Chapter 24 – Beast of the Sanctuary

‘They are later than expected.’

Lion, who had introduced the room to the candidate and was preparing for the next step, had his face stiffen.

Then he remembered Rashid, who had followed his subordinates instead of himself.

‘Surely that cannot be.’

His subordinates had the bombs.

If that were discovered, it would certainly be a problem, but could he have noticed it in the first place?

‘It is almost impossible. Unless he knew that we were the culprits.’

If there was anything to suspect,

the conversation they had shared in the armored vehicle was all.

‘It would be hard to notice from that. But they are indeed late. As if something happened.’

The candidate, who was observing Lion’s uncomfortable demeanor, spoke up cautiously.

“Should I… wait here?”

Lion’s gaze directed toward the candidate who was staying in the room.

‘If by any chance they were taken down by him.’

That candidate could not be left here.

‘Because she must not live.’

Releasing that child gently was not out of a desire to save her.

He intended to fan the embers of suspicion even further and then kill her at that time.

Since he thought she was a rat in a trap anyway.

“The subordinates who came with us are too late. Shall we take a look around the Holy See while we go find them?”

“Look around? No, I am fine.”

“It is safe everywhere here, so you do not have to worry so much.”

“Can I not… just stay here? It is just… because I am anxious.”

Not a chance.

Your grave site was already decided.

“In case my subordinates and I are not here, you need to evacuate through the emergency passage, so you must familiarize yourself with the geography of this place. Opportunities are rare, so please follow me.”

Could there be a better excuse than this?

Leaving her, who followed reluctantly, behind,

Lion thought.

‘It is difficult to kill you here. It is broad daylight, and there might be watching eyes. Also, I, who was closest to you, would be suspected.’

The most certain way to eliminate her

was indeed to blow her up along with the blue flower.

Then even a body could not be found, and his plan to blow up the Holy See would also be accomplished together.

‘The order also must change to match the changing world. A vampire Saintess that is utterly unsuitable in this time when the wind of revolution blows fiercely. Let alone that they are a clan that defiled the holy blood.’

Fortunately, there was one more spare bomb.

Its location was the basement void.

Since detoning it there was necessary to cleanly blow up the Holy See, he had left it there ever since he hid it.

‘If by any chance things went wrong, I must finish it with that bomb I hid in advance.’

It was still difficult to conclude that his subordinates were defeated.

Because unless that cleric went crazy, there would be no reason for him to suddenly become an enemy.

However, in the basement open space they arrived at,

Lion came to know that his thoughts were wrong.

At the witnessed tragedy, the candidate covered her mouth, and Lion too was lost for words.

In that place,

there was a single cleric who was together with the corpses of the six clerics.

At his feet were two bags, and in one hand was even the bomb that Lion had hidden in advance.

“You came not too late. If you had been even slightly later, I would have gone to find you.”

Lion, trying his best not to be shaken, spoke low while suppressing his anger.

“Cleric. What is the meaning of this?”

Even in this situation, he was trying to play innocent.

“What is the meaning of this? You are saying the words I should be saying instead.”

Rashid questioned back, showing him the Arcane Flower he had found.

“What is the meaning of this on your part? Did you plan to blow this place up with the bombs here?”

Subsequently, Rashid’s gaze directed toward the candidate who was petrified with fear.

“Along with the candidate over there?”

It was now that he was certain that things had completely gone wrong.

Lion calmly drew his sword.

“I have no idea what on earth you are talking about.”

“You should know what this means better than anyone, though?”

Lion’s gaze shot toward the candidate.

“Do not misunderstand. That man is the real culprit. The culprit who massacred all the candidates and disrupted this Basilica until now.”

However,

contrary to expectations, she shook her head and widened the distance from Lion.

Her gaze harbored conviction, dread, and terror.

‘Ah, it’s hopeless.’

He knew from the beginning that it was a pathetic excuse.

It was a word spoken in case she was ignorant and might be enticed by his words,

but it was completely useless.

Changing his expression in an instant, Lion put on the mask of a lion.

His eyes tore flesh, and murderous intent was mixed in every breath.

He smelled of blood all over his body, turning into a wild beast that would bite to pieces at the slightest touch.

“I warn you. You had better not move any further. If by any chance you run away during the duel with that guy, I will risk my life to kill you first.”

The candidate, who was stepping backward at those words, stopped.

“So do not interfere insignificantly.”

Lion turned his gaze to glare at Rashid, and Rashid also spoke to the candidate.

“It will be over soon. It is not a fight that will take long, so please do not provoke him and wait leisurely.”

The two men, having erased the candidate’s presence like that, moved in a circle while facing each other.

“One day, God spoke. He spoke in a dream. That the holy blood was defiled by the detestable blood of vampires.”

“Is that so? The holy blood I know is clean, so that is indeed strange.”

“The order lost the meaning of purity ever since that crowd of vampires intruded.”

“Who said so? That we lost the meaning of purity.”

Leaving the candidate standing without even a slight movement,

the two men stood confronting each other.

“I heard you were recommended as an Honorary Cleric by that dirty clan? Just like my first impression, you were indeed a really unpleasant fellow.”

“It is truly regrettable that a person like you is the Honorary Cleric I wished for. How did you come to possess such twisted beliefs and ideas? If only you had remained a faithful believer, it would have been good for everyone.”

“The defiled holy blood. Someone has to step forward and purify it. It was just that it was me.”

“Do you not think that method is too extreme? To think of blowing up the Holy See, of all things.”

“Did you think that amount of sacrifice would not follow in purifying the holy blood? Ever since the holy blood was defiled, this level of sacrifice was inevitable.”

