Badge in Azure

I can’t kill you?

Saleen smirked deep down. Baudelaire was thinking too highly of himself.

One of the defining characteristics of mages was that they were the most studious kind of people on any plane. Once they set their sights towards a goal, there was simply nothing that they were unable to accomplish. Baudelaire was at level-10, yet he was actually weaker than Saleen. When their equipment was taken into account, Saleen was definitely more formidable than Baudelaire.

So what if you’re a believer in the God of Purgatory? By the time Saleen reached level-11 and acquired skills like Lightning Territory, he would gain an absolute advantage against believers in gods.

“Baudelaire, get out here at once!” Saleen stressed every single word as he shouted.

The space behind Saleen twisted and a slit appeared. Baudelaire held a black scythe high, intending to cleave Saleen in half. However, Saleen’s Thundering Explosion twisted even the space around him. Baudelaire was aiming at a spot where no one was standing.

The scythe swung down and Nailisi thrust her spear into Baudelaire’s chest before Jola could make a move.

Baudelaire did not run that time. The lightning icicle emerged when the slit in space was opened, piercing Baudelaire’s back.

Blue electrical arcs jumped and Baudelaire shrieked as he made for the skies.

Electrical arcs jumped as he made for the sky. Both skills that hit him were damaging to the soul. While the lightning icicle’s power paled when compared to Grey Memory in terms of power, it was longer-lasting power. Baudelaire jumped twice, yet the lightning icicle continued to pursue him, piercing into his body and continuing to do damage.

Pfft…

Baudelaire spat out a piece of ice, expelling the lightning icicle from his body. The ice was pitch black and the lightning magic patterns on it had disappeared. However, electricity continued to rage within his body.

Baudelaire wanted to jump into another slit, but Eleanor shot another arrow right away, destroying the slit.

A level-10 professional was not capable of traversing space at will. Baudelaire was borrowing power from his god, jumping about using spatial slits in very small areas. It was something dangerous to do successfully. Saleen had no doubt that he knew what he was doing.

Eleanor’s attack was not aimed at Baudelaire. She was simply using elvish space arrows to destroy Baudelaire’s escape routes.

“I can’t kill you? What a joke. Baudelaire, you shouldn’t have come looking trouble with me!” Saleen had a spell readied by the time he finished talking. 3,600 icicles surrounded Baudelaire, caging him in the middle and making the whole formation look like a huge ball of ice.

Baudelaire had lost any spatial slits that he would have been able to jump through. He immediately took out the Armageddon Codex. The book transformed into a golden sheet of paper, wrapping his body up.

Saleen laughed as he shot all six remaining lightning icicles at Baudelaire.

The six lightning icicles reached Baudelaire and stabbed through the Armageddon Codex. Seven signs on the golden paper spun about violently, yet it was incapable of stopping the lightning icicles.

That thing would have been able to stop Saleen’s attacks if the great head inquisitor had been using it. However, Baudelaire had never used the codex before and was unfamiliar with its properties. The ability to turn the codex into a piece of golden paper was a skill from the God of Purgatory.

The Armageddon Codex was essentially indestructible, but Saleen’s lightning icicles were simply slipping through the gaps of the codex. Like living beings, they were capable of seeking out gaps themselves.

Baudelaire’s body was covered with blue electrical arcs. The 3,600 icicles that Saleen had readied earlier launched at him after that.

The golden paper caved in violently. Baudelaire had lost all control. The 3,600 icicles were unable to tear the codex apart, but the codex was no longer a strong defense. It was as soft as cloth and was being pushed inward by Saleen’s icicles, making it thoroughly incapable of weakening the lightning icicle’s physical attacks.

“Baudelaire, tell me now, would I be able to kill you or not?” Saleen continued to attack with Thunder Explosion. Baudelaire was rendered dizzy from the skill, making him incapable of answering Saleen.

His body was created using the Divine Tablet spell and was extremely resilient. However, the electricity of the lightning icicles had carbonized most of that body, making it lose vitality.

Baudelaire only knew fear by then. However, he was not even able to speak anymore, making him unable to even surrender.

Saleen did not let him off. All of his followers attacked at the same time. Four weapons of different lengths, three arrows, and a lesser prophecy spell fell onto the person who had only been resurrected a short time ago.

The golden paper on Baudelaire slipped off and transformed into the Armageddon Codex once again. What seeped out from his body was not blood, but thick black smoke.

He was actually able to speak in that state.

“Saleen, you shall not escape from the God of Purgatory!”

“I’m tired of hearing sh** like that.” Saleen waved and Nailisi slashed with the Sword of Rules. Baudelaire’s head rolled onto the ground.

The Armageddon Codex flew into the sky. It was so fast that not even Saleen was able to catch up to it.

