380: Lena - Reward [Illustration]
"Haha! Didn't I say it would be different this ti? The day has co for you to pay for your arrogance, Astroth."
The voice of the god Lachar echoed within him. Astroth looked down at the spot where the sword had pierced him.
White veins had spread across his body. The blood of the god coursed through his veins, spreading rapidly. And then—
—Thud.
While he faltered, swords ca at him from all directions. Astroth swung his spear to barely fend off the replicas but staggered in the process.
He had lost.
To these insignificant fools.
When he had been defeated by Azura, he hadn't felt this bitter. That one was absurdly strong, an opponent it was impossible to defeat.
But this ti…
Astroth looked at the approaching foes. Compared to the Saint Azura, they were nothing, re pebbles at best.
"How vexing."
He could have won.
Even without his incarnate form, stripped of divine power and unable to use magic, there was still a chance. He just couldn't understand what had led to his downfall.
A guttural growl escaped his lips.
The white godly blood spread through him mont by mont. Soon, he would be consud by the divine.
And yet, Astroth still refused to lose hope. He raised his head high and surveyed his surroundings.
He was not bound by the shackles.
Because he was free from those chains, there had to be a way to survive, no matter the situation. He just needed to notice it before it slipped past him.
"Unwritten fate will protect ."
Then his eyes fell on Reisia, who had just woken from unconsciousness.
"Eek! B-brother! It's a monster!!"
"Lerialia, it's okay. It's okay. It's all over now."
[Achievent: King 6/6 - granted to Leos. Duration: (1y)]
For so reason, while no one else showed fear, this girl was trembling in terror. "Is this my chance for survival?" He recalled the ti he had escaped from Saint Azura. It was the sa then.
The girl Azura had brought from the mountains had been frightened of him, and Astroth had cast a curse upon her fear.
"As long as fear exists in the hearts of humans, I will never disappear. I will always return!"
That was a promise—an oath sealed by the girl's terror.
And, indeed, because he was not bound by the shackles, he had been able to return despite Azura's seal. So foolish barbarian had been the one to break the seal.
"Then, should I cast a curse on this girl too?"
He could have done it, but Astroth didn’t.
Because he recognized it as a cunning trap.
[You know the true na of the beggar siblings Lena. She is granted {Immunity}.]
"CRever bastards. How far have they prepared?" He realized it was a sweet, irresistible trap.
Astroth reluctantly turned away.
Then, what remained was—
"Hah... Hah..."
Among the replicas approaching him, there was one that stood out.
He had the body of Leonel, but he was not Leonel. He was also not of this world, where almost everyone lived under the shackles of the chief god.
[Player: Minseo]
Astroth, who could partially read the divine text of the chief god, could see the truth about him.
And he realized this was his only escape route.
The chief god could not dictate his end, so they had resorted to such trickery. That person was also not bound by the shackles of this world.
"How sly of you, vile chief god. But look at him trembling. That one fears ."
Even for the chief god, it must have been a gamble.
Astroth smiled slyly and accepted the chief god's gambit. He locked eyes with the man and delved into his mind.
"Now, let’s see."
Fear was his very essence, his origin.
Since the man was trembling in fear, all he had to do was latch onto that and cast a curse.
However, Astroth soon froze in confusion.
"W-what is this?"
Life.
Humans were creatures who carried fear within them.
They feared the life and future they had to face. The fear of death was just one part of that.
But this man—he had none of it.
The fear of death had worn thin as if he had experienced it countless tis. And his will to live burned brightly. The trembling in his hands wasn’t from fear but because—
He simply wanted to do better. To perform beyond his limits. To protect.
It was this determination that caused his hands to shake. "This… This is worthless…"
"I-I will not die!! As long as there is fear in human hearts, I will never—"
Astroth blurted out a curse haphazardly, desperately trying to make it stick.
[ has 15 seconds remaining.]
But no one in the hall harbored fear. Panicked, Astroth stepped into the trap.
[You know the true na of the beggar siblings Lena. She is granted {Immunity}.]
Lerialia's {Immunity} consud Astroth. Like a stubborn pathogen.
His mind shattered, and his body, pierced by Lena’s sword, was consud by the white godly blood.
At last, Astroth—
"Urgh... Urk..."
Collapsed with a final death rattle.
His empty eyes were wide. The pulsating white veins, like cobwebs, finally stilled. The beast that had leached off Leonel’s lineage for ten thousand years at last bowed its head and perished.
Even so, Rera Ainar still remained vigilant.
"Is it dead? Or is it just pretending?"
She couldn’t let her guard down. At that mont, the sword in her hand blazed hotly. At the sa ti, a brilliant light poured down from the heavens.
[Quest: Guardian, 4/4 - Barbatos MalHas Oriax Astroth]
[Congratulations! You have completed the Guardian Quest.]
[The Guardian Quest has disappeared.]
[Childhood friend Lena has been chosen as the Final Saint! She can freely wield the divine power of the chief god.]
[Fiancée Lena has awakened as a Swordmaster! She can use Aura without consuming mana.]
[Beggar sibling Lena realizes the qualities of a Sovereign! She can discern truths from lies.]
Rera stared blankly at the blazing sword in her hand.
The roaring aura blade.
Was this real, a dream, or her imagination? She couldn’t make sense of it.
anwhile, Lena was bathed in the radiant light pouring from the heavens. The noble goddess of sacrifice, Boar, smiled gently.
"Ah...! Ah!"
