Vincent retreated away from the clearing, after seeing the tension building up between Yeriel and the Church of Light. On one side, Yeriel was dressed in a provocative set of garments created by the darkness wrapping around her body. The situation was too dangerous for him to remark at how much fanservice this world was given. Archbishop Lectival and his templars were at the other end of the spectrum. The angel had its face covered and was wearing a robe tied at the waist with a sword belt. No matter how he looked at it, the Church of Light was the stronger force, but they were shivering in fear.
“Ever since she pulled out that mask, the Archbishop’s expression had changed. He mentioned Godslayer? Did Yeriel have such a reputation?” Vincent questioned, he tried to rouse the unconscious princess in his arms, but she didn’t respond. “It doesn’t matter. Whichever side wins will be bad for us; we have to get away from here.”
“I recall that the Godslayer was a man. Why are you in possession of his mask?” Archbishop wanted to understand the inconsistency. It has been almost two decades since the Godslayer disappeared.
The mask that Yeriel was wearing had no distinctive features aside from a blue gem on its forehead. Yeriel’s black irises from behind the two slits of the mask showed a sinister fury as she laughed in derision.
“Why is it so surprising? I slew the Godslayer and took my trophy.” She lifted up her arms as her shadow spread wide despite the sunlight from the angel.
“You? Took down the Godslayer? Don’t jest with me, spawn of Darkness.” The archbishop motioned for his templars to attack. Bright flashes of light shined as their armors lit up with runes.
The angel was the first to act as it spread its wings in righteous elegance and dashed at Yeriel. A trail of light followed behind.
“Hmph!” Yeriel sunk into her shadow and dodged the initial strike. Then she popped up behind the angel with the twin daggers she picked up in the vault. The metal clang echoed out as they bounce off the angel’s armored wings.
“Just give up and repent,” Archbishop demanded as his templars broke forward, storming toward her back while the angel attacked from the front.
“Rise up,” Yeriel shouted. As if on demand, dark shadows broke through the ground like the walking dead, grabbing on to the legs of the templars.
“Impossible!”
“Thaesis guide me!” A templar chopped at the black arm, the light on his blade searing the black mass and issuing a resounding hiss.
More and more shadow warriors began crawling up from below, threatening to overwhelm the templars. With more room to maneuver, Yeriel returned her attention to the angel. The angel was twice her size, but nothing about it was slow; it moved at her speed with the help of its wings.
Yeriel parried a stab aimed at her chest and slid up the blade, threatening to close in, preventing the angel from attacking. However, the angel countered with a swift flourish of its wings, leaping back. Then it began to gather mana and aiming its palm towards her.
“Light Prism!”
A mirror encased Yeriel, trapping her inside.
*Boom!*
The angel shot a beam of light right at the prism, shattering it like glass. A cloud of smoke erupted as the ground blew up from the attack. Swiftly, the angel charged forward once more without a care for the smoke.
“Fuck!”
Yeriel shot out from the smoke like a bullet with the angel in hot pursuit. Her arms flexed as she reared back and threw something at the approaching angel. The object reflected the angel’s light before it could recognize what it was…
*Clink!*
The flask shattered, spilling out a black liquid. The angel reacted by shielding itself with its metallic wings.
“KIEEEEEEEEK!” The angel shrieked out in pain as the corrosive liquid burnt through its wings. It then fell onto the ground, rolling around to wipe away the liquid. To no avail, the liquid stayed on, and Yeriel watched as the holes in the angel’s wings widened.
“Let’s see you try to fly again.” She capitalized on her advantage and pulled out the bow of Selvyrus and began firing light arrows at the downed angel.
“Greater Heal!” Archbishop shouted. In reply, the holes in the angel’s wings quickly filled out once again with feathers. “You’ll have to do better than that.”
With the archbishop as support, the angel didn’t have much fear as it struck at Yeriel repeatedly. Yeriel watched as the templars quickly regained their composure and began methodically smiting down her shadows.
*Bam!*
“Guh!” A shoulder tackle knocked Yeriel back. A black welt formed on her now pale chest. The stark contrast of black and white left behind a devilish urge to dominate the woman to any observers.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Loud explosions echoed out from further beyond the clearing. The treants have finally arrived. They crushed walls and buildings like giants walking over the earth. The bottom-rung church warriors were like mice as they stabbed the treants with toothpicks of metal.
