## Chapter 201 – Outer God – The Order’s Hound, Ishana (3)
“What…”
A short word slipped out of Ryu’s mouth without him even realizing it. It was perhaps the most fitting word to express the despair he felt right now. The white despair, standing tall in the burning forest, was fully prepared to carry out God’s command.
Strength, physique, experience – Ryu was lacking in every aspect.
The only advantage he had was his speed, utilizing his small frame. Could he overcome this challenge with the weapon he possessed?
As soon as he thought that, Ishana’s arm moved greatly to the side.
The sword, engulfed in fierce flames, instantly bisected the surrounding trees. The long, extended red sword aura was blocked by the barrier and disappeared, but the heat alone could still be felt on his skin.
Her body, which had swung the sword, rotated in a circle. Using the centrifugal force generated from wielding the massive weapon, she immediately brought the mace down in a striking attack. Each gesture looked like a kind of beautiful dance, and he scolded himself for almost being captivated even for a moment.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t see or evade the speed. But the sheer range from its overwhelming size, the pressure, made it feel like his feet were stuck to the ground. Still, he couldn’t afford to stand there blankly.
Ishana was preparing for her next attack. As she lifted the mace that had struck the ground, she also raised her other arm. With both hands raised high, Ishana immediately brought them down again towards where Ryu was.
A simple trajectory; avoiding this attack wasn’t the problem.
The real problem was the arms attached to Ishana’s back. They weren’t just mere decorations. In sync with her movements, they lunged from all directions, aiming for Ryu’s neck as if they had their own consciousness.
An attack that came in an instant, like a spider preying on its trapped prey. The moment he tried to block, he would die. Instinct took precedence over reason. Ryu was too busy dodging attacks to even launch a proper one.
At this rate, he would only be toyed with, even if they fought all night. He couldn’t show such a pathetic sight to Lowen, who was watching from behind. Ryu steeled his resolve.
Even an Outer God who was once a hero was still ultimately a living being. If he struck a vital point, she would die, and if he cut her, she wouldn’t be able to move.
Ryu stopped in his place and pointed his spear at Ishana.
There was no room for leisure. He would go all out from the start.
Ryu unleashed all the power within him. Perhaps even more magic power than when he fought Claire. The dense magic power, hard to believe it came from such a small body, began to devour the surrounding flames.
The black current touched the flames, causing them to burn fiercely before repeatedly incinerating. Once the flames were somewhat subdued, Ryu was finally able to move more comfortably.
He couldn’t allow Ishana to run rampant any longer.
Judging that a giant body would be weak to attacks from below, Ryu leaped up and stabbed Ishana’s thigh with his spear.
‘…?’
But Ishana was a monster far beyond his expectations. She was much tougher than he thought. Had he mistakenly assumed that the body hidden behind the robe was fragile?
The spear couldn’t penetrate the muscles and bones as solid as a mountain, and the recoil was directly transferred back to Ryu.
In that fleeting moment when his thoughts stopped, he couldn’t react to Ishana’s arm flying in from a blind spot.
Thwack!
With a rough sound, his body flew through the air.
He didn’t even feel the pain of crashing to the ground. After tumbling for a while and finally stopping against a tree, Ryu knelt down and groaned in pain from the burning sensation near his ribs.
“Kuh…!”
Ishana tilted her head at an unnatural angle to check the direction Ryu had flown.
His limbs were numb, and his vision was blurred. Even in a situation where it wouldn’t be strange to give up or run away, Ryu had no intention of stopping.
Planting his spear into the ground, Ryu barely stood up with trembling legs. Ishana showed no mercy. Taking a step forward, Ishana revealed the fangs hidden within her madness.
Instantly closing the distance, Ishana once again swung the weapon she was holding at Ryu.
He couldn’t avoid it.
Ryu barely managed to block the attack, but he was once again sent flying pathetically.
Reality didn’t go as planned.
His right leg was already broken, and his entire body was covered in blood. In his blurred vision from the blood flowing from his head, Ishana’s figure was clearly visible. His physical condition was the worst it had ever been, but his mind was clear.
As Ryu continued to fight, he felt his instinct to win against Ishana.
Getting up from his spot, Ryu released magic power again from his body, which wouldn’t move as he wished. It was his instinct to win this fight and his conviction to protect everyone by destroying the Outer God. The infinite potential born from those two minds.
Perhaps sensing the drastically changed atmosphere, Ishana roared in place.
Forcibly supporting his broken leg, Ryu charged at Ishana with a flash of light. Ishana wasn’t foolish enough to just stand there and take it. Her weapons flew towards Ryu from all directions, and just before they touched his body.
He drew upon all his power and released it in an instant.
With a sound like thunder, Ishana’s arm, which had instantly begun to burn black, became unrecognizable. He wanted to finish her off, but Ryu momentarily retreated due to Ishana’s roar, which threatened to shatter his eardrums.
It was fortunate that his attack had worked on Ishana for the first time, but this method was too exhausting. He probably wouldn’t be able to use it again.
Besides, he couldn’t relax yet. The end was still far away. The four arms that had sprouted from Ishana’s back and tormented him so far had disappeared, but her main body was still intact.
