The Starlight Sword gleamed as it tore through space. The sword imbued with vast energy aimed precisely at the back of Phillis' neck.
Phillis judged that blocking it would be futile, withdrew his palm, and strengthened the Sun Ring's aura burning from his body even more.
At the same time, a translucent golden barrier-like protection formed over his robes and body, protecting him. It was immediately after that the Starlight Sword struck upon it.
-Kwaaaaang!
With a tremendous impact, the Starlight Sword pushed against the Sun Ring's barrier. Starlight blazed fiercely trying to cut through the Sun Ring, while the Sun Ring held firm trying to block the starlight.
Even considering that the starlight had the advantage of concentrated force in a single line, the Sun Ring's defense was truly first-rate.
'As expected, it won't be easily pierced.'
Not only was the Sun Ring's defensive power formidable, but Phillis' capability in handling it was also very outstanding. Phillis' halo blazed more fiercely, creating the barrier in double and triple layers.
Osian's sword was pushed back slightly. The same was true for Martinez. Though he continued pushing the great sword with Basilio's support, he was gradually becoming overwhelmed.
The scorching heat resembling a furnace, and the bright yellow sparks scattering in all directions. Within that, starlight flashed repeatedly trying to push back the sun's wall.His skin was hot, his eyes hurt, and his ears were ringing. But Osian added new strength there.
'If it won't pierce with starlight, then I'll borrow the power of the moonlight as well.'
Choosing either one alone couldn't push back the Sun Ring's intense heat. But if both powers were used simultaneously, then the story would be different.
Star-Moon Unity. The dance of star and moon.
Crescent-shaped blue blades appeared above the Starlight Sword that was pushing forward strongly.
They moved in unison, seeming free-spirited yet following some rules. Countless moon blades gathered together like overlapping cards and layered over the Starlight Sword.
-Zzzzzzt.
Blue coldness formed over the Sun Ring's barrier that had been pushing back the Starlight Sword with powerful force. The moon's cold pushed back the sun's heat creating gaps, and the starlight gave strength to penetrate through those cracks.
-Kwaching!
No matter how powerful the Sun Ring's force was, it was meaningless before the Star-Moon Unity.
-Paching! Paching!
The double and triple layered barriers crumbled as Osian's sword struck precisely at Phillis' neck.
Phillis' body trembled with a jolt. At the same time, the great sword that Basilio and Martinez were pushing also pierced through the weakened barrier and struck his neck.
The attacks imbued with the strength of three people meshed together precisely. The moment when the forces applied from front and back converged at a single point.
-Seoguk!
A skull burning with yellow flames flew through the air.
The fire that had seemed like it would burn endlessly like the sun in the sky was suddenly extinguished from Phillis' body. His body clad in charred robes collapsed, and the floating skull fell belatedly, rolling across the ground.
"......"
Basilio looked at Phillis’ skull that had rolled to his feet, then silently crushed it underfoot. There was no farewell greeting wishing him well.
-Peoseok.
The child who had once been cherished like a younger brother, but had now become a monster, met his end this way.
"Oh, dear."
Within the space writhing with flesh, Cardinal Zaxilos sensed Archbishop Phillis' death.
"What a shame. He was an excellent vessel, too valuable to discard."
If he had died together with Osian with that power, that would have been the most ideal scenario. Unfortunately, reality doesn't flow so accommodatingly.
Rather, unfamiliar fellows had been added beside Osian.
"Who would have thought such beings would join hands."
Though far away, Zaxilos had been watching that entire battle.
And naturally, he had also noticed the presence of the slithering sisters and Martinez.
"Of all things, an outer being that used to exist only in coastal corners in the distant past has come invading here. And the other one is a holy knight blessed abundantly with a native god's grace."
Beings who should kill one of the other whenever they met had instead joined hands. What made this possible was, once again, because of that damned knight bastard.
Moreover, wasn't he handling his power much more frighteningly and eerily than when fighting against himself?
'There's absolutely no hope in a direct confrontation.'
Zaxilos knew his place well. Living for long ages yet remaining merely a cardinal wasn't because he had no ambition for the Pope's position. It was because he wasn't a vessel suitable to rise to that position.
That's why Red Eternity had pushed Phillis as a figure suitable for the Pope's position. But Phillis was swallowed by his own arrogance and narrow-mindedness and was abandoned by Red Eternity. Of course, it was Zaxilos who had induced that.
Still, the vessel was useful, so it was good for containing the sun's aura and using it as his experimental subject to kill enemies. It had actually shown tremendous performance, so Zaxilos was satisfied, but the disappointing result couldn't be helped.
"Still, there was something gained. I obtained the final data, so now it's time to utilize this."
Zaxilos' gaze fixed on one side of the massive flesh wall.
At the center of a cavity that seemed spacious enough to hold hundreds of people simultaneously, a giant heart was pulsating. It was a twisted, grotesque heart that seemed like it would suck in one's sanity just by looking at it. All sorts of bizarre tentacles and tubes were connected to it, and through them, blood—the vast source of life—circulated like a torrent.
-Thump! Thump! Thump!
Each time the heart beat, the vibration traveled through space and could be felt even by Zaxilos far away.
The giant heart, over 30 meters in size, was connected to stems linked from the ceiling, floor, and walls. Most eye-catching of all was the bright yellow flame burning at the heart's center.
"Magnificent."
