411. Sunrise (3)
411. Sunrise (3)
- 1 -
"Hah..."
Saintess Adriana let out a deep sigh.
Relief that the immediate crisis had ended, and sorrow for what had been lost.
Fear of the threats still ongoing, and despair that there was almost nothing she could do.
Conflicting emotions pressed down on her lungs and heart.
Above her head, hell was unfolding.
Kurururung...!
Mana lights of various colors mingled together and poured down like a storm, and the aftermath mercilessly scorched the vicinity of the Holy City Kivelt, the center of the Holy Emperor's Realm.
It was as if the apocalypse had arrived.
Even amidst that devastating ruin, one sight in particular painfully lodged itself in Adriana's eyes.
It was the sight of the massive Holy Temple's sharp spire, once a symbol of the Holy Emperor's authority, snapped off entirely and embedded through the temple's roof.
'The Holy See... has been destroyed.'
This was something that had never once happened in the long history of the Holy Kingdom.
The invasion led by the former Demon King with all the demon tribes 2,000 years ago.
When the current Demon Realm's Duke of Pride and Wrath Duke assaulted the walls 1,500 years ago.
And even during the terrible battle with Tiamat 1,000 years ago.
The Holy See had never lost the light of its lofty grand cathedral.
There had been times when the enemy's reach had come right before their eyes, but the heartland itself being destroyed like this was the first time in the Holy Kingdom's history.
Yet, even so.
Those who survived in the ruins still had work to do.
"Please bear with it a little longer."
Adriana stirred her authority and whispered into the ear of the groaning old woman.
"Ahh, Saintess... what in the world has happened? How could the Holy See...!"
The eyelids of the old woman, who had been babbling in panic, gently closed.
She had been put to sleep by the warmth of holy power.
Adriana carefully, yet resolutely, pulled out the wooden splinter that was deeply embedded in the old woman's leg.
Ordinarily, this was not the kind of work the Saintess should handle herself, getting blood on her hands, but now was not the time to stand on such formality.
Under the power she exerted, the old woman's leg was able to return to its original state even before it could spurt blood.
"Hoo..."
Adriana wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked around, letting out another sigh that welled up deep in her chest.
There were not enough hands.
The wounded were numerous enough to fill the streets, and far too many of the clerics who should have healed them were dead.
Moreover, this was no time to feign being hurt.
"Cough...!"
From afar, a dry coughing sound and an urgent voice were heard.
"Your Holiness! You must lie down! At this rate, Your Holiness will collapse!"
"I can still... move."
It was the Holy Emperor, Clemens IV, who had not long risen from his sickbed.
The pale-faced elderly man was moving more actively than anyone else, casting a precarious barrier over the plaza where the refugees had gathered.
Tiamat's main body attacks had stopped, but the monsters she had summoned still roamed the wounded Holy Kingdom.
To make matters worse, monsters that had crossed dimensions drawn by the power of the Demon Realm Archdukes had also joined the fray.
- Kieeeek ——!!
Something swooped down from the sky with a spine-chilling scream.
It was a monster that had slipped in through the gap left by a fainted cleric somewhere.
Kwang!!
What blocked it was a more ironic figure.
"You shall not pass — !!"
A forest giant with green skin.
A troll warrior who had only recently joined the Grakheisen Fate (緣) Alliance as an 'Ain' roared and confronted the two-headed flying lizard, the Duvais.
Tearing flesh. Dripping blood.
Even when the Duvais's fangs dug into his shoulder, the troll did not retreat.
He held out like a solid rock until another ally climbed onto the monster's back and cut off its breath.
Only after confirming that the beast was dead did he allow himself to slump down, dragging his bloodied body.
"You're the best!"
An orc archer with a bow on his back passed by and tapped his shoulder.
The troll smiled faintly and held out his fist, and the orc cheerfully bumped fists with him before dashing off to another battlefield.
One could not blame the orc for not noticing his injuries.
Countless chaos and battles were unfolding in other places as well.
"..."
Adriana watched the scene for a moment, then carefully approached the troll.
The stares of the nearby orcs and goblins were stinging.
Imagining that his green fist might suddenly fly toward her made a chill run down her spine.
