The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations Chapter 805

Episode 805: We Will Fight (2)

The Pope chuckled at Lionel’s words.
“As expected, you lost your faith after being taken by the witch.”
“…”
“I can’t sense your divine power anymore. Tell me. Where did that shining power go?”
“…”
“Does this mean you’re right and I’m wrong? Even though you lost your divine power because you followed the witch, how can you dare say you maintained your faith?”
“…”
When Lionel remained silent, the Pope slowly raised his hand and nodded.
“Yes, come at me. One more bug won’t make a difference.”
In effect, Lionel had betrayed him, but the Pope didn’t care. He planned to kill Lionel after the job was done anyway.
No, not just Lionel. He planned to kill all the key figures in the Julian mercenary group who had been with the false saint.
That’s why he had gone to the trouble of singling out four people one by one and leaving them behind.
Leaving them alive would allow the false saint’s name to continue to spread. I must kill all the key figures so that they cannot even dare to utter the title of saint.
Only then will my sanctity be tainted.
“…”
Lionel remained silent for a moment before approaching Deneb. He knelt and tried to kiss her foot.
“What, what are you doing!”
Deneb pulled away in surprise.
“…”
There was a brief awkwardness.
Lionel squeezed his eyes shut and grabbed Deneb’s ankle, pulling her firmly.
He gently kissed Deneb’s foot before rising and speaking.
“Saint, from now on, my name will be used only for you. As your first servant.”
Lionel turned and slowly raised his shield. His eyes were fixed solely on the Pope.
His oath slowly resonated with everyone present as witnesses.
“My oath is firmer than stone, and my loyalty endures longer than the stars. Wherever the Saintess’s footsteps lead, that’s where I must go. Even if the path ahead is thorny, I will pave the way with my blood.”
Lionel spoke in a solemn voice, as if exhaling his last breath.
“I… will live as your first servant, and die as your first servant.”
Paaaaak!
Suddenly, a dazzling blue light emitted from his shield.
Everyone around him was astonished. Lionel, who had never been able to achieve superhuman status before, had instantly reached the level of a superhuman.
However, Giselle smiled, as if she had expected this.
“It really took a long time.”
In truth, Lionel was more than capable of becoming a superhuman.
Through his training, he had acquired an overflowing supply of mana, and his skills had matured under Giselle’s guidance.
He had even accumulated enough experience to risk his life in combat.
“The problem was the mind.”
To become a superhuman, one must establish one’s own world.
Lionel, torn between the Pope and the Saint, had not yet made up his mind.
However, seeing the Pope’s attitude, he finally made a choice:
to protect and follow the Saint.
A priest establishes his world through faith and attains the realm of superman.
Although Lionel had lost his divine powers, his world was founded on faith.
And by deciding to protect the true representative of the Goddess, he
was finally able to reach the realm of superman.
“Wow!
” Lionel took a step forward and gripped his shield tightly.
“Until you pierce me, you will not touch a single hem of the Saint’s robe.”
“This wretch…”
The Pope’s aura surged.
The Order does not recognize anyone as a saint.
Yet, a promising temple knight swore to the Saint and achieved supermanhood.
If it were simply a betrayal, he would be killed. However, if he had ascended to supermanhood by swearing to serve the Saint, it would be a different story.
It would make it seem as if the Pope himself was wrong and the Saint was right.
Gooooo… …
A tremendous amount of energy gathered in one of the Pope’s hands.
That noble power, called divine power, began to harbor malice as if it would destroy anything.
The Pope’s ominous voice pierced everyone’s ears.
“Today… you will receive God’s punishment.”
Kwaaaaang!
The Pope’s body was instantly shot towards Lionel. He intended to kill him immediately and Deneb behind him.
Lionel did not dodge. Instead, he gritted his teeth and poured all his strength into his shield.
Kwaaaaaaaang!
A tremendous shockwave spread throughout the surroundings.
The aftershock of the attack was so powerful that everyone was pushed back.
But… … .
“Cough!”
Lionel held on, coughing up blood. A long furrow was dug beneath his feet.
He never dodged to protect Deneb. He concentrated all his strength on blocking the Pope’s attacks.
Lionel smirked and said,
“How is it? Isn’t this enough for me to be a servant of the Saintess?”
The Pope’s eyes blazed with rage.
How dare he block his own attack to protect a mere witch!
He raised his hand and tried to crush Lionel’s head in one breath. But at that moment…
Kaaaaaaaah!
Giselle’s spear pierced the Pope’s head like a flash. The Pope barely managed to duck his head.
Before he could even counterattack, Julian and Kyle’s swords swung at his arms.
The Pope was forced to retreat. But Julian and Kyle doggedly clung to the Pope, targeting his arms and legs.
Their intention was to render him incapacitated.
The Pope repeatedly retreated, then stopped.
“Pfft!
” Dozens of daggers suddenly appeared behind him.
Marika’s daggers, as if possessed by will, swung sharply, encircling the Pope.
Above, the spirits summoned by Erenes descended with a powerful force.
Even a superhuman would have been slain.
Then, the Pope was hurled forward again.
Julian and Kyle swung their swords at the approaching Pope. But as the Pope extended both hands, a dazzling curtain of light blocked them both.
“Kaang! Kaang!
” Julian and Kyle’s swords were blocked by the curtain of light. At the same time, the Pope clenched his hands.
“Kwaaaaang!”
The curtain of light exploded, flinging Julian and Kyle backward.
The Pope next attempted to deal with the daggers charging from behind, but his plan was interrupted.
Kwaaaaaaa!
Giselle’s spear, having deflected the gap, was already aiming for the Pope’s body.
