Experimental Log of the Crazy Lich 461 Holy Light of Salvation

"There's such a difference in our strength…"

I couldn't even react before the distance between us was instantly shortened. Karwenz had instantly appeared before me as my battle hammer clashed yet again with his sword. The result was that I was sent flying yet again.

"There's such a difference in our speed…"

The sounds of our weapons clashing were as loud as if the very sky was falling and the earth was cracking. The shape of the land itself was changed as the shock waves from the impacts were sent everywhere. These shock waves even directly shattered the dead's souls into nothing more than shards.

I stomped my feet into the ground the best I could to resist the impact. Karwenz's frightening brute strength caused my feet to create two deep ditches into the ground. More than ten injuries had appeared on my body due to his sword energy, although I did manage to stop myself from being completely blown away.

"What?"

But the moment that I steadied myself, I hadn't even finished swinging my battle hammer again when Karwenz's murky yellow demonic sword soundlessly struck my arm.

If it hadn't been for the fact that I had summoned my dragon armor just in the nick of time, my entire arm and battle hammer would have been gone already. And only now did I finally see Karwenz's sword movements.

"The complete version of the Karma Sword technique? I've only learned the basics! Damn it, there's even such a difference in our sword techniques…"

Just our first exchange of blows caused me to inhale a cold breath. Although I'd already expected that there would be a large difference between us, I still didn't expect that the difference would be so tremendous.

As he was the Abyss Prince, I could accept that all his basic stats would be above mine. But, I found it unacceptable how even his sword techniques were so far above mine.

"Damn it, there's still such a huge difference despite the fact that I have a cheat."

Right now, I was being powered up by Hell itself, as well as the Circle of Hell which represented Sloth. Hell was also my home turf, so if you only looked at energy level, I should be quite similar to Karwenz. Yet when I started fighting with him, I felt like I was being totally suppressed—in all areas, no less.

But upon closer analysis, this was only natural. Our natural talent would basically be identical, and our age was the same as well. Yet I had focused far too much on too many different areas. Law, ice magic, Divine Arts, and so on would all require a huge time investment. Yet as the Abyss Prince, Karwenz only needed to focus on fighting. He already had better talent for fighting than I had, and I was being distracted by my thoughts, so the end result was naturally that he by far surpassed me in all areas.

I could instinctively sense that at this level, Karwenz was actually warming up. And, the basic physical stats that he displayed already exceeded those of Amelia, who had the most ridiculous physical stats out of anyone I knew.

I half-kneeled and panted for breath, leaning against my battle hammer for support. I was fully on guard, yet Karwenz suddenly stopped attacking me as a bored expression appeared on his face.

"Brother, are you really alright like this? How about I give you a few more decades for you to train? Of course, I won't be able to allow you to keep this Hell. Otherwise, Mother will scold me."

"Mother?"

"Mother Cynthia? Do you really not know how our souls came to be? How do you think a Child of Fate is created? Do you think that the Goddesses of Chaos and Order would randomly select a soul? No way, your expression tells me that you really didn't know? Well then, Brother, I think that you shouldn't trust that person attached to your body too much. Perhaps she didn't tell you any lies, but she didn't tell you the full truth at all."

Karwenz's words brought new doubts to my mind, but right now wasn't the time to think too much into things. I still needed my System's assistance in winning this battle. I only lightly told the System "I need an explanation" in my mind before I refocused on Karwenz.

Comparing brute strength with the Chaos Faction would be the most idiotic of moves. Me fighting with Karwenz head-on in a clash of brute strength counted as a momentary hot blood rush to my brain. Just like the past, since I was unable to directly defeat him in a confrontation of strength, then I would simply use schemes.

"Honestly, Karwenz, don't look down on me. Do you really think that I'd confront an idiot like you with brute strength?"

I lifted up my battle hammer, causing this icy holy hammer to glow resplendently. Its light soon became the only light of this world, the purest cleansing light of all which represented Hope, Protection, and Salvation.

"Holy Light, do you see this enemy of mine? Yep, I'm talking about that idiotic-appearing muscular trap over there."

"…Don't you feel anything at all when you say that? Don't we have identical appearances...? Fine, you actually transformed your face into that of a lich? You're something!"

I took a deep breath and started swinging my holy battle hammer again. With every swing, this God Equipment battle hammer would strike at full power. My battle hammer techniques were simple and direct yet also powerful. The Holy Light that was constantly emitted from it would also suddenly explode with the power of thunder.

Unlike longswords or great swords, battle hammers were a blunt weapon that didn't have many technique requirements. It would also be difficult to use any fancy techniques. A battle hammer's true destructive force would forever come from kinetic energy. And, its piercing damage ability of damaging internal organs against any heavily armored knight or "thick-skinned" demons made battle hammers the best weapon against zombies, skeletons, and other undying creatures that were unafraid of stab wounds. This was why the tin can Holy Knights forever favored this weapon.

