Chapter 194 – Prayer

“…Kartia…?”

Clink— Unlike his confident stride just moments ago, Bamilion’s deep voice shrank as he recoiled.

I ignored him.

I lunged forward, gripping Frey tightly.

BOOM—! A rough burst of True Energy shattered the starry sky. Divine power enveloped my body a step later, giving me stability. The mysterious spirits unfolding before me illuminated my path.

The distance between us closed in an instant. Without hesitation, I struck with Frey.

Reacting a moment too late, the same level of force as Hermilla’s surged from Aaron’s body. His fists clenched. His stance changed. His breathing stopped. His sharp gaze tracked Frey’s movement. Following that trajectory, Aaron’s fist shot out.

If things continued this way, my attack would surely be blocked, but it didn’t matter. Aaron wasn’t my target.

I exploded the blood aura wrapped around my body. Crack— My arm shattered as I swung Frey. The impact altered its trajectory. Before my crushed hand could lose grip, I froze both my hand and Frey’s hilt together. I wrapped blood aura around my limp arm.

Whoosh— Feathers burst and scattered, blocking their vision. Hellish flames surged upward, cutting off their escape route.

“Bamilion!”

Aaron shouted, having realized my plan.

Only then did Bamilion come to his senses and frantically reach for his greatsword.

Too late.

Slice—

Without mercy or hesitation, a slash made with no thought for what came after cut through his thick armor. Along the clean line, Bamilion’s blood scattered, sprinkling across the flower field that glistened like captured stars.

“Kuh… nngh…”

Clutching his wound, Bamilion staggered backward.

I launched forward again. Blood droplets mingled with stardust in midair. Tracking these floating particles, I swung Frey again. His armor split like paper, and thick blood oozed through the fresh gash.

His posture faltered, his breathing grew ragged. The ground beneath Bamilion’s feet suddenly collapsed. A spear of divine power pierced his ankle. His already unstable stance tilted further.

As his posture completely crumbled, I seized the opening and rushed forward. BOOM—! With an even more violent surge of True Energy than before, the earth exploded beneath me. Amidst swirling petals and blood droplets, I swung Frey, now soaked in deadly intent.

At that moment, Aaron—whose presence had vanished—reappeared. His fist shot toward my abdomen. Similar to Hermilla’s force but entirely different in nature, Aaron’s power condensed. A staggering might gathered, so overwhelming it distorted even the information my [Ki Sense] could perceive.

Before that fist could land, a brilliant divine barrier formed. One layer, two layers, three layers—hundreds of barriers erected instantly. Then spirit winds wrapped around my body. The earth surged upward, widening the distance between us.

Aaron’s perfect punch shattered every layer of divine barrier. The fragments seeped into my arm, healing broken bones and torn flesh.

And beyond that, light spirits drifting through the air gently settled on my body.

Crack— Shaking off ice fragments clinging to my hand, I steadied my breath. I retracted the blood aura I had recklessly expended and corrected my posture.

Across from me, Aaron stood at a distance, radiating sharp killing intent. He handed Bamilion a potion as the warrior staggered.

“Challenger. Come with us to the False Para—”

“Shut up.”

BOOM—! I dashed forward again before Aaron could finish speaking.

There was no need to listen. I didn’t want to hear it. I had no desire to show mercy. No inclination to engage in conversation.

They might have their reasons, but I didn’t care.

It was already too late.

These were the people who had tried to forcibly take Rubia. Those who had pushed Hermilla to the brink of death and attempted to kill Heinzel.

Nameless ones, or whatever they called themselves. People trying to enter some “false paradise” following a strange god.

People moving to kill Rubia. Bastards, the lot of them.

Thick killing intent erupted from me. Indescribable emotion filled Frey.

As my emotions intensified, the blood aura that had been raging freely fell back. The cold energy that had been bending to my will faded away. The feathers floating in midair froze. The arrogant flames held their breath.

The atmosphere in Kartia shifted.

Sensing this, Bamilion quickly retreated.

Flames like a lion’s mane erupted from Aaron’s body as he moved to block Bamilion. His breathing steadied and his stance solidified.

Befitting Hermilla’s teacher—a perfect stance. Regulated breathing. Perfectly honed fists. An impregnable fortress with no openings, Aaron’s presence expanded.

