Chapter 62 - The Wrong God

Igorus and Kaela stared each other down with intimidating focus, their swords drawn and ready amid the battlefield that had shaken the divine foundations of the kingdom itself. Completely silent, surrounded by the flickering embers of the flames consuming all of Saint Zagra, their eyes locked with equal intensity.

In a blur beyond ordinary perception, Kaela appeared at Igorus' right flank, moving with dizzying speed. She swung her sword, confident that Igorus couldn't react in time, but in that impossibly brief instant, he turned his gaze toward her, moving at a speed inconceivable to those of lesser reflexes. Kaela's eyes widened, surprised, but she did not falter in her strike. Igorus ducked low, just enough to let the blade whistle over his head, and in that same split-second thrust his sword toward Kaela's throat. Kaela twisted in midair, kicking Igorus's sword off its intended course and knocking it from his hand entirely. As she prepared to finish her attack, she realized, he was no longer there.

"Fernia Relica: Fourth Reveal — Veins of Strophos."

Massive veins erupted from Igorus' severed arm, catching the angels off guard as they pierced their bodies, flooding them with such volatile gasoline that their forms exploded instantly, unable to contain the pressure. The arm glowed a deeper hue, then took flight, hurtling toward where Igorus was thought to be. Kaela noticed and, with blinding speed, intercepted it midair. Igorus reappeared behind her, his reclaimed sword poised for a strike.

"Lapis Arts: Two Wings - Do Not Tread..."

The moment Igorus set foot on the ground to strike, hundreds of hands, roots of pure Lapis, burst from the earth. Radiant with golden energy, they seized and bound him, merging into a colossal hand hundreds of meters tall that clutched the general tightly in its palm. Kaela hurled Igorus' arm skyward and sliced it into thousands of fragments within a heartbeat. The giant Lapis hand now held Igorus high above the ruins of the kingdom. She slid her sword back into its sheath, turning away as the hand began to open slowly.

Within its palm, only a blaze of fire remained.

"What?! Hm!?" Kaela's eyes widened, inside the massive hand was only a flaming clone of Igorus. She turned her head sharply to see, several meters away, a fallen angel soldier missing his left arm. Only then did she realize the truth: the arm she had severed did not belong to Igorus.

"That should do the trick," came Igorus' voice behind her.

Kaela spun around. Igorus stood there, reattaching a left arm to his body and sealing the wound with his searing flames. He flexed the limb forward and back, adjusting it to his rhythm, like Atbara himself.

"Don't worry about it," he said calmly. "The one you cut off was mine. This one here belonged to that soldier over there. It'll serve its purpose just fine."

"Can I ask something?" Kaela said, feigning casual curiosity. "Why did you let me destroy your arm?"

"You'll see," Igorus replied, swinging his new arm horizontally toward her.

The force of the motion shattered the ground beneath Kaela's feet into countless fragments, followed by titanic waves of fire that melted everything they touched. The flames swept across the battlefield, engulfing scores of angelic soldiers in their wake. When the inferno subsided, Kaela stood unharmed within a barrier of pure Lapis.

"I'm getting tired of fighting dismembered arms," she muttered, shattering her barrier and launching herself through the flames toward him.

"Maybe I should get a bit more seri—"

Igorus' words were cut short as Kaela appeared only meters away. Their swords clashed, unleashing a shockwave that leveled everything within a span of miles. Kaela shot upward toward the heavens, and Igorus followed close behind, jets of fire propelling him through the air.

"Lapis Arts: Two Wings — Crossed Clouds."

The clouds above twisted and transformed into enormous, radiant crosses that descended from the sky, each glowing with holy light. Dozens of these massive crosses rained down upon Igorus as he pursued Kaela. He dodged some, cleaved others in half with his sword. The crosses that missed tore the ground apart with divine force, one even impaled a beast that had been battling the angelic army below.

Catching one of the holy crosses midflight, Igorus hurled it with unimaginable strength toward Kaela. She met it head-on, shattering it beyond recognition with a single, lightning-fast swing before diving straight toward him.

Igorus raised his right hand, unleashing a torrent of fire so vast it engulfed half the sky, catching Kaela off guard—

"Down here," came her voice.

Kaela had seized Igorus by the leg from below, in a move so sudden it defied reason.

"Your speed is... not natural," Igorus muttered as Kaela dragged him downward, intent on slamming him into the hardened surface of the divine isle.

He struck her in the back with his free leg, breaking loose as they fell. In that instant, Igorus opened his left palm and hurled spheres of flame toward her. Kaela dodged them effortlessly, weaving through the air. Igorus stopped his barrage and flew straight at her.

"Fernia Relica: Fifth Reveal — The Faith of Ankostra."

