Episode 924 The Glory of the Dead (11)
The Glory of the Corpse, which had stockpiled power and information, secured the Great Corpse’s left leg in the Kingdom of Estiria and its left arm in the Western Continent.The Theocracy of Luas, which was guarding only the torso and right leg, succeeded in recovering the Old King’s right arm from the Republic of Beldirn during the Bone Dragon incident.The last remaining head is on an unknown island that has risen in the Inland Sea of Hyaremar.
Now that the whereabouts of the physical body that Draben and Lunesika had been searching for have been revealed…If the six body fragments are joined together to complete the ritual left unfinished in the past, the strongest transcendent being who has overcome life and death will be born.
Now the key was how to gather His Majesty’s fragments in one place.
Even if all the body parts were captured, they could not be moved individually.The risk was high.If even a single one were stolen, the resurrection would be in vain. The moment the body parts stored in the sanctuary were taken, there would be no room to hide him.
To increase your chances of winning, you must disperse your forces minimally and strike in a single burst. By pouring out every means and method at your disposal, without considering the future.
The conversation with Lunesica flashed through my mind.
───You’re saying you’ll transplant His Majesty’s body into the Commander’s body and transport it yourself… …?
───There is no other way to complete His Majesty’s ritual within a short period of time. Is it possible?
───If it’s the Captain, it might be possible. With Animus, he could stabilize the homeostasis conflict and reduce the burden.
Draven can withstand the death energy residing in the Great Corpse. If he connects not only the nerves of his limbs but also his soul, he will be able to control it as if it were his own.Since he does not lose his physical functions, his existing combat power will not be weakened.
───But that is exactly as far as it goes. If Your Majesty uses even a fraction of your physical abilities, your balance will be twisted, and your homeostasis will gradually collapse. The Commander’s soul, connected to Your Majesty’s limbs, will be destroyed as well, won’t it?
To this, Draven replied.
It doesn’t matter.
Thus, Draven severed his own body and grafted His Majesty’s body onto it.The surgery was performed by Lunesica.
Body Carrier.Draven Lemarkre.
The jade body of the Great Corpse was physically severed, but not strictly separated from one another.The six pieces are connected by death.
It was also due to this influence that Draven sensed the location of the three body parts sealed somewhere in the sanctuary as the distance narrowed.
and.
The moment the power of the old king was unleashed, the death connecting each of His Majesty’s bodies became more intense.
Kugugugugugugu… … !
The aura of death spreading from Draven’s left arm engulfs the surroundings. Trembling bodies. The divine power of the newcomers is pushed back, failing to purify or repel the energy.Even the sanctuary of Abenka began to shake, unable to suppress the rampant death.
The holy sword [Luens] reacts fiercely.
Romanus’s hand, having opened the Bible [Omen Code], was stained with light.
“O Luas! The power to oppose the death that must not exist!”
A sense of omnipotence enveloped Leonhardt’s body, which had been granted a miracle. A power that seemed capable of doing anything pushed him forward.
Seonghwi: Education
The Holy Slash learned from Cardinal Deello slices diagonally.Although it is the first time he has wielded a holy sword to kill a person and the first time he has faced a transcendent being, Leonhardt remains unfazed and channeled his rage toward Draven into the tip of his sword.
You can do it.
After the world conference ended, I devoted myself to receiving the necessary training as a newcomer.
Saints, Popes, Cardinals, Archbishops… all aided his growth with all their hearts.Thanks to them, Leonhardt was able to lay the foundation of his faith and enter into deep meditation, and today, he has finally achieved union with the Holy Sword.
Burn your anger and sublimate it into light.
The Holy Sword [Luens] whispered this into Leonhardt’s mental realm.Indeed.Leonhardt’s rage was not his, but the resentment of those wounded by the glory of the corpse.
The tragedy of Tyr Village must never be repeated anywhere in the world. I cannot let my mother and younger sister, Celia, suffer such pain again.
Before the sacred light, base darkness shall not dare to resist.
Did you say Leonhardt?
Watching the holy sword approaching precisely between his neck and collarbone, Draven grabbed the hilt of the demon sword [Morbein] with his left arm.
Immature.
The moment the holy sword and the demonic sword clashed, Leonhardt lost his balance. Purely crushed by the force, one of his knees slammed into the ground.
Seventeen rings and chains of light were generated, connecting Draven’s entire body with the Bible. Powerful binding forces and gravitational pull restricted Draven’s actions.
Crack, crack, crack.
The hallway splits wide.
Leonhardt trembled and barely managed to support the Holy Sword. The Demonic Sword, having pushed even that away, reached Leonhardt’s trapezius.
“Ugh……!”
Blood drips down the blade.
The loop of the Bible was pulling, but Draven did not budge. He looked nonchalant, as if he felt nothing.
“800 years is a much longer time than you imagine. It is a time when generations change dozens of times, facts become legends, and legends become fiction. The same is true of the records handed down in the Kingdom of Luas.”
Leonhardt bent his upper body sharply, released the pressure, and slashed through the lower section. The demon sword, now held in a reverse grip, blocked its trajectory.
