The change was both sudden and drastic.
One of the many hats that filled the room was forced onto Langwidere’s head, only to transform moments later into a ring that floated above her.
A ring as deep red as the hat it had been.
When a blue hat touched the ring and was absorbed, the ring turned violet. One by one, the countless other hats in the room were drawn into it.
“Agh, ahhh, AACK…!!”
Affection, rage, sloth, ecstasy, despair.
All manner of emotions and temperaments encroached upon her, as if in a masquerade.
Langwidere’s power swelled, yet her body trembled as if in agony.
Sensing the gravity of the situation, the Queen and the Angel tried to stop Langwidere, but the tremendous waves of holy power and pressure radiating from her body denied them.
Crack.
Like a porcelain doll, Langwidere’s skin began to fracture, holy power overflowing from the cracks.
The Queen of Vampires clicked her tongue.
“So the plan is to take us down with her, since she can’t be saved anyway.”
The Angel of Divine Calculation also showed her displeasure.
“A thousand years have passed, yet the King of Heaven remains so utterly unchanged.”
Both the Queen and the Angel were masters of finesse, skilled in striking and retreating with fluid grace.
If Langwidere had charged at them with that immense power contained within her, they would have had ways to respond. But they lacked the raw output to forcibly suppress an unwilling, self-destructing bomb.
If they focused on escaping now, their chances of survival were high, but—
“You two, could you buy me a little time?”
—there was a woman here who would not allow that.
Depending on how one heard it, her request was no different from asking them to die with her, yet neither the Queen nor the Angel objected.
The price Sophia had paid was so immense that the two had been resurrected in a state close to their prime, but even that was not perfect.
Their bodies were already beginning to fade from the tips of their toes, and even if they fled, it would only grant them a little more time in this world.
However, there was one thing they had to point out.
“Vessel. You are not immortal right now. You are nothing more than a frail human.”
“If you get caught in that self-destruction, not only your body but your very soul might evaporate. Even your necromancer companion would be helpless to do anything.”
To the unspoken question of whether she would still refuse to flee, Sophia answered without hesitation.
“To borrow Sir Tin’s expression, I can’t be satisfied with a mediocre happy ending.”
Step.
Sophia strode forward without a second thought.
The oversaturated holy power thrashed like a savage beast, trying to harm her, but the barrier created by the Queen and the Angel protected her.
She approached the agonized Langwidere and embraced her.
“It’s alright. Just hold on a little longer.”
“…”
There was no reply.
The apprentice’s eyes, looking at her teacher, were still filled with nothing but confusion.
Still, Sophia smiled.
As if relieved by the fact that while Langwidere hadn't asked for help, she hadn't refused it either.
Step.
Sophia walked past Langwidere, approaching the throne where she had been seated.
That was the source, the place from which power now flowed into Langwidere. It was the origin of this endless holy power. A direct channel connected to ‘God’.
Sophia spoke.
“—O, God, your child is in pain.”
“She is an innocent child. A child who devoted herself to protecting her inadequate teacher. A child who has spent more of her life bound than free.”
“This child was forced to accumulate sin under your name, wielded the power you bestowed, and is now suffering because of your existence.”
“So I ask you, O, God. Is this truly the sight you wished to see?”
There was no particular reaction from the throne.
The supply of holy power to Langwidere continued its work, steadily turning her into a bomb.
Even so, Sophia did not stop questioning.
“I do not know what situation you find yourself in.”
“Just as a person who has never learned morality cannot know the evil of murder, perhaps it is the same for you.”
“But I know.”
“The holy power I hold was a gift from you.”
“If so, then you must know my life, my experiences.”
“Even if you were never taught how to judge them, even if you lacked the freedom to speak of them, you must have at least formed an impression.”
“So I ask you. Are you truly content with this?”
The light from the throne dimmed for a fleeting moment.
It was faint, but it was a clear response.
“Do you think it natural that someone schemes under your name, that someone uses your name as an indulgence, that your name has been reduced to the property of a select few?”
“Do you condone that your light, born for all the world, is being used as a tool for someone to maintain power?”
“Having watched this world through my eyes—no, through the eyes of all who received your power—do you truly believe this is ‘right’?”
“If by some chance you do, then allow me to say this.”
