Chapter: 63. She Has Arrived
The sound of footsteps was heavy, yet the speed at which it approached was quite incredible.
Logically speaking, such a heavy individual shouldn’t possess such rapid movement.
But if this were the case, it indicated that… the visitor was not here for good intentions and was quite powerful.
Even more astonishing was the absence of any magical fluctuations outside the door.
This indicated not only that the other party did not unleash any magic…
but also that all the guards stationed outside the Church had likely already been knocked down.
————Boom!!
The Pope calmly gazed at the large door, witnessing the heavy doorframe made of an entire slab of stone, weighing several tons, crashing down into the room.
The door fell onto the crystal floor without kicking up any dust, only causing cracks to form in the flooring.
It was not opened by any magical attack.
But simply pushed open.
The evidence was that the person at the door still maintained the motion of knocking.
“Ah, what on earth…? I meant to knock! Did it fall just from a little touch? Sorry, sorry~ But the quality of your Church’s door seems to be truly lacking, oh my, is that the esteemed Pope himself? How rude of me!”
“Hmph… What brute force… Miss, are you certain it was an accident?”
“Hahahaha! If I said I did it on purpose, would you make me pay for your door?”
“No need to pay for the door.”
The calmness in the Pope’s eyes was mixed with more than just a hint of displeasure.
“However, your life… I’m afraid it will remain here today.”
“I don’t think so~”
When dealing with invaders, a show of intimidation through words is essential.
However… the Pope narrowed his eyes as he looked at the woman standing on the collapsed door, still maintaining a nonchalant posture, and couldn’t help but feel a headache.
She had the same arrogant smile as the Demon King, blood-red hair, blood-red eyes, and wore striking red light armor with knee and arm guards, fixing the turquoise long skirt to her tall and proud form, exuding a battle intent that almost warped the space around her.
And the most eye-catching, the most nauseating to the Pope—were the six pitch-black wings spread high behind her.
Surrounding the wings was a dim blood-red light.
The Pope could feel that it wasn’t magic, but pure battle intent.
In the corridor behind this woman, the Church guards lay defeated, creating a pathway leading into the Church.
He hadn’t heard any noise just now… In such a short time, had so many guards been taken down…?
The distaste shown by the Pope was but a momentary occurrence.
Soon, the old weariness on his brow eased as he spread out his hands, exuding the presence a leader should have.
“Surely, you are the famous ‘Wanderer’ of the Demon Race, Miss Ailer, known as the ‘War Maniac,’ it is an honor to meet you.”
“Ha…? How flattering! The Pope knows me?”
“I do not know you; almost no one has seen you, but one can understand from the wings on your back that there are only limited beings of chaos.”
“Oh, I see… Is it by elimination? That makes sense; there are only a few six-winged demons, and my little niece taught me elimination before; it really can only be me!”
“……”
Tsk, so indeed, demons are powerful but simple-minded fools.
However, the Pope did not dare to let his guard down.
Ailer, due to her long-standing absence from the demon society, wandering without concern for national affairs, had been forgotten by many.
Even those who remembered her six wings had forgotten her surname.
Halder.
She, too, was of the Demon Royal Family.
She was the biological sister of the current Demon King.
Perhaps even the Demon King had almost forgotten he had such a sister…?
Thus, Gustana dared not be distracted; given her special identity, this situation was likely not merely an ambush but a political negotiation.
However…
“Don’t be nervous, old man. I’m different from my royal brother; I’m used to being carefree, and I didn’t intend to represent the demon race in talking to you, that would be exhausting.”
“Is that so? Yet I see Your Highness is brimming with killing intent, clearly not well-intentioned.”
“Ahaha! So you old man can see that too!”
The woman laughed freely, not bothering at all that this was the center of the Church State.
As laughter dwindled, Ailer’s mature and unrestrained smile was suddenly tinted with a fierce glint.
“Old man… Don’t think about calling for help? Everyone capable within a hundred miles has already been taken down by me in advance. Your loyal Tenth Stages, stationed at the border to be wary of Aulus’ retaliation, likely won’t make it back in time~ Well… even if they did, it would be useless. Don’t say I attacked you under the cover of darkness, alright? I just prefer to move in the darkness while sleeping during the day.”
“Ho… so, you’re well-prepared, taking advantage of the Church’s internal defense weaknesses to infiltrate… May I inquire, can I interpret this as the Demon Race formally declaring war on the Church?”
“Well, not quite~ Didn’t I just say? I don’t want to represent the demon race; you can interpret this as my personal action. Speaking of which, old man, aren’t you the same? At the Aulus Kingdom’s Gladiatorial Arena, you planned the attack yourself, only to shift the blame to those you arranged as insiders. I’m just mimicking what you did.”
“Miss, you jest. I truly had no knowledge of the Gladiatorial Arena incident.”
“Old fox… die.”
“!”
The Pope knew she was not here for good intentions but did not expect her to act so decisively without concern!
Ailer’s hand glimmered with dark light, and an undetectable shockwave blade shot swiftly towards the Pope’s neck.
The Pope had no time to consider; facing this unknown threat, he opted for the safest response.
Instinctively tightening his grip on his scepter, one of the embedded gems, a blue one, gradually dimmed.
【Absolute Magic Defense】
A pale six-pointed star barrier rapidly coalesced before the Pope.
The divine rules of magic granted by the gods would block any attack, regardless of its strength.
It was not about power but ironclad law.
——Clang!
A crisp sound echoed sharply.
The seemingly inconspicuous wind blade directly pierced through the absolute defense, continuing to extend and neatly sever the pillar supporting the distant statue.
