Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1038: Finnian Vs Aether

Aether decided to duel Finnian in the desolate stretch of barren land... well, technically, his land now.

It felt like the right place.

The place where his journey was about to begin.

The wind whispered through the cracked soil, brushing past ruins and half-buried stones.

Archpriestess stood at a distance, her face uncertain, her fingers nervously gripping the hem of her robe.

She didnʼt speak.

She didnʼt shout or plead.

She just stood there, trembling slightly, her expression torn between fear and helplessness.

It was clear she didnʼt want this battle to happen.

But Aether had made his choice.

And for reasons even she didnʼt understand, she respected it.

Aether and Finnian stood several paces apart, the silence between them heavy, deafening.

Finnian rolled his shoulders, his neck cracking ominously as he cracked his knuckles. His aura flared outward like a divine inferno, golden flames licking the air with wild arrogance. The sheer heat made the ground ripple.

His magic — the holy fire of the Empire — surged around him.

”I wonʼt hold back, Slave!” Finnian roared, voice thundering across the plains. ”Let all creation bear witness to your fall! Let the heavens see the sinner undone!”

Aetherʼs eyes narrowed, the corners of his mouth twitching into a faint scowl. Violet sparks began to crackle around his fingertips, tendrils of chaotic energy weaving between his hands.

”You shouldʼve chosen your words more wisely,” Aether replied in a low, steady tone, his voice cold, ”Iʼm not who I used to be. Iʼve gone beyond what you remember. And this time... youʼre going to feel every bit of that difference.”

A low hum vibrated through the air.

Sshhhhh!

Without warning, Finnian lunged. The ground beneath his feet shattered like glass as he rocketed forward, cloaked in blinding fire. His fist was a comet, wrapped in divine flame, screaming through the wind with holy rage.

Aether didnʼt flinch.

He raised a single hand.

Spark~

A swirling vortex of deep violet energy spiralled from his palm, raw and unfiltered. It caught Finnianʼs holy strike mid-air, absorbing the blast in a violent explosion of light and void. The impact ignited a miniature sun between them, and then imploded, blowing outwards in a massive shockwave that shook the land.

Dust, wind, and debris ripped across the field, blanketing the ruins in a storm of broken earth.

”Not bad... for an Apostle,” Aether muttered, stepping forward slowly, his posture calm — too calm — every step pulsing with quiet dominance. ”But damn... youʼre still weak as fuck.”

”You bastard...!” Finnian snarled, the insult slicing into his pride. His eyes flared with divine fury. ”You dare mock the will of our god?!”

With a sharp spin, he leapt high into the air. A spear of condensed holy light formed in his hands, its edge so sharp the sky itself seemed to sizzle and hiss as it sliced through.

”This is justice!” he howled and hurled it with all his might.

The spear screamed toward Aether, charged with divine judgment and destruction, tearing the sky in half as it descended.

But Aether didnʼt move.

He just stood there.

Finnianʼs lips curled into a wicked smirk. ”Youʼre dead meat...!” he muttered, already tasting victory.

The light spear reached Aether in an instant, yet at the last moment, Aetherʼs arms moved—not out of fear or desperation, but like flowing water.

His right hand tilted the spearʼs edge with pinpoint precision, his left swirled the air with masterful control. His body turned like a dancer in the eye of a storm, the wind obeying his flow.

Then — a flick of his fingers. A single tap at the spearʼs base.

A pulse of purple energy flashed.

The spear spun violently, redirected.

And it roared back at Finnian.

”What—?!” Finnianʼs eyes widened in horror as his own attack returned, faster, more focused, seething with new energy.

He threw up a barrier just in time, a shimmering white dome erupting in front of him.

BOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!

The explosion split the air like a divine thunderbolt.

A column of light shot into the sky, turning dusk into day for a moment. The shockwave flattened nearby trees, cracked distant boulders.

The Archpriestess stumbled back, shielding her face from the blinding light.

The noise, the light — it spread far. People nearby came running, concern etched on their faces. They stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of the clash.

Aether, their mysterious outsider, stood against Finnian — the Empireʼs chosen Apostle.

And among the crowd, hidden behind rubble, a golden-haired figure peeked through the dust — trembling, watching with wide eyes.

But when the light faded, Aether still stood tall.

Not a scratch on him.

His eyes locked onto Finnian, who now knelt on one knee, breathing heavily, sweat pouring from his brow.

”Is this... all your god has given you?” Aether asked softly, disappointment seeping into his tone. His gaze, once sharp with hostility, now looked upon Finnian almost with pity. ”At least Kai had some fight in him... but you? Did you get lazy? Or is this what blind faith breeds — weakness?”

”Shut your mouth!” Finnian bellowed, his voice cracking as divine power surged again. ”You dare speak of faith?! You dare question our godʼs gift?! Youʼre nothing but a wretched heretic!!”

Finnianʼs body flared with white light again, this time almost violently. His veins lit up, his muscles tensed, and his teeth clenched as he stepped forward with fury burning in every cell.

”Iʼll destroy you!! Iʼll erase your blasphemy from this world!!”

But then,

”Nah,” Aether shrugged, his voice casual — dismissive.

!!!!!!

The earth groaned.

Then cracked.

A massive pressure suddenly descended upon the land — like gravity itself had been rewritten.

