CH 515

The Dark Knight Sariel

“—Sister Yuri!?”

I awoke to Ursula’s call.

“What’s wrong? You suddenly held your chest and fell… Are you hurting somewhere?”

Within her blue eyes, which bore into me, was the vivid hue of anxiety directed towards me.

In the past, I wouldn’t have paid it any heed. But in the past three months, I’d been able to slightly discern people’s emotions.

Therefore, I needed to find the correct words to alleviate her concerns and accurately explain the situation.

“I’ve received divine protection.”

“Eh?”

Although I felt that she was seeking further explanation, not even I knew the details. As such, I couldn’t provide more information.

“I intend to use my newfound power to save everyone.”

Besides, I had no time to spare.

Through my sixth sense, I could sense the storm that was conjured by the Gluttony Octo. The storm, which was an advanced form of wind magic, continued to grow in strength. Soon, this chapel would also collapse.

While I didn’t know the extent of Dark Knight Freesia’s power, I had to use it if I wanted to survive.

“I shall help you… But what are we going to do?”

“First, I’ll need some armor. Ursula, can you fetch me a gauntlet for my right arm, along with a pair of leg protectors?”

“Eh, but…”

Ursula’s bewildered expression didn’t come off as a surprise. After all, Sariel physically lacked the means to wear those armor.

“Hurry up. We don’t have much time.”

“O, okay, I understand!”

Despite her confusion, Ursula still gave her a firm answer—

—Is this what they call trust?

If so, she had no idea why Ursula trusted her so much. Still, since Ursula went to that extent, Sariel had no choice but to answer in kind.

“Hey, hey, what are you going to use these odd parts for?”

“It’s fine, I’m going to lend it to Sister Yuri!”

Immediately, Ursula returned with a confused-looking Ryan.

“Okay, whatever… Here, is this alright?”

“Thank you.”

With the sound of clanking metal, Ryan quickly removed his heavy armor.

The silver gauntlet and armor, engraved with the scars of battle from that day, were laid in front of her.

First, she took the right gauntlet. It was so large; it’d have slipped off her slender arm if she had worn it as it was.

“Seriously, what are you doing…?”

“Be quiet, I’m sure Sister Yuri is planning something.”

As they whispered to each other, I could feel them watching my every move with great interest. Looking around, the surrounding soldiers also picked up on it, and began to focus on me.

However, other people’s gazes weren’t enough to hinder my concentration. Furthermore, I had neither the information nor the time to explain everything to them, who still had doubts.

I don’t know if I can do it.

…Would the divine protection of the Dark Knight Freesia grant me my desired power?

Now was the time to make sure.

“…”

In the silent chapel, I slowly brought the gauntlet to my right arm. My right arm was missing from the elbow down. Even though I lacked the necessary part, I still inserted my elbow into the gauntlet.

I already knew how to proceed from there—

—After all, I had seen it many times before.

“—Blackening!”

A wave of black magic surged in my body.

After receiving the blessing of Dark Knight Freesia, I presumed that my soul would be able to obtain black magic from her, who was one of the black gods. Moreover, the mechanism of the mana supply was the same as to when I was still an apostle.

The method to control and unleash the black magic I’d received… was the same as white magic. Rather than simply being familiar with it, the experience was engraved in both my mind and body. Said experience—which I could never forget—allowed me to command the black magic at will.

The effect was visible almost immediately.

“A, are you serious!?”

“I, it’s the same as Priest Kuroe…!”

The silvery white gauntlet was instantly painted black.

Blackening—was the term that Kurono would use. A simple, black magic, enchantment. Nevertheless, if I were to incorporate thought manipulation and pseudo-attributes into the reinforcements of the substance, it’d yield the corresponding effect. In a way, it was a versatile and practical black magic.

If I could use black magic, it’d only make sense for me to be able to do the same.

As long as I prayed, it’d yield the desired effect—just like Sword Arts. With a twitch, the fingertips of the supposedly hollow gauntlet began to move, before clenching into a fist.

“Considering that there’s a 0.3 seconds delay in response, it seems that I need some practice.”

“Amazing, Sister Yuri! You’re able to use the same magic as Priest Kuroe!”

“I acquired the ability only recently.”

From the moment black magic resided in my body, I was able to imitate his black magic. Since I’d witnessed Bullet Arts, Sword Arts, and Bind Arts, I had a vague understanding of their effects and formula.

