Chapter 7 THE SWORD THAT RENDS DARKNESS (1)

Despite all my previous attempts, I knew that no matter what kind of earthly magic I used against Goddess Kaya, it would have no effect on her. However, the black miasma now emanating from my black sword was a totally different story altogether.

I took a deep breath and focused on my swords, realizing from my previous fight with the goddess that her magic was completely ineffective against the seal that kept her in place. By amplifying the influence of the black sword, I was able to draw magic from the seal and transform it into the black miasma.

My knowledge from the dungeon also revealed that the black miasma had a deep impact on gods, affecting their souls directly. Meaning in sufficient amounts and high concentration, it could kill them and also completely remove their divinity completely.

The reason why I had been holding back for so long was for the sole reason that I did not know whether Goddess Athena would approve of my actions or not. However, in order to defeat Goddess Kaya, I made the decision to tap into the power of my swords.

“I see. So, you are trying to devour the seal now, don’t you realize that’s the only thing holding me back right now? ⸻You are only trying to bring your own destruction.” The Goddess continued smiling with piqued interest.

I was at a loss for words, shocked by both Kaya’s calm words, even as I stood before her with every confidence in my technique and weapon.

“Not if I kill you first….” I replied boldly.

“So, you are going to kill a goddess. Do you realize what a big taboo that is?”

“No, I think I am doing you a favor to send you back to where you belong.”

According to the texts I read during my short stay in heaven, I learned, Gods that die in the mortal realm reincarnate back into the Divine Realm with their memories intact even if their souls are destroyed. The Divine System is said to keep a ready copy of any god’s soul and recreate them, at least that’s how the books described it. How convenient for them.

“So, you know that too....Very well. Do what you must.” Utterly calm and assured, Kaya declared that she had no issue with facing me no matter what I did. She was a true warrior goddess to her core.

***

DUNGEON OF MALICE

The goddess wasn’t willing to give up, which means Alicia could not back down from the fight either.

With an undecided slight nod from both of them, Alicia strode forward, neither fearing nor faltering in her steps one bit.

The moment she got close and brandished her two swords, the Goddess saw something on Alicia's face ⸻a smile so faint and fleeting that hardly anybody could have perceived it. For an instant, Kaya's lips curled.

Kaya’s vision was suddenly filled with reminiscences. But what could Alicia, clearly from a different age and land have made the goddess of malice recall?

Alicia had aimed straight for the goddess’s neck, again. At the same time, she had already adjusted the trajectory of her second blade moving towards her torso.

That being the case, her blades were only found caught in mid-air by the Goddess’s sword of Astel. It was a much bigger sword in a triangular shape while her target was too narrow.

The two weapons rebounded as they made contact.

The goddess moved her hands to control and bring the chains of Astel back in motion. But instead, she felt a strain in her command. When she looked back, she noticed all the golden chains were entwined with a thin white thread.

“That is Alicia’s web magic,” Regis uttered quickly recalling she had often seen Alicia using them but never knew they were that strong despite how delicate they looked.

Even when Goddess Kaya tried to pull back her chains into the portal to get rid of the webs, it did not work. That was Alicia’s world severing web magic and even if the chains were pulled back into the other dimension, the webs would not be destroyed.

Goddess Kaya had no choice but to discard the set as she looked at Alicia with an irritated look.

“When did you set this trap?”

“…since we started.” Alicia said to the goddess as she tries to get the goddess in her sword’s range again.

Taking advantage of the situation, Alicia moved her other blade around in a wide swing. To unlearned observers, the swing may have appeared unsophisticated, but in reality, it was a meticulously executed powerful strike.

But just as Alicia was all but certain that her sword had made contact, the Goddess backstepped as if defying gravity itself. Not something Alicia wouldn’t have expected, but this was the first time she was able to push back the goddess when this close.