Battle hammers were simple, violent, and effective. Just one short month of training would be more than enough for a complete newbie to finish learning the basics of how to wield a battle hammer. No wonder that this battle hammer had evolved into the God Equipment "Light Which Illuminates Despair from the Brink, the Guardian Battle Hammer of Dawn Envoys". If you looked at this battle hammer's physical appearance, it was just a very large normal silver hammer. This ancient battle hammer had the standard shape of hammers from more than one thousand years ago. Its usage method and physical appearance were quite different from the currently popular sickle-style battle hammers of today.

Sickle-style battle hammers had one blunt end and one sharp end. The sharp end could be used as a makeshift piercing weapon which was especially effective against armor. The blunt end would be used to injure enemies with the shock wave impacts, which was why the blunt end would typically have a metal coating and some pointy sections as well.

However, this ancient battle hammer wouldn't have anything like pointy sections or a metallic coating. In fact, even its blunt weapon portion had been intentionally smoothed, which lowered its attack power. Neither was this battle hammer heavy to begin with, and it had been lightened on top of that. It could be said that all of these modifications directly lowered its attack power significantly as a physical weapon.

Yet, this wasn't in order to be kind to one's enemies. Holy Knights were no vegetarian monks that would pray for their enemies' salvation. Holy Knights were satisfactory warriors who knew that being kind to one's enemies would equal death on the battlefield. The "Light Which Illuminates Despair" battle hammer didn't increase its physical attack power simply because it wasn't necessary!

"Holy Light, go cleanse this idiot for me."

Countless rays of light gathered on the God Equipment battle hammer. Its glow now transformed into a glorious seal which represented Holy Light upon which all the light gathered. After the light finally faded, the seal transformed into a crystalline solid substance. This hammer had become a battle hammer of light which seemed to be crafted out of many golden crystals.

A pair of wings of light suddenly appeared on my back. All the ground and darkness around us had been cleansed. This was the might emanating from the holy hammer. A windstorm of Holy Light was blowing at this location, causing even Karwenz to furrow his eyebrows.

He, Karwenz, the Abyss Prince, was now feeling pain—a sensation which he hadn't felt in so long.

This ancient God Equipment battle hammer had only one ability: to purify and cultivate its wielder's Holy Light into physical substance, transforming into the light of Order which was capable of destroying any Chaos.

Despite the fact that it was named "Guardian Battle Hammer", this battle hammer passed down to countless Holy Knights was actually a weapon which was purely for offense. Countless powerful dimensional invaders or lower plane residents had died to this battle hammer in the past. Its physical crystals of Holy Light would be the worst nightmare for all lifeforms that weren't part of the Order Faction.

"The best form of protection is to destroy all evil? From a certain standpoint, our ancestors weren't overly traditional then. However…"

I stroked the silver battle hammer, which then transmitted its former Holy Knight owners' beliefs to me. They had all worked so hard to protect their people in the frontier age, desiring for my strength.

Combat fervor was boiling up from within the hammer and deep inside me, yet I shook my head. This wasn't the Holy Light that I desired, nor was it the Holy Light of Salvation that Estrada sought.

"…All demons and undead are enemies? However, that way of thinking is outdated in this generation. If this way of thinking doesn't change, the Holy War shall never be stopped for all eternity."

I took a deep breath as my eyes became filled with the light of silver. I then injected the dimensional laws of Hell into this God Equipment battle hammer.

"In my name as the master of Hell, Wumianzhe Roland, I bless you to become one of the Four Major God Equipment of Hell. From now on, your name shall no longer be 'Light Which Illuminates Despair from the Brink, the Guardian Battle Hammer of Dawn Envoys'. Your name shall now be 'The Light of Salvation, the Hammer of Hope for the Messengers of Light'!"

Names also represented actual strength. The original four elements of wind, fire, water, and earth had all become foundational blocks of this world, while my new four elements required four Foundational Elemental Items to contain them as the new foundational controllers of the world. What could be more perfect for my Holy Light container than this battle hammer God Equipment which represented Holy Light?

The dimensional laws of Hell modified this battle hammer as its golden cleansing Holy Light was filtered and changed. Finally, a faint golden glow was all that remained.

"Sigh…"

Although I clearly sensed the battle hammer's new powers, I still sighed helplessly in emotion.

Holy Light was one of the four foundational pillars of my new world. The old Holy Light which represented pure "Cleansing" was far too extreme. The religious fissure between the Holy Church and the Southern Sect was primarily due to different ways to define "Holy Light". And, the fastest method to cause a collapse of faith in the God of Holy Light would be to create a "substitute" that could be worshiped instead.

"Estrada has to die…"

This step had to be taken in order to redefine Holy Light and have the Pure Holy Light become the reigning definition of Holy Light rather than having to worship the God of Holy Light. This would change the Holy Light into a light for mortals, allowing the most widespread human belief system in the Holy Light to become a foundational source of power and protection for this new world.

