88 – Form of Evil (11)
“That…,”
Asti looked at the burning candlestick in Prach’s hand with a bewildered expression.
That form.
It looked very familiar. No, it was more than just familiar.
She instantly thought back to the past. When Heaven and Hell were in full-scale war, she had memories of wielding the candlestick she received from Michael as the vanguard of Heaven.
That’s right.
Originally, the candlestick of St. Valancia was called Michael’s candlestick, and it was the main weapon Asti used when she was an angel.
However, as she descended and became a demon, Michael’s candlestick ended up in the hands of St. Valancia, who defeated the demons and helped the angels, and had been wandering in the human realm ever since.
Michael didn’t bother reclaiming it because the existence of that object would lead to an increase in those who would oppose demons. Michael saw humans as excellent tools for defeating demons.
He didn’t personally like humans, but he acknowledged their strength.
And they began to use them as tools.
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If you were to argue, it could be said that it was Micael who tempted Asti more than her indifferent heavenly father. Asti did not want noble humans to be sacrificed for a war with demons.
Her thoughts went even further into the past.
“Why did you send them to the depths of hell, Michael?”
“Because they were the strongest. I judged that they would effectively sweep away the demon army.”
A cold voice. A stance like a predator. Emotion disappeared, truly the companion of an angel.
It was probably because of him and his sister that Micael became such a cold and ruthless archangel. The archangel Lucifer. The main culprit who betrayed the heavenly father first and sided with Satan, causing the great war between angels and demons.
To him, demons were seeds that needed to be eradicated, and humans, whose hearts were filled with a mixture of good and evil, were beings who could betray at any moment.
“If they oxidize, what power will we have to fight with afterwards? They were supposed to be reinforcements who could continue to help us in the future. They should not have been allowed to oxidize like that!”
“Then our angels could have stepped forward. Can we trust those fools who can betray at any moment? Can we give them important responsibilities?”
“Trust is something given and received, Micael.”
“Can you give them trust even after seeing Lucifer, Ishtaar?”
“….”
When a chill was added to Micael’s cold face, Ishtaar had nothing to say.
“Did you forget the mission that our father entrusted to us, Ishtaar? You are our father’s first daughter and my eldest sister.”
“…Prevent evil from prevailing. This is one of your greatest missions.”
“If you know that, then you shouldn’t say such things.”
“There must be something more that our father entrusted to us. Let love overflow in the world. That is the way to prevent evil from prevailing.”
“Love. Yes, that’s what he said. But how is the world functioning now? Why is evil prevailing? Good and evil embedded in the human heart. Evil has prevailed and climbed up from the depths of hell. Is it right to hope for love in such a world?”
“If there is not enough goodness, you should think about cultivating it. Do you believe that goodness can only prevail through punishment, Micael?”
“If the absolute number of evil decreases, eventually goodness will prevail. That’s how it has been and will continue to be. If those who cannot embrace goodness are condemned, then ultimately, everyone will be unable to embrace goodness.”
“No, I do not agree with your opinion, Micael.”
“Ishtaar. Believing in love, trust, and emotions is only your wish. Even though the situation has come to this point, do you still have hope for humans as beings? Knowing how futile that is.”
“Micael. The ultimate destination of all hope is to have hope. I have believed and lived that way, and I have treated everyone that way. Until now, I have been that way, and there is nothing I can’t do in the future. I will not follow your orders from now on. Although the archangels have their own operational authority, it was because I trusted you that I extended my operational authority.”
“…Do as you wish.”
“And I will take this torch now. Your heart is filled with murky hatred and anger rather than justice. If you can’t even use the weapon, it’s better for me to use it.”
“That too, do as you wish. As long as you only use that torch to exterminate evil, there is nothing I can object to. I cannot deny that you are more suited for that torch than me.”
“…Yes. I appreciate that.”
“Well, let’s leave it at this. What will you do after taking the operational authority? Since you intend to exercise your operational authority, you should share it.”
“There’s no need to say it. You should know it too. What choice I will make. I will go to save those sent to the underworld by you.”
“It’s pointless.”
“Well, who knows if it’s really pointless. Time will tell.”
