episode_0206

“Hmm… So Aria went through such a past… This is truly perplexing…”

That night, after hearing Aria’s past from her, I looked at the record book containing her history. I gazed at Aria, sleeping soundly beside me, and fell deep into thought. I never imagined Aria had gone through such a past. Haa… I should have guessed. The reason Aria’s physical abilities were so superior. And the reason her emotions were so broken.

“To force Aria to endure such cruel trials… At that time, Aria had nowhere to go, so she must have had no choice but to accept those trials… Truly pitiful…”

Understanding how difficult and agonizing Aria’s experience must have been, a pain too great to speak of, I took Aria’s hand. When I touched her hand, Aria, deep in sleep, smiled faintly and seemed pleased. Seeing Aria happy even unconsciously from my touch, I chuckled softly and mumbled.

“Still, it must be because Aria endured that we could meet like this, right…? Phew… By the way, those cult members… They wouldn’t have imposed the same trials on others who wanted to become saints or priests, would they? No matter how absurd their actions are… they are still a group with faith, so…”

I had secretly believed that the cult, being a group with faith, wouldn’t have imposed the same trials on others. However, Rikarin’s words shattered that belief completely, and realizing that even a group with faith would not hesitate to commit cruel and despicable acts, I unleashed my anger on Rikarin. To the extent that I forgot all the joys I had felt since the Revalude facility.

The Confrontation Between Demonic Power and Divine Power

“These damn cult bastards!!! Haaah!!!”

Realizing the cult’s ugliness once again from Rikarin, I unleashed my fury and swung Trahan, attacking Rikarin. But Rikarin, as if seeing my every move, calmly blocked all of Trahan’s blows by raising her hammer. What the hell is that wooden hammer…?! No matter how much I swing Trahan, it doesn’t even get scratched, let alone cut!!! Feeling perplexed that the wooden hammer wasn’t being cut by Trahan, I quickly retreated. Rikarin, who had blocked all my attacks, chuckled and said to me.

“As expected, savage beings can only manage attacks of this level. Well, of course. Those unsophisticated wretches can’t defeat this hammer, which has received Goddess Camilla’s blessing. Indeed, that’s how it is.”

‘….!! Is its durability strong because it’s a hammer imbued with Goddess Camilla’s blessing…?! Come to think of it, Aria also imbued her staff with divine power… So Rikarin’s hammer, empowered by divine power, not only gains power but also becomes incredibly durable?!’

“I can see what you’re thinking, you savage. You’re curious why this hammer isn’t being cut, aren’t you? But it seems you’ve figured it out by instinct, haven’t you?”

“….?! How did you know my thoughts….?!”

When Rikarin claimed to see my thoughts clearly and revealed everything I was thinking, I was utterly shocked that she had truly read my mind. What is this…?! Does divine power have the ability to pierce through a person’s mind?! The moment I was greatly bewildered by Rikarin’s ability, Rikarin began to approach me, spinning her hammer in her hand.

“The thoughts of savages like you are all the same. Since I know full well you can’t think beyond that, isn’t it obvious I can predict your thoughts?! Oh, Omnipotent One in the heavens!!! Grant me the power to judge this foolish, savage being who rejects your teachings!!”

“….!!!”

As Rikarin declared that the thoughts of unsophisticated people were all the same and thus easily predictable, she chanted a prayer, and Rikarin and her wooden hammer began to glow yellow. I instinctively realized that Rikarin, like Aria, had enveloped herself in divine power to enhance her body, and I raised Trahan. Damn it… She just showed monstrous speed and strength, and she can enhance herself further…? This is quite a troublesome opponent…!! If she’s more troublesome than Stain… then confronting the cult will certainly be tricky and difficult…

“You’ve already seen this kind of enhancement through Saintess Aria, haven’t you? I’ll admit one thing: my power is vastly weaker compared to Saintess Aria. But… it’s enough power to deal with savages like you, you know?”

“….I don’t know much about other saintesses’ powers, so I can’t say… But if you can truly chant a prayer to enhance your body like Aria, and if I defeat you… it might be a good experience. It means I’ll be able to experience a part of the cult’s power…”

“Suddenly boasting like that, have you lost your mind? Well… shall I shatter that head of yours?!”

When I spoke a little casually, saying that if I won this fight, I would have a good experience learning a part of the cult’s power, Rikarin let out a hollow laugh and charged at me with her hammer. And her speed was so incredible that the moment she dashed towards me, a tremendous shockwave erupted from where she had stood. When I regained my senses, Rikarin, who had approached with such immense speed, was right in front of my eyes. I urgently raised Trahan to defend, and Rikarin swung her hammer, striking me along with Trahan. The impact from the hammer, piercing through Trahan, caused me immense pain.

“….!! Cough…!!”

