Book 10 Chapter 17
Episode 242
The Keltimut Volcanic Zone is said to be shaped like a wheel when viewed from above.
This is because suspension bridges, built with the technology of <Those Who Came>, connect the six peaks on the outskirts with <Shriganakus>.
That's why, unrealistically, <Shriganakus> was able to play a pivotal role on the continent despite being a high-altitude region.
It was because manpower and resources could easily move between the small cities built on the six peaks.
“This village is empty too.”
Around those small cities, villages were clustered, but there was no sign of life in the villages that formed the northern peak.
“Are they all dead?”
Miria, an expert in such matters, quickly recognized the tragedy that had struck this situation.
“Oh, the smell of blood remains just as it was. Only the corpses are gone.”
Even more ominous was the absence of not only livestock like chickens and pigs, but even wild animals like dogs and deer.
“How many is this now?”
“Five.”
The situation was utterly incomprehensible to Rain's common sense.
“Are they planning to raze the capital city?”
To capture the capital city?
Breaking Shrigan’s barrier would be impossible for even Zernix.
“No, if scorching the earth is the goal, isn’t this too conspicuous? With his skill, erasing the traces themselves would be a piece of cake.”
As Miria pointed that out, Bart nodded.
“Perhaps this very situation, with us doing what we’re doing, was intended.”
This situation?
Intended this situation?
Rain, with a sudden cold sweat on his face, abruptly raised his head.
“Surely they’re not planning a large-scale hunt?”
If they plan to spread confusion and fear, gather everyone, and then wipe them out without much effort…
“Let’s hurry, there’s no time.”
* * *
People, overwhelmed by fear, were running for their lives.
It was because of the swarms of insects, not just vast, but immense, blackening the Northern Latitude suspension bridge and charging at them.
Throwing away their belongings, abandoning their horses, abandoning their cattle, abandoning their carriages, people ran like mad towards the North Gate of <Shriganakus>.
“Slowly!”
Witches from the North Gate ran out with soldiers to help the refugees.
“Everyone can come in, so please, slowly, maintain order!”
“Order, my foot! Get out of the way!”
“They’re coming from behind, monsters, monster insects!”
Unable to find a way to exert their strength, they were swept away by the tide of people who had lost their reason to the fear of death.
“How strange.”
A playful smile blossomed on Sierra's lips as she led the swarm of insects, advancing slowly.
“Where has that pride gone, the pride of being people protected by Shrigan, the Blood-Red Sun?”
Wherever she stepped, countless lives were being gnawed away, flesh and soul, by the insects, dying.
“Oh, Sun, please…”
Someone dying amidst the insects murmured. Sierra snapped her fingers, and the insects stopped moving.
“The gods' help won’t come. Only I can save you.”
“Th-this, this infidel…”
“What should I do? Should I save you?”
“…?”
“Beg, heeheehee, as you would to a god. Kneel. Then I’ll save you.”
*Rustle, crunch, crunch*, amidst the sound of insects biting and tearing flesh and bone, the woman holding a baby in her arms trembled all over and knelt down.
“This is the current state of your faith, isn’t it?”
Sierra, letting out a burst of laughter as if the sight was utterly ridiculous, placed a hand on the woman’s shoulder.
“Go. I’ll clear the insects for you.”
Behind Sierra, the insects that had densely packed the suspension bridge parted on both sides, opening a path.
Gasping for breath, the woman, barely picking herself up, began to run down that path.
Sierra, sneering at the sight, flicked her tongue as if she had just remembered something.
“Ah, of course, I didn't say I’d save the baby too. Leave that behind.”
Then, one by one, the insects began to climb the woman's body, targeting the child…
“No, no, don't.”
The woman shrieked and raised the hand holding the child to the sky, but it was a meaningless struggle.
“No, please, don’t, don’t!”
The moment the insects jumped from the woman's shoulder to the child, without any sign, they were instantly annihilated in a pure white flame.
“…?!”
Sierra's eyes suddenly widened.
What did I just see?
'Such powerful fire, yet it doesn't harm that woman at all?'
It wasn't over there.
The flames, surging like a wave, rushed from beyond the suspension bridge towards them, burning all the insects to ashes.
A man emerged from within the flames.
His worn straw hat, with threads pulled in places, exuded an unspeakable dignity rather than a shabby feeling.
His dark red, glistening coat, in the shadow of the hat, formed an eerie harmony with his burning red eyes.
All of them added power to the transcendent might emanating from the thunderous gauntlets on the man's hands and the staff woven from flames into a wizard's staff.
“Yes, this is how it should be.”
It was a voice that seemed to command the grand flames with a few words.
“You black mages should act like trash like this.”
“You are…”
“Aki is Aki!”
A red-haired girl appeared, embracing the woman and baby, and moving far away. The wizard in the straw hat spoke.
“It seems Zernix hasn't told you who I am, has he? Has he gotten dementia? Though it's remarkable he hasn't in a thousand years.”
“How dare this brat insult him!”
In response to Sierra's rage, the insects resonated, and countless scattered insects gathered together to merge into a colossal form.
