I Became a Childhood Friend With the Villainous Saintess - Chapter 190



190 – The Altar of Consciousness (3)

Sword Master is generally considered to be the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

The final destination of each path. When you reach the so-called extreme, you suddenly find yourself handling the sword.

However, as I continued to refine myself after becoming a sword master, there was something I came to realize.

Swordmaster is not the end of the sword.

Rather, it is closer to a new beginning.

The Divine Order flew towards me in the form of a pure white spear.

The usual way for an inspector to deal with magic or holy law is to swing a sword and project magical power onto it.

In the case of the Sword Master, there is a way to cut with sword energy, but currently, it is impossible to use both magic and sword energy.

It is common sense that there is no way to block the law, but… … .

My blade cut through the spell cleanly as soon as it touched the spear of light.

“Oh, how! Surely, Lord Temes’s laws were used properly.”

One of the knights shouted loudly.

Looking at the slightly different armor, I wonder if he’s a knight commander?

Maybe it’s a guardian.

It may not seem like much, but not all sects have a Swordmaster as their guardian.

Because of the nature of having to hone both swords and divine arts, it was much more difficult for paladins to become Sword Masters.

In any fight, if you start by killing the commander, you’re more than halfway there.

I threw the sword I had taken from the crown prince at the b*stard with all my might.

A shield bearing the emblem of Order was raised, but my sword pierced through the shield and armor and pierced the b*stard’s heart.

“You, the law must be rewritten! As for the law of Temes, here… … ”

“It would be a waste of effort. Well, do whatever you want.”

There were times when I would have thoughts like this while swinging a sword while wearing a black belt.

Oh, I think I can ring this without a sword?

Before becoming a Sword Master, you may not understand the concept of cutting with ‘spells’ or ‘will’, but once you start cutting with your sword, you will gradually get the feel of it.

In the first place, infusing magic power into a sword is something that even non-Sword Masters can do.

The source of the sword is ultimately magic. Fundamentally, the two forces are not very different.

So then what is the difference that determines sword power and magic power?

After much thought, this is the answer I came up with.

My sword split the knight’s body in half.

“Ugh, ugh… … !”

“I told you, I have no intention of treating you like gentlemen. Every single one of you will die here.”

Murderous intent.

The will I put into the sword is the proof of my status as a Sword Master.

The sword is merely amplified by the will, or mixed with magic to make it easier to handle.

In that case, you don’t actually need a sword to cut ‘what couldn’t be cut’.

Also, no matter how much Temesra is, he cannot restrain my will and mind.

Because I am not his believer.

The more I harbored murderous intent, the more the blade turned black and red.

A single, sweeping sword strike. The thick protective shield the paladins had built was instantly torn apart.

I killed the knight in front of me and took his sword.

“It’s a gift.”

He decided to keep the sword he had taken inside the body of his colleague who was next to him.

The sword that entered from the neck came out through the back.

Carrying the remains of my comrade with my whole body. It was a brave act of camaraderie.

I liked fighting in battlefields with lots of inspectors.

It’s only natural. Where would I find an enemy who would prepare so many weapons for me to use?

There was a scar left on my thigh from the fight, but it wasn’t a big deal.

“What are you doing? Why don’t you come in? Are you just going to watch until I get there myself?”

“Ugh, ugh! Temes!”

The courageous knight died valiantly.

With the shield free of its owner, archers behind the pillars were no longer a problem.

As soon as I cut off the ankle, the upper defense was completely pierced.

I hit the back of his head with my shield.

Crunch, crunch. After two or three strikes, I couldn’t breathe anymore.

How many people have you killed with this?

Maybe it was because my head was filled with murderous intent, but my thoughts weren’t working well.

It was difficult not being able to do even such basic arithmetic… … but a strange sense of liberation arose in my heart.

“I was already feeling really uneasy. It’s so nice that these guys who deserve to be killed pop up like this. Don’t you think so?”

“Nonsense, that’s impossible. I’m sure I can’t use the sword!”

“What are you saying? Can’t you see this? You can’t use your sword.”

There were many swords that were too valuable to be left as tombstones.

Some knights carry longswords, some knights carry axes.

Each weapon left behind by the dead became a tool to kill those who were left behind.

There was even a guy who blocked five arrows with his own body.

