Episode 1161 Battle of the Workshop (2)
Sky Castle cannot exist naturally, but it can be realized theoretically.
However, externally, it is still in the realm of fantasy.
No matter how many power sources were connected to the seaplane, it was impossible to lift a mass equivalent to an island.Moreover, if a major city had been built on top of it… even if it succeeded by some slim chance, it was obvious that it would soon crash and devastate the ground.
I see, is that the Citadel?
Although the range of action for the implanters has been significantly reduced due to Eon’s identification golem, Gluttony’s roots, already spread across the continent, are not easily eradicated.As long as the golem is guarded against, there is still the capacity to steal the detailed information handled by the World Alliance.
The Old King’s Fortress
Balion erases his presence and keeps his eyes on the sky island floating very slowly while keeping his body low. The concentration of evil spirits is thicker than he has ever seen.
The place where he is is the Silpera Autonomous Region.
It is an independent nation located on the central continent, situated between the Great Forest and the ownerless lands. It is characterized by dense forests due to its proximity to the Great Forest. Sincethe roads in use are limited and resources are abundant, there is no reason for ordinary humans to go out of their way to traverse the rugged mountain ranges… so it is only natural that such a massive flying object has not been discovered until now.
Even if they had found them, they would all have been dead before reporting to the World Union.
The Citadel is flying at a low altitude. It is confirmed that a large number of deformed undead, likely specialized in stealth, are lurking beyond the clouds and beneath the island.Had Valion not erased its presence first, it would have been discovered long ago.
It was truly a death trap.
I had known about the glory of the dead since I was serving as the captain of the Ark 400 years ago.I thought we would eventually be annihilated by the Luas religion, but never imagined they would resurrect the ancient king. It seemed I had the right to dream of the delusional ideal of an immortal world.
The masters of the world will be the new humanity standing upon the corpses of the old humanity, including the ancient kings, but—anyway.
The speed is slow, but the direction is northwest… … Indeed, do they intend to invade this ownerless land like this?
If you cross the border of the Silpera Autonomous Region to the northwest, you immediately come to ownerless land.
A clash between the ownerless lands and the Citadel—if that happens, regardless of victory or defeat, the realm of Eon will suffer damage that is infinitely close to annihilation.
There is nothing wrong withit. That is exactly what I hope for.
Verden is not only Gluttony’s greatest adversary, but the Xerion Empire, which thankfully weakened the international community, is also ultimately a target for annihilation.It would be perfect if both were to perish, leaving only Verden on the verge of death. This is an opportunity to obtain Verden’s precious biological tissue.
───Willing not shed blood of one’s own accord, merely coveting the blood of others… … .
───Petty!
Suddenly, the loud shout Jose let out echoed wildly in my memory.
Balion clutched his forehead.He pressed hard on his temples with his bent fingers, forcibly stimulating his brain.
You don’t even know your place.
He clearly escaped the influence of the miracle that manifested unconsciously.
However, Balion’s instinct was arbitrarily clinging to the remnants of the miracle that should have long since vanished. Instinct is unable to let go of the rope first.
He was filled with murderous intent toward Jose for daring to pull such a stunt on him, but precisely for that reason, he sincerely realized the necessity of investigating the source of the heretical faith.
Kirie’s judgment was correct.
I had a strong intuition that it was a legacy of the old humanity that would become fertilizer for the new humanity, just like ki, magic, and divine power.
The key to explaining the concept of divine power.
If the fetus of the new humanity, submerged in the amniotic sac, could become more perfect, postponing the death of the old humanity was no big deal.
… … I will back down for now.
My emotions had calmed down to some extent. Of course, I had no intention of returning to the Control Center of Gluttony. After gathering the news, it seemed the end of this war was not far off.
Only the prepared can seize the opportunity, and Balion was one who was prepared.
“……?!”
It was that moment.
Kuuuu────Kugugugugugu… … !
The Citadel suddenly vibrated.
The ground shook.
Balion lowered his body further without wavering and increased his vision.
The direction… … changed?
The Citadel, which had been moving leisurely to the northwest, began to turn to the right. To the northeast. I could see its speed gradually increasing, as if it were capable of accelerating.
Right now, three countries are located to the northeast of the Silpera Autonomous Region.
Principality of Norden, Highlandia, Kingdom of Ragvel.
Among them, the closest in terms of distance are Highlandia and the Principality of Norden.
“…….”
I do not know what strategy the former king is plotting. I cannot even guess what is more important than ownerless land that made him turn to another country.
Valion thought carefully.
A unique realm achieved by crossing the Wall of Transcendence without awakening, such as through Gluttony’s organ transplant.Unless one is of the caliber of the current Ark’s leader, they cannot be killed. Furthermore, if one wishes to survive, they can keep their life alive under any circumstances.
The Citadel is sustained by a force that cannot be explained physically or magically. The Old King must be concealing a secret that transcends the immortal world desired by the glory of the dead.
