Chapter 172
The Knight of True Flame barely managed to restrain the seeping darkness, and his eyes gleamed sharply. If it reached its end here, only the fault of his own mistakes would remain. Nothing would have changed; only regret and lament would echo.
"I... was not wrong... Compared to you... I reached a higher realm... Kuaaah!"
The Knight of True Flame could not completely restore his shattered body. The darkness that supported his body had split, and so his regenerative powers diminished as well. Moreover, even as his mind was being overtaken, madness and instinct surged forth.
"Uuuu... Kuaa... Kyaaaaaah!"
The Knight of True Flame let out a monstrous scream as he drew in the inner darkness. At last, his arms hung helplessly, and even his neck snaped to the side. Although his joints twisted one after another, the Knight of True Flame still managed to endure.
'I definitely cut through the darkness...'
Alter observed the Knight of True Flame, engulfed by a sense of incongruity. Originally, the darkness should have been annihilated by Radiance and then he should have died. But the Knight of True Flame rejected even that, merely wrapping himself in darkness.
'His mana is running wild.'
Alter instinctively grasped that fact. Because the concentration and volume of the mana were not uniform, it forcibly underwent transformation. If that state continued, eventually his body would not endure and would collapse first.
"Kuaaaa! Auaa... Kiaaa!"
Even as his body dissolved, the Knight of True Flame ceaselessly released mana. The armor surrounding his body was already shattered, and his arms and legs stretched and dangled limply. In this state, no one could approach, and rather, they would be swept away by the force of that mana.
"We can't do any more. We have to retreat for now!"
"... Yes, I think that's best."
"..."
Brillie hesitated for a moment, then followed after Alter. Once, he had been her goal and longing, but now, he could only display a pitiful, ragged appearance. There was no trace left of the human he once was; it felt as if even her own past was becoming distorted.
'So this is really the end, isn't it.'
Though Brillie felt fatigued, she calmly stepped forward. They had survived the battle, but they had not yet eradicated the Knight of True Flame. Depending on how things turned out, the tides of war could worsen, so she had to steel her resolve even more.
'Was this really what my sword was for?'
Brillie nearly fell into doubt, but shook herself out of it with all her might. Her sword must always be sharp, to cut down evil foes. Because of that, she was granted the title of Sword Flower and achieved great accomplishment. But just because she cut down a familiar opponent, did she have to blame herself?
'Even for my husband's sake... I can't give up.'
Brillie steadied her troubled mind, keeping her distance from the Knight of True Flame. To her, Alter was a precious connection and a responsibility she had to bear. Perhaps she even felt affection for him, but that too was a fate she was given.
'Once this battle ends, perhaps with my husband...'
"Heuuugh... Kekeke..."
The Knight of True Flame, barely maintaining his form, began slowly to walk forward. His whole body bent unnaturally and continued to melt. He could no longer even be called a monster; he had transformed into a chaotic, grotesque creature.
"He craved only power and became that wretched thing."
"He has not yet been purged, so... we must remain cautious."
"..."
Alter watched the Knight of True Flame closely, gauging the threat. Unlike before, his body was collapsing, and his mana flowed irregularly and wildly. On the surface, it seemed like he was weakened, but the actual results could be otherwise.
'The dragon's mana is intensifying. That means...'
Alter instinctively sensed something off. If the mana's balance collapsed, the dragon's power should also fracture. But as time passed, the dragon's power became clearer, as if the Knight of True Flame was fusing with it.
"He's even more dangerous than before. This time, we must end it."
"What do you mean? Isn't he already dying?"
"He's not dying, but mutating into a different form. If it continues like this, I think..."
"Kua... Kyiaaaah!"
The Knight of True Flame let out a roar and stretched out both hands. His neck became elongated and twisted, and wings started to sprout from his back. The pieces of armor stuck to his skin like scales, and at some point, even fangs were exposed. Though many aspects were now different, the overall outline was still shockingly similar.
"We have to fight a dragon again."
"He absorbed the dragon's mana, so perhaps it's to be expected."
"We need to prepare for breath..."
"I will...prove it... That I am... Kiaaaah!"
The Knight of True Flame lost even his sense of self, opening his mouth wide. At that moment, powerful mana compressed and began to swell. Without hesitating, Brillie quickly embraced Alter.
"Hold on tight."
"Wait—"
Brillie lightly lifted Alter and started running. Berhan and Ronit were already moving quickly, predicting the path of the breath and escaping it.
