CHAPTER 159: WHEN THE CORRUPTED ROSE

[Leif’s POV—Holy Temple—Midnight War Begins]

The holy barrier trembled.

Not flickered. Not dimmed.

Trembled—as if something enormous and ancient pressed its forehead against it, grinning.

The Devil’s laughter—wearing Crown Prince Arden’s dead, rotting face—echoed through the courtyard like a cracked bell.

"LEEEEEEEF...!" His voice stretched, warped, and layered over ten thousand whispers. "SERAPH KING... COME OUT AND DIE."

A shiver of pure ice slid down my spine, and I clenched my fist. I don’t need to panic.

Behind me, everyone tensed. Eryndor unsheathed his blade. Thalion raised his staff, blue sparks flickering violently. Daren stood shield-first, jaw clenched. Caelum’s wings spread wide, trembling with fury and fear.

The spirit goddess stepped forward, light spilling off her like wildfire—but even her glow flickered under the pressure of his presence.

Alvar moved in front of me without hesitation—one arm guarding my chest, the other gripping his sword tight enough for his knuckles to go white.

"Leif stays behind me," he growled.

The devil’s head snapped toward Alvar, a grin stretching too wide for a human skull.

"AHHH... LITTLE PRINCE... YOU STILL THINK YOU CAN PROTECT HIM?"

Black veins crawled across Arden’s stolen skin. His neck twisted at a horrifying angle as he pressed a clawed hand against the barrier.

His fingers curled.

His smile stretched.

"THEN LET YOUR OWN PEOPLE..." he hissed, breath rattling like bones grinding together, "...WILL KILL YOU."

And then—

SHHHHLLLLPPP—!!!

The shadows behind him ripped open.

One by one... Twisted silhouettes crawled out.

Not monsters.Not beasts.

People.

Men.Women.Children.

Civilians of Aurelius—with hollow black eyes, spines bent unnaturally, and limbs jerking like marionettes pulled by invisible hands.

They staggered forward in a wave, silent and horrifying.

Priest Caldric’s voice cracked. "W-What is this...? These are the people of Aurelius—! We cannot... we cannot harm the civilians..."

Caelum stepped in front, wings flaring with desperate fury.

"We have no choice," he said through clenched teeth. "To save the kingdom... to save the world... some people—"

"NO."

Alvar’s shout thundered through the hall, making even the corrupted freeze for a heartbeat.

Everyone turned.

Alvar’s chest was heaving—eyes blazing with anger and grief.

"No..." he repeated, jaw tight. "If we harm them, the Devil will use their bodies again. He will bring more. And more. A river of them."

His voice lowered, trembling with barely leashed rage. "Killing them solves nothing. It only feeds him."

Silence crackled through the temple. Even the Devil tilted his head, amused by Alvar’s fire.

I stepped closer, heart pounding. "...So we don’t kill them."

Thalion stared at me. "Then what do we do, Leif? They’re already dead inside—"

"No." I shook my head, breath unsteady. "They’re not dead. They’re corrupted. Possessed."

The spirit goddess’s eyes widened, recognizing the shift in my aura. "Leif... you’re right. The corruption hasn’t reached their souls. Only their bodies."

Daren’s grip tightened on his hammer. "Then... we knock them out? Disable them?"

"Yes," I said. "Once the Devil is sealed—once the corruption is erased—"

I swallowed hard.

"—their souls will return. They’ll wake up. They’ll live."

Alvar nodded sharply, stepping forward to stand beside me.

"Then we knock them down," he said, voice hard as steel. "No killing. No bloodshed. Just stop them long enough to get to the Devil."

Caelum exhaled shakily, relief flickering through his wings.

"Agreed."

Eryndor cracked his knuckles. "We can stun without killing."

Thalion spun his staff, eyes blazing with renewed purpose. "I can bind them in light magic."

Daren lifted his shield, stance rock solid. "Let them come."

The Devil laughed—cold, triumphant, echoing off the holy stone.

"AHAHHAHAHAHA—HOW NOBLE. HOW POINTLESS." His grin widened, splitting the corpse’s cheeks. "LET US SEE HOW MANY YOU CAN SAVE BEFORE YOU BREAK."

The corrupted civilians surged forward—

Jerking.Screaming.Clawing.

The holy gate rattled violently.

