When she smiled, she looked like a perfect pure beauty. Sungjin tried to keep his distance with her, so he picked up the blanket and covered her up.
“Wait, what happened to your body?”
“I drank transformation juice.”
“Transformation juice…?”
“Yes, the trees told me. If I make a juice with a mix of herbs and trees, I can be an adult for a moment.”
“Why did you want to be an adult?” Sungjin didn’t know what to do in this situation. He knew she was, in fact, Rachel, but the girl standing in front of him was so mature and seductive.
“Because an adult can hug Sungjin Oppa and become his lover as well!”
She moved in closer to Sungjin, hoping he would respond to her advances; there was only a thin blanket between them.
And what is…this scent…
He didn’t know if it was the scent of transformation juice or the scent of her skin. She smelled like a beautiful flower under the moonlight; it was an alluring smell that aroused him. With all her efforts, he considered having her.
But Sungjin pushed her away before he became a savage beast.
She is just a child.
Her loveliness was not something to take advantage of; it was something he had to protect. He murmured as he held Rachel’s shoulder:
“So that’s why you wanted to become an adult.”
“Yes.”
“But Rachel, just having an adult body doesn’t mean you’re an adult. Your mind has to be grown as well. Enjoying and experiencing childhood is the only way to become an adult.”
“Is it…necessary to grow up slowly?”
“The process of becoming an adult is the most precious and joyful thing…”
“But…what if I can’t become an adult? What if the bad guys come and get me before I get a chance?”
That was your concern, I know.
Sungjin wiped Rachel’s tears and hugged her.
“It’s okay, Rachel. I promise I’ll protect you, and you’ll live a long life. Trust me.”
“Do you really think so…?”
“Yes. You will learn things, one by one, including what love is and how to love.” With his repeated promises, Rachel felt less anxious.
“Really?”
“Yes, so don’t rush things, okay?”
“Yes, I will grow in time at my own pace.”
Soon, the effects of the transformation juice wore off, and she became a little girl again. She became less alluring but still lovely.
“You are a good girl.” Sungjin hugged her tightly.
I promise you will become an adult. I’ll see to it that this happens.
“Thank you, Sungjin Oppa,” Rachel smiled at the secret they now shared.
******
Chapter 13
Sungjin soon attacked one of the eight Basilicas and declared war. The battlefield was long and narrow. The usual forest and/or neutral monsters Sungjin liked to utilize would not exist in this fight. It would be a straightforward attack without any tricks. There were not many paths, so it was impossible for the heroes to set traps. It would be a challenge for Sungjin, who was a strategist, to fight in this field.
“Do you think we can win on this type of terrain?” Eustasia asked Sungjin anxiously. Sungjin smiled.
“We’ll win this despite the map.”
It was the worst possible scenario. The enemy was stronger than ever while the map did no favors for Sungjin’s team.
Yes, this is a difficult situation.
Sungjin didn’t deny the fact that it was a disadvantageous situation. If he had a choice, the wise decision would probably have been to bow out. But it was a battle against the Holy Pope that he had no choice in; he would clash until the very end.
This will be an uphill battle, but I know we can win.
He was ready. A triumph in this battle would be detrimental to him achieving his goals.
“Did you prepare everything?”
“Yes, now…let’s wait and see how it goes.”
“Yes, now, it’s time to fight.”
There was a lot at stake in this fight; their lives and the future of a child would hinge on today’s battle.
******
While Sungjin prepared, his opponent relaxed.
“The unholy rebels will be punished today.” The Holy Pope opened his eyes halfway and talked on behalf of God.
“Amen,” the four priests answered to the Holy Pope without doubt. The Holy Pope was the one who could cut the ocean in half.
He knew Sungjin wouldn’t be able to hide anything on this battlefield. It was going to be a fight of pure fortitude.
The people of the kingdom of Sevrantina were watching the battle in fear. Although Sungjin was confident enough to challenge him, the Holy Pope of Rupellion had the upper hand.
He was strong enough to curse people and sentence them to agony. They had been impressed by Sungjin’s speech and decided to join this fight, but everyday the pain they had to endure made them weak. They, however, remained faithful.
But what if Sungjin fails…
What if they had to endure the curse of the Holy Pope forever?
They didn’t think they could live with such pain.
Please…win for us.
They sent prayers for Sungjin to save them.
******
The heroes were not delusional about the situation.
“This time…”
“We aren’t even ready to defend ourselves; we can’t attack now.”
“This is going to be tough.”
They thought maybe the four girls could contend with the somewhat stronger four priests, but there was no way Sungjin could take on the Holy Pope. Also, the map showed no crystals for collecting on the single pathway, so there was no way to gather supplies.
