Volume 3: Rise Of The Creator
All eyes were fixed on the light, slowly and mercilessly devouring everything in its path. Its presence was suffocating, not just in its intensity but in what it represented—inevitability.
"We need to stop this," Leo said, urgency hardening his voice, though doubt was etched into every line of his face.
Arthur shook his head, eyes locked on the expanding beam. "How? My father was an S3—a demigod. What the hell are we supposed to do?" His voice broke, heavy with grief he hadn't yet let himself feel.
Far off near the bridge to the Holy Cathedral, several guards who had been fleeing suddenly fell to their knees the moment the light reached them. At first, it was confusion. Then the screaming began—sharp, raw, inhuman. They clutched their heads, writhing in torment, their cries piercing the air like metal scraping bone. The screams tore through the air for what seemed like an endless eternity, then stopped as suddenly as they had begun, without warning, they ceased. One by one, the soldiers stood. Their faces were pale and blank, their eyes glowing with that same dead, soulless light. They no longer ran. They marched—slow, steady, in perfect unison—toward Leo and the others.
Above them, Oryu hovered in the sky, laughing manically. "See? The god is here!" he shouted, arms stretched wide as if expecting salvation. "He's finally here!"
Then it came—a voice, quiet yet vast, ethereal and heavy with divine mockery. It echoed from everywhere and nowhere, calm yet soaked in cruelty.
"Oryu. My loyal subject. Your efforts haven't gone unnoticed. Let me reward you."
Oryu's face lit up, eyes shimmering with devotion. "Oh Lord—thank you, I—I—" But he never finished.
A beam of concentrated light struck him from above. He shrieked as his body convulsed midair, hands flying to his head, clawing at it as if trying to rip something out.
"What—what is this?!" he howled.
"You are going to become one with me," the voice said again, now laced with amusement, like a parent punishing a naive child.
"No—NO—!!" Oryu's scream turned guttural, raw with disbelief. His form twisted, bones snapping audibly, light shredding through him like blades. Then everything froze. The glow faded, and Oryu's body remained hovered in the air, encased in radiant armor, pristine and cold. He held a sword and shield sculpted from divine fire, and his eyes—once gleaming with blind devotion—now shone with emptiness.
When he spoke again, it was not his voice.
"Arthur, son of Alister," the god of light intoned through Oryu's mouth. "If your father had accepted my offer long ago, your people would not have to suffer this much now. You mortals—so stubborn, so arrogant in your belief that you have choice."
Arthur stepped forward, fists clenched. "Looks like my father kept you trapped long enough to make you bitter. Now you can't shut up."
"You have his filth in your blood. And you'll share his fate."
The god raised one hand, and Arthur collapsed, a groan ripping from his throat as pain surged through him. He clutched his head, gasping, struggling to stay conscious as invisible hands crushed his mind from within. Leo instinctively took a step forward, but hesitated. His body refused to move. His heart thundered with helplessness.
How could he fight this? He was just an A-minus. The being before him was a god—ancient, cruel, and limitless. What could he possibly do?
He turned, eyes scanning the others. Briva, who struggled to maintain composure. Arthur, writhing in pain. Then his gaze fell on Elna—bruised, weak, afraid—but still looking at him. Her lips moved.
Leo…
Something inside him broke. Then something deeper awakened.
Mana surged from him with violent force. The ground beneath his feet cracked and split, wind howled through the city square, and his body trembled under the pressure. He wasn't casting anything. He wasn't even thinking. The power was coming on its own.
It poured out of him like a storm finally unleashed, wild and untamed. Then it began to take shape.
From the torrent of energy, a figure formed—a silhouette of white fog, gentle in its motion, almost delicate in how it drifted. The hair was long and pale, the body graceful, not entirely there, but not illusion either. Leo's breath caught in his throat. His heart knew her before his mind did.
Selvanna.
Oryu—no, the god, glared at the figure, rage cracking through the divine calm. "Selvanna…"
Her voice was everywhere. It came from the air, from the light, from the spaces between.
"I told you, betrayer. You would fail."
