A Powerful Martial Artist Reincarnates as a Nun Knight

Since the Grand Progenitor first became the founder of the Church and his disciples established it, the paths of the clergy diverged into three main branches.

To list these three paths: one is the Path of Purity, focused solely on cultivating virtues and internal refinement through luminous power; another is the Path of Divinity, developing the authority to commune with the deities entrusted by the Grand Progenitor, borrowing divine blessings to be integrated with luminous power; and the remaining path is the Path of Refining, training innate human abilities, including spellcasting, to supplement or be supplemented by luminous power.

In truth, such distinctions held little meaning in modern times, for all clergy inevitably cultivated proficiency in all three paths to varying degrees, depending on the inclinations of their respective churches or monastic orders.

Nevertheless, if one were to characterize the path Hildegard followed, she would be considered closest to the Path of Divinity. Skilled in divine sciences, she primarily wielded prayers, mantras, and invocations to call upon divine blessings – the primary means by which she wielded mysteries. And what was required to wield such mysteries was at least a minimum reverence for the celestial deities.

Perhaps Hildegard did not outwardly appear particularly reverent toward the deities. Admittedly, her innate temperament tended toward the secular, so she did not display excessive veneration. However, she nevertheless harbored the requisite minimum respect for them.

From the primordial deities of the Golden Age who created the world in ancient times, to the deities of the Silver and Bronze Ages who eventually passed the torch to their successors after trials and errors, and finally to the heroic and nature spirits of the current era – beings born as creations who ascended and formed the boundary between the celestial and mortal realms, ensuring humans would no longer be subject to divine whims.

It was respect for their eons and selfless dedication that formed the foundation of Hildegard’s faith.

Thus, for Hildegard, the monstrous form that had revealed itself could only be seen as an affront to her convictions.

The crimson-eyed hound revered as a death spirit by the Berbers, adorned with the golden deer antlers emblematic of Cernunnos’ denizens – its very appearance resembled a spirit or divine denizen itself.

However, unlike the inherent sacred auras genuine spirits or divine denizens would possess, no matter how faint, the being before her radiated only a repulsively foul and viscous demonic miasma. Due to that twisted, distorted aura, the ruby-like crimson eyes and what should have been radiant golden antlers had lost their luster, appearing dull and base instead.

The jet-black fur that should have shone with a healthy gleam appeared matted and squirming like maggots, exuding a foul blend of putrid flesh, sulfurous, and fetid sewer stenches that only heightened the revulsion.

Witnessing this blasphemous sight that simultaneously defiled spirits and divine denizens, there was no way for Hildegard to remain calm.

“Ariel!”

Calling out to her contracted divine spirit in outrage, Hildegard was embraced from behind by Ariel, who had manifested as a cluster of light. The moment the spirit of light merged into Hildegard’s body, the radiant emanations from her form swelled dramatically, intensifying in luminance.

Surrounded by a swirling vortex of amplified luminous power, Hildegard immediately charged the blasphemous demon with a battle cry.

“Perish!”

With a rather sacred-sounding shout, Hildegard’s halberd traced an arc as it swung. Its speed was that of a rending strike that could cleave an instant – the axe blade fully imbued with luminous power seemed poised to smoothly sever the demon’s lower right jaw, barring any unexpected developments.

However, the moment Hildegard charged, the demon curled its lips in a sneer. And in the next instant, Hildegard’s halberd, swung with enough force to cleave the demon’s jaw, instead passed harmlessly through its figure and cut empty air.

“What!?”

With eyes wide, Hildegard soon grit her teeth and reversed the halberd’s trajectory. The reversed halberd raised the beak-like pick on the opposite side of the axe blade, attempting to skewer the demon’s figure caught in its path.

As expected, the halberd whooshed through empty air. However, as if anticipating this, Hildegard did not panic, instead retreating while retrieving her halberd to regain her disrupted stance.

Reorganizing the somewhat disheveled flow of her luminous power after the intense movements, Hildegard inwardly clicked her tongue.

‘My cultivation is lacking. If it were Sophia, she would have shown flawless control even amid more intense movements. Even with Ariel’s assistance, this is the extent of my abilities.’

While lamenting, Hildegard’s sharp gaze swept over the demon’s form.

‘I think I understand the general principle behind why my attacks aren’t landing. This thing is moving between the realms of shadow and physical reality.’

The moment it became a shadow, its physical manifestation was reduced to a mere illusion in this world. While luminous power could strike even the astral, it was powerless against non-existence itself.

‘But there is a way.’

Even if the enemy concealed itself in shadows, it would inevitably need to establish a physical form to attack her. Whether through physical strikes or spellcasting, the instant it attempted to attack would be her opportunity to strike its vulnerability.

‘The question is how to discern that moment.’

Ultimately, she could only rely on experience and instinct in this regard. Still, Hildegard had cultivated her Fülen, or sense of confrontation, through diligent halberd training, so she had no choice but to trust it.

Having roughly assessed the situation, Hildegard suddenly heard a “kuhu-hu” sound that seemed to come from the demon. That laughter-like, yet bestial growling elicited an inexplicable sense of unpleasantness within her.

‘An unpleasant sound.’

Even as she thought it might truly be the demon mocking her, Hildegard calmly refined the luminous power she had regathered. Soon, it began glowing a pure silver-white once more.

