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Side Story Chapter 242

Lilith Aphrodite, the Silver-Eyed Ghost Sword, and Christian the White Lion were skilled swordsmen who had represented Hubalt for a long time. On top of that, they were both friendly to Avalon and its emperor, although Kireua’s assessment didn’t take any of that into account.

‘They wouldn’t have lost to a nobody paladin I’ve never even heard of.’

Although with that said, it wasn’t impossible. Supposing that Lilith and Christian were sufficiently weakened beforehand, an inferior warrior like Weirman could have defeated them. But setting aside Weirman’s claims, this was an interesting situation and a chance for Kireua to gain the favor of the future legitimate leaders of Hubalt.

Their first exchange of attacks came to an end with one final crash!

“…What!?” Weirman shouted, startled.

Due to its destructive nature, demonic power was superior to aura of the same level; in a head-on battle, the one using aura was going to lose. However, divine power pitted against demonic power was an entirely different story. Some things in the world were just incompatible, like how the most voracious fire would eventually be extinguished if enough water was poured over it. There was a good reason that the long extinct black mages had fled for their lives as soon as they had seen a priest or a paladin.

‘But what is with this black flame?’ Weirman gnashed his teeth and drew up more divine power.

“My skin stings because of that man’s demonic power… but he can withstand Captain’s divine power.”

“He’s winning! What in the world is going on?”

“Wait—I think it’s different from the demonic power we know.”

Although he couldn’t pay attention to what others were saying, Weirman could feel the abnormality in his bones. He backed away, trembling with exhaustion.

“Who… in the world are you?”

Kireua smiled. “Give up; you have no chance of defeating me. You’re a paladin in name only—rotten to your core.”

“What?”

“There is this thing that His Majesty the Emperor always talks about. The most important thing is who wields power, not if the power is demonic or divine.”

Only Joshua could make such a remark, being the sole person capable of using both divine and demonic power. Although the world wasn\'t aware of it, Joshua in his past life had been betrayed by the kindest angels and received help from the evilest demons. Due to his formidable power, Joshua had been abandoned from both sides, so angels and demons were the same to him.

“The church was highly respected for a long time, but now all of you are corrupt or politicians chasing power,” Kireua disparaged with a frown

“You brat… How dare a prince of the Demonic Empire try to patronize us!”

“‘Demonic Empire’…” Kireua repeated. “Isn’t that just a name you people tacked onto Avalon to further your plots?”

Weirman scoffed. “No matter what excuse you use, it doesn’t change the fact that Avalon created undead in the middle of your palace! Yet you and your country boast about destroying them… You only reaped what you’d sown!”

Kireua’s gaze turned cold. He could let everything else slide except for insults against the emperor.

Kireua gritted his teeth. “The Saint placed the well-being of Hubalt and its people above all else, but you turned her into an evil witch overnight and hunted her down. I think it’s safe to say that the undead are better than the pathetic excuse for paladins you’ve become.”

“How dare you!” Weirman tightened the grip on his sword, his face red with humiliation. The wicked white flames around him grew bigger, threatening to swallow Kireua whole.

‘I… don’t think those flames consist solely of divine power,’ Kireua thought.

He guessed correctly. Weirman had a secret to his power.

“Come, Sariel!” Weirman shouted.

Kireua\'s eyes widened. The name “Sariel” was an odd one to hear. Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel were only four Angeli, also known as the Four Great Angels; they granted the authorities of the Four Paladins who had invaded Avalon. However, Weirman’s power was just as strong as theirs.

“Sariel, the Forgotten Angelus, is also called the god of death… Try your best to survive.” Weirman smiled wickedly.

His appearance had changed. They were faint, but a halo of light and wings of divine power had appeared behind Weirman. They were a lot different from the ones Kireua had seen before.

“Eyes…?” Kireua murmured.

