The Groan of Reality and the Serpent’s Gift

A sound.

(SKREEEE-AAAAA-GGGHHH!)

It was not an explosion, nor a roar, nor a lament. It was the monstrous and indescribable groan of reality itself, as if the fabric of the universe were being torn apart by a force it did not comprehend.

"No... not this..."

"My head... it's breaking!"

"What is... that void...?"

The sound embedded itself directly into the minds of the paralyzed guards and adventurers, bypassing their eardrums and striking their consciousness directly.

"Stop it... please..."

"The structure... it's undoing itself..."

Causing them, one by one, to roll their eyes back and collapse without ceremony, their rigid bodies hitting the ground, their minds unable to process the cosmic dissonance.

(VRAAAM-SHHHH-TTTT!)

In turn, space vibrated and distorted violently around the point of impact of Shija’s sword.

(VWUUUUUUMM!)

Following that, out of nowhere, a dome of pure white light expanded, swallowing what remained of the surroundings.

(FSSSHHH-SKRAAAA!)

And immediately, from within the dome, fierce and cutting gusts of wind surged, releasing themselves in every direction with the fury of an unleashed storm.

(KRA-TA-TA-KRAK!)

The effect was instantaneous and massive, generating gusts of wind that ripped the cobblestones from the adjacent streets as if they were simple dry leaves.

(KRRR-SHHHHH-TTT!)

In the distance, thousands of windows shattered, breaking in unison to create a symphony of destruction.

(WHHHH-OOOO-OSSH!)

This was followed by a violent climatic alteration while the air grew heavy and the few clouds floating in the blue sky swirled, blackening at an unnatural speed, forming a dark and menacing vortex that covered the sky of Flambell City.

(ZZZT-CHAAAK!)

Intermittent lightning began to tear through the sky, illuminating the scene with flashes of purple and celestial blue, as if an electrical storm were about to unleash its fury in the heart of the city.

(KRA-KA-THOOOM!)

The air pressure was unbearable, promising an imminent and cataclysmic rain while the deafening roar shook the foundations of the buildings.

"...."

And there, in the midst of the resulting chaos, standing and watching everything with a vacant stare, Melioris remained motionless.

"I went too far..."

Her gaze, usually filled with a haunting playfulness, had become an empty abyss, fixed on a non-existent point between the smoke and the flash of the white dome.

"Too much output on the curse axis. The convergence was unstable... the surplus of spiritual energy wasn't nullified, it just displaced toward the atmosphere. How sloppy."

(KRRRR-A-A-K!)

The ground beneath her feet cracked, but her mind was elsewhere, dissecting the exact second of impact.

"If I had adjusted the frequency of the Ambivalent Voltage by 0.3% before contact, the vacuum would have been absolute."

Her eyes, fixed on the swirl of black clouds, shone with inhuman calculation.

"The weather shouldn't have reacted like this. The dissonance was... noisy. Unnecessary. I must perfect the suture between both planes if I want the 'Amalgam' to be truly clean."

Only after finishing her analysis, like someone correcting a calligraphy error on a sheet of paper, did Melioris decide to intervene in the disaster that threatened to erase the city.

"Fuff... Seriously... This wasn't my plan..."

And with a sigh of slight disappointment, she raised her right hand and pointed her index finger at the sky in crisis.

"But it was truly interesting... {'Megáli kátharsi'}."

She spoke in a gelid tone that masked her excitement.

(FEEEEEW!)

In response, a pillar of golden light erupted from her finger—a force of pure order that ascended to reclaim the sky.

(¡¡¡KRA-KHAAAAAAA!!!)

Causing a deafening impact as it collided violently with the mass of clouds and lightning that her own imperfection had spawned.

(¡¡ZWIIIIII-SHAAAAAA!!)

When the pillar of <Purification> collided with the epicenter of the storm, it did not produce an explosion of fire, but a total transmutation of matter.

"I see... so that's where the dissonance was."

The collision between the residual annihilation energy still floating in the air and Melioris's golden light generated a chain reaction at an atmospheric level.

"It’s a bit embarrassing to make a mistake while being watched... But thanks to that, I understand the rhythm much better now!"

Melioris's technique acted as an absolute filter: upon coming into contact with the clouds blackened by cursed energy and the vacuum, the light began to "wash" reality.

"So, since you helped me understand it~"

Then, the rain began to fall.

"It's only fair that I return the favor with a perfect execution!"

However, it was no ordinary water.

"Right?"

(P-P-P-P-SHIIIIIN!)

They were drops of liquid light, a rain of purification carrying a density of spiritual energy so pure that it defied biological comprehension.

(PIU-PIU-PIU!)

As the drops touched the ground, the debris, and the bodies, the effect was instantaneous: wounds closed, physical exhaustion evaporated, and vitality was restored by force.

