Chapter 140

Right then, the “something” once again unleashed its bizarre supernatural ability.

BOOM!!

A massive tremor radiated out from the “something.”

Unable to withstand it, the holy knights ultimately dropped to their knees.

“Urgh!”

“Ugh…”

Violent coughs and groans burst forth.

Blood trickled down from their ears, and a coppery taste of blood flooded their mouths.

The only person who withstood that supernatural power was Dominic alone.

“Lady Sabina, run!”

Dominic shouted urgently to Sabina.

“And please take care of May—!”

Yet at that moment, Sabina looked straight at Dominic with a sharp smile.

“Who on earth is telling whom to run?”

“…Lady Sabina?”

“I am Sabina. The head of the Magic Tower, the convener of the Round Table, the representative of the magical realm, and…”

Her confident voice dropped cleanly.

“The empire’s sole Archmage.”

Sabina immediately extended her hand straight toward the “something.”

Mana swirled fiercely around her body.

And then—

Krrrk!

Thud!

The “something,” which had been rampaging fiercely the entire time, flattened itself against the ground for the very first time.

As though an invisible, colossal hand was forcibly suppressing it, the “something” clawed frantically at the floor with its talons, yet it couldn’t manage to raise its body at all.

Krrrk, grrr…

The “something,” its eyes flashing with razor-sharp malice, glared down Sabina.

Watching that scene blankly, Sabina turned back to Dominic with utter poise.

“If someone like me doesn’t protect the people, who possibly could?”

Sabina pointed her chin at the “something” pinned to the ground.

“I’ll keep that thing tied down.”

Her red eyes shone sharply.

“Dominic, hurry up and evacuate the people.”

***

Preparations to open the sanctuary were completely finished.

Now, either the High Priest, the Saintess, or someone else had to come.

‘Why is it taking so long?’

Waiting anxiously, Adrian’s eyes widened slightly.

It was because the High Priest, grabbed by the hand of a holy knight, was being dragged over here practically against his will.

“Hero!”

Recognizing Adrian, the High Priest raised his voice noisily.

“Send this old man outside immediately!”

What?

For a split second, Adrian doubted his own ears.

In this pressing crisis situation, the High Priest, the leader of the Grand Temple, making a statement like that?!

Yet the High Priest only raised his voice even more thunderously.

“The Grand Temple survives only if I live! For now, we must take cover and somehow plot for the future—!”

The sight was so utterly disgraceful that even Sir Sidus, who had brought the High Priest along, couldn’t conceal his look of disgust.

“Hey, what are you doing? Why aren’t you escorting me out of the Grand Temple right now?!”

The High Priest whined like a child.

Simultaneously, Adrian’s expression chilled into frost.

“Shut up.”

Sshhhk.

A sword was drawn.

Staring at the brightly gleaming edge of the blade, the High Priest, who had been squawking incessantly, dropped his jaw in shock.

“Th-this is…”

Simultaneously, Adrian leveled his sword at the High Priest’s neck.

It was a resolute motion, devoid of even a shred of hesitation.

His sharp gaze glared straight at the High Priest.

“Do what you’re supposed to do.”

Gone was the polite tone he usually used when addressing the High Priest.

Adrian spat the words out straight through his clenched teeth.

“Isn’t that why God bestowed that divine power upon you, to be used precisely at times like this?”

Terror shadowed the High Priest’s eyes.

***

Thanks to Dominic and the holy knights pitching in, the evacuation of the people was mostly complete.

Until now, Sabina had continuously kept the “something” suppressed.

Naturally, she wasn’t in a relaxed position herself either.

“…Hoo.”

Sabina let out a massive breath.

Because suppressing that “something” required a correspondingly immense amount of mana.

While continuously drawing out mana, she also had to suppress the counter-force of the “something’s” resistance.

Fearing that the balance of power might shatter if she made even the slightest mistake, Sabina couldn’t carelessly twitch a single finger.

Still, it was fine now.

