Chapter 222
Chapter 222
Chapter 222
The Worst Variable (3)
Krakar's body began to collapse.
His divinity scattered and the Outer Force began to drain from his flesh.
The countless eyes embedded throughout his body hardened like stone before crumbling and falling away with a cracking sound.
"Did we... finish him?"
"Not yet."
Stopping Luciella from making such a dangerous statement, Rudian slowly extended his hand.
"Adi."
-Yes, I'll apply the seal.
Krakar wasn't finished yet.
Though his ego had collapsed and his divinity had scattered, as long as his twin god Ktuna remained intact, he would revive within less than a month if left alone.
'In the original work, Abel got backstabbed because he didn't know about their special nature.'
The scattering alien divinity was merely superficial.
Left alone, that divinity would now flow across space and time into Ktuna's hands.
-Hmph! It seems like you could just absorb it yourself, kid... Do we really need to seal it?
Diablo clicked his tongue with apparent regret, unable to absorb the power of the fallen enemy as usual.
'Even you would get sick if you devoured this whole.'
It would be like eating raw blowfish, if you had to compare.
-Grr... Wouldn't it be possible if that non-god helped?
Diablo made a whining sound, unable to let go of his regret.
But Rudian was firm.
'There's no time. I need to hurry and go deal with Ktuna.'
If he took time to slowly refine it, it might be possible, but that work wouldn't be finished in just a day or two.
WHOOSH!
Krakar's scattering divinity began gathering in Rudian's hand, and Adi faithfully collected that power and sealed it in the form of a sphere.
CLICK!
The temporary measure was completed with a sound like a key turning.
'Now, what's next...'
Due to the urgent situation, he hadn't been able to pay attention to it, but now that the primary problem was solved, he had to consider what came next.
"Luciella."
"...Mm."
She nodded with a clouded expression.
"It seems someone forcibly changed the color of my flames. The very essence of my power has been completely reversed."
Luciella gave Rudian a detailed account of what had happened in the final moment.
As soon as Rudian heard those words, he immediately realized who had intervened.
In that situation, there were truly few beings who could intervene without any warning, deceiving everyone's eyes.
Among them, there was only one being who could change Luciella's flames to 'purple.'
'...Shub.'
The Outer God Shub, only she could do it.
'Apostle... Does she intend to make Luciella her apostle?'
Like Jereon, who had been North's apostle and first servant, she must have bestowed the purple world upon Luciella as a kind of stigma.
'But the real problem right now is something else...'
Seeing that Luciella's personality hadn't changed and she was still sane, the apostle position itself wasn't a big problem yet.
-If that woman returns to the surface in her current state, disaster will occur.
'That's right...'
Rudian and Adi recognized the vivid Outer Force flowing throughout Luciella's body.
She too made a troubled expression with a tearful face.
"...What should I do? There's so much power overflowing that I can't control it well."
"...There's no choice. After this is over, you'll have to train to control your power somewhere like a subspace."
Luciella's current state was similar to Rebecca's situation.
Half of the purple world that Krakar had possessed had fused with her body and soul, melting into her completely.
"I'll have to rely on Rebecca's help... If I return in this state, I'll immediately turn the surrounding land into hell."
The malignant zones in the Great Southern Forest where entry was strictly controlled.
The moment Luciella set foot on the surface now, the entire area nearby would transform into such malignant zones.
"At least it's fortunate that she only absorbed half of the purple world..."
The problem was that when they deal with Ktuna, there was a high possibility that Shub would grant Luciella the remaining half.
Unlike Rebecca, Luciella wasn't born with a special bloodline.
Moreover, she hadn't learned how to control power under a master's guidance over a long period.
In this situation, if she had to bear the remaining half of the purple world, no one know what side effects might appear.
"Yev, isn't there some way?"
As soon as Rudian spoke to the air, Yev immediately tore through space and popped out.
The reappearing Yev let out a quiet sigh as soon as she saw Luciella.
"...Mother's whims are truly incomprehensible."
Yev looked back and forth between Krakar's divinity in Rudian's hand and Luciella.
"That octopus may be unlucky, but he's no pushover. I never thought he'd be defeated so anticlimactically. Normally, it wouldn't be strange if a few of your companions died..."
"...Are you badmouthing us?"
"I'm just stating facts. The multidimensional divine magic was a decent strategy, but without Mother's intervention, you couldn't have finished him off in one blow."
"......"
"If that had happened, the wounded creature would have been even more cautious and tenaciously struggled, and you who had lost the resonance of the seven-colored worlds would have had to pay a greater price."
It was true, but hearing it directly from Yev's mouth made it taste bitter.
"Still, since you killed him and prevented his power from joining with Ktuna, it's almost over."
Yev raised her cute little finger and poked the area near Luciella's heart.
"The constraints have loosened somewhat, so I'll help you."
"...!"
Silver power flowed from Yev's fingertip.
It was a brilliant light separate from the existing Outer Force, as if seeing the color of Yev's true form.
That light took the shape of a spear and pierced directly into Luciella's heart.
...Flinch!
Along with the pain of her heart's magic scattering, Luciella's eyebrows twitched slightly.
