A Powerful Martial Artist Reincarnates as a Nun Knight

Hildegard spoke first, “He’s, he’s dead!”
Conra followed with an exclamation, “He’s bleeding from all seven orifices!”

To Hildegard and Conra, the figure’s state appeared extremely grave. Though unvoiced, Ezio, Maria, and the divine spirits, presiding spirits, and guiding spirits accompanying them shared the same impression.

No matter how one looked at it, the being seemed at the very least dead, or if not, on the verge of death. It seemed Sophia had intended some form of interrogation by dragging them by the nape, but had she perhaps used excessive force?

With their doubtful gazes, Sophia let out a mocking laugh, released her grip on the nape, and dusted off her hands. As the figure’s limp body flopped to the ground, everyone’s eyes naturally followed.

Sophia explained her actions with a rather smug attitude, arms akimbo, “Let me clarify first – this one is not yet dead.”

“Then, have they simply lost consciousness while still alive?”
“What nonsense are you spouting? Look at this one. Their breathing has stopped, their heart has ceased beating. How does this appear alive to you?”

Rendered speechless by Sophia’s brazen response, Conra could only open and close his mouth before regaining his breath to shout, “Then that means they’re dead, doesn’t it?!”

However, Conra’s reaction was soon stymied by Sophia’s words.

“Tch, tch. To so carelessly equate ‘not alive’ with ‘dead’ – such a binary mindset is undesirable. Have I not taught you better than that? How can your thinking be so limited?”

In a sense, Sophia’s words were not incorrect. However, from a commonsensical perspective, her statements could only be seen as extreme sophistry.

Still, the group, well aware that Sophia would never utter mere nonsense unbefitting her character, pondered the meaning of her words for a moment. Soon, Hildegard, as a member of the Divine Path sect most exposed to theories of death and the underworld, seemed to realize something and spoke up, “This one’s body is dead, but their soul cannot leave?”

“Correct. To be precise, their hun (spiritual soul) is bound while their po (corporeal soul) is imprisoned.”

Pleased that Hildegard had deduced the answer, Sophia smiled and snapped her fingers.

“The human body is an intertwining of spiritual and physical elements, and the spiritual element is further divided into the hun and po. When the physical perishes, the hun departs for the underworld while the po disperses and returns to nature. Until the hun departs and the po scatters, one cannot be considered truly dead despite the body’s demise. Conversely, even if the physical body’s life force remains vibrant, if the hun has departed and the po scattered, it cannot be considered alive.”

Saying so, Sophia once again gripped the nape of the prone human-fish figure and lifted them.

“So what I shall do now is extract this one’s hun and po to interrogate them.”

And before her words had even finished, she plunged her hand straight into the figure’s head without hesitation.

“Hmm, that must be the spirit extraction technique.”

Witnessing Sophia perform the spirit extraction technique for the first time, Ezio watched with an interested expression.

Sophia’s pale hand sank into the figure’s head as easily as dipping into water. After seeming to search within for a moment, she appeared to grasp something and forcefully withdrew her hand.

Trailing her withdrawing hand was a faintly rippling astral form. As Sophia displayed the squirming astral form grasped in her grip, the group, who had seldom witnessed a living soul despite frequently seeing other astral forms, gazed with keen interest.

“I shall torture this one’s soul for a while.”

Grasping the struggling astral form trying to escape her grip, Sophia declared. Soon after, a “pachi-jik” crackle of lightning erupted from Sophia’s hand.

{Kiiiii――!!?!?}

Since antiquity, lightning has been regarded as the heavens’ ultimate clarity punishing sinners and testing the mettle of those defying the celestial decree. With each flickering bolt, the human-fish soul let out agonized screams as it thrashed about in torment.

“The advantage of torturing souls is that, unlike mortal bodies which easily expire, they do not easily perish. Not only are they exceptionally durable, but their recovery is also remarkable – any damage is quickly restored to its original state.”

Even as the suffering soul writhed before her, Sophia calmly continued her explanation. If anyone had witnessed the heartrending sight of the tormented soul and Sophia’s indifference as she inflicted torment, the stark contrast would have naturally elicited pity.

“Tch. If this one were innocent, there would be no such suffering. I wonder how many grave sins they have accumulated to thrash about so.”

The thunderbolts were imbued with the clarity of truth, incapable of inflicting pain upon virtuous souls and only providing mild stimulation. Thus, the soul’s state of seeming on the verge of obliteration indicated its profound lack of innocence.

With each “pachi-jik” crackle, the writhing soul struggled to escape Sophia’s firm grip as she dispassionately and relentlessly poured in thunderbolts. How long did this continue?

“Hmm, this should be enough softening up.”
“Oh, have you finished the entire process, Master?”
“I’m not certain. We’ll have to attempt an interrogation to find out. What I must do now is a technique that thoroughly drains the soul’s willpower.”

Responding to Conra’s query, Sophia closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again. Simultaneously, her pupils turned golden.

“『Look at me.』”

The moment Sophia’s ethereal voice overlapped and resonated, the soul that had been left limp and exhausted from the torture suddenly raised its head, its vacant gaze meeting Sophia’s golden eyes.

