The Sacred Sword tapped the Command Blade as if provoking it.
A dark radiance and an ink-black darkness briefly mixed before repelling each other.
Speira, smirking mockingly at Anthonyus, spoke.
“You think you can stop me? Can you?”
Speira asked arrogantly, drunk on power.
However, Speira did not underestimate Anthonyus’s strength.
Anthonyus was the unprecedented champion of the Dark Gods, having brokered contracts with transcendent beings as their central figure.
Anthonyus was more fitting of the title “Demon King” than any other being in the history of the continent.
Speira’s golden eyes could see the horrifyingly tangled malevolence inherent within Anthonyus.
Though his dark radiance might have been unmatched, Anthonyus’s unrefined malice was still significant enough to pose a meaningful threat even to Speira at this point in time.
If they were to clash with all their might, Speira would not be able to easily overpower Anthonyus.
Still, Speira looked down on Anthonyus. There was a reason for this.
“That day, you couldn’t even cut me down… And now?”
Right after the collapse of the Papal Office.
On that very day when Speira first wielded the Sacred Sword amidst the ruins of the Papal Office, Anthonyus had tried to kill her with terrible hatred.
That chilling memory remained deeply engraved in Speira’s mind.
Anthonyus’ Command Blade had undoubtedly reached Speira’s neck that day. But Anthonyus could not ‘cut’ her down.
Even though he was an unprecedented existence…
Anthonyus, Apostle of the Dark Gods, was strongly restrained from taking proactive actions that directly contradicted the will of the Dark Gods.
The greater the significance of the action Anthonyus attempted against their will, the stronger the restraint became.
That’s why Anthonyus could not cut down Speira.
From the moment she first grasped the Sacred Sword in the South…
El-Lam and the Dark Gods had already begun their active collaboration.
To destroy Luna, who posed a potential direct threat to the transcendent beings by causing the continent’s destruction.
El-Lam and the Dark Gods gave Speira control over the dark radiance.
With the dark radiance in hand, Speira ironically became something akin to the symbol of miracles on the current continent.
And those miracles were thoroughly designed by the transcendental beings beyond the stars.
During the large-scale evacuation led by Speira in the South, the Dark Gods deliberately suppressed the movements of demons to facilitate the escape.
Afterward, the Dark Gods continued to provide ample leeway until Speira stabilized the chaos in the South and united the fragmented forces to complete her base of power.
The reason the Holy Country managed to withstand the followers of the Dark Gods despite its inferior military strength during the early stages of the Great War, compared to the Empire, was solely due to the arrangements made by the Dark Gods.
At first glance, the birth of the Holy Country seemed to offer no benefit to the followers of the Dark Gods.
But the Holy Country fractured the centralized integration around the Empire and would ultimately cause a fatal and irreversible rift across the continent.
Luna described the Holy Country as a tumor. The longer it was left unchecked, the more it would erode, yet cutting it out recklessly carried too great a risk.
Luna’s evaluation accurately pierced through the essence of the Holy Country.
Thinking of Luna’s existence, Speira smirked again.
“Isn’t it funny? You’re all so afraid of just one human that you’re throwing this much into disarray.”
Dimension Alignment.
Even considering that this is a period when disparate dimensions align in sequence,
whether it be El-Lam or the Dark Gods, manipulating this reality dimension to such a meticulous degree should be nearly impossible.
However, Luna’s presence catalyzed their alliance and forced the transcendental beings beyond the stars to weaken their mutual checks, accepting losses to intervene in reality.
They were all bleeding to kill one human.
Ironically,
the greatest obstacle currently hindering the Dark Gods’ plans was their own champion: Anthonyus.
Despite receiving the Blessing of the Dark Gods, Anthonyus resisted being consumed by its power.
Originally, resistance from a mortal should have been meaningless. If someone like Anthonyus dared to resist, they would quickly become a mere shell, a puppet controlled by the Dark Gods.
Yet, even in this aspect, Anthonyus was unprecedented. He continued to resist the invasion and maintained his sense of self.
Anthonyus had records of suppressing attacks from the followers of the Dark Gods on his own accord and even tearing apart high-ranking demons who didn’t follow his commands.
Of course… Anthonyus’s resistance couldn’t last forever.
The day Anthonyus is completely consumed,
the balance of the continent will drastically shift.
Speira was fully aware of this entire situation.
“Don’t get in my way and step aside.”
Anyway, Anthonyus cannot hinder Speira.
As Speira confidently directed the dark radiance toward Delun,
a sticky darkness poured out from Anthonyus’ Command Blade.
“Keeeeeek!!!”
“…You creatures beyond the heavens.”
“…”
“You’ve given an excessive toy to a teenage girl.”
“…Are you serious? Really?”
As Speira tilted her head, Anthonyus’ two eyes behind his helmet turned even redder.
Amidst the space where immense powers granted by transcendent beings flickered,
Speira glared at Anthonyus and smirked.
“Just posturing.”
