Feeling the hostility directed at him, not only towards himself but also towards the child he holds in his arms, Benedict gave a sloppy smile and lowered Lucy to the ground.
“Go rest with your friends in the back.”
“Are you... sure?”
Even as her legs gave way and she slumped down, Lucy looked at her father with a concerned gaze, and Benedict smiled confidently.
“Well, I’m not entirely sure, but I don’t think we’ll lose.”
After the grueling battle, Benedict carefully stroked his daughter’s messy hair and took a deep breath before slowly turning around.
The face of the knight, standing on the battlefield, was serious, heavy, and grim, unlike when he was standing in front of his daughter.
“I will ask you, O Lord of Darkness. Were you the one who hurt my daughter?”
“My only regret is that I couldn’t torment that damned woman any longer! Damn it! I should have killed her while she was trembling in fear. I should have made sure she could only spit blood from her vile lips!”
“I see. So, that is your answer.”
The knight, whose fame had spread across the continent, drew his sword from his back.
It was a sword that, unless wielded by a man of great size and strength like Benedict, no one would dare lift.
A weapon so huge that even great warriors in history would not choose it, a weapon that might appeal only to strongmen or circus performers.
With both hands gripping the gigantic greatsword, Benedict swung it with his aura, and the roar of an explosion echoed from the spot where the man had been standing.
The strike of a sword swung by one man created an explosion that no ordinary magic could replicate.
“Indeed! A great strength that endures against fire!”
The man’s body, caught in the blast, disintegrated without a trace, but his voice did not stop.
“However, it is meaningless! Darkness will not disappear!”
From the darkness, another man emerged, as though his body was merely a tool. “You’re tenacious. You’re nothing more than a bug.”
“A bug!? Me!? Ha! Hahaha! Ridiculous! Truly ridiculous!”
As the man erupted in laughter, those standing around prepared for battle one by one.
The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.
Aura enveloped the swordsman’s blade.
The apostle’s body was blessed by the goddess.
The wolf’s sharp claws pointed at the enemy.
The fox’s surroundings swirled with smoke, forming a group.
The fairy lord gave orders for war. Knights, who prided themselves on being the strongest in the continent, gathered in formation.
“Go ahead! If you can, try it! For the divine beings, death is a concept that doesn’t exist!”
As the rage of the evil god caused the darkness to consume the world, the fairies, who had been chattering nearby, shrieked in horror and retreated.
“Have you ever fought in the dark!?”
The scent of the world disappears. The pleasant flower fragrance that had settled back into the fairy forest after many years was erased by the encroaching darkness.
“Have you ever faced a god!?”
Touch is erased. It becomes unclear whether one is holding a weapon or wearing armor, or even if something is truly in one’s hands.
“Have you ever thought about why a god is called a god!?”
Vision fades. The world becomes tainted with darkness. Power, beauty, danger—everything perceived by the eyes vanishes, leaving only blackness.
“If you haven’t, you will regret it now! You will feel what it’s like to face the one who governs a power!”
Sound disappears. The sound of breathing around, the rustling of leaves brushing in the wind, the screams of the terrified fairies, the clanging of iron as each person readies themselves—all fade away.
“Hey.”
At that moment, as everything seemed to vanish from the world, a man’s voice, full of laughter, pierced the darkness and echoed throughout.
“Compared to my true form, I may fall short, but I am still the great mage Erginius.”
Sound returns. The voices of fairies once again filter into their ears.
“I am your adversary and a hero who has defeated you.”
Vision returns. Those who had been sensitizing their senses in confusion flinched for a moment at the sudden light.
“For centuries, I have been planning only for this moment to face you.”
Touch returns. The sensation of the gentle breeze in the forest reassures the person that their body is still in place.
“Do you think I haven’t figured out how to counter your powers?”
Smell returns. The scent of flowers in the fairy forest, which had once been buried by darkness, softly spreads, signaling the arrival of a late spring.
“Arrogant. Just like when you were defeated by us before.”
“How dare you!”
“Haha. Do you really think your power will always belong to the gods...?”
Clang! The sharp sound of metal striking metal is heard from behind Erginius.
The man who had been expressing his anger in front of Erginius had now appeared behind him, thrusting a dark spear.
Had Benedict not noticed and deflected the attack, Erginius would have been struck down without a chance.
“Hmph. You make a lot of noise, but you're weak. My daughter is stronger than you.”
“Tch!”
The man’s eyes widened the moment Lucy was mentioned, but before he could charge, attacks from all around him struck faster.
Everyone gathered here were monsters who had reached the peak of the continent.
They would not miss an opening.
The wolf’s fangs tore at the man’s throat.
The swordsman’s blade cleaved his waist.
The apostle’s fist shattered his chest.
These fatal wounds would have killed any human instantly.
If the opponent had been human, one of these strikes would have been enough.
But this was no ordinary human, and for gods, attacks aimed at the body were as meaningless as the fluttering of an insect’s wings.
Had Erginius not interfered with the darkness, the man would have appeared before Erginius, piercing his head with a spear.
“Great mage, do you understand what’s happening?”
