Chapter 577 - 577 - The Light of Will
Chapter 577 - The Light of Will
"Even if it's not a big deal,
you could still die."
Audin said, lifting his head while kneeling on one knee.
A little later, Enkrid responded.
Bang!
The sound of the sword and staff meeting echoed.
"Who?"
Enkrid didn't speak the words, but Audin knew that this was what he would say.
Audin's mouth moved again, words spilling out in disbelief.
"I don't expect to."
The answer came indifferently.
"In the end, you will not achieve your desires."
It was too difficult to pursue a dream while being chased by the Order.
There was no reason to walk that path.
If he abandoned himself, that would be enough.
If he only gave up on himself, that would be enough.
But Enkrid would not do that.
Even knowing that.
Audin's conviction was slow to form.
He had to face his past, his mistakes, and abandon the guilt he had accepted.
Yet, he still opened his mouth, asking questions endlessly.
This was the final question.
"Are you still going to stand with us?"
It was a difficult and arduous path.
Audin thought of it not as a dream, but as his responsibility and duty.
However, he had turned away from it because he believed it was impossible to achieve.
And Enkrid had scolded him for that.
"Is there anything in this world that can't be done?"
There was nothing that couldn't be done.
The one who proved himself said those words.
Boom!
An enormous sound rang out.
The Valerian Steel Sword broke, and Enkrid's body was sent flying, twisted at an unnatural angle.
Audin instinctively caught him.
The body landed with a thud in his arms.
Audin didn't waver in the slightest.
His hands didn't tremble, his posture remained straight, and his gaze was clearer than ever.
Even sitting, his presence felt immense.
"You will have to give up on your dream."
Audin spoke as he held Enkrid in his arms.
"Why should I?"
The response came in a real, not illusory voice.
Enkrid had been listening to Audin muttering to himself.
Audin smiled.
That was right.
His captain would say that.
Audin's mindset shifted from before.
One man's will shone so brightly that it became hard to ignore.
And more than that, it was a path Audin also believed was right and desired.
"Walk the difficult path. Pass through the narrow gate. Walk the narrow road, where your will resides."
With those words, Audin rose.
Behind him stood his captain, whose arm had been broken, a man who had once abandoned everything, including his life, and had shown him a new way to see the world.
And behind them was the child who would likely face the same fate as Fildin.
Audin had made up his mind to protect both of them.
Even if this was where his journey ended.
Even if he could never escape his past sins.
Even if this was not what his Father desired.
'Right now, I just wish for this. My Father, please.'
The Golden Seal couldn't be forcibly undone. If he tried to break it all at once, there would be a backlash.
That backlash could lead to his death.
So, what would he do?
Audin pondered the words his captain had said.
The chains in his mind shattered and broke apart.
The Golden Seal had been placed by him in the first place, so no one else's permission was needed.
Audin briefly lifted his head, which had been bowed in prayer.
His eyes had become white.
A light, far brighter than Overdier's silver eyes, began to spread from within him, enveloping his entire body.
It was divine light.
And once again, he showed the miracle that Saint Seiki had shown him earlier.
Whooooosh!
The light rose into the air, forming a pillar around Audin.
It was much thicker than the one Seiki had shown, piercing the sky.
The light illuminated all around.
The God of War once said
"With my light, I will support your will."
Even if those words hadn't been spoken exactly like that, Audin now chose to believe it.
That was faith.
The light embraced Audin. Audin embraced the light.
Born and raised in the Holy Kingdom, possessing a talent no one had ever dared to covet, he now released the divine power he had cultivated.
Blood mingled with the light as it flowed down his cheeks.
The backlash from breaking the Golden Seal didn't matter.
'So what?'
To achieve what he desired, he was willing to risk his life.
This wasn't about saving the continent.
It was simply about saving the girl known as the Saint and carrying on his captain's will.
That was what Audin wanted now.
Even if others didn't think it was that significant, it didn't matter.
If you believe in something, why listen to others and ultimately fall to the whispers of demons?
If you prove your faith and move forward based on it, the words of demons will be nothing more than noise.
As the Golden Seal unraveled, the words of the Temple constantly echoed in Audin's mind.
In the light, he opened his mouth.
This time, it wasn't the Temple's teachings that he spoke, but something he had learned under his captain.
Return to the order, or die
Audin smiled and raised both fists.
The surging divine light briefly enveloped Enkrid's arm and chest.
It wouldn't heal the wounds instantly, but it would help them recover to some degree.
The divine light, which had been dormant for years, erupted with explosive force.
The light that had formed a pillar now descended and enveloped Audin's entire body.
Instead of dissipating, it surrounded him in thick layers and stayed in place.
"Divine Armor?"
Overdier spoke, his mouth opening in surprise.
Indeed, he was right.
Using divine power, one could create an invisible armor.
When the divine light coated the body, it became an armor.
And with the ultimate technique, one could envelop the body with an even thicker layer of light.
That was the technique known as Divine Armor.
To achieve this, one had to train the body to an almost ignorant level, making it a rare technique that only a few could accomplish.
