Chapter 17: A holy knight?   

At first, the priests and holy knights were puzzled, not understanding the sounds. 

But soon, they realized their grim meaning.  

“Oh, no… no…”  

One priest clamped her mouth shut and slid to the ground. 

Rita shushed her, cautiously stepping forward and extending her staff.  

“Flame that devours darkness.”  

A small flame gathered at the tip of her staff.  

In an instant, the surroundings were illuminated, and low screams erupted from the group as their vision cleared.  

At the deepest end of the cave, in a hollowed-out clearing, four grotesque creatures were huddled together.  

The moment he saw them, Mikael was horrified.  

How could one even describe them?  

Giant green caterpillars?  

Trying to categorize them by appearance was futile.  

Their rotting skin was covered in spiky bristles, and their rounded heads bore massive red eyes like those of flies.  

Dozens of small, human-arm-like appendages lined their bodies, functioning as legs.  

And despairingly, there were three more creatures just like the first.  

They were using their bizarre arms to hold and gnaw on their “prey.”  

It was the worst-case scenario Rita had anticipated.  

The creatures’ “prey” were the priests who had gone missing from the Bielina Sanctuary.  

“Oh… the priests…”  

A young priest collapsed in shock.  

The visible remains were all torn to pieces.

Judging by the scattered body parts, the number matched the missing group.  

But for one or two, recovering their bodies seemed impossible, and Rita grimaced.  

[Origin: Baal]  

[Name: None]  

[Rank: Juvenile – Second-Class]  

[Attribute: Earth]  

There were four beasts in the area. 

Like the first one she saw, the other three were at a similar growth stage and rank, with their vital points clearly visible.  

Their differing attributes were a minor issue, but as juveniles, they wouldn’t pose much of a challenge in combat.  

Crucially, the creatures were so engrossed in feeding that they hadn’t noticed Rita’s group approaching.  

“There! Someone’s still alive!”  

Someone shouted urgently.  

In the direction they pointed, in a dark corner near the black wall, a faintly trembling body was detected.  

The holy knights surged forward, but Rita stopped them.  

“I’ll handle it. The rest of you, watch our backs.”  

They were just juveniles and low-grade. 

So absorbed in their meal that they didn’t even notice the group’s approach, they were pathetic enough that there was no need to tailor attacks to their attributes.  

“Blazing Arrows.”  

First, she needed to conceal her ability to target their vital points.  

Using a wide-range spell would have been easier, but it risked incinerating the priests’ remains.  

So, as a fallback, she conjured a salvo of flaming arrows.  

Eight arrows of fire materialized above Rita, pairing off and shooting forward like a gust of wind.  

As the arrows struck like wedges, the beasts, heads buried in their meal, screeched and convulsed.  

While the randomly aimed arrows melted their green hides, Rita cast her next spell.  

“Pursuing Flames.”  

From the tip of her extended staff, small birds of fire burst forth.  

The four fiery birds darted swiftly at Rita’s command, piercing through the head, eyes, chest, and legs of the lead beast, then the others in sequence.  

Striking their vital points should have been enough, but Rita cast one more spell.  

“Crimson Light of Annihilation.”  

A red beam circled through the air before embedding itself in the beasts’ heads. 

All four collapsed in unison, silenced.  

For Rita, who knew their attributes and weak points, this was a wasteful and inefficient use of mana, but it didn’t matter.  

With so many eyes watching, she had to hide her ability, and with her supreme-rank mana overflowing, it wasn’t a loss.  

It was merely a finishing blow to reassure the priests.  

“It’s safe to approach now.”  

Rita gestured to the hesitant group.  

The bizarre monsters—and Rita’s effortless slaying of them—left everyone speechless. 

Mikael was the first to snap out of it.  

“Priestess Lione!”  

Five priests had been dragged into the cave, matching the number who had come to the Bielina Sanctuary.  

But four had been torn apart and killed.  

The remaining one, covered in blood, was barely clinging to life, her right leg so mangled it seemed ready to snap off.  

Fortunately, the rest of her body was intact.  

After assessing her condition, Mikael quickly knelt and placed his hands on her.  

“Almighty Rihanes God, grant this humble servant your great and holy power to save our brethren.”  

After his fervent prayer, Mikael’s hands glowed white. 

The light engulfed the injured priestess, shining like the midday sun.  

Moments later, her ragged breathing stabilized. 

The light slowly faded, revealing her leg seamlessly healed.  

Rita was captivated by the majesty of holy power.  

She had seen it countless times in her past life, but it was a force worthy of being called divine.  

“Lione, are you alright?”  

Soon after, the priestess struggled to open her eyes.  

Pale from blood loss, she looked at the group with trembling eyes.  

At Mikael’s reassurance, her head shook anxiously side to side.  

A holy knight rushed to block her view, but it was too late.  

Seeing her comrades’ corpses, she wailed.  

Rita’s group could say nothing.  

“What should we do? Recovering the bodies…”  

“Should we return to the temple and request support?”  

No one had expected to face corpses, and the unprepared priests exchanged troubled glances.  

Mikael glanced at Rita.  

With Rita’s supreme-rank power and his own support, they could handle the recovery now.  

As he was about to ask her opinion, Rita’s gaze fixed on the entrance. 

Naturally, everyone’s eyes followed hers.  

A suffocating wave of heavy mana crashed over them.  

Except for Rita, the entire group froze.  

“Saint Mikael, it seems their leader has arrived.”  

The aura of one of the seven fragments was unmistakable. 

Judging by the form of the juveniles in the cave, the fragment was likely the insectoid “Baal.”  

