Vmmm vmmm vmmm—!
An eerie red glow spread from the surface of the "Star of Bethlehem" fortress, a structure forged with the blood and toil of churches and monasteries from across the entire Christian world.
The heavens grew heavy. A formless malice began to seep into the rosy clouds.
Chaotic magical patterns, the AIM diffusion field, and Honkai energy particles began to converge. Under the influence of a unique force, they followed a special trajectory, coagulating together.
Like a viscous fluid flowing along precise pathways, or like swirling, iridescent clouds slowly writhing—or perhaps a giant spill of paint splattered and spread across the ground.
The brilliant, colorful energy coalesced into radiant garments resembling sunset rainbows. Like layers of iridescent clouds, they etched intricate, dazzling runes around the massive cruciform fortress, together forming a colossal ritual expanding rapidly outward.
Visually, it was beautiful.
Like a divine blessing from the heavens.
But what Ollerus saw was the darkness behind the glamour.
"The devil always appears in the guise of an angel." — The Bible
In that moment, Ollerus' consciousness felt like it was thrown into a rapidly spinning blender.
Fragmented images were forcibly shoved into his mind. In his vision: cities burning and crumbling, hundreds of thousands of twisted, broken faces wailing and howling in blood-red flames.
Cities lost to war: Vatican City, Calais, Gravelines, Accra, Lomé, Port Loko, Malabo, São Tomé...
Those tormented by the flames included believers of the Roman Catholic Church—among them, Cardinal Pietro Yogdis, and even Pope Matthai Reese—their ruined faces appearing one after another.
And with every moment, new faces continued to appear.
Among them were fallen soldiers from Academy City, the Pan-American Alliance, the French military, England's magic combat forces, Russian clerics, and countless innocent civilians caught in the crossfire...
Ollerus realized: these were the dead of the world war.
Then, a cacophony of overlapping voices reached his ears—roars and cries filled with hatred and resentment. Tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands—millions?
"'The Fish of the Supper'... you not only destroyed Vatican City, but you also seized this ritual."
The mage named Ollerus instantly saw through the nature of the magical wavelength emitted by the Star of Bethlehem fortress. His once-casual expression completely fell away.
Though he was stripped of the Magic God throne, he still retained a near-Magic-God constitution. A monster capable of wielding the power of a Magic God with ordinary magic alone. Normally, only true Magic Gods could warrant his seriousness.
And now, every single thing he faced was something even he found troublesome.
Especially after seeing through his Nordic Throne (Hliðskjálf) spell that Fiamma of the Right had become the mobile control center of the Star of Bethlehem fortress. The golden angel began modifying the semi-activated supermassive magical array, anchored to churches and monasteries all over the world—
And particularly, when that silver-haired, green-robed magus appeared, Ollerus gritted out a single sentence:
"Crowley... does that bastard even know what he's doing?"
"I'll say it one more time. Step aside, Selene!"
Crack—!
A prismatic ray descended from the sky. That was the reply!
"No passage."
An eruption of boundless Honkai energy, the distortion and fluctuation of gravitational fields, and the burst of high-energy solar radiation streams.
RUMBLE RUMBLE—!!
The Voidstar Anchor roared as it tore through the sonic boom clouds with a deafening blast. Rapidly fusing Honkai energy particles shredded all surrounding matter, howling downward with immense force to strike the light sword below.
Bang!
Under the weight of the impact, Ollerus dropped his stance. Gripping the light sword conjured from his magical ritual with one hand, he stared in astonishment at the tall, elegant woman before him. Though she was graceful and radiant, her overwhelming and unrelenting power gave him a sense of déjà vu.
Olympian myths—the Titans.
Jötunheimr—flame giants.
The Nordic Throne ritual was his pride and joy. Ollerus knew better than anyone what kind of damage his technique could inflict. His attacks targeted the body evenly from the surface to the core. His reflection ritual meant Selene would feel her own power rebound with equal force.
Ordinary mages and espers, no matter how strong, couldn't endure such damage to their body and internal organs!
Especially with Selene's attack style—each flick of her finger packed the equivalent of hundreds of thousands of tons of TNT. The force she exerted, and then reflected back, should have reduced any mortal flesh to paste. Not even Saints could withstand it!
And Selene wasn't a Saint, contrary to what the Roman Catholic Church and other Christian factions believed.
Others might not see it, but Ollerus certainly could. There wasn't the slightest trace of the Son of God's miracle or the wavelength of stigmata on her.
Then why?
Why was she completely unaffected? His impact had definitely connected, but it only seemed to invigorate her further!
Confused, Ollerus raised his gaze to meet those glowing, crimson diamond-shaped pupils. Far from fatigue, all he saw was unyielding fighting spirit—a seemingly endless energy.
And an eagerness to beat him to death.
Vmmm—!
"Recognize it now? That eagerness... It's the pride of the Roman Catholic Church—no, of all Christendom. Oh, I forgot, you're Nordic. You don't give a damn about those fogeys still basking in the Middle Ages at the Vatican."
Her voice rang out bright and confident.
Once the battle began, Selene's usual leisure was quickly replaced by a blazing intensity. That heat wasn't just the result of her wielded authority—it was her passion for battle, her thrill for combat.
Simply put, Selene was a full-spectrum, zero-weakness fighter. A hexagonal warrior that made Ollerus—and everyone else—utterly vexed.
The recoil and reflection force had landed. Selene took the hit, but it was like a mosquito bite. As for the internal shock to her organs? Sorry, this phantom spirit clone of Selene didn't even bother manifesting those unnecessary components.
"Ahahaha... that's the stuff! Again!"
"..."
Selene was having a blast. Ollerus... not so much.
If he were a true Magic God, this phantom form would have stood no chance. The others were either allies or disinterested. Only Ollerus allowed this body to fight to its heart's content.
