The Problematic Child of the Magic Tower

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 163: Saint Hill (6)

The three people who had climbed back up through the hole hid behind a wall, peeking out cautiously.

“...There really are a lot of them.”

Fran muttered as he observed the stairs in the distance.

The number of patrolling believers easily exceeded thirty.

After watching them for a moment, Fran spoke up.

“But they don’t all look strong. Can’t even compare them to the guy we ran into earlier.”

“Yeah. We were just being cautious, afraid of triggering some kind of alarm.”

The moment Veronica uttered those words—

Wooong! Wooong!

Suddenly, red lights bathed the entire hallway, and an announcement rang out.

[Intruder alert. Intruder alert.]

[Three visiting mages have been confirmed to have infiltrated the basement of the main church.]

[All believers are to gather in the basement immediately and eliminate the intruders on sight.]

Hearing the announcement, the believers moved in perfect coordination.

Fran shrugged at the sight.

“Wow, well, at least we don’t have to worry about triggering the alarm anymore.”

“We caused enough chaos downstairs. It was only a matter of time before we got caught.”

Oscar, sensing the approaching footsteps from behind, calmly began gathering his mana.

Then, as soon as the believers spotted them, they shouted.

“Intruders spotted!”

“There they are!”

Snap!

With the snap of his fingers—

BOOOOM!

A massive explosion of compressed air engulfed them.

“Fran, Veronica, from here on, we’re forcing our way to the laboratory. Secure Kilian first.”

“Got it.”

Without hesitation, Veronica gave a brief response and sprinted down the hallway with her long legs.

“I think I heard a loud noise from this direction…”

At that moment, a fanatic turned the corner and locked eyes with her.

“What are you looking at?”

Before he could react, Veronica’s knee crashed into his face.

“Kraaaagh!”

Without sparing a glance at the unconscious fanatic, she continued sprinting down the hallway.

“Intruder over here!”

“She’s coming this way!”

“She’s alone! Just kill her!”

The fanatics guarding the entrance to the lab pulled out firearms.

“Devout believers using guns…?”

“Shut up and die!”

Bang! Whoosh!

The moment she heard the gunfire, she tilted her head slightly, and the bullet grazed past her ear.

For an ordinary person, the sharp pain would have paralyzed them in fear.

But Veronica only pushed her legs harder against the ground.

‘I won’t ever show that idiot a pathetic side of me again.’

Mana coursed through her circuits, forming a perfect magic formula without a single error.

The magic seeped into her body, granting her explosive speed.

『Jet Booster』

Unlike the basic Acceleration spell, which had a longer duration, this one provided an unparalleled increase in speed.

The believers' guns completely lost track of Veronica as she accelerated to nearly four times her original speed.

“W-What?!”

“She’s too fast—”

Slash!

Veronica’s Wind Cutter took care of them before they could react.

“That was way too fast. I didn’t even get to do anything.”

Fran, who had arrived late, scratched his head awkwardly.

Veronica shot him a sideways glance and replied.

“I don’t need a patient’s help.”

“Wait, why are you treating me like a patient…? Huh? Hold on.”

Blinking in realization, Fran suddenly broke into a grin.

“Are you worried about me? In case I took internal damage from the last fight?”

“…Shut up, idiot.”

Anyone could see she was embarrassed.

Fran’s lips twitched, tempted to tease her, but he barely held back.

‘Later.’

Unfortunately, now wasn’t the time.

“We found it! The laboratory!”

“Call the high priests! No, call the High Priest!”

“The intruders are all here! In this area!”

From three connecting hallways, hordes of believers began swarming in.

Seeing their sheer numbers, Fran let out an awkward chuckle.

“How many believers do they even have?”

“At least a few hundred.”

Oscar, now standing with his back to them, spoke calmly.

“You two go inside and rescue Kilian first.”

“What about you?”

“Someone has to hold them off.”

“If that’s the case, then I should—”

“There are enemies inside, too.”

Feeling the mana radiating from within the lab, Oscar continued.

“Besides, it’s more efficient for one person to handle this.”

“…”

“…”

The two fell silent for a moment.

Oscar turned to glance at them.

“Why so quiet? Get going already.”

“…Got it.”

“Alright…”

Reluctantly, Fran and Veronica stepped into the lab.

Watching their backs as they disappeared inside, Oscar smirked.

‘Those two…’

They probably wanted to fight alongside him.

Both Fran and Veronica had once been unable to stand by his side during a crucial moment.

That’s why they wanted to prove it now—

That they had grown strong enough to fight beside him.

Of course, Oscar understood their feelings.

But at least for today, it wasn’t going to happen.

‘…I can feel it.’

An overwhelming presence was approaching.

A powerful mana signature, moving toward him with slow but deliberate steps.

‘Level 6, at least.’

If he had to fight an opponent of that caliber, protecting allies at the same time would be nearly impossible.

“Kill him!”

“Receive salvation!”

RATATATATAT!

From three directions, hundreds of bullets rained down on him.

Oscar glanced at them and murmured,

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

“Wind Shield.”

