Book 19 Chapter 22
161st Story
Langbard Workshop, Old Nobility Subjugation Battle (3)
"Scream, scream more! For you won't even be able to let out a shriek once you've turned to sand!"
The power that reaped both organic and inorganic matter without distinction was truly heinous.
Everything exposed to that power turned to nothingness—that is, sand and gravel.
This presented a massive challenge to Lista, whose main strength lay in conducting combat primarily focused on close-quarters battle.
‘I can’t keep my sword crossed with them for long! Exposure to that power means instant death!’
Amidst that heinous power, Serwebon of the White Bow radiated the light of fresh greenery.
The Continent's Foremost Bow, Kieus's Strike!
Brilliant rays of light split into dozens of strands, piercing through the sandstorm and violating the old noble's sacred body.
‘Extend, branches of the World Tree!’
The roots, deploying widely from the point of impact, should slow the target's movement…!
What in the world is this!
Look how even those roots instantly lose their life, wither, and crumble into dust! What strangeness!
"A good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. So by Your love, transform this land into good soil and trees, that they may bear beautiful fruit, Dyursiel!"
The urgent prayer offered by the young priestess immediately descended upon the target.
Shurigan's prayer, even a thousand years later, still conveyed the same light of love to the land.
Originally, the land around the old noble's territory had collapsed into a sand pit like an antlion's trap, leaving no space to step, but that power was regenerating the providence from the force of annihilation.
"Ah, ack…"
Even with the strongest talents of all time combining their strength, they were still at a disadvantage. Touraine trembled, taking a step back before the old noble's might.
‘I can understand it better after learning magic from Master.’
If one could be overwhelmed by a fragment of power, if one could despair at a fragment of power, this would be it.
‘That power, that ability is unbelievable.’
She had thought such emotions had completely disappeared, yet Touraine looked up at Frede with a pale face.
"H-how do we beat that… can we win?"
Then Frede lightly tapped Touraine's head with the edge of her hand.
"Why are you asking the obvious?"
Pipi crossed from Frede's shoulder to Touraine's head.
"We will. Somehow."
Frede gracefully fluttered her priestly robes and stepped forward.
"What's before you right now is the Hero's Party. There's no opponent we can't defeat."
After reassuring Touraine, Frede commanded a certain magician.
"You, take responsibility for Touraine and bring her to the rear. If anything happens, I won't let it go, so be prepared."
That magician's name was Yuslin.
A magician from Battle Unit 1, a genius who graduated top of her class from the Magic Academy <Delaiten>.
Enraged by Rin's arrogant remarks, she had come this close using a concealment spell, thinking 'Let's see how great he is,' only to be caught by Frede.
"Y-yes, yes! Understood!"
"N-no! I'll stay here too!"
"You'll only be a burden here! You and I, it's that level of combat!"
After confirming that Yuslin was forcibly taking Touraine away, Frede unrolled a long scroll of psalms.
"How long are you going to keep playing around? Let's finish this in one go!"
As Frede chanted a sacred prayer, the light of the Psalms of Divine Love, which had spread widely in the preface, began to rapidly shrink.
A variation of the Prayer of Genesis Psalms!
Crazy, a crazy master! The genius application of Rin's signature rune-engraving modification to the Psalms!
"!"
"!"
The Psalms of Divine Love soon dazzlingly enveloped and flickered around Lista's Shirupen and Kieus's Serwebon.
The principle of a barrier is simple.
If wide, it is thin and weak; if narrow, it is thick and strong. How could the power of the Psalms of Divine Love be any different?
‘Not on our bodies.’
‘The Psalms on weapons?’
The Hero, the Archery Master, and the Paladin instantly understood the priestess's intention.
"Barriers aren't just for defense. They can be used offensively."
The next moment, Lista's slash, which divided time into twelve fragments and inscribed her movements into each fragment, clashed with the old noble's sharp scythe!
Sand danced from the scythe's blade!
The power that led everything to annihilation was manifesting! But, but what is this!
"…!"
The Psalms of Divine Love that had surrounded the blade were moving onto the scythe's edge!
And that power!
Confined within a spherical barrier!
The power of annihilation merely swirled as a murky current within the barrier, unable to exert any force outside! An unprecedented way to use the Psalms of Divine Love!
[└(◈ㅇ◈))>->]
That's not all!
Behold how even the World Tree's vines, twisting and binding the old noble's body, are protected from the power of annihilation!
Targeting the old noble's vulnerability, Paladin Riven's holy spear thrusts forward.
No matter if it's an old noble, this would certainly be called a crisis.
Until now, anyone who had fallen to such a coordinated attack from the Hero's Party had inevitably died.
"With such a husk of creation… do you think you can stop me? Uhfufufu hahahahaha…!"
However, who was the old noble?
They were the ruler of the old era!
Just as they so easily shook off the "crisis" that the heroes had created with all their might!
"!"
In a moment even shorter than that instant, shimmering heat began to rise from all directions.
Twelvefold division of time!
By performing a Spatial-Temporal Extermination within these twelve divided moments, it is possible to drastically shorten the immense time required to wield such powerful force. Of course, it demands a great price in return.
"─────Spatial-Temporal Extermination!"
