Chapter 143: Abnormal Phenomenon (1)
TL: Potato-tan
Proofreader: Asianpotato
The bald priest in the green robe, who was approaching and growling, slowed his pace when he saw Russell standing tall before him.
Russell was a large man, even from a distance. He was nearly as tall and broad as Russell, and he was advancing on the villagers with a swagger in his step.
His gleaming bald head stood out among the villagers with their various hair colors: black, brown, red, yellow, and blue.
There was a soft chuckle beside him. Russell glanced over to see Irrucil’s hand covering her mouth.
“Why?”
“Nothing.”
Russell pointed behind him.
“Go inside. I’ll see what’s going on.”
“Will you be alright? Do you need your sister’s help?”
“I’ll be fine. Aella and Calia will keep an eye on things too.”
“Alright, alright.”
As Irrucil opened the door to the hut and stepped inside, the bald priest, Todd, and about a half-dozen other villagers were standing in front of Russell. They seemed to want to surround the hut, but Russell’s presence prevented them from doing so.
A thin trail of white smoke curled out of Russell’s mouth and into the dim sky.
Todd then stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the villagers.
‘Damn, what a big guy. . .’
Todd’s eyes twitched as he looked up at Russell, who towered over him. The man stood there smoking a cigarette, his legs spread apart, looking formidable even at a glance.
He had his long hair tied back and his face was expressionless. It wasn’t just his height that was impressive; his overall balance reminded Todd of a large tiger.
Todd glanced around and backward before clearing his throat.
“I’m the priest of our village, Todd.”
Unlike before, Russell nodded in greeting when Todd spoke politely.
“Russell.”
Todd squinted at Russell, who had simply stated his name. The man had the face of a noble, but his attire was shabby. There were even some grass stains on his pants and shirt, as if he had just come from a camping trip.
According to Todd, nobles traveled with two or three knights and dozens of servants, and they hated getting dirty. They didn’t walk around in such shabby clothes or ride horses from place to place.
Todd spoke.
“Are you outsiders who have come from afar?”
“That’s right.”
“As you can see, I am a priest. I serve the god Enlir. You wouldn’t say you don’t know Enlir, the god of hunting, would you?”
“I don’t know him.”
“You don’t know him?”
“I’m not a theologian. I’m too busy living my life to memorize the names of every god.”
“This. . .”
Todd frowned at Russell’s response and glared at him. Russell met his angry gaze with an impassive one.
“I’d appreciate it if you could move aside for a moment. I have something to attend to behind you.”
“What business?”
At Russell’s question, the villagers who had followed the bald priest, Todd, raised the objects they were holding.
“What business, you ask? It’s because those who angered the forest didn’t die and lived!”
“If we let this continue, we’ll all die! We have to get rid of them before we all die!”
Russell looked at the villagers and Todd, who were all talking over each other.
“What are you talking about? The wrath of the forest?”
“Outsiders wouldn’t know. Now, I’ve said my piece, so step aside!”
Russell watched as they slowly approached, and then he shifted his weight off of his left leg. His slightly crooked posture straightened, and Russell took a small step forward with his right foot.
There was a small sound, like a click, that most people wouldn’t have heard. The villagers didn’t hear it, but Todd did.
The ripple of magical power that spread out from the man named Russell reached Todd first, and his eyes flashed white. The power of the god he served had gathered in his eyes. Todd froze.
‘. . .What the?’
Todd was tense, anticipating the man to possess some magical power due to his impressive aura, but he quickly gathered more divine power in his gaze.
However, when he looked at the man before him with his divine power-infused eyes, he couldn’t see anything clearly. All he saw was darkness.
It appeared as though a shadow had assumed a human shape, or as though a distinct dimension had enveloped the human form. He saw only fragmentary scenes that were impossible to understand or comprehend.
Russell, on the other hand, also realized that the other party was observing him.
He had lightly released a ripple of magical power to scan the priest named Todd, and he had responded immediately.
Until now, there had been many who had observed him with magical power, but this bald man was the first to use a technique that utilized divine power to observe him.
Russell took a puff of his cigarette, and a faint light slowly gathered in his eyes.
With that, he began to see hidden aspects of the world in his vision, things beyond the reach of mere magical power. In an instant, the flow of time slowed down, and everything around him turned black and white.
In a world where there was only darkness and light, the only existence that had a different color gradually revealed itself. His eyes narrowed slightly.
‘What is that?’
A translucent figure appeared, resembling a giant with the head of a large deer. The faint figure was hovering behind the bald priest’s head.
A giant deer-headed man held a large hammer and a long staff in one hand. Its upper body was bulging with muscles that seemed ready to burst, and its lower body existed only as smoke.
The translucent figure also directed its gaze towards Russell at that moment. A yellow light flashed in the deer’s large, empty pupils.
Todd’s lips curled into a smile as he saw Russell’s eyes widening, unable to hide his surprise.
He thought that Russell was now feeling the power of the great god, not knowing where he had come from.
However, his smile faded when he saw a faint light begin to gather in Russell’s two eyes.
Russell’s eyes flashed purple, infused with magic. The moment the gaze of the mysterious deer-headed giant met Russell’s magic eyes, time resumed its normal pace.
Boom!
A transparent wave erupted between Russell and Todd. Russell took a step back, while Todd took three or four steps back and held his head.
His vision was blurry. The aftereffects of the divine power, washed away against his will like a receding tide, caused his eyes to ache and his head to throb.
Russell had also never experienced anything like this before, and he was momentarily disoriented before he came to his senses. This was the first time he had clashed head-on with the divine power of a priest. It was a different experience from dealing with the magical power of devils or monsters up until now.
If the devil’s power was as sharp as water seeping in, the divine power was closer to something that repelled.
“Ugh. . .”