“Kuhuhu. You better hurry if you want to stop me here today. They’re coming.” Yeriel laughed derisively. She had been on the defensive because she couldn’t run and also because she was waiting for assistance from the treants.
“Holy Soldier of Thaesis, I plead thee! We must smite down this evil with haste!” Archbishop also felt the urgency and quickly began casting support magic on the angel. As if on command, the angel’s sword began glowing with white light.
*Kuoong!*
The blade split in two, the angel was now wielding dual swords. A pair of glowing eyes lit up from under the dark hood. Yeriel replied by withdrawing a small pendant from her bag.
*Clang!*
Two swords struck down, threatening to shred their target into piles of flesh. Just as they were about to hit, a barrier appeared, negating all force.
“Dark Severance.”
*Swish!*
Yeriel’s daggers slashed forward, drawing blood for the first time in the battle. The angel failed to defend itself in time, taking a hit to its chest.
*Boom!*
“Archbishop! Our men have been routed. The trees have come alive. Great resentment from the dead elves has roused the forest to attack us. What are your orders?!” A messenger ran in from the south where the treants were attacking from.
“…” Archbishop looked impatient. “Hold them off as long as you can. We cannot let the Godslayer escape. Especially if she’s a dark elf.”
“Understood!” The messenger saluted and ran off. Just as he rounded the corner…
“Kuaack!”
A branch impaled the messenger, instantly killing him.
“Krrrrk!”
A creaking noise echoed out from the surrounding. A towering humanoid tree as tall as three men peered around the corner. On its body were marks and damaged that were inflicted by steel swords and basic magic spells. What’s most remarkable, though were the bloodstains all over its body. After the first treant appeared, another followed. They were too late.
“Time's up. Kuahaha!” Yeriel laughed gleefully and recalled her shadow warriors. Immediately upon retracting her shadows, her presence became heavier.
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“Treants are creatures of nature. How can they work with these corrupt beings?!” Archbishop was about to curse, but instead quickly ordered his men to change targets and attack the treants. There were only five treants in total, but they were more than enough to handle the twenty-odd templars that remained standing.
“Here I come.” Yeriel’s wounds began regenerating at a visible pace. Finally, she launched a flurry of rapid attacks at the angel. Even with two blades to defend itself, wounds kept appearing one after another on the angel. Golden blood poured down from the sky as the two figures of white and black fought.
“Kiieeeek!”
An attack snuck through its defenses, knocking the angel from the sky. A black gash appeared on its robe as a black mist emanated from the wound.
“Greater Heal!”
The wound began recovering, but then stopped. The black mist prevented the healing spell from working.
“That ability! The Goddess of Darkness, Dova’s blessing!” Archbishop Lectival’s heart sunk to the pit of his stomach. Things might be getting out of hand at this point. If only Paladin Arcturus were here, they would’ve easily handled Yeriel.
“I’ve had enough playing around, time to die!” Yeriel bolstered her efforts and attacked once more. She left wound after wound on the angel. After taking each hit, the angel weakened further and further. The dark mana in the surroundings began gathering, preventing the sunlight of the heavens from reaching the angel.
The angel’s light began to dim.
“Divine intervention!”
*BOOM!*
The sky exploded as the black mist in the sky tore open once more. The light struck down on the angel.
“Gah!” Yeriel shirked back in pain as a hiss sounded out from her burnt forearm. However, the wound quickly healed after a few seconds.
“Take this, Holy Soldier!” Archbishop Lectival threw out a bottle of shining liquid. Sundew Essence, the treasure of the Church of Light.
The angel, under the protective light of Divine Intervention, uncorked the bottle and gulped down its contents.
*Zing!*
The black mist disappeared from its body, vanquished by the pure energy of the sun. The angel and Yeriel were getting ready for phase two of their battle, but it was too late.
“My apologies, Archbishop…” A templar cried out as he got crushed by the remaining treant. The battle on their side had turned for the worse. They managed to slay four of the treants and heavily wounding the last one, but they all died in the process.
