How the Cult Saves the World

Chester's reason for stepping forward was simple. He couldn't easily forget the time Khalid had toyed with him before. And Helena had heard of that as well, which was why she readily nodded.

"Yes. Go help Rawin."

"Yes, Knight Commander."

Chester gave a brief bow and disappeared quickly. Watching him chase after Rawin and Khalid, Helena fell briefly into thought.

'Now that I think about it, Rawin was also done over by Khalid once before.'

On top of that, Rawin had been struggling continuously over the mistake he'd made recently. He probably had a strong desire to make up for that mistake. Helena knew that well too, which was part of why she had sent Chester.

In case Rawin acted rashly again and got hurt. With Chester together, the associated risk would be less.

"Ah, what a pain......"

As Helena was watching Chester's retreating form. Someone came out from Diego Church's side once again.

He wore a white gown with waist-length white hair flowing in the wind—a man in his late twenties. It was the Sixth Apostle Meos, who had been absorbed in his Black Arc research.

"Who's going to be my opponent? Come out quickly so I can finish this."

Meos scratched his hair and looked over at Kyros Church's formation as he spoke. Then, as if enduring even a few seconds was too much trouble, he extended his hand into the air.

"Forget it. Just...... all come at me."

At the moment Meos reached out his hand, something shot up from the ground. They were hands.

"Graaah—"

They were soldiers modified by Meos, resembling zombies. In monster terms they were undead—but looking closely, their identity was that of priests and knights wearing torn Diego Church robes and battered armor.

Helena assessed the situation. But the next moment, Troy stepped forward.

"I'll handle that one."

Troy's usually blank eyes were filled with hostility. Because those being manipulated by Meos's hands had clearly been "experimented on" as well.

From the moment he had lost his tribe until now. Troy disliked people like that. Those who didn't value life, treating it like a toy. And so when Troy stepped forward, Meos's eyes lit up.

His eyes, which had been watching the situation like dead things with no emotion whatsoever, now bloomed with curiosity and longing.

"You're...... right? Troy Mont."

Meos bared his white teeth as he spoke. Troy didn't even dignify him with a response and simply walked toward him. At that, Meos clapped his hands.

"It is you! Right, that appearance. Just like what Khalid described. I've been wanting a Mont tribesman anyway. How convenient."

Meos licked his lips with his long tongue and grinned.

"I'll fix you up appropriately and take you back to my lab. The Mont tribe will make valuable research material."

Meos rubbed his hands together in great delight. Troy glared at him fiercely.

"Shall we move over there then?"

Meos grinned and shifted his body. Troy had no choice but to follow him.

And so already two apostles had left the battlefield, but Diego Church showed no particular confusion. As if this was exactly what had been expected.

'Hmm...... so what remains.'

Helena Holden looked at the two remaining apostles. Thinking back to what she had heard from Revelof, those two would be the First and Second Apostle.

'And what I need to handle is......'

As Helena was deliberating over her opponent, one apostle walked out from Diego Church. It was the Second Apostle, in a black robe and hood.

"Who's my opponent?"

The Second Apostle walked slowly forward and asked Kyros Church. The Second Apostle's appearance was completely concealed by the robe, so no one could tell. Least of all that the voice that floated out would be that of a surprisingly young woman.

'Unexpected.'

Helena drew up a faint smile and slowly stepped forward. And when she fixed her gaze on the Second Apostle, a slightly surprised voice came from the Second Apostle.

"Hmm? You're my opponent? You looked like you were the commander."

"Ha ha, yes. That's true. But...... I thought things would be fine without me."

Helena glanced back behind her as she spoke. Behind her, Terdius stood firm and unwavering. And this had already been decided.

That had been just yesterday, when Revelof had gathered the officers and talked with them. Revelof had roughly anticipated the war would play out in this manner.

And when it did, he had hoped that even if he couldn't speak for the other apostles, at least the First and Second would be handled by Terdius and Helena. He had left the choice of which apostle to face to Terdius and Helena—but afterward Terdius had said to Helena:

That he would personally handle the First Apostle.

And so Helena had nodded. At the time, Terdius saying that had made it clear he deeply disliked the First Apostle.

"If it's all right, I think it would be better for us to move somewhere else too. For a more comfortable fight."

Helena spoke with a smile toward the Second Apostle. At that, the Second Apostle readily nodded.

"Fine by me. I'd prefer that too."

And so Helena and the Second Apostle also moved away. Now the only apostle remaining in Diego Church's formation was the First Apostle.

The First Apostle too, like the Second, concealed their appearance with a robe and hood.

But Terdius was someone who had spent no fewer than several years as a Diego Church apostle. He wasn't so foolish that he couldn't recognize the First Apostle just because they wore a robe and hood—he never would have become an apostle in the first place if he had been.

"Alphius, Zain. I'll leave the rear to you."

Terdius left those brief words and moved at speed. He cut through the air and moved as if flying toward Diego Church's formation.

Whoosh—!

