Chapter 698: Trial By Fire

Chapter 698: Trial By Fire

Wielding the spark of eternity, Anneliese felt as though they finally had the upper hand in the battle against Gerechtigkeit.

As the intensity of the engagements around the continent lessened, more and more hands were freed up to fight against the main body of Gerechtigkeit. With Law as their heavy-hitter and countless others providing more than sufficient auxiliary fire, they finally had a strategy that could contain his seemingly-indefatigable assault. In contrast to the inhuman rage of Gerechtigkeit, they were all creatures of logic who went through life employing tactics and tools to overpower far more powerful beasts. This was no different.

Anneliese was the trapper, the shepherd. She kept the prey in line, prohibiting its movement with tactfully-placed wards from which it could not escape. Gerechtigkeit feared her wards, and Anneliese believed that fear was justified. If she could manage to trap him within one, it would simply be over. She snared his movement as her allies attacked, blocked his counterattacks as they repositioned, and dug sharp spears of magic when the calamity displayed vulnerabilities.

The spark she had wrested from eternity was a tool so versatile Anneliese almost feared her own power. A lightning that never ended, a tempest that never waned, a fire that never ceased, a seal that never broke—it was the stuff of legends. Were it not so singular, it might be comparable to Sophia’s power. Even as it was, nothing other than the calamity could hope to truly fight against it.

Yet even with the upper hand, the battle wasn’t without its share of losses.

The cornered wolf snapped and snarled as they tore chunks of flesh from its body, wearing it down piece-by-piece. In their desperate struggle, the battle surged upward through the valley north of Jast. The chase lasted hours. The narrow confines lowered their maneuverability, enabling Gerechtigkeit to all but escape up the road until he reached Dirracha. There, aid from the host of centaurs and the liches converged, warding the calamity from destroying the city entirely. Even still, half of the city was ravaged, either by golems or his own terrible power.

Thereafter Gerechtigkeit was forced west, toward Mina’s home city of Veden. Elenore assured Anneliese that its people had all but evacuated, yet nevertheless... the decision to pin Gerechtigkeit down on that location weighed heavily on her mind. It was strategically sound; they dealt grievous blows, but in the end, nothing remained of the city. Another sacrifice for a small victory.

A waning Gerechtigkeit tried to escape into the wetlands northward, but by this point all of their allies had gathered. Deities that were veterans of countless previous cycles descended upon his weakened forms like hyenas hoping to hasten a coming death that they might feast on glory and victory. In the end, it was one of Anneliese’s spells that extinguished him—a great bolt of white lightning that struck for eternity, dissipating his form into blackness.

Anneliese dissolved the lightning spell when he was gone, standing on a plain that looked much like the barren hellscapes she’d seen in the Shadowlands. Looking around her, it seemed this place had become a paradise for death. Burnt, ravaged by war, eaten by the calamity—Gerechtigkeit’s poison had seeped into the heart of Berendar. Those too young or too ignorant to know the truth appeared ready to celebrate... yet those that knew better looked to the sky, where the true trouble brewed.

One of Law’s Justiciars came to stand by here, a shadow of the towering golden deity that stood proudly and defiantly after the first phase of the battle was finished. He stared at the black storm clouds in the sky.

“How prepared are your people for the Trial?” Law asked of her.

“They know what to expect, at least,” Anneliese said, steadying her breathing. “But from what Argrave tells me, it isn’t something that one can truly prepare for. We must merely endure—and at a scale unlike any previous cycle.”

Above, the whirling vortexes in the clouds began to ripple with what had been promised for so long—fire. Fire as red as rubies, carried by the formless, sentient power of Gerechtigkeit. It began to entwine itself in the wind, in the clouds, in the rain and the snow... and spread itself across the whole of the land.

Argrave—having already surrendered two checkpoints—retreated to a third, watching the Hopeful as the thing slowly craned against the pressure exerted by the arrays of the mountains of Blackgard. Looking back, Argrave could see that not many checkpoints remained. Elenore had spoken to him little, trusting him to deal with this matter... but if this carried on further, they would be in genuine crisis. With that mounting pressure in his head, Argrave once again looked upon the smiling giant of shadow.

In power, Argrave was outclassed. In skill at using power, he was outclassed. Few people could offer usable assistance, and they were all caught up with conflicts on the other side of the world. To that end, Argrave considered every last idea, every last bit of power that he had—the Brumesingers, some trick with the Domain of Law, some divine weapon that had gone unused, but... each and every trick came up wanting before this opponent.

It was only when the sun began to crest above the mountains signaling the entire night had come and gone was Argrave reminded of something that had failed once before. There was a conduit within him—an anchor, partially formed of the silver knight that had once stormed Blackgard with far greater success than even Gerechtigkeit had exhibited. It resided in the spot his soul ought to be.

Argrave could feel it within his being. It was a subtle feeling, and he generally did his best to ignore it. It was essentially an instant kill to whoever tried to reach within. Argrave didn’t think he’d be spared its wrath if he attempted to meddle with it. It was the link to the souls of every living being in the world—a link to the new sun. It held greater mental pressure than the Smiling Raven had endured. It was intended as a defensive measure, yet...

What if it could be more than that?

Argrave could feel his mind probe near the entrance to that hellhole buried within his body. Even peering inward from the edge was the closest he’d ever come to death—one misstep, and his undying soul would be battered by the weight of the world. Nothing could save him, then—his soul would surely shatter, his body would become an empty shell, and everything would fall apart.

But Argrave looked at the Hopeful, creeping down the valley in long strides. He thought of those who’d already died fighting—first against Jaray, and now against Gerechtigkeit. He thought of Anneliese, who’d claimed a power so great it seemed liable to win them this whole war. The Hopeful had come here to parasitize this world—it was only fair, then, that the full weight of every living soul bear down on him.

Above, black storm clouds filled the sky. Argrave knew what came next—the Trial by Fire. He inhaled as he realized what Anneliese had managed to achieve thus far, further sealing his conviction. He looked at the Hopeful again, the weight of what he was considering making his breathing heavier. The Trial affected all, even gods—it would surely affect the Hopeful, too.

Argrave was no stranger to pain. He found his power in it, and had developed thick calluses from the sheer amount blood magic caused. Perhaps, as ever, he might find his opportunity in the heart of it. Given all that he’d already endured... perhaps the Hopeful would prove himself less capable of enduring the Trial.

But even if he could punch through the shadows, Argrave would need an attack he was certain would end it all in one blow.

Argrave descended from the checkpoint, alighting again in the valley. He was heedless of the calamity raging above them, casting its pain-bearing fire to every corner of the world. Gerechtigkeit’s intent was to break lesser people beneath pain as he reconstituted for the final fight. But pain was Argrave’s bread and butter, and if he could truly get the whole world at his back... perhaps hope could be stolen from the shadows.

He faced the Hopeful once again. This time, his resolve to die was somewhat more genuine. He reached for that conduit buried in his body, preparing to use it as a weapon. And with his will steeled, he walked toward the shadow as the fire of pain came to cover the world.