Chapter 52….
The entire Murodia Mountain Range let out a scream.
“This is…”
Erebus.
Dante clenched his teeth.
The ceaseless, thunderous warning of the holy flame revealed just how powerful that existence was.
“Magic corps, immediately open the magic circles and prepare annihilation spells at maximum output!”
Veratis’s shout rang out.
He clearly hadn’t expected Erebus to appear so suddenly, because he was scrambling to prepare his magic at the last minute.
But…
“It’s far too late to prepare now!”
Even the simplest of spells took at least ten minutes to cast.
That had always been Dante’s impression of the mage corps.
And right now, no ordinary magic would be enough to so much as scratch Erebus.
At least an hour.
No—perhaps even longer would be necessary.
The Third Mage Corps, who had retreated to avoid being caught in the battle, began gathering mana.
“All knights, defend the mage corps! The spell must not be interrupted!”
Aizen shouted as he charged toward them.
Acrasion, Palantium, Windgale, Bloodion, Belzenor…
Over 160 knights stood before the mages, forming a wall of flesh and steel.
Normally, such a sight would have been reassuring.
But—
“Can they hold?”
Dante was doubtful.
These were the strongest knights of the allied forces, but no matter how he looked at it, they didn’t seem capable of withstanding Erebus’s might.
And so—
“Dante!”
Isabella’s call.
She must have been thinking the same thing as he was.
“The best defense is offense.”
If Erebus could be prevented from giving even a shred of attention to the others—
He and Isabella simply had to keep her occupied.
Alone, it would be impossible.
But with the Sword Queen by his side, it was different.
“Not a whole hour to endure… only one hour.”
Clinging to that positive thought, Dante kicked off the ground.
At the same time—
KWA-A-A-A-A-A-ANG!!!
The ground collapsed, and red flesh surged upward.
Arm? Tentacle? Or some other body part?
It was impossible to tell.
The only certainty—
“If it touches me, I die.”
A primal realization.
That red flesh radiated a deadly aura, as if it sought to erase existence itself.
Dante twisted his body on instinct, narrowly evading the surge aimed at him.
FWOOSH!
Even though it only grazed him, his skin burned with the sensation of rotting away.
No—he really was rotting.
His arm blackened and decayed in an instant, the stench of putrefaction filling the air.
At that moment—
The holy flame flared madly.
It was resisting the unholy energy of Erebus.
WHOOSH—!
Dante’s body was engulfed in blue fire, and the rotted flesh was restored.
Not fully, of course.
The flame only halted further decay—it couldn’t reverse the damage already done.
As Dante bit his lip—
Isabella’s sword moved.
CRRRACK—!!!
Space warped and the air exploded outward.
The same overwhelming power that had crushed Nergal now struck at his mother, Erebus.
SHRRRIP—!
The red flesh split apart.
With a horrific roar, black blood gushed like a fountain.
A display of divine might.
But tragically, the severed flesh regenerated instantly, without so much as a heartbeat passing.
“Hmm.”
Its regeneration was astounding.
Erebus, as if incapable of feeling pain, ceaselessly extended more flesh to attack.
“Don’t dodge!”
Dante, about to evade the dozens of incoming strikes, froze at Isabella’s shout.
He glanced behind him.
“…Damn.”
The knights protecting the mages stood directly behind him.
Though he had tried to avoid lining up with them, his evasions had led him here.
Isabella was right—if he dodged, the flesh would slam into the knights instead.
And the result would be catastrophic.
Their skin would rot, muscles melt, and their bodies decompose into death itself.
Unlike Dante, they had no holy flame to protect them.
That meant he had no choice but to stand his ground.
BOOM—!
“Haaahhh!”
Dante planted his legs firmly and drew in a deep breath.
He poured every drop of mana into Arpheon.
FWOOOOOSH—!
The holy flame blazed madly.
By then, the red flesh was already upon him.
Without hesitation, Dante swung Arpheon upward.
Blue fire traced a beautiful arc across the air.
And then—
SLASH—!
He cut through.
Like a hot knife through melted butter.
Effortlessly.
―――――――――――!!!!
Another deafening roar tore from Erebus’s form.
But this one was different.
