episode_0222

Kwaang!!!

“AHAHAHAHAHA!!!”

Marie’s madness-filled laughter rings out.

At that moment, countless magic circles, eroded by the magic of the black shadow, flash simultaneously. All kinds of magic erupt from the magic circles, obliterating the surroundings including me, but I cut down the magic pouring towards me and approached Marie.

“Just… die already!!”

‘Severing Causality’.

A skill born from combining the two Holy Swords during the battle with .

This trait, which allows you to cut through causality and absolutely cut the target, exerted a power close to a special medicine against using ‘Illusory Existence’.

But this ‘Severing Causality’ strike had no meaning to Marie.

Tsssseuseuseut!

Marie’s body, severed by my strike, is instantly replaced by a surge of black shadow.

Moreover, Marie doesn’t seem to feel any pain, and her mind doesn’t falter in maintaining the magic circles as she continues casting magic.

Weeing weeing weeiiing! Kwaaang!! Kwang kwang kwang kwang!!!

Flames rise from all directions, creating pillars of hell.

The cold that freezes you to the bone takes the form of a spear.

Unidentifiable, grotesque tentacles emerge from the magic circle and try to grab me.

Rays of black energy filled with ominousness pour in from all directions.

“Huuph!!”

I avoid the surging pillar of fire and deflect the spear of cold.

I cut off the tentacles trying to grab me and block the rays of black energy with a wall raised by striking the ground.

“Hahahahat!! Amazing! Truly amazing!! This power!!! This knowledge!!! This is the power of the ‘Demon King’s Fragment’!!! With this power, I can do anything!! I can do anything!!! I can confidently speak to the family that ignored me!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”

Marie, drunk on power, rampages recklessly.

About 60% of Marie’s body has been replaced by black shadows. At first, some communication seemed possible, but as her body was replaced by black shadows, she seemed to be gradually consumed by the madness of the black shadows.

“Tsk…”

‘Judging from the fact that she doesn’t seem tired or anything even after being sliced up like this…’

If this world is basically a ‘game’….

Perhaps Marie, like , is a gimmick-type boss that can only be killed by satisfying certain conditions.

If is a boss that cannot be killed unless you learn the skill ‘Severing Causality’ that can break through ‘Illusory Existence’, then perhaps Marie….

No, in order to kill『The Demonic Creature that Hides the Sun』, it seems that you have to satisfy certain conditions to match it.

Then, what exactly is the way to kill her?

Kwaaang!!!

Countless magic circles appear and magic emerges, not even giving me a chance to breathe.

“Mountain Cleaving”

I cut down and shatter all the magic circles that have appeared.

At the same time, I cut Marie in half at the waist, but that has no meaning to her.

Because the black shadow gushes out of Marie’s body and reattaches the bisected waist.

And magic circles, about twice the number of the magic circles I cut down, are activated again to aim for my life.

The completed magic circles spew fire with a much faster activation speed compared to ordinary magic.

The attacks of countless black tentacles, along with magic of all attributes, were not threatening, but extremely annoying.

“You know that continuing to fight like this will only lead to a meaningless war of attrition, right?! Marie!!!”

“A meaningless war of attrition? No! No!! I haven’t even used my power yet!!!”

Teoong!!!

Until now, she had been fighting in the way of a textbook magician, maintaining an appropriate distance from me and pouring out all kinds of magic.

But Marie’s physical abilities, with more than 60% of her body replaced by black shadows, far exceeded the limits of an ordinary person, and she rushed at me with an ominous roar.

Marie’s arm, replaced by a black shadow, momentarily distorted and transformed into a sharp blade.

Kaang!!!

“Suddenly close combat?…. Do you think you can beat me in close combat?”

“What are you talking about, Leon? I’m a ‘magician’.”

At that moment, countless magic circles unfold.

I tried to push Marie away to intercept those magic circles, but she doesn’t budge.

I gave up trying to push away Marie, who was firmly rooted as if trying to push a huge mountain, and tried to step back.

But at that moment, the black shadow, which had taken the form of a sword, instantly changed its shape and grabbed my Holy Sword.

“!?”

“I won’t let go, Leon.”

“You crazy…”

The magic circles completed in the meantime.

The magic circles, created without worrying about being interfered with by me, contained even stronger magic than before.

Kwaaaaaang!!!

An attack close to a suicide attack, risking her own injuries.

But Marie’s body is regenerated by the black shadow, so the actual damage was 0.

Chwaaaak!!

And my physical abilities weren’t so lacking that I would be blown away by an attack of this level.

I recovered the Holy Sword that had regained its freedom thanks to Marie’s magic and immediately swung the sword.

I split the thick smoke caused by Marie’s attack and slammed a strike into Marie.

And I used the gap when regenerating to create some distance.

“It’s useless. I won’t die.”

“Well, we’ll see….”

『The Demonic Creature that Swallows the Sea』has already been hunted.

I heard that subjugated 『The Demonic Creature that Devours the Earth』.

In other words, the 『Demonic Creature』series are beings that can be killed.

So, what is needed to kill Hati, the『Demonic Creature that Hides the Sun』in front of me?

“…Sun.”

In the underground of the Royal Capital where ‘the Prince’ stayed, they sealed it by planting a silver-white pillar that absorbed magic power and ’emitted light’ on its own.

The reason why the seal was broken was simple. The kingdom coveted the silver-white, causing the light of the silver-white pillar to begin to fade, and it awoke.