There are traitors among the Old Humanity. An organization that even Valion failed to identify is operating in the shadows on the continent, having aided the Glory of the Dead and contributed to the raid on the sanctuary.
The traitors of the old humanity are also the old humanity.They must be identified and annihilated.
In other words… the Old King is connected to the traitor of the Old Humanity. It was highly likely that the clues existed in the Citadel, and Valion was confident that he could return alive from the Citadel alone.
After a moment of deliberation, I made a decision.
fault.
Valion pursued the death-filled Citadel from a safe distance.
* * *
The ancestors and descendants live in the underground of the Citadel, where not a single ray of light exists. They were the backbone and power of the Artisan Magic Tower, ranked second overall.
Indren Pearcia Rate, known as the Control Officer, sat on the floor and muttered.
“Fate and resistance… I never dreamed such things existed on the other side of the world. That the ruler of the world known as ‘you,’ the true identities of the traitors to humanity, that the ancient king was an Apostle of Fate, and that you… are one of the seeds of resistance that Thearel was searching for.”
Whenever Indren asked a question, Feldianne answered without hesitation.
He didn’t answer every question.
It was because there were things that could not be said, and things that could not be revealed. Indren also did not bother to ask back the questions for which he could not get an answer.
“I’ve always thought you were a unique descendant. Still, to think you’re secretly aligned with the forces of the living First Demon King, standing in opposition to the power that rules the world… Well… well, I feel somewhat proud, yet at the same time, it’s so absurd that I’m speechless. Even though I’m rambling on like this, my head just can’t seem to keep up.”“Hohoho, where would my ancestor’s bloodline go?”“If you hadn’t outwardly resembled me that much, I would have mistaken you for being of a different bloodline. Anyway, let me ask you a few more things.”
Indren was still bewildered, but he tried to force himself to accept it. Otherwise, it seemed the conversation wouldn’t make any progress at all.Let’s just listen to everything we can for now. We can sort out our thoughts later.
“If the Adversary is the Seed of Resistance meant to confront the Apostles of Destiny, including the Old King, then are you, a Seed, one of them?”“Unfortunately, I am merely a Seed. The Adversary is something more special.”“To think you are more special than the Tower Master of Artisan of the present day. Well, I wonder just how great you are.”“The meaning of ‘specialness’ varies for everyone.”
Feldianne smiled with a smile that somehow felt like pity. Since the fellow hadn’t revealed who the adversary was, she moved on to the next question.
“You mentioned that you restricted information using the means of taboos. Could you not hear even a fragment of what those taboos were?”“It is difficult. It is not that there is no way, but it is impossible for me. So, if I were to give an example using a being known to you, Ancestor… hmm, it would have to be someone like Ifekarn.”
Indren blinked his eyes.
“If you say Ifakarn… the Archdemon of Parasitism? The one the Provider revealed at the World Conference to be in the Demon Realm…?”“Sharing taboos with a very select few others—I heard that the Archdemon of Parasitism is capable of such things. I do not know the exact causality of his power, though.”
Even the Archdemon is involved in fate and resistance. What on earth is not connected? Asking such a question might be no different from scooping up a huge lake with a bucket.
The world is wide.
Indren felt that fact acutely.
“Feldianne.”“Yes, Ancestor.”“So, what am I supposed to do here?”
It was none other than Feldianne who had Indren infiltrate the Citadel. Naturally, this was not an action intended to exchange secret questions and answers.Feldianne, and the Resistance forces, are expecting something from Indren.
“The Citadel is the final bastion protecting the Old King and the Sixth Apostle.”“…….”“As long as this place exists, the Old King has a place to return to, and as long as the Citadel is free, the Old King cannot be driven into a corner. Therefore───”
Feldianne asserted.
“When the ‘time’ finally comes, we must use the Ancestor’s Transcendence to anchor this sky island to the continent so that it cannot move. So that the World Alliance can project all its power.”“You intend to seal the Citadel on a limited basis to create an opening for the Alliance to rise?”
Indren stroked his chin and then nodded, saying he understood the plan.
“I doubt it is possible to stabilize such a mass with my super-level magic, but if it were entirely impossible, you wouldn’t have prepared such a plan. However… it weighs on my mind.”
He expressed concern.
“While we wait for that ‘time,’ just how many lives will be lost and the chaos will intensify.”“This is the best course of action, Ancestor. There could be no more efficient way to achieve victory. And in war, bearing the death of all is inevitable.”
Feldianne Pearcia Reit, known in the public as an agitator of reform, carefully put her arm around the shoulder of Indren, who appeared as a boy.
Sacrifice is inevitable.
Everything follows a set sequence… … .
* * *
People hope that everything will proceed smoothly, like a ball rolling down a smooth hill, but sadly, the world has been a field of gravel since the beginning.
Once it bounces, it cannot be reversed.
As time passed, that variable opened up a world that was already far beyond everyone’s expectations.
Hiante inside Aisha held his breath.
It begins.
