Chapter 194: The Fount of Light (6)

Shuack!

Sergio’s hand was once more split into two. However, there was no blood. Instead, his hand got reattached immediately. There was no pain, but Sergio felt like a nail was being hammered against his chest. He wasn’t stupid enough to misunderstand what Kristina’s words meant.

“You…. How dare you!” shouted Sergio.

His eyes were deeply colored with the intent to kill. He could not accept Kristina denying her role as the Saintess, even more so than the corruption of the Hero Eugene. She dared to deny the very nature of her existence, as if she were denying her identity as a human.

“Get out of my way!” Sergio shouted angrily while glaring at Eugene.

Naturally, Eugene had no intention of standing aside. He could sense that Kristina was quivering and recoiling at each of Sergio’s words. However, Kristina did not back down. Instead, she attempted to use divine magic as she tried to collect her breath. Even in her state, she was trying to help Eugene.

Eugene simply shook his head as he raised the Holy Sword.

Tuk.

With a slight gesture of his hand, he pushed behind him, and a gentle force bumped Kristina backward.

“Just make sure to protect yourself,” he said.

“B-but…. Sir Eugene…!” Kristina responded, staring at Eugene with surprise.

She wanted to be of assistance, whatever it took, but she also knew that her body’s inability to move was a response coming from long-acquired fear. Although Eugene made it clear that he did not care about her identity as a Saintess, she could not imagine herself as anything else. It was difficult for her to fathom what value she would have without it.

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So she wanted to help. She wanted to prove that she wasn’t useless and could somehow be of use to Eugene.

But Eugene shook his head. “Don’t push yourself.”

“Ah….”

“Just stay there and watch.”

Kristina placed her hand against her chest to quench the tingling coming from within as she stared at Eugene’s back. As broad as it was, his back was incomparably smaller than the light Sergio produced. However, the all-encompassing, brilliant light could not extend its reach beyond Eugene.

She squeezed her eyes shut when she saw Eugene’s shadow stretch long in the backlight, and when she opened her eyes… Eugene’s flame was eroding the light.

Boom!

The ground gave way under him as Eugene pounced forward, and Sergio extended both his hands with a scream. He intended to stop Eugene in his tracks, but he failed. As a result, he was thrown back with a loud explosion.

He glared at Eugene and stretched out his left hand, his crushed body already regenerating.

Fwooosh!

The red cloth sprang forward from his left arm, which was now limp due to the broken arm bones. Upon reaching Eugene, the red cloth wound around the Holy Sword.

“Oh, Holy Light!” cried Sergio.

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The three angels responded to his call and stretched out their hands. A brilliant light permeated the cloth, quenching the flame of the Holy Sword.

[Sir Eugene! T-take out the Moonlight Sword!]

Mer cried out from within the cloak in fright. She knew that the cloth was an artifact with a powerful suppressive ability, and Sergio was unfolding a powerful divine magic of sealing. But no matter how powerful Sergio’s seal was, the Moonlight Sword could easily destroy the entire seal. There was no way Eugene was ignorant of this.

However, he chose not to use the Moonlight Sword. Eugene was well aware that he would receive criticism later on for being stubborn and stupid, but he was adamant.

He would use nothing but the Holy Sword in this battle. That was his resolve. He heard Kristina’s scream from far behind, and the flame, which had burned bright and intense, was faltering beneath the cloth.

Certain that the flame had been completely suppressed, Sergio jumped at Eugene. The stigmata on his right arm was already completely drenched with blood, and the blood oozing from his abdomen was no longer simply dripping.

Sergio curled up his bloody hand into a fist, and a brilliant flash manifested into hundreds of swords and surrounded Eugene.

[Sir Eugene!] Mer screamed.

Eugene quickly scanned his surroundings, but he could not see a path for escape. The Holy Sword had been subdued by the cloth, and his flames had been sealed. However, Eugene could sense that his flames had not been extinguished. Instead, the sword-force formed from the Ring Flame Formula was squirming under the layer of cloth.

His lips pursed as he concentrated, and hundreds of sacred swords closed in on him. It appeared to be more than enough force to end Eugene, but even so… Sergio was hesitant in his conviction of victory.

The angels sang hymns, and four huge hands of light appeared from the sky and the ground. After materializing in this way, the four hands followed the barrage of swords and wrapped around Eugene.

Crack.

