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Chapter 227

A sharp wind imbued with holy power shot out in a slanted trajectory. Charlotte, who was charging at him, twisted her body agilely, narrowly avoiding the trajectory. She then sprang up like a spring, raising her battle ax.

"----!"

A roar, akin to that of a beast, echoed. However, her ax couldn\'t reach Gothier.

Clang.

The robe fluttering above him flashed, and a hexagonal golden barrier instantly formed in front of her.

Charlotte swung her ax, aiming to break the barrier. But it was impossible. The barrier only flickered with golden light and developed minor cracks where the ax had struck.

Whoosh!

Gothier swung his sword once more. The sharp trajectory flew toward Charlotte beyond the barrier. Almost simultaneously, a veil of divinity rose before her.

Clang!

The trajectory collided with the veil, causing a bright yellow explosion. As Charlotte was blown back, Gothier turned his head to the side.

Philip, extending his sword, was charging at him. But his figure was soon obscured by Mev, who had run ahead. Despite her armor being tattered in places, she rushed straight at Gothier, seemingly indifferent. Gothier didn\'t create another barrier or use any spells embedded in his equipment.

"Ah...!" He simply let out a quick shout and swung his sword toward her.

Clang!

The moment their swords collided, Mev\'s charge stopped. Gothier didn\'t get pushed back, either. Yet, the green eyes staring at him didn\'t waver at all. The deadlock lasted only a moment. With no signal, both pushed away each other\'s blades and charged at each other again.

Clang, clang, clang!

Sharp sword strikes were exchanged. Though the exchange lasted only a single breath, it was enough for Gothier to realize that his opponent was an Apostle of God. Only a body blessed by the gods could deflect or withstand his power this way. Her swordsmanship was also at the level of a master. Considering her young age, it was an astonishing achievement.

"You must be the Red Knight of the frontier...! The Agent of Vengeance!" Continuing his swings, Gothier exclaimed.

Mev didn\'t respond, nor did Gothier expect her to.

Holy power surged from Gothier\'s blade in that instant.

Clang!

A shockwave burst forth when their swords clashed again. Though it lacked killing power, it was enough to push Mev\'s sword back. Gothier, pressing the advantage, thrust his left fist forward. The magic stones in his gauntlet and wrist guard flashed, wrapping his fist in a whirlwind.

"...!" Mev, her right arm wide open, raised her left arm to shield her helmet. His fist struck relentlessly.

Crack!

Mev was thrown back as if hit by a carriage. Clattering, the armor covering her left arm shattered into pieces and scattered. The parts that had barely maintained their shape had finally reached the end of their lifespan.

Just as Gothier tightened his grip on his sword with his right hand...

Swoosh!

A veil of divinity rose before him. At the same time, Philip charged at Gothier, leading with his round shield.

Clang!

Gothier bent his extended left arm, absorbing the impact of Philip\'s charge with his body. Gothier was pushed slightly to the side, and the holy powers of the two paladins clashed and dispersed in a burst of light.

"This is a pointless fight...! Even now, sheathe your sword!" Philip groaned, pushing forward with all his might. The holy power radiating from his entire body glowed brightly.

A low chuckle came from behind Gothier\'s visor. "Love and mercy are blessings bestowed by the Goddess. As her servants, we must cut away the rot that forms, even if it means cutting into our flesh...!"

"That\'s why we must—"

Boom!

Just as Philip was about to speak, a loud explosion interrupted him. A sudden arrow collided with Gothier\'s helmet, causing it to jolt sideways.

"... Indeed. Perhaps not for you two." Gothier turned his head, clearly glaring at Thesaya, who stood at a distance.

"But not them."

Philip, struggling to push Gothier away, turned his gaze. Thesaya, with veins bulging around her eyes, was pulling out another arrow despite blood streaming from her nose. Her eyes wavered slightly, still recovering from the effects of magic exhaustion.

"Non-humans... always pretending, coveting the place of humans..." Muttering softly, the magic stones embedded in the sides of Gothier\'s breastplate glowed.

Woosh—

Balls of fire erupted around him, haphazardly flying toward Thesaya. She rolled on the ground, dodging the explosions with a grimace. Gothier no longer even looked at her. His attention shifted momentarily to Philip, still struggling to push him away.

Clang!

Gothier forcefully shook off Philip with his left arm, sending him sprawling. The magic stones in his right shoulder and forearm glowed brightly.

Crackle—

Lightning crackled along the blade of his sword, mixing with divine energy to create a golden electrical current.

