Copy Skills with Affinity!

Chapter 113

Variable (2)

The Fragment of the Demon God, naturally, wasn’t something one could easily obtain.

Even for demonkind—who could be considered direct descendants of such a thing—it was virtually impossible to reuse the one that had just detonated in the capital.

Given the limited number Aiden was aware of, it was far too valuable to waste on a gathering of mere royalty like this.

Which meant…

‘…A replica.’

That was a far more plausible conclusion to draw.

While the activation mechanism and principles were identical to the original, it was highly likely the power output was significantly weaker.

Who had detonated it, how they pulled it off, and for what purpose—those were questions to be unraveled in time. But if that thing’s true nature was indeed just a replica—

Then dealing with it using only the people present here wouldn’t be impossible.

…Though some poor souls would still have to suffer for it.

"…Are you serious?"

Noel stared at Aiden with a displeased expression. Her face clearly read that she hadn’t expected to be roped into something like this again, but Aiden gave a merciless nod in response.

The first to be thrown into the fray were Alester and Julius.

Normally, they would’ve pushed back, asking if he’d lost his mind. But unfortunately for them, the Pontiff had just indirectly ordered them to follow Aiden’s lead, leaving them no room to resist.

“Throw them.”

With that single command, the two of them were flung high into the air.

Their bodies soared until they were face-to-face with the black deathly aura that had just begun to descend toward the ground.

“Tch—!”

The expression on Julius’s face showed he instinctively realized this was the crisis of a lifetime.

Gone was the slack look he’d worn before. He quickly raised his arm, which was etched with rune characters.

Even Aiden had once been impressed by the effect of those runes—the divine power within them now burst out in all directions.

-[ᚲ] Kenaz

The divine power, already blazing intensely, now flared up with double the ferocity compared to earlier. The light was so blinding that some instinctively shielded their eyes.

“—!”

The strain on Julius seemed immense, even to himself, as he clenched his teeth tightly.

When Julius forced the words out through a voice torn by pain, Alester steadied his breathing with a resolute expression.

“Brother! I’m counting on you!”

Then came Alester’s flames, overwhelming even the dazzling divine light Julius had summoned.

Apparently, he too understood just how grave the situation was. Compared to when he was dealing with those royal brats earlier, the divine fire now erupting from him made the former look like a match flame next to a wildfire.

Soon enough, the divine powers of Julius and Alester met and merged. It could be described as the process of fusing together to form a barrier.

Additional auxiliary spells from the other royals were then layered thickly behind that barrier.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they had scraped together every ounce of divine power available in the Holy Crown Kingdom. In terms of sheer defense alone, the level of durability they’d achieved was probably comparable to that of an entire battalion.

‘…That should hold off the first wave.’

Seeing the formation take shape, Aiden nodded inwardly.

‘Still… as well as they did…’

Would that really be enough?

Was a Fragment of the Demon God something that could be held back this easily?

For now, contrary to those doubts, exclamations of awe erupted around them.

It was a clear reaction to the fact that they were indeed royalty from the top of the line of succession—but soon, those expressions started to change.

Even Alester and Julius, who had been blocking the attack directly, wore similar faces.

At first, they looked confident, certain that they could hold it back. But before long, their faces were painted with the unmistakable confusion of someone betrayed by their own expectations.

Those who were staring directly at the breath of destruction now flying toward them instinctively understood.

This was a calamity.

This was a nightmare at its worst.

This was something they could not oppose.

Even if it was a replica, it still contained the might of a God of Calamity capable of devouring the entire world. No matter how many joined forces, this wasn’t something human-scale power could ever hope to stop.

And just as Aiden had long suspected, what he expected began to unfold.

***

***

-----------------------------!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The deathly aura and the barrier collided, producing a horrific resonance. Two immense forces clashed at full power, resulting in a massive explosion.

Like a tug-of-war, the white barrier of protection and the black aura pushed against each other.

At a glance, they seemed evenly matched—but the reality was far from it.

“…It’s breaking through?!”

“No way! That easily?!”

This was exactly why Aiden had said it would only stop the “first wave.”

The deathly aura facing the barrier built by the two didn’t immediately crash down to the ground.

Instead, it seeped through the cracks.

Like rainwater finding its way into the crevices of a rock until it eventually splits it apart—subtly but steadily, the aura worked its way in, widening the fissures.

However—

‘The speed’s slowed.’

Its momentum, compared to before it began pushing through the barrier, had clearly weakened enough to be noticeable.

It couldn’t forcefully sweep it away like the Remnant of the Warden of the Realm had done, but at the very least, it would hold the descent back for a while. After all, these two were considered the strongest among the royal family.