The sandstorm, caught in the fracturing dimensional rifts, was torn apart!
This made it possible to precisely pinpoint the main body within. For whom?
For Frede, the Priestess of the Fire Dragon, who, trusting her friends and comrades, had deployed the Psalms of Divine Love and was immediately chanting the Psalms of Creation at super-high speed!
"You, you've met the wrong opponent."
No sooner had the tale of creation ended on her tongue than chains of light suddenly erupted, piercing the magnificent body!
One, two, three, four, five!
These were chains of binding, and also chains of expulsion! A power that sent all darkness contrary to providence to the other side of the universe!
"MUuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"
Amidst the rampant light that seemed to rupture the darkness, the members of the Hero's Party exchanged smiles, panting.
Was it this simple?
Was this how they won?
Were even the old nobles, who were symbols of fear and nightmare as the old ruling class, no match for Lista's party?!
"──!"
"──!"
"──!"
What happened in that instant was something that left everyone speechless, unable to even dare to express their shock.
"Sand, only sand, is eternal in the flow of time! Uhfufufu hahahahaha… I shall inflict eternal suffering upon you vermin who interfered with the holy harvest!"
Lista, deeply cut by a scythe that suddenly appeared in the sand dust covering the city, rolled on the ground, scattering fresh blood and internal organs!
A critical hit among critical hits!
Hadn't Lista never before suffered such a fatal injury, her upper and lower body severed?!
"────LISTAAAAAA!"
Frede cried out in dismay.
‘Her left arm, which was on the same trajectory as her body being severed, was also cut off!’
If she didn't regenerate, didn't hurry to regenerate, even a Payquarier would die from excessive bleeding!
But the Dragon Blood Serum syringe was with her leather belt, which was with her lower body.
Ah, truly a crisis of life and death!
‘What, what happened?’
Even as Frede screamed Lista's name, she felt her mind go blank, utterly unable to comprehend the situation unfolding before her eyes.
‘Why, why are there two Lustful Baronets? No, three?’
The power of the Psalms of Creation had clearly banished him into a dimensional rift, just as the <Ones Who Came> had.
But, but how, how on earth!
How on earth was it possible for two more Lustful Baronets to appear?!
"Are you afraid of death? Uhfufufufu, I will grant you eternity. The blessing of becoming an eternal servant for His thousand-year kingdom!"
Kieus fully unleashed the power of the White Bow on the Lustful Baronet approaching Lista… but it was meaningless.
Another Lustful Baronet…!
…was blocking all of Kieus's arrows! There were actually two old nobles!
"I won't… let that happen!"
Rin, who had been pouring a barrage of magic onto the old ones surging into the preface, turned his body this way.
However, his fingers, which were spasming and now completely devoid of strength, couldn't even uncork the last magic potion.
The glass bottle of the magic potion fell at the boy's feet and shattered. Blue, viscous liquid splashed everywhere.
‘Ah.’
A glimmer, perhaps a handful.
The hope that might have remained was shattered with that bursting sound.
Any magic would have been fine, but he needed to use magic and couldn't.
"Come, Hagnis! Protect Lista!"
Frede, Kieus, and Rin were all desperately trying to do something, but they clearly felt the definite despair that no such action could save Lista.
Lista…
Was going to die like this…?
At that very moment, when a despair darker, more frightening, and more terrible than any darkness was about to invade everyone's minds, hearts, and even souls, there was "light."
"Tarhë (Light)."
"Roke (Strike down)."
"Ka yo Toshias (Upon the darkness)."
The spells used by witches were modified versions of draconic language that humans could use. In that process, the power of draconic language that could even alter the flow of nature was not given to mortal humans.
Draconic Language!
It was a power transmitted by the Black Sun Kalenden to its highest lieutenants, the Three Divine Dragons, and its origin is also said to be in the Seven Psalms of Creation.
‘Huh…?’
Rin realized that there was a light so brilliant and dazzling that it made the very fibers of his soul tingle.
No, it was just an overwhelming light.
He felt that there was such a light, with such intensity, saturation, and brightness that no darkness could overcome it.
‘The nature of the power is a lightning strike. But its essence isn't electricity. It's just light.’
As that light struck down, the sandstorm that was engulfing the entire city instantly vanished.
‘Me too, me too, someday.’
The four moons radiating light in the high night sky were visible so clearly. He wondered how long it had been since he had seen such a sky.
‘Will a day come when I can wield such power?’
That light, its master who wielded the authority of that light, descended upon this land with wing beats as quiet as light and as dazzling as light.
‘The light that burns all darkness.’
Onto the land stained by the shadow of annihilation, next to Lista, who was being sucked into the shadow of eternal destruction.
"Y-you are──!"
Lista's body was seen being sucked into the light of the Radiant Dragon. It seemed to be a principle similar to how the Golden Mane had swallowed [King's Flesh].
"──T-the, the, the Radiant Dragon His Highness!"
Because of the distance, Rin did not hear Frede's and Simian's exclamations filled with awe.
However, he knew without hearing.
Anyone would have known.
A dignity and status incomparable to true dragons, wyverns, or anything else.
The light that descended before their eyes that day was none other than Haraderyman, the Radiant Dragon, one of the Three Divine Dragons.