Final Battle – 2
“Do you have any idea what’s going on?”
“……For now, I can’t sense anything at all.”
“Neither can I.”
After Delta fell into the endless darkness, the three left in the red world were continuously searching for him.
Their minds were in chaos. Even though True Death had seemingly taken effect, the bastard was still alive and moving, and there was no way to figure out where Delta had disappeared to.
Floretta and Luna extended their sensations to the limit, trying to find anything moving nearby, even flying through the sky to see for themselves, but the results were the same.
Kaiquilia tried to smash the ground where Delta fell with the Holy Sword, but no matter how many attacks she unleashed, it remained intact, and she gave up in annoyance.
Just then, the Popes descended to the ground. The red liquid smeared on each other’s bodies felt especially creepy.
“It would be better to escape this space first, Kaiquilia. How about we ask the Sun and Moon about Lord Delta’s location once we get out of here?”
“Evangelina is right. If they are the Sun and Moon, they must surely know where Lord Delta is.”
Just as they had done when they arrived, they could simply ask the Goddess where Delta had gone. It was an incredibly simple solution. Kaiquilia nodded.
Floretta and Luna infused the Sacred Relic with Divine Power. A light mass of gold and silver appeared just as the three were about to step inside.
“…….”
Floretta, Luna, and Kaiquilia stopped moving, none willing to go first. An incredibly unpleasant feeling washed over them. They had never experienced such a degree of discomfort in their lives.
The term “physiologically repulsive” fit perfectly. It was that unpleasant, that utterly disgusting. Seeing the Popes’ expressions twist immediately, Kaiquilia muttered.
“I’m not the only one feeling this, am I?”
“That’s right, Kaiquilia. There’s something very stifling and…… disturbing about this sensation.”
“Do you have any insights on this current feeling, Kaiquilia?”
“Of course I don’t. If I felt something like this twice, it would be rage instead of mere discomfort.”
Kaiquilia raised the Holy Sword again and glanced around. What the hell kind of creature could create such a—
—shoooom!
In that instant, the Holy Sword swung at something rushing toward her. It was an instinctual action. A sound like glass breaking echoed.
Kaiquilia pushed the Holy Sword forward, engaging in a struggle with whatever it was. Firming her footing, she gripped the blade with one hand. After all, the Holy Sword wouldn’t harm its owner.
Surprisingly, her opponent was almost equally matched in strength. As the balance of power stabilized, Kaiquilia finally noticed what she was pushing against.
“……the Holy Sword?”
It was a Holy Sword glowing golden.
Upon realizing this, Kaiquilia suddenly twisted her arm to disrupt her opponent’s balance and attacked. The opponent dodged the swinging Holy Sword and moved back to regain their stance.
“Who are you?”
“……”
“What on earth makes you wield a Holy Sword just like the one I used in the past?”
The moment Kaiquilia saw the man in front of her, she was convinced. This jerk was the one responsible for making her feel such disgust.
His hair was a mix of white and gray, his face marred with deep wrinkles revealing the passage of time, and gray and white hair covered his upper lip and chin – a man in his old age.
His attire was also extravagant. From head to toe, there wasn’t a spot free of jewels and gold, and it was immediately clear that his uniform was of a ridiculously high quality.
Even the flowing cloak hanging from his shoulders was excessively luxurious. It was a mystery what sort of belief led him to wear such fine attire into battle.
As though he were some kind of Emperor.
“I’ll ask again. If you keep your mouth shut this time, the consequences will be your responsibility.”
But what mattered was not that. Kaiquilia’s gaze was fixed on the Holy Sword in the old man’s hand.
The blade was made entirely of light, while the hilt appeared slightly dull, revealing rough steel.
It clearly resembled the Holy Sword that could draw out genuine power as her relationship with Delta progressed.
“Where did you get that sword?”
“……”
Instead of answering, the old man aimed the Holy Sword at her.
“Ah, not willing to respond, are you?”
Kaiquilia smirked and pointed the Holy Sword back at him.
“I understand your intent perfectly. After I cut off all your limbs, I’ll ask you again. If your answer pleases me, I’ll put you to death gently; otherwise, you’ll be begging for a swift end.”
Despite the clear threat, the old man showed no change in his expression. As the malice emanating from Kaiquilia grew, she replied.
“Would you like us to assist you, Kaiquilia?”
“Not necessary. I will handle this myself. Defeating such a thing with others’ help would only leave me feeling unsettled.”
“Is that so…?”
Floretta hesitated mid-reply, as something unnatural caught her eye.
Two human figures were rising slowly from a spot slightly further away.
One on the right was clad in mysterious garments adorned with gold and jewels, while the one on the left wore silver and jewel-encrusted attire. Presumably, they were priestly robes.
The sleeves were broad enough to touch the knees, and the skirt-like lower section trailed on the ground. They wore something resembling a high, pointed hat on their heads.
Aside from the color of their clothing, both resembled each other in every way. The pattern of their attire, their gait, posture, and even their faces.
As if they were twins.
Both their faces were etched with deep wrinkles, their hair a mix of gray and white that bore the marks of their years. However, they lacked any facial hair.
