CHAPTER 27: VICTORY

"Y-you…despicable…hero."

Thanks to the fiery explosion that occurred right when we were about to clash, I was able to win. The fire explosion offset his attack and allowed me to land my strike perfectly while his…

"Half of the castle…damn."

A whole side of the castle as well as the mountain behind it is destroyed. Most of the debris are encased in ice as well. Though I can't see all of it since it is nighttime.

"You…betrayers…"

Warren is heavily wounded. His demonized side is bleeding all over while his stomach is open. His face has completely turned back to that of a human.

"I should hurry up."

I don't know about me, but I am sure the other people fighting are still having a hard time. I wouldn't want to find myself alone against all the flooding monsters once the knights and soldiers are submerged.

I go to the commander and after evading his weak attack, I carry him and his sword and run inside the castle. Weird enough, his sword isn't as cold as I thought it would be. I wasn't even sure I could grab it.

"Release me!! Finish me off, you arrogant bastard!!" What do you want in the end? I know I was lucky to win this fight but still, you lost your composure too quickly as well.

Once inside, I run straight for the door that the head priest showed me and I don't meet anyone along the way. It would seem everyone has evacuated…or not.

When I reach the door, the head priest is standing there, holding an item I had never seen before.: it is a golden 'ψ' shaped object that irradiates with the same power as her.

"An object blessed by your god? Is it powerful?" It seems powerful but if it is, why has she not used it with the monsters running outside? This church of yours seems problematic, Telestal.

"You even know of the banisher? As I thought, you are not just a hero. Could it be…have inherited the memories of a hero of the past?" Why would you think of that as the first possibility? Isn't there anything simpler?

"Why aren't you helping outside? Those knights are dying, you know?"

"Urgh…" I put Warren down as he is starting to be heavy. I didn't pay too much mind to it but my arms are numb from our exchange earlier.

He is not really responding anymore, unlike earlier. His blood is also slowly staining the ground, just like it did with my armor. I wonder if that purification skill can help him.

"-And yet, you have brought one here? What do you hope to achieve?" Oops, I didn't hear what she was saying?

"Hmm…Sorry but I-"

"I see. You leave me no choice then." She raises that item, the banisher, and points it at me. "Let the darkness be gon-"

Before she can finish, I pounce on her and punch her stomach. Whatever she is planning to do, it can't be good.

"Ack! You-" I grab her neck next and prevent her from speaking.

"I don't know what you planning to do and I don't want to know. But I am not your enemy. Whatever I am trying to do, I am sure it will help us all."

Surely, this woman can open the door, right? I place her hand o the door while she is trying to resist as best as she can and the next moment, the chains on the door disappear and the door opens.

When I release her, she falls on her knees and starts coughing.

"Cough!! Cough!!"

"Sorry, I wasn't trying to choke you."

As the door gradually opens, a blinding blue light hits my eyes for a moment, and during that moment, I can feel the head priest running behind me. I enter the room and as my eyes get used to the light, I see it. A huge crystal at least twice the size of a human. But what's more intriguing is what is inside the crystal.

"What the fuck are you guy-"

"Ahh!!!"

The head priest's screaming voice resounds behind me and when I turn around, Warren's sword is already piercing through my stomach.

"Argh!!!" Fuck!! How could I let my guard down so much?! It was obvious she was going to do something like this. "Dammit!"

She raises that banisher again but I kick it and it flies near the crystal.

"You devil!! You will die!!" She manages to grab the sword again before I can move and push it deeper. Damn, I don't think I have felt this much pain since the day he skewered me to a tree's branch. Though he didn't do it voluntarily and healed me afterward, it is still hurt like hell, just like right now.

I tried to grab the sword, but the head priest yanks me to a wall with it.

"Ack!" Where does she find such strength?

"Huff!! Huff!! For the devil who tried to deceive us by dressing like a hero…" she goes and grabs her banisher again. Shit, shit, shit!

"Amplify!!!" I amplify my whole body and the pain of my wounded stomach runs like electricity, almost paralyzing me. Fuck!! I have made another mistake!

"Only the eternal flames of the god of law and balance can cleanse the filth you-"

Suddenly, she receives an ice block to the head that knocks her down. Though I don't think she is dead. I don't have time to think about that, dammit! I push again, trying my best to forget the pain, and finally, I get off the wall, with the sword still deeply greeting my intestines. My vision is starting to blurry; I should hurry before I lose conscience. I must have lost a lot of blood already.

I walk with great difficulty to the crystal and on the way, I bump into the banisher and a message pops up before me. I ignore it and touch the crystal.

"Seriously, what are trying to do, putting a hero's body in this?" I wonder why is there a human and most likely a hero, judging by the armor the person is wearing, inside the crystal. Well, I guess we can think about it later, right? The magic emitted by the crystal is so strong I can see it as clearly.

"Purify." When I use the skill, my vision blurry even more and my whole magic is drained. Everything turns dark around me and I can barely hear something exploding before I faint.