Episode 1184 The Sixth Apostle (8)
Defeated by the Red Dragon Sarkandra, he was stripped of his life and soul, and his corpse and soul were processed to transform into the Evil Dragon Nekbael.When he refused the position of an Apostle, he was reduced to slavery and used as a killing machine for the mission of the Sixth Apostle. There was no bottom to the wretchedness of the vanquished.
[Kraaaaaa!]
I wish for fate and the resistors to all die. It doesn’t matter if the world is destroyed. What does it matter what happens after I die?
If only I could relieve this endless hatred, even for a moment…
BANG!
The brutal offensive of the Transcendents shattered Nekhbael’s scales. Not even the Dragon Language could harm them. Whenever Meia foresaw the future, Deus Widen thoroughly blocked the Dragon Language.Their harmonious magic protected the World Alliance’s supreme power from the Evil Dragon.
Are you trying to preserve your power?
Resistors.
The war of the Sixth Apostle is merely an inevitable process. Ultimately, it is one of the preparations for the War of Destiny. Since both ‘you’ and Oldarc are keeping the end in mind, they would naturally want to minimize unnecessary manpower losses.The more Transcendents die here, the more displeased Oldarc will be.
He defended against Vangelis’s magic with his wings, struck the Beast King with his tail, defeated the exterminators with his breath, and headbutted the angel summoned by the Pope.
As all the Divine Beings of Light gathered, the death of nature caused by Nekbael was delayed. The nightmare of the Maren Kingdom could not be reenacted at this battleground.
At that moment, the spears unleashed by the Saint and the Demon’s Terror shattered the Dragon’s Eye and Dragon’s Bone, respectively.
[Hahahahahahahaha!]
Nekbael laughed as he spewed out blood spurted with terrible deception. He couldn’t help but laugh. The greater the pain, the more absurd the world felt.
Look.
In the end, it is a puppet show.
Even if the wheel of fate disappears, nothing changes. There are only characters moving according to the script of the Almighty.
Intelligent beings will run wild as if they possess agency, but once they step off the stage, they will collapse like puppets with their strings cut. And they will be recycled or incinerated… they will ultimately meet one of those two fates.
Crackle.
The holy sword, aided by Grand Duke Rivandale’s wave, dug into the already broken scales.
‘… … Oh, gray.’
When I was still a hatchling, I once ventured into the human world for play. It was not the Evil Dragon Nekbael, but the Blue Dragon Talisia. I was not alone then.Together with the primordial dragon, I watched a famous play in an ancient city. It was an epic of war performed by lead, supporting, and minor characters.
───[How do humans laugh and chatter while watching something this boring?]
───[Humans immerse themselves in a vividness that we cannot physically perceive. In doing so, they consume that illusion that they, too, have become a part of the narrative.]
───[To think you enjoy such an illusion… … it is ridiculous.]
───[That’s true, though. Well, anyway, if they’re happy with it, what does it matter? They must be the protagonists in their own fragile lives, too, just as we think only of ourselves.]
I felt a deep sense of revulsion at his remarks, which seemed to equate the perspective of a mighty dragon with that of a base human, but it was only after death that I came to truly understand it.That even Talisia herself was no different from the puppets on that stage.
What is the subject?
Subjectivity might have been a delusion from the start.
Nekbael objectively believed that ‘you’ would win. Because he thought she was right. Moreover, she was already the winner.The stage and the script were already hers. No matter how hard Oldarc struggled, she would never be able to win on ‘that stage and that script.’
The wheel of destiny is rebuilt.That has already been decided by this war.
I am sorry that I could not save you… … Father of all dragons.
Since the primordial dragon does not die, ‘you’ confined it somewhere.You will never be able to meet him again.
Kugugugugung… … !
Even if Nekhbael possessed power on par with the Four Great Dragons, he could not turn the tide of battle.He could not defeat the Transcendents standing before him.Molgarn, the Archdemon of the Legion, died that way. He, too, would die that way.
Before that, I will take at least one person as a travel companion.
Nekbael accumulated the Dragon Language and Breath within his body without exhaling them.Deus reacted immediately. He likely intended to reduce the scale of the explosion, but would it really work as planned? He didn’t particularly care if it didn’t work.After all, it was a matter of death.
There is no next for me.
