#758

God’s will (9)

Oliver assumed his position.

Burnt One clenched his fist.

Whoosh. 

The sound of air burning resonated.

Thud. 

The sound of footsteps echoed.

Oliver walked forward and approached Burnt One.

Burnt One, standing still, swung his arm and struck Oliver hard.

──!

A loud noise rang out, and Oliver fell vertically with his neck severely twisted.

Silence descended, and Oliver stood up again.

Burnt One silently watched him.

[······.]

Oliver approached Burnt One again.

Burnt One swung his arm as before and struck Oliver.

───!

Again a loud noise sounded, and Oliver fell where he stood.

A choking cough, a breath that seemed about to cut off, rang out sharply.

After a moment, Oliver tried to rise again.

Burnt One silently watched, and when Oliver got up and approached again, he swung his arm and knocked him down.

────!!

A regular noise like the ticking of a second hand sounded, and Oliver fell again.

Each time, Oliver got up and approached Burnt One.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

─────!!

A loud noise sounded, and Oliver fell.

A weaker cough than before and a faint, barely audible breath sounded.

It was like a ritual.

Like a blacksmith tempering steel. Or, as if breaking a will.

But, whatever it was, it didn't matter.

The many people watching this ritual could not consider it a problem, nor could they do anything. All they could do was watch.

So whether it was tempering or breaking a will, it didn't matter.

Similarly, it did not matter to Oliver.

Whatever he was doing, Oliver had no intention other than to silently do his job.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

──────!! 

A louder crash sounded as Oliver, approaching Burnt One, fell again. 

Regular coughing and thin breathing like the ticking of a second hand. 

Burnt One watched this. Oliver stood up again. 

Thud. Thud. Thud. 

───────!!! 

A loud noise sounded. 

Blood splattered, flesh was shaved off, and Oliver fell again. Sounds of coughing and breathing. 

Everyone around watched this scene. 

Thud. Thud. 

────────!!! 

The city's wealthy, bureaucrats, scholars. 

Thud. Thud. 

─────────!!! 

Workers and the poor. 

Thud. Thud. 

──────────!!! 

Women, the elderly, children. 

Thud. Thud. 

───────────!!! 

Prostitutes, beggars, thieves, gangs, swindlers. 

Thud. 

────────────!!! 

All saw Oliver. Despite being knocked down by the demon's fist, he kept standing up and approaching. 

With each punch, the crash grew louder, the breathing grew thinner, and it took longer for him to rise. 

“Ha······ah!” 

Yet, Oliver continued to rise with a body no better than a rag, and finally stood in front of Burnt One. Burnt One silently watched him. 

[······.] 

As if no more words were necessary, as if there was nothing left to say, he remained silent, merely observing. 

What now? Oliver responded by clenching his left fist and hitting Burnt One's face. 

Thud. 

A feeble sound quietly echoed, embarrassingly slight to even call a hit. 

It seemed to speak of how powerless Oliver's fist was without divine might. Burnt One, unmoved, raised his hand made of fire and grasped Oliver's shoulder. 

Sizzling-! 

The sharp sound of hot iron searing flesh rang out. 

“······!” 

The smell of flesh burning in the air filled the space, and Oliver clenched his teeth to suppress a scream that tried to escape. 

With flames boring into his shoulder, Oliver punched Burnt One. 

Thud. Thwack. Thump.

Burnt One, enduring such feeble punches, lifted one leg.

Crack!

He stomped on one of Oliver's legs.

The sound of something breaking was heard as Oliver's leg bent in an unnatural direction.

Bones shattered, flesh was crushed, and broken bones protruded through the torn flesh. Blood seeped through the wounds.

“············!!”

Oliver suppressed another scream that was about to burst out, and then, Burnt One's fist swung, sending Oliver flying ten steps back.

The strike turned Oliver's already ragged upper clothing to ash, scattering it in the air, and his emaciated body was completely exposed.

His endlessly hungry body was so pitiful that ribs and spine were clearly visible, and this pitiful body trembled.

“Grrrr······.”

The accumulated damage sent an emergency signal through the body.

Everyone could see this.

Burnt One, the city’s citizens, Kel Freedom Fighters, Chosen Ones, Fighter Crew, the Anti-Development committee, and paladins.

Prince Albert of the United Kingdom, Willes of the Kel Liberation Army, soldiers of the kingdom like Philip and Terence, Marie, Jane, Joanna, Joe, Edith, Bartholomew—all saw the trembling boy.

“Grr······uhh.”

The boy clenched his teeth, forcibly swallowing the screams that flowed out.

The boy forcefully turned over his torn and burned wreck of a body.

With the only arm he had left, he tried to get up, groping the ground.

“Ah······!”

Midway through standing, the boy let out a short scream and fell again.

Forgetting his broken leg, he tried to stand but collapsed in agony.

His body convulsed as if begging for rest, his focus blurred, and his breathing became rough.

Yet, the boy did not give up and, with his only remaining arm, crawled toward Burnt One.

Ssssh. Ssssh. Ssssh.

