Chapter 754: [Final Event] [Blood Moon Festival] [36] Sanctum Renova

I didn’t even get the chance to react.

A sharp, white-hot pain tore straight through my back, stealing the air from my lungs. My vision jolted, blurring for a heartbeat. When I forced myself to look down, there it was—a blade jutting out of my abdomen, slick with my blood.

For a moment, I couldn’t even think.

Just pain. A raw, burning line splitting my body in half.

Gritting my teeth, I twisted my head back.

Cyril.

He looked like a corpse stitched together with spite—skin torn, body drenched in blood, barely clinging to shape. He shouldn’t even be standing, not after everything we threw at him. But he was smiling.

A thin, cracked smirk.

"You really thought it would be this easy, Amael?" He asked, voice bubbling with blood and arrogance.

"H–How...?" I managed to gasp.

"As long as I have blood," he said, "I can always recover. How many people in Central Vedelia have fallen under the Spell, do you think? Even one percent is enough for me to hold against a hundred people like you."

Only then did I notice what was behind him. Bodies—dozens—sprawled across the ground under the Blood Moon Spell. Motionless. Completely drained. Their blood siphoned dry.

Just like the red dome above us, the ones caught under that cursed spell were feeding him, protecting him—fueling him like some monstrous battery.

"How many years do you think Lazarus spent perfecting this spell for this time and day?" Cyril continued, voice growing stronger with every second. "You never stood a chance to begin with, no matter how many of you came at me."

And then I felt it.

My blood being pulled out of me.

A cold, sickening tug inside my veins.

"A—Amael!!" Celeste’s eyes widened in horror seeing that.

Cyril yanked his sword out of my back, and the sudden release of pressure almost made me collapse. He leaped away just as Celeste rushed to me.

My legs failed me. The ground tilted, swaying, and I fell forward—only to be caught by Celeste’s arms.

"Amael! Look at me!" She cried, pulling me close as she immediately activated Fate.

A warm surge pulsed through me. My wound stopped bleeding. The pain dulled. Maybe it was because I also carried Fate—Nevia’s Fate—but Celeste’s spell worked unusually well on my body.

Still... it didn’t fix the emptiness spreading inside me.

He had drained so much of my blood. Combined with everything I’d already lost in the fight, my body felt weightless, numb—uncooperative.

"What is this blood?" Cyril laughed, licking droplets off his fingers. "Ahahah! Is that Olphean blood? Quite rich."

His mana erupted in a violent wave, dust whipping around him.

Celeste glared at him, but the moment I coughed up a mouthful of blood, she panicked and laid me down.

"Amael! Please—please hold on!" She said, pressing her hands over my wound, pouring Fate into me to the absolute limit.

Warm drops hit my cheeks.

Her tears.

Was this really the end...?

Even with Celeste stabilizing me, I could feel something slipping. My limbs were losing all sense of control. The world felt muffled. Distant.

No...

No, I can’t die.

Not here. Not yet.

"Y–You can’t die!!" Celeste cried out.

I forced my eyes open. Her face swam into view—red eyes, glistening, overflowing with fear and desperation.

"D–Don’t leave me... please..." She whispered painfully.

The amount of Fate she was using was enormous. Dangerous. If she kept this up, she’d burn herself out.

I lifted my hand, shaky and heavy, and brushed her cheek. My thumb smeared blood across her skin instead of wiping her tears.

"I—I won’t..." I whispered.

I dug my fingers into the dirt, gritted my teeth, and tried to push myself up. Every muscle screamed. My body felt like it didn’t belong to me anymore—but I kept trying.

-Thud!

I fell back immediately.

"D–Don’t..." Celeste said softly, placing her hand on my chest to stop me from trying again.

But I had to.

I had to stand.

I had to kill him.

Another violent cough wracked me. I spit blood—too much blood. My heart felt like it was twisting, squeezing itself into a smaller and smaller knot.

"Urghhh—!"

"Amael!!" Celeste screamed, panic rising as my body spasmed uncontrollably.

"Finally... the time has come," Cyril muttered.

I forced my blurry gaze toward him. Above his head, a massive crimson mana circle unfurled, identical to the one powering the red dome sealing Central Vedelia.

He wasn’t stopping.

He was going to expand the Blood Moon Spell even further—spread it beyond Central Vedelia.

