Chapter 811

Chapter 811
Pssssss……
Naktura, having surrendered every ounce of his mana, crumbled into a pile of ash and drifted away on the wind. As his form dissolved, he hissed a final, bitter breath.
“Ah, that… I truly should have ended it… what a waste….”
Ghislain—or rather, Astion, who had now taken control of the vessel—leapt to his feet. His limbs felt unyielding and rigid, yet mana surged through him with terrifying intensity. Most of his physical trauma had already been stitched shut by the ambient Divine Power.
Astion lunged backward, his voice cracking like a whip.
“Ereneth! Fall back, right now!”
Ereneth looked at Astion, her mind reeling. She was unable to process the transformation she was witnessing, but the sheer aura of peril was unmistakable. She retreated instantly, chanting under her breath to call forth her spirits.
Astion’s eyes scanned the dirt for the spear Ghislain had let fall. Amidst the carnage and the churning mud, he pinpointed its location with ease and snatched it up.
He took a moment to survey the slaughter. The coalition of humans was being driven into a desperate retreat by the relentless tide of Riftborn. It was only through the tireless Divine Power of Deneb and the high priests that the front lines hadn’t shattered completely. High above, the dragon continued its struggle against the Adversary, though its strength was clearly flagging.
Astion inhaled deeply, centering himself.
“Hoo…….”
There was no time for hesitation; every fleeting second was a lifeline. He thrust his palm toward the firmament and began the incantation.
Vrooooooom……
A colossal, radiant magic circle burned its image into the sky. Beneath it, a second, identical ring manifested. Then a third. Then another.
He did not stop until eight circles were etched into the heavens. They stood stacked like a shimmering pagoda of light, perfectly aligned and vibrating with power.
Rrrrrrrrr……
With the architecture of the spell complete, Astion tapped into the deepest reservoirs of his mana. He had already attained the 8th Circle; his grasp of the arcane arts was far more profound than Ghislain’s. His garments snapped and whipped in the violent gale of mana radiating from his core. It was a pressure that would have crushed a lesser man, but Astion held firm.
“Ggghhhh…….”
Ghislain’s consciousness echoed within the throbbing pain of his mind.
— Move. You have to do it now.
“Ggghhh…….”
Following Ghislain’s mental blueprint, Astion began the agonizing process of forging a virtual core within his chest. Lacking Ghislain’s innate talent and refined senses, he had to rely on brute force to manifest it. The strain sent a violent shockwave through his nervous system.
Thwack!
Crimson spray erupted from his nose and lips. Despite the internal damage, he gritted his teeth, refusing to let the core destabilize.
— It’s done. Now, another one.
Rrrrrrr……
Mana spiraled out from his heart, stabilizing two virtual cores. He pushed further, beginning the construction of a third.
Thwack! Thwack!
His skin split and his muscles tore under the pressure, blood geysering from the ruptures. He was bypassing every natural law of magic, creating these cores for the sole purpose of magnifying his output—the physical cost was catastrophic. However, the saturation of Divine Power in the air acted as a constant balm, healing the wounds as fast as they appeared. Ghislain had gambled on this rapid regeneration, leaving the execution to Astion.
“G-Ghislain… are you alright?”
Ereneth reached toward him, her face pale with terror, though she didn’t dare break his concentration. She was witnessing a process beyond her comprehension.
Masked in a veil of his own blood, Astion hissed through his teeth.
“I am… not Ghislain….”
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Flesh parted, skeletal structures groaned, and blood sprayed the earth. Without the protective shroud of the Divine domain, Astion’s physical form would have been reduced to a fine mist long ago.
— Four. Only one remains.
“Ggghhhhh…….”
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Astion fought to direct the current of his mana, his frame convulsing. The agony was beyond description, like a thousand white-hot blades flaying him from the inside out. His body was failing, the sheer density of the cores turning his internal organs to ruin. He had never known such suffering. Shuddering, he gasped:
“I-I can’t do it.”
— You have to.
“U-Urgh……”
— You are capable. You must succeed.
“Ggghhhk…….
— This is the only path to salvation for everyone.
At those words, Astion’s resolve hardened. He had spent his existence leaning on Ghislain, acting as a mere passenger while his comrades bled and died on the front lines. It had been a comfortable, cowardly safety. He had hoped to remain a spectator until the final victory over the Demonic Realm.
But he knew the truth: he couldn’t hide behind Ghislain forever. Ghislain was a transient presence, and his departure was imminent.
Now, it was his turn.
Rrrrrrrrrrr!
Astion embraced the torment, forcing the massive river of mana to obey his will. Seconds stretched into agonizing hours. He had to endure.
“Ggghhh… I am….”
The mana began to fray, threatening to rampage out of control. Astion threw his entire soul into reigning it in. He accepted the sensation of his insides bursting and finally locked the energy into place.
As the fifth core solidified—
Gwaaaaaaaaaaang!
A titanic shockwave of mana thundered across the field of battle.
“I am….”
Kwoaaaaaaa!
At the center of the tempest, Astion drew the spear back into a throwing stance. Saturated with Divine Power, the weapon vibrated like a localized thunderstorm, wreathed in gold fire.
In that moment, Ghislain’s voice commanded:
— Now.
Astion’s gaze ignited with purpose.
“I am… Astion―――!!!”
Astion. The name of a celestial body. The shepherd who would now guide the lost in Ghislain’s absence.
With an explosion of kinetic energy, he launched the spear. It tore through the first magic circle.
Paaang!
The circle shattered, its luminous fragments being inhaled by the spear’s wake. Its velocity and power doubled, and the oppressive black mist clogging the battlefield began to evaporate instantly.
