The President, who had been signing documents, paused briefly.
“So, are you saying it has started now?”
“Yes, that’s correct, Mr. President. The attack by the demons has begun, and not long after, we received news that the strike team, including the Goddess, has set off.”
The President glanced out the window. The sun was just setting. Even considering that it was winter and the sun set early, the battlefield must have already turned to a dark night.
“…I don’t know what to say to wish for good luck at a time like this.”
The President spoke in a sighing voice.
To say “May the Goddess be with us” would sound redundant, since the Goddess was already with them. Conversely, thinking that everything would be fine just because the Goddess was present felt overly optimistic for someone who was one of the leaders of the two pillars that supported this nation.
In fact, it was awkward to even refer to them as two pillars anymore. The Church appeared to be distributing power among itself, but in reality, it was creating several figures with authority similar to, or even exceeding, that of the Pope. The public’s interest was completely focused on the Church, especially since the end of the year and the nation’s current situation amplified it further.
The President brought the next document to the desk, but its contents didn’t register in his mind. He tried to track the words with the back of his pen, but he couldn’t concentrate at all.
With a deep sigh, the President slammed the pen down on the desk.
“Is there any way to get news about the Goddess in battle?”
“As of now, no. Once we go into the area, communications will be cut off…”
It was due to the thick black clouds blocking the sky and earth. Once the strike team, comprised of knights, ventured into that area, the only option left would be to sit and wait with their hands tied.
“…”
The President fell into contemplation for a moment.
“There’s a famous saying among politicians that originated since the establishment of this country.”
Leaning back in his chair, he found himself staring at the ceiling. As he gazed at the unremarkable ceiling, he continued speaking.
“A devoted believer has already gone to the Church.”
“…So, those remaining here are nothing but staunch unbelievers. Yes, I understand.”
Of course, there were pro-Church individuals in the political arena, and some were outright fanatics. But ultimately, the central government had no choice but to stand opposing the Church. Even if the politicians themselves considered themselves believers of the Goddess, they often collaborated on policies that would disadvantage the Church, all for their own power and benefits.
Thus, this phrase became a form of self-mockery among those still in politics. It was unclear who originally said it.
“…”
The President continued to stare at the ceiling for a while before finally sitting up. The chair returned to its original position with a creak.
“Where are you thinking of going?”
Seeing the President walk straight to the coat rack and grab his coat, the secretary asked.
“There is only one place to go in this situation.”
The President said with a wry smile.
“I’m going to pray. Would you like to join?”
*
There was still more than a week until Christmas. Yet, as is common at year’s end, many people visited the cathedral, even if it wasn’t Christmas yet. To wrap up the year, to avoid the crowded Christmas season, or just riding the festive mood unaware.
But even so, it was rare for the prayer rooms to fill up with people. Even though Christmas was approaching, it was still quite early for it to be the real thing.
However, even at this point, people were gathered in front of the Central Church.
Recently, reports had captured the movements of the demons. News about an unprecedented scale of magic points was constantly broadcasting on news stations and newspapers. Sensational phrases that could well be seen in a movie advertisement, claiming that the last battle for the future of human society would soon unfold, spread among the people.
And that situation peaked with news that the Goddess had finally begun to move.
The demons had started attacking the walls with the beasts they had summoned. To slay the demons, the Goddess set forth, accompanied by an elite team of knights and the saintesses who followed her.
Some people felt reassured by the news that the Goddess was personally moving against the demons. They thought that with the Goddess involved, there was no way the demons could win, allowing them to relax.
Conversely, there were those who worried among those who had seen the gentle appearance of the Goddess. No matter how divine she was, she had come to this world in human form, after all. If she were to sacrifice herself in this battle, human society might lose the chance to encounter the gods directly ever again.
Though the worries stemmed from entirely different concerns, they didn’t change people’s actions.
Driven by either gratitude for the Goddess stepping forward or to pray to other gods to protect her, people who heard the news stepped out of their homes and headed towards the cathedral.
Thus, even on an evening far from Christmas, the front of the Central Church bustled with people.
“How many worshippers remain?”
At the Pope’s question, the priest replied with a slightly flustered voice.
“It’s hard to say how many are here because they keep arriving. However, it seems the prayer room inside is almost full…”
Seeing the priest speak with uncertainty, the Pope smiled gently.
“Well then, let’s prepare spaces for them anywhere within the church. Even if it’s the hallway, it would surely be better than standing outside the church, wouldn’t it? Everything in the church was built with the donations of the faithful. If needed, we should offer whatever we can.”
The Pope then looked up at the window. Stained glass hung there. Most of the images, created long ago, depicted the Goddess Ariel.
