Chapter 153: Holy Power (4)

“Holy power can also be channeled into weapons. I believe you’re already somewhat familiar with that concept,” Rakuza said. “Of course,” Ketal replied. He remembered how Kalosia’s blessing had imbued his axe with divine energy. “The method is essentially the same as when you try to infuse your body with holy power, except you direct it into a weapon rather than your flesh.” “Hmm.” Ketal closed his eyes and prayed, wishing in his heart for his weapon to hold the power of the divine. Almost immediately, a golden aura began to coat his axe. “Wow!” Ketal exclaimed. The axe’s pitch-black surface took on a shimmering gold, the contrast of colors making it look strikingly beautiful. Rakuza murmured in admiration, “You adapt quickly. Plenty of believers struggle with this.” “Doesn’t seem too hard,” Ketal remarked with a grin. “So, with this, I can vanquish evil, right?” “Yes. Of course, demons will defend themselves, but if you can break through their defenses and strike their essence, it will work.” “I see,” Ketal said, his eyes beaming with intrigue. At last, he could fight demons on his own. Rakuza continued explaining, “Beyond simply imbuing weapons, you can do many other things with holy power. For example, you can impose constraints or agreements.” “Constraints and agreements?” “Yes. With the other party’s consent, you can place a restriction that prevents them from lying, or create a bell that rings whenever deceit is spoken. Things like that,” Rakuza explained. .bg-container-63276437b6{ display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; justify-content: center; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } Ketal’s eyes lit up. “That’s like the restriction Naflas put on those bandits.” “Precisely. But, of course, there are limits. If the other party won’t agree or they’re powerful enough to resist, they can break it or see through it. Within ordinary bounds, though, it works well.” Rakuza went on, “You can also cast a spell called the Veil of Deceit to conceal yourself. Also, you can heal minor injuries and illnesses. Holy power is extremely versatile.” “That’s impressive,” Ketal said, nodding. “It is. Its broad usefulness is one of holy power’s greatest strengths,” Rakuza replied with a smile. “Now, let’s go over how to actually perform these techniques.” So Rakuza taught Ketal how to wield holy power more effectively and explained its various applications. Ketal absorbed each lesson and practiced diligently. The experience itself thrilled him. While learning new skills was exciting, the simple act of manipulating holy energy—this profound gift from a deity—was what truly filled him with joy. He felt as if he had stepped into the role of a fantasy novel protagonist. This was precisely what he had wished for all along: to channel the mysterious energy of a fantastical world. The opportunity to do so had existed since the moment he had arrived here, but that cursed White Snowfield ruined everything at first. Now, though, it no longer hindered him. He was finally free to enjoy everything this world had to offer. Ketal thus continued studying holy power with great enthusiasm, and his rapid progress amazed Rakuza. “You learn incredibly fast... much faster than most people do,” Rakuza remarked. Although holy power was simpler to handle than Aura or mana, that comparison was relative. It was still a profound spiritual force that demanded significant time and effort to master. Some believers needed years just to handle it at a basic level. Yet, Ketal was already matching the pace of highly gifted students—a fact that astonished Rakuza. I assumed a barbarian would struggle, Rakuza thought. Usually, those who have studied more can learn faster. Someone with no background or education would lag behind. However, here was Ketal, learning at an almost prodigious speed. “That’s impressive,” Rakuza said. “Considering this is effectively your first time studying anything like this, your pace is remarkable.” Ketal only smiled in response. He continued practicing the many uses of holy power, until at one point, nothing happened when he tried to summon more holy power. “Why isn’t it working?” Ketal asked Rakuza. “There’s only so much divine energy stored in the bracelet,” Rakuza replied. “Once you exhaust it, you can’t use it for a while.” “I assume it will recharge over time?” “Yes. According to the records, it takes about a day or two to refill.” “Makes sense.” Ketal realized he would have to pace himself and ration his use of holy power. “So, that’s it for today,” Rakuza concluded. “Right. Once it recovers, can we go over more techniques?” Ketal asked him, still eager. “Of course,” Rakuza answered with a smile. “Come by whenever you like. Considering what we owe you, it’s a small thing on our part, so please don’t feel indebted.” *** After that, Ketal’s daily routine became much simpler. Whenever the holy power inside his bracelet recharged, he would seek out Rakuza to learn more about handling it. Then, once he had expended all of that energy, he would either rest in his quarters or help with repairing the sanctuary. When the divine energy was restored again, he’d repeat the cycle with Rakuza, practicing ways to employ the holy power. This pattern continued day after day, but for Ketal, it was a precious time indeed. In fact, Rakuza eventually began to look a bit worn out from all the teaching. “You’ve nearly mastered it,” Rakuza muttered, looking somewhat weary. It hadn’t been that long since Ketal first started learning, but there was hardly anything left to teach him aside from subtle techniques and real combat usage. Ketal shrugged lightly. “It’s fun. Though it seems there’s a clear limit to what it can do.” He had discovered that holy power was indeed versatile. It could heal small wounds, dispel minor curses, fight evil, and impose contractual constraints or vows. However, these abilities all came with conditions. Healing was only effective on relatively superficial injuries; restraining evil or neutralizing curses only worked up to a certain threshold. Constraints required the target’s consent or that the target be below a certain level of power. And because of the