There must be no miracles in this world. The High Priest thought to himself as he looked at the night sky revealed through the collapsed cave ceiling. The Providence of God is perfect.
The seven planets trace perfect circles around the sun, and with the movement of the stars, the seasons cycle without fail. No variable that defies that principle should exist. For the existence of a variable is proof that God's world is imperfect.
That was why he hated mages. They mocked principle and defied providence.
Grind.
The High Priest ground his teeth as he stared at the night sky.
"It is blasphemy...!"
A man cannot stand in the sky. A man was slowly walking down from the heavens to the earth. Dozens of iron balls orbiting around him stole the moonlight, glowing eerily.
The High Priest surveyed his surroundings. From the initial attack, about half of the priests had already been disarmed. 'I must buy time until the other priests can arm themselves.'
The High Priest asked the mage in the sky.
"Who are you, and what is your business?"
At his words, the mage's gaze turned to the High Priest.
He said.
"Howard Wallowitz."
It was a name he had never heard. 'Is he a hound raised by the imperial family?'
He continued.
"My purpose is to crush you all. False religions must be eradicated."
"False religion? We are the Guides of the Lantern."
"That still makes you Heretics."
"That is merely a rule set by the Empire... The true Heretics are those of the Orthodox faith who have succumbed to magic."
"What are you talking about? It's called 'Orthodox' for a reason. You're the ones who are twisted."
Grind.
The mages were the ones who caused the schism in the faith.
'And yet...'
To be called a Heretic by a mage, the very cause of it all, made his stomach churn. But he had to remain calm. They were not yet ready to attack.
The priests quietly gathered their weapons, avoiding the mage's gaze.
Ssshh.
And the moment the black-haired mage's body touched down. The High Priest roared in a blood-curdling voice.
"Kill him!"
At that single command, the priests' bodies moved automatically. -"Death to the one who turned his back on God!" -"Ready to fire!" -"Raise your swords!" Some drew crossbows, while others charged with swords and spears. But it was all in vain.
Swoosh~!
With a sharp sound that tore through the air, several of the iron balls orbiting in the sky shot out like flashes of light.
Crunch! Splat!
The limbs of the priests charging at the forefront exploded one by one. One cannot charge without legs. One cannot fire a crossbow without hands.
Every attack was nullified.
Aaaargh~!
Screams and bloodshed filled the air.
"How... is this possible?"
"I used a detection spell."
A detection spell? That can't be. A detection spell isn't all-powerful.
Such a simple spell cannot possibly counter threats from all directions in this entire cavern. He must... have used some other kind of magic. The mage didn't even glance at the priests whose limbs had been severed.
He frowned slightly and said.
"Ugh... I feel like throwing up. It would've been a disaster if I hadn't blocked my stomach with magic."
"...!"
At those words, the High Priest's reason snapped.
"You bastard! You damn heretic who turned your back on God, how dare you mock the glory of martyrdom!"
The High Priest held back no longer. He stretched his hand toward the pools of blood created by the priests.
"Order forged from blood, choke the life from my enemy!"
At his command, the blood pooled on the floor began to boil as if it had come to life.
"All that flows is mine; tear the flesh, melt the bone, and take even the last drop of essence!"
The mage narrowed his eyes.
"Didn't you despise magic?"
"Silence!"
Faith blossoms upon contradiction. An apostate could never understand its profound depth.
"Boil, melt, take, and mix to annihilate!"
Immediately after, searing streams of blood rushed toward the mage. But the High Priest's attack never reached the mage.
Thump.
The streams of blood stopped in mid-air.
"Impossible..."
"As for manipulating blood, I've already dealt with someone much better at it than you."
With a gesture from the mage, the streams of blood changed direction. They moved toward the High Priest.
"Stay back! I said, stay back!"
But even as he poured out his mana, the blood did not stop moving.
Gurgle!
The blood gathered above his head, forming a massive droplet. The blood of his priests covered his nose and mouth. The agony of suffocation engulfed him.
