Of course, it’s obvious that if a person gets stabbed in the heart with a sword, they die.
Not just people, but even the definition of a tenacious life form—vampires—can’t escape death if their heart is pierced, so it could be argued as a general rule that it applies to all living beings.
Thus, when I saw Jeref Parvian pierced by the Sword of Light, I assumed he had lost his life, having sensed his weak presence right before he dashed into the sanctuary.
After that, I couldn’t even think about checking for Jeref’s presence again.
The unsettling barrier of light disrupted detection, and my mind spiraled due to the shocking truths that kept unfolding, leaving me with no time to spare as I secretly prepared traps to breach the barrier.
However, his presence still faintly lingered.
Like a candle in the wind, it felt like it could extinguish at any moment, and the undulating aura of divine magic made it so I could barely notice, but ultimately, his life force hadn’t completely run out yet.
Realizing this made me feel an indescribable chill run down my spine.
“I’ve been played.”
It was now clear.
The reason Luminous had spread the barrier of light and besieged us was all too evident.
Luminous intended to seize the body of Jeref Parvian, the strongest knight of the time.
The ritual that had been mentioned several times was surely for that purpose.
Even the frail body of the current Pope, a non-combatant, demonstrated enough divinity to stifle my regenerative abilities.
That was just a reaction to his barrier being struck, not an attack aimed at me; still, if that power was unleashed through the body of a swordsmanship’s pinnacle, what would happen?
The answer was painfully obvious.
“Run! Quickly!!!”
This battle was a defeat for the Scarlet Allied Kingdom.
From the fall of Randell to the partial destruction of the Luminous Kingdom’s Palace, we had danced to Luminous’s tune all the way to this moment.
What were the odds we could win against a being who had hidden their identity for two millennia since the era of the First Progenitor?
It was a bitter defeat, but I wasn’t foolish enough to charge headfirst believing in an outcome that was unlikely to happen.
At this rate, we would all die.
They were confident enough to reveal their identity so boldly.
And just like me, it seemed everyone else had reached a similar conclusion.
Martini and Jeil, who had joined last, quickly surrounded the attacking soldiers without hesitation when I shouted, and Plona, Eleonora, Lavina, and Stella hurriedly withdrew, perhaps grasping the seriousness of the situation.
But—
“Ah, I can’t let you go that easily. And it’s already too late.”
As I was retreating from the back without showing my face, I suddenly encountered a wave of heat and brightness, as if boiling water had been dumped on me, and I dispersed my shadows to the maximum I could.
Choosing darkness magic over blood magic was an instinctive decision.
Then, beyond the dazzling light, I caught a glimpse of Luminous’s right hand, concealed in the flowing sleeve.
The hand that I thought was gripping the Sword of Light was completely intertwined with radiant vines and roots extending from the handle.
He hadn’t lied to us.
The Sword of Light wasn’t a weapon.
It was merely a means to tear and widen the passage connected to the mind of a human named Jeref Parvian to implant his soul into that vessel.
No, perhaps calling it a soul isn’t even accurate. It felt more like the consciousness itself was Luminous’s true form.
“Oh, using a dull, old body then switching to a knight’s body sure feels different.”
After the barrier of light shattered, I offset the relentless waves of divine energy with my shadows.
As I caught my breath, amidst the chaos swirling like black and white embers, I didn’t hear the familiar voice of the seemingly pleasant yet inscrutable Pope.
“I couldn’t have asked for more to eliminate those pesky vampires.”
Thump, thump.
Just a moment ago, I felt powerful heartbeats emanating from where I had just been protected by the barrier.
There was only one life.
And standing there with a rather satisfied expression was not the old man in the Pope’s robes, but a red-haired knight who once fought on the battlefield.
“Did it really…… transfer?”
Jeil, barely recovering from the aftershock, muttered with a frown.
Even Martini, who arrived late and didn’t fully grasp the situation, no longer needed explanations.