When it appears, a black curtain hangs over the sky.

It hides the sun and brings darkness to the world.

Is that really… simply a phenomenon that occurs to show off its power?

I suddenly looked up at the sky.

In the sky, a bright pure white magic circle was spreading, seemingly starting from the Cathedral.

“That is….”

“?”

A single large magic circle.

And countless large and small magic circles are created and disappear, interlocking with each other, perhaps playing a role in supporting that magic circle.

The source of power felt from that could be known without thinking deeply.

“Levia?….”

Clearly that is Levia’s Divine Power.

But the form of the magic circle is Tamiel’s.

Could it be that Tamiel has taken Levia’s body again?

Uuuuwoong

“Machina?….”

[Master, that is…. the Saintess’s will.]

“Saintess?…. Levia’s will?….”

[I feel it. The Goddess’s voice…. responding to the Saintess’s prayer….]

Uuuuwoong

As if resonating with that magic circle…. no, with Levia’s Divine Power, a ‘faint white flame’ burning with Divine Power flickered on the surface of the Holy Sword.

It was different from the Holy Sword that simply shone with a pure white radiance.

“What’s that…. what’s that nasty power….”

Marie frowned and looked at that magic circle, and the Cathedral at the center of the magic circle.

Then, she waves her hand and creates hundreds of magic circles.

I could know what the role of those magic circles was without thinking deeply.

I immediately gripped my sword again.

“Earth Cleaving Reverse”

The sword is swung.

A reverse-flow strike that starts from the ground and surges into the sky.

The launched strike mercilessly shatters Marie’s magic circles that she had prepared, and cuts through Marie’s body.

Hwareureuk!

“!! Keuaaaaaaaaah!!!”

“?!”

‘Pure white flames’ that momentarily burned in Marie’s wounded area.

It was only for a moment, but it clearly burned Marie’s body and disappeared.

“What was that just now?….”

“Divine Flame?….”

The white flame faintly flickering on the surface of the sword.

Could this be the condition for subjugating 『The Demonic Creature that Hides the Sun』?….

“What is it…. what the hell is it!! Leon!!!”

Marie glares at me while gnashing her teeth, as if she can’t believe that she was injured.

Even if you glare at me like that, I don’t know because it’s a sudden situation….

I look up at the sky again.

The magic circle that started from the Cathedral is gradually expanding its range, and is eventually trying to expand to the entire Holy Nation.

And I instinctively realized it.

The more that expands….

The deeper the influence of Levia’s Divine Power becomes, the stronger this ‘Divine Flame’ that is linked to the Holy Sword and is burning becomes.

And if the flame is strong enough….

“I can burn you. Marie.”

“Keueuk!! Nonsense!!!”

Feeling me as a ‘threat’, she summons all kinds of shadow monsters that she had not summoned until now.

And she prepares magic circles woven with the magic power of the black shadow behind them.

I calmly watched her, and quietly pointed my sword.

“Rampage”

I swing the sword once.

Again, again, again. I repeat it.

And thus.

“!!”

Seogeok! Chwaaaaak!!

I cut down all the shadow monsters in front of me.

The cut shadow monsters burn and disappear in the pure white flames as if paper is burning.

“O, don’t come!!”

“Haven’t you already experienced several times that it’s useless?”

“Heuit?!”

I cut through all the magic circles that Marie had prepared.

The fate of those magic circles was also the same as the shadow monsters, burning and disappearing in the white flames.

Weeeeeeiiing!!!

In the meantime, Levia’s magic circle imbued with Divine Power that floated in the sky began to shine brightly like a ‘sun’.

At the same time, the flame wrapped around the Holy Sword transformed into a complete pure white flame, giving the illusion that the sword itself had turned into a mass of flames.

“L, Leon!! S, sorry!! I, I!!….”

“You yourself know that it’s too late to appeal to emotions.”

“Th, then…. what was I supposed to do! I tried to get recognition from my family, but no one recognized me! That’s why!…. That’s why I!!….”

“Are you asking me that? You, who once ‘abandoned’ me.”

“!”

Earth Cleaving

I bisect Marie’s body.

Marie’s body, which had been replaced by the black shadow, instantly burned and disappeared in the white flames.

“It’s not over yet, right.”

Yes, it’s not over yet.

I immediately took a stance.

“Sky Cleaving”

The strike containing the complete pure white flame passed through the magic circle created by Levia without any effect, and cut through the huge curtain of the sky as it was.

“■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■!!!!!”

An unidentified, grotesque voice resounds throughout the heavens and earth.

I couldn’t properly understand its language, but what was clear was that it was ‘suffering’.

“If one strike doesn’t work, I’ll cut you down and kill you as many times as it takes. 『The Demonic Creature that Hides the Sun』”

“■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■!!!”

“Where do you think you’re going? I don’t know what that magic circle is, but I won’t let you destroy it.”

‘Space Severing’ + ‘Causality Severing’ + ‘Breath of All Things’

“Rampage”

I cut down, cut down, cut down.

What I see at the end is the blue sky.

And the completed magic circle.

The black curtain gradually disappears, and the completed magic circle turns into a gentle breeze and sweeps through the entire Holy Nation.

The collapsed ramparts return, and the shattered and burned trees regain their original life.

“…Haa.”

After confirming that everything was returning to its original state, I lay down on the ground as it was.

“Fighting two battles in a row is mentally exhausting….”