Chapter 91
Chapter 91
Episode 91.
Beyond the holy barrier, acrid smoke and swirling ash completely enveloped the surroundings.
From within, nothing could be seen beyond it—at least not with ordinary human vision. But Aiden was different.
He could vaguely discern the approaching figure.
An old man wreathed in faint currents of electricity. He slowly advanced, parting the thick smoke.
Aiden murmured as he observed the figure.
"...Kadak?"
Considering Elohimderk's frenzied reaction, the hunched figure's impression, and the mage summoning a thunder dragon, there was only one conclusion: Kadak.
And Aiden's assumption was correct.
"House of Saint Valenthal. I have come to settle my debt."
The hunched old man crossed the barrier, drawing a holy sigil as he fixed his gaze on Aiden.
Archmage Kadak. Among mortals, he ranked within the top five strongest beings in this world. A being capable of standing against a Paladin (the highest-ranking holy knight) alone.
He fumbled in his robe and pulled out a small flask, promptly bringing it to his lips and draining it.
Immediately, the old man's body began to writhe. His spine, curved like a bow, straightened, and his sagging hair neatly swept back. His white hair darkened into a glossy black, and the wrinkles faded slowly, as if time itself were receding.
Clad in crimson robes, the archmage had reverted to a youthful appearance—somewhere around thirty years old, at least outwardly.
He approached Aiden and spoke.
"I shall join you from this moment onward."
He bowed slightly in courtesy. It didn't quite match the image of Kadak that Aiden had known.
Moreover, Aiden could see his status window—meaning Kadak recognized Aiden as a god. That shouldn't have been possible.
An archmage wasn't the kind of person to harbor faith.
Was it because Aiden had saved Deril and Sain? Absolutely not. Aiden was certain of that. There had to be another reason.
Though questions swirled in his mind, the immediate situation took precedence. Aiden spoke quickly.
"That demon is fused with the moon. It must die, but Atraxia must live. Is that possible?"
It was a tall order. But if anyone could find a way, it would be an archmage. He had no choice but to hope.
Kadak stroked his beard and let out a pained groan.
"That... is a rather unreasonable request."
Aiden's expression darkened. Just as Kadak, deep in thought, was about to speak again, the black shadow moved.
Aiden hadn't even blinked—yet he still missed its movement.
He immediately chased after the afterimage, but he was a step too late. The dark silhouette was already right in front of him.
Before he could react, a pitch-black hand shot toward his heart—moving faster than sound. Aiden knew he couldn't dodge.
A moment later, blood sprayed from his left shoulder. Splurch! The sound followed belatedly. Had he not twisted his torso, his heart would have been pierced.
Without hesitation, Aiden swung his holy light upward, intending to bisect the creature.
But the shadow reacted far too quickly.
With its hand still buried in Aiden's shoulder, it kicked off the ground and launched upward. A gleaming white blade chased after it.
Unfortunately, it couldn't catch up. The creature was already standing upside down above Aiden's shoulder.
The black silhouette flipped backward over Aiden in that position. The pursuing holy light sliced only empty air.
Then, excruciating pain erupted in his shoulder. Crunch! Muscles and skin tore apart, shredded into ragged strips—his shoulder had been used as a pivot.
Unfazed, Aiden spun around, slashing horizontally with his holy light. But the creature was already gone.
It was reaching for Yuriel.
Aiden's face twisted in horror. Kadak, who had been observing, swiftly began chanting.
Simultaneously, the ground beneath Yuriel and the princess surged upward in an instant.
The black hand struck the rising earth. BOOM! Dirt and gravel exploded outward.
The shadow slowly turned its head, fixing Kadak with a pale, lifeless gaze. The crescent moon engraved on its forehead flashed.
The archmage swallowed hard.
"...Hmm. A demigod?"
That was likely the case. This demon was fused with Atraxia.
Aiden answered in a calm voice.
"It was just born. We have a fair chance."
"And yet, it's only half-formed. Unlike you."
Aiden's words carried a hint of provocation. To any observer, the demigod held the advantage in power. Two centuries of accumulated vitality and miasma, combined with the moon's essence and soul, had forged this demon into a monster.
If it grew further, it wouldn't be strange for it to become the sixth Demon God. But not now. They had to uproot it while it was still young—even if it meant destroying Atraxia in the process.
That resolve gnawed at Aiden. The stakes were clear—hesitation wasn't an option. Normally, he would have accepted it without a second thought. But this time, his heart felt far heavier.
The shadow spoke to Aiden in a chilling voice.
"Brother, I've seen your skill. Retreat now, and I will spare you."
Spare him? Perhaps remnants of Atraxia's consciousness were influencing its words.
Whatever the reason, Aiden couldn't comply. Only by killing it could the imperial family's curse be lifted.
Aiden's expression twisted in disgust.
"Brother? You filthy maggot, you don't know your place."
The creature grinned.
"You're the one who understands nothing. This is your last chance—"
Before it could finish, Aiden's body tore through the air like lightning.
Though his speed was blinding, the shadow should have been able to react—yet it couldn't.
The ground had seized its legs in a vice-like grip. Kadak's magic. Aiden's holy light descended diagonally.
The shadow narrowed its pale eyes. It reached for the crescent moon on its forehead and pulled—a desolate gleam flashed as the small moon transformed into a long, curved blade: the Moonlit Night Saber.
Then, divinity clashed with moonlight. SHIIING! A clear, resonant sound pierced their ears. A brilliant burst of light radiated outward.
Aiden pressed down with all his weight. At that moment, the earth binding the creature's legs began slithering upward like serpents, coiling around the shadow.
It was Kadak's magic—a spell meant to drag the creature into the planet's core and incinerate it.