“No matter how much truth is conveyed, if the reader does not empathize, the truth is endlessly diluted. Ultimately, it transforms into distrust. Honestly, isn’t that the case? Your Majesty… How can you understand and fear the power of the one you call the ancient king when you have never even met him?”
The servant of light summoned by Romanus drew the bowstring and shot out arrows of light. Draben caught them in the blink of an eye and crushed them.
“You must not resurrect the ancient king. If the ancient king returns to this era, the continent will be stained with blood. This fear and anxiety you possess are merely emotions learned from the older generation. You hold onto hope because you have not realized it deeply within your hearts. That is why you are destined to remain immature forever.”
Leonhardt immediately dove to the right, slashing through the air with a feint, then spun half a turn and swung the holy sword with all his might.Draven, who had switched the magic sword to his other hand, grasped the holy sword with his left hand.
Leonhardt flinched.
“The Holy Sword with bare hands…?”“I wonder what it would have been like back then.”
Draben recalled the War of the Transcendents that had burned half the continent.Even the newcomers who had fought against him with all their might.
Benslav and Ethanveld would have stopped me right here and now, somehow sacrificing their lives. Burning their bodies with sacrifice rather than hope, just like you.
The air current changes.
“This is truly a fragment of the despair you will face.”
Type 1 – Glaros.
The swordsmanship of the Xerion Empire was recreated by the hands of Emperor Xerion. The roots of the Empire’s swordsmanship originated from him in the first place.Draben had merely received the swordsmanship from the Emperor in the past.
Marking pressure that draws a line.
The servants of Luas summoned by the Pope were crushed and vanished, and the chain of light connected to the Bible shattered into pieces and turned into light.The underground of the sanctuary was severed.Leonhardt and Romanus flinched a step later than that.
Swaaaaaaak───!
Cracks appeared in the holy robes and armor, and blood soaked the corridor and walls.Was I cut?When?The hand of the old king fell upon Leonhardt’s pupils, which trembled with bewilderment. In an instant, his head was slammed against the wall, and the tip of a blade struck his neck.
Phew!
A sound piercing the flesh echoed.
* * *
Drip… … drip… … drip… … .
The tip of the demon sword stopped right in front of Leonhardt’s throat. It was because the hand that had been pierced in a straight line had grabbed the middle of the blade.
You learn fast, Pope.
Draven twisted the blade sharply.
Crunch crunch.
The flesh is torn.The fragmented hand bones are dislocated.
“That is sacrifice.”“For the one who has sacrificed others to such an extent… to speak of sacrifice. Don’t you think it is a contradiction?”
Romanus bent his fingers to block the demon sword from advancing further. Clothed in the light of the Bible, he was like a fortress wall.Even amidst pain that felt like his nerves were being torn apart, he protected Leonhardt.
At that moment, Romanus displayed insight.
“Not only is your body being destroyed, but your soul is also greatly distorted… Draven, the Old King’s body is killing you.”“I know.”“What exactly is your ideal… that you would kill yourself like this…!! Is loyalty to the Old King merely everything? Sacrificing everything to resurrect the Old King? No, that cannot be it. Aren’t you thinking about what comes after that?”
His Majesty’s resurrection, and what comes next──
Romanus’s holy voice penetrated the very slightest crack in Draben. As if making a confession, some of his hidden inner thoughts were revealed.
“This is…….”
Draven parted his lips.
“This is revenge.”“Revenge…?”“They worshipped the Light. They acted according to the doctrine of the Light you teach, and tried to live in the world with goodness rather than evil. Even though they died young in the end, their hearts were as pure as the Light you worshipped. Pure enough to go to Luas’s side rather than to hell.”
It was unclear who Draven was referring to when he mentioned them, but judging from the context, it seemed to imply children.
“But their souls, hmph!”
At that moment, Draven shook his head once and regained his senses.Anger mixed with murderous intent.
“You have quite a few petty tricks for a Pope. A god who can do nothing but guard.”“It is my duty to listen to sins, report them to God, and beg for forgiveness.”
Romanus’s eyes flashed.
Step aside!!!
Immediately after a dazzling flash pushed through the space, Leonhardt, having finished recovering, delivered a front kick and slammed Draven into the opposite side of the hallway.It wasn’t a particularly significant impact, but his vision wavered for a moment.
‘My soul is having a seizure… Is it this much just from swinging the sword once?’
Indeed, the only being human born with transcendence.I was actually glad.My conviction that only Your Majesty could achieve my ideals grew even stronger.
“Holy One, from now on, you must draw out the full power of the divine artifact. Is that possible?”“Yes, Pope.”
Although the sword wound has not yet healed, I have no choice but to entrust it to the divine power.Light is immortal.Cutting off the lifeline of a transcendent being of the Faith Realm was a more difficult task than killing a transcendent being of another realm. It was the same in the War of the Transcendents.
Leonhardt and Romanus stood side by side, focusing on their respective artifacts.
Transcendent divine power burst forth like an explosion, illuminating the surroundings with radiance. Without delay, Leonhardt took the lead, with Romanus providing support.
and.
Draven walked toward them.
* * *
Several vibrations shook the sanctuary.
