CHAPTER 19 - "The Power of the Goddess"
This web novel is a draft of the story. Please expect frequent changes and updates as I see fit. Enjoy! -Cloki
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-Siegfried has successfully fused with Camriel for the first time. As the power of her goddess abilities flow through his veins, he plans to have a discussion with Rigel, and convince him to remove his curse, even if it means doing it by force. Azure and Jurgen have taken shelter in the weapons shop, and are spectating the events from inside.
-Siegfried took a few steps toward Rigel, and Rigel backed up. Rigel drew his sword, and pointed it at Siegfried as he continued to back up. Siegfried just kept following him, his eyes glowing with the brilliance of a thousand gems.
Rigel: "S-Siegfried, don't you dare take another step closer, I swear to the goddess I'll put a hole in you right now!"
Siegfried: "You swear...to the goddess? Rigel?"
-Siegfried then held his hand out to Rigel, and closed his fist. Upon doing so, Rigel's sword crumpled like paper and fell to the ground.
Rigel: "WHA-! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT SIEGFRIED!?"
Siegfried: "Rigel, I'm going to give you an opportunity... remove my curse, and I will allow you to keep your life."
Rigel: "Remove the curse from you? In your dreams! I don't care how powerful of a mage you really are, you'll never make me break! Because I know that deep down, you're still that annoying new adventurer. I have no clue where you gained such power from, but I won't let it affect me!"
Siegfried: "Interesting, it seems I'll have to force it upon you then, Rigel..."
Rigel: "Force what upon me, Siegfried?"
-Siegfried suddenly lifted his hand once more, and, saying nothing, he opened his fist, and out came an incredibly powerful gust of air, sending Rigel flying back against the wall of a building."
Rigel: "WHOAAA" *BOOM* "ACK!-"
Rigel: "Ouch, oh so what, you know an advanced air spell. Anyone can do that, let me show YOU something now, Siegfried!"
-Rigel came to his feet and lifted his hands. He proceeded to move them in a circular motion and summoned a ring of shadows. He then launched the ring at Siegfried. This ring is meant to surround your opponent and close in on them, suffocating them as it shrinks."
-The ring of shadows approached Siegfried, but instantly dissipated as it entered his vicinity. It was as if the ring had never even existed.
Rigel: "Shit, how much light magic is he emitting!? My dark spells have no effect on him! I'm going to have to rely on purely shaman magic... He destroyed my sword too, so my spells are gonna be a bit weaker..."
-Siegfried then jumped from the ground and began to levitate. He flew over to where Rigel was, and stopped in front of him.
Rigel: "You must be expelling a shit ton of mana to cast all these spells simultaneously, Siegfried. You'll run out eventually! Here, allow me to help with that process."
Rigel: "EX-FACIS!"
-Rigel casted a spell known as Facis, which is meant to steal mana from your opponent, and re-direct it to your vat. However, the spell was completely useless against Siegfried, due to the sheer power difference between the two.
Rigel: "Eh? I'm not receiving any mana! What's goi-*ACK!!* WHOA!"
-Siegfried lifted Rigel off of the ground with one hand and threw his body into the air effortlessly. Siegfried then cast a water spell into the air, which hit Rigel. When Rigel fell back down, he hit the ground hard and was dazed.
Rigel: "*BOOM* -- "eugh, ah what the hell Siegfried? What are you?"
-Rigel came to his feet, but Siegfried sprinted over to him, almost instantly, and punched him. The punch was so powerful, that Rigel's body went flying a few dozen feet, tumbling across the ground as it went. Rigel was basically a punching bag at this point.
Rigel :"*OOF,EUG-*ACK*" *coughs blood*
Rigel: "Sieg-..Siegfried... I won't give up.."
Rigel to himself: "Shit, Hasher was right, this guy's a lunatic... I might have to retreat, but if I try to retreat, he might just kill me right there.. what do I do?"
Siegfried: "blink!"
-Siegfried teleported in front of Rigel and picked up his sword which was left on the ground after Rigel had gravely wounded him. The sword began to glow with light energy.
Siegfried: 'This is your final warning, Rigel. Remove this curse from me, and I will spare your life..."
