Chapter: 499
Standing in front of Erginius’s magic circle, Joy kept steadying herself, calmly analyzing the magic circle.
“This is related to the magic circle… and over here, we have the magic concerning the academy’s upkeep. And this one is…”
Ah.
Found it.
The source of the magic circle.
The grand magic that exists at its very core.
Well, the condition of the magic circle itself isn’t too bad.
Even after hundreds of years, the grand wizard Erginius put a lot of effort into this magic circle, and it’s still holding its shape.
Sure, there are a few cracks here and there, but they’re not beyond repair.
With this, it shouldn’t take too long to restore the barrier.
And finding a way to counter the Void’s power shouldn’t take too long, either—
No! No! Joy! Never be too sure of yourself!
Don’t think you’ve succeeded!
Don’t let your guard down.
Doubt yourself until everything is over!
You should be aware that you are a dangerous person who could screw up at any moment!
Joy knew all too well her own foolishness that even Lucy and Arthur, not to mention Phoebe, recognized her goofiness.
So, she kept reminding herself not to relax as she worked on repairing the magic circle.
As Joy sweat it out on the magic circle restoration, on the other side, the followers of the Void were locked in a fierce standoff with the Sword Saint.
The Sword Saint was cleaving through anyone daring to approach the sacred domain, while the followers of the Void were doing everything they could to encroach upon the warmth of that sacred space.
Between the two, it’s safe to say that the Sword Saint Yuden had the upper hand.
Her sword possessed a sharpness that could only be described as being in tune with the saying “light as the wind”.
Just the fact that one could stand up to her sword was enough to be regarded as a strong fighter.
What could the followers of the Void do against that relentless onslaught?
Even the Apostle of the Void could only morph their form to deal with Yuden’s sword, but that still had little meaningful impact on the sacred domain.
In the end, there was only one thing the followers of the Void could do.
Pray that Phoebe’s smile, gleaming from the back, was just a show of confidence.
Realizing how dire the situation was, the Apostle of the Void grimaced, but there was nothing at hand that could change their current disadvantage.
What should they do? How could they turn this situation around?
Oh great God of the Void, grant us purity to return the world to its pristine state.
Please teach this inadequate god. Share your wisdom so that I can fulfill your will.
This little lamb is praying earnestly.
Please grant this inadequate little lamb the strength to carry out your will!
“Great God of the Void!”
And just like that, change happened in an instant.
The world turned a dark shade almost impossible to see through.
Another aura layered atop the Void’s powers surrounding them.
The groans of someone in pain. The screams of someone filled with rage. The weeping of someone sorrowful. The insane laughter of a madman.
Sounds.
Sounds.
The sounds of an ominous presence.
Overwhelming everything in the world.
Phoebe recognized this as someone’s machination.
Joy also felt a sense of déjà vu from the surrounding landscape.
Having witnessed Lucy performing miracles by her side, the two couldn’t help but feel familiar with this phenomenon.
It wasn’t surprising.
It was the embodiment of the aura from someone who harbored more hatred for the Gods than anyone else present in this world.
This was the very aura that yearned to harm those cherished by the Gods right here.
“…Joy! How’s the magic circle repair going!?”
“Just a bit more time, please!”
The word “bit” made cold sweat drip down Phoebe’s forehead.
As the environment changed, the pressure exerted on the domain surged immensely.
It was on a level that couldn’t even compare to before.
This is the essence of the Evil God Agra.
The being that aims to lead this land into ruin, and the adversary of the Gods—the one I will eventually have to face by Lady Alrn’s side.
Cracks began to form in the sacred domain created by Phoebe.
The burden of the Evil God’s aura seemed to be too much, causing blood to trickle from Phoebe’s lips.
Enduring the pain, her hands trembled, and her once vibrant face turned pale.
Yet, a soft smile still graced her lips.
After all, it was a being I’d have to face in the future.
If the Saintess, adorned with that title, were to flee in fear, who would stand before what lies ahead?
Just a little… Sure, I’ll take that chance.
After all, it was Lady Alrn who entrusted us with this task. How could I possibly let her down?
