Chapter 92: It Was Useless to Resist

A sharp and loud warning sound resounded in the garden of the temple.

Upon receiving a report about the appearance of a devil in the temple, the Holy Knights hurriedly went to confront the enemy.

「…That guy, eh!」

The one who led the Holy Knights was Daruel, the acting-commander during the commander’s absence.

He ordered his subordinates as soon as he found the devil.

「SURROUND HIM!! DON’T LET HIM LEAVE THIS PLACE!! IN THE NAME OF THE HOLY KNIGHT ORDER, WE SHALL PROTECT THE BELIEVERS!!」

The Holy Knights moved at once upon hearing that order, surrounding the devil.

After confirming that the devil had been besieged, Daruel unsheathed his sword as he asked the devil.

「Devil, how did you do this? There should be a powerful barrier surrounding this temple that prevents evil from approaching. And it’s an extremely powerful barrier that will kill your average devil.」

「I’m sad. To think that you compared me to those average devils.」

Daruel raised his vigilance upon seeing the devil make a composed face even in this kind of situation.

—He was definitely a high-ranking devil.

「…I don’t care whether you’re an average or high-ranking devil. We, Albert’s Holy Knight Order, shall destroy you. And that’s the end of the story!」

Daruel made such a powerful declaration.

As if it was arranged beforehand, the other Holy Knights were brimming with fighting spirit as if trying to coerce the devil before them.

Seeing that, a sneer formed on the devil’s lips.

「…How prideful. Now kneel before me.」

「「「~?!」」」

The next moment, every single one of them—including Daruel—was kneeling on the floor.

「W… what’s with this pressure?」

「I-impossible… My body is refusing to move…」

「A-a-a…」

They couldn’t stop trembling.

Frozen in place, the Holy Knights understood the difference between their power and that of the devil in front of them.

「It seems you finally understand the difference between our powers, eh? Now then, grovel before me like dogs. I shall become your great master, and you will be my pets.」

「In… your dreams…」

「We are the proud Holy Knights…」

「Who wants to become your dog…」

「…A rebellious dog is no good.」

The next moment, an extremely powerful magical power was unleashed from the devil.

「「「~?!」」」

He had yet to get serious.

Before such an unfathomable devil, several Holy Knights passed out while frothing from the mouth. Even the Holy Knights who resisted couldn’t do anything but abandon their pride.

「G-great master…」

「P-p-please… spare…」

「Y-yes, I… will become… your pet dog…」

Faces soiled with nasal mucus, they pleaded to the devil as they trembled in fear.

「…D-DON’T YOU DARE UNDERESTIMATE THE HOLY KNIGHTS!!!」

There was only one person who could handle the pressure, leaping toward the devil.

He was the vice-commander, Daruel.

But even he couldn’t press forward after reaching a certain distance from the devil.

「~?!」

His body was stopped in midair. Maybe because he couldn’t breathe, he showed a painful look on his face as he tried to move his limbs.

And then, the devil started to show an agonized face for some reason.

「AAAH! NOOO! I MIGHT END UP GIVING HIM MORE PAIN WHEN HE SHOWS THAT KIND OF FACEEEEEEEEEEEEE!」

「~?!」

At that moment, the devil reached out and grabbed Daruel’s arm, snapping it like a twig.

“”

SNAP!!!

「~?!」

His arm was torn from its root.

「HAHAHAHAHAHA! SHALL I TEAR YOUR LEFT ARM NEXT?! OR YOUR LEG?!」

The Holy Knights were at a loss for words upon seeing the horrific scene in front of them.

Suddenly, when they tried to help their vice-commander, they found they couldn’t even stand.

The moment they thought so…

A terrifying flash of light fell on top of the head of the devil who was laughing maniacally.

KABO―OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!

The shockwave that came after the explosion that shook the garden sent the Holy Knights flying.

The building creaked due to the blast, and many trees in the garden broke due to the shockwave.

And the devil who received that light attack was…

「…That hurt.」

Despite the large crater around him, he stood in the center of it with a composed look on his face.

「For you to only receive trivial damage after such a powerful attack, it seems we got a visit from an extremely vicious devil.」

「Y-Y… YOUR EMINENCE!」

The one who appeared was the peak of Saint Melt Religion—Pope Elmenius the Fourth.

「Y-your Eminence…」

「Hahaha… this is the end for that devil…」

Upon seeing his figure, the Holy Knights who were overwhelmed by the devil’s power a while ago had finally regained their fighting spirit.

That was just how much trust they had in the pope.

But the only thing that Pope Elmenius the Fourth could do in this situation was boost the morale of the Holy Knights.

The reason for this was that he was recognized as the most powerful person in the Holy Country of Melt Ram.

「Everyone, you shall step back. I’ll handle this devil.」