Divine Trial: Phase One

It was an otherworldly space shrouded in a white radiance.

Thousands of targets floated in mid-air. Each was a small mark, like those used for archery practice.

“Go, Raphael. Pierce every single target—”

Ludmila leveled her X-shaped bow—the Seraph-class Miracle Armament, Raphael. As she drew back the string, arrows of light manifested in response to the surging of her spirit.

“Thousand Arrow: Precision Volley!”

The arrow she released split into 777 shafts, striking the targets one after another.

“…It’s no use.”

Ludmila let out a soft sigh. To strike every target simultaneously, the number of arrows she could fire at once was simply insufficient.

“Your mental strength has improved compared to a week ago… but it seems it’s still not enough~.”

Ludmila turned at the sound of the voice behind her. Standing there was a girl as lovely as a flower. She had silver hair tied in twin-tails, crimson eyes, and a petite frame adorned in a red outfit of the same hue as her eyes. A glowing halo floated above her head, and white wings extended from her back.

“…Lady Rouge.”

“Let’s keep working hard,” Rouge smiled. “If you draw out the full power of that Miracle Armament, you should be able to produce three times the number of arrows you just did.”

“Three times…?” Ludmila groaned.

Her consciousness was hazy from wringing out her mental strength to its limit. Producing arrows of light consumed spiritual energy. Firing 777 arrows at once was her current cap. The mere thought of producing three times that amount made her head spin.

“Ludmila-san, if you’re getting tired at this level, you won’t be able to break through even the first phase of the Divine Trial~.” Rouge smiled brightly.

She had met Rouge about a week ago. In preparation for the coming decisive battle in the Demon Realm, Ludmila, alongside her fellow Sacred Edge Fiore, had committed to training and strengthening their Miracle Armaments. They had entered the Chamber of Oracles to learn how. It was the only room on earth capable of communicating with the gods of the Heavens.

Upon entering the room, the girl had appeared.

“Welcome~! I’ve heard from the Hero Guild people. You’re the ones who want to train, right?”

“Who are you…?”

“I am a messenger of God—the Crimson Apostle, Rouge. I’m your coach~. Nice to meet you!” she greeted them with an oddly casual vibe.

“A messenger… of God?”

“Does that mean you are an Angel?” Fiore asked. Her golden hair was styled up, framing a face of refined beauty. She was a noble lady and a Hero of the Sacred Edges who wielded the Seraph-class Miracle Armament, Michael.

“Indeed. You may call me Rouge,” she said with a grin.

“In the age of myth—the gods and the Primal Demon Lord Velpher waged a fierce war,” she began suddenly. “The gods bestowed Miracle Armaments upon humans, and at the end of that struggle, they struck Velpher down. The subordinate demons were weakened and retreated to the Demon Realm.”

It was the history of the war between gods and demons. Ludmila knew it well.

“The gods also sustained great wounds and required a long period of dormancy. However, those wounds are healing. From a situation where only fragmentary communication with humans was possible, they have recovered enough to dispatch an Angel—me! Hurray~!” Rouge laughed happily.

“So, I’m going to train you both perfectly! It’ll be a little dangerous, but please do your best to keep up so you can get stronger~.”

“…We look forward to your guidance, Lady Rouge.”

Facing a girl who lacked even a shred of the dignity expected of an Angel, Ludmila felt bewildered.

“Then, let’s start the lecture. First, about Miracle Armaments,” Rouge said. “As you likely know, operating a Miracle Armament consumes a massive amount of spiritual energy. They aren’t suited for prolonged battles.”

That was true. Thus, when fighting demons, the basic tactic was to calculate consumption and strike with multiple Heroes.

“There is also the issue of spiritual energy conversion loss. For example, if you use ten units of spiritual energy, a Miracle Armament can typically only convert about 30% to 40% into attack power. Let’s try to bring that closer to 100%. If you do, you can unleash attacks of much higher power and precision.”

Rouge held up an index finger as she explained.

“So, as the first phase, let’s strengthen your mental power. The second phase will be improving energy conversion efficiency. And the final phase will be combat training against me. If you clear all three, you pass~!”

“A trial of three stages, then.”

“That’s the idea. Now, for the first one: strengthening your mental power.” Rouge smiled at Ludmila. “To be precise, it’s about making the spiritual energy used to operate the Miracle Armament much stronger.”

“Making the energy… stronger.”

“What is required to manipulate a Miracle Armament is the power of the heart. Remember the reason why you fight. Shape it strongly. Stronger than you are now. Stronger and stronger.”

The girl, the divine apostle, spoke. “Beyond those feelings—at the end of your heart’s growth—you shall obtain even greater power.”

“In other words, it depends on our hearts,” Ludmila looked down. “I must… hold my heart more firmly…”

“You seem to be a bit too intense. You need to relax more!” The Angel gave a playful wink.

