Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: God Slaying (1)
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Seeing the mummified forms of the mummies and banshees, I had a hunch, but it seems this floor is Egypt-themed.
*Kuuuuuooooo—*
"First, the monsters..."
I was about to say we should clear them out, but Nyx, who had been sitting on my shoulder, took flight.
In a flash of red light, he transformed into his sunbird form.
...?
Nyx's body glowed not with a red light, but a golden one, and instead of feathers, he shot out beams of light.
The monsters struck by the light vanished without a trace, leaving only white smoke behind.
[The inhabitants of Ra ascend to the dark world of Duat by the light of the sunbird.]
[You have defeated the Mummy King.]
[You have defeated the Great Banshee.]
...
[You have defeated the Giant Mummy.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
So many notification windows popped up that I couldn't see, then they vanished.
"Ppoyo!"
Nyx landed lightly beside me again.
Whether it was because he'd consumed a lot of mana or because he hadn't used his full power, he remained in his transformed state.
"You fiend! How dare you make my people ascend without my permission!"
The entire cavern shook violently, and the pyramid split open to reveal a man in a massive robe, about five meters tall.
He wore bands embroidered with gold and blue thread on his forearms, wrists, and legs, and on his head was a crown depicting a great bird.
It was the typical Egyptian attire you'd see in movies.
A blue light flickered all over his body, indicating he was the floor boss.
"Everyone, prepare for battle!"
"Insolent humans! Your sins shall be paid for with your lives—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
"The... the divine beast of Ra?"
"Ppoyo!"
As Nyx flew toward him, the man prostrated himself on the ground.
"This light... you truly are the divine beast. I, Rakset, the 13th Pharaoh, greet the divine beast of Ra."
"Looks like he knows Nyx."
Anyone could see that.
The atmosphere suggested we should talk rather than fight.
As I approached, he suddenly glared at us.
"Audacious humans... How dare you!"
The pharaoh shouted, and the ground began to tremble again.
"Ppoyo! Ppoyo!"
But when Nyx pecked the pharaoh's head with his beak, the trembling stopped instantly.
"Ow! Ack! Lord Sunbird, why would you associate with such humans—"
"Ppoyo!"
"Ah... I understand."
Does he understand Nyx?
The pharaoh floated through the air toward me.
"Forgive my rudeness. I did not realize you were the human chosen by the divine beast."
"Don't worry about it."
He'd threatened us, but he hadn't attacked directly, and the threat itself was just shaking the ground a bit.
"A straightforward human. In that case, could you perhaps grant me a request?"
"A request?"
"Do you happen to know the name Apep?"
Apep?
"No."
"How can you be chosen by the Lord Sunbird and not know of Apep—Ack!"
I think I've raised my Nyx very well.
Every time the pharaoh spoke to me with a hint of condescension or irritation, Nyx would peck his head without mercy.
"Ppoyo!"
It felt like he was defending me, as if to say, "He might not know, so why are you giving him a hard time?"
"W-well... yes. You might not know. I will explain in detail."
Just as I suspected, the pharaoh began to explain very politely.
Apep is an evil god in the form of a giant serpent, also known as Apophis, and is the sworn enemy of the sun god Ra.
"I get the gist. So what about this Apep, or Apophis?"
"When I came to my senses, my surroundings had suddenly changed. We were struggling to adapt and survive when he appeared. We fought with all our might, but without Ra's protection, we were powerless to stop his curse."
Most of the pharaoh's people had been turned into mummies and ghosts by the curse.
"The divine beast has mercifully sent their souls to Duat, saving them, but I wish to protect my few remaining people. Please, defeat Apep for us."
[You have received a request from the 60th Floor Boss, Pharaoh Rakset.
Defeat Apep, the sworn enemy of the sun god Ra, who encircles the world, and bring peace to the suffering pharaoh and his people.
Quest Objective: Defeat Apep.
Quest Reward: Random Stat +20, Pharaoh's Blessing, ???]
A quest notification popped up, just like with the Harpy Queen, but I found it difficult to accept readily.
If the floor boss couldn't handle it himself, it must be incredibly powerful. Besides, if it's the enemy of a god, isn't it also a god?
Realistically, it seemed more advantageous to just deal with the floor boss quickly and move on to the next floor...
I was thinking I should hear my companions' opinions first when people with deep, ochre-colored skin poured out of the pyramid.
"I told you brats not to come out!"
Are these the people the pharaoh is protecting?
They were all very small children, about the same height as Alpen or Rina.
"Wow, what a beautiful bird!"
"High Priest... I feel a warm energy from this bird."
"Insolence! How dare you call the divine beast of Ra a mere bird—Ack!"
Nyx pecked mercilessly at the pharaoh's head again as he tried to scold the children.
"High Priest! Why is these people's skin so pale?"
"The lady over here is so pretty!"
They looked at us with curiosity, giggling and glancing around.
"Bio, what's your opinion?"
"Why ask for my opinion? The decision is yours to make."
"I know, but I can still ask for an opinion, can't I?"
"If we're talking efficiency, it would be best to ignore it and move on. The enemy of a god is not a foe to be taken lightly."
A bit cold, but I honestly thought much the same.
"You're not confident?"
"It won't be an easy opponent. Haven't I told you before? If you rely too much on my power, you won't be able to achieve your goal. I will intervene if it gets dangerous."
"I think differently. Hyeon-ung, let's help them."
"I want to help, too. It's too sad to think of the children turning into monsters."
It seemed all my companions, except for Bio, wanted to help.
As I was contemplating, a small young girl approached me.
"You're handsome, mister!"
She flashed a grin, revealing her pearly white teeth.
"Ahem, if that's what everyone wants, then let's help."
