Episode 1081 Strong Hand (1)
A dark red meteor, presumed to have come from outside the atmosphere, devastated the material world.
The Foltein Plains, which the Burn Golem was live-streaming… … immediately after a massive explosion unlike anything experienced in life occurred in the center of the Undead Legion, an eerie noise broke out, and the communication and video simultaneously ceased.
The Ekachen Mountains extending to the southern part of the Eastern Continent.
The 1st and 2nd Extermination Corps of the Southern Eastern Continent stood there with their mouths agape. They merely blinked reflexively whenever they felt as though their lenses were drying out.
“…….”“…….”“…….”
Even Junia and Cain, who prided themselves on knowing Verden well in their own ways, Osgard, a former War Lord, and Aldevan, who worships Verden, were left speechless at the thought of what to say.
“her.”
Queen Silis, the family of the Duke of Esperensa, Callia, and the Dreadmere carrying her were also overwhelmed by the lingering afterglow, needlessly parting their lips and pressing them together.
The Magic Tower of the Volcanic Island and the Dark Warton Magic Tower were mentally shocked, and the Beast King, Grave King, and Spirit King of the Great Beastman Tribe were frozen in place with their fur standing on end.
They had encountered power beyond common sense and fully understood it, but… Verden’s super-level magic, signaling the outbreak of war with the Xerion Empire, was a magical disaster that far surpassed the limits of imagination.
Cold sweat trickled down the foreheads of Highlandia’s elite forces, led by the Knights of the Word Spirit, and the disciples of the Temple, each of whom had reached the level of a national-level force, and then plopped onto the damp ground.
The holy knights, clergy, and inquisitors from the Ruas Theocracy unconsciously recited a prayer in a low voice.
Master, Vendie Caenar.Oath-taker, Yurion Hairos.Pope, Romanus.
Amidst the deep silence of the transcendents, light came on in Yurion and Romanus’s communication devices. It was a message to the commander of the punitive expedition.
“……Ah, I see. I understand.”“……Yes, I understand.”
The two legion commanders raised their heads after receiving a report from Eon’s intelligence officer.Was it Pale?
Yurion turned around.
“They say the video transmission has completely stopped because the shockwave from the meteor twisted the flow of magic and space itself. The news is that the war has commenced exactly as the Alliance planned. Well, the Battle of Fortein Plains isn’t over yet, but… the outcome is obvious anyway.”“…….”“Good riddance.”
Yurion let out a delightful hollow laugh.
“It looks like the World Alliance Leader is much stronger than we roughly understood. The Old King, the Citadel, and whoever—if they take that one hit, won’t it be over? It wouldn’t make sense if it didn’t end.”“…….”“Anyway.”
The atmosphere couldn’t be better.
“The odds are in sight. Right?”
Yurion gestured toward Romanus with his chin, dressed in armor befitting the monarch of Highlandia.
Romanus, who had not yet forgotten the destruction caused by the meteor impact, finally came to his senses and nodded back.
“Of course.”“Let’s trust that the other continents will handle it on their own. So, we just need to do our part.”
Yurion, riding a white warhorse clad in the King’s armor, drew his sword.
“I, the Oathbreaker! Yurion Hyros!”
His voice shook the heavens and the earth.
“As the King of Highlandia and the Commander of the 1st Suppression Legion, in charge of the purification of the southern Eastern Continent, I declare! As of this moment, the war against the Old King has begun! Our objective is the closure of the Gate of Death, which corrupts the living into the undead!”
Yurion’s warhorse, raising its forelegs while howling, turned toward the south.
Move forward!
As Yurion gave the signal, Vendie displayed his dignity, further boosting everyone’s morale.Shouts and confidence dominated the extermination legion.
Romanus, commander of the 2nd Expeditionary Corps of the Southern Eastern Continent, made the sign of the cross.
For the sake of innocent light.
The World Alliance marched into the land of corruption.
* * *
Even from the edge of Lake Pendren, which borders the territory of the Arnach Empire, they were watching how the first battle on the Fortein Plains began.
Obsidian-grade adventurers who responded to the total mobilization order.
Yurval, the Red-haired man aboard the large ship, ruffled his hair.It was a habit he had whenever he was in trouble.