The wind paused. Even the light hesitated, as if recoiling in recognition.
A radiant beam, as brilliant as the radiance of the God of Light, burst from the church behind them, shooting into the sky like a pillar of hope. One by one, light surged from nine more churches, each connecting in the heavens to form a vast ring of magic—a celestial circle that halted the god's consuming light in its tracks.
The paladin commander emerged from the cathedral's massive doors, his expression grim but resolute. "The bishops will hold the light back for as long as they can. Now's your chance—push the false god back!"
Then, a voice echoed in Leo's mind—familiar, gentle, yet firm. "I will boost your power this once. Stop him."
A chorus of bells began to ring, slow at first—deep, resonant chimes that rolled through the air like thunder over water. Their tones were rich, layered with haunting overtones that shimmered between sorrow and strength. The sound echoed across the battlefield, vibrating through stone and bone alike, drawing the gaze of allies and enemies both. Even the possessed paused, their heads twitching toward the source. Each chime pulsed outward like a heartbeat, reverberating through the sky and earth. Leo knew these bells. They were coming from his domain—no, their domain. Selvanna was helping him summon it.
His body began to change. White streaks flowed through his hair as it lengthened, his nails sharpened into claws like a wolf's, and his irises turned a deep, burning red. Power surged into him like a flood breaking loose, far greater than anything he'd felt before—even more potent than the last time he had become this… beast, when he had fought Osara. The sheer force of it overwhelmed him, and he let out a roar that echoed like a wolf's howl across the battlefield.
The soundwave struck Oryu midair, forcing him back.
Oryu stared at Leo, silent for a moment. Then the sword in his hand vanished as a beam of light shot down from the sky and struck him like a divine meteor, forging a new sword in his grip—sleek, radiant, and seething with divine energy.
From Leo's palm, Thorn emerged, transformed. New markings glowed along its hilt, and red lightning crackled along the blade's edge.
Leo hit the ground, crouched, then launched himself upward with explosive speed. The resulting shockwave shook the area, forcing Briva to cry out and shield her face from the blast.
Oryu charged at him, his movements impossibly fast, and their swords collided in midair. The clash released chaotic bursts of mana—red lightning flaring from Leo's blade, droplets of golden light flaring from Oryu's.
They moved like twin comets in the sky—red and gold—striking, blocking, dodging, releasing spell after spell. When Leo launched a blood slash, Oryu deflected it with his shield. When Oryu countered with a beam of light from his sword, a veil of red mist shimmered into place around Leo, shielding him from the worst.
'The sword he holds is the Sword of Truth,' Selvanna's voice whispered in his mind, calm and measured even as their battle raged. 'The vessel's body isn't strong enough to draw out the sword's full power, but even now, it's dangerous.'
Leo, floating like a red streak of lightning, listened intently as he dodged another blow.
'Its cleave cuts through all illusion. Up close, it can pierce barriers easily.'
Steel met steel again—Clang!—and Leo felt the force jolt through his arm.
'It can summon the Fire of Judgment. If you've lied or hidden truth… it will burn your soul.'
Leo grit his teeth. 'Anything else?'
'I pray he can't access the last two abilities.'
Another blast—a stream of white fire—grazed past Leo and obliterated a building below.
'The Word of Unmaking,' Selvanna continued. 'With it, the sword can declare that something's existence is a lie—and erase it. Or worse… it can claim something that doesn't exist should, and bring it into being.'
Leo dodged again. 'That sounds like creation.'
'In limited form—yes. You must not let it reach that point.'
Their blades clashed again. Clang.
Leo smirked grimly. "Great."
The battle raged on, relentless and devastating. But despite Leo's newfound power, he could feel his mana draining rapidly. Oryu, possessed by the divine, didn't tire at all.
Knowing time was against him, Leo conjured an illusion, not for Oryu, but for Arthur. It shimmered subtly on the ground nearby, and Arthur—still on his knees, clutching his head in agony—fell under its influence.
Within the illusion, Leo knelt beside him and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "Arthur. I can't hold him off forever. I need your help."