But that pain was brief.
The spear that Yev had inserted settled near her heart and drew back the Outer Force that had been flowing like an ocean, becoming a massive anchor that began stabilizing the circulation of power.
Rudian realized what Yev had just done.
"A spirit core."
"A core made by humans can't handle all the power of the purple world."
The so-called dantian, a kind of virtual core.
Luciella was a martial artist who accumulated magic in her heart.
Yev had replaced the artificial dantian near her heart with her own spear.
Yev withdrew her finger and said.
"It's only a temporary measure, but with this much, there shouldn't be any major problems for a while even if she absorbs the remaining purple world."
"What would she need to do to control it completely?"
"The easiest and simplest way is to achieve understanding of divinity."
"......"
That's the easiest and simplest?
Then what would be difficult and complex?
Seeing Rudian's dumbfounded look, Yev got slightly angry.
"Why are you looking at me like that? A mortal possessing a seven-colored world means a faster and simpler shortcut to godhood has opened up than any other method."
"Well, that's true..."
Come to think of it, Luciella's current ability wouldn't be greatly inferior even facing a lower god.
If she hoarded dark magic, she would have enough chances of victory even fighting a mid-tier god.
"Left as is, she'll naturally become a god in about a hundred years. Unless she really screws up, she'll be fine, so don't worry about it."
"Thanks, Yev."
"If you're grateful, just grant me one favor."
Yev's eyes lit up as if she had been waiting for those words.
"...Huh?"
Rudian's expression stiffened slightly at the mention of a favor.
Before he could even ask what favor, Yev began pouring out words like rapid fire.
"There's something I really want to try in a city called Parel, but those damn people stubbornly refuse to sell it to ordinary people!"
"......"
"Something about it being supplied to the royal family or whatever. They made a cake out of ice cream, and after creating such delicious-looking food, isn't it too cruel not to sell it!"
"......"
"I've held back from wanting to grind up that shop owner more than once or twice! They said they'd sell it if I brought some noble I knew, so I barely managed to restrain myself!"
...If Yev hadn't restrained herself, Parel would probably have disappeared from the map.
And since Parel was the capital of the Kingdom of Rohans, that would have led to conflict with Baal as well.
'A great battle that could have erased a country almost broke out without me knowing.'
I applaud that shop owner's wise handling of the situation.
"...Alright, let's go together when this battle is over. If that doesn't work, we can pressure Baal."
"Good. It's a promise!"
Yev waved her hands energetically with a bright smile that was rare to see, seemingly overjoyed.
***
Just because Krakar had died didn't mean the battle was immediately over.
Gray, who had temporarily created a dwelling in outer space, spoke to the party with tired eyes.
"Those guys... I don't know what orders they received, but they're still rampaging even though their leader is dead."
Around them, the standby forces and alien monsters were still fighting.
Maria, who had strength remaining even after using resonance, had left to support them.
Rather, the previously orderly formation felt like it was running wilder with the reins loosened.
"It's probably because the alien lower gods who actually control the legions are still alive. But still, those movements are somehow strange..."
Though not on the scale of the Pantheon, under Krakar and Ktuna's command existed more than a dozen lower gods.
Moreover, with Ktuna still remaining, there were no major problems in the chain of command.
-Master, this is serious.
'...Elli?'
-The remaining alien forces have simultaneously scattered and are charging toward the home planet.
"...!"
-They're ignoring our pursuit and moving unconditionally regardless of what damage they take.
'What are their numbers?'
-In my sector, there are about several hundred thousand, but the problem is it's not just those I was facing. If even some of them reach the home planet...'
The surface would be sliced up like soft tofu.
'They're really going all out.'
The fact that they immediately showed this kind of behavior as soon as Krakar died suggested a high possibility that orders had been given in advance to do this.
But fortunately, Rudian had something to rely on.
'It's fine. I sent Baal and the Demon Kings back to the surface, so they and the demons will establish a defensive line.'
The battlefield was quite far away now, but they had originally planned to meet the enemy near the lunar vicinity.
Besides them, there were standby personnel at the base, so if they regrouped the scattered forces and gave chase, they could sufficiently block them.
-Master... the thing is...
However, for some reason, Elli hesitated and trailed off.
'What's wrong?'
-Baal isn't responding to contact.
'...What?'
For a moment, Rudian felt a shock as if he'd been struck in the back of the head with a sledgehammer.
Then Elli hurriedly added an explanation.
-Demon King Baal didn't betray Master. About 15 minutes ago, multiple massive dark magic collided with an unidentified power in the northern part of the home planet's continent, and the aftermath completely obliterated the northern mountain range.
Elli hadn't immediately reported this because Rudian had also been risking his life in battle against Krakar.
'You're saying that was Baal?'
-Yes, considering the level of magic, that's highly likely.
Normally she would have immediately identified who they were, but Elli currently had all her units deployed in battle, leaving gaps in information gathering.
'So, to summarize the situation...'
When Rudian was fighting Krakar, Baal and multiple Demon Kings who had returned to the surface collided with 'someone,' and the battle was decided in just 15 minutes.
And the result was... still unknown.