[93] Shadows of Retribution

Chapter 93: Shadows of Retribution

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In the somber stillness of an abandoned church, Raynare stood amidst the ruins of a once sacred place, her thoughts shrouded in schemes as dark as the shadows around her.

The church's old, dilapidated walls seemed to resonate with her own ambitions – hidden, yet disgusting. Her gaze was fixated on an old, tattered map spread across a makeshift wooden table, its edges curling like withered leaves. It was a map of the local area, with red dots that indicated the presumed position of a certain man.

"Freed, Freed, Freed!" she muttered under her breath, a mix of irritation and curiosity in her voice. "Where have you vanished…? Where have you hidden Asia?"

The name 'Asia' brought a particular glint to her eyes. The Twilight Healing Sacred Gear, a Gear of unparalleled value even amongst all the others, was just within her grasp. Asia was sent to her, for her to scavenge her Sacred Gear. But now that bitch was nowhere to be found. Did that make sense?

Raynare's plan was clear: find Asia, capture her, and then sacrifice her in a ritual that would transfer the Sacred Gear to a more... deserving host. Herself.

But none of that could happen without finding Asia. ‘Where is that nun bitch hiding?’

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching. Two uniquely dressed figures emerged from the shadows, their presence barely more than a whisper against the stone floor.

Dohnaseek and Mittelt, her subordinates, were not figures of grand ambition or strategy. To Raynare, they were little more than tools – pawns driven by base desires and simple pleasures.

"Any word on Freed's whereabouts?" Raynare asked, her tone sharp as a blade.

"None. He's like a ghost. Disappeared without a trace." said Dohnaseek, a man with a gaze that seemed to undress everything it fell upon. He shrugged, unserious about this.

Beside him, Mittelt, a short blonde woman laughed in a mocking tone and leaned against a crumbling pillar and spoke. "Maybe he found a prettier girl to chase, Raynare. You know how he is,"

Raynare's lip curled in distaste. ‘These two perverts… Did they even properly search?’ Their minds were as shallow as puddles after a light rain, how they were once angels made Raynare wonder.

Internally, she sighed. She hoped she had better subordinates, but she’d have to work with this. They were necessary – means to an end in her grand design. Freed was more useful, though equally mentally deranged, but now that bastard was nowhere to be found.

‘Did he get killed…? Or did he really run away with Asia?’ Raynare was left wondering, letting out a sigh. Whatever the case, she would find Asia on her own. Only that way would Azazel take notice of her…

"Stay focused," Raynare snapped at her minions. "We can't afford any distractions. Freed's failure already cost us a lot, now we better locate Asia before anyone else doe-"

– Boom!

The sound of an explosion suddenly reverberated through the church, interrupting her speech. The impact shook the very foundation of their hideout, which was bad news since the building began to crumble. A sense of urgency swept through the air like a cold wind.

One of their lookouts, a figure shrouded in a dark priest outfit, rushed in, panic etched on his face. "Intruders! Someone's breached the perimeter!"

Raynare's eyes narrowed into slits, a dangerous light flickering within them. "Intruders?" she echoed, her mind racing. This was neither the time nor the place for interruptions.

But if she saw it in another way… this was good. She could let her anger out on these fools. Whoever dared to challenge her shall face her wrath…!

"Prepare yourselves," she said, her voice cold and commanding as a grin swept upon her face. "We have unexpected guests to deal with."

As the echo of the explosion faded, leaving a tense silence in its wake, Raynare readied and the others rushed out of the old church building.

* * *

[First Person Point of View]

Crouched in the underbrush, an old and abandoned church loomed before us, its weathered stones whispering tales of forgotten times. Ruby and I lay in wait, concealed by the shroud of twilight. The evening air was cool, stirring the leaves around us with a gentle rustle.

"Why are we here, Aqua?" Ruby's voice was a soft murmur, barely rising above the whisper of the wind. "This place... it feels eerie."

I turned to her, noting the curiosity mingling with caution in her eyes. Right, she didn’t know that Freed was related to the Fallen Angels. Did she just follow because she sensed the dark and gloomy aura of the crows? No matter, she deserved to hit them a few times too, Ai was my mother as much as she was Ruby’s.