“『I shall now question you. You will listen, and answer truthfully to the best of your knowledge.』”

Ensnaring with her voice, binding with her gaze – the technique Sophia employed in this moment was a psychic art integrating the ‘Curse of Frenzy’ from ancient Greece and Rome, the ‘Great Dharma of Soul Separation and Mind Binding’ from the Eastern heretical traditions, and the beguiling spells of the runic systems.

She called it the Controlled Charming Eye (制魂眼 – Sehun’an).

Soon after, the soul’s lips parted, and the Sapphygons’ schemes began to spill forth.

+++++

“Huuh, an alliance between the Demon Duke and the Sapphygon Sea King. That’s a big deal, isn’t it?”

Ezio’s astonished remark prompted Hildegard to nod and explain, “While alliances between land and sea denizens are not uncommon occurrences, an alliance between a Demon Duke and the Sapphygon Sea King is no trivial matter. Especially if the Sapphygons’ territory is located near the Port of Bordeaux.”

The Dark Continent was quasi-feudally administered by the seven Demon Kings and seventy-two Demon Dukes at the apex of their demonic legions.

At a glance, one might assume Demon Dukes rank below Demon Kings, merely one among the seventy-two dukedoms. However, that was not quite accurate. Each of those seventy-two ducal seats marked the pinnacle of the seventy-two distinct demonic lineages to which those dukes belonged.

While their lineages differed in characteristics and orientations, the seventy-two dukedoms were essentially equal in rank, invariably occupying the hierarchy directly beneath the seven Demon Kings.

Possessing near-omnipotent capabilities coupled with an almost absolute dominance over the corresponding concepts and attributes of their lineages, the Demon Dukes of the Dark Continent were forces to be reckoned with – understandably prompting Hildegard’s grave reaction.

“Could this be related to that one from before?”

‘That one’ referred to the great demon who had previously declared war on Sophia and humanity during the Agno incident. Hildegard wondered if this matter was connected to that entity.

However, Sophia shook her head, “It seems to be someone different. That one was closer to a spellcaster than a demon, and more of a cultivator than a spellcaster.”

“Hmm, I suppose you’re right. If our speculation is correct, this Demon Duke must be more of a combatant.”

There were clear differences between how spellcasters and warriors operated. If a spellcaster’s approach tended to be more supernatural, creative, and theoretical, a warrior’s was more realistic, secular, and pragmatic.

The Demon Duke’s activities, as gleaned from the interrogation, bore greater resemblance to those of a hardened military commander or seasoned warrior than a spellcaster. Of course, hasty judgments were inadvisable, but with a clear threat from the enemy now manifest, every piece of information was precious.

“Could it be that the attack on the Port of Bordeaux was to steal the ‘Replica of the King’s Chalice of the Sea’ under Bordeaux’s protection? Surely even if allied with the Sea-Albs, they wouldn’t allow their treasures to be taken by other forces.”

“It must mean they valued their alliance with the City of Bordeaux that much.”

As Hildegard marveled at the intriguing news, Sophia replied in an indifferent tone.

The King’s Chalice of the Sea was originally a regalia granting sovereignty over certain regions of the western Great Sea (the Atlantis Ocean). Generally, marine races vied for control over various sea regions through regalia conquest, creating replicas of each regalia to govern their respective domains, forming their civilizations.

These replicas functioned as terminals linked to the original regalia, granting limited control over the currents, terrain, and other aspects of their domain by requesting the regalia’s authority.

The King’s Chalice was the regalia of the Sea-Alb city-state Alburujj, a Bordeaux ally and neighboring maritime nation. The replica under Bordeaux’s protection was a goodwill gift from Alburujj to their allied city.

“It seems that was the reason Bordeaux recently gained renown as a prime western sea trade route.”

While most functions were likely sealed when gifted, the replica still retained its terminal capabilities. Bordeaux had undoubtedly been using it to request conveniences within Alburujj’s domains during the time they safeguarded it.

Maritime logistics were already unpredictable due to nature’s vagaries. Compound that with the complex power struggles and political situations underwater, and it was no wonder surface-dwellers found the seas difficult to navigate. So a treasure guaranteeing both protection from natural caprices and an alliance with a friendly power, even if limited to specific waters, surely held immense value.

Hence, if the Sapphygons had succeeded in stealing this treasure, it would have been an unforgivable catastrophe for both Alburujj and Bordeaux. A grievous rift would have formed between the allied cities, and the Sapphygons’ intentions with the treasure were difficult to fathom.

In any case, it seemed the King’s Chalice had avoided being stolen – the location the Sapphygons assumed housed the ‘Replica of the King’s Chalice’ was apparently incorrect information.

“Regardless, this information should be reported to the City Council as well.”

Not only the Church of Bordeaux, but the City Council itself was directly involved in this incident. They had the right and duty to know why this occurred and how it was unfolding.

As they made that decision, someone who had overheard their conversation fortuitously offered assistance.

“Regarding that matter, allow me to help!”

The one who volunteered was none other than Pierre de Coubertin, the Marquis overseeing the Port of Bordeaux – the very man whose life Hildegard had saved when the kraken was rampaging.