Chapter 268 *”When the Sun Rises (7)”*
—
Under the sky dyed in indigo, countless spears of sharp mana rained down, aiming for the boy and girl.
*Shweek! Shwaaak!*
Ray sprinted forward, dodging the deluge of malicious intent descending upon him.
Even the slightest lapse in focus here would bring about an irreversible disaster.
But he wasn’t worried.
His senses were currently heightened to the extreme, and his mind was clearer and sharper than ever before.
He could feel the whispers and vibrations of mana surrounding him.
He could sense the faint presences of the Pope and the priests positioned behind their defensive barrier.
He could feel the warmth and trembling breath of Veronica held in his arms.
Yet, he never looked back. His gaze remained fixed solely on the barrier in the distance.
What lay beyond that—
‘The artificial sun.’
The indigo sphere of Indiago was far larger and darker in hue than the one the Dawn Society envoy had floated.
It was instantly clear that the two gemstones alone would be insufficient to bring it down.
But if he brought Veronica to the artificial sun, the problem might be solved.
That, too, was a hunch.
From Sector 50, the slums—
To this place in Sector 28—
It had always been his instincts that guided situations toward better outcomes.
And at the root of that instinct was the white sun that had manifested within Veronica’s vessel.
*Snap!*
Ray flicked his finger toward the approaching barrier.
A point on the barrier ignited, and the flames quickly spread in a circle, forming a massive hole.
“Hold on tight.”
“O-okay, I got you!”
Ray immediately leapt high into the air, soaring through the opening.
He landed inside the barrier in a wide arc and began to run in a circle around the artificial sun, narrowly evading the still-plummeting spears of indigo mana.
“This is the artificial sun…! huffft!”
Veronica gasped in awe, spitting out hair that had blown into her mouth.
The artificial suns gathered from various sectors—
The result of their fusion and melting into one entity was now before their very eyes.
Ray, too, couldn’t help but be astonished.
‘Its diameter must be at least a hundred meters.’
The enormous, pure-white sphere made the indigo sphere hovering above look utterly insignificant.
Seeing the artificial sun with his own eyes, Ray became certain once again.
‘Yes, it’s Veronica.’
The condition for a Saintess was someone who could worry for all living things.
Looking back on her personality and behavior, it was clear that Veronica fit the criteria.
Additionally, the terranotes forming the artificial sun responded to mana tied to a person’s inherent qualities or identity.
And in Veronica’s case, the color of her innate mana was white—
A dazzling, pure-white shade, just like the artificial sun before them.
Why hadn’t he realized sooner?
The clues had been so obvious.
Swallowing the regret that filled his chest, Ray said,
“Veronica, you have to come into contact with the artificial sun. I’m not completely sure, but probably.”
“Me…?”
“There’s a very high chance you’re the reincarnation of the Sun.”
Veronica stared blankly.
It was the face of someone doubting her own ears.
“I’m the reincarnation of the Sun…?”
“You’re a little slow on the uptake, aren’t you.”
“Wait—Ray, what are you even saying…?”
Their conversation was cut short.
The spears of indigo mana that had been raining down struck the ground but didn’t dissipate— instead, they began to morph and pulse, taking on the forms of armed soldiers.
“He’ve changed tactics now that the spears didn’t work. Veronica, can you add more protection?”
“Sorry, it’s not easy…! I’m already maintaining one at high output around the Pope…! I *could* shrink that barrier, but then the Pope might be in danger…!”
Ray quickly assessed the surrounding factors—his remaining mana and mental energy, the advancing soldiers, Veronica’s condition.
He came to a decision and deployed a barrier, halting in place.
*Wuuuuung!*
A hemispherical barrier formed, just big enough for two people to stand within.
Then, one side stretched out, forming a long path that extended toward the artificial sun.
“Go. I’ll hold them off.”
“……”
Veronica didn’t fully understand the sudden change in situation.
She was confused—but still, she wasn’t clueless about what she had to do right now.
