Chapter 77. The Saintess of the Coalition Forces (1)
Adrian White Wolf.
Isolde first learned of Adrian through the rumors surrounding “monster meat”.
The Genetic Factors of madness dwelling within monsters—
Even Isolde’s Holy Power could not remove them.
Monsters were Creatures of Chaos that defied the divine order, and they possessed an inherent resistance to Holy Power, the power of God.
It was a proposition acknowledged even by the mages who explored the truths of the world.
There was a reason it had been selected as one of the Twenty-Three Conundrums of Arcanis.
More precisely, it was a conundrum that had been resolved with the conclusion that it was “impossible”.
Consequently, suspicions concerning Adrian had cautiously begun to emerge.
Had a member of the Dark Merchant Company taken control of the man named Adrian?
The sudden changes in Adrian’s recent behavior only strengthened those suspicions.
Even then, Isolde had been unable to reach a hasty conclusion.
However, that was no longer the case. Adrian had appeared in the Lawless City.
Furthermore, he had contacted the Ashen Mask of the Black Market and had even been observed secretly conversing with its leadership.
The moment Isolde discovered that—
Her suspicion became certainty.
Adrian was no longer Adrian. The real Adrian White Wolf was dead. A member of the Dark Merchant Company had taken control of his body.
Therefore, the distribution of monster meat was also part of the Dark Merchant Company’s plan.
Once rumors of monster meat spread across the continent, they intended to plunge people into madness and bring chaos to the entire continent.
Therefore, he had to be killed.
However, Adrian was a noble of the Kingdom of Vatenberg.
Moreover, he was a high-ranking noble with the title of Count and maintained close ties to the monarch.
Although the Dark Merchant Company had taken control of his body, proving it would not be easy.
If Adrian died, the Kingdom of Vatenberg would never remain silent.
It would conduct a thorough investigation, which might reveal Isolde’s involvement.
Isolde was a princess of the Holy Kingdom of Cordelia.
The incident could potentially develop into a major diplomatic dispute.
But Violess was different.
Violess was a Free City beyond the reach of any kingdom’s authority. It was a No-Go Zone that even adventurers refused to enter.
People died here almost every day, yet no one cared.
It was the Lawless City, where even the most basic laws and order had collapsed.
* * *
Four Heroes followed Ian the Hero.
The Four Heroes were the Coalition Forces’ greatest military assets.
Among them, Isolde was the woman known as the “Saintess”.
Within the thick cloud of dust—
Isolde’s figure gradually emerged.
Her legs appeared first.
Light greaves covered them down to her ankles.
A soft leather belt encircled her slender waist, and guards that did not hinder her movements were tightly secured around her delicate forearms.
Lightweight gauntlets covered both hands.
She wore practical light armor composed primarily of harmonious shades of white and silver.
A mask fashioned in the image of a white deer covered her face.
Her platinum-blond hair was pulled high and tied tightly behind the mask.
Even so, its smooth texture remained visible and immediately captured one’s attention.
Although the mask concealed her face—
==< Character Information >==
Name: Isolde Cordelia
Classification: Kingdom Animalia, Class Mammalia, Family Hominidae, Human
Gender: Female
Age: 21
Traits: Perfect Muscle Control [A], Omni Vessel [M]
The Character Information appeared before my eyes. It confirmed beyond doubt that the person behind the mask was Isolde.
“Why are you—”
Before I could finish—
Isolde lowered her body and charged at me.
Tap!
The sound reached me a beat late. Isolde’s leg was already whipping toward me.
I reflexively crossed both arms to block—Isolde folded the leg she had swung and used it to push against the ground.
Her body sprang upward like a coiled spring. She twisted her waist in midair and changed her posture once again—
Swoosh!
She raised her leg high and brought it down toward my head.
Every movement flowed naturally into the next like running water.
Not even one second had passed.
However, my dramatically increased agility allowed me to react far faster than before.
I immediately kicked off the ground and moved away—
Boom!
The spot where I had been standing shattered, sending dirt and gravel flying into the air.
The scattered fragments became deadly projectiles that embedded themselves in the alley walls.
What if I had reacted a little later?
My head might have exploded. No, it definitely would have exploded.
In other words, Isolde was trying to kill me. There was no doubt about it.
....But why?
Before I had time to pursue that question, Isolde charged again. Her speed made it difficult to react even with my tremendously increased agility.
She perfectly exploited my momentary confusion.
This—
I couldn’t dodge it.
◆Activating the Composite Skill, Dragon’s Skin [U]!
