Chapter 313
Chapter 313
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Reversal (3)
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The Chaos Knight.
To the Radiant Star, it appeared as the very incarnation of darkness, manifested by devouring every shadow as sustenance.
What being could unleash such destructive majesty?
The Radiant Star recalled.
The demon that had desperately tried to escape the rift, only to be seized by the knight's hand and vanish.
That entity, born from countless demons fused into a single mass, harbored an immense negativity that even the mightiest black magicians dared not imitate.
Not even those bearing the names of stars would face it lightly.
Yet.
The Chaos Knight claimed its life as if swatting a mere fly.
The way it was dragged off without a single struggle was nothing more than a tiny shadow fragment swallowed by the void.
Yes.
Even that horrific demon dared not proclaim itself darkness before the Chaos Knight.
No form of negativity would dare claim the mantle of darkness before the Chaos Knight.
The Radiant Star thought.
If there existed a being that all shadows feared, it would take precisely that form.
Dare not resist.
Overwhelmed by the despair crushing every inch of his body, the Radiant Star lost all will to fight.
"Hey, you-"
In the midst of it all, the Reverse Heaven Star approached the Chaos Knight without a hint of fear.
"Hey, Reverse Heaven...!"
The Radiant Star nearly lost his grip on sanity.
His mind blanked in an instant, normal thought impossible.
And so.
-Run away.
-While Reverse Heaven holds its attention!
A thought he would never entertain normally dominated his head.
"No...!"
But he shook it off.
He converted the body-crushing despair into fuel for his resolve.
He raised his fallen form to confront the terror once more.
The fear seeking to dominate his mind and body could no longer touch him.
Only one thing drove him now.
'I have to stop it here...!'
The ironclad sense of mission that he alone must see it done.
From despair, a hero was born.
"Reverse Heaven! I'll cover you!"
The hero focused on the hero who had charged ahead.
Determined, no matter what, to answer her call!
And the Reverse Heaven Star's very first action-
"You... you're Rishir, aren't you?"
"Oh? Duchess Arisha? You recognized me? This is your first time seeing me like this, though?"
"That demonic sword I saw back then looked exactly the same, so I had a hunch it was you. And you're holding it, too."
"Ah~"
Was, of course, an exchange of greetings.
"Uh-"
The awakened hero's resolve wandered aimlessly.
The Chaos Knight gazed up innocently at the towering woman.
His entire body drenched in blood and chunks of flesh.
Blood pouring from the slits in his helmet!
Ra, Ra, Reverse-
Glory was at a loss, unsure which side to fear.
The Reverse Heaven Star's casual treatment of the Chaos Knight went beyond awe—it inspired outright terror.
At this point, he was convinced one of them had fallen to mental magic or snapped from fear.
"Hm? Oh."
Then.
The Reverse Heaven Star belatedly checked the Radiant Star's state and spoke.
"From the looks of it, Radiance. You must be meeting this guy for the first time."
"O, Obviously...!?"
The Reverse Heaven Star let out a hearty laugh and slapped Rishir's armor.
Splatter!
The Radiant Star felt like he might go mad at the sight of the demons' blood and gore smearing that hand.
Undeterred, the Reverse Heaven Star continued.
"If this form creeps you out, don't worry about it."
"...There's a good reason for that?"
The Radiant Star finally eased his guard a fraction at her demeanor.
It seemed a reassuring explanation was coming.
"There is. See, it's probably because of that demonic sword or whatever, so relax."
"Ah! So it's because of the demonic sword-...Huh?"
Because of the demonic sword, so relax?
"Look at this thing in his hand—can't you see it?"
The Reverse Heaven Star lifted the knight's left hand.
"That's-"
The Radiant Star finally noticed the holy sword gripped in the knight's left hand.
"See? When a guy who looks like this is holding a holy sword, what goes through your head?"
Nine times out of ten, you'd assume the hero had his holy sword stolen by a demon.
The Radiant Star opened his mouth to voice that perfectly logical conclusion.
"Right? The normal assumption is that the hero somehow ended up with a demonic sword and demon powers."
"...?"
Normal?
"Ugh, my head-"
The hero was slowly eroded by the inexplicable (darkness-spawned?) mystery.
"So, what exactly happened? Why are you popping out of there?"
As the tension eased from the area.