In the recently revealed forms of the Demon God and the previously unknown Clara Anderson, there were no sections to be found.
If the church were to be rebuilt or a new one constructed someday, it would naturally be imprinted with the images of those gods. However, even so, would those two appreciate it?
The Pope had never spoken with the Demon God, but he could easily imagine that Clara, the goddess he served, wouldn’t appreciate such things. She might even oppose any depiction of herself entirely.
After all, faith is not determined by form.
However, some people believe all the more passionately because they know of the form. Just like the worshippers gathering here.
The priest, the Cardinal leading the church, and the Pope chosen by the Cardinal—each were there to guide and help the faithful to have genuine beliefs. So, even if they clung somewhat to forms and places, there was no reason to blame them.
“All those praying here are simply servants of the gods; there are no hierarchies among them.”
Just a few years prior, the Pope might have thought differently. With decades dedicated to theology, contemplating the meanings of the words of the gods, saints, and saintesses, and being sensitive to the evaluations of fellow clergy, he would have presumed he was closer to the gods because he had learned more than laypeople.
However, in the past few months—yes, merely these few months—he had realized how absurd those assumptions were.
The ‘common sense’ that scholars had debated for 500 years shattered in pieces with a single gesture or utterance from the Goddess, who appeared as a child.
Thus, they could only grasp one thing: that they knew nothing.
In the end, the Pope, the Cardinal, and the priest were no different from the laypeople.
The only difference lay in whether or not they acknowledged their ignorance.
“But, Holy Father…”
“Who dares to stop those who wish to pray?”
The priest could only nod in agreement to the Pope’s words.
*
Fortunately, the black rain wasn’t emitting any unpleasant odors. Having encountered two witches who reeked terribly among the many witches met, there were concerns regarding this one too. If something were to spill in the situation with a helmet on, it would be a complete disaster. Having something revolting inside the helmet while the odor wafted up… No, let’s not imagine that.
However, even though the black rain didn’t smell like anything in particular, it was undoubtedly different from regular rain. It had a slight viscosity, resembling black paint, and left dark traces wherever it touched the ground.
There was no immediate corrosion upon contact with objects, but any weeds sprouting after the ground had been leveled withered yellow. Plants that had been withered long ago and continuously rained on had their leaves wholly blackened and rotten.
Fortunately, the black rain seemed to be a mass of magical energy, as it evaporated instantly upon contact with the helmet bestowed with Ariel’s divine power. Thanks to that, my body wouldn’t get drenched in this exceedingly unpleasant substance, but I had to endure the sizzling sounds as I hurried toward the center.
“I see it.”
Andrea murmured. Tilting her head slightly, dim silhouettes appeared ahead. Beasts standing there were larger than most strong adult men.
“Watch out above!”
Paul shouted.
Squish! A sound of something descending rapidly from the sky could be heard.
Gasp!
Andrea yelled and swung her sword. The blade, which was tempered in holy water, glowed with a golden light as it sliced through the advancing beast.
“Protect the Goddess!”
Andrea shouted earnestly,
“Protect the Goddess!”
The knights echoed after her.
The sound of gunfire erupted from behind. Armed knights firing their weapons. Several flying beasts collided with the ground with a squish sound, which was anything but pleasant.
The knights racing beside us accelerated, overtaking us. Among them was a male knight riding behind a female knight.
“…”
For a moment, I looked at the male knight with a dazed expression. Yet, even a knight had no leisure to observe the people around them at such a time, it seemed they didn’t notice my gaze.
“We’ll go ahead first.”
The voice of the male knight from behind the female knight reached me from under the helmet.
Ah, right, it made sense. Maybe it was okay not to ride well on a horse.
That was Jian.
“Yes, I’ll wish you luck.”
“Having luck that the Goddess grants is quite precious.”
Though the expression behind the helmet was hidden, Jian was likely smiling.
I, too, smiled at Jian from within my helmet.
“Then I’ll be going first.”
“Okay. I’ll follow right away.”
The female knight said, and Andrea answered with, “Let’s go!” The sound of the female knight’s voice signaled as the horses galloped forward.
How did Jian end up riding behind the female knight? There were plenty of male knights here.
… I could imagine. After all, there’s no rule saying priests from the Church can’t like beautiful and handsome people.
“We will simultaneously break through up ahead.”
Mr. Paul, who had approached us, said.
“First, the leading knights will clash and create a path, and then we’ll dive in at full speed.”
“Ah, got it.”
It took considerable effort not to bite my tongue while answering atop a horse that was bouncing up and down, quite different from when I was in a car.
