Chapter 1667: Judgement of the Lovely
A friend once told me that the most dangerous person in the world is an idealist who can’t comprehend the limits of reality and fails to learn from others.
In response, I told him that the most dangerous person in the world is a cynical realist who can’t see the potential of man and the future.
We were both told to shut up by a friend that the most dangerous people in the world are those obsessed with their ideals and fail to realize how wide this world can be. Or even worse, attempt to eradicate all other views except their own.
At the time, I mocked him.
But now...I wish that I had listened.
-The memory of a rebel leader who became ill after the first execution.
...
Pathos asked.
=I would say...about even....if I was being positive and bias,= Logos answered.
...Note that the following happened at the same time as the Crusaders getting nailed...
[Aqua Regia!]
[Quicksilver Ember Strike!]
Understanding that fighting Hulna by themselves was tantamount to suicide, Goldie and Silvie made sure to always attack or defend in tandem.
Goldie’s spear became wrapped in a strange liquid that was corrosive enough to melt the very stone beneath their feet. Meanwhile, Silvie’s blade glowed with a heat that would instantly cabornize wounds on contact.
A coordinated strike like this would be devastating, rendering most opponents a screaming mess of burnt and slightly melted flesh.
Hulna, however, was rather fearless in the face of such certain death.
[Piercing Love!]
Holding his spear-like [Regalia], the [Torch of Eros, steady, Hulna began to empower it with his own innate aether and the [Flame of Ambition] that was embedded in his formula.
The normally pink flame that characterized his [Regalia] took on a strange hue as the foreign flame empowered it further.
Once it was saturated with enough power, Hulna thrusted his weapon forward and released a jet of flames that pushed back against the coordinated assault of the protokaijin knights.
The jet of flames blew away both Goldie and Silvie like they were nothing more than children in the face of a windstorm.
[Shit!]
[Bastard!]
The protokaijin, however, were tougher than any mortal child, so they were able to safely land several dozen feet away with only their pride being wounded in the process.
"Is that all you have, emissaries of hell?!" Hulna asked, his voice sounding stranger than it had at the beginning of this battle. "My holy flames will annihilate your non-existent souls!"
[This asshole talks way too much, ] Silvie complained as they ready their scimitar.
[I remember reading somewhere that those who with a big mouth have a tendency to falter when it counts,] Goldie replied. [But I don’t think they ever accounted for someone like him.]
[Oh no, they did,] Blazejudicator added. [You two are just too new to realize how much of a blowhard he is.]
[Harsh.]
[But true.]
Overseeing this entire battle, Blazejudicator was solemnly observing with the quiet dignity that fitted his namesake.
Of course, he wasn’t just judging the performance of the protokaijin.
Their true purpose was to serve as "overwatch".
Zhen Liu ordered that if the protokaijin were unable to properly exact revenge for Serena and her lost sister, then Blazejudicator was to intervene and finish the job.
So far, the burning judgeman had determined that his intervention wasn’t necessary quite yet.
Much to the chagrin of the protokaijin and their wounded pride.
[So you’re really not going to help us out, huh?] Silvie asked. [Not even a little?]
[No, because this is a golden opportunity for you two to grow as kaijin,] Blazejudicator answered. [Besides, you two are about to get an opening that should help you turn the tide.]
[Huh? The hell are you—OH!]
Despite being protokaijin sworn to another liege, Goldie and Silvie were still allowed limited access to the information network that connected all the kaijin together.
As such, they were alerted to the exact moment that two of the four Lost Crusaders got their asses apprehended like pigs during a hunt.
And, unsurprisingly, Abbot Hulna was alerted about this development at about the same time.
To be more precise, the moment Hulna was gearing up to release a powerful major Ethereal aether art infused with the [Flame of Ambition], the man flinched due to the shocking revelation that half of the elite corpse warriors had been rendered more or less crippled.
He didn’t know if there was a word for "sliced into pieces and kept separated like a fucking puzzle", but it was one he wish he didn’t have to use to describe the status of the False Crusaders.
