At some point during the fierce battle with Shei, the Progenitor Tirkanjak felt a sense of displeasure.
It wasn't because of Shei in front of her. It was an irritating sensation, like needles lightly pricking her skin. In high probability, when this happens, someone nearby has made contact with a god. A saintess, or their subordinates, the Holy Sword Order.
Tirkanjak stopped her attack and looked to one side. Because of that, she didn't notice a flying boulder and was struck and crushed by it, but she stared intently into the cloud waterfall as if such an impact was nothing.
"...This is."
"Focus!"
When her opponent, who had been fighting fiercely, suddenly lost interest, the infuriated regressor jumped up and down and shouted. However, Tirkanjak withdrew her interest from Shei.
"There is an order to battles too. Step back. A place I must visit first has appeared."
"You picked a fight on your own, and now you're backing out? Are you planning to run away?"
"Think as you wish."
Shei must be related to the Holy Empire Palace. She might be a saintess as Hilde said, or at least part of the Holy Sword Order. Rationally, that is the correct answer.
However, that is a fact she can ignore. Until now, Shei had neither used divine power nor seen the future. If she had leaked even a hint of such an aura, the Progenitor Tirkanjak would have noticed and attacked immediately. In other words, if she didn't leak an aura, she might not have attacked.
Unlike Shei, who depended on the Progenitor's mood, the unpleasant sensation she felt now was real. The sickening scent of the saintess spread thickly. Tirkanjak turned her body as if she no longer had any interest in Shei.
"If you wish, I'll entertain you after everything is over. But right now..."
A distant gaze, as if looking down upon all people, pierced through the Progenitor. This displeasure. A gaze that approached as if understanding even her anger, wounds, and agony, only to arrogantly look down and conclude that it too was fate.
Now there was no room for misunderstanding. This was a saintess. The nemesis of the Progenitor.
The enraged Progenitor sharpened her blades. Anything that carelessly approached the Progenitor would crumble into a handful of blood. Originally, there shouldn't be a human bold enough to approach an angry Progenitor, though.
"This servant has come here in response to the call."
But what if it were the will of a god?
Just as a fierce gale seemed to blow, a fist slammed into Tirkanjak's face.
Tirkanjak's body flew like a ball. It took nearly 10 seconds for her airborne body to hit the ground, and during that time, she traveled over several dozen meters. Tirkanjak, who rolled and tumbled while scraping the ground, only stopped when she crashed into Claudia's outer wall.
She had repelled the Progenitor, the fear of humanity. The one who achieved that monumental feat was a small fist wrapped in bandages. Shei recognized her identity and muttered.
"Peruel?"
The Steel Saintess, Peruel. She, who had her hood pulled down deep, gave a small nod upon seeing Shei.
"The one who stands against the great enemy. This too, is the guidance of fate."
"What? Why are you here?"
"There is no need to ask for a reason. That this servant is here means there is a task this servant is needed for. Where I will be used will naturally be revealed."
Shei knows Peruel. During her regressions, she had encountered the saintesses countless times. She had never interacted with the human named the Steel Saintess, Peruel, on a personal level. But she came to know Peruel better than that.
Shei stopped probing further. Because she knew who Peruel was, what kind of existence she was.
"How dare a mere servant of the Heavenly God reveal herself in front of meeee!"
So when Tirkanjak, who brought darkness with her, attacked Peruel, rather than the young girl who had to bear the Progenitor's wrath... she worried about Tirkanjak, who was attacking her.
"If dying is truly your wish, I will grant your wish!"
Tirkanjak's claws, which could tear even steel, swiped at Peruel. Even if it were the Progenitor before obtaining the heart, it would have been powerful enough, but now having obtained the heart, her power was incomparable to before.
However, to just one person. Only to the Steel Saintess... it would have been much more effective before obtaining the heart.
Peruel stood still. She didn't try to dodge or block Tirkanjak's strike. With her eyes wide open, she quietly watched the claws flying toward her.