“Crazy, is an 8th-tier Transcendent really that strong? No, it’s not just a matter of discussing strength. They’re practically gods.”“Isn’t it a bit much to talk about gods when the Luas religion exists?”“Even for a Transcendent, they have crossed the line. Can Thearel do something like that?”“No.”
Black Sea, Tearel shook his head confidently.
“7th-tier super-level magic wouldn’t stand a chance. I don’t know much about the 8th tier, but there are probably very few super-level magics with that kind of destructive power.”“So you mean it’s special even among the 8th tier! Haha! Then this is truly an era known as a legend! If we want to leave our names in history, we must work hard to subdue it.”“……I know.”
Dael, the magic swordsman and former leader of the Black Sea, closed and opened his eyes for a long time.He spoke softly to Tearel, who had just received a report on the detailed situation in the Poltein Plains, where the video transmission via the communication device had been cut off.
“I’m leaving the command to you, Tearel.”“Understood.”
Southern Western Continent.
Tearel, appointed commander of the Pendren subjugation corps, reversed the wind-swept waves of the lake. The ships naturally advanced toward the center of the lake, signaling that war had been declared.
Undead Extermination. Start.
Sea fleet and seaplane fleet.
A massive punitive expedition, composed of the Arnach Empire, the Adventurer’s Guild, magic towers, and various nations, left the shores and advanced into the deep waters.
Toward the second largest on the continent… … lake polluted with death.
* * *
The boundary line separating the Central Continent and the Demon Realm.
“Hahaha! Indeed, there is no sight more impressive than this using opening magic!”
Regrit Narsilia, the War Lord of the Arnarc Empire, laughed, saying she liked it very much. She was even putting her arm around Isabella’s shoulder.
Questioning glances poured in wondering when the two had built such a friendship, but there were hardly any people on the entire continent who knew that they were of the same species in a special sense.
“Of course, who do you think the head of the household is?”
Isabella answered as if boasting, but she was just as flustered. It was the first time she had actually witnessed with her own eyes the greatest magic that Verden, an 8th-tier transcendent, could demonstrate.
Isabella stealthily turned her gaze toward the Lefragium Magic Tower.
I wonder what kind of reaction the first Demon King’s side will show.
As expected, and even more so than anticipated, the Executor Meia’s facial expressions were varied. One could read astonishment in her eyes as she hovered high above.
Meia muttered to herself.
That man, finally… finally recreated it.
I felt that distinctive sense of overwhelming power when Verden recited the incantation to summon a cosmic meteor for his performance at the last Magic Festival.It meant that Verden was qualified to use the ‘Primordial Incantation,’ regardless of whether or not he could bear the price.
However… I never imagined that he would reinterpret the primordial incantation and reconstruct it into his own super-tier magic. Nor did I expect him to successfully implement it at this point, not long after reaching the 8th tier.
The communication device lit up.
It was a message to begin the mission, just like with other punitive expeditions.
“I didn’t summon a meteoroid identical to the original. It was smaller in scale, but… I supplemented the shortcomings with magic. As for its destructive power, it is almost indistinguishable from that of the mythical age. Furthermore, Verden even succeeded in fully bearing the burden of that incantation magic.”
Meia swallowed the lingering feeling.
‘Even if it is just the tips of my toes… … I have reached the primordial wizard… … !’
The Provider, Deus Widen, cannot summon meteorites from space due to a lack of magical power.Verden made this possible with infinite magical power.
The Magic Tower’s power source.The core of the new resistance.
Meia is a transcendent being of the magical world, but the blood of a prophet also flows through her veins. Predicting the future was not difficult for her.However, it was difficult to imagine even an inch ahead of Verden, who was walking the path of the Absolute One as he pleased.
“Let’s… leave…”
The terror of demons—Damian urged the march in a sharp voice that sounded as if his vocal cords had melted and stuck together. Although he, too, was distracted by Verden’s magic, his interest in the Demonic Realm took precedence over that.
Meia spoke, erasing her expression.
“All right.”
The unique environment of the Demon Realm works against the larger the size of the subjugation force.Furthermore, since the Demon Realm’s Four Gates emit an influence that instantly turns corpses into the undead, maximum and optimal efficiency had to be considered.
Minimize damage.Maximize power.
