Chapter 450: The Shattered Sun
Chapter 450: The Shattered Sun
“Where... did you come from?”
Ruby asked with a bewildered expression upon seeing Glare and Lulu.
“...From purgatory!”
Glare replied with a bright smile.
Aside from looking a bit weak from months of unconsciousness, she seemed quite fine.
“Why were you there?”
Ruby continued, still in disbelief.
“When the Demon King dies, she goes there,”
Lulu murmured, scratching her head.
“Anyway, I was fighting off monsters from all sides... This little one saved me.”
Looking more ferocious from months of battle, Lulu patted Glare’s head with gratitude.
“But how did you even get into purgatory...”
“By the way, sis...? Did the plan fail? Weren’t we supposed to hold out for just a week?”
“Ah, that...”
- Rumble...!
“This isn’t the time for this kind of talk.”
“...What is that!?”
Although the sisters had many questions for each other, they had to turn around hastily at the loud noise from behind.
“Hyaah!”
Isolet, who had somehow climbed onto a tentacle, swung her sword with all her might, slicing through the tentacle that was attacking Frey, causing it to fall to the ground.
- Crackle, crackle...
“Damn it, not again...”
But the tentacle quickly began to regenerate at an alarming rate.
“I’ll deal with the large tentacle bothering Frey.”
“Sis! Wait a moment...”
“So you guys...”
Just as Ruby was eyeing the giant tentacle and was about to take flight with her wings...
-Snap
Glare snapped her fingers at the tentacle surging towards Frey.
- Zzzzz...
With a crisp sound, the massive tentacle crumbled into dust, fluttering to the ground like snowflakes.
“...Roarrrrr.”
Realizing its nemesis had appeared, the Eye let out a pathetic howl and began spewing tentacles again.
“Ugh...”
However, since its main body got damaged again, the regeneration was slower.
“It’s time for the trash to be taken out!”
Glare, now growling like Lulu, began launching magical missiles at the Eye.
“”...””
Watching this, the sisters exchanged glances and began to smile.
.
.
.
.
.
- Boom! Boom!!
As Lulu and Ruby simultaneously took to the skies, tentacles, and chains shot out from all sides.
“I’ll cover you!”
However, the Eye’s attacks were intercepted and neutralized by the magical missiles launched by the little one below.
“...Impressive.”
“Isolet, you need to get ready soon.”
Watching the impressive attack with keen interest, I snapped back to attention at Kania’s call from afar and steadied my sword.
“Hah... Hah...”
Yes, I was at the heart of this operation.
Among all those gathered here, I was the only one who used ordinary mana.
Moreover, I was the only one, aside from Frey, who wielded a sword.
That was me.
Therefore, my sword aura would form the base of the combined attack from everyone’s power.
- Thump, thump...
It had been a long time since my heart pounded this much.
I had to successfully deliver everyone’s combined strength to Frey so that he could land the final blow.
There was no room for error.
A single mistake could determine everything.
“...Gulp.”
In this unprecedented situation, I unknowingly swallowed dryly and extended my sword forward.
- To uphold your beliefs, you abandoned your family, your career, and your feelings. Yet, you ultimately betrayed your own principles.
A cold voice echoed in my mind.
- So what does that make you?
It even struck right at my weak point, using my father’s voice.
Just a few months ago, this would have deeply shaken me.
- Crackle, crackle...!
But now, I just smiled slightly and tightened my grip on my sword.
- Roar...!!!
The decisive strike that would determine everything,
Straight. Honest. Right. Linear.
It shot forward.
“I am Frey’s knight.”
Along with my answer.
.
.
.
.
.
- Rumble...!!!
Isolet’s clear, blunt, yet fierce and powerful sword aura continued to shoot forward.
- Crackle, crackle...!
“Good! Just like that!!”
Then, just as promised, everyone’s energy was sent into the sword.
Kania’s dark yet gentle energy.
Irina’s hot yet warm energy.
Clana’s dazzling yet modest energy.
Serena’s fierce yet soft energy.
Ferloche’s bright yet solemn energy.
One by one, these energies harmonized and layered onto the transparent sword.
“...Lulu, it’s your turn!”
“Do it!”
My turn came swiftly.
... Can I really add to this?
Should I add my energy to this beautiful and harmonious combination?
What if adding my energy ruined the balance?
- I know that the ‘Stigma of Misfortune’ still lingers on your shoulder.
Just as these negative thoughts, which I hadn’t had in a long time, began to surface, an ominous voice echoed in my head.
- The disruption in Frey’s plans, your suffering in purgatory, all stem from the resurgence of that Sitgma.
“...”
- Your misfortune will ruin everything.
