Book 1 Chapter 696
696.
[System Error: An unauthorized being has invaded the world.]
"What?"
Gias froze at the message that appeared before his eyes.
"What is this…!"
Gias immediately understood that this place was no longer the world of the legion.
He didn't know what had happened, but the master of the world had changed just a moment ago.
He could easily guess who that master was.
Gias's face contorted.
'Looking at the situation, nothing has changed.'
Even if it has become the hero's world, the current rampage is ongoing.
Even if perfect control is impossible like in the legion's world, as long as it's already rampaging, dungeons can be maintained indefinitely.
'No, even if the plan goes awry, I just need to kill Kyle.'
That was enough.
No, it was more than enough.
That was the very wish of Tartarus.
"WOOOOOOOOOO!"
Gias roared.
Goooooo-! Fwoosh!
Dark magic and Erebus's flames swirled around his body.
'First, I need to finish Kyle!'
Dwenno will be here soon.
At this moment when everything is uncertain.
The fact that Dwenno is coming is certain.
CRASH CRASH CRASH CRASH-!
Gias, raising his sword, charged towards the fortress wall.
"Stop him!"
"Focus artillery fire on Gias!"
Ivaldi's mages concentrated artillery fire on Gias.
"Do you think such low-level magic can affect me!"
Gias roared.
The mages' bombardment disappeared without reaching Gias.
Seeing Gias like that, Leo closed his eyes.
"Hey, black rabbit! I'll help too…"
"-"
"Eeeek?!"
Arga glared at Leo standing on the fortress wall.
Rune language began to flow from Leo's mouth.
Goooooo-!
Pale light magic surged from Leo's body, and his clothes fluttered.
"M-Magic in this situation?"
And it wasn't just any magic.
It was clearly a great magic that takes a long time to complete.
Arga wore a bewildered expression.
Gias also glared at Leo.
The sight of pale light magic surging reminded him of someone.
'Luna Luminance!'
The witch who brought destruction.
The symbol of fear that dealt countless defeats to Tartarus.
Gias knew too well what awaited at the end.
A nightmarish scene came to mind.
'The End.'
"GWAaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
Gias's terrifying killing intent and fighting spirit focused on Leo.
"----."
But Leo continued chanting without the slightest regard.
Even with the same magic, the longer the casting time for a mage, the greater the power.
Gias reached the immediate vicinity of Leo on the fortress wall.
Arga, who had been fidgeting anxiously, gritted his teeth and kicked off the wall.
Leo's chanting showed no signs of stopping.
Arga knew it too.
Such a short casting time wouldn't be enough to defeat Gias.
Yet, the fact that he started chanting meant he was confident he could defeat him once the magic was complete.
In that case…
'I'll buy us time!'
With a determined expression, golden aura erupted from Arga's body.
"Haaaaaap!"
He roared and charged at Gias.
"How pathetic."
Gias sneered at Arga.
No matter how strong, he was still a wet-behind-the-ears novice.
Perhaps in the future?
In the current situation, it was best for Arga to buy a fleeting moment against Gias.
For a moment, Gias's eyes met Arga's.
And he felt a chill.
For a moment, he glimpsed a fragment of Areon in Arga.
Overwhelmed by Arga's killing intent and fighting spirit, Gias faltered.
"This wench!"
But soon, Gias, feeling enraged by being overwhelmed, raised his sword.
Arga clenched his fist, watching Gias.
Just before Arga's fist and Gias's sword collided.
Fwooooosh-!
Golden flames rained down from the sky like meteors.
"Wha-?"
Dwenno, flying at Gias at incredible speed, grabbed Arga by the scruff of his neck and threw him backward.
Then, he swung the battle hammer in his hand towards Gias's sword.
-!
A silent shockwave occurred for a moment.
KUAGAGAGANG-!
A shockwave similar to the collision between Leo and Gias just moments before swept through the surrounding area.
"Hmph?!"
Gias's eyes widened.
THUMP! THUMP!
