Chapter 146: Advent of the Great Evil (6)

A low rumble shook the air as a holy light enveloped Ketal. Its power, unlike any that Shadranes had ever wielded, radiated with a quality and strength on a higher plane—an awe-inspiring divine force beyond the reach of mere mortals. Slowly, the glow settled, and Ketal’s axe began to gleam with a golden aura. “Oh, this is magnificent. I didn’t expect you to help me in this way,” Ketal remarked, genuinely impressed. He glanced toward the sky, giving a small smile. “Thank you.” With those words, shock and astonishment rippled through everyone watching. “What...?” Rakuza asked, unable to trust his eyes. Shadranes mumbled in a trembling voice, “Is that Kalosia’s... blessing?” “That’s... impossible,” Lubitra stammered. Disbelief flashed across his face. “Why would they bless someone who isn’t even a follower?” Unfortunately, Lubitra never got the answer. Ketal gripped the golden-tinged axe and lunged. The blazing edge of the weapon descended upon the demon. Lubitra was cleaved in two. He immediately regenerated and gathered his strength to counter as dozens of twisted threads erupted at once, racing toward Ketal. Yet, Ketal took one firm hold of his axe and swung it in a wide arc, shattering the threads like brittle straw. There was a stark difference in power between relying on raw physical strength alone and using the holy power. “So this is what holy power feels like,” Ketal said, as he stepped forward. The earth split beneath him as his body rocketed ahead. Lubitra slammed into the ground, his limbs torn away. Although he could still regenerate, the process was noticeably slower; the dark energy fueling him was depleting, bit by bit. That was the nature of divinity—a power carrying an absolute advantage against evil. Shadranes and Rakuza had lost because no amount of favorable affinity could make up for the sheer difference in force. However, Ketal already had the raw might to break through Lubitra’s attacks; now enhanced by holy power, he was overwhelming the demon even more thoroughly. Lubitra was unable to mount any real resistance, and divine energy steadily ate away at him. Shadranes watched in speechless astonishment. “Kalosia... actually granted their blessing to a barbarian...?” she muttered. That a deity would bestow grace on a non-believer ran contrary to everything she knew. She couldn’t recall any similar case in recorded history. And yet it was happening right in front of her. Even in her confusion, Lubitra was visibly weakening. As powerful as he was, if things continued at this rate, he was certain to be banished back to the underworld. Desperate, he let out a ferocious roar. “Barbarian!” Lubitra resorted to his final measure, savagely twisting his hands. At once, the underground threads of dark energy began rising in response. Rumble. They broke apart and lifted huge chunks of the earth, hurling them away. In an instant, the ground under Ketal’s feet collapsed, momentarily sending him into midair. Ketal’s eyebrows rose. “Oh?” Suspended briefly, Ketal started to fall. Lubitra thrust both arms forward with a wild motion. A metallic screech reverberated as a hundred separate threads merged and fused into one. It was the final blow he had been secretly preparing from the start—a single, concentrated thread holding every scrap of his power. With a fierce shout, Lubitra hurled it at Ketal. The fused thread shot across the distance, and Ketal raised his palm to meet it. Boom! Ketal was blasted away, smashing through the ground as he disappeared into the distance. Shadranes screamed, “Ketal!” “Hahaha! I did it!” Lubitra let out a triumphant howl. He had been setting up this unavoidable strike the moment the battle began. He had watched Ketal fail to defend even with his divine-infused axe. No matter how mysterious Ketal’s body was, there was no surviving a blow that contained everything Lubitra had. Convinced he had won, Lubitra’s features split into a manic grin. Just then, an axe came hurling from somewhere off to the side, burying itself in Lubitra’s chest with a sickening thud. “What?” Lubitra’s eyes flew wide. The axe still glowed with divine energy, lodged deep in his torso. He stared at it, stammering, “H-how...?” “Your secret move was impressive,” Ketal replied. He emerged from the direction he’d been thrown, appearing completely unscathed. Lubitra gawked in disbelief. “But you... I hit you! I’m certain it landed!” “Oh, you mean this?” Ketal said, showing him his palm. A faint red mark, as if from lightly pressing one’s palm on a desk corner, stood out against his skin. It was a kind of mark that would vanish over time and meant nothing more than a minor everyday bruise. That was all Lubitra’s attack had accomplished, despite using every shred of power he had. Lubitra managed a hollow laugh. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Ketal strode over, placed his hand on the axe protruding from Lubitra’s chest, and drove it down with force. The suppressed dark energy burst forth, and Lubitra’s form finally began to dissolve. Already weakened by divinity, and with his last ditch strike ending in failure, the demon could no longer maintain his presence on the mortal realm. Ketal retrieved his axe and said quietly, “It’s over.” “Haha... This is absurd,” Lubitra muttered, giving a bitter chuckle. Only now did he understand that Ketal existed on a plane well beyond his grasp. “There was never any way for me to defeat you,” Lubitra admitted, voice tinged with resignation. “We will need demons of higher ranks to handle a barbarian like you.” Not merely demons with names, but those who had been granted dominion and rank would have to act if they intended to confront this barbarian. “Higher rank, you say?” Ketal said, looking intrigued. Lubitra gave him a seething glare. “Mark my words, barbarian. When we next set foot on this world, we will kill you.” With those words, Lubitra’s presence vanished from the surface. Ketal watched the remnants of dark energy drift away and murmured, “I keep hearing the same threat... It’s getting old.” Either way, the battle was over. Ketal turned and walked toward Shadranes and