“If I am correct by what I have seen till now. The core of your power is to destroy everything that would try to obliterate the order. I wonder how a human got to consume one of the treasures of the Divine realm. But now that you are tied to it, you cannot run from it.” The goddess hinted as if she knew something. A warning.

“What do you mean?” Alicia asked.

“Since you have decided to take up those swords, you are no longer free and bound by fate. There will no longer be any place for your feelings or emotions. You will start losing them. Or you already have from the moment you started using it. You have noticed it but at the same time discarded the very thought and just acting up. That power is not meant to be for a human.” The Goddess haughtily explained.

“What have the swords to do with any of this? What do you really know about them?” Alicia asked still confused.

The goddess snickered. “Everything. You are currently banking on a conscience you do not possess. But neither so do I. I hate every last human and person on this planet. Such trivial is my reason for cursing and killing them. But your tale would be far worse than it.”

“And how are you so sure about this?” Alicia knew that the nature of Gods was never to trick others even if it meant they were dabbling with their very lives even now.

"Seeing you so close…; you resemble someone very dear I know. Those white hair and the color of your eyes… You are only a youngling.”

For whatever reason, Kaya wanted to say something. It could also be the result of her isolation of two centuries that led her to simply reminisce about her happy memories and mistakenly conflate Alicia with another person. Alicia wondered did that person met a bad ending as the Goddess described.

“Unfortunately, I don’t know anyone who looks like me in this world.” Alicia nodded slightly, as though prompting her to continue. The only person Alicia knew she resembled was her real mother in the previous world from the photos. She possessed no real memories of her otherwise.

But Alicia’s response only made Kaya’s desire for combat more pronounced and it burst into a purple inferno.

Goddess Kaya released a second barrage of chains by opening several new portals.

But this time instead of defending or allowing herself to be cornered Alicia decided to parry them. Previously Alicia was fighting with only one sword to boot, but now she was able to channel her complete magic in turn giving herself more latitude to increase her power.

She used the ability of her black sword to absorb the magic in the chains and even succeeded to transform them into normal chains. Those which did then turned into fine grey matter and vanished.

But this was all the time Kaya needed to complete her magic formation, that when Alicia noticed, it was already too late. A prismatic encompassment surrounded Goddess Kaya.

“I won’t let you win.” Alicia said responding to her instincts on seeing the raging purple blaze around the goddess.

In fact, that was the goddess’s aura release, as she tapped into the power of her divine soul realm.

Alicia knew she was left with no choice as dodging it would mean the force would hit Regis, Hana, and the others.

So, to face her strongest attack, Alicia would use one of her own strongest.

***

GODDESS OF MALICE - KAYA

As the echoes of our swords colliding reverberated throughout the dungeon, my perception of the battle began to shift and I could feel the change.

A feeling slowly began to consume me, filling me with a sense of profound understanding that seemed to be coming from the very essence of my opponent's sword.

The more clashes I heard, the surer I became. Her every swing, every movement. Her unique physique seemed to pulse with a radiant energy that was unmistakably her own, yet it was different. As if it belonged to another being entirely.

The entire meaning of this fight had taken another turn like I had started looking for some answers rather than continuing to claim to fight for the war.

What do I really want? I had originally nothing to do with a world of war that was devoid of hope, nor in promoting a world of peace that offers no solace for my suffering. All I had to do was to kill someone to protect them.

Still seeing the human girl dithering, made me feel uncomfortable and some sort of silent pressure began to seethe in my sword. A burning smell filled the air like it was being scorched in the sun.

The air I inhaled was like poison, and exhaling it was accompanied by pain. The black miasma was finally acting up.

I thought I was matching my swordsmanship to hers. But instead, she was matching it to mine. Her red eyes drew me in—and for that moment, she and I might as well have

been the only two people in the world.

Whatever the case, I could see the one clear truth in this. It’s just so familiar to me, that I know to who it originally belonged. Even the true hero had a tutor in swordsmanship, and it was HER.

And yet it was not really HER.

