Ch.166Black Magic War – 3

Looking at the approaching horde of what were called monsters, the first thing Christine thought of were the sacrifices she had offered to her god and the sinners who rightfully needed to repent.

Those who had their limbs torn apart and spines ripped out as they repented before God. She wondered if the remnants left after offering sacrifices somehow came alive, they might look just like these grotesque creatures.

“More coming from the left! Don’t retreat!”

“Help me! Help me! Aaagh!”

Shouts encouraging the soldiers echoed together with the screams of someone unfortunate enough to be dragged away by monsters and torn apart alive.

The boy was also wildly swinging his greatsword on the wall, moving nimbly in all directions. Beside him was a muscular giant, likewise wielding a greatsword.

Only one person, Christine, took no action. For some reason, the boy had discouraged her from getting directly involved.

Despite her merely watching from behind, the soldiers seemed to be under some grand delusion, shouting things like “The Holy Maiden is infusing us with divine power!” as they charged at the enemy.

The boy, knowing that Christine wasn’t doing anything, gave her a strange look but apparently decided there was no need to ruin the atmosphere by pointing it out, so he kept quiet.

‘My God. What exactly am I supposed to do…?’

Her thoughts remained confused. What was supposedly impossible? What miracle was she meant to perform? And for what purpose should she act?

She couldn’t guess any of it.

Help her god defeat the monsters attacking the city? It seemed difficult, but not absolutely impossible. It didn’t seem like something that would require what one would call a miracle.

Save people? Christine had no intention of caring whether anyone besides the boy lived or died. If that was why it was called impossible, then it would be an understandable reason.

To begin with, what was she supposed to do with Christina’s body, which wasn’t even her own?

While Christine was lost in confusion, the front line was gradually pushed back. The wall had already been breached, and now they were fighting the monsters at hastily erected wooden barricades.

No matter how valiantly the soldiers fought, no matter how frantically the boy raged, there seemed to be no end to the invading forces.

But the worst enemy was something else entirely.

“Black rain! It’s black rain! Everyone fall back!”

It was black rain pouring from the sky.

Most of the black rain dissipated upon hitting the protective barrier that enveloped the entire city, but occasionally a drop or two would slip through the cracks and fall into the city.

People died without even having time to scream. Their bodies withered and twisted as they collapsed.

Fireballs quickly struck the area, burning everything to ashes, but the more than hundred people who had already died did not return.

This catastrophe was caused by just a single drop of black rain.

Christine finally understood why the seemingly useless mana barrier surrounded the city. It wasn’t to stop the monsters, but to block this black rain.

The reason the mages weren’t visible was the same. While soldiers could somehow hold off the monsters, they couldn’t defend against this black rain.

Looking at the pouring black rain, Christine realized that it emanated almost the same power as the black-haired woman who had taken her god away.

‘Then, that means…’

This must be the black mana that her god had been so wary of.

She stared blankly at the burning city and the people who had died looking like withered mummies, casualties of the magical aftermath. The people nearby didn’t even mourn at the sight.

It was a desperate battle. The monsters were gradually breaking through the temporary barricades and advancing. In a matter of minutes, even those barricades would be breached.

This was supposedly a memory that Christina Hildegard had personally experienced. And she was meant to perform a miracle that would make the impossible possible within this memory.

That meant that Christine’s god had somehow survived this situation.

“Holy Maiden.”

Just then, the boy approached Christine. He was covered in rotten blood from head to toe, emanating a terrible stench.

Of course, Christine didn’t mind at all whether the boy smelled or was covered in rotten blood. She even felt the urge to clean that filth off his body herself.

“It seems we need to pull back the front line a bit. I’ve heard the mages’ mana is reaching its limit. The protective barrier will shrink further.”

True to his words, the barrier’s range had diminished considerably compared to before. In turn, the fires burning throughout the city grew more intense.

“It’s dangerous for you to stay here. Let’s retreat.”

Just as Christine was about to nod and follow the boy, as she would never disobey her god’s instructions—

“Master. Where are you trying to go again?”

At the clear female voice, the boy’s body stiffened. His hand gripping the greatsword turned white. The tip of the blade trembled slightly.

Christine reacted similarly. That voice. It was the voice of that cursed woman who had abducted her god. Her yellow eyes filled with murderous intent.

The woman who had made Christine feel defeat and committed the grave sin of taking her god away. That voice was impossible to forget.

“I’m right here, watching you, so where are you trying to escape to? Hmm? Hmm?”

Strangely, this time her murderous intent didn’t subside at all. Until now, whenever she tried to summon her killing intent, her mind would quickly calm down, but not anymore.

Perhaps this was proof that Christina also harbored great hatred toward that woman.