A calm conversation began between the Reverse Heaven Star and Rishir.
The Radiant Star and the other three onlookers watched from the sidelines, united by one burning question.
-The armor. When's it coming off?
They desperately wanted to jump in and clarify things, but that guy's appearance made it impossible.
"Reverse Heaven."
"Hm? Oh."
In the end, the Radiant Star signaled her.
An eye flick toward the armor.
The meaning was plain as day.
"Hey, Rishir. This guy says your armor's badass—passing on the compliment."
"Ah, thank you!"
The Radiant Star gave up.
"Truth be told, I've been thinking the same thing. Light infusing armor of pure darkness. No idea how you pulled it off, but I offer my infinite respect. Anyway, back to what we were saying-"
"Ah! Right. Actually-"
Rishir explained the full story in detail.
"You destroyed a fragment of the Great Demon...?"
This time, even the Reverse Heaven Star couldn't hide her surprise.
The Radiant Star's voice rose unbidden.
If Great Demon fragments were something you could just destroy, why had he and so many others suffered like this!?
"Destroying a Great Demon fragment? That's imposs-"
His eyes caught the demons' blood and chunks staining the armor.
"...You're sure? If it's destroyed, that means the Great Demon's essence inside is completely gone. How can you be certain?"
The Radiant Star asked in a newly humbled tone.
"Ah, well—this little one confirmed it for me."
"This little one...? A spirit? How could a spirit confirm something like that?"
"No way!!!"
A suddenly summoned baby spirit began its spirited self-introduction.
Rishir then shared her full tale.
"Hahahahahahahaha!!!!!"
The Radiant Star laughed for a good long while.
His eyes stared into emptiness.
"So, if possible... could you entrust me with the fragments you have?"
"..."
"..."
The Reverse Heaven Star and Radiant Star exchanged glances.
These were items they had planned to handle through collaboration with great noble houses and massive sealing rituals.
Was it right to hand them over to a single individual?
"Please."
The deliberation was brief. No hesitation.
They handed Rishir the fist-sized case securely stored in the carriage.
"Destroying it right here, right now?"
The Radiant Star asked.
Rishir shook his head.
"No, not right now."
"Right. You'd need to prepare a grand ritual-"
"I'm just wiped out at the moment. Planning to rest up a bit first."
"Hahahahahahaha!!!"
The Radiant Star was overjoyed.
The others eyed him with concern.
"Oh, by the way—Duchess Arisha. Does the Star Council hold any other fragments?"
"Huh? Oh. Yeah, they do. That's-"
Why ask that?
The Reverse Heaven Star swallowed her reflexive question.
"...Should I bring them all to you?"
She broached it cautiously, unsure if it was wise.
"Yes."
The answer came without delay.
"Hahahaha!!!"
"What's with this guy since earlier?"
The Reverse Heaven Star stared oddly at the endlessly cheerful Radiant Star.
Of course, she had a vague idea why.
"In that case, I'll take my leave. Seek me out in Bondales."
"Ah! How're you getting back? If it's alright, travel with us?"
"...Where exactly is this place?"
After hearing the answer, Rishir slowly shook his head.
"Appreciate the offer, but I'll take another route."
"...Another route?"
Stab.
Rishir abruptly thrust the holy sword into thin air.
A rift of darkness yawned open once more.
"Another route—you don't mean through that...!?"
The Reverse Heaven Star shuddered at the impure aura emanating from within.
Moreover, it was the space sealing demons suspected to be from the Legion of Revelry.
Was shortening the return trip worth risking such a path?
"No need to worry. It's safe now."
With those words, Rishir vanished into the rift without hesitation.
"Safe now...?"
They chewed over the phrase for a while.
And then-
"Hahahahahaha!!!"
The Radiant Star's gleeful laughter was sucked into the rift's darkness.
No response came.
The rift slowly sealed shut, expelling only hollow void until the very end.
A faint, pleasant scent of grass—not unpleasant in the least.
This prison was oddly infused with such a fragrance rather than any stench.
Its structure followed suit.
Vibrant wood brimmed with life, not cold stone, forming the space's foundation.
Vines, grasses, and greenery adorned every corner; with a bit of leniency, it could pass for cozy living quarters.
Of course.
None of it was meant to pamper the prisoner.
"...Hoo."
Kroen of the Night of Deceit.