Gias, stepping back two paces, roared, GUAAAAAAAAAA!
THWACK-!
Dwenno, who had been knocked away, flew towards the fortress wall.
CRASH-! KUAGAGAGANG-!
Dwenno's body, which had been thrown like a projectile, hit the fortress wall.
The section of the fortress wall where Dwenno flew and struck collapsed.
"AAAAAAAAAH!"
Arga, who was below in that area, screamed.
"Hehehe. Even if it's Dwenno, it's just from a past timeline."
Just as Arga, who had barely pushed aside the debris from the fortress wall, gritted his teeth.
CRACK! THWACK! THUDUDUDUDUK! THUMP-!
Dwenno, who had barely broken free from the fortress debris that had crushed him, dusted himself off.
"Are, are you okay? Dwenno-nim! Are you hurt…? Ouch! It hurts!"
"What on earth! Your personalities are polar opposites, but why are you acting the same! Rushing out recklessly because you're upset! You almost died! Really! There are limits to resemblance!"
"Hehehe. I guess I resemble Areon-nim a little…"
"That's not a compliment!"
"AAAAAAAH!"
Arga screamed as Dwenno grabbed his ear.
"If you act so recklessly again, I'll break your back the other way!"
"Yes, yes!"
Arga hastily replied, shrinking his shoulders.
"Hoo… Well, it's mostly my fault for being such an idiot."
Dwenno sighed deeply and handed Brave to Arga.
"Take it."
Arga received Brave with trembling hands.
Then he drew his sword.
Arga's eyes widened as he looked at the blade.
"This… is Brave!"
"Yes, it's Brave."
The sword that symbolized a hero.
"It's my third work. It will probably never break again."
Dwenno said firmly and stepped forward.
Stomp- stomp-
Dwenno, carrying his battle hammer, walked towards Gias.
Arga followed behind Dwenno, gripping his sword.
"Hehehe… Have you come to die? Dwenno."
"No. I've come to kill you. Gias."
Dwenno smirked.
"It seems your head is still attached."
"You… you remember?"
"Ah, I do. I remember everything, right up to the moment of my death."
At Dwenno's words, Gias's face hardened.
But after a moment.
Gias returned to his original expression and smirked.
"It seems you only have the memories."
Dwenno's strength was not at its peak.
He had memories and experience, but the world he was in was a past timeline.
Therefore, his strength itself could not return to its complete state.
"In that case, it's easy."
"Hehehe. Hahahahaha!"
Gias's words made Dwenno burst into laughter.
"What's so funny?"
"You're afraid of me, aren't you, Gias?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"You, who look around first, seem to be completely unaware of the situation because you're preoccupied with me."
"What?"
At Dwenno's words, Gias hastily looked around.
And his face hardened.
When he clashed with Leo earlier, the surrounding area had been devastated with a single blow.
The clash with Dwenno just moments ago was also a collision of similar power.
However, the only thing damaged around was the fortress that Dwenno had flown into and destroyed.
Even then, the place where Leo stood was still intact.
And even at this moment, Leo had not stopped chanting.
The role of the vanguard protecting the mage was definitely fulfilled.
"Compared to my strength in my prime, I am certainly weaker now."
Dwenno's cold gaze turned to Gias.
"However. I can buy you enough time for that friend to kill you."
"Don't be ridiculous!"
Gias roared and charged.
Dwenno grabbed his battle hammer and charged towards Gias.
CRASH-!
Dwenno's battle hammer and Gias's sword collided.
KUAGAGAGAGAGAGANG-!
"How is it! Dwenno! This sword I made!"
Veins bulged on Gias's forearm as he gripped his sword.
"Hmph!"
For a moment, Dwenno lost his balance and swayed.
Dwenno gritted his teeth and swung his battle hammer up, deflecting Gias's sword.
"Hahaha! As expected, the weapon you made is strong! But!"
WHOOOSH-!
Gias's giant sword swung down at Dwenno like a guillotine.