Above all, thanks to Yuriko Shirasaki’s memory, which bore her knowledge from Japan, I could grasp his references for magic. In addition to existing modern weapons; such as guns and missiles—I also had a knowledge of a wide variety of entertainment works such as novels, manga, anime, and games. Apparently, he’d fuse both knowledge and fiction.

While Yuriko herself didn’t seem to have a penchant for them, in order to get to know him, she had read most of the works that the high school student Kurono Maou liked. That way, she wouldn’t run out of topics when talking with him.

…Although, as far as I could remember, it seemed that there was never an instance where the results of that intel were put to good use.

Leaving aside the so-called bittersweet memories of youth, I had to regain my legs.

“Blackening.”

The way it worked was the same as my right arm. After putting the armor on my knees, I poured black magic into them. Without delay, the silver armor was dyed black.

“Wow, you can stand!”

Ryan frankly commented on what he had witnessed. …Was the sight of me standing up so out of this world that he had to point out such an obvious thing?

Even though they were mere substitutes, as long as I had legs, of course I could stand up on my own. For the first time in three months, I could feel the sensation of stepping on the floor despite my missing feet.

“A-amazing, Sister Yuri… Could it be, you can now walk?”

“It is possible, along with running and jumping… However, as I thought, the reaction is slow. As such, there’s a high risk of being fatally impeded in battle.”

On a daily basis, this level of mobility wouldn’t be a hindrance, but the same couldn’t be said about combat. As I thought, it’d be impossible to move them like actual limbs without proper training and mastery of thought manipulation.

…However, in the current situation, practicing was out of the question. In other words, I had to acquire the level of mobility necessary to perform satisfactorily in combat as soon as possible.

“Ursula, keep your distance, lest you get electrocuted.”

“Electrocuted?”

“That’s right, since my divine protection is essentially lightning.”

The black magic that made up for my missing limbs were but basic skills. When they faced each other, the adventurers in the Galahad War experienced an increase in magical power post-divine power. It was probably a basic effect common to all of the blessings of the black gods.

I, myself, had already confirmed that there was a varying degree of differences, and if the power was heightened, it’d take the form of an aura bursting forth from the body—just like that of an apostle.

“Uwah!?”

—Sizzle.

When a spark flew in front of her, Ursula leaped back with a yelp. With cold sweats, Ryan and everyone in my surroundings also retreated in unison.

Now, it should be clear to everyone that I’d attained the power of lightning.

Judging from her name and appearance, Dark Knight Freesia seemed to be a knight who mainly dealt with spears. As such, the effect of her blessing shouldn’t be limited to the lightning attribute.

However, for the time being, it appeared that my power only went to that extent. All I could feel was the black magic, along with the black lighting it generated. As for what kind of magic and martial arts I could perform with my magic and the attribute—they solely depended on my ability.

While I hadn’t casted lightning-attribute magic that often, I didn’t lack the experience. Since the method was basically the same, there wouldn’t be a problem.

Besides, the diverse images of modern Japan that Yuriko Shirasaki had shown me inspired me to use various methods. Who knows, I might end up with the same result as him.

Perhaps, that was why I named my newly-acquired spell black the kind of name he’d give.

“Violet Flash Blackening!”

A dry explosion echoed in the chapel, and at the same time—a violet spark coursed through the dark armor, reminiscent of lightning flashing across the night sky.

The effect was necessary to directly manipulate my iron prosthetic arm/ leg without lagging. Since thought manipulation through blackening alone wasn’t enough, I compensated it with the lightning magic, which directly transmitted electrical signals through the nerves.

By imbuing the pseudo-flame attribute, Kurono developed a red-hot blackening with scorching explosive power.

In the same way, by imbuing the lightning attribute, I created the ‘Violet Flash Blackening’, which imparted all characteristics of electricity to the additional enchantment.

While it looked like it could work, would it perform the way I wanted? At the very least, a minimum operation check was necessary.

Thus, I picked up the rapier that I’d discarded upon the appearance of Dark Knight Freesia using my iron-clad right hand, which glowed purple.

Rather than just swinging a sword, it’d be necessary to test the movement of the entire body, including both of my legs. As such, I decided that it’d be best to carry out one of the forms of the Sinclair swordsmanship.

“Fuu—…”

I did a set of swings.

Thanks to the abundance of black magic power coursing in my body, the difference in energy produced by unleashing a swing was many times greater. Disregarding the power consumption, I should be able to deliver the same performance as I did during my time as an apostle, even if momentarily.

