Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 5] Chapter 200

[Vol. 5] Chapter 200: The Plague and the Chosen Hero

As everyone gasped in shock and fear, the Holy Knights’ loud shouts of anger, and the clashing of weapons, Miss White Fox turned her gaze toward the source of the disturbance.

Among the hundreds of refugees gathered and awaiting “processing,” one of them began to undergo a terrifying transformation.

He was… decaying.

From his face, foul, slimy fluid started oozing out of his twitching mouth. His facial features, everything on his face, including his hair, began to melt rapidly, turning into a form no longer resembling a human. This grotesque sight reminded the priestess of a creature known as a slime.

The dripping slime that splattered onto his body spread like a colony of fungi growing at an accelerated rate, forming ghastly spots and festering ulcers all over him. The horrifying cries that followed seemed to stem from the immense pain this caused.

The people around him screamed in terror, trying to back away and escape, but the Holy Knights reacted immediately. While suppressing the chaos among the crowd, several warriors charged forward, wielding long spears, surrounding the convulsing, mutating, and decaying creature, whose original form was nearly unrecognizable, with great caution.

“This is…”

The girl murmured softly, and Yuna’s voice came from beside her, as if perfectly timed.

“…Those who meet certain conditions and, in order to survive, choose to make a deal with that terrifying entity from another world, offering up their faith and everything as a price for a rebirth… they become one of the ?Defilement?’s followers.”

“These beings, though not demons, are closely linked to the King of the ?Defilement?, and we call them ?Defilers?.”

“Shing! Shing! Shing!”

Four beams of golden light simultaneously shone from the holy seals in the hands of several Holy Knights, transforming into a sealed barrier that descended, firmly suppressing the violently mutating figure.

With a sigh, the Bright Light Saintess stepped forward.

“The ?Defilers? are apostles of the ?Defilement?. Their existence and spirit, under the influence of the King of the ?Defilement?, Pleg, have been twisted into something entirely different from what they once were. They also instinctively spread the ?Defilement?’s plague and corruption endlessly to those around them.”

“…Of course, to them, this may be considered a blessing or gift.”

“……”

The three girls arrived at the scene. The captain of the Holy Knights, who was responsible for containing the situation but had not directly engaged, quickly bowed to them.

“Your Highness, he…”

“Mm, your response was swift, reflecting the training I’ve given you. This person… has voluntarily abandoned the Holy Light and has been completely corrupted by the ?Defilement?.”

Inside the barrier, the creature, having lost all traces of its original form and now covered in fungi and slime, with even its facial features completely melted away, was struggling fiercely.

It thrashed against the barrier and occasionally emitted bursts of sickly green poisonous mist, visible to the naked eye, though all of it was contained within the seal.

Clearly, the combined suppression by the four Holy Knights exceeded the current strength of the creature.

Yuna turned and looked at the frowning Holy Knight beside her.

“Acting Leader Edwina, even after it’s turned into this, do you still believe there’s solution for him, that he could be a candidate for treatment?”

Stealing a glance at Miss White Fox, who remained silent and did not offer any judgment, Edwina finally seemed to reach a decision and shook her head, speaking solemnly and earnestly.

“Your Highness Yuna, this is this, and that is that. What you mentioned before is indeed recognized as the most effective way to deal with the ?Defilement?’s plague. Three hundred years ago, the ?Hall of Theology? was indeed unable to find a cure…”

“But setting aside ?Slaughter? and ?Corruption?, the ?Defilement? has not descended upon our world for over three hundred years. With our current methods, it’s not impossible for us to attempt treating patients in the early stages of infection.”

The Bright Light Saintess did not affirm or deny the statement, merely shaking her head as she responded.

“And based on what? Why should we risk a potential cost that could be tens of times greater, for the sake of such an intangible possibility?”

“In the name of the Goddess, I, Edwina Cecilia, I demand…”

“Boom!!!”

Suddenly, golden flames erupted around the young Holy Knight.

The brilliant golden fire encircled her like a halo, transforming her clear pupils into eyes of radiant gold, filled with intricate patterns. Her crystal-clear golden hair broke free from its restraints, naturally flowing and floating behind her. On her forehead, three golden single-wing markings appeared, as if symbolizing some supreme being.

A majestic figure appeared above the golden-haired girl, though so blurred it was impossible to discern its features. Even so, it was clear that the figure was a long-haired, robed woman holding a bright staff, exuding a sacred pale gold aura.

An invisible yet divine pressure emanated from the figure, almost causing Yuna’s pupils to dilate in shock.

“L-Lady Goddess! It’s the Divine Messenger! Please, save us, Divine Messenger! I don’t want to die, I’ve always prayed faithfully!”

“Divine Messenger!”

“The Divine Messenger has come to save us!”

The hundreds of refugees in despair immediately broke down, collapsing to the ground in prostration, crying out and praying desperately. The knights and Holy Knights nearby, witnessing this, exchanged glances. But upon feeling the pure, flawless light and divine authority, they too knelt in reverence, their faces filled with hope and excitement.

