Chapter 38:
Berserk of Gluttony
THE DUAL BLACK BLADES were slightly longer than the black sword, and their streamlined forms were specially designed for slicing attacks. They were like a more refined version of the black sword, essentially forged from the long path Greed and I had walked together. The blades were unlike anything I’d ever wielded. No black cube would ever be able to imitate these. That was impossible. The dual blades were truly one of a kind.
“If you think you can recreate these, go ahead,” I said to Libra.
Libra growled in response, clutched at his missing left arm, and leaped backward to put some space between us. He glared at the new weapons in my hands. Fluids continued to leak from his wound, and a putrid stench permeated the air.
“Fay!” cried Roxy, worried I was defenseless.
But there was nothing for her to worry about. I shot her a smile, then turned to face Libra and launched myself at him. Everything he attempted to throw at us was blown away. His attacks meant nothing in the face of Level Zero.
At the same time, I was still receiving support from the souls that filled this world, and as such, my stats were practically infinite. There was still a price to pay, though. Not for me, but for the souls that granted me their strength.
“If that is how much you want to be with God…” I spat at Libra.
Even though I also knew the price, I had no choice but to take the power offered by the souls. That was what my Skill of Mortal Sin did. I couldn’t help but think back to what Myne had said, all that time ago—that Gluttony commits the deepest sin. The souls moved me, empowered me, and guided me. To hold back, to ignore them, would have disrespected what they offered.
I put everything I had into the dual blades. This time, they didn’t transform into something more menacing or aggressive. It was the opposite.
“Greed?” I asked. “What is this?”
“It’s blinding.”
“It’s the same for me.”
As I poured stats into the dual blades, their form became more divine. It was a far cry from the sword’s typical style, and Greed seemed unsure how to react. These blades were noble. I wanted nothing more than to believe this. The name of the Level Zero secret technique appeared in my mind. There could be no other name for it.
Infinity Divide.
I launched the attack on Libra. Stopping the path the dual blades cut through the air was impossible. Counterattacks were useless. While the dual blade secret technique was activated, I could go wherever I wanted in an instant. I landed strike after heavy strike unceasingly. Not a single slice missed its target.
There was no beauty in battle. In the end, it was little more than the clash of two opposing forces, no matter the reasons or excuses. That was what I felt as I looked upon the horrific holy beast that Libra become and the Divine Revelation binding him to the will of God.
“Where is all this…power…coming from?” Libra groaned through pained breaths.
Libra’s body was falling apart, and I wasn’t going to give him a chance to regenerate. My Gluttony skill swallowed some of his power with every slash. He was taking physical damage even as his stats plummeted. It was a never-ending death spiral.
“I don’t care how much power you gained from those other holy beasts,” I spat. “They don’t mean a thing!”
“Fate!” Libra growled.
Amid his suffering, Libra reached out and grabbed hold of my right hand. There was no need for me to lop it off with the other blade. A new level Greed and I could reach within Level Zero still awaited us.
A black bolt of lightning struck Libra’s remaining hand, sending it flying.
“What?!” he exclaimed.
I had used the always-trusty Bloody Ptarmigan, activating it from my right blade as I pushed Libra back. I’d used the power of more souls to do so, souls that would never return. I uttered a heartfelt apology, but I could no longer be stopped.
“That’s it, Fate! Push through!” cried Greed.
“Greed…” I said, realizing that we were pushing too hard.
Level Zero was the result of Gluttony and Greed coming together as one. Even the indestructible black sword couldn’t handle the sheer power of the dual blades, though, and Bloody Ptarmigan had caused a fracture to run through it.
“This is the end, Fate! Let him know the true meaning of the word berserk!”
That damned sword… Always acting like a badass…
Libra had lost both arms, but he was still a threat. He regenerated them, creating countless more, and sent them rushing at me in an attack.
“Fay!” cried Roxy, firing off another Sacred Cross.
The attack blinded Libra. I gave a battle cry as I leaped in close, scanning his body for the locus of his magical energy. When I locked onto it, I unleashed Level Three Deadly Inferno, carving into Libra’s weak point. Each slice contained a curse that ate away at him, forcing him farther backward.
“We’re not done yet!” I shouted.
I pushed Libra closer to the giant, sun-like sphere. In his struggle to deny me any more ground, Libra opened up his chest. An abundance of red cores were revealed, all of which fired blinding red beams of light.
“Your attacks are useless!” I growled.
Give me power! Give me more power!
I activated Reflection Fortress. The red beams of light bounced back at Libra, their attack power multiplied. I heard the dual blades fracture again, this time the one in my right hand.
“Do not give him any time to regroup! Believe in me, the mighty Greed. Believe in yourself, Fate!”
Whenever Libra left an opening, Roxy hit him with a Sacred Cross, slowing his movements. The black dual blades were engulfed in white flames. This light usually healed any and all injury or illness, and they now burned with a fire that would purify filth and rot. I couldn’t help but wonder if Twilight Healing had been created purely to counter Libra.
“I will cleanse you of your decay!” I shouted.
Libra let out an ungodly scream as he was engulfed in flames that would not extinguish. Even now, his sacred mark glowed red, denying him rest or surrender. Perhaps Libra was no different from my father or Snow in the end. He couldn’t escape God’s will, either.
“Keep it up, Fate!”
The fractures stretched farther along both dual blades. We were out of time. I sent black threads from the blades, all of which were wrapped in golden light. They swarmed Libra, glowing as they surrounded him. Struggle and fight as he might, he wouldn’t escape the grasp of Dimension Destruction. The attack had the power to shred through space itself, but all it could do against Libra was hold him down.
Is his power still rising?!
“Libra,” I grunted.
Even though he was practically in pieces, Libra—or perhaps his sacred mark—fought against the threads of Dimension Destruction.
Libra wasn’t the only one in bad shape. I didn’t know if the dual blades could handle unleashing another attack of such magnitude. At the same time, all the feelings and memories pouring into me with each soul that offered itself up made me feel as if I were losing my mind. I was losing touch with myself.
I was changing. My own memories—good, bad, happy, sad, trivial, and otherwise—slowly blended with those of the souls that poured into me, like mixing paints on a palette.
Father. One more… Please, lend me your strength one more time!
I could no longer hear his voice, but I was certain he was still there somewhere, watching over me.
And I knew Greed and I could still fight on.
“Let’s do this, Greed!”
“Bring it. You’re free, Fate!”
It was time for our final attack, a combination of the Sixth Level and Level Zero secret techniques. The fractured dual blades began to illuminate until they were so bright I could no longer discern their color. All I knew was that it was a light bright enough to engulf this entire red world around us.
Infinity Revolt Brionac.
The two blades came together to form a single greatsword, which plunged into and through the red cores in Libra’s chest.
But this was not the power of extinction. It was the power of release.
I roared and pushed the sword deeper.
“That will…not work…on me…” said Libra between screams of agony.
“Let’s see about that.”