“How dare a weapon not blessed by Goddess Camilla try to defy a blessed weapon? What foolish thinking!!!”

“Aaaargh…!!”

Rikarin put more force into her hammer, sending me flying with Trahan. I crashed into a tree behind me, taking such a huge impact that I coughed up blood. Wh-What the hell… What kind of power is this…!! The impact was immense, just slightly stronger than when Aria playfully rushed at me… As I clutched my stomach and groaned in pain after hitting the tree, Rikarin saw that Trahan was perfectly fine despite her hammer, and her lips twitched slightly in what seemed like admiration as she said to me.

“Alright, I’ll admit this!! For a weapon not blessed by Goddess Camilla, its durability is solid!!”

“Ugh…”

“But your body is nothing like that, is it? As expected, the bodies of heretics are too frail and worthless!!!”

Rikarin praised Trahan while insulting my body as frail, then started charging at me again. Feeling Rikarin approaching through the vibrations in the ground, I propped myself up with my right hand and glared at Rikarin, saying.

“Too frail and worthless…? Don’t you think you’re too reckless…? Even Aria doesn’t charge in without thinking…”

“Is this more boasting….?!”

When I pointed out that she was too reckless, Rikarin let out a hollow laugh, thinking I was boasting again, and prepared to mock me. But at that very moment, a black tentacle shot out from the ground beneath her feet, binding both her legs. Rikarin was startled and fell due to her legs being caught. Then, seeing demonic power erupt from my hand and seep into the ground, Rikarin exclaimed in great shock.

“Th-That power… that’s clearly demonic power, which demons are said to use…?! But how can you, a human, use that power…?!”

“I have my reasons… It seems the cult doesn’t know I can use demonic power… I guess that’s a small mercy…”

“How dare you… how dare you commit such an act of heresy without hesitation…!!! You damned heretic!!!”

“….?! Ugh?!”

Rikarin, enraged by seeing me use the demonic power of demons, lifted her bound leg high into the air. The demonic tentacles binding Rikarin’s leg followed her leg, digging through the ground and fully emerging. Then, as Rikarin pulled her leg inwards, I was dragged along with the tentacles towards Rikarin and hoisted into the air. W-What kind of monstrous strength is this?! She pulled someone holding demonic power, which is no different from a rope binding her legs, into the air along with the “rope” itself?! The moment I was speechless with shock at her power, Rikarin, who had severed my demonic power binding her legs with pure hand strength, leaped high with her hammer and, at the same height as me, glared at me and shouted.

“How dare you use such unholy power…!! I deem you a complete heretic, Zeke Luprian!!!”

“Well… it’s not over yet, you know!!! Trahan!!!”

“…..?!”

The moment Rikarin was about to swing her hammer at me in mid-air, I summoned Trahan, which was on the ground. As soon as Trahan materialized in my hand, I unleashed demonic tentacles through it, binding Rikarin. While Rikarin was flustered by being tied by the demonic tentacles, I detached the tentacles from Trahan, grasped them with my left hand, and shouted.

“Let’s see if this is worthless too!!! Haaah!!”

“Ugh?! Uuuuuuuugh!!!”

Rikarin, whose face was also bound, unable to speak properly, panicked as I gripped the demonic tentacles tightly, realizing what I was about to do. I held the demonic tentacles firmly, lifted her high, then swung her downwards, simultaneously releasing the tentacles. Rikarin plummeted rapidly to the ground along with the demonic tentacles. After dropping Rikarin to the ground, I immediately extended demonic tentacles to a tree. Once the tentacles grabbed the tree, I pulled the tentacles, moved towards the tree, and landed safely.

“Phew… It was an attack that could have failed, so I was even more nervous… Anyway… Is this the end…?”

Leaning against the tree and clutching my abdomen, which had just taken a blow from Rikarin’s hammer, I thought it was over. But Rikarin, who had crashed into the ground, charged at me again, enraged, with her hammer raised. She swung her hammer, piercing through the tree and striking me. The impact from Rikarin’s hammer, though slightly weakened by the tree, was still powerful, and I cried out in agony as I was sent flying sideways, clutching my flank.

“Cough….!!!”

“How dare you… how dare you bind me twice with that unholy power…!! I will never forgive you…!! How dare you humiliate me like this…!!! I will never forgive you!!!!”

Rikarin, still enraged even after striking me, unleashed divine power from her hammer and screamed at me. I, who had crashed to the ground, clutched my left flank, writhing in immense pain. Da-Damn it… The pain is immense… I can’t properly get up… Haa… I must have grown too complacent lately… To make such a careless mistake…

“Oh, Omnipotent One in the heavens… I seek your power to utterly strike down this corrupted heretic… Please lend me your strength…!!”