Rashid strongly grasped the necklace strung with small crosses.

It was the seal that had controlled his mana until now.

Snap!

As the necklace string broke, the small crosses that were strung fell in heaps.

The surging mana penetrated his entire body, and blue light spread across his retinas.

-Restoring mana.

“It is truly a pity. The fact that you were the Honorary Cleric I had wished for.”

“There is nothing to be pitied. Because you will not be able to become an Honorary Cleric.”

Rashid shook his head.

“Following you, I will remain as the model and exemplar of all clerics, the one and only Honorary Cleric of this era.”

Lion, laughing lightly, vanished.

His movement, exploding while wearing the magic armor, was like an instant.

Lion’s sword strikes, raging like a storm, fiercely targeted Rashid.

Under normal circumstances, it would be hard to avoid, but

since he wore the same magic armor and had even broken the seal,

Rashid’s movement became very agile, unlike before.

The sword strike digging into the instant failed to achieve its purpose due to Rashid changing his position in a split second.

Rashid also raised his sword, and the two clerics—no, who could safely be viewed as knights—exchanged dozens of clashes in an instant, clashing swords.

“Excellent.”

Lion, who momentarily broke the confrontation, spoke with sincerity.

“Even though you caught Heimdall, because of the rumors I heard, I thought you would be nothing special. Your skill is definitely at the master level.”

“Rumors? What rumors are those?”

“I heard a story that Heimdall went easy on you. I heard he went easy because the difference in skill was too great, but looking at you now, it seems Heimdall made a mistake.”

“Have you fought against Heimdall?”

“I have not fought him. I only watched from afar. The Sword Champion. He was indeed a skilled man worthy of his renown.”

“Then this Sword Gang will not be unfamiliar to you either.”

Rashid stimulated his mana stone sword, and implemented the Sword Gang without much difficulty.

Seeing the Sword Gang wrapped around the sword, Lion smiled bitterly.

“I heard that when Heimdall, who lacked mana, implemented the Sword Gang, he drew on the power of mana stones. Somehow it seems like your story rather than Heimdall’s.”

Just as he said,

it was true that he could not implement pure Sword Gang due to insufficient mana.

“My situation is similar, so…”

“However, I do not use such crude tricks.”

Lion coated his sword with Sword Gang.

It was a secret technique crafted with pure mana, not mana stones.

“Splendid.”

This time, it was Rashid who was impressed.

“It is skill worthy of your renown.”

“It is a realm you cannot achieve.”

Rashid shook his head at those words.

“I will achieve it someday.”

“No way. Mana is mostly innate. No matter how much you effort, there is a natural limit. You will never be able to achieve this realm without the help of mana stones.”

The fact that he was the player who could break that innate limit.

Since there was no need to reveal it,

Rashid, who did not reply, changed his stance of holding the sword.

‘With the Swordsmanship Expert trait, my swordsmanship is now at the master level. He is also at a similar level.’

Swordsmanship was on the same level.

Since they could both implement Sword Gang,

another decisive move was needed.

‘Movements are roughly similar. That side has good magic armor performance, while this side relies on stats.’

What remained was only traits.

‘Do I ultimately have to decide the match with traits?’

Even at this very moment,

Lion’s vital points were visible in Rashid’s eyes.

‘Making the movements faster with Speed Freak, and the lacking power will be…’

The mana stone sword.

This was more of a masterpiece than expected.

‘There is nothing to worry about. Since the power of the Sword Gang will be fixed by the mana stone anyway.’

Having finished his thoughts, Rashid

made a declaration close to victory.

“I am hungry. I should finish this quickly and go eat.”

It was tremendous arrogance against him.

“Cleric. Surely you have not already forgotten who your opponent is?”

“They are not empty words though?”

The gaze of Rashid as he took his stance was honed sharper than ever.

Numerous trajectories were proposed, and among them, he found the optimal trajectory.

As the split-second match was proposed, Lion did not refuse either.

‘A decisive match? This side wished for it too.’

The two clerics clad in magic armor finely adjusted their stances, preparing for the split-second match.

A suffocating silence flowed, and when the candidate watching swallowed her saliva with her throat twitching,

a dash like a flash of light transcending the laws of physics followed.

The two Sword Gangs piercing through the instant were shot at each other, and crossing in a split second, the two passed each other and stood in place.

Pfft!

It was Lion who collapsed, with blood pouring between his mouth and the gaps of his magic armor.

‘How could there be such speed…’

It was a movement completely different from before.

Even though they exchanged dozens of clashes, he was defeated by that flash-like Sword Gang which was completely unpredictable.

‘I cannot understand…’

It was a victory due to Speed Freak and Double-Edged Time, namely two traits.

Rashid turned his body and looked down coldly at the dying Lion.

‘It is over.’

Rashid approached the dying Lion and awaited his end.

Lion, who was lying down awaiting only death, coughed up blood and sought Rashid.

“Cough! Cleric…”

What was he trying to say at this point?

“Truly… amazing. I did not expect this at all.”

The words that followed were slightly unexpected.

“Be careful… of Director of Palace Affairs Vane. He is… the enemy of the order…”

Lion’s breath was cut short.

To be careful of the Director of Palace Affairs…

It was one of the reasons why Rashid viewed him as a multi-dimensional character.

‘Even if his ideas were dangerous, his heart for the order was sincere in its own way?’

Vane Sanctum.

Although it was not time yet, just as he said, he was a potential enemy of the order,

and a person who would be incorporated into Lazarus in the future.