NOVEL WEB Chapter 16: Godslayers Power & The Aftermath!
"What happened? Why did the stone tower suddenly collapse? Did you do it?" Sora, clutching her black rabbit plushie, asked worriedly as she looked towards Haru, who was engaged in battle in the distance. She approached Saint Raffaello, peppering her with questions.
Amakasu Touma and James, the Knight of Purple, followed closely behind Sora, maintaining a distance of three meters.
"Who are you?" Saint Raffaello, mounted on her warhorse, turned her head and looked at the delicate, silver-haired girl.
"Saint Raffaello, this is the younger sister of the King of the Far East, Kasugano Sora!" James, noticing Saint Raffaello's puzzled expression, quickly stepped forward to explain.
"Oh! The King's sister! What brings the Grand Master and yourself here so suddenly?" Saint Raffaello dismounted and addressed the three of them.
"Haru seems to want something," Sora replied, her tone uncertain as she recalled Haru's earlier expression.
"Something a God Slayer desires... If it's something I possess, then it must be *The Deeds of David,* the grimoire capable of harming Gods!" Saint Raffaello and James exclaimed simultaneously, exchanging glances.
Saint Raffaello rubbed her forehead, her expression troubled. "So be it. I've had enough of those prying eyes. I'll just hand it over to the King. Ugh, I absolutely refuse to guard that book any longer. It's such a pain!"
"Excuse me! You haven't answered my question yet. Did you destroy the stone tower?" Sora frowned, her eyes fixed on Saint Raffaello, her tone laced with displeasure.
Seeing Sora's displeasure, Saint Raffaello shrugged helplessly. "Well, to be precise, it was my foolish student's idiotic attempt to draw me out."
"Doesn't he know that doing something like that would provoke a fight?" Sora stared at the blonde idiot in the distance with an incredulous look.
"Even if he did, both sides would be ecstatic to use it as a declaration of war, wouldn't they?" Saint Raffaello said with a grimace, her voice tinged with despair. This was the Copper Black Cross's territory, so naturally, they would be responsible for the damage caused by the Devil King. And as one of the instigators, she would undoubtedly have to pay a hefty price.
"They have no reason to fight, do they?" Sora frowned, confused as she watched the two figures clashing in the distance.
"Indeed, they have no reason. But they don't need a reason! If you must have a reason, it's because they are both God Slayers. Every God Slayer, whether they admit it or not, yearns for battle deep within their hearts!" Saint Raffaello sighed. Every God Slayer she had met in her life had been an unreasonable battle maniac. She felt incredibly fortunate to have survived encounters with such madmen.
"Haru yearn for battle?" Sora fell silent, her expression unreadable as she listened to the constant rumbling and witnessed the destructive spectacle unfolding before her.
moments later, in the farmland not far from San Gimignano...
A fist, blazing with golden light, and a wooden branch, enveloped in silver radiance, clashed dozens of times in the blink of an eye. The terrifying impact and shockwaves rippled outward. Trees and rocks within a 500-meter radius were blasted away, and the rice paddy sank ten meters, revealing the dark, moist soil beneath. The underground river, no longer concealed by the earth above, gurgled to the surface.
( A/N : Haru Power Is Very Similar to Gura Gura no Mi )
The force of the impact sent both Haru and Doni flying back five meters. Haru abruptly raised his head. His shirt was torn to shreds, and his body was covered in thin, bloody cuts – wounds inflicted by Doni's honed sword aura.
Even though Haru's physical strength was ten times greater than Doni's, the sharp sword aura still managed to leave its mark. Haru's eyes flickered with golden light, burning with fighting spirit, his gaze fixed on the disheveled young man across from him.
Meanwhile, Doni also raised his head. His face, swollen and bruised, was a mess of black and blue, barely recognizable. He seemed to be attempting a wry smile as he mumbled, "Do we have some deep-seated grudge? Why do you keep hitting my face?"
Haru's lips twitched as he suppressed a laugh at the sight of the bruised Doni before him. The anger he had felt at being nearly buried alive finally began to subside.
Seeing that the earth tremors had stopped, Saint Raffaello mounted her horse, cracked her whip, and galloped towards the battlefield.
"How about we call it a truce, you two Devil Kings! We understand the purpose of Kasugano's visit. We'll hand over the sacred book shortly. Please, Your Majesty, stay your hand. And Doni, it's time to rein in your battle lust… Pffft! Hahahaha!" Saint Raffaello shouted, attempting to mediate a ceasefire. As she approached the center of the battlefield, she caught sight of Doni's bruised and swollen face and burst into laughter, tumbling off her horse. She rolled on the ground, unable to contain her mirth.
Witnessing Saint Raffaello's reaction, Doni touched his face and winced.
"That hurts!" He glared at Haru with resentment.
Seeing such a "terrifying" look, Haru quickly retreated 10 meters.
At that moment, a Ferrari, swaying precariously, made its way through the cratered battlefield, coming to a stop in front of Haru. Sora immediately flung open the door and rushed into Haru's arms.
She wrapped her arms around his waist, her eyes scanning his body, taking in the numerous cuts that oozed blood. She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and began to wipe away the blood, her face etched with worry as the fabric turned crimson. "Does it hurt?"
"It's fine, it's fine. This was just a friendly greeting!" Haru shrugged, feigning indifference.
Sora stared at him blankly, then looked around at the ravaged farmland, a 500-meter radius stripped of ten meters of topsoil, the underground water slowly flowing through the wreckage, the ground littered with broken stones and shattered branches. For the first time, she truly grasped the meaning of the word "Devil King."
"Even if it was just a greeting, you went a bit overboard, wouldn't you say?" Doni, normally indifferent to anything unrelated to battle, couldn't help but feel indignant. He pointed at his battered face and mumbled, his words slurred by his swollen lips.
"Hmm? Pffft!!!" Sora turned to face the source of the voice, her eyes widening at the sight of Doni's swollen face. She quickly buried her face in Haru's chest, giggling uncontrollably.
Amakasu Touma and James, standing by the Ferrari's door, lowered their heads, their lips twitching, their bodies trembling with suppressed laughter. They didn't dare laugh out loud, fearing that the sword aura that could sever anything might target them next.
After all, those who had dared to mock Doni were his master and the younger sister of another Devil King. They, holding much lower positions, couldn't afford to overstep their bounds.
*Clang!* A sudden sound of a sword being drawn. The massive boulder, thirty meters away from the battlefield, was sliced into tiny pieces by a flurry of flashing sword light. With a soft thud, the fragments were blasted away. Two figures emerged from the crater beneath the boulder and rushed towards Haru and the others. It was Liliana and Erica, who had been buried underground.
Then, a rumbling sound. The ground around the pulverized boulder, a twenty-meter radius, began to collapse. The tremors continued for several minutes before gradually subsiding.
The two girls, having narrowly escaped being buried alive, collapsed onto the ground, their elegant composure forgotten as they gasped for breath. "We almost got buried alive in that temple!"
They sighed, relieved to have survived the ordeal.