Episode 1141 Mutual Severance (4)
The aftermath of the elemental explosion unleashed by Unia extended beyond the ancient fortress to the battlefield outside. Even the world within the Four Gates was torn apart.
The rapidly changing landscape was identical to what I had heard from other punitive expeditions.
The source body of the Four Gates has been attacked.
However, the scale of the explosion was so massive that it was impossible to know where underground or who had completed the Legion’s mission.
… … ?!
In the midst of this, Yurion and Gareth sensed a strange presence. It was vivid, yet powerful enough that they could not simply ignore it. While itwas too ambiguous to call it a transcendent being, it was certainly not within the realm of ordinary humans.
And as I followed my intuition, I came across the Phases and the 8th Commander deep underground, which had collapsed into pieces.
“As expected, there are no significant traces.”“It can’t be a misunderstanding.”“I know. If I confused that, I should retire.”
The Transcendents kept the unknown in mind and did not let their guard down. After all, the 8th Commander had already had one of his wrists severed before they arrived.The circumstances suggested they were allies, but one could not be certain without facing them directly.
“Unia, who else was here?”
As soon as Junia heard who they were talking about, she understood.
‘Cain.’
Cain, who had appeared in a gray form, saved Junia’s life when she was in desperate danger. It was not a dream. Her younger sibling’s voice saying “Live” was vivid.It must have been Cain’s power that guided Yurion and Gareth toward her.
It was not a magical phenomenon.It could not be explained by magic.
‘If it’s not magic…’
Suddenly, the sword that the gray Cain was holding in his hand flashed through my mind.
It was not the demon sword [Cretima] gifted by the sages, but the [Sword of Dawn] handed by Eloris, who had been resurrected from ancient times through the remnants of an evil god.Near Cain’s neck, the [Starlight of Dawn] given by Eloris was flickering in an ash-like light.
Eloris is an apostle of an ancient religion.The necklace [Starlight of Dawn] is a divine artifact, comparable to the four great sacred relics of the Luas Theocracy.
God.
The divine beings of the Luas religion can resurrect the dead.Then, what about other religions…If someone possesses a divine artifact like them and has attained the status of an apostle of God, wouldn’t there be a way? Wouldn’t they be able to perform such a miracle?
Above all, it was none other than the senior who brought Eloris along.
Life began to return to Junia’s blue eyes, which had been fading endlessly. Although her right pupil was missing, the light in it was by no means faint.
Aching.
Yunia spat out blood and breath as she took out the highly concentrated Lissandro’s Fruit Potion.The sturdy potion bottle rolled across the floor.
“S-Senior….”
As the excitement subsided, suppressed pain tore through the nerves of his entire body. Organ damage followed by 17 fractures. His magical body parts, in particular, were all a mess.
“A potion for the two of them…….”“Unia!”“Cain…….”
Yurion caught her body as she collapsed.
“Cain… to Senior…”
Yunia lost consciousness.However, her life was not in immediate danger.
“True to Verden’s junior.”
Yurion took the potion and immediately went to find Aldevan and Osgar, who were still alive, and had them take it. He left Junia with Gareth for a while.It was a potion that did not activate the drinker’s life force but instead caused a stable, rapid recovery effect.
“Gareth, take care of Cain too.”“You want me to carry the corpse?”“He is the one who destroyed this sect. Above all, he is also Verden’s junior. It is only proper that the funeral be held on the continent.”
While it is possible to revive the Ruas Theocracy, it is best not to get your hopes up. There is no way they would bestow such a miracle upon an outsider.The Theocracy is always wary of the degradation of the value of life and religious corruption caused by the indiscriminate use of high-level miracles.
“Now, return to the continent—.”
Phew!
Yurion suddenly coughed up blood. It was not the work of the deceased 8th Commander. Gareth had destroyed him so that he would be unable to move even if he were to come back to life.
“Cough, cough!”“Internal injury?”
Gareth identified the source of the damage Yurion suffered through his insight.
