The Ninth Bishop thought about Colinia.
Although it had its usefulness, there was no skill that surpassed his own.
He didn’t like the fact that he was being mentally shaken continuously, but he was certain that this level of distraction would indeed help that person.
Really… he really wanted to kill her for just a moment, but he endured it with superhuman mental strength and, after placing a mask on the girl, approached another student while she fully embraced the mask.
“Hah…”
The child, overwhelmed by tremendous fear and immersed in sadness, looked at the girl suffering far away from him, despairing.
“How pitiful and miserable.”
It was truly a heartbreaking situation, but there was nothing to be done.
He was simply doing what he had to do.
Just as there were no accusations against doctors saving lives, others could not blame him for killing others to accomplish his great work.
In the end, they would understand his intentions.
“Farewell.”
“Cough…!”
He lifted the girl’s neck with one hand, who was holding onto the almost cold body of the guard.
“Ugh… Ack…”
Her thrashing legs and eyes waiting for death.
“It’s alright. Soon, I will send the other kids to where you are. Rest easy.”
The strength in her legs gradually faded.
Powerless, powerless actions.
“Ah…”
The light in her eyes dimmed.
…
A crack.
At that moment, a sound came from behind.
And turning at the sound that resembled something stepping onto the ground, the Bishop was taken aback.
The girl was now on the ground.
“Has consciousness already progressed…?”
Achieving awareness in such a short time was unprecedented.
However, the fact that his mask had not performed its intended role was even more absurd.
“Wait, how did you come down from the wall?”
The thorns that had been embedded in her limbs had somehow fallen away and scattered around her.
“You.”
The moment the girl spoke a word, the Bishop felt an unidentifiable sense of crisis as he met her eyes behind the mask.
Failure? No.
Death? No.
That child.
That girl is dangerous.
If he didn’t kill her immediately to eliminate future troubles, she would surely become a hindrance to their plans forever.
…No! No. This is all just his misconception.
The Bishop steadied his heart, walking slowly toward the girl wearing the mask.
“Child, now return my mask to me.”
Without understanding why he felt that sensation, he continued talking while looking at the girl, who remained standing still.
“Child?”
Kwaaaang!!!
And in an instant, her body accelerated, striking him in the abdomen and sending him flying outside the Archive.
“Coughhhhh!!!!”
The impact was so overwhelming that he even let go of the girl he was holding.
It wasn’t life-threatening, but the sudden surge of power left the Old Man horrified.
However, what horrified him more was how she had broken free from the brainwashing of the mask.
The brainwashing that would eventually break even a person with a strong mind after a long time.
He had seen cases where his companions rescued someone during that process, but he had never seen anyone break free on their own.
“You! How did you…?”
Confusion and incredulity.
Tension creeping up his back even before he could fully feel the pain.
Sweat dripping and trembling hands facing something.
“…What are you?”
And finally, he realized.
“No… you…”
Why the Cardinal had sent him here.
“Are you human?”
When he had seen the end just once in the past, he had marveled and submitted.
It was not disgraceful to give in to the being that would bring an end to this vast universe and his insignificant self.
The sensation and thrill he had faced once in his childhood had guided him until he became an old man.
And now, he was feeling a similar sensation.
As if that child were not from this world.
Something not belonging to the world he inhabited.
“…”
However, the girl did not respond.
“Puhuh.”
“?”
She simply laughed.
***
[Your mental strength increases.]
It was difficult to completely reverse the situation with just that one sentence.
But feeling the clarity in his head as his mental strength increased, he could definitely sense one thing.
‘I can accept more alcohol.’
As soon as he realized this fact, he ate some chocolate.
Looking at the Old Man who stared at him with confusion, he saw Noah in his hand.
He wanted to save her right away, but there wasn’t enough time for the alcohol to kick in.
Fighting immediately could get him killed, so he could only hope Noah could hold on a little longer.
‘Please hurry…!’
In what felt like an eternity, the alcohol from the two additional chocolates he had eaten started to exert its power.
[Current intoxication: 10%]
[A new achievement is recorded.]
[The first limit of the characteristic, Stage Release, is removed.]
[Reward: A large amount of stats is granted.]
And finally, the reward for the burst characteristic, Stage Release.
It was likely a result of breaking the 10% limit.
This characteristic, which set a target and rewarded him for reaching it, was difficult but offered substantial rewards once it activated.
[Physical ability significantly increases.]
[An unknown power flows through your heart.]
[Ancient intelligence begins to move.]
[Your sight toward others becomes sharper.]
[Your skin resists external threats.]
Moreover, he had also broken through the limit on Drunken Fist itself, receiving additional stats.
[Physical ability increases.]
