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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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Chapter 18: Capricorn (2)
Ralph Violet.
Lord of the northern borderlands of the Kingdom of Albion.
The Iron-Blooded Margrave.
Though many titles describe him, there is one word that defines him most clearly.
Near Sword Master.
A knight who has approached transcendent existence beyond human limits.
Considering that Sword Masters are regarded as transcendent beings in this world, it's no exaggeration to say that the Margrave Ralph essentially represents the pinnacle of human capability.
Such as being a battle-hardened knight who had accumulated countless combat experiences while protecting the borderlands now cast a gaze that in some ways resembled that of a demon.
"You... what in the world are you doing to my daughter?!"
"Uh, um... Lord Margrave. Please calm down."
"Father! Father...!"
"Ophelia!"
Capricorn cried out with tears of blood, using Ophelia's face and voice.
"Save me! These people are trying to hurt me!"
'This motherfucking demon!'
However, this was the strongest card a demon without direct physical power could play.
If a top-tier Sword Expert, a knight pushing the very limits of human capability, were to intervene...
'I'll lose! There's absolutely no way to win!'
Ray stopped his prayer and tried to persuade the Margrave.
"Lord Margrave! The demon has possessed your daughter's body! We must exorcise it! Don't be deceived!"
"Father! Help me! It hurts! It hurts! They're trying to kill me! Save me!"
"Ophelia!!"
His eyes have completely lost focus.
The Margrave was not in his right mind.
According to Lawrence's testimony, he had been caring for his daughter with obsessive devotion.
Even for a knight who approached Sword Master status, there were plenty of vulnerabilities for a great demon to exploit.
"Get away!"
"Jenny, block him!"
"Argh!"
Jenny sprang to her feet and swung her halberd. It was a solid halberd weighing over 5kg. The Margrave blocked it with his longsword, still stained with monster blood.
Clang!
With a chilling sound, sparks flew as the metal weapons collided.
'With one hand?'
She had swung the halberd with all her might using both hands. And he blocked it with just one hand?
"Impudent girl. You dare try to harm my daughter?"
"This guy's gone completely mad...!"
Jenny jumped backward to create distance after meeting the Margrave's gaze.
Although the Margrave stood several heads taller than her, she wielded a 1.5-meter halberd. Its weight and speed converted into striking power.
"Noble sir, stay put!"
Jenny spun her halberd, using her core strength to generate maximum centrifugal force before striking.
But the Margrave was too experienced. He dodged Jenny's full-strength swing with a single step.
"Ugh?!"
Jenny had expected the Margrave to block, so she had swung with all her might. When the halberd cut through empty air, the centrifugal force made her whole body stagger.
Seizing this opening, the Margrave lunged forward and drove his fist into Jenny's solar plexus.
Thump!
A sound unbelievable for one human striking another.
The Margrave's gaze now turned toward Ray.
"Aaron... join me! The exorcism is temporarily suspended! We need to stop the Margrave first!"
"Damn it... he's a Sword Expert. Top-tier at that! He's not someone we can handle!"
"Stop guarding against the monsters in the back and come here!"
"...!"
Understanding Ray's intention, Aaron moved toward the inner room, leaving behind the snow bats entering through the window.
Ray also joined in, drawing a hand axe, which made the Margrave sneer.
"Youngsters... you think the two of you combined can match me?"
"The 'two of us' alone might be difficult."
"...?"
Screech!
At that moment, the snow bats that Aaron had been keeping at bay rushed toward Capricorn, enthralled by the demon.
The problem was that to the Margrave's eyes, these would appear to be monsters threatening his daughter.
"You scoundrel!"
The Margrave's body flashed brightly and then vanished in an instant.
"Gack?"
"Kick?"
The next moment, the five snow bats that had been rushing toward the young lady were scattered across the floor in pieces.
Ray and Aaron stood dumbfounded witnessing the scene.
"...Did you see that just now?"
"I didn't."
He had been holding back.
The way he subdued Jenny with just his fist.
The ability to dismember five monsters in an instant.
Though he was acting under the pretext of saving his daughter, the Margrave retained some level of ‘Sanity.’
He knew that killing the priest would be irreversible.
Therefore, he was trying to subdue them without killing them.
"He's uncomfortably rational. We need to end this one way or another."
