Divine Arts

What was that?

There was no time to think. Karl instinctively dodged to the side.

He seemed to lightly tap the ground with his foot, yet his whole body suddenly shot several feet sideways, like an eagle skimming just above the ground.

Eagle Step!

Thanks to the Divine Domain Fragment, in just a few short days he had already mastered the basics of this martial art and could even use it in actual combat.

The shadow missed its strike, turned, and thrust again, clearly unwilling to let this "eyewitness" get away.

"Whoosh!"

The sound of a dagger cutting through the air rang out, aimed straight at his throat. Karl's skin tightened, and his heart pounded wildly.

"Clang..."

Metal clashed.

The cane in Karl's hand, which looked so light and flimsy, was actually made of metal. He slammed it against the incoming dagger.

Hm?

A Knight Squire!

His opponent was slightly weaker than him, but still had the strength of a Knight Squire.

The next instant.

Several flashes of cold steel appeared one after another. The rapid, relentless thrusts forced Karl to retreat again and again.

By the time he stopped, he had been driven into a dark alley.

Spiderwebs had somehow spread throughout the alley, and the ground beneath his feet was coated in sticky liquid. A foul smell filled the air.

"Hiss, hiss..."

Two shadows slowly crawled out from behind him, their oily green eyes especially chilling in the darkness.

Karl often came and went from Black City and had long since grown accustomed to the darkness. He took in the entire scene at a glance, and a chill ran down the back of his neck.

Monsters?

Human, or spider?

Three "humanoid spiders," each with six arms, slowly closed in around him.

There was another one of these creatures on the ground not far away, its body split apart by a blade. It was unquestionably dead.

Besides that,

there was a figure wrapped in spider silk.

The figure was completely covered, but the clothes showing through looked familiar. Had he seen them somewhere before?

Before he could think it over, the shadows lunged at him again.

The monsters were weaker than Karl, but they had six arms. That meant they could attack more frequently, and their strikes were much harder to block.

"Snap!"

A dazzling ball of white light suddenly flared in the darkness.

Light Spell!

The sudden brightness made the three monsters squeeze their eyes shut. They let out shrill hisses, their movements coming to a halt.

Afraid of light?

They seemed even more afraid of brightness than the people of Black City.

Karl's thoughts raced, but his movements didn't falter. He darted out of their encirclement and swung his left hand sharply behind him.

Fire Seal!

"Boom!"

A ball of flame appeared out of nowhere and surged toward the three monsters.

The flames spread in a shock wave, filling the entire alley and sweeping over the creatures.

In an instant,

the smell of something burning filled the air.

"Sizzle..."

"Ah!"

The monsters seemed to have almost no resistance to fire. They shrieked in agony, curling up and rolling across the ground, completely unable to launch an effective counterattack.

The spiderwebs covering the alley caught fire and burned wildly.

Hm?

Karl raised an eyebrow and pressed down with his left hand again.

Fire Seal!

Fire Seal!

Fire Seal!!!

Strike while they're down and finish them off.

"Boom..."

Flames swept through the alley again and again. The three monsters caught fire and writhed wildly on the ground.

In just a moment, they fell silent one after another. Their bodies turned to charcoal, and the spiderwebs throughout the alley burned away without a trace.

"Tsk!"

Karl stopped and clicked his tongue.

"Spells really are more stylish and impressive, and they pack a bigger punch. But what are these things?"

Judging by the speed and strength the monsters had shown, even a peak Knight Squire might not be able to beat them without spells.

And no one could guarantee they didn't have other tricks.

Like...

spitting silk?

Karl cautiously approached and examined the bodies on the ground. At last, he stopped in front of the cocoon wrapped in spiderwebs.

He picked up the dagger and cut the cocoon open. A familiar face appeared before him.

"Dina?"

He rubbed his chin. Dina's eyelids were trembling, and she looked ready to wake at any moment. Karl leaped up onto the wall.

A moment later.

Dina struggled to her feet and stared blankly at the scene. Then she slapped herself across the face twice.