The sound of friction as he crawled on the ground, leaving a long trail of blood.

Burnt One silently watched this.

The boy once again approached right in front of Burnt One, who looked at him silently asking what he would do now.

The boy opened his mouth and bit into Burnt One's leg.

Sizzling······!

The sound of delicate bones and flesh burning rang out, and smoke rose. The boy, undeterred, bit down even harder.

Burnt One lifted one leg.

Crack──!

He stomped on the back of the boy’s neck.

The ground shook as the boy's neck snapped back, and his mouth that had bitten into Burnt One's leg was forced open.

The boy's eyes rolled back as he fell to the ground, and Burnt One, with a hand grown from the cut arm and made of fire, grabbed the boy's collarbone to lift him up.

Sizzling······!!

As the flame-formed hand dug into the boy's collarbone, flesh melted and bones charred. The terrible pain allowed the boy to open his eyes again.

The first thing the boy saw upon opening his eyes was Burnt One holding him and the fist that Burnt One was clutching. That fist struck the boy's face.

Crack────!!

The boy's neck twisted, and a sound of something breaking was heard.

Bang───!!

However, Burnt One did not stop there.

Snap─!

He continuously swung his fists while holding the boy.

Thump────!!

Striking the abdomen to crush the insides,

Whack──!

Hitting the ribs on the side to break them.

Creak───!!!

Slamming into the temple,

Snap──────!!

Hitting the jaw,

And mercilessly pummeling the right eye, smashing the face, stabbing the neck, and hitting the shoulder among other things. Each hit was relentless.

Every time Burnt One's fist touched the boy's body, blood sprayed, flesh fell off, and bones and organs were damaged.

The shattered body and spirit.

People who had been praying for the fallen boy to rise and fight again soon stopped their prayers, looking at the boy with indescribable eyes.

Burnt One's punching stopped.

The boy, perhaps unconscious, dropped his head, and his body sagged, dripping blood everywhere, except for one hand still attached.

That left hand, trembling as if it might fall off at any moment, managed to rise slowly and hit Burnt One's face.

Tap.

[······.]

Burnt One, having been hit in the face, clenched his fist again, and amidst the cracks on his skin, a fierce light flashed, and then he swung at the boy, sending him flying with a wave made of flame.

The shockwave of flame exploded, and the boy fell far away, near the people.

The silent boy.

As Burnt One began to walk towards the fallen boy.

Crack!

Someone stabbed Burnt One from behind.

It was a paladin. A common, nameless paladin who had lost his Holy law.

“Grrrrrrr-!”

The paladin, with his mouth clenched, let out a scream, or perhaps a shout or a cry, as he stabbed at Burnt One. In reality, he attempted to stab.

The tip of the paladin’s sword stopped, blocked by an unseen wall before it could touch Burnt One's skin, indicating that the ambush had failed.

However, the paladin neither despaired nor regretted his action.

“Huff······.”

Though he failed to inflict any damage on Burnt One, he at least momentarily halted his approach toward the boy. Therefore······.

“Uaaaaaah!!”

He did not regret it.

Ziiiiing!!

As the ring of fire above Burnt One's head flared, the paladin who attempted the surprise attack was incinerated without leaving even ashes behind.

Hair, flesh, blood. Not even minimal personal belongings such as a sword and coat were left.

The ankle-grabbing paladin vanished without a trace, but Burnt One did not move.

Because he saw paladins emerging one by one from among the distant crowd.

They, pushing forward Marie, Joe, and Bartholomew behind them, removed their coats only worn by paladins and drew their weapons one by one—swords, axes, spears. They recited their prayers.

“Holy my Father.”

The paladins, having lost their divine laws, knelt and offered prayers over their weapons.

Burnt One watched this and laughed.

[It's too late for repentance.]

The paladins, undeterred, continued their prayers.

“With the weapon and shield You have given us now, at this moment, I swear.”

“I will be the shield that protects humanity, the sword that strikes down evil. I will uphold discipline and protect the weak and the good, and eradicate chaos, demons, and evil.”

[Still······. Fine, I’ll entertain you.]

Burnt One, about to say something, halted.

The paladins straightened their knees bent in prayer, kissed their weapons, and adjusted their stances.

“I am the light that drives away darkness! The horn that heralds the morning! The armor that protects the world! I shall be the shield that guards Your children─!!”

The first paladin to rise charged at Burnt One.

Ziiiiing!!

The ring of fire above Burnt One's head shone again, incinerating the approaching paladin without leaving any ashes.

“Even if I become tattered like an old shield!!”

Seeing this, the next paladin immediately charged forward.

Ziiiiing!!

He too was burned to ashes without a trace.

“Even if I become worn like a damaged sword, missing teeth and breaking!”

The next paladin charged. He too was burned to ashes.

So did all the paladins.

“I will not turn away! I will not flee! I will not give up!! From this moment until the end of my life. I swear forever──!!!”

They rushed at Burnt One to buy time for the boy to be evacuated.

“Maleluyaaaaaa!!!!”