Chapter 155

“Oh oh… not bad indeed. Among the Demon Clan, there should not have been one who fought in such a way. Such brute force—compared to the Demon Clan, it is more like a method of the Dragon Clan…”

“!”

Behind her!

Ailellek stepped onto the pillar and swiftly shifted to the other side, right in front of a statue already blasted into charred blackness.

After steadying herself and fixing her gaze forward, she saw that the very spot she had stood upon earlier was now occupied by a vague figure, floating and reforming from golden particles.

Seeing this, a bead of cold sweat slid down Ailellek’s forehead along with her wry smile.

“This is bad… isn’t this cheating…? I say, Lady God, it seems you don’t have a physical body, right? Eh, then this is boring.”

“Boring?”

“Of course! I thought I could have a proper, exhilarating fight, but it ends up like this. Hm…? No, wait, I can still go find that old pope and keep fighting him!”

“To disregard a god is irrational, you know?”

“But as you are now, what can you even do?”

Ailellek realized that the reason her earlier attack had been ineffective was not because she had missed or been blocked, but because the golden radiance before her had no substance at all—it was something like an illusionary projection.

If that was the case, then a fighting style like hers, relying solely on physical strength to form offense, was entirely restrained. She had no way of attacking her opponent.

Physical strikes could never reach an illusion.

One had to admit… magic was indeed convenient at times.

By the same logic, this so-called god should not be able to harm her either—any attack would simply pass through her.

That was why Ailellek had said just now that this battle already had no meaning.

There was no fun to be had~ She even suspected that this so-called god had appeared just to stall for time so that the pope could escape!

However, that thought did not last long.

The golden light gathering into a figure became more real.

Though still a haze of golden glow like a little golden figurine, the tall form with hair flowing like a golden starry river was beginning to reveal a complete outline.

If that had been a living being… it would surely have been a beautiful maiden with a superb figure.

The heavy reverberating voice echoed in the half-ruined papal ruins, carrying an even greater sense of penetration.

“I remember… you are that little Demon King’s younger sister? Last time, I spared your royal brother. That does not mean this time I shall spare you. I am in a foul mood now… for disturbing our peace, you… are in great trouble.”

“Can you stop bluffing already? It’s really dull. If you have a trump card, then hurry and… eh?”

A moment before, Ailellek had still been relaxed and disdainful.

But in the next moment—

Her hair stood on end…

Her body tensed in an instant, dropping into combat stance, all six of her wings bristling out.

The golden figure converged again into a circle, but this time, Lady Aimeris’s presence was no longer faint as before.

What was this surge of magic power…?

Like a calm sea suddenly erupting into a tsunami, the surging waves dragged one straight into the abyss of the deep ocean.

It was no exaggeration to say that such reserves of magic power, combined with the degree of instantaneous release, already faintly approached that of her foolish elder brother who was best at magic…

In such a situation, Ailellek could no longer afford to underestimate her opponent.

And the anomaly did not end there.

The golden ring pulsed, forming what looked like a passage.

—And from within that passage, a slender, gold-wrapped foot slowly stepped out.

Uh…? A foot?

First the foot.

Then the calf.

The calf guided the entire figure to slowly emerge from within the passage.

When Ailellek finally saw the full figure step forth, she was left even more dumbfounded.

A child…?

The figure had no clothing, yet aside from the head, the rest of her body was completely covered in golden radiance, which served as clothing.

Golden hair cascaded down upon her body, colliding with golden particles, sending out ripples of magical surges like splashing water.

Ailellek judged her to be a child mainly because her height was less than one and a half meters, perhaps even shorter.

But that lovely, delicate face—Ailellek believed it was only a misleading appearance…

She kept her eyes gently closed, expressionless, bearing an air of solemnity—yet all of it clashed with her outward appearance, instinctively making one feel she was not a child at all, but some ancient monster who had weathered countless ages.

Slowly, she opened her eyes.

When her pale-golden lashes fluttered, they stirred up a density of magic particles so high it was inconceivable.

The “child” looked at her own small hands with some discomfort, softly shook her head, and sighed.

“Ah… as expected… still not complete…”

“What on earth are you muttering to yourself about…?”

This was the first time Ailellek had felt this way.

—Her instincts told her she needed to leave here immediately!

It was precisely because she had trained her body to its utmost limits that Ailellek could receive such instinctive feedback.

But…

The stronger that feeling became, the more her heartbeat and battle-lust surged together!

Because… right now, this Lady God seemed to have manifested a tangible form that could actually be touched?

That meant… the battle that had been impossible to continue just now could now resume?!

If she fled now, wouldn’t that be an enormous loss?