Crunch—! I drove Frey into the ground to check my momentum. My body pitched forward with the motion. Simultaneously, I yanked Frey back out. The increased recoil propelled my body forward with even greater force.

Harnessing that momentum, I swung Frey upward. The sword, now carrying immensely greater weight than before, extended toward Aaron.

His stance remained solid. His legs extended without the slightest waver, his breathing perfectly controlled. From this foundation, a textbook strike launched forward.

A fist moving in a perfect arc aimed for the center of Frey. Meanwhile, Frey—swung with brutal force, abandoning all perfection—opened its jaws toward Aaron.

———!!

Forces seeking different outcomes collided. For an instant, wind pressure surged like a hurricane, engulfing the starry sky. Roots tore from the ground, and stellar lights extinguished.

The delayed explosion shook the foundations of the earth. Drowning out the screams of flowers, it announced its presence to the ends of the world.

As the aftershocks of our clash began to subside, Stars scattered in the sky. Flower petals withered.

Drip— Small ripples disturbed the surface of what had been a calm sea. Then Thud— A larger ripple followed.

“So… the qualification was real… wasn’t it.”

Looking down at his severed left hand, Aaron gave a bitter smile. His eyes, swimming with madness, gleamed.

An inexplicable unease wrapped around my entire body. As I tried to shake it off and swing Frey again—

Zzzzt—

From the greatsword where my aura resided, From that distant land where it was embedded, I felt a familiar surge of power.

A power I had felt only once before. The unforgettable force that had cleaved through winter.

The one-eyed swordsman who cut down the world with a single weathered blade. A force with the same quality as Luchi’s, who had burned his very essence before death.

The owner of that power now was—

Heinzel.

Because of this, my movements faltered. A gap opened. It was a critical opening.

[Get a hold of yourself!]

At Kartia’s urgent cry, I raised Frey.

Crack— Aaron’s left hand struck the barely lifted Frey. My stance crumbled. My center shifted. Aaron’s knee, packed with overwhelming force, drove into my faltering form.

With excruciating pain that crushed all my ribs, his knee soared upward. The [Dark Flame] force within him burrowed deep into my body.

“Kkuh… agh—!”

Between clenched teeth, fragments of torn organs escaped. My breath burst forth. Unbearable pain seeped through.

A searing agony unlike anything I’d ever experienced made my body curl inward. As I began to collapse, the divine power within me started pushing back against the [Dark Flame]. Brunhilde’s fire mingled with divine power and burned away the invasive force.

The earth rose beneath me at the spirits’ command. A gentle wind supported my body, and warm light enveloped me.

“Noah!”

I felt Rubia’s frantic pulse surrounding me. Beyond the bitter scent of blood, her gentle fragrance reached me.

Clinging to the fraying thread of consciousness, I forced myself upright. After swaying several times, I finally regained my balance. I steadied my breath and turned to Rubia with a faint smile.

“I m-made a mistake… haa… Thank you.”

And once more, I gripped Frey and turned toward Aaron.

Even then, Heinzel’s power—radiating from distant Cartia—continued to grow stronger.

As if without regret. As if without lingering attachment. As if he had finally achieved his dream. It blazed brilliantly, leaving nothing unfulfilled.

And yet, we had agreed to arm-wrestle.

I suppressed the expression twisting my face. I ignored the pain lingering in my body. I set aside memories of the past.

Right now, I focused solely on what stood before me. To kill the one who had tried to kill Rubia.

“Leviathan… haha, truly remarkable.”

With a genuinely impressed yet hollow laugh, Aaron readjusted his stance.

Even with one hand missing, his posture showed no openings. Flames condensed to their limit began taking physical form.

Behind him, Bamilion, now fully recovered, took his place at Aaron’s side.

“Kartia. Won’t you please show yourself?”

Once again, he intoned Kartia’s name.

Then, he removed his helmet.

“No, I suppose I should reveal myself first.”

A thin, feminine voice—entirely different from before—emerged. Long hair cascaded over Bamilion’s shoulders as the helmet came off.

“It’s been so very long, Kartia.”

Sharp features with delicate lines revealed themselves.

And then, Kartia’s voice, stunned into silence, finally spoke:

[…Frey?]