Joint Combat Practice 2 (11)
The condition of the horse was not very good either.
Of the horses pulling the carriage the only one who was unharmed was brought along. The sound of his hooves hitting the floor continued cheerfully but soon the sound began to become irregular.
Little by little I can feel the horse’s body staggering. It seemed like life would soon come to an end. Still it was easier to run for the owner who carried him on his back. Maybe it was Jeong who had been pulling the saint’s carriage all his life.
―Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
The ear-piercing roar of the Seongchangryong rang out again. If you run across the plazas of the professor building you can see at a glance the entire view of the professor building which is also stained with blood.
“Listen carefully saint. First of all this episode was bad!”
Ed shouted to the saint who was clutching the horse’s reins tightly wrapping her hands around his waist and burying her face in her back.
“I will help you reveal the truth as much as possible so if you go back… This time you must prepare to close the case truly ‘perfectly’!”
The wind passes by my earlobes. Clarice who was burying her face in Ed’s wide back nodded her head to him.
Once again an earthquake rocks the Aken Island area. Lucy blocks Bellbroke’s huge paws as they fly toward the living quarters covering the sky with high-level elemental magic unleashed by Obel.
―Kwaang! Quang! Quang!
A defensive formation so gigantic that it could not be captured at a glance surrounded the area of the living quarters but its shape became distorted little by little every time Bellbroke’s front paw was thrown away.
Clarisse trembled with fear and hugged Ed tightly but soon a feeling of discomfort entered her chest.
Ed’s arm which was holding the horse’s reins was shaking strangely. He raised his head and looked at Ed’s face where he was driving his horse with his teeth clenched and his eyes glaring ahead. The eyes look as if they have made the determination of a lifetime.
Only then did Clarisse think about it again.
In the dozens of accumulated repetitions of time Clarice has encountered the majesty of that gigantic dragon over and over again.
Even after this one ends there will probably be a next time.
However for Ed in that time every moment is a first.
He is a human being who has to face a disaster that appears out of nowhere while leading an ordinary daily life.
For Clarice it’s just one repetition but for Ed every moment is a gamble with his life.
Even if you knew that time could go back putting your life on the line brings with it an unimaginable amount of fear.
The sight of gritted teeth and tight hands holding the reins… It is so natural.
However he never shows such fear. He even resists the urge to run away. He knows that if he gets upset Clarisse will get upset too.
Clarisse tightened her grip around Ed’s back.
―Kagagagak!
At that moment the horse gave out a sigh and fell down. I had exhausted all my strength.
As their bodies lifted loudly a distant sense of floating enveloped their bodies. Ed quickly pulled Clarisse’s arm and held her tightly rolling her onto the floor.
Fortunately I didn’t suffer any major injuries from falling into the flower bed. However Ed was already quite injured so he had to take deep breaths to hold back the pain.
Clarisse looked up at Ed’s face in his arms and felt her heart break.
“Senior Ed… Bleeding from arm… .”
it’s okay. “There have been quite a few times where I have been injured more seriously than this.”
Ed waved the blood off his arm then stood up and dusted off his pants. Then after pulling Clarice up he looked up at the Bachelor’s Cathedral where they had finally arrived.
―Kwaang! Quang!
The magic of Seongchangryong which is rampaging as if to destroy the entire Aken Island still covers the sky.
Against the background of the night sky a large cross stood tall without any hesitation.
It is not a very large building but it cannot be said to be small either. The exterior walls neatly raised with an appropriate mix of brick and marble are beautifully decorated with stained glass windows and a simple cross symbolizing the blessing of Telos.
“I guess I’ve come to the right place.”
Ed spoke while looking at the cross on the steeple rising high into the sky.
There is a man standing against the background of the starry sky where magic comes and goes. It seemed like he was hiding himself as much as possible using stealth magic but as we got closer to the cathedral he seemed to reveal himself.
Although he is wearing a dark red robe with a gold border his age can be guessed from his vaguely visible silhouette.
A middle-aged man who shows signs of age. Looking at his angular jaw and the occasionally exposed muscles of his forearms it is clear that he has been training for a long time.
It has wings sprouting from its back. The wings that pierce the back of the robe are spread out making his silhouette resemble a cross on his back.
The weapon he is holding in his hand is an iron spear. Even at first glance it was a high-end product.
Clarice swallowed her saliva at the familiar silhouette.
The ‘Apostles of Telos’ a separate unit under the direct command of the Holy Emperor Eldain.
