Chapter 140
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I'll purchase divine power with money.
Chapter 140
Kieeeek!
"Do all monsters scream like that?"
How precisely they cry out "kieeeek" like that.
I kicked the thrashing demon that had taken a blow to its head and stumbled backward.
The demon's massive body slid backward as well.
I'd only given it a light kick, yet such a heavy frame was pushed back.
"Am I stronger than I thought?"
【The Sun Crawling from Death watches contentedly, as if to say it's only natural.】
I haven't even reached 100% divine power—only about 40% at most—and I'm already this strong?
What happens when I reach 100%?
"...Should I try to fill it more?"
I'd decided not to make any more offerings because it felt like pouring water into a bottomless jar.
Wait, no. The more Idella accomplishes, the more the Sun God's reputation will rise anyway, right?
Then I can grow stronger without spending any money?
"Idella, please do your best."
Since I, the troublemaker, am gone, I hope everyone works together to build up the Temple of the Sun God.
"Ah."
Just then, the demon fired the spines on its back toward me.
I swung the mace imbued with divine power in a wide arc, knocking all the spines away before they could reach me.
Crash!
But the demon didn't stop there. A thick, long tongue that looked viscous shot toward me.
I immediately rolled my body to dodge.
Boom!
The tongue, as if it were made of stone, instantly shattered the ground where I'd been standing, sending debris flying in all directions.
That wasn't even the worst of it.
Sizzzzle.
"...Acidic saliva? That's really too much."
The area where the tongue had touched began to corrode black.
If that tongue caught me, Ordel's delicate body would be split in half in an instant.
I absolutely had to avoid it.
The longer this fight dragged on, the more disadvantageous it was for me, who lacked stamina, not the demon.
I'd been riding for nearly seven hours straight and jumped into combat immediately.
So I had to defeat this demon as quickly as possible, ideally in one decisive blow.
I retreated backward, creating distance between myself and the demon, then gripped the mace with both hands.
I focused all my attention on the mace, not the demon rushing toward me.
Ever since I chose the mace as my weapon, I'd been thinking about it constantly.
How to use it effectively.
It would be a waste to use the mace only as a blunt weapon.
Then they would have made it a police baton from the start. With divine power wrapped around it, there's barely any difference anyway.
So then, could I sharpen the mace like a sword or spear? Sharp enough to pierce or slash an enemy?
If I infuse divine power into the mace like a blade, it might work, but then it's no different from using a sword.
I need a method that preserves the mace's advantages while still incapacitating enemies in one strike.
And eventually, I found exactly that method.
Amplifying the spikes on the mace with divine power to make them far more formidable!
I concentrated on the divine power enveloping the mace.
The mace's spikes extended long and sharp, stretching outward. The mace was so completely covered in golden divine power that it was barely visible.
Incomparable to the spikes that erupted from a monster's back.
"Like a chestnut burr."
The divine power mace, now complete, was absolutely beautiful.
It resembled a massive Christmas tree ornament.
It required considerable concentration and consumed quite a bit of divine power, but for a first attempt, it wasn't bad.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
Shriek!
In the meantime, the monster had crept closer.
A single blow from its massive foreleg would leave me on death's door.
This is my precious friend's body—I can't treat it recklessly.
With my legs reinforced, I pushed off the ground and launched myself into the air.
Before the monster, having missed me, could regenerate and spew its spikes again.
I gripped the end of the long iron chain attached to the mace's head and swung it with all my might toward the monster.
The mace, looking like a small sun because of the spikes formed from divine power, embedded itself directly into the monster's back.
Crash!
The monster's shriek was drowned out by the deafening impact.
Thud.
"Wow...."
So startled I had no time to execute a proper landing technique, I simply collapsed onto the ground.
Screech, screeeech....
Dozens of divine power spikes, jutting out nearly a meter, were properly embedded in the monster's body.
The monster's distinctive thick purple blood, pouring from wounds across its entire body, drenched the ground in an instant.
The monster struggled desperately to move, scraping the ground with its legs, but since some of the spikes protruding from the mace were also lodged in the earth, it couldn't move at all.
One hit.
"Here! We definitely heard a sound here!"
At that moment, with a loud cry, the nearby grassland began to rustle.
Before long, armed knights appeared one by one.
"...Huh?"