I decided to explain, "Remember Freed? The one you dealt with a beam of solar energy?"

The [Blaze of the Scintillating Quasar] was the most destructive technique she had used so far, so of course, she remembered. She nodded.

"That Freed was connected to the Fallen Angels. I am sure as you have sensed, those said Fallen Angels are in this church. It's not just a random abandoned church; it's a haven for those who wish us harm."

To my annoyance, she looked skeptical. “Are you sure these are the same Fallen Angels that he teamed up with? What if they’re different ones? Um… aren’t you being racist.”

“No? All who wish harm to us must die,” I looked at her and she stared back blankly. “I am exaggerating. But at least, we should remove the family, friends, and any other close connection our enemies have down to their three generations. That’s the bare minimum. If you feel too weak-hearted to do that, don’t worry, this particular batch is related to Freed.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. I can’t hear anything inside even with my heightened hearing senses, it must be because of some spell, but my Jade Perception allows me to read their lips. It seems one particular Fallen Angel here, Raynare, was the one who sent Freed. She’s the direct culprit behind the incident.”

When I finished saying that, Ruby’s eyes were sharp. A bloodthirst unsuitable for a girl who had never really killed anyone, other than Freed, oozed out of her. I suppressed it with my Aura to not alert the Fallen Angels.

“Let’s destroy them,” she said and stood up.

‘That’s more like it,’ I felt proud of her resolve. It was time.

"I say the same," I replied and also stood up, my gaze returning to the decrepit structure. "I’ll leave them ruined to send a clear message back to their higher-ups."

Inhaling deeply, I did two things at once. I caused a blast of Instant Dungeon energy that covered the area, and then I summoned the [Crown Icon]. The sky vibrated with the summoning, the atmosphere heavy with the power that descended upon me.

As the Crown Icon materialized above, the giant, translucent form of Mankind’s Emperor encased me, towering at 14 feet. The Mirage Frame was an ethereal armor, shimmering in golden artifacts and jewelries, a majestic embodiment of authority.

In its grasp, I summoned the translucent Sword of Death, the spectral blade of Xolotl. Standing tall and unyielding, the Emperor's Mirage was a formidable sight to behold for Ruby who stared at me from below. Her eyes were glistening with amazement.

"Ready, Ruby?" I asked, picking up her body and letting her climb onto my shoulder.

"Yes," she replied, her voice steady yet tinged with excitement, as she sat on my left shoulder.

I stepped forward out in the open. With a single, powerful swing of the Sword of Death, I unleashed an explosion of wind. The air itself seemed to tear, a violent gust hurtling towards the church with a wrathful howl.

– Boom!

The impact was epic; part of the church wall buckled and collapsed, sending a billowing cloud of dust and debris skyward.

That was our declaration, a challenge thrown to the Crows hiding. The Fallen Angels would have no choice but to respond.

“How? Just two humans?”

And as expected, they did, emerging from the tattered remains of the church like specters of vengeance. One by one, three Fallen Angels emerged from the remnants of the church, their figures etched against the failing light of the twilight evening.

Their expressions ranged from amusement to shock and lastly, anger. I found myself snickering at Raynare’s amused tone, stupid fucking bitch.

The Crown Icon above me shone brighter as if echoing my thoughts. Tonight, they would witness the true wrath of a Monarch. Sadly, they won’t live to tell the tale.

As the last glimmers of daylight faded, the forsaken church transformed into a battlefield of epic proportions. The Fallen Angels unfurled their dark wings and faced us with sneers.

“Alright, guys. Leave the boy to me. I’ll break his little armor and play with him tonight. You boys enjoy the girl,” said Raynare, as Ruby frowned.

The other Fallen Angels laughed beside her; the middle-aged-looking man was eyeing Ruby while licking his lips. Behind the ruins of the church, many priests were looking at the battle; they didn’t think it was needed for them to join the fight, but they would pay too.

