Chapter 379

"Thinking you could beat our Parter faith... How arrogant!"

Upon hearing Oliver's response, Bonifa soared through the sky and charged straight toward Oliver, who stood atop the spire.

His speed was so incredible that the moment Oliver sensed the impending charge, he leaped and made his way to an abandoned building on the opposite side.

Clang━!!

As Oliver retreated to the opposite building, a sharp, yet muffled noise reverberated through the air.

Turning his head to investigate, he noticed that the spire had been cleaved horizontally.

While it wasn't the sturdiest of structures, being able to slice it in such a manner with a longsword was truly astonishing.

"What will you do now that things didn't go as you expected?"

"Well... I suppose I have to struggle in some way, don't I?"

"Do you think struggling will change anything?"

"I don't know if it will change anything, but it will have meaning."

Oliver spoke with a soft yet resolute tone.

Even if struggling might not wield a significant impact on the ultimate result, as Bonifa had pointed out, what did that truly matter?

The act of struggling itself bore meaning.

Joseph, Duncan, Shamus, Theodore, and others - the fervor to even sacrifice one's own life for one's principles and purpose held inherent nobility.

Although Bonifa appeared to disagree due to his emotional state, he unfurled his wings and released an arrow comprised of ethereal feathers towards Oliver.

With a single flap, a dense barrage of feather arrows hurtled toward Oliver like a rapid-fire machine gun, exerting immense pressure. Yet, Oliver calmly observed the oncoming onslaught, gripping his black-suited quarterstaff firmly with both hands.

Placing his trust in his black magic.

Swoosh━━━!!

Swinging his obsidian quarterstaff with all his might, a potent gust of wind followed its path, distorting the very air.

The force was formidable enough to make it challenging for a person to maintain their footing.

Naturally, the magical feather arrows also lost their momentum in the fierce wind and were scattered.

Defeated by sheer physical force, not by black magic or any other means.

'Sir Knight's magic is strong, but my black magic is not weak either.'

As he acknowledged his adversary, Oliver glimpsed the potential for victory through his mastery of black magic.

Woosh!

Yet, challenging that notion, Bonifa elegantly swept his longsword through the air, effortlessly slicing through the wind generated by Oliver and charging forward.

Thump!!

Sensing Bonifa's aggressive intent, Oliver instinctively leaped upward, evading Bonifa's swift and sudden assault.

Despite not employing any specialized spells, Bonifa's speed was formidable. However, it was his agility, the capacity to change direction at will, that truly set him apart.

Typically, fast-moving entities struggled to alter their course quickly, leaving openings for evasion. However, Bonifa's wings, composed of radiant light, possessed extraordinary maneuverability, allowing instantaneous changes of direction.

This left Oliver, now airborne, with little recourse but to confront his predicament.

Unlike Bonifa, Oliver lacked the ability to move with such freedom in the air.

Aware of this limitation, Oliver nonetheless chose to leap. He had his reasons.

[Targeting]

Oliver activated his black magic, utilizing a portion of his black attire as a catalyst.

A segment of the black garment transformed into obsidian smoke, adhering to Bonifa and forming a target. In accordance with his knightly nature, Bonifa attempted to neutralize the target through his own magic.

[Holy Light]

Gentle radiance emanated from Bonifa's form.

However, the black target affixed to him remained unscathed.

It was crafted from a black suit enhanced by an artificial soul, rendering it resilient against holy magic.

Grrr─────!

Hovering in mid-air, Oliver clenched his hand, intensifying the gravitational pull of the target to draw Bonifa toward him.

Instinctively, Bonifa resisted the sudden force.

While his strength was substantial enough to resist being drawn in easily, it proved inconsequential. Oliver could just as easily be pulled toward him.

Utilizing the target as a conduit, Oliver propelled himself toward Bonifa.

Perplexed by Oliver's unnatural movements and his resistance to black magic, Bonifa reacted with a slight delay. Seizing the opportunity, Oliver swung his quarterstaff, encased in the black attire, with all his might.

Bang------!!

As Oliver executed the swing, a tremendous roar and shockwave tore through the surrounding atmosphere, causing windows and outer walls of nearby buildings to crack.

This outcome was to be expected. Among the various black suits Oliver had worn, this one boasted the highest performance.

"Still not easy, though," Oliver remarked, observing Bonifa, who had managed to block his unexpected attack.

Despite being caught off guard, Bonifa responded just in the nick of time, emanating a brilliant radiance as he parried Oliver's strike with his longsword.

Not content with mere defense, Bonifa shifted the center of gravity of his blade, emitting an even more dazzling light as he deflected the quarterstaff and counterattacked with a horizontal swing.