One in front.

One on the left.

One on the right.

Three Wind Shields, each large enough to completely cover his towering frame, materialized at once.

Then, they moved—

Shifting ever so slightly to intercept every bullet.

“Keep firing!”

“He’s alone! Don’t stop until he’s dead!”

RATATATATAT!

For sixteen straight seconds, the relentless gunfire continued.

And yet, the fanatics began to feel something was off.

‘There’s no blood?’

‘Wait… Not a single shot landed?’

‘Impossible. Are White Tower mages’ defenses really this strong?’

Thousands of bullets had been deflected—

And yet, the shields remained unbroken, unblemished.

But more terrifying than the shields was the man behind them.

Standing tall, arms crossed, looking down on them with composed indifference.

“A m-monster… He’s just like Serio…”

One of the fanatics muttered in horror.

At that moment—

CRACK!

A massive shield fell from above, crushing the fanatic in half.

As the others hesitated in shock, Oscar raised a hand in a calming gesture.

“Do not be jealous.”

His voice was smooth, almost mocking.

“You’ll be saved soon enough.”

"Ah, ah… Serio-nim…"

"High Priest…"

"Hmm, hmm, yes, yes."

As he nodded slyly and moved, the fanatics parted like the sea, making way for him.

The man who easily passed through them looked more like a boy than a young man.

'…Early to mid-20s at most?'

Now he understood why Fran had called him a monster.

He looked like someone his age, yet no attacks could reach him, making him seem even more like a monster.

"Hm? What, do you know me or something?"

Oscar stared silently at the sudden question.

Feeling awkward, the man continued speaking.

"It's just that your expression kept getting worse as I got closer. Thought maybe you knew me."

"As if I’d know someone like you."

"Right? Well, I don’t know your face either. But…"

The man's eyes, the one called Serio by the cultists, curved beautifully.

"Your way of speaking is really irritating."

"What a coincidence. I was just thinking the same about your ominous energy."

If his expression had soured, it was because of the sinister aura that came with the magic.

Serio slowly walked down the hallway.

"Go ahead, act tough all you want. The order was given to kill everyone except for the special ones anyway."

"I heard you have an impressive defense."

"Aha, your friend said that?"

He nodded proudly.

"That's right. I'm both the strongest shield and the strongest sword of the cult. I am the one and only High Priest of the Salvation Cult."

"So, there's no one stronger than you?"

"That's right. At least among the priests."

"But there's still the cult leader, isn’t there?"

"How foolish. The cult leader didn’t rise to that position through strength. He holds that position because of his devout faith."

If that were true, then this guy was the only one in the cult worth worrying about.

Oscar felt a little more at ease and spoke.

"Go on, bring out that so-called unbreakable shield."

"Looks like your friend didn’t explain it properly."

The moment Serio chuckled—

From above, an overwhelming force of demonic energy descended.

"…!"

Oscar immediately leaped to the side.

At the same time—

BOOM!

The spot where he had stood was utterly destroyed.

'The steel floor…'

With just a single attack, the supposedly sturdy ground was smashed as if it were ordinary stone.

As Oscar took this in, he heard his opponent's voice.

"How foolish. This isn't just a shield."

"What?"

"This is a wing. The very Wings of Salvation described in the scriptures of the cult. In other words, I am an angel."

Yeah, this guy was definitely insane.

Oscar observed the summoned "shield," or rather, the so-called "wings."

They were made of violet energy, flickering like ominous flames.

"Speaking of which, you also use an interesting shield."

Serio licked his lips as he mentioned Oscar’s Wind Shield.

"Shall we see whose shield is stronger?"

"…You just called it a wing."

"Here I come!"

Whoosh!

The opponent’s shield flew at him at an unexpected speed.

Oscar’s three Wind Shields merged into one, forming a barrier in front of him.

CLANG!

Like fragile glass, it shattered instantly, and the attack continued toward Oscar.

"Haha! Weak as hell!"

His opponent was convinced that Oscar couldn’t block the attack.

Feeling victory within his grasp, Serio aimed for Oscar’s body.

‘I can’t block it.’

Oscar admitted it honestly.

If he used all his energy, he could create a strong enough shield to withstand a couple of hits.

But the amount of mana it would consume was enormous.

'There’s no reason to waste my energy just to block a few attacks.'

If the opponent was the strongest shield, then all he had to do was become the strongest sword.

Vwooom! Vwoooom!

The Wind Cutter Oscar summoned roared more fiercely than any beast.

Seeing this, Serio burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! You’re a Level 4 Mage, and the best you can do is a Wind Cutter?"

"You’re the foolish one. This isn't a Wind Cutter."

"…What?"

Hearing his own words thrown back at him, Serio frowned.

But Oscar wasn’t joking.

With a serious expression, he faced the incoming wings with a single blade of Wind Cutter.

‘Has he lost his mind? Spouting nonsense with such a straight face.’

Just as Serio, who knew the toughness of his wings, shook his head—

Screeeech!

The supposedly weak Wind Cutter began to slice through his wings.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]