Episode 963 Divine Power – 7
Crunch crunch.
The sound of neck bones being crushed and shattered soaked the dim shadows. A neck nearly half-torn apart. The 12 nobles gushed out blood and died instantly.
Silence fell.
The remaining twelve nobles ignored the demons and stared only at Verden. Hardras watched Verden, commanding the demons to quietly reorganize their ranks.The moment anyone moved even slightly, the rigid atmosphere would burst in an instant.
‘Your’ second apostle───Arthur Tarenfold slowly assumes his stance.
His appearance as the first king of mankind was quite different from when he was the fanatical old man of Gargant.The man now was not a rag-clad, skin-dried monster.
Faded black hair peeking out from under the helmet. And a long beard.Piercing eyes.Distinct features.Dense muscles encasing thick bones.Armor and a cloak exuding dignity, bearing the traces of ancient battles.
There was a benevolent king who, for the first time in history prior to fate, ushered in a true golden age for humanity… a man also known as the Wise King.
O glorious humanity, promised the cycle.
The massive sword blade, befitting its master’s physique, slowly tilted toward the ground.The nobles’ demeanor changed completely.
Execute the Destroyer of Fate.
At the same time, Verden chanted.Magical power manifests.
The angle of the sky, the melody of the earth, the reverberation of the atmosphere.
The first magic tower incorporated the incantation magic system that existed before hierarchy magic into its knowledge.
A sequence of sentences reinterpreting ancient incantations into the modern common language of the continent. Incantation magic is fundamentally an irrational form of magic that causes phenomena within the world itself through language.If the meaning is fully understood, the magic is activated regardless of the language used.
Above all, the world he appealed to was the inner world, and therefore it was also Verden himself.There is no probability of failure for incantation magic.
Align the trajectories.
Eight beams of magical power soaring above Verden’s head merged into one, becoming a sphere and glowing.
Ancient Incantation: Flame
The sphere of magical power once again turned into hundreds of flame beams and poured down like a shower toward the nobles rapidly approaching from all directions.
The nobles skillfully weaved through the demons, extending their murderous intent toward Verden.Although they were like puppets incapable of even groaning in death, they seemed to possess an instinct to exploit the surrounding environment.
However, the ancient incantation magic cast by Verden belongs to the top tier of fire magic.Those who cannot even compare cannot close the distance to the mage.
Tududududung.
Seventeen guided fire beams pierced the entire bodies of two lower-ranking nobles. With burning holes in their brains and hearts, they collapsed.This brought the total number of nobles killed by the demons and Verden to five.
Two other nobles minimized the damage by slowing down, while two other nobles were pierced through two of their limbs without being able to react.
On the other hand, the remaining three nobles deflected the heat rays with their respective weapons, protecting not only themselves but also the King. Their agility was on a completely different level from that of other nobles.They were the High Knights, or High Nobles, who had established the Round Table, the King’s exclusive executive and administrative body.
Excluding the second apostle, the only beings who can reach me right now are those three.
There is no room for leisure.
Reducing the numbers first is the priority. Until my will is fully reflected in the weak ‘Divine Power’.
The heart beats.Gradually stronger.
Darkness intervened while Verden was casting his next spell. Hadras, standing alone in the way of the three high-ranking nobles, whispered in a low voice.
[These are the guards and the commanders… … Soon, troops arrive at the traitor’s call… … The fact that the army was not mobilized from the beginning… … The fact that I am still alive… … means that the traitor’s condition is not normal… … .]
He turned his head slightly while gripping the nobles’ weapons tightly.
[We must forcibly draw out the power currently granted to the traitor… … until he reaches his limit… … so that he can no longer remain in the shadows… … that is the only way out.]
The Crown of Darkness ripples.
Hadras forcibly pushed away the top three of the Twelve Nobles. Letting out a roar, he pushed Verden as far away as possible.On the other side of the battlefield where they had been blown away, a succession of deafening roars reminiscent of a battle between transcendent beings exploded.
The demons drove the enemy around Verden as if swirling.
[I will not allow access.]
A massive army, led by high-ranking demons, held back the nobles. One mid-level noble, whose mobility had been weakened by incantation magic, was engulfed by demons and disintegrated. Itwas a scene straight out of a battlefield.It was the first time such a large force had been assembled to defend Verden.
Except for Hardras, the individual demons’ abilities lag behind those of the 12 Nobles, butthe immediate difference in numbers is overwhelming.
