Chapter 228

Chapter 228

"Don’t... be ridiculous...!" Gotheir’s eyes flashed brilliantly for an instant.

Simultaneously, a divine aura surged from his entire body and then vanished just as quickly.

Boom!

The shockwave pushed Ian’s greatsword away, engulfing his entire body.

I knew this would happen.

Thinking quickly, Ian released the hilt of the greatsword as it was knocked away and lowered his stance. The red divine power that had been dissipating from his body in the explosion of light flared up intensely for a moment. His feet, which had been momentarily lifted, firmly planted themselves back on the ground.

Boom!

Ian pushed against the shockwave and charged toward Gotheir.

"...!" Gotheir’s eyes, shining white through his visor, widened in surprise.

Ian’s right fist drove into him.

Crack!

Gotheir’s head snapped back. It wasn’t just his head; his entire body was pushed back. Ian, who had sprung forward, extended his left arm swiftly.

Thunk.

His hand grabbed Gotheir’s forearm. Ian’s right arm tensed once more.

Shhh— Boom!

His fist, slicing through the remnants of the divine aura, struck Gotheir’s visor again, this time driving him obliquely into the ground. Gotheir’s head and shoulders were buried among the debris, his lower body lifting into the air.

Crunch.

With Gotheir’s helmet pinned to the ground, Ian finally raised his fist again.

The part of Gotheir’s visor that had been struck by Ian’s punch was deeply dented. Through the dent, Gotheir’s dimly flickering eyes looked up at Ian.

Crackle.

At that moment, the magic stones embedded in Gotheir’s plate armor simultaneously flashed and dimmed. Almost simultaneously, a wave rippled through Ian’s reddish eyes.

Boom!

A surge of magical energy erupted from Ian’s left hand which was still gripping Gotheir’s arm.

Crackle.

The magic coursing through Gotheir’s armor became chaotic. The magic stones flickered erratically.

"...?!" Gotheir’s eyes filled with shock.

This is what you call a magic backflow.

Ian thought to himself, as ash-gray mana already swirled in his eyes.

Whoosh!

A wind surged around Ian’s entire body, quickly gathering and swirling around his raised fist. Yellow and red remnants of divinity were drawn into the vortex of wind enveloping his fist. With a powerful motion, Ian struck down.

Crack!

Ian’s Wind Blade-covered fist collided with Gotheir’s face. Divine energy surged from Gotheir’s entire body, and the shockwave from Ian’s punch swept through the area.

A faltering voice emanated from under Ian’s fist.

"A... mage? Is this... your true form...?"

Even buried among the debris, Gotheir did not lose consciousness. Without a word, Ian withdrew his fist from Gotheir’s face.

"The superhuman of the North and the Agent of Platinum Dragon... is... a mage...!"

The dented visor came off with Ian’s fist, revealing Gotheir’s broken front teeth and shattered nose. Despite coughing up blood, a smile spread across Gotheir’s face. His bright yellow eyes gleamed oddly.

"I was... right...! You’ve deceived everyone until now—"

Smash!

Before the words were finished, Gotheir’s face was slammed by a fist. Ian, who had just knocked away the face guard, struck again with his fist.

What is this madman going on about?

He muttered to himself as he drove his fist down to the end.

Whoosh!

Just as he felt the sensation of Gotheir’s skull cracking, a blinding light leaked from between his fingers. A massive amount of divine energy engulfed Gotheir. The circle etched in the center of his chest plate began to glow brilliantly in an instant. A chill ran down Ian’s spine.

Oh, shit.

Ian’s eyes widened as he urgently crossed his arms in front of his face.

Boom!

A pillar of divine light exploded from Gotheir’s body.

***

Blinded by the dazzling explosion of divinity, Philip reflexively closed his eyes as he supported Mev. The thunderous roar of collapsing buildings soon reverberated through Philip’s entire body. Raising his shield close to his face, Philip slowly opened his eyes. Amidst the rising dust from the crumbling buildings, a massive pillar of light stood out clearly.

