NOVEL NEXT Chapter 238
“There’s no need to wait; let’s finish this quickly.”
The wind, the lightning, and the light are all fast.
Since I’ve opened my full power, there’s no need to suppress it as long as this power doesn’t spread beyond the world.
“Lightning Strike.”
The golden magic spreading from my right hand began to sparkle with a blue light.
Different from the Divine Power of the Moon Goddess, and different from Arpe’s white, it was blue.
As the Golden Wind and blue lightning merged, they began to gather into the spear I gripped in my right hand.
“…Lux, Arpe.”
Arpe also lightly set aside her white spear and lowered her stance.
And then.
At the same time, we dashed forward.
We thrust our attacks toward each other’s hearts, twisting our bodies and letting our attacks slide.
Kaang!
Thrusting, stabbing, slashing, and plunging.
There’s no time to think about where and how to strike.
The only thought is to attack.
What Arpe aims for is my heart, that of Lucius.
What I aim for is Arpe’s ‘white spear.’
If she plans to break my possession here, I’ll forcefully suppress and smash the Holy Sword itself with my magic.
Crack!
Light bursts out in all directions.
White, gold, and blue magic leap up, creating chaos around us.
A very faint red splashes to the ground, mixing in.
The pure white garden created by Lux Makina becomes tainted with all colors, and the white spear begins to lose its light gradually.
Like cracks breaking apart.
Like shards of broken glass falling away.
While receiving Arpe’s attack with my shield, I continue to launch attacks solely targeted at the white spear.
“Arpe.”
I reached forward for the final blow.
“You still have the habit of lightly twisting your ankle when grabbing a weapon.”
“!!”
By the time I realized it, it was already too late.
“Pierce through! Gungnir.”
Ka────ang!
The Holy Spear is thrust forward.
As if a stained glass was shattered, the white light’s magic broke into pieces, scattering in all directions.
“…Hah.”
Arpe pierced through the white spear and grinned at the Holy Spear resting on her throat.
“…In the end, I still can’t beat you, can I?”
“Just like always.”
Just like before.
It’s just that—
“If I ever did win, would you cry and throw a tantrum like last time?”
“…I’ve lived another 500 years.”
That was just me conceding to Arpe.
Now, the battle is over.
I approached Arpe, who was on the verge of collapse, with the rapier still stuck to the ground.
“Are you okay?”
“…I won’t hold your hand.”
Arpe firmly refused my hand.
“Even if it’s your hand, it’s the hand of your disciple.”
“…Ah, I see.”
Correction.
If my body were my human body instead of Lucius’s, maybe Arpe would have held my hand.
“I did my best.”
“I know.”
“Then why couldn’t I win?”
“Because it’s you.”
Regrettably, that is the answer.
“Every being in this world couldn’t win against you. You’ve become a demigod of light, and anyone who knows your existence wouldn’t even dare to think about beating you.”
“Except for you?”
“Except for me.”
It was because it was me that I won.
“If it weren’t for the disciple named Lucius, you would have…”
“I would have won, right? I might not have had the 100% certainty of winning like Lucius, but if there was someone with a well-trained body that could react just enough to your sword, I would have used that body to fight.”
The one secret to winning against Arpe is singular.
You block or evade the opponent’s attacks.
With just the right reaction speed and strength, anyone can defeat Arpe.
“What do you think? Simple, right?”
“…You’re probably the only one in the world who can do that.”
“That’s why I won.”
People often say that victory is sweet, but this is anything but sweet.
It’s not sweet at all; it’s rather bitter.
“Arpe. You…”
“If you’re worried about your disciple, it’s fine. Sleipnir would have some awareness of this situation.”
With a nod, Sleipnir looked at me expectantly.
Given that it had threatened me 500 years ago as a planetary cutter under the Red Moon Goddess, it was quite apparent that it was cautious around me.
“This conversation, don’t let Lucius know. You can do that, right?”
[I promise. Stopping audio recording for a moment.]
Zzzzz.
Sleipnir’s eyes briefly flashed and then stopped.
From its perspective, the existence known as the ‘Demon King’ was a rather vague criterion, making it ambiguous whom to assist.
Nevertheless.
In this situation where Arpe has fallen.
I couldn’t just have a conversation between a witch and a former hero.
I was somewhat grateful that this guy was prioritizing Lucius in this situation.
“Is it because it’s the wind? You’re quite perceptive for a spirit device.”
Arpe plopped down onto the ground.
“Alright. You win. Do as you please. What will you do?”
“What will I do? I’ll crush Asydia.”
What do you mean what will I do?
