NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 290
Final Battle – 9
“At last, you have taken on a disgusting appearance befitting your existence, Heretic.”
Floretta whispered coldly as she aimed the Sacred Relic.
The two old men, once adorned in resplendent priestly robes, no longer wore them after being unceremoniously beaten by the Popes.
Their robes, stretched to the limit due to overly bloated bodies, were barely recognizable now, and their once ordinary, wrinkled faces had transformed into grotesque monsters.
Even though they could hardly be called human anymore, they still wielded tainted golden and silver Divine Power, which was infuriating to the Popes.
The once radiant sunlight and moonlight had become murky, which was a grievous insult to the Sun and Moon. Malice surged from their bodies.
It was the first time they felt such intense murderous intent. Floretta and Luna vowed to their gods that they would surely condemn this heretic, no matter the cost.
“Evangelina.”
“Yes, sister.”
The simple act of calling each other’s names was enough for the sisters to understand their next step. The small sun and moon attached to the Sacred Relic began to glow.
Perfectly colored Divine Power was emitted, gathering above the sisters’ heads. The golden Divine Power took on the form of the Sun, while the silver one shaped itself like the Moon.
From between their crimson lips flowed a Prayer Inscription.
“Come forth, merciful Sun! Come and burn this heretic!”
“Come forth, compassionate Moon! Come and condemn this heretic!”
The sun and moon that rose above them began to grow in size. Initially, they were about the size of their heads, but in a blink, they had grown to a size large enough to engulf dozens of humans.
The grotesque old men mimicked the two and began forming their own orbs. However, their colors were dull and murky, and their size paled in comparison to the spheres created by Floretta and Luna.
The Popes’ eyes darkened at the sight of their pathetic imitation of the Sun and Moon. With a mix of anger and hatred, the sisters unleashed their Divine Power over the heads of the heretics.
The Sun and Moon devoured the murky orbs, crashing down to the earth.
Fwhoosh!
A massive surge of Divine Power enveloped the area.
The red liquid compressed to its limit evaporated without a trace, and columns of silver and golden light shot into the sky. The darkened sky was suddenly illuminated.
When the Sun and Moon landed on the ground, they did not cause an explosion or shockwave; they simply purified everything within reach with light.
Floretta and Luna held hands tightly and offered a brief prayer where the Sun and Moon had touched down. When their emerald and sapphire eyes revealed themselves once more, the light gradually diminished.
“……”
The unholy figures were sprawled on the ground, writhing in a grotesque manner. Their skin and clothes had been purified and disappeared, leaving only charred muscle bared.
Although they resembled beings pulled from a blazing fire, Floretta and Luna were unconcerned. What mattered was that this heretic still possessed life.
The Sacred Relics in their hands shone brightly once again, intending to utterly eliminate them. The mere fact that such a thing still existed was repulsive.
“……Sister! It’s dangerous!”
Just then, Floretta sensed something was off and urgently warned Luna, who instinctively withdrew her body just as Floretta had warned.
A strangely contorted and transformed arm slammed down where Luna had just been.
“Are you hurt, sister?”
“……I’m fine, Evangelina. But, what in the world is that…?”
The two stared at the heretic, who had been writhing in a pitiful state moments ago. Their body was convulsing violently. The arm that had attacked Luna was a small change arising from that convulsion.
From their writhing form, black energy began to ooze out. Their skin was covered in a substance that felt like mud.
The black muck enveloped the heretic’s entire form and kept spilling over. The ground around them turned from red to black.
“Evangelina, that is…”
“……Yes. I think the same as you, sister.”
The Popes recognized the black, mud-like substance and were horrified. It was the same thing that had relentlessly tormented them until Delta had come to their rescue, almost taking Luna’s life in the process.
The Abyss.
That horrific entity was attempting to manifest itself once again before the sisters’ eyes.
The two Abysses covered in darkness fused into one, beginning to take on the form of a new human. A new humanoid shape, entirely different from before.
