352: Walking a Path with No Return
The once vibrant scenery had faded into nothing but darkness.
This was not the choice he desired, nor the ending he hoped for.
Yet, to uphold the single wish of another, Ray turned his back on regret and relinquished his life.
In exchange, an infinite power now consumed his body.
His core expanded, shattering his heart, while the mana concentrated within flowed like water, pushing out crimson blood.
The mana, twisting through his veins at an accelerated pace, eventually burst through his skin and dripped down.
Ray could not properly control the unprecedentedly dense mana coursing through him.
Six hundred years ago, Harshia had mastered this level of precision, fully assimilating such power—but it was beyond Ray’s capability.
However, there was no need for such meticulous control over the mana flowing through his body.
Mana generated from the core that formed the basis of the Spatial Blade needed only to be lightly dispersed to counteract even the authority of transcendental beings.
So potent was this mana that it reached a liquid-like concentration.
Without going through the process of generating Sword Aura or Sword Energy to enhance cutting power, the mana flowing through Ray already embodied overwhelming force.
“…”
Ray lifted Moros above his head.
The uneven radiance enveloping Moros attempted to flow down the blade.
Witnessing this bizarre scene, Shahkni instinctively raised her sword for defense rather than attack.
KACH!
Ray swung Moros.
Uneven droplets of mana scattered along the trajectory Ray carved in the air.
One of those droplets headed toward Shahkni.
Shahkni swung her sword, which brimmed with Sword Energy, to cut through the droplet, no larger than a fingertip.
The moment the robust Sword Energy met the droplet, it was utterly crushed.
“…!!!”
The density of power was incomparably different.
Shahkni’s Sword Energy was instantly obliterated before it could demonstrate its cutting prowess, and the backlash caused her sword to shatter from the middle.
The droplet continued its approach toward Shahkni.
TSWICK!
A protective barrier activated by a defensive Artefact emerged to shield Shahkni.
But the refined mana droplet, meant for use with the Spatial Blade, distorted space itself, shattering the barrier.
All of this transpired in the blink of an eye, and the droplet struck Shahkni’s armor.
The sound of metal bending echoed in Shahkni’s ears.
CHHHHNNNGGG!!!!!!!
Shahkni was propelled backward, colliding with a building hundreds of meters away.
To counteract just one of the numerous droplets Ray had scattered, Shahkni paid an enormous price.
The droplet Shahkni failed to block momentarily flew into the sky before obliterating everything in its path.
KOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The deafening roar continued to shake the ground.
The forces opposing Ray were annihilated in an instant, and part of the Imperial Capital collapsed.
Anything caught in the swath of Ray’s sword—be it Knight, Mage, civilian, or building—was reduced to rubble without discrimination.
The droplets that traveled far and fragmented further widened the destruction.
As distant screams reached Ray’s ears, he gripped his sword again.
The strike he had just delivered required no grand preparation—it was merely a swing of his sword.
For Ray, who had already forsaken his life, wielding the collapsing state of his physical form to swing a sword posed no difficulty.
KACH!
Ray began swinging his sword indiscriminately.
Droplets of mana scattered along the sword’s path, reducing the area to ruin in the blink of an eye.
The uncontrolled power led to indiscriminate acts of destruction, and the distant screams grew louder.
Mages, keeping their distance, hastily cast spells aimed at Ray.
Thanks to the capital’s defensive system, high-level magic spells quickly materialized and rained down upon Ray.
KWAANG!!!!!
An explosion resounded, and intense heat scorched Ray’s cheeks.
No matter how much firepower was concentrated, it couldn’t consume Ray.
The mana flowing like water from Ray’s core neutralized and absorbed the cascading high-level magic simply by being swung.
Then, as Ray deflected the magic, he spun his sword.
KOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!
A deluge of mana tore through the air, devastating the surroundings.
However, due to the lack of proper control, the mana swept past the heads of the Mages Ray had targeted and destroyed elsewhere instead.
Unperturbed, Ray swung his sword several more times, causing the Mages to retreat after suffering casualties.
With no more magic raining down, Ray took his first step since abandoning his life.
Gazing at the horrific sight, someone still alive asked in a hoarse voice,
“Are you… a demon?”
“…”
Demon.
Mulling over the word, Ray chuckled emptily.
Torn flesh flapped about, and diluted blood streamed from his ruptured chest.
Ray, moving as if already a corpse, was a monster—a plague.
A plague that destroyed everything nearby while destroying himself.
“Back… to the beginning…”
Pushing away the precious, warm memories he had wanted to preserve during their parting.