‘This is the highest level of luminous power control I can demonstrate without deploying the Immovable Bright King Technique.’

Hildegard’s true desire was to immediately employ the Immovable Bright King Technique, but unfortunately, her mastery of the inner cultivation method was not yet refined enough for spontaneous use in dire circumstances. In the end, for now, the best she could do was manifest the silver-white luminous power she had naturally acquired through her cultivation of the inner method.

As Hildegard solidified her defenses and prepared to counter the demon’s attacks, it seemed to finally realize she would no longer take the offensive, instead beginning its own assault.

Its first strike was an air cutter condensed from invisible shockwaves and jet streams. While not particularly potent, such basic azure spells were troublesome to deal with because their manifested forms were difficult to visually track, and the spells were cast nearly instantaneously.

The demon began relentlessly unleashing such instantaneous azure spells in succession. Hildegard could only rely on her experience and instincts, deftly maneuvering her halberd to deflect these spells. Fortunately, the demon’s spells exuded a distinctive, slimy, and violent miasma, making them relatively easier to detect compared to ordinary azure spells.

‘Not yet.’

While instantaneous azure spells were troublesome to defend against, their greatest advantage was how effortlessly the caster could unleash them, enabling free transitions between offense and defense. Thus, as long as the enemy was casting azure spells, the appropriate response was to resolutely maintain her defenses rather than immediately counterattacking.

The demon’s attack pattern shifted from azure basic spells in the next instant.

“Kkhh-huck!”

The moment the demon’s figure seemed to blur, Hildegard instinctively pivoted counterclockwise, lowering her stance and aiming her halberd. And right where she had pointed the halberd’s spearhead, the demon manifested its form, didn’t it?

Having charged forward only to find the spearhead thrust before its face, the startled demon hurriedly snapped its jaws shut and thrust forward with its antlers. The branching, curved antlers then became entwined with the halberd’s edges, and a tug-of-war ensued between Hildegard and the demon.

This was a form of grappling. Ordinarily, Hildegard would have immediately applied grappling techniques to subdue her opponent upon entering such a bound state. However, this time, she refrained.

‘Still not yet.’

As expected, the next moment, the demon’s illusion and physical reality switched again, and its figure quietly retreated into the shadows. Feeling her entwined halberd swinging futilely through empty air, Hildegard once more gathered her resolve and luminous power, resetting her defensive stance.

‘Just one chance, a single proper opening is all I need.’

What she awaited was the moment the enemy attempted to cast a major spell. Large-scale spells required lengthy casting times, and once the spellcasting process began, it could not be easily canceled before completion.

And after her patient waiting, her chance finally arrived.

Pachi-jik, pachi-jik – flickering discharges between the antlers, the manifestation of an advanced azure spell’s casting process. Perhaps the demon had realized there was no other way to break through Hildegard’s tenacious defense.

Compared to the instantaneous basic azure spells, advanced azure spells were widely regarded as difficult to control and requiring considerable preparation for casting. However, their potency was assured to match such effort.

This was the timing Hildegard had been waiting for.

“Ariel, assist me!”

Instantly detonating the luminous power she had painstakingly gathered and refined, Hildegard charged the demon. With footwork that closed the distance in a single stride, Hildegard shot forward like an arrow, trailing a lingering silvery-white contrail of luminous power.

Accelerating her cognition, Hildegard closed to point-blank range in an instant, allowing her to discern every subtle shift in the demon’s expression. Confronted by Hildegard’s lightning stance transition and daring charge, the demon’s eyes widened as it hurriedly attempted to abort its spellcasting, but it was already too late.

Hildegard gave a satisfied smile.

This time, for sure.

“Perish!”

The axe blade of her halberd, at minimum distance, unerringly struck the demon’s brow. Following through on the momentum, the halberd was extracted before swinging in an arc, the beak portion smashing into the demon’s jaw. Without pause, Hildegard shook the halberd, raking its edges across the demon’s flesh, before plunging the spearhead directly into its throat.

A three-strike combination unleashing the halberd’s full offensive capabilities – axe, beak, and spear – was executed in a blazing flurry. The demon’s brow was cloven, its jaw mauled, and its throat impaled.

The next instant, the demon’s mane was ensnared in Hildegard’s left hand. She forcefully injected the swirling silvery-white luminous power into the demon’s body. The brilliance of clarity scorched and thrashed the demon’s foul, turbid aura with searing radiance.

After a moment, the demon’s death throes ceased as its life force was finally extinguished. Only then did Hildegard discard the demonic corpse from her grasp and lean against her halberd’s shaft, letting out a sigh.

“Hah, is it over?”

While not an overly dangerous foe, it had been an exceptionally troublesome one after so long, Hildegard muttered to herself.

Letting her guard down, assuming the situation was resolved – was that why? Hildegard had momentarily forgotten that the demon’s miasma had not fully dissipated.

Shadows spread from beneath her feet. Kuhu-hu, the overlapping laughter-like sounds reverberated, and soon after, the demon’s aura erupted violently.

“Ugh… Wait, could it be…?!”

Having instinctively deflected half of the malefic aura that had abruptly gushed forth, Hildegard looked around with a sense of dread clutching her heart. Upon confirming what had entered her vision, she let out a rueful laugh, blaming her own misfortune.

“Hah, hahah. I really didn’t see this coming.”

Rising around her were dull, lusterless deer antlers, and numerous crimson, flickering pupils.