-Azure was seeing the entire spectacle through the window-
~~IN THE WEAPON SHOP~~
Azure: "Jurgen, Siegfried is unbelievable.. look, his body is basically translucent..."
Jurgen: "I can see that, Azure. This is beyond even my knowledge..."
Azure: "Siegfried...do you possess the spiritual affinity??"
Jurgen: "Azure-sama, I've come to know a few Spirit Magic users in my life, and I can guarantee that that is not spirit magic. This is something entirely different, and it's completely blowing my mind. It's like he's some sort of god."
-Azure suddenly remembered what Daichi had said in the guild house two days ago...
~~FLASHBACK~~
[[Daichi: "As for Siegfried.... you have zero magical capabilities at all. You will need to learn the basic spells from scratch. HOWEVER, I do sense an unusual aura around you...almost like you're a god in disguise... be wary of any unnatural powers that may awaken inside of you at any given time..."]]
~~BACK IN OAKHEART~~
Azure: "Could this be what father was talking about? Is Siegfried really a god? I know that a few angels might exist, as there are numerous biblical texts throughout Provincia, but I've never been taught anything about a God before..."
Jurgen: "I'm not entirely sure if this is the work of the angels or not... From what the biblical texts in the Underground Library say, there haven't been any sighting of angels for thousands of years."
Azure: "...did you say thousands of years? I don't know much about angels, I've only ever heard their names from a few people."
Jurgen: "-- --"
Jurgen: "Azure, have you been to the Underground Library?"
Azure: "Nope, never been. Are there things down there that I should read?"
Jurgen: "Indeed. I can't tell you what they say, but if I were you, I'd set my sights on visiting it someday soon. Based on who that boy is that you're traveling with, I think it's imperative that you go down there and read..."
Azure: "Where is the Underground Library?"
Jurgen: "It's in the desert, in the Bazjak region of Durma. You'll know when you found it. There's a large arch above the entrance... just go there and read... it will become clear."
Azure: "...okay, Jurgen-sama. I trust you."
Azure: "Please, be careful Siegfried. Whatever magic you're using right now, it completely puts mine to shame... don't overdo it."
~~OUTSIDE~~
Siegfried raised his hand up, and the stones under him began to rise. He moved his hand around, and the stoned formed into a larger rock. He then launched this rock at Rigel's head, and it hit him, causing him to bleed.
Rigel: "TCH!"
Rigel to himself: "Shit, I can't just let him kill me, who knows if he's powerful enough to break the curse on his own at this point. If he kills me, Hasher's agenda will be severely weakened! Do I really have to remove it? I'm starting to think it's my only chance for survival..."
Siegfried: "What's it going to be, Rigel? Will you remove this curse from me?"
-Siegfried pointed his sword at Rigel.
Rigel: "-- --"
Rigel: "...never."
Siegfried: "I see, then you leave me no choice..."
-Suddenly the air grew cold. The sky began to light up, and the people in the surrounding area began to feel a drowsiness effect. Mana was literally being sucked dry from everyone and everything, and it was all being drawn toward Siegfried.
Rigel: "Eugh...Siegfried, what are you doing... ah, shit I feel faint. Wait, Siegfried...stop...please..."
-Siegfried raised his sword into the air with both hands, and light began to shine from the blade. Rigel closed his eyes and braced for impact. Siegfried then brought the sword down to the ground and slashed the air with insurmountable force. As the sword hit the ground, the light from the blade began to illuminate the entire area, turning it white. Rigel's body began to disintegrate.
Rigel: "AAAHHH, WHAT THE HELL IS THIS? HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE, THE LIGHT MAGIC, IT'S...INCREDIBLE..."
Rigel to himself: "This light magic is so powerful, it's literally eating away at my body. I guess I really do have no choice then, Siegfried... I'm reluctant to say that you've won this battle..."
Rigel aloud: "SIEGFRIED, I'M SORRY. I'LL REMOVE THE CURSE, JUST PLEASE STOP THIS ATTACK!"
-The winds began to blow once again. Rigel opened his eyes and looked up. He saw Siegfried, standing before him. The entire area had turned into a white instance, and he could only make our Siegfried's silhouette, as well as his brilliantly glowing eyes. Siegfried looked at Rigel, and drew his blade once more.
