DRAMA NOVEL ONLINE Book 14: Chapter 2: Part1
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Chapter 2 – Sacred Power and Divine Authority
Part 1
While various speculations are going on in various places, in the other world──.
“I finally found you, Shu.”
Iris and the others have tracked down the whereabouts of Katana Saint Shu Zakuren and his group.
Shu confronted them with several ‘Holy’ in tow.
“Hou? I didn’t expect you to find this place…”
“…Are these all of you? It seems that the number of people I saw at the Heavenly Sacred Festival was not the same as the number of people here…”
The number of Holy that Shu brought with him now did not match the number of Holy that was at Shu’s side at the Heavenly Sacred Festival, just as Iris said.
“Of course, this isn’t all of them… it’s just that we’re already on the move.”
“Tch… I guess we’re a little late.”
(It can’t be helped. The dragons of Dragon Valley are tough, and it takes some time to defeat them. I never thought that you would use this land for your own purposes.)
Yes, Shu and his group hid in the Dragon Valley, which was said to be as dangerous as the Great Devil’s Nest.
There was a dragon that had become a false god’s sentinel in the past, but since Yuuya had defeated it, its existence was not exactly known, and it was only told as a fairy tale.
However, the dragons that inhabit the land are still strong, and ordinary people cannot even get close to this place.
“Thanks to your flashy use of visual magic, we were able to track you.”
“It’s not something that’s easy to notice… but it seems like you’re still holding back at the Heavenly Sacred Festival, isn’t that right?”
“That’s right. And we’re here to stop you, who even lost to us back then.”
Iris pointed her sword at Shu.
But Shu showed no sign of being swayed.
“I see. So you don’t agree with us after all.”
“Of course not. It’s crazy to think that we’ll let you control humanity… To control the world.”
“You don’t understand anything… you’re just puppets, playing the role you’ve been given without thinking.”
(Hmph. No matter what you say, I’m doing the ‘Holy’ work because I like it. Even if I could eliminate the cause of Evil itself, I would not even think of controlling humanity.)
“That is true… As you say, sometimes I think humanity is stupid. But not all of them. To control the will of humanity as a whole is beyond my comprehension.”
Usagi and Odis also turned to Shu and told him this.
Then Shu shook his head.
“…It’s a pity. You and I don’t seem to understand each other.”
“Yes, you are right. That’s why we’re here to stop you.”
Iris immediately took a fighting stance, followed by Usagi and Odis.
“Do you really think you can do that?”
“I said I’ll do it…!”
Iris stepped forward with tremendous force, closing the distance between her and Shu in an instant.
“Heavenly Sacred Slash!”
And then she unleashed an attack that unleashed the full force of her ‘Holy’ power.
But…
“I won’t let you do it.”
“!”
Suddenly, the sound of a plucked stringed instrument rang out through the air.
At that moment, the sound became a mass of magical power, and it repelled the Sword Saint Iris’ sword that was approaching Shu.
“How outrageous of you… to fail to understand our noble principles.”
“Tone.”
Iris’ attack was blocked by Tone, a bard-like man──who held a lyre-like instrument in his hand.
Then, following Tone, two new men stepped forward to protect Shu.
“If you try to interfere with us, we won’t show you any mercy.”
“At the Heavenly Sacred Festival, we had a hard time because Shu told us to hold back, but from now on, we can really get serious, right?”
“Leo, Seras.”
The new men standing in front of Iris were a lion-type beastman and a deer-horned beastman.
The lion beastman was Leo Vanguard, the Fang Saint.
The deer-horned beastman was Seras Reinhorn, the Horn Saint.
Each of them was a member of the ‘Holy’ with their own characteristics as a race.
Leo made a movement as if he was relaxing the muscles in his neck and shoulders; then he smiled wildly.
Then he bared his fangs at Iris with tremendous force.
“I have long been convinced that you are the strongest in the Heavenly Sacred Festival!”
(──Hmph!)
“!”
But when Leo attacked Iris, Usagi rushed in and kicked him.
