Prequel – Farewell [2]
[42]
Bodies imbued with their respective histories clashed.
Johanna and Speira. The emotions each held in their eyes were vastly different.
However, the hatred and murderous intent directed at one another shone brightly, strikingly similar.
KRAAAAAAAK!!!!!
A powerful shockwave erupted from their collision, shattering the ground.
Speira narrowed her eyes as she deflected the shockwave.
The moment their swords met, chaotic flows of mana radiated outward from Johanna.
HUUUUMMMM!!!
Johanna’s adaptable Core distorted into a crude imitation of a Circle, pulsating with energy.
Recreating a Circle so crudely was practically suicidal.
But Johanna, disregarding the damage to her body, fearlessly carried out experimental attempts using the hastily assembled Circle.
ZHHHHEEEEEETTTT!!!!!
The magic emanating from Johanna was a chaotic mess.
To an experienced Mage, it would have elicited nothing but derision—close to recklessly scattering unstructured lumps of mana.
Yet this chaotic manifestation of magic created unpredictable variables on the battlefield.
As these variables increased, they demanded intuitive responses based on experience.
Without hesitation, Johanna hurled herself into the disordered battlefield she had created.
KOOOOWWWAAAANGGGG!!!!!!!!!
Explosions and electric currents surged from all directions.
Johanna and Speira abandoned any semblance of balance, dueling mid-air as their swords clashed.
In the midst of the storm, like falling leaves dancing in the wind, they exchanged dozens of blows until…
A long gash appeared on Speira’s cheek.
TSCH!
Though the superficial wound healed instantly, Speira could not smile.
“…”
The Sacred Sword, along with the hidden relics of malevolent gods that Speira wielded, granted her the assimilation of experiences, filling the gaps in her combat prowess.
Still, her abilities remained rudimentary.
No matter how extraordinary Speira’s talents, fully mastering and utilizing skills gained solely through experiential assimilation within the short span of actual combat was burdensome.
On the other hand,
Johanna, who had survived countless blood-soaked battles, knew better than anyone how to grasp and apply new techniques and concepts.
While the history merged with Johanna might be qualitatively inferior to Speira’s, her ability to utilize it surpassed Speira’s.
KAGAGAGAGAK!!!!!!!!!
The exchange continued.
Their clash during this transitional phase lacked the cleanliness of before.
Rapid and uneven development of their powers led to a rough confrontation.
Even amidst this chaos,
the trajectory of Johanna’s sword, soaked in malice, moved gracefully toward Speira.
As Speira tried to follow the successive marks carved into the air by Johanna’s blade, she smirked.
‘I’ve lost.’
Speira acknowledged her defeat.
She failed to close the gap that Johanna had bridged through relentless battle.
Moreover, Speira had to admit something else.
If given more time, Johanna would undoubtedly become a meaningful threat to her.
Speira had no intention of waiting for her nemesis to fully develop.
It was right to end it here, before she grew stronger.
TSZTZTZ-
A change occurred.
Detecting ominous changes, Johanna slowed down her assault on Speira.
“…!”
Just as Johanna had hoped… Speira began to draw forth dark radiance earnestly.
The color of the dark glow swirling around Speira deepened noticeably, easily detectable by anyone observing.
However…
Instead of recoiling, Speira sneered at Johanna while enveloping herself in the dark light.
“Even if you push me this far… will you truly achieve what you desire?”
“…?”
Confused by the sneer, Johanna watched as Speira fully revealed the dark radiance.
And yet…
An elegant dignity still emanated from Speira.
“…”
Unlike Preches, who mimicked the dark radiance—rendering it incomplete, coarse, and dangerous—the power bestowed upon Speira was a refined blessing crafted by transcendent beings with meticulous precision.
This blessing… was beautiful.
The dark radiance wasn’t monochromatic.
Because there is thirst, we can savor relief.
Because there is tragedy, we understand happiness.
Because there is darkness, we appreciate the brilliance of light.
Since the dark radiance was not monochromatic, it was captivating enough to captivate everyone’s gaze.
Of course… the ‘blessing’ draped around Speira was clearly alien compared to simple divine energy.
But does such alienness really matter?
Speira flicked her lips with a mocking grin.
“Anyway… people believe what they want to believe.”
Those watching this battle would surely…
be mesmerized by beauty rather than question its alien nature.
For the subjects living across the continent, Speira must remain a savior.
Of course, not everyone would choose to be enchanted by the beauty of the dark radiance.
Among those who participated in the Demonic Realm Expedition, there would be individuals who suspect the ‘alienness’ emitted by Speira.
They would soon turn their suspicions into certainties. Thus, Speira’s deception couldn’t last forever.
But the moment when the deception collapses was not now.
“Johanna, the situation you anticipated won’t unfold.”
To convince the citizens of Kailroom that Speira is a traitor at this very moment, there would need to be undeniable proof even a foolish and incompetent person could recognize.
