Roy paused slightly and turned to look back at the young Italian girl with delicate features. Her bare shoulders, exposed by her red dress, were as pale as snow, and her bamboo-like collarbones radiated the slender beauty unique to women, stirring an irresistible urge to lick them.
Both of them wore red magecraft artifacts. One had golden hair, the other silver, making them exceptionally conspicuous amid the sparse green forest.
Hearing Roy's question, Erica answered without hesitation, "...I was just knighted by you, my 'King,' as your exclusive knight. I don't expect my meager strength to be of any help to you, but how could a knight flee before battle even begins? If I did that, my blade would weep."
She drew her Magecraft Artifact, Lionheart, her tone resolute and her expression resembling that of a crouching lioness.
"Then do as you please. But I'll remind you one last time: don't lose focus like you did just now. Even if it's only the aftermath of the battle, you'll need to face it with all your concentration. Otherwise, you'll die. I won't help you during the fight. If you die here, it will only prove that the woman named Erica Blandelli is nothing special after all."
At only fourteen, Erica already possessed the strength of a Great Knight. Although there were differences among Great Knights, the commanders of Bronze Black Cross and City of Lilies were Great Knights as well. To possess such strength at so young an age, wield Lionheart, one of the finest artifacts in the world of magecraft, and possess extraordinary intelligence besides—all these factors combined gave the girl a pride akin to that of a phoenix.
Because she had never seen a Disobedient God, nor witnessed the overwhelming power against which ordinary magicians could not resist, Erica naturally felt unconvinced. Perhaps she even believed that she, too, could slay a god.
Only after truly facing a Disobedient God would she realize how laughable human talent and ability were before a god. When mortals slew gods, they never relied on strength. They could rely only on a certain amount of wisdom and an overwhelming majority of luck.
Roy's repeated warnings put Erica on guard. She tightened her grip on her longsword and walked out of the woods with Roy.
Ahead stood a hundred-meter-high cliff. Below it was Ponza Island's only small city, while directly opposite the cliff lay the island's most famous Crescent Beach.
And right at the edge of the cliff, a figure stood there.
The instant he saw that figure, Roy felt all the blood in his body explode, as though a drug addict had just taken a hit and his entire being had entered a state of pleasure and sensory extremity.
"Celestial Scribe, Metatron!"
Roy stopped a hundred meters from Metatron and shouted his name.
Hearing the voice behind him, Metatron slowly turned around. This was the first time Roy had seen Metatron's true appearance. In Israel, he had only caught a distant glimpse.
Compared with Michael's peerless handsomeness and fearless courage, Metatron looked utterly ordinary, with a gentle and scholarly air.
The Book of Enoch recorded that Metatron was an angel formed from Enoch after his ascension. In other words, Metatron's current appearance should be that of the mortal Enoch.
Suddenly, Metatron's face became indistinct. The illusion quickly solidified, and Roy abruptly realized that he seemed to be looking through Metatron's face at an immensely exalted existence. Metatron's face and that exalted being's face became one and the same.
At the same time, an unimaginable curse followed Roy's gaze into his body. His vast Magic Power as a Campione and his resistance to magic instinctively fought against the curse. A concept Roy could not understand entered his mind. The exalted and sacred transformed into a complete curse, causing him to rapidly lose his reason and SAN value, as though he were about to go completely mad.
Horrified, Roy hurriedly mobilized his immense Magic Power and began visualizing The Book of Law, barely suppressing the curse. Even so, he found that his body had weakened considerably.
"'King'!"
Erica saw Roy move with incredible speed and cover her eyes with his hand. His broad, gentle palm pressed against her face, plunging her vision into darkness. Erica did not dare move and only called out anxiously.
"Erica, don't look at Metatron's face!"
This curse should be one of Metatron's authorities. Even he, a Campione, had struggled to withstand one glance. If Erica saw it, she would definitely go mad and be cursed to death instantly.
"I made this disturbance while waiting for the false Michael. I never expected him to have already been killed, giving rise to a devil king on earth."
Metatron sighed softly, his tone exceedingly gentle. As the archangel's voice fell, thirty-six pairs of flame-like wings unfurled behind him, and a halo appeared above his head.
"But whether the one who came is that angel who betrayed the Lord or you, this devil king, what I must do is judge the heretic!"
"...Child of the Fool, devil king who slew the heretical angel, come pay homage to the 'Chancellor of Heaven'!"
Metatron's tone gradually hardened. His body began to expand like blazing light, becoming giant-like in an instant. According to The Book of Enoch, he was the tallest of all angels.
"The Chancellor of Heaven? Ha, don't make me laugh. You heretical angel born from an apocryphal scripture—today, in the name of the Lord, I'll cut you down here!"