KWAANG-!
"That's all! I have honed my skills for the past 5000 years! And after visiting your world last time! I achieved a realm that surpasses you! And this sword is made with the best materials!"
THUMP-!
One of Dwenno's knees bent.
"Your weapon too! And you! It's over now!"
"Impressive."
"Hahahahaha!"
"How on earth have you only developed this much in 5000 years?"
"What?"
"Surprisingly crude craftsmanship. A waste of materials."
A sneer appeared on Dwenno's face.
"You bastard…!"
"Look at your weapon."
"What…"
Gias's face, which had been contorted, hardened.
The spot where it collided with Dwenno's battle hammer was chipped.
'As expected of Kyle.'
Dwenno glanced back at Leo behind him.
He must have concentrated the impact on one part of the sword during the fight with Gias.
Of course, the sword was made from Gias's spinal bone.
And on top of that, it was a sword Gias created by pouring his skills into it.
In this world, nothing was harder than Gias's sword, except for one thing.
'Posteritas.'
Dwenno's blacksmithing skills that Gias knew were from before he made Posteritas.
And.
The moment he created his own work as a smith.
Dwenno's skills advanced further.
In the end, despite pouring in effort for 5000 years, Gias's ability did not reach Dwenno.
As a result.
Now, there were three weapons sturdier than Gias's sword.
Posteritas.
Brave, re-tempered by Dwenno.
And…
Dwenno gripped the battle hammer he held tightly.
"Hmph!"
He pushed Gias away with all his might.
"HAAAAAAAAAAP!"
CLANG-!
Dwenno's second creation struck Gias's sword.
It delivered the finishing blow to the impact caused by Posteritas.
CRACKLE-!
"Impossible…!"
"You've worked hard for 5000 years in vain."
"You bastard!"
CRUNCH-!
Gias's sword shattered, and fragments swirled.
"Still, the fact that you will be defeated is unchanged!"
Gias's giant hand covered Dwenno.
CRASH-!
"The end of the surviving hero cannot defeat me now!"
The chanting had stopped at some point.
Leo's magic had reached its peak, so the spell was complete.
Seeing that, Gias realized.
Leo was not Luna.
And that magic was not Luna's End either.
Therefore, it lacked the power to defeat him.
A look of exhilaration appeared on Gias's face.
He had been afraid for no reason.
"In the end, it's my victory!"
The moment Gias was sure.
"-"
Leo's chanting began again.
The moment he finished the chant of End using Luna's magic.
Leo was convinced that End alone could not defeat Gias.
Gias, blessed with authority and Erebus's protection, had obtained the strongest defense.
While its destructive power might be inferior to Jormungandr's, its defensive capabilities surpassed Jormungandr's, a fact he had discerned through battle.
But he didn't care.
He knew from the beginning that End alone wouldn't be enough.
Leo chanted again.
Following the runes, gray magic surged from Leo's body.
The name of the magic was…
'Innocence.'
The magic bestowed upon him by the progenitor of the nebulae.
The only magic that could defeat Erebus.
But even this wouldn't defeat Gias.
Innocence was merely magic for defeating Erebus.
End and Innocence were merely ingredients.
'In a world where everything has ended, nothing will exist, right?'
Perhaps that was the landscape Erebus desired the most.
An empty landscape.
'But perhaps, because nothing exists, it is the purest state.'
Before meeting Lisina and Luna, Areon and Dwenno.
I wanted nothing and was only empty.
Thanks to that emptiness, I could fill myself with what my friends gave me.
They say magic is a way to express the mind's eye.
'If so, this might be the mind's eye that suits me best.'
Beyond the End.
In that pure moment where nothing exists.
'A state where anything can become anything.'
The pale star's magic and the gray purity's magic merged.
Absolute destructive power and pure, infinite power met to create an absolute void of colorless and odorless emptiness.
Leo, who had completed the magic, uttered its name.
A word meaning the moment just before the beginning.
"Zero."