As Todd raised his head, he saw Russell looking down at him, his temples throbbing. Todd lowered his eyes without realizing it, and then he clenched his fists when he realized that he had lowered his head first.
Their eyes met for only a moment. To the other villagers, it looked like the two men had simply taken a step back and held their heads after looking at each other.
“Priest? Are you alright?”
“Are you hurt somewhere?”
“Did that guy do something strange?”
“N, No, it’s fine, Penson. Step back. I’m alright.”
At that moment, Russell’s senses began to detect strange presences. Russell smelled the scent of blood, hunger, starvation, and blind hatred towards humans.
Russell turned his head towards the forest at the sharp warning of his heightened senses. Todd and the villagers also turned their heads in the same direction, bewildered by his sudden decision to look away from their confrontation and towards the Forest.
A little over fifty meters away, dark figures were wriggling between the trees that stood like a drawn boundary. It was as if the shadows under the thick trees had taken on a physical form.
Growl. . .
Soon, demon beasts emerged from between the thick trees. Their black sclera and red pupils emitted a faint light. Bears, wolves, deer, rabbits, owls, and other carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores came out of the forest, addicted to magical power.
“D, Demon beasts!”
“R, Run away! Tell the villagers!”
“Let’s go together!”
The villagers, who had brought with them axs and logging axes, turned pale and ran towards the village in a single file. However, the bald priest, Todd, did not run away.
“Damn it, I knew this would happen. . .”
“What are you saying? You mean those siblings should have been eaten in the forest?”
“At least they shouldn’t have broken the barrier! Do you know how many demonic beasts have been appearing in the forest lately?”
“Barrier?”
“That’s right! The barrier we worked so hard to create becomes scattered when those damn brats run around the forest willy-nilly.
Todd, who had shouted out loud, raised his hands in a hurry and clasped them together, muttering something. Then, the translucent, light green deer-headed giant that Russell had seen earlier flickered and disappeared. A light green light began to rise from Todd’s entire body, like a flame.
This was a sight rarely seen among other priests. They usually performed miracles or prayed using spiritual power alone.
Meanwhile, the demon beasts emerged from the forest and prowled towards them. Their steps were slow, but they suddenly sped up at a certain point.
In front of the demon beasts, Todd trembled, but he did not back down. Soon, as if he had finished his prayer, he stretched out his hands forward and shouted.
“Bi-Enlir-T urma! Evil shall retreat!”
The lights that shot out of Todd’s hands drew strange shapes in the air, and they created a translucent protective barrier that blocked the village’s outskirts.
When the demon beasts hit the barrier, there was a loud bang. The barrier appeared to have effectively blocked the demon beasts.
“Ugh, gah. . .”
Todd’s trembling jaw was dripping with sweat. Russell tilted his head. The amount of divine power he was emitting was not as great as it had been when he first clashed with his magic eyes.
Todd gradually pushed back the barrier. The barrier gradually pushed Todd’s feet and legs back as well. Russell realized that the priest’s eyes were darting back and forth, searching for an opportunity to escape.
The reason why the bald-headed priest wasn’t running was simply to buy time for the other villagers to prepare, as if he didn’t care about the safety of the other villagers or the hunter siblings who lived on the outskirts of the village.
Russell shook his head slightly, then slammed his foot onto the ground.
He ignored the questioning sound that came from Todd behind him. In an instant, he ran past the barrier towards the demon beasts, who were still wriggling their heads and bodies.
“Kyaaagh!”
“Krrrrrrr!”
The demon beasts, both carnivores and herbivores, charged at him with their rough voices. Russell’s hands disappeared into his coat and then shot out like lightning.
He held an axe and a sword in his wide-open hands. The blades cut the bodies of all the demon beasts into one or two pieces as they flew through the air.
Russell’s figure moved gracefully among the demon beasts, which were screaming and gnashing their teeth. Russell split open the heads of the three bears that had charged at him in succession. The axe blew away three heads, which froze as soon as they hit the ground.
As he crushed the frozen heads underfoot, a giant reindeer thrust its horns, which were as large as its body, at him. Aside from that, two wolves were drooling and baring their fangs.
Russell first threw his axe and broadsword at the two wolves beside the reindeer, silencing them, and then he grabbed the thick horns of the reindeer, which had charged right up to him with his bare hands.
Mooooooooo-!
The reindeer snorted and pushed forward like a chariot, as if it didn’t like that. Russell did not meet its strength head-on.
His legs and waist, which seemed to be holding on for a moment, twisted flexibly, and the reindeer’s body flew into the air. The reindeer’s eyes grew dull as it saw the cloudy sky beneath its feet.
Boom!
The ground where the reindeer’s back had fallen caved in. Russell’s foot landed on the head of the stunned reindeer.
Crack. The beast’s brain and blood splattered onto the ground like a dark red flower. The movements of the demon beasts faltered.
An axe or broadsword had pierced the heads and backs of two wolves, three bears had their necks sliced open, and the largest and most bloodthirsty reindeer demon beast had its head smashed in.
However, as if to prove that their ferocity had not gone anywhere, the remaining demon beasts all charged at Russell at once. Russell clicked his tongue and raised his hand.
Then, the broadsword, stuck in the ground, flew up on its own and wrapped itself around Russell’s grip. Russell’s knees bent, and his legs swung in an arc, his waist, shoulders, and arms rotating with the centrifugal force.
In a matter of minutes, the demon beasts suppressed their attack. Todd, who had been sitting on the ground in shock from the broken barrier, watched the scene with his mouth hanging open.
Russell, who had crushed all of the demon beasts, retrieved his sword and axe and walked up to Todd.
“I need you to explain something to me. Why are the beasts from the forest acting like this? And what’s this about a barrier?”
Todd nodded blankly.
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