Tenth author's journal 2: Mikhail

32.1_Bitter conclusion

Chapter 32.1: Breaking point

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‘flare’: A spell that creates a small combustible fireable, those whose touch by flare’s flame shall be burnt, regardless of resistance against fire magic. Flare’s color is that of reddish yellow, which in normal cooking but those in the elemental attribute is much higher.

‘Exsultet’: Spell in the [apocalypse] series. Summon a high pillar of flame that rained down on the enemies. Any fire resistance lower than “dragon”, will be reduced to mere dust. It consumes most of the user's mana as some make it a multiple sacrifices for the spell to activate.

[apocalypse] series: Consisted of five spells accordingly to the five basic elements, ‘Judgement’ for lightning, ‘Exsultet’ for fire, ‘Typhoon’ for wind, ‘Genesis flood’ for water, “Eschatological” for the earth.

[Confiteor] : Inquistor Kushiel unique skill. Where an invisible bell rings to the enemies, making light of the enemies’ most traumatic memories as “sins”. For inquisitor Kushiel, due to neglect of magic training, the range reduces to one enemy per time.

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For those minutes have been spending, I inspect the most worthy equipment for the human king to wear. Unfortunately, those vial of mana is quite limited as they provide too many advantages for those proficient in magic. Well, a staff makes from elven wood for magical conductors and a bracelet for mana detection to make sure that I won’t die from over exhausted my vessel like last time.

“Lord Mikhail, won’t you have something durable to wear?” Marvos look over those crafty pieces of equipment I gave him. It’s quite foolish yet adoring for him not to express the selfishness that a human should have. It isn’t that I don’t believe in such goodness coming from a human but I expect the one who claimed to live by rationality should have taken a cold-headed approach.

“It won’t be necessary, king Marvos. I know the sixth archangel magic usage doesn’t cause me too much damage for me to wear such armor.” I assure him by preparing myself some light armor to help me not to be disrupted by casting. It’s just for assertion as wordless chants lessen very much all casting.

“It would be better to spend time finding better protection for your fragile existence.” Once again, I inspect those pieces of equipment. None of them seem to be tempered with or in bad quality. Well, unless for his bounding skill perhaps.

Marvos suddenly speaks…of an unappropriated topic in this tiresome time: “Would you enlighting me, lord Mikhail? Of my crafting theory earlier, was it right for the-“

“That is for your human judgment to answer. I am not the one to talk about faith and goodness, because knowledge knows little moral boundary.” I stop him from continuing on that point.

I have no desire to perceive this world as a black-and-white where justice is pre-determined, so it is pointless when he asks me how I perceive the current angel faction. I just don’t want to return to the day of dismemberment, even a wounded beast desires not to fall into its demise.

“I won’t pursue it any further, since I will only live for so long reign over a short time as a human king. After my death, I hope not to be in paradise where my faith is being questioned; but in hell where my sins can be atoned.” King Marvos vows. Truly, a pitful will of the lost wanderer waiting for the oasis to drench his thirst before death.

“What a weary soul you carry, human king. As for my judgment, you needn’t atonement for those regrets and precautions for the future. For being my believers, I will welcome you if your sins overweight your faith.” I follow after.

I wish he wouldn’t part with his humanity so soon, yet I won’t turn him into an abomination just to have possession of him. So I will wait patiently for the cycle of life to retake him to claim my support.

The bell ring throughout the battlefield indicates what needs to proceed. With those heavy feet, he drags forward. By the power I possess, I may protect myself from Kushiel but Marvos’s safety wasn’t considered when I was making this. I have never expected his justice to shift quite backwardly.

The battlefield shifts one more to the glass-like training field with the audience behind a strong case of glass. Eagerly, Tanwen chose the front-row seat for the bloodshed to be more vivid.

“The left corner, the human representative, Marvos Angus with the assistance of the demon representative, Mikhail.” The elf announces as we come from the corner onto the battlefield. So if we are allowed the helpers so Uriel must join to help Kushiel with her duty, is it not?

