BOOM!
A massive crater was torn through the center of the Adversary's chest.
The immense energy channeled through Julien's blade surged into the cavity, beginning to incinerate the Adversary's physical form from the inside out.
Yet, the Adversary did not tremble. Instead, thick ribbons of shadow erupted from his frame, lashing out to impale Julien at various points across his body.
"Ugh…!"
Julien bit his lip, forcing himself to remain standing. Under any other circumstances, a strike of that magnitude would have ended his life instantly.
Fortunately, the celestial grace of Deneb was surging into him like a torrential rain.
SHHHAAFF!
The holy energy worked tirelessly, stitching Julien's flesh back together even as the Adversary's corruption tried to dissolve it.
Luminous particles drifted away from Julien, shimmering beautifully. In response to this radiance, the Adversary's shadows lashed out with even greater desperation and violence.
"Julien!"
Astion streaked across the sky, reaching the area in a blur of motion. He thrust a hand toward the Adversary while still suspended in the air.
CRACK-BOOM!
Violent bolts of blue-white lightning crashed down upon the Adversary repeatedly.
Thanks to Astion's peerless command over his mana, the destructive force was contained entirely within the Adversary's silhouette, sparing the surroundings.
The Adversary's shadowy form flickered and wavered under the electrical siege. Still, he stood his ground, refusing to yield an inch.
By this time, the gathered dragons had begun to emanate an overwhelming pressure of their own.
ROAAAAAR!
Julien and Deneb had to be shielded at all costs. Julien needed to endure the contact, and the Adversary had to be broken.
The collective mana of the dragon flight merged into a singular, crushing force that scorched the Adversary's darkness and stifled his aura.
As the pressure mounted, the Adversary's form was rapidly consumed by the encroaching brilliance.
Moments later, the Pope and his cardinals arrived, followed by the Allied clerics who had been providing long-range support. Each of them funneled their sacred power toward Julien to bolster his strength.
K-BOOOM!
An even denser cloud of radiant sparks erupted from Julien's form.
Like falling blossoms in a spring breeze, these motes of light carpeted the scorched earth, swirling around the two combatants.
Grrrr…
Julien, though his body was being pierced by agonizing needles of shadow, never stopped pouring his essence into his sword.
Just a few more seconds, he told himself. Just a little longer, and this light would incinerate the dark forever.
The Adversary, under the weight of Astion's spells and the dragons' might, turned his gaze toward Julien.
"…Julien."
Julien remained silent. He knew that if his concentration slipped for even a heartbeat, he would collapse into the dirt.
The pressure of the Adversary's power digging into his marrow was simply too vast to ignore.
The Adversary continued to speak, his eyes fixed on the silent warrior before him.
"…The deity whispers in my ear. He says that even this moment was written in the stars."
"..."
"I understand it now. The secret to breaking free from this destiny."
Rumble!
The Adversary was now almost entirely cloaked in shimmering light. The shadows he projected were full of holes, dissolving into nothingness.
Despite his impending destruction, the Adversary seemed unbothered as he continued.
"…On the day the supreme radiance is extinguished, our sovereign shall manifest."
Julien's eyebrows twitched at the words.
Those were the ancient lines of the seers. That very prophecy had been realized when the Adversary first appeared.
Why repeat those omens now?
Suddenly, an irresistible force yanked Julien backward, dragging him away from the epicenter.
When he looked up, he found himself caught in Astion's arms.
"Astion… why? The Adversary is right there…"
Astion shook his head, a pained, sympathetic smile touching his lips.
"That's enough, Julien. You have to stop."
Julien's physical state was horrific.
Without him realizing it, half of his hair had turned snowy white, and his body was so emaciated he looked like a skeleton draped in skin.
He had been burning away his very soul and lifespan to fuel the fire against the Adversary.
With a shaky breath, Julien pushed away from Astion to look at the battlefield.
The Adversary was now a pillar of fire and light.
He had ceased his counterattacks. He wasn't even attempting to escape the inevitable.
Slowly, the Adversary tilted his head back toward the heavens.
A deep, echoing voice filled the sky.
