371. Liberation
371. Liberation
- 1 -
It had been three days.
Three days since the saints rose up in rebellion against the Holy Kingdom.
The small seed Libertas had sown finally germinated, nourished by the ripple that spread across the entire continent.
It had become an unstoppable wave, and that wave was now returning to those who had started it all.
One of the places where that wave crashed was the capital of the Norn Empire, Norman.
"Guarantee Saint Clementine's freedom!"
"The Imperial Household shall not persecute the divine representative! Do you trifle with the heavens?!"
In the capital of the Norn Empire, the chilly morning air was heated by the shouts of tens of thousands.
The enraged protesters filled the plaza before the Imperial Palace, and before them stood the empire's shield, the Imperial Palace Guards, facing off against the divine sword, the Paladin Order, in a tense standoff.
It was a hair-trigger situation where blades could clash at any moment.
The representative of the gathered paladins shouted toward the Imperial Palace walls.
"Let us see the Saint! Until we confirm her safety with our own eyes, we shall not retreat a single step!"
Amid the chaotic crowd, a man with the Sun Church's crest sewn on the inside of his sleeve skillfully shouted slogans and tapped the shoulder of the person next to him.
"Brother, our voices must not be small. Let us raise our voices so that the arrogant Emperor may hear!"
The voices of the crowd, swayed by his incitement, only grew louder.
"Damn it... What did we even do!"
Eldgrim's fist slammed down on the parapet of the castle wall.
Stone dust crumbled from the railing.
"What in the world is the reason for this chaos...!"
The face of Crown Prince Eldgrim, who had been watching the situation from atop the wall, was already deathly pale.
He could almost feel the cold gaze of his father, Emperor Maximilian, seated upon the throne, reaching all the way here.
"Your Highness. Would it not be better to mobilize the military..."
"Are you out of your mind?!"
The Crown Prince recoiled in horror and shoved away the noble who had offered that counsel.
The moment military force was used to suppress those united under the name of faith, the empire would be engulfed in an uncontrollable civil war.
If it became known that he himself was the instigator of that armed suppression, even his position as Crown Prince could be endangered.
"I believe the Saint's judgment is correct!"
Meanwhile, at noon in the Kingdom of Kakia, in the conference hall of the royal palace in the capital, Kak, a heated political battle was taking place.
"Heretic or not, that Grakheisen Alliance possesses an immensely powerful military strength! Look at the many previous wars! We cannot drive the sons of Kakia into the jaws of death, can we!"
"To abandon the duties of nobility in such a manner!! Do you intend to forsake the duties bestowed upon your bloodline and power!!"
"If we are to speak that way, the greatest duty is the divine will! The will of the Saints is closest to that very will, is it not!!"
A sharp war of words between the noble faction supporting Saint Lucia and the royalist faction seeking to protect the authority of the royal family.
The council of nobles was completely split into two parties.
Caught between them, King Nicholas II's agonies only deepened.
If he showed signs of suppressing Lucia, he would face fierce backlash from the nobles, yet if he left her as she was, relations with the Holy Kingdom would be shattered.
'At the very least, the royal house should have secured her in advance...'
It had been a mistake to try to move troops early on the first day to subdue the nobles.
Though he did not know how Saint Lucia had learned of it in advance, she had mobilized paladins and priests to fortify the marquis's mansion and held out firmly.
In truth, this situation was a case of ignorance being bliss.
Because if he knew it was a scheme by Libertas and Philia, he might very well have collapsed from high blood pressure.
"What are Your Majesty's thoughts?"
A count of the royalist faction asked cautiously.
Nicholas II remained silent for a moment before opening his mouth.
"... I believe it is proper to respect the Saint's opinion."
And with that, opinions within Kakia were unified.
At the same time, the Kingdom of Rugnis was engulfed in far greater division.
"Do you dare say the Saint is wrong?!"
"We cannot ignore the authority of our homeland! We too must show solidarity!"
In the Great Temple of the capital, the clergy were completely split into two opposing factions.
A conflict between the practical reformists who sought to 'protect the people and follow Saint Adriana' and the dogmatic conservatives who 'swore absolute loyalty to the Holy See.'