There was only one possible scenario: the Holy Pope would dominate the battle from start to finish. But they knew the young lion king wouldn’t just run into the fire without any plan.
It wouldn’t be easy to fight against the Holy Pope.
Above all, nobody knew how strong the Holy Pope had become after his awakening.
******
People from Rupellion had no doubt the Holy Pope would defeat Sungjin.
What’s his name…Sungjin? He must not be very smart.
Everythings will happen according to God’s will.
Didn’t they know acting against God’s would give them only misery? Absolute obedience was the only right way to live. They couldn’t understand why Sungjin didn’t follow their creed, and they thought the people following Sungjin were equally short-sighted.
Kelt was among them who were thinking the same thing:
Idiots, they will end up stoned for heresy. They should follow God’s will. I will be safe after this fight, but those heretic zealots will die miserably. I will stone them to show God my obedience.
******
The battle had started. There were only two ways to win: annihilate the opponents or destroy their base. There were four turrets, and nobody knew how the battle would ultimately turn out.
“Let them feel the power of God.”
Pedrian hit them with such strength, it appeared he wanted this fight to be a short one. Despite the windless air, the Holy Pope’s robe fluttered. The ground shook. Even the priests next to him had a hard time standing still. The attack was wiping everything away around it; the screams sounded like they came up from hell.
But the worst was yet to come.
The Holy Pope held his cane up and opened his eyes.
“God Hand!”
The black hand made up of the flame of darkness filled up the path. There was nowhere to hide. It was the hand of God that split the ocean. Nobody could get near it.
The four turrets exploded with a single blow. Everything and everyone could have been destroyed by a single blow, ending the battle.
“Aegis!”
Somehow, the shield of light was able to stop the hand. God’s Dignity was the only thing that could stop the power of God. With the blessing of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and protection, Ereka held her shield.
The golden halo covered everyone and protected them from the rage. But Ereka’s ultimate skill wasn’t strong enough to fight against the dominant power of the Holy Pope. Her shield couldn’t protect her, and the Holy Pope shifted his attack to her.
Sungjin’s team did their best to counterattack.
“Ocean, protect us.”
A blue shield covered Ereka.
“Willful Defense!” Ereka activated her own protective skill at the same time.
She was a knight with the highest defense power, and she was able to use two defensive skills on top of Aegis; she became almost invincible.
But she was not strong enough to fight against God.
“Ugh.”
The gigantic hand grabbed Ereka and burned through her armor with the fire. It was not surprising the God Hand was strong enough to cancel Ereka’s defense power. The four priests were thrilled to witness the Holy Pope’s talents.
Oh, that is the power of Your Holiness.
They are useless in front of the Holy Pope.
But then, Rachel started her prayer.
“Light, lead us and save us from pain.”
Pure bright light covered Ereka to heal her wounds. Her broken armor recovered its color, and the power balanced from both sides.
Using the Shield of all People, the invincible shield, the blessings of the light and oceans, four skills in total, they were able to stop the attack of the Holy Pope.
“You irreverent creatures,” the Holy Pope murmured unpleasantly.
“We still have the upper hand, clearly.” The great blue priest commented quickly to please the Holy Pope; it was true.
It took Sungjin’s team four skills to combat the Holy Pope’s one.
“Now we will deal with them; let us support you.”
“Go ahead.”
The Holy Pope moved away and allowed them to attack Sungjin and his team. The first turret was destroyed then the second. Sungjin’s team was helpless.
Sungjin was commanding well and fighting against the priests using his martial arts, but his team was too weak compared to the priests. The simple geography of the field made it impossible to plan any surprises.
The priests managed to push Sungjin’s team back to their base camp, and they struggled to protect the two remaining turrets.
But…
It was a struggle, and the priests were about to blow up two remaining turrets.
Sungjin’s team decided to go to the healing camp where the Valkyrie was staying to reload their power for the counter attack.
“Poor things,” said the Holy Pope and raised up his power to finish the fight.
The wind started to shake the path again; the Holy Pope’s eyes shined in various colors to show the God Hand behind him.
“God Hand!”
A gigantic hand wiped them up and everything around them as well. Huge flames threatened to burn everything in their path.
“Aegis!”
Ereka tried to protect them all, but she was not strong enough.
“Light, bless us and protect us.” Rachel used her ultimate skill, but it, too, was not enough.
“Mjolnir!” Jenna tried to fight back, but it appeared useless. The four priests laughed at her.
Suddenly, Eustasia revealed black marbles in her hand. She activated them with her crystals and threw them into the middle of the flames, creating a massive explosion.