Chapter 181: The Saintess

Chapter 181: The SaintessThe Demon Lord of War, Valkyria's spear, struck between Darius and me with precise accuracy.

Although we managed to dodge well enough on our own, and with Valkyria's body leaning forward, I thought it was a good opportunity to counterattack. However...

"Don't underestimate me."

The moment her wings fluttered, intense heat from the spear burst, engulfing us.

"Keughacck!"

Darius covered his face with his arms and fell backwards. I worried he might suffer from burns, but now was the time to trade blows, not to worry about him.

My right hand, which was spinning in a spiral, absorbed the pouring heat. I brushed past the extended spear and threw a punch at Valkyria.

But the moment her wings fluttered again, she had already vanished from in front of me; she was now cunningly smirking from a distance.

The attack itself is not threatening, but her mobility with those wings is a problem.

When I briefly glanced at Darius to check his condition, I saw Holy Power descending upon him.

The burns he suffered were healed, and Darius forced himself to breathe deeply and stand up again.

I turned to another direction and saw Tyren, who, with Lucia’s assistance, was struggling against the Demon Lord of Pride, Dune.

Her Holy Power was working effectively against the Demon Lords.

But it is not touching them.

Although the potency of Holy Power was the main reason the Demon Lords were cautious around it, Saintess Lucia's lack of combat experience also played a part.

After all, a Saintess was not meant to fight demons, but to heal and care for the living.

While protecting humans from demons was possible, defeating them required skill and experience.

But thanks to Lucia, Tyren was able to hold out against Dune.

"Where is Feyron?"

The moment I mentioned the Demon Lord of Worship, as if responding to it, a small boy suddenly appeared from behind Lucia.

"Peek-a-boo!"

Feyron, who showed up with a big grin, tried thrusting his hand into Lucia's back. However, a purple flame flared up from the empty air, wrapping around Feyron's hand.

[Cunning fox!]

The Dark Spiritualist had been hiding near Lucia for the purpose of protecting her.

Since Feyron was displeased that his attack was blocked, he decided to change his target to the Dark Spiritualist instead of Lucia.

"O’ Goddess of Justice!"

However, in that brief moment of opportunity, Lucia's Holy Power shot straight toward Feyron like a beam of light.

He dodged the direct hit by bending his body like a bow, but one of his ten tails, the one resembling a cow, was grazed and struck.

"Gyaaaaccckk!"

His tail immediately caught fire with white flames that were quickly spreading. If Feyron hadn't ripped out his own tail due to his survival instinct, his entire body might have been engulfed by the Holy Power’s flames.

Severely burned, he ran on all fours straight between Valkyria and Dune. As he trembled and grouped with the other Demon Lords, Valkyria sneered at him.

"I told you not to underestimate Holy Power."

"Fuck it! Fuck it! Fuck it!"

Enraged by Valkyria's mockery, Feyron slammed the ground with the five horns on his forehead.

Holy Power was something only one person among the countless humans on the continent could use.

It possessed overwhelming healing abilities and the capabilities to purify and annihilate evil.

That was the biggest reason why Magan targeted Lucia first in the surprise attack.

[Kyaa! I thought I was going to be annihilated too.]

The Dark Spiritualist, looking tearful, flew towards me. Holy Power was a lethal power even for souls, so the Dark Spiritualist who was nearby almost got swept away as well.

"I-I'm sorry."

The Saintess apologized to the Dark Spiritualist. While it wasn't strange for Lucia and me, as we could see the Dark Spiritualist, Darius and Tyren were confused amidst their struggles, as it seemed to them that Lucia was apologizing to thin air.

"Saintess, just having you with us certainly helps us hold our ground."

"Yes, it's really amazing."

Tyren and Darius significantly benefited from the effects of the Holy Power.

However, I could not enjoy that power since I was accompanied by Velica's soul.

Since the three demons in front of us were weaker compared to Magan, who had grown exponentially stronger through the banquet, we were able to resist against them, whom we wouldn’t have been to easily face before, and buy time.

"Th-thank you."

However, Lucia's condition wasn't very good.

