Chapter 165 : Advent of Light (2)
Advent of Light (2)
Pilla Ganest and his group moved as quickly as they could while the angels were away.
Since they didn't know when the angels might return, they needed to reach the lowest level of this Ashen Paradise as soon as possible.
'Will everything really be solved just by us performing the Rite first?'
Following Pilla's back, Kisea found herself lost in thought.
She had just heard why it was necessary for them to conduct the Rite first.
The Rite to bring Altair down into the Saintess's body.
Pilla said he planned to take advantage of this, to return the Saintess's soul, which was currently separated from her body, back to its original vessel.
'Who would've thought the ring Clay kept contained the Saintess's soul.'
Wasn't it called Eye of Shimosha?
A relic of the Saintess that the Atell Family had protected for ages.
Never did she expect someone would actually possess such a thing.
"But will things really go according to plan?"
"I'm certain."
"... That 'I'm certain' with an 'I'm pretty sure' in front makes me nervous. Is that just my imagination?"
"It's just your imagination."
Pilla answered without hesitation, but Kisea couldn't help but feel uneasy.
It wasn't just Kisea; Mersaya also looked quite displeased.
But only for a moment—Mersaya shook her head vigorously and spoke up.
"Sir Clay said it's certain, and that's good enough for me!"
Kisea was quietly surprised by that—she hadn't realized Mersaya trusted Clay so much.
"You trust Clay more than I thought."
"What do you mean, more than you thought?"
"I mean, since you got beaten up by him, I figured you probably didn't like him too much."
"I-I didn't get beaten up, at least not one-sidedly!"
Mersaya forcefully denied it, although it wasn't entirely incorrect.
"A-anyway. Sir Clay is just different. He gives off some sort of inexplicable trust. It might sound strange to say it... but even more than Dragon Lord Largios."
"That's some enormous trust."
"Yes. I don't know why. That's just the feeling I get."
To stake her life—no, her dragon life—on just a feeling was bizarrely bold, but, as Mersaya pointed out, there was something about Clay that inspired a strange trust.
A feeling he could make the impossible possible.
'I hope that's true this time as well.'
Thinking so, Kisea swung her sword at the Holy Knight whose shout had exposed their presence.
Charrururuk!
The Serpent-Belly Sword, moving gracefully like a snake, dealt overwhelming power despite its delicate movement.
The Holy Knights guarding the way couldn't last a moment—soon their heads rolled to the ground.
Michelle winced at the brutality but said nothing. The situation was too urgent for him to dwell on such things.
"Saintess's remains are right below here!"
"Really?"
At Michelle's shout, a great white sword appeared in Pilla's hand.
He gathered immense holy power into it and swung it down at the floor.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!
"Whoa?! W-what are you—?!"
As the floor shattered under them, various implements and magic arrays set up for the Rite came into view.
'Twelve Holy Knights.'
'Seven priests, maybe.'
It wasn't a small number, but not nearly enough to stop Kisea or Mersaya.
As the Serpent-Belly Sword swung and Mersaya invoked the Dragon Tongue, the area was swiftly cleared out in the blink of an eye.
"Wow, impressive. These people must have been Setram's elite, too..."
"Michelle, they definitely have skill, but it's impossible for them to face a dragon or a Swordmaster at their limits."
The odds were simply overwhelming. It would probably take someone on the level of a Seven Hero to stop them now.
"Security is pretty lax. I thought there'd be at least one angel."
Kisea murmured, clearly disappointed.
She seemed less bothered about sneaking in so easily, and more miffed at not getting a proper fight with an angel.
"They must have thought no one would dare attempt to enter."
"But there's always the possibility, don't you think?"
"There isn't. Besides, this magic array can't even be activated unless it's an angel or god."
Pilla calmly surveyed the surroundings.
The magic array was huge—covering the entire room—with a structure so intricate it was nearly impenetrable.
Most people wouldn't understand what it was, but Pilla understood instantly.