Anthonyus was already at his limit just trying to maintain his sense of self.
Hindering Speira was almost impossible, and even if he somehow overcame the suppression by the transcendent beings and stopped Speira, it would cost him too much energy, making it difficult to sustain his sense of self.
Anthonyus’ threat was nothing but bluffing.
However, Speira also needed to return to the Holy Country discreetly without exposing her power and identity.
A conflict here might disrupt her plans.
There was no need for Speira to take such excessive risks just to end Johanna’s life.
Who would believe the nonsense if Johanna and Jusephin claimed Speira had fallen? Johanna’s testimony would be dismissed as a lowly smear campaign.
Since the founding of the Holy Country, public opinion on the continent has always favored it over the Empire.
Because there was a Sacred Maiden chosen by El-Lam who performed miracles in the Holy Country.
“Fine, I’ll let you off today.”
Speira retracted the Sacred Sword.
“See you next time.”
Looking at Anthonyus with her second awakened eye, Speira added,
“If you can see me, that is.”
Anthonyus’ mental strength was undoubtedly beyond ordinary comprehension.
However, Anthonyus was ultimately human.
Speira instinctively felt that this encounter would be her last with Anthonyus.
*
“Huff… Huff…”
Jusephin ran through the half-collapsed passage, breathing heavily.
Not long after running, she encountered a completely blocked section of the passage.
Forcing her way through the cracks, Jusephin passed the blocked area and climbed uphill, only to meet another blocked section.
Without hesitation, Jusephin channeled mana into the ceiling to roughly estimate its thickness and prepared to break through it.
There was no reason to hesitate. The quality of her equipped artefacts was so good that breaking through the ceiling and escaping was possible unless she was dozens of meters underground.
KWAANG!!!
Using the artefact’s firepower, the ceiling soon melted and collapsed.
Jusephin used her sword aura to slice through falling rocks above her head while activating her defensive artefact to protect Johanna as she climbed through the hole.
The intense heat scorched her skin due to the enclosed space, but she had no time to worry about it now.
By repeatedly using her sword aura to split the rocks and concentrating the artefact’s firepower through the cracks, Jusephin successfully created a path to the surface.
Carrying Johanna on her back, Jusephin finally reached out towards the ground.
“Huff… Huff…”
Jusephin exhaled her overheated breath as she barely escaped onto the surface.
Fortunately, nearby imperial soldiers who heard the loud noise were rushing towards Speira and Johanna.
Carrying Johanna again, Jusephin shouted.
“Gather reinforcements…!!”
“…!”
An alert imperial soldier handed over a communicator to Jusephin.
Clutching her teeth, Jusephin snatched the communicator.
It would have been convenient if the communicator worked normally underground, but due to the influence of the Dark God’s blessing and the rock cover, the communicator failed to function properly.
Even under normal conditions, communication was difficult, but looking back now, it was clear that Speira had deliberately ensured communication was impossible.
After instructing the soldiers to gather reinforcements via the communicator, Jusephin began running again.
She needed to reach a crowded place quickly.
Speira didn’t want her true identity exposed.
Therefore, moving to an environment where many eyes were watching, preventing her from freely revealing her power and identity, was necessary.
Jusephin moved according to her best judgment.
Meanwhile, Johanna, riding on Jusephin’s back, had to swallow the rising pain.
Jusephin could hear Johanna’s stifled screams ringing in her ears.
“Uaaaaah…!”
Hatred and guilt seeped from Johanna’s scream.
Hatred for Speira. Guilt towards Delun.
Above all, what tormented Johanna most was a despair akin to hopelessness.
“Uaaaaah…!!!”
The Variable Core was insufficient.
Facing the special nature of the power bestowed by transcendent beings, Johanna felt powerless.
She could not refute Speira’s taunt that her achievements were no more than a circus act.
Now, Johanna finally understood so desperately why the few strong individuals in history yearned to surpass the limits of mortals.
Harshia. Ernst Prislan.
And others who once ruled the continent—why they sought the ultimate beyond mortal capabilities—
Only now could Johanna truly comprehend how incredibly valuable the Spatial Blade used by Ray and the second awakened eye completed by Ernst were, and how devastating their mutual destruction was for the continent.
The Variable Core alone isn’t enough.
What is needed is the uniqueness of power.
A uniqueness that can counteract the power directly bestowed by the transcendental beings beyond the stars.
Johanna’s blood-stained fists clenched tightly as her eyes shone eerily.
*
“…”
It was strange.
My vision should have been forever immersed in darkness.
Yet, when I lifted my eyelids, a world painted with colors flickered before my eyes.
Soon after regaining sight, tactile sensations followed. A scorching pain clouded my mind.
Even amidst that terrible agony, Delun felt an overwhelming presence nearby, strong enough to make him forget the pain.
After struggling for a long time, Delun managed to focus his eyes and turned his head toward the source of the intense presence.
Standing there, where Delun’s gaze fell,
was the Demon King who had devastated the South.
