Chapter 459: Now, You Can Shine (3)
Belinda had finally established a world entirely her own.
The foundation of that world was her unconditional and infinite love and devotion for Ghislain and Elena.
The world she had defined was manifesting itself here and now.
It marked the birth of a new transcendent being.
Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!
Trails of light sliced through Melchior countless times.
“Arghhhhh!”
Trapped within the space, all Melchior could do was scream as he was mercilessly slashed.
Even Ghislain felt a chilling sensation for a brief moment. If anyone were caught in there, it would be nearly impossible to evade or block such attacks.
Swoosh!
The daggers enveloped in light scattered in all directions once again. Melchior's bandages, already soaked in blood and torn to shreds, revealed what lay beneath.
“Grgh…”
Melchior’s appearance, now stripped of the bandages, was horrifying. His body, from head to toe, was marred by scars, leaving no unblemished area.
His flesh, already covered in festering wounds, was now drenched in blood from the injuries inflicted by the daggers.
Looking down at his own body, Melchior murmured with hollow eyes.
“Annette… Annette… If only you could come back…”
Most of the wounds on his body were inflicted by Annette long ago. Those wounds, still grotesque and festering, continued to ooze pus.
Having lost his mana core and vitality, his body could no longer heal properly.
It was astonishing that he had been able to move and fight in such a state.
Ssssshhhh!
A dense darkness surged toward the staggering Melchior. Even as the darkness warped right in front of him, he could do nothing.
Swoosh!
The darkness split apart, and Belinda emerged from within.
Using all her strength, she plunged two daggers into Melchior’s body.
One pierced his heart, and the other his throat.
Thunk! Thunk!
“Grgh…”
Already severely wounded and faltering, Melchior couldn’t stop her. The tendons in his body had long since been severed. It was only through his immense aura that he had been holding himself together.
Belinda shed a single tear as she spoke, her eyes filled with hatred.
“I really thought you were dead.”
Melchior gathered the last remnants of his strength to speak, his voice weak.
“Grgh… Hah. Might as well have been. Look at me now.”
“I didn’t know you were alive, so I thought all I had to do was raise the Young Lord and Lady well. If I had known, I wouldn’t have done that.”
Melchior was the one responsible for destroying Belinda’s group and killing her mentor. If she had known he was alive, her life would have been consumed by vengeance. Perhaps ignorance had been a blessing for her.
Melchior chuckled weakly, his body trembling.
“Keheheh… To think that boy was her son. And I didn’t realize it for over twenty years… Ha… Everything went wrong from that day… That’s why the ducal family ended up getting cornered… What a cruel twist of fate…”
“It’s not a coincidence. It’s fate.”
Yes, this was fate. Who could have imagined that such a long-standing enmity would resurface like this?
It was clear that Melchior had survived thanks to the ducal family and the Salvation Church. Annette’s child, now grown, had become the greatest threat to both the ducal family and the Salvation Church.
The connection between them and Ghislain was one of unending animosity, stretching back far too long.
Belinda bit her lip before continuing.
“This time, you won’t come back. I’ll make sure of it. No one will be here to save you now.”
“Keh… Heh. To fall to you after her… If only I had mastered that secret technique…”
“A vile man like you could never master it.”
Swoosh!
With those final words, Belinda swung her daggers.
The twin blades, imbued with aura, crossed as they aimed to sever Melchior’s neck. Or so they should have.
Clang!
The daggers were blocked by the dark energy emanating from Melchior’s wounds.
“Huh?”
Sensing something amiss, Belinda quickly retreated.
Fwoosh!
From the myriad wounds on Melchior’s body, a frenzied black energy erupted, rapidly engulfing him.
Crack. Crack.
Melchior’s muscles began to swell, his body growing larger. Grinning wickedly, he bared his teeth as he spoke.
“So, this is how I make my final stand. At least the Count of Fenris is here to witness it.”
Belinda’s eyes narrowed sharply. She knew exactly what this phenomenon was.
It was the transformation of the Salvation Church’s so-called “Holy Warrior.”
Melchior’s eyes gleamed with euphoria. Staring into the void, as though seeing a mirage, he spoke once more.
“It’s this power that barely kept me alive. But it wasn’t living… Now, I can finally find peace.”
Melchior’s gaze returned to Belinda.
