Chapter 97: The Gang-up of Justice!
The previously stalemated situation instantly reversed. The Holy Sword's radiance and piercing sword aura cleaved through the Dark Tide, forcibly repelling Leviathan's ferocious assault.
If one were to truly assess it, perhaps only a handful in all of Solaris could withstand an offensive of this magnitude.
Annihilated Resonance Power coalesced into a single-winged manifestation behind Rover, who then channeled the diffracted energy into the Holy Sword—maintaining high mobility while delivering output with exceptionally high upper and lower limits.
Sword shadows encircled Fleurdelys. Having resisted the Dark Tide alone for years, both her combat prowess and experience had become her sharpest blades.
"...So it seems I really have no room to intervene."
Whenever Aeron attempted to act, Little Carte would pull him back, while Rover periodically blocked his path with a horizontal sword.
"Wouldn't a three-against-one advantage be greater?"
"That would distract me from protecting you."
"Uh... I never asked for protection?"
"I insist."
Rover even had spare capacity to converse with Aeron—truly domineering.
To be fair, in pure combat terms, Aeron felt no anxiety. Rover would handle anything requiring fists to resolve.
But dealing with Leviathan was clearly beyond mere physical force.
The Threnodian, fused with the Sentinels, now overpowered them in strength. Under current conditions, no means existed to destroy Leviathan.
Even if the Dark Tide here could be suppressed by Rover and Fleurdelys, Avinoleum's descent remained inevitable as long as Leviathan persisted.
Moreover, another issue demanded attention.
Aeron observed Cartethyia beside him. The "Blessed Maiden" watched her other half fighting Leviathan alongside Rover, her face etched with worry and... more complicated emotions.
Noticing Aeron's gaze, Cartethyia immediately schooled her expression into forced cheerfulness.
"See? I told you I'm quite remarkable!"
"Uh... Forget about me. Why did you come here?"
"Ah! Is that how you greet a girl who went through such trouble to help you?"
"Wow, I'm deeply moved."
"You sound completely insincere!"
"Should I not speak truthfully?"
Aeron waved a hand, his tone lacking noticeable emotion yet his eyes remaining fixed on Cartethyia.
Watching the elegant figure fighting alongside Rover ahead, Cartethyia whispered words only she and Aeron could hear:
"...This is something I must face..."
Though initially concerned this might align with Leviathan's schemes, Aeron accepted it as Cartethyia's own decision. His role was simply to give a push.
"Don't overthink it, Little Carte."
He spoke her name softly, making the girl tremble slightly. When he raised a hand to pat her shoulder, he found it trembling from exhaustion and let it fall again.
"Whether you're a part of Fleurdelys or something else, at least the time we've spent together is real. Just remember that."
After speaking, Aeron turned his gaze toward Leviathan, who was currently engaged in battle with Rover and Fleurdelys.
"As for the rest... we'll deal with it after cleaning up this mess."
"..."
Cartethyia paused, the meaning in Aeron's words clear.
From the moment she laid eyes on the Sword of Divinity, she had sensed a strange dissonance, and now this feeling grew increasingly pronounced.
In her original memories, the final scene Cartethyia witnessed was the resolute figure of Fleurdelys, the "Blessed Maiden" chosen by the Sentinels, stepping forward to confront the Dark Tide.
But what Tyrvine revealed to her was a far darker and more somber vision.
Amidst the enveloping Dark Tide, the truth Leviathan spoke to destroy the "Blessed Maiden's" final consciousness.
"Both Cartethyia and Fleurdelys are merely lives I created."
Before Cartethyia could fully recall the previous events, Leviathan, still battling Rover and Fleurdelys, uttered these words first.
"Silence!" Fleurdelys shouted sharply, her sword flaring with light as she attempted to interrupt the voice, but the Dark Tide rose like a heavy curtain, temporarily blocking her attack.
Rover frowned deeply, the Holy Sword glowing brighter, yet for now unable to immediately break through this Dark Tide barrier concentrated with greater power.
"From the moment 'Cartethyia' was born, everything about you has been under my guidance."
Leviathan's words echoed through the Holy Spire of Confluence, spoken in an unhurried tone.
"Fleurdelys divided herself, casting you off as 'possibility' and 'weakness,' and I selected you as a vessel to gather power."
Cartethyia's face instantly turned pale, her body swaying as she nearly lost her balance. Aeron instinctively moved to support her, but she gently pushed him away.