At that moment, Asty licked her lips, spread her four wings, and descended into hell to help the isolated humans.
And the candlestick in her hand held a flickering blue flame.
* * *
The flames burning red on the candlestick held a powerful divine power. Just when she first held the candlestick, it was only radiant… Why?
I don’t know. It’s an inexplicable event. However, what was important now was not why the flame was flowing from the candlestick.
What mattered now was breaking the annoying hammer in front of me, finishing the fight with Saint Esther, and saving Adrian to open the way to Chapter 2.
That’s all.
I thrust the candlestick turned into a sword, and sparks flew as it clashed with the hammer.
Boom!
“Why?”
Amidst the sound of the clash, Esther’s bewildered voice could be heard. With our gazes locked while our sword and hammer clashed.
Her confused and startled eyes were shaking aimlessly. This was undoubtedly a situation that she, too, had not anticipated.
“Why is the candlestick…?”
It was so shocking that the power of the hammer she swung weakened slightly. But as a master of combat, she quickly regained her composure.
Swooosh!
Esther’s assault, which had been wavering, gradually regained stability. The power of the hammer that clashed with my sword started to grow stronger again.
Indeed, it was not easy. It seems that the confusion was only temporary. It was understandable. Esther was an indomitable warrior who had experienced numerous battlefields. The nickname “Battle Maiden” did not come out of thin air.
But it didn’t matter. Even if I was overwhelmed by her combat skills, the candlestick I held was clearly delivering a powerful blow to that hammer.
The hammer’s impact is heavy. Its weight feels like it will crush me at any moment. The shockwaves that spread with each clash of the sword give my body severe stress. Just like a skilled blacksmith refining a sword, she continued to strike my sword.
No, she wasn’t striking the sword. Because what she was actually after was my body. She wants to turn my body into a pulp with that hammer, pouring such flesh-filled blows on me.
I was barely able to deflect it by reacting with Asty’s magic power.
But the situation was not so bad. From the moment I held the candlestick, the one who was restless was Esther, not me.
The situation was different from when I was worried about the sword being damaged. Saint Valensia’s candlestick… no, Michael’s candlestick was an indestructible weapon. As long as my heart does not submit to the enemy.
As soon as I managed to defend against Esther’s attacks, Ruslan also assisted my offensive. Like me, he dropped his sword and used his magic power to aim for Esther’s openings with his fists.
He wasn’t a bad fighter in the first place, so he wasn’t a big threat. But it was enough to momentarily divert Esther’s attention elsewhere, just as I had done.
Esther, who was gradually being overwhelmed. Even the hammer, which didn’t break even when I struck it with overwhelming magic power, was slowly being damaged.
Esther must have felt it too. If it continued like this, her weapon would be destroyed.
As if indicating that it couldn’t be allowed, the tainted divinity began to emerge from Esther’s body.
As if, like a flower, sharp thorns surrounded the black rose that bloomed around her.
“I can’t end it like this. I have something to do.”
She stared at Rusan with a blank, yet sharp gaze. Her momentum was unprecedented. That black rose, without a doubt, was her final technique that appeared in the original work.
The flower of corruption. Perhaps when all those roses bloom, the corrupt pollen that will bury this place will be created. If that happens, everyone here will die.
Of course, Asty and I will not die, but that was meaningless.
The slaughter of the protagonist’s group. It’s an impossible thing.
It must be stopped.
It must be stopped. It must be stopped. It must be stopped…!
Was it the voice of my desperate heart? The flame flickering from the candle gradually began to turn blue.
That blue flame gave me confidence. Confidence that this one strike could end everything.
With that confidence, I poured all my strength into the sword, and swung down the hammer.
―――!
A blinding light burst forth as if blinding my eyes. The flame that consumed the black corruption devoured the hammer, burning away every fragment.
However, there was no sound. As if all the sounds of the world had disappeared.
The sound of the hammer breaking, the sound of the fragments burning, someone’s screams, someone’s praise, someone’s voice filled with hope.
They seemed to be heard, but they faintly echoed as if from a distant place.
Finally, the bright light that seemed to blind my eyes disappeared, and in its place remained only Estelle, sitting on the ground.