With determination, Phoebe tightened her jaw and was about to step forward when the Sword Saint Yuden stepped out from the holy domain first.
“Lady Sword Saint!?”
“Stay inside, Saintess. It seems I’ll have to take the lead here.”
“Huh? Is that… Oh.”
Before long, Phoebe’s gaze followed Yuden’s.
In the engulfing darkness, something powerful approached their location.
*
Lina, surrounding herself with her smoky apparition, was utterly frantic.
While she had brought some of the main body’s power, she was still just a clone at the moment.
There were limits to what she could do. Yet, Lina didn’t stop moving her smoke.
The moment her smoke dispersed inside the academy, innocent victims could spring forth.
“Damn it! Move more steadily, you knight!”
With all her focus on controlling her smoke, Lina yelled at the knight carrying her.
“I’m sorry! But please understand! Right now the surroundings… damn it! Lady Erin!”
“It’s on your right!”
It had only been a short moment since things turned so dire. Before that, everything had been going smoothly.
The knight was proving his worth as Alrn’s knight, smashing golems all on his own, and Lina and Erin were simply enjoying the show behind him.
The situation flipped drastically with the sudden onset of darkness.
With another aura spreading atop the Void’s power, the golems grew significantly stronger, and the followers of the Void gained tremendous power at the cost of their sanity.
A couple of enhanced enemies could be handled by the knight on his own, but when the numbers swelled to dozens, no matter how great the knight was, limitations set in.
Even as he cried out to sacrifice his life for the lady’s bold plan, Erin reminded him how the lady would fare if he died, making him choose to retreat.
Meanwhile, Lina was gathering those still asleep within the academy into safe locations.
If any among them became victims, she knew clearly what would happen to Lucy, the little girl she treasured.
Even if she pretended to be strong on the outside, if that fragile girl knew someone had died because of her—
No, I must prevent that from happening.
“Ugh! I feel like I’m losing my mind! I should have brought the full power of the main body!”
While Lina grumbled about her doppelgänger’s limits, the knight finally managed to break free outside the building.
And then he saw.
“…Lady Lina.”
“What is it? The main body feels like it’s about to go insane! Unless it’s important! …What’s that?”
A massive something stirred in the darkness.
*
“Damn! Looks like our employer’s job has gotten all tangled up, huh!?”
“I agree. The lady wouldn’t base her plans on the sacrifice of others.”
With the sudden surge in the followers of the Void’s power, Karia and Frete, who had come to support the priests of the God’s Church, were convinced that things were going in the wrong direction.
Lucy may be an irritating little brat, but even so, she’s not evil or cold-hearted.
One could argue that she might be one of the weakest, as she couldn’t bear the weight of another’s death.
“Frete! Hold on a little longer!”
“Please look after the lady!”
Though Karia hadn’t spoken at length, Frete understood her intent and opened a path for Karia with her sword.
As Karia stepped into the darkened barrier, she frowned at the sinister aura within and then snickered upon spotting something moving in the distance.
“…Ah, damn it. It had to be that thing?”
The enormous wings moving around in the world cloaked in black tugged at Karia’s troubling memories.
*
Foul, unsettling, horrifying, and disgusting energies flooded underground.
Adri was panicking, losing control.
The followers of the Void, once her allies, were attacking indiscriminately.
And there was Luka, with his eyes now completely blackened.
Having never witnessed a situation like this before, it was easy to conjecture what had happened.
[Agra is watching you.]
The spear before me was filled with the provocation of the instigator of this situation.
Agra! That bastard!
You again?!
So you’ve just been waiting for an opportunity to jump in when you see a chance, huh!?
What a cowardly, pathetic little punk!
With a God being so petty, no wonder some perverted deity just mopped the floor with them!
“Lady Alrn,”
As I was pouring scorn on Agra, I heard Luka’s voice drop lower as I turned to look at his face.
A chilling smile spread across his lips.
“It seems I’ve become your trial.”
The massive black greatsword in his hand flashed with an awful hue.
“I suppose I have to give it my all.”
My instincts warned me.
I must not take that greatsword lightly.
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