Akashic Records of the Bastard Child Engaged to a Goddess



Holy Sword Tournament Arc II

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(POV: Akashic Records)

Drome and Kana stepped forward, the weight of their weapons evident in the clanking of their light armor. The magic spear in Drome's hand shimmered with power, while Kana's magic sword gleamed in the sunlight.

They exchanged a quick glance, a silent understanding passing between them.

Soon, they departed.

Lirien took a step closer to Isadora, who stood there trembling, her tear-filled eyes locked on the lifeless body of Lumiere. Gallus held Isadora tightly, his grip serving as an anchor amidst her overwhelming grief.

Isadora's voice broke through her sobs as she whispered, "I... I... (~spasms)... I'll... never forgive you, Lirien. You've caused all this pain."

Lirien's voice, calm yet tinged with sadness, met Isadora's accusation.

"I never wanted this for any of you, especially not this boy. I only wanted to protect you, Isadora, at all costs."

Isadora's anger flared, her voice laced with bitterness.

"Protect me? Look at what your protection has brought! Lumiere is dead... do you expect me to be happy?! I... I... (~coughs) I won't forg-- I can't forgive you! Never!"

Lirien's eyes met Isadora's, filled with unspoken remorse.

"If it is your wish to hate me, Isadora, then I'll bear that burden. All I want is for you to be safe, I guess I failed..."

Isadora's frustration erupted, her cries growing louder.

Before her outburst could escalate further, Gallus gently struck her on the neck, causing her to slump into unconsciousness.

Lirien, her face a mixture of gratitude and sorrow, turned to Gallus. "Thank you," she murmured, her voice filled with a rare vulnerability.

Without another word, Lirien took her leave.

"( That Lumiere... he's put Isadora's life in danger... he deserved a fate worse than death... )" (Lirien)

Her sights were now set on the Archbishop.

Lumiere's body lay there, the light in his eyes fading and his lids slowly closing shut. His breaths were slow, progressively diminishing.

"( What move... did she use...?

[Blink Strike] or maybe [Flash Step]...

...You suck Lumiere, here you are dying and all you can think of is what move your opponent used...

...Fiddlesticks...

I always thought this world was in my favor... but now I'm starting to think this is my punishment for thinking that.

Haha... All-Father warned me, didn't he...?

Turns out, my so-called strength is nothing but a bunch of lucky abilities or gifts from some higher power.

I never considered the rules or limits, thinking I could do anything because luck was on my side.

...I'm sorry, All-Father, for my arrogance. Serena, Isadora, Genny, Fasit... I messed up big time... )" (Lumiere)

...

In the skies.

The air crackled with tension as Lumiere's life force flickered on the edge of existence, his body weak and wounded. Blood pooled beneath him, staining the ground crimson, a stark contrast to the surrounding darkness that seemed to devour the light.

"No way..."

Serena, her once gentle visage now transformed into an ethereal embodiment of fury and power, hovered above, casting a haunting silhouette against the sky's sun.

"I refuse to accept this."

Her hair, once a cascade of shimmering white, now writhed like the flames of a raging inferno, obscuring her face. The torrents of mana around her swirled with unimaginable intensity, pulsating with an unrestrained energy that created an aura of sheer magnitude.

"What did they... do to you..."

The dark flyers, once determined to attack her, now kept their distance, their wings trembling in fear of the storm that Serena had become.

"No..."

With a voice resonating through the battlefield like an ancient prophecy, Serena's gaze locked onto the source of Lumiere's suffering. Her eyes, once pools of serene cerulean, now burned with an unquenchable rage as they glowed a deep crimson. Her lips, painted scarlet, curved into a wicked smile, imbued with the malevolence of a thousand demons.

From the skies, her eyes scanned the landscape in search of Lirien.

"Where is she..." Serena giggled.

She single-mindedly focused all her mental energy into finding her.

There were always two sides to something, a delicate balance that played out between the opposing forces that defined existence.

