Chapter 49

“Should I give you a lecture, dear clergy? On the relationship between holy power, magic power, and phases?”

The two clergy members who had lost their summoned Guardians only squirmed uncomfortably at my question, refusing to answer. Well, I suppose that’s understandable. Watching their warrior get struck down by a vehicle and then seeing the embodiment of their holy power obliterated by Dark Heal would understandably leave them shaken.

“Holy power and magic power usually exist along their respective phases. Think of a phase as a blood type, and the power flowing through your body as blood itself—that might make it easier to grasp. In this context, Heal and Dark Heal could be likened to blood transfusions. Now, what happens to a body when it’s injected with incompatible blood—”

“Kiwi Alaya ! Do you know how long I’ve waited for this day?!”

“Hic.”

I let out an involuntary hiccup as my explanation was abruptly interrupted. A saintess stood before me, pointing dramatically with a finger. Between her fingers, she held a note-sized True Covenant Scripture.

“Divine Sanctum Declaration!”

The saintess began to glow brilliantly, her body emanating a radiant light as a holy sanctuary, pure as snow and golden as treasure, expanded outward. It engulfed the area, including myself.

“Well, well. So this is the True Covenant Scripture… It’s on a completely different level compared to what I’ve seen from higher-ranking clergy before.”

“This divine sanctuary, gifted to us by God, is far too precious to let a heretic like you step foot in. Consider it a memento to burn into your memory on your way to the underworld.”

“How very thoughtful of you. But why bother with a sanctuary? I’m human. It has no effect on me.”

“Hmph.”

The saintess snorted, her lips curling into a knowing smirk as if she had seen through everything.

“Don’t play coy, Kiwi Alaya .”

“What?”

“I saw it… you fleeing pathetically from our hero squad with three zombies in tow.”

“…Oh?”

“And yet, there are only two zombies present here now. So where, I wonder, is the third?”

The saintess scanned the surroundings with a triumphant grin.

“This is just the kind of underhanded scheme you’d resort to. You led us to believe holy arts were ineffective, then kept provoking us to focus our attention on you. Meanwhile, you’ve hidden the third zombie somewhere to launch a surprise attack!”

“…”

“Your silence speaks volumes.”

With her two clergy in tow, the saintess approached me confidently.

“Too bad for you. None of your zombies can enter this sanctum now!”

“…I see. Fascinating.”

“Fascinating? Ha! Bluffing, are we?”

“Not at all. I’m genuinely impressed. You might consider a career as a mystery writer.”

I couldn’t help but admire the well-structured argument. Her logic was sound, and her use of prior knowledge about my three zombies as a narrative hook was especially effective.

“However, I’m afraid I can’t entrust you with the role of detective. Jumping to conclusions is the antithesis of uncovering the truth.”

I knocked on the rear door of the military vehicle behind me. The door swung open with force, and out leapt a Tengu named Inasa and two adult demons.

“You see, assuming my allies are limited to zombies was your first mistake.”

Inasa stepped forward. Small black wings peeked from her shoulders, and she plucked a feather from one, which transformed into a large fan in her hand.

“Get blown away!”

She charged forward, swinging the fan, unleashing a fierce gust of wind. The saintess and the clergy lost their balance and tumbled to the ground. Taking advantage of the chaos, the demons swiftly restrained the two clergymen.

“W-What is—”

The saintess tried to push herself up, but it was already too late.

“This renders you unable to use holy arts.”

I approached her in long strides, placing a hand on her shoulder and channeling a small amount of magic power into her.

“Ahh—!”

“Does it sting? Channeling magic into a mismatched phase feels like a jolt of electricity, I’m told. It’s an effective way to neutralize someone. Nothing personal.”

This technique, dubbed “The Demon’s Lightning” by the kingdom’s church, was considered heretical. Naturally, it didn’t completely prevent the use of holy arts. However…

“I’ll be taking this.”

I confiscated the note-sized scripture from her grasp. The sanctum immediately dissipated. I then reached into her robes, extracting any sacred texts she carried.

“Kiwi Alaya … what kind of trickery—!”

“No trickery, just a straightforward strategy: ensure the saintess is neutralized by those immune to holy power.”

In truth, the saintess and her group should have fled the moment I appeared on the battlefield. Consider it for a moment—what kind of support unit would willingly expose themselves without a guaranteed win?

“The idea of sending slow zombies close to you was never part of the plan.”