It is the most honorable position granted to only eight people among the holy magicians of the Holy Emperor Capital with its long history and large scale.
This was a group that Ed also knew well.
Each and every one of them was revered as the best magician in Holy Emperor Capital. If all 8 people were to gather in one place even Lucy Mayril who inherited the bloodline of the Great Mage would not be able to easily break through.
―Paang!
The man landed at the entrance of the cathedral kicking up dust. The wind blowing out made my collar flutter.
Their most fatal weakness is their faith.
No matter how powerful a magician is… You cannot resist a saint who has received the blessing of Telos.
I should have… .
“I’m sorry Saint Clarice.”
Hierarchy always changes depending on the situation.
If the person who gave him instructions is someone higher than Saint Clarice he will block his path even if the opponent is a saint.
“This is an order from Holy Emperor Eldain. After this… No one can pass by.”
Clarisse’s eyes trembled greatly.
The apostles I met in Seonghwangdo were always trustworthy allies.
Whenever I met a saint I always bowed my head and knelt to show my deep religious faith.
These are people who were honored with every word of their conversation with the saint and who lived their lives with great honor as they received the baptism of the Lord.
Clarisse swallowed dryly when she saw him guarding the entrance to the cathedral.
Ed whispered in the ear of the embarrassed saint.
“Break through without fail. All you can think about is opening that door entering the cathedral and confirming the truth. “Put aside all other distracting thoughts.”
“What about Ed… ?”
“We might be able to create a gap for a moment.”
Ed took out a dagger from his thigh dance. The blade of the dagger with the spirit ceremony engraved on it shined sharply under the moonlight.
Clarisse looked at that and shook her head. Ed was already seriously injured.
Additionally his opponent the Apostle of Telos is one of the best talents in the Holy Capital. If you’re dealing with a saint you probably won’t respect Ed at all… Even if he fought him the outcome would have been obvious.
Clarice gritted her teeth and ran forward shouting to the apostle.
“Get out of the way right now… ! I need to go inside and see what’s going on… !”
“Saint.”
The man lowered his head and spoke with strangely sad eyes.
“I’m sorry but you can’t pass by. All I can say is… “It’s all done for the saint.”
that… “I will judge.”
Despite Clarice’s words the man quietly shook his head.
“Saint. Even if you pass by there is nothing more you can do… .”
―Kaang!
Before he could finish his words Ed’s dagger flew towards his eye. Ed jumped out of his seat and tried to drive the dagger he was holding back into his body.
Of course the man reacts as if that is natural. When I lifted the spear handle and grabbed the wrist part my trembling hand was unable to move forward any further.
“You… what… ?”
Of course I also knew that an attack of this magnitude would be easily blocked.
When Ed released his grip on the dagger a large crystal ball popped out from inside. It was a handmade magical engineering product called ‘Impact Reinforced Wave Ball’.
The man’s eyes widened but he couldn’t help but be swept away by the shock that exploded in his face.
“Ugh!”
Ed’s goal in the first place was to remove the man from the entrance.
The man who was momentarily pushed away by the shock wave regained his balance by leaning on the outer wall of the cathedral.
-bang!
Clarice had already kicked down the door and entered the cathedral.
“Cheet… !”
The man with his tongue clenched tried to jump in after Clarice but a flying blade of wind blocked his path.
―Kaang! Kaang!
Holy magic is magic that borrows the power of Telos who uses divine power. In most cases people used their spiritual power by replacing it with magical power but the man was using most of his divine power to strengthen his body.
When Ed was thrown away with strength several times that of a normal human Ed who floated in the air for a while rolled on the floor several times kicking up dust. The taste of blood came out between coughs.
“You’re already bleeding heavily.”
The man stood on the stairs at the entrance to the cathedral and looked down at Ed who had knocked out the spear and was lying on the floor in a state of complete disrepair.
“Just lie there and rest. I don’t know what the purpose is but given the situation if it seems like things will be disrupted I could take your life. I am… “I don’t want to go to the extent of killing people.”
The moment he says that and turns his back to chase after the saint he feels another heavy blow on his shoulder.
Three arrows flew from Ed’s magic bow and hit his shoulder but did not penetrate his skin.
this… This guy… .”
The eyes of the man looking back are haunting.
Ed quickly finished assessing the power. I already had prior information about the Apostle of Telos.