Kwow!
The Pope’s body was enveloped in a divine light. Giselle’s spear, unable to penetrate, bounced off.
Tadadadadang!
Then, Marika’s daggers flew at the Pope simultaneously, but not a single one left a wound. Their
defense was truly terrifying. However,
the Pope was equally perplexed.
‘The Julian Mercenaries… they’re amazing.’
He’d thought he could kill them all easily, but they were stronger than he’d expected. At this rate, it would inevitably take time to deal with them.
So the Pope changed his mind.
‘I’ll kill the fake saint first.’
That would mean the Julian Mercenaries would have no right to possess the Holy Stone. Then he could kill the remaining ones one by one.
The Pope ignored all the others’ attacks. He shot forward again, targeting only Deneb.
Kwaaang!
Lionel gritted his teeth at the sight of the Pope, who had suddenly approached.
The Pope’s strength was immense. Even with superhuman strength, he could barely withstand a single attack.
Nevertheless, Lionel did not dodge. He had to protect Deneb, even at the risk of his life.
She was the only light that could save this dark world, so
he cried out, “Repent with death.”
The Pope extended his hand. His speed was so fast that Giselle and the others could not even approach.
The earth elemental summoned by Erenes barely managed to create a gigantic wall.
Kwaaang!
The Pope pierced the wall in one breath, but succeeded in slowing his pace for a moment.
Meanwhile, Deneb’s ethereal voice rang out.
“Goddess. Come down upon us, wash away all despair, and envelop us with the protection of eternal light.”
Paaah!
A curtain of light, like the Pope’s, unfolded on Lionel’s shield.
It was a light that felt equally, if not more, sublime.
Light
clashed
with
light
.
KWAAAAAAHH
…
​
​
But the Pope remained unscathed. His divine power nullified all attacks, and instead, the impact reflected and swept through the surroundings.
Kwaaaaang!
Everyone, unable to withstand the force, was thrown back.
“Tch.”
Giselle spat out the blood pooling in her mouth and gripped her spear tightly.
“Stronger than I thought?”
The Pope wasn’t simply brimming with divine power.
Judging by his movements, he had mastered martial arts. His techniques alone were superhuman.
However, the mastery and perfection of the techniques themselves were superior. It was simply that the overwhelming divine power prevented his attacks from landing.
“We need to keep draining his energy.”
If he continued to strike, he would eventually exhaust his energy and allow the attack to continue.
Furthermore, the Pope was relentlessly targeting Deneb. From his perspective, if only she were gone, all problems would be solved.
Therefore, they had to seize this opportunity while the Pope’s attention was focused on Deneb.
“Don’t stop, attack!”
Giselle shouted, and everyone rushed at the Pope again.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
The superhuman attacks rained down on the Pope in an instant.
The Pope, who had been targeting only Deneb, seemed to find it burdensome to expend his energy, and he increasingly evaded the attacks.
As he did, his movements became increasingly chaotic. He looked as if he was being chased by something, desperate.
Giselle, seeing this, smiled inwardly.
‘Good, I’m shaking.’
The Pope’s energy was truly overwhelming. He was far stronger than the prophets of the Salvation Church.
And his martial arts were no exception. He was more than capable of fighting against those here.
However, Giselle suspected that even such a Pope would have a weakness.
‘He probably has no real combat experience.’
It was impossible for someone who sat in the highest position as the Pope to have experienced actual combat.
When judging his own strength, he probably compared his energy levels with those around him.
He had even decided to fight the Julian mercenaries because he was sure he would win, simply by comparing their energy levels.
But lo and behold, the Pope was failing to properly adapt to the variables presented by actual combat, continuing to behave in the same way.
There was no way anyone here could have been unaware of this. At least, they were all a step ahead of him in terms of experience.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Giselle and her party attacked the Pope with exquisite strikes and retreats. For the Julian Mercenaries, who had been through countless battles, a coordinated attack was a breeze.
Their astonishing coordinated attack left the Pope helpless.
The Pope remained focused on Deneb. The more he did, the more attacks he had to endure, draining his energy.
The party left Deneb’s protection entirely to Lionel, who was now more than capable of defending her.
BANG!
Occasionally, someone was struck by the Pope’s attacks and sent flying, but they quickly recovered and charged at the Pope again.
Thanks to Deneb’s protection, they were able to withstand the attacks. The accumulated shock was constantly recovering.
Iraniel and Grondal, who watched their fight, couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.
“You’ve gotten stronger since I last saw you.”
“Wow, it’s only been a few years, and you’re like that?” While
their individual skills were outstanding, their combined attacks were practically a work of art.
If it weren’t for the Pope’s formidable defense, the match would have been decided long ago.
They weren’t the only ones impressed. Everyone was awestruck by the strength of the Julian Mercenaries and the Pope.
However, even with all that power, the Pope couldn’t easily approach Deneb. No matter how hard he tried to get close and attack, he was repelled by Lionel’s life-threatening defense.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
As the battle dragged on, the Pope’s gaze wavered. He
grew impatient.
‘… … It’s dangerous.’
The Pope’s inability to fight calmly wasn’t simply due to a lack of combat experience.
He was, in fact, unstable. That’s why he’d targeted Deneb alone to avoid prolonging the fight.
However, his attacks were repeatedly blocked, barely averted. The Julian Mercenaries’ skills were far superior to expectations, and their combined attacks were meticulous.
‘… … My energy is constantly being drained.’
It was a terrifying thing for the Pope.
Not because he was weakening.
But because something he had suppressed with divine power was awakening.
[$*#^%^@#$@#One… … %$#*@]
The voice in his head was becoming clearer.