As I mentioned before, the act of fighting by itself was unfamiliar to her, so she was feeling quite breathless, and her Holy Power had now significantly weakened compared to the beginning.

Deia must come soon.

I needed to buy more time until Deia, who understood my intentions and had gone to retrieve the Holy Grail, returned.

"Conserve your strength as much as possible."

When I stepped forward and warned her, Lucia shook her head.

"No, I can do it."

"You are our hope. So, only use it at crucial moments."

"Heheh."

She suddenly let out a laugh. When I turned to see why, Lucia murmured self-deprecatingly.

"Really?"

"Master Bastardddddd!"

It was Findenai; she was smiling brightly despite being covered in blood and wounds, having heard that I had returned.

Eleanor and Deia had returned as well.

"I brought it here!"

Deia lifted the box containing the Holy Grail.

The three demons sensed the divine energy seeping from the box.

They instantly realized that the item inside the box was extremely threatening, and charged forward.

Feyron ran on all fours towards Deia, aiming his horns at her, but Findenai's axe struck him from the side, hindering his movement.

Valkyria flapped her wings and flew straight towards them, her spear thrusting sharply. However, Eleanor's magic deflected the spear's trajectory, making it pierce the box instead of Deia.

Crash!

The box shattered, revealing the Holy Grail in all its radiant glory.

In that fleeting moment, as Deia lifted the Holy Grail and prepared to throw it...

"How foolish."

Dune was already standing in front of Lucia.

"You plan to replenish her Holy Power through the Holy Grail. If you had succeeded, it would have indeed been threatening to us."

As everyone was focused on the Holy Grail, no one protected the Saintess.

Therefore, Dune raised his massive fist and poised to strike Lucia.

"You're the foolish one, goat head."

Deia's lips curled into a sly smile.

The Holy Grail was thrown from her hand, tracing an arc through the air.

It made a loud echo as it hit the ground and rolled, eventually coming to a stop at my feet.

Using my toe, I kicked it to an upright position.

The three Demon Lords' gazes immediately locked onto me.

I was someone like them, who was unable to accept Holy Power.

Seeing Deia throw the Holy Grail before me, someone who had fought by borrowing Demon Lord Velica’s power and thereby being unable to receive Lucia’s blessing, they couldn't comprehend it.

"You were right, Lucia."

I looked down at the Holy Grail and answered her honestly.

What Lucia had said earlier was correct.

I was a liar.

In order to deceive the enemy, I had to deceive my allies first.

Although I managed to deceive Darius and Tyren, only Lucia had noticed my lie.

It had to appear as if Lucia was the hope in this battle, however, it did not truly rest on her.

Sensing something, the Dark Spiritualist distanced herself from me.

The spider leg that had been attached to my back and the spiraling right hand naturally concealed their traces.

Velica , who had been hanging on my shoulder just moments ago, returned to having ordinary human eyes. The pair of horns on her forehead had also disappeared.

And just like that, Velica slowly disappeared and was replaced by the Saintess.

[You must not handle the Holy Grail carelessly. It's dangerous for me as well since I'm in my spirit form.]

"I know."

Stella gently smiled, satisfied with my answer.

As her turquoise eyes focused on the three great evils before her, the Demon Lords flinched and immediately retreated.

After losing her Holy Power, Stella suffered unspeakable torment from the demons.

Her eyes were gouged out.

Her left hand was severed.

And her legs rotted away.

She had been ridiculed for days by the demons, including Demon Lord Magan.

But here...

We needed to change perspectives a bit.

It was only after she lost her Holy Power did the demons approach Stella.

Even the Demon Lord of Gluttony, who had become the Dictator of the Clark Republic and only saw humans as mere cuisine, waited for the moment when she finally lost her power.

[O Merciful Goddess Hertia.]

Why did the demons, who considered humans so insignificant, wait in silence for the moment when the gods abandoned her?

[This humble woman beseeches your grace once more.]

Now, the answer lay before me.

[Please grant me...]

This was the woman who made even the Demon Lords tremble with fear and caution.

[The strength to vanquish evil.]

After finishing her prayer, she stared at the Evils.