Leo noticed the kick, stopped suddenly, and jumped back.
“Usagi…!”
(Your opponent is me!)
“Hah! You think you can beat me, you herbivore?”
As soon as Leo’s whole body erupted with ‘Holy’ power and magic, he jumped at Usagi.
But Usagi stared calmly at the attacker, dodged just in time, and kicked Leo in the torso.
(Hah!)
“Mghh!”
“Leo!”
“──I won’t let you.”
As Seras was about to move to support Leo, Odis instantly created countless magic bullets and fired them at Seras.
The barrage was so great that even though it was a small mass of magical power, it approached Seras while causing considerable damage to the ground.
“Tsk! Annoying!”
“Iris! Get Shu while you still can!”
“Yes!”
While Usagi and Odis held back the two ‘Holy,’ Iris jumped at Shu.
But Tone moved to block Iris’ attack.
“I won’t let you do it! Sound Domination!”
The moment Tone strummed his lyre, the sound became a wave of magical power that destroyed everything it touches.
Iris, however, was undaunted by such an attack and met the wave of magical power head-on.
“Haaaaaaah!”
“What? Gahah!”
And the sword that Iris swung down annihilated the sound wave of magic power and slashed at Tone’s body in a fluid motion.
Thus removing the obstacle for Shu, Iris instantly closed the distance with Shu so that he could not escape while activating her ‘Divine Authority.’
“Wha──”
“This is the end!”
Following the ‘Divine Authority’ was an attack that mixed the power of the ‘Holy’ with magic power.
In the face of this attack, Shu’s torso was sliced open without him being able to dodge it.
Shu collapsed silently.
Seeing this, Iris and the others were convinced of their victory.
But…
“──Is that all you can do?”
“!?”
The ‘Shu’ that should have been cut open stood up again as if nothing had happened.
Besides…
“Yes, that’s right. For all the warnings I’d heard, it wasn’t much of a force.”
“How did you…?”
What’s more, not only Shu but also Tone, who should have been defeated, got up unharmed.
Iris couldn’t believe such a scene was happening in front of her eyes and was simply horrified.
Iris was sure that she sliced through the bodies of Shu and Tone. There was no doubt about it.
And yet these two were still alive and unharmed.
And then…
(Kuh!?)
“No way!?”
“Hey, hey, what’s wrong, Usagiiiiiii!”
“I see, so this is about the level of the magic of the ‘Magic Saint’-sama!”
Usagi and Odis, who had just been overpowered, were now driven back.
Moreover, both Usagi and Odis had activated their ‘Divine Authority’ and were in a state of full power…
While Iris was speechless, Shu turned his cool gaze to her.
“I see… I don’t know how, but it looks like you’re getting power similar to ours. But… it looks like it’s just a fake.”
“A fake…?”
In front of Iris, who was stunned and muttering, Shu unleashed his hidden power.
Tone, Leo, and the others followed suit and released their power.
It was a rainbow-colored aura, just like the ‘Divine Authority’ that Iris and the others had summoned.
However, unlike Iris and the others, the aura of Shu and Tone’s group had a shimmering gold and silver around it.
“This is ‘Sacred Power.'”
Shu looked down at them from above as if he was in absolute control.
“Sacred Power…”
“This is the power we gained by becoming gods.”
“God, you say…?”
Iris is confused by these unbelievable words.
“Yes. You know there are those who believe in the existence of Evil. If only they believed in it, their prayers would become the power for the Evil. Knowing this, I decided to take the power of those prayers into my own hands. To destroy the Evil more surely. Do you understand what I mean?”
“…..”
“It is simple. If Evil can be worshiped as a god, then we can be gods too…”
It was truly a statement that could be called insane.
But it was the realization of such a crazy thought that made Shu and his group so powerful today.
“It is absolutely wonderful. I feel like an idiot for not taking this approach before… That’s why we who have attained the power of gods have decided to control humanity. Do you understand? If you are a god, it is easy for you to control the emotions of humanity.”