The Abyssal Pit-Python, Paculakko.
One of the insect lord's creations.
It had a repulsive form more akin to a sand worm than a python, but it seems they were called by that name in the distant past.
“Did you think a lowly human could insult a pillar of the Black Church and get away unscathed!”
Paculakko, swollen to the size of a mountain in an instant, charged forward.
In fact, the suspension bridges of <Shriganakus> were severely damaged during the turmoil 300 years ago.
Thus, they had been partially reinforced with the technology of the Ain. Even the Ain could not match the technology of the gods.
Copper and iron plates filling the gaps of the past were ground away, causing the suspension bridge to shake violently, and a sinister metallic screeching erupted from the red chains supporting the bridge.
“Brat?”
The moment Rain reached out his hand towards Paculakko, which was gaping its maw wide.
“Watch your mouth.”
Light flashed from within the insect's body, and flames that seemed to scorch the retina instantly engulfed its massive form.
“What you see before you is an Archmage who has lived for three hundred years.”
Before Sierra could even recover from her shock, an intense shimmering heat began to rise above the explosion of flames.
No, perhaps it was precisely because of this that she didn't notice.
A flickering dimension, a prelude to the power that severs space-time. Extreme killing intent emanated from the Supreme Sacred Blade, Surpen.
“Space-Time Annihilation!”
The range of the slash was locally restricted.
To avoid harming the suspension bridge or the people beyond it, a short-trajectory slash was performed concisely.
“Th-this is…!”
At that moment, the hairpin Sierra wore in her long, tied hair exuded a murderous venom.
“Hmph, hahahaha! No, no!”
It was an amulet, a protective amulet bestowed by Zernix, the Second Pillar. A mighty barrier that even Fride's disciples could not pierce.
“He is with me!”
As before, a barrier of venom encircled Sierra.
And it seemed to effortlessly ward off the threat of death to the wearer, but…
*Crackle, clatter!* The moment space-time was severed, the venom barrier also shattered into countless dark blue fragments.
'His power was broken--?'
Before that thought could even fully form in her mind.
An arrow, appearing through the gaps of the shattering insect flesh, the heat of the flames, and the fragments of dimension, pierced her heart.
The ability of the White Spear Bow, Serwebon, manifested; the arrowhead split into countless tendrils, forcefully wrapping around and exploding the target's heart.
“…”
Blood flowed from Sierra's mouth.
She couldn't utter another word due to the incessant gush of blood.
Staring at Rain and Miria with eyes that gradually faded, she collapsed.
As the host-less insects were sucked back into the ancient abyss… Rain narrowed one eye.
'That power just now was clearly Zernix's.'
He had thought he needed to find Zernix's spiritual body to use 'that method', but can it be used on the leaders of the Black Church too?
An unexpected harvest.
Zernix is sharp-witted. He would have more experience in magic warfare than I do.
If he had tried that on a spiritual body, Zernix might have noticed something strange and fled…
“Rain!”
*CRACK!* Suddenly, a deafening roar like tearing metal ripped through their ears.
At the same time, a giant shadow fiercely loomed over their heads and then vanished like an arrow.
Such speed and power it was almost laughable; what Rain saw when he raised his head was a nightmare he had already faced 300 years ago.
“Puladon…!”
Bart, who had absorbed the impact of the dive with his keeled spear, was swaying, trying to regain his balance.
'If it weren't for Bart, I might have died just now…'
As cold sweat ran down his nose, Puladon let out a thinly piercing scream.
[Ah, Daddyyyyy…]
The ancient roar, tearing eardrums, made Setsunen let out a low shriek.
The cries of the Tuakis that covered the battlefield 300 years ago are still horrifying even after centuries.
At that moment, clear, bright lights adorned the sky one after another.
Serwebon's arrows, but Puladon evaded all of them with acrobatic movements that made one doubt their eyes.
“Too fast.”
Miria, gasping for breath from the recoil of using Space-Time Annihilation, murmured blankly.
“Pipi, Pipi, Pipi.”
Pipi spread her wings of flame and soared.
Puladon moved several times faster as if to toy with the fiery bird pursuing him, then, as if tired of it, swished his tail.
“Pi, Pipi!”
Dismay and anger forced Miria to compose herself.
But even if she tried to use Space-Time Annihilation again…
It was utterly impossible to force Puladon into the trajectory of the slash. He was simply too fast.
“Hehehe, dodging your sluggish attacks is nothing.”
A voice was heard from atop Puladon’s back as Aki kicked off a pillar of the suspension bridge, leaped, and caught the falling Pipi.
“I thank you for appearing here. I, Butem, will become the new pillar of the Black Church by offering your necks!”
Immediately after, Puladon descended at a terrifying speed. To Miria, who had rolled to avoid him as if throwing her body away, Rain said.
“Are you ready?”
“What?”
“I’m going to draw Zernix out now.”
Without waiting for Miria’s answer, as Rain cast off Seresia, pure white flowers bloomed crimson in his eyes.
“Bart, fix him so I can see him with Bell Querius! Just for a moment!”
