True Faith or False?

The fire burning on the left arm was familiar.

Not red, but blue.

Beautiful at first glance, yet somehow ominous.

That was unmistakably the same fire he'd seen when they fought the Temple Knight Evris.

He heard Elza, standing in front of him, swallow hard.

Back then, a powerful explosion had erupted from Evris as its center.

Elza had put up a barrier in time, so there was no damage.

But this time, things wouldn't go that way.

Nephilim grabbed the burning left arm.

The sound of flesh searing could be heard, but he showed no sign of caring.

Then he pressed it against the stump of his severed left arm.

Again came the sound of burning flesh, and the arm reattached.

He flexed his five right-hand fingers as if confirming it.

The arm was still burning. A surreal scene was unfolding before their eyes.

"Hahhh… I feel the love of god. I cannot understand why you would reject this love."

From where they stood, that was clearly abnormal behavior.

A priest should be able to heal using normal methods, so why do something like that?

There was no other word for it but fanatic.

"Don't touch that fire! It's not ordinary fire. An elemental or Azu-chan might be able to neutralize it somewhat, but it's still dangerous!"

Elza shouted loudly.

Her usual composure was nowhere to be found.

She was glaring at Nephilim.

It seemed the left arm itself had become a dangerous weapon that shouldn't be touched.

"Well, I can tell that just by looking. That fire makes my skin crawl… Water magic isn't my specialty, but…"

"Hmph. I thought I could just cut him down, but apparently not. What a pain."

Aogiri grumbled while tapping her shoulder with the back of her drawn katana.

She was probably the most at risk here. But she showed no sign of fear.

Alexia had switched from fire magic to water magic, likely to minimize the damage even slightly.

"It doesn't matter. If I take his head, it's the same."

Azu's fighting spirit hadn't waned.

If anything, it seemed to have grown stronger.

In response, the Water Elemental manifested.

Nephilim held his red-hot khakkhara in his right hand and readied a scripture in his left.

"——"

He was chanting something, but it was a language Yohane had never heard.

All he could tell was that it would lead to nothing good.

To interrupt him, Alexia conjured a massive volume of water and hurled it at Nephilim.

The water mass was deflected by his khakkhara and scattered, raining down like a shower.

Where it touched the khakkhara or the fire, it evaporated, generating steam.

Azu pressed the attack, wrapping the Sealed Sword Grungaus in water and leaping at his neck.

"By the god's secret rite, let an invisible armor protect me."

But she was repelled by an unseen wall.

The miracle from the scripture had activated.

Azu adjusted her stance in midair and thrust her sword into the invisible wall.

A piercing sound rang out the moment the sword collided with the unseen barrier.

Whether Azu's full strength and the Sealed Sword Grungaus's power had won out, a shattering sound came, and he could see light-like particles scattering.

In retaliation, the red-hot khakkhara swung down, but Azu dodged by twisting her body.

"Not bad, girlie."

In time with that, Aogiri thrust her katana.

The sharp thrust aimed at Nephilim's chest, but he stepped back and it only grazed him.

"A lot of 'em step back. Here's this."

Then Aogiri let go of her katana mid-thrust.

Bandages were wrapped around her wrist, tied to the hilt.

The released katana reached its target without fail.

And the moment it was pulled free, blood gushed.

"Watch out for the blood!"

"Whoa."

Azu and Aogiri reacted to Elza's voice and leaped sideways.

The instant Nephilim's blood touched the ground, blue flames blazed up.

Apparently, his blood was burning.

"This guy's a surprise box or something?"

"Worse than monsters."

"No kidding."

The two readied their weapons again.

Alexia's magic support was gradually extinguishing the flames on the ground, but it was taking time.

Even a splash on the skin would surely cause burns.

The fire wasn't normal either, and with Elza the priestess here, there was still a risk to life.

On top of the blazing left arm, damaging him sent untouchable blood flying.

His very existence was troublesome.

"My weapon can kill him without touching. Just make an opening."

"Then I'll leave the finishing blow to you."

Aogiri stood forward, and Azu began charging power into her sword.

Mana rapidly filled the space around Azu.

After healing his wounds, Nephilim glanced to the side.

He must be hoping Owen would join him.

But his hopes were in vain. Finn was still holding her at bay.

Owen's face was clearly irritated.

And so was Nephilim's.

"Owen. A woman who talks big but proves useless. Tch. One would be manageable, but they come in packs. Damned remnants of the Creator King faith."

"Your true nature is showing, Sun God priest. You claim to save everything, yet all you do is destroy. You people are nothing but a group of deranged lunatics."

"As long as one is trapped in a vessel of flesh, there is no escape from suffering. We merely release them. The used-up vessels become sacrifices to our god. There is no greater salvation."

"How many have you killed with that sophistry!"

Elza's furious voice echoed loudly.

It sounded like a wail from the soul.

The Church of the Sun God had destroyed the Church of the Creator King.

Many records from that time had been lost, but the Church of the Creator King had been the most widely spread religion on the continent.

Conversions aside, to have annihilated it so thoroughly, how many people must have been sacrificed?

It was no wonder Elza was angry.

They'd buried that history in darkness and spread their roots everywhere while wearing the faces of good people.

… Most of the people actually active in the faith were probably genuinely good.

He knew that from interacting with them in daily life.

But after the Church of the Sun God took root in cities, orphans and slum dwellers had noticeably decreased.

Everyone assumed the Church of the Sun God was looking after them, but hardly any were found at church sites after the clergy left.

Looking back, they must have been taken away through those passages and such.

Those who wouldn't be missed if they disappeared. Taken to become sacrifices.

That was apparently the salvation offered by their god.

That rampaging statue had probably been some kind of experiment too.