40 The First Step to Retribution

"Come."

Siegren felt his insides stir from that single word. His grey eyes fell blank as he held the soulless with a rigid grip.

'If you want to be free,'

'Complete the twelve lost numen of the fallen god.'

In just a split second, Siegren was gone from the edifice, appearing on the floating saintess as he jumped to the floating debris. The unstable power filled with corrupted mana and malevolence enabled the rise of an imbalance wafting in the air.

Structures and debris bereft of the rules of gravity due to the instability in mana have prevailed. This allowed Siegren to leap to the concrete and infrastructures in order to reach the saintess.

As he encroachedtoward the floating corrupted saint, wraiths and other monsters came to attack him. As they charged to attack, he used the soulless to absorb their mana. Black ichor spluttered to the air as the soulless began to gather their mana.

Siegren swung his sword, slashing monsters—but his gaze was fixed on one thing.

The saintess—no; the numen that was inside of her!

He then buried the hilt of his sword to the floating debris, then he jumped, still holding the grip of his sword. Purple lightning ignited from the hilt, sending all monsters around Siegren to be electrified.

As Siegren withdrew the sword, he continued to run towards the saintess as he charged to attack the monsters getting on his way.

The saintess was on the other end, floating into the sky while he continued to advance.

The smile of the corrupted saint grew wider as the numen inside her body provided her the power to gather the tainted mana around the air. As it enveloped the saintess' hand, she gathered divine power over the other.

———!

Lumi's then glanced upwards after sensing it.

A strong force of divine power is now being gathered to the saintess all at once.

Her eyes widened when she saw it.

Golden light gleamed from the saintess' right hand, and on her left hand was malevolent power being gathered.

The saintess's gaze darted to Siegren who was now nearing her. From the spot Lumi was in, she could see him gradually approaching as he runs to the saintess with his sword ready to strike.

"Siegren…" Lumi then strengthened the barrier around her as she saw more monsters descending from the skies while Siegren advances toward the corrupted saint.

**

Light and darkness—divinity and malevolence.

Opposite powers were now gathered by the corrupted saint.

As Siegren reached the floating platform that was in front of the Saintess, he firmed his stance as he lifted his sword rigidly.

"You've arrived," the saintess exclaimed, holding both golden and malevolent purple light.

Siegren didn't know—

That someone… no, a corpse could gain sentience through the numen.

Siegren tightened his grip around his sword as he vigilantly stood to the ground, waiting for a chance to strike.

The saintess then descended to the platform, floating to the pavement as she nears him.

"It seems you can see that this body is a mere vessel," said the saintess. "A body of a powerful, holy saint—however, with an empty soul. Her soul was already gone, already in the natural flow of Aeterna."

His grey eyes narrowed as the saint.

"Who are you?"

The saintess smiled as she closes her hands together, merging the holy power she gathered and the malevolence.

The light combined, creating a yin and yang of power that cannot mix together.

"Do you know what'll happen once this reaches the country below me?"

Siegren did not respond.

"It'll vanish."

Siegren's lips parted slightly, evoking a wide smile from the corrupted saint.

"Are you worried?" The smile grew even wide as the saintess' fingers cracked. "Isn't your humanity already gone? Didn't HE strip it away from you already? Ah… you must be worried that the priestess guiding you would be—"

Siegren then disappeared in front of the saintess midsentence, then appeared behind her, with his greatsword ready to cut her head.

But without even turning around, the saintess glanced to her side with a wide smile.

An infernopest then appeared and wrapped around Siegren's neck, choking him with its atrophied legs.

Siegren then clenched his fist to the infernopest, with his hands conjuring malevolent power.

"Have you ever wondered why you can conjure malevolence?"

Siegren ignored her, swinging his sword forward. However, a golden barrier made from divinity materialized, protecting the corrupted saint.

"Have you ever wondered why no one's the same as you?"

Siegren continued to dismiss her while trying to use his sword to break the barrier from different angles.

Unmoving, the saintess spoke as the yin and yang in her hands grew brighter.

"The essence inside this body… 'I' know the answers," the saintess exclaimed, "You don't even know why you have to gather the numen, don't you? You're just following someone's words, thinking you would gain what you want if you do what he says."

The barrier was then dispelled, making the soulless pass through suddenly. Siegren's eyes widened as the blade touched the yin and yang of malevolent and divine power.

Light then flashed; divinity and malevolence then began to merge. Siegren then saw an opening.

A chance.

He then held the saintess by the neck, grey eyes void of emotion as he locked gazes with her while the soulless and the merged power started to grow even more unstable.

He felt his body burn as he closes the gap between the soulless and the corrupted saint.

The saintess' expression of struggle as she loses her breath. He then propelled the soulless forward, stabbing straight into the corrupted saint's heart.

Purple light gleamed in the sky as the soulless passed to the saintess' back. The merged divine power and malevolence were now nullified by the soulless.

"The answers," the corrupted saint said inaudibly before her body started to fade away into ashes fluttering in the breeze.

"You'll know… soon…"

As the body disappeared, a purple ray of light encircled in dark mana floated in front of Siegren. It flickered with instability, with thunderous mana that resonated in its small surrounding.

Finally.

His hand reached towards the purple light.

As his fingertips marked the light, his vision was then bombarded with visions of ancient power. The purple light began enveloping his entire body as it enters his system.

A smile crept into Siegren's lips as his soul pulsated. A whispering ancient voice resonated into his mind as his mind blanked.

'Remember.'

The numen of the fallen god had accepted him.

Siegren slowly opened his eyes, looking at his hand which was brimming with the power of the numen.

'This is now your power.'

His expressionless face brimmed with wicked joy.

'This is the first step…' the voice said, 'to your retribution.'