"Stay sharp, Ruby," I murmured, sensing her firm nod on my shoulder. “Blast that fucker.”

She knew who I was talking about, as she raised her palm. The Fallens just smirked, not expecting anything to happen, or to just dodge if it turned out to be a dangerous attack.

But, how could they dodge light-speed?

[Cosmic Magic: Blaze of the Scintillating Quasar]

A pillar-sized beam of solar energy blasted out of Ruby’s hand and into the male Fallen. He could only stare as the pillar consumed him, erasing his body down to a cellular level.

“WHAT THE FUCK?!” Raynare yelled as she backed away from the beam, all of her amusement suddenly gone.

The beam ended and I tossed Ruby toward the ruined church, where she streaked across the sky while her palm pointed at the hidden priests.

I ran after the two female Fallen Angels who were trying to flee. “Where do you think you’re going? Didn’t you want to play?”

“Fuck, get away from me!” yelled the short blonde crow, as she flapped her wings and took off into the air. My tall hands reached out and yanked her by her wings, slamming her down on the ground.

“W-wait, no, I-” she tried, but I wasn’t willing to listen. My massive boot came down on her body, crushing her as her bones crunched like dry twigs. Of course, that wasn’t enough to kill an Angel, fallen or otherwise.

I pointed my massive sword’s tip down and slammed it on her chest, “Auk-!” she let out a gasp, as I lifted it again and slammed it down on her abdomen. Then at her crotch, her thighs next, her knees, and lastly, I stared down at her eyes and slammed my sword into her head. She couldn’t even make a sound as her eyes lost their light, her head vertically divided in two, making two pieces fall to either side.

I lifted her body with my free hand and crushed it. It crunched and mashed like a potato as I rounded it up into a ball and threw it. I didn’t throw it aimlessly, I targeted Raynare who was in the sky, having used my distraction to try to flee. She wasn’t very far since she was occasionally looking back to see what I did to her blonde subordinate.

The ball of meat hit Raynare on the side of her torso and went through in a circular motion. The flesh and bones on that part were missing in a circular motion, her internal organs visible.

“Arghhh!” Raynare screamed in agony and fell to the ground, too much in pain to fly.

Before I followed her, I noted the situation with Ruby. The priests, driven by fear or foolish bravery, grouped together to launch a concentrated attack on her. Dark energies and corrupted light converged and worked together to rush towards Ruby.

* * *

Amidst the crumbling ruins of the church, Ruby stood, a luminous force against the gatherings of the priests’ dark light.

"Brothers, focus your energies!" one priest shouted, his voice echoing against the stone walls.

Cloaked in their tattered vestments, they began their assault with a desperate fervor. They hurled “Eclipse Orbs!” – spheres of light energy – towards Ruby, each infused with dark intent.

"Her light won't withstand our combined might!" another priest responded, using dark magic to summon “Veils of Abyss!”, attempting to shroud Ruby in impenetrable darkness.

Ruby watched the feeble efforts of the priests with a cold surprise.

No, she was genuinely confused.

'Is this the best they can do?' she thought, her lips curling into a wry smile.

She had been learning magic for a long time now, and in the only real clash she had, against the Jaguar Warrior, she met a devastating defeat. So she was a little nervous today, despite now having access to a Spell Concept.

But the powers these priests' displayed, despite being decades older than her, were laughable and pitiful. Just how strong was she?

As the dark tendrils reached for her, she effortlessly muttered, “[Prismatic Barrier]” as sparks of light dispersed the shadows into harmless dust.

The priests were sent into a mix of awe and terror, yelling, “Nightfall Descent!”

Negative light energy rained down like corrupted meteorites, but Ruby, standing amidst the chaos, almost felt pity. With a simple discharge of her Stellar Mana, she dispersed the spell.

'Like moths to a flame,' she mused, her hands glowing brighter.

Then a priest cried out, "B-Behold our ultimate power!” they chanted in unison, “Avatar of Shadows!”

The priests combined their Mana for a final, desperate attack. Merging their dark energies, they formed a colossal entity of shadow, a manifestation of their collective will. It was taller than the Mirage Frame of Emperor, a towering figure loomed over the battlefield.