Gurgle~! Glug!
Just as the High Priest was about to drown in the blood of his priests.
Splat.
The prison of blood dissolved.
"Keuk...! Cough, cough!"
The High Priest fell to his knees, letting out a series of ragged coughs.
Step, step.
The mage approached and said.
"Just give up quietly. By now, the hostages at the other branches have probably all been rescued."
The High Priest stumbled backward, his legs trembling.
"No! That can't be! We will fight to the death! We will be victorious, even if we must sacrifice the blood of every believer!"
"You sound like someone about to shoot himself in a bunker."
"This...! This is a war you started!"
He could not back down now. Hundreds of years ago, decades ago, and even now. It was always those arrogant mages who trampled upon their faith.
'Is this how it ends?' The High Priest took out a blackened heart from inside his priestly robes. The mage asked him.
"What's that now? My detection spell isn't working on it."
"It is common knowledge that an animal consumed by the Filth of the Northern Lands becomes a magical beast. In that case... do you know what happens when a human accepts that Filth?"
"Hm?"
"I don't care if I am remembered as an apostate. First, I will send you to hell, and then I will follow!"
Gag. Gulp.
The High Priest swallowed the black heart whole. Then he spread his arms wide and shouted.
"[I Take Refuge]."
At his words, a black energy rose from the ground.
Creep, creep.
Like a heat haze, it clung to the bodies of the fallen priests. At that moment, the priests who were still breathing screamed.
"Keuk! My soul...! My soul!"
"High Priest! Please!"
"Get away from me! Aaaargh!"
But the High Priest's mind did not change.
He said.
"Die for your faith. I will soon follow."
Clap!
The High Priest clapped his outstretched hands together. Then, the light vanished from the priests' eyes.
Immediately after. Squirm, squirm. Crack!
Their bodies swelled grotesquely, and their bones twisted. The mage asked the High Priest.
"What did you do?"
Grrrr... Awoooo~!
The fallen priests rose one by one, transformed into the shape of giant wolves. The High Priest answered.
"Using my soul as an offering... I have summoned the Messengers of the Full Moon."
"Please! Snap out of it!"
Sarah screamed in frustration at the followers holding out inside the prayer room. But the followers' reactions were just as fierce.
"Don't touch me! Get away!!"
"We will die here!"
Sarah and her Squad Members did their best to take control of the followers. But none of them believed the words of the combat mages.
"The Heavenly God would never abandon us!"
"I believe! I believe!"
They linked arms tightly, standing firm like a giant, single wall of human bodies.
"Agh, why won't they listen!"
The one resisting most stubbornly was Sarah's younger sister. Her twin sister, her face pale, only shed tears as she recited prayers. Sarah said to her sister.
"Let's go, please! I'll save you!"
"You're the one who should get out of this sacred place!"
"Damn it... is this a Brainwashing Spell?"
Sarah muttered as if chewing on her words. A mage in her squad who specialized in detection spells shouted.
"No, squad leader! There's no mana reaction!"
"Crazy.... Then why in the world...!"
At Sarah's shout, her sister lifted her head. Her twin, with a face identical to Sarah's, cried out.
"I'll die here if I have to! I'm not afraid as long as I'm with the High Priest! I'm staying here!"
As if that shout were a signal, the other followers began to chant in unison, "We will die here." We will die! We will die here!
Their voices echoed throughout the prayer room.
"This... damn...!"
Sarah clenched her fists. 'Should I just knock them all out and drag them away?' Hesitation held her back.
It was at that moment.
Awoooo-!
From deep within the cave, the howl of a wolf echoed. And it was not just one. The sound, as if dozens were howling at once, shook the entire cave.
All the noise in the prayer room ceased as if by magic. 'That's where Sir Howard went.' The fanatics were terrified.
They muttered.
"A wolf's howl on a full moon... Don't tell me it's a... a Werewolf?"
Sarah and her squad members looked at each other. There was no more time to hesitate. Sarah made her decision.
