Chapter 378

“It seems, after all, there’s no point in conversing with a heretic.” remarked Bonifa, extending his wings wide. Soon, a brilliant light emanated from his wings, a light so blinding that it threatened to overwhelm one’s vision.

Instinctively, Oliver shielded his eyes, and in that very moment, Bonifa swiftly swooped towards him, seizing him like an eagle. Escape was not an option.

“How dare you disrespect the God with your blasphemous tongue! I shall teach you the price of your insolence!”

With these words, he released his grip, sending Oliver hurtling through the air, crashing into the temple wall.

Boom!

The temple wall crumbled upon Oliver’s impact. Were it not for the innate power within him, it would have been Oliver’s body that shattered instead.

‘I’m lucky. If he had attacked directly with a sword, I would’ve been helpless.’ Oliver thought as he rose from the temple wall’s debris.

Though the collision had been intense, leaving him somewhat weakened, he sought to find a glimmer of hope.

Whether driven by spite or driven by the pursuit of the perfect picture Galahad had mentioned, Bonifa did not move to finish him off hastily.

This meant Oliver still had a chance.

‘He neutralized both the Greed Fire and the Fury Wind instantly, so even the powers of nature have their limits... Is that the only way?’

As Oliver contemplated how to confront Bonifa, Marie approached with her subordinates.

“Master...! Are you alright?!”

Oliver raised his hand to halt Mari and everyone else within the temple. Presently, the Paladins had their attention fixed on him, but Marie hadn’t entirely escaped their notice. Any conspicuous action could once again make them the target, and Oliver had no means to protect them if that occurred.

‘The power of holy magic is truly incredible... They’ve fully recovered.’ Oliver thought as he observed the fully rejuvenated Paladins and servants. Even though they had been affected by the Greed Fire, Bonifa’s healing magic had not only mended their wounds but also revitalized their energy.

Oliver had considered using spatial magic to evacuate Marie and her group, but it seemed impractical. Holy magic would nullify the spatial magic immediately, and after that, he couldn’t guarantee their safety.

‘I have to win for everyone to get out safely...’

After organizing his thoughts, Oliver scanned the temple for Marie.

“Marie.”

“Yes, Master.”

“I have a favor to ask.”

“Please tell us. We’ll do anything you need. If you want us to fight, we will. If you need our emotions, we’ll gladly-“

“-Unless you think you’ll be harmed, please don’t leave the temple until I tell you.”

“Excuse me?”

“I told you not to leave the temple unless you’re in danger... Just stay put, and Marie, please take care of everyone here.”

Oliver gestured toward the people within the temple. Despite their weariness from eluding the Paladins, they had remained loyal to Marie to the end.

“It would ease my mind... Can I trust you with this?”

“But-“

“-Please, Marie.”

When Oliver implored once more, Marie held back her words and nodded.

Wholeheartedly.

Receiving her assurance, Oliver finally felt a sense of relief and stepped outside.

This would prevent any unexpected actions on Marie’s part.

“Thank you for waiting, Sir.”

Emerging from the temple, Oliver greeted Bonifa, who floated in the sky. Bonifa gazed down at Oliver with eyes filled with subtle anger, discomfort, and contempt.

“I thought you’d resort to tricks, but it seems you won’t.”

Drawing from the Black Armor and Black Suit previously designed for Joe, Oliver poured a copious amount of emotion into it, forming armor so substantial that it resembled exoskeletal military gear.

While this armor boasted impressive strength and defense, it came at the cost of mobility. Oliver had previously offered advice to Joe regarding this aspect.

‘It would be good to compress the armor.’

Recalling the counsel he had given earlier, Oliver compressed the Black Suit and the armor enfolding his body.

He squeezed and squeezed, the emotion particles protesting as they were compressed to their absolute limit. This was a feat that only those with extraordinary control could accomplish.

Thanks to this effort, Oliver managed to maintain the usual thickness of his armor while ensuring mobility, all with improved efficiency.

“Is that all you’ve got?” Bonifa inquired, looking down at Oliver with an air of apparent indifference.

His lack of enthusiasm was understandable. To someone who had directly neutralized the Greed Fire and Fury Wind, this level of armor would appear insignificant. A single sacred technique could likely dissolve it like snow.

Oliver retorted, “No, there’s one more thing.”

With that, Oliver combined the remaining emotions, life force, and mana to fashion an artificial soul slightly larger than his fist.

Crackling!

Perhaps due to its slightly larger size than usual, there was a notable backlash. Nevertheless, considering the circumstances, Oliver ignored it and completed the artificial soul, infusing it into his Black Suit.

Once embedded, the black magic armor surrounding his body pulsed with increased strength.

Oliver then propelled himself forward by kicking off the ground, charging at Bonifa.

***

Oliver’s foresight was spot on.

Each of the emotions, life force, and mana was powerless against the Holy techniques. However, by amplifying each power, some resistance became possible. The artificial soul, which amalgamated all three, remained relatively unaffected by the holy techniques.

The evidence lay in the fact that Bonifa’s Holy technique neither obliterated nor weakened Oliver’s Black Suit.

Observing this, Oliver detected a glimmer of potential victory and closed in on Bonifa, engaging in close combat.

With the enhanced Black Suit empowered by the artificial soul, each blow generated shockwaves that appeared to tear through the very fabric of the air, reverberating through the heavens and the earth. The spectacle was so awe-inspiring that even the Paladins, including Galahad, and the Servants couldn’t conceal their astonishment.

However, Oliver himself was equally astounded.

Despite resisting the Holy techniques with the aid of the artificial soul and donning the Black Suit that had previously subdued Theodore, he couldn’t overpower Bonifa.

Actually, it wasn’t just about overpowering; Oliver doubted whether he could even endure Bonifa’s might.

“Did you think that overcoming the power of the Holy technique would be enough?!”

Bonifa swung his sword, enveloped in a golden flame.

Even though Oliver wore the mightiest Black Suit he had ever crafted, he cautiously evaded Bonifa’s attacks. This was because Bonifa’s strikes pierced through Oliver’s formidable armor with startling ease.

“Ugh.”

Each time Oliver thought he had successfully dodged, sharp pain ensued, and invariably, a wound materialized on his body.

The reason was straightforward.

Bonifa’s golden sword possessed such tremendous power that it penetrated Oliver’s armor in a single stroke. Furthermore, his swordsmanship was so intricate that even when Oliver believed he had evaded, he hadn’t.

That wasn’t the sole disadvantage.

Bonifa, aided by wings of light created by his Holy technique, soared freely in the sky, holding the upper hand in terms of position and agility over Oliver in every aspect.

In contrast, Oliver found himself at a distinct disadvantage.

It was akin to a mouse confronting an eagle.

“Did you truly think you could defeat our Parter Church?”

Facing Bonifa atop the spire, Oliver replied after a moment’s reflection, “Honestly... I had a bit of hope.”