Continuously reminiscing only about the moment he was dragged into this world unknowingly, feeling frustrated and pained.
Clutching only the hatred from that day, Ray embraced his initial desire within his empty chest.
“Me…”
Covered in blood, Ray looked at Shahkni standing in front of him once more.
There was no longer any trace of pain or regret in Ray’s eyes as he gazed at Shahkni.
Only hollow, artificial hatred remained, propelling Ray forward.
Ray continued advancing without stopping.
And then, as if daring Shahkni to read it, he pointed the inscription on his sword towards her and muttered softly,
“The Empire.”
“To the Empire.”
“I will erase it.”
Its glory.
Shahkni silently raised her sword.
Ray and Shahkni clashed, and the countless forces of the Empire redirected their focus toward Ray.
*
A sudden roar erupted.
The roar did not cease but continued to reverberate throughout the Imperial Capital.
Each time a powerful fragment of force, resembling a droplet, fell, tall buildings crumbled and people perished.
The indiscriminate destruction inflicted significant damage even on civilian areas.
Despite the continuous efforts of the forces trying to stop Ray’s desperate rebellion against the Empire, it seemed they faced considerable difficulty.
“…Do we need support?”
Takaus questioned into a communication Artefact.
The damage to the Imperial Capital far exceeded expectations within a short period.
Though Ray was self-destructing with a gaping hole in his chest, it was unclear how long his resistance would continue.
It was necessary to subdue him before the damage to the capital worsened.
“This side has room to spare.”
[No, it’s fine. Our means of stopping him are sufficient. Focus on suppressing the fleeing rebels.]
“Understood.”
The legion under Takaus’ command was pursuing the Empire’s fleeing rebels.
The rebels were utilizing wind Spirits to move through areas populated by civilians, making suppression difficult.
However, if they had charged recklessly, they could have ended it long ago.
The deployed forces alone, intended to completely encircle the fleeing rebels, were sufficient to handle even a Lord-class opponent.
Still, they prolonged the operation for political reasons. Given the current situation, they needed to swiftly conclude this side and provide support.
“I must intervene as well.”
Takaus, who had been observing the situation from atop a tower, turned his gaze toward the fleeing rebels below.
Until moments ago, the rebels had been searching for a way to escape the Imperial Capital, but now they had stopped.
Takaus furrowed his brow, unable to predict what the rebels were planning by halting their escape.
“…”
What stopped Eira, the highest-ranking wind Spirit aiding the fleeing rebels, was Luna.
Luna knew—she thought she knew—what Ray had resolved to do. She believed Ray wished for her to turn a blind eye to his death.
Unable to defy Ray’s final wish, Luna let him go.
However, what Ray had resolved to do was not merely die.
TSWICK
The Circle’s engraved pact reacted.
The pact, binding their fates so they could always sense and find each other, should have remained unbroken even as Ray approached death, serving as Luna’s last refuge and hope.
But the pact began to crumble.
Only then did Luna realize what Ray had truly resolved to do and the cost he would pay.
Along with the pact, the soul where it was inscribed was disintegrating.
Luna stood motionless, staring at the radiant light swirling with destruction far away.
A Knight of the Empire swung his sword at the seemingly defenseless Luna but missed.
Mid-swing, the Knight froze, then hovered in the air before being crushed as if caught in a giant hand.
Stepping through puddles of blood, Luna moved her lips faintly.
“It’s enough… now.”
It was enough.
She would no longer pretend to be a kind Mage.
She would no longer cling to her promises with Ray or the remaining ties she had.
Now, she just hated everything.
She despised this world.
“As long as my life lasts…”
Four hidden Circles revealed themselves.
Faint currents resembling shadows beneath the four Circles briefly flickered before disappearing.
In the next moment, resonating with Luna’s Circles, condensed lumps of mana transformed into lightning and struck the ground.
“Everyone… I’ll kill you all.”
Everything that approached Luna with hostility vanished instantly.
*
Anthonyus was observing a rising dragon near a city close to the Imperial Capital.
He had come here because someone from the upper echelons of the church claimed to have urgent news to deliver personally, but the person who summoned him was nowhere to be found.
This wasn’t a dangerous trap either.
It was merely a delay tactic to prevent Anthonyus from immediately intervening in what was happening in the Imperial Capital, considering the ‘comrade’ who committed treason had gone on an expedition together.
Upon hearing the situation after the dragon appeared, Anthonyus frowned.
And the Sacred Sword hanging on the wall beside him trembled once.
Revert to Origin (1)