This was a scream.
Erebus was writhing in pain.
The holy flame seeped into the severed wound, burning along its edge.
Unlike Isabella’s strike, this time the flesh did not regenerate.
As if the unholy power was being purified by the sacred flame.
Erebus’s body quivered, its movements slowing dramatically.
At that moment—
Isabella’s sword struck again.
A sky-like blade, tearing through darkness.
It fell precisely where Dante had cut.
KWA-A-A-A-A-A-ANG!
With a thunderous explosion, Erebus’s flesh burst apart, cascading down like a massive waterfall.
Her body was torn to shreds, like a mountain collapsing.
――――――――――――!!!!!
Another scream.
“Ghhhk!”
A violent mental assault tore past the holy flame’s protection, freezing Dante’s body in place.
But he endured.
He bit down hard enough to split his tongue, just barely keeping control.
And then—
His eyes met Erebus’s.
Hard to say which eyes—they numbered in the thousands.
But he was certain.
Right now, Erebus was staring directly at him.
“She’s targeting me!”
Objectively, Isabella’s sword had dealt the greater wound.
Yet Erebus considered Dante the greater threat.
All her hatred and fury focused squarely on him…!
KRRRRRSHHHHH—!!!
Flesh erupted from the ground, twisting into spear-like forms as they lunged for him.
But Dante, already anticipating it, gripped Arpheon tightly and concentrated.
Her strikes were fast, deadly, and soaked in unholy power.
But he did not dodge.
Instead, he focused all his senses, calculating the perfect sword paths to block every angle.
“Like this.”
Arpheon moved.
Brilliant blue flame traced graceful curves, swirling around him.
KRRRSHHHHH—!
The flesh was cut apart one after another, scattering into the air.
But the assault never stopped.
“Ghhhhh…!”
Pain wracked him.
Even as the flesh burned, it released waves of corruption, trying to devour his body.
If not for the holy flame, he would have rotted away long ago.
“I have to hold on…!”
Beyond the wall of flesh, he saw Isabella fighting her way toward him.
But it wasn’t easy.
The flesh was not targeting only him—
It occasionally struck at the knights as well.
Thankfully, because Dante and Isabella drew most of its focus, the others still held on.
But Dante’s joints creaked, and his muscles screamed with the pain of tearing apart.
“Just a little longer!”
Veratis couldn’t even wipe the cold sweat dripping down his face as he furiously re-checked the incantation.
How much time had passed?
He wasn’t sure, focused only on calculations.
But it had been long enough.
The spell was nearly complete.
And yet—
“Ghhkkk…!”
A groan of agony reached his ears.
Even with his eyes closed, he knew.
It came from the knights defending them.
Likely the captain of Lumiere Guard.
He had made that sound dozens of times already.
“They can’t hold out much longer.”
According to the Tower’s research, Erebus was a fragment of a god from a corrupted world.
Just a shard of fallen divinity.
But even so, her very nature was plague and ruin.
And the knights had been withstanding her attacks for nearly an hour.
Their bodies couldn’t possibly remain intact.
By now, their flesh must be decaying, ready to collapse at any moment.
Yet still—
The captain of Lumiere Guard stood at the very front line, protecting the mage corps with his men.
Even as fewer and fewer groans sounded, and those that remained grew weaker—
They endured.
BOOOOOM—!
Then.
Veratis felt a vibration resonate from deep within his chest.
It wasn’t strong.
But it spread outward in perfect concentric waves, enveloping the mages.
“It’s done.”
The sweat dripping from his face hit the ground.
At last, the spell was complete.
FLASH!
Veratis and all the mages opened their eyes, turning as one.
Toward Erebus.
The Red Mother.
The one who longed for a world drowned in calamity.
Just looking at her rotted their eyes.
Not her outer shell, but her true inner nature—that was what they beheld.
Still, they did not look away.
Identifying the strike point that would ensure her instant death was far more important than their eyesight.
Veratis finished his calculations in a heartbeat.
And with unshakable resolve, he slowly spoke:
“Bel Karceron.”
A prison of cruel beauty, radiant and merciless.
An ecstatic, yet merciless cage wrapped around Erebus’s flesh.
