"Protect the Prophet!"
The echo of the shout stirred something within Seon, but she could only frown as the men crowded her view.
Even Yunnie, who had been the most timid, or Ortos, the elderly bishop who rarely showed confidence in anything but brewing tea, were now ready to defend her with their lives.
Their action was almost laughable.
Seon could fight, but she wasn't naive. Facing one, two, three? or maybe four seasoned warriors from the Church of the Sea wouldn't be an issue. But this many? The odds were stacked.
Unlike the previous ragtag group, awkwardly clutching their staves and weapons, these men were trained fighters assuming on those callouses and their body build.
Still, the absurdity of the situation almost made her laugh.
Willing to protect me?
The thought tickled her in a twisted way.
These fools, who had quaked in fear mere moments ago, now stood in defiance for her sake.
After everything, it seemed humanity still had its surprises.
"Uh...how should I solve this?..."
Truth be told, she was grateful to Istar for acting like that. That way, she will no longer have an attachment to humanity, and discard it completely.
'Yes, just like what's planned'.
However, her thoughts completely halted when these fools threw themselves just to protect her. Making her feel guilty, to even drag them into her resentment.
'Seriously... God if this is what your plan is... Don't mistake I will abandon the idea of world's destruction'
Seon's lips curled into a smile—a genuine one.
"Get out of my way." she commanded.
One by one, she nudged them aside, each of them reluctantly stepping back until she was alone, standing before the followers of the Church of the Sea.
Her eyes flicked to Yunnie, who was trembling behind her.
"Give me that," she said, motioning to the staff in his hands.
"T-the staff?"
"What else, genius?"
"I... I just fixed this..." Yunnie began to protest, but his words trailed off, knowing he had no choice. With a reluctant sigh, he handed over the staff, already preparing himself to see it destroyed once more.
Seon grasped the staff and, with one swift motion, swung it through the air.
The staff that was fixed just a moment ago with several bandages and cloth once again splintered in half with a sharp crack, pieces falling to the floor.
"I hope you're ready because this will hurt-"
Without even finishing her sentence, The first man lunged forward, sword arcing toward her. Seon sidestepped, and her body moved on instinct.
"How rude" she commented.
With that man's body build, Seon knew that attacking his head-on would not deal that much.
Thus, her broken staff swirled in a blur as she knocked the man's sword aside with a flick of her wrist, redirecting his momentum. He stumbled past her, thrown off balance, and Seon wasted no time, stepping behind him and landing a swift strike towards his nape.
'Yes, Seon figured out to simply just attack their weak spot if she can't pierce through their body'
Another attacker came at her from the left, a spear thrusting toward her side. Seon turned just enough for the weapon to miss its mark, brushing her shoulder.
'Fast- no, I'm the one who's slow' she thought to herself while the attacker and her gaze met on one another. 'Seriously, I'm way too weak that I even have to put my whole effort into this'
She grabbed the shaft of the spear with her free hand, using the attacker's own momentum to pull him forward. With a twist of her right leg, she knocked him off his feet, sending him crashing into the ground.
Two more charged her at once. Seon ducked low to avoid a sword that sliced just inches from her head. As she moved, she slammed her staff into the knee of the nearest soldier, causing him to buckle. A quick strike to the back of his head with the staff's broken end dropped him.
The other swung a heavy axe at her, but Seon rolled out of the way like a lazy donkey roll.
"Come on," she taunted with a small smirk. "I'm not even trying."
That was a fat lie, Seon became more and more exhausted- but she never showed her sweats and heavy breathing.
She had hoped Istar would step forward by now so she can beat the shit out of him already.
But the man was smarter than she had anticipated. Instead of engaging directly, he commanded others against her.
'This is why I hate intelligent people…' Seon thought bitterly.
She could guess what Istar had on his mind- and that was to make her stamina depleted.
Indeed, such a technique will work against her. After all, this body she currently possesses does not have that much stamina.
At this point, she might really lose. 'Should I run away while I still have time?' or so she thought.
It was then even the civilians who came near wielding pitchforks, shovels, and other makeshift weapons, rushed in to join the fray.
"Attack! Do not let the prophet fight alone!" one of them shouted.
And soon, the whole scene became a jumble of people pushing and shoving.
It wasn't organized, and it certainly wasn't skilled combat and certainly the room had devolved into utter chaos.
Seon couldn't help but be frozen in her position while watching the civilians work together. These people were now charging in like heroes from a fable.
Stupid, yes—but the gesture brought an odd feeling to her chest.
"Haha..."
For a brief moment, Seon allowed herself a smile. It wasn't the cunning maneuver she had expected, but it worked.
The sheer chaos had disoriented her opponents, and now the room was too crowded for the soldiers to make clean strikes.
Istar's face darkened. He stood by the window, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed the pandemonium. He clicked his tongue in frustration.
"Retreat!"
"But, sir—" one of the laity began to protest, only for Istar to cut him off with a glare.
We are not beasts. There is no need to slaughter civilians."
Without further explanation, Istar signaled his followers to leave. Reluctantly, the soldiers and clergy of the Church of Sea withdrew, backing out of the room, their weapons lowered. One by one, they fled out, until no men in blue uniform was left in the room.
Then, before Seon could say anything, the remaining crowd erupted into cheers.
"Yeaaaah! Go run away damn bastards!"
"Deserved! How dare you mock the Goddess Lakambini!"
"Don't ever come back here!"
They celebrated, voices rising in victory as if they had driven the enemy away themselves.
Seon, still standing at the center of it all, could only laugh dumbfounded by the whole turn of events.
"...Idiots," she muttered under her breath, though a small, amused smile tugged at her lips.