It wasn't just because he was a half-angel.
He was the one who had created the 'Heaven-Slaying Arms'—something even other angels couldn't forge. His comprehension of engravings and magic arrays was unmatched.
"So, whoever might reach this place, they must have thought it didn't matter..."
Who could have predicted Pilla, the long-missing Inquisitor, would appear here?
After inspecting the magic array, Pilla gazed at the white coffin in the center.
"That's the coffin where Lady Grancesia's remains lie."
"I see."
It was Pilla's first time seeing Grancesia's remains.
"Is it... possible?"
Kisea asked anxiously, and Pilla glanced at her.
"Of course."
"Really? Can a mere human Saintess really overcome this situation?"
"If the legends I know are true."
"I've heard those stories so much my ears are callused. The tales of miracles, how the Saintess healed and saved so many. But that's different from fighting, isn't it?"
"You seem quite anxious."
Kisea pouted at his nonchalance. He seemed to think she was just a frightened child.
"... Being anxious is natural. I trust Clay, but not the Saintess."
"I see why you'd think that. That's the common version of the Saintess's legend, after all."
"The common version?"
Pilla just smirked at her repetition of his ambiguous phrase.
And then, approaching the coffin, he gently touched it.
Kisea could only watch, puzzled.
"Are you not going to tell us what legend you know?"
"There's no need to explain."
"What?"
She watched in confusion, as light began to flow from Pilla's body.
A radiance more intense and holy than a real angel's.
"You'll see for yourself soon."
As an enormous holy power flowed into the coffin, a purple magic array began to activate around it.
The array, dim at first, quickly intensified and soon surged violently.
"It's working perfectly."
"D-don't just stand there being dramatic—get over here!"
Mersaya, beaming with satisfaction, grabbed Pilla's hand and hurriedly gathered everyone close together.
'O great magic, protect us from all calamity!'
As Mersaya's Dragon Tongue activated—
Kwaaaaaa!
A wave of violet light exploded.
* * *
"Why... why is this happening...?"
Violette stared blankly out the window at the spectacle outside.
It was understandable. The Rite they'd been secretly preparing had triggered on its own.
"Violette!"
"I-I have nothing to do with this!"
To the angel's furious shout, violette hurried to deny it.
Violette must truly be dumbfounded.
"Successor of Heaven's Holy Ultimate Art—is this your doing too?!"
"I have no idea, honestly."
"To speak so arrogantly at a time like this!"
The raging angel lunged at me, spear thrusting.
It was a sharp strike, but perhaps because he was blinded by anger, it was easy to dodge.
Instead, I exploited the opening and drove my fist into his midsection.
"Guh?!"
The angel, struck, slid backward and tried to come at me once more, but the skin around his midsection split open.
It doesn't need explanation what happened next.
"Kraaagh!"
The angels grew flustered as their comrade writhed in pain, suffering from the effects of the Heaven-Slaying Arms.
"What is that power?!"
"I never heard Heaven's Holy Ultimate Art could do that!"
Seeing their fellow writhing on the ground, gasping for breath, must have been quite unsettling.
The angel with the highest apparent authority began to bring the situation under control.
"So, you really do have skills to back up that arrogance. Grancesia was the same. For all her being human, she was impossibly arrogant."
"Maybe it's just that you guys are weak and cocky?"
"And yet she survived only because she was strong enough to be arrogant. You're certainly formidable, but you're not on her level."
Even as I provoked him, the angels' leader remained calm, continuing.
"I don't know how you triggered the Rite, but it doesn't matter. I can just ask your body soon."
Apparently, given my prior attack, the thirty-some angels each warily approached me.
'Still, at least they know how to assess the situation.'
Just as he said, it would be difficult for me to handle over thirty angels. Even with the Heaven-Slaying Arms, my strength had a limit.
'But honestly, it's funny that a real angel isn't even as strong as Seigon, who was basically an artificial one.'
No wonder Violette had been so confident.
