Chapter 390: The Lightning Did Not Fall From the Sky - 9
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 390: The Lightning Did Not Fall From the Sky - 9
The most dangerous moment is not when the path ahead is dark, nor when you agonize over countless choices, nor when your heart is filled with doubt.
Rather, it is when everything feels clear, when you are certain there is only one path left, and when your heart is filled with faith. That is when a person becomes more dangerous than anything else—to themselves, and to the world.
At the end of her deliberations, the Thunderarch chose her faith.
Because lightning alone couldn't kill him, she drew a sword she rarely used. Under the cover of the thick mist, she ambushed him from behind. Filled with conviction, she was an angel carrying out the will of the heavens, and the King of Humans was neutralized without being able to mount any real defense. Lightning coursed through the blade, shaking his body.
But only for a moment. The lightning vanished as quickly as it came—that ability of his to discharge electricity. All that remained was the blade. To ensure a perfect finish, the Thunderarch put more strength into the hand gripping the sword.
Just then, the blade snapped like a piece of kindling. The sharp steel of the sword’s body crumbled into nothing.
That wasn't all. A sinister energy washed over the area, encroaching upon the space. It was dangerous to others, but it was the power of Wither, even more lethal to the Thunderarch and her perfect body. That power, which destroyed all structure, began by disintegrating the blade and then reached for the Thunderarch herself.
The Thunderarch drew upon the power of thunder to protect herself. Since contact would cause her power to discharge, she had no choice but to pull away from his body. As the blade that had pierced his stomach vanished, his body lost its balance and collapsed forward.
The attack had been fatal, but he wasn't dead yet. To confirm the kill, she had to move quickly. The Thunderarch spoke to Peru.
[Withdraw your power, Witherarch.]
Peru stared at the clearly deranged Thunderarch with a look of disbelief.
“…Why? Lady Thunderarch, why him?”
[He is dangerous. For the future of the city, he must be eliminated.]
“…That can’t be right. How can killing someone… be for the sake of the future?”
Her stance was one of clear vigilance. It was only natural, after witnessing someone get stabbed before her very eyes. The Thunderarch exercised a bit of patience and tried to persuade her.
[As a ruler yourself, you must understand. Some secrets can easily destroy this world. The Golden Lord’s Bell you possess—revealing its secrets to all would not make this country any safer. In fact, it would become far more dangerous.]
“…Is that a reason to kill him?”
[He is the King of Humans. The representative of all humanity. Any secret he learns will one day belong to all humans. Just as the king represents humanity, so too do humans emulate their king.]
The Thunderarch extended her hand. A spark of lightning shot from her palm, searching the earth and rock, and pulled out scraps of iron that lay dormant within.
Claudia was the largest city in the Fallen Dominion. Discarded alchemic steel was hidden everywhere in the ground. The Thunderarch ran her hand over the assembled iron scraps. She, too, was a Primarch of the Fallen Dominion. Her lightning-infused alchemy wiped away the rust and tarnish, forging a sharp new blade.
The Angel of Thunder once again aimed the lightning-infused sword at the fallen King of Humans, who lay bleeding on the ground.
[I can overlook the matter of the Golden Lord, which is already known to the world, but I cannot allow him to learn the secret of the Lightning Thief. It will one day plunge all of humanity into suspicion. It will make them groan in agony.]
Peru was taken aback.
The King of Humans. She had heard of vampires, saintesses, and Beast Kings, but never a King of Humans. Perhaps such a person existed, but that was a question she might consider only after solving all the immediate problems in her life.
However, perhaps it was because he was such a being that he was traveling with the Progenitor.
Convinced, Peru quietly nodded her head. The Thunderarch, taking this as a sign of agreement, spoke with a brightened expression.
[You understand. I’m glad. In that case….]
The blade, which had been radiating a sharp aura, once again lost its light. The Thunderarch tried to channel lightning through it, but for the crumbled sword, the lightning was not a source of power but a burden. The blade snapped in half with a sharp crack.
Peru, having broken the sword in an instant, let out a deep sigh and said.
