Ch.277Chapter 277 – The Heavenly Horse Tears the Sky

“I see the devil is truly a devil after all. Unlike other heretics, this one is becoming increasingly difficult to deal with.”

Eterna, fighting against Aegir, realized that as time passed, the battle situation was turning increasingly unfavorable for her.

Her body, enhanced to its limits with dozens of holy magic spells, was gradually growing exhausted.

Yet Aegir, who had awakened his hidden power to face her, showed no signs of fatigue whatsoever.

‘How unfortunate. It seems I misjudged my opponent’s strength.’

Eterna was painfully aware of the consequences brought about by her carelessness.

Instead of rushing in recklessly when the opponent appeared alone, thinking it was a golden opportunity, she should have properly assessed his abilities first…

Why had the opponent appeared alone?

Wasn’t it because he had the confidence to face everyone by himself?

Failing to consider this and suddenly engaging in battle with him was her own mistake.

But soon, Eterna shook off all negative thoughts.

‘However, that doesn’t mean I can retreat now.’

She reminded herself once more of who she was.

I am the Saint of the Solar Order and the Chief Inquisitor.

Haven’t I purified countless heretics on my way here, leading them to new lives?

If I cannot defeat even one of the Demon God’s subordinates, can I truly say I’m fulfilling my role as a Saint?

‘No, I cannot.’

Yet Eterna realized that, somehow, she was hesitating to advance forward in her battle against Aegir.

As she exchanged attacks and defenses with Aegir, Eterna discovered that one lingering attachment remained in her heart.

‘It seems I still have an attachment left within me.’

That attachment was her desire to be with the man she had given her heart to and adored.

The reason she wasn’t giving her all, despite thinking she was, was because of this one lingering attachment in her heart.

For Eterna, the man she had given her heart to, Pathos, wasn’t just someone who caught her eye.

He was the only opportunity given to her as the Saint of the Solar Order.

What opportunity? The chance for her, who had to live her entire life alone, to welcome a life companion.

Eterna had thought that even if an opportunity to have a companion arose, she would not accept it if the person was unworthy.

But Pathos wasn’t unworthy; he was quite an attractive match for Eterna.

It would be hard to give up even an unworthy companion, let alone an attractive one.

However, Pathos now had formidable women like Regina and Cheonhyeryeong firmly by his side, making it difficult for a mere saint like her to even approach him.

Therefore, her only wish was:

‘If only I could confirm our feelings for each other and spend even just one day with Lord Pathos…’

To confirm their feelings for each other and spend even just one day together.

Come to think of it, she had spent much time around him, but she never really knew how he felt about her.

‘If I unleash my final, secret technique, I could certainly defeat that devil. But…’

There was a reason Eterna hesitated to use her secret technique.

‘Because after offering all my life and possibilities as a sacrifice to achieve one “certain” victory… I would definitely leave this world.’

Among the knowledge bestowed upon her by the Sun God after she was chosen as a Saint, the holy magic she received last:

‘Holy Sacrifice’ would bring certain victory by offering everything the Saint had as a sacrifice, but the caster would inevitably die.

That’s why Eterna was hesitating to use it.

While she should use it for certain victory, what if an even stronger being appeared after defeating Aegir?

And what about her life? The life she had to live after being chosen as a Saint against her will?

‘I must endure as much as possible. I must!’

Eterna resolved to keep her final measure as a last resort and once again engaged in battle with Aegir.

“Saint, you showed hesitation in your attacks until just now, but now you’re different!”

“Of course! I was thinking about how to defeat you to reassure everyone!”

Eterna responded boldly to Aegir’s mocking words, declaring that she would defeat him.

At this, Aegir smiled and began to intensify his attacks.

“Excellent! That’s how a Saint should be!”

Amid Aegir’s terrifying attacks, Eterna was barely managing to withstand them.

If she hadn’t been using a thick iron pillar as a weapon, it would have been destroyed long ago.

But the iron pillar in her hands was relatively intact except for some visible damage here and there.

‘This is bad. It seems my weapon is reaching its limit.’

However, it had held up until now because it was an iron pillar designed as a support for buildings.

Its core was already damaged to the point that it might break if the battle continued just a little longer.

Just as Eterna was gritting her teeth, trying to endure somehow, Aegir’s sword, Avoluon, sliced through the iron pillar she was holding.

“Oh no!”

Avoluon, imbued with Aegir’s energy, not only cut through the iron pillar but also tore part of Eterna’s clothing and left a large wound on her side.

However, Aegir stepped back as if showing mercy, and during that time, Eterna regained her stance.

‘The wound isn’t healing. I should have been more conservative with my holy magic.’

Blood was flowing from the wound on her side, but even Eterna’s healing magic couldn’t heal it.

This was because Aegir’s energy was preventing the wound from healing.

At this rate, Eterna’s collapse or death would become a reality.

‘Should I use it…?’

Eterna contemplated whether to use her final secret technique.

But every time she tried to use it, the image of Pathos kept appearing before her eyes.

‘I’m sorry. I wanted to be a good person for you…’

Eterna steeled her resolve.

Even if it cost her life, she would defeat Aegir.

For this, if she had to use her final measure, she would definitely use it.

Just as Eterna was about to recite the incantation for ‘Holy Sacrifice’—

“I have come because I heard there is an impious one who dares call himself a ‘devil.'”

Suddenly, Cheonhyeryeong appeared!

“Hmm?”

Aegir was taken aback.

An unexpected intruder had burst into the scene of what should have been a sacred, honorable duel.

He was about to get angry at the interruption of the sacred duel, but the moment he saw through the essence of the being who had intruded, all his anger disappeared.

‘Oh, OH! What a nearly perfect vessel!’

In Aegir’s eyes, the woman called Cheonhyeryeong was a vessel perfectly suited to contain the Demon God.

Among the various sacrifices needed for the revival of the Demon God Enceladus, securing a vessel was absolutely necessary.

And now, a perfect vessel had appeared before Aegir.

A physical body that effortlessly contained a large and powerful energy that couldn’t be considered human.

Such a body was the most suitable vessel for the revival of the Demon God!

“Truly remarkable. How did you reach such a state with a human body?”

“I have nothing to say to an impious one who dares to falsely claim to be a devil before me, the supreme being of all demonic arts.”

Cheonhyeryeong dismissed Aegir’s question with a single sentence.

It was a clear statement of disregard for Aegir.

But Aegir didn’t mind her disrespect.

He thought that if he could persuade this woman after enduring a moment of anger, she would surely join his great cause.

“My lady, why do you refuse Lord Enceladus, the Sky? If you wish, you could accept Lord Enceladus and become the Sky yourself!”

But Aegir’s attempt to persuade Cheonhyeryeong backfired.

“You do not know who I am. I am Cheonma, the foremost among all demons, the one who subjugates all demons. You say I need to embrace someone to become the Sky?”

Cheonhyeryeong laughed at Aegir and began to gather the inner power of the Cheonma Divine Art.

“That’s quite amusing. Who embraces whom, you say?”

As Cheonhyeryeong, who had fully drawn upon the power of the Cheonma Divine Art, thrust her fist toward the sky, the heavens split apart.

“I am not just the Sky itself, but beyond it.”