No.

He had to be stopped.

I tried to push myself up again, but before I could even lift my arm, Cyril pulled in an overwhelming surge of blood. The pressure burst outward in a brutal shockwave that struck both me and Celeste like a tidal wave.

We were sent flying.

I hit the ground hard and rolled, my body too weak to brace. Celeste, however, scrambled toward me through the dust, catching me before I slid farther.

"Stop this!!" She screamed at Cyril, but he only laughed.

"It’s only the beginning, and you’re already begging me to stop, Celes?" He sneered. "Come now. Sit tight and watch as I—"

-SPURT!

"...!"

Huh?

My breath caught.

Celeste froze too.

A hand—pale and merciless—had burst straight through Cyril’s chest from behind.

Everything went dead silent.

Cyril’s smirk evaporated. Blood dribbled from his lips as his wide, eyes stared down at the arm protruding out of him.

"Watch what exactly... brother?"

Cyril stiffened.

Slowly, he turned his head.

Behind him stood Sirius.

Cold, crimson eyes. Expression unreadable. His blond hair was streaked with dried blood, and yet he looked calmer than ever.

"S–Sirius..." Cyril choked out.

"What was I supposed to watch?" Sirius said softly. "You using Merithra’s spell? Or maybe watching you take control over Sancta Vedelia... the attention you’ve always craved. Hoping one day she’d notice you."

Cyril’s face twisted into anger.

"Sirius, you—"

-SPURT!

Before he could finish, Sirius summoned a crimson mana circle—inside Cyril’s chest. Ancient, jagged symbols twisted within it, eerily similar to the Blood Moon Spell in terms of complexity.

"This...!!" Cyril gasped, horror dawning on his face.

"All Forbidden Arts have a cost," Sirius said. "And you’ve reached yours."

"S–SIRIUS!!!"

The blood circle ignited, glowing violently. Crimson veins shot down Cyril’s arms, his chest, spreading up his neck and across his face like a web of death.

"ARGHHHHHH!!!!"

His scream tore through the entire city. A colossal wave of mana exploded outward, ripping open a crater beneath them.

-BOOOOOOM!!!

A massive pillar of blood erupted from Cyril’s body, spiraling into the sky before breaking apart into a slow, horrifying rain of red.

And then... silence.

Cyril’s body collapsed like an empty husk, hitting the ground with a dull, final thud.

Sirius didn’t move.

He simply stood there, watching the corpse of his own brother as blood rained down, dyeing his blond hair and face a darker red.

"S–Sirius..." Celeste whispered, relief mingling with exhaustion.

He’d killed Cyril.

We should’ve been relieved.

We should’ve been grateful.

But...

Something was wrong.

Very, very wrong.

Sirius bent down, reached for Cyril’s hand, and slid off the ring with the red gemstone embedded in it.

The moment the ring touched Sirius’s finger—

-BOOOOOOOM!!!

The mana circle above flared violently. The crimson dome above shimmered, then grew—wider, stronger, expanding like a living thing awakening.

"Sirius...?" Celeste looked around, confused.

Slowly, Sirius lifted his head.

His expression had changed—completely. No warmth. Only a cold and stern expression.

Celeste’s eyes glowed white—Fate screaming a warning.

She jumped in front of me, drawing her blade in one fluid motion.

-BOOOOOOM!!!!!

"Ughhhh!!" Celeste grunted as she barely deflected a sword strike.

It was Cyril’s sword held by Sirius.

The impact sent her skidding back across the ground, while I was flung even farther, rolling uncontrollably until I crashed against the collapsed wall of a ruined building.

"Agh!" I gasped, wincing as pain shot through my weakened body. My hands clawed into the dirt as I forced myself to look up.

-BOOOOOM!!!!

Celeste met Sirius in a flurry of clashes, her blade singing with every impact. But Sirius’s attacks were monstrous. Each swing threw her back like she weighed nothing.

He wasn’t holding back.

He wasn’t even hesitating.

"Argh!" Celeste cried out as another blow sent her stumbling.

Sirius didn’t blink or show anything.

He just swung pushing her back.

His blade tore into Celeste’s body again and again, and my vision blurred with anger.

"Sirius..."

As if he had heard me, Sirius’s eyes turned toward me.

He raised his left free hand while clashing against Celeste.