“…I am an alchemist. The only thing I believe in and follow is the law of value. There is no value in killing him.”
[Even if killing him protects the Fallen Dominion, and by extension, the future?]
“…Death is the loss of value. No matter the method, no matter the outcome.”
[It’s one step back for everyone to move forward.]
“…It’s different. It’s not a retreat. A value once lost does not change into something else. It never… comes back.”
Coming from the Witherarch, who possessed the ability to erase value, her words carried a unique weight. Convinced that Peru would not stand aside, the Thunderarch shook her head regretfully.
[It can’t be helped. I had intended to make you the Goldenarch, entrust this country to you, and establish order.]
The Thunderarch tossed the broken sword aside. Already crumbling and rusted, it made almost no sound as it fell. Now empty-handed, she opened her palm and reached toward the sky.
As long as she was in Claudia, the Thunderarch was supreme. As long as she wasn't discharged by some cowardly trick, all the power that spread throughout Claudia was hers. Using the Thunderarch’s hand as a lightning rod, the seeds of lightning permeating the clouds responded to her call.
[I won’t try to kill you. Survive on your own. Though I don’t know how long you’ll last in that broken body of yours.]
Thunder Catch. Gripping the lightning in her hand, she swung her arm downward. A flash of lightning sparked in the clouds, connecting the sky and the earth. A torrent of power overturned the ground and shook the heavens and earth.
After the deafening roar scattered into the distance and the kicked-up clumps of earth were pushed down by the clouds, the spot where the lightning had torn through was revealed. The Thunderarch frowned as she confirmed the state of her victims.
Sharp iron spikes had shot up, enclosing them like a cage. The Witherarch had countered with alchemy. It was a good response to lightning, but a lightning rod of that scale couldn't possibly block the full force of the strike.
However, it wasn't the hastily made lightning rod that had blocked the bolt.
“Ahaha! Father, you've been playing around with your lower half, and now a woman has stabbed you in the gut? I knew this day would come!”
Hilde, who had appeared out of nowhere, stood with a white light held in her hand.
Having effortlessly blocked the lightning, Hilde examined the fallen Hughes. His abdomen was pierced and bleeding, and he appeared to be unconscious. It was a fatal wound, but was it enough to make him lose consciousness…?
Just then, Hilde saw where his outstretched hand was pointing. He was clutching the kite tied to the Thunder God’s back. She let out a small snort, then sighed and covered his wound with her hand.
“Sigh~. No fun when you don't answer. I guess you were tastier on the inside than on the outside, Father. Seeing you collapsed like this is just pathetic and sad.”
Then, a white light shimmered, and his wound rewound itself, returning to its original state.
The Thunderarch knew what it was. She had never seen it in her life, but it, too, was related to faith. Though no one had taught her, the Thunderarch understood what kind of technique it was and what it required, as if she had known from the very beginning.
[Holy Power?]
Healing took time. Hilde kindly explained, buying herself some.
“Yes~! You see, I happen to have devout faith~. I can even recite the scriptures from memory! The Saintess of Origin anointed the sick with oil, and their wounds were healed and their illnesses cured. If you pray with all your heart while recalling that passage, my goodness! The entire universe conspires to create a miracle!”
[I know! Why are you healing him? You must know that this is the will of the Sky God….]
Muttering to herself, the Thunderarch received another piece of information and cried out.
[The Blank-Faced One! That heretic!]
“A heretic? What nonsense. How could someone who has forsaken their faith use Holy Power~?”
It was common sense. Only a devout human could use Holy Power. Holy Power was a force beyond mortal means, granted by the Sky God as he watched over humanity. Therefore, a human who lacked faith and did not follow the Sky God could not use Holy Power….
…And that was why Hilde had become a taboo of the Sanctum.
Before becoming a Crusader, Hilde had been an actress, and through her intense immersion in her roles, she could act out the genuine article. She could even act out being a ‘Crusader’ who used Holy Power through faith.
That was why the once most-promising Crusader had been dispatched to a place where no one could find her—to prevent anyone from even considering what her existence implied.
