Please Stop The Pope

Chapter 120
37. Cold Syndrome

Due to the delay of my match with Wang Wei, Leo became our vanguard.

“Leo Lumen from South Korea and Zhang Min from the People’s Republic of China. The two awakened are requested to come forward for the duel.”

Minister Yoo Sun-ho spoke into the microphone, and hearing those words, Leo slowly rose from his seat.

“Then, I’ll be off.”

There was nothing in particular I wanted to say to Leo.

From the start, there was no tension in this duel. Though they may not realize it, I never thought Chinese hunters could match up against Leo and Luna. The power gap was already quite clear.

In fact, even at the welcoming ceremony last time, I had a gut feeling about the outcome of this duel.

It was the same for everyone except me, Leo, and Luna.

“Archbishop Leo, if you stand out too much, I’ll be in trouble. I promised the kids that I’d do something big today. I think you know what I mean! Hahaha! Don’t eat all the delicious things alone!”

Our representative, Choi Seojin, who had trained intensively under Aiden over the past month, of course.

“I couldn’t afford to be a hindrance, so I’ve prepared a lot. You can trust me.”

Similarly, the South Korean representative magician, Kang Chae-ah, who had shown significant improvement after reuniting with Ryu Jin-young, also showed promise.

The two of them were undoubtedly the best cards South Korea could offer in this situation.

Moreover, seeing how much they had grown in just a month made me feel quite assured, as if I were eating a hearty bowl of soup.

Aside from Wang Wei, Leo and Luna were facing off against the two strongest members of the Chinese delegation, often called the twin titans.

“Leo.”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

“Go show them.”

Leo bowed his head and greeted me, then tucked his monocle into his priest’s robe pocket for a moment.

With firm strides, he walked toward the center.

Zhang Min from China also slowly headed towards the center of the training ground, following Leo.

The training ground was about half the size of a soccer field.

Leo and Zhang Min stood in the middle of this vast area, staring each other down.

Zhang Min, dressed in light green armor, held a long spear in his hands.

“Zhang Min. He is famous within China as a flawless spear practitioner. He is one of the disclosed disaster-level returners from China.”

Representative Choi, with his arms crossed, observed Zhang Min closely.

“He is also well-known as the right-hand man of Wang Wei within the International Cooperation Division of the Department of Ability Management. As the right-hand of the sword demon, who advocates a strict meritocracy, his skills are exceptional. His alias is ‘Spear Dragon.’ I’ve heard that within China, they compare him to Zhao Yun from the Three Kingdoms.”

This was Representative Choi’s considerate explanation for me, as I wasn’t too familiar with China’s awakened.

I nodded lightly as I listened to his explanation.

“Who do you think will win, Representative Choi?”

“There’s no room for doubt. Archbishop Leo.”

“Why is that?”

“When I look at Zhang Min, I don’t feel particularly afraid. But Leo… Heh, I’ll keep my thoughts to myself.”

I had heard from Aiden that Representative Choi had made significant progress, especially in terms of combat sense.

This meant that Aiden had relentlessly fought against him, and combat sense can only be sharpened by fighting against strong opponents.

For Representative Choi, who fights with a fierce spirit, combat sense, and intuition were the most effective ways to improve his skills.

Leo and Zhang Min stood silently, eyeing each other, but a strange tension flowed between them.

Representative Choi instinctively sensed this current between them.

“I’m already looking forward to seeing what kind of duel Archbishop Leo will show.”

“It might be a bit troublesome if you get too excited.”

“Huh?”

“It’ll probably end in a boring way.”

I chuckled lightly.

A few moments later, the buzzer signaling the start of the duel rang.

Beeeeep!

Despite the buzzer, the two of them maintained their positions, as though they were testing each other, only adjusting their stances slightly.

Zhang Min, gripping his spear with both hands, placed the tip directly in front of Leo’s chest, almost like he was daring Leo to come at him.

“Zhang Min’s spear technique prioritizes defense and counterattacks. Using the superior reach of the spear…”

“Representative Choi, did I tell you what Leo’s title was back in Eden?”