By making themselves the object of faith, Shu and the others were able to obtain the power of prayer that collects there, and they were able to obtain Sacred Power.
This Sacred Power was truly the power of a perfect god, a mighty power that Iris and the others, who could only use their imperfect Divine Authority, could do nothing about.
“──Divine Fang Impulse!”
“──Divine Horn Piercing!”
(Guuuuuhhh!)
“Guuuaaahhhh!”
“Usagi! Odis!”
While Iris was horrified by Shu’s words, Usagi and Odis, who were fighting against Leo and Seras, were blown away.
Then Leo and the others came closer and surrounded Iris.
“Well… it was unexpected that you were able to find this place, but I’m glad that you did. This way, we can get rid of you, the disgruntled elements, all together.”
“Gahahaha! Oh, come on, Shu! Are you kidding me that these guys are disgruntled elements? Weak people like them are the same with or without us!”
“Kuh!”
Shu said calmly to Leo, who said it condescendingly.
“You don’t have to say that. Just as we have this power, anything can happen in this world. Even though it is a fake, they have obtained a power similar to ours. We should be very careful until the end.”
“Then what are we going to do about them?”
“Of course──we’ll wipe them out here.”
At that moment, Shu’s tremendous pressure dominated the surroundings.
The pressure that seemed to suffocate all existence pressed down on Iris mercilessly, and she could no longer stand it and fell to her knees.
But…
“Don’t look down… at me!”
“Mm.”
Iris forced herself up and raised her sword.
“Haaaaaahhhh!”
Then she unleashed the full force of her ‘Divine Authority,’ ‘Holy’ power, and magical power, and unleashed the full force of the attack that Iris is capable of unleashing right now.
“Heavenly Sacred Slash!”
A tremendous surge of power was unleashed on Shu.
“Hou? There is still such a power…”
But even in the face of such an attack, Shu still maintains a calm demeanor.
And then…contemporary romance
“Absolute・Slash.”
Quietly drawing his sword, Shu sliced through the enormous stream of power coming towards him with a single slash, shrouded in an overwhelming rainbow-colored aura.
“No way…”
“Sound Domination!”
“Fang Flash!”
“Horn Impact!”
“Kyaaaah!”
While Iris was stunned when her own all-out attack was blocked, Tone and the others struck back as if not to miss the opportunity.
Iris quickly readied her sword and blocked the wave of attacks, but the power of Tone and the others, which were covered in Sacred Power, was so great that Iris was blown away.
At the same time, Iris realized that her own Divine Authority was not working well.
“Kuh… T-the Divine Authority…”
“I don’t know what your power is, but I don’t see how a fake can compete with the power of a real god. You are just absorbed by our power.”
As Shu said, the Divine Authority of Iris and the others had been absorbed by the difference in power in the face of the Sacred Power of Shu and his group.
Of course, since the observers were not technically gods, they could not use the Sacred Power, but if the Divine Authority released here had been that of the observers, the result might have been different. However, this was the limit of the Divine Authority that Iris and the others who were not observers could handle.
For Iris, who desperately tried to stand up, Shu cast a cold glance at her.
“Hah… It’s boring. Even Iris, who was once called the strongest Holy, is no match for a god like this…”
After saying this, Shu turned his back on Iris and the others.
“…I’ll leave the rest to you.”
“W… wait…!”
She held out her hand to Shu as he walked away, trying to stop him, but Shu simply used his Sacred Power and vanished from the scene in an instant.
Leo looked down at Iris after seeing Shu off.
“Isn’t it a shame? You can’t even stop us, let alone Shu.”
“Let’s get rid of Iris first.”
“I wonder what kind of sound… the screams of the ‘Sword Saint’ will make.”
Leo, Seras, and Tone began to surround Iris as if they were slowly hunting her down.
Then…
“Farewell! Fang Disorder!”
“Horn Piercing!”
“Sound Splitting!”
A series of biting attacks and a powerful blast of horns. Then, a wave of sound that ripped through the surroundings hit Iris at once.
