Chapter 78. The Saintess of the Coalition Forces (2)
Isolde shot toward me at a terrifying speed. Her torn armpit had completely healed, but her clothing had not.
The smooth skin beneath her arm remained plainly exposed.
Yet Isolde—
Hummm—!
Paid no attention to something like that.
Then again, Isolde was not someone who would shrink back in embarrassment.
That did not mean she was incapable of feeling shame. She merely understood exactly what took priority.
There was a reason she was both one of the Coalition Forces’ greatest military assets and the Commander of the Holy Command.
The raging Holy Power subsided.
It condensed, then enveloped Isolde’s gauntlet as tremendous power erupted from it.
Divine Martial Fist, Valencia Style - Radiant Strike.
I knew this technique.
It had been created long ago by Saint Valencia and concentrated Holy Power within the fist to deliver an immensely powerful blow.
The key to this technique was detonating the concentrated Holy Power.
What if I tried to dodge it?
I might be caught within an even larger blast radius.
Therefore, I could not evade it.
....I had to intercept it before it exploded. I had to block it.
Boom!
Blood surged between my tightly clenched teeth.
Fortunately, I had intercepted the attack before the Holy Power could detonate.
Consequently, the muscles in Isolde’s arm had completely ruptured from executing the Divine Martial Fist.
Her arm hung limply at her side.
It clearly revealed her inexperience with the Divine Martial Fist.
....This was my chance!
When I swung Dragon’s Claw [A], Isolde immediately performed a backward somersault and retreated.
Unfortunately, I did not pursue her.
◆Activating the Combination Skill, Dragon’s Skin [U]!
I used that opportunity to retrieve a drum of oil from my inventory.
The moment Isolde landed, her ruptured arm recovered. Then she saw me gulping down the oil I had taken from my inventory—
And charged at me again without hesitation.
‘Damn it.’
I immediately threw aside the drum before I had consumed even half of it.
‘I’m at a disadvantage in a battle of attrition.’
That was because my calories were limited.
Of course, my Infinite Inventory contained more than enough oil. However, I had no opportunity to consume it.
◆Activating Regeneration [B+]!
◆Consuming a large quantity of nutrients to regenerate the damaged body.
Isolde would not stand by and watch me drink it.
I could somehow create openings to consume small amounts intermittently, but that amount was not enough.
Boom! Crash!
Compared with the number of calories I was consuming, the amount I could replenish was nowhere near sufficient.
Simply enduring Isolde’s attacks was consuming my calories in enormous chunks.
Once my calories were completely depleted, I would no longer be able to use Regeneration [B+].
Of course, the same principle applied to Isolde.
She would also become incapable of healing once her Holy Power was exhausted.
The problem was that Isolde’s supply of Holy Power was effectively “infinite”.
The source of Isolde’s Holy Power was the faith and wishes of the Holy Kingdom of Cordelia’s subjects.
The Holy Kingdom’s subjects believed that Isolde, their Saintess, was the “Representative of God”.
Omni Vessel [M], Isolde’s ability, could contain all the faith and wishes of those subjects.
Its rank was Myth [M].
Considering how outrageously powerful Infinite [M] was, it was easy to understand how absurdly powerful her ability must be.
Crack!
A loud noise suddenly erupted from the muscles throughout my body. Some of those muscles had not finished regenerating.
The speed of Regeneration [B+] could not keep pace with the injuries caused by Isolde’s attacks.
Every one of Isolde’s attacks was a blow capable of taking my life. She unleashed such attacks upon me without the slightest hesitation.
Was Isolde merely a mindlessly powerful brute?
Not at all.
Isolde’s rapid movements were impossible to follow with my eyes.
Nevertheless, my tremendously increased agility and senses now practically equivalent to ESP—somehow allowed me to evade her attacks.
‘But I can’t keep dodging.’
I had to “subdue” Isolde.
....Could I do it?
‘Don’t be afraid.’
I erased my doubts.
I was also sufficiently powerful.
In my previous life, I had never approached her level, but that had only been my previous life.
Had I not achieved tremendous growth through Ian’s ability, Solo Level Up [EX]?
No matter how powerful Isolde might be, she could not compare to Ian.
Even the Isolde who had fought alongside the Coalition Forces—who had been incomparably stronger than she was now—had never surpassed Ian.
Forget surpassing him. She had barely managed to reach the vicinity of his feet.
I had never even come close to Ian’s feet—
‘But that is no longer true.’
It was not merely because I now possessed Ian’s ability. I also possessed my own ability, Predation [S+]. It was an ability I had failed to utilize properly in my previous life.
Now, however, I had gained perfect control over it—
Ian had once told me—
—I can never become like you.
