Chapter 212: Weakness
*
“Why the thorns?”
Luel pointed at Wilhelm’s black thorns.
It was a horrific weapon that had killed Schurz and caused Lucy to lose her arm.
But the reason Luel pointed it out was for another matter.
“The movement is strange.”
“Well, that’s because Wilhelm can change direction at will…”
“No, that’s not it… I misspoke. Please look at this first.”
She indicated the High Priest’s barrier.
It was a barrier that disabled Schurz’s wings and Stella’s magic, slowing the movements of the two who entered it.
One could say it was the biggest factor leading Schurz’s group to defeat.
Luel pointed at the barrier and said, “This barrier is quite special.”
“A special barrier?”
“It’s simpler to say it’s a barrier of barriers.”
No, I don’t quite get it.
“So, do you know exactly what a barrier is?”
“Isn’t it something that blocks Chaos Beasts and weakens Demon Kings?”
It was a bit ambiguous to say that because of Albert’s case.
But as far as I knew, that was what barriers did.
“That role does exist. But its essence is ultimately divine authority.”
“Divine authority?”
“Yes, it means having absolute control over the concept one presides over… the authority of a god.”
“But what’s that got to do with barriers? Barriers work against Chaos.”
“Divine authority inherently has some resistance to Chaos. That’s a characteristic it possesses.”
The unique characteristics that divine authority itself has.
Hearing those words, I roughly understood what it involved.
“So the barrier emphasizes resistance to Chaos rather than dominion over concepts?”
“Exactly.”
“Then strictly speaking, we should call Albert’s barrier divine authority rather than a barrier?”
“Yes, that’s correct. It’s different from other barriers that transform into barrier stones and forgo dominion over concepts. However…”
She placed her hand on her chin.
“The God of Connection is a bit special. The boundaries of that concept are quite ambiguous…”
Just then, I heard Albert’s voice.
Hmm, in fact, I’m not clear about my own concept. I can only say that it has been gradually strengthening since I met you, Master.
Thinking back, his concept indeed was unclear.
Unlike the God of Fire who handles fire and the God of Water who handles water, the God of Connection was not that straightforward.
He seemed to interfere a bit with anything that approached me.
But ultimately, what mattered now wasn’t that.
“So the High Priest’s barrier, at its core, is also divine authority?”
“That’s right. So from now on, let’s call it divine authority instead of a barrier. Do you understand what I said initially?”
“What you said initially…”
It was definitely the barrier of barriers.
If we change barriers to divine authority…
“Divine authority of divine authorities?”
It felt like a dangerous title.
And the next moment, that feeling turned into certainty.
“Does it mean it has dominion over other divine authorities?”
Luel nodded.
“Magic and stigma ultimately use god’s power. If the High Priest had only nullified one or two concepts, I might have thought differently, but…”
She had also nullified Stella’s magic ‘Meteor’ and Schurz’s stigma strength ‘Wings.’
What that implied was clear.
Divine authority of divine authorities.
If that divine authority…
“Could it mean the High Priest possesses the divine authority…”
“That’s right. It is probably the Creator God’s authority. To be precise, it’s a form through which she exerts it via a contract, not possessing the divine authority itself.”
“Through a contract?”
“That’s just speculation. Her divine power was also present when she and her allies killed the Creator God.”
Moreover, if she truly possessed the Creator God’s divine authority, that would pose a problem.
As far as we knew, the Creator God’s divine authority was sealed by a powerful seal in Ice Valley.
Yet whether it’s a contract or not, it was still powerful.
A potent authority that nullifies all magic and stigma.
The ways to break through it were…
“…There is.”
“Huh?”
“But there is a method. Whether it’s truly possible is another matter, but at least it’s not impossible.”
She pointed again at Wilhelm’s black thorns.
“Thorns?”
That was definitely also the starting point of this discussion.
However, I couldn’t quite wrap my head around how that would be a way to pierce the High Priest.
“Are you suggesting Schurz’s blood?”
Schurz’s blood indeed flowed a bit into the High Priest’s wound due to thorn contamination.
But as the High Priest stated, that wouldn’t work unless Wilhelm changed his mind.
“Are we going to persuade Wilhelm?”
Of course, that wasn’t entirely out of the question.
Wilhelm now had changed to an incomprehensible extent, but the Wilhelm I knew during military academy days wasn’t like that at all.
But…
“Even if we do that, the High Priest’s divine authority…”
It was at that moment.
‘Wait, something…’
I was overlooking something.
