The great door creaked open.
Aurora, the Holy Sword user, murmured as she looked at the scene beyond. “This is… a church of the Dragon God Religion?”
Just as Aurora had guessed, beyond the opened great doors was a grand hall resembling a church’s sanctuary. Rows of seats for worshippers lined both sides, stretching deep inside. Dragon God Religion symbols, all featuring dragons, were carved into the pillars and walls scattered throughout.
As over twenty people offered their prayers, a man clad in priestly robes stood on the altar at the front. He was a burly, middle-aged man, his priestly robes a vibrant red, designed to mimic dragon flames. Holding aloft a gleaming war hammer, he received the prayers of the congregation.
The Whip User was nowhere to be seen. She might be through one of the two doors beside the altar where the man stood.
“…She’s behind the door on the right, Douglas-sama,” Seraphina whispered to me. She’s such a considerate wife.
Meanwhile, the man on the altar showed a slight surprise at our entrance into the sanctuary. “Oh, are we having guests? And uninvited ones at that, I presume.”
As the man on the altar spoke, those who had been praying collectively turned their gazes towards us. Upon closer inspection, all the worshippers were armed.
While neutralizing the Whip User was my top priority—I suspected the man with the war hammer on the altar was also one of the “Ten Dragons Divine Artifact Generals.”
I addressed the man on the altar. “Forgive my intrusion in your prayers with muddy boots. I’m looking for someone named Yesod, the Whip User from the Ten Dragons Divine Artifact Generals.”
“Hoh. So the young ladies here are the humans Yesod wished to obtain. How fortunate; our prey has come to us. —Hey Yesod, you have visitors. Come out.”
The man on the altar called out towards the side, and after a short while, the door there opened. Emerging from the door was a beautiful woman with a whip at her waist. She appeared to be in her late twenties, dressed in flowing robes.
“Hee… what’s all the commotion? I’m still recovering from the disappointment of not getting the Holy Sword user—Oh my, my, my~” The languid beauty’s expression shifted to delight as she saw us. Picking up the whip at her waist, she licked her lips and surveyed my wives and Aurora. “Such adorable and infuriating girls have come right to me~ This is a classic case of ‘the moth drawn to the flame’~”
“…But Yesod. I don’t recall him being part of your plan?” Douglas said, prompted by the man on the altar.
The Whip User glanced at me. “Hmm~ But Kessed, I have no interest in rough men like him. Would you mind dealing with him for me?”
“Very well. My intuition also tells me that among these five, the Axe User is the strongest. I deem him a worthy opponent to fight.”
“Deal~ And please, use your ‘Holy War’ skill too?”
“Of course. A battle against a rare powerhouse. There’s no reason not to fight with all my might to kill him.”
The man on the altar stepped forward calmly. The over twenty worshippers, echoing his movement, raised their weapons and turned their hostility towards us.
I warned my companions. “Here they come—Miina, Elen, Seraphina, Aurora! Let’s finish this here!”
” ” ” “Yes!” ” ” ”
And so, the battle commenced.
Immediately after the battle began, the war hammer wielder raised his weapon and declared loudly, “Then I shall commence, humans—’Holy War’!”
The war hammer glowed with a strong light. The light quickly subsided, but a phosphorescence had settled upon the worshippers, the Whip User, and the war hammer wielder himself. It was likely a battle enhancement skill, capable of boosting multiple targets simultaneously. It seemed the core of their military strength lay in that war hammer wielder. If so, striking him first was the plan.
“—Woooooooh!”
Ignoring the other enemy combatants, I charged directly towards the war hammer wielder. The waiting war hammer wielder smirked. “Come, Axe User! Entertain me!”
“Draw—Hyaaa!”
I swung Lombardia. The man attempted to block it with his war hammer. This war hammer wielder’s speed seemed unremarkable compared to the other Ten Dragons Divine Artifact Generals. The attack connected—then it was time.
“Here goes—’Holy Smash’!”
“Ngh…!?”
Lombardia, radiating intense light, clashed with the man’s war hammer, sending sparks flying. However, the enemy couldn’t fully suppress the power of my attack imbued with the power-doubling skill ‘Holy Smash.’
“Urk…!?—Noooo!”
—Boooooooom!
The war hammer wielder was blown away, crashing violently against the wall behind the altar. The entire underground chamber shook, and debris trickled from the ceiling.
Now, for Binah the Archer or Hod the Dagger User, this even being a “middle hit” through their weapon defense would have been enough to finish the fight… The war hammer wielder, slammed against the stone wall from behind, immediately stood up unsteadily. Blood trickled from his head, yet his lips curled defiantly.
The war hammer wielder praised me. “A good strike, Axe User. I was surprised. —Very well, I must offer a fitting return!”
“—Ngh!”
The war hammer wielder charged with incredible speed. A ferocious, beast-like rush.
“—Uuuuuuuuuugh!”
A fearsome war hammer blow swept towards me horizontally. I instinctively felt that a direct hit would be bad, but at this timing, defense was possible. I attempted to parry the blow with the hilt of Lombardia—
“Here’s my reply, Axe User—’Dragon Flame Strike’!”
Just before impact, the war hammer was imbued with a flame that pulsed with power. Whether it increased the attack’s power or not, I couldn’t completely nullify the shock force despite blocking with Lombardia.
“Urk—Ooooooooh…!”
My body was sent flying—
—Boooooooom!
I crashed into the wall beside the altar, shattering the thin wall, and my body tumbled into the room adjacent to the sanctuary.
“Gah… Not bad.”
I endured the pain and stood up. This much damage was insignificant. As I spat a mouthful of blood-tasting saliva, the war hammer wielder calmly approached.
“Hoh, you’re still on your feet after taking that blow, Axe User. This is interesting.” Though he must have taken damage, he showed no sign of it, either through stubborn pride or sheer pain tolerance. Moreover, that damage was likely already healing gradually through ‘Healing Ability,’ just like mine. This was the first time I’d encountered a Ten Dragons Divine Artifact General who was similar to us—excelling in power and toughness. And strong, too.
Meanwhile—
“W-what was that fight… monsters fighting each other—Nyan!? …Ah, close one.”
“Miina, we don’t have time to worry about them! I thought these guys were small fry, but each one is too strong!”
“It’s probably because of that skill called ‘Holy War’ you mentioned, but this…! —Ngh, the Whip User is escaping…!? No, not when Douglas-sama is occupied…!”
“Gah…! —I’ll chase the Whip User! I won’t let her do as she pleases anymore!”
“Wait, Aurora! Alone—Gah, these guys are in the way…!”
The battles Aurora and my wives were engaged in also seemed dire. Four young girls were struggling against over twenty believers and the Whip User. If they were mere grunts, it wouldn’t be a problem, but it seemed each of those believers possessed considerable combat power, forcing them into a difficult situation. It appeared I couldn’t afford to have a leisurely fight with my formidable opponent either.
I took a deep breath. Then, I raised three fingers towards the war hammer wielder. “Thirty seconds. I’ll finish you off by then and go support the wives.”
“…Hoh, you say interesting things. Then, after thirty seconds, pray that your life is not extinguished.”
The war hammer wielder and I both re-readied our weapons. Then, simultaneously, we kicked off the ground forcefully.