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A faint sound resonated, and although it was pretty soft, Sergio could not ignore it. It was an unthinkable sound, something that should not have been heard. Sergio felt goosebumps rising along with a growing sense of ominous fear. The unexpected stench of death forced Sergio to make a choice.

‘I will die if I keep moving,’ Sergio thought, and he knew that he could not dismiss that instinct.

As soon as he stopped himself, lightning exploded in all directions. Sparks of flames could also be seen mixed in with the bolts of lightning. Sergio was in complete disbelief as he stared beyond the light and flames.

It was not an exaggeration to say that his cloth boasted near-absolute power when it came to suppressing and sealing, but it was currently being ripped to shreds. Moreover, the color of the flame spouting through the rips was much darker and more ominous than before.

The numerous blades of light had been captured by the flames and were greedily devouring the light. The four giant hands of light attempted to seize the entire space surrounding Eugene but failed due to the flames and were scattered as the flame erupted.

Blood started to dribble down Eugene’s pursed lips, and he utilized the suppressive effect of Sergio’s seal to condense the mana that formed his sword-force. Then he superimposed another layer of sword-force.

Three layers of sword-force caused more and more black spots to spread on the blade. Eugene could feel his hand quivering under the pressure of the tremendous energy exuding from the Holy Sword. He wrapped his left hand around his right to stabilize himself and raised the Holy Sword over his head.

“Ah…!” Kristina gasped, staring at the Holy Sword with a dazed expression.

Sergio’s shoulders started to tremble as he faced the flame head-on. “How far…. How far will you go to desecrate the Holy Sword…!?”

Those hideous flames — it was unbelievable that the Incarnation of Light was exuding such ominous, sinister flames. The flames were terrible and ugly in Sergio’s eyes. How could it not contain even a shred of the warmth and brilliance that the Holy Sword was supposed to have?

Sergio shuddered as he stretched his right arm forward, and the angels took their place behind him with their wings outstretched.

Fwoosh!

A beam of light wove around his bloody arm and formed the shape of a giant bow, and a brilliant arrow was formed from his halo. This was the Bow of Light, a spell that boasted the highest attack power among all divine magic. The beam discharged from the bow would simply ignore magical barriers and aura shields, penetrating through anything in its path.

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Sergio saw Eugene and Kristina lined up in his sight. If he shot at this angle, Kristina would be in the arrow’s path — of course, as long as she did not run away.

Glaring at Kristina, he shouted, “Be cleansed!”

Rumbleeee!

All the light in the surroundings seemed to converge on the arrow rest.

Kristina could feel the great power of Sergio’s divine spell, but contrary to his expectations, she did not flee in fear. Instead, she ran toward Eugene with a panicked expression, as if to protect him from the vicious attack. Sergio felt intense anger at the sight and immediately loosed off the arrow.

Eugene could hear Kristina running toward him. It was already too late to reassure her, but there was no need for him to speak, anyway. The flood of light accompanying the arrow threatened to burn his eyes, but Eugene kept still and allowed the Holy Sword to descend.

The three layers of sword-force and the black spots exploded simultaneously. For an instant, the flames that formed the sword-force were completely dyed black. The arrow was crushed, and the light disappeared without leaving any trace.

The resulting explosion washed over Sergio, and the angels wrapped their wings around him to protect him. However, even their wings were charred to nothingness, and the three angels perished one after another. Only a thin line of black remained engraved in the air.

Kristina felt her legs give out before she reached Eugene.

It had only taken a moment…. For an instant, she had seen the light crashing toward her, but in the next, darkness had already prevailed, and Eugene stood alone in the midst of it. However, despite the scene clearly unfolding in front of her very eyes, Kristina could not fully understand what had happened.

Sergio also failed to understand the situation. He had been… swept away by the darkness, and half of his body had disappeared without a trace. He was only left with his upper body, thanks to the miracle of the stigmata. The light coming from the scar was protecting Sergio’s right arm and his upper body.

“Kua…” He could not speak either. Only the sound of air escaped when he opened his mouth.

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Sergio struggled to raise his head and looked forward, where he saw Kristina. She was completely fine and without a single wound. But she looked enchanted. He saw how she could not take her eyes off Eugene.

Sergio clenched his teeth. Even though she was blessed with that face, the face of Anise the Faithful, she dared to…. He turned his eyes and looked down at his right arm. The light of the stigmata was too faint to illuminate the looming darkness. He saw the lightless Holy Sword in Eugene’s hand.

