Empty!
At this moment, the interior of the large tent darkened once again.
A single beam of light instantly shone upon the spot where Reliel and her companions sat!
It was as if this place had become the center of the stage.
Yet at this moment, the “actors” on the stage were even more tense than if they were under the gaze of thousands!
Black Wolf and his group had all huddled together by now.
These Desperados would bark orders at powerless commoners without a second thought, but when faced with incomprehensible monsters…
All they could do was shiver with fear.
Of course, the tall and thin Clown paid no attention to the others, and instead stared intently at Reliel before him!
He seemed to be very interested in this former mercenary Head Maid.
Though Reliel was a little puzzled as to why this guy was fixated on her, she was already prepared to fight at any moment… Her right hand remained hovering over the hilt of her sword at her waist.
Seated beside her, Holly gripped the armrest tightly! She stared anxiously at the bizarre Clown before her…
At the slightest movement from the opponent, she was ready to draw the Holy Sword and rush to Reliel-senpai’s aid!
Clatter..
But just at this tense, sword-drawn moment, a strange sound suddenly arose between the two!
Whoosh… And in that instant, the sound drew everyone’s eyes, including the Clown’s.
“Uh…”
Veil was caught with her hand in the act of opening a candy wrapper, glancing back at the crowd a little awkwardly.
After a brief consideration, she decided not to offer the others any, but simply took a piece of candy from the paper bag and popped it in her mouth.
Her innocent, wide eyes blinked at everyone.
Crunch…crunch…
With the sound of Miss Goddess Veil chewing, the atmosphere grew bizarrely awkward in that moment.
A few of the bandits weren’t even sure… should they be afraid right now?
Whoosh——!!
But just then! The stick-thin Clown’s hands suddenly changed movements! He stopped juggling the balls and, with his withered, bony hand, lunged straight for Reliel’s wrist!
At the same time, the slim sword at Reliel’s waist was unsheathed in almost the same instant!!
Clang——!
The sound of metal clashing rang out! This Clown was nothing like the one outside!
His claws, seemingly forged of steel, ignored the slender blade before him and instead pressed Reliel, who was just about to rise, down diagonally onto her seat!
Bang!
“Come… with… me… back…”
A dry and raspy voice squeezed out from the Clown’s throat.
And as he spoke, Reliel saw clearly… His mouth was filled with black fuzz, trembling as he uttered each word.
Gurgle…
The black fuzz kept growing, as if about to crawl out from his mouth, like a black maggot… trying to reach her face!
What… on earth is this monster?!
Reliel struggled desperately, her knee slamming into the creature’s abdomen who knows how many times!
But it was as if he didn’t feel pain at all, ignoring her knee strikes… that grotesque face only drew closer and closer…
“Get away from senpai!!”
Whoosh!!
But in the next second, as the Saint Sword sliced through the air, the Clown seemed to sense danger…
He released Reliel on his own, contorting his body in an inhuman twist to evade Holly’s surprise attack!
His entire figure bounced onto the aisle to the side like a formless liquid.
His body now seemed even more swollen than before, his expression even more ferocious.
“Senpai!”
Holly had no interest in admiring the monster’s form, but stepped forward and pulled Reliel up from her nearly-collapsed seat.
If she wasn’t dressed as a maid but in armor… she would look just like the brave, kind biography hero modeled after the legendary Hero King.
“Thanks…” For some reason, that thought flashed through Reliel’s mind, but her gaze immediately snapped back to the Clown ahead.
This guy… was wary of the sword in Holly’s hand.
In other words, could that sword actually harm him?
“I’ll hold him off.” The thin sword in Reliel’s hand flicked out a beautiful silver arc in the air…
“You attack from the side.”
Looking back into Reliel’s somewhat indifferent eyes, Holly suddenly felt a surge of hot blood rush through her!
Was she… being acknowledged?!
“Y-yes!”
Before she could finish her response, Reliel’s figure had already blurred into an afterimage as she lunged toward the Clown!
Clang——! Sparks exploded in the air in a rapid burst!
Within just a few breaths, Reliel had already exchanged several rounds with the monstrous Clown!
If I faced him head-on… I wouldn’t last a single breath, would I?
Holly thought this to herself, but her movements showed no hesitation… She vaulted over the back row of seats, circling to the Clown’s side…
Seeing Holly had taken her position, Reliel decisively exposed an opening!
Whoosh!
The Clown’s intellect clearly wasn’t high; without any hesitation, his razor-sharp claws lunged at once!
Rip!
Reliel twisted aside, but her shirt was torn open by the attack!
Under the spotlight, her pale skin was almost blinding.
The girl’s muscles, tensed for battle, were clearly defined, her smooth arm muscles stretching all the way to her back…
Her pale gold hair cascaded over her shoulders, radiating a sense of sharp, refined beauty.
However… right now, on Reliel’s back and shoulders, a large black tattoo-like pattern appeared for some unknown reason!
“Hm?” Veil, the spectator, raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.
After living and eating together so many days, she’d definitely seen Reliel change for bed before.
There hadn’t been any such pattern on her back then… What is this?
A tattoo? Are those… scales, or… feathers?
How beautiful~
Right now… only Miss Goddess Veil had the leisure to appreciate the girl’s back…
As the main attacker, Holly had no time to check if Reliel was hurt!
The moment the Clown tried to advance on Reliel again… she leapt forward! Her Holy Sword aimed straight for the Clown’s neck!
“Ha-hey!!”
Whoosh——!
But… it was as if the Clown had eyes in the back of his head. Once again, with a twisted posture and at the cost of an arm, he dodged Holly’s deadly strike!
Squelch…
Sticky, dark red blood splattered across the aisle!
The Clown withdrew again, retreating to the edge of the stage… his eyes turned blood-red, locked on Holly, who had ambushed him twice.
Ugh…
Although she hadn’t missed exactly, not landing a fatal blow left Holly feeling utterly embarrassed.
Step… Just as she thought this, Reliel stood by her side.
Without a word, Holly could feel the inspiring trust radiating from her senior.
That’s right! There’s no time to worry about gains or losses, no time for regret…
The enemy before them was the top priority!
With this in mind, Holly gripped the Holy Sword in both hands again!
With trust in her companion and a thirst for victory, the Saint Sword: Paradise of Desire in her hands began to glow with a lustrous light…
And at the same time, her own strength soared to heights she’d never imagined before!
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.