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Chapter 250: Rinella’s Destiny is Her Own (43)

I observed the chaos below from a high angle.

Yet, I could still guess what was concealed beneath the shadow. Black hair and golden eyes were symbols of a specific family, and the likelihood of such genetic traits coincidentally overlapping was not high.

Perhaps it was someone with a face resembling mine.

Or maybe someone resembling Ria.

Judging by the voice, the opponent was a woman. The playful chuckle suggested a relatively young age.

Lost in thought, I was jolted back to reality by Seria's urgent scream.

"...Senior Ian!"

Only then did I snap out of it, face-to-face with a test subject who had approached me.

His arm swung wildly, carrying formidable strength. While he wasn't a threat to me, the cumulative force of his strikes could be problematic.

My sword sliced through the air like lightning, shattering the test subject's skull.

Blood spurted, signifying the end of a life. Until then, my mind had been muddled.

The fallen hatchet was back in my hand, and finally, the fog in my mind began to clear.

As I rose to my feet, Mitram's laughter echoed.

"Ahahaha! Are you surprised, Ian Percus?"

"...Who are you?"

Mitram made a peculiar sound, squinting her eyes.

Golden eyes gleamed beneath the shadow, casting an eerie glow. The exposed lips visible beneath formed a seductive curve.

"Who am I? Of course, I am Mitram, your friend and a faithful servant of the Evil God."

Despite knowing the intent behind the question, Mitram feigned innocence and continued her banter.

I could no longer tolerate her taunting laughter.

The hatchet I hurled left a silver streak in its wake.

Its speed was terrifying. The sonic boom, as if tearing through the air, reached my ears belatedly.

Yet Mitram maintained a calm demeanor, effortlessly deflecting the blow.

A sound, unbelievable for the clash of metal and flesh, reverberated.

But it was not the end.

The whirling hatchet descended again, its blade like a guillotine. And as it fell anew, Mitram spoke in an indifferent tone.

"Principles of the Movement within Stillness..."

The woman leaned back slightly, extending her pale hand to intercept the hatchet's path.

It was as if she was trying to suicide.

However, the delicate hand yielded astonishing results.

With a solid thud, the woman's hand intercepted the hatchet blade.

Yet, her hand remained intact. Instead, as a few droplets of blood formed, Mitram exclaimed and erupted into laughter.

"...Oh, a drop of blood? Your skills have improved, Ian Percus. However, while the Principles of the Movement within Stillness is impressive, it is not yet perfected. All it takes is one small change, and it's over, isn't it."

With a satisfied smile, the woman returned the hatchet to me.

Securing the fallen weapon at my waist, Iglared at Mitram with a sharp gaze. Despite that, the woman still showed no signs of anxiety.

"Are you curious about my identity? This jet-black hair and eyes that gleam even in the darkest night... Ah, truly exquisite. The Percus family indeed possesses excellent genes."

"Do you even plan to tell me?"

To my retort, Mitram chuckled, applauding softly.

"Pfft! O-Of course... but there are conditions."

As Mitram extended her arm like a music conductor, the test subjects causing chaos froze in place.

They formed a line again, eyeing me, Seria, and the others from my party.

Despite being halved in number, their menacing aura intensified.

Mitram seemed to be up to something.

"Why don't you play with my creations first? I put so much effort into making them; it would be a shame not to use them."

A villain, who had committed such heinous crimes against innocent civilians, spoke those words.

It was brazen and repulsive.

I couldn't help but release a bitter grin and said.

"You're not a Percus... you’re just a criminal. Do you really think you can get away after committing such atrocities?"

"Well, time will tell, won't it?" Her demeanor remained nonchalant.

Taking a deep breath, I faced forward, my sword at the ready. Suddenly, Seria approached my side once again.

As confusion clouded my mind, the rest of the group also sensed an ominous vibe.

Seria cautiously asked me.

"Do you know that person? Her hair and eyes..."

"No, that's the Dark Priest. Let's deal with the remaining victims first, then we can all rush in on her together."

Seria nodded without questioning further.

My words were audible enough for those behind me to hear. Celine was confused at first, but she composed herself, and gripped her sword firmly.

The Saintess immediately gave her blessings, as if on cue.

"…Oh God, please show us mercy!"

As a white radiance enveloped my body, I propelled myself forward with a kick off the ground.

The test subjects, lined up before us, surged forward once more with an eerie sound. Seizing the momentum, I delivered a powerful kick, sending the lead subjects flying.

One of them tumbled from the forceful impact. Two more lurched forward from the rear, only to be met with the gleam of my sword.

Heads burst like watermelons, showering blood.

The attention of the test subjects zeroed in on me, the one who had taken down three of them in swift succession. They were mere small fry, yet the situation would have shifted had Mitram been present.

