277. Universal Origin
Sundar Valley, Hidden Path of the Chain-Heart, Somewhere in the Kingdom of Sundravan, Western Continent.
“A... Anna... come to your senses...” Kenric gasped through gritted teeth. His joints popped and groaned as he fought the crushing gravity of her presence, trying to stand. Vice Captain John reached out, his hand trembling as he tried to pin Kenric down for his own safety. Kenric felt as if his bones were being twisted under a hundred hammers, but his eyes never left his sister's face.
“No! Kenric, stay down!” Ravenna shouted, her voice strained as she forced her head up to look at the throne. Her mind was screaming a warning. “ She can’t leave the radius of that throne without destabilizing the Heart! Do not approach her!”
Her mind was racing, flipping through the mental pages of the novel she had read in her previous life. In the original story, the Witch of the West didn’t actively attack until the final arcs because she was physically tethered to the throne that held the Absolute Being’s heart in chains. If she had decided to begin her purge earlier than the script allowed, she is still unable to move from there.
The Witch’s gaze flicked to Ravenna, her violet eyes narrowing with a look of profound irritation. “You are quite the annoying otherworlder, aren't you?”
The Witch snapped her fingers.
The sound was like a thunderclap in the silent valley. Suddenly, the atmospheric pressure tripled. A wave of chaotic, discordant mana swept through the chamber, so thick it felt like physical sludge. In an instant, Landon, Serena, the knights, the soldiers, and even the robed generals of the Cult collapsed. They didn't just fall; they were rendered unconscious by a psychic shockwave that spared no one but only Eugene, Marie and Ravenna.
Kenric slumped into John’s arms, Aurora fell as Hughes too tried to catch her falling into a deep, forced slumber. Even the golden chains of the Heart seemed to groan under the sudden surge of power.
Ravenna felt a familiar ping in her mind.
[ Reputation System v1.0 ]
Notice: Tracking Prevented
Ravenna stared at the flickering blue panel that appeared in her peripheral vision. She stood back up, her legs shaky but holding, as the Witch’s voice reverberated through her very bones.
“Now that the distractions are out of the way... I can take a closer look at you pests,” She said, her voice dripping with a layered, haunting melody.
“M-Master...” Marie whimpered. The Saintess was clutching her head, her face pale as she fell to her knees.
“Marie!” Ravenna rushed to her side, shielding the girl with her own body.
“It’s... it’s as if someone is scooping into my head,” Marie gasped, her eyes dilated in terror. “Like they’re reading... every thought I haven’t even had yet...”
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Ravenna looked over at Eugene. The regressor was in the same state, his jaw clenched so tight blood trickled from his gums. He was a man who had lived through multiple timelines, yet he looked as though his very soul was being unraveled.
“I guess the rumors across the void are true,” the Witch said, leaning forward on her throne, her chin resting on her hand. “You really have the Universal Origin, don’t you, Ravenna Solarius?”
Ravenna’s heart skipped a beat.
“It’s odd how it hasn’t rejected you yet,” the Witch rambled on, her eyes roaming over Ravenna as if she were a specimen under a microscope. “The fabric of this reality is quite picky about foreign threads. It does beg the question: Who brought you here? Hero Luminous has been dead for centuries, and I don’t suppose any of the gods are behind this.”
“I have no idea what you are talking about!” Ravenna snapped, holding the trembling Marie tighter. “I am here to protect my people and my island! I don't care about your dead heroes or your ancient masters!”
“Oh, I know you understand. Don’t feign ignorance,” the Witch replied, sitting back and stroking the petals of her Broadleaf Arrowhead.
Then she looked at Marie, and for a moment, the violet light in her eyes flared with a manic, murderous hunger. “It’s such a shame, really. I have a great opportunity to kill the Saintess right here and now. The 'Cure' for this world would be so much simpler if I just plucked this little golden flower from the soil.”
“But I just can’t,” the Witch sighed, her voice filled with a twisted sort of regret. “Not yet. To kill her now would be... untidy given the perfect plan this time”
Ravenna’s grip on her daggers tightened. She was trapped in a chamber with a god-like entity, her allies were unconscious, and the only thing keeping her alive was the system that was being blocked.
“You won't touch her,” Ravenna promised, her voice a low, dangerous growl. “I don't care about the absolute being or your cult. If you want the Saintess, you’ll have to go through me first.”
The Witch of the West leaned forward, the white-blonde hair falling over her shoulder like a silken waterfall. A cold, mocking amusement danced in her purple eyes.
“Very well, Otherworlder,” the Witch said, her voice dropping into a layered, terrifying whisper. She began to raise her hand, her fingers curling as if to kill the very life-force from Ravenna’s chest. The air around the Witch began to distort, a localized void of violet energy coalescing in her palm.
Ravenna didn't hesitate. She knew her daggers were useless here, and the Reputation System was still struggling under the interference. She reached into the folds of her gown and pulled out the small silver box, her fingers flying over the catch.
She grabbed the Third Odyssey Ring.
“Marie!” Ravenna shouted, lurching forward.
With a final, desperate burst of strength, Ravenna grabbed Marie’s trembling hand. Before the Witch could release her strike, Ravenna slid the heavy, sapphire-encrusted band onto Marie’s finger.
For a heartbeat, there was absolute silence.
Then, the universe seemed to scream.
The moment the Third Odyssey Ring made contact with the Saintess’s skin, it ignited. A pillar of incandescent, sapphire-gold light erupted from Marie, so powerful it tore the violet shadows of the chamber to shreds. It wasn't just light; it was a concussive wave of pure, untainted divine authority.
“THIS!” the Witch screamed, her voice cracking for the first time. She threw her arms up to shield her face as the sapphire radiance slammed into her blackened throne.
Ravenna felt the sensation of being caught in the heart of a supernova. The heat was non-existent, replaced by a terrifying, holy cold that seemed to wash away the exhaustion and the dread. She saw the Great Heart above them convulse, the golden chains vibrating so violently they hummed a deafening, angelic chord.