Part 3
The metallic clang of clashing weapons faded into the air for a moment.
All that remained was the steady breathing of two entities that were never meant to meet.
Yamato stepped back—not out of fatigue, but calculation.
Lina, in contrast, remained standing tall, like a statue carved from faith.
"Aren't you tired?" he asked seriously.
"Justice does not hesitate or falter," she replied.
But in her eyes… there wasn't only conviction anymore. There was conflict.
The battle paused.
Not because they agreed to it—because they both needed it.
Not their bodies.
Their ideals.
"Tell me, Yamato…" Lina murmured, her sword still glowing. "Have you ever wanted to save the world?"
He didn't answer immediately.
He stared at his reflection in his scythe, as if searching for an earlier version of himself.
"No. I only want those who twist reality to suit themselves… to pay for what they've done."
"The followers of the Church of Yoru. The Kingdom of Valdheim. And those false heroes who serve the crown, playing at power and justice."
A silence stretched between them.
Lina lowered her weapon. Just slightly. But it was enough.
"Maybe… you're not what I expected."
"And you… don't seem like just a dungeon guardian."
"I'm not. I shouldn't even be here," she admitted quietly.
"Then… are you a follower of Yoru punishing adventurers?"
Her expression changed—not with rage, but with an ancient disdain.
"Don't ever speak that name in front of me again. That god… and his church… know only how to destroy, and justify sin in the name of divinity."
Her aura burst forth. Not like fire. But like a crown of pure light.
The chamber trembled. Above, the ceiling split open, revealing a blinding white radiance—brilliant and merciless.
"What is that?" Yamato asked, looking up calmly.
"Divine punishment," Lina whispered.
In that moment, feathers began to fall from a portal high above.
Dozens—hundreds—pure white, evoking a sense of sacred innocence.
It was like watching the feathers of angels fall from the heavens.
Beautiful and terrifying all at once.
Because within that celestial rain… something was descending.
Not a creature, but a kind of relic.
A vertical sarcophagus, covered in golden engravings.
Delicate in form, monstrous in intent.
An Iron Maiden.
"That's… an Iron Maiden?"
"Yes. Just one piece on justice's board," Lina said, floating above it like a deity.
The artifact landed with a hollow echo, and white chains sprang forth—binding Yamato's hands, feet, and neck, like a divine prisoner.
The feathers continued to fall, as if divinity itself sought to veil what was about to unfold.
"Light Judgment: Iron Maiden!"
The chains of light tightened around Yamato… and slowly began pulling him toward the sarcophagus.
The sacred metal creaked open.
Inside, there was no darkness.
Only a sterile silence… And hundreds of blessed spikes.
And for a moment… divine beauty revealed its true face.
"Sorry," Yamato said calmly, "but I have no interest in trying out your torture devices."
His nanobots had already slipped along the chains in silence.
And in the blink of an eye, they severed them.
No explosion.
Just elegance.
Like scalpels slicing through a poorly written line of code.
Lina blinked—truly surprised for the first time.
The Maiden couldn't close.
The sarcophagus hung there… incomplete.
"Interesting," Lina whispered. "Even light cannot execute judgment if the condemned doesn't accept their guilt."
The chains disintegrated as they hit the ground.
Yamato stepped forward.
"Your punishment… relies on a confession."
"But I have nothing to confess. Nothing to repent."
"And certainly nothing to regret about surviving."
Lina looked at him with a mix of intrigue and silence. The Iron Maiden slowly vanished, as though it had never been there.
"Often, sinners believe they stand above justice," she murmured. "But light never errs."
"You're wrong," Yamato replied, without hesitation.
"The true sinners are those who commit atrocities by twisting laws to their benefit."
"Those who believe they are above others just because they wield power, trampling the innocent in their path."
"Bold words… for someone who praises the dark and seems drunk on power," she said, narrowing her eyes. "Are you speaking from experience?"
He shook his head, his voice like ice.
"If that were true… you'd already be dead. I could wipe out all life if I wanted to… but there are innocent lives that don't deserve that."
Lina looked down briefly—not as submission, but as sincerity. Then she raised her voice, taking the rosary hanging from her neck.
"I'm sorry. But dying… isn't in my plans. Not until I fulfill my purpose."
"I want to see the Church of Yoru fall."
"Its followers thrive in a nest of corruption, disguising their sacrifices as divine judgment."
