Chapter 364: The One True Owner
[Music recommendation: Gealdýr - Eir]
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Septimus’s eyes widened at the sound of the Goddess responding to him in the middle of a battlefield.
Such a thing had never happened before.
Every time he had heard her voice or seen a vision, it had been within the Temple of Light in Luminear, never outside its sacred walls.
It made him realise that the Goddess was truly watching the entire conflict unfold, and he detected a distinct hint of vengeance in her ethereal tone.
Understanding her will, he whispered, "Then let me be the vessel to deliver vengeance on your behalf, Goddess of Light."
With cold purpose, he strode toward the woman.
She dragged herself pitifully across the dirt, her black blood spilling from her severed legs. Her face was marred by burn marks, and her arms were broken.
Septimus could only imagine that it was Prince Ivan who had reduced a creature as despicable as Clair to this state.
Septimus hummed with white power as he stepped in front of the woman who had committed so much blasphemy in her lifetime.
Evelyn was like a daughter to him, and the visions he had seen enraged him. In this moment, he would show none of the mercy usually expected of a priest.
Clair weakly and slowly looked up to see who had blocked her path. Her eyes widened in shock to find the priest brimming with so much power, glaring down at her as if he knew every sin she had ever committed.
It was miraculous that she had even survived the destruction raging around her for this long.
While everyone else was occupied with the heat of the battle, she had planned to crawl away in her pitiful state, hoping to find a new vessel to host her soul and eventually exact her revenge.
She had not expected anyone to notice her sneaking away in such a condition, least of all a priest. He was someone who recognised her face clearly from the years she had spent as Evelyn’s nanny in Luminear.
Swallowing hard, she opened her mouth to weave a lie to defend herself. She truly believed she could still beg for mercy from the famously kind priest.
Before she could utter a single word, Septimus raised his sword, which was heavily charged with light magic.
"You monster," he said, his voice cold. "Did you truly think you could escape your fate after every sin you have committed?"
"In the name of the Goddess-" Clair began, but she never finished.
Septimus mercilessly severed her head from her body with one clean stroke. Her head, still framed by its thick red hair, rolled several inches away, leaving her plea as her final, unfinished words.
Her eyes remained wide, staring vacantly at the sky while her headless body slumped to the ground in a series of violent twitches.
Septimus knew he had to finish the job properly, recognising that she was nothing more than a demon now. He raised his sword once again and plunged it straight into her chest. Light magic exploded from his blade and surged into her heart, causing it to burst.
Her body finally went slack, releasing a dark wisp of smoke that dissipated into the air before her remains shrivelled and turned to ash.
Septimus remained in that position for some time, breathing heavily as the anger in his veins slowly began to subside. Then ever so softly, he finally completed the last words Clair had spoken, "In the name of the Goddess, I have delivered justice."
He did not regret his actions for even a moment.
He knew the world was better with one less evil upon it, and he understood that someone so corrupted to the core would always find a way to resurface if not ended once and for all.
An image of pure, innocent little Evelyn flashed in his mind, and his heart broke as he thought of just how much abuse she had suffered throughout her life.
With that thought, he moved his silver eyes from the ground to look up at the sky. There she stood, radiant beside her mate, facing the most dangerous enemy imaginable.
Despite the odds, he believed in his heart that she would overcome this because she had always triumphed over every challenge life had thrown her way. She had remained resilient throughout her years, even when monsters tried to break her over and over again.
She had survived it all, and he had no doubt that she would survive this, too.
With that thought, Septimus’s gaze shifted to another duel occurring on the ground, away from the main cluster of soldiers. It was the clash between Solan and Selene.
He saw how Solan was struggling against the vicious attacks being thrown his way, deflecting as much as possible while attempting to counter with his own power.
Septimus briefly considered intervening to offer a helping hand, but on second thought, he stopped himself. He believed the King needed to taste this bitter medicine and face the reality of his choices so that he would never repeat the mistakes of the past.
Septimus had warned and cautioned him countless times regarding Princess Evelyn, but the King had been so blinded by his own stubbornness that he had refused to see the glaring truth, especially concerning his current wife’s deeds and matters involving Prince Ivan.
Solan’s eyes had finally been opened after so long, and Septimus did not want to make things easier for him by offering aid, at least not yet.
With one final, heavy look, the priest turned away to join the battle elsewhere, seeking out those who truly needed his help.
Back where Azrath stood before Evelyn and Ivan, his sword forged in hell crackled with otherworldly power. A huge, sinister grin stretched across his face as he finally moved to attack the reincarnations of the celestial beings before him.
He pointed his black blade toward them, shooting a massive beam of dark energy straight at his targets. This time, however, Evelyn and Ivan did not simply deflect it with a barrier.
Instead, Ivan called out, "Kai!"
The dragon was ready to finally join the fray. He roared loudly before releasing a powerful blast directed straight at the incoming attack. That was not all. Evelyn’s phoenix also charged, adding her own strike to the mix and creating a massive explosion in the process.
While the smoke from the explosion began to clear and the two divine beasts worked to keep Azrath occupied, a brief window opened for the couple.
Evelyn turned to Ivan and spoke. "Ivan, you are tired. You cannot fight him with only the help of Kai."
"I can handle him," Ivan replied as he looked directly into her eyes. Even as he spoke the words, he knew in his heart that she was right.
Her mesmerising golden eyes softened as she noticed the slight unevenness in his breath, something he was trying to hide. But she could always tell when something was even slightly wrong with him... and he knew it too.
Reaching out, she gently caressed his face, while Ivan lifted his hand to cover hers with his own, large and warm, and she whispered, "You’ve used so much of your power to protect my body while holding them off. I know you’ve already reached your limit... but the you in the past didn’t fight him using your power alone."
Ivan did not deny her words.
So she continued, "Call out to it... the most powerful weapon the God of Fire gave you."
He looked at her and replied, "Eve, I gave that sword to Zevran, remember? It’s not mine anymore."
A soft smile touched her lips at his answer. "You gave something to Zevran that was never meant for a human to keep or wield in the first place. You know that Zevran was only able to possess that sword. Its mere presence was enough to earn him support and help him build an empire, but he was never able to use it."
She stepped closer and added in a much softer voice, "And the same holds true for every king that followed. None of them could ever truly find it, let alone wield it. Because it will always answer to its one true owner..."
Her fingers curled slightly against his cheek.
"And that will always be you, my love."
When she saw Ivan silently contemplating, her expression became serious. "I know Zevran would have wanted that, Ivan. And so would your father, the one who birthed your soul."
With that, she pulled her hand back and turned to face the demon prince. The impact from the collision between the divine beasts and Azrath had finally begun to subside.
"I will hold him off until you are ready," Eve said.
Ivan’s eyes widened instantly. "No! You are not fighting him alone. I cannot let you go near him after what happened."
"He cannot hurt me easily, Ivan... not if you are fully prepared beside me." She looked at him, her voice soft yet resolute. "Now, my love... it is time for me to stand with you and be your strength, just as I was in the past."