But that was impossible.
Because even as Speira started to unleash the dark radiance…
she remained too sacred, elegant, and beautiful.
She was still the Sacred Maiden beloved by El-Lam.
That much was truth, not deception or falsehood.
“…”
Clenching her jaw tightly, Johanna remained silent.
She fully understood that the situation was worse than expected.
But retreating because the situation was difficult was not an option.
If revealing just the dark radiance was insufficient, then pushing harder would suffice.
Pushing hard enough to expose the filth beneath, and resolving to kill Speira right here.
CRACK!
Half of the adaptable Core mimicking a Circle transformed into a thick ring inside her chest.
Immediately after,
the split Core began to repel each other.
The repulsion converted into thrust, accelerating the flow of mana coursing through her body to its extreme limit.
GRIND!
Johanna gritted her teeth.
The veins forming her physical body seemed ready to burst through her skin, asserting their presence.
The speed at which her body was being damaged by the rampant mana began to surpass the rate of recovery achieved through the unity of spirit and flesh.
At that precise moment, Johanna reached her peak physical capability.
Originally, controlling the mana rampaging to its limits was impossible for Johanna to use in combat.
But now, she was confident she could control it, at least briefly.
TRRRT!
The chaotic streams of mana flowing from Johanna began to form a lattice structure.
The intricate lattice structure of mana, comparable to the divine barriers constructed by Paladins, soon engulfed the two swords Johanna held in her hands.
Having manifested a special Sword Energy never attempted before, Johanna leaned forward towards Speira.
And accelerated.
!!!!!!!!!!
The moment Johanna’s slash intersected with Speira’s Sacred Sword, a dazzling flash of light erupted.
The deafening explosion from their single clash shook the surrounding land.
Speira felt nauseous.
“…”
The recoil from blocking Johanna’s attack churned Speira’s insides.
Certainly, Johanna’s body also groaned as if about to collapse.
Speira almost wanted to applaud Johanna.
She never imagined that she’d engage in such an evenly matched exchange with Johanna.
Thus…
“…Let’s finish this here.”
With that resolve, Speira faced Johanna.
The lightning-fast trajectory of her blade carved through the air as a fleeting moment of exchange occurred.
A shockwave rippled outward, and Speira absorbed the recoil appropriately, retreating step by step.
To outsiders, it was clear that Speira was being pushed back.
But Speira wasn’t retreating due to weakness.
She was pretending to be pushed back, waiting for the opportune moment to unleash her full power and tear apart Johanna’s spirit and flesh.
Johanna was aware of Speira’s intentions. Yet, she did not retreat.
Just as Speira still concealed her true strength, Johanna also had something left undisclosed.
To unveil Speira’s detestable facade,
Johanna was willing to risk her life and confront Speira head-on.
ZZZIIINGGG!!!!!!!!
Once again, a thunderous sound reverberated, and an eerie silence descended between the two women.
The decisive moment.
This critical juncture would determine the outcome of the battle and the fate of the continent.
All of Johanna’s senses focused on Speira, and Speira, erasing her expression, concentrated all her senses on Johanna.
However,
just before the final clash, Speira flinched.
“?”
A familiar… smell.
Speira tried to ignore the “smell” and focus on Johanna.
But the smell was too intense for Speira.
Finally, as Speira hesitated to delay the fight and turn her head toward the source of the smell,
a sound akin to shattering glass echoed.
KAGAGAGAGAK!!!!!
The divine barrier encircling Kailroom shattered.
What shattered the divine barrier was a lance dyed black.
The black-dyed lance effortlessly shattered Kailroom’s divine barrier and then…
descended toward Johanna like a streak of light.
“?!”
Focusing entirely on Speira, Johanna reacted late to the black-dyed lance.
ZHHHEEENG!!!!!
Johanna barely managed to deflect the black-dyed lance.
Afterward, a pitch-black figure fell from the sky.
Even though Johanna had deflected the black-dyed lance, she kept her eyes on Speira…
until the overwhelming aura pressing down on her head forced her to look up.
A Command Blade swung toward Johanna as she looked up.
ZEEEEEENG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Johanna widened her eyes and blocked the Command Blade.
Anthonyus, wielding the Command Blade, immediately converted all available power into thrust, pushing Johanna to the outskirts of Kailroom in one swift motion.
Due to the unexpected ambush and overwhelming thrust, Johanna helplessly allowed herself to be pushed back by Anthonyus.
KOOOOOOGAGAGAGAK!!!
It all happened in the blink of an eye.
From the shattering of the divine barrier to Anthonyus pushing Johanna away, everything unfolded in an instant.
In the blink of an eye…
Johanna was pushed far away,
and Speira was left alone in the center of Kailroom.
The gazes of the surroundings converged on Speira.
Breaking out of her brief stupor, Speira slowly twisted one corner of her mouth upward.
“…You damn bastard.”
