64
The buzzing in my ears gradually faded, and I heard the cracking sounds of my bones resetting themselves. The pain that followed was continuous, but it was more bearable compared to being crushed. I blinked away the cold sweat that had dripped into my eyes and finally saw Luke, who had caught me. From my angle, I could only see his back, from which several glowing white ribbons extended. These ribbons had shredded the tendrils and brought us safely back to the ground.
A voice, identical to the one that had spoken in my mind earlier, drifted down from above: “So, you finally decided to show yourself, Light.”
Luke bent down and placed me gently on the ground, letting me lean against the canyon wall before turning to face the demon lord.
The crimson tendrils retracted as the demon lord slowly descended from the sky, hovering just above the ground before Luke. I strained my neck but couldn’t see its full form. Compared to it, Luke appeared tiny, but the demon lord no longer had a condescending tone. Instead, it spoke as though it were chatting with an old acquaintance: “Where is that little weakling? I know He’s here too. Is He not planning to come out and see me?”
Tendrils of black mist clung to the canyon wall, gathering at Luke’s side to form a mass of shifting shadows. The Dark God’s tendrils had almost completely retreated into its core, trying to hide behind Luke. Despite this, the Dark God’s form was still much larger than Luke’s, making the scene rather absurd.
Several of the glowing white ribbons extended from Luke’s back, one of them pressing against the Dark God’s core to stop it from getting closer, while the others gently wrapped around me… and scooted me further to the side to keep me from getting squished by the Dark God.
Dark God: “…”
Me: “…”
The demon lord’s voice rang out again, now tinged with a faint confusion: “Light, you were once the strongest among us. If not for your insistence on showing mercy to these food sources, you wouldn’t be so weak now. I thought last time would’ve been enough to teach you that lesson?”
Luke remained silent, his glowing ribbons stubbornly pushing the Dark God further away, clearly expressing his stance.
The demon lord sighed deeply:
“Ah, humans are interesting, but food is still food. In this respect, even Darkness understands better than you.” It spoke in a tone resembling a soft laugh, adding, “I’ll admit, He does have some amusing little tricks for extracting nourishment. Once I’ve had my fill, I might give them a try.”
Luke slowly turned his head to look at the Dark God.
The shadowy mass that had shrunk to its limit trembled and let out a sharp cry: “I did not!!!”
Me: “…”
For some reason, seeing it desperately trying to shrink away like that, I suddenly thought of Yasa. He was probably hiding outside the canyon by now…
With my injuries no longer hindering my movement, I used the canyon wall to slowly push myself up, but then I felt that familiar sensation of being ‘watched’ again. This time, it was even more pronounced, as though my soul was being pulled out of my body for the entire world to scrutinize—an eerie feeling that sent shivers down my spine.
One of the demon lord’s tendrils rose and pointed in my direction. Its tone was devoid of hostility, as if casually negotiating: “I don’t like taking your food, but he looks quite delicious. If you don’t mind, could you share a little with me?”
“I do mind,” Luke finally spoke.
His voice was no longer the clear, youthful tone I was familiar with, but hollow and soft—an inhuman sound. Luke’s exposed skin, already covered in strange white cracks, began to glow with flickering light from within those fissures, as if his human shell was on the verge of being torn apart.
The Dark God floated up and down, muttering in a low voice: “It’s just a human; giving him to Him wouldn’t matter…”
“He is my knight commander.”
“You have so many knight commanders! Losing one won’t make a difference!” The Dark God retorted anxiously.
“None of them will be given to Him, and neither will you,” Luke said calmly.
Dark God: “…”
The demon lord’s voice sounded perplexed: “Why do you value a piece of food so much?”
Luke was silent for a moment before slowly turning his gaze back to me and speaking: “I conducted an experiment.”