Ancient Incantation: Hevantein
From the magic of Kirondar manifested by Verden, five flaming whips and magical chains instantly extend, attempting to ensnare Arthur’s limbs.Immediately afterwards, a fire demon comparable to a giant strikes down with a burning sword. Hundreds of grotesque tentacles explode, scattering thorns.
“To command demons…….”
Faced with an all-out attack with no escape route, Arthur lifted his right leg and slammed it down on the shadow.
Koooooong.
The air pressure surged. Incantation magic and the demons’ moves bounced back. The movement of objects appeared slow, as if time had stopped.
Arthur’s new model has disappeared.
Verden reacted to a speed that the demons could barely perceive. He took a large step back, his lips twitching. A sword blade hung in the wall.
“There is absolutely no hesitation. Last time, the World Tree intervened because of a taboo violation after inflicting a fatal wound on me, but does that taboo not apply here?”
The opponent is ‘your’ sword.
Since it is unpredictable, relying on past experience is a bad strategy and must be avoided.
A presence more intense than when we faced each other in Gargant pierced my skin. Facing it head-on is absolutely disadvantageous. I must maintain a favorable gap.
If you let them in three steps, bleeding is unavoidable.If you allow them in two steps, a fatal injury is inevitable.
If I don’t move, even the demons will be swept away.
Ancient Incantation: Trapirensa
The highest-level incantation magic sealed the sword energy and attempted to return its destructive power to the enemy, but in the brief moment that split even that instant, a red energy surged forth.A storm of energy originating from the rotation of the wrist shattered the magic and tore apart Verden’s chest.
Swoosh… … .
Verden’s figure disappeared.
A trick using clones.Incantation magic is as diverse as hierarchy magic.
Break, split, and pour out.
Ancient Incantation: Kardom
The nearby space shattered like broken glass windows, scattering fragments.At the same time, a sword wind swept through the area.
The sound cutting through the air does not move even a little away from my ears.
Arthur chased only Verden while excluding the demons, and Verden repeatedly evaded using sophisticated clones in a direction where there were no demons.
Kwagwagwagwagwang!
Sword energy and incantation magic intersected, and a chain of explosions obscured the vision. Arthur’s senses slowly began to detect the real Verden.Arthur could fully see through Verden’s state of mind in returning to the demons and the tactics he employed.
Crunch.
The teeth interlocked.
“Altruism, responsibility… it is not even laughable. As if merely mimicking a resistor were not enough, to harbor self-sacrifice and devotion within one’s very existence.”
Arthur stopped abruptly. Thegreat sword stood upright, leaving an afterimage.
It is beyond my station.
Arthur’s fanatical faith, displaying utmost contempt, rises in the darkness.
‘Your’ Power –
The fragments and bloodstains of the nobles, torn apart by the demons, came together again to form their original shapes, and the King’s army swarmed in from the light that illuminated the shadows.
Fate is eternity, and eternity is a cycle.
Like a dragon that endlessly regenerates by devouring its own tail, beings bound by fate shall repeat the cycle of reincarnation as long as the connection remains unbroken…They live on in memories of the time when they roamed the glorious battlefields following the first king of the past, without even the awareness that life and death have been repeated.
There is no free will of sentient beings.It is unnecessary.Because they feel themselves to be autonomous beings.
The puppet on the stage is free.
“For humanity!!”“Glory of victory to the King!”“Waaaaaaah!!!”
Demons standing against humanity’s advance, two races clashed in the center of the shadows.
[The traitor’s henchmen… …!]
[Hahaha! I will offer this as a sacrifice to the spirit of the gods.]
When high-ranking demons slaughtered the soldiers, they gathered their strength to fight back. Furthermore, exceptionally strong humans emerged from among the soldiers and retaliated by slaughtering the demons.
The head of a demon that had followed Verden until not long ago lay on the ground.
“Kelm.”
Verden felt a twist of nerves as he reflexively repeated the name of a low-level demon. A soldier stomped on and crushed the head of Kelme, who was smiling weakly.In that single moment when hostility surged, heavy footsteps struck like a beam of light.
heavy horn
Taaaaaaang!
Arthur’s charge, having accurately identified the main body based on his combat experience among the near-perfect clones.Even without direct contact, the energy enveloping his shoulders delivered the impact.
Verden, who had swept through the human army with his whole body, collapsed onto a hill of shattered human corpses and hung his head back.
