Chapter 301: Fiona’s Secret Maneuvers (2)
Chapter 301: Fiona’s Secret Maneuvers (2)
Crack.
A gruesome sound of something breaking and reassembling echoed from deep within my body.
Though tempered, my human form—which still harbored a fundamental fragility—began its metamorphosis.
Bones grew harder, and muscles became tougher. My heart, now unified with the core, transformed into a high-output mana engine, pumping blood saturated with dense mana through my veins.
The change wasn't limited to the physical.
Primal desires surged from the depths of my chest. Just like when I first absorbed the fragment of the Dragon Heart, my instincts themselves had become intensified.
Yet, my mind grew sharper than ever. Accordingly, the reach of my consciousness began to expand.
I had already boasted absolute influence within my own body after becoming a mana-attuned constitution, but now that eerie sensation extended beyond my physical form.
It was a sense of omnipotence, as if I could command all the mana in the vicinity at will.
What pulled me out of that hazy euphoria was a jolting pain lancing through both sides of my forehead.
Grind.
Something erupted, crushing my skull from the inside.
Feeling blood trickle down my temples toward my lips, I gave it a light lick and lifted my head.
I felt the collective shock of those around me.
Come to think of it, no one except Iona had ever seen my Dragonification state before.
Solari’s golden eyes were wide with surprise. Even to me, my reflection in her pupils was quite startling.
First were the pair of horns sprouting from my forehead.
They were a wicked, obsidian black, their sharp tips exuding a threatening aura. However, thanks to their elegant curves and vivid presence, they also resembled a crown.
Next to catch the eye were, of course, my pupils.
They remained purple, but the slits were now vertically torn like a reptile's, harboring a ferocity unlike my usual self.
It was a sinister gaze that would freeze an ordinary person in their tracks just by making eye contact.
Is this what it feels like to be a natural-born predator?
There were other minor changes, like scales budding on my skin and my teeth and nails growing sharper… but now wasn't the time to leisurely admire my new look.
I spoke curtly to Havel, who was standing there with his mouth agape.
“What are you waiting for? Let’s get started.”
“I… see.”
Realizing we couldn't give Fiona any more time, Havel nodded and adjusted his grip on his sword.
His feet were shoulder-width apart. His blade covered the centerline of his torso. His arms slowly raised the weapon.
It was a mundane stance with no detectable Aura—the basic vertical slash posture that even I, a mage, recognized.
There was nothing special about it, yet it radiated a strange sense of danger.
However, to me, having completed my Dragonification, it looked a bit different.
Havel’s Aura hadn't vanished. It was simply so perfectly assimilated with the surroundings that it couldn't be seen.
And a sword, in the end, is a tool that must strike to cut.
To be assimilated with the world meant he could cut the world itself. Only now did I begin to understand what Havel had said at the beginning.
If I, watching from the side, felt this much, what must Fiona feel, facing the tip of that blade?
“That…!”
She might not have known exactly what it was, but she clearly knew it shouldn't be left alone.
In a hurry, she drew upon her newly bestowed Authority, manifesting several spikes in the air.
The Spikes of Silence were fired simultaneously, but… unlike her, I wasn't fighting alone.
“Not on my watch! Keep going and don't worry about them!”
The Shadow of Elements hovered behind Elisha’s head. Activating the energy of the water droplet pattern, she unleashed a barrage of ice magic.
Of course, magic doesn't work on the Spikes of Silence. Even if they collided, the spikes would likely just pass through.
But the physical results of magic were a different story.
“We’ll handle this side!”
Carla’s Fireball overlapped with Elisha’s preceding spell.
Boom!
It wasn't the explosive force of the Fireball itself, but the instantaneous steam and gale created when fire met ice.
Caught in the turbulence, the trajectory of the spikes began to warp.
In the meantime, the power loaded into the spikes had grown heavy enough that they weren't completely deflected… but it was enough of a stumble to make them miss Havel’s body.
Slice!
One of the distorted trajectories grazed Havel’s cheek, drawing a line of blood, but he didn't care. He kept his eyes fixed on what he needed to cut.
“Hah!”
There was no grand shout. Just a short breath and a slow downward stroke of the sword.
But that single strike split the world.
Using Havel’s sword as the axis, the space to the left and right shifted strangely. The Veil of Silence surrounding Fiona was no exception.
In the dead center of the black currents raging like a storm, Solari clenched her fist toward the gap created by the cutting of an energy that shouldn't have been cut.
“Die…!”
I briefly thought about how Solari and Helena were so alike in their temper, but then the lion’s paw—given a more distinct form by being infused with both holy power and Solari’s own divine power—descended.
Screeeeech!
The black currents and the pure white light clashed.
Sharp claws sought to tear through the exposed cross-section, while the swirling darkness repelled the foot as if refusing to allow entry.
