[Side Story – Final Battle [2]]
[56]
It had been about two years since the Demon King was sealed.
During that time, the situation on the continent continued to deteriorate.
The worsening situation was somewhat separate from the outcomes of battles.
In the past, the World Tree and El-Lam worked together to suppress the Demonic Realm’s erosion of the continent.
The boundary between the Demonic Realm and the continent had remained stable for a long time, and the struggle between the continent’s people and the followers of the evil gods did not lead to significant changes on either side.
Occasionally, a few nations on the continent would fall, but the boundary line was ultimately maintained.
Ultimately, the most crucial factor determining the boundary between the Demonic Realm and the continent was “the power bestowed by transcendent beings from beyond the stars.”
Without the support of these transcendent powers, even if the people of the continent were victorious in battle, it would be impossible to permanently halt the expansion of the Demonic Realm.
After the collapse of the Papacy and the death of the Sacred Maiden, El-Lam’s blessings no longer meaningfully purified the earth.
With one of the two purifying pillars collapsed, only the World Tree stood against the Demonic Realm’s full-scale invasion of the continent.
However, during the operation to seal the Demon King, the World Tree had to expend an immense amount of its power to support Ramenta.
It was a necessary choice to allow Ramenta to stop Anthonyus, who was advancing while wrapped in countless blessings from the evil gods.
As a result, the influence of the World Tree purifying the continent further diminished, making it increasingly difficult to halt the expansion of the Demonic Realm compared to before.
Even when the continent succeeded in holding the front lines, the Demonic Realm’s incursions into the inland regions persisted.
More and more people began to realize that this was a war they couldn’t win, no matter how many victories they achieved in battle.
With growing despair among the populace, it became increasingly difficult for the Empire to control the continent’s people.
The earth was gradually becoming a hell worthy of its red skies.
Meanwhile, Speira continued to deal critical blows to the Empire.
Speira focused on exploiting the gaps in the continental defense system caused by Anthonyus collapsing the White Tower in the past.
Not stopping there, Speira occasionally disrupted the battlefield, accepting the risk of exposure by the White Towers.
There were very few individuals across the entire continent capable of standing against Speira.
Johanna, Ulte, and Delun — the Empire’s core forces — had to constantly move to intercept Speira.
Johanna and Ulte narrowly survived dozens of life-threatening situations, and fortunately, they managed to stay alive until now.
Delun’s created variables saved their lives several times, and he himself remained unharmed as well.
However, all of the Empire’s attempts to intercept Speira failed without exception.
Neither Johanna, Delun, nor Ulte achieved even a single victory; they only suffered repeated defeats.
At best, they managed to slightly delay Speira’s movements.
Naturally, the front lines established by the Empire continued to collapse, and a considerable number of White Towers scattered across the empire fell.
Speira’s target for pushing back the front lines seemed clear.
The Obelisk.
The most critical strategic facility used by the Empire to defend the continent, which could neither be moved nor replaced.
And now, the path to the Obelisk had opened.
“…”
Standing in front of the collapsed White Tower, Speira gazed toward the horizon.
A few obstacles still remained to directly strike the Obelisk, but they were negligible.
The Obelisk was now within reach.
“…”
For two years, Speira focused on laying the groundwork to completely destroy the Obelisk.
She didn’t act arrogantly as she had in the past but gave her all, and finally, after two years, she reached the brink of the decisive battle.
Now, it was time to finish it.
Before giving Luna any more time.
*
Obelisk.
Deep within the heart of the Empire’s most critical strategic facility, Johanna silently reflected on her recent defeat.
Johanna wasn’t alone in the fight.
Ulte, Delun, the White Towers, and countless legions of the continent supported her.
Despite having all their backing, Johanna suffered another defeat.
Defeat has become familiar. That absurd feeling made Johanna let out a hollow laugh.
“Ha…”
Speira. The traitor wielding dark radiance.
The dark radiance handled by Speira was extremely refined in its form of power.
Thus, it might seem less destructive than the Demon King’s abilities, but that was merely a foolish misconception.
Speira’s strength was at least comparable to the Demon King’s, even if the latter was once merely a mindless weapon.
During the two years of repeated defeats, the best Johanna could do was briefly delay Speira’s advance.
Even that achievement wouldn’t have been possible without Speira holding back due to Luna’s presence and the sacrifices of countless people on the continent.
And now… Johanna had to protect the Obelisk from Speira.
Several defensive facilities had been set up to protect the Obelisk, but they would be of little help against Speira.
They might delay things slightly, but that would be all.
Without Luna stepping in personally, protecting the Obelisk would be impossible.
But Luna entrusted Johanna with the task of stopping Speira.
Johanna was overwhelmed. And yet, she couldn’t retreat and abandon the Obelisk like she had done so often in the past.