There is no way he could beat the best magic magician in Seonghwangdo with Ed’s specs who have now entered the normal growth trajectory. If so you need to come up with another solution.
The man adjusted his spear and spread his wings. The intention was to quickly deal with her ed and follow her saint.
Ed took out ‘Glast’s Phoenix Ring’ from his pocket. If it’s time to go back anyway there’s no pressure to use the magic of the future.
Future magic flow If you are prepared to never use magic for the rest of your life how far can you use your magic?
With that thought in mind Ed injected magical power into the ring and launched himself again. The dagger with the spirit ritual engraved on it flew back to find its owner and the magic power unleashed from the earth enveloped the area.
Men have good intuition. She noticed that things were not going so easily so she raised her hands and said a prayer gathering her divine power. The sexual magic that strengthens his body and makes it more agile turns him into a monster that transcends humanity.
Wizard and warrior. Naturally the opponent tries to narrow the distance.
Now that the man has noticed that the other person’s behavior is unusual he will immediately try to subdue Ed.
As if to prove that fact the man immediately kicked the floor and ran towards him. The spear flies in aiming for Ed’s heart. The speed alone is almost comparable to that of a bullet.
The man who advanced at a speed beyond human cognitive ability was convinced just before the spear touched Ed’s heart. She got it.
I shake off the guilt of having taken another life and sink the spear into it.
―Phew!
“Wow!”
Maybe he twisted his body just before that but it didn’t pierce his heart. But blood was gushing out of Ed’s body which had pierced her chest completely.
Red blood spattered on the high-ranking priest’s robes. Looking at the scene the man quietly prayed to God.
I ended up killing again. She confessed that fact carefully in her heart.
-Faaah!
It was that moment.
Ed’s blood-covered hand grabs the man’s hand holding the spear.
The man looked down at Ed in surprise… I swallowed my breath.
Being pierced by a spear… Ed had his eyes wide open. Fresh blood was pouring out of the corner of his mouth but he withstood the pain and held the dagger in his other hand.
The direction the dagger is pointing is towards one’s right hand which is holding the man’s hand.
―Phew!
The dagger pierced Ed’s hand and penetrated the man’s hand. The mixed blood overflows.
The dagger binds Ed and the man’s hands like handcuffs and does not let them go.
Ed’s trembling hand tightly grasps the back of the man’s hand preventing him from pulling back.
this… This guy… ?”
A wry smiling face does not belong to someone who is about to die.
“When the gap in original specifications cannot be narrowed down… .”
Once again fresh blood comes out from the corner of Ed’s mouth. Ed continues his story even as his blood bleeds.
“You have to rely on luck and gambling.”
this… mi… My friend… !!”
Ed Rosstaylor asks. My stake is my life. Then what will you bet?
The correct answer is to shake off Ed and increase the distance by being prepared to throw away one of your hands. However just one moment of hesitation sends him to his death. In the world of fighting at the tip of a sword the slightest suspension of judgment can change the outcome of a fight.
―Hwaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
A spirit summoning ceremony that was finally revealed. Merilda a high-ranking wind spirit who bounces up through the floor opens his mouth and bites him off in one bite.
“Kaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
Fresh blood burst out from Merilda’s mouth. No matter how high-level holy magic is wrapped around one’s body one’s essence is still human. Even marble would shatter if it entered the mouth of that huge wolf.
His bloody body fell out of Merilda’s mouth and rolled on the floor. It was as if he was barely breathing.
-Teook.
Ed fell to his knees just as he was pinned by the spear.
The blood flowing freely soaked the floor.
―Whaaaaaaaa!
Ed is already mortally wounded. Even the slightest burden of magical energy would increase the amount of bleeding exponentially.
Merilda quickly released her original form and returned to her humanoid form with reduced magical power as much as possible and landed on the floor. She and she dove towards Ed.
[Are you really crazy? Are you sane? no! Wake! ]
I tried to clutch Ed’s wound but there was no way I could do anything with it.
[Why did you do such a crazy thing! If only they had honestly summoned me and challenged me head-on… ]
quietly… a little… My ears are ringing… .”
Ed grabbed Merilda’s collar which was turning red and vomited blood once more.
Ed already knew the man’s name. The Apostle of Telos was already a group within his knowledge.
Apostle of Telos an elite detachment of 8 members directly under the Holy Emperor. Among them Taldarek the Swift sits on the third seat.
If we had to face him head-on it was obvious that this side would be outnumbered due to its extremely fast speed and control of air superiority through its wings.
