[1-36] I wanted to give her a rugged rosary machine gun, but the author restrained myself. “Shh!”
Renée dodged the sharp silver whip Diana unleashed.
The whip, missing its target, slammed into a nearby tree, completely shattering it. The tree, creaking and groaning, tilted and eventually fell with a resounding thud.
The slender silver whip itself couldn’t possibly possess such power. It was destruction caused by the magical power imbued within it. Moreover, it was an overwhelmingly holy magical power. It was not hard to imagine that this would be a major blow to Renée, who was undead.
However, the emotions of Diana, who unleashed that intense blow, were a chillingly warm sensation.
–What is this feeling…? It can only be described as…compassion. How can she fight with such feelings!?
All the opponents Renée had fought so far had attacked with hearts filled with hostility, anger, impatience, or fear. Hugh was a prime example of this.
But Diana was different. Even though she was attacking with a stern face, like a demon, the emotions directed at Renée contained a warm compassion, like a mother singing a lullaby. Of course, there was anger and sadness (probably emotions related to Iris’s death), but compassion coexisted with them.
“Haaaah!!”
The silver whip swung vertically and horizontally, drawing a trail of silver light in the darkness. Renée, denied close proximity, received the whip with her red blade.
The feedback was heavy. There was an unpleasant sensation that resonated deep within her body, and the cursed red blade chipped as if it had been nicked.
–Even if my sword is damaged, it doesn’t really matter… but to chip this, what insane power.
The red blood blade was a crystallized mass of magical power, forged from resentment and curses. It should have been able to repel any half-hearted purification power.
The moment her feet stopped after receiving the silver whip, Hugh, emerging from the darkness, slashed at her.
“Oraaa!”
Renée, who could grasp even what was outside her field of vision with her emotion-sensing ability, couldn’t be caught off guard.
However, she was targeted at a moment when she purely couldn’t counterattack. Renée barely parried Hugh’s knives with her red blade, and just as she was about to pierce Hugh, she received another blow from the silver whip, forcing her to abandon the pursuit and retreat.
Hugh’s knives had deep cuts. If they clashed again, they would probably break.
“It’s tough! Even with ≪Consecration≫, my weapons get damaged quickly!”
“Even with the 【Holy Aura Augmentation Stigmata】 applied…!”
The two were surprised, but Renée was more surprised that she couldn’t slice the knives in half. All the weapons that had crossed blades with Renée’s red blade, except for the magic sword Tayla Ayul, had been cleanly cut through. That’s how powerful the ≪Consecration≫ applied to them was.
“And they’re strong! I’d die in 3 seconds alone!”
“Well, it can’t be helped.”
Diana shook the skirt of her priestly robe, and various silver, pointed objects fell and pierced the snow. They seemed to have already been ≪Consecrated≫, and just looking at them made Renée feel sick.
“Throwing weapons! Just get a feel for how to use them.”
“Thanks.”
“I’m counting on your support!”
Seeing that close combat was impossible, Hugh went to pick up the throwing weapons.
Renée unleashed a magical attack that would pierce through both of them.
“≪Plague Ray≫”
Red-black light gathered at the tip of the red blade, and it was released in a straight line.
Hugh dodged by jumping sideways, carrying the weapons he had picked up, but Diana… didn’t avoid it. She grabbed the silver whip between the fingers of both hands, held it taut, and raised it like a shield.
–Magical power… is concentrated at the front?
The red-black flash hit Diana. To be precise, it hit the force field she had created. Diana looked as if she had spread an invisible umbrella. The flash split in front of Diana, branching out and flying past her as if avoiding her.
“O, o, oooooo!”
“Aaaaaaaaah!!”
Renée concentrated and increased her output. Diana closed the distance head-on, splitting the red-black flash. Hugh followed Diana with perfect synchronization.
–Damn… I can’t increase the magic output as much as I want! Actually, it’s no different from before! I have the feeling that my power is increasing! Is this one of those realistic things where ‘it takes time for what you eat to become flesh and blood’!? That’s where RPG-style easy enhancements come in handy, Evil God!
An enormous amount of energy was swirling within Renée’s soul. But it was not easily expelled. It swirled violently, as if searching for the right form to settle into, causing a sensation of pleasure and discomfort, like being tickled from the inside. It is said that it takes around three hours for humans to digest and absorb food as energy. How much longer would it take to turn it into flesh and blood? In Renée’s case, it was not about the physical body but the soul, but a major transformation that doubled the power of the soul could not be completed in an instant.
Hugh jumped at a point where he had closed some distance, moving out of the flash’s line of fire. Then, he threw a silver throwing blade from the air.
–I have to dodge, or I’ll be hit…! But…!
Diana was still charging forward. A blade approached from diagonally above. Renée stopped the release of ≪Plague Ray≫.
“≪Wind Shear≫!”
A swirling shield of wind deployed, deflecting the throwing blade. But even the wind was cut through, and the silver whip approached!