The Obelisk was the final bastion.
It must be defended.
“…”
Tsk!
Resina’s hologram appeared before Johanna, who was lost in thought with a weary expression.
Resina mocked Johanna, who looked despondent.
[What a pitiful state you’re in.]
“…”
Johanna frowned once, then wiped her face.
Thanks to Resina’s mockery, she snapped out of it.
No, she couldn’t afford to wallow in despair. Two years of bloody battles had worn her down, but precisely because of that, she needed to sharpen her resolve even more.
Even without Luna, Johanna didn’t have to stop Speira alone.
If she utilized her allies well, there might be a way to overcome this bleak crisis.
As Johanna tried to steady her breathing and gather her thoughts,
Resina chuckled mischievously.
[Ulte won’t be able to participate in the Obelisk defense battle.]
“…?”
[The time is approaching when ‘Caprice’ can change its mind at any moment. For his sake, we should restrain him now.]
The moment the transcendent being supporting Delun changed its mind, the Empire would have to suppress or kill Delun.
And now, the dangerous time was drawing near.
Soon, it wouldn’t be strange for the transcendent being who loves gambling to betray and change its mind at any important moment.
If betrayal occurred at a crucial point and Delun acted suspiciously, it would be difficult to handle the situation, and subduing Delun without killing him would become extremely challenging.
That’s why, for Delun’s sake…
It would be wise to restrain him beforehand before anything unusual happens.
[The blessings of the World Tree are also reaching their limit. That elf-obsessed child won’t be able to help anymore.]
Ulte and Resina had exhausted most of Genesis’ power.
The World Tree no longer had the capacity to share blessings with Genesis.
Just suppressing the Demonic Realm from engulfing the entire continent had pushed it to its limits.
Truly, the continent was now utterly depleted.
[So you’ll have to stand alone.]
“…”
That was an impossible task.
Having fought bitterly for two years, Johanna could no longer arrogantly believe she could defeat Speira alone.
It was impossible for Johanna to stop Speira without teaming up with Luna.
Otherwise, another miracle would be required.
“…Is there a way?”
[What do you think?]
“If I try now…”
[You’re indulging in wild fantasies.]
Resina, who saw through Johanna’s thoughts, shook her head and continued.
[Are you trying to attempt the manifestation of the Spatial Blade now that your body and soul are unified?]
Because her body and soul were unified, the risks Johanna had to bear were much greater.
If the mana of the Spatial Blade isn’t properly controlled, it damages the soul as well.
Before achieving the unity of body and soul, Johanna could at least contain the mana within her physical body to reduce the risk, but now that her soul and body were completely one, any mistake while handling the Spatial Blade’s mana would shatter both her body and soul.
While healing the body was relatively easy, restoring a shattered soul was nearly impossible.
[Even Harshia struggled with this power at first. How can you possibly master it perfectly from the start? You’ll destroy yourself.]
“…”
Resina’s critique was valid, leaving Johanna unable to refute it.
By choosing the unity of body and soul, Johanna couldn’t master the Spatial Blade.
Still, throughout human history, aside from the Spatial Blade, there existed no other force capable of directly opposing the dark radiance.
Faced with an insoluble situation, Johanna eventually revealed her frustration and asked,
“Stop mocking me and give me an answer, Resina.”
[You’ve become rough, child.]
Johanna had lived a life moving from one battlefield to another for nearly ten years.
She fought countless fierce battles in hopelessly bleak fields, killed numerous enemies, and witnessed countless deaths.
She couldn’t help but become hardened.
Moreover, one of the chief culprits behind Johanna’s unfortunate fate was undoubtedly Resina.
Resina calmly stared at Johanna, whose eyes glowed eerily, then slowly spread her palm.
Tsk!
A circle emerged from Resina’s hand.
A faint blue glowing circle formed as Resina slowly spoke.
[Do you know what this is?]
When Johanna remained silent, Resina’s hologram provided the answer.
[This is the last obsession, will, and fragment of my soul left by Resina.]
“…”
[This last circle crafted by Resina has been adjusted and processed specifically for you.]
This circle was the essence of the ‘hologram’ that appeared before Johanna.
Resina’s hologram handed over everything that constituted her existence to Johanna with a serene smile.
[The burden of the Spatial Blade will be borne by this circle. It’ll be temporary—likely just a few minutes.]
Afterward, the circle would collapse.
It was uncertain whether Johanna could successfully recreate the Spatial Blade in the mere few minutes granted.
Nevertheless, Resina unhesitatingly placed everything she had left into Johanna’s hands.
[With your genius, I truly believe…you can achieve a miracle.]
The last circle from Resina flowed into Johanna’s grasp, encircling and rotating around her heart.
Facing the hardened Johanna, Resina disappeared with a brighter smile than ever before.
