Chương 81: Chapter 79: The Divine Vs the Damned — Part 2

[Nihility Decree] Noa activated his newly evolved skill the instant Vionette's analysis reached him. It was the same chaotic, volatile energy from [Echo Reclamation], yet Noa could clearly feel a shift in its sensation and density. It felt as though he had finally become the source of the current, rather than relying on something external to drag it into reality. What did Vionette do to [Echo Reclamation]? he wondered, marveling at his own power. Well, fuck it, who cares? Vionette did it, so it's probably fine.

What?! In the heat of the clash, Ithriel's mind raced, his eyes widening until his golden irises vibrated with shock. He evolved his skill? No... that's impossible. It was definitely a forced intervention. He considered the sole remaining explanation:... An Authority user? Though this differs from standard Authority, it has to be that. Gritting his teeth, he muttered to himself, "What, or how is such a being even here?"

[Purging Ray (Rare)] Ithriel flared his wings, unleashing a beam of golden light from his core to clear the immediate air. He swept his senses across the battlefield once more, searching for the hidden hand moving the pieces. The same Existence user, the man named Noa, that hideous non-existence, and… a weak maid along with a woman who isn't even an Augmented Lifeform?

"Nihility Decree: Convergence Collapse!" While Ithriel hung paralyzed by confusion, Noa's voice tore through the air. He unleashed spheres of condensed Null Essence, hurling them directly into the incoming projectiles. [Blink]"What are you so focused on?" Noa materialized before him in an instant, Acheron held tightly in his grip as he drove a low thrust. Ithriel gripped his golden blade and blocked the strike, but the former balance of physical strength between them was long shattered by the evolution.

Jain surged from behind, bringing her spear down in a vertical arc. Noa aborted his follow-up, twisting to evade the strike before whirling around to slash at Jain. Parrying the blow with narrowed eyes, she demanded, "What did you do to your skill?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know that?" With a chuckle, Noa crouched low to slip beneath Ithriel's horizontal slash from behind. Releasing his grip on Acheron, he brought his open palms close together. A radiating violet orb coalesced between them, casting an eerie glow across the faces of both the Saint and the Angel.

"Let's do a gamble, shall we?" he muttered, his grin widening as he stared at the pulsing sphere in his hands.

"Would my own power attack me or not?" Both opponents looked down in horror. An instant later, the purple sphere exploded, painting the ruins in violent light. Through the billowing smoke, Jain leapt backward while Ithriel retreated on his wings, both heavily wounded, the chaotic energy clinging to their fresh injuries. Cutting through the haze, Noa closed in on the heavily breathing Jain, seizing her by the throat and slamming her into the earth. Blood coughed from her lips as she glared up at him.

From the flank, Ithriel descended in a blur of strikes. Jain wished she could simply lie in the dirt and rest, but the balance of power had broken, and Ithriel alone could not defeat their foe. Noa's eyes widened as Ithriel suddenly altered his stance. Pouring every ounce of power into his blade, the Angel executed a fierce horizontal cleave. Noa's arm was out of position to block, but Acheron shifted on its own, interposing its edge to intercept the blow.

The force of the impact launched Noa backward through the air. He grunted in pain, his eyes squeezed shut. When he opened them mid-flight, Ithriel, floating on his angelic wings, slammed into him, seizing Noa by the neck.

"Let go—" The words died in Noa's throat as the Angel drove him forward, plowing through several buildings and carving a path of destruction. Below them, Jain sprang up and sprinted along the vertical walls of the structures to catch up. As they crashed through a library Noa had visited before, he glanced around and noticed something peculiar. Where… where did the books go? With blood streaming from Noa's forehead, Ithriel released his grip mid-air.

As Noa plummeted, the Angel manifested a longsword of golden energy, plunging downward like a falling meteor. Watching the incoming strike, Noa spread his arms and chuckled darkly, as if inviting the blade. The tip drew closer, and mere inches from Noa's heart, he vanished. Ithriel's eyes widened as a sudden weight settled onto his back and a grip seized his wing. Where?! Noa had teleported directly onto the Angel. Grabbing one of Ithriel's wings, he laughed wildly.

