Chapter 235: The Deep Sea Swallowed By Stars
The sticky darkness swallowed the blade, obstructing Lucia’s vision as she tried to advance.
Merely blocking her vision wasn’t enough to stop Lucia, but the fact that this battle took place in the deep sea where Kiara’s authority manifested, and the familiar darkness emanating from her hands, resulted in a definite outcome.
The blade swallowed by darkness could not move forward. As her steps sank into the ground, Lucia, losing her footing, was swept away by the fierce current and spun around once.
On the other hand, Kiara, who had whimsically disrupted the flow of the battle, smiled a fishy smile from beyond the darkness.
‘As expected…’
Her leisurely gaze swept over Lucia. Kiara’s other authority, the darkness that made the already lightless deep sea even darker, was not originally hers.
It was the power of the god she followed. The power of a god who had died 500 years ago when his throat was cut by a human.
She hadn’t been able to use it for long. Thus, she couldn’t wield it as skillfully as she did with the currents. However, the effect was undeniable.
The darkness had a nature that sought to engulf existence, and being the power of a god that had existed since the beginning, it overwhelmed those of lower status just by encountering it.
‘Why did I realize this only now?’On the other hand, the girl before her was not overwhelmed by the darkness stemming from the divine authority. While there was a faint hesitation in her actions, she navigated through the darkness as if she had experienced it before.
Her movements were not those of an amateur. In an era where humans had forgotten what demons were, the idea that someone knew about and could counteract the divine authority of a demon lord was unheard of.
Even if someone had taught her, transferring such knowledge perfectly into practice was impossible. Having existed for thousands of years, Kiara had seen many geniuses and was a genius herself, confident in her assertion.
Knowing something and being able to do it are different.
Even gods, knowing something does not mean they can do it as they please.
Thus,
The hatred she felt toward the human girl flipped into its opposite. As the girl with golden eyes skillfully responded to the authority, Kiara’s heartbeat grew stronger and louder.
Shaking off the darkness, squeezing through the gaps, she stepped forward. It looked easy, but Kiara knew only one human could do it.
The one who dared to stand against the Demon Lord, the only human who could fight him.
It was you.
It was you.
“Kyrie.”
The murmured voice pierced through the darkness and reached Lucia. Lucia frowned deeply and blew up the ground.
Kiara’s gaze shifted sharply. Lucia realized her determination towards her was intensifying.
She was caught. But she didn’t affirm the question.
Kiara didn’t expect Lucia to answer. So, she just smiled faintly without asking further.
‘You deceived me?’
The one who claimed to be Kyrie, the master of the holy sword, was not Shiron, but the human girl in front of her. Even without an affirmative answer, Kiara was suddenly certain of the answer that surged up.
Kiara stared at Lucia. The golden irises, slit vertically in her black pupils, pierced through the essence of the girl trying not to waver.
In the whirlpool of darkness, the girl slashed with her gleaming sword at an incredible speed. While her expression was distorted, her trained body didn’t waver like a deeply rooted tree.
It wasn’t just the superiority of her physique.
Knowing something and being able to do it are different.
The girl knew how to respond to Kiara’s attacks.
The elf supporting with magic from behind was one thing, but the human who deceived Kiara also managed to counter the whirlpool well, though his method couldn’t be considered Kyrie’s.
There was a difference in how they dodged.
There was a difference in the subtle movements squeezing through the gaps.
“Ugh…”
Even when swinging the same sword and releasing the blade’s energy, Shiron evaded a step ahead, while Lucia deflected at the last moment.
“Ugh…!”
Naturally, the scent of Kyrie was felt from the latter.
The blood mist decorated a sly smile.
The suspicion that had been uncertain solidified as the fight continued, and it was natural that Kiara’s focus shifted from Shiron to Lucia.
Why hadn’t she realized it until now?
The answer was simple. It didn’t fit into place.
Five hundred years was a long time.
Kiara had not only recovered but had grown stronger through faith. Thus, the possibility of a mere human fighting on equal footing was non-existent.
If Lucia hadn’t been here, Kiara would have continued to mistake Shiron for Kyrie.
“Cute… rgh.”
Therefore,
Kiara decided to admit her mistake frankly. After all, Kyrie hadn’t disappeared. The plan she intended to execute was only slightly twisted; the causal line to follow hadn’t changed.
Swoosh! The rotating whirlpool darkened further. The darkness then began erasing the weakest elements, enveloping the deep sea.
The spreading darkness erased everything. Unreachable light, unreflectable forms, the sensation transmitted beyond sticky liquid, the murderous intent that changed with the mindset…
Lucia could no longer sense Kiara’s presence. It was only at the last moment that Shiron could fend off the approaching arm.
Despite the overwhelming presence, the strike was excessively heavy. Even with Prient’s eyes accustomed to the darkness, if it was this dark, it was hard to respond.
But even in such a situation, Shiron found an answer. Swoosh! The holy sword’s light burst forth. Darkness could be erased with light. The fervent dragon’s heart pounded. If the vision was short, she just needed to move faster. Just react quicker.
Gulp- A deep cut was engraved on Kiara’s chest.
Shiron’s superhuman strength and speed added sharpness to her movements. Her strides widened, and her strike against the authority exuded a clear presence.
And then, she manifested the most ideal form of a sword.
A rampage of filthy blood.
The whirlpool emerging from the darkness was completely torn by the sharp light. The torn gap widened.
Zap—Lightning attached to the whirlpool.
A slyly smiling face emerged from the darkness.
“A rampage of filthy blood… huh?”
The sticky deep water bound the holy sword. Shiron didn’t answer and added more force to the sword.
“Hmm!”
Slash—The swift sword slashed Kiara’s abdomen. But it didn’t end there. For some reason, Kiara was now using the demon lord’s authority.
