Chapter 79: When Lightning Struck

To have fulfillment means there is a lack.

To say there is no lack is to say there is no fulfillment either.

So isn’t life just a repeated process of pouring fulfillment into an endless pit of deficiency?

Even knowing it never ends, endlessly searching for fulfillment might just be the essence of life itself.

That was why the girl was always curious.

What is love?

No one ever loved her. Not even her parents.

She didn’t really care.

She didn’t love them either.

No, it was impossible to love what she didn’t even understand.

‘How could she love?’

‘How could she be loved?’

That was why the girl was always curious.

‘What is love?’

Whenever she walked the streets, all she heard were songs filled with love.

Songs that longed for love, songs that resented love, songs that missed love.

When sitting by the window and looking outside, all she could see were people whispering about love.

Families and lovers spending their lives together under the name of love.

Turn on the TV, and all the stories were about love.

Stories of crying, happiness, and joy all because of love.

Men and women who went out searching for love.

Stories experienced while loving, and people enjoying them.

The whole world sang of love, spoke of love, and shared love.

The girl who was never loved, who never loved, couldn’t help but wonder.

What exactly is love? How amazing must it be for love to be woven into everything in the world?

It was a question that would follow her her entire life, a deficiency she had to resolve.

So the girl wandered in search of fulfillment.

Even if it was a void that could never be filled.

Even if it was a feeling she could never understand.

“I love you.”

Perhaps it was because of that very reason she kept yearning endlessly.

[Hidden Trait: Violence is Not Allowed! (Endurance: 441 / 1000)]

This was different from before.

Beyond a simple skill, it felt like a strong will of some kind radiating a vivid scarlet energy.

「Characteristic – ‘Cannot Live Without Style!’ has been activated」

Even so, she barely held on to the tiniest shred of reason.

Compared to before, her mind was narrow and weak.

A tiny fence.

And the rest of that space was filled only with love for Airlights.

A blind heart that felt it could do anything for her.

The reason that massive heart’s reasoning was so small was obvious.

[Hidden Trait: Violence is Not Allowed! (Endurance: 479 / 1000)]

Her mind was hazy.

Airlights lay with her head resting on the girl’s knees, sitting dazedly.

“I love you.”

Gently brushing back her hair, Airlights gave a bright smile.

That sight was so adorable that without thinking, she blurted it out.

“I love you, Airlights.”

Deep within that feeling, a fierce battle was underway.

Compared to the surging scarlet emotions, the space taken by reason was so narrow, yet all the more resolute.

It struggled, tightly bound, to slowly expand its territory.

Of course, that progress was slow and weak.

“Hug me.”

With a bright smile, Airlights opened her arms, so the girl smiled back and held her tightly.

The warmth and pleasant smile made her feel perfectly happy.

[Hidden Trait: Violence is Not Allowed! (Endurance: 500 / 1000)]

The rapidly rising endurance was ignored.

Because she didn’t even know what she was enduring.

“Tch.”

Atawolf entered, clicking his tongue with disdain.

Suddenly, the girl felt anger.

‘How dare he look down on their sacred love so casually?’

It was hard to bear.

“Yeah. It’s fine, Hio. As long as we love each other, that’s all that matters, right?”

But hearing Airlights say that, she forced herself to suppress her anger and hugged her tightly once again.

As expected of Airlights. So kind.

“I love you.”

“Yeah. I love you too.”

It was hard to tell how much time had passed.

Her hazy mind made even holding onto that single thread of reason a struggle.

“Shall we go outside?”

***

At that, she snapped back to reality and, hand in hand with Airlights, headed outside.

Walking beneath the gray fortress walls, their warm hands touching made her smile without realizing it.

Seeing her smile, Airlights smiled in return.

Holding hands tightly as they walked, it felt as if they were walking down a cherry blossom-lined path together.

Of course, there was nothing but thick fog surrounding them instead of blossoms.

It seemed the mental barrier had slightly expanded.

From a state where reason was barely protected by instinct, she could faintly think now.

“Hio.”

“Hmm?”

“Do you love me?”

“Of course.”

It was still minimal.

The enchantment held her body and mind strongly, and Airlights still took up most of her heart.

“Hug me.”

Being held in arms now felt quite natural.

“Hmm. I think I’m starting to understand why people get so worked up about hugging.”

Mumbling something incomprehensible, Airlights burrowed deeper into her arms.

Smiling unconsciously, she stroked Airlights’ hair, who soon drifted off to sleep.

“Good night, Airlights.”

[Hidden Trait: Violence is Not Allowed! (Endurance: 582 / 1000)]

She was sure there was something important she had to do, but she couldn’t remember.

More than that, it felt strange just to be having such thoughts.

“What are you thinking about?”

Airlights suddenly appeared with a smile.

“Just… I think I forgot something.”

“Don’t worry. We only have to think about ourselves. Hio.”

With Airlights’ hands cupping her cheeks, she finally smiled and nodded.

“Right?”

Covering Airlights’ hands with hers, she saw her smile happily.

Hio smiled back just as happily.

As this daily routine repeated, change suddenly arrived.

“From now on, you and that wizard must actively participate in battle.”

Atawolf said in his always unpleasant tone. It was basically an order.

“The fatigue has peaked. This is the perfect time. Airlights, take that wizard and face the Empire’s forces. He can sweep them away easily. Vitalianus is my responsibility.”

“Why should I do that?”

“…What?”

But Airlights stared Atawolf right in the eyes, clearly unwilling to cooperate.

“You never said I had to send Hio into battle.”

“You also never said you wouldn’t.”

“Anyway, no. We’re busy.”