"…Because the Holy Light requires salvation!"

Back in the game's history, as the Holy War continued, Holy Light became ever more important to the war efforts. Everyone continuously recited the God of Holy Light's name, which helped him to become ever more powerful. But in the end, his overly strong power only contributed to the world's destruction.

And right now, at the top of Hell, the golden Tower of Holy Light was glowing brilliantly. An ancient soul was reawakening as this new Pillar of Hell revived. He was an incarnation of Holy Light, yet he wasn't the God of Holy Light. He would also provide Holy Light services, but he wouldn't interfere with mortals' decisions.

From now onwards, there would be even greater differences in people's understanding of the Holy Light and its incarnations. The worshippers of Pure Holy Light in the Southern Sect would receive the protection of Hell's True Gods, while the Holy Church and the God of Holy Light would eventually meet their doom.

That was right, this individual was… Estrada, the saver of Holy Light!

Unlike my other three pillars, I had zero other possible candidates for who could become my Pillar of Holy Light in Hell. This individual had to be someone who had reached the realm of the Gods with the power of Holy Light, and that individual would also have to die in order to become a member of Hell. No matter how much I thought about it, the only candidate I had was Estrada, the Strongest Holy Knight. And so, I wrote that letter to Estrada, requesting him to die. Estrada's decision was to leave the remains of his soul to the soul crystal I sent to him.

"Even undead are capable of using Holy Light? As expected, that idiot Main God has become nothing more than a broken light bulb."

Karwenz seemed to see through everything. By undead, he was referring to both me and Estrada, the new incarnation of Holy Light who was just about to wake up. Still, I wanted to laugh at Karwenz's comment.

This new Holy Light of Hell represented Salvation, Hope, and Protection. Its mortal enemies had been rewritten. Undead were no longer considered the Holy Light's mortal enemy.

"You're weakening yourself on the battlefield? Roland, did your brain break down as well?"

However, the price for this was that the Holy Light's Concept of Cleansing had to be weakened. Even though this would finally bring hope for peace in the future, it was a concrete fact that weakening its Concept of Cleansing would become a solid decrease in power on the battlefield.

"Ha, what's 334234 multiplied by 324242? You don't even know how to mentally calculate six-digit multiplication, ha! Oops, I probably should have asked you to try six-digit addition first. Let us use the facts to determine just whose brain has broken down."

Although I wasn't willing to admit anything out loud, judging from the current results of fighting against Karwenz, the power of Holy Light against demons had decreased by at least thirty percent.

However, this didn't truly mean that I was weakened. Instead, I looked up at the sky and smiled.

"…Now then, why don't you look above you?"

A faint golden glow enveloped my body. This was pure Holy Light from the Tower of Holy Light.

Cleansing? Undead were everywhere in Hell, so what meaning was there to being a light of Cleansing? After Estrada gave Holy Light a new definition, Holy Light's core Concept was now Salvation! Holy Light would point out hope and a path to salvation in the pitch-black Hell so that all the countless souls could receive another chance after they finally finished paying for their crimes.

Large amounts of Holy Light filled my body as the Tower of Holy Light illuminated the darkness of the Indifference Inferno.

As the master of Hell, Wumianzhe was the overall leader who had many responsibilities. Wumianzhe was simultaneously the Pillar God of Law, the leader of the Four Halls, and also the Hell King of the Indifference Inferno of Sloth. Yet none of these were the reason why I had been able to utilize Hell's Holy Light of salvation.

This battle hammer, this holy divine hammer which I obtained from the Pillar God of Holy Light who was about to awaken, was the key to me carrying out the responsibilities of the Four Pillars.

Pure Holy Light and Law were now raging within my body. I was being supported with power from two of the Four Pillars of Hell. At this moment, the explosive energy gathered on my body as another six wings of Holy Light forcefully spread from my back. I could sense that in terms of energy level alone, I was now equal to Karwenz!

*Boom!*

Yet there was a sudden explosion that attracted our attention. Another winged incarnation of Holy Light suddenly appeared before us. Yet, it completely ignored our presence as it only stared towards the top of Hell.

"That's… the God of Holy Light's incarnation?"

The gigantic hole in the Indifference Inferno doubtlessly indicated that the God of Holy Light had been willing to sacrifice anything to break through the Infernos' dimensional walls. He had been trapped in another of the Seven Circles of Hell, yet he had broken through all the way to here. Just from seeing how ethereal his body had become, it was evident that he had spent a massive amount of divine power just in order to break through the dimensional walls.

The next moment, he then transformed into a golden light which pounced directly towards the path he opened up already. The end of the path led directly to the Tower of Holy Light!

The God of Holy Light sensed the most serious threat possible to his very existence. And so, he unhesitatingly abandoned everything else, and decided to destroy this newly born Tower of Holy Light no matter the cost! He absolutely had to destroy this Tower of Holy Light at all costs!

Chapter end