Chapter 35

35. Crisis? (1)

The battle was one-sided.

Or rather, could it even be called a battle?

It was more like a fight between a child and an adult.

The party of paladins numbered twelve, while the gang members numbered fifty.

However, the flow of the battle went in the opposite direction.

The paladins, with their physical abilities far surpassing those of ordinary people, overwhelmed the gang members.

Every time they swung their weapons, at least two or three gang members would fall.

And every time the unique cross-shaped guns fired, four or five gang members would have holes in their bodies.

In contrast, the gang members' attacks were all blocked.

Their crude guns and clubs were stopped by the hexagonal shields before they could even touch the paladins, causing no damage whatsoever.

A one-sided assault, indeed.

The gang members, who had surrounded and attacked from all sides, only realized the situation was dire after more than half of them had been taken down. They hurriedly took their drugs.

"Everyone, take the drugs! Damn, these guys aren't ordinary!"

One gang member shouted and took two drugs at once.

Swallow. Swallow. Swallow.

After a moment, the skin of the gang members who had taken the drugs turned red, their height increased, and their muscles expanded to an astonishing degree.

It reminded him of the emaciated dog he had seen in the battle with the mage.

The other gang members also quickly took their drugs at the sight of this intimidating figure.

"What... This looks dangerous."

Oliver thought as he watched the gang members take the drugs.

Clearly, their strength had increased dramatically, but the extent was so severe that it was evident their bodies would be torn apart.

Dominic seemed to view the gang members as disposable.

"Poor people..."

Surprisingly, the paladin Joanna showed a look of pity towards the gang members who were about to attack her.

She was truly a strange woman.

Before, during, and even now.

She was not overwhelmed by the excitement of battle or anger, but only possessed a sense of duty and sorrow.

Oliver was curious.

How could she harbor such emotions? And why did she fight even though she didn't want to?

She was truly an intriguing woman.

The gang members, who had taken the drugs and lost half their sanity, began to drool and charge forward.

Joanna calmly looked at them and placed her mace against her shield.

"Lamp Light"

With those words, a powerful light that could blind one's eyes instantly enveloped the area.

Even Oliver, who was far away, had to close his eyes, let alone the drug-addled gang members.

They clutched their eyes in pain, and in that vulnerable moment, Joanna and her companions swiftly moved to eliminate the gang members.

"May you rest in the embrace of the Father... Mahal."

She said, drawing a cross with her blood-stained mace.

She was truly a strange woman.

Just a moment ago, she had decisively smashed the heads of the gang members, and now she was immersed in sorrow and pity, reciting a comforting prayer.

It felt as if someone had unnaturally placed their hand on her.

Like a carnivorous animal grazing on grass, or a herbivorous animal tearing meat.

Oliver became increasingly curious.

What was the Paternus Church? What were the paladins? What was this woman, Joanna?

His curiosity grew like a mountain.

It was truly a delightful thing.

Curiosity and the satisfaction of resolving it were the joys of life.

Then, a question suddenly arose.

Was it just this level of preparation that made the Dominic Family so confident?

At that moment, the walls around them shattered, and a monster with a human-like shape burst out, raising a cloud of dust.

"Die―――!!!!"

The monster was someone Oliver knew. A subordinate of Dominic, the one who had grabbed Marie's neck.

He had grown nearly four times his original size, and with his bulging veins, he swung a powerful fist at the paladins.

The powerful punch that could break through walls shattered the hexagonal shield and sent one of them flying into a wall.

At the same time, another black mage burst out from the opposite wall and slammed the flying paladins into the ground.

Bang―――――!

"Richard····!!!"

Someone shouted, seeing their comrade smashed into the ground like a burst tomato.

However, there was no time to mourn.

Gang members and Dominic Family members, enhanced by various black magic and drugs, poured out from all directions.

The paladins, who had just been overwhelming the gang members, now struggled.

The Anthony Family also joined in, casting the [Rebirth] spell on the dead gang members to turn them into zombies.

Only the paladin Joanna was putting up a good fight.

The others were disoriented and struggling due to the ambush, encirclement, and chaos.

At that moment, Dominic appeared.

[Object Hight!!]

[Fury!]

[Burning Life!!]

[Anomaly Buildup!!!]

[Terrible Angry!!]

[Muscle Up!!!]

An unknown number of enhancement spells.

The life force and emotions pouring out from the test tubes in Dominic's hands ruthlessly enhanced both the zombies and his subordinates.

A crimson aura enveloped everyone, turning them into monstrous beings that were no longer human.

They all charged at the paladins with their eyes rolled back.

A mud-slinging battle of numbers and strength. The paladins were gradually overwhelmed, and it seemed no one would survive.

Dominic's confidence was somewhat understandable.

However, this thought did not last long.

[Divine Protection]

Joanna overlapped her shield and mace and shouted.

In response, a powerful protective barrier was created around herself and her companions.

The gentle yellow light, though beautiful, was as powerful as the sun, making even Dominic's subordinates and the zombies hesitate.

But there were always the brave.

A black mage gathered energy in his fist and swung a crimson punch.

Bang――――――!

The sound of the world shaking echoed as the paladins' barrier wavered.

Though the attacker's fist melted, the barrier was shaken.

Seeing this, Dominic seemed to recognize the possibility and cast another spell.

[Reduction Intelligence] [Berserk]

Emotions poured out from the test tubes again, enveloping both the zombies and his subordinates.

The black mage's intelligence visibly dropped, and with it, fear disappeared. His muscles expanded beyond limits, tearing through his skin.

