[Side Story – Loathing [7]]
[23]
“Speira Prizzran!!!!”
Johanna’s scream echoed through the underground.
Hearing Johanna’s agitated voice, Speira smirked.
The dark radiance surrounding the Sacred Sword was the most undeniable evidence of El-Lam’s collusion with the malevolent deity.
Originally, even at a great cost, El-Lam could not arbitrarily alter the independent system of the Sacred Sword.
After all, the very foundation of its independent system was built upon the spirits and flesh of countless victims who formed the Sacred Sword.
However, the collaboration of transcendent beings beyond the stars manifested a cursed miracle in this world.
Now, the Sacred Sword served as the core intermediary granting Speira a dark radiance and maintained her physical form.
But even with the Sacred Sword’s support, a human body could not endure the dark radiance alone.
And at this moment.
The final piece necessary for Speira to fully assimilate with the dark radiance had finally come into her possession.
“…”
With a slight sense of nostalgia, Speira ran her hand along the blade of the Sacred Sword.
What she once thought was an incomprehensible transcendental power, she could now wield freely.
As Speira gathered the dark radiance in her palm, a moment of satisfaction crossed her face.
Suddenly, Johanna darted forward, swinging her sword above Speira’s head.
Ziiing!!!
The swords clashed, and Johanna distorted her face in anger, spitting out her fury.
“Speira…! How dare you…!!”
Johanna’s voice trembled with shock and horror.
Johanna hadn’t seen Speira in a long time. Thus, the image of Speira in Johanna’s memory remained as a noble and strong, yet somewhat innocent, aristocratic young lady filled with honor.
But what was this… What was she doing now?
Johanna’s reprimanding and disappointed voice caused Speira to glance disdainfully at the weapon Moros in Johanna’s hand.
“Johanna, I don’t want to hear such arrogant words from you.”
Grrrr!
Johanna exerted all her strength to press down on Speira.
But Speira, holding the Sacred Sword with one hand, effortlessly deflected Johanna’s attack.
Feeling her own sword being pushed back, Johanna glared at Speira in frustration.
“Snap out of it, Speira…!! Is this…! Is this what you call honor…?”
“Hmph, Johanna… Why have you become so foolish since we last met?”
Speira sighed, revealing her irritation.
Initially, taking hold of the Sacred Sword was Speira’s own choice.
Even though she knew what wielding the Sacred Sword would entail, Speira decided to take it purely out of her own will.
It was by no means an impulsive decision.
“There’s no going back after something has already been twisted, remember?”
Once twisted and broken, there is no return.
The radiant future they once dreamed of has vanished, and the continent has been abandoned by divine light.
This deeply corrupted world can never return to its former state.
Until the end comes, it will only grow more grotesque.
That was the predetermined conclusion.
“The past glory you speak of lost its luster long ago. You’ve become nothing but trash unworthy to speak of honor before me.”
In this loathsome world.
There were only two options left for mortals.
To be trampled upon or to trample others.
“So, Johanna… I will never allow myself to be trampled. I won’t cling to the meaningless glories of the past and end up as a pathetic loser recorded in history.”
Such humiliation was unacceptable.
It was the last shred of self-respect that remained within Speira, the last mission left to Speira Prizzran.
“No matter how horribly this world may twist, I will stand at the highest point, looking down upon it all. Glory… That’s what it is. It belongs to the victors. Even our great hero, Duke Defensio of the Empire, would understand, wouldn’t he?”
Crack!!
The dark radiance flowing from the Sacred Sword began devouring the sword energy Johanna had unleashed.
“And Johanna…”
Speira easily suppressed Johanna’s sword while twisting her lips into a sneer.
“I need to vent my frustrations too, right?”
“…!!”
BOOM!!
Johanna’s sword energy crumbled like soft cheese.
Thrown off balance due to her shattered sword energy, Johanna gritted her teeth and regained her footing.
Experiencing such overwhelming dominance while manifesting her sword energy was unfamiliar to Johanna.
Despite the bewilderment, Johanna didn’t hesitate or falter. She immediately moved to counterattack Speira.
Grrr!
As the variable core transformed, a black sword energy wrapped around Moros.
Johanna, focusing solely on intensity, accelerated toward Speira and swung her sword again.
Facing Johanna’s menacing strike, Speira smirked.
“Hmm… An interesting technique, though…”
Speira extended her palm.
Then, as if slapping a cheek, she struck the blade of Moros with her open hand.
Dong!!
Naturally, striking a sword enveloped in sword energy should have vaporized her hand.
It should have…
But instead, Speira’s hand crushed the black sword energy with ease.
Thrown off-balance by the impact, Speira tilted her head toward Johanna.
“Trying to deal with me using tricks fit only for circus acts?”
“…!!!”
“This kind of power… Well, only Spatial Blade could possibly withstand it head-on.”
Punch!!
Speira kicked Johanna’s shin.
Already unbalanced due to her shattered sword energy, Johanna spun wildly through the air before crashing into the ground.
Shaking the Sacred Sword, Speira continued to mock her.
