Chapter 570: The Cinder-Covered Sin and the God of Stitched-Together Skin - 5
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 570: The Cinder-Covered Sin and the God of Stitched-Together Skin - 5
Though their methods differ, all Saintesses possess the power to see the future. One might see a reality yet to come, another her own unchanging future self, and another might read the threads of causality.
Among them, however, the future seen by the Saintess of the Sky is distinctly different.
Mayel, the Saintess of the Sky, forces the future into being.
The exact principle is unknown. The powers of the Saintesses were all bestowed by the Saintess of Origin, so even Mayel herself does not fully understand it, and the Regressor, who only heard of it from other futures, has but a fragmented knowledge.
However, according to the Regressor’s memory, the Saintess of the Sky, Mayel, can ‘select’ the future at any given moment.
A future where Nevida does not exist. A future where Nevida is wounded. A future that erases Nevida from the world, moment by moment. She wields the power of foresight as pure, unadulterated force.
Wind, clouds, temperature, light. Unlike the steadfast and unchanging Mother Earth, all the ever-shifting energies of the Sky God converge in ways disadvantageous to Nevida. Mayel compels a continuous stream of worst-case scenarios, orchestrating a series of disasters aimed at killing a single person.
This is why Mayel is, among all the Saintesses, the most overwhelmingly powerful. Saintesses typically lack combat prowess and are protected by a dedicated military force known as the Crusaders. But the Saintess of the Sky is a powerhouse capable of facing a nation alone.
Were her opponent any lesser being, Mayel could erase them from this world simply by dreaming it.
This time, however, her opponent was no lesser being.
“Light is so fleeting, fading faster than a single flower.”
A small branch, laden with leaves, brushed past the Saintess of the Sky, who was formed from a halo of light. The branch that dared to touch the Saintess instantly withered and burst into flames, but a clear wound was left where the leaves had swept past.
Plants are rooted in the earth, growing by taking in light and water. They are the devourers of light, transmuting the grace of the sky into their own lives. In that brief moment, the leaves ‘improved’ by Nevida had greedily swallowed the light.
Mayel spoke calmly, as if she had expected this.
[You who have survived. You who know that life and death are a cycle, do you still cling to the dead, unable to let go of your attachments?]
“And you? Are you not obeying a harlot who is already dead?”
Nevida scoffed at Mayel and raised a hand. In her dry, hard hand, like that of an ancient tree, she held a small branch.
“Is there a need for more words? My master is the King, and yours is the harlot who betrayed him and shacked up with another. Should we not, then, follow the natural order and distinguish right from wrong through a contest of strength?”
[Not everything can be solved with power. That is why the King of Humans vanished from this land. For humanity to become truly noble, it must abandon the logic of power.]
“No. The King vanished because you harlots betrayed him.”
Finishing her words, Nevida slammed the branch into the ground. The Little World Tree. The sapling of the previous World Tree and the foundation for the new one instantly took root and sprouted new shoots.
The light that had filled the area began to recede. The world, which had been too bright to look at, gradually came into focus.
I looked up. The hole that had been torn in the forest was closing. Even the pillar of light, which seemed capable of incinerating everything, shattered against the burgeoning leaves, scattering in every direction.
The scattered light spread out, causing the mountains, rivers, and plants to flourish even more. The land, now in full bloom with all manner of rare and wondrous flowers, looked like a paradisical garden that had appeared out of nowhere.
“How absurd for you to say such things, you who drove out the King with something that wasn't even the logic of power. The King shall return to this land.”
[…Even so, please do not resort to extremes.]
From all around, plants and caves rushed forth to swallow the light. Vines and thorns, leaves and branches reached out, targeting the light that formed Mayel’s body.
But for some reason, the reaching branches and leaves suddenly lost their direction, scattering aimlessly, as if the very possibility of them reaching Mayel had been eliminated.
Mayel looked at Nevida with unfocused eyes and spoke.
[Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. Just as I could kill all of you, but do not. The world should be beautiful, it should be gentle, it should sing of love and mercy. Power capable of breaking humanity should not exist.]
“The King does not break humans. He merely affirms the purer human.”
[That in itself will lead to the breaking of humanity. Humans have already obtained the power to break themselves. And someone who resembles you will pull the trigger leading to ruin over some trivial emotion.]
“Whether that will come to pass, I will ask when we have brought back the King.”
Nevida smiled as she connected with her Divine.
The Tree of Genesis. The power connected to the source of life transformed force into life itself. The leaves and branches that couldn't reach Mayel were gradually pushed inward as the space to avoid her vanished.
Regardless of Mayel’s power, there was simply no more room. The ‘possibility’ of the growing plants missing Mayel was gone. The forest swelled as if it were exploding, and the new shoots had no other future to choose. The aloof Mayel was finally breached by the vegetation. Leaves and thorny vines violently ravaged her entire body, swallowing her whole.