I sent him, along with the arrow shooter, into the arms of Hybras as a token of my gratitude.

Srrrrrrrr. A longsword dragged on the floor, making an eerie sound.

After cutting off the head of the last black b*stard, he just left it there.

Only then did the rising murderous intent subside.

‘Is it because I did something I’ve never done before? It seems like it’s more burdensome than when I just used the sword. I’ll have to be more careful when using it next time.’

I kept moving forward without stopping.

* * *

[Sirien Illencia]

Since ancient times, the Grand Duchy of Illencia has held a very special role in the Empire.

The spear of the west. And the protector of the imperial family.

Protect the borders of the Empire from the Demons. Protect the royal family from the Empire.

All the power and authority given to our family was maintained because of a duty.

So, for me, killing the crown prince was a very burdensome choice.

If the political world starts talking about Illencia aiming for the imperial family, it will be a very awkward situation for me.

It was probably the same in the future that Rajen spoke of.

The moment the crown prince completely turned into an enemy, I would have been at a crossroads.

Will I be slowly cooked to death?

Or am I going to gamble everything at my strongest moment?

But rebellion was a choice I could not make at this point.

It was not because of tedious issues like duty or loyalty, but because of reality.

Lacking both legitimacy and power, the current Illencia could not stand up to the entire empire.

‘Give up what you can’t do. At times like this, you should aim for another target.’

There is no need to kill the crown prince to solve this case.

For example, Acleron was a prey that was easily catching within my reach.

If the crown prince died, it would be perfect for covering up the crime.

My legs felt somehow free as I walked down the hallway.

Is this your first time coming to the Temple of Order in person?

Indeed, it was the five sects, and knights crawled out endlessly from the labyrinthine space.

The marble, which had originally been pure white, was stained red here and there with blood.

The smell of blood was so familiar that it was disgusting. The peculiar smell of iron vibrated everywhere.

Of course, with my axe too.

“We must stop them. They are the invaders who have defiled the temple of Lord Temes… with their mud feet!”

“It’s disappointing. I clearly said that I wouldn’t kill anyone if they just agreed to the investigation. Well, it would be a prettier picture if it turned out this way.”

Kwajik. He hit the head of the fallen knight with an axe.

The life that was cut off became sacred and was tied to my fingertips.

As I put away my axe, several knights were running from the end of the hallway.

To me, the Paladins were not a very good match for me.

Because he was a very difficult opponent to kill instantly with power.

A human who practices both mind and body and knows how to handle divine powers.

It was a condition that made it inevitable for the status of the soul to be set high.

If you try to kill them all indiscriminately, you won’t be able to afford the ‘cost’.

‘But it’s not completely impossible. I’m just lucky this time.’

There were guys like that sometimes.

Those cheap guys who are particularly prone to bringing death.

I don’t know if it’s because my heart is wavering or if I’ve incurred the hatred of Hebras.

The thing is, I can kill them easily, and the deaths I inflict seem to have no signs or rules.

Death is brought about by borrowing the power of Hybras.

The moment his body was about to collapse without strength, I detonated the divinity that I was going to extract from the dead within the corpse.

Boom! Smoke and debris burst out from the exploded corpse.

The knights responded quickly and prevented damage, but for me, the fight was already over.

From the beginning, all I had to do was get their attention.

The moment Isha appeared from the smoke and took the lead, the knights’ lives were over.

“Saint, are you hurt anywhere?”

“Yeah. I’m fine. Did you find the ‘maid’ by any chance?”

“No. Instead, I looked for the Archbishop. He seemed to be running away somewhere, so I followed him as far as I could and then came back.”

“Good job. If we follow it, we’ll find something. The structure here is a bit strange. It’s like it was built to hide something.”

By now, Achleon will be busy performing the ritual.

Thanks to that, this place, our home base, is like an uninhabited mountain.

Even the divinity that should have filled the temple was barely felt.

It’s like a local shrine that you can see anywhere.

It seemed like he had taken something important, like a sacred object, and left.

If this were the case, the burden would have been on Rajen, but if it were my article, it would have been okay.

Because I can’t even imagine that Rajen will lose.

Are you worried about the extent of injuries to your body?

Rajen is said to be a bit careless compared to his skills.

If you let your guard down and get hurt, I’ll definitely scold you.