"Huh...." Philip’s mouth finally hung open in a daze.

Even with his eyes now those of a divine apostle, the battle unfolding before him seemed utterly unreal. It could easily be believed to be a fight between superhumans—no, demigods.

Tap-tap-tap—

Footsteps echoed in his ears. Another purifier, Nasser, who had been standing dazed like him, was now running toward the debris, abandoning the horses.

Watching him disappear swiftly, Philip finally spoke."... I think I need to go as well."

"Alright. I’ll follow you soon. Please be careful. Getting caught up in this could cause serious injury." Mev released her arm from Philip’s shoulder.

She staggered for a moment but did not fall.

"Please take care of my lord, Thesa! Follow slowly! I’ll try to prevent any possible mishaps...!" Philip shouted to Thesaya and Charlotte before running off, forcing strength into his trembling legs.

***

Crash!

The Barrier of Light that had formed in front of Gotheir’s face shattered under the falling punch. Ian’s fists were bare now. His gloves and wrist guards had been destroyed, unable to withstand his power.

Are you at your limit?

Ian glared at Gotheir’s exposed face and reflexively slammed his fist down.

Bang!

The deafening sound that erupted was hard to believe had come from flesh meeting flesh. Yet Gotheir’s face remained uncrushed. The divine energy was keeping his body intact. However, it wouldn’t last forever.

"The great... light..." Gotheir was already unconscious.

The words he muttered were merely the product of his subconscious. Ian was reminded of the fanatics he had seen in games.

But I hadn’t expected him to lose his mind midway through.

If his companions hadn’t weakened him and if Karha hadn’t bestowed his blessing, this fight would have been much more difficult.

In any case...

Ian raised his fist again.

I’ve reached the level where I can take down even these guys.

Taking a deep breath, Ian tightened his fist. He had to finish this quickly.

Otherwise—

At that moment, a hexagonal force field emerged, covering Gotheir’s face. In fact, it had multiple layers.

"... You have won, Sir Ian." A voice came from atop the debris. It was Nasser.

What the fuck is he saying?

Grinding his teeth, Ian swung his fist.

Clang!

But his fist only shattered two layers of the force field. A third layer remained, and as Ian raised his fist again, another layer formed immediately.

"Please stop, Sir Ian. I accept your terms."

Ian finally looked up sharply at the voice.

"Get rid of this, now."

"Apologies, but he is both my comrade and senior." Nasser approached as he spoke.

The lining of his robe shimmered with a golden light, and under his hood, his eyes gleamed with divine power.

"I am convinced you are not a corrupted one. So please, stop. If you do not trust me, I will disarm completely."

His words seemed sincere as a longsword and shield fell from the scabbard under his robe.

Ian’s frown deepened.

"That’s none of my concern. Remove this immediately. Do you have any idea what condition he’s in right now?"

"He’s received enough grace to blind him. But like his stubborn nature, for a long time, he has...?" Nasser’s voice trailed off.

Beyond the multiple layers of the force field, an ominous light was spreading. Gotheir’s eyes, nose, and mouth were all emitting a bright white light, pulsating with immense divine energy, enough to make every hair on Ian’s body stand on end.

"Damn it...! Maximize the force field!" Ian shouted, squeezing his eyes shut as he threw himself sideways.

A blue magical barrier enveloped his entire body. Nasser, instinctively following Ian’s command, also crouched down.

Bang!

A flash of light exploded from Gotheir’s entire body. Ian’s vision, even as he lay face down, turned completely white. It seemed the force field was of no use. Despite closing his eyes, it felt no different from keeping them open.

Am I going to die like this...?

Thinking, Ian soon realized he felt no pain. In fact, he felt no sensation at all. Only his consciousness remained sharp, and everything around him was blindingly bright.

"...!?"

Then, beyond the light, he sensed someone watching him.