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Chapter 104 - Vol 2, 102, Chapter 48: Four vs One

The Holy Empire of Lubelius burned.

Cathedrals had collapsed into fractured marble. Holy sigils flickered weakly across the capital as sacred barriers struggled to reassemble themselves. The sky above was torn open in golden fractures where light had passed without permission.

At the center of the devastation.

Loki stood calmly.

Radiant and untouched.

Before him floated a suspended, crystalline box of divine sealing inscriptions. Layer upon layer of holy formulas wrapping around a dormant consciousness within.

On one knee below him, breathing unevenly—

Luminous Valentine glared upward, crimson eyes burning with fury.

"You fiend," she hissed. "Don't you dare put your hands on that woman."

Loki tilted his head slightly.

Inside the box, the sleeping Manas Chronoa flickered faintly, an echo of consciousness, restrained but vast.

"Our master," Loki replied evenly, "harbors a deep desire for a skill known as Unlimited Prison."

Golden light gathered at his fingertips.

"And it seems this dormant Manas possesses access to said ability."

His hand moved closer.

"So we shall take it."

Luminous's expression tightened.

"Huh?"

A flicker of calculation crossed her face.

'Damn it… This thing has already damaged my soul. I cannot defeat it alone.'

"What would your master want with Unlimited Prison?" she demanded sharply.

Loki did not answer.

He touched the box.

The inscriptions flared violently—

"ZZZRRRRRT—!!!"

Chains manifested around his arm, attempting to bind, purge and expel.

They snapped.

One by one.

"Crk… Crk… CRACK."

Golden light slipped through the seals like ink through paper.

The dormant Manas pulsed.

For a moment—

Time seemed to stall.

Then—

A surge of information flooded into him.

The air distorted.

The box dimmed.

Loki withdrew his hand.

"Well then," he said calmly. "This should suffice."

The crystalline seal shattered into harmless fragments of light.

Below him—

Luminous slowly rose to her feet.

Her expression had changed.

Fury.

Raw. Personal and unrestrained fury.

"How dare you."

Her voice trembled from rage.

"HOW DARE YOU!"

The aura around her surged violently, shaking the ruined city.

"First you arbitrarily attack me."

A pulse of energy cracked the stone beneath her feet.

"Then you attack my capital."

The cathedral ruins behind her lifted slightly from the pressure.

"And then you commit the sin of touching my Hinata."

The air trembled.

"But you do not stop there."

Her eyes burned scarlet.

"You also commit the grave sin of touching my Chloe."

Her aura spiked.

"Who is mine alone."

The sky darkened above Lubelius.

"I swear," she said, voice trembling with wrath,

"I will kill you."

Loki regarded her without emotion.

"We do not care for your grievances."

The pressure around Luminous exploded outward.

"Is that so?"

She vanished.

"CRACK—!!!"

The ground beneath Loki shattered as her fist connected with his jaw.

"BOOOOOOM—!!!"

The impact sent him flying across the country in a streak of golden light. He tore through mountain ranges, cathedral spires, holy wards—

"THOOOM—!!" "CRASH—!!" "RUMBLE—!!"

He finally came to a halt miles away, boots skidding across torn earth.

He exhaled softly.

Minimal damage.

Above him—

Luminous was already there.

Floating.

Aura blazing like a wrathful goddess.

Loki sighed.

"Can you not see?" he asked evenly. "You cannot win. It is pointless."

"You do not get to tell me anything," Luminous snapped. "I shall decide whether it is pointless or not."

Her eyes narrowed.

"You brute with no class."

The air shifted.

And suddenly a new presence entered the battlefield.

A calm voice echoed behind her.

"Luminous."

The tone was almost amused.

"Your country appears to be in rather poor condition. Do you perhaps require assistance?"

Luminous turned.

Her eyes widened.

Hovering in the sky behind her stood Leon Cromwell, golden aura contained and steady.

Flanking him were two maids.