Afraid that Metatron possessed some other strange authority, Roy ignored his discomfort and sprang forward like a beast.
"BEAST 777, I Shall Transcend Human Evil!"
He recited his Magic Name, expressing his killing intent toward Metatron.
The authority of Jacob's Ladder activated. Vast Magic Power gathered around Roy's left fist as he leaped high and punched downward like a falling meteor.
This was one of the seven forms of the strongest martial art recorded in the Bible, named Jacob's Ladder by Roy:
—Saint Martha Subdues the Dragon!
Chapter 20 The King of Israeli Boxing
Saint Martha was one of Christianity's twelve saintesses and a famous Christian saint. According to legend, Martha had a younger brother and a younger sister, both renowned figures in legend: Lazarus and Mary Magdalene.
There were few records of Martha. In legend, apart from being a devout Christian, her greatest achievement was encountering monsters rampaging through Tarascon and subduing the evil dragon Tarasque at the residents' request. Saint Martha then settled in Tarascon, and under her influence, the residents converted to Christianity, the new religion of that era.
Roy's Jacob's Ladder was the strongest martial art in the Bible. Based on his own research and understanding, he had divided it into seven forms. Every move contained the power of the Bible and could recreate legends and myths.
Saint Martha Subdues the Dragon was a punch possessing the power to subdue dragons and tigers. Even a legendary dragon would be knocked down by it.
Regardless of how Saint Martha had subdued the evil dragon in the legend, within the combat art of Jacob's Ladder, the tale was distorted into subduing it with fists.
Metatron was as huge as a giant, no different from the dragons of legend. Saint Martha Subdues the Dragon brought absolute force—a force enough to surpass the dragon's immense strength.
"Boom—!"
Roy's seemingly small fist collided with Metatron's arm. A terrifying shock wave erupted, instantly shattering the cliff beneath Metatron's feet. The heretical angel cried out in pain as his enormous body was smashed into the ground by Roy's punch. Rock trapped him around the waist, leaving the Celestial Scribe unable even to stand for the moment.
"Second form, Moses Parts the Sea!"
At that moment, Roy seemed to transform into a martial hero from an ancient Eastern tale, reaching the pinnacle of martial skill.
Roy suddenly pulled his right hand from his pocket. A mosaic-like pattern appeared over his right shoulder, twisting everything around it. This was the anomaly of his right hand. He raised it high, turning his fist into a blade-like palm and slashing down at Metatron's left arm.
His palm blade was sharper than any real blade. Blade aura tore through Metatron's arm, severing the Disobedient God's limb as divine blood sprayed out. The remaining force did not stop there. It cleaved through Ponza Island's only small city, split Crescent Beach, divided the Tyrrhenian Sea in two, and reached all the way to the distant horizon.
The magnificent sight resembled Poseidon splitting the sea with his trident.
"Rumble—!"
After splitting the sea, once the force of Moses Parts the Sea faded, the waters closed again. Billions upon billions of tons of seawater crashed together, raising a colossal wave that completely submerged Crescent Beach and the city on the island.
In Exodus, Moses led God's chosen people out of Egypt and freed them from slavery. At the Red Sea, he parted the waters so the chosen people could cross toward the Land of Canaan.
Roy used Jacob's Ladder to recreate the legend of Moses Parting the Sea, distorting the record within it. Moses no longer parted the sea with a staff, but split it with his palm!
"Third form, Abraham Sacrifices His Son!"
After two moves, Roy gave Metatron no chance to react. His right hand changed from palm to fingers, stabbing toward the angel's chest.
This move recreated Abraham's intent to kill his own child Isaac, with finger force that proved his devotion.
According to the Bible, Abraham had held a knife and steeled his heart to sacrifice his son to God. After Roy distorted the legend, it became Abraham piercing Isaac through with a finger and taking his life.
This form condensed devoted faith and ruthless killing intent. For God, even one's own child could be slain. Countless murderous impulses gathered upon a single finger, and nothing could withstand it. Everything would be pierced.
Jacob's Ladder was not the strongest of Roy's authorities, but it was the most practical and best suited for battle.
Roy had granted Jacob's Ladder various biblical myths and legends, allowing him to fight with his fists to his heart's content and express a man's aspirations with unrestrained spirit.
Now Roy only wanted to compete with the Demon Sect Leader and see whether her Twelve Divine Palms of the Flying Phoenix, which contained the principles of yin and yang overcoming each other, was more powerful, or whether his Jacob's Ladder, which contained the principles of biblical legends, was superior.
Jacob's other name was Israel. He was the ancestor of the Israelites, so it would not be an exaggeration to call Roy the King of Israeli Boxing.