Snap-!!

Moments before Bonifa's blade, aglow with golden flames, could make contact with Oliver, he increased the repulsive force of his targeting to push Bonifa away.

In reality, it was Oliver who was pushed back due to his lack of strength.

'How can he have such power? Is he really the son of an angel?'

Questions began to surface in one corner of Oliver's mind, but he swiftly refocused on the present situation. He condensed a substantial portion of the black suit enveloping his body into his quarterstaff, transforming it into a spear-like weapon of razor-sharp precision.

Creak. Creak.

An eerie resonance filled the air as the quarterstaff darkened to a shade even blacker than the night sky.

With his quarterstaff aimed at Bonifa, Oliver diminished the repulsive force and amplified the attractive force, causing the gap between them to close in an instant.

His intent: to thrust.

Clang-!!

As he endeavored to impale Bonifa using the attractive force, Bonifa, wary of falling for the same tactic again, moved with a half-beat's swiftness.

He swathed the radiant light emanating from his body around his sword and swung it upward, deflecting Oliver's quarterstaff into the heavens.

The quarterstaff ascended high into the sky, leaving Oliver disarmed. Yet, it appeared he had foreseen this turn of events, swiftly transitioning to his next maneuver.

After all, he harbored no intention of engaging in close-quarters combat when the gap in skill level was so apparent.

With the black armor swirling around his body like a lash, Oliver ensnared Bonifa's neck, drawing him nearer.

However, Bonifa remained unfazed, swinging his sword down toward one of Oliver's shoulders.

In response, Oliver invoked his black magic.

[Ecdysis]

As Bonifa's blade sliced through the black suit, Oliver shed a portion of it like shedding skin, narrowly evading the attack.

With his armor weakened, Bonifa seized the opportunity to attempt another sword swing, prompting Oliver to employ another black magic incantation.

[Imprison]

As Oliver cast the spell, the discarded black suit transmuted into sticky tar, adhering to Bonifa.

Taken by surprise, Bonifa reacted with astonishment but quickly utilized his magic to counteract the effects.

[Purify]

At Bonifa's command, a yellow flame erupted from his form, incinerating both the targeting and imprisonment effects.

However, the battle was far from over.

Demonstrating his boundless power, Bonifa expanded the Purify effect to engulf Oliver as well.

Some of Oliver's black suit was consumed by the flames and partially vanished.

Fortunately, the adaptive and finely controlled black suit still enshrouded Oliver, allowing him to minimize the damage with a proactive defense.

Nonetheless, he couldn't entirely prevent the depletion of his black suit or the indirect searing pain from the heat.

"It's over."

Confronting Oliver, who descended due to the impact of Purify, Bonifa flew toward him with his sword aimed.

The situation was dire.

With remarkable composure, Oliver opened his mouth.

[Thunder Spear]

Upon hearing Oliver's incantation, Bonifa sensed an ominous energy and swiftly turned his head.

In that instant, he witnessed it.

The quarterstaff, launched into the sky, plummeted downward, carrying an immense electric charge.

Like the spear of an ancient thunder deity, it descended with a colossal electrical charge, targeted directly at him.

Faced with a force beyond his control, Bonifa desperately attempted to evade, but regrettably, this time Oliver was quicker.

"Strike down."

In response to Oliver's command, the Quarterstaff moved as if it possessed a will of its own, hurtling down rapidly toward Bonifa and driving him into the ground.

Piercing the earth while restraining Bonifa, the Quarterstaff emitted an indescribable black aura, generating a ferocious column of electricity.

━━━━━━━━━━!!!!!!

The electrical discharge radiated indiscriminately with an indescribable clamor, scorching the ground to a dark crimson and reducing nearby abandoned structures to ashes.

A spectacle so dazzling it seemed capable of blinding anyone who gazed upon it.

However, within this maelstrom, Oliver could discern.

Bonifa shielded himself with wings crafted from radiant light and an unending stream of divine energy.

"Amazing," Oliver whispered in genuine awe, his amazement born from his inability to comprehend it.

Bonifa had clearly failed to respond adequately to Oliver's attack, yet his wings instinctively moved to safeguard him.

As if the holy magic possessed its own consciousness.

The enigma didn't end there.

Moments ago, the divine power that had appeared to reach its limits had reinvigorated itself, persistently shielding Bonifa.

As if it were inexhaustible.

Amidst this perplexity, one fact stood crystal clear: if this situation persisted, Oliver would be defeated.

Oliver was already drained on multiple fronts—emotionally, magically, physically, and even his inherent abilities were on the verge of depletion—leaving him with few means to resist.