A colossal woman made of fire materialized, her blazing form chasing Kaela through the sky. Her hands were pierced by great nails of copper, radiating molten heat.

"Lapis Arts: Two Wings — Eternal Curse," Kaela declared.

From the corpses of fallen angels, crimson lights began to rise, spheres of condensed spiritual energy, and surged toward Ankostra in a storm of red radiance.

"Fernia Relica: Third Reveal — The Decrees of Qlifoth."

Before Ankostra, a massive tree of fire erupted into existence. Its burning branches reached outward, devouring the souls of the slain angels who dared attack her.

"Lapis Arts: Two Wings — The Vanished Throne," Kaela whispered as she pressed her palm against the ground.

Beneath Ankostra, a gigantic throne of golden energy formed, rising to seize the fiery giantess. Yet the burning tree's branches tore through the throne, shattering it into countless fragments and freeing Ankostra once more.

"Tch!" Kaela hissed, frustration flashing across her face. She placed both hands upon the ground, her fingers filling with pure Lapis, glowing with divine concentration as she poured nearly all her energy into them. Slowly, the earth began to crack and lift beneath her grasp. With a roar of power, Kaela tore a massive portion of the kingdom's surface free, the scale of it beyond mortal measure. The ground rumbled as she pulled the colossal mass upward, holding tens of thousands of tons aloft in the air, perhaps more.

Soldiers watched in awe and disbelief, their marshal displaying power that could only be described as godlike.

"Not bad," Igorus muttered to himself, arms crossed as he looked up. The floating landmass eclipsed the sun above his head, plunging him into shadow.

"HAAHHH!!" Kaela cried out, hurling the massive island downward and kicking it with her full might, shattering it into tens of thousands of fragments that rained down upon Igorus.

"I see... You're using your energy's unique nature to your advantage," Igorus thought to himself, watching the storm of stone and dust descend. "You're trying to hide your approach through the debris you've created... clever. But—"

He raised his left hand toward the heavens.

"Fernia Relica: Second Reveal — The Hunger of Hades."

From the abyss below, an ocean of molten lava surged upward, melting every rock and fragment that fell. The lava devoured all, sky, stone, and flame alike, climbing hundreds of meters high as the kingdom's foundation split apart, releasing rivers of magma that tore through the land.

"Khkk!" Kaela gritted her teeth in pain. Her leg had been scorched by the lava, yet she didn't slow down. Behind her, she could see Ankostra soaring with wings of molten fire, pursuing her relentlessly, Igorus standing calmly upon the giant's back, arms still crossed.

"Damn it!" Kaela spat, accelerating through the heated air toward them.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk... That won't work," Igorus murmured.

Ankostra raised her fiery arms, forging a massive spear of flame that she hurled downward. It split into several enormous lances of molten stone that streaked toward Kaela. The air around them ignited; the heat from the assault made the atmosphere shimmer and boil, warping her flight path. Kaela weaved desperately, evading the spears that could have vaporized her in an instant.

"Haaahh... haaahhh... tch! Lapis Arts: Two Wings — Barrier of the Chosen One!"

In desperation, Kaela formed a massive barrier of radiant Lapis, deflecting the incoming lances. Three of them struck the shield and were halted, but then, without warning, the barrier shattered.

"What?! HAAHH!?" Kaela gasped, Igorus had broken through it with nothing more than his fist.

He shot forward like a comet, his fiery aura roaring. In an instant, he grabbed Kaela by the throat and plummeted toward the ground at terrifying speed. She struck his arm, punching and clawing, then swung her sword in a desperate attempt to slit his throat mid-descent, but the blade was annihilated by a small burst of flame that came from afar.

"W-What the hell—!?" Kaela managed, glimpsing through the chaos Ankostra in the distance, her massive hand extended, her index finger pointing directly at them. The fiery woman had launched that blast, with impossible precision, destroying Kaela's sword completely.

Igorus slammed Kaela into the royal palace of Saint Zagra. The impact reduced the entire structure to dust and rubble, collapsing it from every direction.

From the battlefield below, soldiers watched in shock as the once-mighty palace crumbled in an instant. Even the monstrous beasts halted their rampage to witness the destruction. Tarnael turned his gaze toward the ruined palace, his expression cold and unflinching.

"Even Kaela couldn't defeat him... Igorus Friola," Tarnael murmured to himself as he stood upon the broken tiles of a ruined rooftop.

Through the haze of smoke and debris rising from the palace's wreckage, Igorus could be seen holding Kaela by the collar of her tattered uniform, her body bloodied and beaten.

"What are you waiting for? Do it! Kill me!" Kaela screamed, glaring at him with pure hatred.