"How far has the exorcism progressed?"
"Just a few more minutes of focused prayer should do it... can you buy time alone?"
At that moment, the Margrave, having slaughtered the snow bats, charged toward Aaron.
The sword came down. Aaron blocked it with his holy sword, but with a thud, one knee buckled.
Even Aaron, who had received the 〈Sun's Blessing〉 was overwhelmingly outmatched.
"No! Absolutely! Not...! What power...! Help!"
"Put some strength into it, young noble!"
"You bastard!"
Ray couldn't abandon Aaron. If Aaron were subdued as well, it would truly be over.
They needed to coordinate an attack to buy time somehow.
"Margrave! Die!"
Ray drew a dagger from inside his coat and hurled it at the Margrave.
An impressively precise throw. The Margrave, who had been pressuring Aaron, read the dagger's trajectory and dodged it with minimal movement.
Anticipating this, Ray charged at the off-balance the Margrave, swinging his axe, while Aaron also pushed back against the Margrave using the power of his blessing.
The two coordinated their attack with surprising harmony.
This was partly due to Aaron's swordsmanship skills, but more so because of Ray's overwhelming experience.
Ray's previous life as Pastor Kim involved carrying out missions to defeat all kinds of monsters.
The Vatican's Holy Knights, the Orthodox Church's battle priests. Even the young master from a vampire hunter family that produced a U.S. President.
Since there were so few people who could combat non-human abominations, they often had to collaborate on-site.
Through these experiences, Pastor Kim developed the skill to observe and support a newly-partnered ally's actions.
When a comrade attacked, he exploited the opening to harass the enemy.
Pastor Kim's supporting abilities shone during the hunt for the werewolf in Florence and the extermination of the vampire in Hungary.
"......"
Facing the two, the Margrave sensed that his opponents were not to be taken lightly.
A skilled practitioner of orthodox knight swordsmanship.
With the 〈Sun's Blessing〉, his strength reached the level of a decent Sword Expert.
But what bothered him more was Ray Anderson, who kept approaching stealthily from behind Aaron, who used orthodox knight swordsmanship.
His physical strength might not match Aaron's, and his blessing was weaker, but he possessed a level of experience impossible for someone his age.
Above all.
"Screech!"
A snow bat lunged toward Ophelia's bedside. The Margrave had to mind these monsters threatening his daughter as well.
"Now's the fucking time! Let's get him!"
"What vulgar language!"
"Is that important right now, young master?!"
"Damn it, you too......"
Aaron cringed at Jenny's rough speech rubbing off on him, then lunged for the Margrave's back.
Ray seized the opportunity to swing his axe at the Margrave.
But the Margrave blocked all their attacks and even managed to counterattack.
'This crazy old man! Why is he so strong?!'
For someone who had been corrupted by a demon for half a year, wasn't he too vigorous?
"Damn it, Capricorn!"
When Ray called the demon's name, Capricorn jerked its head toward him.
It was now or never. Ray recited a prayer while blocking the Margrave's sharp sword.
"You cannot harm Ophelia's strong and pure soul! By the precious power of the Savior Sol Invictus, I banish this dark force!"
"Grr, gaaak!"
Lady Ophelia's face twisted hideously.
Black smoke rose from Ophelia's body as she vomited black blood, and the demonic energy began to disperse.
"Father! Father! Save me!"
"My daughter! Your father! Your father will save you!"
When agonizing screams poured out in Ophelia's voice, the Margrave's aura became even more ferocious.
The Margrave swung his sword to stop Ray's prayer, which was causing his daughter pain, and the blade was enveloped in a shimmering ‘aura.’
"Fuck! You crazy old man!"
Kwang!
Ray blocked the Margrave's sword mid-prayer and was shocked by the impact that tore his palm.
The knight's aura blade could tear through steel like paper. Had it not been a weapon made of holy material, it would have sliced through in one stroke.
"In the name of the Savior Sol Invictus, I command- ack!"
The Margrave's kick struck Ray's ankle, knocking him down. As a military boot pressed against Ray's nape and the sword came down...
"Ray!"
Aaron swung his sword at the Margrave. But the Margrave had read that movement as well.
The Margrave's gaze flashed as he deflected Aaron's sword into the air. A feat possible only with an overwhelming skill advantage.