"Why? As long as I can see it, I can teleport there!" With eyes gleaming with maniacal joy, Noa gripped the wing with both hands and pulled with all his might. Agony tore through Ithriel's back, causing him to scream as he lost control, crashing into several structures as he fell. With a sickening tear of flesh and a loud snap of bone, the wing gave away. Golden blood sprayed into the sky as the severed limb remained in Noa's grip.

"Look at that now—a one-winged chicken," Noa chuckled, inspecting his handiwork.

"Fuck—!" Gritting his teeth against the blinding pain, Ithriel stabilized himself on his remaining wing and spun, dislodging Noa into open air. Using the ruined walls for leverage, Jain bounded toward them. Leaping into the sky, she thrust both feet toward Noa in a flying kick. As realization dawned in Noa's mind, Ithriel maneuvered behind him, aligning his own foot in tandem. Jain's boots slammed into Noa's chest while Ithriel's struck his back, sandwiching him mid-air. Both crouched against him.

Just as Noa attempted to trigger [Blink], golden chains bound him once again.

"Good luck," Jain said with a cold smile. They kicked off from him simultaneously, the opposing kinetic force pinning him in place. Rebounding away, Ithriel manifested a salvo of golden lances, matched by Jain's orbiting spears and explosive spheres. The torrential barrage swarmed the immobile Noa, piercing his body before the spheres detonated in unison. Jain and Ithriel hit the ground hard, cracking the earth beneath their feet.

"Are you okay?" Jain asked, glancing at his torn wing.

"More importantly," Ithriel replied, narrowing his eyes as he looked up at the continuous explosions, "will this be enough?" Jain's expression darkened as she shook her head.

"Probably not… my body is failing, and I'm running out of Lady Liara's energy, so the attacks are weakened—" [Blink] Stunning Jain, Noa's bloodied figure materialized directly before her, his face twisted in rage as he gnashed his teeth. His right arm had been severed in the blast. Gripping Acheron tightly in his remaining hand, he drew back his shoulder, Null Essence coiling at the blade's tip, and lunged forward in a thrust designed to end her story right then and there.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. [Aegis Frame (Rare)] [Edict of Null Halo (Unique)] A blur of gold intercepted the path of the blade. Ithriel had thrown himself between Noa and the Saint, his back turned to the attacker. Behind his shoulder blades, a rotating halo of divine light manifested—the power of [Edict of Null Halo], a skill designed to nullify special energies from Legendary or lower skills.

Stacked before it were layered panels of glass-like golden energy—the [Aegis Frame], a barrier delicate as crystal yet possessing the fortitude of a mountain range. Noa clicked his tongue and pulled back his blade, only to strike again.

"Get the hell out of my way, YOU FUCKING ANGEL!" The blade shattered through the golden panels, but its energy vanished the moment it touched the halo.

"Just what kind of regeneration is this?" Ithriel turned, sweeping his sword around as Noa's attack ended.

"My Lady's Saint, try to hold him off for a moment!"

"Better hurry!" Switching places, Jain clashed with Noa while Ithriel supported from the flank. After an exchange of blows, Jain managed to pin Noa in place. Seizing the opening, Ithriel clamped both hands onto Noa's head. [Astral Breach (Legendary)] [Astral Breach] allows my Astral Body to invade your consciousness and subjugate it without exception—unless you possess a Legendary-class mental defense skill. If physical prowess is your strength, this must be your weakness!

Ithriel's Astral Body floated within a world of darkness, a boundless expanse where direction held no meaning—precisely how an uncultivated consciousness ought to appear. I knew it! This realm is barely superior to an average warrior's. This truly is his weakness, Ithriel thought, surveying the gloom. Though my physical vessel was constrained, my Astral Body operates at its full capability. Controlling him will be effortless. He extended a hand forward to seize control.