Terdius instantly struck the First Apostle's neck with his scabbard and dragged them back. The First Apostle simply allowed himself to be dragged by Terdius.

After Terdius and the First Apostle disappeared too, the battlefield looked as if emptied. In Diego Church's formation, a few carriages the priests had come in remained—but not a single apostle remained as an actual threat.

In practical terms, the battlefield truly was empty. And confirming that sight, Alpheus and the other officers began moving quickly.

"Move quickly. They all still have breath in them."

Alpheus immediately moved to tend to those who had lost consciousness. Of course, not a single one of those who had come to help Kyros Church had lost their life. But there were those with minor injuries scattered about.

And so Alpheus gathered the wounded together along with the other officers. But since the battle had been practically one-sided, the number was not very large.

Diego Church's number of injured was twice as many.

"We'll also save those people."

Alpheus walked toward Diego Church's priests and knights with resolute eyes. The officers followed silently behind him.

But Zain couldn't understand that action. Zain swept his hair back and asked:

"Hey, Alphius. Do we really need to save those people too?"

"Of course. If Church Leader were here, that's certainly what he would do."

Alphius spoke with unusually serious eyes and turned away. At that, Zain let out a low sigh.

'Damn it, the little brat's right.'

Revelof would certainly have treated them. Even if they were enemies, Revelof could reform them.

'My not liking it doesn't change anything.'

Zain clicked his tongue softly. And as he was watching Alphius and the officers approach the wounded—

Creak—

The door of the front-most Diego Church carriage opened. And Zain's eyes went wide. Because the person who stepped down from the carriage had a face all too familiar.

'Sister? Why is Sister......'

It was Saintess Emily Billion—Zain's sister. Zain was greatly flustered, as he had never anticipated his sister would come to the battlefield.

And for some reason, Emily was extending both hands toward Diego Church's priests and knights.

'What's this, is Sister trying to treat them?'

Surprised by Emily's appearance, Zain forced himself to stay calm and watch the situation. But the dark energy gathering in Emily's hands looked far removed from healing.

'Don't tell me......'

Crack-crack!

And the black lightning that shot from Emily's hands flew rapidly toward Diego Church's wounded. Alpheus could have blocked that attack, but Zain couldn't just watch.

Because no matter how brainwashed his sister was by Diego, he couldn't watch his sister do something terrible.

Whoosh— thwack—!

Zain swiftly drew his bow and fired a pure white arrow. The arrow he shot flew straight toward the energy Emily had launched.

Crackle—!

Just as Alphius deployed a barrier, an arrow that arrived before it changed the direction of the dark energy. As a result, the dark energy slammed into the ground where nothing stood.

Boom!

A fierce impact that shook the ground rang across the battlefield. Zain was furious. He narrowed his brow and moved at a quick pace.

"What are you doing! Are you out of your mind? Attacking your own side!"

Zain approached Emily and asked. At that, Emily's gaze turned to Zain. In her hollow eyes, no emotion was held. Emily slowly opened her mouth.

"It's been a while."

"Why did you attack them?"

"Hmm. Because I judged that they're no longer of use."

Emily spoke as casually as ever, without a care. At those cold words, Zain felt as if a thorn were driving into his heart.

"What? What does that mean."

"If they fall into your hands...... it could harm our Church. So I was trying to deal with them before that happened. But I've been stopped because of you."

Emily's gaze took in Alphius and the other Kyros Church officers.

Already, the barrier Alphius had erected was protecting numerous patients, and taking advantage of that, the officers and uninjured knights were moving the patients to safety together.

"Well. I'll just deal with all of them."

Emily said quietly and looked at Zain. At the sound of that voice, Zain's eyes wavered.

Because the dark energy gathered in Emily's hand had by now stretched out toward Zain.

"Huff, huff."

I let out a labored breath. My chest heaved greatly and my lungs felt like they were being torn.

'That thing is a monster.'

There had been not the slightest thought of letting my guard down, no plan to give myself any breathing room.

From the start I had engaged the Grand Apostle in combat using the holy sword. But even so, I had sustained minor injuries across my whole body and blood was flowing from various places.

I kept consuming healing potions to recover—but since the Grand Apostle's attacks also kept coming without pause, it was like pouring water into a leaking bucket.

'Still......'

I had succeeded in severing the Grand Apostle's left hand. Thanks to the most recently obtained holy relic, attacks of this level seemed to be getting through.

As time went on, the Grand Apostle's movements were also becoming more visible to my eyes. Because I was running holy power through my whole body using the Holden family's secret technique.

'But the problem is the rate at which holy power is draining is fast.'

Recovery through potions had its limits and was sluggish. At this rate, my defeat was clearly inevitable.

"My hand......"

The Grand Apostle muttered, staring blankly at their own hand immediately after I had severed it.

And then at that moment—

"Gkkk—!"

Dark energy rippled across the Grand Apostle's entire body.

'Oh, don't tell me.'

Is there a second phase?

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