【Legend of Lineage】 Episode 23: (Interlude) The Radiance of the Decisive Battle, The False King (Chapter 7)
Chapter 7: The Pinnacle of the Spire and the Second Coming of the "Hero of Light"
Episode 23: (Interlude) The Radiance of the Decisive Battle, The False King
【Summary of Previous Episodes】
Prince Helios (Artorius) fully regained his memories at the "Sacred Spring" above the clouds and awakened the silver holy sword, Luminaris. Before the final battle, he descended to Ashbury, the site where the tragedy began.
Waiting there was Silva of the mask. She revealed the shocking truth: her real name is "Selene," and on that day several months ago, his uncle Will had fought against the evil god while helping Helios escape. Knowing that his family was still alive and needed saving, Artorius spread his wings of resolve with his companions, heading toward the royal capital where the evil god Luminaris Shadow lurks.
【Character and Terminology Guide】
If you are a first-time reader or would like to review the overview, please see the 【Introduction】 below.
【BGM Playback】
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1. After the Long Months
The morning sun covering the royal capital Exaltia felt as if it had grown even more sticky and intense over the past few months.
Since that day when the southern town of Ashbury was engulfed in flames and the desperate news arrived that Prince Helios, the treasure of Exaltia, had been "killed in action," the seasons had surely turned. In the plaza, the voices of the people who worship King Will as the "unyielding hope"—a man who overcame the tragedy of losing his beloved nephew and governs the country without sleep or rest—never cease.
However, that peace was nothing more than a precarious fiction built upon thin ice that could shatter at any moment.
Will sat in his chair in the office, looking down through the window at the peaceful and calm streets.
For the past few years, especially in the days since losing Helios, he had been waging a gruesome civil war while fighting the curse of the evil god that was eating away at his soul. While he acted as a resolute "wise ruler" on the public stage to keep the hearts of the people together, his own face reflected in the mirror had withered to the point where it could hardly be called that of a living person. His skin was pale and thin like a corpse, and deep in his eyes, a black light that was not his own flickered eerily.
「...Your Majesty, you do not seem well. Shall we cancel the speech for tonight's victory prayer festival?」
An aide asked from behind, looking genuinely worried. It was because Will's trembling back looked so small and fragile.
「...No, it is fine. I must not make the people anxious... I cannot let the radiance of this country... be extinguished. I... must hold firm.」
Will's voice was raspy, but the "unfeigned devotion" contained in his words moved his aides to tears once again, and they bowed deeply before leaving the room.
2. The Collapsing Ego and the Evil God's Mockery
As the heavy door closed and silence returned, Will coughed up blood violently.
The blood had lost its bright red color, now carrying a dark, viscous darkness. The droplets that fell to the floor writhed like living creatures, then were sucked into his shadow as if mocking their master.
(Is this... the limit? I can't... hold it back... any longer... Helios...)
Over ninety percent of Will's mental world was now painted over by the black tentacles of the evil god Luminaris Shadow. The months he had spent since pushing his nephew away during the tragedy at Ashbury and bearing the stigma of a traitor had been days of torture that felt like an eternity.
The evil god had been growing, using Will's "noble human heart" as a fertile seedbed. The more he prayed for Helios's safety and the well-being of his people, the more that strong emotion was converted into energy for the evil god, ironically destroying his own body from within and serving as fuel for its complete resurrection.
(Stop your futile resistance, Will. Your body is already in my hands... Nothing will change even if that "light" you risked your life to let escape returns. I will use these hands to strike yourself down. You know how cruel that is... don't you? Your shallow mercy was of no use at all.)
The evil god's impure mockery echoed unpleasantly, as if clawing directly at the inside of his head.
(...No... that child will surely fulfill it... That pure light will not be defeated by the likes of you... I believe in it...!)
Will struggled, squeezing out the last of his fading reason. The afterimage of the "pale radiance" released amidst the despair of Ashbury that day—he never once doubted that it was the only salvation left in this world covered in darkness.
3. The Return of the Legend, The Roar of Judgment
It was then.
A wave accompanied by a physical shock pierced through the eerie silence that had been enveloping the royal capital.
The multiple magical barriers protecting the royal castle creaked violently under the intense, yet pure, energy interference from the outside. The warning bells announcing the intrusion began to ring frantically, like screams, throughout the palace.
Will struck his trembling knees to force himself to stand and leaned out onto the balcony.
Far beyond the sea of clouds. A single dazzling flash of light flew in, drawing a rainbow-colored trail against the burning radiance of the morning sun.
The ancient wings that should have been lost three hundred years ago, and the presence of the "true guardian" who had appeared riding them.
(...Ah... ah, Helios...! You have... you have truly returned...!)
Hot tears streamed down Will's sallow cheeks.
Years of hellish loneliness. A mental struggle that felt like it would never end. All of it was about to be rewarded by the "rainbow radiance" that had just torn through the sky.
The shadow of the evil god lurking within the king's body reacted violently to the sacred magical power emitted by the airship, thrashing about like a madman. The shadow forcibly manipulated the king's body like a puppet, making him draw the sword at his waist.
"Impudent intruder... Whoever dares to violate my majesty shall be reduced to dust."
From Will's lips, the icy, ruthless words of the evil god were unleashed. The numerous magic cannons mounted on the castle walls aimed their muzzles at the airship in the sky in unison, beginning to eerily charge with pitch-black lightning.
Yet, behind that cold-blooded murderous intent, Will's soul was trembling with ecstasy, screaming incessantly.
(Come, Helios! If it's you... if it's me now, you should be able to kill me! Strike down this rotten self, along with this accursed evil...! Wield the holy sword, you rightful, sole heir of light to Exaltia...!)
The rainbow-colored airship dashed gallantly into the sky of the royal capital, illuminated by the morning sun.
Several months have passed since the tragedy of Ashbury began.
Encounters with many companions, numerous battles, and the acquisition of the "Legendary Wings" and the "Awakened Holy Sword."
Now, the time for the final battle to sever all ties and bring dawn to the world's night was drawing near.
▶Read Episode 24 "Blood-Stained Embrace, A Waltz of Light and Shadow"
▶Click here for the prologue
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