Chapter 94: Fleurdelys
At the heart of the second Dark Tide outbreak, within the Holy Spire of Confluence in Avinoleum.
In the center of the hall, where once sacred and opulent decorations had stood, everything was now tainted by the Dark Tide. Only one figure, radiating both power and beauty, still resisted the encroachment through her own strength.
Long, silky golden hair cascaded down her pure white back. The power within her was gradually fading, and traces of erosion had already begun to appear on her body. She could only support herself with the long sword materialized from her own Resonance Power, remaining silent all the while.
From some unknown time and for reasons unclear, the Dark Tide, which she had once been able to suppress, began to grow increasingly violent. Fleurdelys could only strive to contain it within this place.
But as a Resonator of "Him," Fleurdelys knew all too well that Threnodian's power was growing stronger. Sooner or later, she too would be swallowed by the tide.
"So, even now, you still refuse to return to my embrace?"
A whisper echoed in her ear once more, as the surrounding Dark Tide surged violently toward her.
"...!"
The golden-haired knight rose and swung her sword, cleaving through the onrushing tide around her.
"..."
Fleurdelys's resistance was met only with a cold, mocking laugh.
"Heh."
Then, the tide before her coalesced into form—
Even taking on a likeness similar to Fleurdelys, it appeared before her in a posture of near-derision.
"All you have done... is merely postpone the destruction that is destined to come. How much longer will you persist in this futile struggle?"
The Dark Tide-formed "Fleurdelys" took a step forward. Its voice was identical to the knight's own, yet saturated with a cold, inhuman resonance. It extended a hand, thick shadows dripping from its fingertips.
"Or... do you believe that by sending 'her' away, you can find a way to oppose me?"
Fleurdelys tightened her grip on the sword slightly, her golden eyes sharply piercing the dark illusion.
Leviathan uttered that name in her voice, laced with a cruelty that bordered on delight. "The part you separated is nothing but my gift, Fleurdelys. It was I who permitted you to 'sever that portion of weakness' and 'that yearning.'"
"What... did you say?" The knight's breath caught almost imperceptibly.
Leviathan's arm swept gracefully, causing the viscous darkness around them to churn, reflecting fragmented, blurry images—Cartethyia walking the streets of Ragunna, people casting glances at her filled with awe, curiosity, or hidden expectations.
"See how hard she strives. She inherited a portion of your power, inherited the title of Blessed Maiden, and also inherited the 'light' you left for Ragunna—a light I have long since twisted. People watch her, speak of her, and place their hopes for salvation and peace once more upon this symbol of the 'Blessed Maiden.'"
The voice slithered like a venomous serpent into Fleurdelys's ears, piercing through her defenses.
"Every prayer, every invocation of the 'Blessed Maiden's' name, every faint spark of hope ignited because of her... all nourish me. 'Cartethyia' has precisely become the tool through which I gather faith and harvest power."
"The more you yearn to connect with the outside world through her and seek help, the more you're helping me erode this world faster, accelerating the descent of 'Heaven.'"
"Everything you've done—your perseverance, your sacrifices, your final struggles, this prolonged resistance—is merely the prelude to the arrival of 'Heaven.'"
"Give up, Fleurdelys. Return to me, become my vessel. Your consciousness won't completely fade; you will witness the dawn of a new era with me, behold this perfection where all clamor subsides into eternal tranquility. Why continue to endure this endless suffering and futility?"
Fleurdelys's body trembled slightly, not from fear, but from rage and an indescribable chill.
"I... refuse." Her voice was hoarse from waning strength, yet her will remained unshakable.
"She is not your tool. She is my choice, my possibility. As long as she exists, as long as she remembers who she is and continues to act against you... my resistance holds meaning."
In response to Fleurdelys's answer, Leviathan let out a scornful, cold laugh.
"So be it... then obediently become my vessel."
Just as the deity's hand was about to touch Fleurdelys—
"The hell you say, Leviathan."
A cordial greeting laced with vulgarity shot toward Leviathan's hand along with a bullet.
Bang!
The bullet struck the avatar formed from the Dark Tide, actually severing the arm of this corporeal form.
