OBS Chapter 640: Episode 640
Chapter 640: Episode 640
"I am the proof that the goddess is a fake, Lethe."
’How utterly absurd,’ Lethe thought. A necromancer, a wielder of darkness, was cloaked in divinity and wearing the armor of a Divine Undead, declaring himself the standard of faith to a Saintess whose own was wavering. The man was a fool. His power was so bizarre that it was more plausible to believe the giant was a real god.
And yet, as if by magic, a profound calm settled over her heart. He was a human who straddled the line between Priest and Necromancer. She didn’t know why, but the goddess had granted him that power.
"Unless the goddess reveals herself, man cannot know her."
It was a teaching from one of Efnel’s professors, Rahl. Lethe had always believed that the goddess existed beyond human reason and understanding, a being that could not be fully comprehended by mortal thought.
The thing before her now, however...
’A god born from human thought. A god crafted for humans to believe in.’
Lethe finally pushed herself to her feet. The irony of a necromancer becoming her standard of faith was not lost on her. But she knew with absolute certainty that as long as the boy in the pure white cloak fought by her side, she would not waver again.
"There’s a limit to being so stubborn," she muttered, her tone blunt, refusing to admit the truth of her feelings.
Simon simply offered a faint, knowing smile.
[How interesting, human,] Ever Kire’s voice echoed. [I believed the authority to manifest through distortion was granted only to me.]
"No," Simon countered, raising the Greatsword of Ruin. "My power is real. It’s not distorted, and it’s not manipulated."
He stamped his foot and aimed the tip of his blade at the neck of the distant goddess.
"Don’t put us in the same category, you fake."
[You insult me. This world ’is’ reality, the one true reality! And soon, it will be so!]
Ever Kire’s Innate Ability could transform her distorted reality into actual fact. What they were seeing now was not yet real—it was another future that had branched off from their own, a pocket dimension affecting only those who had been in the arena. But if her plan came to fruition, it would bleed out into the world, affecting everyone. Roc Island would crumble, and the false goddess would descend upon the true world.
Before that could happen...
"I’ll stop you."
The battle began anew. Simon stomped on the ground, launching himself forward. His target was the neck of the goddess, looming far beyond the island’s edge.s
"Simon!" Lethe cried, catching up to him. "You can’t get there on foot! Get on!"
"On what?"
She waved her hand, and a white magic circle unfolded. From within, a dragon with a sleek, elegant body of pure white emerged. It was Ran, Lethe’s primary divine beast from her Divine Beast Studies major.
"Ran!"
With a youthful cry, its body, now considerably larger, emerged from the circle. Before Simon could even move to climb on, Ran dipped its head, scooping him up.
"You’ve gotten so big!" Simon exclaimed, stroking its head gently.
The dragon trilled in delight. Lethe, having already mounted its tail, shouted over the wind.
"Hold on tight!"
With a rush of wind, the white dragon soared, its movements as swift and brilliant as starlight. The incredible speed and rushing headwind were disorienting, and a trail of pure white light marked its path through the sky.
[Let not man challenge god!]
The goddess raised both her arms, and stars—a mimicry of Lethe’s own authority—began to materialize around her.
Lethe clicked her tongue in annoyance. "She doesn’t even possess the essence of a Saintess, yet she’s perfectly replicating my ability."
"That’s not all," Simon said, pointing to the ground below. Wheat was now sprouting all across Roc Island—the authority of the Saintess of Harvest. "It seems that fake god can absorb any power manifested through divinity and make it her own."
If that god were to become real, if it were to absorb all the white magic on the continent, it would truly reign as a deity.
"You expect me to worship such a hideous god for the rest of my life?" Lethe scoffed, extending her arm behind her. "I couldn’t live like that."
"That’s why we have to defeat her here."
The goddess’s assault began. Starlight twinkled and then erupted, unleashing countless comets that rained down on Simon, Lethe, and Ran, their long tails streaking across the dark sky.
"A fake authority is nothing!" Lethe declared. Not to be outdone, she swept her extended arm forward. Stars glittered to life behind her, and a torrent of comets surged forth to meet the goddess’s attack.
The two celestial barrages, flying from opposite directions, collided in a spectacular series of explosions that filled the sky with light and sound.
