The Life of a Wise Cult Leader - Chapter 119

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 119

 

He rushed at me in an instant but didn’t cut me, only grazed past me.

 

While we were staging this fake battle, he said a few fingers or minor wounds would be fine, but he didn’t seem intent on actually hitting me.

 

I poured out light beams that posed no threat to him whatsoever. The flashing and sparks flying everywhere made quite a spectacle.

 

A flashy fight continued.

 

If skilled people watched, they might catch on that we were staging this, so Tuba decided to shake the ground while I flashed with light and Erendor would create dust clouds and set fires.

 

Thanks to that, the plaza was more spectacular than any festival.

 

‘Ugh, so hot.’

 

The spirits Erendor controlled were setting fires everywhere, making it sweltering.

 

It was hotter than a sauna, hot enough that the steam would burn your skin on contact.

 

Fortunately, I had some fire resistance, so I wouldn’t get burned just by getting close to the flames.

 

‘Since I’m fighting safely anyway, maybe I should try learning some combat techniques.’

 

This was essentially a completely painless sparring match after all. Of course, I probably wouldn’t need to fight, but you never know what life might bring.

 

I experimented with the light beams that dealt less than 1 damage no matter how much I fired them.

 

Last time I could only shoot light from the tip of my staff, but this was created with my Divine Power anyway.

 

Within this range, I could do anything.

 

Within the faintly glowing circle centered on me…

 

I quickly grasped the application methods. Once I understood something, applying it was easy.

 

I drove down pillars of light like lightning striking from the sky, or created light orbs that automatically attacked like an auto-targeting system.

 

This was getting fun, and I seemed to be making Erendor and Tuba dodge around like it was a bullet hell game.

 

Erendor seemed to think dodging itself was training, shouting “Do more!” He looked like he was having fun.

 

But Tuba was different. Though his mask hid his lower face, just looking at his eyes showed he was extremely displeased.

 

Tuba seemed to find getting hit by these light beams unpleasant. Even though getting hit just made his body healthier. How unfair.

 

“Ascetic!”

 

“Don’t lose to those terrorist bastards!”

 

“Ascetic, it’s dangerous!”

 

“Why is the Saint doing that over there!”

 

I could feel people cheering for me from far away. More connections settled into place with me. My power increased. Faith filled me up.

 

My ‘operation to win citizens’ favor by showing off my cool Saint moves’ was working perfectly.

 

I had asked Antonio to install the latest recording orbs here, so once the videos and photos spread far and wide, the entire Empire would become my devoted fans. Hehehe.

 

“You fight better than I expected, Friend?”

 

“It’s thanks to Brother Erendor.”

 

We exchanged pleasantries while crossing hands with each other.

 

“I’m going to hit you for real now, okay?”

 

Erendor grinned slyly. He’d punch me, right? If I got hit by Erendor’s Great Sword, I’d become mincemeat…

 

I drew up my Divine Power of Defense. Thanks to his kind warning of where he’d hit me, I could focus my defense more intensively on my abdomen.

 

Thwack-!

 

An unbelievable sound rang out for hitting someone’s abdomen.

 

But blocking and being sent flying were different things, so I took a hit to the abdomen and flew across to the opposite temple, smashing a pillar.

 

Rumble-

 

“Ah.”

 

A mistake.

 

Crash!

 

As the pillar broke, the temple collapsed at the same time. No, damn it.

 

I reflexively raised my defense. I was buried under stone chunks again.

 

“Ugh…”

 

That bastard Erendor, if you’re going to send me flying, couldn’t you send me somewhere decent…!

 

I got some small scratches but healed them quickly. The problem is this crushing pressure.

 

-{Ugh! What is this!}

 

“Ife… Don’t come out, you’ll get hurt.”

 

-{Hmph, spirits don’t take damage from such physical things.}

 

As if that statement was true, Ife emerged from my chest and smoothly passed through the stones. Well, since it’s a spirit, it would be strange for it to be crushed to death by stones.

 

Of all things, I had to be buried under a building. With my strength and attack power, it’s impossible.

 

Even when I tried releasing the divine power of healing and purification like when I attacked Erendor, it just flickered between the pile of stones.

 

‘There’s no one to ask for help…’

 

This is troublesome. Yelena is absent, and it would be strange for Erendor to dig me out.

 

Then Ife flicked its small tongue in front of my vision.

 

-{As expected, nothing works without me? You were doing fine earlier, so why are you lacking creativity now? Kids these days… Tsk tsk.}

 

No, I really don’t want to hear “kids these days” from a baby spirit that hasn’t even been born for 6 months.

 

I focused on defense to keep my body from being crushed. When I stole a glimpse through Erendor’s vision, I could feel him panicking greatly.

 

-{What you have is defense, the divine power of life. Since you also possess the sage’s divine power, more diverse applications are possible. However, you are now pathetically rolling around on the ground!}

 

What’s the point of listing facts I already know? But there must be a reason why Ife is saying this.

 

-{Why is that? It’s all because you lack imagination!}

 

As expected of a westerner, even Ife’s teaching method made students think for themselves.

 

But I was someone who had never been abroad. And having grown up with Korea’s rote learning education, I just wanted to be given the answer to memorize.

 

-{What should you do here?}

 

“I don’t know.”

 

Tick.

 

“Ow.”

 

Ife hit my head with its tail. It didn’t hurt at all.

 

-{Why do you carry around such a useless head? Now, think about it. In the current situation, the divine power of life cannot solve this. Then shouldn’t you use the divine power of defense?}

 

“I’m using it right now, which is why my body isn’t being crushed by these several-ton stone chunks, Master…”

 

Tick, tick, tick, tick!