There is already a significant difference in specs so trying to fight while handing over tactical elements to the opponent is neither porridge nor bread.
That’s why it was a short-term decisive battle. The stake was life and what was achieved was a victory that overturned the far-fetched difference in specifications.
Victory in a duel is not always determined by strength or weakness.
Ed Rosstaylor is a competitive fighter who only works in the direction of achieving victory at any cost. If it was a stake that was going to come back anyway he had to know how to throw it away without even blinking even if it meant his life.
The key was whether or not one had the mental strength to overcome that fear.
[ you… really… ! hey… no… ! Wake… ! do not die! Don’t die! ]
Merilda was at a loss as she clutched Ed’s wound which was bleeding profusely.
Ed raised his head shakily and looked at the cathedral the entrance of which was open.
And then… With a satisfied face… She slowly closed her eyes as if she was falling asleep.
* * *
The structure of the cathedrals is generally similar. If you pass the entrance and go through a small hallway you will find a large chapel.
The same is true for all cathedral buildings. No matter what anyone says the space that occupies the largest proportion is the chapel.
however… The door was locked from the moment you entered the hallway. It felt like the lock was locked from the inside.
Clarice has been to this cathedral several times. She is a saint of the Telos Church. If there is an event on the weekend or during the semester it is natural for her to come out to show her face once in a while.
So I had a rough idea of what the internal structure was like. Clarisse knew that this was a fairly wide hallway so he raised his holy power and broke down the door.
―Kwaang!!
I was not very pleased with the situation where the space where God’s energy resided was destroyed with holy laws. But now was not the time to discuss things like religion.
If you cross the hallway like this and enter the chapel…
That was the moment I thought about it.
uh… la… .”
“… !”
What Clarice saw after breaking through the door was a girl staggering out of the end of the hallway leading to the chapel.
Various flowers beautifully embroidered on the light yellow hair that fell neatly.
It’s been almost two years but Clarisse clearly remembers that face. He always played the lute from the window of the saint’s room at the top of Seonghwangdo… It’s the young bard.
Clarisse always felt frustrated because she had not been able to meet her even though it had been a while since she entered school.
ah… Del… .”
Adele is now Clarice’s senior. Just follow the academic regulations.
However Clarisse was taken aback by that unexpected face so she called his name like an old friend.
Adele staggered out of the darkness… He was covered in a lot of blood. All that blood was Adele’s.
The body is full of all kinds of scratches. Some of the stab wounds were so deep that blood was continuously leaking out.
“Adele… Adele… !”
ah… hot… .”
Clarice ran out and caught Adele’s body as she tried to fall forward.
I looked at Adele who was sitting on the floor crying and completely devastated.
“Adele… What happened… What happened… ! like this… .”
“Saint… .”
Clarice sat down facing each other and hugged Adele’s shoulders tightly and tears welled up in the corners of Clarice’s eyes.
How on earth did this happen? What happened inside the cathedral? Why did you come out here? There were a lot of things I wanted to ask but the most urgent thing was to check Adele’s condition.
So the moment Clarice was about to ask Adele if she was okay…
“――You came earlier than I expected.”
Clarisse sighed at those words.
“… what?
still… “You don’t have to come back.”
Adele gritted her teeth and raised her upper body in Clarisse’s arms.
“For making it a difficult experience… sorry… .”
“Adele… what are you saying… I’m doing it… ?”
still… Not much time left… . It’ll be over soon… . a little bit… If I hold on any longer… .”
At that time a huge amount of light emitted from Adele’s body. The shining thing engraved on one arm is… It is clearly the ‘protection of the Holy Law’ granted only to the saints of the Telos Church.
The protection of this holy law that protects one’s body from all holy magic and protects it from attacks that harm one’s body… It is the highest level of blessing in the denomination that can only be imprinted by the gathering of one archbishop six bishops eight apostles and the holy law of the Holy Father. Literally unless you are a saint you cannot obtain it.
And what soon blooms is a huge legal formation based on ‘aspect magic’. The enormous time-reversing magic that manifests and spreads from Adele’s body… I’m trying to rewind the world’s clock again.
A sensitive talent that can transform divine power into Aspect magical power. Adele is a girl with a rare talent that has never been seen before in the history of the church.
No matter what kind of incident or accident struck Sylvania the leisurely feeling of being able to always play the lute and recite elegant music… After all she was a saint who was not recorded in her history.