“I created a vessel that resembled a human, sealed away my power and memories, and retained only my [Will], then I fought as a human. Every enemy I faced was stronger than me. I was defeated many times. The vessel felt pain, exhaustion, and my [Will] was affected by the vessel, making it hard to endure, so I gave up.”
“But my knight commander did not. Even in the same situation, he continued to fight.”
“He showed me that a human’s [Will] can overcome the limitations of their vessel. Even when everything is lost, his [Will] still drives him to never retreat. I don’t know why, because I couldn’t do it.”
“He showed me the strength of humanity.”
I was stunned.
The demon lord softly agreed: “Yes, that’s why I like humans. Their souls make it easier for me to feel full.”
“You don’t understand, Lord,” Luke calmly countered. “Just like you don’t understand why he could hurt you.”
“…”
The crimson tendrils lowered, but I could still feel that ‘watching’ sensation. The demon lord’s tone turned cold: “What does it matter? He’s just food.”
Luke didn’t respond this time. Instead, he glanced at the Dark God. The Dark God froze mid-air, remaining motionless for a long while.
A few seconds later, one of Luke’s glowing ribbons whipped up and struck the shadowy mass.
Dark God: “…Ugh.”
After making an indiscernible sound, the Dark God suddenly lunged at the demon lord, its body expanding in mid-air like a giant black bag, enveloping the demon lord. The dark shadow bulged and contracted violently, its edges stretched so thin that they became translucent, faintly revealing the crimson tendrils writhing frantically within.
I stared in shock at this scene, but my view was quickly blocked by Luke.
His hair and eyes had turned a pale white, and his body seemed almost transparent, glowing even more brightly from within—this human ‘vessel’ was clearly on the brink of collapse.
One hand, covered in white cracks, lifted and touched my forehead.
His voice echoed in my mind:
[I promised to grant you one wish. Do you still wish to defeat the demon lord?]
“Yes.”
[Even if it comes at a price?]
“…Yes.” I lowered my head. “Lord, I’m sorry.”
I’m sorry that my [Will] wasn’t as steadfast as you thought. There were times when I gave up. I’m sorry that my strength wasn’t enough to achieve my wish, and I can only leave everything in your hands. I’m sorry that I lied to the soldiers who trusted me—they died never knowing that the promise of peace was a lie…
There were so many things I wanted to confess to you, but most of all… our souls must taste awful, right?
65
Luke’s fingers pressed gently against my forehead, lifting my head. His pale eyes, filled with light, blinked once as he spoke seriously:
[Yes, they do seem very unappetizing. I don’t want to eat them again.]
“…”
I stared at him in disbelief.
His hair had already dissolved, transforming into tendrils of white light. They rose and playfully patted my head, weightless but warm.
[Humans are weak. You lack the power to fight us, so I’ve always believed that it’s up to me to protect you. Until I too became weak and could no longer provide that protection, forced to reside in this vessel to recover. In these past sixty years, I’ve seen how you’ve fought demons with your own strength, and that has changed how I view you.]
That’s not true. Without the blessing of the Light God, humans couldn’t fight against demons, just like the Free Alliance and mercenaries outside the canyon—Selina’s strength was equal to mine, but without the Light God’s power, she couldn’t break through the blockade outside the canyon…
[No, I merely gave you a way to fight them, like forging a weapon that can harm demons. The weapon can’t banish the demons. The ones wielding the weapon have always been you.]
[And you’ve accomplished something I could not. You’ve shown me that humanity’s strength is worth trusting.]
Above us, countless crimson tendrils pierced through the dark shadow, tearing the remaining parts into fragments that dissipated into black mist. The mist reformed into black tendrils, struggling to hold on to the red ones.
The demon lord, enraged, let out a piercing roar: “Worthless fool, get out of my way!”
Alongside its voice came the Dark God’s desperate scream: “You idiot, hurry up!!!”
Luke seemed unaffected by their clash. He looked at me with a calm voice that carried a hint of amusement:
[Humans have never lacked courage or determination, nor do they lack the experience and skill to fight. What you’ve lacked has simply been… the most basic ‘strength’.]