What if the attack had struck me directly?
My entire body would have shattered, leaving nothing behind.
Honestly—
I wondered whether something like this could possibly make sense.
However, she was Isolde, one of the heroes of the Coalition Forces.
Knowing her as I did, it made perfect sense.
The message appeared almost simultaneously with the impact.
Boom—!
My entire body shook violently, as though an earthquake had struck.
I could say this without the slightest exaggeration—
It felt as though an ogre had hit me.
“Haah—!”
Fortunately, Dragon’s Skin [U] reduced the damage by [90%], allowing me to endure the blow.
◆Perfect Muscle Control [A] : Upon acquiring this skill, the user gains the ability to control their muscles with extreme precision down to the level of individual muscle fibers.
By allowing the user to perform highly precise movements, the skill increases their base flexibility and sense of balance by [+6,550%].
Furthermore, by optimizing muscular strength throughout every physical movement, the skill increases the user’s base strength stat by [+4,350%] and their base stamina stat by [+5,400%].
<This is a Passive Skill whose effects become permanent upon acquisition.>
It was obviously an absurdly overpowered ability. It was also an ability I desperately wanted.
Its rank alone made that clear. It was one rank higher than Kai’s Adoptive Muscle Memory [A-].
In that regard, a dragon’s genetic abilities were ranked [A].
In other words, Isolde’s talent for utilizing her body was comparable to that of a dragon.
Of course, dragons possessed countless talents beyond physical control alone.
Therefore, it would be inappropriate to compare Isolde to a dragon based solely on that ability.
Nevertheless, in terms of talent for utilizing the body, Isolde remained comparable to a dragon.
‘No wonder.’
This was why Isolde could employ such terrifying martial arts. There was a reason even Ian had found her unbearable.
In other words—
‘She’s still as monstrous as ever...!’
Whether in the past or the present, Isolde was a monster.
As for why that monster—no, why Isolde was trying to kill me—
She appeared to be laboring under some kind of misunderstanding.
And in the current situation, the misunderstanding Isolde was most likely to make was—
“If you think I’m a member of the Dark Merchant Company—!”
Boom!
....She was not listening. More precisely, she did not believe me.
The Dark Merchant Company—
In other words, the Devotees of the Fallen Souls—used forbidden magic to control their targets perfectly.
Avarus had been an immediate example of that.
Just as Iratum had failed to recognize my true identity, Isolde could not recognize who I really was either.
Therefore, Isolde did not believe I was Adrian White Wolf. Naturally, she would not believe anything I said.
If so, there was only one option.
I sharpened Dragon’s Claw [A].
Just as I was about to swing it toward the charging Isolde—
Predatory Instinct [S] warned me.
‘Danger!’
I withdrew Dragon’s Claw [A] in the middle of my swing and dragged my foot backward.
A moment later—
Whoosh—!
Isolde’s fist grazed my cheek with tremendous air pressure. It had merely grazed me, yet my eardrums rang painfully.
The shock wave made my head hum and caused my vision to shake.
....Counterattacking would be difficult.
I hurriedly opened the distance and steadied my vision.
From some distance away, Isolde was drawing both fists toward her chest.
“The Divine Martial Fist?”
The Divine Martial Fist.
The martial art that had made Isolde one of the heroes of the Coalition Forces.
Its destructive power went beyond overwhelming and entered the realm of catastrophe.
Ian had once assessed the Divine Martial Fist by saying—
—Perhaps I should be the one learning it.
Isolde drew in an exhilarated breath. Golden energy began swirling around her.
It was Holy Power.
If the Divine Martial Fist had made Isolde one of the heroes of the Coalition Forces, Holy Power was the force that gave her the identity of the Saintess.
After all, Holy Power was not magic.
Some people called it divine magic, but that description was strictly incorrect.
Holy Power was not derived from Mana Force. It was a power transformed from Aura.
Aura was the outrageous power that pulled things existing only within an individual’s imagination into reality.
Holy Power was one form of that Aura.
Likewise, it was the result of bringing something that existed only within the imagination into reality.
The imagined being brought forth by Holy Power was—
God.
It had ultimately drawn a supernatural and superhuman being existing beyond cognition into reality.
Whether God truly existed was irrelevant.
The intense faith of humanity possessed the power to transcend ontological arguments.
Furthermore, Aura was ultimately based upon the imagination of an [individual].
Therefore, the abilities manifested through Aura differed from person to person.
Every person thought and imagined differently.
Consequently, the power of Aura differed according to the beliefs held by each individual.