Nekbael emitted light. A dark green glow extended beyond its scales. At the same time, its presence intensified, causing a change in the sky.
“Self-destruction…?!”“Hoho, a direct hit would leave no trace.”“Everyone, come behind me!”“Oh, Lord Luas!”
The 7 Great Demon Kings, Saints, and Saintesses unleashed their full power of magic and miracles.
Kugugugu… … !
Nekbael bared his sharp teeth. He concentrated excessive power with the intention of obliterating the entire region. The sensation of internal organs bursting was vivid.A crack formed in his heart as well, and the dragon’s power overflowed outward along with the blood.
The ground began to collapse.
Nekbael roared silently and raised his head toward the sky of the masterless land.
My next move is… … .
At that moment, I opened my eyes wide.
A faint gray reflected in his pupils, which had been stained a complete dark green. As he gazed at the Citadel, the sense of presence that had been growing endlessly came to a halt as if by magic.
[Hahaha… …]
The radiance eventually weakens.The fading sign.
Nekbael suddenly let out a low laugh and glared at the bewildered transcendents.
[There might be a next time.]
For the first time—and for even a brief moment—he, having voluntarily suppressed the anger and hatred planted by fate, poured out his feelings with a light heart for the first time in a long while.
I acknowledge you.
At that moment, the terror of evil surged.
Smack!
The massive spear, crafted from dragon material, was completely submerged within the wounded scales. Nekbael’s heart was pierced from a depth where not even the hilt was visible.
Hemolysis poured out.
Smoke rose from the armor of demonic terror, but he paid no heed.Rather, as he savored the dragon’s blood, his excitement seemed to reach its peak; with strength nearly rivaling that of an ancient dragon, he drew his spear in a single stroke, slashed the neck, and thenstomped his foot to shatter the earth while piercing the massive skull with a throwing spear. Strangely, Necbael offered no resistance.
The moment the light went out in Nekbael’s single remaining eye, the Dragon Language that had not yet disappeared and remained inside his body lost control.
Deus reached out his hand, his eyes flashing.
Kwaaaaang──────!
The aura of death engulfed the area.
“Ugh…….”“Ugh…….”
Even though it was a weakened explosion, a powerful load was felt beyond the shield.Soon, death subsided.
“……Is he dead?”“……I guess so.”
Nekbael turned into fragments and was scattered here and there. However, parts of its large body remained.
Crunch! Crunch! Sizzle!
The demonic terror pierced, shattered, and crushed what had been Nekhbael. His armor was damaged from a direct hit by an incomplete self-destruction. Part of his mouth was visible through the broken helmet. He was laughing with hatred.
That guy isn’t in his right mind either.
King Su chuckled.
“Haa, haa……!”“Oh no.”
The saint collapsed as the wound inflicted by the former king rapidly worsened, and the Pope urgently supported her. The saint could barely walk at that point.
“Do not move anymore, Saint. We will take care of the rest.”“I was asking… uh…?”
The saint pointed upward while lying on the floor.
“The Pope…… The island, the Citadel…….”“The Citadel?”
Only then did the gazes turn upward.
The sky island, having risen to a much higher altitude than before, is tilting. Expressions gradually turned to astonishment. It was an unmistakable sign of a crash.
Time seemed to be flowing slowly.
If a mass of that magnitude falls from that height, the survival of the World Alliance is not the only issue. This region—no, this entire ownerless land—will be completely devastated…!
Vangelis calculated the impulse.
King Su calmly observed the situation with his hands clasped on the back of his head.
“Can’t you intercept it with super-level magic?”“The only being capable of such a thing with magic would be my progenitor…!”“Damn it… He had even the punitive expedition from the Four Sects gather here. Was the Old King planning this from the start, assuming defeat?”“The Saintess? Th-this holiness, what on earth….”
The scale of the island is such that even super-level magic, let alone transcendental magic, cannot even dare to attempt it. Even if everyone joins forces, they cannot physically reduce even a quarter of it.
Vangelis turned his head.
“Master of the Lefragium Magic Tower! Is there a way!”“…….”
Meia gave a sidelong glance.
Deus Widen was simply watching the island’s demise. He was referring to the very scene he had originally intended to prevent by using Castian to instantly kill the Sixth Angel with [Lugina Horn].Of course, he had long since prepared a way to stop the Citadel from crashing.
However, I had no intention of stepping forward if possible.