No matter how many times our blades crashed, they did not roar. They did not scream or yell. Only the land around us and the dungeon walls turned white-hot and scorched the earth around them.

While inside this seal, my soul has been grazed to the point of no return. I couldn’t help but allow my joy to be revealed within while miniating my appearance. Not even in life did I ever think I would get to cross swords with the wielder of the white and black, even if it’s not HER.

“I had killed so many of my fellow gods in the Great War, that they call me cold-blooded. Those are the kills I would never forget. But even someone like me needs the resolution to kill. Something that you are prepared to throw away. I want to know what you feel - joy, anger or frustration, or something else.”

“Honestly, I don’t feel anything about the situation. It doesn’t matter whether what I do is good or bad. I will not let you kill any of us.” The human girl said promptly, fully realizing the sin of killing a god.

“Then what do you fight for?”

“I told you earlier. I only fight for myself and.... I don’t need any other reason.”

She was still clueless and I knew it was all the Divine System that made sure of it, nothing changes.

I did not have the power to fix a broken heart the last time. But this time I could stop one from happening.

“I am going to break those swords of yours and then I will make sure that I will kill you.” It was no longer a threat but a promise.

***

ALICIA ASCALON ASHBORN

There was no mistaking it—the quality of the goddess’s magical energy was changing. I could even feel it on my skin. The release of vast amounts of her divine magical energy was enough to blind anyone’s eyes. It might as well be her strongest attack as she put everything into it.

The kind of magic with a realm I had yet to reach. The light gradually took shape and the purple-colored light converged, taking on a crystalline outline, the same shape as the sword.

She raised her blade of Astel, dazzling with a brilliant light—and brought it straight down toward my own sword.

“Malice of Astel.”

My vision was flooded with an all-encompassing light and in the midst of that burning glow, I could barely keep up to analyze what the magic was about to do. Even Al had his computational power overloaded to process the sheer volume of magic released.

It was time I released my own aural attack and finish this to see whose magic comes out at the top. No matter what kind of strength I was up against I had always put my faith in these swords and this time I would do the same.

“Dual Wielding. Fourth Form. FEATHER FALL.”

Like a falling feather, I carry my white sword and hold it downwards, releasing all my stored magical energy in form of an absolute gravi-sphere. Increasing its mass to whatever extent I could in the given time. it came to the point where it was difficult to distinguish it from a small-sized dark star.

And then with the black sword, I cut through the dark star vertically in a flowing motion. The absolute heavy mass of the orb trembled, unable to contain the massive amount of energy concentrated within it. Its event horizon started distorting and warping as my blade makes contact.

For a moment, it seemed as though the star would overcome all my efforts, but then the ability of the black sword acted up as I intended it to. It sucks all the released energy from the dark star leaving it empty like a black hole.

The energy from the dark star began to collapse in on itself, creating a massive black hole that started to pull everything around it into its maw.

The goddess’s magic was no exception as even the heated purple light could not escape the pull. Even the color of the dungeon slightly looked faded from the massive pull.

The black hole grew bigger and bigger by absorbing the goddess’s released magic till it got near to her.

A big invisible explosion takes place as the event horizon consumed the goddess as well.

When I could no longer sense her presence in this faded world, I drew back my sword in their sheaths.

But just when I thought I could finally relax, as though the unseen hand of God had come down, the atmosphere condensed, and an intense shock waves rippled out.

“Wh-what?! What just happened?!”

I looked around myself and a white domain had formed around me.

“How is this possible, I thought I destroyed it.”

“Well, you did destroy my strongest spell. But the final energy released from your attack made it easier for me to pull you into my dimension.”

The goddess’s voice seemed to come around from everywhere but she was nowhere to be found.

I was now in a world painted only white. The wall could be next to me and yet it could even be a plain white field. There was no way to tell for sure.

“Welcome to my dimension, the place where all malice gathers. Astel.”

***

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