Book 8 Chapter 24

Chapter 198

"Geltharia's gift of power to Big Brother seems truly beautiful."

Someone's voice is heard.

A voice as clear as moonlight faintly shining through on a summer night, clear enough to make one's heart ache.

"To unleash His power by reciting the story of creation, it's just like singing, isn't it?"

Whose memory is this?

The Black Yang scales, hung around his neck with a chain, burn hot.

"Truly beautiful."

Yes, this is Karenden's memory.

The being who calls Karenden 'Big Brother'── it's obvious, but it must be Tersia, who was the foremost deity among the <Ones Who Came>.

'No, this isn't the time to be thinking about such things.'

What's important now is merely that Karenden is pushing my back with the echo of this memory.

The true way to use the Psalms, the way Karenden handled the Psalms in the Age of Gods, flows directly into my brain.

I won't be able to use it exactly the same yet, nor will I be able to handle it exactly like Karenden, who fought against the ancient kings.

'Move forward.'

It's as if it's telling me.

To move forward.

"I'll finish this in 30 seconds, cover me."

I was confident that a 'Yes' would naturally come back from Bart.

"30 seconds? Are you provoking me?"

He doesn't wait for an answer.

Against the vortex of sword energy unleashed by the Dragon Slayer swinging his dragonbone spear, he unfurls a barrier of flames.

At the same time, he begins to recite sacred and holy words, the Poetic Words of Creation.

"Primordial Holy Light."

Resonating with its master's call, the phrases of the poetic words overlaid on the border of the inner world barrier surge up one after another.

"Creation of Heaven and Earth."

An immense amount of magic contained within each of those phrases, enough to send shivers down one's entire body.

"Earth is Void."

With the power of the Psalms of Creation, it should be possible to sever the connection between the Dragon Slayer's body and the Orb of Compliancy, a connection even Bell Quirius couldn't reach.

No matter how many impact-type techniques he pours out, it's meaningless. He regenerates at super speed anyway. Like Shar'kas or Nariaduk.

That's why Karenden must have told me this method.

"Vast Chaos."

Sacred letters unfurl translucently around the Dragon Slayer.

'Surely, these letters?'

The Dragon Slayer's eyes wavered.

Wasn't this guy a wizard? But he's wielding the power of the Psalms? Isn't it normal to maintain a fixed posture to use the Psalms?

And others should guard his side while it's being cast? But why is this guy charging forward?

"Interesting! You dare to show off in front of me?"

His leg strength, amplified to the extreme, shoots the Dragon Slayer's body forward with a shockwave.

*CRASH!*

Chains of flame, Jeoseoswaeranyeon, halve that momentum. Blocking the weakened dragonbone spear with his staff, he continues to recite the divine words.

"Abyssal Gloom."

A holy power rises above the barrier, and at the same time, the clarity of the strings of letters coiling around the Dragon Slayer gradually becomes sharper.

"Spirit of Holy Light."

Amidst the crossing battle cries of frenzy, endless flames and endless thunder violently clashed, causing explosions everywhere.

"Holy."

The dragonbone spear rapidly closes in.

"Light."

Three fiery projectiles forward.

"Said."

Golden lightning is nullified.

"When."

A swirling shockwave rips up the ground.

"There."

Chain slashes of a Heart Sword.

"Light."

The dimension is severed 36 times with a thunderous rupture. The collapse of the ground.

"Then."

A rune of quantity, maximizing defensive power, creates a flame barrier.

"Was."

Piercing through that barrier, the dragonbone spear and staff, charging with a vortex of lightning, clash. His left shoulder bone and wrist bone are simultaneously shattered.

"Light."

Among those witnessing that transcendent spectacle, Valensidis, who had the highest understanding of the Psalms, felt a shiver run down his spine.

'He's spamming 5-star magic while reciting phrases from the Psalms?'

To perform such an absurd mental calculation while simultaneously reciting phrases from the Psalms is no different from being asked to look right and left at the same time.

'But that guy is doing it so calmly.'

Of course, strictly speaking, it wasn't his power alone.

"Oooohwaaaaaaaaah───!"

Whenever a gap appeared, there was a black-iron warrior blocking the Dragon Slayer who lunged to exploit that gap.

"───Nwaaaaaaaaah!"

And there was a rain of bluish-white arrows persistently restraining the Dragon Slayer's movements.

'Although there's assistance…'

What kind of mage, exchanging close-quarters combat with a paramount swordsman of a previous era, could perform such an outrageous feat?

It was truly a transcendent spectacle.

The countless intersecting flames and electrical discharges were reduced to mere red and yellow afterimages.

"Archmage Lin fought for those who needed help."

Doran felt the words his sister used to say during his childhood flowing out from within those afterimages.

"Never backing down, not even caring if her own body crumbled."

"You're going to become that kind of mage too."

"One whose back people see hope in."

"Holy."

A vast amount of magic, condensing into the form of letters, whips up a storm.

"Light."

It's a Psalm with ultimate power, but there's a risk that if the incantation is broken even once midway, all the power built up until then will return to naught.

"Saw."

In other words, that duel ends if the Dragon Slayer can just shut Rain's mouth for an instant.

"Light."

The dragonbone spear, scattering the flame barrier into embers, came spinning ferociously.

Oh no.

No sooner had he barely dodged a slash imbued with not only overwhelming strength but also rotational force, than a spinning kick deeply lodged into his solar plexus.

"Don't underestimate me, Half-Dragon!"

A sonic boom exploded, saliva and breath burst forth from his lungs, and a powerful inertia was felt in his body.

"In my prime, I faced three Faequerius and one True Dragon──!"

All my ribs are broken.

