Chapter 96: Tolerance, Forgiveness, and Mercy

A brilliant light burst from the wings, filling the underground chamber.

It was as overwhelming as the sun itself, yet strangely, it did not blind those who beheld it.

“Ahh! My eyes! My eyes!!”

To be precise, only Sonia’s companions were spared from its blinding effect.

As the two demons clutched their eyes in agony, white feathers rained down from the ceiling.

The feathers settled on the bodies of her allies and melted into them.

“The pain…”

[It has disappeared.]

Naberius’s power was gone.

Not only the pain but also the wounds began to heal slowly.

As Sonia’s miracle took effect, her companions marveled—until a song reached their ears.

[Mater, eleison.]

A simple melody, repeating a single phrase.

A song that sought only the mercy of the goddess.

And yet, within that single phrase, Sonia’s emotions resonated entirely.

[Let me be freed from hatred—]

With a halo floating above her head, Sonia prayed.

That alone was enough to melt away the self-loathing that had weighed on her allies’ hearts.

The only side effect was that the overwhelming peace lulled them into sleep—but this was exactly what Sonia had intended.

Sonia smiled at Amon.

Amon met Sonia’s gaze, and memories from the past surfaced in his mind.

***

After Sonia had stormed out of the director’s office, Amon remained, addressing the director and the priest with narrow eyes.

“It seems things have turned out this way, Director, Father.”

“…”

“Don’t be discouraged. Someday, Sonia will forgive you.”

Amon’s tone was lighthearted, almost flippant.

It was an attitude far too carefree for someone who had just witnessed Sonia’s fury firsthand.

“When that day comes, I’ll be sure to call you my father-in-law and mother-in-law.”

“How can you be so nonchalant?”

At the director’s question, Amon responded with a pure, serene smile.

“There’s a saying in the East—if you stay near ink, you will be stained black. If I show her how to forgive first, then one day, Sonia will follow suit.”

Turning his gaze toward the window, Amon murmured, “Until then, taking a rest—folding one’s wings for a while—wouldn’t be so bad.”

As he looked at the sky, lost in thought, the director sighed as if realizing something.

“Now that I think about it, you always had this air of someone who might leave at any moment. Was that just my imagination?”

Amon gave a quiet nod.

“You were right.”

“Why…”

“Flying alone, soaring through the sky, has its own appeal. But a lone bird cannot fly far.”

Amon’s eyes followed a flock of migratory birds heading toward the warm south.

The priest, who had been listening in silence, finally spoke.

“Since when?”

When the flock disappeared beyond the horizon, Amon turned back to the couple.

And as always, with a smile that concealed countless meanings, he answered, “I believe the Mother Goddess sent me here for a reason. Does that suffice as an answer?”

***

“Kraaah!! This is impossible! You wretched woman! Was your love for everyone just a lie?!”

Naberius’s anguished scream pulled Amon back to the present.

His previously pleasant mood plummeted.

“Tsk.”

Amon drew his sword.

The aching joints that had hindered his movements, the self-loathing that had stiffened his body—both were gone now.

And Naberius’s deceit held no power before Amon’s eyes.

Amon gave Sonia a glance.

She responded with a gentle smile, her radiant wings unfurled.

“Orobas is yours.”

“See you soon.”

Amon nodded and charged at Naberius.

The demon, who had been cursing the goddess moments ago, reacted in time but—

“Ugh! How… so suddenly…!”

“Don’t fool yourself. You weren’t strong—I was just weakened.”

Now fully recovered, Amon overwhelmed Naberius with ease.

He slashed, kicked, and checked on his companions, ensuring they were merely asleep under Sonia’s power.

Silently, he sent his gratitude to Sonia and refocused on the growling demon before him.

With a swift kick, he widened the distance and spoke.

“I’ve been wondering about this for a long time.”

“What?”

“I mean, what genre this world really belongs to.”

“The hell are you talking about?”

Naberius lunged, aiming for Amon.

But Amon parried every attack effortlessly and continued speaking.

“Think about it—this world has magic, advanced cybernetics, and genetic modifications.”

Naberius had no idea what Amon was going on about or why he was talking to him about it.

More than anything, the fact that Amon was calmly discussing such nonsense mid-battle irritated him beyond words.

And yet, Amon kept mumbling.

“No matter how I look at it, this world isn’t cyberpunk. It’s more like fusionpunk. At best, maybe arcane punk. But cyberpunk? No way.”

A question bubbled up to Naberius’s throat—What the hell is this guy talking about?

