Chapter 71

Elazonia’s face contorted in disgust, but there was a glimpse of surprise in her expression. It wasn’t normal for a sword to eliminate a bolt of lightning, since it lacked the fundamental capacity of Fireball. She recognized the energy emanating from the sword in Arian’s hand. Her surprise become hatred. “You borrowed the dragon’s power…!” She may have erased her memories, but there was something about those magic waves that transformed her into a demon. It must have been etched into her soul. Holding the sword aloft, Arian’s right hand didn’t have its hero symbol anymore. Anyone who could remove her spell had to be significantly more powerful than her, which only left the five dragons. “How insidious!” In a rage, Elazonia began to cast another spell, but Arian interrupted her. “Lady Elazonia. If I may, I would like to ask you one question.” “…What?” She stopped, palm out. Maybe because Arian had been so polite. She lowered her dragon sword. “Did you really kill the bishop?” “Which one?” “Bishop Hube.” “Oh, that chump,” she spat. His name finally jogged her memories. “I did. He failed to destroy the demons, even after I’d given him a portion of my power. I gained nothing by letting him live,” she said without exhibiting an ounce of guilt. “…I see.” Arian listlessly cast her eyes down. A small part of her heart had refused to believe he had died—but she had her answer now. “Maybe the bishop did some horrific things. But they were all for you.” He’d threatened Boar Kingdom into mobilizing their military, starting the war with the demons. He’d led an army of ten thousand heroes in another attack. The demons found him to be a pesky enemy. He must have fallen out of the favor of some people in Boar Kingdom, too. Though his personal motivations played a part, he had attacked the demons to carry out her divine plan. “After all he did for you! I can’t believe you would kill him for trying!” Hube had invited her to become a hero, helping her connect with other people. Maybe he had ulterior motives. That didn’t change his impact. He was what started her on the path that led to Shinichi, and she owed him for that. The Goddess snorted at Arian’s criticism. “My followers choose to devote their magic and lives to me. What’s wrong with doing what I want with them?” “What…?” Arian was at a loss for words. It was heartless. She was starting to understand that Elazonia wasn’t the Goddess of Light. She was a vengeful ghost born from animosity. Arian wished she could believe Elazonia was their beacon of hope. “But you’ve tried to save people…” Even if her ulterior goal was to collect her followers’ magic, it was undeniable that the church and its heroes had protected the masses from monsters and treated them for disease. Even if 99 percent of her objective was motivated by selfish reasons, the remaining 1 percent must have stemmed from her desire to keep other people from experiencing the same kind of suffering she had. Arian wanted to believe that. “If you’ve gotten rid of your humanity, you won’t be able to save anyone!” This was a desperate plea from someone who had once been proud of being a hero. But Elazonia laughed. “Why must I save people as God?” Who said God had an obligation to protect humanity? “I guess you’re right…” Arian looked down, grinding her teeth. As long as she was an ally for humanity, one could argue there was some semblance of justice in her actions, even if she was the enemy of the demons. But the monster in front of them had no sense of heroism. It was hatred incarnate. Its only goal was to destroy the beasts—without knowing the reason. “Goddess Elazonia. I’m grateful that you selected me as one of your heroes.” Arian refused to believe Elazonia’s only motivation was to tap into her magic as the daughter of the loathsome dragon. She must have sympathized with her position, as another victim cursed with dragon scales, unloved by others for her beastliness. Arian wanted to believe in the humanity of past Elazonia, even if the current one refused to admit it. “That’s why I have to defeat you—now that you’ve changed!” Arian thrust the tip of her father’s dragon sword at the lost ghost. Elazonia chuckled for a third time, laughing at her former pawn who tried to stand against her. “Restrict, Photon Bind.” Chains of light whipped out of thin air, coiling tightly around Arian. Hube had ordered the same spell from thirty priests, but it paled in comparison to Elazonia’s bind. The links dug into Arian’s skin, threatening to rip her into tiny pieces. “All talk, huh? Look at you. You’ll never amount to more than a disgraceful half dragon.” Elazonia bored down on the red scales on Arian’s throat. If this had been in the past, she would have averted eye contact. But she was different now. “Yeah, I’m a half dragon!” Since her childhood, she had concealed her scales, afraid that others would find her disgusting. There was a piece of her that still rejected herself, even though Shinichi had accepted her and she’d befriended the demons. However, she had developed an emotional connection with her father—even if they didn’t have enough words or time together. She had accepted herself from the inside out. “I’m Arian, daughter of the Red Dragon!” Her irises flashed gold, and her pupils lengthened like lizard eyes. Magic rays surged from her skin, tearing apart the chains of light. “You little…!” The repressed dragon inside Arian had awakened, shaking Elazonia for the first time since their confrontation started. As the Proxies of the Planet, dragons had the power of the world, giving them access to inexhaustible mana in the atmosphere. Arian might only be half of one, but she absorbed enough magic to wither the area around and stir the air with her awakened powers. “Goddess… No. Elazonia. I’ll end your hatred today!” Her declaration was tinged with kindness