Leviathan's tone revealed a hint of displeasure as it turned to gaze at the entrance of the Holy Spire of Confluence.
Tattered clothing, body covered in the resonance of blood and death, even traces stained by the Dark Tide.
Yet the newcomer paid no mind to any of it.
"I was wondering why everyone was seeing Little Carte. If it's your doing, then it's no surprise."
Aeron spoke while chambering a round in his firearm, his face adorned with an unrestrained, blatant smile brimming with arrogance and madness.
Fleurdelys slowly turned her head. Those golden eyes, dimmed by prolonged resistance, finally gleamed with a faint light upon hearing that familiar, crude yet unmistakably clear "greeting."
It's him... but... why?
This was the core of Avinoleum, the abyss where the Dark Tide and Threnodian power were most concentrated.
How could he—an ordinary person not truly acknowledged by the Sentinels—appear here?
Worry washed over her like an icy tide—he would be utterly consumed by this darkness, he would face eternal damnation because of his connection to her.
"So you've come here after all."
Leviathan slightly lowered its head, clearly unsurprised by Aeron's arrival.
"What, can't get me out of your head after just one meeting?"
Aeron tilted his head, casually aiming the gun barrel at the embodiment of darkness, yet his steps remained resolute as he trudged toward Fleurdelys, leaving bloody footprints with each step.
Wherever he passed, the churning Dark Tide around him seemed to recoil slightly, as if encountering something they loathed and feared.
"Don't leave..." Fleurdelys tried to voice her warning, but her voice came out hoarse and barely audible, her knuckles turning white from the grip on her sword.
And Aeron immediately responded—with his free hand, stained with blood yet radiating warmth, he grasped Fleurdelys's hand.
[Focus Fire Target, Activate]
"?!"
Instantly, the dark forces that clung to her like persistent parasites, corroding her body and consciousness, seemed to find a more enticing outlet. They frenziedly, uncontrollably, tore away from her and surged toward Aeron, who had willingly made himself the target!
"Ugh—!"
Fleurdelys grunted, feeling her body suddenly lighten. She could clearly see the Dark Tide rushing through their connected hands, swiftly staining Aeron's already battered form with deeper shadows.
Beneath his skin, his veins bulged, taking on an ominous dark hue, yet the unhinged smile on his face remained unchanged.
"....!"
Fleurdelys tried to break free, to stop his suicidal act, but he only tightened his grip.
Aeron's response was just a few words:
"Be good, don't move."
The moment she heard those words, Fleurdelys's body went limp.
Aeron mustered all his strength to pull her behind him. Her tall, sturdy frame collided with his slightly slender yet unyielding back, leaving her momentarily dazed.
"You...!" Fleurdelys watched his back, trembling violently as the Dark Tide flooded into him, veins bulging grotesquely beneath his skin. The words to stop him caught in her throat.
But Aeron gave her no more time to worry.
Just as the Dark Tide's erosion reached a critical point—the moment his entire right arm was nearly dyed ink-black and his eyes were bloodshot—
He raised his other, relatively unharmed hand, the uniquely shaped firearm in it pressing steadily against his own temple.
The motion was too fast for Fleurdelys to react.
Bang!
Another gunshot echoed, piercingly loud in the vast, deathly silence of the Holy Spire of Confluence.
Crimson mixed with splattering dark fragments erupted. The hand that had pulled the trigger fell limply, and Aeron's body remained standing in place.
Fleurdelys stared at his back, unsure how much time had passed before the "corpse" before her spoke.
"Alright, time to pass the baton."
Aeron released Fleurdelys's hand and strode toward Leviathan.
"Why... do you refuse to embrace the end peacefully?"
The Dark Tide coalesced in Leviathan's hand into a longsword identical to Fleurdelys's, aimed at Aeron as he advanced relentlessly.
"You already know the answer. In the end, there's only one reason I came here."
He raised his gun, took aim, and behind him, a ferocious Persona Mask materialized. In his mortal eyes, a turbulent mix of emotions blazed fiercely.
And in his arms, the lantern entrusted to him by the previous throne-bearer began to glow.
"Leviathan, I'm here to kill you!"
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