Ian could never become like me.
Furthermore, not even a dragon could become like me.
—Adrian, you stand at the pinnacle of all living creatures.
The ultimate hunter, Predator.
—Only your power of Predation can reach that pinnacle.
The Ultimate Lifeform.
—How could mere humans or dragons possibly compare to the “Ultimate Lifeform”?
Contrary to Ian’s expectations, I had ultimately failed to stand at that pinnacle.
I had failed to transcend the limitations of a mere hunter.
◆Activating the Combination Skill, Metabolic Overdrive [U]!
◆Calories consumed: 50,000 kcal.
◆All the player’s stats increase by [+50%] for [500 seconds]!
However, Predator’s true instincts had now fully awakened.
* * *
As Isolde confronted Adrian—
More precisely, as she confronted a Dark Merchant Company officer wearing Adrian’s appearance—
‘Something is strange.’
She could not shake the feeling that something was wrong.
First—
The speed at which Adrian recovered from his injuries was abnormal. He did not appear to be using any Elixirs or Potions.
Rather than an Elixir or Potion, he was using oil...?
Isolde’s gaze briefly moved downward. The liquid spilled across the ground—it was unquestionably oil.
More specifically, it was pitch-black waste oil.
Adrian had been gulping it down to heal his injuries immediately. Rather than healing, the ability more closely resembled Regeneration.
Isolde could confidently say that its restorative power rivaled the recovery granted by Holy Power.
However, Adrian was not using Holy Power. It was a strange and unidentified force.
That only reinforced Isolde’s conviction that Adrian was a member of the Dark Merchant Company.
However, there was a second problem.
‘He knows the Divine Martial Fist.’
For some reason, Adrian knew about the Divine Martial Fist.
He did not merely know its name. He understood its techniques and underlying principles.
That made no sense.
The Divine Martial Fist was a martial art created by the Holy Kingdom’s successive Saintesses and Saints to fight against darkness.
It had been developed to utilize Holy Power effectively in close combat, and every form was named after its creator.
Its weaknesses had been addressed and corrected through successive generations.
Over the course of 213 generations and thousands of years, it had developed into an increasingly complete martial art.
In other words, no one except a Saintess or Saint could know or use the Divine Martial Fist.
If that was the case—
Could Adrian possibly be a Saint?
That made even less sense.
Adrian was not using Holy Power in the first place. Then there was the third and final problem.
Adrian’s red eyes were currently fixed upon Isolde. When she met those eyes, filled with maddening insanity—
“Ah.”
Isolde felt every hair on her body stand on end.
She could sense something different within Adrian. It was clearly different from what she had felt only moments ago.
It resembled humanity’s natural predator—
No, something that reigned above every living creature.
It inspired the primal fear of life itself.
She experienced that sensation only briefly.
Nevertheless, Isolde found herself momentarily overwhelmed. Her entire body stiffened and refused to obey her.
Swoosh—!
The sound of rushing wind passed her ears.
Before she realized it, Adrian had already closed the distance between them.
His movements were clearly different from before. They exceeded anything she could have imagined.
Isolde hurriedly swung her right fist. However, Adrian’s foot struck her abdomen first.
Boom—!
Isolde regained her balance while flying through the air and rotated her body in a complete circle.
She had been momentarily startled, but it was not something she could not handle.
While still airborne, she concentrated Holy Power at the tip of her foot.
She twisted her waist and rotated. Then she detonated the concentrated Holy Power—
Sacred light exploded from the tip of her foot. It scattered like flower petals and swept across everything before her.
Divine Martial Fist, Malenia Style - Blossom Pulsus.
She did not stop there.
Isolde forced Holy Power into her gauntlets and unleashed a continuous barrage of explosive punches.
Divine Martial Fist, Bianca Style - Holy Purge Assault.
Boom, boom, boom, boom—!
Agony made it feel as though her palms were being ripped apart.
No—
Her palms truly were tearing open.
And yet—
Adrian charged through the explosions with his bare body, without the slightest hesitation.
He then performed a series of bizarre movements. It appeared as though Adrian possessed no joints.
When Adrian finally thrust his hand forward—
Boom—!!
Adrian’s hand collided with Isolde’s gauntlet.
Power crashed against power. Neither side was pushed back.
Adrian lunged forward. His movement produced no sound. He boldly sacrificed one shoulder and tore open Isolde’s abdomen.
Boom! Rip—!
The sound of an impact and tearing flesh rang out simultaneously.
Dizzying agony struck Isolde’s mind.
For a moment—
She had forgotten.
Adrian could fight exactly as she did.
“Ugh...!”
A groan escaped through Isolde’s tightly closed lips.
