Path To Godhood Begins With Marrying Wife And Gaining SSS Rank Skill - Chapter 348:The Clash Of Intent
Chapter 348:The Clash Of Intent
WHOOSSS!
The Paladins moved at once. Their steps were heavy and synchronized as they spread out and formed a wide circle around the city ruins. Shields locked into place, swords angled downward, and a faint golden glow began to rise from their armor.
At the center of the formation stood the Saintess, Hena.
Her posture was calm, her expression solemn.
Behind her stood Moreno, who had dragged Ethan along with him as if he were showing off a prized item.
Ethan looked forward for a long moment, then spoke softly.
“Sir, may I know what exactly is behind those pillars?” he asked. “Even with the power of light, I cannot clearly perceive it.”
Moreno smiled, clearly pleased by the question.
“That’s because light cleans filth and darkness,” he explained casually. “But what stands behind those pillars isn’t mana, nor energy, nor anything physical.”
He tapped his temple lightly.
“It is intent. Or to be more precise, it is the will of a being.”
Ethan frowned slightly and listened closely.
Moreno continued, his tone turning serious.
“As you rise higher, your soul becomes more important than your body. Power stops being just strength or energy. It becomes belief, desire, obsession, and hatred. All of that condenses into will.”
He gestured toward the pillars.
“That thing behind them is not something you can cut, burn, or purify with spells. It is not darkness that light can erase. It is a will that refuses to disappear.”
He glanced at Ethan.
“To cleanse it, you must overpower it with your own will. Your intent must crush its intent. Your soul must dominate its soul. There is no shortcut.”
Ethan nodded slowly, his gaze fixed on the sealed space.
Meanwhile, Hena raised her hand.
The next moment—
SWOOSH!
Under the horrified and shocked gazes of everyone present, the pillars of light began to move.
RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
The ground shook violently. Cracks spread across the earth, and the sky itself seemed to tremble as if it were being pulled apart.
One by one, the massive pillars that had been locked into the ground slowly rose into the air.
Dozens of them ascended, glowing brilliantly as they lifted higher and higher.
Ethan stared in disbelief.
He could feel the power of everyone around him. The Paladins. Moreno. Even Rathlos.
But from Hena, he felt almost nothing.
She looked like a frail girl who is calm, gentle and yet to be touched by training.
And yet, she was lifting the pillars with ease.
“How is she doing this?” Ethan thought. “I can sense everyone’s power except hers. She looks untrained.”
As soon as the pillars lifted, the dark mass sealed behind them reacted.
Like a beast finding an opening, it surged forward wildly, twisting and screaming as it tried to escape.
For a brief moment, it seemed as if it would succeed.
Then—
“Paladins!” Moreno roared.
At his command, every knight slammed their sword onto their shield.
CLANG!
The sound echoed like thunder.
Golden light erupted from their bodies, flowing through the shields and into the ground beneath their feet.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Crackling sounds exploded one after another, shaking the air itself.
An invisible barrier formed instantly.
The dark mass slammed into it at full force.
It rebounded violently, crashing back as if it had struck an unbreakable wall.
“Now, push it back!” Moreno shouted.
Ethan did not fully understand what happened next, but every hair on his body stood on end.
Explosions erupted again and again as an unseen force pressed inward. The invisible layer of power began to compress the dark mass.
Faint, distorted screams echoed through the air.
Curses spilled out in broken voices, filled with hatred and madness.
The dark will struggled, twisted, and thrashed, but it was slowly forced back under the combined pressure.
Ethan clenched his fists as he watched.
This was not a battle of strength.
It was a battle of souls.
And for the first time, he truly understood just how terrifying the higher realms could be.
The air suddenly grew heavy, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
Moreno stepped back, his playful expression gone for once. The Paladins straightened, their backs rigid, shields pressed firmly into the ground. Their eyes glowed faintly as they focused inward, no longer relying on mana or spells, but on something deeper.
Their souls.
A low hum spread through the ruins, not loud, yet powerful. It was not a sound heard by the ears, but one felt directly in the chest. The intent of the Paladins merged together, forming a single will, firm and unwavering.
At the center, Henna lifted her head.
Just then, her body erupted with blinding light.
Gasps echoed from all around.
Two radiant wings unfurled behind her back, formed entirely of condensed light. They were not physical, yet they looked more real than real feathers. Her presence changed instantly. The gentle Saintess vanished, replaced by something sacred and absolute.
The ground beneath her feet cracked, not from force, but from reverence.
Behind her, a spear of light slowly formed. It was enormous, taller than any tower, its surface etched with flowing runes that pulsed like a heartbeat. The moment it fully took shape, the light exploded outward, engulfing the entire sealed area.
“No… You can’t do THISSSS!”
A shrill scream tore through the space.
The remaining intent twisted violently, forced out of hiding. It formed into a blurry, masked figure, its edges unstable, constantly breaking apart and reforming. Hatred, fear, and madness poured out of it like smoke.
Henna’s brows narrowed.
“Argosss!” she called out, her voice calm yet carrying absolute authority.
The masked figure recoiled, as if burned just by hearing her voice.
“Insolent,” Henna continued coldly. “How dare you lay a finger on those who are protected by the Goddess.”
She raised her hand.
“Begone.”
BOOOOOOOOM!
The spear of light shot forward.
There was no struggle.
The combined intent of the Church, the Paladins, and the Saintess crushed Argos’s remaining will completely. Light swallowed the figure whole. The scream cut off abruptly, as if erased from existence itself.
For a moment, everything was silent.
Then, sparkles of soft light drifted down from the sky. Drops of warm, gentle rain followed, washing over the ruins. Wherever the rain touched, the lingering darkness vanished without a trace.
People fell to their knees in shock and awe. Some cried openly. Others clasped their hands together, whispering prayers they had not spoken in years.
Ethan stood still, watching the scene unfold.
He felt calm.
No, more than that, he felt comforted.
The power before him was overwhelming, yet it was not oppressive. It was warm, gentle, and reassuring. It wrapped around the soul instead of crushing it.
“Such a warm power,” Ethan thought quietly. “It feels as if it’s a part of me.”
He was certain of one thing.
Even if it took time, even if it took years, he would reach this level someday.
Slowly, the light faded. The wings disappeared. The rain stopped.
The world returned to its austere state.
What remained was the ruined capital city, silent and broken, standing as a reminder of the misery that had passed through it.