The second circle fell. Then the third. With every shattered ring, the spear’s potency grew exponentially. The dark fog retreated in terror as the boundaries of the sealed space began to crack.
Finally, the spear struck the eighth and final circle—
Paaaaaaaaak!
The firmament itself seemed to scream as a massive hole was torn through the sky. The shroud of darkness was decimated, and the isolated battlefield was once again tethered to the world.
In that heartbeat—
Deneb’s desperate orisons finally breached the heavens.
As her prayer concluded and her eyes snapped open, a blinding light detonated from her form. Simultaneously, a pillar of celestial radiance descended from the heights to meet her.
Deneb raised her arms toward the light and spoke.
“Deana, sweep away the shadows that have choked the sky and poisoned the land. In Your name, let life flourish once more.”
A brilliant aura erupted from her necklace, spreading across the world like a cleansing tide, incinerating the black mist.
“Morianna, shatter the grip of this jagged malice. Like falling stars, rain down a judgment from which there is no escape.”
Her bracelet flared, sending streaks of light into the clouds that returned as a barrage of meteors, reducing the Riftborn to piles of cinders.
“Juana, liberate the bound, mend the broken, and give hope to the lost.”
Her ring emitted a staggering glow that washed over the human alliance.
“Woooooooaaaah!”
The soldiers cried out as one, their bodies suddenly wreathed in protective light. Any Riftborn that attempted to strike them was consumed by holy fire upon contact. The darkness that had dominated the world was being purged.
Deneb prayed again.
“Serahna, show mercy to those wandering in the dark. Cleanse their spirits and break the chains of their transgressions.”
She turned her gaze toward the Adversary.
“Even a demon cloaked in shadow is but a mirage before Your divine grace.”
Paaaak!
Divine Power suddenly detonated from one of the Adversary’s limbs. The light ate through his shadow-flesh, forcing its way into his very core.
“How dare you….”
The Adversary’s darkness lashed out, fighting the intrusion, but the light was becoming overwhelming. In a desperate move, he tore the bracelet from his own wrist.
Paaaaak!
The Sacred Stone within it released a torrent of radiance that swept the field. The darkness fractured everywhere, and the light began to reclaim the earth.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
The Adversary hammered his dark energy against the Sacred Stone on the ground, trying to crush the source of the brilliance.
And then—
“The Saintess has indeed performed a miracle.”
With the dragon’s triumphant roar, a fresh blast of breath erupted.
Kwooooooaaah!
The Adversary recoiled, struggling to block the incinerating heat. The rot that had been infecting the dragon’s scales had been burned away by the light.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
The dragon’s claws and tail struck with renewed ferocity, accompanied by a barrage of spells that pushed the Adversary back.
Chiiiiiiiiiik……
Beset by Divine Power on every side, the Adversary’s physical form began to smolder and catch fire.
“……”
The momentum had shifted completely. The Adversary surveyed the collapsing front.
“Woooooaaaah!”
The humans were now the predators, driving the Riftborn back with fanatical strength. The power radiating from Deneb continued to swell, and the black fog was nearly gone.
Chiiiiiiik……
The light finally reached the great rift itself. The Riftborn were incinerated the moment they tried to emerge, and the portal began to shrink and distort. Without the surrounding darkness to sustain it, the rift, which relied on the Adversary’s will, began to fail.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaang!
“……”
Parrying the dragon’s strikes, the Adversary considered his options. Should he burn his remaining essence to fight the Divine light, or should he flee?
The choice was obvious. The terrain had become toxic to him. The Saintess’s miracle had empowered his enemies while he remained isolated and besieged.
But he would not leave without a final strike.
Paaaaak!
He drew the remaining shadows back into his frame. In an instant, he launched himself forward like a projectile.
Kwaaaang!
The dragon, weakened by the long engagement, was slow to react. The Adversary’s hand plunged deep into the dragon’s chest, reaching for its heart.
“Graaaaaaaagh!”
The beast roared in agony as the Adversary attempted to crush its very essence. A dragon’s death would be a significant victory for the coming conflict.
But the kill would not be easy.
Chiiiiiik……
Divine Power coiled around the Adversary like burning wire. The superhumans, having finished off the Riftborn, descended upon him in a coordinated strike.
Kwooooooaaaang!
Iralniel and Grondal finally dislodged the Adversary from the dragon. From every angle, the elite warriors unleashed their fury.
Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwaaang!
Even for the Adversary, staying to fight was now an act of suicide. He had expended too much. He had to break away.
Kwaaaang!
A burst of darkness threw the warriors back, clearing a path for his escape.
But as he prepared to vanish—
A single figure exploited the chaos and lunged.
“……!!!”
The Adversary looked up. Even he was stunned by the precision of the timing. Faced with a move born of pure, unadulterated will, the Adversary breathed a name.
“…Julien.”
Julien’s blade was a pillar of white-hot Divine Power. He had channeled every drop of his mana and every fiber of his soul into this single strike.
Rrrrrrrrr……!
The world, now free of shadow, answered his call. In that split second, a path of pure light appeared, marking the Adversary’s weakness.
Julien’s sword followed that line with devastating speed.
Kwoooooooooaaaah!
He had waited for this. He had endured and watched for the perfect moment. He knew with absolute certainty that the Adversary was the ultimate threat to Deneb. It wasn’t logic—it was fate.
They were two sides of a coin, destined to destroy one another as proxies for higher powers. Julien had seen the threads of destiny and knew what had to be done.
The Adversary had to die.
‘Deneb.’
This was the only way she could be safe.
Kagagagagagagagak!
Julien’s blade bit deep, carving through the Adversary’s darkness and splitting it wide.