In the moment of hesitation, the voice tried to sway my choice.
“Huuh.”
Ironically, hearing that voice helped me make my decision.
- Why?
As I smiled softly and infused my pink energy into the sword, the voice echoed again in my head.
- Why doesn’t anyone–
“...Succumb to temptation?”
Watching the energy of everyone, which would soon be accepted by my master, I answered the voice with a relieved expression.
“Because we are all too happy right now.”
At that moment, my perfectly healed shoulder quietly glowed in the light emanating from the sword aura.
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.
.
“Tsk. Cleaning up the situation was supposed to be my role.”
“Sis! Focus!!”
“...Alright.”
I looked sullenly at the little one who was firing magic missiles everywhere to block attacks from the Eye.
Taking a deep breath at my sister’s shout, I started to focus my mind.
I can’t make a mistake.
I needed to channel my energy into this sword and deliver it to Frey, who was consolidating his divine power on the other side. The combined energy of everyone had become powerful yet unstable, and only I could control it.
This was a crucial moment. I had to concentrate completely...
- Are you pretending to be good now?
“...?”
What was that voice?
- The evil deeds you’ve committed won’t change.
It seemed like that eye was spouting nonsense. But surprisingly, it didn’t affect me at all.
- Crackle, crackle...
The urgency in its voice was undeniable.
“You were the one who changed me, you trash...”
- Even so, in the end, you...
“...?”
I was channeling my energy with a derisive expression when its words suddenly cut off, making me tilt my head slightly.
- Damn, my memory...
What was it talking about?
.
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- Shhh...
“Frey! Catch!”
The combined power of everyone left Ruby’s hand and headed towards me.
- Nooooo...!!!
The eye, with a vacant expression, belatedly noticed and tried to extend its tentacles.
-Snap!
“Not a chance!”
But all its tentacles and chains had long been destroyed by Glare, who was shaking her head resolutely.
- Roar!!!
Thanks to that, the terrified Eye tried desperately to open and draw out strength, even in the state where the lunar mana ravaged its body.
“Close your eyes.”
With Lulu’s command, the Eye shivered and closed again.
- dlfjf tns djqtdjdjdjdjdj...!!!
The Eye panicked, and incomprehensible howls began to echo all around.
- Shhh...
At the same time, the combined energy of everyone reached me, swirling together.
“The answer is right before us.”
This energy was the answer and hope we found in this endless tragedy.
Our hope.
- Shhh...
As I gently caressed the energy with my hands, vitality began to flow through my body.
Each unique energy started to blend into me.
“...Is this a coincidence?”
Reaching an unexpected level of realization, I somehow knew.
I could only end this with this combined energy.
Even if I had reached the level of realizing my divinity, I would have been defeated without their help.
“...It can’t be a coincidence.”
I’m glad I trusted my ancestors and them.
- Rumble...
Thinking this, I channeled everyone’s energy into the sword.
The sword began to tremble and resonate wildly.
Normally, it would have shattered with such immense energy.
But the Hero’s Armament was indeed a Hero’s Armament.
- Crackle, crackle...
The sword held the combined power of everyone brightly glowed.
However, it wouldn’t hold for long.
Its durability was visibly decreasing.
Yes.
The end was near.
“ARHHHHH!”
With everything prepared, I started running forward.
I could have flown, but I needed to conserve energy for the final strike.
Besides, it was fitting to remind this eye, which always observed from above, of its humiliation being dragged to the ground.
- You...!!!!
The eye, despite being closed, seemed to sense I was rushing towards it.
It struggled desperately against Kania’s chains and Ferloche’s grip.
“Just keep going! Young master!”
“Bastard! Hang in there!”
“We’re rooting for you!!”
But there were no more obstacles to block me.
“When it’s over, I’ll... hug you tight!”
“You need to see your child with your own eyes, right?”
“Show them the sword that protects everyone, Frey!!”
Now before me were my precious comrades.
“Master!! End it!!”
“Show your might as the hero, Frey!!”
“You can do it, Hero!!”
The ones I loved the most in the world.
- dks... ehodo...
And the source of our suffering.
- Frey. You...
As I reached the Eye, a desperate voice echoed in my head.
- Stab...
But it was too late for its silver tongue to sway me.
- Wait...
Realizing that its deception wouldn’t work, the Eye struggled to free itself and floated into the air.
- Whirrr...!
With everyone’s power, my sword strike created a huge arc and struck the Eye.
- Slash...
A small but clear sound followed.
- Crack, crack...
The eye, perfectly split in two, began to fall to the ground.
“...Hmm.”
The chains that had been wrapping around its body loosened and writhed, making it look like a split sun.
“Just about right.”
It was the end of a long, tragic story.
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