Blue-haired Rain folded her arms.

Green-haired Misery bowed her head slightly.

"Lady Luminous," they said in unison.

Luminous blinked.

"Leon… and the maids? What are you three doing here?"

Rain pointed lazily with her thumb.

"Guy-sama sent us as reinforcements."

Misery nodded.

"Worry not, Lady Luminous. We shall defend this nation as if it were our own."

Luminous exhaled slowly.

"I see… So Guy has determined this Angel to be a threat."

Her eyes hardened.

"Yet he makes no effort to come here himself."

Leon adjusted his stance slightly.

"That is because Guy has gone to deal with the real Loki."

Luminous froze.

"The real Loki?"

Leon's gaze shifted briefly toward the radiant figure in the distance.

"I mean exactly that. The one before you is merely a clone."

Luminous failed to mask the shock in her eyes.

"A clone… you say!?"

Her gaze flicked back to Loki.

"Are you telling me… that a mere clone did this much damage to my country?"

Her jaw tightened.

"And I could not even defeat it."

Leon spoke calmly.

"Do not feel overly embarrassed. Loki is strong."

A faint smirk crossed his face.

"His behavior is rather brute. And honestly unclassy."

His golden eyes sharpened.

"But his strength is nothing to joke about."

A pause.

"Especially now that he has become an Angel."

Luminous studied him carefully.

"Why does it seem you know him, Leon?"

Her voice lowered.

"Who is this Angel?"

Leon's expression did not change.

"Explaining now would be… complicated."

His gaze remained fixed on Loki.

"His circumstances are special."

Luminous held his gaze a moment longer.

Then nodded once.

"Fine. But after this, I demand an explanation."

Rain suddenly squinted at the distant golden glow.

"…I think the fake Loki is preparing something."

All eyes turned.

In the distance—

Loki hovered calmly.

Golden light gathering around him once more.

Loki spoke calmly.

"Adding numbers will not make a difference."

His eyes gleamed faintly.

"The difference in strength is palpable."

Rain clicked her tongue. "He talks too much."

Misery's expression remained gentle. "Do not underestimate him."

Luminous lifted her hand.

"Enough."

Her aura surged.

"Die."

She vanished.

CRACK—!!!

Space shattered as Luminous appeared directly before Loki, her fist cloaked in condensed holy annihilation.

Loki tilted his head slightly.

Her punch connected.

BOOOOOOM—!!!

A shockwave tore across the capital, splitting clouds.

Loki skidded backward midair but did not take any significant damage.

Luminous followed instantly.

Second strike.

Palm to the chest.

THUD—!!!

A pulse of holy exorcism detonated from point-blank range.

Loki's form flickered.

Golden particles scattered—

Then reassembled.

He looked mildly inconvenienced.

"You are improving by the second."

Luminous' eyes flashed.

"Do not patronize me!"

She thrust her hand forward.

"Sanctuary Dominion."

A cathedral of pure holy energy manifested around Loki in an instant. Pillars of sacred light shot upward, sealing him within layered barriers of exorcism and imprisonment.

Leon moved at the same time.

Golden particles condensed around him.

"Metatron."

The air itself bowed.

A vast geometric sigil formed behind Leon's back, a manifestation of his Ultimate Skill.

Condensed judgment light gathered at his fingertip.

Rain flickered.

She vanished from sight.

Misery extended one hand calmly.

Dark-purple magic circles unfolded beneath Loki's feet, blooming like flowers of curse and despair.

Loki glanced downward.

"…Efficient coordination."

The holy cathedral collapsed inward.

"CRRRRRSH—!!!"

Simultaneously—

Leon fired.

A beam of condensed judgment lanced through the collapsing structure.

Rain appeared behind Loki mid-detonation, blade drawn in a flash of silver.

"Too slow."

She slashed downward.

SHING—!!!

Her strike cut cleanly through Loki's shoulder—

For a split second—

Golden blood sprayed.

