This was a development not present in the game.
The ancient deity Lusria.
Throughout the game, she was occasionally mentioned as one of the most powerful ancient deities, but this was the first time she was directly revealed.
Is Lusria's soul now inside Miru's body?
Ding-!
"Ah...!!"
Without even a moment to ponder, I'm writhing in pain on the ground once again.
The pain was already driving me mad, and the screams from all around further shattered my sanity.
"It seems the body is still young and might take some time to adapt, but the physical capabilities are good, so it shouldn't be a problem, right?"
While I was in agony, Lusria, who had possessed Miru, leisurely examined her new form.
"Anyway, that man there who possesses my power, if I absorb you, I might recover even more of my original capabilities."
She began to approach me slowly, her eyes filled with ill intent.
"?! "
As she finished speaking, I felt an ominous coldness.
The biting chill was like standing in a blizzard, and it made my spine shiver and my heart feel like it would freeze. I clung to consciousness.
"The power inside you is restless, wanting to return to its master. Surrender your body to me quickly."
With a faint smile, she approached, seemingly passing a death sentence.
"Harold is off-limits."
However, Erina blocked Lusria's path, drawing her sword, her face filled with pure hatred.
"Oh? You think a mere mortal can stop me?"
Lusria scoffed as if amused, not even bothering to face her properly.
Erina, pushed to the brink of her patience, lunged at Miru with all her might.
"Die!!"
She screamed, slashing down with her cherished sword.
But...
Click-!
"What?! "
With shocking ease, Lusria caught Erina's blade with one hand, her expression still light and amused.
"You're surprisingly strong for a mortal; I never imagined such prowess."
Her words seemed to mock Erina's efforts, showing how relaxed she felt.
"A born hero, perhaps? There were humans like you during my prime."
Recalling her past, Lusria deliberately exposed a weakness, but Erina didn't miss the opportunity.
Ping!
Once again, the clashing of blades. Even though it was a direct hit between her hand and the blade, it sounded like two swords colliding.
"Eugh?! "
Was this strike even stronger than before? A powerful wind pressure emerged from the point of contact, pushing everything back.
"Eugh?! A typhoon?!"
The pressure was so strong it affected the surroundings, making everyone feel as if they were in the midst of a violent storm.
"I will never... give up...!!"
With a groan, Erina exerted more force into her blade, but the wind grew stronger, and Lusria showed no sign of faltering.
"Enough."
Perhaps she had assessed Erina's capabilities, or perhaps she had simply grown bored, but with a short word...
"Huh?! "
Lusria sent a dark orb directly at Erina.
"Cough...!"
Taken completely off guard and hit directly, Erina was thrown into the air.
"Erina-!!"
I tried to call out to her as she was flung away, but in the end, she disappeared from my sight.
"That's one down. For a mortal, she was quite the thrilling opponent."
As if she had just finished a warm-up, Lusria stretched and evaluated her fight with Erina.
It's impossible...
It's really impossible...
Erina had already reached her potential awakening... which means she was at her peak.
Even Abne had acknowledged her, and she had the skills to even confront Eleona.
But to see Erina, with all her might, being toyed with and overwhelmed...
Even if it's the Night of Ruin where the power of darkness grows and all things become weaker, Lusria's potential was immeasurable.
The ancient deity... was a far more formidable opponent than I thought.
If things go wrong, I might have to use what I've prepared...
"Hmm, it seems you can also harness the power of darkness."
Lusria then turned her gaze to Mir, challenging her with a somewhat provocative demeanor. "How pathetic."
In response to Lusria's taunting, Miru throws a punch. With a heavy thud, Lusria's body, currently possessing Miru, bounces off the ground several times before skidding back.
"Such beings as you have been devoured countless times in the past, acting all high and mighty just because you've subdued one girl."
With a clenched fist, Mir voices her disdain.
Is Mir different? It ended somewhat underwhelmingly-
"It seems you're the one getting ahead of yourself."
In an instant, Lusria appears beside Mir as if she had teleported.
"What?!"
Caught off guard by her sudden appearance, Mir's expression contorts, then...
"Gasp...!"
With a single kick from Lusria, Mir is launched like a bolt from a crossbow.
In the blink of an eye, the two girls, who I believed would protect me from anything, were overpowered.