"It's been years since I've faced a woman warrior like you," Igorus replied calmly. "It would be a shame, a waste, to end you today. But I have no choice. My nation comes before my pride."

He raised his sword, its tip glinting as he brought it toward Kaela's chest.

A few moments earlier...

Ovidius soared through the air toward Aldes, twin war hammers in hand, one white, the other crimson. Aldes unfurled his burning wings, the shockwave of their opening obliterating the rubble behind him as he launched himself toward the marshal. Ovidius slammed one of his hammers into the ground, shrouding the battlefield in a thick cloud of dust and smoke.

"Hehehahahahaha! Interesting! So very—"

Aldes never finished. Ovidius struck him square in the head, the hammer caving in the back of his skull with brutal force. Aldes hadn't anticipated such blinding speed. Before he could react, Ovidius swung his second hammer, crushing Aldes' throat and sending both his severed head and limp body crashing to the ground.

"I don't believe you'd die that easily," Ovidius muttered, gazing at the head and body lying in a pool of blood.

As expected, Aldes' severed head twisted upward, blood pouring from the back as a diabolical grin spread across his face.

"Quite right, Ovidius," Aldes rasped, as from his spilled blood a new entity began to form.

It rose, a skeletal warrior clad in a dark crimson-lined armor, wielding a massive scythe that dripped with spectral essence. Without hesitation, the skeletal fighter lunged at Ovidius, swinging the weapon with deadly precision. Ovidius barely managed to block the strike with his hammers; the scythe's blade hovered mere inches from his eyes. With a powerful kick, Ovidius drove the skeletal warrior backward several meters.

Then, from the corner of his eye, he spotted Aldes standing calmly nearby,completely unharmed, restored to his perfect form. Ovidius dashed toward him to deliver another strike, but the skeletal warrior intercepted him mid-charge, while Aldes appeared at his flank.

Aldes conjured a strange spear, double-edged at its sides, and lunged.

"Lapis Arts: One Wing — Solaris."

Around Ovidius, dozens of spectral hammers made of Lapis crystal materialized, striking outward in every direction. The skeletal warrior was instantly pulverized into shards, while Aldes skillfully deflected and evaded the rest with his spear. One hammer nearly connected with lethal force, but Aldes manifested a mirror-like barrier in the shape of a hammer, reflecting the projectile back toward Ovidius. The marshal shattered it effortlessly with one of his own.

"I watched your duel with Johannel," Ovidius said coolly. "You use cards to activate the techniques of those you've killed."

"Ah, so you were the one aiding your comrades from the shadows," Aldes replied with a smirk. "Maybe if you'd faced me then, you'd have had an easier time than now."

"True enough. I wanted to study my enemy first," Ovidius admitted. "But from what I'm seeing in this new form of yours... you're able to use those powers without the cards, aren't you?"

"That's what I believe," Aldes said, his grin widening. "I don't know what this feeling is, but I'm savoring every second of it. It's as if my sins have turned into a blessing."

"I doubt that," Ovidius muttered, raising his hammers once more, ready for the battle to continue.

Tarnael observed the battlefield from every direction. Angelic warriors clashed against monstrous beings; Igorus held his sister Kaela by her torn uniform, and Aldes fought against Marshal Ovidius. His long golden hair moved ethereally in the wind, the same wind born from the flames consuming his kingdom. Thousands of angels might have perished that day in Igorus' inferno, yet Tarnael only watched in silence.

"Your Majesty," a voice echoed from within Tarnael's sphere.

"Speak," Tarnael replied.

"We've searched both royal castles, and the vampire was nowhere to be found," said the soldier.

"He was slain by my hand. You needn't concern yourself with that. The question is, were the spheres there?" Tarnael asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty. The spheres were indeed there," the soldier confirmed.

"Were any of our men harmed by the carnivorous plants?" Tarnael asked.

"Carnivorous plants? No, Your Majesty. We encountered nothing of that sort in either castle," the soldier answered.

"That's... strange. Unless it was a bluff on his part," Tarnael muttered.

"But we did notice something at the southern castle," the soldier continued.

"What did you see?" Tarnael asked sharply.

"Beside the underground corridor, there were three doors woven from a strange kind of wood, ancient, perhaps thousands of years old. One of those doors was open."

Tarnael's eyes widened in shock. The sphere trembled slightly in his hand.

"W-What do you mean, open?" he demanded, his voice cracking with tension.

"The first door was open, and inside we found broken chains and torn bandages. We don't know what might have been—HAHHH!!! WHAT THE!! NKAAHHH!!!" The connection abruptly cut off.