“Ah, perhaps even our Great Ancestor could have countered this. That’s why he was so obsessed with succession…”
By balancing minimal power with Absolute Domain and suppressing opponents’ specialties with the Second Revelation, pure force confrontation becomes inevitable.
However, Johanna satisfied neither of these prerequisites.
“Johanna, you made a mistake. Trying to counteract the blessings of transcendent beings with makeshift methods only led to your reliance on cheap tricks. And you thought those tricks would work forever?”
It was a humiliating rebuke.
But Johanna lacked the strength to respond.
“…”
Blood trickled from the corner of Johanna’s mouth.
A profound sense of inadequacy overtook her, quickly transforming into fear.
The most powerful sword energy Johanna could manifest was shattered in an instant—by Speira’s bare hand.
Confronting this unprecedented situation, even someone like Johanna found her judgment slowed.
She had created the Variable Core to adapt to all variables, yet she was confused about how to oppose the entity before her.
I don’t know. I don’t know how to proceed. I truly know nothing.
Confusion and fear disrupted Johanna’s breathing.
Yet still.
Johanna moved her body first.
She had learned through countless battles that standing still amounted to suicide.
Reactively, Johanna moved her body first and then began to think again.
“…Direct combat with the sword must be avoided.”
The destructive power of the dark radiance surrounding the Sacred Sword was absolute.
She had to abandon any thoughts of direct confrontation and focus entirely on evasion.
It wasn’t just the Sacred Sword that posed a problem. The dark radiance could also concentrate on Speira’s fists, knees, or shoulders.
Deadly thorns surrounded Speira’s entire body, swaying ominously.
Johanna needed to evade all of them, find an opening, and exploit it.
…Was that even possible?
It was a meaningless question. Failure meant death here.
Chaaak!!!
Johanna rose, scattering sword auras.
Induced sword energies surged in all directions before sequentially altering their trajectories toward Speira.
At the same moment, Johanna once again altered the nature of her Variable Core.
“…What I need now is…”
Speed and change.
Sssshh!
Golden sword energy wrapped around Johanna’s sword.
Simultaneously, Johanna darted toward Speira like a streak of lightning.
Craaack-!
The trajectory of Johanna’s sword bent dozens of times in an instant.
Speira narrowed her eyes.
Within Speira’s field of vision, the two streaks of light Johanna had generated flowed smoothly like water, splitting into dozens of streams.
The freedom granted by the Variable Core made it difficult even for Speira to predict Johanna’s movements.
Johanna’s sword was undoubtedly approaching the pinnacle of a single path.
Speira sensed the sharp edge drawing near and raised the Sacred Sword.
At this moment, the pure sword prowess clearly favored Johanna over Speira.
But that advantage was worthless.
Uuughhh!!!!
Speira unleashed her power.
The induced sword energies dissipated helplessly upon contact with the dark radiance.
Simultaneously, Speira swung the Sacred Sword, interjecting it into the streaks of light Johanna was creating.
Sliiish!!
The upper portion of the sword in Johanna’s left hand broke off the moment it meshed with the Sacred Sword.
Not stopping there, the Sacred Sword advanced straightforwardly toward Johanna’s shoulder.
“…!!”
Johanna clenched her teeth.
If things continued this way, her attack might reach Speira first.
But Johanna instinctively knew her blow wouldn’t inflict a fatal wound on Speira.
Ultimately, Johanna pulled Moros toward Speira’s chest to block the Sacred Sword advancing toward her shoulder.
Grind!!
Worthy of its status as an imperial artifact, Moros resisted despite its sword energy collapsing instantly upon contact with the Sacred Sword.
However, the shock transmitted through Moros was something Johanna had to endure.
Zzzziiingggg!!!!!!!!!!
With a thunderous roar, Johanna rolled across the ground.
Each time her rolling body bounced up and down, the ground beneath her collapsed like clay.
Kwaang!! Kwang…!
When Johanna’s body finally stopped rolling, she lay motionless.
Of course, such an impact wouldn’t kill her, and Speira knew she had merely fainted momentarily.
“Hmm.”
Holding the Sacred Sword differently, Speira moved to finish Johanna off.
On Speira’s path stood a Templar.
The Templar’s eyes trembled violently.
The Templar couldn’t comprehend what was happening or accept it.
So overwhelmed by confusion that nausea crept up, the Templar faced Speira, who casually revealed a killing intent.
“…!”
Sensing the killing intent, the Templar reflexively raised his shield.
The shield, imbued with divine power, formed a sturdy structure.
But… against Speira, the shield with divine power was the worst match.
Crack!!
Like a rotten fruit, the shield shattered.
The dark radiance enveloping Speira rendered the divine power utterly worthless.
Cutting the Templar in half at the waist, Speira spoke.
“Your god has abandoned you.”
Of course, it would be inconvenient if that fact became known right now.
The Sacred Country was a tumor consuming the continent, and as time passed, it would consume even more of the continent’s essence.
Thus, Speira had no intention of showing mercy here today.
“Accept your fate humbly.”
For the Apostle Himself shall guide your destiny.
Let those whose faith is true kneel in gratitude for this glorious grace.
Speira whispered these words with a smirk.