But then, directly ahead, a radiant white light erupted, glowing against the dark world. What is that? he thought, halting in his tracks. The majestic white light twined together as it reached skyward, gradually coalescing into a shape. From those brilliant rays emerged the figure of a woman, her white hair cascading down in a blinding glow, her form simultaneously distinct and fluid.

A colossal palm rested beneath the Angel's feet while her eyes—those crimson, radiant orbits—gazed down at him with disdain, as though he were nothing more than a plaything.... A god? was all Ithriel could utter.

"Where do you think you're prying?" As if crushing an insect, the palm snapped shut around the Angel's Astral Body.

"Stupid fucks, trying to get into my darling's mind," Vionette muttered with a smile, leaning back in her chair.

"His mind belongs only to me." After staring at her for a moment, Rose rolled her eyes. Whatever you say, Princess.

Ithriel's eyes snapped open, and his hands recoiled from Noa's head. Both Jain and Noa looked at him in confusion before resuming their clash. W-what was that?! he thought, breathing heavily. To completely nullify a Legendary-class skill so effortlessly… what deity possesses such an astral form? Suddenly, Noa's blade swept in from the side, which Ithriel barely managed to parry.

"You just grabbing heads to do nothing now?" Noa asked, stepping back off the parry. Jain rushed to his side.

"Are you okay? What happened?"

"It doesn't matter now," Ithriel said, leveling his blade toward Noa.

"What is your condition?"

"…It's almost gone," Jain gritted out, her hands trembling around her spear. The golden radiance of her hair flickered like a candle in a draft. <C'mon, Jain, are you really running low right now? Why don't you ask for some more from your God? Surely mother will help the crying baby if you ask nicely enough, right? >"C'mon, Jain, are you really running low right now?" Noa asked, spreading his arms with a mocking smirk.

"Why don't you ask for some more from your God? Surely mother will help the crying baby if you ask nicely enough, right?"

"Shut your mouth! How dare you speak of the Goddess in such a way!" Ithriel roared, his composure snapping as he lunged forward.

"Wait! Ithri—!" Jain reached out to stop the enraged Angel, but the sentence was cut short. In the fraction of a second Ithriel charged, Noa activated [Blink], appearing behind the Saint. Acheron's blade sank into Jain's back, cold steel protruding from her chest. Vionette had known Ithriel's defense could shield Jain from Noa's assault, so the simplest solution was to lure the shield away from the target.

Jain wrenched herself free from the blade, stumbling several paces as she clutched the gaping wound in her chest. She glanced to her right, where the world dissolved into a blur of violence. The Angel and Noa were already at each other's throats again—gold clashing against purple, their blades moving so fast they became streaks of light and shadow. Noa blocked an overhead strike from Ithriel, blood spilling from his lips.

He smeared it across his face with the back of his hand, looking up at the Angel with an entertained grin. He launched a counter-strike that bit into Ithriel's shoulder, making the Angel grunt as golden ichor spilled from the wound.

"One more… one more should be enough," Jain whispered to herself. [Exalted Judgment] [Judgment Prism] Refusing to fall quietly, Jain activated her newly acquired Unique skill. A prism of light condensed around her, tracking Noa's every movement and feeding the analysis of his weaknesses directly into her mind. She lunged from the flank. Noa parried instantly, his reflexes sharpened by adrenaline and Vionette's guiding presence. As he crossed blades with the Saint, Ithriel hovered back a few paces.

"I shall end your misery right here, right now!" Ithriel shouted. Floating just above the earth, he joined his hands in a prayer-like gesture.

"I summon thee, Sword of Liara!" One more push! Jain thought, her vision blurring. She summoned the last of her strength to activate [Divine Tether], golden chains erupting from the glowing liquid to pin Noa's limbs to the earth one final time. The citizens of the city-state, watching from distant hills, noticed the flashing surges of gold and purple that had lit up the horizon suddenly vanish. Then, the sky began to bleed gold.

The dark clouds, choked with smoke from the battle and burning homes, were parted by a radiance as if the sun itself had fractured open. A massive sword composed of solidified golden energy descended through the heavens. It was large enough to split the city in two, its light illuminating the faces of terrified onlookers miles away. This was the Sword of Liara—a construct born of the Goddess's power, entrusted to her angels to carry out her judgment, an inherited ability that required no skill or magic to wield.

