If it were a normal person, they might have screamed in terror by now.
Fortunately, these little mouse people were either unusually calm, lacked the human fear of the unknown dark, or their intelligence didn’t allow for much imagination.
In any case, after Holly said to let her handle it… the mouse people remained very quiet.
They only showed a bit of restlessness when she pulled the Holy Sword out of thin air.
Realizing the other side might be bluffing, Holly didn’t respond and maintained her original posture.
Within the dim, collapsed underground cave, a deathly silence fell.
Time seemed to drown in this swamp-like darkness.
*Tap, tap… tap…*
It was unclear if several minutes or several hours had passed before the sound of messy, receding footsteps came from the passage ahead.
It seemed those guys really were bluffing. Luckily, she was smart!
They should have let their guard down now. If she was going to act, it had to be now!
“You guys, go back to the village and find someone. Ideally, find the Lady… that human girl with white hair and red eyes!”
Holly looked back at several mouse people and whispered. Then, she began to gingerly cut the rocks in front of her with the Holy Sword.
Clang…
With almost no resistance, the Holy Sword sliced through the stone like tofu.
She easily carved a right-angled triangular hole into the edge of the rubble.
Seeing that the pile of rocks showed no signs of collapsing again… Holly breathed a sigh of relief while slowly swallowing.
‘Should I… go over first to buy time? But is it really worth putting myself in danger for these mouse people?’
The girl turned her head and looked at Palin, whose eyes were filled with anxiety and a hint of admiration…
‘Is this… what it feels like to have people place their hopes on me?’
In her past life, Holly was a Miss Heiress in the spotlight. People only ever cared about her status.
Even though she had received an elite education and possessed outstanding abilities… her skills were merely the “flowers” decorating her status.
Even now… in the Lady’s team, she was at the bottom — an apprentice, a junior. In both her past and present lives, she was a fledgling that had yet to take flight.
Now… it was time for her to stand alone on the cliff, spreading her wings before the abyss. Taking charge on her own… she intended to do exactly that!
At that thought, Holly’s blood boiled. She gripped the Holy Sword and slid out of the hole with a dashing “athlete’s style” slide!
This was for the admiration in Palin’s eyes, for the meal the mouse people had shared with her, and even more for… her first independent flight!
Whoosh — !!
But almost the instant the Holy Sword Bearer emerged, a gust of cold wind lunged at her from the front!
“Eh?!”
Her heroic ambitions hadn’t even fully flared up before this sudden attack left her feeling a bit overwhelmed!
The cultists hadn’t left?! Had she been tricked again…?
However, relying on the boost provided by her high determination, Holly braced one hand on the ground and flipped into a handstand dodge like a clown performing on a tightrope!
She narrowly avoided the incoming cold wind!
Clang!! Crash…
The sound of shattering stones rang out. Falling to the ground along with the debris were beads of sweat from Holly’s face! She had… overestimated herself…
“That… human Sister?!”
Just as Palin tried to crawl through, the path ahead was blocked by rubble again! Then came Holly’s urgent cry!
“Don’t come over!!”
Not having time to look at the freshly collapsed pile of rocks behind her, Holly held her sword with both hands, warily watching the figure in black robes before her.
Step, step, step…
In the dim cave, the person ahead slowly rounded the corner of the underground cave…
For a cultist, the person’s appearance was far too ordinary — the type that would disappear instantly in a crowd.
Even for a Transcendent, this entrance was quite mundane.
Of course, the man’s eyes were anything but ordinary, though they were quite “friendly.”
The nearly overflowing killing intent made Holly feel as if the air around her was turning thick and… crimson.
“You are not a believer of the True God. In that case… are you a sacrifice that has stumbled into this Sacred Sacrifice?”
The man spoke slowly. Compared to his ordinary appearance and entrance, his voice was quite distinctive — husky and heavy, like wheels grinding over gravel.
‘Transcendent often possess bizarre abilities that ordinary people can’t imagine or predict. Some have immense destructive power, while others have abilities that simply defy logic.’
In her mind, Holly suddenly recalled the words Amisa had used to teach her.
‘When facing such existences, your situation will be exceptionally desperate… and the best solution you can achieve… is before they can manifest those abilities…’
Whoosh — !!
‘…To strike them down in an instant!!’
The girl moved. Her figure flickered forward like a graceful shadow! The Holy Sword in her hand swung out like a silver meteor, aimed straight for the opponent’s face!
If the Lady were here, her evaluation would surely be…
[She has hints of Amisa and Reliel, but they aren’t fully integrated~]
Indeed… this strike could only be said to have the shadows of both, yet it lacked Amisa’s sinister cunning and Reliel’s precise speed… However, for Holly, she had done well enough!
“A foolish decision.”
The man didn’t seem to take Holly’s strike seriously at all. Facing the incoming silver light, he merely waved his hand slowly!
*Whoosh!*
“You have no idea what kind of existence you are facing…”
Instantly, an indescribable, eerie power brushed past her face!
“Pay for your arrogance and stupidity with —”
But… Holly’s Holy Sword didn’t feel any resistance at all…
Squelch!
The sword sliced down without hindrance. When the Holy Sword, which could easily cleave metal and stone, struck a living being… the outcome required little explanation.
That man, who had seemed mysterious and powerful just a moment ago, was cut into two halves by the Holy Sword Bearer’s simple strike before he could even finish his sentence.
With a *thud*, he fell to the ground like a common slab of meat.
Blood splattered everywhere.
“…Huh?”
Holly looked at the black-robed man on the ground in a daze — the same man who had just exerted such immense pressure. Was… was it over… just like that?
So… was he a Transcendent? What was his ability? Did that even count as… a fight? Was he… just some comic relief meant to set the mood? She… didn’t even gain any experience from killing him…
Just as the bewildered girl moved her body slightly, in the next second…
*Whoosh…*
Her clothes, shoes, and even her underwear… all turned to ash in that instant, dissipating into the air.
“…Huh?”
Holly’s brain stalled again. She blankly lowered her head… Looking past two slightly modest, wheat-colored mounds and a flat belly with a hint of muscle definition, and then further down…
“Mmph?!”
Although there was no audience, the Holy Sword Bearer’s face instantly turned beet red!
Her hands immediately covered her upper and lower secret spots!
What on earth was this guy’s ability?! Was he a pervert?!