At the same time, my senses were heightened.
[Gwaaaaaaaah──────!]
The roar of the crowd echoed.It was not just one or two people.It was the scream of the entire undead legion. A new change had occurred on the battlefield. It was undoubtedly a negative change for the Allied Forces.
The forced oath made to the Bone Dragon has been broken.
Yurion had paid the price as the being he had enslaved was forcibly released. He braced himself on the floor to catch his breath, then twisted the corners of his mouth fiercely.
Is this a final desperate struggle?
Boom! Boom! Boom!
From the other side of the dark corridor, a series of loud noises erupted, and eyes of blue flames rushed in.
“Isn’t that the Bone Dragon you rode on?”
[Gaaaaaaah!]
Unlike at first, he was exuding a presence imbued with the madness of war.
A gleaming, cool blue light.
A breath of cryogenic cold raged and engulfed the Transcendents and Yunia’s party.
* * *
Duke Esperensa unleashed a white sword energy as he faced the Fallen Beastman.Although he had not reached the pinnacle of power, his sword strikes even reached Leonil, who had seized incomplete transcendence using the witch’s heart.
Cut White
A single stream of pure white flow.
The Esperensa family’s technique split the upper half of the Fallen One’s body in half.
[You will come to curse finite life… … .]
Crunch!
The members of the Red Faith, the Duke’s direct knight order, finished him off. Their commander, Melzard, Edmond, and the Duke’s eldest son were all fully engaged in the battle.Kalia disrupted the enemy’s offensive by engaging in guerrilla warfare with a small force.
Blue!
Pow!
The spirit of Verden, who was always with Ferne, took charge of Kalia’s escort.
Spirit of Infinity and Destruction.
The creature that evolved after absorbing the magical power of the Transcendent Verden emitted a dark red light.The high-ranking undead struck directly by this were annihilated without a moment to resist, and even the high-ranking corrupted opened their eyes wide in pain at the sensation of their bodies being destroyed.
[Aaaaaaaah!]
“You’re such a crybaby for a fallen man.”“Haaah!”
The Knights of the White Crystal passed by one after another, leaving wounds on the Fallen One’s body, and Kalia focused on her sword energy while receiving the acceleration of the Dreadmere.
Hundred Days
A white sword energy split the Fallen One’s head diagonally, severing his breath. Since he is undead, it is debatable whether “breath” should be the right word, but anyway.
The war situation isn’t bad, but… it’s ultimately a war of attrition.
Kalia’s breathing became labored. Her distinctive dark red hair was soaked with sweat and clung to her skin. Despite having rested, her physical strength and energy were depleted due to the war that had lasted for several days.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang! Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!
The Bone Dragon, which had crashed after being sniped by a magic particle cannon, was eventually silenced by the airship’s magic bombardment, miracles, and the bombardment of weapons.
Humanity, the majority of which is weak, has narrowed the gap with powerful entities through pure technological prowess.However, under the pressure of never knowing when or how they might die simply because they are human, physical recovery inevitably slows down, and they become easily exhausted.
If the current offensive continues, it will likely be difficult to last more than five days at most.
If the war is delayed for that long, even the siege will be dangerous.
Victory or defeat depends on the transcendents.
Hehehe.Sparkle!
“……Yeah, I suppose it’s a meaningless worry.”
Kalia stroked the Dreadmere’s mane, radiating a blue glow. The presumptuous thought of trying to predict the future was of no help whatsoever in the war.
Casualties occurred within the Allied Forces. A member ofthe Order of the White Knights fell.Although a very small number of corrupted individuals emerged within the Allied Forces, a strong beastman noticed this, and before the chaos could spread, the disciples of the Temple, the Archbishop and Holy Knights, and the Elders of the Magic Tower immediately eliminated them.The elite soldiers of Highlandia, boasting stamina superior to any other soldier, held the front line.The shattered golems of Eon were buried in a battlefield littered with blood and corpses.