Long hair cascading down to her ankles waved behind a round head. The Abyss gathered in the chest area, forming breast shapes comparable to that of her head.
Her waist became slender, her hips and buttocks curved gracefully. Below her long thighs rested sleek calves.
Thud!
With the only missing features being eyes, nose, and mouth, the form of a perfect woman stepped forward. With the impact, the Abyss constituting her body crumbled to the ground, staining it black.
Suddenly, the head made of the Abyss turned towards the Popes. A mouth appeared where there had been nothing. That mouth began to spew forth the Abyss.
“Goddess… mine…”
The instincts of the Popes went off. That was dangerous. Far more than the heretics from before.
The woman curled her body, gripping her right arm. The right arm began to writhe before transforming into a tentacle that was at least ten times larger than her body.
Thud! The tentacle could not withstand its own weight and landed on the ground. It began to churning the earth as it approached Floretta and Luna. The Pope sisters unleashed their Divine Power.
Luna prepared to defend, while Floretta readied for an attack. The role division was implicit; they were sisters, after all.
As Floretta created a small sun with her Sacred Relic, Luna unfurled a Divine Barrier to block the approaching tentacle.
Fwhoosh!
“Sister!”
The tentacle broke through the Divine Barrier, hitting Luna in the abdomen.
Reacting impulsively, she held her Sacred Relic to prevent a direct hit to her stomach, but she couldn’t avoid the shock.
Cough…
Gasping in pain, Luna crumpled to the ground, and Floretta stepped up in her place. The small sun soared towards the woman formed of the Abyss. It was the strongest attack they could muster at that moment.
Yet, as soon as it touched the woman’s head, it melted away and scattered into a single ray of light.
“…It didn’t work.”
It didn’t just get blocked; it felt like there was no impact at all. The woman returned her arm to normal and staggered forward.
“Goddess… Goddess…”
Seeing the woman approach, Floretta hurriedly lifted Luna back up. Luna wrapped her arms around her abdomen, coughing, but she stood up. Floretta’s hand supported her shoulder.
“Are you alright, sister?”
“…Fortunately, I’m not injured. Just a little sore where I was hit.”
Though she couldn’t check the wound completely due to her see-through attire, it appeared she had escaped serious injury. It was a great relief. Floretta let out a sigh of relief.
“Sister, it seems Divine Power doesn’t work on that thing.”
“It doesn’t work, you say?”
“Yes. It was created to insult our god, so that makes sense. What shall we do now?”
The sisters exchanged glances, wordlessly asking each other. Emerald eyes met sapphire ones, silently questioning if they would actually let that being go.
The answer was already decided.
“We can’t back down now that such a thing stands before us, Evangelina.”
“Indeed, you’re right, Seraphica sister.”
They had no intention of letting go of a being that defiled the Sun and polluted the Moon. The heretic must be purified. That was their duty as Popes.
Floretta and Luna gently placed their Sacred Relics on the ground and reached for their necklaces.
The necklaces were made of a metallic material the same color as their hair, studded with jewels the same color as their eyes.
Click, as if resembling a restraint, the necklace that had tightened around their necks came undone. They grasped the untangled necklaces in their hands, and a small amount of Sacred Power flowed into them.
The necklaces began to transform.
The necklace made of green jewels and gold changed into a golden flail in Floretta’s hand.
Meanwhile, the necklace made of purple jewels and pure silver morphed into a silver rapier in Luna’s hand.
Before they were known as Luna and Floretta, when they were mere humans and not the Popes serving the Sun and Moon, their true names were again uttered.
“My name is, Luna Seraphica Isar.”
“My name is, Floretta Evangelina Isar.”
Being a Pope is synonymous with being at the pinnacle of the Holy Kingdom. This applies not only in terms of proximity to the divine but also in military strength.
“We are warriors.”
“We are warriors.”
In other words, they possessed the strength to directly overwhelm the Inquisitors and Heresy Judges.