She awoke to immediate, excruciating self-loathing.
The natural magic permeating the space granted her a refreshingly brisk start to the day.
Even though it was proof of the energy eroding her very being.
This was the dire sentence for Kroen, who had committed grave sins against the great World Tree—impersonating it, defiling it, and ultimately scheming to usurp it.
Energy assimilation.
She was confined here, in this realm forged of natural magic, until fully assimilated.
-How dare she impersonate the great World Tree, sully it, and seek to steal it!!! Isn't this too merciful!?
When instant death would scarcely suffice, granting her comfort in a space brimming with nature's essence!
Some had voiced rightful discontent.
However.
Such complaints came only from those ignorant of transcendent beings like Kroen.
Entities whose power meddled in the world's very laws.
For them, power held value equal to life—sometimes greater.
-If the goal is to induce agony over power's loss, wouldn't a more fitting method exist!?
-No. The subject must remain in perfect mental condition. To feel the power's dissipation, moment by moment, in a sound mind.
And so.
Kroen's punishment, rife with discord during proceedings, proved utterly correct with time.
"Damn it, no time for this-"
Kroen strained with all her might to bequeath her vision as a legacy before her power fully faded.
Even knowing it would fall into the hands of her elven enemies.
Considering how mages treated visions, it was an act of folly fit only for death's despairing brink.
Perhaps an act beyond even death's despair.
The symptoms worsened relentlessly, and now-
Kroen had begged the elves to find anyone worthy to inherit her vision.
-Deceit asks us to scout a disciple candidate!?
-What nonsense! Does she plan to pass her entire vision to whoever we bring!?
-Unbelievable...!
Even the skeptics could only concede now.
The punishment meted to Kroen was exquisitely apt.
It was driving the transcendent's mind to its utter limits even now.
-To break the mind of Deceit, master of mental magic, like this! Who devised such a grotesque torment...? Surely a fiend worse than Deceit himse-
-Ah, that one. Actually, Lord Rishir came up with it.
-Punishing without a drop of blood, through peace itself—truly a noble method only he would conceive!
-Calm yourself.
A triumph no pain or threat could achieve.
Kroen's torment and anguish persisted this very moment.
"Damn it all! This isn't it, it isn't!!!"
She desperately retraced sensations vanishing alongside her power.
Her pen tip trembled pathetically, refusing to progress further.
-Kroen of the Night of Deceit.
"!?"
That was when an uninvited guest arrived.
Kroen of the Night of Deceit startled and scanned her surroundings.
The voice emanated from a small window high in the wall.
Turning her gaze, she saw the source—
A human palm.
An eyeball embedded in its center, fingers flapping like wings as it flew through the air.
-Reduced to being bred in captivity here. How pitiful.
"..."
Tension creased Kroen's eyes.
She stared silently at the palm.
Say your piece and get lost.
The palm obliged.
-The time of the White Shadow's stirring is at hand.
Shock warped Kroen's previously impassive face.
-Soon, the continent's twilight and dawn shall reverse.
"..."
Kroen furrowed her brow.
It spoke of darkness vast enough to blanket the entire world beginning to stir.
Images of burning cities filled her mind.
-Swear fealty to the White Shadow, and I'll free you from this place. I'll return tomorrow—have your answer ready by then.
Flutter.
The palm vanished into the sky with eerie flaps.
"..."
A moment later.
Kroen let out a chuckle.
"I hate belonging to anyone, but..."
Desperate times changed the equation.
Borrow their power, and escaping this hell was trivial.
Moreover-
If their words rang true, this elven city would soon be engulfed in flames.
And only darkness would remain.
No cause for hesitation.
"Kroen. Regarding your request."
A short while later.
The warden arrived with her meal—and the news she'd awaited—but Kroen was indifferent.
She had already resolved herself; her mind was fixed on tomorrow.
"Our investigation in Ilratten found no one with aptitude to inherit your vision."
"I see."
Normally, panic would choke her.
But with escape assured, it hardly mattered.
"However, a letter arrived: Lord Rishir has expressed interest in your vision."
"What!?"
Kroen shot to her feet.
Escape, reclaim freedom, join the darkness.
Or remain a prisoner, vision plundered by her nemesis.
No contest.
Yet somehow.
"Interested in my vision...?"
Her mind, set on tomorrow, wavered.