special properties of Ketal’s body, he couldn’t use holy power to strengthen himself at all. Holy Power boasted broad potential, but its upper limits were well-defined. Rakuza explained apologetically, “You’re dependent on the relic for it, so there’s only so much divine energy in both quantity and quality. It can’t be helped.” “I see,” Ketal replied, clicking his tongue. So in the end, I will need to figure out how to use Aura or mana. After all, holy power was borrowed, not something he generated on his own. He would need to discover how to wield the Myst within himself. “How long until we finish everything here?” Ketal asked him. “At your pace, I’d say a day or two.” “In two days, huh...” .bg-ssp-10081{margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;display:flex;justify-content:center;} By then, he would have learned all he could about holy power, and there’d be no further reason to remain here. Maybe I should start getting ready to leave, Ketal thought. He had thwarted an invasion of evil, fought a formidable demon, met a god, and obtained holy power. It couldn’t get much better. All things had a beginning and an end, and his time here was concluding. Where should I go next? he wondered. There were plenty of places to explore. He might go searching for the Thieves’ Guild or venture into the Under City. He thought about visiting the Mage Tower to study magic, or head to the elves’ sacred land—he did have a standing invitation from Arkemis, so that would be a valid pretext. While Ketal was happily contemplating his options, Rakuza spoke up, as though recalling something. “Oh, right. We’ve received word that reinforcements are on the way.” “Reinforcements?” Ketal echoed. “It’s all over, isn’t it?” “We never managed to inform the outside world of our victory. I think they are just arriving now.” Indeed, they had succeeded in clearing away the evil that once corrupted the plains, but nobody had broadcast that triumph. Kalosia’s sanctuary was in a remote area, far from any town, so people rarely visited. Plus, the region had been tainted with evil, deterring travelers all the more. Consequently, to outsiders, it would seem the place was still under siege. Ketal gave a wry chuckle. “It’s like Schrödinger’s cat, huh,” he remarked. Rakuza looked puzzled. “Schr... what? What does that mean?” “I was just talking to myself,” Ketal said lightly. Then he noted, “They sure took their time. It’s been almost a month since everything ended.” Rakuza forced a brief smile. “Yes, indeed.” As Ketal ran his fingers over the bracelet on his wrist, he asked Rakuza, “So, who’s coming as the reinforcements?” Rakuza answered, “An inquisitor of the Sun God, and a mage from the Mage Tower.” “Inquisitor... of the Sun God?” Ketal said as his eyes widened. “Yes. Is there something wrong?” “No, never mind. It’s probably a different inquisitor,” Ketal said under his breath. *** Deep within a forest, sunlight filtered through the trees and fell on a silver-haired woman. Her crimson eyes were closed in silent prayer. A brown-haired man stood behind her and spoke. “Aquaz, are you done?” he said. “Yes,” she answered, opening her eyes to reveal their vivid red color. “I’ve finished my final prayer. Thank you for waiting.” “Don’t mention it,” the man replied. She rose to her feet. This was Aquaz, the Chief Inquisitor of the Sun God. “Let’s go. We must help those being overrun by evil,” she declared. The mage accompanying her nodded. They set off through the forest, the man parting undergrowth with his staff as he muttered, “We’re almost there.” They were the reinforcements, coming to rescue Kalosia’s holy land from an invasion by evil. Aquaz wore a worried expression. “Do you think the sanctuary has managed to hold out?” she asked him anxiously. “I doubt it,” the mage answered. “If the forces of the Cradle of Darkness have launched a full-scale attack, and with no major backup, the only chance to hold on would be a direct intervention from the god. It’s more likely everything’s already in ruins.” “In that case, this is dire. They may have already summoned demons.” Aquaz’s face tensed. She clutched the Sun God’s emblem hanging around her neck. “We may have to risk our lives.” Looking at her, the mage grinned toothily. “Don’t worry, Aquaz. I will protect you. Even if it costs me my life.” His voice dripped with sentiment, and Aquaz responded with a delicate, somewhat uneasy smile. “I appreciate your kindness, but you needn’t bother. The Sun God will protect me.” “Well, if it comes to that, you can rely on me. We mortals have to help each other, right?” “Haha... Thank you,” she answered awkwardly. They continued talking as they crossed the last rise, bracing themselves. Beyond that small hill lay the plains where Kalosia’s holy land situated. When they crested the hill, they finally saw Kalosia’s sanctuary—and froze in their tracks. “Huh?” “What...?” Aquaz and the mage both widened their eyes in confusion. The plains were free of any trace of evil corruption. Instead, they saw an intact sanctuary, standing firm amid an ordinary landscape that lacked even a hint of darkness. “How is that possible?” Aquaz asked him. “I... I have no idea,” the mage replied. Stunned, they stared at the unexpected sight. The mage stammered, “But there’s no trace of dark energy. Could it be that the attack never happened?” “No, that can’t be the case,” Aquaz answered. Looking more closely, they noticed countless signs of battle around the sanctuary. The land had been torn up so badly that it hardly qualified as plains anymore—evidence of an extremely intense fight. This made the outcome even more puzzling. “Did they repel an attack from the Cradle of Darkness all by themselves?” Aquaz asked him. “Is that really possible?” the mage said, also confused. Unable to get answers just by watching from a distance, he suggested, “Let’s go see what’s going on.” “Yes,” Aquaz agreed, and the pair moved closer. The nearer they drew, the more obvious it became that the sanctuary’s atmosphere was bright and peaceful, as though free from any lingering dread. Aquaz, looking somewhat bewildered, approached a holy knight of Kalosia who stood guard at the entrance of the sanctuary.