Chapter 206 : The Saint’s summons
Gazel glared at me as he cast healing magic on himself.
“How dare a heretic like you make a mockery of me, the Saint! You shall repent for this, you ignoramus from the surface. Today is the day you shall taste the power of the almighty gods, and realize your sins!” (Gazel)
He held out his right hand, on which he was wearing his Pledge Jewel ring.
Upon seeing magic power overflowing from Gazel’s body, the students began muttering among themselves.
“That man over there, it’s Saint Gazel…” (Student A)
“Then… Does this mean that… A Selection Trial is in progress…?” (Student B)
Despite the fact that a battle was about to begin, the students didn’t run away, but knelt on the floor, folded their hands, and prayed instead.
“O Equis the Almighty Radiance, thank you for granting us the chance to witness this holy event.” (Student A)
“Please lead our world down the right path.” (Student B)
“Bring us salvation, and punish the wicked.” (Student C)
Prayers echoed from everywhere.
Gazel slowly closed his eyes and began his incantation.
“By the terms of our pledge, I demand that you— GAH…?!” (Gazel)
Then it stopped midway.
I had casually approached him and run my fingers through his throat while his eyes were closed.
“Gh… A… Augh…” (Gazel)
Unable to finish his incantation, Gazel could only open and close his mouth wordlessly.
“It occurred to me during my fight with Ahid. If that incantation is mandatory, then you can never use your summoning magic in front of me.” (Anos)
“C… Curse… you…” (Gazel)
When I pulled out my fingers, he fell back against a stone monument.
“How dare you interrupt the sacred prayer…?! And you’re supposed to be a candidate…?! How much longer are you going to insult the gods?!” (Gazel)
“I told you, didn’t I? I never asked to be one.” (Anos)
I took a step forward.
“Fool! I am a holy knight! Don’t lump me with those priests who only rely on the power of gods!” (Gazel)
As soon as he jumped up, Gazel drew his sword from his waist.
He tried to slice my neck with that momentum, but instead, it caused his blade to snap.
“Wha…?!” (Gazel)
“Hmm. I was curious to see what a holy knight from the Underground World was made of, but I guess you’re nothing but small fry, huh. I have someone under my command whose swordsmanship is a thousand times faster than yours.” (Anos)
I held out my palm in front of Gazel.
“<Hell Flame Annihilation Mortar Jio Graze>.” (Anos)
The jet-black sun engulfed the holy knight’s body.
It burned up his body in the blink of an eye with a violent sound.
When the black flames died out, all that remained was his Pledge Jewel ring.
“Oh? Not a single scratch on it. Looks like this is no ordinary magic item.” (Anos)
It was then that a fire was lit in the center of the Pledge Jewel, and a magic circle appeared over the black gemstone.
The three-dimensional magic circle that was being layered began to release an extraordinary amount of magic power from the ring, causing pale-blue particles of magic power to rise up all around.
As if they took the shape of a person, a little girl with unusually long hair appeared, with two staves in her hands.
She was stark naked, with her hair barely hiding her body.
When the girl raised her two staves, Gazel’s body regenerated next to her.
“Be amazed, be afraid, and show your reverence, heretic. Behold the great and noble power of resurrection! This is the miracle god has bestowed upon me!” (Gazel)
“What’s so impressive about resurrection? If this is what you call a miracle, then they’re already happening all over the world.” (Anos)
“…What?” (Gazel)
As I expected, it seemed that no incantation in particular was necessary to summon a god.
On the contrary, as long as the user had their Pledge Jewel, they could summon their god in accordance with their pact, even after dying.
Quite the convenient item.
“I’ve seen that god before. Nutra Do Hiana, the Keeper of Restoration, was it?” (Anos)
At that moment, Gazel smiled, as if he had connected the dots.
“I see. You may be a heretic, but you know this much, huh? Still, how much do you understand about her? As her name suggests, the Keeper of Restoration Nutra Do Hiana rules over the order of restoration. In the face of a god that can never be destroyed, you will learn the true meaning of the word ‘powerless’.” (Gazel)
“Apparently, unlike Ahide, you failed to form a pact with a passable god.” (Anos)
I pointed two fingers at Gazel, and cast a <Magic Black Thunder Emperor Jirasd> spell.
A large jet-black lightning bolt flew at him in a straight line.
Nutra Do Hiana stood in front of Gazel and used her two staves to block my spell.
The dark lightning bolt traveled through the staves and scorched the keeper, but her body regenerated in the blink of an eye.
“In the face of the order of restoration, all attacks come to naught. Fear God and accept his salvation!” (Gazel)
The moment Gazel said this triumphantly, Nutra Do Hiana’s right hand turned into particles of light and disappeared.
“AAAAAAAHHH…!!!” (Nutra Do Hiana)
The god’s scream echoed through the air.
“What… the…?! What’s wrong, O mighty Nutra Do Hiana?! Why won’t you heal your wounds?!” (Gazel)
“Leave her be. Your god is busy right now. If you try anything careless, she’ll die.” (Anos)
Completely ignoring my advice, Gazel shouted.
“Restore yourself, Nutra Do Hiana! Show me your miracle!” (Gazel)
At that moment, the Keeper of Restoration Nutra Do Hiana was enveloped in a dazzling light.
Then, as if carried away by the wind, she disappeared into particles of light.
“…What… in the…? Just what… happened…? My deity…” (Gazel)
Gazel stared in disbelief at the spot where the Keeper of Restoration had vanished.
“I used my <Magic Black Thunder Emperor Jirasd> spell to draw a magic circle inside Nutra Do Hiana’s body and cast the <Activity Amplification Gagalia> spell. It strengthens and amplifies the body’s restorative powers. However, excessive restoration becomes a poison. Therefore, using <Activity Amplification Gagalia> on Nutra Do Hiana’s already powerful restorative abilities caused her to erode her own body.” (Anos)
That being said, <Activity Amplification Gagalia> was actually nothing more than a prerequisite to defeat Nutra Do Hiana.
“The Keeper of Restoration realized it and suppressed her own restorative power to the utmost limit. But since you knew nothing about it and issued an order you shouldn’t have, she ended up destroying herself.” (Anos)