[So, I will give you that strength.]
He closed his eyes.
Countless glowing ribbons extended from his body, surging in all directions, wrapping around every warrior. In that wave of light that illuminated the battlefield, I heard the Light God’s voice reverberate through the canyon:
“I grant you the power of [Will], which will support you to never retreat.”
“I grant you the power of [Belief], which will make you invincible.”
“I grant you the power of [Faith], which will help you stay true to your heart.”
The glowing light merged into the warriors’ bodies, and as the ribbons faded, the battlefield dimmed once more.
The next moment, countless eyes opened, each filled with radiant light, like stars brightening the dark night. The stars gathered into a flowing galaxy, illuminating the pitch-black sky.
“…Finally, I ask for the price of gaining this power.”
Luke’s lips moved silently, and the voice in my mind echoed along with his:
[Please offer me victory.]
66
It seemed as though those ribbons had taken all of Luke’s light with them. He landed on the ground, and his semi-transparent skin began to solidify, turning into a cold, hard white. When I realized his body was turning into a statue, the white had already covered half of him.
“…Lord?!”
[It’s fine. I’ve just exhausted my strength.]
Luke’s lips curled into a faint smile, a rare expression. He looked up at me and slowly moved his hand to cover my eyes. In the darkness, I heard his voice say:
[My knight commander, let me borrow one more thing.]
“What do you need?!” I was frantic, not daring to smash the statue, but also unsure how to stop the petrification from spreading. I had never spoken so quickly in my life.
But his voice remained leisurely:
[I need a vessel that can move.]
“…”
I thought of many things, yet it seemed as though I hadn’t thought at all. As soon as he finished speaking, I immediately nodded: “Alright.”
The hand covering my eyes turned cold and rigid, and something warm flowed from my eyes into my body. In an instant, my soul seemed to rise, allowing me to view the entire battlefield from an indescribable perspective. Everything in sight lost its color and form, turning into a vast expanse. In this strange world, I saw rivers of white light interspersed with a few black spots, all surging forward, throwing themselves against the crimson mist at the center of my vision, tearing countless tiny wounds in it.
A shadowy figure, similar in form to the mist, was entangled in the red fog, repeatedly torn apart and thrown off, yet still recklessly charging forward. As I watched the two forces clash, their misty bodies became transparent, revealing a black and red core…
[Those are our spiritual cores, what humans call ‘divinity’.] The Light God’s voice echoed in my mind.
With his words, I felt both the demon lord and the Dark God ‘look’ at me. The former radiated fury, while the latter conveyed fear. I heard two voices questioning me simultaneously—
[Light, have you gone mad?!]
An invisible shockwave swept across the world, and my rising soul suddenly plummeted. I jolted awake, finding myself back in my body. In front of me stood a white statue of Luke, frozen in the act of reaching out—his abandoned ‘vessel’.
I looked past the statue and out onto the battlefield, holding my breath.
The scene before me was equally bizarre—every warrior’s health bar and stats were clearly visible above their heads, their bodies appearing as though they had been split into countless layers, from skin to bone. Their thoughts were laid bare, and the angle and force of every swing of their weapons became as predictable as the smallest grains of sand stirred by the wind.
Two completely different visions alternated uncontrollably: the points of light representing souls and the real world shifted back and forth, causing an unbearable dizziness. I could feel my right hand rising, but it wasn’t my own will guiding it—it was the Light God. He was manipulating my body like a puppet, raising my hand to my head and slowly patting it from side to side.
I had no idea what that gesture meant. All I heard was his disappointed voice:
[It’s gone…]
Gone… what?
Instinctively, I glanced at my status. My health and mana bars were now lined with a golden edge, and all the buffs representing [Will] and other enhancements had disappeared, leaving only one golden icon indicating my current status—
[Divine Descent]
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