Chapter 62 : Turning Point (3)

I close my eyes for a second. Of course, she’s talking about Veron. "We... We didn’t have a choice—"

"Silence." Her voice cracks like a whip. "In our royal history books, the disciples recounted the tale of humanity’s emissaries. And of their plan to bring back to life the most powerful god that ever existed: Aleystria. To overthrow the World’s Will."

Tsk. She won’t listen to anything.

"Tell me..." Another voice suddenly resonates, cold, almost spectral. Elvaria’s. It’s calm, yet threatening. As if she’s ready to explode.

"Do you think you can defeat two gods?" asks Elvaria, her tone growing sharper and sharper. "The very ones who killed the god-king Orthos in the past? And all that... You? A mere human?"

Solfege doesn’t flinch. She answers, unperturbed: "I am convinced I can defeat you."

I feel my heart racing. I hate her confidence.

She continues, relentless: "However, that is not my goal. I’ve stalled you long enough."

"What?!" A wave of anxiety rises in my chest.

Behind me, Valentin suddenly shouts, his voice tense:

"Aley! I figured out what’s been bothering me all this time! The energy here is being drawn toward the village! The 'Aliosi' we saw... She’s the one pulling in all the magic!"

At these words, Solfege gives a slight smile. Not a joyful smile, no. A smile filled with hatred, with contempt.

"You realized far too late."

"Damn it, we’ve been trapped. If that much magic has been absorbed..."

I grit my teeth as I grasp the magnitude of the situation.

"Listen closely, Solfège." I speak again, my voice authoritative, almost growling. "As you said, you’re standing against the most powerful god that ever existed. The one preparing to strike down the very existence that governs every law of this world. You don’t have the power to interfere. So back off."

She smirks disdainfully, a cold sneer. "Don’t take me for a fool." Her tone is dry, scornful. "You may have been powerful once, but right now, with my spear at your throat... You’re weak."

She presses a little harder, just enough to remind me of my current vulnerability. "Her Majesty will absorb your magic and become the Emissary of the Stars. A being rivaling the god Aleystria in all their splendor."

Suddenly, Valentin chuckles softly. His light laugh breaks the tension for an instant, but his expression remains eerily calm.

"Tell me..." he begins, in a mischievous tone. "Did you just say 'Her Majesty will absorb'? So, I take it your princess hasn’t consumed Aley’s magic yet, has she?"

"Tsk..." murmurs Solfège, annoyed but silent.

Valentin continues, a mocking smile on his lips. But his gaze shifts, becoming vacant, almost unsettling. His voice, however, drips with sarcasm. "And besides... Do you really think you can defeat that completely horrifying monster?"

"You have no honor to speak of a friend that way."

"A friend?" Valentin raises an eyebrow before letting out a bitter laugh. "You know how I feel? Like a side character. Their power is overwhelming. Even the little princess Alfira is stronger than me, just by copying that monster’s strength. And you... You think you can beat someone like that?"

"Valentin..." I murmur, surprised by the harshness of his words. I had never thought he saw things that way. A wave of guilt washes over me.

But then, he discreetly turns toward me and gives me a wink. A subtle gesture, but clear: he has a plan.

"Tell me, Solfège..." he resumes, this time with dramatic intensity. "Did you know? Aleystria killed his sister. His friends. His parents. Everyone who mattered to him. Dead by his own hands. Please... Kill that horrible creature."

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Solfège seems to hesitate for a fraction of a second. Then, her voice grows colder, sharper. She turns her gaze back to me and presses her spear harder against my throat. "What a miserable being you are... You deserve your title as the worst of all gods."

Those words resonate within me. The worst of all gods...

It’s true. The one summoned by Mercuria in Iveralmn called me by that name. So that’s it... My second name.

"Eh... The worst of all gods, huh?"

My gaze empties. I fixate on this insignificant creature before me, this pathetic woman who still dares to threaten me.

I feel a deep anger rising within me. Unexplainable. Uncontrollable.

I want... to slaughter this bitch.

To insult me? To attempt to kill me? Such arrogance. Such audacity. Such disrespect.

My gaze locks onto Solfège’s, and she begins to tremble slightly. She finally notices that I’m not afraid of her blade.

But suddenly, a loud sound echoes. Before I can move, Alfira bursts in front of me, her right fist slamming into Solfège’s jaw.

