CHAPTER 160: THE NIGHT THE HOLY BARRIER SHATTERED

[Leif’s POV—Holy Temple Battlefield—Midnight]

The moment my words left my lips—

"THEN... LET’S GO ACCORDING TO PLAN."

—everything froze.

Not in silence. Not in peace. But in anticipation. The corrupted civilians jerked violently, their heads snapping toward me as if some invisible command had overridden their frenzy. Their blackened eyes widened—recognizing the Seraph’s aura pouring from my body like molten gold.

Behind me—

Alvar’s breath broke. The spirit goddess whispered my name in horror. Luminael vibrated like a living heartbeat in my hand.

And above the temple—the night sky stirred.

"LEIF—!!" Alvar’s voice cracked behind me, raw with fear, fury, and desperation.

But I didn’t stop. I stepped past the last fractured pillar into the center of the broken courtyard, where the corrupted gathered like a swarm of shadowed locusts.

They hissed. Croaked. Twitched. Their bodies twisted, bending in ways no human spine should.

The Devil—inside Arden’s corpse—laughed once. A low, delighted rumble.

"SO THE SERAPH KING FINALLY STEPS FORWARD..."

The corrupted surged—but before they could touch me—FWOOOOOOSH—!!!

A burst of golden radiance exploded outward from my feet, circling me in a wide ring of purified light. The corrupted reeled backward, screeching as the divine aura scorched their shadows.

But they kept coming.

Again.

And again.

Pulling themselves forward with cracked limbs, fingers digging into the stone floor as if trying to claw their way into my light.

Behind me, the battlefield ignited:

"LIGHT BIND—!!" Thalion’s vines erupted.

"SHIELD BASH—!!" Daren rammed through a wave of corrupted bodies.

"ASCENDING WIND—!!" Caelum’s wings blasted a cluster away.

But no matter how many fell, they stood again. Faster. More twisted. More broken.

"Leif—!" The spirit goddess cried. "If you unleash too much power—your body—!"

"I know!" I shouted over the chaos. "Just trust me!"

Alvar’s growl tore through the battlefield. "LEIF, GET BACK HERE—!!"

But I didn’t turn around. Because above us—clouds split open. A shimmering blue dragon descended through the wounded sky.

Zephyy.

My Zephyy.

His wings blazed with divine runes, eyes glowing fiercely as he hovered above the corrupted army.

Master... I am here.

His telepathic voice thrummed through my bones. I lifted Luminael. Light spiraled from the blade, curling around my arm like a living star.

"Zephyy," I whispered, "begin Phase One."

His wings snapped open—FWOOM—!!!

A hurricane of holy wind erupted from the sky, crashing down onto the corrupted swarm. Bodies flew—dozens, then hundreds—scattered like black petals in a storm of light.

But even as they fell, they twitched. Jerked. Stood again.

Some with broken jaws hanging loose. Some with limbs bent backwards. Some dragging themselves with shattered fingers.

Alvar cursed through his teeth. "THIS IS INSANE—THEY WILL NOT STOP—!"

The Devil laughed, head tilting in grotesque delight.

"BREAK. BREAK. BREAK. LITTLE SERAPH. LET US SEE HOW LONG YOU CAN SAVE THEM."

His power rippled across the courtyard—black tendrils rising, puppeteering the corrupted like a grotesque dance.

The goddess hissed, "He’s feeding them directly! Every time they break, he reforges them!"

I lifted Luminael again, golden fire swirling along the blade. "Then we break his connection."

Alvar’s breath stuttered behind me. "Leif... What are you planning—?"

I didn’t answer.

Because the plan demanded one thing. A risk only a Seraph King could take. I stepped deeper into the battlefield, divine pressure bursting outward—forcing even my allies to shield their eyes.

"ZEPEHYY—!!"

"MASTER—READY."

The dragon spiraled upward, gathering celestial wind.

"LUMINAEL—!!"

"ALWAYS, MASTER—!!"

I pointed my blade at the Devil’s stolen, rotting body.

And shouted—

"PHASE TWO!!"

The words ripped through the air like lightning. Zephyy dove from the sky—a streak of blue fire tearing through the darkness. Luminael blazed in my hand, golden flames spiraling along the blade, weaving into Zephyy’s wind.

The two energies met—And fused.

KRAAAAAA—BOOOOOOOOM!!!

A pillar of swirling gold-blue light erupted around me, exploding outward in a spiral. The corrupted civilians were thrown back, the shockwave blasting through the courtyard like a divine cyclone.

Alvar shielded his face. Caelum staggered midair. Daren crashed his shield into the earth to keep from being thrown. Thalion slammed his staff into the ground, anchoring himself. Even the goddess’s glow flickered violently.

And the Devil—inhabiting Arden’s dead body—was forced a step back.

Just one step.

But enough for his grin to falter.

Just a fraction.

Good.

Let him feel it.

Luminael vibrated in my hand with fierce resonance. "MASTER—THE WIND IS READY!"

Zephyy’s voice boomed from above—MASTER, RELEASE IT—!!!

I raised the sword high—And slashed downward.

FWOOOOMMMMM—!!!

A massive arc of golden wind shot forward—tearing across the courtyard like a celestial blade. The corrupted civilians in its path were blown back dozens of meters, their puppeted bodies slamming into pillars, walls, and the corruption-coated ground.

But again—Even broken, even bent, even twisted—They stood.

