Thud!! Thud!!
“I guess it’s started,” one of the mercenaries muttered, exhaling a weary sigh as they watched the ritualists conduct their ceremony to honor the Moon Goddess Cryas.
Prince Davey O’Rowane, the Saint of the Continent, had entrusted them with a task. Though he had warned them about the dangers it entailed, the reality of the task so far felt different from what they were told.
The first assignment was reconnaissance.
Despite the investigation’s simplicity, the reward was nonetheless substantial. Davey had told them there would be significant danger involved.
Yet, nothing truly perilous had happened after three whole days. They’d found traces of group movements near the forest ancient ruins, but hadn’t actually encountered any assaults or killings. Encounters with monsters were frequent, but that was to be expected.
Just as the mercenaries began questioning their purpose on such an uneventful task, Davey issued a more elaborate request.
The new mission was far more challenging—nearly impossible to complete for anyone without intimate knowledge of the area, like the mercenaries had been given. They had to channel every ounce of their skill and expertise to construct a massive magic formation. Its profound difficulty had led to numerous mercenaries going missing.
It was only then that the mercenaries realized they were embroiled in something far greater than anticipated.
When they were tasked with guarding the periodic rituals performed by the followers of Cryas, the suffocating and ominous air emanating from the ruins made them fully aware of the storm brewing around them.“When this is over… I’m going back home…”
“Shut it, Malfor. Don’t jinx us with that shit.”
The mercenaries shuddered, trying to maintain their composure as they watched the ritualists continue their solemn ritual.
“Let’s hope nothing goes wrong…”
“Uh… Will everything be alright?”
“Nothing will happen to us. We’re only providing the basic guard detail, but more importantly, that extraordinary saint himself has taken charge,” one of them reassured.
“I’ll trust you.”
No matter their hopes, chaos was brewing outside the ritual site.
* * *
Whoosh…
“Grow.”
A brilliant blue fireball sparked to life at her fingertips.
Perserque, wielding Transcendence’s Demise, began her magical bombardment.
The so-called heretic judges scattered immediately, casting a protective magic circle like a sprawling web, finishing so quickly that it was as if they had been expecting her.
Holy magic, by nature, excelled in enhancement, healing, and defense.
While Davey O’Rowane utilized holy magic as an offensive weapon, he was an eccentric anomaly—it was inherently a discipline with little aggression. However, its defensive properties were unparalleled.
“Arghhh!!”
But of course, that didn’t mean it could withstand the destructive power of an 8th Circle mage’s spell.
Fwoosh!!
Blue flames surged upward behind Perserque, dancing gracefully as though alive.
Prometheus was an 8th Circle spell.
Aside from Davey, no one else on the continent had been able to cast the spell. Yet now Perserque, having recovered much of her lost strength, had reached a level where she could once again cast such magic. Unfortunately, her greatest power—the Demon King’s authority and bonuses—had been fully transferred to Davey.
The holy defensive magic, one which could easily block most spells, was effortlessly taken down. The judges quickly scattered to prepare for additional magical attacks. Some of them, realizing who she was, began launching fierce counterattacks.
But they had sorely underestimated her.
Her former title of Demon King wasn’t a hollow accolade—she had reached the 8th Circle through a completely different path than Davey’s. Though she couldn’t be compared to him, an 8th Circle mage was still considered among the highest-ranking mages on the continent.
She spun the Transcendence’s Demise in her hand like a twig as she resonated with mana. A surge of demonic force coalesced at the gem embedded in the tip of the staff, combining with the surrounding atmosphere to manifest a spell that was nothing short of catastrophic.
The adjudicators charged from all sides, aiming their axes at Perseverance during what they believed to be a vulnerable moment—her spell-casting.
Zzzt, zzzt, boom!!!
A mage casting a spell was left completely vulnerable, and the judges knew that fact well. They seized the openings created by her initial attack and charged in.
However, she was no ordinary mage—she was an 8th Circle mage or even higher. Though she was only at the first stage of the 8th Circle out of the three stages: Perception, Absorption, and Materialization, even that placed her far beyond the capabilities of a 7th Circle mage.
