"Infidel, we will smite you for causing trouble in our holy city!"

[Look, guys. I'm really sorry about earlier, but a friend is in danger. I need to go. I'll compensate for that one statue I broke in the temple later.]

"What?! You destroyed a statue in the temple?! This is deserving of the most agonizing punishment. Don't even think about running, villain!"

Okay, I screwed up. Apparently, they didn't even know the crime I had committed. They probably just ran after me seeing me look guilty. How do I fucking deal with this?

I can hear them chant for a few seconds and then appears a white barrier. In this one, there are floating magical swords. The weapons are seemingly made of white light and are hovering around me for a few seconds, but then it begins.

Their goal is clearly to skewer from side to side. They even start throwing white mana balls at me. Why is everything goddamn white?!

These guys would be the perfect stars in a detergent commercial. Who knows. Maybe if we fight long enough, they'll retreat to go wash the stains on their white everything.

No time to play with them. Illusion time! I can use it without any qualm for once since there are no allies nearby. Then I dash at the barrier. It should be falling apart since they'll be busy. Now they'll leave me alone, and I'll be able to…the barrier is incredibly solid. Wait, what?!

Somehow, they don't seem affected at all! How is that possible?! Is there an issue with my spell? Am I tired or something?

That is when they start charging. Passing near me and attacking, then leaving and coming back again for another try. For some reason, they can enter this white cage as easily as breathing or insulting me.

"Heretic, we'll have your head."

"Heretic, we'll skin you alive."

"Heretic, you will die for ridiculing us!"

"Heretic-"

[I fucking get it! You bunch of wannabe cultists! Just shut the fuck up and let me leave!]

So annoying! The surroundings are so bright too, so bright it feels like I'm about to go blind. But I manage to faintly discern some faint light thread linking each of them to the barrier.

I understand. I'm not leaving here before beating them up. This spell is clearly one designed by a masochist. Ah, but then I see it. In the distance, the other foot soldiers from that sect are already charging my way.

I need to make haste. If I can't illusion my way out of this, I'll use physical enhancement. I wait until one of them is near me before committing what usually would be considered suicide. I throw myself right under one of the horses.

In most cases, that would be a bad end for the pedestrian, but it's me we're talking about. The horse's legs get entangled, it heavily falls to the ground, and the rider gets thrown right off.

That's when I casually get up, like a man that is done with his fake injury scam, better than healthy. Then I casually approach the fallen rider. Finally, I casually beat the living shit out of him.

At first, he's cursing me, but then he gets too busy coughing blood to keep going. Let's just say his pristine appearance is no more. Now I just need to repeat this a few times, 23 more to be exact. They leave the barrier and charge right back.

This time, they think themselves clever and swerve perfectly to be in attack distance but still be safe. Simply because they have more attack range than me. Well, that's what they think anyway.

I grab the guy that I defeated. Then I throw him under the horse. That is how another rider gets thrown off and how the first one dies pitifully, stomped to death by his own ally. Is that cruel of me? I don't care. I tried diplomacy already.

Needless to say, I'm off to a good start. They flee in a hurry. Wait, if they stay outside the barrier, won't I be in trouble?! Ah, but then I notice something. It is getting dimmer and clearly weaker by the second, probably because they are too far away from it.

They still have a victorious smile. Ah, I realize why. By the time the barrier will be gone, their reinforcements will be here. Then it will just be a question of time until they overwhelm me, or so they believe anyway.

Still, I don't feel like testing that theory. I keep attacking the obstacle over and over, with them laughing at my pointless effort. At least in the beginning. Then they start panicking. That's because I finally manage to breach through.

"This is impossible!"

"How did the heretic pierce our god's barrier?!"

"He probably used a vile method!"

"Quick, stop him!"

Are you fucking kidding me?! I destroy one statue by mistake, then they try to kill me, yet they still think I'm the bad guy here?! Are they dumb, or are they dumb?! Actually, probably just self-centered assholes.

They attack me once more, but now I'm free to leave. All this time, I've been fighting at regular speed because I have trouble handling more. But just for this occasion, I drastically increase my speed.

I instantly appear right next to a ridder, kicking him right in the face. He falls heavily as I get on his horse.

[Alright, let's go!]

It seems terrified of me for some reason, but at least it's properly galloping. I can feel the mount's powerful muscles underneath me. It is galloping as fast as it can. But the other cavaliers are as fast as me.

Actually, they are even faster for some reason. I try once more my illusion magic out of desperation. Perhaps if I increase the output, it will….never mind. I somehow manage to curse my target.

His face warps in fright. He can feel all the killing intent now aimed at him. All his colleagues turn toward him, and then a dance begins that will definitely end up as bloody murder. I simply leave.

I wonder why it worked the second time? Probably the absence of that white formation spell. Yep, magic can be really great and versatile. *Sigh* I'll have to be careful, but I already knew that.

Wait for me, my pink-haired friend. I'll be there soon. As long as I don't get lost…