The conflict was severe enough to spark small physical clashes.
"We must protect the Saint from the heretics!!"
"Let us teach a lesson to those who disregard the Pope's commands!"
Physical clashes broke out between adherents of both sides throughout the city, and the Royal Knight Order attempting to suppress them was jeered at by both sides.
'At this rate, a true civil war might break out.'
King Arminius III fell into despair.
His desperate attempts at mediation were useless.
For they could exert no force against their fanatical rage.
The chaos wrought by a single arrogant declaration from the Holy Kingdom.
At first, it was merely a small crack, but now it was different.
No one could predict where this chaos would end.
- 2 -
At the summit of the mountain range west of Hylash.
Under the cloudy sky, I looked down upon the ritual site and smiled with satisfaction.
"The weather is truly fine."
Rumble...
The sound of thunder came from afar.
An atmosphere thick with moisture and weather bringing dark clouds.
Conditions could not be better for Saya's advancement—she wielded the lightning attribute.
'It also aligns with the properties of this mountain range here, making it the optimal condition.'
In the center of the ritual site, the core of Aktarque was already set in place.
"Are you ready, Saya?"
Saya, clad in a black suit and kimono clinging to her form, nodded.
Her face was full of resolve.
"Yes, Master."
I looked around the ritual site.
Upon the massive magic circle, three high-grade demon beasts were bound as sacrifices.
The Phoenix wreathed in immortal flames had its fire sealed; the eastern thunder-wielding yokai, Raikou, had its horn broken.
The unfortunate Lich was sunk in despair, its mana reservoir stolen away.
All were high-grade and immensely powerful beings.
"Let us begin."
At my signal, Yuran raised both hands.
Foxfire, blending violet and gold, enveloped the entire ritual site, and the mages stationed around it also began supplying magical power from their respective positions.
Crackle...!
As Saya touched the core of Aktarque, an inky-black lightning burst forth from the core.
"...!"
Saya's pupils trembled for a moment.
But her reaction stopped there.
Without a single change in her expression, she instantly subdued the erupting power.
"Well done."
I placed both hands over hers.
Saya's eyes, looking at me, wavered with a different meaning than before.
Tension born not of power, but of affection.
I smiled gently and poured my power into Aktarque's core.
Whisss...
The color of the core gradually changed.
Magical power adjustment performed in real time.
It was now possible without any special prior preparation.
After adjusting a lord-class core once, I had gotten quite a feel for it.
When the color of the core had completely changed to a deep red-gold, similar to Saya's own, I released my hands and stepped back.
"Now it is your turn. Saya."
"... Yes."
True mastery over power must be achieved on one's own.
The mana of the core flowed into her body.
Beneath her feet, under the hem of her black combat kimono, shadows spread thickly.
Simultaneously, the power of the three demon beasts offered as sacrifices began to converge upon her.
The Phoenix's immortality, Raikou's lightning mixed with demonic energy, the Lich's magic dealing in curses and death.
Everything converged into a single point.
"Ahh..."
The Cheoneungcheongu clansmen watching from afar let out exclamations of admiration.
The Cheoneungcheongu, including Genki, were kneeling and gazing at this scene.
While the entire world was filled with lightning and thunderclouds, only this place was safe.
Slither.
From Saya's back, a shadow of red-gold bloomed.
That shadow soon took form, becoming enormous wings that seemed as if they would cover the sky.
And then, at that very moment.
BOOOOOM —!!!
With a deafening roar that tore at the eardrums, the world turned white.
The cloud-covered sky split apart as two massive bolts of lightning struck perpendicularly toward the earth.
In the fleeting moment before the lightning touched her wings, I saw it: the moment the old monarch of the Cheoneungcheongu was reborn as a monarch.
In this very moment, her most powerful strength was liberated.
- 3 -
Rumble — !!
The instant lightning struck, the surroundings brightened.
At the moment the light fell, the shadows cast upon the three stone statues deepened further.
The highest peak of the mountain range northwest of the Holy Kingdom, untouched by human footsteps.