Setram's strongest sword—stronger than even a true angel.
He was now barely picking himself up, struggling to recover from his wounds.
The only reason he could move after being struck by the Heaven-Slaying Arms was because he wasn't a truly complete angel.
The irony was palpable.
"I don't know how you made an angel your ally, but you're a fool. Whatever you meant to achieve with this Rite, without a god descending, it is meaningless."
Maybe to break my spirit, the angel helpfully began explaining the Rite.
"And besides, a single angel can't wield power to reach a god. Look—as you see, the light of descent doesn't even reach the sky, let alone pass beyond it. It barely covers this small city."
He was right.
The pillar of purple light was brilliant—but paled compared to reaching the sky.
'As written in the synopsis.'
If enough angels joined their strength and activated the Rite, the light from the magic array would touch the sky.
Through that light, Altair would descend upon Grancesia's body.
"It doesn't really have to hit the sky, though."
"What do you mean?"
"This is plenty—more than enough."
The power Pilla Ganest wielded as an angel was greater than expected.
He'd broadcast the light not just across the Holy Imperial Palace, but all of Setram's capital, Ilishad—a truly immense feat.
This result was far beyond my expectations.
'All right, let's get started.'
I changed the gauntlet on my hand—no, Genova, which had altered its appearance—back into a sword.
Then I slowly pulled the ring from my finger.
"Th-that's—?!"
As the gauntlet suddenly turned into a sword, violette's eyes widened in shock as he saw the ring on my finger.
"That's the Eye of Shimosha...! H-how do you have that?!"
I didn't bother to answer.
All my attention was fixed on the Eye of Shimosha, that had been with me so long.
'Grancesia.'
[Yes.]
'You trust me, right?'
[I do.]
Grancesia's brief reply resonated with confidence.
Moved by her infinite trust, I felt a surge of emotion inside.
'Is it okay to trust a swindler's words?'
[Why are you saying that now?]
Her small laugh reminded me of the many times she'd teased me in the past.
Grancesia truly, perfectly trusted me.
'Thank you—for everything so far.'
After a brief word of thanks, I took off the Eye of Shimosha ring and placed it in my palm.
"St—"
The angel leader, who had been watching everything in a daze, opened his mouth.
"St... op."
"What?"
"Stop him! Stop him, now!"
He shouted in panic, but it was too late.
By then, I had already gripped the Eye of Shimosha with all my strength.
Jjeojuk! Jjeojeojeok!
A relic of the Atell Family and the Saintess's final legacy.
With all my might, I crushed it.
Paaaah!
Something seeped out from my clenched fist, scattering into the air.
Destroying the Eye of Shimosha meant I could no longer use the Eye of Insight, so I couldn't say exactly what it was.
All I knew was that something had just slipped from my grasp.
"Successor of Heaven's Holy Ultimate Art! What have you done?!"
"Well..."
Even with an angel standing right in front of me, I quietly closed my eyes.
And I sensed it.
"You'll learn soon enough."
I couldn't use the Eye of Insight, but my body was following the teaching that had been given to me.
The exceedingly trained Only Mind told me.
Something was coming—heading for this place.
Dududududu!
"E-earthquake?! Why, why now?!"
I felt something moving beneath us as the ground rumbled.
Earthquake?
No, this was different.
Something was 'boring its way up.'
From the underground of this place called Ashen Paradise, beneath Ilishad, something was coming up.
Kwaang! Kwakwa-kwang!
Breaking, shattering, smashing again and again.
It crashed through everything in its way, rising upward.
The tremors ceased for just a moment—
Kwaaaaaang!
Something burst through the floor between me and the angels.
Shining golden hair, golden eyes full of powerful light.
And a beautiful woman in pure white vestments.
"I'll count to five from now."
With a calm voice, she recited as if singing and landed before me.
She folded her arms confidently and looked down on everyone before her.
Wearing her usual, utterly arrogant, supremely self-assured smile.
"From now on, crawl on your knees."