Sword of Salvation-Chapter 43: - Battle and Lunar Scythe

The moon hung perfectly in the sky. The absence of clouds allowed its pale light to reach the gaps between the blades of grass. Eight humans and one half-demon sped through the trees and large rocks scattered along their path.

Their destination was a small valley located between two lakes.

Lasyana led the group, speeding ahead with sharp eyes. Her large sacred scythe emanated a pale white aura, even though it was still wrapped in bandages. Delphia flanked her on the right, ensuring the empress need not worry about any sudden attacks.

Mariel and Celinee moved on Lasyana’s left. Celinee held a kunai in each hand. Mariel didn’t wield a sword, as he wanted to keep "Sword of Salvation" a secret. Instead, he relied on wind blades, which were easier and more efficient to control.

Nico and his two companions, Mount and James, stayed close to Celinee’s left. Girhamvell followed several meters to the right of Delphia, accompanied by his trusted ally, Robert. Mount, James, and Robert were not strategists, but their strength matched Nico’s. They were Girhamvell’s most trusted guards to protect him from behind.

The nine individuals did not slow even when the valley’s entrance came into view. Though it was late at night, the pale moonlight provided a glimmer of illumination.

The valley wasn’t too large but not small either. Unlike the rocky terrain they had passed, the valley was lush and green. Its location between two lakes made it special. If not for the risk of landslides from the lakebanks, the valley might have already been turned into a town.

"The underground cave is located right in the middle of the valley," Lasyana shouted. "Inside, there’s an underground river connecting the two lakes."

"Burning it would be effective, but it would attract too much attention. The light would be visible from Norania. If you don’t care about panicking the citizens, it’s fine. But I think leveling the valley with wind would be better."

Delphia, as expected, offered her analysis of Lasyana’s potential thoughts. Her voice wasn’t as loud as the empress’s, but it reached Mariel’s ears clearly.

"Your opinion is correct." Lasyana increased her speed, landing with a small thud at the valley’s entrance. "But," she continued as everyone caught up, "neither of us uses wind elements. We also can’t waste prana on this. Both options are off the table."

Lasyana was right. Destroying the valley before them would require a significant amount of prana if only one element was used. Nico, Celinee, Girhamvell, and their companions felt the same. Even Mariel, with his high prana capacity, would need at least a third of his total prana.

"Then, are you planning to use that?"

The word "that" clearly referred to the sacred weapon the empress wielded.

All eyes fell on the large scythe. Girhamvell and the others were curious, but Mariel had eagerly awaited this moment. He had not seen the full power of Excalibur, so witnessing Zesteria’s full strength would give him insight. It would help him envision Sword of Salvation’s power when all thirteen shards were united.

"Yes. I will use Zesteria."

As Lasyana confirmed her intention, the bandages wrapped around the scythe ignited into flames. What had been a single blade now split into three. The blades were jet black, but a pale aura thickly enveloped all three. Mariel and the others instinctively stepped back to give the empress more space.

"You’re about to witness something unusual," Lasyana muttered as she channeled prana into the scythe, causing the three blades to pulse with light. "So, don’t forget to breathe."

There was pride in Lasyana’s voice, something everyone felt clearly. Her expression was wild with excitement as she assumed her stance and leapt into the air. Beautiful, fierce, mesmerizing, and dangerous—her face showed the thrill of standing before something that pushed adrenaline to its peak.

"Silence the world in the emptiness of night."

A torrent of silver energy burst from the scythe’s three blades. The energy didn’t stretch outward or scatter but coiled like threads.

"Annihilate everything under the heavens."

Lasyana swung the scythe powerfully in a diagonal arc.

"Lunar Oblivion!"

In an instant, the silvery energy emanating from the three crescent blades expanded and lengthened rapidly. The energy then fully surged forward, sweeping away everything in its path like waves crashing on a beach. Astonishingly, the energy resembled trillions of tightly packed threads. Rather than frightening, the attack unleashed by Zesteria was beautiful.

What was terrifying was what happened to the valley after being struck by Lunar Oblivion. The valley before them had turned into a moderately deep crater with a scorched surface. Not a single tree remained. Not a single boulder was visible. Only blackened soil, seemingly burnt severely but not hot enough to glow, remained.

Water began filling the massive basin that had formed. The empress’s attack obliterated the underground river. Two openings, gushing water, became visible on either side of the crater. However, the openings weren’t large; it would take quite some time for the crater to become a small lake nestled between two others.