As Noa looked up at the descending monument of gold, a ringing laugh bubbled up from his chest. The sound was high, cutting through the thundering roar of the sword's descent. It was not the laugh of a desperate man; it was the laughter of someone who had finally found a worthy wall to tear down. Noa flexed his muscles, and the golden chains binding him shattered like glass—whether broken by the raw power of [Nihility Decree] or the fact that Jain was seconds from death, the bindings offered no resistance.

"Die," Ithriel whispered, opening his eyes as the massive sword reached peak velocity. Noa drew a long breath, his lips curving upward. He gripped Acheron with his hand, the hilt soaked in his own blood, and pointed the tip toward the heavens. Shifting his weight to his rear foot, he poured every drop of Null Essence he possessed into the blade of his sword. — Formless Sword: Rupture (Shattered Silence) — As the golden sword fell from the sky, something darker rose from the earth to meet it.

It was a dragon—a serpentine beast manifested purely from violet energy—hissing with the sound of a thousand dying whispers. The dragon rushed toward the golden sword in a fury of concentrated rage, its form undulating through the air. The golden light and the violet darkness collided. The will of Acheron and the extended will of the Goddess Liara fought for dominance in the sky, the atmosphere turning into a chaotic overlay of colors that made the stars themselves seem dim.

Then, finally, the sound of the world breaking reached its peak. The golden light shattered. The will of Liara, constrained by the limitations of Ithriel's vessel, was pulverized by the draconic will that carried the weight of a kingdom's grief. The violet dragon surged through the heavens, swallowing the golden shards until the sky was nothing but a sea of purple shadow. When the clash ceased, the only thing remaining in the sky was the dragon.

Its long, serpentine body was formed from countless flowing strands of energy that traced its shape, swimming through the dark clouds as if navigating an unseen current. Its head, crowned with sweeping horns made of light, looked down at the city-state. The dragon was the combination of the essence of the crimson dragon Elina, the collective negative emotions of Crimvane, and the power of [Nihility Decree], which could strike the Astral Body that served as the very foundation for the Sword of Liara.

"Looks like your body is used up, huh?" Noa smirked widely, tapping his blood-soaked temple with a shaky finger.

"Where the hell did you come from anyway? Another world? Is there a heaven up there?" He was talking to Ithriel, whose form was beginning to fray at the edges. The Angel wasn't vanishing into golden dust; instead, the physical body was simply emptying, all its energy spent on the final strike.

"Another world? Oh, it seems you still don't know much about Mythara," Ithriel said, looking up at the purple sky with a strangely peaceful expression.

"Find the answer yourself. Find out about the core of the multiverse." With those final words, Ithriel vanished. His soul retreated from the hollowed-out vessel, returning to the embrace of his Goddess. Didn't expect that much of a non-hostile goodbye. The hell changed? Noa thought, turning his gaze toward his remaining opponent. He chuckled as he walked toward her.

"My dear Jain, how much plot armor did you use to stay alive this long?" Jain lay slumped on the ground, the golden light of her hair completely gone, replaced by a dull, human blonde. Her wounds bled freely now that her divine energy had been exhausted. Noa stood over her, waiting for a response, a taunt, or even a curse. But she didn't move. I lost… no, I can't let this man… With that bitter final thought, Saint Jain of the Church of Liara passed away.

Her mission remained incomplete, and her last vision was the man she hated most in the world. Noa stepped onto the corpse, his boot pressing into the dirt as if to confirm she was truly gone. He stared down at her for a long time, his expression unreadable, before his lips finally curved upward. He looked up at the sky, spreading his arms. One eye was half-closed, the other widened in a manic stare, his face bathed in the dying purple light of the dragon above.

"Well, come down here, you God! What's wrong? I'm still waiting!" The sound of his laughter echoed through the city-state, a jagged, ringing sound in a place that had finally, after long hours of war, fallen silent.