Chapter 213: Chapter 213 – Is this the End of Divinity? (2)

The desert trembled under Luca’s roar.

“SHUT UP!!!”

His aura surged like a storm, crashing down on us. The weight pressed into my chest until even breathing felt like defiance. The bickering fell silent, as if the wind itself had been smothered beneath his will. His crimson eyes burned as they swept across the students, pinning each of them like insects beneath glass.

I had thought him calm, always steady. But now… this fury. This conviction. So this is his other face.

He cut down their excuses with words sharper than any blade, stripping pride bare until nothing remained but shame. When he stepped forward, the sand cracked beneath his boots, as if the desert itself yielded.

The two loudest students trembled, faces pale, their arrogance collapsing into something pitiful. I almost pitied them—almost.

And yet, the moment he shifted from fury to steadiness, the moment his voice lowered into conviction, I felt the weight of his words pierce me as well. Strength isn’t about standing above others. It’s about standing with them.

Dangerous words. Not dangerous because they were false, but because they rang too true. Even I… I felt my chest tighten.

When the two finally bowed their heads and muttered apologies, a fragile unity began to spark in the air. Murmurs shifted from division to agreement. Even Aiden, golden and noble, stood beside Luca without overshadowing him, his words only adding to the flame. Kyle, Selena, even Eric—all lent their weight, and the crowd straightened under it.

The tension bled out of the desert, replaced by resolve.

I stepped forward then, because I had to say something, if only to mask what was stirring in me. “You’re strong politically as well, huh? First striking hard, then applying the medicine yourself.”

He looked at me, lips curving faintly. “It seems I’ve learned something from you.”

For an instant my eyes widened. Then I narrowed them again, forcing my lips into a small frown. “Hmph.” I looked away before my cheeks could betray me. Why… why does that feel warmer than it should?

When the crowd at last roared with unity, weapons raised, voices firm, I stood among them outwardly serene. But inside, I wondered—if even I can be swayed by him, what of the others?

Later, when we marched through the dunes, the air was heavy, thick with corruption. Yet I walked with my head high, robes unstained, faith unbroken. If I waver, what will the others see?

Eric questioned the plan, but Luca only tilted his head toward me. I did not flinch. “Believe me. This is the best plan.”

It was. Every hint, every clue the students brought forward, all pointed toward the cult’s plan to kill me. Hide in the shadow where none would expect—darkness beneath the lamp. Risky, yes, but the sharpest knife often is.

Big Bull halted suddenly, nostrils flaring like a beast catching scent. “There. Strong. Not good.”

My heart clenched, but I masked it with a serene smile. “We’ve reached. Now let’s go. This is the best plan anyone could have come up with.”

Luca sighed at my side. His unease was plain, though he hid it with stubborn resolve. He doubts, but still he follows. Even when he disagrees, he shoulders the burden anyway. Why does that… reassure me?

We crested the dune.

And there I saw it.

Thousands of cultists in a circle, writhing, chanting, clawing at themselves like beasts. At the center—a sight I will not forget. A woman, entangled with two men, their cries and laughter raw, primal, obscene. It was not ritual. It was indulgence, depravity made into worship.

My breath caught—only for darkness to suddenly fall over my eyes. A hand, warm and steady, pressed against them. Luca’s arm pulled me back against him.

“Don’t look,” his voice rasped, tight with fury.

My lips parted in shock. He… he would shield me? Me, the Saintess, chosen vessel? No one has dared touch me so boldly. Heat surged to my cheeks, my heart stumbling. I shoved him away before the trembling in me could grow worse. “W-what are you saying, idiot?!”

But I did not look. I could not. His words—If you want to maintain your purity, don’t look there—still echoed in my ears.

I clenched my hands against my robes, gaze fixed stubbornly on the sand. Is this kindness? Or something else? And why does it unsettle me so?

The stench of bile reached me. Luca knelt, pale and trembling, vomiting into the sand. Eric soon followed, gagging, his broad laugh gone, replaced by a broken sound that clawed at my chest.

Only Big Bull remained steady—or rather, not steady, but trembling with rage. His voice rumbled like thunder chained to the earth. “Not… good. KILL.”

He took a step forward, fury burning in his bloodshot eyes. For a moment, I thought he would charge and end us all. But Luca stopped him, pressing palms against his chest, steady voice breaking through. “No. We can’t rush in like this. We’ll kill them—but with a plan.”

Big Bull growled, but he stilled, the promise of blood cooling his fury.

I exhaled slowly, pressing a hand over my heart, steadying the storm in my chest. My voice, when it came, was calm, though sharper than usual. “So what do you suggest now?”

Because if Luca faltered here, if he broke… then all of us, even I, would fall with him.

The desert pressed in around me, the heat of the dunes searing through my sandals as I crouched beside Luca and Eric. Their faces were tight with strain, their voices edged with panic, but I forced myself to keep my own calm. Panic is useless. Only clarity saves.

“Don’t you have any plan?” Luca demanded, crimson eyes snapping toward me, sharp and accusing.

I tilted my head slightly, letting a faint smile curve my lips. He doesn’t trust me yet. Good. Let him underestimate me. It makes it easier to maneuver.