"The curtain falls now, King of the Abyss."
The Dragon Lord, Arterion, narrowed his eyes, his gargantuan wings casting a shadow over the land.
As he unhinged his jaw, a concentrated beam of pure elemental destruction roared forth.
Following his lead, the twelve dragons circling above released their breath weapons simultaneously.
These twelve were the survivors—the legendary wyrms who had endured the bloody struggle against the minor deities of the outer realm.
When their combined fury converged on a single point, the resulting power was beyond mortal comprehension.
KWA-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A!
A hurricane of mana tore through the area, a force so potent it felt capable of unraveling the world itself.
The Adversary was spent. He had no strength left to shield himself, having exhausted his reserves against Julien and Deneb.
Inside that maelstrom of dragon fire and mana, the Adversary's physical form began to disintegrate into dust.
In the moment before he vanished entirely, he barked one final order.
"The defense of the sanctum has failed. All units, retreat. Preserve the tenets of our faith and prepare for the future. Though the holy land is lost and you wander the wilderness for generations… the Church shall rise again. Let my decree be etched into your very spirits."
The moment the command echoed, the Apostles of the Salvation Order and their attendant priests turned and fled in every direction.
Their synchronization was perfect; it was clear that a total retreat had been rehearsed as a contingency.
However, the Alliance was not caught off guard.
"Don't let them escape! Hunt them down!"
The Allied lines fanned out with practiced precision.
Kyle, Marika, Lionel, and Ereneth surged forward in pursuit of the Apostles. Behind them, the elite knights and superhuman warriors of the coalition followed.
Four of the dragons banked away from the center to assist in the hunt.
A separate detachment of the Allied Forces moved to intercept the fleeing low-ranking priests of the Salvation Order.
The objective of the human coalition was absolute.
They intended to wipe the Salvation Order from the face of the earth. It was vital to execute the Apostles and high-ranking clergy to ensure the Church could never regroup.
Because they had planned for this exact scenario, the Allied Forces moved with cold, efficient purpose rather than chaotic haste.
Within the fading glow, only a ghostly remnant of the Adversary remained to speak.
"Julien the Hero. Deneb the Saintess. I return now to the divine consciousness. But never forget…"
Then, the final spark of darkness blinked out of existence.
"…that this is merely a chapter, not the end."
Vrooooom…
The brilliance expanded one last time before sinking into the earth.
The mana storm settled, leaving behind nothing but the faint hum of static in the air.
The spot where the Adversary had stood was completely empty.
[…The conflict had been grueling and long. It was a path paved with blood and sorrow. Finally, the Adversary was gone, leaving only the task of sweeping up the broken pieces of the Salvation Order.]
[A united humanity proved to be a formidable force. Yet, without the presence of Julien and Deneb, the war would have been lost. They were truly the greatest gifts the goddesses ever gave to the world.]
[And then there was one more… Without the guidance of Ghislain, our progress would have been stalled. Ghislain claimed we would have won eventually without him… but the cost in lives would have been unbearable.]
[I wonder what our dear friend is doing at this moment. Will you smile when you eventually read these chronicles? Or perhaps, even now, you are…]
Glowing script flowed through the air next to Astion.
The light solidified into fine grains, drifting into the tome he held, etching itself as a permanent record.
Upon reaching the 9th-Circle, Astion had developed this technique to archive his immediate thoughts and observations directly from the battlefield in real time.
Because of this, his journals were not just accurate—they throbbed with the raw emotion and atmosphere of the moment.
"Sniff…"
Astion took a moment to brush away a stray tear. Somewhere along the way, his reputation as a "crybaby" had become common knowledge, much to his chagrin.
The remaining Allied soldiers, those not part of the pursuit, began clearing out the lingering Riftborn. Curiously, no new monsters were emerging from the tears in reality.
Only the stragglers that had already crossed over remained, and they were being cut down easily as they threw themselves blindly at the human lines.
Before long, a deafening roar of triumph swept across the plains.
"WAAAAAAAH!"
"Victory is ours! It's finally over!"
"The war is done!"
Soldiers collapsed where they stood, weeping and embracing their comrades.
