Chapter 178

EP.178 Rampage (3)

I was still unable to grasp the situation directly in front of me.

The relentless onslaught of blue left me no time to collect my thoughts.

“Y-you can’t be…”

“You recognize me! That’s right! I am exactly—”

BOOM!

In the blink of an eye.

It truly happened in the blink of an eye.

The moment I grabbed the Holy Sword, the Hero’s expression transformed as if possessed by a ghost, just as an all-too-familiar chain suddenly came flying at him.

However, the Hero effortlessly dodged the unexpected assault, a mocking laugh mixed with nasal tones escaping his lips.

“Ha ha!”

This was the Hero I would always see—his arrogant words, actions, and expression were utterly unbecoming.

My dazed consciousness slowly twisted toward the origin of the chains.

“Get away from my brother.”

Beyond the shattered wall.

Emerging majestically through the thick, unsettled dust was the Saintess, wrapped in layers of brutish hostility.

“Indeed, you are the vessel of the highest deity! That was quite an impressive attack! Though it doesn’t compare to my vessel, of course!”

The Hero—no, something resembling the Hero drew his sword with vigor, pointing it at the Saintess.

But despite such a blatant provocation, the Saintess’s calm expression revealed no sign of disturbance.

“Hey! Hero! What the hell are you doing?”

The one responding to the provocation was Apis.

Her nervous voice held a beauty of tremors that only I, a long-time acquaintance, could recognize.

It was understandable.

Even I struggled to hide my bewilderment in a situation similar to this before.

Apis, who had zero prior information, must be feeling confusion beyond expression.

“Hero! Explain! Right now!”

“Ugh, what a racket…”

“What!”

CLANG!

The deadly clash of metal brought my consciousness back for a moment.

The Hero’s agile sword strike was blocked by the Saintess’s chains, the trajectory aimed precisely at Apis’s neck.

“Hero…?”

“Excuse me~ could you not interrupt me~?”

Was the shock of being threatened by someone she considered family too much to bear?

Apis’s eyes quickly became glazed over.

The fact that Apis, of all people, was unable to react at the life-threatening strike clearly illustrated how deeply shaken she was.

“Good job! Welna! Keep holding on like that!”

I desperately whipped my hazy consciousness back into shape and moved my body.

The purpose of that thug occupying the Hero’s body was still unknown.

Therefore, for now, it was more important to restrain her, who could not possibly be trusted with the Hero’s body, rather than uncovering the identity of the perpetrator.

But.

“Hehe, this is what those Ha Gye In are like.”

CLANG CLANG!

My feeble thoughts shattered to pieces at the sound of a sultry laugh.

GACK!

She swung her sword.

That was all my guarded vision could register.

Whether its trajectory was as sharp as flapping winds or as flowing as water was beyond my recognition.

By the time I regained my senses, the Saintess’s chains that had wrapped around her were splintered like cookie crumbs.

My body, which had risen in an attempt to stop her, lay crumpled like a dried leaf.

The flicker of fighting spirit remaining within me was undeniably diminishing.

The series of movements was, without a doubt, incredible and beyond comprehension.

This was the fusion of the strongest human physique and the finest weapon in humanity.

Now that I experienced the reality of it, the emotion settling on me was closer to awe than to fear.

“Ha ha! You haven’t even been in the world long, yet you can already summon this amount of power! Just as I thought! No, even beyond what I expected, you’re a perfect vessel!”

The two-story accommodation had shifted to a single-story dwelling due to the previous commotion, yet she wore a look of pride instead of guilt.

“Who the hell are you! What did you do to the Hero!”

Apis, covered in debris, struggled to rise and exploded with fury.

It seemed she had figured out that whatever had taken over the Hero was not the Hero himself.

“Truly barbaric and disruptive people, aren’t you? But sadly, I have no interest in you at all. The only thing that interests me is this worthless Ha Gye In. I simply wish for that sinner, who has committed an act deserving divine retribution, to pay the price.”

“What…?”

She pointed her Holy Sword at my disheveled form.

Apis’s eyes widened in shock, and the murderous air surrounding the Saintess, who had shown no sign of distress even when her chains broke, noticeably intensified.

“Who the hell does this person think he is to…”

“Ah, Apis! Wait!”

I rushed to stop Apis, who was about to unleash spirit magic in anger.

It wasn’t for no reason.

Firstly, there was no way Apis, without her bow and arrows, could win against the Hero, who wielded the Holy Sword.

Even if she had a chance, this place wasn’t suitable for a fight.

“The accommodation is suddenly half-destroyed!”

“What’s going on!? Was it struck by lightning!?”

“Ugh! My arm! S-save me!”

Following my impassioned plea, a now composed Apis began to look around in disbelief.

The traces of destruction surrounding us. From the seams, the pained cries of citizens were spilling out one after another.

This was a catastrophe that arose simply from a single swing of a sword.

If a fight broke out here, there was no telling how far the flames of chaos would spread.

“I’ll be taking this Ha Gye In with me. Keep that in mind. If you dare oppose me, even your unfortunate intellect should allow you to understand the consequences, right?”

“You son of a bitch…”

She picked up my broken body like carrying a bag, while Apis hurled the worst kind of insults one could hurl at an elf.

Though Apis was usually angry, it was rare for her to be this furious.

The blood seeping from her tightly clenched lips clearly represented the size of the fury she was currently managing.

But.

“Hey, you’re gonna die?”

The Saintess casually shattered that tense standoff.

Wrapped in an aura of murderous intent impossible to diffuse even with her mystical vibe, she seemed almost like a harbinger of destruction.

THRUM…

The violent vibrations shaking my senses felt like they originated from either my body’s convulsions or the ripples of the air—it was impossible to tell at the moment.

“Brother. Hand him over.”

“Oh, if that’s what you want, it’s not a bad idea. Perhaps we could settle who has the greater vessel right here.”

In this highly charged atmosphere, where any disruption could trigger chaos.

The spark of conflict grew ever fiercer before I could even attempt to do something about it.

In this vicinity where the Saintess’s Holy Power and the Hero’s fighting spirit intertwined, we were mercilessly being pressured by the gravity of intimidation.

It was at that moment.

In the thick, tense air, a child’s small, pale voice sweetly rang out.

“P-please, s-save me…”

Immediately recognizing the direction of the voice, a deep sense of despair welled up within me.

The voice was coming from directly opposite where I was.

The audacious being that had seized the Hero’s body was once more preparing to swing her sword toward that child.

Whether it was the child of another guest staying in this accommodation or the child of an employee working here, one thing was clear: there was a child in the trajectory of that lethal strike.

“STOP─!!!”

With all my remaining strength, I desperately cried out.

But she seemed entirely oblivious to my plea, her gaze fixed ahead, impervious to the child’s terrified cries.

“Ha ha!”

Not only that, the manic smile blooming on her face appeared childlike, as if she had found a new toy.

I was mistaken. I could no longer use any means.

If this continued, the Hero would harm an innocent person.

Such a desperate thought swirled through my mind.

And just then.

“…!”

WHOOSH!

What I witnessed, nearly too surreal to believe, filled my eyes.

Just moments ago, the Saintess seemed to be contemplating how to torment and kill her target, but now she was diving hurriedly to protect the frail child from the brutal onslaught of sword strikes.