Episode 1138 Mutual Severance (1)
Even in a state of
As the staff, concentrated with gray divine power, struck the face, the impact force dug into the earth, and cracks spread in all directions beneath the feet.
Although Nekbael staggered violently, the dragon’s regenerative power did not fade despite the pain, so using only elasticity, he thrust his upper body straight up.As his taut nerves contracted and added propulsion, a dragon claw shot out like a beam of light.
The moment the sharpest biological tissue among all races since creation was about to pierce beneath the soft jaw, a sense of weight struck.
Heavy pressure
Verden imbued the maximum output of
The dragon’s blade trembled violently and plummeted just before touching Verden’s skin.
Boom!!!!!
Nekbael fought back, but the amount of magical power that struck exceeded all imagination. His scales stood on end, and his tendons and blood vessels bulged, but his body gradually subsided.
Even the primordial wizard had a limit to his magical power.
In the past, the natural magical power originating from the World Tree was the driving force of all magic, but this world could not handle the consumption of that mana.
If Oldarc did not deliberately control her power, the surrounding magical energy would be depleted, and only when the world filled that void on its own could magic be used in that area again.
However, human wizards currently use the unique magical power generated from the heart, rather than nature, for their magic.
After regaining his intelligence, Nekbael naturally saw through the bodies of the wizards he encountered.They were drawing magic from their hearts using a special bodily organ called a magic circuit that did not originally exist.
Not natural evolution, but the work of Oldarc.
As humans came to possess magical power, the source of magic shifted from the outside to the inside.There could not possibly be any being other than Oldarc capable of magically altering the very foundation of a race whose reproductive capacity is practically its defining characteristic in this way.
Whether a transcendent being, a god, or whatever, Verden ultimately originated from a modern human. Therefore, since his magical power comes from within his body, he should have reached his limit long ago.Roughly speaking, the amount of magical power he has consumed so far would not differ significantly from when Oldark had exhausted all the magical power in the vicinity.
But… why does the magical power still not cease in the heart of Verden?
Kugugugugugugugugu!
Nekhbael’s knees buckled. It felt as if the world was dragging his limbs and entire body down. As he strained to draw strength, the Polymorph could not hold out, and the Dragon’s form slowly began to unravel.
As gravity suppressed the atmosphere, the sound ceased, and only vibrations stimulated their senses.
[!!!!]
“……!!……!!!”
Although they have clashed with all their might, Verden is well aware that the stalemate will only continue if things remain this way. Theymust make a decisive move here.The three-dimensional rift is unstable enough that it cannot withstand their power for long.
You only get one chance.
Verden released the
Verden’s right arm was exposed to Roar, but the staff had already moved to his left hand.
Crunch!
A gray flash pierced Nekbael’s flank. Verden brought his body down forcefully. The gray spear went past his abdomen and pierced his right wing, embedding itself firmly into the ground.
Ss
Nekhbael’s tail narrowly sliced through the void where Verden had vanished. He flinched and tried to pursue, but [Interis] remained piercing Nekhbael, emitting gray divine power.
[Kahaa──────!]
Dimensional Transfer
Verden reached the blue rift after traversing the fourth dimension in succession.He bent his finger.Whoosh!The gray [Interis] returned to his left hand. Although Nekhbael’s restraints were released, he had now secured at least a minimum distance…
Seal the rift upon escape to isolate Nekbael here.
Verden crossed into the unstable rift and focused his Mystic Eyes on the boundary line. His spatial sense dispersed the world he perceived into countless coordinates.
Space Domination
As I unleashed the magic
[Verden!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]
“closing.”
Magic incantation that causes phenomena.
Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-gak!
The venomous claws left a massive scar on the land, which had long been ruined beyond repair. A belated rupture in the atmosphere was followed by a raging gale.
Silence washed over the world as if it had sunk.
Drip… … drip… … .
As the Polymorph was wearing off, Nekbael’s true form and the dragon-human form were grotesquely intertwined; drops of blood dripped down his claws.That was all.Aside from that, Nekbael could grasp nothing. He bent his claws tightly, but all he could grasp was emptiness. A sense of futility swirled within his dragon face.