His finger pierced through Metatron's chest. Before Metatron could counterattack, Roy erupted with Magic Power beneath his feet and leaped away. Since Jacob's Ladder was called "hands and feet," it was naturally a martial art using both. Roy had placed all his attacks in his hands, while the techniques of his legs were used entirely for movement and evasion.
Metatron's left arm had been severed, and a massive hole had opened in his chest. If he were human, he would have been long dead by now. But Disobedient Gods possessed astonishing vitality, and human weak points did not apply to them.
Roy's string of punches had left Metatron dazed. When he finally recovered, he let out a pained roar and flapped his thirty-six pairs of wings, completely pulverizing the cliff. Roy had already retreated beyond his attack range and now stood amid a field of rocky ruins, facing the enormous angel once more.
Erica, who had been not far behind Roy, had already run away. She panted heavily, her red dress torn in several places and revealing her delicate skin beneath.
The Italian girl wielded Lionheart and used her swordsmanship and magecraft to block the flying rubble and booming aftershocks. When everything temporarily settled, she looked at the scene before her with growing dread. Her scalp went numb, her right hand trembled around her sword, and her azure eyes were filled with disbelief.
With only one punch, one palm, and one finger, Roy had torn apart Ponza Island, an Italian tourist attraction. Its only city had become history beneath falling rubble and surging waves, while a third of the island had completely sunk beneath the sea.
Was this the power of a Campione? Magicians were not incapable of such destructive force, but it would require many magicians working together and activating Great Magic through a ritual. Yet a Campione had flattened an island marked on the map with merely three punches and two forms.
Disobedient Gods were walking natural disasters, while Campiones were devils on earth. At this moment, Erica finally understood what that meant, and she felt ashamed of her earlier boldness and defiance.
Erica believed she might be able to block one of Roy's punches by giving everything she had, but she absolutely could not block a second punch or a third!
"Metatron, it seems Michael's injuries left you in a serious state. You still haven't fully recovered even now."
Roy put his right hand back into his pocket. The mosaic-like anomaly over his right shoulder vanished. Looking at the badly injured Celestial Scribe before him, Roy's blood was still boiling, but his tone was relaxed.
Chapter 21 Authority Three, "Sounding the Seventh Trumpet"
"You don't have any healing-type authority, do you, Metatron?"
Roy forcefully suppressed the surging heat in his blood. He disliked the beast-like fighting style Campiones adopted against Disobedient Gods. On the contrary, Roy believed in wisdom and knowledge. Just as humanity had evolved from living by raw meat and blood to possessing civilization, in Roy's view, those who fought by relying on beast-like instinct were merely becoming beasts.
And Roy did not want to become a beast. Instead, he wanted to subdue one.
"You're right, Child of the Fool. I have no healing-type authority. That fake Michael damaged my core, so I can only be considered a crippled Disobedient God now."
Metatron's severed left arm and the huge hole in his chest did not recover, proving that he possessed neither powerful immortality nor any healing authority.
Although The Book of Enoch called Metatron the angel closest to God, an apocryphal scripture was still an apocryphal scripture. Metatron had accomplished nothing in reality and thus could not turn any mythical legend into an authority. Besides, he had originally been the Celestial Scribe, a civil official, and possessed almost no combat authorities.
It could be said that Metatron was an irresistible Disobedient God to ordinary magicians, but to any Campione, he was extremely easy to deal with.
Compared to Metatron, Roy knew from the authorities he possessed just how powerful Michael, whom he had once slain, truly was. His success in killing Michael had involved wisdom and decisiveness, but the greater reason had been luck—and that luck was Aiwass.
"Return to your apocryphal myth, Metatron! Your time wandering the earth is over. Now it's time to end this!"
Roy took a deep breath and raised his right hand high.
Of his seven authorities, he had already used the most practical Jacob's Ladder, as well as the auxiliary ability Sodom's Eye of Sodom's Sin. Now Roy was about to use his third authority, whose name was—
Sounding the Seventh Trumpet!
This was a chapter from Revelation in the New Testament. It was also the source of Michael's title as the supreme commander of the Angel Legion: at the time of the Day of Judgment, he would sound the trumpet of the apocalypse first in the names of the seven archangels, leading the angel army in its final battle against the Beast!
"Angels, sound the trumpet of the apocalypse!"
Roy chanted his Word Spirit loudly. Immediately, the sky above his head opened into a gate to Heaven. Seven trumpet calls drifted from within. Any devout Christian here would certainly recognize it as the arrival of Judgment Day!
"The Day of Judgment?!"
As an Italian, Erica was also a Christian. Although her faith in Christianity was not firm as a Great Knight of Bronze Black Cross, she still possessed faith and had read the Bible. When she saw the gate to Heaven open and heard the trumpets blown by the seven guardian angels, she knew that Roy's authority was recreating a scene recorded in Revelation.