"Damn!"
Still writhing in pain on the ground, I had no means to counter the ancient deity now that my protectors were gone.
"Now, will you willingly offer yourself as a sacrifice to me?"
Flipping her hair and taking light steps, she closes the distance between us.
"No..."
Enduring the pain, I desperately scramble away.
"Lightning Bolt!"
Zap! Zap!
As a last resort, I cast magic towards her, but...
"Do you really think such a puny spell can even singe the tips of my hair?"
The spell is easily nullified by a faint, dark barrier surrounding her.
"Stone Spear! Water Blade! Fireball!"
I cast every spell I know at her.
"Such trivial magic."
All of them vanish without a trace.
"If that's all you've got, you might as well stop resisting."
Ignoring her words, I quickly gulp down a mana potion from my inventory. The spells I had just used were recent ones from Eleona, consuming minimal mana with decent firepower. It wasn't the maximum firepower I could muster. If I used my old spells, maybe I'd stand a chance. I needed to replenish my mana to its limit for the powerful spells.
"Hm?"
As she gets closer, I stretch out my right hand towards her. Lusria, sensing danger, narrows her eyes.
"What are you trying to do?"
I gather all my mana at my fingertips and quickly start casting.
"Wait, you-!"
For the first time, Lusria loses her complacent smile and contorts her face...
"Great Electro-!!"
In that split second, it feels as if time slows down, all sounds muted.
And then...
KABOOM!!!
With a thunderous roar, lightning strikes the ground.
"Ugh-!! Aaaaah!!"
Blinded by the brilliant blue light, I see her body start to char.
The unbearable noise feels like it will burst my eardrums... "Hmph... they say even a worm will turn, but you've shown some skill!"
Though I can't see her, I faintly hear Miru's voice... or more precisely, Lusria's voice overlapping with her groans.
"Ah... Aaaaa....!!"
The continuous sounds of agony indicate that my attack has had some effect. It seems I'm making progress, but my draining mana makes it hard to continue.
I consider stopping when a roar of pain pierces the air.
"NOOOO!!!"
The light and noise gradually fade.
Could it be-
"ooo!!"
Sure enough, Lusria unleashes her power, dispelling the lightning form, and the energy is absorbed into the darkness. "Ugh.. khh!"
Lusria, having absorbed the entire Great Electro, seems to be in pain for a moment, tightly shutting her eyes. But then...
"Haaa-!"
She releases all the power of the absorbed Electro into the surrounding darkness.
Is she using a magic that reflects back the opponent's power?!
The shockwave, although different in form, resembles the spell I cast earlier and sweeps across the entire royal plaza.
"Aaaah!!"
"Out of nowhere, there's lightning and a storm...!"
"My body's being thrown away, aah!"
Heretics, adventurers, soldiers - she spares no one, devastating the entire area. Even buildings collapse, and while some fires are put out, others grow larger as they come in contact with oxygen.
"Huff... huff... maybe I underestimated you a bit. Was it a bit risky just now?"
Wiping away a bead of sweat, Lusria, regaining her composure, looks down at me, who has fallen like a lifeless body. The devastation caused by the spell I cast has left me incapacitated. Every nerve in my body was burning with pain, but I couldn’t even muster the strength to scream.
"Anyway, your last stand... was quite entertaining, a rather interesting individual."
Lusria, judging my performance, places her hand on my chest. I can feel something being drained from inside me. It's the curse that has tormented me. To Lusria, it's her own unique power, and along with the curse, I feel my life force being drained away.
With my will to resist waning, the thoughts that come to mind are not of resistance but of cold resignation.
"I... I don’t want to do anything..."
I'm not sure if it’s Lusria’s influence, but right now, all I want to do is give up.
"Yes, giving up is easier. Just fade away and become my nourishment."
She smiles maliciously, with a hint of playfulness. Even in my state, her demeanor strangely doesn't seem entirely malicious.
I close my eyes, relaxing my tensed muscles. Changing my perspective, I feel somewhat at ease.
But then...
Slash-!
A sharp sound jolts me back to consciousness.
"?!?!"
My eyes open wide, filled with regret and self-loathing. Somehow, Lusria's concentration has broken.
"What just happened...?"
"Are you feeling better, my knight?"
Turning my head, I'm greeted by a comforting smile.