"Um, Hyeon-ung?"
"What was that, mister?"
"What? You all said you wanted to help."
Do they think I'm some heartless monster?
It wasn't because the little kid called me handsome or anything, but I agreed to help.
The pharaoh said it would appear in the evening, so we went inside the pyramid with him.
The air was fresh, as if well-ventilated, and it was surprisingly comfortable and cozy.
There was no eerie feeling at all.
While we waited, the pharaoh gave us a more detailed explanation about Apep.
It wasn't particularly helpful.
An immortal god that can never be destroyed.
Information like 'he has no eyes, nose, or ears, but despises life itself and is the god of all things impure' was mostly abstract.
"I'd rather you tell me more about its abilities."
"It controls the weather at will and possesses immense chaotic mana. If not for this citadel, blessed by Ra's protection, we would have been annihilated long ago."
Hearing this made me a little worried, but at the same time, slightly expectant.
I hadn't gone all out since learning the power of Ideation from Arpeus.
And Bio, who was yawning with a bored expression, arms crossed, had said he would step in if things got dangerous.
"Hyeon-ung, the children gave me this as a gift."
Hanna held up her wrist, showing a bracelet made of small leaves and white flowers.
"That's nice."
"I got one, too."
"Me too."
Rina and Timi also came over, eager to show off theirs.
I have not only Bio, but other reliable companions as well.
As darkness fell outside, the earth began to rumble violently.
"It seems he has arrived."
The moment I stepped out of the pyramid with the pharaoh, I was struck with astonishment.
A massive serpent was floating in front of the pyramid, flicking its tongue.
It felt several times larger than the pyramid we had just been in.
I'm not exaggerating when I say I've never seen a monster of this size before. Bio furrowed his brow.
"This is a very bad matchup."
"Bio? What do you mean—"
Instead of answering, Bio approached and drew the sword from my waist.
"I'll borrow this for a moment."
As he spoke, Bio vanished like smoke.
"Hyeon-ung, look over there!"
I followed Hanna's finger and saw Bio floating in the sky, right where the serpent's head was.
Apep moved its massive body and swallowed Bio whole.
"Bio!"
But then, a violet light erupted from its head.
Its head was completely obliterated. At the same time, Bio's figure, sword drawn, appeared within the violet glow.
In the next instant, he reappeared by my side.
"Bio?"
"Good sword. It seems you'll really have to be careful this time."
I thought he had already defeated it, but the creature's head began to regenerate.
It was as if time was reversing.
"What in the..."
"An authority. The opponent is truly a god. Still, I destroyed its immortality."
"Immortality?"
"Gods don't die easily, but I've taken care of that part. You do your best with the rest."
It sounded like he'd done something incredible, but Bio's casual way of speaking was amazing...
*Kwwaaaaang—*
The creature's massive tail came crashing down toward us, but the pharaoh raised his hand, and a golden light shot out from the pyramid, pushing Apep back.
It didn't make direct contact, but the shockwave made the air tremble and the atmosphere vibrate.
"What are you all doing?"
Hearing the pharaoh's plea, I figured we needed to get away from the pyramid.
I gripped the sword Bio had returned to me, unfurled my wings, and took flight.
"I'll draw its attention."
Just as Bio had done, I flew toward its head and swung my sword diagonally.
I poured not only my mana into it, but also the full ideation of 'cutting'.
*Fwoosh—*
The sensation was strange.
My sword hadn't even touched its body, yet it wouldn't move forward, as if I were stabbing it through incredibly dense water.
I tried to infuse more of the thought of 'cutting even water', but its tail was faster.
*Kwang—*
I swerved sharply and barely dodged. Unintentionally, its own tail struck its head.
But unfortunately, it didn't even leave a scratch, let alone a wound.
*Kwang— Kwang—*
Arrows and a large sphere of white flame flew from the ground, but the arrows exploded in mid-air before they could even reach it.
The sphere of white flame likewise vanished into thin air without a trace.
'Beings with divinity are cloaked in an aura. They're immune to such conventional attacks.'
Bio's voice echoed in my mind.
Right. When I tried to cut it with ideation earlier, I felt something obstructive in the way. That must have been the aura.
Just as I thought it would be difficult to rely on my companions' support this time, dark clouds began to gather in the sky.
They were familiar dark clouds.
*Kurrr— Kwaang—*
With a tremendous clap of thunder, white lightning bolts began to strike down at Apep.
"Kuaaaaaaaah!"
The creature shrieked in pain and writhed, causing the ground to crater and the air to churn.
Its body was so massive that a single bolt of lightning seemed no bigger than a toothpick, so I didn't think it would do much damage. But since the attack was imbued with divinity, it seemed to have taken quite a hit.
It was scorched black in places, but unfortunately, it recovered instantly, just as it had after Bio's attack, as if time had reversed.
"So there's an apostle of a god among you rats!"
It seemed to be turning its head to target Rina, so I swung my sword again to draw its attention.
*Puuuk—*
I felt the same sensation of stabbing through water, but unlike before, my blade didn't stop and continued forward until it reached the creature's flesh.
This time, I had imbued it with a slightly different ideation.
The sword tore through the aura and lodged itself in the creature's temple.
"Guhk... A mere human fly like you!"
[You have been directly hit by the curse of Apep, Incarnation of Evil.]
[Paralyzed for 10 seconds... Partial resistance successful due to status effect resistance.]
[Paralysis duration reduced to 3 seconds.]
Dammit, paralysis out of nowhere.
I can't muster any strength in my body.
I thought I was going to fall, but suddenly a massive, reddish cave appeared before my eyes.
No, wait, could this be?
"Hyeon-ung!"
My world went dark.