as she kicked off the ground. It sounded like concrete had exploded. Arian was suddenly in front of Elazonia, bringing her sword down in a diagonal slash. “Multiple Shields.” Elazonia cast a defensive spell. Six heavy shields manifested before her, sturdy enough to deflect a cannonball. If Arian had wielded a normal magic weapon, it wouldn’t have pierced through one, let alone six. However, in her possession was a dragon blade, made from the Red Dragon’s talon, a bane sword that consumed magic to add to its own power. It severed and absorbed the six magic shields, ripping into Elazonia’s left arm. “Aaagh!” It lopped off some of her magic, making her scream in pain that she had never experienced as a ghost. “Ack… Photon Bind.” Elazonia knew she had no direct way of defending against the dragon sword and attempted to bind its wielder again. “That won’t work!” Arian used brute force to smash the links to pieces. That had been part of her plan. “Be released from the binds of the planet, Zero Gravity.” The force pulling her body down was gone. Arian’s feet lifted from the floor. Even with her strength and weapon, a swordswoman without footing was like a bird without wings. “Ah?!” Arian flapped her arms and legs around in the air. Elazonia collected magic into another spell. “White flames to set lava on fire, incinerate her to bone. Plasma Blast.” Volcanic fire exploded, threatening to vaporize steel at almost twenty thousand degrees. Arian was suspended motionless in the air— “Rooooaaar!” She spewed out magic. Half Dragon’s Breath. The red light shot past the flames, swallowing Elazonia. “Gaaaaah—!” Elazonia desperately tried to resist the pain. It felt like her magic was unbinding her body. Arian was launched backward from the force of her spell, falling to the ground at Shinichi’s feet. “Are you okay— Yow! You’re hot!” he yelped. “Y-yeah, I’m fine.” “Fine?! You’re as hot as an electric burner!” Shinichi tried to smile at her as he propped her back up, scorching his palms and worrying he might become dehydrated from sweating. It was cool that she’d managed to trigger her latent powers, but her body couldn’t seem to keep up. Arian managed to sit straight. Elazonia escaped death, letting out another fit of laughter. “Heh-heh-heh. Consider my last statement retracted. I knew you had it in you, disgraceful half dragon,” she congratulated sarcastically. She’d already lost half her magic to Half Dragon’s Breath. They could see through her semitransparent ghost form. But the smile on her face stayed in place. “Apport.” A set of magic conductors appeared within arm’s reach, allowing her to absorb and restore her magic. “How convenient.” Shinichi clicked his tongue—though not in surprise or discouragement. He had already learned from the Red Dragon she had mass stores of magic in her underground facility. Elazonia looked down at them, seeming triumphant. “I am Elazonia, the Goddess of Light. You cannot destroy me as long as I have followers.” She still had rows of reserves, which were continuing to be filled by her believers. “Did you think you could win against my infinite power when you’ve got limited resources?!” She laughed shrilly, like a god observing from the heavens. “Huff-huff…” “……” Arian couldn’t reply between her ragged breaths. Celes and Regina fixed their steely glares at the Goddess, electing not to open their mouths since entering the research lab. Shinichi spoke for all of them. “You’ve already lost.” “…What?” He finally let out his smile. Elazonia thought he’d lost his mind. “Ha-ha-ha, it’s true that your magic is limitless when you have followers. Key phrase: ‘when you have followers.’” “…What are you implying?” She sounded like a cornered dog, all bark and no bite. For some reason, dread sent shivers down her spine. This time, it rocked her entire body, unlike when Arian had triggered her transformation. Shinichi smelled her fear, smiling wider and pointing to the heavens. “Look for yourself. God sees everything.” “Do you intend to run away when I take my eyes off you?” Elazonia put on a brave face as she allowed the vision in one of her eyes to reach the sky. It passed the ceiling of the research lab, leaving behind the sprawling land. When she saw the cloudless sky, her carefree expression furrowed in surprise. “What is this?!” It should have been around noon, but the world was dim, though not completely dark. A sprawling curtain had blocked out the sun, letting multicolored lights play across its surface…which formed into her own gobsmacked image. “What is this?!” parroted the screen via telepathic message. It rang across the entire continent of Uropeh for all to hear. “No… No way…!” Blood drained from her face, making her complexion more ghastly. Shinichi watched her with the evilest smile in history on his face. “That’s right. Everything has been broadcast to the entire continent.” Everything from her bullying a young girl with a peace offering…to her admitting humans were nothing but her source of magic. “Like I said: You’ve already lost.” Even if Shinichi had been defeated, the people of the world would never worship her now that they’d discovered her true nature. This marked the moment that destroyed their faith—a following that took three hundred years for Elazonia to cultivate. A short while before they broke into Elazonia’s underground laboratory, Saint Sanctina paid a visit to the king’s castle in the mining country of Tigris. “Thank you for seeing me today.” “’Tis I who should thank thee,” replied King Sieg of Tigris, known with love as the captain. Behind Sanctina were demons, including Sirloin and Ribido, hauling magic conductors. “Should we set them down here, oink?” “Would you mind placing them on this cart? We’re going to move them,” instructed Dritem, the court mage. “Sure thing, oink.” The demons piled the conductors on the