Soon, the human body was crushed. Tirkanjak's arm broke, unable to withstand its own power. Standing perfectly fine amidst the scattering blood, the Steel Saintess tightly clenched her bandaged fist and muttered.
"It is not yet time for this servant to die. Such a future has not come to pass."
The future the Steel Saintess sees is a little different from other saintesses. While saintesses observe all things in the world and adjust fate, Peruel observes her own future. Where her flesh will be, what she will be doing.
Fragile and weak creatures cannot act even when receiving revelations. Because that faith might lead them to death, they doubt and doubt again, eventually betraying their faith.
However, Peruel, who was blessed by the first saintess, is different.
Seeing, believing, and acting—everything is the will of God.
The already determined future protects her.
The Steel Saintess thrust her fist once again.
The future observed by the Steel Saintess is realized no matter what obstacles exist. Whether the Progenitor is in that place, or Mount Tai, it doesn't matter.
The fist treated Tirkanjak as if she didn't exist. The saintess's fist pierced through space. Pushing away the filthy things that dared to occupy the space where the saintess must advance, the present caught up with the determined future.
Tirkanjak's arm breaks. Her flesh, unable to withstand even her own power that collided with Peruel's strength, shatters and scatters. The impact shakes Tirkanjak's body and sends her flying far away once again.
Repelling the Progenitor twice would be a feat that would make any other human gasp in astonishment, but to Peruel, it was as natural as common sense.
"With a crude fighting style, this servant will never be defeated. Progenitor, I do not know what changes have occurred within you, but if this servant was sent here, that too is guidance."
Unyielding because nothing can block her.
Invincible because there is no one to oppose her.
She, who realizes the will of God in the world, is truly the strongest of the Holy Empire Palace.
...However.
"Is being hard all you have?!"
The shattered flesh rewinds time. Blood forms shapes, and the scattered pieces of flesh find their places again. From the right arm to the chest area, where even bones had disappeared without a trace, it returned to its original state as if it had never been damaged.
She doesn't die. Not the firmness of vampire immortality, but regeneration. Even if broken for a moment, it returns to its original state.
To repel vampires, one must utilize several spells learned throughout history, but most of them do not work on the Progenitor.
Darkness swells from the Progenitor. A darkness to cover the eyes of the Heavenly God. It has no effect on Peruel, who contemplates herself, but it is still an irritating divine power. Peruel faced the Progenitor with dry eyes.
"No matter what methods you use, you cannot harm this servant... but it will take all day to make you realize that."
"A day?! You lack patience. I can do it for ten years!"
Tirkanjak, shouting with genuine sincerity without any bluff, swallowed Peruel in darkness. Their battle disappeared to a place where no one could see.
[Progenitor, she is trite and old-fashioned. She couldn't endure a thousand years and trapped herself in her present state.]
Suddenly insulting vampires was an everyday occurrence for those who believed in God even a little. Hilde nodded and partially agreed.
"It can't be helped given her age~."
[She moves exactly as desired with just a little prodding. She struggles, wanting to break free from fate, but in reality, she's being played by fate.]
"Sigh. Yeah. She's never helpful when it matters. Is it a bust this time too~? 'I' knew it. Is there no support?"
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[Of course, there will be no support for you.]
The Thunder Lord flicked her finger. Lightning and thunder flashed. Those who recognized the signal from within the fog, where it was hard to see ahead, quickly ran over.
"Thunder Lord."
Too much time had passed. To the point where the city thrown into confusion gathered troops and came looking for the Thunder Lord.
The Thunder Guardians no longer dismissed this as an ordinary incident. They gathered troops with battle in mind and sought their commander.
Claudia's direct military force that protects the city's peace. Having seen the Thunder Lord's signal, they strode heavily forward.
The Thunder Lord spoke to them.
[Is the evacuation complete?]
"Yes. Cultivators are guiding the citizens. Most of the guardians are gathering here, but... is it an enemy invasion?"
To the guardians' question, the Thunder Lord nodded in affirmation.