Holy Power could heal every injury, but it could do nothing about the pain.
Adrian, in contrast continued moving without hesitation.
Judging solely by the severity of their injuries, Adrian had suffered far greater damage.
His entire shoulder had been blown away. It was an injury bordering on fatal.
It would not have been strange for him to collapse from the agony immediately. Yet Adrian did not so much as frown.
Swoosh—!
Instead, he charged forward, tearing through the air.
Adrian’s forearm flew toward Isolde.
However, upon closer inspection, it was not attached to him.
It was part of the shoulder that had just been blown away.
Although it was merely a severed piece of his body, it still retained Adrian’s physical capabilities.
In other words, Adrian was using his own severed body parts as weapons.
Even Isolde could not do something like that. It was a fighting style she had never encountered before.
How could such a thing even be possible?
There was no madness greater than this.
Startled, Isolde flinched and stepped backward. Adrian immediately exploited that momentary opening.
Rip—!
Her light armor was completely torn away.
Only the cloth binding her chest barely concealed her skin, but she paid it no attention.
Adrian did not spare it even a single glance. His red eyes remained focused exclusively upon Isolde’s movements.
....She could not regain the initiative.
Suppressing the pain that felt as though her internal organs were being torn apart, Isolde lunged forward.
She was still fine.
Boom!
Holy Power exploded at close range.
Resistance surged against Adrian.
He did not evade. His gleaming red eyes continued tracking Isolde. Rather than dodging, he had chosen to confront her directly.
Did he intend to settle the battle here?
Dragging out the battle would also be unfavorable for Isolde.
She responded in kind.
However—
....Could she win?
The question suddenly entered her mind. No matter how carefully she considered it, she could not imagine herself winning.
Had anyone Isolde previously fought ever inspired this kind of anxiety within her?
She could say with certainty that no one had.
Holy Power wrapped around Isolde’s gauntlet. Isolde cast aside her thoughts and threw a punch—
Rip! Boom!
Isolde’s newly healed lower abdomen was torn open once again.
Adrian’s regenerated shoulder exploded once more.
This time, however, a question struck Isolde’s mind before the pain could.
‘Why didn’t he target my heart?’
Had he hesitated?
Had he faltered?
Or was he simply inexperienced?
She could not be certain.
However, Adrian had not targeted Isolde’s heart.
Regardless of whether the attack would have succeeded, would targeting her heart not have been the most effective choice?
Just as she swallowed that question—
“Lord Executor!!”
A thunderous voice rang out from somewhere.
The figure who appeared was an Ashen Mask Vister, a member of the Dark Merchant Company.
....They had caused too much of a commotion.
Even though this was the Lawless City and even though they were fighting in a deserted alleyway—
A disturbance of this magnitude could not avoid attracting attention. That was why Isolde had attempted to end the battle quickly.
However, Adrian was far stronger than she had anticipated.
Handling Adrian alone was already overwhelming.
Naturally, she could not fight the Ashen Mask as well. If they captured her here, everything would be over.
This was the Lawless City, where people died almost every day and no one cared.
If they caught her, it was over.
She needed to escape immediately.
However, would Adrian simply stand by and allow her to flee?
“Lord Executor! Are you all right?!”
The Ashen Mask Vister had already approached.
Just as Isolde squeezed out the last of her Holy Power—
“Three in the morning. Shadow Alley.”
Adrian’s voice suddenly reached her.
At some point, Adrian had put on a mask that covered even his hair.
He turned toward the approaching Ashen Mask Vister and extended his hand—
◆Surplus calories consumed: 520 kcal.
Rip—!
He tore out the Vister’s heart. The Vister began dying without understanding what had happened.
His face and expression contained a single question—
“Why...?”
Only then did Isolde realize—
“Go!”
She had made a grave misunderstanding.
* * *
That had been far too close. My calories were almost completely depleted.
If we had clashed only two or three more times, I would have been finished.
I had nearly died while attempting to subdue Isolde.
I had actually been considering retreating.
Fortunately, an Ashen Mask Acata arrived at precisely the right moment.
It seemed I had somehow managed to resolve the misunderstanding, but—
—Over here!
—The signal came from this direction!
It was not over yet.
More Ashen Mask Acatas would soon arrive in droves.
After confirming that Isolde was escaping, I mutilated the Acata whose heart I had torn out until his identity could no longer be determined.
Then I took oil from my inventory and gulped it down.
I tore chunks of flesh and sprayed blood from my own body throughout the area.
In an instant, the alleyway resembled the scene of a massacre.
The Acatas soon rushed into the area in droves.
“The Black Grasp came seeking revenge against me.”
Using the actual incident from earlier as a foundation, I constructed a convincing scenario.
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