A world where light intertwined with darkness.

Good clashed with evil.

And fair encountered the depths of dark desires.

The tapestry of existence was embroidered with threads of kindness and cruelty, mercy and ruthlessness, mortal vulnerability contrasting against immortality, and the tangible realm contrasting against ethereal illusions.

Several individuals wondered why Serena had bat-like wings and the ominous black horns that would usually crown her head.

These remarkable features were the result of an ancient phenomenon known as the Duality Factor—a cosmic force that mirrored the dichotomies that pervaded existence.

Just as there were two sides to every coin, Serena too harbored two contrasting personas.

Stellaria once said Serena would cause a lot of havoc as a child just by throwing a tantrum.

It was the same here...

But much worse...

Serena, or rather, Serendipity was known as goddess of fortune, yes.

However, before that, she was born as the embodiment of calamity.

A goddess of misfortune.

...

As the two demon knights, Kana and Drome, made their way through the decimated ruins of Zarbon city, their light armors clanked, echoing the desolation that surrounded them. Their bloodstained swords and spears scraped against the ashen ground, leaving a haunting trail in their wake.

Kana, feeling arrogantly confidence, chuckled to Drome, her companion.

"Did you see those pathetic knights? They couldn't even make it past my warm-up exercises. Utterly weak."

Drome shook his head, his voice filled with tempered caution.

"It's not that these knights are weak, Kana. It's just that we're too strong. Our might only makes them seem mediocre."

With a smirk, Kana shrugged.

"Well, it's not our fault if they foolishly throw away their lives by challenging us."

Hovering above the two demon knights, Stellaria, the alluring goddess, observed the bloodstained weapons clutched in their grasp.

Her cobalt blue eyes gleamed with mischief, and a mischievous smile played upon her lips. "Ara~Ara. Looks like you've been naughty, boys and girls," she purred, her voice dripping with devious delight.

Without a moment's hesitation, Kana sensed the danger that Stellaria exuded.

"Her magic power!" (Kana)

"I... I... I know!" (Drome)

"We need to attack, now!" (Kana)

In a swift motion, she channeled the magic power of lightning into her sword, the energy crackling with electric fury.

[Lightning Sword Magic: Flash Strike!]

A Rank B magic attack.

With a resounding slash, she unleashed the lightning-infused strike, the force slicing through the air and causing the very earth beneath them to rumble in protest. The deadly arc of lightning surged towards Stellaria, who could only gasp in realization.

"Oh no!" (Stellaria)

BOOM!!

The slash pierced through Stellaria's form, exploding in a mighty burst of lightning.

Even the sky rumbled with the aftershocks of the violent explosion.

"Nice hit, Kana!" Drom grinned.

"Yeah, it was a close one.." she exhaled deeply.

Kana and Drome believed they had triumphed, thinking the danger had been vanquished, until they saw Stellaria, casually yawning as if nothing had happened.

"Sike," she taunted, her voice laced with nonchalance.

The tiniest flicker of a smirk played upon her lips.

A spatial barrier, unseen and easily missed, had effortlessly protected her from the devastating impact of Kana's attack.

---Status---

Name: Stellaria

Race: Supreme Trifect

Age: Chronologically 4,000 | Biologically 21

Strength: 8,000

MP: 75,000

Magic Arts: [Holy Magic] (Rank A), [Airspace Magic] (Rank B+), [Lightning Magic] (Rank A), [Enchantments] (Rank A+)

Magic Skills:

...[Integral Skills] ::

[Transformation] (Rank A), [Mana Regeneration] (Rank A)

...[Additional Skills] ::

[Matter Reogarnization] (Rank A), [Matter Conversion] (Rank B)

...[Apex Skills] ::

『Spatial King Azurath』— Spatial Cage • Spatial Entry • Interspace Control • Barrier Domination • Interspace Isolation • Spatial Detect • Space Cutter: Druziel