As a veteran warrior, this revelation only shocked him for a full second.
Unfortunately, this second was just long enough for Goldie and Silvie to start a combo attack from hell.
First was Goldie.
The gold plated protokaijin armed with an oversized lance, charged the weapon with enough aether and [Chaos] to cause it to glow blue.
[Rain Piercer!]
Like an unrelenting storm, Goldie released a flurry of spear strikes with the aim of bringing about a death from a thousand piercings.
Hulna wasn’t going to allow this to happen, though, so he ended up using his [Torch of Eros] like an umbrella to block the incoming strikes.
However, this was a mistake.
Goldie’s aether art wasn’t a purely physical technique, rather, it was a technique that started physical before transitioning into an automatic barrage of piercing rain spears that came from a nifty aether cloud that obscured Hulna’s vision.
In fact, he was so focused at this cloud of death coming down on him that Hulna failed to notice that Goldie had moved to his immediate left with a new aether art at the ready until it was too late.
[Geyser Rush!]
"Huh? Bah!"
A torrent of boiling hot water in the shape of a spear slammed into Hulna’s side and knocked him into the air...where a silver protokaijin armed with a curved sword and a wicked smile awaited him with open arms...and an even more vicious aether art at the ready.
One that caused Silvie’s scimitar to glow with enough heat that instead of burning red, it burned bright blue.
[Hellfire Guillotine!]
A heavy swing released a giant blade made of blazing blue flames that sent Hulna flying into the ground like a meteor, crater and all.
But Silvie wasn’t done yet.
The moment Hulna tried to get himself out of the hole, Silvie was on top of him, spinning like a top made of flame and hate.
[Foxfire Wheel Slasher!]
"Gaaaaah!"
Hulna wasn’t able to defend himself this time around, so slash after slash fell upon him in rapid succession.
Noticeable burning scars of blue appeared on Hulna’s [Regalia] after every slash, until Silvie finally decided to leap away in preparation for the finale.
[Together!]
[Of course!]
Goldie and Silvie put their weapons together and aimed the glowing blades directly in Hulna’s direction.
[Combined Assault: Steam Dragon Apocalypse!]
From their weapons, a huge cloud of aether-enhanced steam formed into the shape of an angry dragon before charging towards the burn-covered Hulna.
The bruised, battered and beaten priest couldn’t even let out a yelp before the dragon made of steam rushed over him.
A sound like a lobster being boiled alive reverberated in the room...much to Blazejudicator’s annoyance.
The judgeman of flames was impressed at the performance of the protokaijin, but they were also deeply annoyed that they had decided to finish the battle in such a loud manner.
Effective, sure, but messy.
’Then again, perhaps that was just the proto-kaijin way,’ Blazejudicator thought to themselves as they recalled how the others were, once upon a time.
After the coordinated assault from Goldie and Silvie, Hulna’s aura diminished greatly. Unfortunately, they couldn’t visually confirm anything due to all the steam and dust mixing together to form a nearly impenetrable cloud.
[So...was that a good use of an opportunity?] Silvie asked with no small amount of pride in their voice.
[Yes, that was a grand way to abuse an opportunity,] Blazejudicator answered. [Now make sure to—]
Before Blazejudicator could finish relaying their instructions, a huge surge of aether accompanied by a massive pillar of flames occurred that blew away the cloud.
In the center of this pillar was a very angry-looking Hulna with a rather mutated-looking [Regalia].
Before, the man had the vague appearance of a messenger of love, complete with tiny wings and a white robe-like exterior.
But now, due to unknown influences, Hulna now looked more like a fallen angel.
Not one that went completely over to hell, but one that maintained their heavenly visage in a bastardized form.
Needless to say, Hulna looked beyond enraged as they turned their attention towards the protokaijin.
"My turn," Hulna said, his voice now sounding like an entirely different person. "Die!"
[Holy shit!]
Before Goldie and Silvie could react, Hulna released another pillar of flames.