[A heretic, stealing and using the power of God…!]
“Heehee. Strange, isn't it? A heretic, an apostate. How does one steal the power of God? Can it even be stolen? Is a god who can have their power stolen truly omniscient and omnipotent?”
As Hilde finished her first aid and smiled, the Thunderarch’s lightning rained down on her once more. Realizing her identity, the Thunderarch unleashed her power without a shred of hesitation. However.
“Neither rain nor wind, nor lightning nor storm, could prevent the Saintess’s arrival.”
As Hilde placed a hand on her chest and recited a prayer, the lightning ‘missed.’ To say it simply missed was an understatement. The lightning swerved sharply as if avoiding Hilde and struck the ground.
It was something that had happened once in the distant past. A miracle performed by the Saintess of Origin herself. The tale of her crossing the continent through storms and lightning was realized across time, through faith.
[The Blessing of the Sky…!]
“See~? I can clearly use Holy Power. More skillfully than you, even! If that’s the case, doesn’t that mean my actions also have God’s permission?”
[You heretic!]
Even without the Blessing of the Sky, a Qi Practitioner who had reached a certain level was not greatly threatened by lightning. One who had achieved Heaven and Earth and grasped Water could even perform the feat of channeling lightning through their body and into the ground using Qi Arts.
The only way to fight her was hand-to-hand. Instead of pouring out more lightning, the Thunderarch cloaked her body in it once more to punish the heretic and eliminate the barbarian herself.
Hilde smiled sweetly at the approaching Angel of Thunder.
“By the way, I can do this, too.”
Hilde crossed her hands and caressed her own shoulders, her face sorrowful and pitiful, as if acting the part of a lonely soul.
“My faith is a single sword. With light, I shall cut down evil and illuminate the path. O, Saintess of Origin, watch over me.”
And then, Hilde drew blades of light from both of her shoulders. Exhaling deeply, she twirled the blades and muttered.
“Holy Sword, drawn.”
The reason the Crusaders were called Crusaders. Those who had forged their faith into a blade were granted a blessed weapon. They held within their hearts a Holy Sword that possessed a power beyond mortal means.
Without a shadow of a doubt, Hilde was a devout believer. The blades forged from the faith in her heart proved it….
“Cool, right? What do you think? My faith can produce a Holy Sword, too!”
[You scum!]
The Thunderarch’s lightning-fast fist fell. A fist clad in the power of thunder held a destructive force greater than lightning itself. In response, Hilde smoothly pulled her daggers back, deflecting the blow. The fist slid off her crossed blades at an angle.
Taking advantage of the opening created by deflecting the force, Hilde struck the Thunderarch’s side with a Qi-infused blow. Her stance broken, the Thunderarch couldn't respond in kind. Instead, she moved her body to meet the foot, as if blocking it. With a violent impact, their energies repelled each other, and they were both pushed back.
Hilde dusted off her foot and remarked.
“You actually hit my leg with your side. Are you saying that if your body is tough enough, you don't need strategy or technique? How brutish.”
[This, too, must be the providence of the heavens. I will uproot all future troubles here. Both you and that barbarian.]
“Can you really do that? You know, I just drew my Holy Sword, right? Even with a vampire right next to me!”
Throughout their journey, Hilde had barely shown any of her Holy Power. That was because the Progenitor, who would tear apart anything related to the Sky God on sight, had been watching her with hawk-like eyes. That sleepless, persistent, and powerful murder machine dedicated to the Sanctum had a strange sixth sense that allowed her to detect and track the presence of Holy Power like a ghost.
In the first place, no matter how skilled a Crusader she was, she should never have made a move right under the Progenitor’s nose. What kind of confidence had driven her to do this?
Now that she had someone to blame, Hilde used her Holy Power without restraint, intending to call the Progenitor. In just a moment, the vampire would come rushing over and erase everything related to the Sanctum.
But the Thunderarch replied as if she had anticipated it all.
[If you're talking about the Progenitor, she won't be coming.]