It was a stalemate, neither side pushing nor being pushed. From our position of having to break through the veil, we were just a bit short on instantaneous output, just as Solari had said.
I knew instinctively. Now was the time for me to step in.
My heart vomited out mana—an amount that was already absurdly high but had been amplified further through Dragonification.
Thump! Thump!
Mana began to saturate the surroundings in sync with the frantic heartbeat.
My field of consciousness had already left my body and covered the entire area. Even in places away from my physical form, I could perfectly manipulate mana as long as it was within the reach of my consciousness.
A deep blue light, blooming naturally as the mana condensed, began to wrap around the black currents and the white lion’s paw.
I gripped the wounds on the veil and pried them open while simultaneously shoving Solari’s paw inside with force.
“Haaaaah!”
The mana colliding with the divine power didn't mix or repel, but it was being shaved away by the sheer intensity of the energy flow.
But so what? As long as I had vast amounts of mana and delicate control, I could restore it as much as I wanted.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
My heart pounded madly, supplying even greater quantities of mana. My head throbbed as if it were burning, but it was bearable.
How long did we stay locked in that struggle? Finally, the blue mana began to push back the white and black divine powers.
The mark Havel had cut began to widen, and the sharp lion’s claws drew closer, as if to shred the gap.
At that majestic sight, Fiona’s face, which had been composed until now, distorted for the first time.
“Th-this is impossible! How can the Veil of Silence…! Wasn't this an invincible blessing?!”
I curled one side of my mouth into the most obnoxious smirk possible and answered her.
“I guess your god was bullshitting you, just like you’ve been bullshitting everyone else. Maybe he just wanted to see the look on your face when you were betrayed by the god you trusted at the very last moment?”
Well, considering how much he seemed to favor her, it looked more like he was going all-in on Fiona… but who cares about the truth?
The important thing was that a panicked Fiona had left an opening.
“—————!!”
With Fiona’s final scream, Solari’s claws reached the veil.
Riiiiip!
The black currents were torn apart with a violent sound. Between the tears, a shadow-like liquid began to bubble and flow out.
Like the contents leaking from a cracked egg, the divine power belonging to the Boiling Silence seeped out from within.
It seemed the plan to make Fiona an Apostle had failed, but it would be a shame to end it here.
My head was spinning slightly from the sheer mental strain, but I shouted anyway.
“Now, Professor!”
“Yes, yes! I know!”
While we had all fulfilled our roles, Iona’s clear, melodic voice—the only one that had been silent until now—rang out.
“Pierce through! Tepes…!”
Swish!
A blood spear, leaving a red trail in its wake, lunged into the gap in the veil.
And within the veil that was collapsing into black liquid, a red flower of thorns bloomed.
*
“Cough….”
Fiona spat out blood amidst the black liquid pooling on the floor—the divine power of the Boiling Silence that was rapidly evaporating even now.
With a sharp spear piercing her heart and thorned vines erupting to shred her internals, she looked like a crucified sinner.
Fiona stared blankly at her blood mixing with the stagnant water that no longer boiled, then painfully lifted her head.
She glared at me with a look of pure hatred.
“Huh? Anyone watching would think I’m the bad guy here.”
“You tried to drive a wedge between me and the one I serve. To me, you are indeed a man who deserves to be torn apart.”
“What are you talking about? You only got confused because you had your own doubts, which caused that momentary hesitation.”
It was a simple truth: if a believer doubts their god, the connection weakens. It means even if the god tries to help, the believer can't receive it properly.
Thanks to that, she had shown a decisive opening in a situation where she was already being pushed back.
“Besides, isn't driving wedges your specialty? What, does it sting a bit when it happens to you?”
“…Even so, I am the Imperial Consort. I wonder if that vulgar tone is appropriate.”
“Imperial Consort, my ass. Have you been sitting in that seat too long? You’re just a cultist. And one who’s about to die, at that.”
“…….”
Fiona fell silent at my snickering response, seemingly giving up on being treated like royalty. However, one question seemed to remain.
“If I am merely a cultist who deserves to die… why didn't you kill me sooner?”
“Because I’m not the one who’s going to kill you.”
As I stepped aside, Carla moved forward to take my place.
Her eyes were calm and sunken, but her hands and feet were trembling as if she couldn't contain her excitement.
Only after receiving Carla’s murderous gaze did Fiona seem to realize everything, asking in a hollow voice.
“Don't tell me… you did all this reckless work just for a single slave?”
“There’s that, and there’s also getting rid of an Apostle of the Evil God in advance. It’s killing two birds with one stone.”
I shrugged, but all I got in return was a look reserved for a madman.
I didn't expect to get that kind of look from the leader of the lunatics.
I’m the victim here…!