Even possessing immense holy power, her physical body was relatively fragile compared to an average warrior.
But she did not stop her steps.
Because she had seen other clerics around turning a blind eye to the troll's injuries.
"Let me heal you. Show me where you're wounded."
The troll warrior breathed roughly and shook his head.
"Something like this, it's nothing... Cough!"
Dark red blood burst out along with his cough.
The Duvais's fangs carried a deadly poison.
"Quickly."
Adriana said firmly.
"This is insulting..."
The troll grumbled, but no longer resisted and silently accepted the treatment.
'The poison has spread too much...'
Her brow furrowed as she examined the troll's wound.
Black blood vessels were spreading across his upper body like spider webs.
This meant the poison was spreading far faster than she had anticipated.
The troll's astonishing regenerative ability was instead accelerating the spread of the poison.
"「Here lies a warrior who realizes a firm will. Please grant your mercy...」."
Adriana drew upon far more holy power than usual.
A dazzling golden light blossomed from her hands and enveloped the troll's wound.
When the treatment was over, the troll rubbed his shoulder a few times and muttered gruffly.
"... It doesn't hurt."
He hesitated for a moment, and instead of a word of thanks, ended up awkwardly adding.
"I owe you a debt. I will not forget it."
'How...'
Adriana looked at that sight with complicated feelings.
They were throwing themselves at the monsters at the very front, ahead of anyone else.
It was contradictory.
That appearance was the practice of 'sacrifice,' upheld as one of the highest virtues in the Celestial Church.
But the ones practicing it were monsters, taught in the scriptures as merciless practitioners of selfishness and desire.
At the same time, she knew.
That nowhere in the scriptures was there a command to ignore those who practiced virtues just because they were called monsters.
Finally, she opened her mouth.
"Thank you. For helping."
In a very small, slightly trembling voice.
- Kurureuk...?
The troll's massive body became stiff as stone.
His pitch-black eyes, like buttonholes, grew wide and were staring fixedly at Adriana.
The Saintess was thanking him?
Such suspicion was clearly felt in his eyes, to the point that Adriana herself became more embarrassed.
He stared at Adriana silently for a moment, then abruptly turned his head and nodded once.
Seeing his rough face redden slightly, Adriana found herself smiling softly.
And she looked up at the sky once again.
Kwakwakwang — !!
In that sky, a mythical battle that had happened several hundred years ago was being reenacted.
Leviathan's murky swamp-like power, Asmodeus's brilliant golden mana.
Edenish's beautiful multicolored light, and Morr'is's twilight-hued holy power like a sun setting.
Even just the remnants of the power pouring down from the sky, split into four parts, caused the surface to scream and crumble.
Kwaang —— !!!!
"Eeek...!"
"Elder! Are you alright?"
She was not the only one looking at the sky.
Everyone was gazing up at that place with eyes mixed with worry and fear.
That the outcome of that battle would determine their lives.
Believing so.
To them, that fight was no different from the battles of legendary heroes and demons.
But, no one there knew.
There was no way they could know.
That the salvation they were desperately hoping for was actually contingent on the victory of the one they were antagonizing.
That it was the angel's victory that would rob them of all the remaining peace and possessions.
- 2 -
- She will not be of any help to you. You'd better listen to me.
Astaroth, the Archduchess of Obsession, urgently spoke up.
Serica's interference had come at a truly opportune moment.
For she felt Tiamat's curiosity being directed toward her.
『Stop.』
However, the 'Ancient Dragon' firmly cut her off.
The monster known as the oldest dragon on the surface, Tiamat.
She was not foolish.
A millennium of sealing may have prevented the accumulation of new knowledge, but it could not stop her thinking.
She already possessed wisdom accumulated over countless eons.
The emergence of beings like archangels or archdukes were merely variables outside her prediction range.
『I will make the judgment. Demon female.』
Five pairs of eyes, from which red light flowed, turned toward Astaroth.
Eyes that felt like the abyss, reflecting absolutely no light from outside.
Facing them, Astaroth had no choice but to shut her mouth.
『Yes, then...』
While one of the five heads continued to watch Astaroth, the other four heads turned to Serica.