“Enough with your childishness.”
Hah.
A breath that was somewhere between admiration and a sigh escaped the lips of the Queen and the Angel who were watching.
Their bodies had already faded by more than half as the price for suppressing Langwidere’s rampage, yet no trace of dissatisfaction could be seen on their faces.
An ordinary human was scolding a god as if disciplining a child.
For them, who had lived their entire lives as puppets of the heavens and the underground, there could be no more delightful and satisfying spectacle.
—Wooooong!
The emerald holy power surged.
It shrank as if intimidated by Sophia’s words, only to swell in intensity again moments later.
It was as if someone at God’s side was negating Sophia’s words, egging the deity on.
At this sight, the spectators’ smiles deepened.
The situation was precarious, but they were not worried in the slightest.
They would have had a better chance throwing punches. From the moment they chose to engage Sophia in a battle of words, the outcome was all but decided.
“If the one beside you affirms your actions as right, then I will gladly deny it.”
“If those who revere you praise you as great, then I will gladly mock it.”
“If you yourself judge that you are doing well, then I will gladly rebuke it.”
The throne’s aura began to diminish noticeably.
The whispers at its side could no longer quell God’s hesitation.
“A parent who fails to act as a parent is no parent. A teacher who fails to act as a teacher is no teacher. A king who fails to act as a king is no king. And a god who fails to act as a god is no god.”
“Even the Scales, which should be your avatar, knew shame and repented for its own mistakes. How long will you continue to be so stubborn?”
“What you do not know, you can learn. What is wrong, you can fix. But to know, and yet pretend not to—for that, there is no remedy.”
“O, God, I pray you do not make me give up on you.”
“O, God, I pray you allow me to offer you my unwavering reverence.”
“O, God, I pray you give me the chance… to forgive you, and all the suffering I received because of you.”
The holy power emanating from the throne visibly dwindled for a moment.
Then, it erupted, surging toward Langwidere.
It was an act that seemed to be one of fury, but Sophia did not flinch.
And as if to prove her trust, the ring above Langwidere’s head creaked and screamed upon contact with the holy power, then shattered into pieces that scattered across the ground.
The emerald radiance that had been pouring from Langwidere’s body, threatening to explode at any moment, lost its power and died out like an extinguished flame.
Crack. The throne collapsed on its own.
Not from external pressure, but from self-destruction.
It was as if it had severed the channel to prevent Sophia from speaking with ‘God’ any further.
Sophia smiled wryly at the pettiness of it all, but she held no lingering regrets.
She believed in her companions.
As long as they were victorious, another chance would surely come.
“Ah, magnificent, Vessel. We spent our entire lives thinking only of escaping the game board, yet you chose to shatter the board itself. The thought of the King’s distorted face brings me such satisfaction.”
“Hahaha! Excellent. Truly excellent. For a final spectacle, this was quite delightful, wasn’t it? Make sure you land a blow on the underground later, too. After helping this much, I should think we’ve earned the right to ask that of you.”
Sophia bowed her head to the two figures fading into nothingness.
“Thank you.”
The two did not reply.
But until the moment they vanished, the smiles never left their lips.
Perhaps those faces were their answer.
Sophia approached the collapsed Langwidere.
Whether it was the aftereffect of the aborted rampage or a final act of consideration from God before disappearing, she had reverted to the form of the young girl she was before being dragged to the heavens.
Sophia gently stroked Langwidere’s hair.
The sins Langwidere had committed would not easily disappear, and she might suffer for them, but that was alright.
Sophia could not forgive Langwidere’s sins for her. But at the very least, she could fight alongside her.
“My, what devotion.”
A sarcastic voice spoke to Sophia.
When Sophia turned toward the voice, she saw Camilla staring at the priest with a strange expression.
“Oh my, were you worried and secretly following me? I must admit, I was wondering how to rejoin the others. I imagine the area is swarming with enemy soldiers.”
“…It’s convenient that I don’t have to explain, but what is this deeply grating feeling?”
“I’ll repay the favor later, so for now, I’m counting on you!”
Camilla just shook her head.
Whether she had power or not.
Whether she was immortal or not.
She was reminded once again that the wisdom of the scarecrow cared little for such trivial matters.