Without letting myself be swayed by the revived sense of power, I finished the basic sword form I learned a long time ago in about 3 seconds.

“—Good sensitivity. The delay in reaction is now less than 0.1 second. I should be able to perform in combat.”

“Just now, that’s the basic form of the Southern Cross style, isn’t it? As expected, Sister Yuri, you were a knight!”

Sinclair had several schools of swordsmanship, with Southern Cross being the famous one. Half of those who claimed to be the knights in the crusader were disciples of said school. As such, Ryan, who originally served as a knight in Elysion, should be able to tell at a glance.

“No, I’m just a nun.”

With the exception of being an apostle in the past, my status as a nun remained the same.

“…A person who could impeccably carry out the full form in just three seconds should be around the level of Paladin of the Temple Knights… No, forget it, I won’t ask too much.”

I’d appreciate that as well.

“From here onward, I intend to aid my brother in subjugating the Gluttony Octo. Could you open the door?”

“…I understand. I entrust it to you.”

Ryan hesitated, albeit briefly. Then, he hastily opened the gate to the battlefield. With a clatter, I left the chapel, accompanied by the clanking of my armor.

“Sister Yuri! Please be safe!”

“Yes, Ursula. I’ll definitely come back.”

And then, I went outside on my own—to where the great storm was brewing.

The passage we had just walked across had begun to collapse, with the once solid stone pillars scattered about and soaring into the air. Instead of the inside of the castle, I was now outside.

From the surrounding scenery, it was as if I was leaping into the eye of a huge tornado. Not just limited to dilapidated debris, the remains of corpses and monsters scattered about were also flying. The horses left tethered to the stables weren’t exceptions.

For a moment, I met the gaze of a horse who was squealing as it flew right in front of me.

Despite being in the wind that could easily sweep away even tons of weight, I was able to keep my feet hooked on the ground due to the Violet Flash Blackening.

Transforming my entire armor into an electromagnet, I clung to the thick steel frame of the castle that was exposed when the stone wall collapsed. As such, I was standing on a vertical pillar, and not exactly on the ground.

In Sinclair, no one had ever attempted such a thing with lightning attributes before. However, with the mind of Yuriko Shirasaki, who had almost perfected her knowledge of both psychics and science in high school, I immediately came up with the electromagnet idea. With my ability to manipulate magical power, it was easy to reproduce the same state as when an electric current flowed through a coil.

Although I was no longer at risk of being sucked into the gaping mouth floating amidst the sky, I still didn’t have the means to take down the Gluttony Octo.

I had two spare rapiers and thirty Ignited Daggers at hand. Even if I could land a hit on the Gluttony Octo, the lack of firepower was obvious.

At the moment, I seemed to be able to use an advanced lightning spell, Force Blast. However, even if I were to fire a dozen of it, I’d only be able to char him.

I needed a more decisive power.

Regardless, to achieve that, I’d have to reach the level of an apostle. After experiencing what it was like to have a finite mana supply, I realized how extraordinary it was to have unlimited mana.

Therefore, my yearning was for naught. Everything I had as the Seventh Apostle had now been lost—

—no, there had to be something left.

“…Return: Call.”

A summoning technique that was exclusive to a single weapon. Thus, all I needed to do was mutter a single chant and pour a sliver of magic. There should be no reason for it to fail. However, due to the flow of black magic, akin to a muddy stream, in the white technique circuit, there was a different reaction than usual.

Instead of a dazzling brilliance, an ominous black and red spark flashed before me.

“Armed Scripture—Grand Cross.”

It was none other than the Seventh Apostle’s signature weapon, which remained submerged in the Fountain of Light upon the activation of the Heaven’s Gate.

A design that mimicked the sacred cross, which was the symbol of God. As a matter of course, it came with a dazzling white blade and hilt.

…Nevertheless, the spear of God in my grip didn’t have the familiar white glow. Instead, it was pure black, as if it had been undergoing Blackening.

“…Or should I say, Rebellion Cross.”

The jet-black spear sparking with red thunder that I—the betrayer of God—wielded in my hand deserved such a name.

Despite the changed appearance and name, the feeling was the same. Transmitted to my palm, was the tremendous amount of magical power hidden in the spear. The numerous techniques also remained unchanged. The spear itself could withstood the battle of the apostles. No matter how powerful the martial arts or magic were, it wouldn’t break.