"...!" I raised my head and saw a amber glowing spear which immediately shot down.

"ARGHH!!" I growled out as the spear embedded in my back.

Celeste seeing this widened her eyes before her mana erupted.

"W–What are you doing?!!!" She yelled swinging her sword ice exploding against Sirius who shifted his sword shattering the ice as blood rose around him.

"What a spectacular sight~"

The voice slithered into my ear.

I froze.

Slowly, painfully, I turned my head. Just a few meters away, sitting casually on a rectangular white box—as if watching a play—was a man I recognized immediately.

Jack Rengel.

The same man I met with Roda back then.

His figure was half-coated in darkness, but his sharp smirk gleamed through it, I could recognize it.

My blood ran cold.

What was he doing here?

Why now?

What the hell was happening?

"Where’s the woman who was with you?" Jack asked lightly, almost bored. Then he chuckled, not even waiting for me to think. "Oh, right. She died miserably. Because of you."

I glared at him, hatred boiling hot in my chest. I tried to push myself up, fingers digging into the dirt, but the amber spear pinning me down kept me locked in place.

My strength wasn’t enough—not even close.

"Are you planning to let another woman die for your selfish sake again?" He whispered, that twisted grin stretching wider.

"Shut up..." I growled, Wrath flaring inside me, the ground trembling faintly as my body tried to respond.

Jack only laughed softly. "You’re the most pathetic Vessel of Samael I’ve ever seen."

"Aghhh!"

A cry snapped my head back toward Celeste.

She was sent flying, crashing violently into a half-collapsed building.

"C–Celeste!!"

I barely managed to shout her name when Sirius appeared in front of me, sudden and silent. His crimson eyes glowed with a chilling intensity as he stared down at me.

He grabbed the amber spear impaling me. As he pulled it out, I saw it—the glowing Olphean emblem blazing on his arm.

He wrenched the spear free, ripping a groan from my throat, but I forced myself up the moment it left my body. With everything I had left, I swung Trinity Nihil at him.

-BOOOOOM!!!

He blocked it with his spear, the shockwave tearing cracks in the ground beneath us.

"Who are you...?" I asked, breathless, glaring up at him.

"Sirius."

He summoned an amber sword in his other hand and swung.

I lifted my arm coated in Wrath to block.

-BAM!!

The impact hurled me sideways like a ragdoll. I crashed, coughed blood, and barely had time to breathe before Sirius appeared again—faster than thought—and brought his blade down on me.

Celeste arrived in the same instant, her blade clashing against his.

–CRACK!!

Her blade exploded into shards.

The force blasted us both backward. I twisted midair and wrapped my arms around her, letting my back slam into the ground instead of hers.

"Amael...?" Celeste whispered weakly, blood trickling down her forehead. Her hazy eyes searched mine.

I lay there, utterly drained, unable to move.

Celeste didn’t speak. Didn’t ask.

She just cried silently, tears dripping down her cheeks and falling onto my face.

"I–I’m sorry... so sorry..." She sobbed, wrapping her arms tightly around my neck as if she were afraid I’d vanish.

"Wh–What are you apologizing for..." I muttered weakly.

She lifted her head, her glowing white eyes trembling with emotion.

I gave her a small, broken smile.

"I would never let you fall into that bastard’s hands."

Her tears fell harder, her fingers clutching my shirt desperately as she pressed her head to my chest.

"P—Please, Holy Tree, answer me and..." She bit her lips. "Help me..."

Right after the emblem of the Prophetess in her arm appeared glowing and I saw a white glow covering my whole body. I felt not healing exactly but my strength, I felt not longer as weak as before.

Celeste hugged me tighter and I felt the glow growing intense until it stopped and she gasped for breath in my chest.

"Edward?"

A voice echoed across the rubble at that time.

We both turned.

My eyes widened.

Huh?

Standing there—after what felt like a lifetime—was someone I never expected to see again.

"M–Milleia?"

Her pink eyes locked onto me, and shock washed over her face as she took in my condition.

"Edward!" She cried, rushing over and dropping to her knees beside me, opposite Celeste.

Celeste tensed, surprised. "Who are you...?"

"Edward! What happened to you?!" Milleia shouted, tears forming instantly as she cupped my face with trembling hands.

Then her hands ran on my body touching blood everywhere.