In the chest of Luminous, who took the form of the strongest knight, was embedded a fist-sized ball of light.
The immense amount of divinity radiating from that spherical source, through the hole in the armor that seemed carved out, perfectly validated the unbelievable claim that the contents of the human before us had changed.
“If this were all just a play arranged by the Pope and the knight, I could have laughed it off.”
Martini’s face, usually calm, was also tinged with rare tension.
If only it were truly part of a meticulous play as she said.
It wouldn’t matter if we were caught in Luminous Church’s scheme, but at least it would have been better if our opponent were human.
But he had a convincing power that didn’t even allow us to hope.
After all, no mere human could bear such strength.
“Were you having such a fun thought? As thanks for the entertainment, I must show you something even better.”
The red-haired knight, or rather something with the guise of a knight, laughed heartily.
With an air as if casually chatting over tea, he naturally raised his right hand.
The awkwardness of a knight’s hand not gripping a sword flashed through my mind like a pointless thought, and Luminous swung his right arm horizontally with a casual flourish.
Then,
The night sky split apart.
“――!―――!!”
As my eyes turned completely white, the world’s sounds vanished.
I couldn’t even emit a voice.
As the blinding whiteness faded and reverted to its original form, I spotted Plona and Lavina, desperately shouting something in my direction.
At that moment, my vision tilted at an angle.
This time, it flipped from white to black.
My inverted vision was plunged into darkness.
I was bewildered.
It was an unprecedented situation for me, who could count the number of leaves on the ground even on moonless nights.
No matter how hard I tried to move, I felt no sensation in my body.
Not even the scent of blood or broken stone, or the disagreeable waves of divine magic touching my skin could be felt.
Open your eyes. Get up.
I couldn’t just lay here like this.
Plona, Eleonora, Lavina, Martini, Stella, Jeil, and countless soldiers who had come this far at my command could be at risk for their lives.
I whip myself with all my might. Yet, even straining myself, the feeling of isolation like being cast into the universe wouldn’t fade.
Seconds or perhaps minutes passed in uncertainty, and as despair rose within me, mingled with a familiar feeling of helplessness, the instinctive fear surged to overpower the remnants of my reason.
Suddenly, information flooded in like a dam breaking.
“—Sister! Wake up!!”
“Cough! Hack, hack!!”
As I grasped the colorless world, I coughed from the sensation building in my throat.
What was blocking my throat was my own blood.
Realizing that my back and neck were soaked, I understood that I had been lying in a pool of blood.
“Your Majesty! Can you hear me?!”
“……I can, hear.”
Though my throat was dry and my body stiff, I felt it quickly returning to normal.
What’s going on? What’s the situation? What about the enemy?
I couldn’t waste time just lying here, so I swiftly scanned my surroundings with my eyes.
If it could be considered fortunate at all, it seemed I had only lost consciousness for a few seconds.
But the thought of being fortunate evaporated immediately after hearing Plona’s words.
“Sister, your neck, it was cut.”
Plona, kneeling beside my head, couldn’t hide the tremor in her voice.
“Your neck was severed, but the regeneration was too slow, so I had to pick up and reattach your head. Does it hurt? Any strange sensations?”
So, that’s why I lost consciousness.
Perhaps it was because the people around me seemed more flustered that I felt calmer instead.
No, maybe it was just so surreal that I could think clearly.
It happened so quickly that I didn’t even feel pain, and I was still in a daze.
I feel dizzy. What happened again?
……Ah, I remember.
The moment Luminous swung his arm, the night sky split apart, and my neck flew off.
A mysterious chill seeped through my bones.
“Hm, I was originally aiming for the heart, but… it should be fine.”
As that calm voice echoed in my ear, my body instinctively flinched.
Even though I couldn’t remember the moment I was hit, the fear had surely been engraved deep in my instincts.
Thump, thump, my heart started racing uncontrollably, irrespective of my will.
“Anyway, you won’t be able to run anymore.”
Luminous snapped his fingers.
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