Chapter 108 | The Vampire Princess Later Drew the Holy Sword

White light rose from behind Eladia.

Like a sunrise, a torrent of pure white surged from behind the horizon, swallowing the scorched wasteland for hundreds of meters around.

The moment it swept toward Esper, Noelle deployed her barriers at maximum power to protect her, preventing her from being instantly covered in full-body burns.

Yet the instant the light touched the ground, green grass sprouted from the dead, scorched earth.

Tender green leaves squeezed out of the cracks, spreading at a visible rate until they blanketed the entire landscape.

Then came the water.

A clear, rushing torrent gushed from nowhere, submerging the newly grown grass. The water was crystal clear, reflecting the white sky.

Then, magma spilled from the water.

Orange-red lava evaporated the streams and incinerated the grass, burning new scorched cracks into the earth.

Grasslands, torrents, magma. Creation, flow, destruction.

The three scenes cycled once, then again, and again, all within a matter of seconds.

The cycle spun faster and faster, the imagery blurring until everything merged together, transforming into a pitch-black tide that rushed in from all directions, submerging Esper's ankles.

The Black Tide.

“Noelle!”

“I'm here. This is the effect of 『Genesis』. It interferes with reality, rewrites the rules, guides the Black Tide into this world, and then begins reshaping it.”

As Noelle analyzed the situation for Esper, pillars of mixed blood and light rose from the Black Tide beneath Eladia's feet. They stacked atop one another, forming stairs, pillars, and a dome.

A temple.

With living flesh as bricks and flowing holy light as mortar, a temple dedicated to a god rose within a few breaths.

In the very center of the hall, Eladia stood upon the altar.

Or rather, Beatrice stood upon the altar.

Her deep blue hair fluttered in the wind. Her golden eyes looked down at Esper, who stood in the Black Tide below, her lips curved in that smile that did not belong to Eladia.

『Authority: Light』

Then, a sun rose.

Directly above Beatrice, a golden sphere compressed from pure holy light hovered beneath the temple's dome.

It opened its eye.

A single eye, with a golden iris and a vertical slit pupil.

The solar disk stared down at Esper.

“『Authority Manifestation: Dawn Sun』”

Beatrice's voice came from Eladia's mouth, light and airy, as if she were reciting a nursery rhyme.

“The Holy Sword is indeed very useful. Normally, our Saintess's compatibility wouldn't be high enough for Beya to take over her consciousness. But in other worlds, she happens to have the potential to become the Pope and inherit the faith...”

She raised the Holy Sword in front of her, tilting her head to look at her reflection on the blade.

“What a truly versatile toy.”

Then she pointed the tip of the sword back at Esper.

“Humanity's Hero, our hope. You want to save her, don't you?”

Esper didn't answer. She only tightened her grip on her Holy Sword.

“Save the Saintess of Radiance, the proud egoist, the heir of light, your friend.”

Beatrice blinked.

“Well, as the Pope, Beya can't just stand by and watch.”

She tilted her head, her golden eyes curving into crescents.

“Our Saintess is only Rank Seven, you know, just like Esper. So Beya will only use a Rank Seven mana capacity. And it's from the weakest batch of Rank Seven capacities at that.”

She raised a finger and wagged it.

“Isn't that fair?”

“Fair, my ass!”

Esper gritted her teeth.

The Black Tide had already risen to her shins.

“How can you use such vulgar language? That's very impolite!”

Beatrice pouted with Ela's face, her eyes welling with glistening tears, making Esper's stomach churn in disgust.

“But it's all thanks to your performance in the memory space. The more you establish a connection with her, the stronger her obsession with you becomes. And the stronger her obsession, the deeper the erosion of Pride within her.

As long as Beya is here, she won't remember her promise to you. And as long as she can't remember her promise to you, her intent to kill you will only grow deeper.”

Beatrice laughed, raising the Holy Sword high above her head.

“Originally, Beya only planned to have her betray you at some critical moment. Who would have thought that the instant she lost her memories of you, 『Pride』 would immediately seek her out? What do they call that? Only realizing how painful loss is after having possessed something? Oh well, whatever~”

The Holy Sword descended.

“The game begins.”

The pupil of the golden solar disk constricted.

Then, a beam of light plunged down.

A pure white pillar of light, three meters in diameter, shot from the solar disk's pupil, slamming directly toward Esper's position.

“Dodge!”

Noelle's voice exploded in her mind.

Esper's body was already moving.

Pushing her physical limits, she kicked off the ground and launched herself away, barely evading the impact point of the light pillar.

The moment the light pillar struck the surface of the Black Tide, everything within a five-meter radius was instantly vaporized. Even the Black Tide itself was purified into nothingness.

A perfectly circular crater was left in the ground.

“Wow, you actually dodged it. As expected of the Hero.”

Beatrice clapped for Esper, hopping up and down.

A second beam of light was already gathering. The pupil of the solar disk rotated, locking onto Esper's new position.

“Noelle, what is that sun?!”

“An manifestation of the Authority of 『Light』, enhanced by 『Faith』. Its core is Eladia's holy light.

Its original effect was to transform the environment into a holy light domain and amplify the light. But it was modified and enhanced by the Pope's faith. Now, it's basically an automated turret.”

“How do we break it?”

“How should I know?! I'm only Rank Eight! The Pope is Rank Nine!”

“Isn't she only using a Rank Seven capacity?!”

“A Rank Nine's control and resonance! A Rank Seven's capacity! Plus the stacked effects of three complete Authorities! Do you really think this is still just Rank Seven?! If my true body were here, it'd be one thing, but looking at my current state, don't you find it laughable?!”

The second pillar of light fell.

Esper dodged again, splashed by the black tide.

“Forget about that thing. We can't destroy the sun. But since she said the game has begun, there must be a winning condition. After all, she is Beatrice. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't throw away both the Hero and the Saintess just for a laugh.”