You take responsibility, Verden.
Because it is Verden’s choice.
* * *
Kuu… … .
Akhand revealed the Citadel and gathered the total power of the World Alliance into the ownerless land.Upon understanding the mission of the Sixth Apostle, his intentions became clear.
The fall of the Citadel was not a hastily concocted plan.
Akand had known for 800 years that he could not win the war. The power of the continent was too great for a mere Apostle to handle.Although he could inflict considerable damage globally, the future in which he would ultimately be executed was immutable.
As a result, annihilating the World Alliance at the cost of self-destruction and collecting a large number of souls.
The grand finale of a war decided from the start.
It cannot be destroyed by super magic.
It is smaller than the islands in the Hiaremar Inland Sea, but its density is on a completely different level. The Citadel is a form derived from none other than ‘your’ power.
“For you, only a god can stop this. Now… how about that, Verden.”
Akand smiled a twisted smile.
“Can you become everyone’s god?”
Even if Verden does not respond, the Citadel will not be able to annihilate everyone. The resistors will not just sit by. They must surely have a plan.
However, I can assure you that at this very moment, they are not intervening.
Divinity: Descent
A grayish light spread.
Of course
It is a truth that will eventually be revealed. Verden unmistakably displayed his divine presence. Now, it is not he, but the Theocracy of Luas, who decides the attitude.
If they raise a Great Holy War, Verden will also oppose them with a Holy War.
Kuuuuuuuu… … .
Debris floats.The Citadel is pulled down by gravity.
Verden fixed his body with gravity magic and pierced through the ground.
Akhand has abandoned the Apostle, but the remnants of his power still envelop the entire Citadel. Unless that power is removed, my power will not reach you fully.
To destroy the Citadel, Verden must unleash the Divine Artifact. It must be finished in a single blow. The opportunity must not be split into two.Interception will be impossible unless the Citadel’s fragments are shrunk beyond a certain size.
‘then…….’
Verden decided to use a tactic he had never employed before. Although he had seen it only once, he believed without a doubt that it was possible.Now, he was fully entitled to exercise his rights as a true god.
The Seventh Apostle-designate───Ishur───overlapping the first joints of each finger of his left and right hands in place, just as the desert god had done.
|Establishment of Taboos|
The world waited for the declaration.
|Prohibits the power of external gods|
The designated location is the Citadel.
Naturally, I cannot stand against ‘you’ with divinity, but protecting the imperial castle of the Xerion Empire is nothing more than a remnant of power.
The world responded to the law directly established by the God of the abandoned.
The power of the living overwhelmed the power of the dead.
The
|Bring about a new era, Interis|
Gray light shines brilliantly from the orb.
The
Crunch!
He plunged [Interis] into the Citadel without hesitation.
Countless rifts rose throughout the Citadel. The light emanating from within them instantly began to engulf the Citadel down to its very core.
Akand saw God as a human.
“I am not qualified to judge, so I cannot say for certain…… Verden.”
He spoke in a low voice.
“I wonder… can you be an ‘alternative’?”
The miracle that divided the rift between worlds and created a sanctuary of demons was completed.The Citadel itself glowed fiercely.
The sky undergoing a new transformation.
──────────!
The Citadel, which was plummeting like a comet while the world watched, was shattered into pieces.
* * *
The ground I was standing on collapsed.
The Master’s Miracle… … !
Adrian and Isabella braced themselves against the ground and endured the approaching shock. The miracle did not harm them, but the island collapsed.They strained their eyes to find Verden atop the falling debris.
[Falling.]
[Alpha is falling.]
Alpha, who had been clinging tightly to the giant Beta, lost its balance and fell. They could have easily caught it, but it was not them who caught it.
Alpha’s single eye gleamed.
[Your Majesty Verden!]
“It’s been a long time, everyone.”“Clan Head……!”“My Lord!”
Verden skillfully looked after Alpha while greeting Adrian, Isabella, and Beta. He stood on the debris of the upside-down island and smiled.
“We won.”“……!!”“But as you can see, debris from the Citadel is falling. We have minimized the scale of the debris, but if we don’t deal with it as best we can, the damage will be severe. Adrian, Isabella.”
Final order as the Alliance Leader.
Intercept everything.
Adrian held [Silendar] tightly, and Isabella made [Elderon] glow with magic.
“check.”
