Survive as a Prison Guard in the Game

Chapter 154
Holy Empire (8)

Dark clouds gathered in the sky as black lightning flashed. Among the clouds, a giant shadow flickered.

It was the God of the Sea in dragon form.

It moved through the clouds and approached the source of the black bolts of lightning falling toward the square.

*ROOOAAAARRR!!*

With a roar from the God of the Sea, the black lightning dissipated in an instant. At the same time, the clouds parted to reveal a clear sky.

Once again, the clouds gathered and the black lightning threatened to descend, but the God of the Sea would be there to take care of it instead of the Saintess.

Using his shadow alter ego, he entered the barrier.

“You bastard, die!”

“Get off me!”

“Get off me, or do you want to die?”

Inside the protective barrier, it was in a state of chaos.

Some had already collapsed, others were being beaten by someone, and there were others curled up in a corner, weeping.

*Screeeee!!*

The Power of the Phoenix, gained through the abilities of the Druids¹. Along with the Blessing of the Dyrad Queen², the force of nature was invoked to bring forth the Phoenix.

A blaze of azure flames engulfed the interior of the barrier as the phoenix revealed its majestic form.

With the flap of its wings, the power of purification spread in all directions.

The purifying flame saved the ones who were enchanted, and brought them back to their senses as they collapsed to the ground in horror.

*Thud*

Those with a bit stronger mental faculties were recoiling and in denial of what they had done.

“Did I…. do this?”

“Ugh… my head….”

Walking past them, he made his way to the very center, where the Saintess was. As he pushed forward, he saw a familiar face.

The Captain of Cerberus.

Daylon.

He was subduing a black-hooded individual, placing cuffs on their wrists.

From the looks of it, Daylon wasn’t under any influence.

He left a bit of purification power just in case before leaving, and thanks to that, it seems like the enchantment didn’t affect him at all.³

“Stay here, and I’ll catch the others and put them in jail with you.”

Watching Daylon move to the next target, he quickly moved hi body as well.

Currently, the protective barrier was holding.

Judging from the Saintess’s glazed eyes, she seemed to be subconsciously channeling holy power continuously.

The archbishops, on the other hand, had snapped out of their stupor and were quickly divvying up their roles.

“Archbishop Dyke, please take care of this area.”

“I understand.”

Some of the archbishops left the square and made their way to where people were gathered and proceeded to cure them using their Divine Power.

He turned his gaze back to his original target.

“The Pope….”

He was knocked down, just below the aerial platform where the Saintess was. Archbishop Dyke walked over to where the Pope lay on the ground.

Placing his hands over the Pope’s body, Dyke began praying, drawing on his Divine Power.

“Cure.”

White light flowed into the Pope’s body.

The way he seemed to accept the Divine Power with no strain, one might think he wasn’t the traitor.

One never knows until he really checks.

He walked over to where Archbishop Dyke was and extended his hand to the Pope.

“Who are you?”

“I’m sorry.”

Using his shadow alter ego to pull the Archbishop away from the Pope, he then placed his hand on the Pope’s body to check his status.

The world flashed bright red.

The Eye of Arrakis.

It’s never been this red before. Everything visible was tinted red, making it hard to distinguish.

Death.

Only two words came to mind.

He instinctively used shadow movement to move behind the archbishop.

At the moment.

*Burst*

Black tentacles shot out of the Pope’s body and wrapped around where he had been. The tentacles wriggled as if they were alive, seemingly lamenting the loss of their prey.

“This… What… How can such a malevolent energy emanate from His Holiness…?”

*Slither*

The tentacles once again targeted their prey and swiftly surged forward. Carrying the Archbishop, He propelled himself off the ground, evading the dozen tentacles assault.

He dumped the Archbishop in a safe distance and charged the tentacles again.

He needs to stop those tentacles from harming other people.

*Oooh!*

Redin formed an aura blade on his sword and swung it. The half-moon energy surged toward the tentacles. The tentacles ripped it apart in midair.

Not a trace of the half-moon attack remained.