“…Don’t get hurt.”
With a worried expression, she turned and began running down the path with rapid footsteps.
As Ray watched her go, he turned his gaze behind him. Hundreds of indigo soldiers were charging in their direction.
“……”
They were merely masses of materialized mana, yet he could tell from their silhouettes—
The spears and shields they carried resembled the ancient arms used in Acrassium.
He looked up at the sky.
A thought crossed his mind.
‘Maybe…’
The one currently manipulating the indigo sphere wasn’t Indiago after all.
The next moment, Ray hurled himself outside the barrier and summoned the Absorbers.
*Click! Clack!*
Twenty silver mechanical dolls awakened as mana surged through them.
They moved with refined precision, performing a sharp, elegant dance in the rain of indigo mana alongside their master.
*Clang! Chaaang!*
The clash of weapons rang out in all directions.
The indigo soldiers swung their spears or detached parts of their mana bodies to cast spells like fire and lightning.
But each time, their attacks were reflected back upon them, shattering them into crystalline fragments.
Ray held the overwhelming advantage, yet the indigo soldiers kept coming in endless waves.
Still, it didn’t matter.
If the enemy was endless—
‘Then I’ll just destroy them endlessly.’
The two gemstones’ light wrapped around Ray’s entire body, and so began the battle between those protecting the barrier and those seeking to destroy it.
Meanwhile—
*Huff, huff.*
Veronica ran without pause.
The indigo soldiers hammered at the barrier from every direction, but she didn’t even glance their way.
She feared that if she acknowledged the threats around her, fear might cause her legs to buckle.
*Thump, thump.*
Her heartbeat quickened the closer she got to the artificial sun visible in the distance.
Was it because of overexerting herself to maintain the barrier?
Because of the urgency of the situation?
Because of her normally poor stamina?
No, it was none of those.
She couldn’t explain it precisely, but she could instinctively feel there was some other, deeper reason.
‘He said I’m the reincarnation of the Sun?’
Ray’s words swirled in her mind, burning hot.
The existence of the Sun’s reincarnation somewhere in the world was a certainty.
The Guardian in violet from Ray’s past memories wouldn’t have lied.
But to think that *she* was the reincarnation—
No matter how she thought about it, it was too much to believe.
*Tap!*
*Huff, huff.*
At last, Veronica’s feet came to a stop before the artificial sun.
As she caught her breath and looked up, the white sphere before her towered so high and vast that its end was invisible.
And the unfamiliar pounding in her chest had swelled uncontrollably.
“……!”
Suddenly, a burning sensation flared, and Veronica fell to her knees.
What… is this?
The searing heat at the center of her chest was a feeling she had never experienced in her life.
It was like she had swallowed a ball of fire.
But then—Veronica understood.
What she needed to do to resolve this heat.
*Stagger!*
Mustering all her strength, she rose and approached the artificial sun.
Her heartbeat quickened with each step.
A surge of indescribable emotions rose within her.
In her dazed state, Veronica slowly reached out her hand.
And the moment her soft palm touched the surface of the white sphere—
─────────!
A blinding radiance burst forth, engulfing the entire sector. It was a white light.
So dazzling, one couldn’t open their eyes.
Yet at the same time, it radiated a gentle warmth.
The world of light continued for quite some time, and within it, Ray knew his intuition had been right.
He also saw the silhouettes of the indigo soldiers disintegrating into particles.
And the shock continued even outside the barrier.
“This light—!”
“According to the scriptures… the artificial sun is shining…!”
Solite and the priests trembled in awe, eyes squeezed shut.
The residents of the sector, who had been wandering the streets waiting for the Sun’s manifestation, were startled at first—
But soon surrendered themselves to the enveloping warmth.
Time passed.
──────.
At last, the light receded, and the world returned to its original form.
The artificial sun now fully revealed itself, radiating a brilliant white light.
It resembled a colossal lightbulb—
Blinding, and warm.
And in front of it—
“……!”
