Chapter 69 - Sixty-Nine ... Blood Sorcery

Chapter 69: Chapter Sixty-Nine ... Blood Sorcery

Chapter Sixty-Nine ... Blood Sorcery

Rumble!

Thud-thud-thud-thud!

At the same moment, he heard something powerful slamming into the wooden mass.

’What was that?’

The wooden shield shook as though it had been struck by heavy shot. Startled, Jan looked around and saw that the ground all about them was a sea of blood.

"Blood sorcery."

Agphiel explained as he looked over the traces.

"A very powerful sorcery, handed down since ancient times. I didn’t know the Pexi priests used it."

"I-is it dangerous?"

"No. Fortunately, I can block it. But you must be careful. Blood sorcery works through blood, so it’s strange and destructive. The curse laid on the dwarf councillors may well have been their doing rather than the Ruler’s wrath."

With that, Agphiel struck the ground with his staff.

Hummmm!

A mist of blue light drifted down from the trees around them and wrapped itself around Jan and his soldiers.

"The forest’s blessing! It will block most magic, at least once."

"Oh!"

Hearing that, Jan opened his hand and flexed it, fascinated. Along with a fresh, clear scent of green growing things, strength seemed to well up inside his body.

So this was magic.

The thought came to him at once. Then Agphiel shouted at him.

"What are you doing? This is no time for that!"

"Ah! Yes, Master Agphiel."

"Can you use that sword of yours?"

"I can hold my own against most knights."

"Good! Then come with me and stop that priest."

The priest Agphiel pointed to was plainly preparing something ominous. Everything around him was drenched in blood.

"Captain Lampard! Cover me and the mage!"

"Understood, human lord!"

At Jan’s words, Captain Lampard hurriedly assigned the dwarf mercenaries to them. Elite soldiers, heavily armored and armed with halberds!

Then something suddenly sprang out to block them.

Grrrrrr!

Pexi warriors, making sounds like beasts, as though they had been consumed by some unknown sorcery.

The System’s messages appeared before Jan.

[You have glimpsed a strange and terrible sorcery. Your soldiers falter.]

[Your soldiers are thrown into confusion!]

Their muscles writhed in a way that made them hard to recognize as human, and they barred Jan’s path.

"Fear nothing! The faith is with us! Crush them!"

But Jan roared at the dwarf mercenaries without a moment’s hesitation.

[Trait effect activated: your presence in battle steadies your men.]

[Your men recover from their confusion.]

[Your words stir the men under your command. Their morale rises.]

"Raaaah!"

Jan was no stranger to battle. He had led men through worse in his past life, and he knew very well that if they fell back here, an even greater disaster would follow.

Shing!

He drew his longsword, took the lead, and began cutting down the Pexi warriors who had been turned into monsters. Every time one of them fell, the dwarf mercenaries’ morale soared.

"Clear a path!"

"Raaaah!"

"Protect the mage! We have to reach that filthy heathen priest!"

No one needed to say it. If they didn’t stop that priest and his suspicious sorcery quickly, something very bad was going to happen.

The dwarf mercenaries fought with every ounce of strength they had and began driving the Pexi back.

Crunch.

Crash!

Clang! Clang!

Meanwhile, before he knew it, Jan was standing in front of the Pexi priest. The priest noticed him too late and flinched in alarm.

"Wh-what! Stop that heathen knight!"

But it was no use.

Backed by his Sword Prodigy trait, Jan’s fighting strength was already far beyond what most men could hope to stop.

"The head! Aim for the head! Their healing is tremendous!"

"Understood!"

Crack!

"Guhhh!"

A huge Pexi champion who had charged at him fell with his skull split open.

Other Pexi warriors, empowered by the blood sorcery, quickly stepped forward, but they met the same fate.

Jan swung his longsword and began cutting down the Pexi warriors. With the sound of skulls cracking open, the Pexi who charged him toppled backward like dry logs.

Thud.

Watching this, the Pexi priest was horrified. He knew full well that knights were strong, but he had never seen a knight this strong.

"You monster!"

With a cry of horror, the priest meant to step in himself. No matter how the knights leaped and fought, they were only frail humans who would die to a single stroke of sorcery.

Hummmm!

So the priest focused his mind to teach that filthy knight a lesson. Blood gathered slowly at the tips of the priest’s fingers and began to give off an ominous power.

"Hk!"

Seeing it, Jan flinched for a moment. He was too far away to stop it.

But at that very moment...

Crackle-crackle-crack!

Vines burst up from the ground and broke the Pexi priest’s concentration.

It was Agphiel’s magic.

In that brief opening, Jan charged straight at the Pexi priest.

Now there wasn’t a single warrior left around him to protect him!

"W-wait...!"

The Pexi priest started in alarm and tried to shout something.

But Jan didn’t listen. He swung his sword without hesitation. Those who wielded magic or sorcery were full of tricks. Hadn’t the old soldiers always said it? Kill the sorcerer first, and ask questions later.

Crack!

The sorcery protecting the priest shattered, and his head tumbled to the ground. The priest’s face was a mix of outrage and horror.

"Splendid!"

Seeing it, Agphiel came over with words of praise.

Killing a shaman wrapped in mysteries with a single stroke was no easy feat, yet this young noble had done it.

And leading from the front himself, no less!

He was the very model of an honorable and valiant noble.

"When they called you an agent of miracles, I’ll admit I had my prejudices at first, but you’re truly splendid. The kind of people priests talk about usually turn out to be nothing of the sort."

Agphiel laughed heartily, as though well pleased.

"Huff, huff. I’d rather not lead from the front ever again."

Catching his breath, Jan wiped the sweat from his brow. The thick stench of blood never got any easier to bear.

"Heh heh. Be sure you don’t."

Leaving the teasing Agphiel behind, Jan got back to his feet.

The Pexi warriors who had resisted had all become cold corpses.

The few warriors who remained had lost heart when their leader, the priest, was killed, and were scattering in every direction.

Before anyone knew it, the battle was over.

The System’s messages appeared before Jan.

[You have vanquished the heathen Pexi. The Papal See will sing the praises of this deed far and wide.]

[Notice: The heathens’ anger toward you rises. Be careful.]

Jan drew a slow breath through his teeth.

Why did nothing ever go according to plan?