The impact is terrifying. The captain of the knights is hurled at unimaginable speed against the cavern wall. The collision creates a massive crack in the rock.

"T-this strength..." murmurs Solfège, dazed, spitting a thin line of blood.

"I copied your strength, idiot!" shouts Alfira, a wide grin on her face, her voice brimming with defiance.

"Copied my strength, you say..." Solfège rises slowly, her expression a mixture of hatred and despair. "What a monster you are... This world is absurd. Far too absurd for my benevolent mistress. I must eliminate all these absurdities... For her sake."

She leans against the wall, her gaze now sharper. She no longer trembles. With a confident gesture, she plants her spear into the ground, and a rumble shakes the entire cavern.

"Love Solfège... Requiem."

A war chant suddenly echoes through the cave, vibrating with an ancient power. A golden aura rises around her, radiating an overwhelming force.

"The authority over sound, that is the source of my power."

She lifts a foot and steps forward. But that single step causes a massive tremor. The walls crack, the foundations give way. In an instant, the mountain itself is literally vaporized.

Particles scatter through the air. Everything vanishes in a requiem of sound, both terrifying and sublime in its beauty.

She then spins her spear with lethal grace, ready to face us to defend her mistress.

"There are beings this powerful in this era..." murmurs Valentin, looking troubled.

"Aley, Elvie!" he suddenly shouts. "Get to the village, quickly! We’ll hold her off—"

But Solfège screams in rage, her voice filled with despair.

"WHY?! WE DID NOTHING TO YOU! WHY DO YOU WANT TO STOP HER FROM CREATING A JUST WORLD?! IS IT BECAUSE OF YOUR MISUSED POWER?! DIE, GODS! I WILL KILL YOU, ALEYSTRIA! ELVARISTRIA!"

It’s a good question. Why should we stop her?

The answer, however, is obvious.

"We need our magic to face everything that will come after conquering the Prism. A holy war will erupt. Even defeated, the World’s Will will use its last strength to awaken the gods. A catastrophe that threatens to destroy everything that exists."

"My mistress could handle that herself—"

"No." I cut her off. "Even if she steals our magic, she will never steal our Stria. She will never defeat a god."

"I see... you’re lying. I could have cut off your head with my spear, even without possessing this so-called Stria—"

"I’m incomplete. But for any complete being, she wouldn’t be able to kill them."

"I’ve fought on the battlefield my entire life. Hunted down entire armies. Razed rebellious kingdoms. Exterminated divine beasts. Since your reincarnation, all you’ve shown is arrogance and laziness—"

She’s getting on my nerves. That’s it, she’s managed to irritate me.

Without a word, I draw Kuroina. The blade slides out of its sheath with a dark gleam. Its tip points at her, even from a distance.

Elvie watches me, intrigued. Valentin and Alfira stop moving, stunned by what I’m about to do.

I remain silent. Words burn in my mind, but they don’t leave my lips. Only one phrase occupies my thoughts: First Star.

And suddenly, everything shifts.

In a fraction of a second, my body launches forward. Like a shooting star, I streak through space. No one can follow me. Not even their eyes. It’s not a matter of speed; it’s... different.

I don’t strike with my sword. No.

My left fist slices through the air and slams into her stomach. The force isn’t lethal but brutal enough to knock the wind out of her. My intent is clear: to send her directly into unconsciousness.

Time stops.

No. It doesn’t stop. I leave it.

In this suspended moment, I perceive everything: the vibrations in the air, Solfège’s breath, her eyes widening at the impending impact.

I understand.

I am a star. That’s what I am. That’s what my will to live has made me.

It forced me into a second life. Projected me into a second time. My greatest magic is that of my will. A will to infinitely protect those I hold dear. And to endlessly annihilate everything I hate.

A cycle of hypocrisy, befitting a god of hatred.

Time resumes its flow.

With a monumental crash, the impact lands. A scar of wind sweeps away the debris of the mountain already disintegrated by Solfège. Everything shatters.

She spits blood. Her body collapses to the ground, unconscious.

I stare at her motionless form, expressionless.

I could have let Valentin handle her. Perhaps I should have. But no. I have something else to do.

"Elvie."

"Yes, Aley?"

"We’re going to mess up some royalty. The Aliosi I hugged was probably the princess of Voltruite, in hiding. Aren’t you a little jealous—"

"I am. Let’s go deal with her."

"Good answer."