Butem, sensing something unusual, pierced his own palm with a cursed awl.
Evil Death Pillar Body.
As if on cue, a giant hand and awl suddenly appeared on the suspension bridge, mimicking the caster's movements, but…
“Aki Punch.”
With a terrifying explosion of flames, it failed to pierce the palm and bounced off.
“Aki is ANGRY…!”
Not bad…
But even so, this attack is merely a feint. The real attack is from Puladon.
“Bart!”
When Rain formed the ninth hand seal, Bart, who had clashed head-on with Puladon, was pushed by its force and fell off the suspension bridge.
*P-P-P-POW!*
At that moment, Serwebon’s arrows struck the suspension bridge one after another, and vines sprouted from them, intertwining strongly to grasp Bart’s ankle.
“What the hell is that monster?”
In the dense forest at the entrance of the suspension bridge, Rem wiped cold sweat as he watched the vines pull Bart back onto the bridge.
‘Strength is not the problem.’
Bart, who had climbed back onto the suspension bridge and regained his posture, calmly reassessed the situation.
‘The problem is speed. The attack finishes before I can even get into position to send power.’
If only he could slow down that speed a little, just a little, it would be good.
Puladon circled in the air, then began to dive again with a howl, almost simultaneously with the sound of a noble prayer.
“May the Holy Light grant blessings.” (聖光許之以福)
This is, no, surely not.
Miria felt a shiver run through her mind and turned to the source of the voice.
“And said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” (謂之曰 生育衆多 充盈於地 地爲爾所治 並治海魚飛鳥 及地上諸生物)
This was the echo of a psalm.
The words from the Psalm of World Enlightenment (明世詩篇), most frequently used by Fride, the Dragon Oracle, during the turmoil.
‘No way.’
Although it did not possess the mighty control of the Psalm of Creation, its strength lay in being the shortest among the psalms.
‘Surely, no, even so.’
Its ability was wide-area slowdown, slowing the movements of beings contrary to the psalm, that is, those contrary to the providence of creation.
“Fride…?!”
Unfortunately, or perhaps quite naturally, the owner of that voice that appeared in <Shriganakus> was not Fride.
“Sacerin, the Oracle of Justice, appears.”
Still, for a moment, one couldn't help but be lost in such a delusion. For a moment, one couldn't help but dream such a dream.
For the witch’s robe, fluttering in the wind passing over the suspension bridge, was the very one Fride wore 300 years ago.
But the woman wearing it was not a beauty blessed by fire. She was a middle-aged woman, victim to the cruel flow of time.
“It slowed down──?!”
But the power of the psalm definitely worked, slowing Puladon's speed by nearly half.
It was still incredibly fast, but it was encouraging enough to make Bart's eyes gleam.
Without even picking up his keeled spear, Bart threw himself into Puladon's descent trajectory with both hands… and grasped its maw and body with both hands.
“!”
This is insane…
Butem’s eyes shook blankly.
This guy, he’s holding Puladon with human strength? Is he even human?
“Rain!”
Without Bart needing to shout, Rain already had his eyes fixed on the target.
Captured it perfectly.
This brief moment is enough.
As expected, this guy, like that insect woman earlier, holds Zernix’s power in his chest.
‘I will pull it out from there.’
Originally, space-time interference magic was not his specialty.
Because it was susceptible to abyssal interference, the Papal State had issued a ban on it a thousand years ago, after the era of Lyuken and Zernix had passed.
He couldn't master its essence by cramming now, but if he combined the powers of Seresia and Bell Querius, he could somehow use it.
Dor\/fix 8.723 obert.
The ability for Seresia to redirect an attack to another dimension when damaged—he was now modifying that dimensional coordinate to this very place.
‘You’re going to wait for me?’
And he traced back the source of the power resonating with Zernix, found its location, and inputted it.
‘Don’t make me laugh.’
Into the unknown variable of the calculation, the equation that manifests when Seresia is damaged, that is, the equation that deflects an attack to another dimension.
‘I’ll settle it right here, right now.’
Simply put, he modified the mathematical expression "redirect an attack" into the mathematical expression "bring Zernix here."
“Calibration initiated!”
Puladon, barely soaring back into the sky after a tug-of-war with Bart, but it was already too late.
“Ugh… Kuuaaaaaaaah!”
Butem's chest began to rip open. More precisely, the space-time where his chest was located ripped.
Without even time to scream, the increasingly long rip in the space-time rift tore Butem’s upper body and swallowed even Puladon’s wings, which were thrashing in the air.
As the ancient monstrous bird plummeted down the cliff, a presence that turned the area into a scene of terror and frenzy emerged from within the wound in space.
“Oh, dear?”
The man had long hair tied back, shimmering with the light of the abyss.
He wore a spacious Albrazm-style clerical robe, yet his tall, well-proportioned figure made him appear even more distinguished, a beautiful young man.
Innumerable eyeballs behind the blindfold covering his eyes blinked in confusion, surveying the drastically changed situation.
“Isn’t this <Shriganakus>? What on earth happened?”