He felt despair, but that despair was accompanied by a strong sense of duty. The ceremony was no longer the priority. No, in the first place, that thing was no longer a Saintess Candidate, so what ceremony could he conduct?

He was not sure if he could ever create another candidate with such aptitude, harmony, and completeness, but it no longer mattered. There was a crucial flaw in her character, and that was the most important factor.

The existence of… miracles. When Kristina was born, Sergio had been convinced that she was a miracle of the Light. But it had been a hasty conviction. Just as the Hero had gotten himself corrupted, the Saintess Candidate had done the same. So he had no choice but to start everything over right from scratch. Kill the fallen Hero, retrieve the Holy Sword, and discard the failed Saintess — once he fulfilled these duties, the Light would surely bring him another miracle.

‘They must be purified,’ he thought. He knew that something horrible would befall the world if he failed to stop the devils and they were given freedom. Sergio had not one shred of a doubt.

‘Holy Spirit….’ Sergio struggled to move his right arm and eventually placed it on his chest with great effort. ‘Take my spirit and my flesh.’

His bloody fingers penetrated his chest, and the stigmata on his right arm crawled up his fingers and into his chest. This was the final miracle, a phenomenon that could not be brought forth by simply using the stigmata. Rather, it was a miracle that could only be summoned by devoting one’s existence to the stigmata.

Sergio knew that he would become a torch of light without any sense of self, but he accepted the martyrdom with boundless joy.

A light bloomed in the darkness.

The tiny bud of brilliance started to grow in size, and what remained of Sergio’s body was enveloped by the stigmata. Once he was fully covered with the stigmata, his body transformed into pure light. It was as if he himself had become the Incarnation of Light.

A stream of light penetrated the darkness, and Eugene felt pain for the first time. He was sure that he had dodged just before the light made contact, but he saw that his left arm was in tatters. It was clear that his arm would have been torn off or completely destroyed if Agaroth’s Ring had not been protecting him.

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Eugene clicked his tongue, wrapping the Cloak of Darkness around him. The beam of light responsible for taking his left arm now stood as a luminous body in human form, high in the sky. Its mere presence illuminated the sky as if it were day instead of light.

“Behold,” declared Sergio while looking down at Eugene and Kristina. “This is the Almighty Light, the power of God that illuminates the world. You fallen devils will never be able to tarnish this Light!”

Eugene didn’t think it was worth feeding his babbles. Instead, he focused on fully grasping Sergio’s light. With three layers, could Eugene eliminate him in a single strike? Was it sufficient to penetrate the protection of the stigmata? He could not be sure. Sergio’s rotten miracle was already beyond understanding as far as common knowledge went.

If he applied the same concept of absurdity and used the Moonlight Sword….

‘Hamel.’

But there was no point if he used the Moonlight Sword. He insisted on using just the Holy Sword. He would not use an ounce of magic, and he would not touch any of his other weapons. He had to do that if he wanted to…allow the souls of the dead to rest in peace.

‘You are too stubborn. Why do you fight like that?’ a voice seemed to whisper in his ear.

“Unlike you, I’m capable of recognizing where I am,” said Eugene with a smirk. He took his ragged left hand to his chest. “And this is what I have to do now.”

Eugene’s bloody fingers dug into his chest, just as Sergio’s had. However, Eugene wasn’t praying, relying on faith, or wishing for a miracle. Instead, he was offering himself as tinder for the flames to burn brighter.

Ba-dump.

Ignition caused his Cores to start revolving madly, and Eugene commanded his mana while listening to his beating heart. The rampaging mana left Eugene’s control and formed the Sixth Star, and Eugene laughed as he felt his entire body quake.

He had formed the Sixth Star of the White Flame Formula, but the situation didn’t allow him to observe the resulting changes leisurely. Instead, he directed the rapidly swelling mana on the Holy Sword.

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‘What is this?’ thought Sergio. It felt as if the weight of air itself had intensified. Although Sergio was illuminating the sky as the sole source of light, it felt as if he were gradually falling to the ground. No, it was just an illusion, an impossibility. Sergio did not doubt the omnipotence of the spirit permeating his body.

The light fell down toward him, and it appeared as if the whole sky was sinking. Eugene could not take his eyes off the phenomenal sight. But strangely, although it was extremely bright, Eugene could see everything with clarity. The light, which was too fast for the naked eye, was now visible to him. No…if anything, the light seemed a little slow.

Indeed, Ignition activated at the Sixth Star of the White Flame Formula was granting Eugene an incredible sense of vision.