Rita swallowed a tense breath and glared toward the exit.  

Soon, a sound like something dragging across the ground echoed.  

As they waited, shadows began to flicker in the spreading torchlight.  

The eerie, unsettling noise grew clearer, and finally, a rounded head emerged from behind the curved passage wall.  

A deep green, inverted-triangular face. 

Large, red, insect-like eyes. 

Yet its nose and mouth were eerily human.  

A single antenna atop its head twitched incessantly.  

Some gasped at the sheer size suggested by the head alone, even from a distance.  

As if in response, the creature slowly advanced, revealing its massive body.  

“Good heavens…”  

Even Mikael was at a loss for words at the sight of the monstrous lifeform.  

Aside from its lack of upright walking, its torso was nearly human. 

At a glance, it looked like a person crawling on all fours.  

“Like an insect that failed to become human,” someone muttered in disbelief.  

Indeed, despite its humanoid form, Baal was unstable.  

A slender tail hung from its hindquarters, and its hands, gripping the ground below its shoulders, were sharp as scythes.  

With its insectoid face, the fragment was nothing but alien and grotesque to ordinary people.  

[Origin: Iskis]  

[Name: Baal]  

[Rank: Adult – Second-Class]  

[Attribute: Wind]  

Baal’s vital point glowed at the center of its forehead, between its eyes. 

Rita focused on its information.  

An adult, but second-class? It’s so gaunt—has it not eaten much yet?  

Rita watched its frantically moving antenna. 

Its behavior—sensing prey but neither attacking nor retreating—was odd.  

Is it because it hasn’t encountered humans yet? 

Or because there are two supreme-rank mages here?  

In Rita’s memory, Baal was the fragment that devoured the most humans.  

Its insatiable appetite would make it increasingly difficult to handle over time.  

Moreover, they were in a confined cave, with Baal blocking the exit.  

“Saint Mikael, I’ll need your help from now on.”  

At Rita’s grave words, Mikael tensed.  

If Rita, who had just effortlessly killed four monsters, was speaking so seriously, this was no ordinary foe.  

Mikael, too, sensed the ominous mana emanating from the creature was far from ordinary.  

“I don’t enjoy fighting… but since my brothers and sisters have been harmed, I cannot stand idly by.”  

With a stern expression, Mikael borrowed a sword from a holy knight.  

At the clear ring of metal, Rita’s eyes widened.  

She had assumed Mikael, at best, would provide rear support with holy power, not join the frontline.  

Given what she knew of his gentle nature, this was unthinkable.  

Noticing her gaze, Mikael gave an awkward smile.  

“I was a holy knight by training, you see. Don’t worry, I won’t be a burden.”  

A holy knight? 

It was news to Rita. 

Or perhaps she had heard it before but forgotten, uninterested.  

She couldn’t help but be stunned.  

While she stood dumbfounded, the priests and holy knights, signaled by Mikael, took their positions in a circle.  

“May the protection of the Rihanes God be with us.”  

Mikael, holding his sword upright, murmured a prayer.  

A bright light spread, enveloping Rita.  

The dazzle was brief, and Rita felt her body lighten.  

This… is the power of a saint.  

She had received countless blessings from priests, but Mikael’s felt on another level.  

There was no time to marvel at Mikael, who stood poised like a seasoned knight. 

Rita immediately shifted into combat mode.  

“Piercing Flame.”  

Creating a spear of fire, Rita charged at full speed. 

Baal crouched low, spitting corrosive fluid.  

The sizzling sound of melting stone made Mikael flinch, but Rita leapt over it without hesitation.  

First, lure it outside.  

That was why she hadn’t used a long-range spell from the start.  

She hoped Baal would focus on her and follow.  

Fighting an upper-tier creature like Baal in this cramped cave would endanger the entire group.  

Fortunately, Baal took the bait. 

Empowered by the divine blessing, Rita used her long spear to jab at various points.  

Caught off guard, Baal, stabbed in the shoulder, reared up in rage and swung its scythe-like arms wildly.  

The slicing sound of wind was chilling, but Rita dodged with a graceful tilt of her head.  

Even in such a precarious moment, she remained composed.  

Meanwhile, Mikael advanced slowly, unable to hide his awe at Rita’s warrior-like movements.  

Of course, her skills were honed through countless life-or-death battles, but Mikael, unaware of her past, could only marvel.  

Just a bit more…!  

As Baal was gradually pushed back, Rita gritted her teeth. 

If she could maneuver it into the straight passage, she planned to use wind magic to force it further.  

Stepping on Baal’s knee, she thrust her spear downward with force. 

As Baal’s height shrank from the blow to its leg, she aimed a kick at its head.  

But Baal suddenly raised both arms, grabbing the fiery spear. 

With a hiss and the smell of burning hide, its sharp scythes began to crush the spear.  

Rita was gradually overpowered in the struggle. 

As her grip on the spear weakened, Baal’s leg moved. 

Her eyes widened as she noticed.  

“Ugh…!”  

Baal’s blunt knee struck Rita’s torso. 

It had clearly learned from her attack.  

Staggering and coughing, Rita faltered as Baal’s movements quickened.  

Its tail, previously dragging on the ground, whipped up to seize her wrist. 

Just as Rita moved to cut it off, she was lifted with tremendous force and hurled through the air.  

Crashing against the hard cave wall, she fell with a thud.  

Despite the excruciating pain that stole her breath, Rita didn’t scream, only gasping silently.  

Get up… now…!  

As she struggled to rise, a black spike hurtled toward her vision.

Her eyes widened at Baal’s tail, now inches from her face.