Chapter 7: The Saintess's Shadow and the Siege of Oakhaven
The news of Oakhaven's fall traveled faster than any bird. Within hours, the Holy Capital was in a state of chaos. The "Corrupted Prince" hadn't just survived; he had returned as a plague.
In the center of Oakhaven, the once-holy Cathedral had been transformed. The white marble was now stained with veins of pulsing purple quartz, and the statues of the Goddess had been shattered, replaced by high thrones of obsidian.
Cyan sat on the highest throne, his chin resting on his hand. At his feet, Isabella knelt, her dark mana now stable and cold. Beside him, Elara watched the horizon with narrowed eyes.
"They are coming, my King," Elara whispered. "A battalion of the 'Sun-Seekers.' And leading them is someone you know intimately."
Cyan didn't need to ask. He felt it. A familiar, suffocating aura of "Purity" was approaching the city gates. It was a light that tried to burn away the darkness he had carefully woven.
"Servina," Cyan murmured, a cruel smile touching his lips. "She couldn't stay away."
[Ding!]
[Emergency Quest: The First Encounter.]
[Objective: Defend Oakhaven against the Saintess's Vanguard.]
[Bonus: Capture the 'Holy Maiden' of the Vanguard.]
The gates of Oakhaven groaned as a blast of golden energy struck them. Outside, five hundred elite knights in glowing white armor stood in perfect formation. At their front, mounted on a white pegasus, was a woman who looked like a star fallen to earth.
Lady Clara. The Holy Maiden and the chief disciple of the Saintess Servina.
"Cyan Valerian!" Clara's voice rang out, amplified by holy magic. "By the authority of the Holy See, I command you to release this city and face judgment! Your soul is already forfeit, but perhaps the Goddess will grant you a quick death!"
Cyan appeared on the city walls, his dark cloak billowing in the wind. He looked down at the girl—a girl he remembered as a shy acolyte who once used to bring him flowers.
"Judgment?" Cyan's laughter echoed over the battlefield, cold and mocking. "The Goddess you serve couldn't even protect her own High Priest in this city. What makes you think she can protect you?"
"Silence, heretic!" Clara raised her golden spear. "Charge! Purge the darkness from these streets!"
The Sun-Seekers charged, their shields forming a wall of light.
"Isabella," Cyan said, not looking away from Clara. "Show them what a 'Corrupted' noble can do."
Isabella stepped forward, her eyes glowing with a violent purple light. She raised her hands, and the very shadows of the charging knights began to rise against them.
"Shadow Bind!"
The knights suddenly found their own shadows wrapping around their legs, pulling them into the ground. Panic erupted in the ranks.
"Now, the Legion," Cyan commanded.
From the city gates, the two thousand corrupted guards of Oakhaven marched out. Their eyes were vacant, glowing with Cyan's violet mana, and their weapons were infused with the rot of the Abyss. They didn't feel pain. They didn't feel fear. They were a tide of obsidian steel.
The two forces clashed in a symphony of screams and metal. The "Holy" knights were shocked to find that their blessed armor offered little protection against the "Heart of Ruin" mana.
Clara, seeing her men fall, lunged toward the city walls, her pegasus taking flight. "I will take your head myself!"
Cyan didn't move. As Clara drew close, her spear glowing with a lethal brilliance, he simply activated [Sovereign's Command].
The air around Clara froze. Her pegasus let out a terrified shriek and plummeted toward the ground. Clara managed to land on her feet, but she felt as if a thousand-pound weight had been placed on her soul.
Cyan jumped down from the wall, landing softly in front of her.
"You've grown, Clara," he said, walking through the carnage as if it were a garden. "But you're still playing with toys."
"I... I will not... yield..." Clara struggled to raise her spear, her body trembling under the pressure of his aura.
Cyan reached out, his hand grabbing the tip of her holy spear. The gold turned black instantly, the "Purity" within it consumed by his touch. He leaned in, his violet eye locking onto her terrified amethyst ones.
[EYES OF LUST & RUIN - SCANNING...]
Target: Clara (Holy Maiden).
Purity: 95% (Absolute).
Potential: The Perfect 'Vessel' for the Abyss.
Status: Paralyzed by Fear.
"Servina sent you here to die, Clara," Cyan whispered, his voice like a serpent's hiss. "She knew you couldn't win. You were just a distraction. A sacrifice. Doesn't that make you feel... resentful?"
"No... the Saintess... she wouldn't..."
"She already did," Cyan said, his hand moving from the spear to her throat. "But don't worry. I have a much better use for you than she ever did. You won't be a sacrifice. You'll be my masterpiece."
Cyan's dark mana surged into her, not to kill, but to mark. Clara's eyes rolled back as the "Brand of the Sovereign" was etched into her soul.
[Ding!]
[Battle Outcome: Decisive Victory!]
[Captive Acquired: Clara (The Holy Maiden).]
[Level Up: Level 10 -> Level 15!]
[Sin Points Gained: +20,000.]
The remaining Sun-Seekers, seeing their leader captured and their "Holy" power failing, broke rank and fled into the woods. But they wouldn't get far. The shadows were already hunting them.
Cyan looked back at the city of Oakhaven. It was no longer a city of light. It was his forge.
"One day until the coronation," Cyan said, carrying the unconscious Clara toward the Cathedral. "The 'Sun' is about to witness a total eclipse."