Chapter 29: “Traitor Halo”

Chapter 29: “Traitor Halo”

Woo!

A gale burst from Bishop Miller’s body, billowing out his deep-blue clerical robes.

Crack! Crack! Crack! The branches of the trees lining the nearby road snapped and were swept into the air.

Donna’s body lifted involuntarily. She was thrown several meters away and landed heavily on the ground, pain spreading through her entire body.

It was not only her. Cecile, Denton, Dimodo, Harris, and the others were likewise carried away by the wind, falling in different places. Only Cleeves, Teague, and Urdi, either because years of training had made their bodies sturdy and heavy, or because of excessive weight, merely staggered, toppled over, and rolled a few times.

Elland, who had been directly facing Bishop Miller, retreated and flipped backward in succession, avoiding the blast of wind pressure that struck straight toward him.

Klein and Danitz did not try to withstand it head-on. They rode the force backward, drifting like kites. Although they seemed about to crash to the ground, they ultimately preserved their balance.

The hurricane had only just shown signs of stopping when six figures emerged from the fog that had been scattered by the wind. Each wore a black cloak. Each had lost its head, leaving only a neck that gurgled with fresh blood. Only the swirling breeze held up their hoods.

Hah! Hah!

From their throats came low, beast-like growls, the sound of predators gathering strength before pouncing.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Thin and sharp wind blades shot out one after another, leaving obvious, deep cuts in the places where Klein rolled.

Thud, thud, thud!

On both sides of Bishop Miller, whose deep-blue clerical robes lifted gently as he carried a lantern, the six headless beings charged toward Klein, Elland, and the others, making the ground tremble beneath their steps.

One headless monster was already hard to deal with, and now there are six at once… plus a bishop who has obviously been corrupted! Seeing this, Blazing Danitz felt his scalp prickle.

It was at that moment that a brass-colored gleam flew past before his eyes, arcing into the distance.

Clang, clang, clang. Azik’s copper whistle fell to the ground and bounced a few times.

With a whoosh, all six headless beings simultaneously changed direction, charging toward the spot where Azik’s copper whistle had come to rest, leaving Bishop Miller standing all alone where he was.

Seizing the opportunity, Klein raised his left palm, tore the Sun Brooch from inside his coat, and tossed it to Captain Elland, who was closest to him. He shouted tersely, “Inject spirituality. Five seconds. Holy water.”

After saying this, he paid no attention to the silk top hat blown away from his head. He half crouched, his body leaning forward, and rushed toward Bishop Miller, sometimes veering left, sometimes right.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Wind blades shot out densely, all aimed at Klein.

In an instant, the ground was covered with countless marks as if carved by knives and axes. Klein rolled, threw himself sideways, or pushed off the ground with one hand to vault backward, dodging the first round of focused attacks.

The dark-red glow in Bishop Miller’s eyes intensified, and he raised both hands.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

At that moment, the barrage of wind blades became like a machine gun sweeping across the area. Klein only had time to dodge most of it before his body was torn apart, turning into thin, light scraps of paper that scattered through the air.

Klein appeared in another direction and continued rushing toward Bishop Miller, trying to close the distance to a range suitable for him to unleash his abilities.

…

Elland, having caught the Sun Brooch, immediately felt the taste of scorching heat. He wished he could strip off his clothes and leap into water that was nearly freezing.

After briefly pondering the words Gehrman Sparrow had left him, he took out a tin-colored square flask from inside his clothes, unscrewed the…