Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 5] Chapter 208

[Vol. 5] Chapter 208: Miracles… and the Price of Miracles

“?Slaughter?… the ?Blade Demons?? It’s astonishing that nearly ten of these usually solitary beings have appeared together, and this is just one of their dispersed troops. No wonder the Angel City fell.”

The voice of the Saintess murmured softly, not particularly loud, but the powerful figures around her, especially the nearby young girls, could clearly hear her assessment.

Miss White Fox turned her gaze to the humanoid figures hovering above the demon army, clad in exquisite yet sinister blood-red armor, wielding deadly blades.

?Blade Demons? are direct descendants of the Demon Lord of ?Slaughter?, ?Sluthel?, and their relationship is somewhat akin to that of the ?Succubi? of the Demon Lord of ?Corruption?, but much more closer.

This is because ?Sluthel?, according to certain legends of uncertain authenticity, was also an unremarkable Blade Demon before achieving the title through slaughter.

?Chaos?, ?Corruption?, and ?Defilement? were born with innate abilities, making them a unique race that surpasses all other demons. While ?Slaughter? earned their position through their own efforts.

From a certain perspective, among the four major demon lords, only ?Slaughter? is a true demon powerhouse, while the other three are more akin to creators or ancestors of demons.

Though a special case, the emergence of a being who achieves authority with a mortal body demonstrates the individual strength of Blade Demons, placing them among the strongest in direct combat within all high-ranking demon species.

Despite facing some degree of rejection and suppression from the power of the world, they are by no means opponents that ordinary strong individuals can match.

The demons and the ?Goddess Church? have been sworn enemies from ancient times to the present. When foes meet, there’s naturally a fierce animosity, and when the two armies faced off, there was hardly any space or need for communication.

The Giant Hammer Demons at the forefront accelerated simultaneously, taking large strides and charging headlong toward the towering walls of Sacchino City!

“Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!!!!”

The sound was dense and thunderous, but this time it wasn’t the war drums atop the walls. It was the sound of those massive beings sprinting together!

“Activate the barrier.”

The Saintess, unfazed, simply raised her pure white hand. The magnificent golden light curtain rose up, powered by the magic array built in the central temple of the city, acting like a giant shield to block the oncoming massive bodies with no flair!

“Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!!!!!”

The giant hammers swung down, whipping up fierce gusts of wind as they struck the golden light curtain, creating a thunderous roar that resonated through the air.

Under the full force of the attacks from over ten high-ranking demons, the hastily erected barrier quickly developed terrifying cracks within seconds and then shattered into countless light points, cascading down just moments later.

But the first wave of full-force charges launched by the Giant Hammer Demons, aided by their running momentum, was completely absorbed by the light curtain outside the city walls and failed to damage the south gate of Sacchino City itself.

As they shattered the light curtain, the Giant Hammer Demons raised their weapons again, ready to launch a second round of fierce attacks on the walls, when suddenly…

“Rise!”

“Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!!!!”

The drums echoed like thunder, and that sound wave transformed into a real golden halo that simultaneously covered the bodies of over a thousand Knight Templars on the southern city wall of Sacchino!

As if rehearsed a thousand times, they drew their long swords in unison. Golden flames ignited along the blade, and under the leadership of the Holy Knight, who shouted a spirited battle cry, they raised their holy swords high!

“Holy One—Shine!!!”

The combined roar of over a thousand voices, along with the surging golden flames, shot up into the sky, quickly coalescing into a brilliant light sword that extended for hundreds of meters, nearly shining alongside the radiant sun, held aloft by the blonde Holy Knight at the front, delivering a sacred punishment!

“Slash!!!!!!”

The light sword tore through the air, and naturally, the first targets were the Giant Hammer Demons at the forefront of the demon army.

Some instinctively raised their hammer handles to block, while others, confident in their physical strength, ignored the attack altogether, determined to withstand it and smash their weapons down onto the golden walls, which were only 2-3 times taller than themselves, even after being reinforced.