At that mont, it wasn’t just Lena and the royal palace of Orville that were engulfed in light.
The entire continent was bathed in its radiance.
All across the continent, people looked up at the sky with astonished expressions. However, in the capital city of Lutetia within the Jero Holy Kingdom, a figure looked up at the sa sky without any sign of surprise: the saint riel, who stood behind the capital’s cathedral.
She smiled softly.
"You’ve done it."
riel was so frail and withered with age that she could barely move. If not for the support of her younger sister, Marsha, she wouldn’t have made it to the garden at all.
Marsha, wide-eyed, looked at riel in disbelief. From her experience, there was only one aning to what was unfolding.
"S-sister."
A new saint had been born. And that could only an…
"Don’t cry, my dear."
riel gently patted her younger sister, who had grown into a full-fledged woman—no, now well into her middle age.
"My duty has simply co to an end. I’m glad I could et you and witness you find such a wonderful husband."
At riel’s glance, the barbarian Kali Toluca gave a respectful bow. But Marsha refused to accept it.
"No, no! Why is it always you? Why must it always be you, Sister?"
"It’s not just , my dear. And don’t worry. This is only the beginning of sothing new."
riel approached the shade of a barren tree and sat down. Comforting her sobbing sister, she reflected on the words of Binar, the god. She now understood what “a saint without order” truly ant.
And knowing that, there was no reason to grieve.
The 87th Saint smiled faintly, gazing at the light narrowing into a single point.
Lena, don’t forget those you love.
riel closed her eyes. The light that had illuminated the entire continent finally coalesced into one point—Lena.
***
Back at Orville
"Ah...! Ah!"
Lena let out a breathless, exhilarated gasp, enveloped in the light pouring through the shattered ceiling of the palace hall.
The overwhelming presence of the Chief God lood above, and divine power cascaded from the heavens like a waterfall.
Lena forgot everything—her joys and sorrows, her loving family, and her distant hotown.
None of it mattered anymore because, before her, stood a being she wanted to devote her entire heart and soul to.
But as Lena indulged in the pouring divine power, she suddenly snapped back to her senses.
[Lena has consud {Divinity}. The traits granted to her are permanently removed.]
There was sothing she lacked. No—there was sothing she had discarded when she trusted in Rev.
Lena stepped forward, walking out of the dazzling spotlight without hesitation, and called out:
"Rev."
The man she loved. The one who had dedicated his life countless tis for her. She called his na and embraced him.
And then she whispered:
"I saw everything. What you and everyone else did for us."
Holding Rev tightly, Lena turned her gaze to the young man standing behind him. As she whispered to Rev, she mouthed silent words of gratitude to Minseo:
"Thank you. Truly, thank you."
At that mont, Lena expressed her gratitude to Rev and Minseo…
As Rera Ainar stared blankly at her aura-clad sword in disbelief…
As Lerialia de Yeriel looked around the hall in bewildernt…
The palace began to repair itself.
The cracks in the broken floor sealed shut, and the debris of the shattered ceiling rose back into place.
No, it wasn’t simply being repaired.
Flash!
When Rera ca to her senses, she found herself standing amidst a loud crowd. The air buzzed with the noise of cheers.
"What... What is this?"
Sunlight shone brightly above her. Monts ago, it had been winter, but now it was sumr.
She struggled to make sense of her surroundings.
"Hail to Saint Lena!"
"Saint, welco to Orville! This is my daughter!"
"Please wave to us!"
Turning her head toward the voices, Rera saw a procession up ahead. Soone was arriving in a carriage.
It was Lena—or rather, Saint Lena—dressed in resplendent attire. She smiled gently in Rera’s direction.
"W-what is going on?"
Next to Lena stood Sir Rev, clad in holy knight armor. He, too, appeared baffled, glancing around uncertainly.
Rera tugged on Ray’s sleeve and asked:
"Ray, do you understand what’s happening? Why’s the weather like this? Why are people acting like this? And why is the palace fine? Is the monster dead?"
She had a mountain of questions.
Even now, her chest still trembled with the mory of the aura blade that had erupted from her sword. She wanted to grasp the situation quickly and investigate further.
"Ray?"
But Ray didn’t answer. He didn’t even turn to look at her. He couldn’t.
Because, over there…
There stood Cassia, smiling brighter than anyone else.
Ray could hardly believe his eyes. Cassia had never been a prostitute. Even if she had left that life, its shadow would have lingered on her.
Yet there she stood, holding a child in her arms. She was the one who had shouted earlier, saying the child was hers.
Beside her were the owner of the chicken restaurant and an elderly couple—her deceased mother and father, or so it seed.
Ray recalled her final words to them:
"I will obey. I’ll be happy. Happier than anyone else in the world."
Seeing her leave the brothel and set up a shoe shop had been comndable. Admirable, even.
But her past had been so harrowing that he couldn’t believe she could truly be happy.
And yet, Cassia—
Now, he could rest assured. She was happy. Truly happy. Happier than anyone else in the world!
And she would remain so—
"Happy… Ah, aaaagh!"
"Hey! Have you lost it? Stop staring!"
Rera cruelly pinched Ray’s cheek, twisting it hard.
Her touch had no rcy, and Ray’s face was pulled so sharply that he yelped in pain. It even looked like he was on the verge of tears.
anwhile, Rev and Lena found themselves in entirely different places.
Each of them began to realize the unimaginable rewards they had achieved.
Of course, it wasn’t sothing as trivial as gold or wealth.
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