[Yes. Fulfill your duties.]
"Then, we will prepare for battle."
The commanded Thunder Guardians simultaneously radiated lightning.
Individually, they couldn't match the Thunder Lord, but they were people who wielded the power of thunder similarly. Lightning gathered on their arms or the weapons they held.
Among them, one guardian raised a long spear above his head. *Crack*, a small bolt of lightning rose above his head. The small signal he sent awakened a massive tool that had been operating to make the city function.
The Thunder Waterwheel. The waterwheel of lightning that moved the city transformed into a tool to vanquish enemies.
Boom, boom, boom. Huge iron stakes fell from the sky. Lightning rode and flowed down the iron stakes that dug deep into the wet ground.
The power from all over the city gathered in one place. A difference in power that a single individual could never overturn was felt. Hilde whistled at the thrilling sensation transmitted from beneath her feet.
"Phew~. To monopolize such immense power, they're going to massacre 'us'~, right?"
[You are steeped in sin to the point of being stained. This is not power, but a curse. To an apostate, even a curse must look like power.]
"For someone under a curse, I look pretty healthy, don't I~?"
[That is thanks to God's protection.]
The Thunder Lord, cloaked in lightning drawn from all over the city, now looked more like an angel than a human. The spread wings were over 10 meters long, and including the residual lightning, they couldn't be seen at a glance. The lightning wrapped around her body was so powerful that she was no longer even touching the ground.
This was the maximum power the human named Thunder Lord could exert. That power, protected by fate, even Hilde could not win against. Hilde spun her two holy swords around and said.
"Is it okay to come? The Decaying Green Lord is here, you know?"
The Thunder Lord's gaze briefly turned to Peru. The owner of the Golden Bell, who was hiding her body with a pale face, hastily constructing a wall of steel beside the Thunder God.
Even without the Golden Bell, Peru's power is terrifying by its mere existence. The Thunder Lord, who knew the secrets of the Ten Nations, knew this even better.
The power of Decaying Green... can crumble even humans. Living creatures can at least resist the power of Decaying Green, but for the people of the Ten Nations who harbor alchemical substances in their bodies, even that is meaningless. If Peru sets her mind to it, she could kill all the Thunder Guardians in an instant. Turning them into dust without leaving even a corpse, she could profane even their lives and souls.
Peru should have been on the side of the Ten Nations. However, making a different choice was unavoidable.
[If the faith in the value she spoke of is real, she won't use that ability on humans. It would be an act that ruins value.]
Instead, the Thunder Lord calmly ordered the advance.
[Go. Don't attack the Decaying Green Lord 'if possible'.]
Clank. Clank. In front was the Thunder Lord, and behind her, her troops approached, brimming with killing intent. Peru had built a wall in her own way until now, but it was bound to fall eventually.
"Haa. It can't be helped~. I guess I have to fight a lonely battle~."
Saying so, Hilde suddenly threw her holy swords. The daggers flew like hail and aimed for the Thunder Lord's head. However, the Thunder Lord easily tilted her head back and dodged the holy swords. They only vainly pierced the afterimage made of lightning.
She could have deflected them, but there was no reason to take a hit from holy swords with unknown abilities. The Thunder Lord glanced sideways at the holy swords passing by and disappearing in the distance, and muttered.
[Today, I will put an end to this here.]
"Hmm~. Fighting in a group so cowardly, this is why..."
Hilde glanced at Peru. Unless Peru was willing to ruin even humans, she didn't have the will to do so.
It didn't matter. Originally, the one Hilde had in mind wasn't Peru.
"There's no need to feel guilty! I thought only 'we' were fighting cowardly!"
[We?]
"I~ wasn't just playing around!"
The thunderous footsteps of the Thunder Guardians were drowned out. From further away, something much more dreadful and ominous approached. Not Claudia, but the opposite. Piercing through the Cloud Waterfall.
Beyond the Mist Mountain Range, vampires live.
Today, humanity would have to be reminded of that fact once again.