"As I thought..."

It was a medical miracle on an urban scale; a baptism of regeneration that healed even the most severe internal injuries of citizens and adventurers.

"Are you still here?"

Unfortunately, however, no mortal remained conscious to witness such a scene; they had been knocked out, doubled over by the monstrous scream of reality as it was severed, extinguishing the consciousness of every human being for miles around at the instant of impact.

In the entire city, time seemed to have stopped.

(CLAP... CLAP... CLAP...)

Until suddenly, a rhythmic and slow sound began to resonate among the rubble as a figure approached, applauding the scene.

"I thought you’d already left~!"

Melioris, still holding her finger raised toward the sky, slowly turned her head.

"Oh, come on, don't say that! After all, you showed me something impressive!!"

From the shadows of a side alley, a figure emerged, walking with divine parsimony. Her steps were light, almost ethereal, and her face reflected an absolute ecstasy, as if she had just witnessed the creation of a new universe.

"What you just did... it thrilled me~"

It was the "Goddess."

"Right now, that expression makes you look like a pervert."

She walked toward Melioris with glowing eyes, fixed on the point where space still vibrated from Shija's cut.

"Simply... magnificent."

For "her," the destruction of the city and the mass fainting of its inhabitants were nothing more than unimportant side effects compared to the curiosity that had been awakened within her after witnessing that confrontation.

"That human... that cut... it was sublime... But precisely because of that, it is a pity."

Once near Melioris, the "Goddess" stopped, observing closely what "remained" of Shija on the ground.

"He truly exceeded his limits."

At the feet of both entities, Shija’s condition was harrowing. His human silhouette was barely recognizable among the charred stones. His body was completely carbonized in several areas, the result of the friction from his own boiling blood and the excess Ki that had burned his tissues from within. He bore deep lacerations that exposed mangled tendons and multiple fractures that had left his limbs at unnatural angles. By now, it was a biological miracle that he had not disintegrated entirely.

"Haaaah... Even in that state...You didn't let go of your sword..."

Yet, despite being a mass of burned flesh and broken bones, his fingers remained fused to the hilt of his sword, as if the weapon were now the only structure keeping his will anchored to this plane.

"Touching the divine with a mortal body has consequences."

Then, the entity of the "Goddess," who harbored the soul of the Archbishop of Greed within, took a step forward, observing the remains with the coldness of one evaluating damaged treasure.

"I truly want his corpse."

But at that moment, the Archbishop uttered words he should never have said.

"Don't even think about it."

The atmosphere, already oppressive, froze completely. Melioris, whose expression remained hidden behind the curtains of her long silver and emerald hair, released a pressure so massive that the ground beneath her feet sank several centimeters.

"If you even dare to think it..."

"We will fight right here, right now. I care very little for our non-intervention pact if you lay your hands on what is mine."

It was no longer the playful energy from before; it was a direct promise of death. The Archbishop of Greed felt the physical animosity striking his chest. For an instant, the deity's smile wavered before the vision of Melioris ready to start a war in that very place.

"You leave me no choice... but to yield."

"Although you should know he is already beyond any salvation. Reaching such an extreme didn't just shatter his flesh; it has charred his soul. His state is so grave that the remaining fragments of his essence don't even have the strength to leave the body and pass to the other side. He is trapped in eternal agony, a broken soul in a dead vessel."

Upon hearing the Archbishop's words, the murderous tension emanating from Melioris evaporated as quickly as it had appeared.

"Oh, I see. No problem then!"

Smiling once more in that carefree and mischievous way, as if the threat of a divine war had never existed, Melioris began to walk slowly toward what remained of Shija.

"I had already left him a parting gift in the hands of Baron Glutt for when we parted..."

Each step resonated softly on the ground purified by the golden rain, approaching the charred body with an almost maternal calm.

"But seeing how much you've exerted yourself, and as a reward for this exquisite performance... I think I'll grant you an extra."

At arriving before him, she leaned slightly, observing the mass of flesh and will that still held the sword.

"This will be my final gift."

Without hesitation, Melioris reached for her head and delicately plucked a single strand of her hair, a thread that shimmered with the shifting colors of her own essence.

"Ssssssssss"

And the moment the strand was separated from her, it began to twist and come to life, transforming into a small serpent of emerald and silver light.

"Until next time, Shija... I hope we meet again..."

Then, the creature slid through the air with an unnatural elegance until it landed on the warrior's shattered chest.

(Dumb... Dub-dum...!)

Without finding resistance, the serpent introduced itself into what Shija once was, merging with the remains of his body and seeking the scorched fragments of his soul to anchor itself within them.

(Dumb... Dub-dum...!!)

To the rhythm of the heart as it began to beat once more...