Thus, Oliver concentrated his power, wielding the Thunder Spear with both hands to maximize control and exert pressure on Bonifa.

In the process, the column of lightning assumed a distinct form, radiating an intense brilliance that illuminated the surroundings as if a sun had descended upon the earth.

Then, it was as if a real sun descended.

[Lumen]

Within the heart of the roiling black lightning pillar, Bonifa's emotions began to falter, and the light emanating from his form transformed to a pure white before erupting into an intense sphere, eradicating the lightning column.

A wholly unexpected turn of events.

The impact of the explosion sent Oliver hurtling backward along with his Quarterstaff.

Fortunately, he managed to reclaim the Quarterstaff using his targeting ability.

"What just happened?"

Struggling to his feet, Oliver contemplated the spectacle he had witnessed.

Bonifa, his consciousness wavering and blood tears streaming, had unleashed a divine magic that was neither golden nor yellow, but pure white.

An unfamiliar brand of Holy magic... One that felt oddly familiar despite Oliver never encountering it before.

Whooooosh—clang!

From a distance, Bonifa soared toward Oliver, sword in hand.

Already drained of most of his energy, Oliver hastily employed his Quarterstaff to defend himself.

Remarkably, even without any enhancements, the Quarterstaff successfully intercepted Bonifa's blade.

"Thank you... Thanks to you, I've proven that I am a true son of an angel," Bonifa uttered, still shedding blood tears, as if his body was reacting adversely to the holy magic.

In that moment, Oliver once more recalled the image of a crow adorned with iridescent feathers.

And he became genuinely curious. What precisely did the Parter religion mean by 'the son of an angel'?

It didn't appear to refer to a specific individual.

Nonetheless, he couldn't dwell on this matter any longer. A more pressing concern loomed.

If the current course of events persisted, Oliver would unquestionably meet his demise.

The emotions, Life-force, and mana he had were nearly depleted. All that remained to him was his black suit, now faded nearly to the point of losing its color.

Creee...

Oliver spoke, sensing the wear and tear on his black suit.

"May I pose a question?"

"What is it?"

"Is that power really yours, Sir Knight?"

Bonifa hesitated for a moment, as if something were amiss.

"Yes, the power of the angel is now mine! Why do you ask?"

"The power of an angel..." Oliver responded, a trace of skepticism in his tone.

"I was wondering if I could use it, too." he continued, releasing one hand from the quarterstaff he gripped and extending it toward Bonifa, while softly uttering,

"Extract."

***

"Extract." Upon hearing this word, Bonifa visibly flinched, and a chilling silence descended.

After a brief pause, Oliver sighed.

"Ah... I guess it won't work." he remarked, his disappointment palpable.

His disappointment was understandable. The notion of extracting Holy power as a warlock was utterly implausible.

Yet, Oliver appeared genuinely disheartened, as if he had believed it might work.

Curiously, Bonifa felt a sense of relief, almost as much as Oliver felt disappointment.

Even though he recognized the absurdity of the idea, he had momentarily found himself perturbed by Oliver's casual demeanor.

Before long, the feeling of relief dissipated like melting snow, replaced by humiliation, anger, and a profound sense of sacrilege.

For it was heretical.

It besmirched his lifelong devotion and faith in God, in the Parter faith, in the aspiration to be a son of an angel, and in humanity.

With tremendous fury, Bonifa swung his sword with great force, as though his entire existence had been invalidated and desecrated.

Oliver managed to block the attack with his quarterstaff but was forcibly pushed back into a wall and subsequently slammed into a nearby building.

Regaining his senses, he found himself in a secluded temple, with Marie present.

'Coincidence? Or was it intentional?'

Oliver staggered to his feet, deep in thought.

Clang!

Bonifa pursued Oliver into the temple and once more swung his sword.

Struggling to rise, Oliver once again defended himself with his quarterstaff, but this time, he lost his grip and sustained injuries, crashing into the opposing wall.

'What now? Pilgaret? The emotions of the people around me?'

Desperate and out of alternatives, Oliver searched for any possible recourse.

But he was a fraction too late. He had neither the time to retrieve Pilgaret nor to extract emotions from the people around him before the enraged Bonifa closed in.

"Master!"

Marie leaped between Bonifa and Oliver.

Much like when she had reunited with Oliver in Landa, her entire body was cloaked in darkness, and she wielded her elongated, eerie nails to block Bonifa.

She appeared even stronger than before, but something else captured Oliver's attention.

It was the shadowy hands hovering above Mari's head.

He wondered if his exhaustion was playing tricks on him. Why were there shadowy hands that resembled both human and beastly appendages above Mari's head?

Thunk!