Like the sun illuminating darkness, what emitted light from inside the heart was the Sun Ring's power possessed by that dangerous knight. How much effort and care had he put in to discover and handle that?
After creating countless failed works, Zaxilos had finally grasped the clue of how to utilize that.
"It's happened faster than planned, but now there's no need to hide anymore."
What remained now was to use that mighty power to once again bring about Red Eternity's advent that he had failed to complete before.
"Children imbued with life, open your eyes. And rise, walk, and head toward your enemies."
-Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
As Zaxilos' words continued, the heart began beating more violently. The Sun Ring's aura inside the pulsating heart grew stronger.
Part of that aura moved sluggishly through the giant, thick flesh tube hanging below the heart. The bright yellow aura that moved along the flesh tube reached a giant egg sac.
-Zzigeok.
The egg sac that received the Sun Ring's aura writhed grotesquely, repeating contraction and relaxation, then laid an egg surrounded by sticky fluid.
The egg made a tearing sound as it split into four parts and a mannequin-like person rose from inside.
The skin was red and smooth as if painted with blood. Where the face should be, there were no eyes, nose, or mouth. The arms were grotesquely long, and the legs and waist were also slender. Sharp protrusions rose along the spine, and at their tips was a long, sharp tail like a whip.
Compared to the corrupted ones shown so far, the appearance wasn't particularly threatening. Unlike those who had undergone all sorts of bizarre mutations, the current corrupted beings were far too docile and normal.
Of course, that wasn't exactly a normal appearance either. Rather, standing still with such a gaunt, smooth body, it would give an eerie chill like a scarecrow set up in a desolate place.
Zaxilos looked at the newly born children with rapturous and loving eyes and said:
"Tear, trample, and burn the enemies. Offer all life to Red Eternity who will soon advent in this world. Not just the enemies', but yours as well."
Kudan sensed something and stepped forward, crossing his arms. Immediately after, Archbishop Mirak's fist struck his forearms.
Kudan's eyes widened. Even though he deflected the physical energy from outside and sent it elsewhere as much as possible, it was a power too difficult to handle.
"An unusual power. But it doesn't work on me, who has received Red Eternity's grace."
Kudan could control physical impact or kinetic energy in desired directions but Archbishop Mirak knew how to counter that.
Using the 'erosion' possessed by the outer god's power, it was entirely possible to distort physical laws to that degree. Just as Zaxilos had done and Phillis had done, Archbishop Mirak also knew how to use it sufficiently.
Kudan's body, unable to withstand the force, flew backward. Confirming that he had flown so far he couldn't be seen, Archbishop Mirak moved.
His body disappeared again. Grace wrapped her hair around her body like a cocoon. Immediately after, Archbishop Mirak's kick struck her side.
-Eujijik!
Despite being protected by her hard hair, Grace's body bent greatly and flew sideways, crashing into the wall.
Archbishop Mirak pursued Grace and clenched his fist. The tip of his fist transformed into a sharp blade.
Hair shot out like whips from Grace embedded in the wall. Archbishop Mirak showed nimble movements that didn't suit his lanky height, avoiding all the hair. What wasn't enough was handled by tentacles that protruded from his back colliding with the hair instead.
Archbishop Mirak, who had approached Grace closely, swung his arm transformed into a blade.
-Seogeok!
Grace's neck was severed. The wall she was embedded in split left and right for over 50 meters in a single strike, spewing bodily fluids.
Archbishop Mirak silently looked down at Grace. Red blood flowed from her mouth, and the severed head gradually tilted to the side, about to fall over.
"Now only that fellow remains."
Archbishop Mirak thought of Kudan who had been thrown far away. While Grace had to be killed, if it was Kudan, it wouldn't be bad to capture him appropriately and use him as an experimental subject.
With such thoughts, he who was about to move realized his body wouldn't obey him. His body was being constricted by enormous pressure as if caught by something.
"What is this?"
Archbishop Mirak looked at the hair gripping his arms and legs. Could it be that she didn't die even though her head was severed? Who knew a vampire's vitality would be to this extent?
Archbishop Mirak pulled out a bone stake from the back of his hand and drove it straight into the heartless Grace's heart.
-Kwajik!
The hair lost strength and unraveled like tangled thread. Archbishop Mirak, having dealt with the final struggle, began walking but those steps didn't go far.
As Archbishop Mirak lost his balance, he unconsciously looked down. One of his sturdy legs had been torn off below the thigh.
Archbishop Mirak felt something strange and looked at Grace's corpse. From the corpse with a pierced heart and severed neck, red blood was flowing.
That blood flowed endlessly, and eventually began overflowing to a level that couldn't be contained in that body.
'Wh-what?'
Then a fountain of blood gushed from the neck's cross-section. The scarlet blood spread wide and transformed into something like a beast's head in mid-air. It was a hunting dog with an elongated mouth. That wasn't all. Part of the red blood transformed into a giant spider, while other parts became crows.
They were all beasts with ominous auras.
"Ah, I really hate this. I didn't want to use something so violent."
Grace's head, rolling on the floor, spoke. Her hair moved by itself, flying to attach to the severed head's cross-section. The stake driven into her heart was also pushed out by the blood itself.
"You bitch! That power is...!"
The moment Archbishop Mirak cried out in shock.
-Kwajik!
A giant maw that emerged from the floor bit into his lower body.