It seemed she was trying to prove to herself that she wasn't dreaming.

Hidden in the darkness, Karl's mouth twitched. This woman was ruthless. She didn't hold back even when hitting herself.

It hurt just to watch.

He shook his head and slipped away.

The next day.

"All patrol personnel, assemble!"

Dina, her arm wrapped in a bandage, surveyed the crowd with a stern expression. Her voice suddenly rose.

"Stop looking so slack. Today we're going to destroy a heretical god's stronghold. We could run into danger at any moment."

"Seriously?" Someone's face changed at her words. Before asking why, he immediately tried to see if he could get out of it.

"Can we not go?"

His response drew nods of agreement from quite a few people.

Everyone present had been pampered growing up. Hearing that there was danger, their first instinct was to avoid it.

"No!"

Dina scoffed.

"Don't worry. The Church's Bishop is in overall command this time, and the Night Watchmen will take the lead. We and the Constables will provide support."

"A Bishop?" Kaili looked surprised.

"Bishop Antonio?"

"That's right," Dina said with a nod.

"It's him."

"Whoa..."

The crowd erupted.

He was the Bishop of Signo City's urban district, with a status on par with the City Lord. And he was going to take action in person.

Karl looked surprised, too.

Today's operation was most likely related to what had happened to Dina the day before, but he hadn't expected it to alarm a Bishop. Even the raid on the Fire Thief's hideout hadn't been this elaborate.

Bishop Antonio was a man of noble standing, and his appearance also meant that the Church's Guardian Knights would be involved.

Those were Official Knights!

Hmm...

"According to my senior, Hibel, an Official Knight's strength can rival that of a fairly powerful Intermediate Wizard Apprentice."

"And if a Senior Wizard Apprentice has mastered a highly destructive spell, they can easily kill an Official Knight."

"Even a Great Knight."

As for Wizards...

They were comparable to the most powerful figures in human society: Legendary Knights.

Of course,

this was only a rough classification.

A Wizard Apprentice's strength varied greatly depending on the spells they had mastered and whether they possessed any Enchanted Items.

Even among Intermediate Wizard Apprentices, some could easily kill a Knight, while others might not even match a Knight Squire.

It was hard to say whether the priests and Bishops of the Church of Dawn had any special abilities. Perhaps their status was special, and they had earned the favor of the Deity?

If that was all there was to it, it wouldn't make sense that they could command Knights and even Great Knights.

"We'll split into three groups."

Dina pointed at people at random.

"You, you, and the rest of you—come with me. Let's go!"

Karl and Kaili were among those she picked.

Before long, the patrol personnel set out in a large group. Dina beckoned Karl over to her side.

"Yesterday..."

She hesitated, then asked,

"After you left the theater, did you run into anything?"

"Run into anything?" Karl looked bewildered.

"I left in a carriage after the show. What could I have run into? Where did you go, Captain?"

"Never mind."

Dina shook her head and waved a hand.

"It's nothing. Go on."

She had only asked on a whim. She didn't believe the person who had rescued her last night was Karl.

After all,

he had only recently become a Knight Squire.

Not long afterward,

they joined up with the Church's Night Watchmen. At a signal, everyone charged toward a courtyard somewhere in the southern part of the city.

First, they surrounded the courtyard, then nocked arrows to their bows.

"Loose!"

"Thwack!"

Arrows rained down. Each had a torch tied to it, and the moment they landed on the houses and sheds, blazing fires sprang up.

It was obvious that the Church's people knew their targets were afraid of fire.

Before the flames, a priest stepped forward with a Bible in his hands. His gaze was pious as he looked up at the sky.

Then he traced a few marks in the air before him and murmured,

"O great Lord of Dawn, your faithful followers beseech you for your blessing."

"Boom!"

A ball of white light suddenly surged from within him, covering the entire scene in an instant. Standing among the crowd, Karl felt warmth spread through his body, filling him with strength.

This was...

a spell?

No!

A divine art!