Rikarin, still furious about being hit by demonic power, chanted a prayer, causing her hammer to emit even stronger divine power. I instinctively knew that if I didn’t defeat Rikarin now, I would surely lose, and I tried desperately to get up. But the pain from my flank and abdomen tormented me further. As I struggled to rise, still in pain from the recent blow, Rikarin stomped towards me and said.

“I won’t end this without pain, you damned heretic. You dared to attack me, a worshipper of Goddess Camilla, with the power used by filthy races, thus desecrating divine power. The price for that sin won’t end with your life… I will mercilessly crush everyone you hold dear, one by one… We know, you see? That the elves who fought the World Tree with you are also close to you.”

“….?! Ugh… How… how did you all know that… C-Could it be…?”

I was greatly bewildered that Rikarin knew we had fought the World Tree with the elves. Then, recalling the story I’d heard from Kelly in Karizan about Akada suspecting the World Tree was also influenced by the cult, I instinctively knew Akada’s conjecture was true. The World Tree was truly influenced by the cult…?!

“Ugh… So it was you bastards… The reason the World Tree suddenly started behaving strangely…!!”

“Of course. Goddess Camilla amplified the World Tree’s unstable emotions, as it dared to interfere with the Goddess’s teachings, causing it to think extreme thoughts. As a result, it self-destructed. Goddess Camilla is truly a wise being, you know?”

“Th-This insane… What do you even think life is…!!”

“Why do you care about such things? You’ll die anyway, and then even the thought of caring will disappear.”

The moment Rikarin was about to swing her hammer, asking why I cared about life when I’d die and the thought would disappear, I raised Trahan towards Rikarin and concentrated demonic power into it. Then, a beast’s hand made of demonic power appeared from Trahan. Rikarin was startled when the suddenly appearing beast’s hand tried to grab her, and she quickly retreated. At that, I, who had been struggling to even stand moments before, immediately got up as if perfectly fine. Seeing my sudden, apparently healthy state, Rikarin looked greatly perplexed and said.

“Wh-What happened?! You should have been completely battered after taking two hits from my hammer, shouldn’t you…? And you can’t use divine power, so you shouldn’t be able to heal your wounds…”

“….Demonic power is a fluid will that transforms based on intent… So with demonic power, I can pull off these kinds of tricks as much as I want…”

“….!!! Th-That’s?!”

When I took off my torn outer garment and revealed something, Rikarin was greatly shocked. Demonic tentacles were tightly wrapped around my abdomen and flank, and through demonic power, my damaged insides were being repaired, allowing me to recover little by little. The problem was that this was only akin to emergency first aid; if I didn’t receive proper treatment, I’d truly be sent to the next world…

‘Ugh… It’s not professional treatment, so the pain is still immense… But at least I can get my body up better than before…’

“How dare you continue to display that unholy power… You stubborn wretch… Now, won’t you remove that unholy power from my sight?!”

“Go ahead and try!!! This power was given to me by my friend!!!”

“This heretic became friends with a demon…?! No one can save a heretic like you!!!”

When I said that demonic power was given to me by my friend, Rikarin, knowing that demonic power was the quintessential power of demons, instinctively realized that the friend I mentioned was a demon and charged at me with even greater fury. While I was struggling against Rikarin outside, in her inner world, Aria was hearing all the truth about the World Tree from Tesia.

“So the World Tree moved according to our plans. Then I witnessed it. Saintess Aria, for you to awaken the Halo of Light on that very spot…!! I thought, ‘As expected, you are someone with the qualities of a Child of Light’…!!”

“….So that’s what happened to the World Tree. Hmm… It’s a good thing I haven’t killed you yet. I almost couldn’t have conveyed this story to Zeke-nim.”

“Huh?”

“If I tell this to Zeke-nim, Zeke-nim will… Hehehehe… praise me profusely, saying ‘Aria is the best,’ won’t he…? Hehehehehe…”

“…..?”

As Aria suddenly rejoiced that she hadn’t killed Tesia yet and began anticipating praise from Zeke, Tesia, perhaps unaware of the depth of Aria’s love, showed a genuinely perplexed and bewildered expression for the first time. Then Aria exhaled deeply and spoke to Tesia.

“You. Earlier, you said you knew I had awakened the Halo of Light, didn’t you?”

“….? I did, didn’t I?”

“Phew… Although my hair color might be ruined… right now, it’s better to be in Zeke-nim’s arms… so I’ll just have to endure it a little…!!!”

“….!! No way….!!”

As Aria worried about her hair and began concentrating divine power throughout her body, Tesia instinctively realized what Aria was about to do and flinched. At that very moment, parts of Aria’s hair began to turn yellow, and yellow patterns started appearing on Aria’s clothes. Thus, Aria, transformed once again into the Halo of Light, gripped her staff with both hands and spoke to Tesia.

“I’m going to finish this quickly and go to Zeke-nim’s side…!!”