“…” Archbishop knelt down by his dying subordinate’s side. The lower half of his body was crushed, and he was losing too much blood. “Rest my brother. Thaesis will guide you to the afterlife.” He looked over at the treant and began chanting.
The angel stoically raised its weapons at Yeriel.
*Clang!*
The exchange between the two blades happened again. The angel gave up its defenses and focused on dealing as much damage as it could, fully intent on sacrificing itself. Archbishop Lectival wasn’t having a good time either; he was a supporting caster and used spells under the teachings of Thaesis. Treants were creatures of nature, so the light that burnt the unholy and corrupt wasn’t effective against the treants.
“It looks like the fight is ending soon.” Vincent looked grim. He continued to run away from the world tree, but he was finding it harder and harder to escape. The damage caused by the two monsters fighting in the air had torn away a lot of the surrounding buildings. He was always on his toes to stay clear of the residual damage from the fight.
“Holy Smite!” Archbishop Lectival shouted once more.
*Boom!*
The treant fell over.
“Kiieek!”
*Bam!*
The angel fell out of the sky. The handle of Yeriel’s daggers dripped golden blood as she descended onto the ground. The angel struggled to stand up, its wings fluttering uselessly.
*Chak. Chak. Chak.*
Yeriel slowly approached the angel, her footsteps echoed out like the bells of execution.
“No!” Archbishop shouted, but it was too late.
*Kachak!*
“KIIII...” The dagger plunged into the struggling angel’s throat, a bloody gurgling could be heard as the angel tried to shove away its killer.
“It’s over…” Archbishop sank down, the life in his eyes withered away.
“Kuah~” Yeriel sighed in relief. She expended a great deal of energy fighting tonight. If it weren’t for the power granted by the corrupted world tree, she would’ve never have won. She watched as the glow radiating from the angel slowly faded. She took her prize and collected the golden blood into a glass bottle.
“This is the strength of the Godslayer…” Archbishop Lectival sighed and resigned himself to his fate.
“Watch carefully, Minion of Thaesis. Today I slew his angel. Come tomorrow, I’ll have his head.” Yeriel walked over to the now despairing priest.
“You won’t get away with this. The world now knows the Godslayer walks the land once more. You’ll never have another peaceful day.” Archbishop Lectival threatened as a pair of hands grasped his throat.
“We’ll see about that.” Yeriel snickered and tightened her grip.
*Kuluk.*
A cracking sound resounded out, the man jerked violently and limply fell down.
Yeriel stood up and surveyed her surroundings. The battle between her and the Church of Light devastated the whole area. Many buildings laid in ruins, bodies were strewn all over the place. The lifeless angel also began dissipating into dust. Thaesis has begun recalling his holy warriors and servants.
“Now where're the two little mice?” She hummed playfully. Since the process was interrupted midway, she wanted to redo the ceremony. Yeriel closed her eyes, her shadow once more enlarged and engulfed the whole area, spreading outwards towards the rest of the city.
“Shit!” Vincent cursed under his breath, he saw the moonlight disappear as a wave of darkness swallowed up the city.
“Found you~!”
*Woosh!*
A gust of wind blew as a figure appeared in the sky above his head.
“What do you want with us? You got what you want, right?” Vincent yelled out, his feet shuffling backward.
Yeriel descended as tendrils of darkness latched on to his body, separating Vincent and Princess Arya. She traced over the princess with a wistful look in her eyes then looked over at Vincent.
“I only want the princess; she’s my key to unimaginable power. You however, are expendable.” She laughed and walked over to Vincent.
“Guh!” Vincent flinched when she gripped his face. Although he was afraid, he was furious inside. “Everything you’ve done so far, was it only so you could obtain this evil power? What about the promise of saving the princess? Saving the elves of Emerald Forest?”
“How cute.” Yeriel giggled and patted his cheek. “You are still a fledgling and don’t understand that there are all kinds of people in this world. And the elves? What of them? They are weaklings not unlike all mortal creatures on this earth.”
“Then tell me… You spent nearly two decades plotting all this just to obtain power?” Vincent was unconvinced, there must be some deeper meaning behind her actions. He at least wanted to understand her motives before dying. He was too angry over the betrayal to even think about the notion of death.