Something related to Wilhelm’s thorns.
As if to explain, Luel spoke.
“Watch carefully. What happens the moment Wilhelm’s thorns are influenced by the High Priest’s divine authority.”
The moment it touched the High Priest’s divine authority, the direction momentarily shifted slightly.
What that signified was…
“It’s being influenced by divine authority?”
“Well, it’s better to say resistance, actually. Other apostles don’t feel the influence of divine authority at all.”
“Resistance?”
It was a word she had brought up when explaining the relationship between barriers and divine authority.
While divine authority absolutely dominates its possessed concepts, barriers emphasize the resistance to the Chaos possessed by divine authority.
As I recalled that knowledge, it dawned on me.
‘Huh?’
Thinking about it, it made sense.
Wilhelm’s thorns were definitely created using part of a Demon King.
Thus, in a sense, it bore similar properties to a Demon King.
‘So naturally, there’s resistance?’
No, the resistance wasn’t important here.
What Luel really intended to convey was something else.
I finally grasped what she was getting at.
“Those thorns resist but are not dominated, right?”
In other words, they wouldn’t be nullified by the High Priest’s divine authority.
“That’s correct. Of course, saying it’s a Demon King’s means it’s not completely outside the grasp of this world’s concepts, so it can’t completely evade domination…”
“Still, if there’s even a bit of Chaos remaining, it can move.”
That was it.
Wings and Meteor were completely nullified, but Schurz and Duke could still move.
In contrast, Freira, who had no Chaos in her body, couldn’t move at all until the High Priest released her divine authority.
“Then somehow, we have to persuade Wilhelm…”
No, that’s not it.
Of course, this method was worth trying, but we couldn’t solely rely on it, especially given the uncertain variables in the current situation.
Then…
“Are they, after all, the Demon Kings?”
Demon Kings.
They were beings that had already been nearly consumed by Chaos.
So even though they might resist divine authority to some extent, they wouldn’t be completely nullified.
There was a reason there had been a destruction ending caused by them for the Hundred Braves.
They indeed had the potential to kill the High Priest.
Yet even so, the High Priest had been walking a tightrope with them.
Did she not realize she could be killed by them?
Or did she have some goal in mind?
In the past, I actually thought her tightrope act was for the sake of power.
But after somewhat confronting her true nature, I didn’t think she was merely doing this for power.
There had to be some other significant reason.
However, still…
I did not regret killing the Demon Kings.
Especially when I think of the 72nd Demon King; had I not killed her then, while the High Priest may have been removed, the world’s destruction couldn’t have been avoided.
And it’s not too late yet.
The initial Demon Kings.
There wasn’t much information about them anyway.
Beyond being hard to spot, there was almost no observational information at all.
Their information.
Their strength.
Everything was a mystery.
Perhaps if we could somehow manage the apostles and carve a path, they could fight the High Priest.
At least, according to Luel, there’s a possibility.
We needed to meet them first, though.
“Luel, I roughly figured out the direction…”
It was then.
Master.
It was Albert.
“Albert?”
I apologize, but I wouldn’t recommend relying solely on them.
In an instant, I felt his divine authority dwindling.
“Albert, you don’t need to say more than that. I already know that much.”
No, the tale I have to tell doesn’t end here. However…this is all I can manage for now.
After a moment of silence, he spoke again.
I would recommend visiting the trial near Ice Valley once before the final showdown.
It was at that moment.
His divine authority had now completely faded.
“Albert? Albert!”
A bit tired. I need to catch some rest for a while.
He fell silent.
“This guy, just spouting ungraspable tales…”
Yet it seemed Luel had some guess about what Albert was saying.
“The gods seem to know something more.”
“Luel, do you understand anything?”
“No, it’s not in my knowledge. As he said, it seems the best option would be for you to visit the trial.”
“Is that so…”
“But if you enter the trial now, you may end up being late. That’s something you must decide for yourself.”
That was certainly true.
The remaining time was short if it was short and long if it was long.
While I was pondering over the trial, she spoke.
“That person, was she called the High Priest?”
“Yes?”
Miss Weiss was pointing at the High Priest.
“Yes, that’s her.”
“The High Priest…”
As she stared more closely at the High Priest, she said, “I remember seeing her a few days before I lost my memory at Ice Valley.”
The moment I heard her words, I felt certain.
“I really need to go to the trial.”
Of course, it would have to wait until after meeting the Demon Kings, but I had to explore the trial.
There were still so many things I didn’t know.
Especially regarding the High Priest.
*
