Chapter 466: Moonlit Battlefield ( 466 )

A pause.

Then Aria answered, her voice warmer but full of conviction:

"Huh? Who do you think we are?"

"Do you really think we'd give in that easily?"

Ari immediately followed, her tone louder—almost smug.

"You ever seen either of us surrender? To anyone? Darkness or not?"

Garius chuckled softly, a rare smirk barely visible beneath the moonlight.

Of course he knew.

He remembered long ago—when the celestials sought war, conquest, domination...

But Ari and Aria?

They had refused.

They begged Fransesca not to seal them—

because all they wanted was to live freely.

And so she had spared them.

Set them gently on the quiet hill behind the Armand estate—where the grass swayed peacefully and the stars watched over them.

They didn't choose war.

They chose home.

Now, that home needed them again.

Garius whispered, more to himself than anyone else—

"…I'm counting on you."

Garius smirked, and his right eye gleamed—

The Eye of Truth, ancient and all-seeing, activated.

Without a word, he unsheathed his dual swords.

The blades shone faintly in the moonlight—

white ore, pure and sturdy, with a long, glowing green crystal embedded at the core of each blade, pulsing softly in rhythm with his mana.

With a small crouch and a surge of power beneath his boots, he leapt forward, soaring through the air in a flash of silver and green light.

A moment later—

Fransesca smiled calmly, her expression serene but radiant—her presence divine.

She didn't need weapons.

She was the weapon.

Her sacred aura unfurled behind her like a blooming wing of light, pure and brilliant—a symbol of the enormous power she had long hidden.

With barely a sound, she landed gracefully beside her husband.

Just heartbeats behind—

Alf and Erinette launched forward, their Pekkos screeching sharply before flapping away.

They hit the ground near Garius and Fransesca in perfect sync, blades drawn, stances wide—ready for battle.

Liana's eyes sharpened.

She pulled a silver-strung magic bow from her back, the one Javier had upgraded for her.

It shimmered as she channeled mana into it—

the limbs glowing with green and silver streaks, elemental threads wrapping around it.

She didn't speak.

She simply raised the bow—and pulled the first arrow of pure light into being.

Gloria, a few feet beside her, took a steady breath.

She reached for the elegant warhammer at her side—simple in shape but crafted from an enchanted ore pulsing like a heartbeat.

As her mana surged, the hammer expanded with a deep metallic hum.

Runes ignited across its surface—golden patterns etched by Javier's hand.

Gloria swung it effortlessly, despite the weight.

Her eyes narrowed behind her glasses.

"Ready."

The wind stilled.

The ground trembled.

The corrupted mana at the center of Armand stirred.

Garius raised both swords.

"This land is ours. And nothing—no darkness, no monster, no celestial filth—will take it."

Fransesca, Alf, Erinette, Liana, and Gloria formed a perfect line behind him.

And then—

The earth cracked open.

A monstrous screech echoed into the night.

Fransesca stepped forward, her expression peaceful and composed as she lifted her hand gently into the air.

A radiant magic circle blossomed beneath her feet, followed by a blinding column of light shooting skyward.

"White Barrier—Activate."

A massive dome of white light expanded outward from her in all directions, covering the battlefield like a sacred veil. The light hummed softly as it settled, sealing the entire area into a powerful sacred zone that prevented the darkness from escaping or spreading further.

The corrupted aura, which had floated freely, crackled against the barrier's edge like smoke trapped behind glass.

Garius watched the barrier seal into place, giving a satisfied nod. His twin swords rested lightly in his hands.

"Looks like everyone's doing a good job."

He glanced sideways.

"The darkness across Armand is being pushed inward... drawn to this one final location."

Alf, standing to his left, bowed slightly with a faint grin.

"Yes, my lord. Your plan is proceeding smoothly."

Erinette, ever focused, flicked one of her blades, dark miasma sizzling off it.

"But that also means this taint gathered here is stronger than the usual ones—the concentrated kind."

Fransesca moved beside her husband, her white aura glowing brightly under the moon.

"Yes, but that's also their weakness."

Her tone was calm and serene.

"By forcing them into one place... we've made it easier to eliminate every last trace of them within Armand."

Garius's eyes narrowed, serious now.

"Alf. Erinette."

"Yes, my lord?"

"Has the deployment at the Armand Region border been completed?"

Alf nodded firmly, standing straight.

"Yes, my lord. The entire region's borders are now lined with the white ore devices—designed by Rasdingen using young master Javier's blueprint."

"Each one is tuned to react with the dark miasma," Erinette added,

"creating a purification field that prevents corruption or intrusion from beyond the borders."

"In short," Alf said proudly,

"Nothing dark can get in... and nothing corrupted can get out."

Garius smirked slightly, twin blades resting on his shoulders.

"Good. Then this will be their grave."

The ground trembled again—more heavily this time.

From beneath the crusted earth and dead trees, dark beasts began to crawl out—dozens at a time. Some twisted, some massive, all cloaked in swirling black miasma.

They howled, shrieked, and clawed at the barrier—but it held firm.

Liana pulled her bowstring tight.

Gloria raised her hammer.

Alf vanished in a blur.

Erinette's blades danced with white sparks.

Fransesca closed her eyes, her light growing even stronger.

And Garius, smiling just a little...

"Begin."

Fransesca gently lifted both hands, her fingers glowing with sacred light as intricate white sigils appeared in the air above the group.

A soft pulse of mana radiated outward—delicate like moonlight, yet layered with divine power.

"White Light Blessing—Cascade."

A radiant dome of light shimmered briefly before dissolving into thousands of sparkling fragments, each one softly settling onto Garius, Alf, Erinette, Liana, and Gloria—forming a thin, glowing veil over their bodies.

The air suddenly grew calm. In that moment—

Peace met purpose.

Fransesca smiled softly, her hair glowing beneath her own radiant aura.

"With this..."

"Those filth will never be able to corrupt any of you."

As soon as she finished—

Alf, standing like a shadow materialized into form, drew out his twin white ore daggers—fang-like blades humming with energy.

"Time to clean up," he muttered, already flickering into motion with shadow-step.

Erinette, her eyes shining with excitement, unsheathed her twin long blades—crafted from white ore with faint golden veins, customized by Javier himself.

She spun them once in a graceful arc, leaving trails of light behind.

"Finally. Something worthy of my blades."

Ahead of them—

Garius was already in motion.

He leapt through a wave of miasma, twin swords carving through corrupted aura like fire through snow.

His coat fluttered with each slash, and the ground trembled beneath his feet.

His grin widened—calm and confident, yet with an edge of thrill.

"Come then. Let's see what you're made of."

Dozens of dark mana beasts screeched and lunged from the shadows, their limbs twisted, their eyes glowing red with hatred and madness.

And in response—

A slash of green and white light tore through five of them simultaneously.

Garius landed with a light thud, blades dripping with corrupted mist that hissed into steam beneath Fransesca's aura.

He smirked.

"Too slow."

( End Of Chapter )