As the room, once filled with the Void's power, now began to be enveloped by the divine energy of the Sun, the Void Followers retreated in fear.
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The reason they could stand confidently was that, due to the Void's power, they could overcome death.
Without the Void’s existence, their severed heads would never reattach to their bodies.
"...How?"
A look of bewilderment clouded the Apostle’s eyes.
This was impossible.
How could this false Saint wield the divinity of the Sun?
A being created by human hands, who seemed to be closest to the Sun but was, in fact, the furthest from it. A symbol of the corruption of the Church of the Sun—how could such a being wield the divinity of the Sun?
His understanding failed him, his eyes shaking uncontrollably, but the reality of the situation didn’t change.
The energy of the Void God, the energy of the one who had been sealed after the last war, the energy of the one who had tried but failed to rebel—it was all powerless before the Sun’s divinity.
“How!?”
“I told you already, didn’t I? The one you worship and the one I believe in are entirely different beings.”
As Faebi spoke with a sly grin, Uden, who had been standing beside her, swung her sword.
The sword moved with such speed that it couldn’t even be seen, its force threatening the followers, forcing them to step back even further.
With the path to the magic circle now open, Joy hurriedly stepped forward, placing her hand on the magic circle that was slowly regaining its color.
Thanks to Faebi’s divine territory, the evil god’s energy, which had been enveloping the circle, had retreated.
Although some influence still remained, it was enough for me to intervene now.
Joy took a deep breath, recalling the teachings of the grand mage Erginnus.
This magic circle contained a mix of many spells, but ultimately, the core was the energy flowing from the academy grounds, converging and transforming.
To find the source of this magic circle, I need to first locate the function it serves.
Connections to the barrier and the energies flowing into the evil god's followers can be solved once I reach the source.
“Ha-ha-ha!”
The Void Apostle, pushed back to the side, seemed to realize something and let out a loud laugh.
“Saint! The hypocrite you worship may be merciful, but it seems they are not very competent!”
“Hmm? Why are you barking all of a sudden?”
“Your grandstanding is meaningless! The divine territory you're maintaining is not by divine power, but by your own abilities! It is nothing more than your limited power!”
The Apostle shouted with veins bulging in his eyes, glaring at Faebi, but she merely hid her bewilderment behind a smile.
He’s sharp.
What he’s saying is correct.
The Sun has given me the ability to create a space formed by His blessings, but He did not grant me the strength to maintain it forever.
This space is formed only by my divinity. While it shines brightly now, eventually, the light will fade.
“It doesn’t matter if you deny it! No matter how many lies you speak, your limitations won’t disappear!”
“So?”
“More grandstanding?”
“What difference does it make? In the end, the truth remains that you can’t do anything until my power is gone. You, pathetic losers.”
However, the situation did not change. The followers of the evil god could do nothing but wait.
As long as Joy succeeds in intervening with the barrier before my power runs out, we win.
“The losers will be you!”
“Aha-ha! What a funny joke.”
Faebi was confident in their victory.
Not only did she believe in her friend Joy’s abilities, but, more importantly, she trusted in Lucy Alrn, who had designed all of this from the start.
“While you’re growling outside the fence, pray to your disgusting god for your dream to come true.”
Faebi had no doubt that they would win.
Arthur, struggling with excruciating pain in his chest, desperately moved his legs.
Were the traps ahead real, or were they illusions created by the Void?
I can’t afford to make a mistake in distinguishing them. The moment I falter, the trap will activate, and what’s real will become distorted.
Arthur, having already failed a few times at discerning the traps and getting into trouble, continued to scrutinize the traps even as he ran.
Strange parts. Parts that don’t match what I know. Odd sections.
Ah! That blade part is different!
It’s fake... right?
Ah, forget it! It’s too late to turn back now! If it’s real, I’ll just get a few more holes in my body!
With his eyes wide open, Arthur charged headlong into the trap, preparing for the pain that might come, but fortunately, nothing happened.
The trap didn’t stop him. It vanished before even touching his body.
Having narrowly avoided another close call, Arthur muttered curses under his breath.
