Chapter 904
The sky trembled with the explosion of divine power.
In an instant, the very space around me seemed to evaporate as if it were fleeing from the sudden amplification of strength.
Aisha struggled to steady her swaying body, her mouth agape in shock.
The trio below was also on the brink of crisis but remained unaffected thanks to me directing the flow of power upward.
Kugugugugu…
[Wha—? LOL]
[Whoa!]
[Shin Lily]
[Mad]
[LOL]
[That was insane!]
[Is it a bit tough?]
[Did they just die down there? Haha!]
“…They’re not broken.”
Of course, even with a hit like that, the door to the Audience Room wouldn’t just swing open.
There was just a small crack in the semi-transparent divine door.
It felt like with just one or two more hits, it would shatter, but I still needed some time.
I looked down.
Sure, they hesitated for a moment because of the earlier shock, but they would be here soon.
“I need to buy some more time…”
“I’ll try to block them whatever it takes.”
“Are you confident you won’t kill them?”
“…That’s not guaranteed.”
No matter how much Aisha controlled her strength, their level of resilience was at a point where even a light tap would break them.
I pondered for a moment before clapping my hands.
“Oh, then that’ll work, right?”
“Huh?”
Thanks to the overflow of divine energy, there was a method I could employ.
I manifested part of the holy power and shot it downward.
The divine energy zipped past Aisha and struck the trio head-on…
Kwahhhhh!!!
An explosion of light enveloped them.
[???]
[?]
[Lily?]
[Huh?]
[Wait, are you killing them?]
[That’s insane!]
[Huh?]
[Lily, what’s going on?]
[LOL]
“L-Lady Lily?!!”
“It worked. Right?”
“U-Um, didn’t you say not to kill them?”
“I did.”
“So if you end up killing them…”
“I didn’t kill them, though.”
I pointed my finger downward at Aisha, whose eyes were now twice their normal size.
She followed my finger and looked down.
And there it was.
“Huh?”
Kugugugu…!
The trio from the Angel Guild was alive and not only that, they were soaring up stronger than before.
Instinctively, Aisha drew her sword and asked me.
“W-W-What just happened? I thought they were supposed to die just from a tap…”
“That was for attacks and sealing techniques.”
Attempting to block them in any way would inflict damage.
Even if I set up barriers without directly touching them, the will of the God of Balance within them would compel them to die by attempting to collide.
But escaping indefinitely wasn’t an option considering how little time we had left.
After some deliberation, I came to recall one possible solution.
“I just returned the move the God of Balance used.”
“…! No way?”
“Yes.”
I bestowed a ‘buff.’
My divine energy enhanced their strength as if it was a ‘reward’ from the God of Balance, and the healing energy, rather than destructive, warmly enveloped them.
Of course, they couldn’t bear the full force due to limits on how much power they could accept.
But with the God of Balance being considerably drained from their hasty ascent and attacks, I managed to pour a considerable amount of divine energy into them.
“Under normal circumstances, even with the same divine energy, they wouldn’t coexist, but our opponent is one who holds ‘Balance’ power. As long as they aren’t part demon, they can coexist.”
“O-oh…”
“Now that their bodies have gotten significantly sturdier, they shouldn’t die so easily. Although, using a technique like ‘Rending the Sky’ could still kill them.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Just don’t approach it with the mindset of wanting to kill them.”
“…Okay.”
Aisha lifted her Meteor Sword.
The three from the Angel Guild were almost fully ascended.
Although their attack power had decreased significantly since the power of balance was reduced, they were still quite strong.
Even if it was ‘No Matter How’, taking on all three of them would be overwhelming.
Swishhhh…
Countless swords surged from around Aisha as she unfurled her wings.
A collaboration between the Sword Saint of Starlight and the Impossible Being, Gemelynus.
Thousands of swords poured towards the trio, and Aisha leaped in, cleaving into Michael’s upper body leading the charge.
[Whaaaaa!]
[Mancheonghwa!]
[Wow!]
[This is wild! LOL]
[Big deal Aisha!]
[Do you see those swords flying? So cool!]
[Whoa!]
“We’ll do our part now.”
I infused strength back into my hammer.
The door would be opening soon.
■
After splitting Michael in two, Aisha quickly twisted her body.
While she couldn’t kill him, an opponent of this caliber wouldn’t die from being cut in half.
Since he bore the ‘Healing Divine Energy’, he would likely regenerate on his own.
Kuwuwu!!!
Evading was the priority.
