This is…
For the first time since its creation, the giant snake felt an emotion it shouldn’t have been able to experience: fear.
‘No divine power is being mobilized… her [Blessing] still gracefully lingers around her…’
Then… is it magic?
This energy fluctuation was enough to suffocate one, making heaven and earth tremble.
Could this truly be an ability released by a human?!
“My Lord, I humbly entrust this body to you—”
At that moment, a brilliant flower of flame suddenly bloomed from the hilt of the Saintess Sword.
These very flames were the scorching fires through which Jeanne d’Arc poured out her life. The inquisitors saw them as punishment for a witch, but Jeanne believed them to be the salvation of the end.
Its name was “Crimson Saintess.” It was a special attack Noble Phantasm, crystallized from the poignant memories that brought tears to all who recalled the Saintess of old.
Leya was not gripping the hilt, but the sharp blade itself, pointing the hilt end towards the giant snake, allowing her fresh blood to stream freely down the blade.
She spoke slowly, her voice condensing each word:
“…After despair, hope shall surely dawn!!!”
The shimmering, brilliant flower-flame instantly transformed into an explosive, sharp edge, breathtakingly beautiful, like the miraculous light brought forth by the Sword of Promised Victory!
Theoretically, this strike was an unrivaled technique beneath the gods, a Noble Phantasm activated by infusing one’s own life. It wasn’t classified as ‘anti-personnel’ or ‘anti-army,’ but rather a Noble Phantasm that granted destructive power capable of annihilating an enemy at the cost of one’s life.
No matter the hero or monster, before this Noble Phantasm, they could only accept the fate of instantaneous obliteration. For the flames, imbued with the Saintess’s very being, would utterly incinerate all holiness, all demonic power, and all beings of the enemy into ash.
It was not a lack of mercy; precisely because of mercy, it granted a painless, instantaneous death.
The dazzling flames were truly beautiful.
“This… no, this is utterly impossible! How could mere human strength reach such a pinnacle?! No!—”
Despite the mesmerizing brilliance of the flames, the giant snake understood with chilling clarity that their beauty was not meant for leisurely appreciation. It was a beauty of silence, or perhaps… a beauty of absolute death!
The giant snake now began to feel regret.
It regretted gravely underestimating Leya, regretted its blind arrogance, and regretted not having employed its ‘Death Wind’ technique to slowly exhaust her.
In that moment, the giant snake’s mind raced, but one thing was certain: it could not withstand this attack.
“Damn it! Human, are you truly willing to sacrifice yourself just to kill me!?”
“…………”
Leya’s silence served as her answer.
Perhaps, having activated the [Crimson Saintess], Leya’s consciousness was already fading.
“Heh heh, but unfortunately for you, I won’t die so easily, human! Even if you destroy my current body, as long as faith endures, I shall be reborn once more!”
In that instant…
The flames consumed it, devouring the surrounding heavens, earth, and all creation! Without even a struggle, the giant snake’s form rapidly blossomed, twisted, and finally… withered away within that exquisitely beautiful inferno!
****
“Th-that… that was…” Gilbert’s mouth hung open in astonishment, wide enough to fit an apple.
“A miracle… it’s a miracle!—”
Another adventurer reacted even more dramatically, waving their arms wildly to express their excitement. They devoutly gazed at the [Holy Fire] in the forest and began to pray.
Of course, as the saying goes, amateurs watch the show, while experts discern the craft.
Compared to these mostly ignorant and unlettered adventurers, our down-on-their-luck noble magician possessed far greater insight.
He turned his head, casting a profound gaze towards the forest, his expression shifting unnaturally.
“Such a forbidden spell… even the Royal Family of Alvia, no, perhaps not even the entire Western Kingdoms, possess something like this, do they? Tsk, tsk, Blonde Sword Princess… who exactly are you?”
However, upon this thought, the magician’s expression suddenly froze, then quickly transformed into a delighted smile. “What she is has nothing to do with me! What’s important is who I am, and whether I have anything to do with her… Hahaha—”
“No matter what, I—Maxwell—will ensure the Dest family rises to prominence once more under my command!”
****
“Oh? This has truly been an eye-opener for me.”
After the colossal battle.
In the now charred forest, emitting a dense, acrid stench, a golden-haired boy appeared. He was about one and a half meters tall, with two bat-like wings fluttering behind him, and an exceptionally handsome face.
“I never imagined such a powerful human could exist in this world.”
Roy slowly approached Leya, who lay unconscious from exhaustion, remarking with a touch of emotion.
Strangely, however, as Roy came within a few meters of the fallen Leya, he abruptly halted.
He smiled faintly, scrutinizing the seemingly empty space before him for a long moment, before finally clicking his tongue in exasperation. “A spatial barrier? Or a spatial partition? Hey, hey, if I weren’t so knowledgeable and exceptionally bold, wouldn’t I have fallen right into your trap?”
“Hmph, but even so, to think this alone would be enough to stop me is a bit…”
“Squeak—”
Hmm? A demon rat? But its direction is…
“Squeak… squeak squeak…”
Unexpectedly, this demon rat, several times the size of an ordinary rodent, effortlessly ‘breached’ the wall Roy had confidently assumed to be a ‘spatial barrier’!
It continued to squeak merrily, then, as if with a look of utter disdain, it glanced back at Roy!
Honestly, this was profoundly embarrassing!
Especially for Roy, who held himself in such high regard!
Roy clenched his fist, veins bulging on his forehead, and roared in fury: “Damn it, you dare make a fool of me! You human!—”
However…
“Squeak… squeak…”
****
Silence descended once more.
No sound, no living creature remained; let alone the demon rat from moments ago, it was as if it had simply… vanished into thin air!
“This… this is…”
Roy was stunned!
Indeed, this time, he was truly, completely dumbfounded!
A spatial barrier? A spatial partition? Ha? What a joke! How could a magic of that level make a creature vanish entirely upon entering?
Then… spatial displacement?
Even more ludicrous!
If a displacement-type spatial magic array were truly here, then who could explain why Leya still lay perfectly unharmed inside? Shouldn’t she have been instantly whisked away?
Unheard of, it was simply unprecedented!
Even Roy, who prided himself on his vast knowledge, was utterly bewildered, his panic clearly visible.
Under these circumstances, Roy had no choice but to abandon his plan to approach Leya. Instead, he pulled a small bag containing golden-yellow pills from a portable pocket in his clothes.
“Tsk… why must I, the esteemed first lord of the Netherworld Wilds, be forced to do such a thing! Damn it! Confound it all—”
“Argh… in the end, it’s surely that mud loach’s fault, isn’t it? To think it would lure away and steal hundreds of thousands of my private assets while I was napping! Unforgivable! Utterly unforgivable!—”