There were eyes all over Weirman’s wings, close to a dozen. They were truly bizarre, but that wasn’t the real problem. White lights flickered in those eerily human eyes. Each one rang loudly with power.

‘They’re dangerous!’ Kireua followed his instincts and dove for the ground, dropping his sword in his haste.

Not a moment too late, the eyes shot rays of white light, delivering a blow that was highly unexpected given the typical destructiveness of an ability rooted in divine power.

After the collision, the entire wall that the escape tunnel emerged from totally collapsed, shutting it for good. Most of the tunnel had already been destroyed from the explosions from the paladins’ magic traps, but even the debris from that was pulverized by this blast.

“This is the power of Sariel, the Death God,” Weirman pompously declared, his chin held high.

In the wake of the explosion, the air was filled with an ineffable silence. All of the paladins were trembling in excitement after witnessing Sariel’s power for the first time. Paladins had been subtly looked down on by the other powers that be because divine power didn’t have any inherent advantages over aura. Many demons had recently come to the Human Realm, so divine power gained popularity for its effectiveness against them, but it was hard to consider divine power stronger than any other kind.

“Drop your weapon and surrender, and I’ll guarantee your life,” Weirman arrogantly said.

He had plenty of reasons to capture his opponent. His opponent was related to Avalon and used the very rare ebon flames, so Weirman was certain that his opponent was Kireua Sanders, the famous Second Prince of Avalon.

‘Once I capture him, I’ll be able to receive a noble title and quit being a paladin,’ Weirman thought. He was already basking in the satisfaction of achieving his ultimate goal.

There was no pope in Hubalt anymore, and the emperor was the one and only ruler of the land. Even Cardinal Kurz had taken off his priestly garbs and ascended to the throne, so the Great Temple would only lose more of its power as time passed. In the end, Hubalt would become just like any other country where nobles ruled the entire country under their king. Weirman was not at all opposed to this new hegemony. There had been too many times he felt suffocated because he had to hide his power.

‘I hope His Majesty is okay.’

At that moment, the soft sound of a footstep pulled Weirman’s focus back to the present.

“You have the skills to back up your big mouth.”

“…You arrogant bastard. You think you’re worthy to assess my skill?” Weirman boomed, baring his murderous energy to Kireua.

“But, well, you’re no better than the Four Paladins,” Kireua nonchalantly continued.

“…What?”

“You seem to have forgotten about this, but your oh-so-mighty Four Paladins died in Avalon’s capital. Do you remember that?”

The area instantly went quiet as if someone threw a wet blanket over it.

“…You’re just a whelp hiding behind your father’s glory. As loath as I am to admit it, everyone here knows how great your father is—but you’re not him. You’re not a lion like him, you’re just a cat. How dare you try to pretend you’re even a fraction of the man your father is?

Weirman didn’t hide his sneer. The paladins burst into laughter.

“Hahahahahaa!”

“Everyone knows that the Second Prince of Avalon is just a shithead with no talent.”

“I heard he\'s been real cheeky lately. Must be because he thinks he’s Joshua Sanders.”

“Some people think they’re gifted just because they have talented parents.”

“Big talk from a guy who can’t even use a spear. Ridiculous—can’t even reach his daddy’s tailcoats.”

Kireua didn’t answer them because he knew from experience that he could easily prove himself with his skills.

‘…I’ve been reborn, and Hubalt will be the first chapter of my story.’

Since Weirman used the ability of a god first, Kireua was going to utilize the same kind of ability. It was an eye for an eye. Coal’s ego was completely gone, but not its power. While Weirman had the ability of the Forgotten Angelus…

‘…I’m using an Evil Sin that even the Demon Kings coveted could never wrest from my father.’

An outstanding amount of demonic power surged within Kireua. This was the first time he’d used the power of Greed in full since Coal had left him. The paladins did not notice the change in Kireua, but Weirman widened immediately. The authority of the Angelus showed him the true identity of Kireua’s ability.

“T-The power of Greed…?”