It didn’t matter whether the opponent’s weapon was a spear or a sword.

To Leo, that didn’t matter at all.

“His title was the ‘Mad Dog of the Holy See.’ There’s a reason Leo has such a brutal nickname.”

The term “mad dog” is a term that doesn’t fit a priest who follows God’s will. There is nothing more shameful than a nickname like ‘mad dog’ being attached to a priest, but anyone who had seen Leo fight for real would accept that title without question.

“Leo shows no mercy to those who cross the line he’s set.”

Finally, Leo moved.

The massive priest slowly approached Zhang Min, and Zhang Min adjusted his stance, aiming the tip of his spear at Leo’s chest. At the same time, magical energy began to rapidly gather at the spear tip.

Whoooosh.

In the blink of an eye, Leo stepped forward and broke into Zhang Min’s attack range, and Zhang Min immediately thrust his spear.

A thrust, the most important aspect of spear technique.

The spear tip, imbued with magical energy, plunged into Leo’s exposed chest.

The result was decided in that split second.

Zhang Min’s spear tip cut through Leo’s black robe and dug into his skin.

At first glance, it seemed like the attack had succeeded, but Zhang Min’s expression was anything but victorious.

Zhang Min’s face was filled with desperation.

His spear had not hit Leo’s chest as intended, but instead had struck Leo’s shoulder.

“Aaaaaargh!”

Even as Zhang Min struggled, the spear lodged in Leo’s shoulder didn’t budge.

Blood streamed from Leo’s wound, running down Zhang Min’s spear shaft, and Zhang Min stood frozen, horrified, staring at Leo.

With an expressionless face, Leo grabbed both of Zhang Min’s shoulders.

I grinned at the sight of Zhang Min now in Leo’s grasp.

“If you don’t kill the mad dog in one shot, it’ll just bite you back.”

Leo had fought countless battles, with the teeth of innumerable beasts and weapons of demons still embedded in his body.

He had torn apart hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of enemies while drenched in his own blood in the midst of battle.

Now, Leo’s body bore the scars left by formidable enemies.

He fights, and when struck, he strikes back even harder.

That simple yet steadfast way was the very identity that earned Leo the nickname ‘Mad Dog.’

If you didn’t kill Leo in an instant, the outcome was inevitable.

Creeeak-!

Crack.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaah! Aaaaaaah!”

Without hesitation, Leo snapped Zhang Min’s shoulder, literally folding it in half.

Zhang Min’s shoulder bone twisted, and the broken fragments tore through his flesh and burst out.

“Arrghhh.”

When faced with pain, there was no such thing as a disaster-level returner.

Zhang Min rolled his eyes and lost consciousness, while Leo continued to stare down at him with a blank expression.

“Not enough practice.”

The mood of the Chinese delegation, who had been cheering for Zhang Min just moments ago, immediately froze.

Leo glanced at the Chinese delegation before looking back down at Zhang Min.

“Since this duel is meant to test our skills, I’ll make an exception and spare you. Consider it an honor, unbeliever.”

Creeeak-

The eerie sound echoed again, and Minister Yoo Sun-ho urgently shouted.

“Match, match over!”

“Zhang Min, heeeeeeee!”

“Medic! Medic!”

The training ground was thrown into chaos in an instant.

I looked around at the scene and couldn’t help but smile slightly.

“Great opening.”

It was the perfect way to start the show.

As soon as the first match ended, Wang Wei came over to our delegation.

Wang Wei, upon arriving in front of us, blushed and raised his voice.

“Does your small country not understand the meaning of a duel? Are you trying to kill the distinguished guests who came here to teach you a lesson?”

He came out of nowhere and started spouting nonsense.

I rubbed my ears while listening to Wang Wei’s nonsense. Then, with a mischievous voice, I asked him back.

“So, is it okay for your side to stab a spear into Leo’s chest first? If that wasn’t Leo but another awakened one, he would have died. Isn’t the one who had the intention to kill actually your side?”

If Leo hadn’t twisted his body the moment the spear touched, Zhang Min’s spear would have easily pierced Leo’s chest.