designated spot. Each one was about the size of a small keg. As a set, they were larger than the Tears of Matteral, their lost national treasure. All the crystals glimmered with stored magic. “Thou hast done well to gather so much in so short a time.” “It was an easy job—with the help of Rino’s mother.” Sanctina flashed him a triumphant smile as Sieg looked at her in admiration. “Give your magic to save our lord.” Regina had sent out a call to the demon world, using her fists to silence any (who pretended to be) opposed (for the opportunity to fight her). They’d scraped together as much magic and conductors as they could. As a species that possessed potent power, they collected more magic than even necessary to operate the dragon-type golem, the Black Boulder Dragon Hellsaur. Even then, they lacked sufficient strength and came to Tigris to ask for assistance. “’Tis a mysterious sight.” Sieg watched the workers, overcome by emotions again. “Is this everything? Wow.” “We brought all that the dvergr had on hand, moo.” “The skilled smiths, right? I’d like them to show me their skills some time.” “Hee-hee. And I want to learn more about Kalbi. ” “Don’t touch my butt, moo!” Kalbi shrieked, reminded of the torture methods of the man-loving incubus that the holy warriors underwent. Demons and humans—followers of the church, at that. Before, they would have stood against each other as natural enemies. No one could have imagined them opening up like this. “I imagine the world will continue to change,” said Sieg. It was still ingrained in humans to be afraid of these so-called beasts. As hard as it was to unlearn this emotional response, they were furious at the church. However, the world would end if they continued Elazonia’s values, which had come from resentment. Sanctina slowly shook her head. “It won’t change on its own. We’ll be the ones driving its transformation.” “’Tis Rino’s wish.” The two nodded to each other, remembering the smile of their beloved angel before looking up to the castle’s gate. Once preparations were complete, the bell started to clang. “What’s going on?” Living without electricity, it was standard for people to sleep and wake early. The populace was already up, sticking their heads out their windows to scope out the situation. Sanctina used her magic to amplify the king’s voice. “My beloved people of Tigris, this is Sieg Fatts. I am in urgent need of your assistance.” He delivered his speech as a king—without his old-timey flair as the captain of the boys’ club. He wasn’t making an order but a request with a careful explanation of the situation at hand. “In a little bit, Rino the Diva, Arian the Red Hero, and my good friend Shinichi will be heading toward a final battle against the Goddess Elazonia.” “What?” “To reveal her true nature—to every person on the continent of Uropeh. I ask you to lend your magic one more time.” “What does that mean? Are you asking us to do what we used to do?” “I will compensate you for your assistance, even if it means emptying the kingdom’s coffers. If you wish to assist, please gather in front of the castle gates.” “……” The people seemed bewildered. Sanctina called out in a loud voice. “This is Sanctina. Until a short while ago, I worked for the Goddess’s church. I understand if it’s difficult for you to listen to me, since I let my ego get in the way last time.” “……” “I’m begging you for your help. If we all work together, we can show the Goddess’s true identity to the world. Without it, I will be unable to save Rino.” “Rino…” “I implore you! I beg you! Please!” Tears started to stream down her face. It wasn’t to fake her saintliness. They came from her heart—from her dedication to saving the love of her life—but she was also crying out regret for her past actions, shame for being weak, because she could do nothing but ask for their help. Her sincere request must have touched their hearts, because one person, then two, then hordes of people gathered in front of the castle, forming a massive line that swallowed the entire road. “You guys…!” Sanctina sprinted out the castle gates, an emotional smile on her face, as the crowd told her how they felt. “Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not doing this for you. I want to help Rino because she resurrected me.” “I’m just really interested in this final battle with the Goddess and her true nature.” “I’ll give you as much magic as I can as long as you pay me.” They each had their own list of reasons: their debt to Rino, simple curiosity, hope to earn some money. Everyone was happy to lend a hand. Out of the mass of people came one little girl squeezing her mother’s hand. “Miss!” “You’re the one who came in to have your leg healed…” “I’m Elma!” Sanctina had only remembered her face, because she was a cute little girl. “Elma. Right. I’m sorry, Rino would never forget one of her patients’ names…” “It’s all right.” She shook her head like it didn’t bother her. In fact, she broke into a huge grin, happy that Sanctina had recognized her. “Your smile used to scare me, but you’re not frightening anymore.” “Thanks to Rino.” “I loved seeing you work with her! You were so nice around Rino!” To Sanctina, she was nothing more than one of the thousands of people that she’d healed. But to the girl, Sanctina was a savior who’d treated a major injury. “That’s why I want to help you!” said the girl with a big smile as she squeezed Sanctina’s hand. Not to the fake Saint. To the real Sanctina. There were a number of her former patients in the crowd, all of whom looked at her as if to express their gratitude. “…Thank you.” Warm tears welled up in Sanctina’s eyes as she squeezed her hand back. That’s when Ribido came over, dragging the cart with magic conductors, under a spell to look like a human. “Hmm? Are you cheating on Rino, Sanctie? I’m going to snitch on you!”