Sister, I Hit You Because There Was a Ghost Behind You - Chapter 40
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 40. The Demolition Crew of the Holy Sanctuary and the Termination Notice
Dong—!
From the very top of the Bell Tower, an ominous chime rang out once more. This time, it was far more than mere noise. A blood-red shockwave, vivid enough to see with the naked eye, came surging down the Staircase like a colossal tidal wave.
“Ugh!”
I quickly crouched down, using the broad steel face of my hammer as a shield.
When the violent shockwave struck the hammer, a searing pain tore through my grip. It wasn’t simply sound—it was pure ‘mass of rage,’ raw enough to tear through human flesh and shake bone to its very marrow.
The path the shockwave carved was devastation incarnate.
The sturdy iron railings of the Staircase warped like taffy, and spider-web cracks spiderwebbed across the stone walls of the centuries-old Great Cathedral, sending cascades of stone dust tumbling down.
“This insane bastard is destroying all the precious cultural artifacts! If I get hit with repair bills, I’ll go bankrupt!”
At that moment, a massive shadow cut across my vision and blocked my path.
“Hey, weakling. Stay right behind me!”
It was Kairik von Herzen.
Half-transformed into a wolf’s shape, he crossed both arms in an X, deflecting the shockwave with his entire body. Every time his bestial muscles bulged abnormally, the premium shirt I’d paid a fortune to dress him in tore to shreds.
Kairik von Herzen drove his sharp predatory claws deep into the marble floor, holding his ground with stubborn determination.
“For just a local church bell, this packs quite a punch. But compared to the ice storms of the Northern Region, it’s nothing but a gentle breeze!”
He laughed like a beast and bounded up the Staircase.
Boom!
The spot where Kairik von Herzen leaped left a deep crater, and a massive cloud of dust erupted.
“I’m going first!”
“No, I was first!”
I dragged my hammer behind me, hot on Kairik von Herzen’s heels.
But I didn’t hear the solid footsteps that should have been supporting me from behind. When I glanced back, Demian Lyart was still kneeling at the edge of the Staircase, frozen like a stone.
Vice Commander Werner—the man he had devoted his entire life to trusting and relying upon.
From the lips of one he’d regarded as a brother came such terrible inferiority and betrayal that Demian Lyart’s silver holy sword hung limply toward the floor, having lost all purpose.
“…Why? Why on earth, Werner? What have I done wrong to you?”
Demian Lyart murmured in a hollow voice. In that instant, Vice Commander Werner’s mocking laughter cascaded down from above like a waterfall.
[Hahahaha! That noble face! That hypocritical mercy! Every time you offered me that pitying praise, saying I was ‘doing well,’ do you have any idea how my insides rotted away?! If only you didn’t exist! If only you were dead, I could become the master of this Holy Temple!]
Behind Werner, the crimson form of a demon erupted, twisting grotesquely as tentacle-like malevolent energy lashed out in all directions.
Dong—! Dong—!
Each time the cursed bell rang like madness, Demian Lyart’s broad shoulders visibly shrank. Not from the physical impact of the shockwave, but because his once-steadfast resolve had shattered.
Ah, seriously. I can’t let my direct subordinate act so pathetically in front of me.
I stopped climbing and spun around sharply. Then I rushed down and grabbed the dazed Knight Commander by the collar, hauling him up forcefully.
“Demian Lyart! Are we filming a coming-of-age drama here right now?!”
“Violetta… But Werner….”
“Werner, my ass! That bastard is literally trying to kill you while destroying all the company’s assets! If a trusted subordinate betrays you, you either open a disciplinary committee or send a termination notice—so why are you sitting on the ground crying like a baby?!”
My roar caused Demian Lyart’s wavering blue eyes to snap wide open.
I forcefully gripped the holy sword in his hand and spoke with cutting severity.
“When a subordinate commits insubordination, it’s the superior’s responsibility to straighten them out, isn’t it? You said that thing possessing him is the Rage Demon! So go up there yourself and exorcise that rage—thoroughly and physically!”