『Vampire female. What can you offer me? That wench whispered to me of 'revenge.'』
A voice steeped in the dignity and cruelty befitting an ancient being.
An ordinary being would have found it difficult to even open their mouth under that pressure, but Serica was not intimidated.
Rather, she took a confident step forward.
"I won't give you power. You are already strong enough. Instead, my lord can surely find a path for you."
- Ha! A path?
Astaroth burst into a mocking laugh and cut in.
She pointed a finger at Serica and shouted toward Tiamat.
- Do you know what this wench means by a path? In the end, it's just becoming a loyal dog wearing her master's leash! Just like her!
At her provocation, Serica calmly retorted.
"It's not a leash. It's a fate alliance. A place where you learn to live together, not use and discard others like you do. Though a relic like you, content with past glory, wouldn't understand."
As the two women's words sharply clashed, the murky green power and the twilight-hued flash clashed violently once again in the sky.
Kwaaaaang —— !!
An overwhelming might that shook everything in all directions and scattered several nearby mountain peaks into dust.
But even in such a situation, the three beings merely faced each other without so much as a flinch.
The killing intent in Astaroth's eyes instantly deepened.
The smile hanging on her lips held a chill, not an enchanting warmth.
Her decision was made.
First, she would erase that annoying meddler.
If she proved her worth with overwhelming power, that arrogant ancient dragon would have no choice but to choose her in the end.
『Die!!』
Her voice, having instantly raised her power to its maximum, tore through the atmosphere.
The membranous wings that unfurled behind her rapidly grew in volume, transforming into a shape resembling a dragon's wings.
Twitch
Tiamat's eyes minutely distorted.
The power contained in Astaroth's wings was inferior to her own, but it was very pure and intense.
Unaware of the existence of Dungeon Lords, she could not for the life of her understand why such powerful demons were unleashed on the surface in such numbers.
Pachut — !
In front of her, the beam fired by Astaroth flew in a straight line toward Serica.
"Kamaya!"
"I have been waiting!"
Simultaneously with the shout, Kamaya flew up first and brandished a greatsword wreathed in flames.
A trajectory resembling a flame twisted the trajectory of the murky red beam, and in that gap, Serica summoned dark red blood like a giant shield to envelop herself and Kamaya.
Kwang!!
The shockwave spread out in all directions.
But Tiamat merely watched the two demon females fighting over her as if it were interesting.
'Revenge and a path forward. The past and the future...'
Two paths lay stretched out before her.
- 3 -
Kuung —— !!
The battle between the Archdukes and the Archangels was reaching its climax.
『You are greedy. You lot, and your god.』
Leviathan's body was completely dyed in a sleek pitch black.
With a color and texture that seemed to contain the darkness of the deep sea.
- Kyaaaak —— !!
- Kraaak!!
From his body, countless monsters poured out like shadows, launched ferocious attacks, and vanished like illusions.
The formidable enemies he had defeated in the past.
They were demons and monsters who had ultimately lost their essence under the authority of 'Envy' and were reduced to a part of his power.
『It is you who are overreaching! This continent belongs to the Goddess and us!!』
Meanwhile, Morr'is, the Goddess's strongest champion, was growing stronger as time went on.
Because his authority, 'Twilight,' was a power that burned more brilliantly and powerfully the more it welcomed demons and darkness.
The powers of Edenish and Asmodeus had already been pushed back to a supporting role in the duel between the two main players, so it was a self-evident truth that Morr'is would become more advantageous as time passed.
Even so, not a single trace of agitation appeared on Leviathan's face as he looked down at him.
『History favors the victor. I also experienced that. And that victory...』
His eyes were looking beyond Morr'is, down at the surface far below.
To be precise, at a certain being who had just arrived on the battlefield.
『... Probably, belongs to her, it seems.』
A twisted smile rose to Leviathan's lips.
It was by no means a pleasing situation, but anyway, timing as miraculous as this was as good as proof that she was the protagonist of this era.
『What did you say?』
Toward Morr'is, who asked back as if he could not understand, Leviathan quietly raised a hand.
Looking at him as if pitying him.
『Nothing. Now, let us end this.』
The sky once again began to writhe in agony.