Although the Demon Realm Extermination Corps was very small compared to the main forces of other corps, it was staffed with numerous Transcendents or powerful individuals comparable to them.The inevitable disadvantage caused by the lack of numbers will be compensated for by the reinforcements following behind.
The Demon Realm Suppression Corps is entering now.
An uncharted territory overflowing with life and death.
Meia cleared distracting thoughts from her mind and focused on her current role.
The Great Demon of Parasitism.Red Dragon Sarkandra.
We must destroy the Four Gates before those two even have a chance to properly interfere.
It can easily become a hassle.
* * *
Kuu
Poltein Plains.
Nakhtel’s terminal staggered to its feet amidst the confusion. One forearm and 40% of its skull had been blown away.Its consciousness flickered.What was immediately visible before it was not a plain, but a massive crater.
“Oh my, what a ridiculous thing.”
Approximately 100,000 undead troops were annihilated by the World Alliance’s opening spell. As this was merely the beginning of the war, almost none of the highest-ranking undead were deployed, but the force was by no means light enough to be lost in this manner.
Above all, to think that the super-level magic
“……?!! *Cough, squeak*.”
It feels like my soul is being crushed.Yes.It is that very thing.The concept of that magic that destroyed Lunesica’s soul.
Nakhtel and Tiazra Morton’s terminals were located at the western and eastern ends of the Legion, so they narrowly escaped destruction… butRucaria’s terminal in the south was reduced to dust by the heat and pressure emanating from the dark red meteorite.
What if the main body had been here?
He must have died without a doubt. The life obtained through the power of the old king was vanishing in vain. Now that things had come to this, he had to admit his misjudgment.
Verden is not just an 8th-tier transcendent being.
At the very least, we must prevent the previous Super-Rank magic from being re-deployed.Since it appears to require some kind of incantation, there must be a weakness.
It was then that Naktel was formulating a strategy for another battlefield in the future.
“……!”
A halo of elemental light flashed in front.
Kwagwagwagwagwagwagwagwang!
The World Alliance’s magical bombardment swept through the undead remaining around the crater. The number of corpses whose ranks had already collapsed rapidly decreased.
That’s quite powerful.
Naktel, who was trying to gauge the level of the modern magic legion while blocking the bombardment with the curtain of the magic
The purple radiance draws closer.
Before he could even make a judgment, it was already within his sight, so Naktel instantly manifested the Spear of Deception and swung it.
Boom!
Naktel, pushed back from the collision, recognized his opponent.
“Heavenly Sword…… Adrian.”“Nakhtel, the master of Amri. I heard you are a transcendent being who manipulates the principles of black magic.”
Adrian was the first to arrive at the land where Verden’s opening spell had fallen.
“Did you think you could stand against your lord with just yourselves? And with mere terminals at that.”
Adrian vanished. Nakhtel reacted to the movement. Magic power and energy. The air vibrated as magic and the light sword clashed, but the engagement that ensued for a brief moment was merely a one-sided exchange of blows.
Crack!
Nakhtel’s terminal was severed vertically. Immediately afterwards, countless sword energies shattered the undead into pieces, completely severing the connection between the main body and the terminal.
Nakhtel’s terminal has been processed.
Adrian, who reported directly to Verden, finished clearing the west.
Not long after, a battle broke out in the east as well.
Boom!Crash!Boom!
Tiazra’s terminal unleashed a series of
‘This dark red magic… …the moment it touches, it seeps in and damages even the soul. How on earth can such magic exist? Absurd, just like… the natural enemy of the Glory of the Dead… …!’
The pain is worse than I imagined.
“Ugh.”“Haaap!”
Tiazra’s consciousness could not fully endure it and lost its balance. Crack! The holy sword flew in and separated the terminal’s upper and lower body.
‘yet…….’
At that moment.
Tiazra’s terminal clenched into a fist. It had squeezed the terminal until it could be used for as long as possible. Because this was a war where every single piece of information mattered.
Golem of rot.
[Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!]
The undead corpses scattered around gathered together to form a rotting corpse golem. An undead of magic that corrodes objects merely by being nearby.
“Luas!”
Jeonghwa
Leonhardt’s miracle suppressed Nanbu’s Golem, and simultaneously, the vanguard of the Allied Forces arrived on a battlefield overwhelmed by magical bombardment and transcendents.