“To speak of lasting affection on the battlefield—what an immature god. It is unbefitting of perfection… for a leader is undeniably a being who is covered in the blood of all.”
Arthur paid no heed to the fact that his allies had suffered casualties in the previous blow. He would have acted the same way even without the
Coveting small things leads to losing big things, and one must also know how to give up small things for the sake of big things.
What must be sacrificed?What must be discarded?
If you are a ruling being, you must always ask yourself that question.If you cannot do so, you are not qualified to reign.
“In the rift of this bodyless world, since you are not an elf, you cannot receive protection from the World Tree’s taboos. Moreover, incompleteness, arrogance, greed, compassion, and conceit. The causes of your downfall are countless.”“…….”“This is truly the end of one who destroyed fate.”
The energy condenses and takes the form of a technique.A sword sound rings out.At that moment, two heads of high-ranking nobles flew in and rolled at Arthur’s feet.
[Demons… … The corrupted one who severed the back entrusted to him by his comrades… … How dare he teach anyone.]
Hadras, having killed two high-ranking nobles and severely wounded another, left the finishing blow to Cranbel and stood guard in front of Verden. Althoughhe, too, was not lightly wounded and was bleeding profusely, his faith showed no signs of weakening.
It is troublesome if a high-ranking noble is revived, but it would be burdensome for the traitor to sacrifice a considerable amount of power to bring the high-ranking noble back immediately.
You cannot create something out of nothing.The manifestation of phenomena is inevitably accompanied by consumption.
The same goes for fate.
[Our God… … We truly stood on the front lines without anyone’s coercion… … So do not pity our noble deaths… … Only by crossing that mountain… … can we finally face them.]
“…….”
[There is no war without sacrifice….]
Verden rose to his feet, leaning on the fragments of humans entangled in fate.Blood flowed from the corners of his mouth.His heavily disheveled gray hair obscured his blue eyes.
“I have never harbored the illusion of seizing victory without suffering any casualties. Just like those devils who willingly threw away their lives, someone will die. I am aware of it without being told… I simply will not tolerate it.”
[Oh God… … .]
If anyone must shed blood first, it is me.
Whether usurping Black Hour or taking revenge on the Bohemian Magic Tower, Verden spared no effort to minimize damage.Verden always faced the strongest on the front lines.
If sacrifice is absolutely necessary, I will simply make a greater sacrifice.
There was no wavering in that determination.
“Until no one needs to be sacrificed.”
Verden straightened his right thumb and stabbed hard in the heart area.
Why is it that one is forced to use only incantation magic in the Rift of Worlds? Why is it that one cannot unleash full magical power even though one’s level remains the same?
This is because there is no horsepower circuit responsible for output.
───[This place is not a world… … a ‘rift between worlds’… … also a passage where unpermitted souls flow in… … and … the iron fence of fate.]
If this place is a passageway for the soul, then Verden can also be interpreted as meaning “soul” in the present day.
Thus, only the magical power of the heart, directly connected to his existence, the magic circle of the reversed heavens, his ash hair, and the blue eyes representing his magical power were connected.After all, modern magical circuits are merely the magical organs of the First Demon King, limited to the physical body.
To unleash my true power, I must construct a magic circuit. Directly within my soul.
Truly a divine idea.
Since divine power has no fixed form, it will be able to manifest a magical circuit. The magnitude of the divine power was still insignificant, so it could not easily accept that complex will… but now it is satisfied. Forhe possesses an absolute will that fills even the 부족한 power. The ideal of a transcendent being that ordinary gods cannot possess.
Enough time has passed.
A channel of magical power extending from the heart instantly took root within the soul. Brain, hands, feet. Magical power began to flow from the head to the tips of the limbs.
Kugugugugugugugugugugugu───!
A massive and pure magical power, reminiscent of the World Tree, overwhelmed the shadows of the rift.The sleeping path of Verden opened.
Mado
Madou
With the flames of rage blazing, the final realm of the Fallen Flames, the Lunar Eclipse, was permanently open. Hadras’s mind froze as he witnessed the magical power of destruction intermittently flashing around Verden’s body.
[Um… … the power… …?]
The demons temporarily ceased the war and looked up to their god. Humans, having submitted to their fate, instinctively displayed the emotion of fear.
Fragment.
Arthur’s hand tightened.
A fragment is visible.
A presence that stirred the souls of everyone, as if he were the master of the world. Arthur had experienced a similar feeling in the past.
‘The Absolute’s…’