This was what it meant to be a 【Battle Maniac】.

More than information, she craved a hearty, exhilarating fight.

“Haha…! Come, come! Let’s battle to the death!”

“Pathetic Demon Clan…”

“!”

Ailellek leaped, her fist striking fiercely toward that expressionless little girl wrapped in golden radiance.

What happened next filled Ailellek with overwhelming joy.

The defensive barrier formed by swirling golden particles actually blocked her fist.

“Ha…! Isn’t this great for a fight! Put in some real strength, Lady God!”

“……”

Her fist did not simply crash against the defensive barrier once and stop.

Ailellek, without even a foothold, was able to keep exerting strength midair, her six wings keeping her afloat, while her fist continued driving forward, striving to break through the defense formed by golden particles.

Her grin grew increasingly wild.

Cracks actually began to spread across the golden barrier, as though it could shatter at any moment.

But—

Aimeris still showed no trace of expression.

Even as the fist drew closer, pushing past the golden glow, she did not raise her eyes to properly regard the frenzied warrior.

Just when the scales of battle seemed to tilt fully toward Ailellek, and her fist appeared ready to strike the god in the next instant—

The world went dark.

The fiery clouds that covered the sky vanished.

And Ailellek’s fist, once brimming with momentum, no longer advanced.

That was because the god had lightly parted her lips and spoken the ancient name of a spell.

【Lightning Execution】

Out of nowhere, an unremarkable bolt of lightning appeared. It stretched across Aimeris’s front, extending all the way beyond the papal grounds into the farthest reaches of the heavens.

Soon, the sound of blood dripping echoed.

A trace of crimson seeped from the corner of Ailellek’s lips. After coughing out a mouthful of blood, her eyes widened slowly in disbelief as she lowered her gaze toward the point where the lightning had struck.

Right before her.

The still-flickering lightning had pierced her heart, unerringly.

A lightning strike that appeared in an instant—there was no way to evade it.

“I warned you from the very beginning,” Aimeris said, still not lifting her gaze, her expression unchanged as she stared straight ahead. “Never attempt to defy a god.”

65. Departure!

At the point where lightning and flesh met, droplets of blood fell slowly. But when the surging lightning abruptly vanished, no longer holding back the wound, a torrent of blood gushed out, staining red the ruined statue’s high platform.

Her six black wings scattered into countless fragments of dark light, disappearing. Ailellek’s crimson hair was soaked in real blood as she plummeted like a stone, tumbling from the platform down toward the papal ground below.

From this height, dozens of meters up—whether human or stone—the impact alone would smash one into pieces.

Aimeris did not lower her head to witness the inevitable carnage.

She merely listened to the thunderous crash of a body hitting the ground.

——Boom!!

She would not survive.

The weakness of all things was the heart. Not only was it the very core of magic power, it was also the source of life.

Pierced through the heart and subjected to a fall from such a height—Aimeris could only pray she might at least leave behind a complete corpse.

In truth, Aimeris had no leisure to pray for her.

Even while still under the suppressive pressure of the barrier jointly cast by the Elf God, Dragon God, and Demon God, the fact that Aimeris could, in such an incomplete state, release the ancient magic 【Lightning Execution】 was already something that defied all logic.

For her to maintain a corporeal form any longer was utterly impossible.

“Ah… if such a seal did not exist, why then must the world suffer all these calamities? Tieer… the world you spoke of, the world you longed for—did you mean this battlefield-ridden era…?”

In her bright golden eyes, beyond the layers upon layers of magic particles, something unknown seemed to be reflected—faintly tinged with sorrow.

Her somewhat childish voice grew softer and softer as it spread.

By the time she finished speaking, the petite figure had already dissolved once more, reverting to a vague cluster of light with no form.

The [Human God] Aimeris had appeared only as a fleeting blossom, completing a brief divine descent unseen by anyone else.

Naturally, Pope Gustana—who had been in the town maintaining public order—knew nothing of it.

Otherwise, as a devout believer, he would surely have been moved to tears.

When Gustana hastily flew back to the top floor using levitation magic, upon hearing the result of battle spoken by the Lady God, he still felt greatly uplifted and inspired.

“That six-winged lunatic, I have already dealt with on your behalf. As for what follows, you must all handle it yourselves.”

“So quickly…?! Ahh… we shall obey your oracle, Lady Aimeris. Whether it be the Demon King’s revenge or any other hidden threat, we can manage it. Only… I wonder, where is that Demon Clan wretch’s corpse now?”

“Below. Hm…?”

After the golden sphere of light gave the location—

It paused.

Then fell silent, trembling faintly, as though in anger… or perhaps amusement.

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