Even the ?Defiler?, which had been raging furiously and was still tightly bound within the seal, seemed to be overwhelmed by the holy light, falling silent in fear.

“A second awakening… of the divine bloodline? A hero chosen by the gods… Edwina Cecilia, you’ve surpassed the understanding of the laws? When did this happen…?”

For the first time, the Saintess showed genuine shock and confusion. The Holy Knight, who had just dominated the scene, appeared briefly stunned but quickly recovered, silently shaking her head.

Drawing her holy sword from her waist, she approached the rotting creature suppressed by the barrier, which had lost most of its reason and form. Her golden eyes, now glowing with a radiant hue, fixed on it for a long moment. Then, with a swift and decisive motion, she thrust the blade of divine fire into the creature, piercing its corrupted form.

“Shing!”

The holy sword pierced through the barrier effortlessly, driving straight into the creature’s presumed heart, pinning it to the ground. In an instant, the golden holy flames erupted, engulfing it in a blaze!

The Holy Knight turned around, her delicate and sacred profile illuminated by the flames. With the golden fire blazing behind her, her flowing hair and the divine apparition surrounding her, in this moment, though not a Saintess, she seemed more fitting for that noble title than anyone in the world.

“Becoming a ?Defiler? requires complete surrender to the Demon Lord of ?Defilement? from within one’s heart. It was a choice this one made on its own. It is our enemy and deserves the harshest purification. I have no objection to that, but…”

She raised her hand and pointed toward the people kneeling in worship and confusion, bathed in the light of the burning ?Defilement? creature, their faces pleading.

“They are the citizens of the Holy Empire, the faithful followers of the Goddess. As the emissary of the Goddess, as one of divine descendant, I, Edwina Cecilia, cannot accept or condone abandoning them heartlessly.”

“The plague has already spread. If we follow Your Highness Yuna’s approach, how many more innocent people will we have to kill in the future? A hundred thousand? A million? Or even more? Could we still call ourselves servants of the divine? How would we be any different from demons?”

“You claim that mortals cannot resist the Demon Lords. So, Your Highness Yuna, what about me, as I stand before you now?”

Her sharp, clear golden eyes met Yuna’s in the air. After her initial shock, Yuna glanced at the nearby Holy Knights, who, upon hearing Edwina’s words, seemed to nod in silent agreement. A faint sigh escaped Yuna’s lips, as if recalling something from long ago.

“So, what do you intend to do? The Angel City has fallen, and we are barely holding our own against the demons. The Redemption Saintess, the best healer among us, and she has not yet arrived. Even if you plan to treat them, how will you manage and care for these plague-infected refugees?”

“And this is not all of them. There are surely more, many more, up ahead. The number of victims is piling up every minute, and if this isn’t handled quickly, it won’t be long before it spreads across the entire Holy Empire. You shouldn’t risk the lives of a million.”

“Acting Leader Edwina, you are indeed the most exceptional and divinely blessed talent I have ever seen. But even though you’ve surpassed the limits at an extraordinary age, real-world problems cannot be solved by individual strength and a few bold words.”

“I’ll ask again, do you have a solution to deal with this? And are you ready to take responsibility for the consequences that will arise later?”

“I-I…”

“As for this issue, I actually have a solution.”

Quietly retracting the container hidden in her sleeve, which held the half-full ?God’s Blood Elixir?, Violet couldn’t help but marvel at how quickly this thing was proving useful, and how just a few drops absorbed through the skin could produce such exaggerated effects…

However, no matter how powerful the ?God’s Blood? might be, it couldn’t suddenly allow someone to comprehend the world’s laws. This was likely the result of Edwina’s own hard work, and what she had intended to use to persuade Yuna.

Sending a reassuring look to the Holy Knight, who was still in her “Super Saiyan transformation” state, Miss White Fox naturally picked up the conversation.

Around them, inside the sealed barrier maintained by the Holy Knights, the ?Defiler? engulfed in the holy flames of the sacred sword continued to spew large clouds of ominous green mist, accompanied by the crackling of intense burning. Insects desperately fled from its body, only to crash into the barrier and be incinerated.

It seemed that the creature’s body had, during its transformation, become filled with a concentrated amount of plague poison, even nurturing countless terrifying parasites that thrived in the toxic environment.

This plague was supposed to target the soul. The sight was horrifying enough to explain Yuna’s deep fear, her willingness to risk infamy and drastic measures to bury it entirely.

Even though the ?Defilement? power within ordinary plague carriers was only a fraction, one-thousandth, perhaps even one-ten-thousandth, of what was present in this ?Defiler?, if it erupted in the crowd upon their deaths, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Logically, Violet supported Yuna’s point of view because it was the most solution-oriented, while Edwina’s perspective is merely wishful thinking without any solutions. But as Edwina’s friend, she couldn’t just stand by at such a critical moment. After all, if fewer people could die, it was always better than slaughtering their own people.