CHAPTER 142………………………………………
142. Darkness of the Void
Ronan gripped his sword with both hands.
He had said it himself, but even he wasn’t entirely sure.
“…Still, if it’s you, you can do it, right?”
Ronan didn’t look back.
His gaze focused solely on the golden fists falling from the sky.
From the sword’s blade, a pitch-black aura flared.
The lack of certainty only made his resolve stronger.
Esric’s magic had always solved the problems.
And every time, Ronan had been the one to protect Esric.
“…I’ll do what I’ve always done.”
Gathering his resolve, he leapt off the ground, stepping on buildings to spring back into the sky.
Amid the falling golden fists, his dark sword flashed.
The heat of divinity and the aura’s edge clashed, tearing the air apart.
Zzhraang—!
Gold and black collided and exploded.
A powerful shockwave surged, but Ronan used its momentum to rise even higher.
The sword slicing through the fists whirled along his wrist and arm like it was surging upward.
They couldn’t even be called wounds.
It was nothing more than black lines drawn over the gold.
Yet the hands reaching out seemed as if even that was intolerable.
Whooosh—!
Now, the hands began reaching to grab Ronan.
“…?!”
It was like swatting at flying insects in the sky.
Like brushing mosquitoes off one’s body.
No matter how Ronan flew or twisted, compared to the fragments of divinity, they were merely insect lives.
Fortunately…
Kwaang—!
There wasn’t just one insect.
“This is my debt! Are you trying to make me even, aagh?!”
“Focus, kid!”
Elnor and Valen joined in.
Their divinity couldn’t stop the golden hands, but they could at least block them.
The two of them used their divinity to intercept the hands flailing to grab Ronan.
Lionel and the Sun Knights’ barrier now served as a platform they could step and leap on.
Kuung—!
Ronan, knocked back by a swiping hand, landed on the barrier.
“Ugh… huff…”
The aura wrapped around him, yet the pressure of divinity resonated to his bones.
Gritting his teeth and enduring the pain, he straightened his bent body.
Beyond his sight, Valen and Elnor weaved divinity like ghosts between the hands.
“This isn’t it, kid!”
Valen’s hammer struck a golden finger.
Zzhraang—!
Divinity burst, folding the finger.
Elnor seized the opening, thrusting her spear into the wrist of the giant hand.
“Ugh—!”
Elnor’s divinity exploded, pushing the hand backward.
The recoil made her fall onto the barrier like Ronan.
When she looked up, she saw the dark sword cutting through the gold.
“We can’t lose…!”
Ronan, Valen, and Elnor spared their bodies no mercy.
They performed dangerous acrobatics among the golden hands.
Precarious.
It wouldn’t have been strange if they had been caught and destroyed at any moment.
Meanwhile…
“Everyone, move!”
Esric completed the spell.
From our perspective, the sun rises and sets repeatedly.
But in reality, it is always there.
The sun has never truly set or extinguished.
Even if one imposed rules and order on mana, they couldn’t extinguish the sun.
Its inherent law is too strong.
So?
We must use that strong law.
“.”
“.”
“.”
The sun doesn’t set or disappear…
“.”
A black circle appeared on the ground beneath his hand.
A magic circle, drawn from sticky darkness, expanded widely around his hand.
Kiiiiiing! Mana circulating in the circle burned rapidly.
The incantation ran along his fingers toward the target.
Once all the characters fell into place…
Zzraaang—!
Looking up at the loud sound in the sky, he saw Ronan joining in.
The pitch-black aura was cutting through the golden hands.
Hands that hadn’t reacted to divinity now moved to grab Ronan.
“…There’s enough time.”
With some breathing room, the characters quickly settled into place.
The completed magic circle.
From its boundary, black darkness bubbled and churned.
“Everyone, move!”
At the shout, the three airborne figures reacted first.
Considering the magic’s power, distance, and their abilities…
“!”
The spell was completed with a target.
『 The contractor has cast a grand spell. 』
Zzsshh… The boiling darkness began to overflow.
Whooosh—!
It shot into the sky.
The once scattered darkness tangled into one mass like threads.
Sharp as a drill, it shot toward the gap where the hand had been.
The golden light pouring from the split sky…
Fwoosh.
Vanished in an instant.
In its place was the darkness spreading from the magic circle.
The black void tore a hole in the sky.
And that darkness…
Fwaaah—!
Sucked in the arms, the roots of the golden hands.
It blocked the source of their light, cutting off all illumination and shattering the incompletely manifested divine fragments.
Cracks appeared in the massive golden arm, which soon shattered into pieces.
Phaaang—!
Fragments of light scattered in the air, glittering.
Though the world seemed to shine golden, darkness spread faster.
The dazzling moment was brief.
Shwaaah—!
Rain, which had been halted, poured down harder as if venting its grievance.
“Huff… ha… haah…”
Feeling dizzy, he collapsed to the ground.