Evenly matched—or slightly outmatched—Ollerus didn't dare get serious. He was the "Good Guy Emperor" after all. If they both went all out, they might very well plow the earth clean.
So he matched Selene's output one notch higher, only as needed. When she increased, he increased. It was a fuel-additive arms race. Not because he couldn't burst forth, but because he was terrified of harming the populations across the Indian Ocean.
He'd considered suddenly ramping up to overwhelm her with several magnitudes of power. But it didn't work. Selene didn't just take it—she returned it with a solar-level beatdown several times stronger.
So now it looked like he was getting pummeled. And it was humiliating! He couldn't leave either.
Even his other specialty—Fairyification—was useless.
The ritual was based on Christianity's unintentional belittling of other deities. Those struck in the heart by the "Fairyification" ritual would gradually collapse from within, reverting to the human realm.
"Fairyification" only worked on Magic Gods or those close to becoming one. Selene wasn't a magician, not even on the same path.
"What's wrong?"
Selene raised her palm, watching the blond man who kept glancing toward the "Bethlehem Star" fortress. Another Voidstar Anchor formed amidst thunder and flame, which she casually caught in one hand.
"Thinking of reclaiming the stolen ritual for the Roman Catholic Church? Hm, that does fit your 'Good Guy Emperor' persona. Upholding the principle that 'reaching out in others' time of need is a fundamental law of the world'—such a compassionate soul."
From what Selene could see, Ollerus was a man full of love and compassion.
He should have become a Magic God, but ended up running around town looking for an animal hospital to help an injured kitten, missing the opportunity. The kind of man who would annihilate an entire army to save a stranger's child.
So compassionate it made people think he was a soft-brained idiot.
Yet, the price of his compassion was solving everything through overwhelming violence. In that regard, he was no different from Selene.
In the flicker of her gaze, moonlight seemed to ripple in Selene's bright pupils. She received Aleister's transmission—the foundational ritual once held by the Roman Catholic Church, "Fish of the Supper," had been adjusted.
Amplified two billion times… What kind of heights would Aleister reach then?
"Sebas, is the global broadcast ready?" Selene asked, anticipation building.
"Ready, milady," came the low, ageless reply.
"And the real-time visual effects team?"
"Also standing by."
"Then begin."
Vmmm—!
Facing the stern-faced Ollerus, Selene smiled sweetly. "Regardless, Ollerus, thank you."
"What? What do you mean by that?"
In the next instant, Selene radiated light. Her previously light armor-like battle suit became more ornate and significantly heavier, resembling a set of grand heavy armor. The detailed etchings gave it a solemn and divine aura.
Her platinum angelic six wings spread wide once more, growing more magnificent and radiant. When folded, they could even fully shield her body.
Whoosh!
Selene bent her right arm, and the Voidstar Anchor swept lightly across her side. Slicing through the cyclone, she unleashed a sweeping strike.
Rumble rumble rumble—!
Explosive flames and scorching heat were blown away by the raging wind.
Behind her head now glowed a solar halo. Selene's lips curled into a smile—dangerous yet beautiful. With grace and might in harmony, she leveled her spear at Ollerus.
"O god of northern winter, Ullr, show me your power of ice and snow. I've specially chosen the authority of the sun to face you, yet your attention keeps drifting miles away. How boring."
Time to put on a show!
Aside from relying on "Imagine Breaker" and "Index," the malice within human hearts was another source of Right Hand's power. The stronger the hatred, the stronger his power.
Similar to how Vento of the Front weaponized public hostility and hatred as divine punishment.
Aleister's ritual, "Fish of the Supper," also required the hatred of all Roman Catholic believers. In other words, malice from within their hearts.
And Selene's job was to draw that malice out.
That's why she crafted this appearance.
Humans are creatures drawn to appearances. Judging by looks is instinctual—the first impression.
Global broadcast. You see a holy, glorious, radiant, righteous, beautiful angel swinging a blade at a gloomy-looking magician—who's also using ancient Norse-style magic. If you're a devout Christian, who would you think is the villain?
Give him a gloomy filter, while Selene uses a sunny one—then push public opinion.
This won't do.
Zzzzt!
Selene moved, gripping her Voidstar Anchor with one hand. The brilliant gold spear clashed against the magic etched with Ollerus' most prized technique, unleashing snarling light particles that gnawed at each other and exploded into dazzling sparks.
"What exactly is your objective?"
To Ollerus' questioning, Selene simply ignored him. With the global broadcast ongoing, she had no interest in answering. She just wanted to stage a spectacular performance—and enjoy the fight.
Oh right, Sebas—mute him, and add an evil keh keh keh laugh while you're at it.
Rumble rumble—!
Every collision shook the surrounding ocean. The isolated islands of the southern Indian Ocean trembled and cracked, while the continental shelf heaved and rolled as if waves surged beneath it.
Visible shockwaves, layered by consecutive massive blasts, turned into blinding white light—like tangible walls of energy expanding outward from the two combatants.
The sky tore open!
The atmosphere emptied!
The ocean revealed its ancient, deep seabed—cracking into countless chasms like bottomless abysses, spreading toward the edge of the horizon in an instant!
The seas roared, endlessly surging. Towering waves a thousand meters tall crashed upward!
Like a divine battle.
Which was fitting. The Danish name for Ullr was, in fact, "Ollerus." In Norse mythology, Ullr was the god of winter, snow, archery, and hunting—but was gradually forgotten.
And Selene? From Greek mythology—the goddess of the full moon.
A Norse god versus a Greek goddess.
And this entire spectacle was already being captured by several satellites in low Earth orbit, locked in by Academy City's tracking systems, and transmitted worldwide.
All the malice in the world was being guided.
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