Chapter LXX: Lux
The light within the chapel is blinding.
Liz, Adrian, and Wyn stand shoulder to shoulder, swords drawn, their breaths steadying after the onslaught of devils. Bennett steps forward, radiating with an ethereal glow, as if the heavens themselves stand behind him. Before them, Ivan glares, his dark energy pulsing like a diseased heartbeat.
He snarls. "You think your light scares me? You're nothing, Bennett. You're just a martyr brought back to shine for fools."
Without a word, Bennett raises his hand.
A single wave.
Ivan is flung backwards, his body crashing violently into the stone pillar at the corner of the chapel. Dust flies. A crack splits the wall behind him.
Ivan groans and rises slowly, clutching his side, but the fury in his eyes is now laced with fear. "You think this is over?! I command darkness, I am immortal!"
Bennett steps closer, face calm. "You command lies. You are nothing without the fear you plant."
Liz tightens her grip on her sword and looks at Bennett. "What about the key? Should we—"
Ivan’s eyes widen, panic overtaking his rage. "The key? NO! PLEASE—don’t!"
But Bennett raises his palm again, silencing him with invisible force. "Not yet," he says firmly. "Wait for my signal."
Ivan growls and explodes from his corner like a torpedo of black flame. He rushes at Bennett with everything he has left, summoning a jagged blade forged from shadows. The chapel trembles under his fury.
Bennett doesn't flinch.
Instead, he extends his free hand.
Liz's Century Sword—still burning with divine fire—flies from her grip to Bennett’s palm. The moment he touches it, the flames erupt brighter, hotter. The sword feels alive in his hand.
Then—
CLANG!
Steel meets steel.
Bennett and Ivan clash with a force so immense that wind bursts from the point of impact, knocking over pews and scattering embers across the marble floor. Their movements blur. Sparks fly with every swing. Their swords move faster than the eye can follow.
Liz squints. "I can’t keep up…"
Adrian grips his sword tightly. "They’re moving like lightning."
Wyn nods, mouth slightly open. "It’s like time stopped… just for them."
Ivan roars as he swings, "You were a fool to return! Your martyrdom was meaningless!"
Bennett parries, spinning behind him. "And yet, here I stand, while you hide behind curses and shadows."
Ivan’s blade arcs upward, trying to cleave the light. "Your God abandoned this world!"
Bennett blocks. Sparks erupt. "No. You turned your back on Him."
With a final, brilliant swing, Bennett’s blade glows brighter than ever. Ivan is blinded by the sheer radiance. He stumbles—then crashes back against the chapel wall, landing hard. He lies still.
Unmoving.
Liz, Adrian, and Wyn rush to Bennett’s side.
Ivan’s body begins to twitch, a low groan escaping his lips, but before he can rise again, Bennett lifts his hand. A sphere of golden light forms around Ivan, trapping him like a beast in a cage.
Bennett exhales and turns to the trio.
"Now. Break the key."
Without hesitation, Liz pulls the Chapel Key from her belt. She looks at Bennett, then the others. They nod.
She raises it high—then slams it against the stone floor.
CRACK!
The key shatters.
A sudden, violent rumble erupts from deep within the chapel. The entire structure shakes. The crucifix above the altar wobbles. Candles extinguish. Light beams from the cracks in the walls.
Then—
BOOM!
A section of the chapel’s wooden wall collapses inward with a thunderous crash. Debris and dust cloud the air. Beyond the rubble… darkness.
Then light.
As rays from the sacred dome spill across the broken opening, they reveal a creature hidden behind the wall—its form massive, serpentine. Scales the color of dried blood shimmer under the light. Its eyes are ember-red, and it bears curved, black horns.
An anaconda-like beast, coiled and lurking, its fangs bared, hisses.
Liz gasps. "What… is that?"
Adrian steps back. "No way—that thing was here the whole time?"
Wyn trembles slightly, but steadies her sword. "It’s like… it was sealed behind the wall."
Bennett raises his sword and walks forward. His voice echoes with divine force.
"SHOW YOURSELF!"
The creature uncoils and stretches upward, its body impossibly long, thick as tree trunks. The horns scrape against the chapel ceiling. It opens its maw and lets out a roar so loud, the stained glass above shatters inward.
Bennett turns to the others.
"That is the true beast. Ivan was only its vessel. It has fed on fear for decades. Now, we bring it into the light."
The beast hisses and screeches. Its tail thrashes through a stone column, cracking it in half.
Liz, Adrian, and Wyn tighten their stance beside Bennett.
Their swords rise.
Their eyes burn with purpose.
And the final battle begins.
The red, horned serpent coils itself in the shadows behind the collapsed wall, its monstrous body slithering with a hiss that echoes across the chapel. Its glowing eyes scan the four standing before it—Bennett, Liz, Adrian, and Wyn.
"Fools," the Serpent sneers, its voice layered with venom. "You dare challenge me? You are insects. Your God has abandoned this world. If not for your meddling, I would have consumed the land in darkness. The weak would kneel, the strong would fall. I was so close."
Bennett steps forward, calm and unwavering. The divine light from the Century Sword reflects in his eyes.
"We may be weak in body," he says, voice steady and resolute, "but we are strong in faith. You speak of darkness, but darkness is nothing but the absence of light. And our God, the one true God, is the eternal Light that never fades."
The Serpent roars, the walls of the chapel quivering.
Bennett raises his hand. "You will not win. Not today. Not ever. Evil may rise, but it will fall. You can possess hearts, deceive minds, and blind souls, but when confronted by the love and mercy of Christ, you always perish."
Liz steps beside him, her eyes glowing with courage. "You tried to make me afraid. You whispered lies and tempted me with power. But it was God who pulled me out. It was faith that reminded me who I was. No matter how the world changes, or how many voices scream louder, His voice was the only one I truly heard, which made me realized of many hidden truths. "
Wyn takes a deep breath and steps forward, holding her hollow rod firmly. "We live in a world where people turn their backs on faith, chasing after what's popular and fleeting. But God never left. He waited. And I—we—stand here now to show you: our belief didn’t die with the times. It burns brighter in trials. We are living proof that Christianity is not a relic. It’s a revolution of love and salvation."
Adrian, twirling his incense weapon at his side, adds, "We’re not warriors by nature. We're just people who chose to believe when it would’ve been easier not to. You talk of dominion and fear, but all your power is rooted in lies. And Truth—the Truth of the Gospel—is sharper than any blade, brighter than any fire, and stronger than any curse."
The Serpent rages. It thrashes and bellows, storming toward them in a blaze of fury.
The four do not flinch. As one, they make the sign of the cross.
In that holy moment, a surge of radiant light bursts from each of them. They glow—not with power, but with purpose, with purity, with peace.
The serpent lunges.
Bennett grips the Century Sword, its divine flame blazing.
In one swift, powerful strike, he slashes across the serpent's face.
The beast recoils, shrieking, its form starting to crack and burn.
But it isn’t over yet.
Bennett raises his hand, his voice echoing like thunder:
"May the darkness of sin and the night of unbelief vanish before the light of the Word and the Spirit of grace. And may the heart of Jesus live in the hearts of all people."
Suddenly, light erupts from every corner of the chapel. What was once night now burns like midday.
The serpent writhes, its body breaking apart, turning into ash and flame, until there is nothing left but the shimmer of God's glory.
The night falls silent. The battle is over.
But their faith—has only just begun to shine.
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