“–Hot…! Damn, I should have used teleport! “
Unable to fully receive it with the red blade, the silver whip slashed Renée’s side. The moment the silver whip touched her body, an unpleasant heat burned Renée. It wasn’t real heat; it was an illusion. It was the pain of her very existence being eroded by the incompatible divine might of the great god.
When Diana twisted her wrist, the silver whip writhed as if alive and tried to entangle Renée. If she got wrapped up in this… things would be bad, no matter how she thought about it.
“≪Counter Magic Field≫!”
Magical power burst out from Renée. An absolute defense magic that nullifies the opponent’s attack magic as long as there is magical power. The holy power granted by ≪Consecration≫ was no exception. The silver whip, as a mere physical attack, only superficially wounded Renée’s body.
–But the current ≪Counter Magic Field≫ nullified my physical reflection enhancement buff…
Diana was closing in.
“Wha…”
“Iaaaaaaaah!!”
Diana’s kick struck Renée’s small body. Vital points didn’t matter to the undead, but it accurately struck her solar plexus. A creaking sound, like her body was warping, could be heard.
Her body floated, and Renée flew straight and crashed into a tree.
Naturally, the tree snapped and fell. Renée, though staggering from the impact, quickly stood up.
–Just a kick dealt this much damage to an undead…! How much of an outrageous enhancement buff is that weird magic giving her!
To add to that, Diana’s judgment was also excellent. While using ≪Counter Magic Field≫, she naturally couldn’t use other magic, and furthermore, enhancement buff magic with continuous effects also disappeared. It was the perfect opportunity to close the distance and launch a physical attack. Diana didn’t miss it.
Diana closed the distance like the wind, going for a follow-up attack. Once she had used ≪Counter Magic Field≫, the contents of the enhancement buffs would be almost completely understood. It was no longer possible to create a trap like ‘having a hidden physical reflection beforehand’.
“≪Stone Wall≫!”
“Insolent!”
A thick stone wall rose up, splitting the snow. Diana, without slowing down her charge, swung the silver whip and shattered it to pieces. However, immediately after raising the wall, Renée, instead of fleeing, closed the distance.
“Hm…!”
Just beyond the broken stone wall, the tip of the cursed red blade was thrust out. A thrust aimed at the center of her ample bosom.
“Whoa!”
Diana dodged it with a superhuman reaction that exceeded human limits, bending her upper body backward. The front of her priestly robe was shallowly cut open, revealing her chest.
She had avoided a fatal blow, but Diana’s posture was greatly broken. Renée, of course, tried to finish her off.
“【Descent Stigmata】Activate!”
Holy power enveloped Diana. With a movement that completely ignored the laws of physics, as if she had used a jet propulsion system, Diana slid in a zigzag pattern, gaining distance, and Renée’s attack missed.
–A movement magic!
Diana, sliding on the ground and turning around with a movement like floating in space, swung the silver whip.
–Then… what about a low-level magic that can be used without chanting and to break her stance! ≪Telekinesis≫!
“Huh?”
The trajectory of the silver whip faltered. The holy aura imbued within it repelled the magical interference to some extent, but it was enough to create an opening. Renée brushed aside the silver whip, which had deviated from her, with her red blade and closed in on Diana. Diana tried to respond with hand-to-hand combat, but Renée wouldn’t let her.
–≪Gully Erosion≫!
“Ah!”
Diana’s body sank. ≪Gully Erosion≫. A low-level earth element magic that creates fissures in the ground. It wasn’t a large enough crack to be called a ground fissure, at most enough to trip someone. It was frankly considered a useless magic for practice, but it had its uses like this.
“Sei!”
The red blade was thrust towards Diana, who had lost her balance. Diana used her left arm, which wasn’t holding the silver whip, as a shield.
Diana’s left arm was cut off. …But. Even with her arm cut off, Diana changed the trajectory of the slash, forcefully protecting herself. And then.
“【Punishment Stigmata】 Activate!”
A Stigmata around diana solar plexus glow. A brilliant white light burst from her right hand, which was holding the silver whip. It was as if she were holding an invisible firework tube along with the whip. Renée felt a burning pain just from the light touching her slightly, and she reflexively jumped back. She was also forced to take another step back after receiving Hugh’s throwing blade.
–A short-range, instant-activation attack magic…! I was prevented from finishing her off!
Then, Diana caught her severed left arm with her right hand and slammed it against the cut surface of her shoulder.
“Diana, are you alright!”
“I’m fine!”
With a wet, bichiri sound, the flesh adhered, and the next moment, her fingers were already moving.
–Well, recovery is a specialty of holy magic, but… which one of us is the undead here?
“I guess I can’t get close. …【Halo Stigmata】 Activate.”
When the Stigmata around Diana’s nape shone, a ring of light appeared above her head. It was exactly like the angelic rings from fairy tales. The holy aura from Diana intensified further, and it looked like a blinding radiance to Renée. The holy aura, which had previously been released as an aftereffect, was now being jetted out combatively as both a weapon and a shield.