The next moment, the Margrave stretched out his arm and seized Aaron's neck.
"Kugh...!"
The unyielding will to silence the voice tormenting his daughter.
The Margrave's cold gaze gleamed as intense killing intent pressed down upon the two.
"Kingdom or Theocracy, I will not forgive anyone who touches my blood. I'll kill you right here."
"Urgh...!"
"Kack, kaugh...!"
Both men struggled with all their might to remove the Margrave's grip, but the top-tier Expert didn't budge an inch.
Finally, having abandoned even the rational judgment that he shouldn't kill the Theocracy's priest, as he was about to bring down his sword:
"Huup...!"
A heavy halberd swung in a broad arc, striking the Margrave from behind.
"Got him good!"
It was Jenny.
"You...! How dare you!"
The Margrave turned around and swung his sword. Jenny blocked it with the shaft of her halberd.
But the Margrave's free hand drove a punch into Jenny's face.
"Kugh...!"
Jenny's head snapped backward.
Her nose broke and blood gushed forth, but her expression grew even fiercer.
Swoosh!
Light emanated from Jenny's hand, stopping the flow of blood. Zombie-like recovery
.
She grinned and then headbutted the Margrave in the face.
Crack!
A jarring sound. It connected solidly.
Just as they thought so, Jenny stepped back after meeting the Margrave's expression.
He was unharmed.
But properly angered.
The Margrave also tilted his head back.
"Huh?!"
WHACK!
Jenny flew backward as if hit by a bomb.
As the Margrave tried to pursue her, Aaron rushed in and slashed at his leg.
"Kuk!"
The Margrave raised his sword toward Aaron. This time, Ray grabbed that arm with his entire body.
"You fools! Let go!"
"Old geezer, Would you let go if you were me?!"
"Ray! Address the Margrave respectfully! He's a nobleman!"
"You crazy...!"
Is that important right now?
Jenny charged at full speed and answered that question.
"Time and place, young master!"
Jenny created a collision almost like a body tackle.
The Margrave, who was already wounded on his back and leg with two blessed opponents clinging to him, finally lost his balance and fell.
"Ray! We'll hold the Margrave! Finish the exorcism!!"
"Ray, hurry!!"
The two restrained the Margrave. Though he thrashed violently, Jenny's blow seemed to have taken some effect, as his strength had diminished.
But a wounded beast is most dangerous. Especially when protecting its young.
"......"
Ray looked down at Capricorn, who had possessed Lady Ophelia's body.
The demon immediately tried to make eye contact with Ray, but Ray covered her eyes with one hand.
It was a dangerous attempt.
Directly touching a body possessed by a demon meant coming into contact with the demon's energy.
As evidence, the demon's demonic energy contacted Ray's palm, causing terrible pain.
A powerful curse bringing both physical and mental agony. But Ray endured all that pain and attempted a swift exorcism.
【Ray! Ray! Foolish son of the sun! Do you think you can escape the prophecy of the morning star by doing this!】
"Tell me your full name."
【......!】
Capricorn was silenced by Ray's statement.
"You can't, can you? You don't know it? Your tricks won't work on me."
Ray silenced the demon, then dipped his finger in the last vial of holy water and made the sign of the cross.
"Sol Invictus, your holy name. You who destroy and annihilate all evil forces."
【Kak! Kaugh! Kruk!】
"Drive out this evil one and protect your daughter. Promise eternal banishment from this land."
Without making eye contact with the demon, Ray directed his voice forward with maximum verbal command.
Aaron and Jenny were risking their lives in a desperate battle to hold back the Margrave.
Only he could resolve this situation now.
Ray continued the prayer with a trembling voice.
"Sol Invictus, with your love and mercy, save this suffering soul and purify body and mind."
Demon exorcism was something Pastor Kim had experienced many times.
The methods for exorcising demons in this world weren't very different. But were the conditions the same as in his previous life?
No.
Pastor Kim was a professional at this, but the current Ray Anderson was not.
Ray himself knew the reason why.
Because...
【You......】
The demon's voice reached him.
Capricorn smiled toward some unseen presence.
【You believe in a different god, don't you?】
"......!"
A moment of wavering.
Capricorn's eerie laughter spread through the room.
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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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