This was it.

The first wave. I lifted my hand—golden light bursting from my palm.

"Everyone—READY!" I shouted.

Alvar stepped in front of me, voice deep, fierce, and shaking with the weight of everything we stood to lose.

"WE HOLD THE LINE."

The barrier cracked again —CRRRRRAAAAAACK—!!!!

Light shattered.

Darkness screamed.

And we stepped forward into the war that would decide the fate of Aurelius. The holy barrier shattered in a burst of golden shards—falling like broken stars across the steps. Then—THRUMMM—!

The corrupted civilians surged inside.

Not walking.

Not running.

SWARMING.

Like a tidal wave of bodies dragged by invisible strings—eyes black, mouths slack, limbs jerking with sickening cracks.

"LIGHT BIND—!!"

Thalion slammed his staff into the floor, ropes of golden vines exploding outward, trapping a dozen civilians in a glowing snare.

For a heartbeat—hope.

Then—SNAP—!!!!

The corrupted tore through the bindings like they were paper.

Daren lifted his shield and BASHED three attackers away—but the moment they hit the ground, their heads twisted unnaturally and they stood again, sprinting toward him.

"What—?!"

Daren yelled, blocking another blow. "They get up faster every time!"

Eryndor slashed the air with divine fire blades, cutting through the shadows possessing them—but the flames extinguished instantly, swallowed by a deeper corruption.

"Nothing holds them down long enough—!" he hissed.

Caelum took flight, wings blazing.

"Move aside!" he commanded, diving down and striking a wave of corrupted civilians with a burst of holy wind.

They flew backward—crashing into pillars—falling limp—but then—CRRKK—K-KRRR—!!!

Their bodies twitched.

Rolled.

Stood again. Faster. Harder. More twisted.

Caelum’s breath caught. "...They recover instantly."

The spirit goddess gritted her teeth.

"He’s using them as shields. As puppets. He’s fueling them directly—through the corruption spreading under the city."

Alvar grabbed one corrupted man by the collar—slamming him into the ground hard enough to crack stone.

"It’s endless," he growled, dodge-rolling under another claw swipe as three civilians lunged at him at once. "He’s turning the entire city into his army—they won’t stop until we stop HIM!"

Behind him, ten civilians leapt at once.

He lifted his sword—but I burst forward, golden light flaring from my palm.

"STAY BACK—!!"

A shockwave blasted outward, knocking them away without breaking their bodies—only forcing them unconscious for mere seconds.

Seconds that wouldn’t last. My chest tightened as their legs twitched—and they began rising again, hands jerking, joints cracking, eyes rolling back as if death itself refused to claim them.

My breath stuttered. This wasn’t a battle. This was drowning. And every civilian was another wave dragging us deeper.

Then—

ZPEHYY’S VOICE CUT THROUGH MY MIND.

Master...

The telepathic whisper shot through me like lightning.

My eyes widened.

"...Zephyy?"

His voice trembled but was strong.

Master... I’m here.

He wasn’t in the room. He wasn’t even at the temple. He was above. Waiting. Ready. Because we had a plan.

I gripped Luminael’s hilt tightly.

The sword hummed—fierce, electric.

"Luminael."

"Yes, Master..." His voice vibrated with purpose. "I am ready. Whatever you command."

Alvar turned, breath ragged, face smeared with dark dust. "Leif—what are you—?"

I stepped past him

Into the battlefield.

Past the swarming corrupted.Past the screams.Past the chaos.

My voice sliced through the clamor—"EVERYONE—MOVE BACK!"

They all froze for a split second—shock cutting through their panic.

Thalion looked up mid-spell. Daren’s shield hovered mid-strike. Caelum paused mid-air, wings beating back black fog.

The spirit goddess’s eyes widened sharply.

"Leif—DON’T—!"

But I was already stepping forward. Just one step outside the protective line. Zephyy’s telepathic voice rose again, steady this time.

Master... Are you ready?

I exhaled.

"Yes, Zephyy."

Alvar shouted from behind me, voice breaking—"LEIF!"

I ignored the terror in his voice. Ignored the shaking in my hands. Because we had one chance.

One plan.

One path left.

I lifted Luminael.

The blade burst into white flame. And I whispered, "THEN... LET’S GO ACCORDING TO PLAN."