Fragments of ribs pierce not only his lungs but all his internal organs. A fatal blow, spreading internal bleeding. He would have died if Seresia hadn't mitigated the damage.

"──with this one dragonbone spear!"

Just before the sword energy unleashed from the dragonbone spear was about to pierce Rain's heart, as he was slammed into a tree and spitting blood.

"Rain, don't stop!"

Namryun's secret art, Human Staff Guidance.

Bart's axe blade, wreathed in sword energy, flew in and clashed with the dragonbone spear, altering the sword energy's trajectory.

"Created…!"

Bart, who had then charged in, grabbed the axe handle and exchanged blows.

"Namryun's whelp."

As the ground was swept by shockwaves from the clash of heavy equipment, Rain continued his recitation of divine words, even as he spewed blood.

"Aki is here!"

And then, Aki, holding onto the hem of Rain's clothes as he was slammed into a tree, began to move him away from the battlefield.

'Don't be ridiculous.'

Arthur Brius's brow furrowed.

I am the Dragon Slayer.

I've overcome such lines of death countless times even in my previous life. Do you think I'd so vainly lose this second life I barely obtained?

"Good…"

On the spinning blade of the dragonbone spear, thunderbolt became a flash of light, performing a dance of sparks…

A thunderous rupture exploded, and Bart's axe and black armor, which had received that transcendent power with his entire body, were completely shattered.

His body, encased in armor, rolled on the ground, covered in blood.

"And…!"

Now it's the last phrase.

Before it's too late, he pours all his strength to finish it, Dragon Thunder Line Slash.

As a radiance that seemed to burn one's retina raged from the dragonbone spear the Dragon Slayer held high, three arrows struck its blade.

"──Divided!"

With this, two remain.

Roots sprouting from the arrows desperately halted the dragonbone spear's movement, which was about to plunge into the ground.

Was it because it couldn't be plunged into the ground? The transcendent power dancing on the spearhead erupted into the air as dozens of lightning bolts.

"……!"

Had the ultimate technique scattered pointlessly?

No.

On a tree in the forest, Rem, who was nocking a new arrow to Servebon's bowstring.

'That crazy monster.'

He had to run backward with all his might, feeling a shiver akin to panic.

'He aimed precisely at me in that instant.'

Immediately, dozens of lightning bolts swept through the forest, incinerating all creation within a 100-meter radius of the forest's center in an instant.

"Light──!"

One left.

Arthur Brius threw down his dragonbone spear.

His feet slammed deep into the ground, then he charged forward like an arrow. A Heart Sword of electric light roared desperately from both hands.

*Tzzzzzzzzzzzt…!*

Before those vocal cords could resonate.

Before the final resonance completed the Psalm.

'I'm faster.'

Currents swirled along his trajectory, the light-speed footwork said to be used only by those who had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship. The thunderous roar of lightning that had shattered the forest now finally resounded.

'My spear is half a beat faster.'

The Half-Dragon's eyes trembled, and he was seen swatting away the young dragon that was moving him to the other side.

'I won.'

And at the instant that Heart Sword was about to pierce Rain's neck, cut through flesh and muscle, and sever bone.

"──?!"

Something momentarily made Arthur Brius hesitate.

A sudden current of flames flying in, momentarily obscuring his vision, was it the Beast Slayer?

No, it's not the Beast Slayer. This is──

"──Darkness!"

The incantation of the Divine Word ends.

The letters that fluttered like embers above the barrier and around the Dragon Slayer weave into massive chains.

They bound the Dragon Slayer's mind and body, who had just entered a thrusting motion, precisely in that posture.

"Primordial Holy Light, Creation of Heaven and Earth, Earth is Void, Vast Chaos, Abyssal Gloom. Holy Light said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light. Holy Light saw the light as good, and separated the light from the darkness."

The power of Creation is to sever the connection of matter, phenomena, and soul, turning the target's power to naught.

The power to move the body, infinite magic, all matter, phenomena, and soul…

"Annihilate… Creation!"

Chains of flame, burning the atmosphere, constricted the Dragon Slayer's body and pierced his soul.

The story of the Psalms, containing the tale of creation, punishes the being who violated the providence of creation.

Amidst the clear yet deadly melodies each letter emitted, Arthur Brius, bound there, spat out his dying blood.

It's all over now.

Yes, I could finally end this story that way.

It should have been so.

'This is insane…'

In that moment of astonishment, that was all Rain could think.

"I, I, just with this much…"

Surely his whole body should have been bound by the Psalms of Creation, yet this guy's Heart Sword was aimed at his neck and slowly advancing.

"Did you think it would end…!"

This is absurd, even Nariaduk lost his power instantly.

"I, I…!"

Is it that the Orb of Compliancy, unlike the abyss, belongs to light, so the power takes longer to reach it?

"Until I become the paramount being…"

Or is it the obsession with the Orb of Compliancy, the tenacity of not wanting to give up the orb that has merged with his soul, that is prolonging the annihilation process?

"I won't die…!"

The stage beyond the limits of one's strength already ended long ago.

Dangerous.

He barely moves his head, avoiding the trajectory of the blade by a hair's breadth.

"It's already over, you bastard… give up the Orb of Compliancy… then at least you can die easily!"

Arthur, his dragon-scale helmet removed, spat blood onto Rain's face.

"Stop spewing ridiculous nonsense…! Don't blab so easily about getting the Orb of Compliancy for free…!"

Received the Orb of Compliancy just like that?

Why did he receive it?

No matter how you sugarcoat it, it's because of power, isn't it? Weren't you just like me, simply needing power…?

"In this cruel world where only the strong… can exist as humans…!"