But instead of asking, he simply kept aiming his claws at Amon’s throat.

Not that it mattered.

Because Amon blocked every single strike.

“But no matter how I think about it… I wish this were the fourth installment. But it doesn’t feel like the fourth one at all.”

Amon paused, recalling the protagonists who had come before him.

Each of them had always fought against a massive organization.

And in the end, their true ending always brought about a cataclysmic change to the world.

Yet Amon had never truly fought against such an organization.

Of course, the megacorporations were massive.

But compared to the organizations that the true-ending protagonists had faced, they were nothing.

At best, they were akin to prologue bosses.

After all, the past true-ending protagonists had already crushed multiple megacorporation-level foes before their main stories even began.

That was why Amon had been conflicted for so long.

He had never found a worthy opponent, had no clue what his true ending would be, and felt that he was nowhere near the level of the legendary protagonists before him.

And so, Amon had made his decision.

“No matter how I look at it, the fourth installment hasn’t even started yet.”

Thus, he classified this world as the third installment—a continuation of the cyberpunk genre of the third story.

Because he didn’t dare think of himself as someone who could stand shoulder to shoulder with the legends.

But that was only until today.

“Only now… can I walk a path different from theirs.”

The paths of past protagonists were great.

But they were also tragic.

They had accomplished extraordinary feats—only to perish gloriously in the end.

Amon admired and respected them, but he wanted to walk his path just a little differently.

When all was said and done, wouldn’t it be a little happier to have someone by his side, someone to hold his hand?

That was why he had refused to walk that path until now.

He couldn’t bring himself to abandon Sonia, who had once been his friend and was now his beloved.

Life was long.

Waiting for her to spread her wings wouldn’t be too late.

And at last, the gears of the story Amon had paused began to turn once more.

“My story begins now, unbelievers of this world.”

Amon shattered his silver anklet.

It was almost laughable that he hadn’t noticed the divine power within him until now.

The moment the anklet broke, a flood of divinity surged from his body, incomparable to before.

Amon did not attempt to restrain the divine power coursing through his veins.

And just like that, overwhelming divinity radiated from him.

Naberius’s three heads each recalled a different face.

The man who had severed the limbs of the Saint of Sin and slain the Antichrist.

The man who had annihilated every entity capable of destroying this world—alone.

The man who had banished the four AIs that once ruled the world into eternal exile.

They had been different people, but they had always thwarted Goetia’s schemes.

The three heads trembled with rage as they howled.

“You people…! How long will you keep interfering?!”

Naberius’s screams were swallowed by Amon’s incantation.

[My soul, bless the name of Our Mother!]

[Forget not Her grace, for She forgives all my sins and transgressions!]

As Amon’s chant began, a new song filled the air, harmonizing with Sonia’s hymn of mercy.

The sacred melody transformed the battlefield into something almost holy.

Naberius, who had been shouting with a vein bulging in his throat, suddenly froze in place, unable to utter another word.

At first, he thought it was his imagination.

But as the incantation continued, he realized the truth.

‘This can’t be happening.’

His essence was being erased.

His true form, separated from his corporeal body, was being whittled away.

Something no demon should ever possess—his lifespan—was being devoured.

Eradication.

A word he had never once considered in his existence surfaced in his mind.

In an attempt to shake off his terror, Naberius snarled louder.

“This isn’t possible!”

“Don’t be ridiculous! You left me behind!”

“I’ll kill you!!”

But Amon’s incantation did not stop.

[People of the world, stand in awe! For She is gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in kindness!]

[Take refuge in Her mercy!]

“Kyaaaaaah!!”

[Bless this land!]

[Benedicite Creatrix!]

The divine sphere expanded outward from Amon.

And the moment it reached Naberius, his body vanished without resistance.

He tried to flee, but the domain was faster.

“S-Save m—”

Before he could finish, he was gone.

***

Meanwhile, as Amon formed his divine domain, the demon Orobas, whom Sonia had been facing, had tears streaming down his face.

He struggled to keep his eyes open, but in the end, he could not withstand the weight of his closing eyelids.

“I don’t… want to sleep…”

With those final words, the horse-headed demon crumbled into ashes.

The place where the two demons had vanished.

A place now so sacred that even the air felt divine.

Amon and Sonia locked eyes.

“Sonia. Let’s go together.”

“Yes. Together forever.”

Neither knew who moved first, but their hands found each other.

Slowly, their faces drew closer.

And in the embrace of Sonia’s wings, they disappeared from view.

When her wings unfurled once more, a beautiful ring gleamed on her ring finger.