Rakuza to support them. “Are you guys okay?” Ketal asked gently. “Y-yes, we’re fine,” Shadranes answered shakily, struggling to her feet. Though she wobbled, she managed to stand on her own. Her gaze fell on the gleaming golden axe in Ketal’s hand. “Ketal... that power...” Ketal shook his head. “I’m not entirely sure. I knew Kalosia was planning something, but I didn’t expect them to help like this.” Just then, the golden light clinging to his axe faded away and vanished. “So it had a time limit,” Ketal said, disappointed. “What a pity. I was hoping to keep using a weapon that carried holy power.” Rakuza gulped hard and asked in a trembling voice, “Does this mean Kalosia... acknowledges you?” “Acknowledges me? Who knows? I have no idea what they want,” Ketal said calmly. “Either way, that’s something I will need to figure out eventually. But first, we have things to do.” “Ah,” Shadranes said, as though snapping out of a daze. “Yes, that’s right. We... we survived, didn’t we?” She had been so overwhelmed by everything that had happened that she momentarily forgot the most important fact—they had won against the evil invasion. They had driven away evil and escaped doom. “We should tidy up,” Ketal reminded her. “Yes.” Still unsteady on her feet, Shadranes made her way to where several holy knights had fallen and offered a quiet prayer. “Their sacrifice was admirable. May their souls reach Kalosia safely.” After a brief moment of prayer, she stood and bowed deeply to Ketal. “Thank you. Truly... thank you.” Without Ketal, they would have perished here, and Kalosia’s name would have faded from history. Pouring all her sincerity into her words, Shadranes said, “We don’t have much, but we will give you our greatest possible reward.” “I told you that’s not necessary,” Ketal answered with a good-natured chuckle. “Anyway, let’s head back inside. Everyone must be worried, and they deserve to know what happened.” “Understood.” They pushed open the gates of the sanctuary, and anxious eyes immediately fixed on them. Shadranes stood before the crowd and spoke in a calm voice. “The demon that descended upon this world has been banished back to Hell. The foul domain surrounding our holy land has vanished as well. No dark mages or monsters remain in this place.” A glimmer of hope lit the eyes of the onlookers. Seeing that, Shadranes pressed on. “We... have achieved victory.” “Waaaaah!” A roar of celebration erupted. People clung to each other, overcome with relief and joy. They called out, “O great Kalosia, thank you for protecting us!” They also shouted, “Thank you, Saintess! Thank you, Rakzua!” Then they cried out another name, their voice echoing through the holy land. “Ketal! Thank you so much!” In one voice, they cheered and offered up Ketal’s name. *** They had secured victory, yet the cost was anything but negligible. Their resources had been severely strained during the long siege. Although they managed to gather enough provisions to hold on, it had completely drained the treasury of the holy land, leaving them in dire need of restoration. On top of that, almost all holy knights had perished. Many among them were Intermediate elites—some were even Advanced holy knights—survivors of numerous battles against monsters who should have been the future leaders of the church. Now, they had all fallen at Lubitra’s hands. It was as if the backbone of the entire religious order had snapped. Furthermore, the holy land’s barrier was destroyed, leaving them completely exposed to outside threats until it could be repaired. All in all, though they had triumphed, they had endured a painfully pyrrhic victory. Nevertheless, a victory was still a victory. Encouraged by the fact that they had repelled the evil, the people set about the painstaking work of rebuilding. Ketal also pitched in, using his strength wherever he could, and the day slipped by with everyone working together. A week passed before the region began to show any real signs of recovery. Ketal lay on a bed at a local lodging, his gaze fixed on the axe resting by his side. The divine aura that had once cloaked the weapon in gold was completely gone. “It’s a shame,” he murmured, clinking his tongue in mild frustration. He had hoped to acquire a permanent holy weapon so he could banish demons by himself. However, the power had faded so completely that not a trace remained. “Kalosia, huh?” Ketal muttered under his breath. They were the God of Lies and Deception, revered here. He wondered what they wanted from him. “I suppose I will just have to meet them and find out.” Just then, he remembered something else. Shadranes, who had finally managed a brief rest after helping restore order, had asked to speak with him privately. As the Saintess and a living conduit to Kalosia, she might hold the answers he sought. If he met her, perhaps he would learn more about the deity’s intentions. Eventually, Ketal sighed and rose to his feet. “So I have to head out after all,” he muttered, sounding less than thrilled. After hesitating for another moment, he gave up and opened the door. Outside, the followers were busily cleaning debris and repairing damage. Considering how severe the destruction was, they would need far more than a month or two to restore the holy land to its former state. In fact, it might take years for it to fully recover. Yet, despite the magnitude of the task, everyone’s expressions were bright with hope and determination as they worked. Amidst all the commotion, one of the followers happened to spot Ketal stepping out. His face lit up in excitement. “Ketal!” he called. “Wait, Ketal’s here?” another follower said, turning his gaze to see the barbarian coming out of his lodging. “It’s Ketal!” “Ketal’s here!” Their voices spread like waves, rippling out until every busy acolyte stopped working to crowd around him. Before Ketal knew it, he was hemmed in on all sides by grateful followers. Their cheers rang out powerfully. “Ketal! Good day to you!” “How did you sleep?” “Is there anything you need? Anything at all?” Their fervent gratitude had blossomed into a chorus of eager greetings, sealing off Ketal’s path with a wall of people.