[Glide]
[Reverse Gravity]
Chiiiing!!!
“Ugh?!”
Perserque created a frictionless zone and combined it with Reverse Gravity, making them lose control of their bodies. Without hesitation, she layered a telekinetic spell, locking them in place as she pulled back the staff in her left hand and extended her right.
[Dispel]
[Acceleration]
[Flying]
She dispelled their holy defense magic in an instant, simultaneously casting an acceleration spell on them. She waved her hand as if directly pulling them downward.
[Acceleration]
[Gravity]
Boom!!
She struck down mercilessly against the powerful beings—ones who could single-handedly slaughter dozens of ordinary experts.
Slash! Squelch!!
* * *
Illyna, wielding her silver greatsword Caldeiras, took a single decisive step forward. Her smooth yet powerful downward slash tore through the air.
Crash!
As aftermath of the Continuum-Attacking Blade shredded space itself, those caught within its range collapsed, spurting blood as they fell.
The heretic judges, harboring deep hatred for Davey O’Rowane—along with their leader, the short-haired woman Milia—were left stunned as the planned attacks dismantled and overwhelmed them.
* * *
Thwack!
The black pieces continued to move across the map. Yet, Davey paid no mind to them, focusing solely on the white pieces’ advancement.
The [Queen] moved forward, twisting the wings of those in its path. [Knight] Illyna, following the lead, severed those fractured wings into countless shards, scattering and weakening the enemy’s forces.
But that wasn’t all.
The [Pawns] blocked any and all enemy attempts at hit-and-run tactics. The [Pawns] and [Bishops] were none other than the three Inquisition Tribunal legions and the one paladin division that the Holy Empire dispatched.
Meanwhile, from a distance, the [Rooks]—Rinne and her Decepticon Fleet—relentlessly bombarded the disoriented enemy.
“They’re still not showing their hand.”
Davey made a cold smile as he meticulously weakened and pressured his opponents, effectively playing a calculated game of chess.
“No matter—you should no doubt reveal your trump card soon.”
Though all he could see on the map were chess pieces, he acted as though he was watching the entire forest.
“This new holy magic works wonders,” he murmured, extending his hand once more. “Let’s prod them a little harder, shall we?”
Boom!
“Check.”
His crimson eyes gleamed brighter and redder.
“Is their [King] still not moving? You better move him before you lose your chance. You probably thought you could win because I wasn’t here, didn’t you?”
Despite the black pieces’ rapid movement, the most powerful source of holy power among the enemy remained stationary.
‘Life rarely goes as planned, does it? That makes it interesting. The ideal stories of those seeking vengeance, enduring trials and hardships to finally succeed, won’t be happening with what you’ve got.’
Boom!
Realizing something was wrong, the black pieces scattered, attempting to circle around and approach the [King] Davey had placed.
Just as he had expected, they targeted “heretic” groups performing large-scale rituals like routine worship ceremonies, ripping their souls apart to extract the power within and replenish their own strength.
Normally, one would retreat when the battle turned so unfavorable. But these enemies were still searching for any other ways to strike a fatal blow.
Most of the targeted noble families turned out to be followers of heretical gods, conducting grand rituals or seasonal ceremonies just weeks prior to the killings. In short, ordinary heretics were lower on their priority list.
When Davey realized this, he knew they weren’t just crazed fanatics blindly obsessed with eradicating heretics.
“It’s about time they made their move.”
Finally, the black [King] stirred.
As it began to move, the black pieces began moving differently in accordance.
“Alright then, let’s move on to Phase Two.”
Davey gripped three [Pawns] between his fingers and moved them forward across the map. His gaze was icy, yet his hand was steady when he set them down.
Thud!!
Simultaneously, an overwhelming surge of holy power seeped into the map through the pieces.
* * *
“They’re threatening, sure, but… merely this level of strength isn’t enough to take down Josiah,” Illyna muttered.
The enemy believed Davey had underestimated them, but the truth was quite the opposite. They had become so fixated on defeating Davey O’Rowane himself that they severely underestimated the strength of those around him.
Not only that, but their understanding of Davey himself was inadequate as well.
As bloodied judges lay on the ground, twitching in pain, Illyna remained calm. One could even say she was amused.