Aiden leaped up and drove both feet into the creature's face. CRACK! The recoil sent him skidding back. With the sound of a snapping spine, the rising earth swallowed the demon whole.
Kadak chanted, and the earth roared. The ground encasing the creature collapsed inward. BOOOOM! A crater over ten meters wide gaped open.
The archmage closed his eyes, manipulating his mana. Moments later, his face twisted.
"...Truly, a monster."
It had escaped. Kadak looked at Aiden.
"If we capture it alive, we might be able to save the moon. But we don't have that luxury."
This wasn't an enemy they could afford to hold back against. Aiden understood perfectly.
Kadak spoke decisively.
"Forgive me, but from this moment on, I will fight with the intent to kill."
From the air, the princess and the saintess gazed at Aiden with desperate eyes—pleading for Atraxia's life, begging for salvation from her tragic fate. But Aiden had no choice but to turn away.
He nodded at Kadak.
"Extermination takes priority."
No sooner had he spoken than Kadak shot into the sky. High above, he spread his arms wide.
The miasma in the atmosphere began to churn. From within that foul energy, Kadak extracted raw, unrefined mana.
Azure threads unfurled across the night sky.
He was different from other mages and warlocks. He didn't pray to celestial sages or worship demons—because he himself was a grand sage, the master of his own unique magic.
The ambient miasma and extracted mana intertwined dynamically, seeping into atmospheric layers, silently awaiting Kadak's command. There were no calculations—only will.
His voice echoed from above.
"I leave the final blow to you."
Aiden leaped up, landing beside Yuriel. She spoke weakly.
"I can't use it anymore."
She meant the Blessing of Limit Transcendence.
"I know."
A mere mortal couldn't impose limits on divinity. Even if it were possible, Aiden would undoubtedly die. The moment he attained divine authority, his limits would approach infinity.
If he still possessed the power of resurrection, things might have been different—but not now. The risk was too great.
Aiden spoke calmly.
"Instead, pour all your other blessings into me. Leave only the bare minimum of holy power for yourself. It'll only be for one strike anyway."
Aiden could see Yuriel's status window. Her abilities would grant him explosive power—albeit temporarily.
He turned to the princess.
"The same goes for you. Burn the sun itself if you must—expend every last drop of Celestial Radiance."
He intended to stack every possible buff.
The princess nodded faintly, then murmured.
"As for her original self... I suppose it's impossible."
Aiden's expression darkened. He bowed his head.
"My apologies. My failure has led to tragedy."
Truthfully, there was a way—but it was a gamble with abysmal odds. He couldn't promise anything.
The princess smiled bitterly.
"Had you not been here, we wouldn't have even made it this far. I don't blame you. It's just... her life has been so cruel."
Yuriel also lowered her head slightly.
Aiden silently shifted his gaze. He sensed a subtle presence approaching—Kadak was watching it too.
Far from the massive crater, the crimson earth began to tremble. It shuddered violently before abruptly stilling.
Then—squelch—a black hand pierced the ground, sprouting like a seedling.
Kadak shouted something from the sky.
Immediately, the dispersed miasma and mana resonated, vibrating intensely.
Without any ritual connecting heaven and earth, he simply began constructing supernatural phenomena here and now.
Thunder dragons, meteors, glaciers—natural disasters manifested in the sky. The ground groaned as it collapsed inward, forming a pit like an antlion's trap.
The emerging demon was dragged back underground. Chains of mana hooked and bound it. A sphere of mana, imbued with hundreds of times Earth's gravity, encased the demon.
A grave had been prepared for it.
"Perish—!"
With that roar, calamity descended slowly upon a single point. The atmosphere ignited, space warped, and the heavens screamed as if tearing apart.
The moment cataclysm met earth—FLASH!—the demon and disaster vanished together. No, they were briefly displaced.
Kadak's teleportation magic, avoiding backlash. Somewhere in the demonic realm had likely been reduced to ruins in their stead.
Only the demon returned to its original spot. The shadow, still bound in chains, melted like smoke. Its eyes still held moonlight—but it was fading.
Yet it wasn't over. The demon would undoubtedly regenerate using ambient miasma. Aiden had to end it before that.
Kadak, drained of mana, plummeted to the ground.
Aiden gestured to Yuriel and the princess. Simultaneously, hymns and blessings cascaded upon him.
A radiant halo surged. Aiden vomited divinity as if spitting blood—his small body strained to contain the overwhelming power.
The brilliance incinerated nearby darkness, spreading outward. The surroundings burned white.
Amid that purity, Aiden hurled himself at the demon.
He raised his sword hilt. The world was so blindingly white that he couldn't distinguish between holy light and halo.
He simply crossed through divinity, closing the distance. Face-to-face with the demon, Aiden saw Atraxia reflected in its eyes—but he didn't hesitate.
He clung only to a sliver of hypothesis and mostly to luck. Just once—come forth. The blue flames had never felt more desperate.
The apocalyptic flames capable of incinerating all creation—the Thought-Flames that projected their owner's will. Such flames wouldn't carry out an execution their master didn't desire. Two years ago, Aiden had survived the inferno because Zeras hadn't wished for his death.
It hadn't been Aiden's resilience that saved him.
And this time, Aiden didn't want to burn Atraxia's soul.
He roared, swinging his holy light down—but he was a fraction too late.
Thunk. A black hand pierced through his abdomen.
Yet Aiden was smiling.
Because the blinding white engulfing the surroundings was being overtaken by chilling flames.
Though they began devouring everyone—Yuriel, the princess, Kadak—Aiden didn't wish for their deaths.
He only wanted to burn the curse and the demon.
Azure flames swallowed heaven and earth.