They emerged with swords drawn, tensed and ready, but upon spotting me, they froze with eyes wide open.
"Oh, hello there?"
I smiled awkwardly and waved my hand toward them.
Clank, clank.
Each time, the iron chain still clutched in my hand rattled with a metallic sound.
Seeing the tremor of fear in their pupils, I quietly lowered my hand again.
"What's going on?"
Then a familiar voice reached my ears.
Between the knights who stepped aside to clear a path, Lute Sheary appeared with an expressionless face.
"Your Grace!"
I waved my hands enthusiastically at Lute Sheary with a bright smile.
"...High Priestess?"
Upon spotting me, Lute Sheary came to an abrupt halt.
Confusion and bewilderment crashed over the face that usually overflowed with composure.
So even Lute Sheary could be surprised.
"What on earth are you doing here...!"
Lute Sheary, whose poker face had completely crumbled, rushed toward me in a panic.
He helped me up as I brushed off my pants and stood.
"I'm fine. I just stumbled and sat down after mistepping."
"What exactly were you doing here?"
"Catching a monster."
The evidence is right there in front of us—why ask?
"But why would you catch a monster...? Ah, are you hurt anywhere?"
"Not at all."
I spread both arms and spun around once, and Lute Sheary seemed reassured.
"Did you catch that alone?"
"Yes. It was my first time, and it wasn't as difficult as I thought. It's all thanks to this weapon."
I withdrew the divine power that had been enveloping the weapon.
The knights who had been examining the monster, which was only making gurgling sounds, stepped back in surprise.
Lute Sheary sighed and retrieved the mace with magic.
Only after meticulously cleaning away all the monster's bodily fluids scattered everywhere did he return the mace to me.
Wow, magic really is convenient.
With divine power, I can't even retrieve things or clean them properly.
I want to become a mage too.
【The Sun Crawling from Death insists absolutely not, fretting that it cannot let the user go.】
【The Soul Guide Traveler clicks his tongue, calling the god greedy.】
【Due to an indirect message from the Soul Guide Traveler, the user's divine power has been consumed.】
【Please note that divine power is consumed when no divine artifact or Saint/High Priestess of the corresponding god exists nearby.】
"..."
I've already spent plenty of divine power in combat, and now you're wasting it with unnecessary chatter?
【The Sun Crawling from Death strikes the back of the Soul Guide Traveler's head, demanding why they're using his child's divine power.】
【The Sun Crawling from Death hastily reassures the user, promising to monitor closely so such a thing never happens again.】
System, please develop a communication ON/OFF function as soon as possible...
"It seems you crafted a weapon immediately after obtaining the holy stone."
At Lute's words, I hastily tore my gaze from the divine communication channel and nodded.
"I've been waiting for this day. Impressive, isn't it?"
"It suits the High Priestess very well."
Sigh—such pleasant praise was almost too much.
"But how on earth did you get here? And where are the others? You came alone...?"
"Well, I came alone."
"You came all the way here alone? In a place infested with monsters?"
"It's a bit difficult to explain here...."
I gestured with my eyes at the knights who kept alternating their gaze between me and the monster, and Lute nodded as if understanding.
"Our military camp isn't far from here. Let's head there."
It seemed they had established a garrison since the fighting continued without end.
I nodded and entrusted my horse to the knights before moving alongside Lute.
Before long, we arrived at the garrison where several military camps were stationed.
"Wh, wha, High Priestess?"
Yuri Polton, who had been waiting in front of the military camp that Lute was using, widened his eyes upon spotting me.
"Why are you here...?"
"It just happened that way."
"How could you possibly just happen to be here...?"
Ah, there are circumstances to everything, you know.
"I have something to discuss with the High Priestess. In the meantime, prepare a meal for her."
"Yes, yes!"
At Lute's command, Yuri Polton hurriedly left his post.
True to a duke's quarters, his military camp was quite spacious and comfortable.
I sat across from him at the table in the center.
"Forgive me for a moment. This is information that mustn't leak out."
I unfolded my divine power to seal off the surroundings so sound wouldn't escape.
"What on earth are you trying to tell me that requires a barrier...?"
"It's something that will eventually come to light, but I wanted to be cautious."
"What...?"
"The truth is, I'm not actually the High Priestess."
At my bombshell revelation, Lute's eyes widened in shock.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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