But no matter what countermeasures were taken, that magnificent, earth-shattering sword strike cut through all objects trying to resist its edge in the next moment. The sword’s energy tore through the air, transforming into a golden wave that surged toward the sea of demons behind!

“Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!!!!!!”

The residual waves of golden light instantly engulfed over a thousand demon beasts at the forefront. The wave continued to push forward, while the demon army, which the people of the Holy Empire feared like tigers, seemed to have no power to resist, rapidly dissolving like snowflakes in the golden light.

At that moment, the dozen or so solitary, motionless Giant Hammer Demons beneath the walls began to fall backward one by one. Their solid bodies and weapons, cleaved by the holy light blades, collapsed onto the ground by the Star River, spilling out black-green blood.

Total annihilation.

“Wow… a combined attack, huh.”

Even the observing white fox lady couldn’t help but murmur, her lips curling up in intrigue. The two white-feathered girls behind her exchanged glances, their expressions varying, as they whispered among themselves.

“Whoa… sister, that last sword strike…”

“You can’t block it. You might be able to avoid it, but if you take it head-on, I would definitely get hurt. That strike already hints at the flavor of the ?Law?.”

“I feel the same way. Is it real…? Is the Holy Empire this strong? Is this the true power of the world’s number one superpower?”

“No… it’s not that simple. Besides the critical role played by Miss Edwina herself, the cost is also quite significant. This is probably what Miss Dawn mentioned before: ‘killing a thousand while injuring eight hundred.’ Just look at the condition of those Knight Templars.”

Hearing the quiet conversation between the two angels behind her, Violet, who had already figured out the general principle, turned her gaze toward the surrounding Knight Templars.

Earlier, about half of the guards at the south city gate had drawn their holy swords, channeling their strength into the sword strike delivered by Edwina.

The cost of this was that now, those Knight Templars had all become weak and dispirited. The holy light aura emanating from them had almost completely vanished, and under Yuna’s command, they were quickly leaving the city walls to be replaced by new warriors.

Faith-based magic is not an endless source of power.

While it does not require the user to possess magic power themselves, that does not mean it is inexhaustible. The more frequently and powerfully faith-based magic is used within a certain period, the more fatigued the believers will feel, requiring rest to recover.

In this regard, the mainstream view in the Holy Empire seems to be that mortals cannot continuously bear the supreme power of the goddess, which burdens the body…

However, in the research report from the ?General Assembly? that Violet visited before, that Lightborn Tribe girl, Ayla Light, pointed out another, more rigorous and meticulous possibility.

The essence of faith-based magic is actually the exchange of elemental power for the user’s mental strength.

To put it more clearly, it is the exchange of ?Void? energy for ?Matter? energy.

Although in the current mainstream academic view, the two fundamental energy systems of ?Void? and ?Matter? are considered parallel and cannot be converted into one another, Ayla has proposed a certain hypothesis regarding this.

It’s a simple principle, just because some people cannot do it doesn’t mean it’s impossible. ?Void? and ?Matter? are indeed two completely different energies, but that difference is merely a reflection of current scholarly understanding.

Ayla Light’s core theory is a hypothesis that stands in stark contrast to the prevailing mainstream, which she calls the ?Unity of All Things Theory?. Everything in this world, whether ?Matter? or ?Void?, is fundamentally transformed from some more pure and fundamental existence. Thus, as long as certain conditions are met and we trace back the process, we can achieve the mutual conversion of these two fundamental energies.

Such a reverse tracing requires a specific catalyst, or medium. What this medium specifically is, and whether it truly exists is a separate matter.

However, if we assume for the sake of argument that it does exist…

The conversion between ?Matter? and ?Void? which is essentially the nature of faith-based magic, is actually an exchange of spiritual energy for elemental energy, is entirely tenable.

In fact, through Ayla’s tireless efforts, she has already begun to perceive the true nature of this medium.

However, due to insufficient evidence and certain external constraints, she has yet to publish her findings formally. Nevertheless, on the night Violet found her, Ayla Light shared this speculation with Miss White Fox as a gesture of goodwill for collaboration.

That power is called ?Faith?.