All she had to do was send Maybel off to a safe place.

“May, you should head on…”

Just as Sabina struggled to open her mouth,

Maybel tightly wrapped her arms around Sabina from behind.

“May?!”

Startled, Sabina raised her voice.

As her soul as a mage connected with her familiar, a torrent of power rushed surging toward Maybel.

Maybel let out a suppressed groan.

“Ugh.”

A wild, massive force that felt as though it might sweep her away if she slipped up even slightly.

Moreover, two different types of power were coexisting.

‘She was enduring this immense power all by herself…’

“Are you out of your mind? That’s way too reckless!”

Grit-toothed and enduring, Maybel momentarily furrowed her brow.

It was because she sensed a different power mingling with Sabina’s mana.

‘This isn’t… the peculiar demonic energy of a monster.’

Rather, it was closer to a once-pure energy that had become tainted.

To be more precise, it felt similar to the energy sensed within the Grand Temple, known as holy ground…

‘Holy power?’

At the same time, gasping for breath, Sabina raised her voice.

“You’ll get hurt too, May!”

Though it was a reprimand directed at her, Maybel felt a sense of relief just from hearing it.

The fact that she was yelling like that meant

Sabina had regained enough leeway to shout.

Smiling sheepishly, Maybel delivered a pointed jab as if to be heard loud and clear.

“You’re a real idiot, Sister.”

“What?”

“I don’t care if I get hurt. What I hate the most…”

Her arms wrapped around Sabina squeezed down gently.

Maybel finished her sentence with force.

“Is you overworking yourself, Sister.”

Right at that moment—

CRACK!!

The air trembled heavily.

A massive weight descended once more upon the “something” Sabina had been keeping suppressed.

Krrrk!!

The “something” let out a painful shriek.

Adrian had successfully activated the sanctuary.

“Finally!”

Dominic brightened with hope.

Yet Maybel’s expression didn’t brighten at all.

‘No.’

Other people didn’t seem to notice, but she could tell.

Normally, a sanctuary exerts absolute influence over monsters.

Yet that “something” didn’t seem particularly affected by the sanctuary.

It was merely being held in place for a brief moment.

“Oh no…!”

Sabina realized that part as well.

She whipped her head back and shouted urgently.

“Dominic, are the people fully evacuated?!”

Simultaneously, the eerie sound of claws scraping against the floor echoed.

Scritch-scratch—

Reflexively, people turned their heads toward the source of the sound.

The “something” was straining its legs and hoisting its body up.

‘No way!’

Pale with panic, Sabina gathered her mana.

Once again, she began desperately bearing down on the “something.”

Because of the rapidly spiked mana, her entire body heated up fiercely.

She could feel every joint in her body creaking.

Her mind grew completely hazy.

“Sister!”

She felt Maybel wrapping her arms tightly around her body.

The wildly rampaging force surged violently toward Maybel.

Sabina bit down on her lower lip until it drew blood.

‘No, this isn’t enough.’

If she wasn’t careful, this rampaging power would devour not just her, but Maybel as well.

She had to endure it somehow.

Scritch, scritch-scratch—

The “something’s” massive talons clawed wildly at the floor.

As the sharp claws dug in, the sturdy paving stones crumbled helplessly like soft cream.

Spiderweb-like cracks raced across the ground.

And thus, finally—

CRRR-SMASH!!

Sabina’s mana shattered into pieces, and the “something” leaped abruptly to its feet.

Grrr—!!

Shaking its body violently, the “something” threw its head back and roared thunderously.

It was a fierce roar, as though cursing this very world.

“Cough!”

At the same time, Maybel burst into a violent fit of coughing.

The coppery taste of blood flooded her mouth.

Sabina’s mana had rebounded, causing her internal injuries.

‘If I, who was helping the Sister, am in this state, then the Sister—?!’

Maybel jerked her head up.

At the same time, she saw it.

Sabina, folded in her arms, staggering and collapsing to the ground.

“Sister!!”