The Priest of Corruption

umbled, I rushed toward the Guardians.

‘Kill!’

With Mother’s warning, I sensed the two arrows as they took flight.
One was aimed at my torso, and the other went for my head.
I gripped the Froststeel sword even harder and swung.

Swoosh!

I cut down the one aimed at my body and tilted my head to avoid the other.
Now I could close the distance before they shot again, but the other guardians moved to block me.

“Priest Marnak! Just run!”

The arrows and rocks flying from behind kept the guardians in check.
I took that chance and swung my sword horizontally.
An archer’s head flew through the air and fell to the ground.
Not satisfied with that, I lowered my stance and continued the attack.

The Froststeel sword pierced the archer’s waist, and the upper and lower body gave each other an eternal farewell.

“Ahhhhhhhh!”

Succus, following me, pushed one of the Guardians back with his shield.
After that, the situation became one-sided.
The Guardians could not reach Carmen and Tonisa before they were cut down.

However, in the middle of that, the Guardians, deflected by Tonisa’s spell, kept flying toward me.
Of course, I took advantage of the situation every time to take the Guardians’ lives.
Still, as soon as the battle was over, Succus growled at Tonisa as if it meant something different.

“Why do you keep pushing the enemy toward your allies? Marnak and I almost got hurt!”

“We caught them all; that’s what matters.
So, please stop grumbling.
That was the fastest way to deal with the enemy.”

“What?! This bitch with no horns! Say it again right now…”

I stopped Succus from rushing her, and Carmen intervened.

“Stop.
That’s enough, Succus.
Tonisa.”

Succus sharpened his teeth and glared at Tonisa before sitting down and examining his equipment.

“By the way, Priest Marnak.
That performance really lived up to the title of Demon Slayer.”

I smiled quietly as Carmen spoke in a more energetic voice to forcibly change the atmosphere.

“I’m a bit embarrassed since I didn’t act like a priest.”

“Actually, it was a little bit like that in my opinion too.”

“By the way, your accuracy is impressive.”

Carmen replied with a smile.

“Since I was little, the bow was like my only friend.
I practiced really hard.”

While Carmen checked his bow’s condition and collected the arrows, I checked the condition of my Froststeel sword.
Its blade hadn’t worn at all, boasting of its endless stamina.

“Precious items do pay for their price.”

‘Kill!’

I reciprocated the thought by patting my pocket.
Mother’s pride for the sword that she provided shone through.

After sitting for a moment to catch our breath, Tonisa spoke up.

“When are we going to leave? I could go right away.
My remaining magic power is fine.”

Succus frowned before Carmen could reply.

“Why are you talking about leaving again as soon as we sat down? You don’t know since you just mutter spells from behind, but Marnak and I need a little more rest.”

Tonisa glanced at Succus, then turned to Carmen.
It was an obvious show of disregard.
Succus’s face slowly heated up, but Carmen reacted quicker.

“Stop! Tonisa, we’re going to take a little break before heading on.
Please be patient.”

At Carmen’s firm words, Tonisa glanced at Succus and me before answering.

“I think it’s okay to leave right now.
The three of us, except for that Succus, are still fine, so I would like to go forward and see the end of the ruins sooner rather than squabbling here.
To be honest, I think that Succus is tired from throwing a tantrum.”

At the self-righteous wizard’s words, I just chuckled.
Indeed, most of the wizards I’d met so far were like that.
Extremely self-centered and one-sided in attitude.
In fact, this was rather polite for a wizard.

Carmen cut in before Succus’s face started burning again.

“We’re going to take a little more rest.
I won’t accept any further disagreement.”

We finally took a break from the uncomfortable atmosphere and settled to rest.
I sat next to Succus and gently comforted him.

Back on our feet after a while, we approached the black door, but it closed as if it was waiting.
Yes, the enemy was too weak, considering the state of the ruins.
Suddenly trapped in the square, we looked around, and at that moment, something huge fell from the ceiling.

Bang!

A heavy crash shook the ground.
A pure white metal body without a single ounce of flesh on display and a blue jewel embedded in its forehead.
The true Guardian of this ruin revealed itself.

Boom.

The metal giant approached us.
While Succus stood there blankly, Tonisa pushed him.

“Move.”

Tonisa waved her hand with a soft murmur, and countless rocks rose and shot at the giant along with oscillating waves of wild magic.
The giant reacted with a speed that wasn’t commensurate with its size.
As the blue jewel in the middle of his forehead shone, all the flying rocks lost their strength and fell to the floor.
Then, the giant smashed Tonisa with his fist.

Blood splattered.

Shit.
This is real trouble.

The giant didn’t stop.
He swung his fist again and struck Succus.
He couldn’t even scream out but died instantly.

I shouted at Carmen, who was standing in disbelief nearby.

“Do you want to live?”

“Yes?”

“I asked if you want to live!”

Carmen replied with a hasty nod.

“Yes, yes!”

“Then, stick your chin out!”

“Yes…?”

I slapped Carmen’s chin as he looked at me with a puzzled expression.
Quickly grabbing his now unconscious body, I shouted at the metal giant.

“There’s a giant on my side too! Mother! It’s urgent! I don’t even have time to pray! Send it right away!”

‘Kill!’

Bang!

As the air ripped open, the Giant of Corruption stepped through and smashed the metal giant’s head, sending it careening into a wall.

“Gaaaaaaaaaahh!!!”

As soon as the Giant of Corruption started screaming, the metal giant rose again.

I smiled at the overwhelming sight.

“He is a truly magnificent friend as always.
Mother thinks so too, right?”

‘Kill!’

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