Ch.92Chapter 92. The Emptiness That Follows Revenge

If only I could say something besides shedding tears.

Arsil couldn’t bring herself to speak.

Her heart, heavy with emptiness and numbness, belatedly reminded her of what shame felt like.

She should at least apologize to him.

But in that moment, she feared what words might come back in response.

“Ugh…”

“Lin!”

Lin, who had been blocking Agreus’s attack, collapsed as the wound on his shoulder reopened.

Rabin, alarmed at the sight, quickly embraced Lin.

Seeing the cold sweat on his forehead, Arsil felt that everything was her fault.

And her feeling was probably right.

Arsil’s skill had ended, and the spherical holy power had dissipated.

“Give it to me…! The holy power!”

As Arsil regained her senses, Agreus became even more frenzied.

The Pope extended his tentacles again from atop his shrunken body—now smaller since the toxins that had been inflating his size were purified—but the Demon God wouldn’t just stand by while he only made things worse.

[What a fool. You haven’t even recovered yet!]

Without a flesh vessel to possess, the Demon God couldn’t manifest in the world.

Knowing that Agreus was useless now that Arsil had regained consciousness, Angria forcibly suppressed him.

[Hah, do I have to do everything myself for things to work properly?]

Agreus retreated back into the mass of flesh, and the Demon God’s voice echoed in their heads.

[Just hand over Lin quietly and I’ll let you stay by his side.]

“You expect me to believe that? I’ll never be your minion again!”

When Rabin shouted with resentment, the Demon God leisurely raised her tentacles.

[Oh really? You’re the ones rejecting my mercy. No regrets, right?]

“Arsil! That thing is vulnerable to holy power because it was created through impure methods. Use your skill quickly!”

At Lin’s urgent instruction, Arsil began to summon her holy power.

As sparks flew like lightning and holy power gathered in her hands, a chilling warning came to Arsil.

“If you move any further~ Rabin dies?”

From behind the Demon God’s left side, Sallemei appeared, brandishing her blue spear.

“How unfortunate, Rabin. I thought we could have been good friends.”

From the right side, Adora emerged, her gray bob hair swaying as she walked forward.

“You should really think this through.”

Rabin spat out bitterly, consumed with anger.

“Do you think Lin will like you after you sacrifice innocent people like this?”

The dragon knights looked at each other and shrugged as if they had no choice.

“For us, Lin is more precious than any other innocent people.”

“You see, among all the humans we’ve met so far, none have ever treated Lin well first~”

Those words stabbed Arsil’s heart countless times with sharp pangs.

Watching the approaching dragon knights, the saint fell into despair.

Even just Sallemei alone had toyed with her and the mage mercilessly.

And now she was expected to face another dragon knight plus the Demon God?

But she wouldn’t back down.

She had to protect Lin now, more than ever.

If she lost Lin too, Arsil couldn’t go on living.

She would have no reason to live anymore.

‘Goddess, please…’

It seemed impossible, but please let me save Lin.

I don’t care what happens to my life, but please, just Lin…!

[Lin! I’ll finally have you!]

Countless tentacles stretched out and the dragon knights charged forward.

Arsil summoned her holy power to its maximum and tried to block them, but

“What can the weakest one like you possibly do~?”

In the blink of an eye, Sallemei’s spear was flying toward her.

Ah… I’m going to die.

But if I can die for Lin…

She tried to console herself that at least she could be of some use, even if it was just this.

But someone wouldn’t allow that to happen.

[Not a chance!]

A voice that wasn’t her own burst from Arsil’s mouth.

Along with that voice filled with undeniable majesty, an unapproachable holy light radiated from her body.

KWAAAAA-!

The holy power formed a massive pillar, completely blowing away the ceiling and walls of the basement.

[Did you think I would just stand by and watch! Angria!]

In the storm-like gale of holy power, both Adora and Sallemei were blown backward.

Feeling their strength diminishing instead, the dragon knights had to lower their posture, unable to gather their strength.

Only after pushing them back sufficiently did the holy power subside slightly. When Lin and Rabin were finally able to see their surroundings, Lin received an apology filled with kindness and sadness that he had heard somewhere before.