If you have the protection of the Holy Law that protects your body your body can be protected from any attack with murderous intent.
This… This… .”
Clarisse watched the magic circle appear with her pupils trembling.
The whole world was being colored with light. In that gap… I could barely see Adele smiling.
“Adele… ! Adele… !”
Clarice shed tears and somehow managed to regain her fading spirit…
Sadly the world did not allow her another time.
* * *
“Saint. Let’s talk… What are you talking about… ?”
The afternoon of a joint combat training day. A wooden table under the wide blue sky and warm sunlight.
Ed closes the book and puts it on the table looking at Clarisse with a puzzled look.
“… .”
Suddenly Clarisse stood up hitting the table.
So for a while… He was staring into space with a blank face.
Ed and Yenika were the only ones looking at the saintly woman with dumbfounded expressions.
After about a minute Clarisse turns her gaze towards Ed.
He is like a benefactor who tried to provide the answer even by dying for him over and over again.
Thanks to his help I feel like I’m getting closer to the truth but the pieces of the puzzle still don’t fit together in my head.
just… Clarisse… Out of habit I sat down next to him and held his arm tightly. A strange sense of stability settles in her heart.
therefore… . What was the sight he saw… endlessly… I thought about it constantly.
“… ???”
“… Huh????”
Of course from Ed and Yenika’s perspective it was nothing more than a lightning strike in the dry sky.
* * *
― ‘It appears that the divine law’s protection has been successfully established in the body. Now once you complete the ‘Stigmata Baptism’ which announces that you have become a saint in front of the public you will officially reign at the top of this holy throne as a saint. Adele.’
– ‘Yes. I can definitely feel my strength rising more than usual.’
― ‘The protection of the Holy Law will allow you to utilize the divine power in your body to its limit. Adele can use her divine power to even touch the power of her Aspect so she will exalt her name as the most powerful saint in the history of the Holy Emperor.’
– ‘That’s too much to say. Archbishop. I feel like I am being extravagant that I have all the protection that requires so much magical power.’
― ‘It is a blessing befitting the nobility of the saint. The protection of the holy law will protect the saint’s body forever. Since you have the aptitude to bring out all the abilities of God’s protection you will always feel like you are wearing a strong shield.’
Open your eyes. It is a dark corner hallway leading to the combat training room of Glokt Hall.
He was sitting nearby playing the lute… It felt like it was a long time ago.
As I cough and sneeze a trickle of fresh blood comes down from the corner of my mouth.
The blood that flowed out became a puddle and wet the surface of the lute lying next to it.
“Aha.”
Seeing this scene again and again Adele felt that it was back again and burst into laughter.
The sight of Seong Chang-ryong destroying Aken Island and massacring the students flashes before my eyes… It all happened like nothing happened.
The blessings wrapped around Adele’s body overturn even the flow of time.
Adele rested quietly for a while. All of his wounds are still intact.
“If it all turns out to be nothing and no one remembers… .”
After about ten minutes I regained my strength and slowly got up.
And as he had done dozens of times he picked up his lute and led his staggering body… Slowly slowly move towards the cathedral.
rather… “It won’t be lonely.”
No matter how many times I repeat it I never get used to the moment of leaving this quiet hallway.
– ‘hey.’
– ‘yes? Senior Ed.’
– ‘You will die soon.’
– ‘i know.’
Now it feels like a story from long ago. This is the conversation I had with Ed in this very hallway.
I don’t know what the intention behind these words was but strangely enough they were accurately pointing out Adele’s fate.
It’s strange. The world will always go back to being the same. However Ed never appeared in front of Adele except for her first time.
It was probably because there was some cause but Adele didn’t think much about it. He had no time to disperse his thoughts.
I just thought about standing up against the wall and heading back towards the cathedral.
“Whoa… .”
I finally feel like my body is running out of energy. I don’t even remember how many times I repeated it but I can finally see the end.
It was a long journey. Who should I blame? This is the path I chose for myself.
Adele left the Glokt Hall with unsteady steps.
The night sky I looked up at the day before the stigmata baptism shimmered before my eyes.
That day Adele finally succeeded in getting a glimpse into her future.
And because she was afraid of that future she gave up on becoming a saint. She gave various reasons and Adele ran away from her job as torch manager.
Well it had to be that way.
The future seen through the distant starry sky…
It was a future in which she would be sacrificed as a saint to restore the resurrection of Seong Chang-ryong.