Arthur looked up, his eyes red with pain. "To what end? Even if we beat Oryu… the bishops can't hold that light forever."
"No," Leo said. "But the Creator can. We just need a little more time."
Arthur's eyes widened. "The Creator…" He looked toward the sky where Leo—his real body—fought in a storm of red and gold. "But I'm weaker than you now. My domain is empty."
"Then pray to the Creator."
Arthur hesitated. His lip trembled. Then he nodded. "Say it."
Leo began to recite the words, and Arthur repeated after him.
"The Creator — an eternal presence, neither good nor evil,
Bearer of both light and shadow, who forged balance from chaos
And gave form to the formless.
From nothing, You spoke.
From chaos, You sculpted stars.
In shadow, You placed the seed of light;
In light, the promise of shadow.
The Creator, who sees without eyes,
Whose voice echoes in silence—
Guide me, as You guide all."
As Arthur finished the final line, the world around him dissolved into blinding white. The battlefield, the pain, the chaos—all vanished. He now stood alone in an endless expanse of light, peaceful and eternal.
Back in reality, Leo strained to stay present in two places at once. It was a feat only made possible by Selvanna's strength joining his, and by the sheer will that burned inside him. But this was the plan.
He wasn't going to defeat the god.
He was going to prepare the one who could.
…
Arthur looked up at the throne wreathed in white and red mist. Power radiated from it—denser, heavier than before, pressing against his skin like gravity. It felt ancient, infinite… and waiting.
"I foretold that you would seek something of Me, Arthur Caelum." the voice echoed, vast and layered, like a thousand whispers threaded through a single tone. "Now ask."
Arthur was silent for a long moment. Then, without hesitation, he raised his head.
"I want the power to defeat the God of Light's vessel," he said firmly. "And I want you to stop the God of Light from devouring everything."
A scroll appeared before him, floating in the air, its surface blank and waiting. A quill hovered beside it, dripping with red ink that pulsed like a heartbeat.
"Then pledge yourself to Me," the voice commanded. "You will kneel to no other. Your prayers will be Mine alone. When I call, you will answer—without question, without hesitation."
Arthur took the quill. There was no fear in his hand as he signed the parchment. As the final stroke settled, the scroll vanished in a flicker of mist. He dropped to his knees.
Pain surged through him—but he didn't scream. He clenched his teeth, his whole body shaking, as something ancient poured into him.
His hair began to shift, turning white strand by strand, lengthening like flowing silver. His eyes flared red, glowing like coals stoked by unseen fire. Mist wrapped around him, twisting and rising like smoke made of shadow and moonlight. Power flooded every part of him—more than he'd ever felt, more than he thought a human body could hold.
But he didn't break. He rose empowered
…
Leo watched Arthur sign the contract, and something in him shifted. Arthur didn't collapse like the others had—like Leo himself once did. He remained steady, unwavering. A faint smile tugged at the corner of Leo's mouth. Without hesitation, he poured all the mana from his domain into him.
A minute passed, then Arthur rose—transformed. He looked like a knight born of myth: radiant, regal, wrapped in light and fog like a divine storm waiting to be unleashed.
Leo nodded. "Go now, and let judgment be done. From this hour, you are My angel, wrath and mercy bound in one."
Arthur gave a slight bow before his form blurred and vanished.
Back in the real world, Leo was barely holding on. The pressure of Oryu's blade crushed down on him, and with all his power transferred, he had nothing left. The next blow sent him flying. He slammed into the ground with brutal force, and before he could recover, Oryu was already descending upon him.
The divine blade came down—only to crash against another.
Clang!
Leo blinked through the haze of pain and looked up.
Arthur stood between them, blocking the strike with ease. His sword shimmered with golden light, runes dancing along its surface. His armor, once pure gold, now gleamed with streaks of white, ethereal and pristine. His white hair flowed behind him like a banner of war, and his red eyes burned with purpose.
The god within Oryu stared at him, voice laced with suspicion and unease. "What are you?"
Arthur met his gaze without flinching. "I am the Creator's angel."