"They pillage lands, steal resources, rape women, murder innocents, and silence all who oppose them. They decide who deserves to live… with smiles on their lips."
"Just like they did to me. And my people."
Yamato watched her in silence. For the first time, he saw her clearly.
Not as an enemy.
But as another victim of the same system that had condemned him.
"Tch… I guess I can't ignore that," he muttered, barely audibly.
Lina descended slowly, and when her feet touched the ground, her sword of light vanished.
The radiance that had surrounded her dimmed, as if her judgment had shifted into contemplation.
"I'll ask you again, Yamato… What do you believe in?"
He lifted his gaze, his voice firm as always. But this time… without a blade.
"I believe the world needs to be corrected from its very foundations."
"I can't deny that lives will be lost in the process… but I also can't let the guilty enjoy peace while the innocent suffer abuse."
"I want a world where justice is real, and people can be freer."
He paused.
His scythe no longer felt like a weapon.
It felt like a decision.
"That is my judgment."
"And I will eliminate any obstacle in my way."
"Be it a king, a demon, a hero… or a nun."
Lina closed her eyes. Her breathing softened.
And when she opened them, there was warmth in her gaze.
Not devotion. Not submission.
Just respect.
"It's a lonely path… and a dangerous one. But it's fair," she said, with a faint smile. "I like it."
Yamato looked up.
Above him, a colossal sword of light floated in the air, rotating slowly.
A celestial guillotine.
A symbol of absolute judgment.
Lina stared at it a moment longer.
"Yamato…" she said, as if pronouncing a final verdict.
"I declare you innocent, and I hope to see you fulfill your word."
The sword of light disintegrated into millions of particles.
As if, for the first time, the light itself had decided to believe.
"Well done, kid," said Nebel, his usual mocking tone echoing in Yamato's mind. "If that thing had touched you, you'd be dead."
Yamato didn't respond right away.
"That technique is absolute," the entity continued. "It can't be destroyed. It can't be dodged. It can only be lived… or died within."
"And when exactly were you planning to tell me that?" Yamato snapped, clearly irritated.
"This was a test too. After all, Lina is like a daughter to me."
Yamato froze.
"What?"
"Didn't I mention it? She was also sent to this dungeon as a sacrifice. Just like you."
The silence that followed wasn't one of surprise.
It was one of understanding.
"I see her more clearly now," he murmured.
Noticing his silence, Lina stepped closer.
Her sacred vestments began to dissolve, fading like mist after a choice has been made.
Her white robes were replaced with simpler garments. More human.
Still white… but no longer those of a nun.
And for the first time since he met her, Yamato didn't see her as an enemy.
But as someone… who had also survived the pit.
"I'm ready to walk alongside you," she said, bowing solemnly.
"Are you sure? There may be nothing ahead but death."
She stepped forward—
And hugged him.
A warm, sincere gesture… even if he didn't flinch.
"I've been waiting for you my entire life," she whispered. "I would follow you into hell if I had to."
"I don't know what you're thinking," he replied in a neutral tone. "But my goal is above anything else."
"You can become one of my Heralds… if that's what you wish."
Lina gently shook her head.
"I won't be one of your generals… waiting for orders outside the throne room."
"I'll stand above all of them."
"Because our destinies are entwined," she added with a soft smile.
"I'm sorry," Yamato said, walking toward where his Heralds awaited. "I don't know what you expect from me… but I can't return your feelings."
"I know," she said, without sadness. "I saw it in your eyes… all the pain you carry."
"But don't worry. I've waited fifteen hundred years for you to arrive."
"I can wait a little longer."
"Are you sure about this? Being with someone like me… it could be torment for someone as kind as you."
"It doesn't matter," she replied, following him without hesitation.
"If you're no longer able to feel, I'll feel for both of us."
"If you can't laugh, I'll laugh for both of us."
"And if you're incapable of love… maybe, with time, that too will change."
"I'll carry the cross for both of us. That's why my robes are gone—because I'll be the light that guides you through the dark."
"Do whatever you want. I'm not promising anything," he said, not slowing his pace.
"Don't worry," Lina replied with a smile, still walking behind him. "This time, I'll do what I want to do."
"I'll be your wife—whether you like it or not."
And so, without asking, without needing permission… Lina became that small light flickering in the dark. And Yamato's self-proclaimed wife.
And maybe, in time… Who knows what might happen.