[Drunken Fist
[Drunken Fist
Stats were skyrocketing, and alarms in the status window rang.
He cleared everything that irritated him from his mind and strengthened his legs.
Taang!!
It sounded like a bullet was passing as it hit his foot.
The first target was the arm holding Noah.
Even if the Old Man got hit and flew away, he kicked with enough force to crush the abdomen at an angle that wouldn’t let go of Noah.
Kwaaaang!!!
Fortunately, it seemed his calculation was successful as the Old Man crashed against the wall of the Archive and was sent flying outside, and he caught the falling Noah.
“Oh, thank goodness!”
Although his body didn’t look good, he wasn’t dead.
But as for the guard… he was uncertain.
One arm had been bandaged, but the other wasn’t properly treated.
It was highly likely that he was dead by now.
So he placed his hand on his chest to check…
“This guy is alive.”
Surprisingly, his heart was still beating strongly.
Moreover, his skin didn’t look too bad.
Of course, reattaching the arm was another issue, but in this world, prosthetics were well-developed, so it wouldn’t matter.
What mattered now was how to take down that Cardinal.
He had definitely grown stronger, but he still hadn’t fully grasped the gap between him and the Cardinal.
Could he win if he fought properly?
He still wasn’t sure.
After all, the Cardinal was an enemy he fought in the mid-game, so it might be difficult for him to win in the early phase.
Furthermore, those guys often summoned remnants of the end as sacrifices.
So… it would be far better to find a middle ground between subduing and winning.
“What are you?”
The Cardinal looked at him, confused.
The opportunity to discuss was long gone.
“Are you human?”
To ask if he was human, it was as if he were looking at a monster.
Still, he steadied himself and prepared to jump at the Cardinal, who was pulling out thorns from the surroundings to throw at him.
The thorns, more menacing than before, were powerful and fast, so he wouldn’t have been able to respond previously.
But…
“If I had known this would happen, I should have used it earlier.”
No, prior to that, the Old Man should have killed him.
The kindness he showed to eventually use against him returned directly as a blade.
[Your mind is intoxicated with emotions and joy.]
[Breaking]
Kakgak!!
As the thorns touched his hand, they crumpled, twisted, and were pulverized.
“This is what it is?”
If Power Release is a counterattack, Breaking is a basic strike enhancer.
It required some concentration each time he used it, but its power was substantial.
No matter how specialized the Ninth Bishop’s attacks were for dealing with multiple opponents, he could not underestimate each one of these thorns.
“What…!”
“Stop the questions and let’s get to work!”
In the downpour of attacks, he smashed through and reached the Cardinal.
And he slammed the captured face down into the ground.
Kwaaaang!!
The earth shattered.
Dust clouds scattered, and the Old Man coughed up blood.
“Cough!!”
“Hahaha!! Old Man attack!”
Saying it like this made it sound like a real Old Man attack… but it didn’t matter.
Since he was also trying to kill him, they could consider it a mutual act of retaliation.
“And…”
Additionally, he discovered something while using Power Release several times.
He could use Power Release even without an attack.
Of course, since the power was generated by him activating it, it was weaker than when he had countered normally.
However, a direct hit to the head with Power Release was sufficient.
“You…!!”
“Power Release.”
Kuuuuuuung!!!!
With an overwhelming impact, the ground overturned and cracks spread across the surrounding floor.
No matter how strong the durability was, it could not ignore the shock resonating directly into the brain from this distance.
“Ugh… ugh!”
Thus, the Cardinal nearly fainted from the blow, but he still hadn’t lost consciousness.
His eyes glared at him as he attempted to move his hand.
“Not yet?”
“Wait, just a moment…!”
Then, he could just keep doing it.
Although he didn’t trigger his skill, he had a sense of his direct techniques.
“Hah.”
Kwaaaang!!
“Haha…!”
Kwaaaang!!!
“Hahahaha!!!”
He relentlessly delivered blows to his head.
Thud.
And finally, the moment the Cardinal’s hand fell to the ground, losing consciousness, he saw someone approaching in the distance.
“Oh?”
[Current intoxication: 9%]
Whether it was coincidence or not, the sensation of his body that had fallen disappeared along with the decreasing intoxication.
The overflowing strength from before was nowhere to be found, and only one feeble girl remained here.
She was still strong, but…
[Emotional state is released.]
And slowly, his rational mind began to judge the situation.
The person he was sitting on was clearly the Old Man in appearance.
In contrast, he was currently wearing a mask and had just beaten that Old Man.
To anyone watching, he could only be seen as the aggressor.
As he was at a loss for what to do, the face of the person with the head finally entered his view.
That face was definitely…
“…Yoon Si-woo?”
It was him.