Misery's curse activated.

Black threads coiled around Loki's limbs, draining, weakening, destabilizing his spiritual foundation.

The combined assault detonated.

BAAAAAAAAAAM—!!!

Light swallowed the battlefield.

When the radiance faded—

Loki stood in the center of a crater.

Aura flickering faintly.

But intact.

He exhaled softly.

"Now this is better."

Rain clicked her tongue midair. "You've got to be kidding me."

Luminous did not hesitate.

She blurred forward again, faster this time.

Her movements sharpened, with no wasted motion.

Strike.

Elbow.

Palm.

Knee.

Each hit detonated with bursts.

BAM—!! THUD—!! CRACK—!!

Loki blocked two.

The third grazed his jaw.

The fourth sent him crashing into a ruined tower.

BOOM—!!!

Before debris settled—

Rain appeared inside the smoke.

She thrust forward with precise blade technique.

Loki caught her wrist.

She smirked.

"Got you."

Misery's curse circle ignited beneath both of them.

"Bind."

Shadow chains erupted upward.

Loki's movement slowed.

Leon stepped forward calmly.

Golden sigils rotating behind him.

"Divine Severance."

He extended his hand.

A blade of pure judgment formed, thin, elegant, absolute.

Luminous struck simultaneously from above.

Palm glowing brighter than the sun.

The four-way assault converged.

Loki's eyes narrowed slightly.

For the first time—

He raised both hands.

Golden light expanded outward violently.

"Judgment Barrier."

The explosion that followed leveled what remained of the surrounding district.

BOOOOOOOOOOM—!!!

Rain was blown back midair.

Misery slid across shattered stone but remained standing.

Luminous skidded backward, aura flaring.

Leon alone stood firm.

Dust settled slowly.

Loki hovered at the epicenter, aura dimmer than before.

Subtle.

But noticeable.

Rain regenerated from the damage.

"He's weakening."

Misery nodded softly. "The clone's capacity is not infinite."

Luminous' breathing was slightly heavier now because of the soul damage still lingering from earlier.

"Then we end this."

Leon stepped forward.

Golden radiance intensified around him.

Unlike Luminous' wrath or Loki's overwhelming pressure—

Leon's power was precise.

Refined and absolute.

"Metatron," he said calmly.

The massive sigil behind him expanded.

Layers unfolded like celestial scripture.

Judgment concepts manifested physically in the sky.

Loki regarded him.

"…You are dangerous."

Leon did not answer.

Instead—

He vanished and reappeared directly before Loki.

Their eyes met.

Leon's voice was calm.

"Repent."

He thrust his hand forward.

The world dimmed.

Everything except Loki was washed in white.

For a brief second—

Loki's structure destabilized completely.

The clone's spiritual framework trembled under absolute divine computation.

Leon spoke quietly.

"Judgment of False Light."

The beam finally fired.

A single concentrated line of golden-white brilliance.

It pierced Loki's chest cleanly.

No resistance.

The light expanded internally.

Golden cracks spread across Loki's body.

He looked down.

"…We see."

The cracks widened.

Luminous appeared beside Leon, ready to strike again—

But Leon raised a hand slightly.

"It is finished."

Rain and Misery watched silently.

Loki's form began to fragment into particles of fading radiance.

He looked at Leon.

"…Impressive."

A faint smile touched his lips.

"We see now, why our master took interest I you."

Leon's gaze did not waver.

"Then tell him to come back to his senses."

Loki's body dissolved completely.

Golden particles scattered into the sky.

Silence fell over Lubelius.

The oppressive presence vanished.

The ruins remained.

Luminous exhaled slowly.

"…A clone."

Rain stretched her shoulders. "That was not clone-level normal."

Misery gave a small nod. "Just how strong could Loki be now?"

Leon turned his gaze toward the distant horizon.

Toward Jura.

Golden light flickered faintly in his eyes.

"Guy will handle the rest."

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