At one moment, while fighting frantically, the long-awaited news of victory finally arrived.
“The source has been destroyed!!!”“The assault on the Gate of Death has succeeded! The entire army inside the Gate has begun a retreat operation!”“F-Finally……!!”“Waaaaaaah!”
Victory was also secured in the southern part of the Eastern Continent.The most troublesome Gate of Corruption began the closure process.
However, the gate has not closed yet.
flinch.
An indescribable sense of foreboding brushed against the skin. A shiverran down my spine.Blue buzzed around and then came to a halt, Dreadmere held its breath, and Kalia broke out in a cold sweat, colder than ever before.
What on earth.
The eyes of the Allied Forces protecting the gate were fixed on one spot.Then, from the ranks of death, Cardinal of the Three Courts—Gregorban of Justice—emerged in a battered state and raised his voice with all his might.
“The undead are going berserk!!!”“……!”
A similar phenomenon was reported in the Four Gates of the Ternetian Federation. It is said that as soon as the source entity vanished, all the undead in that land migrated north.
The undead being dealt with by the external punitive expedition showed no particular change, but the undead army of the Four Gates world appeared to be putting up a desperate struggle.
“Those with the strength, follow me!!!”
Gregorban re-entered the gate even with his entire body covered in blood. How could he remain silent when the Cardinal was pleading with him?
“Follow the Cardinal!!”“For the Goddess Louise!”“For the Light!”“To the Innocent Light!!!!!”
The Church of Light members, even the wounded, took up arms and headed toward the Gates of Death.
Duke Esperensa also declared.
“If we abandon the comrades inside, there is no hope for the World Alliance!”“Father…….”“Rescue the Transcendents!!!!!”
The phrase “saving those transcendents” strongly motivated the weary Allied Forces. The transcendents were the Alliance’s main force. What other glory could there be, one that is not only good enough to be a drinking snack but can also be used on a tombstone even after death?
Victory is just around the corner.
Save the Transcendents!!!!
Leaving only a minimal defensive force behind, the Allied Forces entered the gate on horseback.
Kalia felt a stirring in her soul and witnessed the battlefield.It was her first time entering the Four Gates.
‘……hell.’
The undead, far more ferocious than those on the continent, tore apart the fleeing soldiers.It was enough to make one’s blood run cold.A massive and overwhelming divine shield was blocking tens of thousands of undead, but it could not encompass the entire battlefield.
“Crazy…….”“You want me to go in there?”“W-how did we manage to hold out?”
If I foolishly assist in the retreat and get swept up in madness, not even my body will be recovered.Going forward is an act of suicide. If I cross back to the continent like this, I can save my life. Fighting and dying like that would have been too cruel an ending.
Then someone shouted.
“If that mad undead army escapes the Gate of Death, the continent will be devastated! You can’t survive just by thinking about your own safety!”
It was Kalia.
We are united!
Heeheehee!
Dreadmere began to gallop furiously as if he had been waiting. It was a tremendous speed. Most famous horses would not even compare to him.
Everyone saw the woman heading to hell on a massive black horse accompanied by a spirit.Since it was an open secret that she was deeply connected to Verden, that alone gave Kalia the power to move others with her courage.
Waaahh
A large-scale retreat operation was carried out.
* * *
Bendy can wield all weapons. Even the restrictions of artifacts do not affect him. The ability to forcibly erode the ownership of others is the mark of a Master.
Skills and techniques infused into the martial arts itself.
She was the most multifaceted being among all the transcendents of the martial arts world, but now that she wielded the ultimate sword [Issilre], she focused on only one thing rather than the multitude. Foronly by concentrating her mind completely could she barely manage to wield her incomplete conviction with full power.
One scatters to form the world.The world then permeates into a single silence.
Return to work
War: Soul Severing
The sound of the Colosseum stopped.
The chaotic atmosphere surrounding Bendier settled deeply. [Issilre] caused no repercussions and produced only one phenomenon.