[I’m sorry for coming late, Lin.]

The Goddess had descended.

Through Arsil’s body.

—

[Sister…!]

Angria felt the unfairness of it all.

Despite all her schemes, the Goddess had effortlessly descended through the saint.

It was worlds apart from her own situation, barely possessing a failed magical flesh monster with just a fraction of her power.

[This is too much. You’re descending despite such causal constraints? Why are you doing this to me?]

[Why are YOU doing this to ME? What happened to our oath to compete fairly using only our influence!]

[I’m asking you! How did you manage to descend!]

Consumed by inferiority, Angria began to rage, swinging her tentacles wildly.

[You create heroes and holy swords out of nowhere! You even made that crazy simulator calculator and caused eons of regression, yet you suffer fewer causal constraints!]

The claim about suffering fewer causal constraints was mere speculation.

The Goddess was already bearing constraints and pain far beyond what a Demon God could endure.

[And now you’re even descending?! It’s unfair! It’s unreasonable! Why does causality always take your side!]

She kept swinging her tentacles frantically, but they withered and shattered upon touching the Goddess’s radiance.

Yet Angria didn’t stop her desperate struggle.

[There is only one condition for descent, Angria.]

But the Goddess, who had always silently endured, had changed too.

[When I myself must purify my people!]

The Goddess was furious.

[You made me clean up the church that worships me! That’s why causality allowed me to descend!]

[So what-! You couldn’t take care of them properly!!!!!]

Before the Goddess, Angria was nothing more than a tantrum-throwing child.

Despite knowing she was outmatched, despite knowing her own inadequacy, she kept complaining and blaming the Goddess, insisting she was right.

[The heroes! The true saint of this era! Even your church members! You failed to take care of all of them! Whether there are causal constraints or not, it’s because you didn’t watch over them properly! Am I wrong?!]

[I…]

The Goddess trembled with guilt and anger.

[I trusted you, Angria!]

The Goddess’s holy power and the Demon God’s demonic energy collided.

While the two deities were engaged in their power struggle, Adora hadn’t forgotten her duty.

‘I should secure Lin during this opportunity.’

Coincidentally, Lucy’s group, who had been chasing the dragon knights, were also standing dumbfounded, watching the battle between the gods.

With everyone’s attention diverted, it might be possible now.

Adora created a doppelganger and concealed herself with illusion magic, rushing toward Lin’s location.

Since her doppelganger would be powerless against the Goddess’s holy power, she had no choice.

She moved forward, neither too fast nor too slow.

Finally, when she was close enough to be seen with the naked eye, Adora saw that Lin’s hands had turned black.

‘Ah, Lin…!’

Even though he no longer needed to feel pain, he was still so devoted.

She had to save him right away.

Out of consideration for old times’ sake, she wouldn’t kill Rabin.

Since Rabin’s feelings for Lin were genuine, she planned to respect that by roughly pushing her aside before securing Lin.

However,

[How dare you!]

“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!”

The Goddess, already on high alert for the Demon God’s schemes, noticed this and immediately scorched Adora with holy power.

Collapsing with her face grotesquely contorted in pain, Adora could only twitch intermittently.

“Adora!!”

Seeing her comrade critically injured, Sallemei couldn’t stay still.

The spear-wielder went berserk, swinging her weapon in all directions to save the illusionist.

But even she fell helplessly after one kick from the Goddess in Arsil’s body.

“Kuh… huk…!”

[You’ll incur additional causality for touching my dragon race, sister!]

Despite her minions being in mortal danger, the Demon God just laughed mockingly, burning with inferiority.

But the Goddess didn’t care about that at all.

[Not just the dragon race.]

With radiance spreading throughout her body, the Goddess spoke in a savage voice.

[I can punish the Demon God sufficiently too.]

[Huh? Wait, sister! What are you saying!]

[Let’s end this here. I’m tired too. Of this war full of nothing but wounds.]

[You fool! Are you saying we should all die together?!]

[Gladly.]

Angria felt fear.

She was serious.

She couldn’t die here.

She absolutely must not die.