It swung its arm toward Ruby, cutting through the air at a breakneck speed.

That made Ruby nervous. That wasn't a simple technique, it could be dangerous. So she quickly moved, and with a wave of her hand, she chanted:

“[Radiance of the Morning Star]!”

Her two hands let out a brightness that overpowered the evening light and into that of high noon; Ruby glowed like a mini sun as the fearsome entity turned into a mere shadow dissipated by sunlight.

The sheer force of her light-based magic sent shocks through the priests, toppling their morale like dominos.

‘Shit!’ they cursed. ‘We’re doomed!’

And doomed they were, as Ruby decimated their ranks one by one with thin beams of superheated light.

“[Barrage of the Luminous Sun]!”

Each thin beam of light she unleashed was like a piercing sword that made her enemies fall.

She realized that they died, that she was killing people, but she didn't mind as much as she thought she would have. A part of her mind whispered, 'Of course. If it's for Ai, I would even burn the world down.'

Instead, shouldn’t they be grateful that she was giving them a quick death?

The priests' cries and pleas fell on deaf ears. “This is the price for threatening my family,” she told the world, as the last of the priests crumbled under her unrelenting assault.

Standing amidst the devastation, Ruby's breathing was steady, her gaze fixed on the ruins of her foes. This was her first victory.

And victory tasted sweet.

* * *

I waited to see the entire fight, even if I knew that was too weak for Ruby to get hurt. Last time, she got careless and got seriously injured, I didn’t want that to repeat. Although this distraction allowed Raynare to run quite far, it was a sacrifice I was willing to take for Ruby.

When I saw her score an easy win, I smiled to myself and took off into the air with a jump, and while mid-air, my Mirage Frame shrunk in size, to make it clad around my real body with just a multimeter’s gap.

I wore the bulky Golden armor while long black hair layered over my blonde ones, as my feet touched the ground with a thump. I loomed over Raynare with a grim face.

“W-why are you doing this to us?!” She screamed while holding her side, looking at me in fury and pleading. “We did nothing to you! Let me go.”

"What a stupid little bitch," I taunted, my voice echoing with intent. I could kill her just now, and I would. But why should I make it so easy for her? She needs to know why she's dying, that'd be soothing for me. “Remember Freed Sellzen? He knocked on the wrong door and died. As his superior, you deserve the same fate.”

I tucked my sword into my Void Storage, grabbing her by the hair as I lifted her up to my eye level.

"P-Please, mercy!" she pleaded, her voice breaking. "I'll do anything, just spare me! I didn't know who Freed was messing with! I-I didn't send him to bother you, I was after a girl named Asia, I never wished you harm!”

“I am Asia's guardian,”

“Ah-”

Her voice caught on the end of her throat. It's not that Freed went to the incorrect address, he went to the ‘wrong’ address. Raynare understood the situation instantly.

"You chose this path, little bird," I replied coldly. "Now, face its end."

“Wait! I'll do anything! I-”

My hand released her hair. She fell to the ground, face first, and I kneeled down, my knees falling over her tailbone. The bone shattered, causing her to yell like a little girl, while my hands grabbed her wings. With a tight yank, I pulled out her feathers and her wing bones. Her shoulder blades cracked and broke, as I pulled them out of her body.

Her yells, filled with curses and begs, filled the area as I held her down and killed her slowly. I broke her fingers, her joints, her waist, all of her bones.

At one point, I pushed my gauntlet hand into her back, grabbing her spine and pulling it out. Her nerves tore apart as she jolted and died.

The battle, if it could even be called that, was over. The Fallen Angels lay defeated, dead, their broken bodies left for vultures of this pocket dimension to eat.

The Crown Icon above me dimmed and then vanished, signaling the end of the confrontation. I remained unstained of any blood as I walked away from the grotesque body of Raynare and reunited with Ruby.

We left the Instant Dungeon with a lighter heart than when we entered. Well, I did.

…But my heart would have remained heavy if someone warned me about the situation back home.

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