[A transcendental state of immersion in a single thing.]
Necranon spoke in a low voice.
[Excellent.]
The sword of war was vertically severed in two.A sword mark was etched from the 3rd Commander’s left shoulder to his right thigh.
Crack.
The Transcendent One broke the power of the Apocalypse.
[However… … such a level still falls short of the peak, Vendie Kaenar. Without those two, there are monsters capable of reigning as absolute rulers.]
“…….”
[Eventually, the first king shall descend.]
Bendie breathed heavily and aimed his sword at Necranon.
“What on earth are you?”
Necranon harbored hostility. However, it was hostility born of conviction. Vendie wanted to know why the Xerion Empire had started the war.
[It cannot be spoken, but even if heard, it cannot be understood, so meaning does not exist. The confrontation between fate and resistance is inevitable.]
“Whatever the meaning, I need to know.”
[What is good and what is evil? Debating right and wrong has long been the right of the victor.]
At the tip of the damaged gauntlet, a shattered sword of war silently touched.
[So I am nothing but malice to you.]
Necranon raised his arm while only his upper body remained.
The sword strikes crossed.
Bendie’s ultimate sword sliced through the world of Necranon, stained by fate.
[What choice will you ultimately make?]
A voice brushed past his ears—whether it was a dying wish, a curse… or just a question, he couldn’t tell.Necranon fell completely silent.The enemy commander had collapsed.
Kugugugugugugugugugugu.
The ancient artifact [Arena] shook. The conditions for the release of the Golden Potion had been met. Bendie was declared the winner and survivor of the Colosseum.Soon, [Arena] shrank and fell into the hands of its owner, Bendie.
The view changed.
I didn’t know if the gate had already been closed or if the siege hadn’t ended yet, but I looked ahead, hoping it was the former.
“Kuaaaaaa───Hahahahaha!]
Soldiers turning into corrupted beings.The slaughter of the rampaging undead.
“This is…….”
The Allied forces were retreating, but the enemy overwhelmed the battlefield even more fiercely.
The sky was split open as if the Four Gates had entered closure procedures, and the battle situation was strange.Judging by the atmosphere, it was impossible to gauge whether we had won or lost.
“Bendier! Fortunately, you made it on time.”“Yurion.”
Yurion’s face was stained with blood flowing from his head. He appeared to have expended a great deal of energy. His presence had noticeably weakened.
“The source of the Four Gates was destroyed by the Aspects of Eon. But ever since then, the undead have been running wild. It’s as if their very existence is being burned away; the power levels of each individual have varied drastically.”“I will join the fight immediately.”“In your condition? Just taking care of that guy is enough.”
As you can see, Bendy was in even worse physical condition than Yurion.It was the price of victory following a fierce battle between asymmetric forces.
“The Pope is desperately holding back the advance with the Angel, but he won’t be able to hold out for long. At this rate, 30% of the Allied forces here will die, and 30% will turn into Fallen. As a result, the mad undead will cross over to the continent before the Gate of Death is sealed.”“Yurion, surely you aren’t….”“Haha, you tried your best, but it seems I am the true hero of this battlefield.”
Yurion laughed heartily as if to show off, then calmed his gaze to a serious expression.
“I will imprison you and the Four Gates with the forbidden medicine. Take the children and get out of here immediately.”
* * *
Principality of Liviant
Death raised its head in a place devoid of human presence… no, a place where human life had vanished.
[Kingdom of Estria.]
Human corpses formed small hills.Human bodies adorned the sky.Human blood and organs defiled the earth.
[I can sense the presence of the Destroyer of Fate. And before long, they will discover traces and come here.]
Not only corpses, but tens of thousands of lower-level undead writhed in agony.They were ‘sacrifices’ secretly completed under the orders of the Six Apostles to prevent the World Alliance from noticing. The Empire’s trump card to unleash the greatest curse.
The commanders’ objective was only one.
[Prepare to welcome.]
Akand ordered Verden to be taught a strange despair.