“I can’t just let the organization that bears my daughter’s name do such things. I will stop them. I will wipe out Asydia and find Zephar’s life vessel to ensure not a single remnant remains.”
“If you do that…”
“Then my daughter, Asydia, will not return.”
In the first place, there’s no way Asydia could manifest in this world just because Zephar and the organization have performed a ritual.
But there’s a world of difference between not trying at all and trying to do something.
“And once all the battles are over, I will do as you wish.”
“…You don’t mean…?”
“Aren’t you keeping that body in reserve for a reason? The body of Asydia. Asydia wants that too…”
I haven’t heard the last words yet, but I’m expecting it.
“A great magic that manipulates time and space. Time inside the glass tube is not stopped. The soul has departed, leaving only the body, but the time of the body remains as it was when the soul departed. So it doesn’t decay even after hundreds of years.”
Preservation of corpses.
My specialty.
“My great magic was learned by my daughter, and she cast it on her own body.”
As a master of possession and corpse manipulation, ensuring that my departed body doesn’t decay is my top priority.
And I developed such magic, still using it effectively to this day.
“…Do you want to hear the last words?”
“Yes.”
My daughter, Asydia, why she remains in the glass tube not buried in the earth or cremated, in a state that doesn’t rot but looks just as she did before her death.
“If Asydia were to descend upon this land, if her body couldn’t be saved, she wished to use her own body.”
“…….”
“Though she may not meet her father directly, she left behind a body for her father later.”
“……Hah.”
Since it’s Lucius’s body, there’s no overwhelming feeling.
“To go that far for a father she has never seen. My daughter is quite extraordinary…”
Instead.
Something feels like it’s shaking in my soul.
“Fine. I’ll honor that last wish. I’ll become Asydia.”
The situation is quite peculiarly twisted, but in the end, isn’t it just about having everything go well?
“Arpe. Thank you.”
“Thank you? It’s only fair that the winner takes everything. I was trying to take you away. From this world. From your disciple.”
“Still, I’m grateful. As someone who has seen the defeated not acknowledging their loss and rampaging, it’s a bit terrifying.”
A former hero of the wind, for instance.
The Red Moon Goddess, for instance.
“…Lux Makina.”
Swoosh.
With Arpe’s words, the spirit device began to vanish in white light.
At the same time, the pure white space enveloping us slowly turned into mist, and we returned to the island where we fought.
Having fought in a pocket dimension using Lux Makina’s power, the castle suffered no damage at all.
The ground only bore the remnants of the battle between Arpe and me from earlier.
“Witch.”
Arpe extended her fist toward me, looking somewhat awkward.
“I’ll leave the aftermath to you. Well then—”
Thwook.
A blue light.
Pierced through Arpe’s chest.
“…In this one moment of negligence. How many years have I waited for this moment?”
A long sword-like, great sword of blue light starts to dye Arpe’s white dress in red in an instant.
“Lux Makina. What a nice name it is, no matter when you hear it.”
Slurp.
Arpe collapsed down.
The blonde man who appeared behind Arpe grabbed the Holy Sword that was held in her hand.
“You are….”
“Don’t move, witch. The moment you do, I’ll blow that castle away.”
The man, the Pope, pointed at the castle and laughed at me.
“I won’t say who I am, as hearing it is pointless. Heh, as a colleague of the ‘Council,’ I shall keep your secret.”
“You… You don’t mean…?”
“Take her away.”
Swish.
With a flick of the Pope’s Holy Power, Arpe was thrown towards me.
I immediately checked Arpe’s condition, but her body began to die within moments.
“This… this is… dying….”
“Don’t say anything, you fool!”
“You said that you didn’t understand kids who keep talking while dying…. But still.”
Arpe chuckled faintly, lightly punching my chest.
“Thank you. Always.”
She just tapped me.
And then.
Just as Lux Makina vanished, Arpe turned into a burst of light and disappeared.
“The human body held out for quite a while. She must have gone to the Moon Goddess. May I extend my condolences to the deceased.”
“You, you….”
“Now you finally see me. How could you not notice me right in front of you? Was ‘our’ disguise that good?”
Clack.
A maid with navy blue hair appeared behind the Pope.
“Lily…?”
“Hello. It’s been a while.”
“Let’s catch up later. ‘Witch.’ Where no one else can hear us.”
Flutter.
The Pope placed his hand on Lily’s waist and jumped upward in an instant.
Something huge and gray revealed itself behind them.
“You, you…!”
“Farewell.”
“Lucifer──────!!”
Whoosh.
Along with the gray apparition, the Pope—Lucifer vanished, taking Maid Lily with him.