Almost unconsciously, Iris raised her sword and took the brunt of the attacks.
However, Iris, who had almost no strength left, could not withstand the attacks of Leo and the others who used the Sacred Power.
Nevertheless, Iris was able to keep her balance just in time, thanks to the basic skills she had acquired through her long training.
“Oh! You’re so stubborn! Just die already!”
Leo is impatient with Iris, who doesn’t seem to be falling.
As Iris’ consciousness fades, she desperately concentrates on surviving the situation.
That concentration eventually reaches its limit, and the sounds and smells around her fade.
And then──.
“(Huh… Leo and the others’ attacks seem… slow…).”
For some reason, all the attacks directed at her seemed to slow down.
Since Iris is about to lose consciousness, she doesn’t have time to think much about the situation.
Instinctively, however, Iris moved.
“──!”
A perfect strike, cutting the gap between Leo and the others’ attacks.
No killing intent, no hostility, just the pure thought of cutting what was there.
It was nothing more than the “Idle Strike” that Yuuya had learned from the sage.
The inevitable attack was drawn into Leo’s neck and immediately cut off his head.
“Ah?”
“Leo!”
“This is ridiculous!”
Leo and the others had no idea what was happening.
By the time they realized what had happened, Leo’s head had been severed, and he was dead.
As it was, if Iris had moved, Seras and the others would have been able to defeat her easily.
However, just like when Yuuya had first unleashed the idle strike, a tremendous feeling of exhaustion overtook Iris’s body.
She was on the verge of collapsing before, and Iris could not take it anymore and collapsed on the spot.
“Oh…”
“Hey, Tone. Did you see what happened?”
“N-no… but as long as there is a possibility that she has some unknown power, we need to eliminate her as soon as possible…”
Seras and Tone launched their moves at Iris again to make sure she was eliminated.
“Horn Piercing!”
“Sound Domination!”
Iris was no longer even able to prevent the attack.
It seemed as if Seras and the others’ attack was about to reach Iris, but… at that moment.
“──Holy Magic Bullet!”
“”!””
Between the two of them and Iris, magic bullets rained down with tremendous force.
Sensing the attack, the two of them immediately jumped back, and a white shadow jumped out as if chasing them.
(I won’t let you escape! Three Divine Steps!”
“Usagi!”
It was Usagi and Odis who had been blown away by Leo and the others.
While Usagi was busy with Tone and Seras, Odis went to Iris and gave her a sip of the healing potion he had with him.
Iris’ wounds healed quickly, and she was able to move again.
“Thanks for your help…”
“Umu. More importantly… did Shu manage to get away?”
“Yes. Also, there is a possibility that the ‘Holy’ who have already followed Shu will come back here.”
“…If that’s the case, it’s our loss this time.”
Odis muttered with a grim look on his face and stood up vigorously.
“Iris. You go to Yuuya-kun right away.”
“Huh?”
“I know it sounds pathetic, but we can’t handle Shu on our own. That’s why we need the help of Yuuya-kun and the Genesis Dragon-dono.”
“Then Usagi and Odis…”
“We will stay here and try to delay them. To get you out of here.”
“No way! I’ll stay here too…”
“Just go! As long as my Divine Authority is not working properly, I cannot teleport you directly to Yuuya-kun’s house. That’s why you need to leave as soon as possible. I’m counting on you!”
“Odis!”
Iris called, but Odis went to Usagi.
Frustrated, Iris looked at Odis and the others, but then she got up and ran to Yuuya’s house.
“Wha! Hey, Iris is running away!”
“Kuh! Sound of Chaos!”
Seeing Iris running away, Tone sent out countless clusters of sound magic from his lyre.
(I won’t let you do that! Kicking Flash Legs!)
But Usagi blocks all attacks with his legs and lands in front of Seras and the others.
(We will be your opponents.)
“…Don’t look down on me!”
──Thus, Iris went to Yuuya. Usagi and Odis fought with Seras and the others to stop them.
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