"Hmm... This is bad. Should I call for reinforcements?"
"The soldiers can't handle this. We must deal with it ourselves..."
"All... be destroyed!"
The Knight of True Flame spewed out his breath without even targeting their position. At the same time, he turned his head, expanding the attack range of the breath. The darkened mana swept forward, scorching the ground to ashes.
"It's even more dangerous than expected."
"It's too difficult to get close like this... shouldn't we fight at range?"
"Can you guarantee victory even at range? If we move carelessly, we'll be hit by the breath."
Berhan swiftly changed direction and glanced at the two of them. If not for the next great mage and Sword Flower joining the fray, they wouldn't have been able to corner the Knight of True Flame. In effect, the prophecy of the Goddess Semerune was being realized, so as a holy apostle, he could only have resolute faith.
"If we can nullify the breath, we should be able to attack safely, right?"
"The next great mage demonstrated such might before, but I can't guarantee the same outcome now. That thing has stolen dragon's mana three times already, hasn't it?"
"Hmm... Are you worried about the next great mage being endangered?"
"Even if it costs me my life, I must ensure the survival of the next great mage. Do you understand?"
"I know what you mean, but..."
Ronit hesitated for a moment and then fell silent. To annihilate the Knight of True Flame, both the next great mage and Sword Flower were necessary. If even one of them died, the remaining one would be adversely affected. That was why Berhan was determined to protect the conditions for victory, even at the cost of his life.
"May the radiance of Semerune guide her foolish believer."
* * *
Alter kept himself hidden, watching the Knight of True Flame. The Knight continued to pour out breath, devastating the surrounding terrain again and again. It seemed clear that, having transformed into a dragon, he was now consumed by madness.
'If we leave him like this, he'll destroy everything.'
Now, not even his own will could stop him. As he had been devoured by the dragon's power, it would only end when he died. Therefore, Brillie would have to bring about a complete ending.
'I have no choice but to step forward.'
If someone bought them time, an opening would appear. In this situation, no one but himself could stand up to the breath. Of course, the burden was considerable, but he had to take the path with even a sliver of possibility.
"... Alter."
"Yes?"
"Do you really have to do this?"
"It's late for explanations, but let me show you something."
Alter had so far deliberately never mentioned time stop. After all, no one but himself could even notice what was happening. If people found out about time stop, things could become unnatural, so he kept it secret.
"What are you going to show me...?"
"When do you think I moved to the opposite side?"
"Ah..."
Alter briefly stopped time and moved stealthily. Brillie turned her head belatedly, quite flustered. Even though he'd been right in front of her just before—how did he slip past her gaze and circle around?
"I'll explain more in detail later. For now, I need you to trust me."
"... Alright. I don't know what you did, but you have a plan."
Brillie decided not to pry. She had been curious ever since they hunted Lailnetia the Devouring. He must have his own reasons; she could understand that much.
"I'll try to hold out as long as possible, so please end this quickly."
Acknowledging the risk, Alter faced the Knight of True Flame. He remembered that the Knight had forcibly broken time freeze before. Even if he'd lost his self, he'd likely be capable of repeating that phenomenon.
'... He's coming.'
Alter observed the Knight of True Flame and began to walk forward calmly. As long as no unexpected problems arose, he could perfectly evade the breath. But if time freeze was nullified, another method would be needed.
'Move in the opposite direction...'
Alter anticipated even the change in the direction of the breath, widening the gap between them. Even as the Knight of True Flame was engulfed in golden flames, he never withdrew his mana. Perhaps the Knight instinctively sought to eliminate Alter first.
'If I can just freeze him like this...'
Alter, feeling his breath quicken, pressed on in solitude. If he could endure a little longer, Brillie could exterminate the Knight of True Flame. As the prophecy foretold, he had to lead this process.
'Even for Brillie's sake... I can't die here.'
Alternating between freezing and unfreezing time, Alter finally came to a halt. The time he had frozen now wavered faintly. The Knight of True Flame must have been attempting to break free.
'So it's come to this after all...'
Reluctantly, Alter sat down and composed the mana within his body. Soon, time freeze would forcibly be released. From then on, the Knight would keep breaking the freeze, so Alter had to prepare his last resort.
"Kyaaa! Ki...ll!"
The Knight of True Flame, exposing his inner darkness, unleashed his breath violently. At last, Alter released all his mana and drew a massive magic circle. As before, he could only counter a breath with another breath.
"All I can do is hope this ends it."