It seemed he could tear a person apart with his bare hands.

Dozens of zombies and enhanced humans surrounded the paladins and began to attack relentlessly, even as their own bodies burned and melted.

Bang―! Bang―! Bang―! Bang―! Bang―! Bang―! Bang―! Bang―! Bang―! Bang―! Bang―! Bang―! Bang―! Bang―! Bang―! Bang―! Bang―! Bang―! Bang―! Bang―! Bang―! Bang―! Bang―! Bang―! Bang―! Bang―! Bang―! Bang―! Bang―! Bang―!

The continuous attacks made the shield waver and crack.

Though the zombies and black mages melted and became grotesque, if this continued, the paladins would not survive.

Despite the situation, the paladins remained surprisingly calm.

The reason became clear a moment later.

[Purifier]

The holy barrier burned and exploded in all directions.

The yellow flames were beautiful but powerful, instantly turning the zombies and the drugged black mages into ashes.

Not only that, but it also burned a significant number of the distant Dominic and Anthony Family members.

Even the minions Oliver had placed around were burned to ashes.

All of this happened in an instant.

Overwhelmed by the firepower, Dominic was taken aback, and in that moment, Joanna burst through the holy flames.

She swung her mace decisively, smashing Dominic's head.

Thud―――――!

Though the detailed situation was unclear due to the burned minions, it was clear that Dominic had been defeated.

"Hmm····."

Oliver looked down at the building.

The few surviving black mages, who had barely escaped, abandoned their dead master and fled in all directions.

There was no more will to resist.

The paladins would likely chase the fleeing remnants and conclude the day.

He understood why the pharmacist had told them to run.

The paladins were the strongest beings Oliver had ever encountered.

"No····. Not the strongest?"

He muttered, recalling the unknown entity he had faced in the battle with Joseph. Was it the old man on a horse?

Regardless, Oliver's judgment was not wrong.

As the pharmacist had said, it was a battle to be avoided, at least for now.

Having achieved his goal, Oliver was about to leave when a chill ran down his spine.

[Black Shield]

A black barrier was deployed just as a powerful bullet struck it.

A crack appeared, shocking him. The Black Shield, which could block most attacks.

Another shocking thing was how they had discovered his presence.

He had concealed his presence, but someone answered.

"The light of God reveals all evil."

A sudden voice. Turning his head, he saw Joanna flying towards him, using the building as a launchpad.

Her physical abilities far surpassed those of a human, and she swung her mace as she spoke.

"May your sins be forgiven."

[Black Shield]×3

Oliver deployed the black barrier again, this time in three layers.

However, the mace shattered it with ease.

Even a powerful bomb could not break the Black Shield.

"·····!"

Oliver was surprised and backed away. He asked,

"How did you do that?"

"The tricks of the wicked are powerless before the power of the holy God."

"Oh····. Is that so?"

Oliver looked at the light on the tip of the mace. Was this the light of God?

Joanna pointed her mace at Oliver.

"Are you a black mage?"

"Yes."

"In the mercy of God, surrender."

"Surrender?"

"Yes····. Repent for your sins, accept your punishment, and cleanse yourself."

Joanna's words were sincere, but Oliver couldn't understand what sins he had committed.

He wanted to ask, but realized there was no time.

Joanna's companions were approaching.

"If I refuse, what will happen?"

"I will deliver judgment in the name of God."

Joanna's firm words. Oliver nodded.

"Ah, then····. Klink Spider Web."

Oliver shot a black web from his hand.

Joanna reacted immediately.

[Holy Light]

The holy light burned the web in the air, but it was enough to buy some time.

Oliver leaped off the building, targeting a distant building and himself with a targeting spell.

He cast it more strongly, and like a rope pulling, he quickly flew to the building.

Bang-!

The sudden movement caused him to collide with the building and fall.

[Spider Web]

He spread the web below before falling, landing on it like a safety net.

He started running again.

His body ached from the impact, but he forced himself to endure, as a mistake could mean death.

Enduring pain was one of Oliver's specialties.

"Damn!"

Oliver ducked as he turned a corner.

A paladin had appeared and swung a sword, nearly decapitating him.

"What a rat-like..."

[Haet Bullet]

He fired three hate-infused bullets at the one about to swing the sword.

Surprisingly, a hexagonal shield appeared and blocked the bullets before they could penetrate, but the attacker was still thrown back by the impact.

Oliver took the opportunity to run again.

"There!"

A paladin companion got up and chased after him.

Oliver's physical abilities were clearly inferior, but he turned around and prepared to attack.

"Impossible!"

He deployed a shield in front.

The same attack as before would not work. Or so he thought.

[Ras Bullet]

The hate-infused bullet, containing a bomb of fury, flew quickly and exploded. A scream followed.

"Kuaaahh――!"

He had repelled the pursuer, but it was a mistake.

The scattered paladins were now converging on him.

Oliver's running skills were not enough to escape.

So, he decided to take a gamble.

Oliver covered his body with a Black Shield transformed into a Black Suit,

targeted the nearest tall building, and cast a targeting spell on himself.

The two targeting spells pulled each other, bringing Oliver to the top of the building. Then,

Bang―――――!

A loud gunshot, and intense pain in Oliver's chest as he fell.

The Black Suit protected him from serious injury, but his body ached from the bullet and the fall.

But it didn't matter. This was within his expectations.

Oliver looked around and started running again.

The pursuers were closing in, and he soon reached a dead-end. Perfect.

Oliver leaned against the wall, released a large amount of