Chapter 137: Kalosia’s Holy Land (7)

“You foolish, arrogant barbarian!” the dark mage sneered at Ketal’s relaxed demeanor. “Let’s see how long that confidence of yours lasts! Come forth! Fragments born from twisted darkness! Gather here, and take form!” With a crack, space tore open, and fragments of shadow crawled from the darkness, quickly coalescing into a tangible form. “No...” The faces of worshippers offering prayers inside the holy land turned pale at the sight. Ketal whistled in mild appreciation. “That’s quite big.” The gathered darkness formed the shape of an enormous giant—so huge it easily rivaled a small mountain. “Hahaha!” Bursting into hysterical laughter, the dark mage glared widely at Ketal. “We’ve already been informed about you, barbarian! Perhaps your strange nature gave you some advantage against our great demons, but that’s as far as you’ll go!” Indeed, Ketal had previously endured the authority of severance with nothing but his physical prowess, clearly demonstrating some extraordinary ability beyond comprehension. Yet, at the same time, it revealed an obvious limitation. “Your strength is confined strictly to your body!” the dark mage yelled. Ketal was unable to use Myst. Although undeniably powerful, his strength remained purely physical. And purely physical strength inevitably had its limits. Thus, the dark mage came with a solution—an even more overwhelming force. He wanted to crush Ketal with sheer power. The enormous giant posed an undeniable difference in scale. No matter how strong a human could be, he couldn’t overcome such raw mass. “Kill him!” the dark mage ordered. Boom! The giant obeyed the command and slammed its massive foot downward toward Ketal. Ketal merely stood, calmly watching the foot descend. Crash! The ground violently shook, knocking both knights and monsters off balance. “No!” Rakuza shouted as his face went pale. No matter how strong Ketal was, taking a direct hit from something of that size was surely dangerous. “Hahaha!” The dark mage cackled gleefully, convinced the arrogant barbarian had finally fallen. However, his laughter lasted only briefly. Boom! The giant suddenly soared through the air, casting a vast shadow over the battlefield before crashing far away into the earth. “W-what...?” the mage stammered, blinking in disbelief. “It was heavy, I’ll give it that.” Ketal casually emerged from beneath the collapsed ground, brushing dust off his shoulders. “But not all that impressive.” Compared to Nano, this feels too light, he thought casually. After having faced opponents like an entire palace combined into one humanoid being or a serpent bridging the heavens and earth, this encounter hardly impressed him. Snapping out of shock, the dark mage hurriedly swung his staff again. “G-get up! Kill him!” Boom! The giant rose shakily, once again following its master’s command. It charged toward Ketal at terrifying speed, each step leaving massive craters behind. Ketal kicked off the ground, charging head-on to meet the giant. The massive figure collided fiercely with the much smaller human—and once again, it was the giant who flew backward. Crack! The colossal body tumbled violently across the battlefield. The giant staggered to its feet and swung a massive fist toward Ketal, who simply raised his hand. Thud! The giant’s punch was effortlessly halted by Ketal’s palm, without him even taking a single step backward. Instead, Ketal lunged forward, rapidly striking the giant and creating deep craters with every blow. “Hm, since you’re not actually a living being, I suppose you can’t die either,” Ketal remarked. If that was the case, he’d simply tear it apart until it could no longer move. In moments, the giant’s limbs were torn away, scattering in all directions. The dark mage watched, unable to accept the reality before him. “Impossible...!” That barbarian couldn’t wield Myst. He was merely a being of raw physical strength. Logically, when faced with such a vast difference in mass, his body should have been overwhelmed. Yet, Ketal hadn’t budged an inch. Instead, it was the giant that had been flung aside like a doll. This can’t be! the dark mage thought. Just what is that barbarian’s body made of? It was as if he had completely surpassed all physical limitations. Crash! Soon enough, the giant’s limbs were entirely torn away. Ketal looked toward the mage with an amused smile. “Anything else?” Ketal asked him. “Y-you bastard!” “I guess not. In that case, you should die with your pet.” Ketal leaped forward, rushing toward the mage. Terrified, the dark mage immediately kicked off the ground, soaring into the air. “Retreat!” the dark mage shouted. The monsters began fleeing in panic, quickly emptying the battlefield, leaving only knights and monster corpses scattered across the plain. The knights stared blankly at Ketal. A giant the size of a small mountain had just been crushed by a mere human—it was hard to believe even after witnessing it firsthand. “We won...?” Breaking the stunned silence, someone murmured softly. Gradually, more voices joined in. “We won!” “Hurray!” “Glory to Kalosia!” It was a perfect, unprecedented victory, and cheers erupted among the knights. Amid their joyous cries, they celebrated their newfound hero. “That was amazing! Truly amazing, Ketal!” All eyes filled with admiration turned toward the barbarian who had delivered their victory. *** Even afterward, the dark mages relentlessly continued their invasions. It seemed they’d grown desperate, employing countless strategies in every battle to kill Ketal—but none ever succeeded. “Argh!” A dark mage swung his staff in frustration, practically begging as he shouted, “Just die already!” A ghostly monster dove straight into Ketal’s mind, a terrifying creature capable of scattering a human’s sanity and dissolving their brains. Yet, Ketal remained completely unfazed. “Did you do something?” he casually asked the dark mage. Instead of harming Ketal, the monster trying to melt his brain was, in fact, consumed by him. Seeing this, the mage gritted his teeth in despair. “What in the world are you?!” Boom! Ketal charged forward, and the