The two old men strode forward majestically in their ornate priestly garments. Floretta and Luna frowned upon seeing them, much like Kaiquilia.
An indescribable discomfort prickled down their spines.
“Sisters, Seraphica.”
“Yeah. Evangelina.”
Without waiting for the other, they raised the Sacred Relic high. A small sun and waning moon at the tip radiated bright light, creating a massive sphere that mirrored their forms, which they launched toward the old men.
“……how?!”
“……what?!”
However, it was of no use. The old men retrieved Sacred Catalysts from their sleeves and brandished them, summoning the same sun and moon of the same size, mirroring what the Popes had created.
Floretta and Luna gasped in shock as the perfectly colored sun and moon were engulfed by the grim, dark doppelgangers. A colossal explosion echoed as if shaking the heavens.
Immediately, a shockwave surged forth. The Pope Sisters held hands, silently waiting for the winds to calm. Once the aftershock subsided, they promptly asked.
“Who are you?”
“……”
Again, no response came. The two elderly men stood silently, hands clasped in front of their chests, concealed within the opposing sleeves.
The realization sparked malice in their green and blue eyes.
“Are you asking to be killed? Very well.”
“The crime of insulting the Sun and Moon will never be overlooked.”
Malice bloomed from Floretta and Luna’s bodies. They didn’t know who these old men were, but one thing was certain.
They were heretics, and there would be no mercy for heretics.
“……who are you? How did you enter this place?”
“My name is Arcana. Do you think there’s a place in this world I cannot enter?”
“Hmmm…….”
Minerva, recovering mana in the Imperial Palace’s garden, startled awake upon sensing an unusual surge of mana and magical power.
She quickly noted the strange man in peculiar attire standing beside her. He was draped in a robe that exuded a terrifying aura of mana.
“You’ve come well. With that amount of mana and magical power, you could immediately join my Mage Tower. What do you say, interested?”
Minerva remained surprisingly calm upon encountering the wizard who had just suddenly arrived. The reason she awoke in shock was solely due to the significant mana and magical power sensed, not because of the man himself.
There were countless eccentrics among wizards. Many wizards believed they were the best simply because they had some talent.
The man before her was likely of similar ilk. If he had that level of talent, he would surely rank among the top in the Mage Tower Minerva directly manages. He must be incredibly proud of himself.
Of course, demolishing the egos of such self-important wizards was part of Minerva’s job.
“Foolish one.”
However, this time it was different. As soon as the robed man uttered those words, the already incredibly immense mana and magical power began to swell even more.
Initially, Minerva was awestruck, believing he was merely unduly concealing his true strength, but as it continued to increase limitlessly, she began to suspect something was wrong.
After all, the mana and magical power possessed by the man before her were nearly equal to her own.
“……who are you? Answer me. Right now.”
With no trace of a smile on her face, Minerva gripped her staff tightly.
A talent that could rank among the very best in the Mage Tower? It could be. A talent that could immediately rank beneath Minerva herself? That could also happen.
But if he possessed talent on par with Minerva’s? That was an entirely different matter.
Especially if such a talented individual cloaked the entire Imperial Palace with explosion magic circles in the split second she raised her staff.
“Do you not recognize the truth laid bare before you?”
Her calculations were quick. As the final word left his lips, Minerva swiftly completed the reverse calculation of the magic circles enveloping the Imperial Palace and shifted the source of the explosion within her defensive magic.
—KWA-BOOM!!
In that instant, a tremendous explosion erupted from within the defensive magic. The gentle blue curtain reflected shockwaves and flames endlessly, creating a geometric pattern.
Minerva had even dampened the sound with magic, yet the mere sound of the explosion had the power to shatter the windows along the walls closest to the blast.
Had she not intervened, not just the Imperial Palace but the entire capital might have evaporated.
Minerva threw the explosion, still contained within her defensive magic, toward the heart of the Poison Swamp in the southern part of the continent. If it landed there, it would only be unfortunate insects and monsters that would perish.
After taking care of that simple task, Minerva glared at the man before her with fury. Though she herself was quite tall, the man before her towered over her by at least three heads.
Despite that, his body was so emaciated that it was exaggeratedly skeleton-like.
“What is the meaning of this? You understand you cannot brush this off as a mere prank, right?”
“The fate of the world is already sealed, so surrender and obey. Salvation is at hand.”
The man drew a magic circle with his staff. Minerva prepared her own magic in response. Meanwhile, she contemplated where to move the battle.
If they fought here, the entire capital would get swept away in the aftermath. That was a situation she must absolutely avoid.
‘Snowy Mountains or Poison Swamp. Somewhere devoid of people would be ideal.’
Her target was the snowy mountains in the north of the continent or the Poison Swamp in the south. The fewer people around, the better.
Minerva was even prepared to redraw the continent’s map. No matter what, this time she would have no margin for error to account for surroundings.
‘I hope those kids are safe.’
Imagining the seven still remaining in the audience chamber, Minerva focused on the man before her and transported them both to the snowy mountains.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.