The density of the muscles changed, and the skin's strength, having been trained into a true metal-like quality, had to be honed before attempting this technique.
Along with training the body, one had to handle the divinity within themselves like their own body.
It was a skill that involved bursting the divinity and then receiving it back into the body.
As the muscles and skin harmonized, a faint white light lingered over the entire body.
The massive figure's body was cloaked in this light, as if it were armor.
"I couldn't achieve this even after a century of training?" Overdier spoke.
"It's the difference in talent. How about starting with a single blow?"
Audin said, dismissively mentioning the prophet's talent as if it meant little.
Even though he had been watching Enkrid, he might have felt a little frustration at seeing someone else take a beating.
And in truth, Audin wasn't one to live so comfortably.
He was the type to hit back, not to offer the other cheek when struck.
With a swoosh, light left behind a mere afterimage.
The giant, often called the bear-man, moved, extending a fist.
Overdier countered with a staff.
Boom!
The fist and the staff collided, and the divinity clashed, scattering light in all directions.
Enkrid, still on the ground, struggled to open his eyes.
Shilma and the others instinctively squeezed their eyes shut.
The tremendous noise sent light spiraling upward and scattering in all directions, briefly turning the surroundings as bright as midday.
The purple twilight vanished without a trace.
It was a true divine mystery, with light raining down like tears, as if the heavens wept.
Audin, like a candle with only a stub left, poured out everything he had. He overwhelmed Overdier, using his bare hands to strike the opponent's engraved weapons, the two metal staffs, away.
"Just one hit."
Audin pushed his divinity out with a punch.
A heavy blow struck Overdier's shoulder.
Crash!
The divine armor shattered with a loud noise, and the light trembling over Overdier's entire body flickered.
"If something doesn't break, then it means my power is insufficient. If I can break it head-on, then penetration useless!"
Audin's cry echoed.
Enkrid, having endured such a blow, surely understood the technique the opponent was using.
Audin wanted to make it clear that he didn't need to learn this technique.
Instead, it was enough to use his Will to break through.
That was the proper approach.
Penetration was a good technique, but unnecessary in this case.
He'd leave it as a final lesson.
With an overflowing Will, one could fight accordingly.
The two continued to clash.
"Excellent!" Overdier shouted in the midst of their battle.
The reason he hadn't faltered until now was the superiority of his weapons.
His two staffs, filled with his divinity, didn't easily give way even to Audin's blows.
The light exploded, scattering like rain, creating a spectacle.
Those who watched might feel a sense of divine presence emanating from the precious divine light as it spread across the battlefield.
Of course, it wasn't the kind of light meant for healing or comfort—it was the light full of intent to harm the opponent.
"Lord Father, I come here in your name," Audin chanted, his voice turning into a song.
As his chant continued, divine light surged from his body.
Overdier, too, tried to squeeze out his own power.
Audin condensed the divine light.
Blood poured from his eyes, nose, and ears.
He had reached his limit.
At just that moment, something unexpected happened.
From behind, Shilma began chanting a divine spell through prayer.
Whoooom!
The sound came first, and then, in front of the priest Shilma, a cluster of light turned into a bolt that shot toward its target.
It was a light bolt made of impure light.
The bolt was aimed not at Enkrid or Audin, but at the saintess herself.
No one had expected this.
The bolt of divine light, composed of the pure power of divinity, was as powerful as a boulder.
If it hit the young girl, it would shatter her body to pieces.
Eight glowing bolts sped toward her.
Shinar was the first to react, splitting his blade and unleashing a sword of energy that cleaved five of the bolts.
Enkrid, still lying on the ground, threw spark and the short sword. His two thrown weapons broke two more of the bolts.
Crack!
The murky gray divine light shattered in the air, scattering.
At that moment, Enkrid realized the danger he was in.
He had hoped to pierce through the side bolts as well with his short swords, but failed.
One bolt remained.
That last bolt was blocked by someone's back.
It wasn't Audin.
He had just unleashed his divine light upward, moments away from firing it off into the air.
He couldn't move, even if only for a moment.
Audin directed his divine light upward, and it shot like a meteor, breaking through the sky.
The light soared high above, shining with the intensity of a new star.
The final divine bolt was blocked by a figure who turned around.
The strike itself shouldn't have hurt them, but due to the beating he had already received from Audin, blood trickled from his mouth.
His innards had been damaged.
It wasn't a mortal wound, but it was severe.
"Priest Shilma, what is this?" Overdier asked, looking at Shilma.
"Why did you stop that?"
Shilma exclaimed angrily.
Her eyes narrowed.
This was a situation where the thief was accusing the saint, so to speak.
The one who had done wrong was now blaming the one who had done no wrong.
It was all a result of her blind actions, walking down a wrong path.
"Priest Shilma?" Alma called to her.
"Paladin Alma, they're exhausted. This is the chance." Shilma's eyes were clouded.
She didn't fully grasp the situation.
No one here would retreat, especially not Overdier.
"This is a mess." OverdIer muttered, his eyes scanning the room.
No one dared speak.
Audin dropped to his knees, his light flickering as something was clearly wrong.

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