Stuttering.Cracking.Reassembling themselves in ways no living body should.

Alvar’s voice cracked in disbelief. "THEY—THEY’RE STILL MOVING?!"

The Devil’s grin widened, tearing Arden’s decayed cheeks even further. "DID YOU THINK WIND WOULD SAVE THEM?"

His fingers twitched—And the civilians lunged again, faster, more feral, jaws snapping like beasts.

I breathed out slowly. "Phase Two wasn’t meant to stop them."

The Devil froze.

Alvar froze.

Even my allies paused.

Because that wasn’t the goal. The swirling wind—Zephyy’s divine power—didn’t aim to defeat the corrupted.

It aimed at something else entirely. To peel away the first layer of corruption suffocating the city. To sever the Devil’s outermost control.

And I saw it.

Thin trails of shadow leaking from the civilians—lifting like smoke—disconnected.

The Devil’s eyes snapped wide open. "WHAT—?!"

The spirit goddess gasped. "Leif... YOU—YOU CUT HIS SHADOW THREADS!"

Zephyy’s triumphant roar shook the air.

ONLY A SERAPH KING COULD DO THAT, MASTER!!

The Devil snarled—an ugly, distorted sound. "CLEVER, LITTLE SERAPH... CLEVER... BUT FUTILE."

He raised both hands. Black fog surged up his arms like living tar. Arden’s corpse twisted further—bones cracking, spine bending until his head hung upside down from his shoulders.

The civilians shrieked and staggered—jerking in confusion as the Devil’s control scrambled to reconnect.

Alvar stepped beside me, grabbing my arm. "LEIF—DON’T TAKE ANOTHER STEP."

His voice wasn’t commanding.

It was begging.

Fear threaded through every syllable. "You’re drawing too much attention—! He’s focusing on YOU!"

"I know."

He gripped my arm tighter. "Leif—PLEASE—"

But I pulled free gently.

I stepped forward again. Because this was the plan. This was the only way.

The Devil screamed, "YOU DARE—!! YOU DARE BREAK MY CONTROL?!"

His voice shook the entire courtyard. The corrupted twisted violently as he forced more power into them, but they faltered, stumbled, their bodies twitching like broken machinery.

His rage was turning sloppy.

"PROTECT THE OTHERS!" I shouted.

Luminael blazed.Zephyy soared.The temple trembled.

Alvar’s eyes widened, realization dawning. "Leif... you’re luring him."

I lifted Luminael, light expanding around me like wings stretching open.

"Yes."

"YOU’RE GOING TO FACE HIM ALONE—??!"

"No."

I smiled—softly, painfully. "I’m going to trap him."

The Devil screeched—a guttural, inhuman roar that cracked the barrier overhead. "COME THEN, SERAPH—COME FACE YOUR DOOM!"

Black tendrils burst from his hands, spiraling like serpents toward me.

Alvar lunged—"LEIF—!!!"

Caelum shouted, "WAIT—!!"

The spirit goddess gasped, "NO—THIS IS TOO SOON—!!"

But I stepped forward with calm certainty. The ring on my finger—glowed red.

Ready.

Waiting.

Calling.

"Let him reach me," I whispered.

Luminael flared. Zephyy thundered from above. Alvar’s scream tore through the night—"LEIF—STOP—!!"

But it was too late.

The Devil’s tendrils struck and I raised the ring.

The Divine Cage flared—CRIMSON. GOLD. WHITE.

A blinding core of power erupted from the gem, swallowing the Devil’s darkness like a star devouring night.

"WHA—WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" the Devil shrieked, voice ripping into a thousand warped echoes.

My body jolted—heat blasting through my veins—

The light wasn’t light at all—it was raw celestial force, alive, ancient, furious.

It didn’t glow—It devoured. A vortex of divine energy ripped outward, swallowing the Devil’s darkness like a star tearing apart a collapsing world.

The Devil screeched—a sound so shrill, so warped, it cracked the nearest pillars.

"WH—WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! WHAT ARE YOU DOINGGGG?!!"

His voice fractured into a thousand jagged echoes.

My body jolted—heat blasted through every vein, every bone, every breath—like molten metal had replaced my blood.

It hurt.

It hurt so much I thought my skin would burst open.

"MASTER—!!" Luminael screamed, vibrating violently at my side. "YOUR BODY CANNOT HOLD THIS—!"

Alvar’s voice tore through the chaos:

"LEIF!!!"

He sprinted toward me—but a wave of corrupted civilians swarmed him, clawing, dragging, blocking his path.

"LEIF—DON’T—!!" His voice cracked—shattered—broke.

But I couldn’t stop now.

I lifted my hand higher. The Devil’s darkness smashed against the Divine Cage, but the energy pulled, as if the universe itself had grabbed the Devil by the throat.

Black tendrils ripped away from him—not by force—but by inevitable gravity, as though the ring was swallowing him piece by piece.

The Devil convulsed, arms flailing as Arden’s corpse snapped in impossible angles.

"NO—NO—NO!! THAT RING—THAT CURSED RING!!! IT DIED WITH THE FIRST SERAPH—HOW—HOW DID YOU—?!"

I gritted my teeth, voice trembling. "You’re wrong."

I stepped forward through the storm of power, wind ripping around me. "The first Seraph didn’t find it."

I tightened my grip.

"I did."

The ring pulsed again—THRUMMMMM!!!!

The world shook. Darkness recoiled. And destiny snapped into place.