Siegfried: "Do you promise, Rigel?"
Rigel: "YES, PLEASE, JUST STOP. I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE."
-Suddenly, the light instantly dissipated. The surrounding area returned to its original form, and Rigel came to his feet, his armor had been completely destroyed, leaving him in only a pair of pants, and a tank top. The remaining three dark mages had been completely vaporized...
Siegfried: "Rigel, remove my curse, and I will set you free..."
-Rigel had a look of disgust on his face. He approached Siegfried and reached his hand out to him. Rigel's hand connected with Siegfried's forehead, and then suddenly, Rigel felt an immense pain overwhelm him.
Rigel: "ACK!-"
Rigel to himself: "Just touching him puts me in immeasurable pain... I sense no limit to his power, is Siegfried some sort of god? I need to remove his curse before he decides to off me completely..."
Rigel aloud: "...ex-remove-maledicite-terrae..."
-Suddenly, Siegfried felt a rush of cold air overcome his body. Siegfried looked up and noticed purple and black liquid floating above his head. This was the curse that had been set on him. The liquid evaporated. Siegfried was officially curse-free...
Rigel: "There, the curse is lifted. Please, spare me Siegfried... I beg of you..."
Siegfried: "-- --"
-Rigel gave a look of confusion to Siegfried, but then, Siegfried quickly drew his sword and slashed at Rigel, in an attempt to decapitate him. Like slow-motion, Rigel's quick reflexes allowed him to dodge. It was at this moment, that Rigel panicked-
Rigel: "SHIT, SIEGFRIED!"
-Siegfried raised his sword and launched a beam of light out of it. The light pierced through Rigel's body, leaving a hole in his torso. Rigel then fell to the ground and began to bleed out.
Rigel: "--sieg...the promise *gasp* what are you doing...??"
Siegfried: "Unfortunately, you are too dangerous to be kept alive. Despite you removing my curse, I must end you."
Rigel: "Shit, shit no no wait please, Siegfried. Stop, don't do this. *coughs blood*"
Siegfried: "Goodbye, Rig-i-eugh..."
[Camriel]: "Siegfried, I'm out of juice, I have to go. It appears you've completed your task, congratulations on getting your curse removed!"
Siegfried: "Wait, Camriel, I need you still-ill...eugh" *boom*
[Camriel]: "Sorrrryyyy!" *dissipates*
-Siegfried then fainted. He had been infused with Camriel for too long, and his and her mana had collectively run out... Siegfried had lost his connection with Camriel.
Rigel: "Siegfried...?"
Rigel: "Ah, never mind that shit, I'M OUT! EX-BLINK!!!" *poof*
-Rigel then teleported away back to Hasher's Castle through the portal that Hasher had opened up to him prior to him leaving. Meanwhile, Azure and Jurgen emerged from the weapon shop.
Azure: "SIEGFRIED!"
-Azure then ran over to where Siegfried was laying.
Jurgen: "Yes Azure, go get him, tiger!"
-Azure picked up Siegfried's body and turned his head toward hers. His body had miraculously healed itself somehow. She quickly lifted her wand and cast an advanced healing spell regardless.
Siegfried: "-- --az-ure-san..."
Azure: "Siegfried, it's okay. I'm here... Don't worry."
Siegfried: "--where, i-is rigel..?"
Azure: "He teleported away, gravely wounded. But that doesn't matter, Seigi-kun. Your curse is lifted, meaning you're safe now..."
-Siegfried turned to Azure and smiled. His mana vat had been sucked dry, and he was extremely fatigued.
Azure: "Jurgen, do you have any mana flowers around here? I don't wanna fill up his vat too quickly, as that could be dangerous."
Jurgen: "Yeah, Azure-sama, hang on a sec!"
-Jurgen returned to the weapons shop and emerged once more with a few pots of mana flowers. He set them down next to Siegfried, and the mana began to flow to his vat, gradually starting to fill it up.
Jurgen: "I think he's going to be okay, Azure-sama. If there's anything you need me to do, I'm here for you."
Azure: "Thank you Jurgen. However, I think Siegfried has a little bit of explaining to do when he recovers..."
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