I can feel it.
A massive surge of holy power.
It’s so overwhelming and raw that it makes my skin tingle.
Sweat trickled down my face as I raised my sword, preparing to block the next attack.
My heart pounded like it would burst. I wished it was pounding from excitement or love, but the truth was, it was sheer, overwhelming anxiety.
The Hero, now using holy power, stood poised to lunge forward at any moment.
Would this be his first attack with holy power?
I stared at him and thought.
Visually, there wasn’t much difference.
To be honest, aside from the holy power emanating from him, he didn’t seem much different from before.
I decided to relax.
Sure, so he’s using holy power now—how much can that really change?
I needed to stay calm. Panic ruins everything.
If I responded as composedly as I had earlier, I’d surely be able to hold out for the remaining time…
At that moment, the Hero charged forward.
He closed the distance between us in an instant and swung his sword.
It was the same attack as before.
But there was a crucial difference this time.
He was faster.
Startled by his speed, I hurriedly raised my sword to block.
My reaction was slightly delayed, but I managed to intercept the strike in time.
Clang!
A deafening sound echoed as the impact jolted my hands.
He was stronger now.
I could tell from that one clash—the Hero’s attacks had become even more powerful.
The Hero, whose strike had been blocked, swung his sword again.
The blade seemed to target the same spot. I raised my sword once more to block.
Clang!
Another resounding clash filled the air.
Though the situation was the same, this time I had to grit my teeth to endure it.
My wrist throbbed with pain.
The shock from his first strike hadn’t even subsided when the second one came, leaving my wrist trembling.
It wasn’t fear that made my hands shake. I tried to pinpoint the reason and realized it was from the consecutive impacts.
I stared at my trembling hand.
Sharp pain radiated from my wrist, and my hand quivered uncontrollably as though it couldn’t recover from the shocks.
Only two strikes. Just two, and I was already in this state.
If I had to block another…
My vivid imagination painted a grim picture of what might come next.
The next attack could be life-threatening.
“Damn it!”
I instinctively tried to put some distance between myself and the Hero.
My mind screamed alarms.
My instincts told me that if I kept taking his attacks head-on, it would be the end.
But the Hero didn’t give me the chance.
As I attempted to retreat, he immediately closed the gap and swung his sword again.
I raised my trembling hand as quickly as I could.
Clang!
Once again, our blades clashed with a thunderous sound.
“I need to deflect the force.”
Gritting my teeth, I subtly twisted my wrist, letting the holy sword slide off mine.
The Hero’s blade veered downward, sparing my wrist from further trauma.
However…
Focusing entirely on deflecting his sword, I failed to notice the fist aiming for my stomach.
Had this been earlier, I might have seen it in time. But now, his speed had increased so much that I couldn’t react.
The result was catastrophic.
The Hero’s fist drove into my abdomen with brutal force.
“Guh!”
A powerful impact radiated through my stomach, forcing the air from my lungs.
The blow was so strong that my body lifted off the ground and hurtled backward.
I crashed to the ground, rolling several times before coming to a stop.
“Well, well, the Saint just took a proper hit from the Hero!”
Kairen’s voice rang out loudly, almost mockingly.
“Gasp… gasp…”
I struggled to push myself up, planting my trembling hands on the ground.
My arms shook, and my breaths came in shallow, ragged gasps. My lower body felt paralyzed, as though all strength had been drained from me.
With great effort, I forced my quivering legs to support me and finally stood.
Raising my head and sword, I looked ahead to see…
The Hero, standing with his sword, ready to strike again.
The Hero swung his sword once more.
I lifted my shaky arms to block, barely managing to intercept the strike. My arms bent backward from the sheer force.
Another swing came.
Again, I lifted my sword, but this time I couldn’t fully block it.
The blade sliced into my thigh.
Blood spattered as searing pain engulfed the wound, like fire scorching my flesh.
Yet another attack came.
I gritted my teeth and raised my sword, managing to block it.
But I couldn’t stop the kick aimed at my abdomen.
This time, the Hero’s foot connected squarely with my stomach, sending me flying once more.
I crashed to the ground, rolling several times before coming to a stop.
I tried to rise immediately, but my body refused to cooperate. Pain and exhaustion rendered me immobile.
With my head being the only part of me I could still move, I turned to assess the situation.
The Hero was slowly approaching, holy sword in hand. His demeanor resembled that of an executioner preparing for a beheading.
Lying there, I thought.
Thirty seconds. It had taken exactly thirty seconds for me to be brought down like this.