It was a chaotic mix of joy, the sheer relief of being alive, and the heavy mourning for those who hadn't made it.
Nobody tried to hide their emotions. Men and women clung to one another, resting weary heads on armored shoulders, confirming that they were still breathing.
Julien sank to his knees, sitting back on his heels.
He remained hunched over, looking as though he were lost in deep prayer, motionless for a long time.
Astion watched him with eyes full of respect and pity.
'You carried so much, Julien.'
The Hero.
The burden of facing the Adversary had fallen solely on his shoulders. There was no one else capable of standing in that gap.
Furthermore, he had to constantly gamble his life to ensure the safety of the Saintess Deneb, the beacon of humanity.
The hopes of every living soul had been placed on him.
Julien had fought under that crushing weight, a pressure no normal person could fathom.
Astion turned his gaze.
Deneb was still immersed in a quiet, solemn prayer.
The celestial light from above was dimming, but the golden aura radiating from her own body continued to bathe the area in warmth.
Saintess Deneb.
She was the reason humanity never surrendered to despair.
Without her light, the world would have been swallowed by the encroaching shadows long ago.
Julien eventually pushed himself up. His eyes immediately sought out Deneb.
She finished her oration and stood, her eyes finding his at the same moment.
A soft smile passed between them.
No dialogue was necessary. Their hearts were perfectly in sync, communicating everything through a single look.
Humanity had fought as a single unit, everyone risking their lives.
But the truth remained: without these two, the dawn would never have come.
The Hero and the Saintess—they were the true twin lights that pulled humanity out of the abyss.
Everyone present understood this.
Slowly, the dragons—now having shifted into their human guises—approached the pair.
The wyrms knelt as one, bowing their heads in a display of profound respect.
"On behalf of my kin, I, Arterion the Dragon Lord, make this vow. O Hero and Saintess who tore through the veil of night to bring back the sun—and to your brave companions—your deeds shall be written in the stars for eternity. You became the light when the world was darkest, and today, we bow before that light."
Iralniel and the elven host, Grondal leading the dwarves, the Holy See's Pope and his cardinals, the Marquis of Nodehill—now the Supreme Commander—and leaders from a dozen different realms…
All of them, with one voice, offered their gratitude to the Hero's party.
The army erupted once more into a frenzied cheer.
"WAAAAAAAH!"
"Long live the Hero's party!"
"Peace is restored!"
Amidst the thunderous applause, Julien and Deneb reached out and took each other's hands, quietly checking for injuries.
Astion wiped his nose again, watching the scene.
'Ghislain… just like you promised… we saved the world.'
It had once felt like an impossible fantasy. A dream that only Astion, as a possessor, truly believed in.
But because Ghislain had provided the map and the steady hand to guide them, the world had been spared.
As Astion was lost in thought, Lionel walked up to his side.
"Why did you signal me to pull back?"
Lionel looked confused. He had been in the middle of hunting down an Apostle when Astion's voice told him to disengage.
Now, that Apostle was being handled by other superhumans and the dragons.
Lionel knew they would likely succeed, but his involvement would have guaranteed a quick end.
Astion looked around before answering quietly.
"We can leave the cleanup of one Apostle to the others. Your job is to stay here and protect Deneb."
"Protect her? But the fighting is over, isn't it?"
"The sealing ritual is still pending. There are rumors that the most powerful manifestation of the Demon God still lingers at the core of this realm. We need to stay vigilant."
Lionel nodded, accepting the logic.
Astion had been the architect of their strategies for a long time. The group trusted his instincts without question.
The Allied Forces began organizing their camps and tending to the weary. The eight dragons remaining on site moved toward the center of the Demonic Realm to begin weaving the containment barrier.
The region was still thick with toxic shadow. However, because Deneb continued to pulse with holy energy and the clergy were working in shifts, even the common soldiers could withstand the environment.
A week into the construction of the seal, Arterion approached Deneb.
"The foundation is set. We are ready to begin the final sealing of the Demonic Realm."
He spoke with a gentle smile, looking at her with the reverence one reserves for something truly sacred.