“Thank you very much, Saleen! Hahahaha!” said the great head inquisitor’s from the codex. He’s actually not dead! Furthermore, it seemed that his memories were intact even after becoming a weapon spirit.

Saleen smirked coldly and paid no heed to the Armageddon Codex flying off. The great head inquisitor was cunning to the extreme, yet his luck paled in comparison to Saleen’s. Lightning latched onto the Armageddon Codex and the great head inquisitor. It made it so that there was no way he would be able to get near Saleen in the future.

Saleen would be able to sense him within a 100-mile radius without even using his Elemental Eye.

The threat from the great head inquisitor was over.

Saleen opened the space of his necklace and threw Baudelaire’s body inside. The great head inquisitor escaped, yet Saleen had acquired a body created using the Divine Tablet Spell. The body was severely damaged and thoroughly irreparable, yet the evil rules within it served well to nourish the thunder dragons.

The thunder dragons did not fear evil things like that. The power of lightning was far more terrifying than the purifying holy light of the Lord of Glory.

“Now, you should know that I’d be able to kill you after all, eh?” Saleen smirked and looked at Nailisi’s hand which had a sliver of black aura emanating from it. It was a bit of soul splintered off from Baudelaire. Demons were capable of devouring and capturing souls.

The splintered soul shrieked and struggled in Nailisi’s hand.

“Master, do you want this thing dead right away, or..?” Nailisi inquired.

“Spare me! I’ll tell you secrets about the God of Purgatory!”

“I don’t need to know any of that,” Saleen answered plainly.

Nailisi did not make her move immediately. She knew that Saleen was simply raising the stakes.

“I’ll give you something. If you think it’s worth it, then spare me. If you don’t think it’s worth your time, kill me then!” Baudelaire knew that if he were to talk terms, he would end up dead right there and then. Saleen and Theisio were enemies, so even if Saleen ended up killing him after spilling the secrets, it would still work to his advantage by dealing a crippling blow to the Holy See in the future.

It would be even better if he found a way to escape in the process.

Saleen found Baudelaire’s words to be amusing. It seems like this guy isn’t just putting up airs. That bit of soul was weak, yet there were no signs of damage to it, which meant that it would be able to be restored to its strongest form. That skill of Baudelaire’s would prove useful for death mages.

“Alright, speak. If I deem what you say to be of value, I may spare you,” Saleen answered with a smile, acting as if the overbearing mage was someone else altogether.

“Saleen, cast your territorial power. I don’t want the pope to know this!”

Saleen cast Water Element Territory right away. Baudelaire’s soul was rather weak and shuddered for a bit in Nailisi’s hand. Saleen saw that and took out a star figure. Then he took Baudelaire’s soul and chucked it into the star figure.

Baudelaire was shocked. This level-10 mage can just grab onto souls like that?

However, he quickly found that his soul was trapped within the figure and that escape was probably impossible. He went silent for quite a while. He knew that by doing this, he would be able to recover some of his strength. There were also powers that he could have used within the figure that were more or less equal to level-10.

The problem however, was that the figure was under Saleen’s control. If he were unable to escape the figure, it would simply mean that he had become Saleen’s puppet.

Saleen then said to Baudelaire, “Do not mistake this for me trying to control you. I have better ways of doing so that would prevent you from ever turning on me. Tell me your secrets and I’ll decide what to do with you.”

Baudelaire was shocked. It seemed that Saleen’s methods of controlling souls were indeed powerful. That woman who had been able to grab him could be more powerful than him, yet she was wholeheartedly willing to serve Saleen, calling him “Master.”

“Saleen, I have a question. I heard that you built a Nature City. Are you a believer in the Goddess of Myers?”

“Nope, I’m the creator of Goddess of Myers.” Saleen’s smile looked rather horrifying in Baudelaire’s eyes. Creator of the goddess?

“But…”

“I’ll only answer that one question of yours. If I’m ready to kill you, I’ll let you continue asking. Well then, out with the secrets of the God of Purgatory.”

“The God of Purgatory has a divine persona but he doesn’t need faith from others. If he is able to continue slaughtering, he will become a level-18 god eventually, destroying planes one at a time.” Baudelaire told Saleen the most important part first.

Baudelaire saw the hope of surviving, seeing how Saleen listened to him intently. The mage was far more powerful than he had imagined him to be. Most people would have been fazed somewhat by hearing something like that. It was worth noting that a god capable of rapid growth that could sustain himself exclusively through killing would have struck fear in any living being.

Baudelaire regretted having made an enemy out of this mage.

Mages were the true masters of that world. A truly exceptional mage could deal lethal damage to the gods, preventing the gods’ faith from being propagated.

Baudelaire had never believed any of that before, but he believed it after seeing Saleen.