"Goddess..."
It's Eleona, the deity I serve, cradling me in her arms.
"It seems you are a deity of this era."
Suddenly, Lusria, with a notable wound on her shoulder, grits her teeth in pain.
"You seem to be in bad shape."
However, Eleona completely ignores the enraged Lusria and casts a healing spell on me.
"Ugh..?"
The healing feels more than just simple recovery. My burns fade away, and my body feels lighter than before.
"Do you feel better now?"
She gently strokes my hair, her expression reassuring.
"Yes... Thanks to you, I feel much better."
After ensuring my safety, Eleona stands up confidently.
"If you harm my most cherished child, you won't like what's coming. Witness the most horrifying end possible!"
She points a finger at the wounded ancient deity, radiating infinite wrath. But Lusria, sensing Eleona's fury, remains nonchalant.
"You might be different from the other two girls... But don't you underestimate an ancient deity, no matter how new you are."
Regaining her composure, she touches her wound, and in no time, as if nothing happened, she regenerates her body.
Incredible regenerative abilities... It means that unless taken down in one hit, she's a formidable adversary. With that thought, the concern that had been on my mind resurfaced, weighing heavily on my heart.
Lusria was controlling another's body, meaning that wasn't her true form. Furthermore, the original owner of that body was Miru. So, even if we harmed the Lusria inside that body, in the end, it was Miru we were hurting.
"Let's... go."
Whether she knew it or not, Eleona announced a preemptive attack, drawing a shining magic circle.
"Did you think I'd just stand by?"
However, Lusria didn't permit the attack to land easily and launched her magic first at Eleona. It was definitely the dark sphere that had effortlessly neutralized Erina...
Though it looked simple, its power was incredibly destructive, as if a massive disaster had been compressed into a small form.
"Goddess, you're in danger!"
I cried out in concern, but
"Weak."
Contrary to my expectations, Eleona uttered a brief word and repelled Lusria's dark magic. The sphere that was deflected by her changed into a golden light and shot back at Lusria.
"Ugh! How dare you use such a trick!"
Gritting her teeth, Lusria protected herself with the barrier that had effortlessly neutralized my magic earlier.
Clang!
However, it shattered easily, as if a baseball had hit fragile glass, and Eleona's counter pierced through the barrier, striking Lusria directly. The noise and impact shook the surroundings, and the burst sphere generated a strong wind, forcing a scream out of Lusria.
"Kyaak!"
Different from her earlier demeanor, she sounded somewhat pitiful, and in a moment, she was soiled.
"Then!!"
Lusria, with a furious tone, started casting her next spell, indicating that this would be a serious battle, and she began to showcase the danger of engulfing the world in a void.
"Did we suddenly change locations?!"
"What's been happening?!"
"It seems like a space that only recognizes humans."
The surroundings felt as if floating in a void, which caught everyone, including the gods, off guard.
"Pour out all my power..."
Using her authority over darkness, Lusria summoned a storm of grey mist.
"God of death, heed my wish! Awaken my power and become one with death itself. Bring unbearable torment to them!"
As she chanted, she began to exert her full power.
"Death of Storm!"
Whooosh!
The grey fog rushed in like a tempest, and the world's temperature began to drop sharply. A chilly death approached everyone, and the souls of the weak were already wandering, screaming.
It was a terrifying scene, as if we had entered the afterlife, and the tension reached its peak.
"Absolute Solution."
However, with just one word from Eleona, the grey fog dispersed without a trace.
"Huh?!"
Although Lusria looked startled as her seemingly fail-proof technique was rendered useless, Eleona stared at her with a solemn and serious expression.
"Spear of the Sun."
Following Eleona's counter, a spear filled with the heat of the sun formed, raining down like a shower.
Crackle! Spark! Spark!
The continuous sparking sounds were deafening, and the blinding sunlight obscured the vision.
"Ugh, ahh?!"
Lusria groaned in pain, finally forced to her knees.
"Comet Fall."
Then, piercing through the once dark sky, a blue meteor fell right above Lusria's head.
BOOM!
Even though it directly hit right above Lusria, the impact momentarily made everything seem weightless.
The situation was so dire that not even screams could be heard.
"-!"
"Did you think just darkening the surroundings and giving me a little scare would bring me down? You can't defeat me with mere power."