It was an unquestionably fatal attack.

The only reason Leo didn’t take a fatal blow was that he twisted his body and absorbed the attack with minimal damage.

“Moreover, Leo immediately performed an AS (After-Surgery) and even reset the bones. He treated it lightly with divine power. You saw it with your own eyes, didn’t you? That Zhang Min guy, his shoulder is even broader than before, right? Leo made his shoulder broader, so you should come and thank him when you come to your senses.”

It was their side that had first tarnished the meaning of the duel.

Even so, Leo showed mercy until the last moment. He spared the life of someone who could have died from shock.

Of course, it didn’t seem like he treated it thoroughly.

He kept the person alive, that’s about it.

“You should be prepared, awakened from the small country. The wrath of the great country will not subside easily.”

With no more words to say, Wang Wei babbled his nonsense and returned to where he was.

I looked at the retreating Wang Wei and said, “What was the point of coming here if he was going to act like that?”

“Ai, Your Holiness. Look at the atmosphere on their side. After his subordinates are so shocked, how could he just sit still? He has to do something,” Luna replied.

As Luna said, the Chinese delegation was still in shock.

It was no wonder, since their second strongest fighter was retired in less than a minute.

And that too, in an overwhelming and tragic way.

Moreover, Leo even treated the unconscious opponent and gave him another “lesson,” so I could understand why they might tremble in fear at his cruelty.

Fear is easily contagious.

Especially, the moment their proud strength was crushed so effortlessly, that fear spread rapidly.

“Anyway, our little brother, being from the North, fights so recklessly, doesn’t he?”

Luna said with a smile as she looked at Leo, who had returned to us.

“I was actually planning to fold up until the end.”

“Why didn’t you fold?”

“He was a bit of a crybaby. He was already unconscious halfway through. At that point, he couldn’t repent for his own sins, Your Holiness.”

Leo, still making harsh comments, silently put his monocle back into place.

His shoulder, pierced by the spear, had already healed by then.

Luna, inspecting the wound, smacked Leo’s back and said, “Sometimes I wonder if my little brother is a troll.”

“My parents, who gave birth to me, are obviously…”

“I know, I know. But how can you keep fighting so brutally after coming to Earth? Maybe in Eden, but on Earth, people would criticize you for being so barbaric. Wouldn’t they, Your Holiness?”

“Lady Leventon. The four-character idiom ‘Nero Nam Bul’…”

“Leo, I let it go last time, but ‘Nero Nam Bul’ is not a four-character idiom. When I do it, it’s romance. When someone else does it, it’s adultery. Similar ones are ‘Ja Gang Du Cheon’ and ‘Kki Kki Ppa Ppa,’ and so on.”

[TLN: Nero Nam Bul= When I do it, it’s romance. When someone else does it, it’s adultery

Ja Gang Du Cheon=Literally a confrontation between two proud “geniuses” (but used in a sarcastic way for two dummies). Think about every online argument you’ve seen.

Kki Kki Ppa Ppa= Know when to join and when not to join” or “Read the room”]

At my correction, Leo quietly sat down.

Then he silently took out his smartphone, likely to verify the truth of my words.

Doubting what I said…

…what a bad guy.

Anyway, Leo’s turn ended, and the next one was Luna.

Luna slowly stood up and said in a soft voice.

“Your Highness, I’ll show them clearly what a beautiful battle looks like. Just trust me.”

“Just don’t crush their heads with the mace. That would be instant death. You know I can’t heal that, right?”

“I wasn’t planning to use the mace. I’ve prepared a special weapon just for today. Just wait and see. You’ll love it.”

With that, Luna took light steps and walked out.

Then, one minute later.

I slowly nodded as I looked at the weapon Luna pulled out.

“Of course.”

Luna wouldn’t have prepared something ordinary.

Bbbbbp-!

The ridiculous sound coming from the rubber hammer echoed across the training ground, and Luna smiled widely as she said.

“I’ll make it fun. Look forward to it.”

The humiliation of China was just beginning.