Behind the gate of Heaven, hundreds of angels flew out. They were all condensations of magic power, possessing basic human forms but with no discernible gender. Each had a pair of wings, and their bodies radiated sacred light like ethereal forms.
Erica was horrified when she saw those angels. Every one of them possessed extraordinary strength. They flew through the sky in formation like a disciplined army, leaving Erica in no doubt that this Angel Legion could slay even a Divine Beast. Even a Disobedient God would need to expend a considerable amount of Magic Power to destroy them, while a top-tier Great Knight like her would certainly die if surrounded by the angel army.
Roy naturally could not truly summon millions of angels, but these hundreds were already powerful enough. Under the command of this archangel, any Disobedient God would be overwhelmed with a headache upon seeing them.
Yet Metatron was delighted rather than alarmed when he saw the angels. He shouted, "...I am God's representative. Everything that happens in Heaven and on earth shall be recorded by me."
When Roy heard Metatron chant his Word Spirit as well, he grew completely alert. He had summoned the angels precisely because he had seen that Metatron was at the end of his strength and intended to have the Angel Legion destroy him.
No Disobedient God could be underestimated. Roy did not know what authorities Metatron possessed and feared that he might have a powerful authority that could only be activated when near death. Roy had already gained an overwhelming advantage and was only one step from victory, so he naturally did not want to take risks. Metatron was no longer a match for the Angel Legion, so Roy planned to kill him through sheer numbers.
When Metatron activated his authority, a book and a pen appeared in his hands. The book had been formed from authority. Once it appeared, the quill automatically began writing inside it. Roy immediately sensed the effect of his newly activated authority, Sounding the Seventh Trumpet, vanish. The angels in the sky even turned their weapons around and aimed them at Roy.
"Could it be an authority that usurps others? Did he usurp one of my authorities? What are the activation conditions? Why could he usurp my Angel Legion but not my Jacob's Ladder?"
As Roy considered the restrictions and effects of Metatron's authority, Erica cried out from behind him, "...'King,' please be careful!"
The Angel Legion in the sky charged Roy. Roy frowned, shifting his feet and moving within an extremely narrow space to evade the thrust of an angel directly ahead. He then punched it, smashing the angel into basic particles of ether.
By then, angels had completely surrounded Roy above, below, left, and right. Every one of them was like a powerful knight, or an elite soldier, and their coordination was flawless.
Roy kept shifting his feet, sometimes throwing punches, sometimes chopping with his palms, sometimes lashing out with his legs. He blocked every angel's attack, while each counterattack slew another angel.
But there were still too many angels. With a Campione's strength, Roy could kill them without difficulty, but doing so would consume a great deal of stamina, energy, and Magic Power. That was precisely the purpose of this authority: to use large-scale group combat to wear down the opponent and seek an opportunity for a fatal strike.
Roy glanced from the corner of his eye and saw that after usurping his Angel Legion, Metatron did not coordinate with them to attack. Instead, he turned around and flapped his thirty-six pairs of wings. His posture clearly indicated that he intended to flee.
Seeing this, Roy shouted angrily, "...Metatron, you're actually choosing to run away again?!"
But Roy soon calmed down and decided that Metatron's choice was not strange. Even in all the records of the true scriptures and apocrypha, Metatron was the only being who had become an angel from a human. In other words, his humanity was exceptionally strong, so it was only natural that he would make a human choice.
"'King'!"
After seeing Metatron prepare to flee, Erica had already witnessed the terror of Disobedient Gods and Campiones and knew she could not oppose them in battle. Yet she still raised her longsword with grim resolve, summoning her courage and pride. Even when facing an unbeatable enemy, she would not retreat. She began chanting a spell, intending to use her own strength to hold Metatron back:
"Crimson Cross's wedge..."
But the moment Erica began chanting, Roy interrupted her. "...Stop, Erica! I command you to run at once!"
"'King,' what are you saying?"
Erica stopped her chant while holding Lionheart upright before her and asked in astonishment.
"I won't say this a third time. Now, immediately, get out of here. Otherwise, you might die!"
Seeing Roy's solemn expression, Erica hesitated only slightly before obeying. "...Yes, 'King'! As your knight, Erica will always place your commands first."
If Roy had been facing a desperate crisis, Erica might have ignored his command and bravely confronted the enemy. But after seeing that Roy was not in any danger, she chose to obey without hesitation.
Although this woman was quick-witted and sometimes so headstrong that she seemed conceited, once she pledged her loyalty, she truly assumed the identity of a knight and was willing to stake her life on it.
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