“It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter where you try to escape to. I’ll just kill everyone. I’ll kill them all, until only you and I remain in this world. I will. I definitely will. I’ll kill everything else until only you and I are left in this world.”

At this sinister warning, the city erupted in panic. People already terrified by the black rain fell into deeper panic and raised their voices.

“It’s a demon! That must be a demon’s voice!”

“We’re all going to die! It said it’s going to kill us all!”

The fear spread instantly. It was useless for the guards to shout themselves hoarse trying to calm everyone down. The clamor only grew louder.

Looking at the scene with mixed emotions, the boy let out a long sigh. Then, biting his lip, he met Christine’s eyes. Those black pupils were filled with sadness.

“Holy Maiden.”

“…”

“Did I… did I do something wrong?”

“…”

“Should I not have rejected that woman’s demands? Should I have accepted when she asked me to kill all my comrades and run away with her, promising to take care of me forever?”

“…”

“Should I not have resisted when she said she would lock me in a basement and never let me go outside?”

“…”

“I… I don’t know.”

The boy, Christine’s god, hung his head low.

“After things escalated to this point, I tried negotiating with her. I told her I would do as she asked if she would stop. But it didn’t work at all. She said the very fact that I had anywhere to return to besides her arms was wrong, and that she would annihilate all humans, leaving only her and me, so I wouldn’t need to worry anymore. It’s ridiculous. What exactly am I not supposed to worry about?”

This was the first time she had heard the boy’s inner thoughts. So she listened silently.

“The world changed like this because of one wrong choice I made… Can I really say it’s not my fault?”

Christine couldn’t answer. She wanted to kiss his feet and tell him it certainly wasn’t her god’s fault, but her mouth felt sealed shut, making it impossible to speak.

No matter how hard she tried to open her mouth, no words came out, not even a choking sound.

“Holy Maiden.”

At an old man’s voice, the boy, who was about to be consumed by sadness, turned his head. Christine’s gaze naturally followed the boy’s.

There was a priest approaching, wearing a worn-out robe and preciously holding a palm-sized goddess statue against his chest. His hair had turned white, and his face was deeply wrinkled.

Seeing the priest, the boy took a step back, indicating this wasn’t his place to interfere.

“All devotees except one have fulfilled their mission.”

Mission?

Before Christine could question this, the priest held out the goddess statue he had been preciously holding. When she instinctively took it, she felt a warm energy in her hands.

“Now, it’s time for me to fulfill my mission.”

Painfully kneeling down, he pulled out a small dagger from his robe.

“Soon we will become nothing. The fact that the Compassion Order existed and was worshipped by people, the fact that our order’s deity existed in people’s hearts—all of it will disappear. Even the memory will be forgotten from people’s minds, and all traces will vanish.”

The priest brought the dagger to his neck.

“But if this can save people, I have no regrets.”

The blade cut into his neck.

“I entrust the rest to you, Holy Maiden.”

Without hesitation, the dagger sliced across. The front of his neck was half-severed, and red blood gushed from the wound. The priest’s hands and robe were stained with blood.

The old body slowly collapsed forward.

Christine stood there in a daze watching this.

No, “Christina” stood there in a daze.

Her body wouldn’t move. Though she could clearly see the world through her eyes, she couldn’t control her body at will. She felt trapped in the coffin that was Christina’s physical form.

Christina clutched the goddess statue tightly to her chest. The statue transformed into a golden light and was absorbed into her body, completely disappearing.

Christine, no, Christina turned her head to look at the boy.

“Holy Maiden…?”

The boy called out to Christina with an anxious voice, but Christina kept her mouth shut and merely smiled compassionately.

Suddenly, an overwhelming divine power emanating golden light burst from her body. It was so intense that the boy had to shield his eyes momentarily.

Christina’s body began to float slowly into the air.

“It is not your fault.”

All eyes in the city focused on Christina. It was understandable, as the Holy Maiden, already the center of attention, was now rising toward the sky enveloped in golden light.

Among them were people weeping, claiming a miracle had occurred. Most others were offering prayers, though it wasn’t clear to whom.

“So please, do not blame yourself.”

Christina brought her hands together in prayer to her god. The golden light surrounding her body intensified to a level incomparable to moments before.

“If there is one thing I wish for,”

The sky brightened.

From high above, divinity poured down.

“I only ask that you remember me.”

Into the world, a god descended.

The floating sensation that had been consuming her entire body gradually subsided. Her darkened vision began to brighten again. The scattered fragments of space and time gathered together, forming a geometric shape.

Countless times overlapped, and vast spaces were superimposed to create a world. And Christine stood at the center of the moment of creation.

She blinked. Only then did she realize she had her eyes open. It still didn’t feel real. Her yellow pupils dilated as they absorbed the light.

“Keh-huk, hnnnngh…!”

Christine was in a forest.