battle instantly turned one-sided. “Retreat!” the mage yelled, grimacing bitterly. The monsters began to flee, prompting victorious cheers from the knights. “We won!” “Another victory is ours!” Yet, amid the celebrations were many painful groans. The battles had grown intense, leaving numerous knights severely wounded. Slowly, they staggered back toward the sanctuary. “Ugh...” One particularly injured knight stumbled heavily, nearly collapsing—but someone caught him just in time. “You look exhausted. Let me help.” Ketal gently supported the wounded knight, who stared at him gratefully. “Thank you so much.” “No need to thank me.” Ketal smiled softly. “We’re comrades fighting side by side. Helping each other is only natural.” The knights gazed at Ketal with deep admiration and respect shining clearly in their eyes. As they finally returned to the sanctuary, the waiting followers warmly welcomed them. “You’ve returned safe!” “Good job! You fought bravely!” “Ketal! Thank you so much!” Just like the knights, the worshippers also held immense trust in Ketal. After assessing the aftermath, Ketal spoke privately with Rakuza. “These battles are getting tougher each time,” Ketal remarked. “They are,” Rakuza replied. Indeed, the fights were escalating. Monsters continually increased in numbers, and more dark mages appeared on the battlefield. While the situation was undeniably dangerous, the sanctuary’s atmosphere was surprisingly optimistic—mostly thanks to Ketal himself. “We’re truly grateful. Without you, our situation would be far worse,” Rakuza said. Ketal consistently demonstrated extraordinary strength in every invasion. Though purely physical, his power was astonishingly effective. People were still talking excitedly about how he had effortlessly thrown aside a giant as if it were nothing. Such a powerful ally inspired everyone, but strength wasn’t his only virtue. Despite the exhausting battles, Ketal participated in every invasion without fail, consistently rescuing knights in peril and assisting with recovery afterward. Without Ketal’s aid, over ten holy knights would likely have perished. As a result, Ketal’s popularity was now at its peak. Some had already begun whispering that Ketal was no mere warrior—that he was Kalosia’s apostle, sent not by chance but by divine will. “Well, I did come to help, after all,” Ketal replied modestly. Rakuza’s gaze softened even further. “You’re too humble.” Hayes truly brought us someone incredible, Rakuza thought. Rumors circulating within the holy land described how Hayes had civilized and educated this barbarian. If true, that alone was an incredible achievement. Once it’s over, I will definitely record the story of Hayes and Ketal, Rakuza thought. It would be written into church history—a legacy for generations to come. Of course, Hayes would be horrified at the very idea. “By the way, are we okay on supplies? It seems we’re running low,” Ketal asked him thoughtfully. “We are running a bit low...,” Rakuza replied, nodding bitterly. They were surrounded, surviving only on stockpiled supplies. But as time passed, food and essential items were becoming scarce. Even if they held out militarily, running out of resources would eventually doom them anyway. “Few merchants are brave enough to reach us in this dangerous situation. We’re doing all we can, though. Hopefully, our efforts will soon bear fruit,” Rakuza said. “I hope so. But it’s still disappointing. It’s been over a month since the attacks began, yet no one has come to aid us.” “It’s our own fault. But thanks to you, we’re still hanging on. Truly, thank you,” Rakuza said, chuckling bitterly. “As I said, I’m just helping a friend,” Ketal replied warmly. Rakuza stared at Ketal in admiration but soon grew thoughtful, hesitating briefly before speaking again. “Ketal, I have one request.” “What is it?” “Could you spar with me...?” “Hm?” Ketal seemed surprised. “All of a sudden?” “At least once, I’d really like to fight you seriously.” Rakuza was among the strongest individuals in the world, a true Transcendent—a level few could reach. Talent alone wasn’t enough; it required something deeper: an obsessive curiosity about strength itself. Ketal’s strength is unnatural, Rakuza thought. His eyes briefly shone with intensity. What exactly is the source of his power? And how far does it go? He’d restrained his curiosity until now, but Rakuza could hardly hold it back any longer. “Actually, forget it...” Rakuza quickly shook his head. “It’s inappropriate of me to ask this from someone who’s here to help us—especially with the invasions still ongoing.” “I don’t really mind, though,” Ketal replied. “What?” Rakuza quickly raised his head, startled. “You’re... really fine with it?” “Yes, of course.” In fact, Ketal welcomed the suggestion enthusiastically. In every invasion, Ketal had to deal with the leader of the dark mages, who kept using various methods to kill him. However, even their attacks had grown predictable, making fights increasingly tedious. A chance to spar with a Transcendent holy knight sounded much more appealing. Moreover, it would be his first time fighting someone who wielded divine power. That alone made him eager. “Do we have a suitable sparring location? Considering our strength, we should probably find an open area,” Ketal said. “Oh, yes, of course!” “Then let’s get started right away. There’s still time before the next attack, so a friendly spar should be fine.” Ketal quickly took charge, making Rakuza feel unexpectedly nervous. In fact, Ketal seemed even more eager than him. Was he waiting for this proposal all along? Rakuza briefly wondered but quickly dismissed the thought. No way, that can’t be. Ketal was someone who had come selflessly to their aid, acting practically like a saint. The idea that he’d secretly been waiting for a fight was absurd. “Come on, let’s hurry. We should get started before it gets dark. Oh wait, how’s your condition? It’d be troublesome if you were injured from earlier battles, so you should probably double-check,” Ketal said. Rakuza hesitated, unable to stop himself from doubting once again. Surely not, right...?