"Soldier!? What happened?! Tch! Impossible... This is the last thing I wanted to see today," Tarnael hissed, turning his gaze toward the second royal castle.

Suddenly, every angel froze in place. None could move. Those who were flying plummeted to the ground. Those locked in battle stiffened where they stood. A wave of pure, reasonless terror consumed them all, the dread of dying at any moment to something far beyond comprehension. None dared release even a droplet of Lapis energy from their bodies. It felt as though they were trapped inside the cage of a predator that fed upon their suffering. The clouds above were the only things that still moved in that time-stilled realm of the gods.

"W-What... what in the Lord Edin'Borghia is this? Hahh... hahhh..." Ovidius muttered, crouching down in fear as his breath grew heavy. Aldes stared at him, puzzled by his sudden reaction. Kaela began coughing violently, her strength rapidly fading. She could no longer keep her hands upon Igorus' arm; her fingers trembled and slipped off the cold surface of her armor.

"What is this feeling?" Igorus thought to himself as he released Kaela from his grip. Tarnael's entire body trembled, he couldn't act, couldn't even speak, only watch from the faraway royal palace.

"Only the woman in the red gown has ever made me feel this way before," Tarnael whispered to himself. "I never imagined I'd feel so... inferior again. Of all gods but me, the king of angels."

Igorus turned around, walking slowly, curiosity and unease in his eyes. Around him, angels cowered in terror before a presence none could see, a presence even he could only faintly begin to comprehend.

Footsteps began to echo through the royal palace courtyard. Tak... tak... tak... The sound carried with it a suffocating weight. The monsters stirred first, all of them, ravenous and frenzied, drawn like beasts to the overwhelming presence that had just appeared. They sensed a Lapis unlike anything they had ever known, an energy that eclipsed their comprehension.

In a mad frenzy, they hurled themselves toward the second royal palace, tearing through the courtyard, devouring everything in their path. Stone, flesh, steel, nothing was spared. But then, in a single, silent instant, every one of them was ripped apart. Hundreds of monstrous bodies were shredded into fragments, blood and organs raining onto the ground. Even the creatures that had not yet reached the palace fell to pieces mid-flight, their remains scattering like dust.

The angels, every last one, stared in horror at the palace courtyard, where the footsteps drew closer. Tak... tak... tak... Louder now. Heavier.

Igorus froze. His breath caught in his chest. To see such fearsome beasts slaughtered, effortlessly, wordlessly, in less than a heartbeat, was something beyond reason. Who... or what... was this new being?

And then the figure appeared before them all.

He stood nearly two and a half meters tall. His hair was short and blue, his arms and legs bound by chains etched with ancient draconic runes. Torn bandages hung from his limbs, and a ragged cloak and shredded trousers barely concealed a body covered in scars and open wounds. Eight wings, two sprouting from his legs, two from his arms, and four from his back, each torn, bloodied, and fractured, twitched faintly behind him.

Most terrifying of all was his face, or rather, what replaced it. Floating before his head was a single massive eye, its iris a deep blue, encircled by eight smaller, turning rings, each one covered in countless tiny eyes that rotated endlessly.

"Hmmmm... Na snukna, mortete ne kreto."
(At last... clean air.)

His voice was chilling, not one, but three overlapping tones speaking as one. It pierced the air, vibrating through bone and spirit alike, a sound that felt less like hearing and more like being touched by terror itself.

"We... we're saved! The battle's turning in our favor!" cried one soldier, forcing himself shakily to his feet.

"Y-Yes! You're right!"

"Our nation will be spared!"

"We are blessed, one of our gods has come to save us!"

"AMEN! AMEN! AMEN!" the angels shouted in unison, their voices trembling with desperate hope.

But Tarnael... Tarnael did not share their joy. His face was pale, his hands shaking as his mind tried to reject what his eyes told him.

"No... Don't celebrate... Stop... Stop!" he whispered. "A piece of advice my wretched father once gave me, never, ever open one of the Cherub gates. They are not angels like us. No... we're finished... We're already finished..."

"AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! KHOOKKK!" One of the angels was suddenly split in half, cleanly, silently.

The others froze in horror. Above the bisected corpse stood the Cherub, expressionless. He reached down, tore the heart from the fallen angel, and began to eat. The sound of flesh tearing echoed across the silent field.

"Pfft! Ii mabe. Ahhh... Ozalas ngai ter konslis."
(Pfft! Disgusting. Ahh... you don't understand me.)

The Cherub muttered, before casually scooping out the dead soldier's brain and consuming it as well.

"The Third Cherub... Thranatis Mandr'Ghana," whispered Tarnael, paralyzed by fear.

"Hello," the Cherub said, smiling faintly, his teeth stained with blood.