Damn it. How did Lucy Alrn figure out everything in that forest? Even in this relatively less chaotic dungeon, I can barely handle the information, and how did she manage the massive amount of data from the forest?
Is she even human?!
Ugh! Damn it! Again! Something’s wrong. Something’s wrong. There! That’s real! I have to deal with it!
After deflecting the knight’s sword strike, Arthur used wind magic to blind his attacker and decapitated him. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he felt the darkness approaching from behind and, with a yell, moved again.
“We’re not completely out of the woods yet, right?”
“That’s why we’re still here! If we were fully overrun, we’d already be dead!”
“I’m going insane! Damn it! How much longer?!”
“Two more! Just two more!”
Hearing the shout from the child, Arthur bit his lip.
After all this running, there’s still 20% left?! I’m going crazy!
His lungs had been threatening to burst for a while now.
His heart was no different. The force with which it pumped blood was so violent that it felt like his bones would break.
His muscles in his arms and legs screamed, as if they were melting away.
And his mind was shouting countless times to just give up.
But it’s fine.
I can hold on.
I can do this.
A person doesn’t die from this.
If I was going to die from such suffering, I would’ve died when I was training with the Alrn Knights!
“Run faster! We’re almost caught!”
That brat’s flying around acting all casual!
How am I supposed to run faster?!
I’m already speeding up using magic and mixing several spells!
He might as well tell me to cross dimensions!
Arthur bit his lip and pushed harder with his thighs.
He made the wind that was pushing his body even stronger.
But the darkness following behind him was faster.
Seeing the darkness creeping closer to his feet, Arthur, gasping for air, desperately tried to think of a way out.
Is there no way to escape this situation?!
If it were Joy, if it were my brother, if it were Lucy Alrn, how would they handle this?!
“Grrk!?”
His legs gave way, and Arthur stumbled to the ground, forcing himself to rise despite his uncooperative body. He had no idea what would happen if he didn’t, so he desperately braced himself against the floor.
And then, he realized that the encroaching darkness had suddenly stopped.
...What’s happening? Why did the darkness stop?
No, I don’t have time to think about that now. I can figure out what happened after everything is over.
Staggering to his feet again, Arthur gritted his teeth, clutching his body, and continued forward.
Luca, listening intently to the events happening on the surface, heard the golems they had prepared breaking apart.
The battle between the cracks caused by the Sword Saint showed no signs of slowing.
Their goal, to erode the magic circle, was temporarily halted by the Saint and the Sword Saint.
It was not difficult to guess what the next step in all of this would be.
“Lady Alrn.”
“Huh?♡ Why?♡ Are you going to declare your shameful defeat now?♡”
“You plan to make Uden a hero.”
Right now, Lucy Alrn was thinking of having Uden resolve the events taking place at the academy.
Using what Luca had prepared for her, she was going to raise the star that Luca despised even higher.
“Wow,♡ the perverted professor had such insight?♡ I thought you were too distracted, trying to peek at my insides~♡”
The shape of Lucy’s eyes confirmed that Luca’s thoughts were true.
Ah, I’m not sure what trick you’ve pulled, but Lady Alrn seems to see right through me.
She knows exactly what dreams I had. Why I gave up on those dreams. How I found another path. And now, what my goal is.
She sees all of it.
At this point, she’s not just an Apostle of the Sun, she’s practically a prophet.
But...
“But the plan is not ruined yet.”
“Huh?♡ Woof, woof,♡ what nonsense are you going to say now?♡”
“The barrier, still tainted by the Void’s power, has not yet regained its true color. Even with Lady Partlan’s intervention, it remains under the influence of the evil god. This means the Void’s power still occupies this space.”
Though the Saint performed something close to a miracle, after all, she is still just human. The chances of her miracle touching the realm of myth are extremely slim.
We are still at an advantage.
“And, Lady Alrn, we—”
No matter what’s happening up there, it’s irrelevant to the current situation. Lucy is in more danger than ever now.
“What do you think?”
Upon hearing Luca’s question, Lucy smiled slyly as she partially covered her face with her shield.
“Should I be scared?♡ Would you like me to cry, saying the bad adults are bullying the cute girl?♡ I can at least fake crying while licking the shoe soles♡”