He frowned at the intensity of the demonic power he’d never felt before.

“……is this an Apostle?”

The Pope, who had collapsed to the floor, slowly pushed himself to his feet. The corners of his mouth tilted upward in the same kindly manner as when Redin first met him.

“..A pity.”

“….”

“I should have killed you a long time ago.”

The Apostle of Deception tore off his robes and used his demonic energy to create an armor.

A stronger surge of demonic energy burst out of him.

“Is that the God of the Sea up there? I was sure he’d never return to the world without Henry Baskervan……”

*Heh*

The Apostle of Deception laughed and stretched his hand upward. The demonic energy pooling in his hand was disturbing. Redin swung his sword once more.

The half moon slash flew out quickly.

Tentacles sprouted from the apostle’s back and tore it apart.

“With your current strength, you can’t do any damage to me.”

*Flash!*

The gathered black energy surged, unleashing bolts of black lightning. The power was so intense that even the God of the Sea was unable to react.

*Crash!* *Crackle!* *Boom!* *Booom!*

The streaks of lightning struck the white barrier several times. The Archbishop behind him seemed to be adding his divine power as he watched the Saintess’ complexion deteriorate.

It’s only a matter of time before the barrier breaks.

“Archbishop Dyke, I think you should conserve your strength.”

With the people here, they can’t beat the Apostle.

At the very least, enlisting the Sword Maiden and Mercenary King outside would increase their chances of capturing the Apostle and minimize the damage to the Holy Empire.

“I will rescue the Saintess.”

Using a shadow alter ego, he traveled to the Saintess location, just then, as the barrier shattered due to the lightning strike, the Saintess lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground.

Redin picked her up and started to move again, but tentacles whipped out at him.

*Ooooh!!*

A rush of Divine energy fills his body.

A short distance away, he can see Archbishop Dyke chanting a blessing.

This must be the Holy Enhancement Magic.

Creating an aura blade, he attacked the tentacles. As he repeatedly swung the half-moon waves⁴ at the tentacles, the tentacles could not tear them apart as easily as before.

The tentacles parried them aside.

*Whoosh!*

*Crack!* *Booom!* *Booom!*

The surrounding ground crumbled and exploded, and using the White Tiger Stride, he reached Archbishop Dyke.

“Saintess!”

Handing the saintess to the archbishop, Redin looked at the Apostle. The apostle’s mouth twitched and his eyes narrowed as he realized the shield had been broken.

“Now there’s no one left to threaten me.”, The Apostle said.

“We’ll know that when we get to the end.”

“Without the Power of the Saintess, you can never kill me.”

“Really?”

There was a reasonable amount of tension in the air.

“Redin!”

The barrier was broken and the people outside rushed in. The first to arrive was Jin Sowol.

Sword Maiden, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, walked up beside him, her long hair ruffled.

Her face was much younger than the last time he saw her. He could only vaguely tell how much stronger she had become.⁵

A common concept in martial arts.

As one’s skill grows stronger, one’s physical age becomes younger again.

“It’s been a while.”

“I know. I’ve got a lot of things I’d like to talk about when we meet, but we need to take care of that guy first, right?”

“You’ll have to be careful.”

“I’ll deal with him first, make sure the people in the square are evacuated so they don’t get hurt.”

“Okay.”

The sword maiden’s body blurred and reappeared right in front of the apostle. There was a sense of ease in her demeanor. The sword master Jin raised her hand and swung diagonally.

Such a simple gesture.

However, the power within it was anything but simple. Mana surged like a storm, engulfing the apostle.

*Whiiiiirrrr!*

Perhaps it was because the skill of the Swordmaster⁶ exceeded expectations. The apostle’s gaze wavered slightly as he used his tentacles to block the attack.

If things had gone according to the original course.

The Sword Maiden was destined to fall into the trap laid by the followers of the Demon Church and meet her demise.

But

Now that she had met him, the enlightenment he had imparted had allowed her to break through the Wall much more quickly.

“So, this is the level of skill that represents the Demon Church?”