–I’ll probably take damage just by getting close, and my movements will be slowed down. That means I want to attack with magic, but…
It had already been proven that magic was blocked. A laser that could turn an elephant well-done was deflected by a pose with the silver whip held up.
–If it’s magic that directly affects the target, it can’t be blocked by the whip… maybe? No, it’s iffy. That whip shield earlier was just concentrating the defense that was spread over her entire body to the front. I could probably take down Hugh with a direct attack if I could just burn through his amulet, but I don’t have the leeway to do that. I need to deal with Diana first, rather than stopping the throwing blades, which are only annoying at best.
Diana’s silver whip roared. Renée parried the attacking silver radiance with her red blade. The silver whip, like morning glory wrapping around a support stick, tried to entangle the red blade. Each time, Renée repelled it with ≪Telekinesis≫. If Renée stepped forward, Diana retreated, and if Renée fled, she closed the distance. In between, she launched a restraining ≪Pain Whip≫, but it didn’t reach Diana and was canceled out by a swing of the silver whip. It seemed she intended to slowly chip away at Renée from a distance where the silver whip could barely reach, while preventing Renée’s approach and magic. Indeed, Diana had an overwhelming advantage in this situation.
If an indecisive offense and defense continued, the undead would normally have the advantage. After all, the undead don’t experience physical fatigue. But it was doubtful whether Diana had the concept of fatigue at the moment. Moreover, the longer the battle dragged on, the greater the risk of being noticed by the townspeople. That was inconvenient for Renée.
While searching for a way to break the stalemate, Renée suddenly noticed a change in the silver whip.
–The ‘unpleasant feeling’ I was getting from the whip is weakening?
The holy aura surrounding the silver whip was slightly weakening.
Diana was currently maintaining multiple magics to an extent impossible for ordinary magicians (those Stigmata were probably using herself as a magic item and consuming it to maintain the magic without mental concentration), but there must be a limit to her output. It seemed that the more magic she maintained, the weaker each individual effect became.
–If this is her limit, then her output won’t increase any further. That new -technique- is too incompatible with Diana. That means, rather, that one…
As Renée’s offensive slightly slackened while she was considering her strategy, Diana immediately took advantage of it. Swinging the whip, she chanted a holy magic.
“【Holy Aura Augmentation Stigmata】 Activate… ≪Illumination≫!”
It was a holy magic that scattered holy aura like buckshot over a certain area and detonated it. The flashes of light approached like a wave.
–I’ll cancel it out!
“≪Plague Ray≫!”
In response, Renée released a red-black flash of death. The light bullets that were on a direct course to hit Renée were erased, and the beam further targeted Diana.
“I’m tired of seeing that!”
Diana held up her whip and endured. The thick laser split in front of Diana, branching into several streams and passing behind her.
–Just as I thought. They’re barely evenly matched.
It could be said that she had a good sense of balance. Perhaps she had gauged Renée’s magical attack power from the previous shot, leaving enough defense to withstand it and pouring the rest into another ‘Stigmata’. She was fighting so desperately just to achieve a stalemate.
–Then… I’ll decide it here!
Hugh, who was out of the line of fire, threw a throwing blade. Before it could hit.
Simultaneously with stopping the release of ≪Plague Ray≫. Renée used an unchanted ≪Short Teleport≫ against Diana for the first time.
““She disappeared!?””
The two were equally astonished.
Diana turned towards Renée, who had teleported behind her. It was admirable that she turned around while holding up the silver whip for defense.
For Diana, who could detect with the Stigmata on her chest, losing sight was only momentary. But her response to unexpected movements was delayed. Even if it was only for a moment, a gap was created.
–Before she gets used to it! Before she has time to think about anything unnecessary!
“≪Plague Ray≫!”
Diana defended against the further attack magic in the same way as before. The torrent of death was repelled by the holy radiance.
But this was a smokescreen. Diana, currently taking the laser head-on, probably couldn’t see Renée’s change. Renée, gently placing the head she was holding in her left hand back on top of her head, felt her body becoming lighter.
–One more time!
Renée teleported again to Diana’s side. It was a position where Diana and Hugh were lined up.
“You’re so fidgety…!”
Diana’s eyes widened in surprise as she turned around.
If one were to objectively describe what Diana saw at that moment, it would be a ‘child-sized skeleton wearing a robe’. The flesh had been scraped off, and the skin was stretched taut over the bones, a gruesome sight. Her silver hair remained, but her silver eyes were no longer present. Renée obtained her vision through the cold silver light that lit up her hollow eye sockets. The cursed red blade had transformed into a magic staff, also with the texture of a cut ruby.
“What…”
“≪Plague Ray≫”
A red-black flash, with its output increased to nearly twice that of before, swallowed Diana and Hugh.