Even though it was the first time the Pope and the Saint were working together, they were in harmony and manifested a miracle.The battle turned into a war of thorough attrition… … They tried to steer it in that direction, but they did not fully understand the power of the ancient king.
Kwaaaaaaaang!
Parts of the sanctuary’s basement collapsed.The passageways were covered in debris.
Pope Benslov’s soul was set up so that no one other than the clergy could enter. Draven had infiltrated the sanctuary and hurriedly used Animus.The soul had become extremely unstable, so it wouldn’t last long, but it bought time.
However, seeing that Verden had not yet arrived even though there would have been a gap to enter the sanctuary at that time, it seemed that Grimmel had succeeded in holding him back.
It was useful.
No helpers will come to assist the Pope and the Saint. This is because their engagement was not long enough for reinforcements to arrive.
chin.
Draven Lemarque gasped for breath as he placed his hand on the edge of the collapsed wall. Although there were many wounds, large and small, caused by the gaps created by the soul seizure, there was no surprise in the outcome.
Leonhardt, visible behind him, was leaning against the wall with his head bowed, while Romanus was buried in the rubble with only his hands sticking out.The two newcomers of the Ruas Theocracy were each submerged in their own blood.
“……your majesty.”
Draven stepped into the secret chamber of the sanctuary where the ancient king’s body was sealed.The torso, the right arm, the right leg.The sanctuary of Abenka itself is sealing the holy relics of evil, tainted by death. Forcing them to break would result in a tremendous loss of resources.
Saint Ethanbelt.
Draven extended his right hand.
Release the seal of the sanctuary.
The soul of the young man—Ethanbelt—manifested and gradually scattered light. Romanus’s voice was heard from outside the secret room.
“O Former Saint……! Do not listen to the words of the wicked……!”“You are persistent.”
To think that Romanus would miraculously regenerate after having his neck half-severed, his arms and legs severed, and his body crushed by debris.
Certainly, the newcomers of this era were stronger and more unique than those of the past,with the exception of the unfinished saint.
It’s already too late.
Ethanveld’s soul turned his head and met Romanus’s gaze. Then, as if apologizing and resigned, he shook his head,just as Pope Benslav’s soul had made a second plea to the angel on his behalf.
Just what on earth is that gauntlet…?
My heart was devastated by the fact that the previous generation of newcomers were being manipulated and unable to find peace, and by the reality that the first servant could ultimately not be stopped.
Sanctuary Abenka was far too vulnerable to the newcomers chosen by the divine artifact.Had it not been for that, this would not have happened.
Whoosh.
Light that sinks quickly.
The unsealed bodies of the ancient kings resonated and overwhelmed the surroundings. Draben took out the three coffins stored in the artifact and kept them.
“Rune…….”
Is it because I moved too much?
Blood flowed from the eyes.It was pitch-black, dead blood.
Draven squeezed out a voice, enduring the sensation that his soul was separating. He staggered and grabbed the ropes connected to the three pipes.
“Luneshka, open the way.”
As the magic of Animus and Lunesica, who were already connected, reacted with one another, a passage made of souls opened.If one crossed over, Lunesica, who had prepared an altar, would be waiting.
Bang.
Romanus desperately unleashed divine power and grabbed his ankle. Ethanbelt’s soul closed his eyes in sorrow.
“Many people will die……!”“I know.”
Draven did not stop.
It is something I was prepared for a long time ago.
It was then.
Leonhardt, whose heart had been pierced, grabbed the Holy Sword and charged straight in. He had healed on his own. Even a fatal wound that had led to death.
“Draven!!!!!!”“I definitely killed him……?!”
Draven’s body stiffened.A soul seizure.Unable to swing his sword, Draven threw himself into the soul passage along with his coffin. Leonhardt followed him and disappeared inside.
“Th-this… the Bible [Omen Code]! Please protect the Son by any means!”
The Bible flew away like a beam of light and disappeared into the nearly closing passage of the soul.
Silence soon fell.
“Oh…… Lord Luas…….”
* * *
An unknown island, the bottom of the underground.
As Lunesica finished the altar and gazed quietly at the passage of souls, soon Draben and three coffins came over.
“Director, you’ve been quite busy, haven’t you…?”
On top of that, an uninvited guest.
“Saint?”“Haaah!!!!”
Draven deflected Leonhardt’s sword strike and unleashed a punch. Just before his ribcage was crushed, the Bible protected the Saint’s body.She widened her eyes upon seeing Leonhardt, who had been sent flying into the corner.
“What? What happened? Wasn’t Grimmel supposed to be here too?”“Never mind. The situation.”“The altar is finished, but there’s a huge commotion.”
Lunesica narrowed her eyes.
“The Transcendents are coming.”“……I see.”
It looks like this place will be the venue for the decisive battle.
It’s faster than expected, butit’s an anticipated risk.
You proceed with the ritual. I will handle it according to plan.
Draven immediately gathered his strength and prepared for the final battle. At that moment, an all-too-familiar and tiresome presence spread through the island’s underground.
“no way.”
bang!
Draven smashed the wall.
“You’ve chased me all the way here, Verden…!!!”
