Chapter 43: Ziffnel, the Angel of Love VI (part 1)

“Tsk.”  

The sound of tongue being harshly clicked was heard from the heretic inquisitor’s mouth.  

Frowning, the man who had always leisurely eradicated evil rolled on the ground, desperately avoiding the path of the pink sword.  

Holy Sword Nerondir.  

Julius had thought it was merely an unbreakable sword, but as he looked at its pink blade—one that always appeared pure white in his own hands—he felt cold sweat running down his cheek.  

“You went on a rampage without knowing how terrifying the world is, and this is all you amount to…”  

It was beautiful. 

It was subversive. 

It was cruel.  

Even though her older sister, Tapnel’s representative, stood as her opponent, Ziffnel swung Nerondir toward his head without a moment’s hesitation.  

The holy sword, radiating infinite divine power in her grasp, resonated with the blooming flower petals that surrounded her heart, creating an explosive and overwhelming surge of energy.  

Even the golden flames, which devoured all in their path, flinched in the face of the relentless onslaught. 

The heretic inquisitor, who twisted his body through the air like a performer executing a trick, could feel the heat of the pink fire trying to consume him. Unusually, he even found himself breaking into a sweat.  

“…You intend to kill me and seal Cecil away once more.”  

Julius barely dodged the flames by an inch, but before she knew it, his voice had returned to its usual calm tone as he spoke in a low voice.  

Noticing that he was slowly beginning to adapt to the situation, Ziffnel wiped the smile off her face, lifted her chin, and spoke as if the answer was obvious.  

“Of course. I don’t know what role it plays in the saint’s plan, so the simplest solution is to seal the devil in eternal nothingness…”  

Boom!  

A golden brilliance momentarily pierced through the pink flames, flashing past Ziffnel’s face.  

The angel of mercy and love trembled in shock at the incomprehensible turn of events before spreading her white wings and floating into the air.  

“…So, such a thing was possible.”  

Like a child playfully tossing spoonfuls of water, Julius gathered the divine brilliance emanating from his heart into a sphere and continued to unleash it upon himself.  

To an outsider, it might have seemed like a comical sight, but the angel couldn’t help but swallow back her surprise at the fact that the mortal had already begun to break through to the Infinite.  

When the first surge of golden radiance lost its strength against the infinite baptism, the next wave followed from behind, colliding into the fading light and reigniting its power. 

This process repeated endlessly.  

A technique so absurd it could only be described as a reflection of a man who pressed forward with unwavering conviction.  

Ziffnel, soaring even higher to avoid the endless barrage of brilliance, fell into deep contemplation.  

The powers of mercy and love were indeed a good weapon against this man.  

At this rate, no matter how powerful Julius Tapnel was, he would eventually tire.  

But…  

“Die!!!”  

From afar, a woman hurled a blackened fist toward her own representative.  

If Cecil Lionelta killed Thalia and joined forces with Julius, her defeat would be inevitable.  

Feeling her pride begin to crack, Ziffnel slowly raised her pink holy sword. Looking down at the heretic inquisitor, who was aiming at her from below, she made her declaration.  

“…Regardless, defeating you in this state won’t be easy.”  

“It’s not just ‘not easy’—it’s impossible. I will defeat you for my love.”  

Julius, who spoke his beliefs without hesitation, overlapped in her mind with Telmere—a man who, in the distant past, had shown unwavering faith in himself.  

The Angel of Love, displeased by even that fleeting moment of reminiscence, began to unveil the true power of the Holy Sword.  

Holy flames in the shape of flower petals began to swirl around the blade.  

Julius, sensing that even his neatly pressed inquisitor uniform was slowly burning, drew upon the power of his faith, wrapping his entire body in golden brilliance.  

The moment he steeled himself to accept the baptism of infinity head-on—  

“The power of punishment.”  

[Guillotine]

The brilliant pink fireworks drove away the light pink hue covering her body with every word she spoke, repainting it with a searing blue reminiscent of the Great Sea.  

“…What!”  

Blue flames spread around the angel of love, and time, which had once flowed leisurely like water, was stripped of the Lord’s grace and froze in the blink of an eye.  

A dagger that caught one off guard.  

The golden flame within Julius quickly melted his frozen body.  

“In a fight, every moment is always precious.”  

In an instant, Ziffnel landed in front of him, wielding a holy sword stained with a radiant blue light.  

Nerondir flew in a watery trail.  

The blond-haired man, realizing he could not avoid the bluish blade, stamped his foot forcefully, channeling all the brilliance coursing through his body down to his feet.  

Boom!  

The land of the Void, unable to withstand the clash of monsters, had already begun to crack, but now it shattered completely. 

As the ground beneath her feet collapsed, Ziffnel momentarily lost her balance, allowing Julius to escape the crisis.  

“…I thought it was a special move, yet even this was avoidable. My noble pride is hurt.”  

Ziffnel flew with only one of her three pairs of wings.  

As she briefly turned her head to glance at Thalia and the filthy devil, she saw the ancient devil holding the young inquisitor by the collar, whispering something in her ear, exuding a mysterious aura.  

“…Another shameless trick.”  

When the ancient devils were released into the saint’s hands, she had watched more attentively than anyone else.  

The Emperor’s Nightmare—Nirhil.  

Now fused with Cecil Lionelta, it had become a monster skilled at shaking, ridiculing, and toying with human hearts.  

It was self-evident that if too much time passed, Thalia would not be able to withstand it and would collapse.  

Saaa!  

A strange sound, like sand flowing.  

Ziffnel, momentarily lost in thought, suddenly sensed a golden brilliance forming the shape of a massive serpent. Riding on her boundless divine power, it slithered toward her, ready to devour her.  

‘…This is similar to Nirhil’s power…’  

The powers of angels and devils were fundamentally the same.  

She didn’t want to admit it—hated even thinking about it—but it was an unchanging truth decreed by God.  

Kwadeuk!  

Julius, mimicking the special techniques of his wife, Cecil Lionelta, successfully wounded the angel’s waist.  

Ziffnel felt a sharp pain where the brilliance-forged fangs had sunk into her flesh. She swung her holy sword, severing the golden serpent in half, then looked down at him with a smile.  

“Heh. I’ve been watching you for a long time, but I’ve never seen you wield brilliance like this.”  

“They say couples start resembling each other as they live together. I suppose I’ve been influenced by the current Cecil without realizing it.”  

Cecil used her divine power to create small birds, just as she had once used her magical energy to craft wicked creatures.  

Julius had noticed this back in the tavern. Now, to catch the angel off guard, he displayed a use of brilliance he had never attempted before.  

The power of faith emanated from his heart—the golden brilliance surged forth.  

The golden brilliance that could devour the world was stretched thin like a skein of thread, woven together to take the form of a beautiful bird.