The ground beneath Finnian buckled. Dust spiraled upward, forming rings of purple aura, dense and suffocating.

Finnian gasped, eyes wide in disbelief as his legs gave out beneath him. He dropped to his knees, struggling to breathe, his limbs trembling.

Aether hadnʼt lifted a finger.

It was his aura — a pressure so overwhelming, it crushed the very will to move.

”Youʼre not ready,” Aether said, voice low, echoing through the stillness like a godʼs decree, ”Youʼre still shackled by your title. Chained by superiority!!”

Aether blinked, surprised himself why he said that... it was like advice from Iteration No.25.

Finnian stared up, furious, as he was about to shout back”I am not... arrrhh!!” again, high pressure forced him to bow.

”Did you say something?” Aether asked, a cold, haughty smirk stretching across his face as he looked down at Finnian, who was barely managing to remain on his knees. The expression on Aetherʼs face wasnʼt just one of superiority — it was almost playful.

No, worse... It was patronising!

The kind of look one gives when toying with someone they know canʼt fight back.

It was like Aether was bullying Finnian. And the crowd saw it too.

ʼBut letʼs be honest... it was he who came after me,ʼ Aether mused, watching Finnian writhe under the pressure. His amusement danced in his eyes, but his posture remained unreadable — controlled, steady.

He glanced at Sera for the briefest second. She stood a little further back, grinning from ear to ear, her eyes gleaming with pride. Not a trace of fear — only admiration. She looked at Aether like he was the answer to every question the world ever dared to ask.

Finnianʼs lips trembled as he bit down hard, tasting blood.

ʼW-What in the Mother of... this... arrrgh!ʼ he groaned, struggling to even straighten his spine. The moment he attempted to push against the invisible weight, it pressed harder — like a cosmic hand was crushing him into the earth.

The pressure wasnʼt just magical. It was existential. Like standing before a being far beyond anything he had trained for... A Sovereign?

Finnianʼs eyes widened in horror, heart slamming in his chest as he stared up at Aether.

ʼWhat kind of monster is he…?ʼ

He couldnʼt stay down like this. Not in front of her. Not in front of the Archpriestess — his beloved..... And especially not in front of him.

Heʼd rather die than be seen like this.

ʼMother… Please... lend me your light…ʼ

Blood trickled from his mouth as his body convulsed. He clenched his jaw and then, in a sudden cry of desperation and madness, his voice echoed,

”Ar... cane!!”

~Ding~Ding~

The bells of the distant temple rang furiously — yet no one had touched them. The sound rippled through the sky, ghostly and divine.

From Finnianʼs chest, a radiant light burst outward, blinding everyone — even Aether had to lift a hand to shield his eyes, ʼTsk this fuck againʼ he thought.

A glowing object floated in front of Finnian — his Origin Card with 4 shining stars — spinning slowly, pulsing with raw, divine energy. It hovered there for a heartbeat.

Then it grew.

Bigger.

Broader.

Its edges sparked as it expanded, stretching to nearly the size of a man. Then — with a sound like air being torn apart — it flew forward and slammed into Finnianʼs body

SSSsssnnnnnnnn!!!!

A violent, metallic screech split the air as holy light engulfed him.

When the blinding flash finally dimmed, Aetherʼs gaze sharpened. The ground had split where Finnian now stood. A new presence surged from his body — no longer weak, no longer trembling.

A white-golden armor now covered him entirely, its plates etched with divine inscriptions that glowed faintly with living light. From head to toe, he looked reborn — as if the Mother herself had forged him anew.

A thick, radiant aura pulsed from the armor, distorting the air around him with its sheer intensity.

Finnian stabbed his golden sword into the cracked earth with a resonant clang that echoed like a war drum.

”Iʼll burn you from this world!” he roared, voice metallic through the helmet. ”Heavenʼs Wrath!!”

He ripped the blade free and pointed it at Aether, who stood motionless.

Seraʼs expression shifted slightly.

Slightly?

Yes, just a twitch at the corner of her lips — not fear, not panic. Just... unease.

Because she had seen Aether fight before. She had witnessed what he did to Master. She knew what he was capable of.

Aether tilted his head, a single brow arching, mildly surprised.

ʼSo heʼs grown this much... just through training?ʼ he thought, watching Finnian approach with his blade glowing hotter by the second.

ʼHmm... interesting.ʼ

A grin curled on Aetherʼs face.

But it wasnʼt joy. It was something darker. A dangerous gleam sparked in his eyes. His stance shifted — subtle, but purposeful. His bare fist clenched, the tendons tightening like steel wires. Power gathered around him, vibrating through the earth.

The air between them shimmered.

And then —

He moved.

No chant.

No magic words.

Just raw speed and muscle.

Aether hurled himself forward, fist aimed like a missile straight toward Finnianʼs chest.

Finnian reacted just in time. With both hands gripping his sword, he brought it forward in a righteous arc, the blade trailing a line of golden fire through the air.

The two forces met —

The furious vengeance of a divine Apostle.

And the unrestrained, chaotic might of something beyond.

Their clash created a ripple that tore through the battlefield.

BOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!

Aetherʼs fist and the golden blade collided, unleashing a shockwave that flattened nearby trees and tore through the earth in a spiralling crater. The very air split with the force, screaming as the energy erupted outward in every direction.

One fought with everything to prove his faith and love.

The other? He was enjoying it.