“Of course I have a plan,” I answered smoothly.

His frown deepened. “…Then?”

“We will just stay here as it is.”

The disbelief on his face was almost comical. Eric blinked like a confused owl. Luca pressed a hand to his forehead, groaning as though my words were madness. But I had already calculated the path forward.

“Can’t you just drop an illusion over us, Eric?” I asked, my tone light, unbothered. “Subtle enough to go unnoticed. This is the safest option.”

He hesitated, but obeyed. The shimmer of the Dream-Butterfly spread around us, delicate wings dissolving into veils of illusion. Perfect.

“See?” I murmured, turning back to Luca. “It’s done.”

His voice rose with frustration. “And for how long are we supposed to just stay like this?”

“Until Aiden and the others defeat the cultists. Then we leave.”

Predictably, his temper flared again. “There are thousands here already! Do you realize how many more are out there? And you’re telling me they can kill them all?”

Inside, I bit down a laugh. He doesn’t see it. His eyes are sharp, but his mind is too bound to the obvious.

“When they realize I’m not among the fallen,” I said gently, “they’ll scatter. They’ll tear themselves apart searching for me. They’ll never think to look here, in their very base camp.”

His glare faltered. For once, he had no counter. He doesn’t realize it, but he just admitted he needed me.

But then—

The air shifted. Thickened. A crushing, invisible weight pressed us all down. My body trembled, every instinct screaming at me to collapse. Even Eric buckled instantly, gasping, veins bulging.

No… no, no, no. This wasn’t supposed to happen.

“Who was the Lord who guessed we were here?” Luca’s voice cut like a blade.

I felt my throat tighten. My lips quivered. The truth slipped before I could stop it.

“Unless there is someone above Spatial Expansion… or… an Archmage.”

Even saying the word made my chest tighten. An Archmage. That power doesn’t belong here.

Eric broke instantly. “No, no, no—we’re all gonna die!”

My own hands shook uncontrollably, clutching at my chest. The pressure crushed down harder, and I almost surrendered right there. My thoughts spun—this is all because of me. They will all die because of me.

Luca’s hands seized my shoulders, his grip bruising. His roar ripped me back from the brink.

“SNAP OUT OF IT!!”

My eyes widened, startled. His forehead was almost against mine, his crimson gaze burning.

“You can’t die. You won’t die. Just go!”

He shoved me toward Eric. I stumbled, trembling, and Eric dragged me up onto the Dream-Butterfly. Its fragile wings lifted us into the suffocating night.

But my thoughts screamed louder than the beating wings.

No. This is all because of me. I can’t let them suffer. I can’t let them die in my place.

“Stop,” I whispered, then louder, “Stop! Eric—I’m going back. I know what they want!”

He didn’t even look at me. His voice was sharp, angry, almost cruel.

“What can you even do there? You can’t even kill a mosquito without fracturing your faith. You’ll just be a burden!”

My face hardened. He doesn’t understand. He doesn’t need to.

“As Saintess, I order you—stop. Leave me here. Go find Aiden. Bring help.”

Eric’s teeth ground audibly, fury in his eyes. But finally, he obeyed. The Dream-Butterfly faltered, wings shifting, and I leapt down into the sand.

The battlefield froze as my voice rang out, cracking the night.

“STOOOOOP!!!”

Every eye turned. Luca’s sabers hung in the air mid-swing. His gaze snapped to me, disbelieving, furious, pained.

But I stood tall, even in torn robes, dust in my hair. I felt the glow of faith flicker faintly around me. The Saintess. Even in this chaos, that mantle could not be stripped away.

“I am the Saintess you were looking for,” I declared, my voice steady. “I am here. Let them go!”

The cult elites laughed. Twisted, manic laughter, echoing from throat to throat. The horde screamed with them.

Fools. Mock me all you want.

“If you refuse,” I said clearly, “I will destroy myself. Not even a particle of me will remain.”

The words froze them. Even the elites flinched, their laughter breaking. Their eyes widened. They knew the truth of it.

“My blood can quicken the unsealing of your Emperor, can’t it?”

The air itself recoiled. Silence tore through the battlefield. Their shock confirmed it.

Luca’s face, when I met his eyes, was a storm—fear, rage, disbelief. He hadn’t known. He shouldn’t have known. But, I can’t let them die because of me, maybe this is the will of the goddess.

Their jeers returned, harsher this time, but I raised my voice above them, calm and cold. “Let them go.”

They snarled, spat, cursed—but at last, the naked woman hissed, “Fine. Go, brats. We’ll taste you next time.”

Relief washed through me, fragile and fleeting. I glanced toward Luca, just once, letting my eyes soften. He doesn’t understand now. He won’t forgive me now. But at least he’ll live.

And then—

Chains rattled.

The crooked man lunged, his madness unbound. The chains screamed through the air, tearing the desert apart, faster than thought, streaking straight toward me.

My breath caught. My body froze. For one instant, even my faith faltered.

Luca’s roar split the battlefield, raw and broken.

“NOOOOOOOOOOO!!”

And in that final moment, as the storm of steel and shadow bore down upon me, a single thought carved itself into my mind like a curse:

Is the possible hope of this world going to be extinguished because of me as well?

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