“Aaah…”
From the nearly empty circle, hollow echoes resonated.
『 Contractor’s mana is unstable. 』
『 Stabilizing mana via contractor’s privilege. 』
With a small laugh…
“It’s… over…”
He closed his eyes, feeling good despite the pouring rain.
“Now… handle it yourself…”
The golden hands shattered.
Divine fragments scattered in the air, glittering brightly.
“D-did we… defeat it?!”
“Did we… block it…?”
“Seems like it…”
The three who had been the busiest—Elnor, Valen, and Ronan—collapsed to the ground, panting.
The Sun Knights’ barrier had already broken.
Watching the golden hands shatter, they could finally lower their shields.
Shwaaaah…
Amid the pouring rain, the paladins lowered their weapons.
The faithful simply stood still, staring silently at the darkened sky.
Amid them…
“Behold!”
Leonis walked forward to the seat of Pope Lucarion.
“For the sake of personal greed! The end of one who tried to exploit the faith of the church!”
His voice echoed clearly through the rain.
All paladins and the faithful turned to him.
In most eyes, now lost in faith, only emptiness lingered.
“What is faith!”
Leonis shouted at them.
“Faith!”
His voice cut through the torrential rain, shaking the square.
“Faith isn’t just kneeling and praying!”
Crack—!
Thunder roared in support of his words.
“True faith…”
Flames flickered in Leonis’ eyes.
He clenched his fist.
“It is the courage to face the truth! The courage to question! And to find true faith within it!”
In the hollow eyes of the people, faint light flickered.
“Faith found this way will never waver!”
Pointing to the Dawn Knights, he spoke.
The people’s gaze fell upon them, and they straightened their posture proudly.
“Lucarion used your faith! He borrowed the name of God to satisfy his own greed and insulted Solius!”
His voice grew stronger.
“Look at those who saved you with true faith! They are the true servants of Solius, our brothers and sisters!”
Shwaaaah.
Leonis paused briefly, watching the rain, then slowly lowered his head.
In his mind, the smiling face of his beloved younger brother, Emilion, flashed.
“Emilion…”
His voice trembled.
“My brother was just kind….”
Even as he spoke, head bowed, his voice rang clearly through the downpour.
“He loved you and always prayed for you….”
He clenched his fist tightly.
“The saintess too. She preached God’s word, healed the sick. Yet Lucarion sacrificed her for his greed!”
Leonis slowly raised his head.
“They only wanted a world where the people of the empire and the faithful of the church could live in peace!”
His eyes burned with resolve.
“Therefore, I! Have decided to mourn them in my own way!”
His voice, more determined than ever, resonated through the square.
“I… will become the Emperor of the Empire.”
Among the faithful and paladins, gasps arose here and there.
Some looked at each other in surprise, carefully parting their lips.
The murmurs didn’t spread far, washed away by the pouring rain.
The upright and resolute voice that carried across this place…
Belonged only to Leonis.
“I avenged Emilion! But I did not stand here for revenge alone!”
“I will lead this empire with true faith!”
His voice grew firmer.
“Make me… Emperor.”
Small murmurs.
Amid the pouring rain…
Chaeng.
Ronan raised his sword high.
Elnor followed, thrusting her spear toward the sky.
Valen grinned and lifted his hammer.
“Crown Prince Leonis!”
He shouted loudly, resounding clearly.
“Long live!”
Following Valen, the Dawn Knights raised their weapons one by one.
“Long live Crown Prince Leonis!”
“Long live! Long live!”
Their voices united.
Lionel, leader of the Sun Knights, raised his shield.
“Long live Crown Prince Leonis!”
Starting with Lionel, all the Sun Knights obeyed their leader.
Then, the Sun Knights knelt simultaneously.
Among the faithful, cautious voices emerged at first.
“Leonis…”
“Crown Prince…”
“Long live…”
Those voices gradually grew.
“Long live Crown Prince Leonis!”
“Long live the Crown Prince!”
“Long live!”
The voices spread beyond the square, beyond the city walls.
Across all of Solaris, Leonis’ name echoed.
“Leonis!”
“Leonis!”
“Leonis!”
Their voices cut through the rain, tearing through the sky.
Leonis watched the scene.
Determination and emotion mingled in his eyes.
…Watch over me, Emilion.
Thinking of his brother, Leonis clenched his fist.
…I will surely create the world you wished for.
“Are you okay?”
“…Do I look okay to you?”
“Since you didn’t lose consciousness… you don’t look bad.”
Ronan approached and held out his hand.
I smiled and took it, pulling myself up.
In the square, Leonis’ name continued to resound.
Looking at Leonis, fists raised above, I couldn’t help but feel pleased.
Now, Leonis’ support extended from the north and east to the Solius Church in the south.
“At this rate…”
No matter how much the imperial army was armed with artifacts…
“It’s worth trying.”