"Death is enough for false prophets and these creatures... Do not resist."

Gothier advanced toward the fallen Philip. The sword, now crackling with golden lightning, came down in a white streak on Philip\'s shield.

"...!" Philip brought his shield close to his head, unleashing a burst of divine power almost simultaneously.

Boom!

An explosion erupted from the divine shield. Blinding rays of light shot out, and the lightning that couldn\'t penetrate beyond the shield scattered in all directions.

But not everything was blocked. Philip\'s knees buckled, causing him to stagger. Spiderweb-like cracks spread across the cobblestones beneath his feet.

"Lu... Lu Solar..." A low groan emerged from behind the shield.

Just as Gothier was about to put more force into his arms...

Clang—

Mev charged in, throwing herself against Gothier with all her might. The relatively intact right shoulder guard, forearm, and the already battered helmet shattered into pieces. Despite the damage, Mev put her all into pushing Gothier away and then turned to Philip, shouting urgently,

"Philip! Are you alright? Answer me!"

"Yes..." With the response, the shield slid down, revealing Philip\'s pale face, his lips stained red as if he had coughed up blood. Smoke was wafting from his left arm like steam.

"... I\'m fine, my lord," Philip added, but Mev\'s gaze had already turned icy cold. For a moment, the tendons stood out sharply along her jawline.

Clang!

She swiftly turned and blocked the descending blade. Gothier, who had been pushed aside, had regained his stance and brought down his sword. His blade was lodged almost halfway into Mev\'s sword.

Pressing down on her, Gothier growled, "Step back. While you have the chance."

"...!" Mev\'s eyes widened as she pushed Gothier\'s sword away.

"That will never happen... not until my last breath." She spat out the words as she sprang to her feet.

Through the tattered visor, her exposed eye had already turned a crimson hue, spreading like paint. The dark red divine power, thick and viscous, seemed ready to drip down at any moment, spreading across her entire body.

"A vow of vengeance...? So be it... if you\'re willing to stake your life!" With a shout, Gothier charged.

The magic stones embedded in his body flashed brilliantly. Mev didn\'t retreat but swung her sword to meet his.

Clang, clash!

Red and yellow trails of light clashed continuously. Occasionally, gusts of wind swept Mev off balance, and flames erupted, but she endured it all without flinching, swinging her sword relentlessly.

"Oooh! Ooh—"

In the distance, a roar that seemed to shake the ground echoed. Neither Mev nor Gothier turned to look. Blood spurted from their arms and faces, causing the divine energy on Mev\'s body to intensify. Gothier\'s movements grew less assured as time went on.

"...!" Gothier\'s shoulder tensed suddenly, only a few seconds later.

Shing—

Charlotte was approaching from behind, her ax raised high. Gothier had not sensed her presence until the very last moment. He didn\'t turn around but formed a hexagonal barrier just as Charlotte\'s ax came down.

Thud—

The barrier materialized, blocking Charlotte\'s attack. Gothier barely deflected Mev\'s incoming sword strike and shouted, "Do not interfere! You non-honorable, filthy—"

His voice rose sharply.

Crash!

The barrier shattered like glass, and Charlotte burst through the middle, her ax leading the way.

Crack.

The ax blade embedded itself in Gothier\'s shoulder as he hastily turned, causing him to stagger and fall back.

"...!" Behind his visor, Gothier\'s golden eyes momentarily widened in surprise as he stared at Charlotte. Her body was now suffused with reddish divine energy, flickering like flames, unlike Mev\'s.

"For a beast... how?"

"Who knows?" A crimson arc flashed as Charlotte snarled through gritted teeth.

Swish, crunch!

Mev\'s sword came down on the opposite side of Gothier\'s neck. The clashing divine energies of different colors sparked and evaporated against each other. Though her sword couldn\'t cut through Gothier\'s armor, it forced him to his knees. The combined pressure of the sword and ax crushed the cobblestones beneath him, and Mev\'s chipped sword cracked.

Simultaneously, Gothier\'s eyes blazed behind his visor. "You foolish... beings...!"

The golden circle on his breastplate turned pure white, spreading light across his entire body.

Boom!

A short shockwave followed by a blinding explosion of light sent Mev and Charlotte flying like cannonballs. Mev tumbled across the ground, finally stopping when she crashed into a ruined wall, still gripping her half-broken sword.