"Ugh!" Simon grunted, biting his lip. The light was blinding, and the deafening roar of the impacts threatened to rupture his eardrums.
"Ran!"
With a guttural roar, the dragon unleashed a blast of divine breath, vaporizing any comets that broke through their defenses.
"Simon! Handle the ones from above!"
"Got it!" Simon gripped the Greatsword of Ruin and swung it with all his might. The blade sliced through the air, and the descending stars split in two with a resounding crack, falling harmlessly into the sea.
’Just a little further!’
They pressed on through the storm of comets, steadily closing the distance to the goddess. But when they were about halfway there, she more than doubled the number of stars.
"There are too many!" Lethe cried out, her eyes fixed on the cruel, glittering swarm. How could they possibly break through?
"It’s ready!"
Of course, Lethe had another trick up her sleeve. She held a newly formed, constellation-like magic circle in her palm.
"Wh-What’s ready?"
"Just get ready to become a star yourself!" she yelled, slamming her palm onto Simon’s back. "Here we go!"
"W-Wait, what are you doing—!"
Simon’s body was instantly enveloped in starlight.
And then—
He was launched forward like a living comet. It was a sudden spatial leap. The goddess’s stars missed him by a hair’s breadth. By the time Simon’s senses returned...
’Ah!’
The goddess was right in front of him. A slow, triumphant grin spread across his face.
"Nice!"
Sparks ignited in his mind. Simon retracted his divinity, his form shifting in an instant from Priest back to Necromancer. The glossy white cloak bled into a shadow-like navy blue, and a black light once again emanated from Pier’s skull. His core pulsed fiercely, flooding every corner of his body with Jet-Black. His mind burned hot, every nerve alight, perfectly optimized for a necromancer’s battle.
’The entire space!’
Simon’s body accelerated in mid-air, his target the god before him.
’The sensation of cleaving through!’
With a sharp ring of steel, the blade struck home. As expected, the power of an Ancient Undead was at its peak when wielded by a necromancer. The sword strike tore from her shoulder down to her abdomen, and a fountain of white blood erupted from the gash.
"KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-!"
The goddess’s piercing scream sounded more like a monster’s than a deity’s.
[The target is too large, boy!] Pier’s voice echoed in his mind. [Complete severance is impossible!]
’But it’s taking damage! Let’s press the attack!’
Simon concentrated Jet-Black into the Greatsword of Ruin, then spun and fired a blast behind him. The force of the ejection propelled him forward.
He landed with a solid thud on the goddess’s slanted abdomen. Atop the mountain-like form, he could faintly make out two giant eyes looking down at him, along with the hazy figure of Ever Kire.
’I will defeat you!’
Simon leaped, using platforms of solid Jet-Black to ascend. Small comets flew in from all directions, but he twisted and dodged, evading them with ease.
But...
’She’s too big!’
The goddess’s body was as vast as a fortress. No matter how fast he ran, he didn’t seem to get any closer.
[Boy! Above you!]
Simon looked up. The goddess’s impossibly huge palm was descending, distorting space as it fell.
He immediately pushed off the goddess’s body, launching himself into the air.
A gale raged around him as he watched the goddess’s palm graze her own body. A moment later, comets rained down on him, now mid-air and unable to evade.
But he was prepared.
Simon threw a handful of bones from his pocket. An emerald light flashed, and two skeletons materialized, attaching themselves to his back.
Using Cloud’s propulsion, he shot upward, evading the comets.
[Khahahaha! An excellent combination!]
In mid-air, Simon swung the Greatsword of Ruin relentlessly, carving into the goddess with each strike as he ascended.
"I can do this!"
Countless wounds marred the goddess’s body. Lost in a battle trance, Simon gritted his teeth and focused on her head. He was almost there. He could even see Ever Kire now.
"I can do...!"
A grating sound tore through the air as space distorted around him, just as it had when he first arrived. His body was thrown backward, the surrounding scenery stretching like pulled dough. He had no time to react. The goddess’s sweeping palm had connected.
Simon reached out toward the endlessly receding goddess.
’I was so close...!’
[Boy!]
Pier instantly moved behind him, and the Royal Guard’s Bone Armor abandoned flight, plastering itself to Simon’s body as a makeshift shield.