She gathered mana at the tip of her staff and aimed it at her sister.
"I'm sorry."
Zap-!
"Ugh...!"
With a small spark, her sister's body stiffened and collapsed.
"Of all days, a Werewolf..."
A Werewolf on the night of a full moon is practically immortal. No matter how strong Howard was, he wouldn't be able to defeat an immortal monster. Sarah shouted to her squad.
"Mages, with me! The rest of you, load the people onto the carts and return to base immediately!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
At Sarah's command, the Squad Members moved with perfect coordination. Sarah ran down the corridor with the combat mages. Then, a squad member beside her asked.
"Will we make it in time?"
He was asking if Howard would still be alive. It was a valid question. Against dozens of werewolves, not even someone at the level of a school head could guarantee victory.
Even if they rushed there now, it was highly likely they wouldn't even be able to recover Howard's body. Anyone in their right mind would run.
But...
Sarah did not stop running.
She screamed.
"Are you some kind of fucking idiot who can't do anything without being certain?!"
Sarah's suppressed anger exploded.
"Did you spend all this time searching for your son because you were certain he was alive?!"
"You just believed, didn't you! Believe this time too and run!"
There was no basis for it. But Sarah gritted her teeth and increased her speed. Thanks to Howard, she had already saved her sister.
'I have to buy him enough time to regroup and escape.' So, she had no regrets about her own life.
He felt hungry gazes from all directions. The fallen priests were no longer there. They had already become werewolves.
'Let's see how strong they are.' I floated the iron balls I took out from my pocket-space pouch around me.
Swoosh~!
I shot an iron ball at the one closest to me. One for the chest, one for the head.
Thud. Thud, thud.
"Keng! Krr... Grrr."
But the beast was fine. The flesh that had been blown away regenerated in an instant. 'It regenerates even if I blow its head off?'
This was worse than Malakai. Red Ear regenerated using blood as a medium, but these things showed no such process. It was like they were creating something from nothing.
'That's impossible....'
The High Priest said with a smirk.
"It's useless. Under the full moon, a Werewolf is invincible."
I ignored the High Priest's words. First, I shot more iron balls.
Keng-! Grrr-! Keng-!
Splashes of blood erupted in all directions, and the werewolves' bodies were reconstructed. At the same time, I pushed my detection spell to its limits.
'Found it.'
The source of the regeneration was the black haze rising from the ground. It was what granted them their regenerative abilities. But magic had no effect on the haze itself.
I turned my gaze away from the werewolves, who were repeating the cycle of being Dismantled and Reconstructed. I said to the High Priest.
"This is obviously Black Magic. Isn't that heretical?"
"God has said that on the night of the full moon, man's primal nature awakens."
The High Priest replied with a smile.
"Them becoming werewolves under the full moon is also part of the Providence of God, by no means a heresy."
"What idiotic sophistry."
"... For that sin, after you die, my body will be consumed by the Filth of the Northern Lands."
By 'Filth,' he probably meant that haze, or the source beyond the haze. 'So it was a ploy based on a Suicide Tactic.'
Tsk.
At this rate, it seemed unlikely the werewolves would disappear even if I killed the High Priest. While I clicked my tongue, the werewolves' encirclement gradually tightened.
Thwack! Thump!
Even as their entire bodies burst apart, the beasts endlessly regenerated, pushing their way into my kill zone. What should I do about this? 'I just need to lift the werewolves to a place where the haze can't reach...'
The problem was how to do it. It was impossible to cast a spell directly on the werewolves to make them float. This was because mages and magical beasts possess magic resistance.
If there were no resistance, any battle between mages would be won instantly by the one who could crush the other's heart with telekinesis. 'Is that my only option?' To control the local gravity of the area.
Since this magic interferes with the entire space rather than the beasts themselves, their resistance would be meaningless. This wouldn't require the level of precision needed to form an isolated system. Because I'm not trying to do something that defies principles.
I stopped throwing the iron balls. And I began to formulate the next spell. As I was about to take control of the entire cavern with my mana, the High Priest said.