“Kuhahaha… Two decades?!” Yeriel chuckled and took off the mask. “You thought I spent two decades to come up with this plan?” Her shoulders shook as if she couldn’t hold back her laughter anymore. “One century.” She held up a finger, “I had planned this for one whole century before everything arrived at this point.”
“One century…” Vincent’s eyes widened, “T-that can’t be! That would mean…”
“Yes!” She evilly grinned, “It was I who tainted the world tree. Everything all started with me. The fall of the elves of Emerald Forest. The invasion of the Church of Light. The demon portals of Valencia. It all began with me.” She laughed as she reminisced of the past. “Even the fall of the previous Godslayer.”
*Shiing~*
Vincent felt Aion’s ring shiver.
“Do you know why I did all this?” She angrily gripped Vincent’s neck. “Revenge!” Her eyes shot daggers at him. “When the cyclops were invading from the north, the royal family sent my father to die. He alone stood on the battlefield as the royal family escaped inside the walled city. Have you ever seen your own father butchered before your very eyes? I called for help from every one of his friends, but they all turned me away at the door.”
“…” Vincent looked on, he felt her grip steadily tightening around his throat.
“That’s why I swore that day. I would have my revenge on everyone. The people of Valencia that herded the cyclops to the borders of Ithvije were at fault. The royal family was also at fault for abandoning my father. In my time of need, only one person… No. One entity answered my prayers. My Goddess Dova, she promised me power. Power, strong enough to seek my revenge.”
“Guh!” Vincent struggled to breathe.
“That’s why…” She released him. “I find you quite cute.” She cupped his head in her palms. “Your eyes have the look of someone that has given up once before and yet here you are so lively and full of zeal. It makes me want to blacken that bright soul. Corrupt it under the shroud of darkness.”
Vincent shivered when he felt the intentions behind her words. Her captivating eyes were beckoning him to jump into the abyss. He finally noticed how intimate their position was. Her luscious red lips in stark contrast to her pale skin.
“Join me, Vince. Goddess Dova can give you unimaginable power. With it, you will no longer feel helpless.” Her words were smooth like silk as she crooned into his ear. Vincent felt his breathing quicken as her devilish smile closed in, threatening to suck out his soul and seal his fate. His mind began to grow hazy, it might be from a spell, but he didn’t feel any mana being emitted by her.
“I…” He struggled to answer, his mind growing hazier by the second. “I…”
“That’s it. Submit to me. Submit to Dova…” She smiled as she watched the young man in her arms, slowly losing consciousness. Finally, Vincent closed his eyes.
“…”
“Fearless even in the face of death. My goddess will appreciate this offering.” She placed the mask back on her face, getting ready to leave the area.
“Freeze.”
“Huh?” Yeriel turned around in shock. The supposedly unconscious youth coldly spoke out. Yeriel felt her heartbeat skip when she heard the voice. The authoritative voice had no resemblance to the youth of under two decades old. Instead, it sounded like a king that stood at the top of the world.
*BOOM!*
“Kyaaah!” A terrifying force blew Yeriel back nearly twenty meters. The tentacles bounding the youth’s limbs were shredded apart. Yeriel picked herself up from the rubble and glanced up. “Who are you? You’re not Vince!”
“A mere champion of a minor goddess has no right to speak to me.” The person answered and picked up a white mask with a blue gem on its forehead. He brushed it lightly and wore it.
“My mask!” Yeriel felt her face, “When did it fall off?”
“A peasant wishing to wear the clothes of a king. How laudable.” The man sarcastically replied. The aura emanating from the man began growing at an astonishing rate. Yeriel felt her limbs shiver as the image of the man seemed to double in size every second.
“You! This pressure is—!” She only felt this much pressure once in the past. “You’re supposed to be dead! I saw Goddess Dova and Thaesis strike you down! How can you still be alive?! You are the—!”
“Godslayer.” The man finished her words for her.
*Snap!*
*WHOOOOSH!*
A red cloak replaced the one he was wearing. His red cape fluttered in the wind as the elements began wildly vibrating in anticipation. The Godslayer walked the land once more.