When Aiden said they could “hold off the first wave,” it meant—put differently—that the barrier would at least fulfill that much of a role.

Just before the deathly aura, seemingly capable of devouring everything in its path, came crashing down, Aiden took his next action.

“Dame Noel.”

“…Yes?”

Like everyone else, Noel had been watching the situation unfold with clenched teeth. At his sudden, almost casual call—like he was inviting her out for a stroll—her face twisted in disbelief. But soon, a far deeper tension spread across her expression.

‘…That look again.’

She didn’t know what it was this time, but Aiden’s expression right now—clearly visible on his face—was the exact same one he always wore right before pulling some bizarre stunt.

And as expected, Aiden’s next words, directed toward the wary and hesitant Noel, didn’t disappoint.

“We’re going to leap right into that, Dame Noel.”

Aiden pointed toward the very center of the deathly aura, which was now writhing to break through the barrier completely.

“…Why?”

“Have you ever seen me do anything pointless?”

And as always, he gave no explanation for why he was doing something like this. That, in itself, felt like a kind of hell…

As Noel found herself lost in that sentiment, Aiden moved again.

He approached Milene, who was concentrating on her auxiliary spellwork just like the other royals, and snapped his fingers right in front of her face.

It was entirely inappropriate given the situation—rude beyond words—but it didn’t matter. After all, from this moment on… he was about to do something “embarrassingly” attention-grabbing anyway.

As Milene slowly turned her head, Aiden looked at her, then pointed a finger toward Alester and Julius, who were floating in the air maintaining the barrier.

“Keep an eye on those two.”

“…Huh?”

“There’s really no one else I can ask but you, Your Highness.”

Next, Aiden’s finger shifted slightly to point in Katya’s direction, who was standing a bit farther away.

“…And later, stop that one too.”

…What she was supposed to stop, probably no one but Aiden knew.

Before the stunned Milene could ask anything, Aiden returned to Noel’s side. He placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Let’s go.”

“…No, wait, at least tell me why we’re—”

“If we don’t go now, we’re in big trouble.”

“…”

Noel couldn’t help but feel that going would also land them in big trouble, but in a situation like this, Aiden was the only one holding any kind of solution.

With a face that looked like half her will to live had already drained away, she grabbed Aiden, leapt, and carried him upward. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

In an instant, they reached the two royals. Aiden casually placed a hand on each of their shoulders.

Both of them were clearly in excruciating pain, enough to numb their entire bodies, but even in such a state, they recognized him and turned their heads with difficulty.

In response, Aiden waved his hand downward a few times, signaling to lower the barrier, but the two of them just stared blankly at him, not understanding.

“Lower the barrier.”

“……”

“There’s no point in holding it up any longer anyway.”

“……”

Whether it was because they couldn’t muster the strength to respond or they were just dumbfounded, both gave him looks that practically screamed, Are you insane?

‘…They’re not wrong.’

Noel silently answered for them in her head, while Aiden let out a sigh and imbued both of their shoulders—still in his grasp—with supernatural power.

Then, without hesitation, he forcefully pressed them downward.

Their bodies, which had been maintaining the spell midair, immediately staggered, and the speed of the rampaging aura breaking through the barrier accelerated even more.

Regardless, Aiden pushed them down once more with another burst of force.

“What the hell are you—!”

Alester tried to protest, but Aiden grabbed him and hurled him toward Milene. He did the same to Julius right after.

Naturally, the spell shattered into pieces, and the black breath of death surged forward like a crashing wave.

“……”

And mere seconds before it engulfed him completely, Aiden let out a quiet sigh as he looked back and forth between the aura and Noel.

‘…Ah.’

He might end up getting beaten to death by Teresa later.

He was already dreading whatever reaction Katya might have.

But still—

‘I had to try it at least once.’

This was the only method he could think of that might stop it here and now.

Eventually, this was a step he would’ve had to take.

Even if the method felt far too radical… there was no helping it.

“Dame Noel.”

“Yes! If you have something to say, please say it now! We’re about to die—!”

“I’ll take full responsibility later.”

That solemn statement made Noel freeze in her tracks.

She must have realized it too.

That the look in Aiden’s eyes now wasn’t the usual craziness—it had a different weight to it.

…In a way, it almost looked like guilt.

But instead of replying, Aiden gently cupped the back of her head.

An oddly gentle gesture, completely unfitting for the current situation.

“…Aiden?”

Noel’s voice trembled in fear, unsure what on earth he was about to do now.

And then, without answering—

Aiden, holding onto Noel, leaned in.

And pressed his lips to hers.