There stood the massive sealing stones, where successive saints of the Holy Kingdom had risked their lives to imprison wicked beings.
Though there were many smaller seals around, they were hidden by the presence of the three greatest seals, rendering them unnoticeable.
Before them stood three archbishops.
Central Archbishop Anselm, Eastern Archbishop Cassiodorus, and Chief Inquisitor Sebastian.
Among them, Cassiodorus asked with a pale face.
"...Do you truly intend to release these, Brother Anselm? Surely you have not forgotten the records...! How great the sacrifices our ancestors made to seal these fiends!"
"Tell me if there is another way, Brother. Is there another way to silence those foolish kings and the nagging saints? At this rate, our great undertaking will burst like a bubble before it even begins."
Anselm replied coldly.
Chief Inquisitor Sebastian urged them on further.
"Rather, this is a good thing. With this ancient power, we shall smash the heads of those insolent Alliance bastards, and drag the saints back to submit them to obedience. Those who oppose shall all be burned in the name of heresy."
Cassiodorus, glancing alternately at the two, eventually nodded as if resigned.
They approached the central one among the three sealing stones, the largest and emitting the most ominous aura.
"「Oh, merciful light...」"
"「Save the lost souls trapped in darkness...」"
What they began and the surrounding choir continued to utter was a supremely sacred aria.
A holy light enveloped the sealing stones.
A contradictory and sacrilegious ritual unfolded, where descendants used their own hands to release the wicked beings their ancestors had sealed at the cost of their lives.
- Keuhuh...
Before long, cracks began to form on the sealing stone.
- ... You despicable hypocrites of the Holy Kingdom.
Through the fragments of the sealing stone, jet-black darkness seeped out like smoke.
It soon took on the form of a gigantic black horse.
But its body was entirely composed of shadow, and its face bore nine eyes, flashing grotesquely, making it impossible to discern what kind of horse it was.
Its head was crowned with horns, equal in number to its eyes, growing like a crown.
- Speak.
With just that single word, the three archbishops were crushed under a pressure that seemed to freeze the blood in their entire bodies.
Even Anselm unconsciously swallowed hard.
This being was an ancient dungeon lord who had lived in the same era as Dantalion, before the current Demon Realm Archdukes appeared.
Originally a demon beast, it was a being that had hunted and devoured several dungeon lords who appeared in that era, undergoing metamorphosis.
If it were to be called by a modern title, it would rightly be called the 'Archduke of Binding.'
The resurrected demon of the past looked down upon them with nine eyes and continued speaking.
- What is it that you desire from me?
Anselm, suppressing his fear and disgust, opened his mouth.
"We desire... the destruction of the Grakheisen Alliance. One third of the soldiers and superhumans upon that land—that you may take them as your sacrifice...!"
The demon stared down at Anselm for some time.
During that silent gaze, the backs of the archbishops, who did not release their holy arts' control to maintain the seal, grew damp with cold sweat.
Then, at some moment, the eyes of the black horse simultaneously curved into strange arcs.
- Interesting. Khu-huh-huh ——
From it, a certain 'sound' leaked out.
A sound that seemed like laughter, yet simultaneously akin to a scream or a shout.
- Very well. I accept the deal. But there is a condition. Once this is finished, you shall release me completely and grant me freedom. And you must aid me in absorbing at least one of the strongest demons surviving in this era.
Anselm pondered briefly before nodding.
The disappearance of any great duke other than the one they themselves released would be nothing but a benefit to him.
"Agreed. Let us do so."
Anselm formalized the pact with holy arts—a contract that added to the already agreed-upon conditions that the archduke and its retinue would not harm the Holy Kingdom.
Once that contract was complete, the archbishops finished the seal-release ritual in earnest and began liberating the demon.
- Ah, the scent of freedom...
Crack!
The Archduke of Binding spread its wings.
Two pairs of wings made solely of eerie darkness, befitting a body of shadow.
Under the contract with the Holy Kingdom, the demons from hundreds of years ago began to be released, one by one.
It was the moment the despair that had awakened from a two-hundred-year slumber revealed itself to the world once more.