It was not the fire thief wielding the sword, nor the one laughing unrestrainedly, nor the Beast of Blood transformed into a gryphon, that unveiled the prelude to battle.
A piercing, wild shriek echoed from behind Esper.
The Serpent to be Shunned. As an evil beast capable of tempting all things, it was not only empowered by its host, Louis, but also inherited the ability to strengthen itself upon the deaths of other shadow beasts.
Within the blood prison Esper had constructed, the endless beasts summoned by Louis died like shadows consumed by raging flames.
At the same time, this Authority named 『Jealousy』 continuously drew upon the power of the mind, fueled by the emotions of its wielder.
“Why did she run away?”
At that moment, the constantly flowing blood prison stopped rotating.
“Is what's happening over there really so much more important than me?”
Countless cracks surfaced on the outer walls of the blood prison, fracturing layer by layer.
“Come back! Come back to me!”
The blood prison was breached.
Swept away by emotion, drenched in jealousy, and consumed by hatred.
Esper turned her head, and what she saw was not Louis, but a shadow serpent as colossal as a mountain.
The surge of emotion had caused Jealousy to absorb an excessive amount of feelings, to the point where the Serpent to be Shunned overrode Louis's consciousness, becoming the root driving its actions.
Though suppressed, Louis continued to pump out hatred and resentment, pointing out to the Serpent to be Shunned the identity and location of the person he desperately wished to kill.
The Serpent to be Shunned hissed and surged toward Esper.
Mingled within its hissing, a faint, recognizable roar of fury could be heard.
“Give me back my life!!!”
And so, the serpent bit into the gryphon's throat.
That was an emergency move Esper had made in the split second she reacted, forcing the gryphon to take the blow in her stead.
The throat, condensed from blood, shattered under the bite, spraying blood everywhere.
Although it was patched and repaired by the surrounding blood in the next instant, the Serpent to be Shunned had already reached a position where it was neck-and-neck with Esper.
“Damn it... Just how long are you going to keep making this unreasonable scene! The person you hate isn't me at all! You're just lying to yourself, venting on me as a substitute for them!”
The shadow serpent did not speak, only hissing relentlessly.
From the very beginning, it had never been an entity capable of communication—it was merely a living curse carrying all his jealousy and resentment.
“...How annoying.”
However, since it was a mad existence incapable of communication, it also meant that the current Serpent to be Shunned was likely a monster acting purely on instinct and intuition.
Whoosh—
The wings formed of blood flapped vigorously, carrying Esper as the gryphon soared straight up into the sky.
She used Winged King to propel the gryphon, unleashing a burst of extreme speed that even the shadow serpent, fully drenched in Jealousy, could not catch up to immediately.
In the next instant, the Serpent to be Shunned pursued the Beast of Blood, charging into the clouds.
The wild wind blew Esper's long hair loose, sending it whipping about like waves in an inky sea.
Then, upon reaching the highest point, the gryphon pivoted its body and turned to face the shadow serpent.
She couldn't fly any higher. The air above the clouds was too thin, which would reduce the efficiency of the gryphon's wings.
And besides, it was about time.
Swinging her sword-spear back, the gryphon let out a high-pitched cry and dove down at extreme speed toward the right side of the shadow serpent.
The sword forming the sword-spear slashed into the shadow serpent's mouth, carving out a massive, horrifying wound as the gryphon dove.
At the destination of the beast's dive, a violent, vicious golden fire had already spread rampantly during her flight into the sky.
The earth rumbled as the blazing fire consumed everything. Born from the flames that created all things, rust-covered suits of armor, driven by the fire and holding flames capable of destroying all things, marched forward in silence.
『Anvil of the Fire Thief』
Originally, the 『Furnace』 referred simply to a hearth used for smelting.
In that era, blacksmiths threw ore into the hearth, using fire to strip the metal from the stone before hammering it into tools and weapons.
But the Human Ancestor had reinterpreted it.
Driven by fire, a furnace that burned all things, a furnace that forged all things.
『Fire』
『Destruction』
『Creation』
These three primordial Authorities, which originally belonged solely to the Creator, had long since been stolen by the Human Ancestor.
Subsequently, by applying these three concepts to the 『Furnace』, the final creation achieved was the current χωνευτήριον.
—However, what Kaylar had received was merely a negligible fraction cut away from that immense Authority by the Human Ancestor.
A defective product incapable of fully manifesting the Authorities of 『Fire』, 『Creation』, and 『Destruction』.
Yet even so, it was still a power crowned with the name of the 『Furnace』.
Kaylar pointed her greatsword forward.
The golden flames flowing along the blade reflected on her face, dyeing her grayish-green eyes amber.
“March—”
The endless sea of fire stretched forward along with the footsteps of the suits of armor, the flames they held capable of destroying all things.
Although it was not a power to the extent of killing on contact, it could conceptually bring 『Destruction』 to whatever it harmed.
Held in the grasp of the suits of armor created by the fire of 『Creation』.
Thus, destruction and creation contended with one another.
Creation gave form to destruction, while destruction gave sharpness to creation. The two contradictory concepts reached a balance under the tempering of the furnace, condensing into greatswords and spears held by the armored figures.
As the armored figures marched forward, the flames beneath their feet gradually forged barding that rose up, transforming them into a cavalry charge.
The hooves of the barded mounts struck the ground, kicking up golden sparks, each step carrying the heavy, metallic clatter of a strike.
—Landon stood where he was.
Watching the sea of fire spread, watching the armored figures march, watching the cavalry charge.
The anomalies vanished, as if he had drawn them back into his body.
He moved.
Rate on N.U.