Verden’s presence has completely vanished.
[────────!]
Nekbael roared.
* * *
Acrien, a coastal city located in the central part of the Eastern Continent.
Despite the war, citizens are continuing to make a living by engaging in fishing.For making a living is also part of the war.
While official permission was required to leave the city walls immediately, the sea was less controlled. As long as the number of ships departing in the morning and returning in the evening matched, there was little intervention.After all, surely the undead wouldn’t materialize to attack the city.
At Lake Pendren in the Western Continent, monstrous creatures ruled beneath the surface, but people did not know that, so they followed common sense.
Kiruruk.
The children swarmed around energetically like flocks of seagulls flying in a group. After running around for quite a while, the kids sat on the pier as always, gazing at the sea and chattering away.
“Huh?”“What is that?”
Then I saw something gray surging up from beneath the water.
Phew!
“Waaah!”“Aaaah!”“It’s a monster!!”
It was Verden.
As he escaped from the periphery of the third dimension through the rift, the deep sea welcomed him. It was only natural, statistically speaking, since the ocean is much more vast than the continents in terms of coordinates.It was a reflexive reaction to raise his vigilance to the extreme for a moment, thinking that a host had intervened.
Verden strode onto the dock.
With this, Nekbael was isolated.
I do not know if there are other rifts in dimensions, but if not, it will not be easy to escape. To break through the dimension and return to the continent, Nekbael will have to concentrate his power for a while.Yes… time.What Verden ultimately obtained was time. I have no doubt that this time will serve as the cornerstone to reduce the Alliance’s losses and increase their chances of victory.
Aching.
Pain surged through him as he relinquished his divinity.His demonic eyes closed.The problem with his magical functions, caused by the influence of Nerga’s creation and war magic, recurred. This was because the divine power that had been suppressing the side effects had disappeared.
As Verden placed his hand on his right abdomen, blood stained the gauntlet.No drops of blood fell, but a part of [Einber] turned red.
“……Did we brush past each other at the end?”
Anyone could see that it was not a mere graze, but a penetrating wound severe enough to cause instant death.It was not a fatal wound for Verden; itwas merely very close to a serious injury.Furthermore, his right arm, struck squarely by the roar, was broken. It was a closed fracture where the bone had not penetrated the skin.
I summoned and consumed a high-concentration Lissandro’s fruit potion in the subspace.
Only low concentrations remain now.
They have made excellent use of Lisandro’s one and only fruit up to this point. The mystery of alchemy. It was all thanks to Rito, Isabella, and Aldanis.No matter who came along, they would not be able to cherish it any more than this.
‘… … Nekbael’s morale and the fruit’s life force are clashing. Unless purified with divine power, it will take time to regenerate.’
If we release the divine power on the continent, we will be discovered by the Luas religion, so of course, that method cannot be used.
I have no choice but to adapt to the injury.
The two elixirs secured from the First Magic Tower were originally being researched in the Great Hall of Black Hour, but Verden was currently holding one of them just in case.An elixir is a trump card.It is not something to be consumed merely by having one’s bones and organs exposed.
More importantly, is this place… … Acrien?
The coastal city I had visited to find Leonil Bertanas’s laboratory. It was also then that I discovered Linus, who was trapped in the gnome’s laboratory.Memories of the journey I had taken with Karans, Blue, and Edmon came flooding back.
“…….”
Verden looked around while contemplating his wounds slowly healing.Adults who had rushed in urgently upon hearing the children’s screams. The adventurers and soldiers stationed in Acrien were surrounding Verden.
A man who looked like a nobleman asked.
“H-Huh, are you… the Alliance Leader?”
Verden’s appearance was widely publicized through newspapers. Unless one was indifferent to international news, it would not be difficult to recognize Verden.For his imposing presence remained unchanged, no matter how deeply the traces of battle had stained his face.
“I greet the pinnacle of Eon!!!!!!”“It is an honor to meet His Majesty Verden!!!”