“…Ha.” Eugene raised his right arm with a dry smile. “It’s nice to see you.”

The sword encased in dark blue split the sky. It was not an unfamiliar sight.

A formidable force disturbed Sergio’s consciousness, but his body wasn’t crushed. He wasn’t even forced backward. Although it was difficult to believe, the enormous power was under Eugene’s strict control. The devastating strike had only erased the light.

Thus, only Sergio’s body was left in the sky — naked, without any light or power. Naturally, he could not understand what had just taken place. Nevertheless, he saw Eugene kick off the ground. The fast-approaching pair of eyes made Sergio feel enormous fear. He belatedly opened his mouth to scream and attempted to create some distance from Eugene.

However, he was prevented from doing so. Violent light was blocking his retreat, even though no sun or divine light was surrounding Sergio. The only source of light was Eugene’s flames.

Eugene raised the Holy Sword with a grave expression, but surprisingly, there was no flame coating the blade any longer. What Eugene now held in his hands was simply a beautiful ceremonial sword that appeared impractical. That was all. The blade, which was now devoid of any light, pushed into Sergio’s chest.

Thud.

His heart was pierced, and Sergio started to shake. He could only look down at the sword penetrating his chest with disbelief.

However, he soon realized that his heart was still beating. He was not dead. A smile dawned on his face with the realization, and he took it as a God-given opportunity. Sergio stretched his arms wide toward Eugene and attempted to call upon the light once more to completely purify Eugene.

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A small light came into existence.

Fssh.

But it did not belong to Sergio. Instead, the light came from the sword penetrating his heart.

“Ah…!” Sergio quickly called out to his stigmata, but it did not respond with the same light as before. Instead, the light coming from the Holy Sword grew stronger and stronger, and Sergio’s body disintegrated accordingly.

This was impossible.

Why? Why was the stigmata…? Why, why, why was the Holy Sword emitting such a beautiful, brilliant light in a devil’s hands?

“T-the Light…” stuttered Sergio, but no one was there to listen. Eugene twisted out the Holy Sword from Sergio’s chest, and Sergio clasped his chest while staggering backward. He opened and closed his mouth, but no words came out. He looked at Eugene, then looked at his own chest.

Kristina looked toward the sky with her large eyes.

“How could….”

A clichéd response. The sword took Sergio’s head before he could finish, and the trophy was swallowed up by the light, which quickly spread and devoured Sergio’s body as well.

Bangg!

Like the fireworks of a festival, Sergio’s body exploded, drawing countless shooting stars across the darkened sky. Leaving behind the downpour of sparks, Eugene slowly dropped to the ground to Kristina’s side.

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It was night again.

Kristina remained sitting on the ground, unable to move an inch. What had happened before her eyes was — no, she could not quite understand what it was yet. Everything still felt like a dream to Kristina, but…it wasn’t a nightmare.

“I told you, right?” said Eugene. He approached her while removing his hand from his chest, and Kristina took her eyes off the night sky and looked back at him.

“I’m here to save you,” continued Eugene with a grin. He wasn’t fine by any means. His left arm was tattered, and he also had a splitting headache. Even his heart was hurting. Still, he could move.

“Ah….” Unable to form any words, Kristina covered her mouth with her hands and sobbed.

The sky was dark. It was an obvious statement: it was night, so it was dark. But Kristina felt that the sky was brighter than ever.

Kristina lowered her head, sobbing. She wanted to do anything but cry, but even that was impossible. The masks she had worn since she was a child seemed to have vaporized into thin air. So Kristina cried. She shed tears without trying to hide them and let her emotions take over. She cried with a face no different from when she was a child, making it sound shameful even to herself. She cried so much that even someone like Eugene felt compelled to reach out to her.

It was somewhat awkward to just watch, so he tried to wipe away her tears, but Kristina suddenly grabbed Eugene’s hand. Then, as if she had been waiting, she buried her face in Eugene’s chest and bawled.

“…Well…” Everywhere was hurting…. Although he had used it for only a short duration, Ignition took a heavy toll on his body. Every time Kristina rubbed her face against his chest, it felt as if his muscles were being shredded, his ribs hammered, and his heart punched.

However, it wasn’t as if he could push her away, not when she was crying so hard.

“…Hff…” Eugene clenched his teeth to prevent a groan from escaping his lips.

For a while, Eugene silently accepted Kristina’s tears.