“The saintesses will also be coming along.”
At Paul’s words, Linea, who was riding beside him, nodded. Unfortunately, Aurora, who was tightly gripping Grace’s waist, didn’t seem to have the capacity to respond.
Gunfire rang continuously. The sounds of metal clashing, along with the demonic screams of beasts echoed incessantly.
Amidst it all, a bang resonated loudly from the front.
It felt like the sky pouring with black rain had torn open momentarily. The trace left by Jian’s sword had parted the falling raindrops.
The front line had indeed engaged with the demons.
“Good.”
I had my own job to do.
With my right hand tightly clutching Andrea’s waist, I extended my left hand outward.
The holy power of Ariel radiated from my left hand, illuminating the knights in front of us. The demons and beasts touching that divine power were instantaneously reduced to ashes.
“Handle the remaining beasts!”
Seeing my holy power incinerate the blockading beasts, Andrea didn’t let the chance slip and raised her sword high while shouting.
“Aim!”
The leading knights, securing their swords in their scabbards, drew out their large-caliber rifles from their backs. In unison, the knights adjusted their aim at the front.
“Fire!”
Bang! The simultaneous discharge of dozens of rifles rang out. The overlapping sounds of gunfire were so loud that I couldn’t help but wonder how much training they had undergone to synchronize so perfectly.
The heads of the beasts and demons in front exploded. Several unfortunate demons and beasts in the rear fell, pierced by the bullets that penetrated their ranks.
“Break through!”
Andrea yelled again.
“Waaaaah!”
“In the name of the Goddess!”
The knights rushed forward, shouting their battle cries. They collided directly with the clustered demons and beasts.
Crack! The human-shaped demons were sent flying upon impact with the cavalry. Even the larger beasts, when hit by the horses, couldn’t escape the wrath of the hooves that followed. The blackened ground filled with the dark and red blood of demons and beasts.
Of course, that single charge didn’t completely breach the encirclement.
However, we didn’t need to. What we needed wasn’t the annihilation of the enemy, but just a momentary gap to penetrate.
Like arrowheads piercing through the enemy forces, we aligned in a row and dove into the gap before the beasts and demons could fill it.
Once we slipped into the rift among the beasts, I released Ariel’s holy power once more.
Although I couldn’t eliminate all the beasts, at least those surrounding us turned to ash. The gap widened even more. The knights on horseback surged through. The dismounted knights, wielding their swords tightly, ensured the enclaved gaps didn’t close up again by cutting down as many demons and beasts as they could.
It was a scene that resembled stepping into hell.
I unleashed my holy power repeatedly. Wishing that the wounds of the knights slashed by the beasts would heal. However, as the horse galloped at full speed, I could not see their conditions.
“Don’t worry too much. Another support unit is coming from behind.”
I knew that too.
The support unit included clergy and firepower forces dispatched by the government.
Yet, during the time they took to arrive, the knights could lose their lives. What side effects could the black rain provoke if it entered through their wounds?
“…”
But all I could do was pour out holy power.
As the horses raced forward, the density of beasts and demons decreased. It seemed we were nearly reaching the end of the massive encirclement. All along, I had been continuously releasing holy power, and it was critical against the diminishing density. The knights following behind cut down the remaining beasts and demons and encircled the last remnants of the formation.
“The end is in sight!”
A voice rang through from up front. That phrase was passed along to those behind.
“The end is in sight!”
Andrea echoed after. Just as she said, we had nearly reached the point where no more beasts or demons were visible.
I turned slightly to look behind. The demons and beasts seeking to pursue us were still being held back by the knights rushing in through the spreading gap. The knights wielding swords, stabbing with spears, and shooting with rifles prevented the demons and beasts from coming after us. Some even threw bottles filled with holy water. Seeing it sparkle and obliterate the demons and beasts, it seemed it was an application of Holy Bomb.
“…”
I conjured a small orb of light above my hand. I released it into the air, sending it toward the knights. Watching the floating orb, I then stretched my hand back toward the demons. With all my strength, I propelled Ariel’s holy power forward.
The golden holy power enveloped the knights’ backs. As it swept through, it incinerated the demons and beasts.
“The Goddess is watching us!”
A voice shouting that reached my ears.
“Give it your all! Fulfill your duty!”
“For the gods!”
Then the roar sounded.
“Support fire is coming soon.”
Andrea spoke quietly, perhaps to reassure me. The thick clouds shrouded the sky, and missile support was impossible due to the falling black rain, but artillery deliveries should still be feasible. The ‘expeditionary forces’ the government had gathered were waiting in the rear to support the knights.
“I know.”
I replied with a sigh.
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