“Come in your true form next time. That is the proper courtesy to show the King.”
*
One was the strongest of the Saintesses residing in the Sanctum. The other was a symbol of savagery, a living Divine. There was no room for ordinary people like me to interfere in a battle between two such absolute beings. On the contrary, I had to find a corner to hide in.
The Regressor had wanted to get me out, but it was impossible to break through the green barrier that was growing in real-time. The best I could do was secure a space for myself using Earth Art and Druism.
“Teacher!”
While I was fighting for my life against the encroaching plants, Rasch, who was in no better a situation, approached me. Shielding Callis with his own body, he pushed through the branches and shouted urgently.
“Callis is in danger! She might die if this continues!”
He was right.
I had the Divine of Tyr. The Regressor had her Qi Art. Rasch had the power of the Undying. Each of us had something to rely on, allowing us to barely cling to life amidst the clash of these colossal powers.
But that was only for those with power. The other Undying, whose strength had been reclaimed by the Sacrificial Vessel, and Callis, who was an ordinary human aside from her mana, were having their lives threatened with every passing moment. Perhaps it was due to Mayel’s consideration that they avoided being blinded by staring directly at the light, but…
A world where the air boiled, trees burned, and plants grew, feeding on that very heat, was far too harsh for an ordinary person. Seeing Callis, who had collapsed as if unconscious with twigs embedded all over her body, I expressed my sympathy.
“Oh, dear. That’s a shame.”
“Is that all you have to say?!”
“What do you want me to do? I’m barely surviving myself. I don’t have time to worry about anyone else’s life!”
Rasch, in his panic, seemed to want to grab anyone and scream, but he must have realized that complaining to me was useless, so he changed his words.
“Teacher, it’s not just Callis. My kin are in peril as well! Isn’t there anything we can do?”
“What can we do! As long as those two are fighting, there’s nothing for us. We can only pray we survive!”
“That’ll be too late! The Sacrificial Vessel has reclaimed its power, so my kin have been weakened! If this fight doesn’t end right now, I’ll be the only one left alive!” Rasch shouted, pushing through the suffocating undergrowth.
Right now, Nevida and Mayel were fighting to fill the space with their respective powers. If this kept up, it wasn't an exaggeration to say we could actually suffocate on branches.
For an ordinary person to survive here…
“…I think there might be one way to survive. Though it would only be surviving, nothing more.”
“That’s enough! What is it?”
“The Undying’s power weakened because the Sacrificial Vessel took it back, right? Then just have it returned.”
“But the Sacrificial Vessel was struck by that foul omen and became a tree…!”
“Yes. It became a tree. It didn’t disappear, did it?”
At my words, Rasch’s eyes widened as he stared at the spot where the Sacrificial Vessel had been. The brown tree, strangely resembling a human figure, stood exactly as it had when it first grew.
Unchanging, even as the sky was torn asunder and the landscape was reshaped by Mayel and Nevida’s battle. As steadfast as an ancient tree that had stood its ground for millennia.
“Yes. That fruit is the essence of the Sacrificial Vessel, with only its ‘power’ remaining after countless deaths. It’s a fruit made from all the flesh scattered across this land. If you eat it… if you devour it, just as the Sacrificial Vessel did, you’ll gain its power. Then, perhaps, strength will return to the Undying who have found their god again.”
“But Callis isn’t Undying! Even if I eat it, Callis will…!”
“You’re right. Miss Callis isn’t Undying. Not yet, anyway.”
Rasch was slow to grasp my meaning. For a brief moment, fear flickered across his face. The Sacrificial Vessel was a being that had survived by borrowing the bodies of others. He had no way of knowing what Callis would become if she took that power, or what he would have to do if she did change.
But one thing was certain: if things continued as they were, Callis would die.
“Callis! Just hold on a little longer!”
Rasch ran, holding Callis in his arms. A sharp twig grazed his cheek, but he was grateful for it. At least the twig that struck him wouldn't be able to hurt Callis.
Shaking off the vines that clung to his arms and legs, Rasch scrambled up the tree of the Sacrificial Vessel. Ruthlessly trampling on this different form of the god he revered, he grabbed the fruit with his right arm. As he forcefully plucked it, red juice, like blood, gushed out.
“Forgive me for feeding you this fruit without asking!”
The unconscious Callis did not answer. Rasch chewed the fruit himself, then pried open Callis’s mouth and pushed it inside.
And so, a new Sacrificial Vessel was born. What will become of them, I do not know.
But one thing is certain: everyone got what they wanted.
Rasch saved his people and his bride, and the Undying reclaimed their god. Callis gained a formidable power she could never have obtained in the Military State. And she found love on top of it all. How fortunate for her.
And the Sacrificial Vessel survived. Whether it was in the form it desired, I cannot say.
Now, I don’t need to worry about them anymore. I just need to take care of myself.
Just in time, the battle between the two was coming to an end.