Damn it. He only started using holy power, and the difference is this drastic.
“Is this all I can do without magic?”
Even without buffs, I hadn’t expected to be so thoroughly overwhelmed. Then again, the Hero hadn’t been using his holy power earlier, which had kept the fight somewhat balanced.
But now that balance was gone.
As I lay there in a daze, Kairen’s voice echoed in my ears.
“And now, we’re at a critical juncture! Does the Saint have any way to turn this situation around? She does!
If she reveals her hidden identity, she might find a way to survive!”
“Ruina! Do you want to live? If you want to survive, reveal your identity! Right here, in front of everyone, unveil the truth you’ve been hiding!”
“What could Saint Ruina be hiding? Aren’t you curious? The pure, chaste Saint has a secret! What could it possibly be?”
“So go ahead, reveal it! Show everyone who you really are! Take off your mask and reveal your true self, Ruina!”
Kairen’s voice was filled with maniacal glee, as though she was utterly delighted by the chaos.
“That damn woman…”
It had always seemed suspicious.
Kairen was one of the few here who knew my true identity.
And she was also one of the few capable of ruining me completely.
All she had to do was reveal my secret to the Hero’s party.
If she did, they would immediately suspect me of being a demon.
They’d distrust me, and eventually, I’d be destroyed.
But she hadn’t done that. On the contrary, she had even gone along with my alias, Ruina, and elevated me as a Saint.
I never understood why she acted that way before.
But now, her intentions were clear.
Kairen wanted me to expose myself.
By forcing me into a desperate fight with the Hero, unable to use magic, she sought to push me to the brink until I had no choice but to reveal my demonic powers to survive.
She wanted me to destroy everything I had built with my own hands.
Her cruelty knew no bounds.
I had worked so hard to get this far, and she wanted me to throw it all away.
I thought to myself.
“What should I do…?”
But really, there was no time to think.
If I didn’t act now, I would die.
Looking back, I realized how much I had restrained myself out of fear of being discovered. I had sealed away my powers, terrified of exposing my demonic nature.
While I had loosened those restraints recently, it was only in moments of absolute privacy, where no one could see me.
“Finally, you’ve revealed your true self! Congratulations!”
I ignored Kairen’s sarcastic words, focusing on my next move.
Charging directly at the Hero was out of the question. If I recklessly swung my sword, he’d just block it flawlessly like before.
I needed something to divert his attention.
How could I distract him?
“Lightning magic?”
No, standard magic wouldn’t work. Based on his earlier swordsmanship, he’d cut down any spell before it even touched him.
What I needed was a different kind of magic—
It had to be massive. The larger the spell, the harder it would be to cut through with a sword.
And, of course, it had to be durable. It couldn’t be easily destroyed.
I closed my eyes and thought of a spell that met these conditions. A smile crept onto my face as I remembered one.
“Perfect. I’ll use that.”
Extinguishing the sparks of electricity in my hands, I whispered.
“[Flame].”
Behind me, flames burst to life. They weren’t large, just about waist-high.
I glanced at the Hero. I needed to ensure he wouldn’t interrupt my spellcasting.
Fortunately, he didn’t seem inclined to attack immediately. Perhaps the earlier blow had left him wary. He stood on guard, unwilling to act rashly.
“Good. No interference.”
With a calmer mind, I muttered again.
“[Amplify].”
The flames surged higher, rising above my head.
I whispered again.
“[Amplify].”
The spell grew even larger, the flames now towering halfway up a building. The heat radiated fiercely, illuminating the area.
Still not enough.
Once more, I muttered.
“[Amplify].”
The flames roared skyward, reaching the height of a statue’s head. They had grown so immense that calling them flames felt inadequate. The fiery mass was now a blazing giant, dominating the area with its heat and light.
I could feel all eyes on me. And why wouldn’t they be? How often does anyone see something like this?
“Alright, let’s show them,” I thought.
This wasn’t just a spell—it was my trump card, the magic I relied on the most in large-scale battles.
I shouted loudly.
“[Arise]!”
At my command, the roaring flames coalesced. The fire began to take shape, forming large appendages. A massive hand emerged, clenching into a fiery fist.
The central mass of flame condensed further, taking on a humanoid form. A torso, abdomen, chest, and head emerged in sequence, the details becoming clearer with each passing moment.
In no time at all, a giant formed of fire stood towering over the battlefield. Its head was massive, its eyes closed, and it rose from the ground like a colossus.