Delphia’s face did not show disbelief like Nico and his comrades. Mariel’s didn’t either. What he saw wasn’t surprising to him. Celinee was a little stunned, but her expression quickly returned to normal. That was Zesteria’s Lunar Scythe, one of the thirteen sacred weapons. Its displayed power wasn’t difficult to believe.

Still, to be honest, Mariel felt a little disappointed. He had expected more. His mind envisioned something different—an ability that could obliterate a massive mountain with a single slash. Was his expectation too high? Or was it still not the full power of the sacred scythe?

"I always feel invincible when unleashing the power of this scythe," said Lasyana as her feet landed—her long hair waving as if cheering the smile blooming on her lips. "This is truly a sacred weapon left behind by the gods."

How wrong Lasyana was. Mariel almost opened his mouth to explain that the scythe was forged by humans and had never been touched by any god. Its power came from a small fragment of a sword that served as a pillar of the world. Almost. But Mariel held back. There was no benefit in explaining.

"Have the demons also been obliterated?" asked Girhamvell. He, Nico, and their three comrades had already entered the crater. Their eyes moved swiftly, searching for any trace of demons.

"That would be great," commented Delphia, who was now standing beside Lasyana. "We wouldn’t have to bother fighting the demons if Her Majesty’s attack wiped them out entirely. Unfortunately, that’s just wishful thinking. Only the lower-class demons were killed; the higher-class ones are hiding underground. They’ll surface within a dozen seconds."

Just as Delphia finished explaining, the ground shook violently. A massive crack appeared in the center of the crater, which was one and a half times the size of Norania’s capital. The crack was so enormous that Mariel and the others could see it clearly from the crater’s edge.

Two giant hands made of earth emerged from the crack. The hands clawed their way out, revealing their owner. A massive earth golem emerged as if someone had risen to the surface of the water. However, before the golem could stand, its body crumbled and disintegrated. More than twenty demons shot out from various parts of the golem.

"Prepare yourselves!" Lasyana shouted. "Attack immediately once I hurl Zagabob away from them."

Lasyana didn’t wait for any response. She shot forward like a blazing comet, soaring far ahead. More precisely, she seemed to fly like an arrow released from a bow. Flames erupted from her feet, propelling her forward. The considerable distance was covered in just a dozen seconds.

"Lunar Eclipse!" Lasyana roared, with flames surging toward the demons as she swung the sacred scythe powerfully at Zagabob, who was far from pleased.

"LASYANA!"

Zagabob’s enraged scream echoed through the air. But the sound was immediately silenced when Zesteria’s silvery energy struck a massive golden shield that appeared out of nowhere to protect the demon. The other demons had already retreated, along with Lasyana’s wild flames. Only Zagabob stood alone, resisting the energy released by the sacred scythe.

Zagabob possessed the Devil Curse, allowing him to conjure shields of any shape, size, and color. His shields were incredibly tough, far harder than steel. No normal weapon could scratch them. But Zesteria Lunar Scythe was different. Its energy cracked the golden shield before shattering it entirely.

Zagabob was clever enough to prepare a second shield with sharp tips behind the shattered one. This caused the sacred scythe’s energy to divert to the sides, above, and below the demon. However, as expected from a sacred weapon, even Zagabob’s second shield was destroyed.

Super Demon Zagabob was hurled across the crater, slamming into its edge before being flung against a massive boulder.

Lasyana followed the demon but stopped several meters from the boulder where Zagabob had crashed.

Lasyana wasn’t foolish or reckless. Zesteria was indeed impressive, but Zagabob was cunning enough to create thousands of small shields covering every inch of his skin. He had sustained no significant injuries. If she approached, Zagabob would attack immediately. The empress needed to be on full alert.

Things would have been different if Lunar Eclipse had hit Zagabob directly. However, the energy that struck the demon had weakened significantly after breaking through two consecutive shields. That wasn’t luck but a calculated move by Zagabob. If he had any doubt, even for a moment, he would have chosen to evade rather than block the empress.

"I know you would betray me sooner or later," said Zagabob, now seated—his expression calm again. "But I don’t expect it to be this soon. What make you act ahead of my prediction?"

"Assume whatever you like," Lasyana retorted, summoning five Magogs to her left and right. "The truth is, your end is here, Zagabob."

Zagabob immediately burst into laughter, almost to the point of rolling on the ground.

It infuriated Lasyana, prompting her to command the Magogs to attack.