The nobles bowed down at the mere fact that Verden gave a brief nod.The nobles, flustered, belatedly realized that they had failed to reveal their names and show proper respect, and their faces turned pale.
People murmured and knelt at the high-ranking officials submitting. Only then did the number of people who recognized him as Verden increase in an instant.
The parents hurriedly lowered their upper bodies and approached, grabbing the children.
“S-s-sorry, the children were rude…!”“Never mind.”
Verden stroked the head of the child looking up at him with bright, alert eyes. The blood had long since scattered. He felt a faint warmth.
He took a small deep breath, summoned the communication device, and connected the channel. The country closest to Acrien is the Kingdom of Estiria.
───… … ! Now… … !! Above… … ! Hurry… … Command… … !!
The Kingdom of Estiria channel was unstable.The static was extremely severe.Even Verden could not understand it, so he sent a communication to the Alliance headquarters.
Alpha.
───[Your Majesty Verden? Return!]
“Right, Nekbael won’t be able to intervene on the battlefield for a while. But I noticed the connection with the central part of the Eastern Continent wasn’t working well; what’s going on?”
───[Kingdom of Estiria. Transcendent Doll. Raid confirmed. Communication has been unavailable since Perne’s report.]
The undead invaded Verden’s territory. Although Eon’s Phase had been deployed in advance, the Transcendental Doll is a fighter of skill comparable to or even greater than the Peak.A force capable of influencing the battlefield to some extent even on its own… Even during the few days Verden was away, the tide of battle was changing moment by moment.
[Support force dispatched via intercontinental spatial teleportation. Assessing current status.]
“i get it.”
Verden whispered firmly.
I’ll go myself.
* * *
The Pendren Suppression Corps moved to land after completing the mission to seal the Gate of Death.The forces capable of continuing the battle immediately headed toward the Arnak Empire, while those with severe injuries rested and received treatment in the nearby Kingdom of Itel.
… … .
Tearel still had not regained consciousness. She wasin a space cut off from the outside world.Her colleagues took turns guarding Tearel while mourning the death of their friend, Urval. Thanks to this, no one could approach her.
Slowly.
At that moment, Nerga, who had seeped into Tearel’s skin and was recovering his completely depleted strength, appeared while concealing his presence.Then, he tilted his single eye, which was large in proportion to his body, toward the east.
The apostle of curses said.
[father.]
* * *
Temple of the Blue Mountains.
In that dark and silent cave, Eloris was lost in meditation. Because her very existence would negatively provoke the Ruas Theocracy, she had accepted Verden’s advice and stayed far away from the war.
The nerve bundle of the evil god Bargnon.The divine blood of Verden.
Since the new body, formed by the combination of two elements, could replenish all its energy with just a single drop of water,she spent half the day praying and the remaining half tending to the Ash Temple.
Srrk.
And today—Eloris finished her meditation earlier than usual. The two divine energies she held pulsated for a moment.
The apostle of the morning star stood up.
Oh God.
The low footsteps echoing through the temple stopped at an instant.A fierce snowstorm covered the footprints.
* * *
Kwaaaaang!
Gareth charged forward and, along with a massive undead, brought down a section of the ancient castle wall.The roar that followed struck the battlefield.
The Sage of Power───Osgar cast gravity magic and marveled.
“Ha, what a brutal charge.”“The source of the Four Sect is finally right in front of us.”“Still, we must not let our guard down. Fortresses like that are bound to be teeming with all kinds of traps. And given that the source sustaining this Sect is here, it will be even more so.”“Even so, it will only hold back our Transcendents for a moment at best!”
Junia crushed the Gravekeeper and the Knight of Lamentation in close combat. At her feet lay the corpses of the Allied soldiers, their eyes still half-closed.
“I’ll finish this damn siege.”
Excluding the Transcendents, Unia is overwhelmingly superior in single-target firepower across both the 1st and 2nd Extermination Corps, to the point where there is no one to compare.No matter how tough the Source Body is, it would not be able to withstand her magic.