Closing her eyes and spreading her arms, she muttered a spell,
"Great Cleanse."
The void world that Lusria had painstakingly created began to dissipate.
"The world I created..."
Struggling to her feet, Lusria uttered bitterly. "There's no mercy left for you. Next, I'll burn your soul. Abandon the innocent girl's body and accept your inevitable end."
Eleona pronounced her death sentence on her, but despite the severe blow, Lusria smirked.
How can she still have the leisure to make such a face?
"It's clear that defeating you with regular methods won't work."
She spat out the blood-filled saliva onto the ground and wiped her mouth.
"But you missed something. I've noticed it since I first laid eyes on you."
Then, reaching out her hand towards me, it seemed like she was swiping through the air...
"Let my power surge."
Thump!
"Wha?!"
Pain began to flood in with her short command.
I had forgotten... my curse is powered by Lusria's magic, meaning she can control it at will...
The returning pain made me scream, and during this intense moment, in a corner of my vision, I saw others suffering.
It wasn't just me.
"Ugh!"
Suddenly, Eleona, clutching her chest in agony, began to groan.
"Harold, was it? You might not know, but the pain is shared with the god connected to you. My power brings torment of being consumed by darkness to everyone linked to its origin."
Suddenly the tables had turned again. So Eleona was also affected by the curse's side effects?
Then every time I had an episode, Eleona also...
A horrifying realization dawned on me, and despair began to creep in.
So, all this time, even Eleona suffered because of me...
The guilt was overwhelming.
"My knight... don't worry..."
Amidst the overwhelming pain, I faintly heard Eleona's voice. In her face, I noticed something alien.
"Goddess? Your face..."
Starting from her shoulders, something dark spread. Her skin was being 'consumed by darkness', turning black.
"I'll be fine... I'll find a way... don't worry."
Her attempt to reassure me only deepened my despair.
"Heh... I nearly drained all my power. That was close."
Ignoring the collapsed Eleona on the floor, the ancient god approached and lifted me by the collar.
"Cough...!"
Struggling to breathe and trying to resist was as futile as a fish caught on a hook.
"Looking around, all the divine entities are engrossed in their battles, uninterested in ours."
"?! "
She pricked my skin with her thumb and forefinger.
A sudden pain surged, but compared to the curse's torment, it was nothing.
Oddly, I didn't die, but once again, the cursed energy inside me, along with my life force, was being drained.
"No... Stop!"
I tried to shout in desperation, but before I could, Eleona, crawling on the floor, grabbed Lusria's ankle in a last-ditch effort.
"Stop it."
Crack!
With a simple kick, Eleona's hand was broken, the sound of bones snapping echoing.
"Harold..."
Even as she suffered from the curse and was consumed by darkness, Eleona's voice, filled with concern for me, echoed in my ears.
"Give up."
Lusria's cold whisper interrupted Eleona, and my heart sank deeper into despair.
Maybe... I should just give up...
As my will cooled and I was about to close my eyes...
"Please... my beloved servant..."
Hearing Eleona's voice, my senses sharpened, and a last-resort plan came to mind.
Right... the item I prepared...
Initially, I bought it hoping it might solve the curse problem, but I lamented its uselessness...
But I never thought I'd actually need to use it.
I had a vague idea of its power and was a bit apprehensive about using it.
"That stone? You..."
But hesitating now would lead to a meaningless death... It's about gathering the courage.
"If I can stop you with this..."
The artifact, a very expensive magical stone I found through rumors, emitted a suspicious aura and had an opaque white color.
I heard that my curse was made from the power of an ancient god, so I sought this artifact that could supposedly seal magical powers and spirits... An artifact not even the gods knew the origin of, created by everything in existence.
The Seal Stone of Radiance.
An extraordinary item said to be a crystallization of magic or even able to contain someone's soul...
However, using it required risking one's own life force.
Such a price made me hesitant to use it, even if it might be effective against the curse.
Now seemed like the exact moment to use it.
"Even if I die, I'll lock you inside this Seal Stone forever..."
As a final testament, I taunted her and imbued the stone with my magic.
"Wait?!——"
Aaaah!
The Seal Stone, which was of an opaque white, began to react to my magic. It started to glow, casting a dawn-like brightness in the dark night.