“They’re starting to show their limits.”
She maintained her icy composure, spinning Caldeiras on her palm. She fixed her grip as she sensed something.
“Something’s coming.”
Suddenly, the fallen judges were engulfed in radiant light, stiffly rising to their feet as though forcibly resurrected. The once-defeated warriors encircled Illyna once again.
Their previous tactics, aimed at stalling her, had shifted. Their new objective was clear—they were going to kill her there and then, no matter what.
“By the will of God… judgment…”
“Will be executed.”
They murmured ominously as luminous scales materialized above their heads.
“Not sure what this is, but… something big is on its way, huh?”
Soon enough—
“Gah?!”
She faltered as she let out a cry of agony.
Their scales tilted to one side as the enemies grew visibly stronger.
* * *
“Stop this immediately, Teacher!”
Josiah Frances stormed into the chamber, shouting at Davey.
She couldn’t help but feel nervous when she saw him seated before an expansive map, moving chess pieces across it.
“Well, it’s a relief to see you’re doing alright.”
“That’s not the point right now! Something’s wrong with them! Everyone might end up in grave danger if…”
“The holy power they’re using—it’s deadly for you. You haven’t fully awakened yet, so you couldn’t counter it, and the surprise attack from those you didn’t consider enemies must’ve caught you off guard.”
“...”
“And as the damage accumulated, your body reached its limits. But here’s the real issue: even with all that, it still shouldn’t be enough to break through your power of blood and take your life outright.”
She had already died once at their hands, which made no sense.
He couldn’t figure out what they had done to deliver such a decisive fatal blow when they clearly lacked the strength.
"Constellation Libra…” Davey murmured.
“Honestly, I’m not sure what you mean, but when that woman Milia—the one leading them—starts using her powers, the laws in the surroundings change. Our strength rapidly weakens, while theirs grows stronger in proportion, in accordance to the scales.”
“The scales, huh…” Davey muttered.
The scales symbolized balance, a force meant to enforce equilibrium.
In other words, even if overwhelming individuals like Perserque or Illyna crushed them, the moment Milia activated the scales, their strength would wane while her side’s own would increase.
"When the overwhelmingly strong one weakens, the opponents all grow stronger. Facing multiple attacks with equal strength is already risky, but that's not the only problem."
“There’s more?”
Josiah clenched her fists tightly, voice bitter. “They draw power from the souls of the heretics they’ve judged and torn apart. By paying that price, their strength multiplies exponentially and they become far more lethal.”
She gritted her teeth in frustration.
Not only did the scales prevent their collapse, but they converted the souls of those they slaughtered into personal power. The power they achieved was lethal on a new level from what they originally wielded.
What they did was far more monstrous than anything Davey had ever done—they were effectively selling their humanity in pursuit of their revenge. Their actions were ironic, yet what they were doing was bitter to witness nonetheless.
The phrase “anger begets anger” couldn’t have been more fitting.
“Does this only apply to Milia?”
“Yes. When she makes her move, things can become genuinely dangerous. That’s why—”
Before she could finish, Davey shifted his attention toward the black [King] which had finally begun to move. He calmly picked up his [Queen], gripping it between his fingers.
“It’s fine,” he said as his crimson eyes flickered.
“Teacher?”
“Your teacher… is quite capable.”
Thwack!
He slammed the [Queen] down on an enemy piece’s position. A surge of immense holy power radiated from his fingertips.
“So the enemy gets stronger while we grow weaker? Then I’ll just make our side so strong that the scales won’t be able to keep up.”
He knew the scales weren’t omnipotent and all-powerful.
‘Have a taste of some buff spells imbued with divine power, you fools.’
As Illyna and the others began to falter facing the scales, a surge of immense energy erupted from the ground. It spread like a massive current, swiftly flowing into them.
The buff magic targeted at each individual poured forth, its density far surpassing that of magic typically cast simultaneously on hundreds or thousands of people.
ChubbyCheeks & FriedNook's Thoughts
Editorb’s Thoughts
Bro Josiah that’s a little late or delayed to only JUST NOW being telling everyone about their abilities…
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