“It’ll come quickly, but someday they will break through here. You do realize that means you’ll die too, right, Airlights?”

“Well… that’s not such a bad thing.”

When words failed, black mist began billowing from Atawolf’s body.

“So you’ll die by my hand here?”

“If I die, can you handle what comes next?”

Even so, Atawolf didn’t back down.

He needed Airlights’ cooperation now more than ever.

“Can’t you escape my body inside this fog? If you can, I’ll simply slip away.”

Atawolf stepped forward slowly.

The mist emanating from him pressed in on Airlights.

But from Airlights’ perspective, the words that came after were a bigger problem.

“And before you leave, I will be the one to kill Hio Pavlenko you so dearly love.”

Without answering, Airlights stood still, then suddenly turned and nestled deeply into Hio’s arms.

Lowering her head and staring at the ground, she muttered,

“You’re really mean, aren’t you, Hio.”

“…Yeah.”

Leader of the Black Mist. The worst villain’s threat, isn’t it? How dare he try to drive a wedge between them.

“See? I told you I could.”

“Yeah.”

“…Do you love me?”

“Yeah. I do.”

At that answer, Airlights hugged Hio even tighter.

But her head bowed even lower.

***

After a brief silence, she spoke with difficulty.

“…Since when?”

Hio answered calmly.

“Not long ago.”

“Yeah. I see.”

Atawolf’s irritation grew little by little.

He could only tolerate so much.

‘Even in this situation, love games?’

It was utterly ridiculous.

But the conversation that followed was somewhat puzzling.

“Then why didn’t you move sooner?”

Still looking at the floor, Airlights asked.

Hio’s answer was unexpected.

“You’re going to die.”

At that point, Atawolf noticed something odd too.

But he chose to observe a little longer, because he knew those two couldn’t do anything to him.

And because he wanted to.

If Hio Pavlenko obediently listened while under enchantment, they might still win this unfavorable war.

He secretly hoped his intuition was wrong and kept watching.

“You know…”

Airlights finally slipped out of Hio’s arms.

Only then did she raise her head and look at him.

“What I’m doing, this is love, right?”

Hio met her eyes without answering.

“No, you don’t have to answer. I think I understand now.”

Turning slowly away from Hio, Airlights said, “This really is love.”

A vivid scarlet energy radiated thickly from her body.

“Tch.”

Atawolf clicked his tongue and looked at Hio.

“So you didn’t fall under the enchantment, Hio Pavlenko. Or did you and then break free on your own?”

It didn’t matter either way.

It was a shame, but now there was no choice but to use him as bait to escape.

That was Atawolf’s plan, but—

「Skill – Thunder Emperor has been activated」

Hio moved first.

Suddenly, lightning flashed inside the castle.

Still, Atawolf mockingly reached out his hand.

“You think your lightning can reach me……”

But the lightning wasn’t aimed at Atawolf.

KRA-KOOM!

Hio Pavlenko burst out through the window.

This was the first variable.

“Hah.”

Though he hadn’t expected him to flee, nothing would change.

This entire area was Atawolf’s territory, charged with his immense power.

Since Hio couldn’t manipulate spiritual energy, it was clear he would be overwhelmed in this domain that had been created over many years.

But in that brief moment, a second variable appeared.

A vivid scarlet energy, rivaling the black mist, surged forward with overwhelming presence, attacking Atawolf.

“You really do make foolish choices, Airlights.”

Of course, it was laughable.

Atawolf’s gaze swept over Airlights.

That was all it took.

The black mist devoured the scarlet energy and pierced through Airlights’ body.

It was that easy, that simple, and that futile.

It only took a very short time.

No matter how much she risked her life, the only effect was Atawolf’s gaze on Airlights.

It was certainly just a fleeting moment.

But that moment was enough.

A bolt of lightning struck the old sword atop the tall spire.

That amount of time was enough.

And this was the third variable.

CRACK—

Something shattered.

Although the sound was small, everyone heard it clearly.

“……!”

The fog cleared.

The fog that had long dominated the vast Ba’al Forest vanished as if it were a lie, revealing a magnificent scene.

Endless rows of soldiers.

A silver tide surrounding the entire Ba’al Forest. Countless banners.

The Black Fang’s troops that had to face them looked incredibly pitiful in comparison.

Only when the fog lifted did the overwhelming difference in strength become apparent.

And among them—

“Has it taken too long?”

Golden eyes stared directly at the gray fortress, where Atawolf stood inside.

They were golden eyes resembling a lion’s.

“…Vitalianus.”

Despite the great distance, the two recognized each other perfectly.

“You’re still hard to find, Atawolf.”

With no need to hold back any longer, golden aura soared high into the sky.

The power of a hero who had symbolized hope for decades.

Atawolf immediately gathered the remaining power of all the fog.

In the end, nothing had changed.

If he could take down the Sword Saint, Vitalianus, everything would be resolved.

There was no need for widespread chaos like before.

He concentrated all his power into a compact form.

Black mist swirled toward Atawolf, slow but gathering.

The villain’s power that had ruled through fear for decades.

Vitalianus raised his sword, cleaving through space as he flew in.

Atawolf clenched the condensed black mist in his hand.

A massive force, compressed and compressed again.

Its shape was somewhat familiar.

A black sword resembling an old blade.

A sword of black mist seemingly made to fight only one person.

“Atawolf.”

Vitalianus flew close in an instant and swung down the golden sword vertically.

Not to be outdone, Atawolf lifted the black sword with all his might to block it.

The clash of golden and black swords rang out.

“Now it is time to correct past mistakes.”

The sound of the two swords meeting was surprisingly clear.