851. The Finale of Our Delusions

851. The Finale of Our Delusions

One last battle remained.

The news of the end of the war had not yet reached Cer’s ears. Raoul on the other hand received Uriel’s message to retreat. A bloody vial rattled on the side of his hip, indicating that his time here was over.

“The Red Wing calls for our retreat.” The half-Corrupted Raoul spoke gravelly. Between each word was the sound of a forced howl as he dragged a 10-meter long, 3-headed blade.

The blade was enriched with the same colors that came off his scarves. Thorns of red exploded with each swing. Waves of blue shot out from the tip of his blade. Green shockwaves pulsed every several seconds with a hideous, high-pitched frequency that tore Cer’s eardrums.

“Unnecessary... Your ambitions were destined to die here!”

Blood trailed down the side of her head as she kept the pressure against Raoul. Neither of them was close to defeating the other. While Cer had manifested the powers of Arbitration, Raoul has also claimed the power of the Corruption.

“Your safety was always my priority. Mother taught me that it was my responsibility to protect you!”

The worst part was that it did not impede his consciousness. It further amplified his beliefs, turning him into a living weapon that represented his will to carve his own path forward. It began with Cer’s fall as a Moon, but she had the strongest ‘Moon’ of them all by her side.

“Leading us to Corruption was not the way to do it! You would rather that we live like stuffed toys than to be who we want! Living as husks with no past... it was already no different from those scarves of us you’re wearing!”

“Taxidermizing you would’ve been another valuable prospect. But I thought: How do I keep you alive? Iscario was driven to an endless pursuit because of the death of his sister. Mother’s death drove me mad, but you became worse!”

“Hah. Grandis? Is what this is about? Take a good look at yourself... You ran the Solemn Paw. Just how many did you kill?”

“All of it was in my footsteps.”

“It’s all in the past Raoul! What the fuck is it going to take to get that into your head!?”

“When you cease chasing the light of this fallen Star!”

His Corrupted attacks were powerful beyond belief. Stars were already beings that rivalled Eternal Night Corrupted. But Raoul, right now, was firmly within the realms of the highest kinds of Eternal Night entities, dare Cer call him a low Woe of the Fallen Star.

Since the Risk Classification Classes prioritized the danger of a threat, and subsequently their power – Raoul easily fit into this category. Attacks that were once limited to several thousand damage now did tens of thousands of damage.

Cer was the same.

< [O] Supercharged Field [O] >

< EFFECT: Discharge electricity over a 30-meter radius. Deal 2,000 damage per 2 seconds >

< [O] Galvanized Flow [O] >

< EFFECT: Become surrounded by an electric coat. Increase AGI by 50%. Skill uses generated Nex >



Raoul was...

“... You, from the very beginning – since I became a Moon – were my shackle all along!”

< [OO] [Fang of The Electric Moon] [OO] >

< EFFECT: Absolution version of the Electric Fang. Your maw produces electrical aberrations. Deals 12x base ATT and MAG ATT. MAG ATT damage is converted into pure ATT damage. Multiplier varies depending on your Emotional State. Extremely effective against Qliphoth Fields >



108,000 ATT damage. It was an absurd number that would annihilate a Star, Moon, and Exalted all the same. The sheer magnitude of this power promised death and elevated Cer to a height beyond even her own sisters.

This one attack was all she needed to kill Raoul.

However –

“A mighty blow from the familial wolf.”

– A dark spear descended from the skies. The weapon emitted a repulse force that sent both Cer and Raoul flying tens of meters backwards. Blades of grass fizzled away as the ground was carved into a concave shape.

The force alone caused Cer’s limbs to snap. [Defibrillation] kicked into overdrive. Just being in the mere presence of that spear caused her entire body to rapidly lose HP. She plunged her hands into the ground to stop herself from being repelled any further.

“I was... so close...!”

She looked up to see Iscario and a woman enshrouded in darkness descend upon Raoul.

“Such a vibrant one will attract Typhoon’s attention.”



“Ghh... He will know nothing.” Raoul waved his blade as they joined him. “It’s already time. I had hoped to finish this here. But this may work better... it will be torturous for you, Cer the false Moon.”

A heavily shriveled Iscario stared at Cer with utter contempt. His trembling hand rose and pointed at her.

“Eliminate her...”

“That was not part of the deal. I alone will make that decision with my own two hands.” Raoul stated. “With my own weapons, under my own strength. Nothing of this world must influence it. That dream of yours must shatter until you suffer like I have.”

“... No... You’re not... going... Gaagh!”

Fresh pain filled Cer’s body. That spear that merely remained impaled in the ground dominated every fiber of her being. Limbs shattered the moment they healed.

Her Defibrillation Stacks were rapidly depleting.