corrupted being I had killed so far.
“Paladin! My body! My body feels strange!”
Hans’s body was trembling. His skin was necrotizing, and his blood vessels were writhing like worms. Hans’s face was filled with terror. I pointed my greatsword at Hans.
“It’s the witch’s curse. You’re being corrupted now. Probably for about 3 minutes at most.”
“…I heard that if you’re corrupted, you won’t recognize your family. Is that true?”
“You’ll recognize them. It’s not that your memories disappear. It’s just that you’ll see humans as animals, even less than livestock. Corruption affects not only your body but also your mind.”
“……I can feel the change. The hatred for the witch is disappearing. I can feel the love for my family disappearing. Paladin, please kill me. I want to die as a human… as a father.”
“There’s still time. Do you have any last words?”
“No. My family and friends are not in this world.”
“Goddess, have mercy on this poor soul.”
I beheaded Hans. Hans’s head rolled on the ground. The corruption from the curse was still in progress. I stomped on Hans’s head and crushed it.
‘It’s over.’
I was about to turn around when the witch’s corpse stood up with grotesque movements, like a puppet.
Crack!
The witch’s body split in half. The entrails that had been mangled by the dagger were pieced together, forming the shape of a mouth.
I immediately realized what was happening. It was the work of the demon that had made a pact with the witch.
“Paladin of Valentier! He is coming…”
I swung my greatsword, coated with divine power, and sliced through the witch’s corpse.
“Shut up. You and your master will die by my hand. Quietly wait for the day of judgment.”
“Hehehe. Arrogant…”
Thwack!
I kicked the talking corpse. The corpse crashed into a tree and exploded.