“You, Annette’s successor, and the Count of Fenris. Just killing the two of you will satisfy me. If I can accomplish that, it will be my victory in the end.”
Boom!
A tremendous surge of energy erupted from Melchior’s body. His eyes rolled back completely, leaving only the whites visible.
After twitching a few times, drool spilled from his mouth.
“Ugh… Annette… I’ll kill you for sure…”
“My targets… the Count of Fenris… the Marquis of Ferdium… Elena…”
“Annette… Belinda…”
Even as a transcendent, Melchior couldn’t escape the mental degradation brought on by his transformation. The power of the Holy Warrior was immense, but the cost was equally severe.
“Tch.”
Belinda stepped back, her daggers hovering in midair once again. Despite her severe injuries and depleted mana, she had no choice but to fight against the now even stronger Melchior.
At that moment, Ghislain, who had been silently observing, finally stepped forward.
“Stand down, Belinda.”
“Young Lord.”
“I’ll handle this from here.”
“But that thing!”
“That’s no longer the Melchior you knew. He’s finished. Now, he’s just something else entirely.”
“……”
“Why don’t you head to the castle and assist Gillian instead? According to Dark, there shouldn’t be any major issues, but you can never be too sure.”
“...Will you be okay?”
Ghislain smirked.
“Stop worrying so much.”
Belinda smiled faintly at his words.
No matter how powerful or influential Ghislain became, to her, he would always be a child. That would never change, not even when he grew old and gray.
Belinda stepped back. For now, she had to trust Ghislain. Elena was just as precious to her, and she had to protect her too.
“I’ll go ahead. Finish this quickly and come back.”
“Alright, go on. We’ll talk more when this is over. I have a lot of questions for you.”
“Graaahhh!”
Melchior, his transformation complete, charged at Belinda. But Ghislain intercepted him before he could reach her.
Boom!
Ghislain grinned savagely.
“Let’s see how you'd fare against me.”
Swoosh!
Ghislain’s eyes turned crimson as a dark aura enveloped his body. The energy emanating from him was even stronger and denser than the power Melchior was exuding.
Crack! Crack!
Melchior’s massive hand reached for Ghislain’s sword, attempting to snap it in two. But Ghislain was faster.
He released the sword and punched Melchior square in the face.
Boom!
Melchior’s head snapped to the side. Ghislain dusted off his hands and chuckled.
“I might be skilled with weapons, but the first thing I ever learned wasn’t swordsmanship.”
“Graaargh!”
Melchior let out a monstrous roar, snapping his head back into position. In the meantime, Ghislain drew back his fist again.
“The first thing I learned was hand-to-hand combat. Ever since I was a kid, I loved throwing punches.”
His fist shot forward like a bolt of light.
Boom!
“Grgh?”
Melchior’s head snapped back again. The monstrous being seemed unable to comprehend why he was being struck.
Belinda watched the scene and let out a small laugh. It seemed there was no need to worry this time either.
‘He’s as temperamental as ever. But still…’
Ghislain had always been an unruly brat, resorting to fists whenever things didn’t go his way. He had been a source of trouble and frustration for everyone around him.
But Belinda never gave up on him, always embracing him with love, believing that he would one day change.
And now, Ghislain truly has changed. His fists were no longer tools of tyranny that caused pain to those around him. They had become a beacon of hope, protecting many.
‘Lady Annette, are you watching?’
As Belinda headed toward the castle, a smile spread across her face. Perhaps it was because she was reminiscing about memories she had tried to forget, or perhaps it was because she was about to reveal the truth about his mother to Ghislain.
For some reason, tears threatened to fall more than usual today.
‘Am I getting old? How sentimental of me.’
Still, once all of this was over, she felt she could indulge in those memories and cry her heart out.
Even in his deranged state, Melchior tried to chase after the departing Belinda. His unconscious mind sought targets to kill.
But there was no way Ghislain would allow that.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Boom!
Ghislain’s fist slammed into Melchior’s abdomen, now nearly twice its original size.
Crash! Crash!
Melchior’s massive form was sent flying, rolling across the ground before coming to a halt far away.
“Grahhh!”
Melchior shot to his feet, letting out a monstrous roar as he glared at Ghislain. Realizing he couldn’t move forward without dealing with the one standing in his way, he decided to eliminate him first.
Ghislain dusted off his hands and shook his head.
“Man, you’re tough.”