She lifted her head, looking toward the shadowy form composed of Dark Tide, her lips trembling: "I..."
"Your memories are real, your feelings are real."
Leviathan's tone was almost gentle, yet sharper than any blade.
"Precisely because they are real, they hold greater value. That warmth, those bonds, those emotions you wish to protect... they are the finest fuel. The more you strive to become 'Cartethyia,' the purer and more powerful the 'faith' you gather becomes. Look, even the residual power of the Sentinels, and this... interesting anomaly, have been drawn to you and involved in this feast, haven't they?"
"You are merely a box I meticulously prepared for my more perfect descent into this world."
"Now," Leviathan's form suddenly expanded, the Dark Tide surging once more, but this time the target wasn't Rover or Fleurdelys. Instead, it split into two streams, locking onto Cartethyia and Fleurdelys separately.
"The keys are ready, the vessel is mature. It is time to open the box and reclaim what is mine."
"Don't even think about it!" Rover roared, moving like lightning, the Holy Sword cutting toward Leviathan's main shadow with a radiance that could tear everything apart.
Without hesitation, Fleurdelys brandished her longsword and actively charged toward the Dark Tide.
"Fleurdelys's resonance has drawn the second Dark Tide."
"And now, Cartethyia, your arrival serves as nourishment for the third Dark Tide!"
Cartethyia's pupils abruptly contracted as the remaining Dark Tide surged toward her, attempting to strike directly.
But the next moment, a warm light emerged from her hand—Tyrvine was now emitting a gentle resonance.
"No..." she murmured under her breath, gripping the hilt tightly as the blade's radiance intensified, repelling the Dark Tide that sought to entangle her.
She looked at Fleurdelys, a certain resolve igniting in her eyes: "I... chose to stand here of my own will!"
"Heh... A futile struggle."
Two waves of Dark Tide abruptly intensified, lunging at Cartethyia and Fleurdelys.
Relying on the Holy Sword's brilliance and Fleurdelys's swordplay, the Dark Tide rushing toward Fleurdelys could still be barely suppressed.
But Cartethyia's situation was different.
The remaining power of the Sentinels within Tyrvine was already scarce, and against the stronger Dark Tide, the blade's radiance began to gradually dim.
"Ah..."
Cartethyia resisted the Dark Tide's erosion. Just as Aeron had said, even if this body was merely a vessel designed by the gods, she would rely on her own will to oppose the false deities to the end.
"...But then again, with me here, I definitely won't let anything happen to you all."
A familiar voice came from in front of Cartethyia. She felt the pressure around her gradually lessen, replaced by a gentle frequency...
...and Aeron, whose face was deathly pale as his body was gradually being eroded.
"You—!"
"Alright, I'll leave this thing to you."
The lantern's halo immediately spread out, forcing back the Dark Tide surrounding Cartethyia and drastically reducing the pressure on her.
"Protecting yourselves is the best way to help me."
Just then, the elegant yet chilling voice of Leviathan, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines, sounded again, carrying a hint of satisfaction.
"This is... your price."
As soon as the words fell, the Dark Tide that had seemed to be fully assaulting the two "Blessed Maidens" twisted and surged toward Aeron, who had lost the lantern's protection.
"Don't even think about it!" Rover's furious shout arrived simultaneously with his sword, the Holy Sword's radiance forcibly cleaving a gap as he unhesitatingly placed himself between Aeron and the most violent wave of Dark Tide.
On the other side, Fleurdelys's figure abruptly turned back, blocking the churning tide before Aeron and temporarily halting its spread.
"You—" Fleurdelys's voice carried noticeable urgency for the first time as she looked at Aeron, now shielded between the two of them.
"Don't worry... no need to be so dramatic... ah."
Aeron wanted to say more but felt a familiar, icy sensation in his chest.
A slender, spear-like strand of Dark Tide pierced through the barrier woven by Rover's light and Fleurdelys's silver arcs, impaling his chest.
Aeron's body swayed, his vision beginning to blur.
He could see his own awkward and defeated form reflected in Rover's abruptly widened pupils, hear Cartethyia's tearful cry, and feel Fleurdelys's desperate attempt to grasp him.
Cold fingertips brushed against his wrist.
"Finally... I've caught you."
More Dark Tide surged through the cracks, instantly enveloping Rover's entire body, dragging him away from those fingertips and pulling him toward Leviathan's direction until he was completely swallowed by the raging Dark Tide.
"Welcome to becoming... my proxy."
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