However, Holy Power was different.
That was because the supreme and immortal being known as God was shared by everyone.
It was the faith of a collective.
Therefore, Holy Power could manifest the strength of a [collective] imagination rather than the imagination of a single individual.
Its astounding power went beyond the outrageous and could even make the “impossible” possible.
It could produce healing on a small scale, as well as purification, blessings, prophecy, and even resurrection.
All of it was the power of God!
It was brought forth as an extension of that collective faith.
Therefore, mages did not define Holy Power as Mana Force.
Faith that created miracles. Faith in the power of God.
Consequently, when defining Holy Power, the Archmage of the Coalition Forces had said—
—Holy Power can be called the ultimate form of Aura.
However, Isolde—
Went even further.
◆Omni Vessel [M] : The user’s [Physical Vessel] and [Mental Vessel] can accept every form of [energy] and [concept] in the world.
The accepted powers are not merely accumulated but [assimilated] into the user’s essence. Consequently, even opposing concepts can coexist within the user without contradiction.
However, there is a risk of the user’s will collapsing, as well as a risk of their Sentience collapsing during the process of obtaining essences and concepts.
She could perfectly contain the power produced by that faith.
She was a being who possessed the potential to become a god within a human body.
That was the woman currently trying to kill me.
Isolde Cordelia.
Commander of the Holy Command—One of the heroes of the Coalition Forces—
And the Saintess who possessed the most powerful Holy Power in the continent’s entire history.
Rumble—!
Golden Holy Power swirled around Isolde.
A violent torrent of power raged through the alley. Every wall surrounding us exploded.
Her power resembled a natural disaster and could not possibly be considered human.
Holy Power was the ultimate form of Aura. Isolde was the embodiment of that Holy Power.
One must never underestimate her merely because she looked like a woman.
Her perfectly balanced figure was unquestionably that of a woman. However, the power residing within her was anything but ordinary.
Just as I could use Regeneration [B+] to develop my muscles beyond human limitations, Isolde could do the same.
Strictly speaking, Isolde surpassed me by an overwhelming margin.
She possessed the outrageous talent known as Perfect Muscle Control [A].
She also wielded the absurd power known as Holy Power.
The body Isolde had trained using those abilities was itself a “living weapon”.
That was why Isolde practiced martial arts instead of wielding conventional weapons.
A single blow—
One strike from the Divine Martial Fist would tear my entire body apart and send the pieces flying.
However—
‘She’s still inexperienced.’
The Divine Martial Fist was not as powerful as I remembered.
Compared with Isolde during her time in the Coalition Forces, its current power was pitiful.
The level of the Divine Martial Fist itself had not changed.
However, the Isolde employing it had not yet reached the same level.
Just as I was not yet Predator of the Coalition Forces, Isolde was not yet the Saintess of the Coalition Forces.
Experience gained across countless battlefields—
It could never be disregarded.
Her inexperience gave me a chance of winning.
Forgetting even to breathe, I charged forward.
Isolde did not evade me. She clenched both fists and confronted Dragon’s Claw [A].
Her gauntlets were wrapped in Holy Power.
The destructive force contained within them was terrifying, but the same applied to Dragon’s Claw [A].
Crack—!
I tore through the resistance of her Holy Power.
Isolde’s body was momentarily pushed backward. Beyond her white deer mask, I saw her topaz-like eyes.
They unquestionably belonged to the same Isolde I had known in my previous life.
Just as before, no emotion could be read from Isolde’s eyes.
However, Find Weakness [U] told me that she was “shaken”.
I quickly lowered my stance and moved inside Isolde’s guard. Find Weakness [U] revealed an opening near her torso.
Dragon’s Claw [A] tore into her right armpit.
However, Isolde’s left fist had already reached my side before I even realized she had swung it.
My Dragon’s Claw tore through Isolde’s armpit at almost the exact same moment her fist shattered my ribs.
Boom!
The tremendous impact sent my body flying.
Crash! Crash! Boom!
I smashed through several alley walls before finally coming to a stop.
I hurriedly used Regeneration [B+] to restore my broken ribs.
When I steadied my vision—Isolde was charging toward me at tremendous speed.
The wound beneath her arm had already healed completely, as though it had never existed.
It was the overwhelming restorative power of Holy Power. I had known about it, but perhaps this was what people called “mirror treatment”.
I finally understood why the Lycanthrope and Avarus had been so horrified by my Regeneration [B+].
‘Damn it.’
....Now I understood them a little.
No comments yet. Be the first to leave a review!