Half of the statue came crashing down.
The Pope absently raised his hand to touch his neck—there was a warm trace of blood.
The defense had not activated.
However, the collision between the wind blade and the magical defense had slightly altered the angle of the wind blade, which was why it did not directly sever the Pope’s head.
How is this possible…?
The defense magic granted by the gods is absolute; it cannot be broken by a mere wind blade!
“Ha, old man, you are lucky; is this what they call the favor of the gods? I can’t wait to see how long you can withstand it; come on, come on!”
“Tsk…!”
Ailer flicked another wind blade from her hand; this time the Pope did not meet it head-on but recited another incantation.
This time, another green gem on the scepter dimmed its light.
【Infinite Speed Enhancement】
The Pope vanished like an afterimage, hundreds of wind blades missing their target.
Seeing this situation, even Ailer was slightly surprised.
She chuckled a few times, seemingly quite pleased with this circumstance.
As the Pope dodged her continuous attacks, he contemplated using other rule-based magic.
But he soon felt something was off.
This woman… did not launch a further offensive.
——She came to scout for information.
The astute Gustana quickly reached this conclusion.
She wants to test the trump card I hold…
Having already used two gems, the Pope did not intend to reveal any more of his abilities in front of the demon race.
Moreover, he had discovered the reason she could break through the absolute defense magic.
Ducking past an oncoming wind blade, Gustana steadied his stance, deliberately raising his scepter as if to release magic.
Sure enough, Ailer halted her offensive, seemingly waiting for him to cast the spell.
This confirmed the Pope’s suspicions.
However, this magic would not be released.
Instead, what emerged was a conclusion he had analyzed.
“Your Highness’s attacks bear no magical fluctuations… You don’t actually have magic, do you?”
“Was that exposed? I thought I could play you a little longer.”
Ailer was not in a hurry to take the Pope’s life; that was not her purpose for coming here.
Ha… In truth, even if I did kill him, it wouldn’t matter, but it would definitely cause trouble for my royal brother and little niece, wouldn’t it?
She shrugged her shoulders, her expression appearing quite pitiful, but paired with the six wings extending behind her, there was nothing deserving of sympathy.
“Yeah, yeah… You guessed right; I’m an absolute oddity within the demon race… Have you ever seen a demon without magic? I have been thoroughly ostracized by my kin, but thanks to that, my physical condition is quite good! I run pretty fast, don’t believe me? Look.”
“!”
The Pope was still maintaining【Infinite Speed Enhancement】.
Yet, within just the time it took for him to glance up, Ailer had vanished from her original position, and when her presence reappeared, she was already behind the Pope.
With no time to turn around, Gustana hurriedly activated magic to teleport again, but Ailer always managed to stick closely to him.
Are all six-winged demons truly monsters…?
At this moment, Gustana had fully analyzed the combat style of his opponent.
This woman had no magic; she relied purely on her physical capabilities to embody the strength of a six-winged demon!
In other words, her physical strength.
Her speed did not rely on【Instant Transmission】, but was purely running.
Her wind blades were not a wind attribute magic, but simply gusts created by swinging her arms!
No wonder the absolute magical defense could not block it, as it was not magic at all.
Ailer’s pursuit was like a hunter chasing its prey, her laughter growing more twisted and frenzied; she was undoubtedly a battle maniac.
“Hahahahah…!! Run, run! Noble Pope, if you don’t release your trump card soon, you will be caught up with! I promise you, once I catch up, I will surely twist off your noble head! Hahaha!!!”
“You madwoman…!”
The Pope raised his scepter, breaking through the top of the Church, leaping upward to stand on the tower top illuminated by the dual moons.
Ailer stood solidly across from him, her maniacal smile showing no signs of restraint.
“Come on, come on…! Let me find some fun! My little niece is strong but never fights with me! Isn’t there anyone able to fight? Quickly unleash all your magic, old man!”
Spreading her six wings, she contrasted against the moonlight, making herself seem incredibly small.
The earth-shattering pressure caused clouds to obscure the moonlight, yet her agile steps did not disturb the sleeping populace of the capital of Correa.
To control her strength to such an extent… Who knows how strong this former Demon Princess truly is?
There was no choice left…
The remaining five gems on the Pope’s scepter began to illuminate with a radiant glow.
In the biting wind, the cold light reflected the Pope’s surging killing intent as he aged.
If worried about information leakage—then he could only kill those who knew the information.
As long as he could take down Ailer here… even if she saw the full nature of the rule-based magic, she would be unable to carry the information out of Correa.
However, executing this would surely infuriate the Demon King.
But it didn’t matter.
After all, it wouldn’t be long before the coalition of High-Level Races declared war on the Demon Race.
Seeing that the other side was finally about to strike, Ailer readied her stance, a white light of distorted space flaring between her fists.
The Pope lifted his scepter, the starry light of destruction shimmering in the air.
Just as both sides were about to collide with a decisive strike…
The wind brushed the vast field, spilling golden light.
Both were momentarily stunned, their expressions turning solemn as they looked ahead.
She has arrived.
A golden sphere floated between the two sides, the golden ball spreading out to coalesce into a humanoid phantom of gold.
The divine words resounded for a long time.
“Though I am weak… I shall not allow your kind to act so recklessly. So be it… Little demon of the Demon Race, I shall teach you humility and courtesy in the name of the Tiel Church.”
“Finally come out… The ‘Divine Being’ my royal brother spoke of? Ha… then please teach me, I wonder how many punches the divine being from the myths can withstand?”
