Of course, it was expected, but the incoming Church members were no match for Rudell’s party.
Leje and Kurt took the front lines, blocking the advancing Church members.
Rudell’s Shadow Magic took care of the black mages and priests hiding among them.
Eleor also constantly infused them with vitality through her Divine Power, preventing fatigue.
Silphier used her drones to draw the attention of the Church members.
Thus, the fight, which barely even qualified as a battle, was nearing its end…
“Ugh…!!”
“Phew… There are really a lot of them.”
As the last Church member collapsed with a final gasp, Leje wiped the sweat from her forehead with a short sigh.
Kurt pulled the axe embedded in the head of a Church member and shook off the blood on the blade while Rudell looked around to see if any Church members were still lurking.
“Is everyone okay?”
“Of course! I’m not weak enough to get taken down by scum like these!”
“I’m also unhurt.”
[I-I’m fine over here…!!]
“I’m okay too!”
Seeing everyone like that, Rudell smiled at them.
And rightly so, everyone gathered here were the best party members Rudell had painstakingly assembled over a long time.
Watching their performances filled Rudell with a sense of nostalgia.
“We don’t have time. Let’s move quickly.”
However, that was short-lived.
After confirming there were no more threats nearby, Rudell moved along the corridor that bore the traces of battle.
He advanced along a path lined with grotesque sculptures…
“I finally found it.”
“Oh my…”
As Rudell halted in his tracks upon seeing a certain structure, Capeles gasped in disbelief.
Before them was a tiered pyramid-shaped altar.
Blood, flesh, and skulls were scattered everywhere on the altar, and at the very top stood an indescribable mechanical device along with a man.
[Have you come, heretics.]
With a voice that reverberated deeply, the man who had been praying in front of the mechanical device rose.
His white hair shimmered ominously in the violet light emanating from the machine.
His eyes had transformed not into those of a typical human, but into what is often described as demonic eyes.
And, his gaze radiated a mechanical violet light.
In that moment, Rudell understood that this man was not an ordinary believer but a high-ranking figure within the Church.
[I understand what you all came here for… but…]
The man spoke with a voice cold enough to chill the air as he drew his weapon.
A staff adorned with a human’s skull and a long sword exuding dark energy.
[I won’t let you run rampant any longer.]
And at that moment, a visible sinister aura emanated from the man.
*
Branch Chief Keres.
He was a senior member of the Church… occupying a position akin to that of a bishop in a standard Church context.
He had lived for hundreds of years to reach this position, staining his hands with countless blood.
The number of people who had died due to him and the Church’s clandestine activities was beyond counting.
However, he was now facing a crisis.
‘W-What the hell are these…!?’
When he first faced them, he had been confident.
No matter how strong, opponents were mere children.
Compared to their lack of experience and ability, he possessed a powerful strength acquired through years of sacrifice.
He had intended to crush the budding newcomers underfoot and enact the will of great death…
“Where did that earlier confidence go!? Come on, try me harder!”
“I won’t let you escape.”
Rudell found himself busy defending against the joint attack of the Duchess from the Lagrind family and the boy who appeared to be a Nord warrior.
Even when he stumbled upon a chance to counterattack…
“I won’t allow that.”
“By the grace of the goddess…”
With some unidentified, troublesome magic, the young mage continuously interfered with him.
And that detestable girl, clearly a servant of the goddess, was relentlessly weakening his powers.
It was truly the feeling of facing a well-coordinated hero party.
“Hell Flame!”
As Keres chanted his spell, black flames erupted from the skull ornament on his staff.
Flames that seemed ready to burn even souls roared up, but Leje and Kurt dodged the attack with movements unimaginable for their age, taking up their axes and swords.
“Brats…!!”
“Who’s struggling against those brats now?”
With a low groan, he swung his sword and staff to deflect their attacks.
With a clang, as the sounds echoed, Leje mocked him without a hint of fear.
“I’ll kill you all!!”
As if taunted, Keres bellowed and summoned Divine Power.
The black divine power flowing through his body transformed into flames, threatening to ignite the surroundings.
“Hellfire Storm!!”
The black flames made of divine power began to whip through the area like a fierce storm under his command.
“Everyone, don’t move from that spot!”
In that moment, with Eleor’s shout, everyone present was covered by a translucent golden barrier.
The barrier collided with the fiery storm, producing a low hum, and they watched the spectacle with tense expressions.
After a moment, as the storm’s ferocity subsided, the golden barrier melted away.
“No way…!!”
Keres’s incredulous voice escaped as he witnessed the scene.
The flames created by divine power were capable of incinerating even souls.
Yet, the ones before him bore not a single wound.
‘Who on earth are these people?’
The fact that mere students could corner someone who had lived for centuries sent great confusion through him.
However, the unfolding situation forced him to accept this reality.
“…”
As he quickly computed in his head, he revised the information he held.
The daughter of the Duke from the Lagrind family, which he had merely seen as a thorn in his side, and the Count from the Weinstein family were proving to be far more threatening foes than he had imagined.
“Haah…”
If a party with this level of skill was at the royal castle, they would undoubtedly pose a great future threat to the Church.
By any means, he needed to escape from here and inform the Church of this fact.
“I will acknowledge this. You are much more dangerous than I initially thought.”
“Ha! You just realized that now? Pretty pathetic.”
Leje scoffed disdainfully, and Keres felt a surge of frustration but displayed superhuman self-control to suppress that feeling.
That patience had been the driving force behind his rise to his current position.
“Today I will retreat, but next time, there will be no second chances. When we meet again, that will be your end.”
“I’m not scared at all! If you’re confident, feel free to come at us! We’ll smash you to pieces!”
From behind Keres, a black, abyss-like corridor opened up, and as Keres vanished within, Leje stuck out her tongue and shouted.
Finally, as Keres completely disappeared into the corridor, Rudell and the others let out a long sigh.
[Is, is it over…?]
“No, the most important thing is still left.”
Shaking his head at Silphier’s question, Rudell approached the mechanical device atop the altar.
The device, reminiscent of a heart, pulsed ominously, rhythmically glowing with unsettling tremors.
“This machine… I can hear the cries of souls.”
Capeles, who had been hiding from the battle, appeared and gazed at the device before them.
His face seemed to reflect the horror of what he had witnessed.
“The cries of souls…”
Whatever this was, its true nature was undoubtedly horrifying.
From Rudell’s perspective, he could neither leave it as it was nor handle it carelessly.
“Silphier, can I leave the analysis of this machine to you?”
Now was the time for Silphier to step in.
He doubted anyone else in the kingdom could analyze this machine adequately.
[C-Could it be me…?]
“You can definitely analyze this machine, Silphier.”
Surprised, Silphier asked in disbelief at Rudell’s request.
Rudell nodded and looked at her, and seeing her hesitance, she seemed to make a resolution and approached the machine with a hiss of steam.
[Please, leave it to me…!!]
“Phew…”
As Silphier began examining the machine, Rudell finally released some of his tension and sighed.
Thus, their final exam was drawing to a close.