At the words of the Sword Maiden, the Apostle smiled again. The wavering in his gaze disappeared instantly, replaced instead by what seemed like excitement as he raised the corners of his mouth.

“I’m afraid I’m the least skilled among the Apostles. However, it would be unwise for you, Swordmaster, to think you can defeat me,” the Apostle said with a smirk.

“….”

“From now on, I’m serious.”

Black bubbles formed in the apostle’s body, and he began to change. His body grew larger and more muscular.

Roughly double the height of the sword maiden.

After his transformation, he lunged at Jin Sowol. Upon seeing that, she quickly unsheathed the sword at her waist.

*BANG!*

*BANG!*

*BOOOOOM!*

With each collision between the two, power exploded, affecting everything around them.

Using the power of the shadows to protect the ones who were knocked unconscious, he used his shadow alter egos to quickly transport them to safety.

With the help of delegates from the other kingdoms who had arrived belatedly, and the Holy Knights who had recovered their bearings, they managed to rescue everyone except for a few casualties.

“Gulp…..”

“Is that what a real fight between true masters looks like?”

All eyes were on Swordmaster Jin and the Apostle.

He also watched their battle.

They were clashing without backing off, and every time they exchanged blows, a strong shockwave swept through the surroundings.

The square had turned into ruins.

At first glance, it appeared that the Sword Maiden was dominating, but as time passed, there were slight fluctuations in Jin Sowol’s breath, indicating a possible weakening.

Once a crack is opened, it cannot be closed again.

Whether or not she realized it, the sword maiden pressed harder, pressuring the Apostle, unleashing even more ferocious attacks.

Redin didn’t know how much longer she could prolong the battle.

He had to find a way to kill the apostle before then. He shifted his gaze to the fallen saintess.

The apostle had said it himself.

Now that the Saintess was unconscious, there was no threat to him. Or, to put it another way, the presence of the Saintess meant that he could be killed.

“Archbishop, what is her condition?”

“Not good. She was maintaining the barrier by overusing her Divine Power, but when it was attacked and the barrier broke, it seems that her physical body was unable to withstand the backlash.”

“Is it impossible to bring her to consciousness with divine power?”

“Yes. For now, all we can do is wait for her to open her eyes on her own.”

He retrieved a top grade elixir he carried in his subspace pouch.

“Could you try feeding her this?”

“I can’t give her something I don’t even know what it is.”

“I will vouch for it with my life.”

Rebecca approached and said to the Archbishop.

“That is a potion called an elixir. It has restorative properties, and if you don’t believe me, I’ll drink it first.”

Rebecca snatched the elixir, demonstrated by taking a sip, and handed it back to the Archbishop.

“If you’re skeptical, Archbishop, please try it as well. Experiencing the effects firsthand may change your mind.”

The hesitant Archbishop took a sip of the potion and his eyes widened as he felt the changes in his body.

“This is…..”

“Archbishop, we don’t have time.”

He pulled out a new elixir and handed it to Archbishop Dyke, who took it, and after talking with the other Archbishops.

He brought it to the lips of the Saintess.

** ** **

TL/N:

1. Ref. Ch 112

2. Ref. Ch 106

3. When Redin met with Warden Rukel and Daylon in their lodging before leaving to continue investigating the Holy Empire Knight Captains, he left Daylon some of his Purification Energy.

4. Half Moon Slash v2

5. If you are familiar with the Hunter X Hunter (Greed Island Arc) you’ll remember the character “Biscuit Krueger” who trained Killua and Gon in polishing their Nen. Sword Maiden Jin Sowol used the same method of Biscuit to make herself look younger.
Or if you are more familiar with martial arts novels… when someone achieves a high level of enlightenment and returns to a young body through a process such as transformation , that is, rejuvenation

6. Jin Sowol – Moon Pavilion Master
*One of the 3 Sword Master in Bern Continent (The other one is Duke Fyder of the Adrian Kingdom and one other who hasn’t yet made an appearance)
Sword Maiden – called due to her young looking appearance (Her preferred moniker)