It seemed like they were finally on equal footing. Ryu, with labored breaths, pointed his spear and opened his mouth.
“Ishana, your heroic tales end today.”
Ryu’s eyes, filled with burning resolve, stared straight at Ishana’s face.
Ishana and Ryu both felt it at the same time. That the end of this fight was beginning to show. The two, who had been motionless for a moment, moved simultaneously as if they had made a prior agreement.
Perhaps the next strike would be the final one.
The blood flowing from Ryu’s hand trickled down the shaft and gathered at the tip of the spear. It was impossible to leap or run with his already tattered legs. The only option Ryu could choose was to barely lift the spear, which had been dragging on the ground, with his trembling arm and aim at Ishana.
He knew that his power worked on Ishana, but using that method again would put too much strain on his body. Then, conversely, what about condensing his energy instead of releasing it?
He put his thoughts into action at the same time. It was impossible to strategize anymore. He just wanted to pour out everything he had.
With a sound like countless birds chirping, Ryu’s spear began to be covered in black currents.
Before Ishana could react to the ominous energy, it was fired faster than sound.
The spear accurately struck Ishana between the eyebrows. Ishana’s massive body shook greatly. But it didn’t seem like a fatal wound. Did her face also have quite tough skin, unlike what it looked like?
Ryu was filled with frustration as he watched Ishana, who didn’t fall even after his all-out attack. Just one more step, one more step would be enough.
Then, Lowen approached Ryu.
“You did well, kid…”
“Huh? I, I can still do it!”
Ryu thought it was his defeat. Otherwise, there was no way Lowen would intervene. But Lowen shook his head as if denying Ryu’s thoughts and pointed at where Ishana was with his finger.
There, the massive figure had finally lost its strength and was kneeling on one knee on the ground. Ishana, with the center of her face pierced, seemed to be gasping for breath. Ryu blankly stared at that sight. It had worked. His attack, filled with his conviction, had reached her.
Ryu didn’t bask in the afterglow of victory or let his guard down and slowly approached to put an end to the long fight. Looking at her up close, she was impressively large. He had never seen a giant in person, but she was probably much larger than them. Ishana, perhaps without the strength to counterattack, lowered her head and looked at Ryu.
He couldn’t feel the same sense of intimidation as before from that appearance. Rather, she felt like a human being, not a monster. Ishana, who was breathing roughly, suddenly spoke.
“Boy… there is something I wish to ask.”
Not the strange voice with phlegm, but a clear woman’s voice came faintly to his ear for the first time.
Ishana, accepting Ryu’s silence as affirmation, opened her mouth again.
“Has God’s grace been delivered to this land now? Have the children I protected from the heretics become wonderful adults as I wished…? Can I hear the laughter of people who no longer have to be filled with anxiety?”
Ryu felt a strange sensation as if her emotions were flowing from Ishana’s face as she looked at him.
The Order’s Hound, the Inquisitor.
Ishana, she was simply a believer of the Order who loved children. But that peace couldn’t last long.
A trivial war between Orders that started for the mere reason of believing in different things. The result was by no means small. When walking down the street, corpses would tangle around his ankles. The tears of orphans who grew up in the dying screams of their parents. His heart ached every time he made eye contact with the dead who couldn’t even close their eyes in injustice.
Numerous corpses, some of whom were children who followed her.
It didn’t take long for her to realize that her screams were filling the sky.
Her portrait, riddled with despair, drove herself into even more guilt and pity. A kind of shackle that bound her whole body.
The hands that used to hold the children’s hands and smile were now holding a blood-stained axe and mace. The mouth that used to sing with the children while laughing only shouted hymns soaked in blood while judging heretics.
Oh God.
Please have mercy on my weakness.
Turn all the impure into ashes with the burning flames of hell, and when this body becomes ashes and rises, look down upon me.
Until the day when all the impure and the pain of war in this world burn and become ashes, I will break your enemies, so please have mercy on the lambs that will grow.
I will become a single Order in your name, so give me the power to judge all heretics. I will wrap my whole body in the flames of hell and become the power to break the impure chains.
If my small wish and prayer have reached you, this body will never rot until the day I fulfill the mission of driving out the heretics from this land, and I will only commit evil with my blood-stained hands, so please have mercy on others.
So let those who have sinned fear the fire of God. Let those who believe in other Orders avoid the hound’s nose.
Revere the faithful apostle of God.
Those who have faith, kneel before God. I hope you will stop believing in heretics.
For the day of rest that will come at the end of this painful prayer.
Ryu, having read Ishana’s past? Emotions? Everything? staggered for a moment. It was as if he had experienced the life she had lived so far.
So now was the time to respond to her prayer.
Ryu cleared his throat and said the answer Ishana wanted.
“Of course. There are plenty of wonderful people here. An era without war has come now.”
“Ah, so my prayer has reached you. I didn’t live meaninglessly with bloodshed and dishonor… Thank you for your kindness. Ah, God. Finally, I too, to the children’s side…”
With those words, Ishana completely dropped her head and stopped moving. The white mask that had taken the place of her face, the crack that formed there looked like a gentle smile.