"W–What happened?!

"W–What are you doing here..." I asked with a hoarse voice.

She should have no reasons to come here...

"Y–You are bleeding everywhere..." Her face turned pale, her hands resting on my chest.

"Hey! You are hurting him!" Celeste caught Milleia’s hand.

Milleia looked at Celeste her eyes turning stern.

She then closed her eyes. "Raphiel, please lend me your strength," she muttered before a warm glow covered my body.

It didn’t heal me but I felt my body getting lighter, fatigue washing away.

I forced my upper body off the ground, breath catching—like someone had just injected a second life straight into my veins. Maybe that was dramatic but compared to how dead I felt moments ago, it wasn’t far from the truth.

"Edward, you shouldn’t move..." Milleia said, as she tried to steady me.

But I pushed myself fully upright, ignoring every protest in my body. I reached out my hand and Trinity Nihil flew back to me, the blade still pitch-black and scorched from overuse.

"Milleia."

"Yes?" she asked, eyes wide and worried.

"Use Sanctum Renova on me."

She froze. Her pink eyes trembled.

"H—How do you even... no—no! I can’t! It’s too dangerous!"

"Please," I said quietly, seriously, my hand closing around hers. "Use it. If you don’t... we all die here."

"No! Jayden is coming, and the others—"

"Milleia."

"Amael, what are you doing?" Celeste asked, anxiety rising in her tone.

"Use it," I repeated to Milleia. "I can be saved later."

Milleia bit her lip, hesitating, but finally placed her palm against my chest.

"S–Sanctum Renova."

"...!"

A soft gasp escaped me.

Pink light erupted from her hand, warm and overwhelming, washing over my entire body like a tidal wave. I shivered as mana crawled into every corner of me.

Pain vanished.

Exhaustion blew away like dust.

Mana rushed back into me—too quickly, too violently—filling every last hollow space inside.

It felt like the spell was scraping me clean from the inside out and rewriting me into something sharper, lighter, faster, awakening and seeking inside parts that shouldn’t have been touched.

When the glow faded, Milleia slowly withdrew her hand, breathing unevenly.

"..."

For a moment I stood there with my eyes wide.

My pupils dilated slowly as I stared at nothing peculiar.

"Thanks," I said simply, stepping past her.

"Wait—Amael!" Celeste grabbed my arm, desperation in her trembling grip.

I turned to her.

Her eyes were glistening, pupils shaking. "I–I saw something... you can’t fight—"

Before she could finish, her voice cut off. Her eyelashes fluttered once, then closed as her body went limp.

I caught her gently, lowering her to the ground, my hand faintly glowing silver.

"Sorry," I whispered to her. "But I can’t let you see this."

I turned to Milleia.

"Milleia, watch over her. And him." I nodded toward Jack Rengel, who still sat smirking in the distance. "Don’t take your eyes off either of them."

Then I walked toward Sirius.

Or rather—my legs did, guided by something beyond conscious movement.

[WARNING!! WARNING!!! WARNING!!!]

Sanctum Renova had pushed my body past its natural limits—my mind felt clearer than ever, almost frighteningly so, while my limbs moved with an instinctual precision I’d never experienced.

[SYNCHRONIZATION FAILED! SYNCHRONIZATION FAILED! SYNCHRONIZATION FAILED]

[AMAEL IDEA OLPHEAN SYNCHRONIZATION: 70%]

No weight. No hesitation.

[AMAEL IDEA OLPHEAN SYNCHRONIZATION: 58%]

Just focus.

It felt like every single shred of my body moved on my unconscious will.

[AMAEL IDEA OLPHEAN SYNCHRONIZATION: 45%]

Ignoring the system’s warnings, I stopped a few meters away, facing Sirius.

My gaze—cold, empty, sharpened by pain—locked with his.

"Are you disappointed, Amael?" Sirius asked me. "Sad? Distraught? Pained?"

"...Pained," I answered.

"Why?" He narrowed his eyes in interest. "Have I somehow managed to reach deeper into your heart than expected?"

"No."

I lifted Trinity Nihil, the black blade humming softly.

"I’m pained because Alicia is about to lose another brother today," I said, looking at the blade. "Eden be blessed—this one is just as much trash as the first."

Sirius’s lips curled—just slightly.

"How cold. How merciless your words have become."