Blood Sword, Layla.The Reigner, Lateon Offniel.
The two each severed the golem’s legs and smashed its body with a shield charge.
“Khahahaha!”
Galliac the Butcher, experiencing war for the first time, threw [Hweol] with all his might. Pulling it out from deep embedded in the head of an undead golem, he slaughtered the undead in the thrilling excitement and pleasure of battle.
Paaaaat!
Leonhardt plunged the holy sword into the ground, erasing the domain of black magic.Tiazra’s desperate struggle to obliterate every single undead and corpse within a radius of several tens of meters was reduced to nothing before it could even blossom.
“……The Holy Sword fills the void of tragedy.”
Tiazra’s neutralized terminal whispered the story passed down to the holy sword [Luens].
“Who but Luas could have given you that tragedy, young saint.”“I have no intention of listening to your words—”“Leonhardt.”
Verden came directly into the middle of the battlefield through spatial teleportation.
Tiazra was shaken.
“To think he’s already moving as if nothing happened after using that level of super-tier magic…?”
Verden’s shadow fell upon Tiazra’s terminal, with only the upper body remaining.
“If you feel like you might be swayed, refrain from talking.”“……I apologize, Commander.”“Neutralizing the enemy’s numbers is important, but there is no need to be overly cautious or obsessed with it.”
The tip of the foot touched Tiazra’s skull.
“If you seize the opportunity, kill.”
Crash!
As the physical force pressed down on Tiazra’s vision, the thunderbolt exploded.
* * *
Bang───!
As the terminal was destroyed, Tiazra Morton’s head was thrown back violently. Falling on her buttocks, she clutched her chest and vomited bright red blood.
A pool of blood formed in the Citadel’s audience chamber.
“Gasp, gasp…….”
Tiaz lifted his head with his sweat-soaked hair clinging to his cheek.Nakhtel and Rucaria, who had lost their terminals first, were standing before him. They, too, had traces of coughing up blood on their robes and around their mouths.
Tiazra said.
“Foltein Plains, defeat. Annihilated. On the other hand, the World Alliance has suffered no damage whatsoever. In particular… Verden seems to feel almost no recoil, even after casting such super-level magic.”“…Truly extraordinary.”
Naktel nodded.
“I will subdivide the body and prepare dummies to take its place. Discard the corresponding body part the moment it is exposed to the dark red magic. Only by doing so will a head-on confrontation between us even be possible.”
After facing Verden in person, I clearly realized just how threatening his very existence is.
There is only one way to counter it.
If destructive magic touches a finger, even its owner can die. Therefore, the finger is cut off. Furthermore, many fingers are created,as if offering a sacrifice to avert destruction.
That would have been the best way to avoid instant death while facing Verden.
In fact, it was proven on this battlefield.
As a result of separating a part of the consciousness as if severing it when imbuing the undead terminals with consciousness, thereby minimizing the connection between the main body and the terminals…these three survived relatively intact at the cost of slightly permanent damage to their mental strength.
If the consciousness of the main body had been transferred directly into the terminal, it would have died immediately. That destructive concept could obliterate the main body beyond the clone.In particular, Rucaria, who was directly hit by super-level magic, might have vanished without a trace from the Citadel.
anyway.
Although defeat was anticipated from the start, it cannot be denied that it was an absolutely devastating loss.
Nakhtel, Rucaria, and Tiazra Morton knelt toward the throne.
“I am sorry to disappoint you, Your Majesty.”“It was magic befitting the feat of a Destroyer of Fate.”
Arkhand, seated on the throne of the Citadel, let out a low laugh.A map of the entire continent was spread out before him, and hundreds of artifacts were filling the edges, left unplaced.
“Despite being the leader of the World Alliance, he volunteers for the front lines rather than the main base. Indeed. Is this not a one-off move, but a strategy and an expression of conviction?”
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Akand placed the object on the map himself.
All the artifacts, such as Adrian’s artifact, Leonhardt’s artifact, and Meia’s artifact, each symbolized transcendents, nations, and various key figures.
You are playing a strong move.
Akand slowly picked up the artifact belonging to the Xerion Empire.
“In that case, I will also respond with rain.”
The clock of war is ticking.
A brutal battle of wits between Verden and Akand has begun across the entire continent.