Having completely seized control of the power sources of the Ten Great Magic Towers and obtained the power of the World Tree, Verden began to take root directly on the continent.
* * *
The power room of the Diamun Magic Tower had been completely sealed off for several tens of days.Inside, the Seven Great Demon Kings were carrying out a high-level operation to stabilize the space warped by the Four Gates using a special arrangement of magic circles powered by energy sources.
Whoosh.
The wizards of Diamun Magic Tower tilted their heads at a strange ringing that had briefly passed by. It was so brief that they dismissed it as insignificant, but before long, the ringing grew louder, and they were able to grasp the situation through their magical senses.
“at las……!”
The situation is stabilizing.The shutdown phenomenon is coming to an end.
The 7th Great Demon King───Vangelis Ruin Akenad.
The deployment of the World Alliance’s last remaining asymmetric forces, which had been tied down, is imminent.
* * *
Quite a few days have passed since the Delharun Gate was closed and we crossed over to the Central Continent.
Boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom!
The Beastman of Massacre, who had raided the Great Beastman Tribe and fled while fighting the Old King in Delharun… The giant Beastman, who had been relentlessly pursuing him for days and nights, suddenly began to race between the plains and the mountain range.
Leaving a clear footprint on the ground, he soared up the steep mountain in an instant.
I found it.
As he swung his claws, a sharp gust of wind shot out and sliced through the clouds, and at the same time, a winged shadow moved swiftly from beyond the clouds.
King of Water───Antias.
Prisoner of the Massacre───Barcazel.
Before the sound of the wind could even reach him, a kick struck Antias directly in the waist. In the process, Antias grabbed the creature’s ankle and plummeted to the ground with it.A force greater than Barcazel’s wingbeats hurled him to the earth.
Two prisoners were stuck in different places.
Before the dust could even rise thickly, a roar erupted and the ground shook briefly. Fierce wildness clashed as they charged head-on toward each other.
Great beheading.
Blood splattered from the leather-slit arm and shoulder of Barcazel’s wing, and a subsequent kick struck the wound in an instant, as if to sever Antias.Then, Antias struck Barcazel’s face with a straight grip.
Kwaaaaang!
The shock wave spread violently.
Barcazel, who had put the brakes on by spreading his pitch-black wings wide, wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.
“Among the Beastkin, it is extremely rare for a beastkin to be born with a complex physical structure distinct from conventional creatures. Just like you and me. Such mutant-like physical abilities could be considered a blessing for a Beastkin.”
Antias and Barcazel possess appearances not limited to specific animals, and such beings displayed abilities in at least one field that were on a completely different level from ordinary beastmen.
“Indeed, your strength is formidable, Beast King Antias.”“Have you given up on escaping?”“I have drawn out my prey sufficiently.”
Barcazel realized he was being pursued by Antias and erased all traces. He had originally intended to shake him off, but changed his mind because Antias’s tracking ability was troublesome.
The plan was to isolate and hunt Antias.
He spent time twisting the path so that the forces to assist Antias could not even keep up, leaving Antias, who had been following him, completely alone.
“Did you say I was called the greatest creature? It may be a body worthy of that reputation, but that is, after all, a story from an era without me.”“Ah, did you covet my moniker? The Prisoner of Massacre.”
Antias scoffed.
“Considering you were overwhelmed by the Saint.”“I admit defeat. But—”“As a beastman, I consider it a relief that you died without leaving any descendants. Otherwise, your genes might have spread throughout the great beastman tribe.”
Antias looked genuinely serious and ran his hand across his face as if he were sweating profusely.
“It is horrifying to think that the inferior genes that got utterly crushed by the Saintess are mixed in my blood.”
Antias is not ignorant. The books he has read alone number in the mountains. He is also skilled in political maneuvering and has mastered the art of manipulating the minds of others.Causing a stir at a world conference just because it seemed like fun was not something just anyone could do.
Barcazel was quite good at using his mouth while hunting, but Antias’s was on a completely different level.For a beastman who values his natural physique, genetics is a matter of pride.
“Just… what did you say?”“Stop breeding and go die.”
Antias laughed softly.
Start the hunt.
I will take Barcazel’s head before the 44 days promised to Verden have passed.
* * *
The sword given by the First Demon King was partially damaged upon colliding with the Dragon Sword. It was not shattered. However, the impact continued to accumulate.Therefore, avoiding it would have been the best course of action, but Hythril did not have that much leeway.
“I can’t handle this. If I had been unarmed and barehanded, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything on my own and would have died.”
I had memorized every move of Akhand, who had been overwhelming the Transcendents, but when we actually faced off, my body wouldn’t cooperate. To think thathis intimidating presence was enough to continuously affect a Transcendent who had effectively crossed the wall one more time—he truly lived up to his reputation as a monster known as an Apostle of Destiny.
However, it is not without flaws.
Hisril was conscious of the dagger hidden in his bosom.
Lugina’s Spirit Spearhead
It was the role assigned by the first Demon King to stab it into Akand.