"It seems your mana has run dry. Assassin of the Magic Tower, this is the end for you."
Grrrr...
The werewolves all lowered their stances. The High Priest said.
"Die!"
The werewolves charged at me. But it was already too late. F = G* (m1m2 / r²) Ruv- 1/2 R guV= GHV Because I had been calculating all along.
Spell formulation complete. Local Gravity Manipulation.
Execute. Rumble~!
Nearby boulders floated up, creating a loud noise. Everything in the cavern, except for me, began to float. The same went for the beasts.
"Grrrr! Grr!"
The werewolves, lifted into the air, could only flail about. No matter how much they struggled, they couldn't move forward or come down. Attacking was, of course, impossible.
"Wh-what. You! What in the world did you do?!"
The High Priest's jaw trembled as he witnessed the scene. Naturally, he too was floating in the air. I said to him.
"Gravity... You know, have you not heard of universal gravitation?"
"Don't tell me you turned the equations from [Principia] into a spell?!"
"So you've read it."
Well, you went so far as to commit terrorism against me. To know thy enemy and whatnot, you must have read my papers. The High Priest's eyes filled with astonishment.
"Impossible... That equation is deceptive, it can't be made into a spell...."
"What. You actually experimented to see if it worked?"
For a cult leader, he's surprisingly dedicated to experimentation. ... Did he always have doubts about his own ideology? Surprisingly, there was some truth to the High Priest's words.
This is because this spell can never be used by knowing 'only universal gravitation.' Without knowing general relativity, one couldn't even attempt it. I turned my gaze to the werewolves.
Just as I expected, as they moved away from the haze, their bodies began to change.
Ssshh. Grrrr~! Keng-!
Kakeng~!
Gradually, the beasts began to revert to their human forms. The wounds they had sustained before transforming became visible again through their torn clothes. 'So the wounds return.'
It was a relief not having to subdue them twice.
"Keuk!"
"Huk!"
Suffering trauma once more, they lost consciousness one by one due to shock. Each and every one of them is a valuable subject for interrogation. I sealed their wounds by cauterizing them with heat.
Afterward, I gathered the unconscious priests together and formed them into a sphere. It was because the calculations were easier that way. I couldn't have them suffocating to death before interrogation, so I left their heads sticking out of the sphere's surface.
Float, float.
Watching the human sphere float...
Gulp.
I felt like throwing up. But I managed to hold it in by blocking it with magic. The High Priest muttered.
"... I see now. You. You weren't an assassin. You came in person."
"You're still slow on the uptake."
"Isaac Upperhills...!"
I didn't bother to shut him up. After all, the only people in this entire cavern were me and the High Priest. I said to the High Priest.
"That's right. I'm Isaac. You want to kill me, don't you? Go ahead and try."
"Eeeek!"
The High Priest flailed his body in mid-air. As expected, his fists couldn't reach me.
"You bastard! Deceiving me until the very end!!"
"You're the one being deceptive."
"... What?"
"If you hated magic that much, you should have never even looked at it."
"That's..."
The High Priest was at a loss for words. Usually, he throws a fit about how much he hates it, but when it suits his needs, he uses blood magic and Heretical Arts... His excuses are pathetic.
"Anyway, as a prize for guessing my identity, I'll give you an electric shock."
I=V/R I zapped the High Priest's body with electricity.
"Keuk!"
And so, the High Priest fainted.
"Now it's all over... hmm...?"
Just then, I sensed a presence through my detection spell. Someone had briefly entered the cavern and then pulled back. 'Who is it?'
I looked back. Near the entrance of the cavern, just outside the boundary of my gravity control spell, I saw familiar silhouettes. It was Sarah and her Squad Members.
As if by agreement, they had all stopped in their tracks. They stood there with their mouths agape, staring blankly, their eyes shifting between me, the High Priest, and the sphere made of priests. I asked them.
"From what point did you start watching?"
"From when you... used the universal gravitation spell."