The Rooftop of the Sun Cathedral.
To maintain Priestess Reeve’s mental health, I slowly stretched my body, having accepted the duel proposal.
I had changed out of my ceremonial clothes into workout attire that was easier to move in for the battle.
“Your Holiness, is this really necessary?”
Yao, who was helping me warm up, whispered in a voice only I could hear.
She seemed to think this was a pointless endeavor. I glanced at Priestess Reeve to gauge her mood and frowned.
“Please stay still. Whether you like it or not, we must fight.”
I’m not one for all-out combat.
It’s my role to heal and empower my allies. If left alone, I wouldn’t be able to do much.
The most I could do would be to hold out within the protective barrier. Yes, I have offensive Sacred Spells, but they lack efficiency when it comes to consuming Sacred Power.
After all, active combat is the responsibility of the Holy Knights, so I suppose it’s only natural.
Thus, I usually decline one-on-one duels, but this time was a bit different.
“Anyway, if I win, Reeve will become the church’s Saint, so it’s not entirely terrible.”
“But is being a Saint really that important? I can’t get a grasp on it just by hearing the name.”
“It’s not an absolutely necessary position, but it does play quite a significant role.”
What a Saint does is related to Faith.
Promoting the Order and preaching its doctrines.
Unlike the desk-bound Pope, a Saint travels around healing the sick and helping the needy.
Sometimes, they kneel and pray for those in distress, helping them regain their peace of mind.
In that process, they naturally instill Faith in people’s hearts.
But in truth, it didn’t have to be a woman in that role. A man could serve as a ‘Saint’ just as well.
Yet, there was a reason I designated Reeve, not someone else, for the position.
“Do you know why we’re trying to fill the Saint’s position this time?”
“Is it because of that Priestess’s beauty?”
“That’s right.”
A beautiful Saint is preferable.
Even if the same task is performed, the impression given by a beautiful woman and an ugly person is distinctly different.
“A person with outstanding looks diligently going around healing… It’s no surprise people would develop Faith.”
Yao nodded repeatedly, as if she was starting to understand.
Though she was a Holy Knight with no knowledge of the Order, she was quick to absorb information.
“Exactly. If I can, I’d prefer to avoid combat, but to recruit Reeve, who believes in another Goddess, I’ll have to fight.”
“Your Holiness, you’re saying such amusing things.”
At that moment, Young Dragon, who had been eavesdropping nearby, snorted.
“As far as I know, you were the one who suggested the duel with that eagle folk. Am I mistaken?”
“… At that time, I had a legitimate reason to prove that the Demon King is stronger than Evil Dragons.”
“Yet your actions contradict your words of not preferring combat.”
“…….”
I decided to use a trump card I could employ when logic eluded me.
“You say that, but you lost to Liam in just a few seconds.”
“Ugh… I hate you, Your Holiness!”
As I openly targeted his weak point, the pouting Young Dragon flew into the sky.
He would come back quickly if I promised him a snack, so it was fine to leave him be.
Anyway.
With the goal of recruiting a Saint, my fighting spirit was rising.
“Your Holiness, when shall we begin?”
Meanwhile, the much more enthusiastic Priestess Reeve was looking lively and smiling.
Her smile was a refreshing change from the gloomy demeanor she usually carried.
As Jo Ha-jin said, allowing her to do what she truly wanted was benefiting her mental health.
However, I was slightly worried she might get too into the duel with her overflowing energy.
“Yao, please intervene if Reeve gets too heated.”
“I understand.”
With a nod from Yao, I made my way to the center of the rooftop.
Reeve met me with a bright smile and extended her hand.
“Regardless of who wins this battle, let’s drop the formalities and be friendly afterwards. Is that okay?”
“…….”
I didn’t particularly want to refuse, but I couldn’t bring myself to grasp the hand she extended. My left hand was empty; after all, I had no left hand.
‘Is she trying to provoke me?’
Could this be an indirect gesture conveying, “I really don’t want to get close to someone like you”?
Or maybe she meant to grab the end of my rounded arm where my hand should be.
In the moment of bewilderment, Reeve giggled and grabbed my wrist with her other hand.
“Just hold on for now.”
Then she led my hand into the empty space where my left hand should have been.
Grab.
‘Huh?’
In the next moment, we shook hands.
Though Reeve’s left hand was invisible, it certainly existed. It was as if that part had become transparent.
“What is this?”
“It’s a prosthetic arm with a stealth function. I can see it, but others can’t. Not even gods or demons.”
Why would she add such a function to her prosthetic? To catch someone off guard and ambush them?
“Isn’t it interesting?”
“It is, indeed.”
Regardless, it was fascinating.
I absentmindedly fiddled with the transparent prosthetic before retracting my hand.
It was about time to get started.
“Then, let’s see what we’ve got.”
“Wait a moment. I have an even more interesting tool to show you, shall I?”
With the mindset of letting everyone try out what they wanted, I accepted.
“Just a moment.”
Reeve, upon receiving my permission, slightly hiked up her skirt, revealing a golden anklet she had on near her ankle.
It wasn’t just any ordinary accessory.
“It’s a Sacred Artifact.”
The anklet exuded a unique sacred aura. It was not just for decoration.
With a smile, Reeve nodded.
“Yes, it is. We use the term ‘Sacred Item’ in our world, though.”
Simply explaining, she tapped the anklet lightly.
Then, a pair of gloves suddenly appeared in thin air.
Crafted from leather that shimmered like platinum, they looked like high-quality items fit for a noble lady to wear.
However, they also radiated a sacred energy.
“Is that also a Sacred Item?”