Veronica lay collapsed on the ground.
Ray immediately sprang into motion and checked her condition.
‘Her breathing is fine. She just fainted from exhaustion, but there’s no serious injury.’
The white sun above her vessel had disappeared, likely due to her unconsciousness.
Ray gently wiped the dust from her face using the hem of his coat, then lifted his gaze to the sky.
‘The indigo sphere is gone.’
And not just that.
The dark clouds that had covered the sector were gone, revealing a clear sky.
The prophecy passed down by the Violet Guardian to the first Pope had been fulfilled.
So—would the world now regain its former abundance?
‘…Maybe not all of it.’
After all, the rainbow must also return for the world to fully return to its former state.
Ray gently picked up Veronica and walked out of the barrier.
“Sir Ray…!”
“That miracle just now—what was it…?”
The priests were filled with awe and confusion, yet they remained cautious.
The Pope, whose chest had been pierced by a spear—
His condition was still deteriorating.
Ray laid Veronica down gently using his coat as a cushion and approached the Pope.
Solite explained from beside him,
“The injured priests’ conditions improved greatly with that light. But His Holiness…”
Even without words, Ray could tell.
The Pope’s complexion and labored breathing clearly indicated a grim prognosis.
Ray looked around.
The indigo mana that had been devouring the bodies of the wounded had completely vanished without a trace.
Even in the Pope’s body, it had disappeared.
But the difference compared to others was—
‘The wound pierced right next to his heart.’
It was a massive, fatal injury.
It was a miracle he was even alive.
Watching Ray repeatedly cast healing magic, Solite spoke in a conflicted and guilt-ridden voice.
“We also tried casting healing magic together while you were briefly away. We barely managed to stop the bleeding. But… we achieved nothing beyond that.”
In a way, it was only natural.
There were limits to what wounds could be healed with magic.
But Ray knew—he possessed something beyond the limits of conventional magic: the power of imagination.
*‘If I want to save a person… what kind of image should I picture in my mind…?’*
Just as he frantically turned over ideas in his head—
*Grab!*
The Pope opened his eyes and suddenly grasped Ray’s wrist.
“I’m all right—*cough!* You don’t have to try so hard to save me.”
“I can save you.”
“It’s all right—*cough!* I’m fine.”
“This happened because of me.”
“When one’s time has come… *cough!* no one knows it better than the person themself.”
“I have to save you.”
The Pope smiled faintly with his clouded eyes.
With the last of his strength, his wrinkled hand slowly rose and gently stroked Ray’s head.
“Every person has a natural lifespan. If I die here… then it simply means my time has come. *Haha, cough!* Truth be told, this old man has already enjoyed more than enough in life.”
Ray stopped thinking and focused entirely on the Pope’s words.
He didn’t know why, but at this moment, it felt like he needed to listen.
“I am completely content. Even if it’s at the very end… I broke through the wall of the 4th Circle, something I yearned for all my life. And to think I would even witness the realization of the prophecy… Are you… the Saint from the revelation?”
Ray silently shook his head.
Then he looked at Veronica.
A flicker of surprise lit up in the Pope’s eyes.
“*Cough!* My goodness… I never expected that… *cough!* Life and fate… always so unpredictable….”
His words grew more fragmented.
His breathing became more strained.
Everyone present could sense the end was drawing near.
Surrounded by Ray and the priests, the Pope forced out one last sentence.
“Please… take care of the Saintess.”
With those final words, his head dropped.
A solemn silence fell over the room. After a brief moment of prayer, the priests’ voices echoed softly.
“May the warm sunlight gently illuminate your path.”
“May the warm sunlight gently illuminate your path.”
Ray quietly repeated after them.
“…May the warm sunlight gently illuminate your path.”
Time passed.
And just as he rose from his seat to help clean up the scene, he saw it.
Indiago collapsed on the floor.
And standing beside him—
A large man wearing sunglasses, a mask, a thick coat, and a fedora.
It was the Doctor.