Now, even the ground seemed to emit a black mist, and the eyes of the test subjects gradually turned scarlet.

Mockingly, Mitram reminded me of a detail I had overlooked.

"The Priest is also over here~"

A Dark Priest was still a priest, after all.

It wouldn't be surprising even if she wielded powers from the Evil God.

What was frustrating was the headless corpses twitching, seemingly empowered by the black mist.

Now, we had to even consider the defeated test subjects as part of the enemy's forces.

However, in this clash of forces, victory didn't hinge solely on swordsmanship.

I immediately shouted someone's name.

"Senior Elsie!"

In response to my shout, Senior Elsie completed her spell preparation with precision.

"…The Principles of Heavenly Thunder, connecting the stars, moon, and sun! Drifting lights and flames, come forth! All the winds beckon you!"

Mana in the atmosphere converged into a singular focal point.

A stillness draped over the forest like a small bird in flight. Before long, fractures began to form in the calmness, a prelude to the impending storm.

Just as the test subjects instinctively glanced skyward…

The gale that brought the stormy clouds was already crackling, a herald of disaster.

A clear, resounding shout erupted from the lips of the petite girl.

"Thunderclap!"

It was a kind of death sentence.

A foreboding roar echoed, and in the next moment, lightning rented the air, pouring down.

Deafening explosions followed in quick succession. The vision, tinged with scarlet hues, swiftly transitioned to blinding white.

The spell Senior Elsie had prepared for a long time was as devastating as anticipated.

In the pouring storm, the test subjects were incinerated, unable to even emit a scream. Even if they tried to avoid it, the blue particles covering the ground wouldn't let them.

Merely touching the residual traces was sufficient to electrocute any living being.

Under normal circumstances, it would have been wise to wait it out until the horrifying scene was over.

Because no matter how precise Senior Elsie's control of mana was, there were limits. Once you stepped into the field of those thunderous bolts, escape was impossible.

That was, of course, before I reached the expert level.

I propelled myself forward, darting into the heart of the battlefield where lightning struck without a target.

By then, the surrounding test subjects had all been taken care of. There were a few remaining, but they got electrocuted and fell as soon as they approached me.

Of course, I was not unharmed either.

With each thunderous eruption, the ground trembled, and electricity arced in all directions. My muscles twitched and convulsed upon contact with the blue particles.

A sharp pain seared through my mind.

Fortunately, I wasn't directly hit by the lightning. Had the magic of that level had struck me, I wouldn't have emerged unscathed.

At the end of that path, I gritted my teeth and slipped through the storm's fissure. A figure, wide-eyed and helpless, gazed at me.

It was an expression that conveyed their disbelief at my intrusion in the middle of the magic being cast.

It was worth taking the risk just to land a punch on that composed face.

However, Mitram wouldn’t just stand idly by.

Suddenly, arms erupted from the ground, and several test subjects shambled forth to encircle her.Regardless of whether or not it was prepared, their armor and the aura they emitted were far from ordinary.

However, I also had no intention of just letting go.

Swiftly, I hurled the sword from its sheath.

The sword acted as an excellent lightning rod, absorbing the crackling electricity that enveloped it.

In the sluggish passage of time, the blade danced with grace.

As Mitram's puzzled gaze met its glinting edge, a blinding white light enveloped her vision.

A deafening explosion reverberated as a gale swept through the surroundings.

Navigating through the shockwaves, I found myself face-to-face with the staggered woman.

In that fleeting moment of surprise etched on Mitram's face, my fist found its mark.

It was a punch packed with the force of my momentum that sent her hurtling through the air.

"...Kyack cough?!"

It was an unexpectedly delicate scream.

I couldn't believe it was the sound emitted by a Devil.

Yet, without hesitation, I seized the opportunity, climbing onto Mitram's sprawled body on the ground. Retrieving the hatchet would be a risky move as lightning was still striking.

So instead, I intended to end it with my punch.

At that moment, Mitram's hood happened to come off.

And there, when I saw the face revealed behind it, I couldn't help but flinch and freeze in place.

It was a girl with black hair and golden eyes.

Her pale skin seemed to bear witness to a devilish disease she had suffered in her childhood. Even her delicate and alluring smile closely resembled someone else's.

I felt like I could hear the sound of my heart suddenly stopping.

"…Hi, Oppa."

The words, spoken with a smile, echoed in my ears.

Then, a sharp blade pierced my abdomen before I could fully process the situation.

I groped the area where I was stabbed and gasped.

Blood thickly stained my hands.

It wasn’t a minor injury.

"How does it feel to be stabbed by your beloved sister?"

The girl taunted me with a laugh.

It was the laughter of a lunatic.