Feeling the terror of death, the Demon God desperately racked her brain.

[Uwup, wek!]

Finally, Angria even vomited out Agreus, who was being digested, and begged pitifully.

[Here! I’ve even given up the heretic. You know you can’t descend anymore once purification is complete by killing him. Let’s just kill this bastard and calm down, okay?]

[Angria, the pain will be momentary, but the rest eternal.]

[This is insane! Link release! Link release-!!!]

It was truly a close call.

Just before the Goddess could tear the flesh mass in half and burn it, the Demon God’s link was severed and the possession ended.

Surely, even with just possession, if she had been hit by that much holy power, the Demon God’s main body would have been damaged and wouldn’t have escaped unscathed.

The Demon God truly had luck on her side if nothing else.

The Goddess, looking with regretful eyes at the burning flesh mass, turned to deal with the remaining dragon knights.

Though it would incur additional causality, she judged it would be better for Lin this way.

But she couldn’t.

[Denaruah…]

The woman to whom she owed her only unrepayable debt had appeared, tearing through space to retrieve Adora and Sallemei.

“With this, our debt is settled.”

The vampire coldly stated before disappearing in an instant.

The Goddess couldn’t bring herself to attack after them and lowered her hand with a heavy heart.

Everything was tangled.

No matter how she tried to untangle it, even when she tried to cut away the hopelessly knotted mess altogether, she had accomplished nothing.

[I have sinned against all of you.]

The Goddess took in each member of the hero’s party with her eyes.

She had things she wanted to say to each of them, but causality was urging her to end her descent as payment for harming the dragon race.

[Please don’t give up, and do what must be done.]

Finally, the Goddess’s gaze turned to Lin and Rabin.

[I leave this one to you, not to me.]

The Goddess’s holy power was fading.

Lin also sensed that their brief encounter was coming to an end.

[Achieve your revenge.]

It was a statement that shouldn’t come from her, the symbol of forgiveness and love, but they had earned that right.

The radiance completely disappeared, and the descent ended.

Arsil, whose mind had remained clear throughout, trembled as she exhaled roughly.

Then, the three avengers slowly approached the Pope who lay on the floor.

“Heu… hu…! Wait, I can still be useful. Arsil! If I modify this magic just a little, I can give you unlimited holy power!”

“……”

Arsil said nothing.

She merely tightened her dragon scale gloves more firmly as she clenched her fists.

“I’ll bestow blessings upon all of you! The Pope’s blessing, no less! I can give you everything you need. I am the Pope chosen by the Goddess!”

The priest who was once so devout and upright had been blinded by his own greed, reduced to a wretched state of begging for his life.

“Because of you… because of you…!”

“Arsil! I am your father!”

“Because of you, I committed unforgivable sins against those I love!”

KWAJIK

The saint’s fist crushed the Pope’s eyeball.

Simultaneously, Rabin’s dagger pierced sharply between his ribs.

“Kuk…! Uh… ah…!”

Finally, Lin kicked the dagger lodged between the ribs.

With that kick, the dagger sank deeply until just before the handle, piercing the Pope’s heart.

“Keuuuuuugh…!”

The Pope, trembling all over, stiffened.

Having desperately inhaled to survive, he ultimately died without even being able to exhale that breath.

“It feels empty…”

That was all Rabin had to say after completing her half-finished revenge.

At the end of such long, prolonged suffering, there was only the momentary death of an enemy.

“Uwu… huk…”

Why were tears coming?

She remembered Jack, whose throat had been torn out.

She remembered Lapham, who wore a miserable expression with only his head remaining at the end.

She remembered the children from the sewage alley who were violated without being able to properly resist.

“Nothing… nothing has changed!”

Lives that have perished do not return.

She had nothing to offer at their graves except the enemy’s head.

“Even after killing my enemy, I don’t feel relieved at all…”

Lin embraced Rabin.

Her wandering arms firmly held his back as Rabin wept openly.

Arsil also wanted to cry on Lin’s shoulder.

But soon the saint bit her lip and lowered her head.

Only sorrowful sobs echoed desolately through the empty remains of the papal palace.