“The right corner, the angel representative, the sixth archangel.”…Where is Uriel’s introduction? Won’t she join the battle? My eyes scan throughout the audience to see her sitting quietly there. A slight rise of her eyebrows indicates her curiosity and excitement, she is only observing this battle to form a coherent report back to ma…somehow thinking about Jophiel, makes my head hurt.

“A stray lamb and a sinful goat. We are having a great ‘piece’ today.” Kushiel says while swinging the morningstar with arrogance.

That weapon isn’t enchanted or powerful, he was thinking about it as a magic conductor only because of the gift he got from “ascending”. Little did he know that is only because Sariel read his memory of liking that weapon as a preference.

“This is the battle to the death. So we won’t stop until one side is fully died or incapable of fighting for the immortal.” The high elf explains the rule where the battle is encased in secret so that none of the details can flow outward whether to cause falsehood or rumors.

So that they can control fully what was going on to monopoly the knowledge for the “safety of the world” alone. What vicious kind creatures hide behind the source of righteousness! I start to understand why Marvos saw my betrayal as more than an act of rebellion or wrongly misguided.

A ring of the bell once more signifies the battle to start. ‘spiculum’ and a spear of flame appear in my hand. May this flame baptize the wicked and give us the conclusion we desire. Holding the spear, I begin to observe casting fire magic ‘flare’. Marvos cast a defense spell as I instruct, that will keep him safe from my and Kushiel's impact.

“Fire element, huh? You were always using lightning magic against me. Are you scared for the sinner?” Kushiel taunts him and kicks start a chain of ‘Lux’ and ‘Amia’, firing at us. Those magic aren’t his specialty, all he did was for us to let our guard down.

“Still haven’t started your attack, Mikhail? Or were you too scared to even move?” Kushiel now using the morningstar to bash continued into Marvos’s shield, less he know holy magic was weakened against that armor. The divergence of mana circuits around the armor helps it deflect weak magic against it.

‘Exsultet’, a pillar of the flame stacked to the highest point of the room, struck Kushiel in the middle of the attack. Marvos is safe as the barrier barely scorched from the heat of the pillar. A marvelous sight for the unpitiful archangel.

“Ha, this is your best huh? You don’t worth the praise that pa has given you. Let me bring back those memories dear to me!” Kushiel exclaim as the silent ring of an unknown bell. Marvos dispel the barrier and falls to the ground hyperventilating, his face sweating hard as fear and he continuously mumbles apologies.

“Ah, the sins of abandonment. You weren’t always royalty as the previous sovereign meaninglessly slaughtered infants to prevent your growth.” Kushiel lists the past trauma of Marvos, the human king. Or rather, the sovereign of triumph.

On the ground still lying, I have to act quickly before Marvos is executed so I chuck a bottle of mana potion to cast a lasting shield surrounding his squirming body. Kushiel still trying to bash the shield to no avail, until he turns to me.

“You little…I shall deal with you first then. [Confiteor]” The silent ring appears again, this time I can feel it. The past “lessons” come rushing back non-stop those times of my body being mutilated and rebirth over and over again. I don’t want that.

I DON’T WANT ANY OF THIS!

“The sins of existing, you ough-“ Pieces of ice stabs Kushiel's throat as he was monologuing. My rage gets the better of me and my mind goes blank, all my desire now condone “KILL KUSHIEL”

A surge of rage runs toward my mind as those memories just salt to dull wounds. These “fears” momentarily fuel my unwavering rage toward my killer. Over and over, I have no courage or reason for his death.

And now it’s justified.

My silent rage was used toward my ice magic to give birth to a new spell. One design only to this point. Killing my enemies as slowly and painfully as possible. ‘glacies mausoleum’ is what I am going to call it.

“Now let us dance slowly to your death, you hypocritical inquisitor!”

The end?