Chapter 1299: End of the Malice?
What in the world just happened?
Yuvel somehow summoned a divine sword? I know Jean was lending him some power, but is that even possible? Perhaps it was reproduced from memories, similar to his own existence...
My consciousness, which had been clouded by a mysterious pain, felt a bit cleared up now from the surprise.
The scene of Yuvel fading away into particles of light was stunning. He looked straight at us in his final moments. No, perhaps his eyes were on Fran in particular?
「Yuvel was amazing. Truly a hero.」
Fran muttered her thoughts on the scene. But it seems the Evil God’s Malice won’t give us any time to bathe in sentimentality.
(Huh? Something black is coming out!)
Evil energy... no, evil-divine energy!
The clash between the divine sword and the fragment had carved countless fissures into the earth. And now, evil-divine energy was pouring out of those cracks like smoke.
The Malice had already started its counterattack despite being lodged deep underground.
It must be attempting max output now since it failed to control us earlier.
I immediately responded by absorbing the evil-divine energy, but the pain made it impossible to concentrate, so I couldn’t erase it all at once. Our companions quickly distanced themselves with pale faces.
A single touch from the sinister haze was enough to affect their minds, however slightly.
I continued sucking in everything over a wide area, but the pain was building up rapidly.
Honestly, it’s already worse than anything I’ve ever experienced. Am I reaching my limit? But stopping is not an option. I refuse to let the fragment take any of Fran’s friends.
The Evil God Fragment within me can likely keep going, but I’m in tatters.
『Ugh...』
「Master! Master!」
『I’m... fine.』
「But...!」
Fran had paused her offensive, so the Malice attempted to resurface. That said, the others weren’t going to let it out that easily.
「Uncle! We gotta do our job too!」
The Malice was screaming in pain, yet its spiteful voice still echoed for all to hear.
『GO MAD! BICKER! MASSACRE!』
The voice had the same screeching tone as the other fragments we’ve encountered. But it’s futile! I’m sucking in all your evil energy!
『Gwah...』
Shit! I tried to act cool, but it really hurts! Still, we’re screwed if it manages to dominate one of us! I have to endure it even if it means my destruction! For Fran’s sake!
『WHY!? REVEAL YOUR WICKED NATURE! HATE YOUR FELLOWS! MASSACRE THEM!』
As I thought, the Malice was completely specialized in its domination ability. Once it realized this had no effect on us, it could do little but panic.
Right as the Malice began its rant, Maleficent had finally finished his preparations. While flying in the sky on top of Persona’s barrier, the man pointed a gate-like shield at the fragment floating in the red lake.
「Nethergate, open! Overflow the rivers of hell! Condense into a poison for corroding gods!」
A single purple droplet fell from the gate.
Yet it radiated a frightening power unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.
I could tell right away that this was the ultimate poison that surpassed even divine poison. A single, deadly drop intended for killing the gods themselves.
Fran could do nothing but freeze in place. Her face was pale, with goosebumps all over her body. She intuitively understood the terror behind this attack.
The purple droplet slowly fell onto the head of the Malice and...
OOOROOOOOORGH!
The roar brought about a tremor that shook the earth. Not even Fran could remain standing.
Meanwhile, the Malice’s entire body was covered in purple stains, which spread while melting its flesh into goo. The tattered body of the Evil God Fragment sunk slowly into the pool of lava.
After who knows how long, it all came to a sudden stop. The roars, the tremors, and the aura of evil had vanished.
We all had the same thought. Was this the calm before the storm? But no. The sinister presence coming from the pool of lava could no longer be felt.
The evil energy levels in the air also diminished greatly. That roar must have been the Evil God Fragment’s death throes.
「...」
「...」
Fran and I, as well as everyone else, were dumbfounded. After all, we were fighting a fragment of the divine, no matter how deep it may have fallen. And the end was so anticlimactic? Could that truly be possible?
It just felt too surreal. Moreover, additional roars reached our ears before we could fully grasp the situation.
It seems our allies have been making progress against the other fragments as well. I could see several flashes and explosions off in the distance.