“Yes. This is a Sacred Item called ‘Holy Liberation.’ It transforms the wearer’s Faith into physical abilities and combat power.”
“…….”
It was immediately apparent what function it had.
“Are we going to fight with hand-to-hand combat?”
“Yes. Since you are a Clergy, it fits our duel perfectly, doesn’t it?”
Two priests going head-to-head can only result in punches and kicks. Was she secretly hoping to beat me into submission under the pretext of a duel?
“Is this not good?”
“No, I like it.”
But it was rather fortunate.
Neither I, who wasn’t suited for one-on-one combat, nor Reeve, whose strength was hindered by not being aligned with her Goddess, could fully unleash our powers.
So contesting our Faith using the power of this Sacred Item wasn’t a bad idea at all.
“Here you go.”
“I’ll make good use of it.”
After putting on the gloves Reeve handed me for my left hand,
I waited for a moment, and soon overwhelming power began to course through my body.
Crack! As I clenched my fist, an immense force surged through me. It was a power so great I could sense the change within me.
‘I’ve turned into a monster!’
The vast Faith that I had, akin to the sky, was all converted into physical abilities.
With strength comparable to a giant, exceptional eyesight that allowed me to see every fine hair on Priestess Reeve standing before me, and hearing sounds of birds chirping from afar.
Though I hadn’t checked everything yet, it was likely all other aspects became monster-level as well.
“This feels way too overpowered.”
With her right hand gloved, Reeve smirked and asked me,
“Shall we really begin now?”
“Let’s do it.”
We immediately took our stances, creating distance between us.
From the spaced positions, we briefly stared at each other.
Then finally.
“Oh Sun, guide me.”
“Oh Mother of Peace, I will bring forth peace.”
With the prayers we offered to our respective gods, the battle began.
I propelled myself forward and threw a punch. A speed so great I could hardly handle it.
However, Priestess Reeve didn’t evade and extended her fist to meet mine.
Bang!
A heavy strike landed squarely on both our faces. Despite hitting each other’s faces, it sounded as if we had struck rocks.
And neither of us fell nor lost our stance.
We stood locked in position with our fists crossed, both momentarily frozen, before stepping back simultaneously, as if on cue.
Both of us wore smiles on our faces.
‘Oh Goddess, is this what it feels like to fight with fists? Why did you enjoy this alone?’
Grumbling towards the Goddess for no reason, I opened and closed my fists again.
“I’m coming again.”
If I could engage in this kind of battle, I would be willing to challenge daily.
*
Yao was watching the two priests’ fight in a daze.
‘What is this…?’
The level was too high.
The punches thrown by the Pope were too fast to track with her eyes, and the Priestess’s kicks flew with the force of lightning.
With power and speed combined, even a regular person would be put in a groggy state from just one hit.
Every moment, such strikes were exchanged.
Moreover, the duo was neglecting defense and brawling, relying on pure offense.
That meant their defensive capabilities and resilience were akin to mountains.
From witnessing this, one could roughly gauge how deep both of their Faiths ran.
‘So this is what a religious leader looks like.’
Eluke and Reeve.
Both had risen to the highest positions of religion in their worlds. They were equally devout to their beliefs, too.
Ordinary clergy couldn’t catch up to the vastness of their belief, like the sky or sea.
It was truly a clash of dragons and tigers.
However.
Between the dragon and the tiger, the dragon was undoubtedly stronger.
Such a gap existed even between the two.
“Who do you think will win?”
Suddenly, Cubica asked the robot, Kim Ji-yeon, flirtatiously.
The answer was remarkably simple.
[POPE(・- <)] Seeing the characters written on the talisman, Yao nodded. She shared the same thought. 'It's slowly turning against them.' What had initially seemed evenly matched was now tilting towards one side. Though the battleground hadn’t flipped immediately, the Pope gradually gained the upper hand. Even after observing, I couldn't discern how he was winning. The balance just slowly leaned in favor of one side. The battle's dynamics hadn’t notably changed from the beginning. This implied that the Pope's Faith was just slightly more dominant. The reason for the shift in the battle was likely just that. "Ugh!" Reeve grinded her teeth and launched an even fiercer assault. Forehead, jaw, solar plexus. Every strike aimed at vital points. However. The Pope remained unflinching, calmly counter-punching directly at Reeve's solar plexus. Immediately after, a punch struck her abdomen as well. "Ugh…." As the Priestess knelt, she was met with a knee strike to the face. An extremely fierce kick from a faith-laden strength. 'It's over.' Yao sensed the tide of victory had been decided. And indeed, the battle came to an end. "Ughhhh…!" With a moan of frustration, Reeve sprawled on the rooftop floor. It was practically a declaration of defeat. "Well done." Eluke, who still looked sprightly, smiled gently as she reached out to the fallen Priestess. Holding onto that hand, Reeve slowly rose up. There was no hint of unwillingness regarding the result. "You're amazing." Reeve smiled broadly, her face beaming with relief. In response, Eluke also beamed a kind-hearted smile fitting for a Pope. "It was a good match." "Indeed." Given how fiercely they had just clashed, the atmosphere was surprisingly warm. Is this how women become friends? Yao watched quietly as the friendship between the two priests began to bloom, and felt a sense of satisfaction. 'Good footage has come out.' Naturally. All the combat that just transpired had been neatly recorded. Although I hadn’t received explicit instructions, I simply filmed it. The Pope would surely appreciate it. "Oh, right." At that moment, Reeve suddenly took off her gloves and spoke up. "The backlash will come proportional to the time spent enhancing the body with that Sacred Item. So, you should take it off quickly." "... Huh?" It was evidently a side effect that she intentionally mentioned late.
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