The Inner Odyssey-Chapter 190: Curse
It hurt.
Everything hurt.
For the first time in her life, Celeste began to resent her powers. At first, she had perceived it as a miracle - a source of infinite good for the world. But now, almost buried in a seething flood of frenzied Defiled, she understood the gravity of Oakia’s words.
Almost endless vitality sounded like a dream.
...But it was equally as much of a curse.
As the mantle of light surrounding Celeste flickered, slowly turning faint, more locusts lunged at her figure. She released bursts of pure-white mana, desperately trying to ward them off, but their numbers were just too vast.
When did a colony this big appear in Nature’s Grove?
In this moment, more than ever, Celeste recognised the need for frequent Defiled culling. However, the Sanctuary simply did not have the resources required for such an enormous undertaking.
As a result, Celeste and her party now had to pay the price.
’Blasted...’
The Chosen of the Divine Sovereign cursed as more locusts tore through her armour and flesh, exposing patches of pink, recently healed skin. Their sharp mandibles dripped with green, slimy poison, inflicting more pain and suffering upon her.
Celeste did not know for how much longer she could endure.
Not only were the locust bites excruciating, but the poison contained with them gnawed at her flesh, destroying her physically and mentally. As a healer, it was not often Celeste fought on the front line and also not often she experienced such an abundance of pain. Needless to say, her endurance for the former and tolerance for the latter were both sub-par.
Now that she had consumed the Seven-Leaf Lily, the precious herb doubtless changing the internal composition of her body forever, Celeste’s role in the battlefield had changed - whether she liked it or not.
Especially, since her powers functioned as the direct antithesis of miasma, cleansing the souls of those it had cruelly claimed.
’Ah...’
If Celeste changed her perspective, she could almost delude herself into thinking that she was experiencing a soft, gentle massage, with occasional pricks of pain. A deep grimace marred her pastel features a moment later, dispelling that ridiculous notion before it had even fully formed.
’What is wrong with me? I need to focus!’
Struggling to maintain her concentration, Celeste watched as two more abominations zipped for her figure. They immediately latched onto her arm, one biting at her forearm while the other tore at the flesh closer to her shoulder.
Celeste gritted her teeth, biting back a pained cry.
She spun, mentally and physically shrugging off the attack, her radiant figure shining once more.
A few paces away from her...
Ossian was not faring much better.
If anything, he seemed to be worse off, considering he did not have a Magic Class geared towards healing or almost endless vitality on demand. Still, the young warrior struggled intrepidly with all his might, refusing to give up.
His bone buckler streaked through the air in in a wide arc, slicing through numerous locusts. At the same time, his sword lashed out - and from that bone blade, another wave of jagged bone shards shot out.
Further back, Gestella appeared to be making good progress. The army of deceased abominations under her command swiftly grew, both because the rate at which she vanquished the creatures increased and also because of Clara, the latter helping bolster her ranks.
With the way Gestella’s forces advanced, uncaring for neither pain or death, the end of the clash appeared to be steadily approaching; like a small pinprick of light at the end of a very dark, very small tunnel.
However...
Even though the mass of dead locusts annihilated their living brethren as fast as they could, it was still not swift enough. By then, Celeste and Ossian would have already succumbed.
The Chosen of the Divine Sovereign spared her mana reserves a fraction of attention, noting how rapidly they drained. By her estimates, she did not have much left to spare - her mana reserves had become dangerously empty.
Without it, her wounds could still heal without much conscious effort, owing to the Seven-Leaf Lily and her Sponsor. However, the speed at which the wounds closed definitely slowed, the injuries lasting for longer, unable to heal.
The sensation would be akin to persistent itch, gnawing on her psyche.
Needless to say, Celeste could not fight like that.
...That was, if she hadn’t turned into a pile of bones, already.
The young healer gritted her teeth once more, patches of her armour and skin sizzling as they came into contact with the green, slimy poison. As things currently stood, she was like a hare, slowly roasting in the furious furnace of the Defiled storm.
That had to change.
’I will not serve as a meal for these ravenous locusts.’
Celeste paused, raising her short-sword above her head.
Her surroundings, the pain, everything single thought she had... they all faded.
The time had come for drastic action.
Her mind quietened, turning as still as a pristine lake.
The Chosen of the Divine Sovereign closed her jewel eyes.
Suddenly, the mana fluctuations surrounding her figure burgeoned, her frame emitting a brighter, more pristine light. Gestella, Clara, and the rest of the struggling party - Lucy, Ossian and the older gentleman - all snapped their necks towards her, Celeste’s drowning form reflected in their alarmed gaze.
A subtle change gripped the forest, a silent rustle blowing through its expanse.
In the next moment, Celeste squeezed out every single drop of mana she had.
She did not care about the approaching swarm from behind. She did not care about these Defiled Locusts, either. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚
All that mattered to her was this single, eternal moment... where she pushed past her limits.
Abruptly, Celeste’s eyes snapped open.
As they did, the shadow of a seven-leaf lily flickered in their depths.
Releasing an unladylike yell, a pillar of pure-white light erupted from Celeste’s body.
Her blade shone, like a radiant spirit.
A heartbeat later, the Chosen of the Divine Sovereign unleashed her most devastating attack.