A deafening explosion sent Simon’s body hurtling back toward the ruined landscape of Roc Island.
He crashed into the ground, the crunch of bone and stone echoing with each brutal impact. He rolled uncontrollably in a cloud of dust, a series of sickening cracks following his path as the world became a dizzying blur before his consciousness finally faded.
---
"Ah!"
Simon’s eyes shot open to a blood-red sky. Stars rained down like the apocalypse, and lightning tore through the heavens. His vision was blurry, and the air was thick with the stench of burning.
’Did... I lose?’
Had Ever Kire’s world become reality? Had he failed to prevent the tragedy?
Then, the final moments of the fight flooded his mind, and he shot to his feet.
’No, the battle isn’t over!’
In the distance, he spotted a girl with white hair, still fighting.
"Haaaaaaaaaah!"
With both arms raised high, she was unleashing a torrent of stars. The goddess, in turn, was sending her own barrage toward Roc Island. All across the island, fields of wheat—the power of the Saintess of Harvest—swayed in the unnatural wind. Divinity, shaped like grains, floated into the air and streamed toward the distant goddess.
’At least Lethe is still holding on.’
This was no time to be lying on the ground. Simon forced his trembling body to stand. As he did, the bone armor around his waist crumbled with a sickening crack.
He snapped to his senses and shouted, "Pier!"
He saw Pier’s form, his bones scattered across the dirt.
[Khuhuhu! Don’t worry, boy. This much will heal with time!]
Pier’s skull, half-buried in the earth, blinked its glowing eyes. His voice came through, distorted by static.
"I’m sorry, Pier! This is my fault...!"
Pier chuckled weakly. [Instead of apologizing, think about what you can do now!]
Simon nodded, his gaze sweeping the area. Pier was out of commission, and the Greatsword of Ruin was nowhere to be seen. Since reality had been completely altered, he couldn’t open his subspace or summon Prince.
Could he defeat Ever Kire and the goddess like this?
A series of explosions rocked the island, and the ground crumbled under the assault. Lethe, clearly exhausted, was being pushed back in the contest of authority. The falling stars relentlessly pounded Roc Island. At this rate, she would be the first to fall.
’What do I do? What...’
’Cough! Cough!’
A dry cough echoed from nearby. Someone else was alive. Simon quickly ran toward the sound.
"Ah!"
It was a small girl with short hair, wearing a black uniform. It was Sasha.
"Sasha!"
Lying in the wreckage of the arena, she was pinned under a fallen tree, coughing weakly. Simon rushed over and used Jet-Black to lift the debris. Fortunately, her Kizen uniform had protected her from serious injury.
"Are you okay?"
"...Ah."
But...
"Ah! Ah! Aaaah! Aaaaaaaah!"
Something was terribly wrong. Her body, which had been thrashing wildly, suddenly shot into the air.
"Aaaaaaaah!"
Jet-Black poured from her unconscious form. It was a classic case of Jet-Black Overflow. Worse, her body looked like it was on the verge of collapsing. And at the edge of the swirling dark energy, a faint white gas flowed.
That was unmistakably...
’Divinity?’
Simon’s mouth fell open. He recognized that divinity. It was the same he had felt from the Saintess of Harvest.
’Why does Sasha have divinity... Ah!’
He understood instantly. The Saintess’s essence that had escaped Ever Kire’s body was wandering this distorted world and had chosen Sasha as its next host.
’Even if there are no suitable Priests here, to choose Sasha of all people!’
This was the second time a Saintess’s essence had chosen her. It seemed Sasha had an incredible talent for both necromancy and priesthood. Simon wasn’t too surprised; his mother, Anna, had also suffered after receiving a second essence after her time as a Saintess.
"Kgggh!"
Blood trickled from the corner of Sasha’s mouth. If he left her like this, she would die.
’Just like that time.’
Simon remembered when he had absorbed the essence from Sasha when she went berserk after receiving it the first time.
’I have to try.’
He couldn’t use his Legion Commander’s power, and his Royal Guard was spent. With a desperate heart, Simon reached out and grabbed Sasha’s hand.
"!"
Suddenly, his surroundings dissolved. All sound vanished, and the world was bleached white. A world of utter nothingness.
Just then.
[Who are you?] a wary female voice demanded. [How did you get in here?]