From what he could see, Melchior wasn’t able to fully utilize the strength of a transcendent. His shattered mana core and the energy injected by the Salvation Church were merely keeping him alive.
Even during his fight with Belinda, he hadn’t been able to fight at full capacity. Yet, Melchior had exuded confidence, clearly relying on something.
“So this is what he was banking on?”
The Holy Warrior transformation multiplied a person’s power several times over. Even a broken Melchior could unleash an explosive surge of energy at critical moments.
Ghislain now understood why the ducal family had been bold enough to execute this plan.
“They probably figured it was fine to sacrifice a transcendent who can only be used once. He’s just a disposable pawn.”
Melchior, too, must have thought this battlefield was the perfect place to burn through the last of his life.
Not that things would go their way.
“Graaaahhhh!”
Melchior refocused on his target. He decided to crush the irritating figure in front of him first.
Boom!
With a powerful leap, Melchior disappeared from view and reappeared in front of Ghislain in an instant. His speed was almost as if he had teleported.
Boom!
Melchior’s fist crashed into Ghislain’s body. Ghislain quickly crossed his arms to block, but the impact sent him skidding backward.
Rooooar!
Melchior puffed out his chest and roared like a triumphant beast.
Ghislain, however, simply grinned. His arms tingled as though they were about to fall off, but he found the situation exhilarating.
“It’s been a while since I could let loose like this.”
It was rare to face an opponent who fought with their fists instead of weapons. Even rarer if they were a transcendent.
Melchior was a perfect opponent. Though his mental state had deteriorated and his techniques had suffered, his raw power and resilience surpassed those of most transcendents.
Against such a foe, Ghislain could fight with everything he had. This will give him a truly satisfying battle.
“Graaaahhhh!”
Melchior grew visibly enraged, seeing that his punch hadn’t fazed Ghislain.
Just as Melchior prepared to attack again, Ghislain moved first.
In a blur of speed, Ghislain closed the distance and landed a powerful punch directly on Melchior’s face.
Boom!
“Arghhh!”
The sound of an explosion echoed as Melchior screamed and stumbled backward.
Ghislain flexed his fingers, clenching and unclenching his fists. Despite focusing immense strength into his punch, the monster hadn’t been destroyed.
Just as he’d expected. His blood surged with excitement.
“Graaaahhh!”
Melchior sprang back up and charged at Ghislain, who didn’t dodge but charged to meet him head-on.
Boom!
The two combatants’ fists collided with immense force. The dark auras emanating from them writhed and clashed, as if trying to devour each other.
Both fighters staggered backward, each visibly affected by the blows.
“Graaaahhh!”
Melchior continued to roar furiously, while Ghislain just smiled.
“Come at me again.”
Boom!
Crash!
Smash!
The exchange of punches continued relentlessly. Each time their monstrous strength collided, shockwaves rippled through the surroundings.
Boom!
Melchior swung his fist once more. Ghislain didn’t dodge but blocked it head-on. The moment he did, pain shot through his arm as though his bones had shattered. The sheer force was incredible.
But he didn’t back down. Instead, he threw his own punch in response.
Smash!
Melchior retaliated with another punch. Yet, with every exchange, his movements grew slower, and his body began to give way.
“Come on, give it all you’ve got!”
Boom!
Grinning like a devil, Ghislain swung his fist again. This time, Melchior staggered and fell backward.
The tide of the battle had shifted. As time passed, Melchior was losing ground. At some point, he could no longer mount an effective counterattack and was reduced to taking blow after blow.
“Graaaahhh!”
True to his beast-like transformation, Melchior stubbornly rose again, throwing another punch. His raw power and speed were still formidable.
Boom!
Crack!
Ghislain’s feet dug into the ground as he withstood the blow. His body no longer yielded easily to Melchior’s attacks.
“Is this all you’ve got?”
Boom!
In contrast, Melchior stumbled back whenever Ghislain landed a punch. His body swelled with bruises, and blood oozed from the impact points.
“Just exploding with power doesn’t make you strong.”
Ghislain smirked, landing another devastating punch.
Boom!
Melchior’s massive body was sent sprawling again. His mind, consumed by madness, faltered as confusion crept into his expression.
Ghislain looked down at Melchior with an arrogant smirk.
“Let’s finish this.”
Thud.
Encased in a dark aura and with his crimson eyes gleaming, Ghislain approached the fallen Melchior.