The sight of a tall, handsome young man bleeding profusely and transforming into an unrecognizable lump of flesh was truly horrific. Even the lump of flesh seemed to let out a spine-chilling scream while struggling in vain.
The lavish banquet, filled with absolute devotion toward the Platinum Princess, quickly turned into chaos.
Suitors stumbled and fled in panic.
The villa’s servants, who had just been serving food, scrambled to safety.
“Your Highness!”
At the same time, knights brandishing swords kicked down the door and stormed in.
The commander, Cecilia, led her elite knights to guard Elizaveta, who was sitting at the head of the table.
“Quickly escort the princess!”
“This place is dangerous! To the safe hideout…!”
Elizaveta, holding the girl with green hair, was aghast as she witnessed the writhing lump of flesh. She then turned her trembling gaze to Edanant facing off against it.
Is that really Dagilec Branon?
The handsome young man’s appearance was nowhere to be found.
The thought that she had just exchanged pleasantries with such a monster made her feel nauseous.
The knights ordered to guard roughly led the princess away, clearly worried about any harm befalling her.
Surrounded by the sturdy escort, Elizaveta reached out to Edanant.
“Edanant!!”
“I’m fine. I’ll deal with that creature.”
Elizaveta along with Rue.
Even though it was a rash operation, he felt grateful to the two of them for willingly cooperating.
Smiling at the princess and the fairy, Edanant turned his attention back to the lump of flesh. He raised his gun again and aimed at the writhing Meiros. Despite having created an opening in its skull, the creature still exuded infinite vitality.
‘Countless sorceries and blessings must have mixed together into a mush… How is it still alive? Is the Forgotten God’s blessing more resilient than the Bomber Gale who resurrected as a monster?’
When the bullet fired from the gun struck its head, a metallic sound echoed.
Its entire body melted like wax but became solid like steel. Edanant took note of this.
‘Hardening. Is that the ability of the blessing? This is a nuisance.’
With narrowed brows, he gazed at the monster.
As if to prove that his unique ability was to harden, the creature disguised as Dagilec Branon began to be covered in dark gray metal.
Kugugk, Kuguguk!!
Bwaaang──!!!
“What a bother.”
A Meiros that could manipulate hardening is quite troublesome indeed.
Covered in dark gray metal, the Meiros slowly rose, regaining humanoid shape. The Holy Sword had nullified the sorceries and blessings that were frantically scrambling within its flesh.
Edanant clicked his tongue and lifted the Holy Sword Aldebaran.
“It’s definitely a Meiros! Attack it!”
“I’ll cut its head off right now…!”
As the door swung open, fully armored knights barged in.
They momentarily froze at the sight of the metal-covered monster. However, regaining their composure, they aimed their sharp blades at the creature.
The plan had gone awry.
They had only been ordered to be on guard.
Frustration welled up at the knights who intruded without permission, eager to fill their pride. How could they be so foolishly daring?
Hunting a Meiros was a dangerous endeavor, even for seasoned knights.
“Gyaahhh!!”
The metal-reinforced Meiros charged forward, crashing down upon the knights like a cannonball. The knights swung their Mana Blades attempting to cut the Meiros in two.
But—
Kaaang!!
The Mana Blade shattered.
In the clash, the dark gray metal emerged victorious.
The result was disastrous.
The knights who had been confronted by the Meiros with a horrifying pressure were crushed along with their armor like aluminum cans. With a single scream, they rolled on the ground, paying the price for their reckless bravado.
“What the hell are you? How did you see through my perfect disguise?”
From beyond the metal, a bizarre voice echoed, scraping like nails on a chalkboard.
Having given up on further disguise, the Meiros spoke in a spine-chilling voice instead of Dagilec’s strong tone.
“It’s always repulsive. I instinctively recognize your kind hiding like sewer rats.”
-…
No conversation filled with hostility would bear fruit.
There wasn’t even a moment’s reprieve; just as if to prove that, Edanant and the Meiros charged at each other simultaneously.
‘Maximilian…! Let me borrow your swordsmanship as always!’
With a rapid flurry like a whirlwind, the violet blade slashed down. The hero’s swordsmanship unleashed a barrage of strikes, as if it would tear through the metal at any moment.