—such was the weapon that was forged using the best of Sinclair’s magic and blacksmithing technique.

With this, even Gluttony Octo’s gigantic body wouldn’t be a problem. At the very least, it should be easier than piercing the heart of the black dragon.

Now, I had everything I needed. Limbs that could move freely, abundance of magical power, and lastly, weapons.

All that was left was to beat the enemy.

In order to absorb the fortress, the Gluttony Octo had a low altitude. I determined the distance to be around 100 meters.

Then, if it was only that high, I wouldn’t need Pegasus. I should be able to run to it just fine.

“—Sonic Walker.”

I started dashing through the piercing steel frame.

One step, two steps… Since the magnetic force could be adjusted at will, it didn’t hinder my movement in the slightest.

Then, on the third step, I put my foot on the tip of the pillar—and reversed the magnetic force. With such a strong repulsive force, I leaped straight up.

The destination was the mouth of the Gluttony Octo, which could be seen directly overhead. In that bright red mouth, which shone eerily, all things inorganic and organic would suffer the same fate, and that was to be swallowed.

With its circular body and eight jutting legs, it glided, as if to cover the entire Alsace Fortress.

…The sight itself reminded me of a giant UFO that I once saw in a Hollywood movie, which was about to unleash a laser beam to ransack earth—

—Naturally, that kind of impression came to mind, probably because I had regained her memory.

If I mention this to him, would he agree?

My mind went astray for some reason. But I soon refocused it, and the fourth step I took led me straight into the raging air currents.

In front of such an enormous storm, I should be nothing more than a leaf blowing in the wind. However, with the use of Sonic Walker, I was stable, as if I was walking on the ground.

Now that I could use my supply of black magic, I didn’t need to worry about the risk of Martial Arts consuming an excessive amount of vitality. While maintaining high output, I ran straight towards the stormy sky.

But as if to obstruct my path, a chunk of block that looked like a fragment of the castle wall flew from my side.

“Nh—”

Kicking the void, I made a sudden turn. Although the block grazed my feet, I managed to avoid a direct blow.

That wasn’t the end of it.

As if to block my way, obstacles soon appeared one after another. From my front, back, left, and right, and even from below. Projectiles made of stone, wood, or iron flew at me at the speed of a cannonball.

The reason was simple—it was because I was approaching its mouth, which was the absorption source.

Despite the fact that I was openly approaching him without hiding a shred of my magic, the Gluttony Octo didn’t even notice me. From the perspective of such a colossal monster, the human-sized me was probably nothing more than barely distinguishable trash.

Therefore, it probably wasn’t propelling those objects to particularly hinder me.

In that case, there was nothing to fear.

Without any malicious intent, it was simply a natural phenomenon. The projectiles of rubbles that were sucked towards the mouth were simply following the wind flow.

Without the need to worry about feints, sneak attacks, and the likes, my instinct was enough to avoid them.

Using the power of Sonic Dash, which I had practiced for its convenience, I jumped over the storm of rubbles, slipped past it, and finally approached the mouth.

From a distance, the Gluttony Octo’s glowing red crevice was worthy of being called the Hell’s entrance—akin to what Kurono said. But upon a closer inspection, I could also see the “rawness” of it, and felt that it truly belonged to a living creature.

Although not visible from below, from the slightly recessed part of its circular mouth, I could confirm that countless fangs grew like thorns on the densely-packed meat walls.

The sucked object would then meet the wall of spikes, before being pulverized as if it had been thrown into a mixer.

Undoubtedly, if I leaped in as it was, I’d instantly become mincemeat.

To break through, I need a massive amount of power. Even Kurono, a powerful black magician, never considered jumping into that mouth. With lackluster firepower, I doubted it’d work in the first place.

As such, there was only one thing I could do—

—and that was to unleash the strongest Martial Arts I possessed, to the best of my capability.

“Pierce through—”

The White God no longer bestowed light upon my spear tip.

Instead, there was a dazzling flash of black and red lightning. Utterly devoid of any sacredness, it burst violently, as if impatient to rupture its prey.

Still, the devastating power to lay the enemy to waste was concentrated into a single point.

Both effects were deadly—however, since the state of being had changed, I should rightfully rename the skill.

“—Demonic Spear: Brionac.”

Accompanied by a thunderous roar, I stepped into the Gateway of Hell.