“Hey! You’ll die if you get hit!”
As a voice echoed from below, a colossal platinum arm narrowly grazed Aisha’s head as it rushed past.
The figure adorned with eight arms, each hosting various weapons including spears and hammers.
‘Metatron!’
He unleashed divine energy towards Aisha with both his spear and hammer-bearing arm.
Kwahhhhh!!!
Even with reduced power, the overwhelming aura!
With starry eyes, Aisha spun her beloved weapon, the Meteor Sword, drawing circles in the air.
A massive circle erupted forth, radiating a brilliant white light.
Divine energy filled the center, and though she couldn’t utilize it, minimal magical energy was also contained within.
Dribble, dribble, dribble…!
The contrasting forces began to spin with fierce sound.
The beginning of the Impossible originates from ‘rotation’. Mixing two unyielding forces and merging them into one infinite path. We formed the circle together, but you can do this…
The teachings from the twin gods.
The powers of two gods born to make impossible things possible manifested in Aisha’s hands.
“!”
“Haap!!”
Kwadadadac!!
The onslaught of blades emerging from the circle shattered divine energy and weapons, severing even his arm.
Metatron staggered back, taken aback by the assault.
Seizing the chance, Aisha floated a dazzling white circle behind her.
‘I can do more!’
Summoning this ‘circle’ would exhaust a tremendous amount of energy, but not as much as that of Rending the Sky.
‘I can endure without killing. I just need to drag this out as long as possible.’
Lady Lily still hadn’t broken through the door.
Aisha swung her sword, slicing through Metatron’s remaining arm and wings.
Though he suffered damage, as it didn’t strike his main body, he likely wouldn’t perish.
Now there was only…
Kaaaaang!!!
“Ugh?!”
Swords clashed against swords.
Before I knew it, Michael had fully recovered and unfurled his two wings, with countless sword techniques manifesting around him.
Each strike was at the level of an Intermediate Celestial.
Aisha gritted her teeth, deflecting all of them.
“Aisha. I didn’t expect to find you in a place like this.”
“…Neither did I.”
“First, I must apologize. I will compensate for this incident in the name of the Angel Guild. No matter the price, I will reimburse you.”
“….!”
“But first.”
Creeeek…
It was heavy.
With all her might, Aisha pulled even harder on the ‘circle’’s energy.
Michael’s sword was becoming overwhelmingly powerful.
This force wasn’t even his own.
‘The God of Balance!’
It was clear he had entered this fight in earnest.
“As fellow swordsmen wielding the same blade, shouldn’t we converse through our swords?”
“…Ha!”
“Now that the Sword Saint is gone, you’ll be the one who wields the sword the best.”
“Who’s saying that!”
Kwahhhh!!!
Countless swords were aimed at each other.
The duel between Aisha and Michael continued, figuratively marking countless wounds on their bodies.
No fatal wounds, but one misstep could spell disaster.
‘If I use Rending the Sky, it’ll be over…!’
Rending the Sky was a technique akin to the ultimate finisher.
Though victory was assured against someone like Michael, the problem was that it would mean death.
Should Michael die, it wouldn’t be a win in the war, just a loss.
Somehow, I needed to subdue without killing.
What could be called fortunate was that Gabriel was not intervening aside from ‘buffs’?
Even though she was originally a ‘Saintess’ of the Angel Guild, focused on support roles, she didn’t cast any long-range magic.
Riiiip!!!
“Ugh…”
“Focus or you’ll die.”
“Damn it! I’ve lost track!”
With one eye lost, Aisha channeled her strength into a singular point.
It was dangerous, but it was the limit now.
If I simply didn’t use Rending the Sky, this hopeless Angel Guild wouldn’t die either!
That was the thought Aisha held as she spread her wings further.
Endless starlights of divine energy flocked toward Aisha’s sword, and Michael paused momentarily, gathering his strength.
The will of the God of Balance commanded him to behead Aisha, but he silently packed his energy.
Even if controlled, he was still a user and swordsman.
‘User’s Greatest Sword.’
With the Sword Saint gone, only one person could claim that title.
‘I will win!’
‘I will win!’
The final fatal strike from the two swordsmen flew towards each other…
…only to not reach.
“Uh?”
“Yeah?”
Röööör…
Instead, the sky rent asunder.
Part of the dimension was torn apart as jagged edges broke away, unleashing a storm of power that sent them flying far into the distance.
‘She’ chuckled, resting the hammer on her shoulder.
“Success in opening the door.”