“...It must be the use of his power. Since we cannot steal away his senses, he must have resorted to other means.”
“How do we respond?”
“We are already doing so. Damn it. Has there ever been an instance where his power was neutralized before?”
Erginius had chosen a method to counter the evil god’s power by imitation.
In his past conversations with the gods of magic, he realized that they were surprisingly unaware of the true nature of their powers.
To them, their powers were like hands and feet, things they had from birth. Those who wielded these powers could not easily accept things beyond their understanding.
After many conversations with different gods, Erginius came to realize this and sought to use it against the evil god.
He spent countless years developing strategies to counter the evil god’s powers, rehearsing many variables and preparing for this day.
Yet now, even with the power shared with him, the evil god remained calm, as though it was only natural that he held control of the darkness and fought Erginius.
“There will be no stealing of our senses! That would be far too difficult! But for now, I cannot fully block his power! After all, that man is a god!”
“So you’re saying for now...”
Benedict swung his sword through the air, and spikes of black thorns that hadn’t been there moments before fell from the sky.
“It sounds like we’ll soon be able to steal his powers.”
“It doesn’t just sound like that—I said it outright!”
The swordsman’s blade, infused with the night, cleaved the air, and the man who had stood beyond it was reduced to dust.
“Even if you’re skilled at handling power, you’re nothing more than a beast born with strength!”
The apostle’s power flew ahead of the man’s appearance, shattering his attack and breaking his face.
“How long do you think you can hold out against me, the genius!?”
The wolf, using its keen sense of smell, ripped apart the dark veil in front of it. The fairies, following their queen’s command, severed the darkness that was trying to rise from the earth.
“This wretched creature is no longer a god!”
But the man did not die. As though death had no meaning for him, he reemerged from the darkness and once again charged at them.
“I’ll make you feel that way!”
“Don’t interfere!”
Life forms began to appear from the dark earth.
Monsters, often called such by the continent’s humans, beings united by hostility toward humanity, craving life.
“They sure look like they belong in some dungeon.”
Benedict, who had worked as a mercenary and entered countless dungeons, whistled after recognizing the monsters.
Individually, they were nothing, mere trash, but facing the evil god and dealing with them too would be troublesome.
Just as he was considering where to focus, a powerful voice crushed the sound of the beast’s cry from behind him.
“Knights! Anyone who fails to take down at least ten will return and undergo hellish training!”
Despite the overwhelming wave of monsters pouring out from the darkness, the knights of the army, led by Arlen, charged forward and sliced through the enemies' necks without hesitation.
“What can you do with just a dozen knights?”
“Hah. You think there’s only a dozen there? To me, it looks like far more.”
Where the knights could not reach, foxes formed of mist took their places and tore at the enemy’s necks.
“They can’t just be standing guard!”
“Taking all the fun for yourself is bad!”
“I’ll bless you!”
The children who had performed miracles once more raised their weapons.
“Ugh!”
The knight with monstrous strength crushed the man’s body along with the countless monsters that had surrounded him.
“It’s meaningless! You’re all just maggots!”
Thus, the battle on the battlefield raged, but it was the living who would pay the price.
Though the darkness may scatter, it will never be erased. Even when torn apart, it will always regroup and reform.
But life—how long can it endure?
Strength is not infinite.
Even monstrous strength has its limits.
There is a limit to mental endurance as well.
“No matter how much you struggle, the night will come!”
And when the night does arrive, things will worsen.
When the darkness takes over, even Erginius will not be able to fully block the evil god’s powers.
“Hey, loser.”
Erginius had already finished analyzing the way the evil god used his power. If this were simply a duel between mages, the evil god would already have been shattered.
But this wasn’t a fight between mages.
It was a battle between gods and men. A fight between the one who was born the lord of darkness and the human who seeks to lead it.
To take the darkness away from one who was born with it, the line between them must be severed! If that cannot be done, the night will fall.
“Hey! Are you deaf? Is it impossible to hear my cute voice!?”
Just as Erginius, who had been anticipating the worst conclusion, turned his head upon hearing the girl’s voice, he discovered a glimmer of hope.
“Hey! Just once. Can you pull the attention away from him just once? Can you drive him insane?”
Though it disgusted him to burden the child who had already reached her limits after performing a miracle, Erginius knew this was their best chance. If anyone could create an opening, it would be her.
Looking into the eyes of Erginius, filled with guilt and desperation, Lucy giggled and laughed.
“Why even ask something so obvious?”
With a single opportunity, Erginius believed they could reclaim the darkness. Lucy once again raised her shield.
Is this alright?
‘Hmm.’
The recoil from performing the purification miracle still lingered in her body. Her legs were shaky, her divine energy was depleted, and her head was spinning. She felt as though she would faint if she closed her eyes.
‘I think I’ll be okay.’
But somehow, she believed she could manage.
‘I don’t plan on losing to that idiot.’
She had already defeated that pathetic boss more times than she could count.
‘With all these amazing tools, how could I possibly lose?’
Alright. Let’s stop thinking like a tank and have some fun playing for once.
Just thinking about it made her filled with energy! This is going to be so fun!