My utterly pragmatic and capitalistic rebuke seemed to blow right through the Knight Commander’s blocked mental circuits. A cool, sharp gleam began to return to Demian Lyart’s previously clouded eyes.
“…You speak the truth.”
Demian bit down on his blood-stained lips, his jaw clenching with raw intensity. Despair evaporated from his face like morning mist, replaced by the glacial fury of a Heretic Inquisition officer.
“I nearly abandoned my sacred duty, shackled by personal sentiment. He is no longer my old comrade and Adjutant—merely a repugnant heretic who has defiled the holy sanctum.”
Shing—!
A brilliant aura exploded from the silver holy blade, its radiant white light instantly overwhelming the demon’s crimson miasma. The holy power was blindingly pure.
Demian gripped his sword and nodded at me with resolute determination.
“A termination notice… I shall deliver it in the Goddess’s name—most thoroughly.”
“Perfect! I’ll settle the back pay with my hammer instead, so lead the way!”
We surged up the remaining stairs in a single breath, reaching the apex of the Bell Tower. Fierce night wind howled through the open expanse like razor blades. At its center hung an enormous bronze bell, and Vice Commander Werner stood there with a red Mana Stone bound to the bell’s rope, his laughter edged with madness.
[So you’ve finally crawled up here, Demian! And you filthy heretics! I’ll crush you all into meat paste right here!]
As Werner raised his hand, the crimson demon shape behind him conjured dozens of blood-red spears and unleashed them like a torrential downpour toward us.
“Tear them apart!”
Kairik lunged forward first, twisting his body like a beast in mid-air and batting away the blood-red spears with his bare hands. Clang! Clang! As steel collided, his razor-sharp claws shot toward Werner’s throat.
But a powerful repulsive force erupted from the red Mana Stone in Werner’s grip, unfurling a dome-shaped barrier that mercilessly hurled Kairik back into the air.
“Tch! That stone bastard has a shield too?”
Kairik landed lightly against the wall, his irritation evident as he clicked his tongue.
[Stupid beast! This Mana Stone is the core of the Third Calamity! The more humanity’s corrupted rage accumulates, the more absolute and impenetrable this barrier becomes!]
“Shut up and take this!”
While Werner was distracted by Kairik, I burst from the blind spot and brought my hammer down in a full swing. But my hammer too collided with the red barrier, bouncing back with a cheerful ping.
“Damn it! Disgustingly hard!”
[Hahahaha! Useless! Your barbaric physical attacks cannot shatter this barrier of rage!]
Werner laughed maniacally and yanked the bell’s rope again with tremendous force.
Dong—!
The shockwave erupting at close range sent both Kairik and me staggering backward. Confident in the overwhelming power gap, Werner gathered his crimson miasma and prepared his final blow.
[Demian! Your vaunted holy power is nothing but a candle before the wind compared to my rage! Die!]
Hundreds of red spears poured down upon Demian in a simultaneous barrage. There was no escape from this perfect, inescapable angle—yet Demian did not flee.
He held his radiant white holy blade with its brilliant cross emblem and walked forward steadily across the dark Bell Tower.
Clang! Clang-clang! Crash!
Demian’s holy blade danced through the air, deflecting every single red spear with flawless precision. His swordsmanship was a textbook of perfection, without the slightest flaw. Werner gnashed his teeth and roared.
[Arrogant bastard! I’ll tear that smug face of yours to shreds!]
Werner shaped the crimson miasma directly into a blade and charged at Demian. The two swords collided in mid-air, producing a tremendous grinding sound.
“Werner.”
Demian’s voice was unwavering, resolute, and grave. He was the perfect image of an impartial judge, stripped of all personal emotion.
“Your swordsmanship surpassed mine, and your military strategy was superior. The reason you could never become Commander was not a lack of faith.”
Demian struck his blade hard, shattering Werner’s stance.
“It was because you were consumed by your own petty inferiority, making you incapable of ever protecting others.”
[Shut your mouth!]
Werner lost all reason and pushed the crimson barrier to its maximum, beginning to rampage uncontrollably.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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