While he didn’t distrust Lucia, she realized it wasn’t a situation where she could rely on Lucia.
Due to the darkness that swallowed all the presence around him, it felt like swinging a meaningless sword in an empty space.
Lucia and Seira must be experiencing the same thing. If it weren’t for the occasional tearing darkness or the sight of Kiara’s still puzzled expression,
They might have forgotten the sensation of fighting.
As he stepped forward, the sensation of the blade hitting the target increased in frequency. It was proof that not only was he deflecting all attacks, but his attacks were also landing properly.
Shiron gained confidence that he could soon win.
Kiara’s chest throbbed. While the physical wounds didn’t make her falter, and the pain of her now hollowed-out body didn’t affect her mind…
She could fully feel the intense emotions from the human in front of her. The emotions Shiron emitted were even denser than those from 500 years ago.
‘What is this?’
So Kiara felt curious.
‘What made you like this?’
Weren’t they supposed to be comrades fighting together?
‘Why did you deceive them by pretending to be Kyrie even though they were right next to you?’
Despite that, they projected their presence arbitrarily, like mismatched gears.
It didn’t seem like it was meant to deceive Kiara. She had shown several times that she didn’t care about increasing confusion with distorted information.
‘Which means…’
A grin split Kiara’s lips as she reached a conclusion.
Despite the chaotic battlefield, Kiara’s body was in a state of separation from her soul. Even though it was painful and difficult, her divine spirit remained unaffected.
Therefore,
She drew the most optimal conclusion she could.
Their relationship wasn’t perfect. They had built enough trust to watch each other’s backs in battle, but it wasn’t a completely open relationship.
The master of the holy sword tried to deceive not just Kiara but everyone, and Kyrie hadn’t revealed her true identity even to her comrades.
‘What kind of reaction will they show?’
At the moment she decided to reveal Kyrie’s identity here, an insight beyond reason struck her.
If things continued this way, she would surely lose. Even if her spirit remained intact, the body that kept her here was not invincible.
‘If I’m going to go anyway.’
She decided to create an indelible memory for Kyrie. Then, she would make the lying girl regret her choice.
The chaos and agitation that would result seemed more meaningful to Kiara than life itself.
She decided to decorate her last amusement with more boldness.
Thrust-
The holy sword was driven into her outstretched hand, and darkness enveloped the hand holding the sword.
The darkness that had drawn out its power twisted the space.
The power resting at her fingertips grew.
The darkness exploded. Then, the veil that had blocked her vision lifted.
Shiron saw Lucia beyond Kiara, confronting the authority.
But the sensation enveloping his body felt somewhat unfamiliar.
It felt like being submerged up to his head in sticky tar.
But Shiron knew what this sphere was. Even if he hadn’t experienced it directly, he had seen this sight several times before.
One of the powers of the 2nd Apostle, Camilla—The Immovable Prison.
‘How many powers are you planning to copy?’
Not just the power of the 1st Apostle, but even the 2nd Apostle’s power was being used. Next, would it be the 3rd Apostle? If she used teleportation, it would be troublesome.
Knowing the identity of the sphere, Shiron continued to think nonchalantly.
However,
Lucia could not see Shiron. All she could see was the ominous and creepy sphere that had grown from Kiara’s shoulder.
“…Huh?”
The pupils that had expanded to absorb light shrank. Her head, still excited from the battle, couldn’t fully comprehend the situation.
‘What is…’
Seira was also seeing the same thing as Lucia.
When the darkness lifted, it wasn’t Shiron they saw, but the ominous and creepy sphere.
Darkness had descended, and all efforts to kill Kiara had been in vain. As proof, the ground beneath Lucia’s feet was crumbling from the impact it had absorbed.
But when the veil lifted, Shiron was the one who had been defeated. It took no time at all to understand this.
Thud- Thud- An unpleasant sound buzzed in her head.
In the past, the human who had dared to defeat the Demon Lord.
In the crisis of her comrade, the terrifying energy wrapped around the girl’s body and writhed. A force too powerful to be called human. Kiara soon recalled the intense memories of the past.
Lucia’s head hung low.
Her chin trembled.
Her hand holding the sword shook, and the blade’s tip quivered with even greater intensity.
The turbulent current of emotions.
But Kiara was not satisfied there.
She wanted even bigger emotions. What must be done for that?
It was to kill the hero as it was. Then she could see the despairing expression of Kyrie, which she hadn’t been able to see before. Then she would meet her end at Kyrie’s hands.
Just imagining it was enjoyable. Saliva trickled from every hole in Kiara’s body, and her vertically slit pupils vibrated intensely.
The certainty that she could kill the hero came naturally. The sum of the authority she used, at the cost of giving up half her body, made Kiara feel a greater sense of alienation than any whirlpool she had handled before, enough to give even herself goosebumps.
However, it didn’t take long for that delusion to shatter.
At the moment Lucia was about to push off the ground with a more concentrated blade than ever—
Crack—
A crack spread through the black sphere, and it shattered. Kiara turned around in surprise.
“…How?”
“How did I get out?”
The face that had shattered her expectations looked surprised, while Shiron rotated his stiff shoulders and grinned.
The answer was simple. The Immovable Prison Kiara used was no different from the one Shiron knew. So, inside the prison, he twisted the circuit. He pierced and destroyed it. Compared to the time when he couldn’t use mana in the past, escaping from the Immovable Prison was as easy as solving a puzzle.
However, Shiron didn’t tell her how.
“Do you know? Kyrie was so strong that no one could stop her.”
“What are you talking about?”
“It means you’re going to die by my hand, not hers.”
Wiping his nose, Shiron made a gesture of slitting her throat.