“It is true that Ludmila-san is far too serious,” Fiore smiled.

“In the neighboring Chamber of Oracles, another Angel should be training your comrades. Let’s work hard so we don’t lose to them!” Rouge added. “—And so, we’re moving!”

She snapped her fingers. Instantly, the scenery shifted, and a white, glowing space appeared. According to Rouge, it was an alternate dimension created specifically for training. She mentioned that the other Sacred Edges, Sion and Riavvelt, were likely undergoing similar training at that very moment.

And so, the training began. A week had passed since then. Under Rouge’s guidance, Ludmila had continued this exact exercise: trying to increase the maximum number of arrows Raphael could fire.

However, the results so far were zero. Her maximum count remained at 777, refusing to budge.

“It’s no use… my mental strength isn’t enough…!”

“Hmm, you should really try doing it with a more relaxed mind~.”

“But in the next Demon Realm invasion, we might finally be allowed to go!”

In the previous invasion, the Sacred Edges had been unable to participate. The Seraph-class Miracle Armaments they wielded possessed an overwhelmingly higher level of “Sanctity” compared to other classes. That Sanctity was repelled by the Demon Realm’s barrier, making it impossible for them to pass through. To get them into the Demon Realm, it was said a much larger hole would need to be torn in the barrier. The leadership was reportedly working on that, but…

“That’s why I want to be an asset! I want to win against the Demon Lord who I couldn’t even touch last time—no, I must win. Otherwise, many people will be sacrificed… Hyan!?”

Before she could finish, Rouge suddenly hugged her.

“Yep, way too intense.”

Being squeezed tight, Ludmila regained a bit of her composure.

“Let’s try to re-laaa-x more, okay?”

“But, Lady Rouge! If I keep a relaxed attitude, I won’t obtain the power to surpass the Demon Lord…!”

“I said re-laaa-x~.” Rouge hugged her again. “You really are too serious. Hmm… maybe a bit of ‘shock therapy’ would be good for Ludmila-san.”

Rouge snapped her fingers.

“Shock therapy?”

Just as she went to ask—

“Kyaa…!?”

Fiore, who had been training at a distance, suddenly screamed. Several black tentacles had manifested from the void, surrounding her.

“Wh-these—”

Fiore tried to slice through the tentacles with her rapier—the Miracle Armament Michael.

“I’ll be taking that for a moment~,” Rouge said. A light bolt fired by Rouge knocked the rapier from Fiore’s hand.

With Fiore now unarmed, the tentacles coiled around her limbs. The number of tentacles grew to ten, then twenty, until eventually, the entire area was covered in an uncountable swarm of black tentacles.

“Hah, aaaaaah… noooooo!” Fiore screamed as she was restrained. Her beautiful face was distorted in agony.

“Those tentacles have the ability to contaminate the mind. If left alone, she’ll lose her sanity, you know?”

“What…! Let her go!” Ludmila shouted in rage.

“I told you at the start that this training was dangerous, didn’t I?”

The smile vanished from Rouge’s face. The casual atmosphere was gone, replaced by an aura as cold as ice.

“What did you intend to gain without even risking your lives? The power you seek shouldn’t be something so light.”

“Tch…!”

“Now, your comrade is in a pinch… what will you do?”

“Pierce them, Raphael!”

Ludmila fired 777 arrows to blow away the tentacles.

“Useless,” Rouge stated coldly and snapped her fingers. In an instant, every tentacle regenerated. “There are 2,000 tentacles in total. Unless you destroy all of them simultaneously—as long as even one remains, they will regenerate instantly.”

“2,000… all at once!?”

But Raphael’s maximum capacity was 777. It was impossible to erase every tentacle in a single attack.

“There’s no time to hesitate. Just a little longer until your friend’s heart breaks—” Rouge stared Ludmila down. “You once had those precious to you snatched away by demons, didn’t you? Will you lose another precious comrade now—because of your own helplessness? Or will you…”

“I…”

Ludmila remembered that day when everything was destroyed. Because she never wanted to feel that despair again. Because she never wanted to lose anyone ever again. Because she wanted to make sure no one else died. That was why she became a Hero.

“The weak cannot protect anything. Justice without power can save no one.”

“I am—”

At Rouge’s words, Ludmila gripped Raphael tightly.

“Aaaah… aaah… aaaaaaah!”

Fiore’s suffering figure was right before her. The black tentacles overlapped with the images of the demons that had attacked her village.

Unforgivable.

Hateful.

Something welled up from the depths of her soul.

“Power…”

She wanted it. The power to destroy everything. The power to kill everything.

Thump.

Deep in her heart, something stirred. It was a dark, pitch-black killing intent. It was the negative emotion most ill-suited for activating a Miracle Armament, a divine weapon.

Thump-thump!

It was at that moment that Ludmila’s Raphael began to vibrate violently.