[Vol. 8] Chapter 189: Tartanos
Actually, it wasn’t that the Hero Party or Mia and Selna reacted too slowly. It was just that everything happened far too quickly.
From the moment the strange change appeared on Eudora, to the campfire suddenly turning into a monster and flying into the air, and Violet grabbing it and crushing it into pieces. It all happened in just a flash. The people involved in the clash were so far above ordinary beings in terms of power, that what seemed like a decisive moment of battle to them wasn’t even long enough for others to take a single step forward.
Among everyone there, only Xiao Guang, Elunie the Heaven Hero, and the fox girl Mevis could more or less follow how Violet grabbed and crushed the fire snake. But even the two of them were distracted by something more important and didn’t notice the brief, strange change in the divine mark on Eudora’s forehead.
“……”
Violet looked at Elunie with her now-calm silver-blue eyes and saw that the other girl was staring blankly at her. When Elunie noticed Violet was looking at her, she quickly lowered her head, as if by instinct, lost in thought.
Violet didn’t say anything right away. She turned to look at the pink-haired girl, who still seemed confused.
Just as she expected, the egg-shaped, six-winged divine mark, which represented a follower of [Radiance], had already returned to its normal form. Its colors filled back in, and it looked completely ordinary again. It was as if the strange, fleeting transformation from before had just been an illusion. Even Eudora herself didn’t seem to realize anything had happened.
But Violet knew very well, everything that had happened was real, without a doubt. And what troubled her most was…
[Destruction Mode]… it actually has power like that.
She muttered to herself in a voice too quiet for anyone to hear, looking down at her unchanged palm. A hint of strange emotion flashed through her silver-blue eyes.
Just now, the divine power of Radiance had suddenly gone into a rage because of the appearance of that strange fire snake. It had caused her to reach out, block it, and destroy it, along with those words she said, as if looking down on it with contempt. The whole thing had flowed out of her naturally, almost as if it were instinct.
Normally, with her cautious and careful personality, Violet would never fight a mysterious enemy so recklessly. As a priestess, she didn’t usually show that kind of overwhelming force. But somehow, just now, she had done it.
Without using any magic, any spells, or any outside help, not even equipment, she had summoned immense divine power purely with her will, and crushed a terrifying enemy with just one hand.
Even Violet herself didn’t quite understand it. She didn’t even know exactly what she meant when she called the enemy a “leftover of the old world.”
It seemed that the true power of [Destruction Mode] was far beyond what she had discovered so far.
Violet didn’t like entering [Destruction Mode] casually. Even though it didn’t bring her any physical burden, it only boosted a few of her Holy Light-type abilities and wasn’t useful for support magic. For a priestess who preferred to help rather than harm, it was more of a flashy tool than a useful one.
More importantly, whenever she entered this state, even though she still had full control over her actions, some small habits and subtle behaviors would start to change. She would become colder, more distant, and act like she was far above everyone else… or, in plain words, she would act a bit too “cool” and “over the top.”
This was somewhat similar to what happened when Carinvega transformed into the [Agent of Fate], except Violet’s mind was strong enough to stay in control and resist being taken over by the effect.
Even so, this kind of power still carried unknown risks. There’s no such thing as a free gift falling from the sky. The more effortless and cost-free a power seems, the more it deserves caution and suspicion. That’s why Violet would always try to avoid using it unless she absolutely had no choice.
However, based on the chain of events that just happened, the priestess could now confirm something she had long suspected.
[Destruction Mode], this strange and unexplained ability even within the game system, was indeed connected to the [Radiance] divinity.
This divine power, which she had possessed since arriving in this world, still couldn’t be fully controlled like her other one, [Reincarnation]. There were likely some huge secrets still hidden inside the Radiance divinity.
“Could it really be connected to that so-called ‘Primordial Light’…? That would be so ridiculous,”
she thought.
Only now did the others, who had all been stunned by the sudden changes, start to slowly return to their senses.
Mia and Selna, who already knew how powerful their mistress was, weren’t too shocked, even though they were surprised, they stayed relatively calm. But for the Hero Party, this was the first time they had seen Violet truly fight. Whether it was the golden flash in her eyes or the overwhelming divine presence that had made them tremble, they couldn’t help but shake slightly. Partly in fear, and partly in awe.
It took a while before they cautiously stepped forward.
“Umm… Miss Violet, just now… what exactly was that…?”
Violet gathered her thoughts, glanced at the winged demon warrior Zachary, whose face still showed some lingering fear, and gently patted the head of the pink-haired girl who had also been scared.
She softly shook her head and said,
“I don’t know the full details either. But clearly, that fire snake was something created or controlled by another being. From what I can tell, its target seemed to be Eudora. However, after getting beaten like that, it…”
“It was Tartanos, the one known as [Devourer of Magic]…”
A sudden voice cut in, making everyone pause.
They turned their heads and saw the blind girl holding a short staff, gazing off into the distance under the night sky as if she were in a trance. Feeling the others looking at her, Elunie finally turned back and spoke in a low, thoughtful voice.
“The moment it screamed… when the fire snake was destroyed… the sound spread across the entire valley. I could feel its greed, its anger, and its fear, and also… its name. It’s still nearby, it’s watching us.”
Chloe instinctively perked up her ears and shivered like something cold had run down her back.
“Really? D-Don’t scare me… I didn’t hear anything at all!”
Kunnir, the tiger-man scholar, shook his head and added.
“I didn’t hear anything either. But if Lady Elunie says she sensed it, then it must be real. Still, the name ‘Tartanos the Devourer of Magic’… I don’t think I’ve heard of any myth or legend mentioning a creature by that name. Miss Elunie, did you notice anything else?”
“Hmm…”
The Heaven Hero looked a little troubled and rubbed her head. After thinking for a bit, she carefully answered.
“I did feel something else. But I don’t know why, it was all very blurry. Just when Sister Violet blocked and destroyed the fire snake, my staff, [Staff of Eternal Radiance], suddenly became really hot. The world of light around me also twisted strangely, and it seriously messed up my senses. By the time I recovered… the fire snake was already gone. So…”