The brutal metallic sounds accompanied countless cuts on the Meiros‘s hardened body.
However, that was all there was to it.
Although he carved many marks, he couldn’t deeply wound it.
It was too solid.
Even employing Maximilian’s technique, it wouldn’t break through.
-Your struggles are in vain. To think you would try to cut through Gray Magic Iron with swordsmanship.
Had the originator of the technique wielded it, the Meiros would have burst into laughter. But Edanant‘s swordsmanship was merely an imitation, so it was no surprise it fell short of the true original.
He knew that best.
In the end, he attacked with the knowledge that it would not work.
Edanant’s action of intentionally attempting an attack that would end without result was soon reflected in consequences.
“Khaaa! N-No way…!!”
The Meiros‘s cheeky demeanor twisted instantly.
As the cracks formed over the dark gray metal, the divinity of the Holy Sword began to seep in. The Meiros, which had transformed into a lump of flesh after its sorceries and blessings were simultaneously nullified, felt the chilling fear of death.
The divinity is digging in.
It aimed to dismantle the blessing that formed the armor.
What a truly terrifying attack.
For the Meiros, the divinity of Aldebaran was akin to a disease that would rot away its flesh.
-But it’s not like the same attack will work twice.
Thud-thunk-!
The exoskeleton-like metal that protected its body fell away.
The Meiros displayed quick wits and shed the bio-armor that had been consumed by the divinity just before Aldebaran’s holiness reached its core. Thus, the attack was rendered entirely futile.
Now it’s time.
The Holy Sword Aldebaran no longer needed to be concerned about.
What was left was to use all his strength to crush the man before him into mush.
The Meiros, now in the dominant position, raised its arm, cloaked in the vile gray iron with a wicked smirk.
*
The Holy Sword Aldebaran’s terrifying nullification ability had been rendered pointless.
Victory was firmly in hand now.
What could a weaponless user do against a Holy Sword that had been nullified?
A pitiful human venerating the Earth Mother; there could not be a fundamental difference because he was a true worshipper of the real god. Therefore, the Meiros aimed to prove that from now on.
“Gyaaaah!!”
Yet,
Why is it—
Can’t I counter for even a moment?
The monster glared at Edanant, whose body resembled tattered rags, as he raised his gun.
“What’s this, weren’t you supposed to win?”
The confidence of the imminent victory remained unchanged.
Edanant von Hohenberc.
The man was damnably calm.
Like a seasoned hunter, he took advantage of the moment when the Meiros was shedding its bio-armor and fired the bullet.
The bullet, escaping the muzzle, struck precisely at the exposed flesh.
It was close to a guaranteed hit.
There was no way it could miss.
Repeated attempts to block with both hands wrapped in bio-armor or creating distance in evasion yielded no luck – the bullet pierced the unarmed flesh with deadly precision. With the shooting technique aimed at his life, Meiros began to feel the fear of death.
“Hunting a hulking brute who has completely fallen to a Meiros form is easier than dealing with some half-baked creature. In that sense, you’re worse than the Bomber.”
“Shut up!!”
How dare you say I’m worse than some common criminal?!
It was a disgrace.
An affront that trampled his unwavering faith.
But there was no way to repay that humiliation at this moment.
Edanant’s combat sense, perfectly responding to variables, was nearly flawless. In fact, he was utilizing the variables against the Meiros. Truly reminiscent of the ‘Warmonger’ who had sent countless Meiros to hell.
“Grrr!!”
His left eye gone.
His shoulder and ribs in tatters.
Having been riddled with bullets, his left arm could barely move.
I’m going to lose like this.
If this continued, it would end in a dog’s death without any chance for retaliation.
‘The divine intervention is imminent…! I cannot die before achieving my grand goal!! To repay the blessings granted by the holy god, I must secure the Platinum Princess…’
Elizaveta, who had recklessly volunteered as bait, was escaping the scene with the cover of Cecilia and the knights. Soon, she would be far enough that not even a trace could be sensed.
Time to regenerate his body was needed.
Moreover, he had to neutralize the sorceries and blessings still rampaging inside him.
Sensing the unfavorable tide of battle, Meiros hastily turned tail. He smashed through the thick wall with its fist clad in bio-armor, creating an escape route.
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