Charlotte skidded to a stop on the opposite side, her ax embedded in the ground. She remained there, eyes squeezed shut, one hand on the ground. Both she and Mev were disoriented, unable to stand immediately. The explosion of light had temporarily blinded and disoriented them.

"Hey, kitty!" Thesaya shouted and ran urgently toward them.

Philip, who had been on the edge of the explosion, also crawled toward Mev, shield still in hand, which had spared him from being blinded.

"...!" Philip\'s movements soon halted.

Crackle, crackle—

Amidst the scattering light, Gothier stood up. The magic stones embedded in his full plate armor flickered precariously.

Despite everything, his full-plate armor remained intact. His eyes gleamed through his visor, and he still clenched his two-handed sword in his right hand.

Flap—

The robe that had been swept away by the explosion fluttered back over his head.

Philip, gritting his teeth, struggled to stand.

With his trembling left arm, he raised his shield in front of his face and spoke. "You\'ll have to kill me first."

"If that\'s what you want...." Gothier stumbled for a moment. It was only an instant. He lightly turned his head and looked back at Philip.

"That blasted barbarian God...."

Swoosh!

Suddenly, a sharp whistling sound, like an arrow flying, pierced the air. When Gothier turned his head, what he saw was Ian charging toward him, wielding a massive greatsword raised above his head.

"I couldn\'t agree more." Ian\'s voice rang out as he swung the greatsword down.

Gothier instinctively raised his hand. A hazy divine barrier rose in front of him, with a golden hexagonal shield blooming on top of it.

Crack!

The greatsword, imbued with red holy power, tore through both the barrier and the divine shield. Fortunately, it bought Gothier enough time to step back.

Boom.

The greatsword struck the ground right in front of Gothier. The stone pavement shattered, sending dirt and debris flying.

Ian\'s voice continued through the chaos. "This old man is the one who\'s the most excited."

"What do you mean?" Gothier\'s eyes widened as he saw Ian repositioning his grip and stepping forward with all his might.

Ian had landed and was now gripping the greatsword with both hands, stepping firmly forward.

Swoosh! Clang!

The broad blade of the greatsword swept across Gothier\'s body. He was flung away like a cannonball.

Crash! Rumble—

Gotheir bounced off the ground once, crashing through the wall of the building behind him and extending beyond it. Even as the two-story building crumbled entirely, the sound of Gothier\'s collisions continued to recede.

Ian, holding his greatsword like a baseball bat, let the blade hang down as he turned his head. Nasser, standing in front of the city gate, remained motionless, seemingly frozen in shock, like a statue. Ian\'s gaze moved from the collapsed Mev to Charlotte, who was being supported by Thesaya. Finally, a faint, bitter smile touched his lips.

"So that\'s why there were battle cries...." Ian muttered, locking eyes with Philip, who stood dazed with his shield.

"Good job. Take care of the others. Join me when you\'re ready."

"... Yes, my lord." By the time Philip responded, Ian was already running ahead.

The holy power enveloping his entire body burned fiercely, urging him to continue the fight immediately.

Thud, thud, thud—

Ian leaped over the rubble of the collapsed building, surveying the scene beyond. Another building behind it had already crumbled. Among the debris, he spotted Gothier struggling to rise. Blue light shimmered on the surface of Ian\'s raised greatsword.

Crash—

The massive blade, now trailing a path of ice, descended upon Gothier\'s head as he tried to rise from the wreckage.

Gothier\'s twisted visor lifted upward.

"You scoundrel!" He shouted, raising his two-handed sword with his right hand. The inside of his robe, marked with a mantra, unfurled above him.

Crack.

Several hexagonal barriers formed simultaneously, linked together.

Zip-zap!

The greatsword struck the center of the barriers, causing cracks to form in the blindingly flickering shields.

Crack, crack, crack—

Countless Frost Blades rained down upon the barriers. The already cracking shields shattered instantly, and the now powerless robe was swept away by the wind. Ian dropped down onto Gothier, breaking through the barrier.

Clang!

Gothier crossed his two-handed sword above his head, blocking the greatsword. A shockwave rippled out in concentric circles, sweeping through the debris. One of Gothier\'s knees buckled. Gothier\'s knee buckled under the force, but his swords held firm, not breaking or even cracking, seemingly due to more than just divine energy.

Ian pressed down harder with his arms on the greatsword as he landed. Gotheir’s eyes, glowing with a golden hue, were visible through the twisted face guard.

Facing Gothier, Ian curled his lips into a smile.

"Consider it an honor. Your death will be known even to the Platinum Dragon."