 

Ife rapidly struck my head with its tail. Since I was using the divine power of defense on my whole body, it only made sounds like hitting plastic.

 

-{Even with the sage’s power, you can only do that much! In that case, it would be better to just return the divine power!}

 

Ife got really angry. Sob sob, I’m being scolded. Can’t you just tell me the answer?

 

-{How are you currently using the divine power of defense?}

 

Hmm…

 

“The feeling of putting up a barrier centered on my body?”

 

-{Why does that ‘barrier’ only exist around your body? If it really only existed around your body, wouldn’t all the clothes you were wearing have been torn to shreds, leaving you naked?}

 

“Ah…”

 

Ife shook her head back and forth.

 

Her expression said ‘You’re really stupid for only understanding after I’ve given you all the hints!’

 

I pushed out the defensive power that was layered over my clothes.

 

Then, just like Kalebrin or Cardil’s defense skills, a barrier formed centered around me.

 

Defense skills prevent you from taking external damage. It’s like putting up an invisible wall.

 

Then if I push that wall outward, like a magnetic field…

 

Thud thud… Rumble, crash.

 

The defensive barrier gradually expanded and the stone chunks began to crumble.

 

I slowly pushed outward as I raised my body. Then I pushed the barrier out all at once, clearing away the stone chunks.

 

Kwa-bang!

 

The collapsed stones of the temple that had been crushing me exploded outward.

 

Erendor, who had been standing at a distance thinking ‘What should I do… Should I go rescue him under the pretense of confirming the kill?’, quickly deflected or dodged the stone chunks flying toward him.

 

“I thought you were dead, but you fight better than I expected?”

 

Erendor grinned.

 

“It was quite a struggle getting out.”

 

“This is a bit damaging to my pride, seeing you don’t have a single scratch?”

 

Lies. His pride wasn’t hurt at all.

 

I contracted the defensive divine power that I had explosively expanded.

 

I could now use defensive divine power as an invisible wall.

 

Well, it was only about 100 meters centered around me though.

 

“Shall we try again? Uninvited guest.”

 

“Shall we?”

 

I blocked Erendor’s sword with the Staff of Light.

 

I was able to block it because Erendor struck with his sword while holding back his strength.

 

Even so, I couldn’t help being pushed back.

 

Fighting a close-combat damage dealer wasn’t something a healing mage should do. I would never engage in close combat with a melee dealer again…

 

“What the hell is that staff? It appeared in mid-air but has physical force. How curious.”

 

Clang-!

 

We clashed once more. I flashed and shot out beams of light like lightning. Sparkling light burst forth with the divine power of life.

 

“Isn’t it basic for a Saint to carry a staff?”

 

“Is that so? The only Saint I know is you, Ascetic.”

 

It felt awkward that he didn’t call me friend. We exchanged several more moves and the tempo of battle gradually quickened.

 

It was slowly reaching the climax of our act. I gave a heads up via voice transmission to Tuba, who was diligently digging up the ground behind us. Tile fragments flew about.

 

“Erendor, when you fall, Tuba will retrieve you and the Sacred Fire.”

 

“Confirmed~”

 

Erendor answered cheerfully.

 

The orb of light floating inside the curved part of the staff trembled ominously and emitted light. It was clearly a signal saying ‘I’m about to use my ultimate~’

 

I aimed the end of my staff. My target was Erendor’s heart.

 

He wouldn’t get hurt anyway, so gathering all my power…

 

I fire.

 

Whoosh-

 

The light that had been flickering from my staff struck Erendor.

 

Light flashed. A light brighter than broad daylight filled the plaza.

 

A pillar of light cut diagonally toward the sky. When the shimmering light disappeared, the clouds were blown away and only the clear blue sky was visible.

 

Erendor gave a passionate performance.

 

“Guhk.”

 

Well, since it didn’t pierce through, there was no blood. Erendor staggered and collapsed to the ground.

 

Dust scattered as he fell. The dust that would normally be purified and disappear before reaching me didn’t vanish.

 

Perhaps having used all my strength in that one shot, my purification power wasn’t functioning properly.

 

Exhaustion hit me rapidly. And a pain like my head was being split in two came over me.

 

“Ugh…!”

 

I grabbed my head and staggered. So this is why I couldn’t spam ultimate skills!

 

Tuba grabbed Erendor as signaled and snatched the ‘Sacred Fire.’

 

However, the Sacred Fire in the carriage was intact.

 

That was… because it was fake.

 

The blue flame created by Erendor’s Ifrit. That had become the counterfeit replacing the Sacred Fire.

 

It was a Sacred Fire switching operation made possible thanks to the sorcery I had cast the night before.

 

With a few leaps, Tuba’s figure disappeared. He reached the top of the bell tower that hadn’t been completely destroyed and spoke to the audience with his amplified voice.

 

“The Saint is getting in the way… I suppose I’ll be going back now.”

 

“I can’t let you do that, ugh…”

 

My head was throbbing.

 

“It’s unfortunate that I couldn’t take the Sacred Fire… Next time, Saint, I’ll kill you…”

 

Tuba kindly provided narration and disappeared. And I also knelt down on one knee and collapsed.

 

“Saint!”

 

“P-protect the Ascetic!”

 

“Ascetic! Are you alright!”

 

And so the belated cleanup began.

 

The mysterious terrorist who had attacked during the most important moment of the Sunrise Festival, the Empire’s greatest celebration. And the Saint who repelled them and concluded everything without a single casualty.

 

The front pages of all Empire newspapers were covered with this news.

 

[Breaking News] The Empire’s Saint Fights and Repels Terrorist!

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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