Chapter 254
Chapter 254
Chapter 254
Shambhala (1)
A pillar of light that sparkled with seven colors swallowed the three archangels.
And without offering even the slightest resistance, they were annihilated just like that.
"……!"
The sight of the human silhouettes trapped within the pure white pillar gradually being consumed and disappearing into the whiteness was more than enough to shock everyone in the hall.
However, Rudian paid more attention to the magic that future Gray had unleashed rather than the power of that pillar of light.
"That's... Almighty...!"
The ultimate technique of Gray, the God of Magic, developed in Chapter 4.
Its ability was the power to manifest 'all abilities' he had experienced just once.
Regardless of whether it was divine authority or anything else, the fact that he could manifest it through magical power was also proof that Gray had truly entered the ranks of the gods.
'But he shouldn't be able to manifest power that exceeds his own capabilities?'
If Ruura's words were correct, what future Gray had just unleashed was precisely Berus' divine authority.
In the original work, the highest capability Gray demonstrated with Almighty was certainly Satera's divine authority of 'continent creation', one of the Seven Great Gods.
"You look curious."
"……."
Looking to the side, Berus stood with his hands clasped behind his back as if it were someone else's business.
"Those people occupy the most important part in my plan. Naturally, I put that much effort into them."
"...A plan?"
"Yes, a plan to destroy the predetermined ending."
The thoughts of Berus that Euryale, the goddess of fate, had spoken of flowed out again.
"To destroy that ending, the laws established by the Creator God must be broken, and to break those laws, power that overturns the laws themselves is needed."
Rudian immediately understood what Berus was saying.
"...So that's Abel and his companions, who shouldn't exist in this time period originally?"
"Similar. To be precise... I needed something new that was free from the causality established by the Creator God."
Berus' eyes turned toward Rudian.
"I'm making this proposal just in case."
"……?"
"Do you have any thoughts of joining hands with me?"
"...What?"
"I will destroy this world and create a new world. I'm thinking of making a new world where my causality, not the Creator God's causality, applies."
For words spoken by a god who was already the god of light and had created this world, they were excessively strange and caused cognitive dissonance.
But Rudian understood the meaning and shuddered.
"Perhaps you... would be able to survive sufficiently even at the moment when new rules are assembled. How about it? If you want, I could make it so you can reign as a main god in the new world?"
"...Don't talk bullshit."
What Berus was talking about was not at the level of preparing for a new genesis.
Surely North and Satera would think they were just following Berus on the day of apocalypse and moving on to the next genesis.
But Rudian realized it clearly.
If Berus truly twisted the Creator God's laws to make his own world, what would happen then...
"All life forms in this world would be twisted and mixed in the process of you creating a new world, losing their essence."
In other words, Berus was saying he would make this world like clay, gather it all in one place, then knead it and tear it off as he pleased to mold it into new forms.
Red, blue, yellow, purple... when clays that were originally various colors gather and clump together, they naturally lose their original colors.
Could one definitively say that losing one's essence and still being alive... was truly living?
"Of course I refuse, you damn bastard...."
"How regrettable. If I had your cooperation, I could have proceeded with things more smoothly...."
Berus shook his head as if truly disappointed.
"Are the negotiations broken off...?"
WHOOSH!
As if the confrontation was now over, Berus' entire body began to be enveloped in light.
This was clearly Berus' signal to begin combat.
"……!"
For a moment, Rudian bit his lips and agonized.
'What should I do?'
Even though there were five Seven-Color Worlds on this side, Berus must have started the fight because he was confident of victory.
CLICK!
While Rudian was unable to make a judgment and was wavering back and forth, Rudian felt the touch of a woman's hand grasping his shoulder.
"Rudian, what are you hesitating about?"
"...Maria."
"Don't tell me you're worrying about sacrifices after coming this far?"
FLINCH!
At Maria's words that hit the mark, Rudian closed his mouth.
...Those words were right.
Even now, Ruura and the other divine beings were fighting fiercely with Abel's party, clashing back and forth.
Naturally, considerable sacrifices had occurred and were still occurring.
"The opponent is the God of Light."
The strongest, most vicious enemy among all the enemies they had fought so far.
Naturally, it was nearly impossible to win without sacrifice with just himself and his party.
No, not just sacrifice—victory itself was uncertain.
"I know. I have eyes too."
"Perhaps when the fight ends... I can't guarantee how many of us will be alive."
"...So you're considering running away?"
"Huhuhuh, I'd appreciate it if you did. Then my job would become easier too."
From the front, Berus, who was transforming into a being of light, laughed as he interjected into the conversation.
Rudian ignored Berus' words and nodded.
"If everyone could live...."
SMACK!
"……."
Before he could finish speaking, Maria's knife-hand strike landed directly on Rudian's crown.
Rudian rubbed his tingling crown and turned his gaze to Maria.
"We didn't come this far because of some grand cause. We've acted together looking only at you."
As soon as those words ended, Luciella stood beside Rudian.
"Of course, if you run away, I'll follow you anywhere."
"We can't back out after coming this far, and running away won't change anything. It'll only make things more miserable."
Elvin grabbed Rudian's opposite shoulder and raised Aelop's bow.
"You have a strange weak spot. Pull yourself together."
"...Senior Elvin."
When he turned his head, everyone had raised their weapons toward Berus with deadly resolve.
"……."
Certainly, these people are heroes.
Unlike himself, who relied on shallow knowledge of the original work and depended on items.
He had felt this before, but the more he was driven into such extreme situations, the more he realized it.
Rudian steeled his resolve.
And he gave instructions to his party.
"We'll go with a defensive approach."
Rudian stuck Diablo, which he had been holding, straight into the ground.
"...Diablo."
-Speak, brat.
"My contract with you ends here. So... you no longer need to cling to the form of a sword."
-Keh, kehehe....
WHOOOOSH!
Smoke began to flow from Diablo's pitch-black blade.
The blade that had seemed like it would never break began to melt away like ice cream in sunlight.
And....
Behind Rudian's party, the massive true form of Diablo that they had seen before appeared.
"Hmm, it's been a while since I've seen that form too."
Berus seemed somewhat moved as he looked at Diablo's demonic form.
"Baal was originally a member of heaven, and Luciel was an archangel disguised as a fallen angel. Leviathan, Lilith, Mammon, and Belphegor were annihilated... so in fact, you're the only direct descendant of the Demon King left, Diablo."
-Keheheh, your head is quite stiff, Berus. Let's see how long you can maintain that attitude looking down on me.
Right next to Diablo, Yev, who had revealed her true form, took position.
And even Ktuna, who had returned after receiving treatment from Utopia in Dilmun.
Three supreme divine beings revealed their true forms and surrounded Berus from three sides.
-Die, Berus!
A massive crimson beam burst from Diablo's mouth and shot toward Berus.
Rudian urgently shouted toward Diablo.
"There's no need to fight to the death. I'll support you with the resonance of the Seven-Color World, so somehow focus only on preserving your full strength and holding him back until that battle over there ends!"
The battle over there was still raging fiercely.
However, the war situation was quite positive—due to the power of Ruura and Garganta, Abel's party had also suffered major damage.
Meanwhile, two more high-ranking gods had been defeated, but among Abel's party of five, future Evangeline and Crux had been annihilated by Garganta's strike, and future Gray, who had been in the main artillery role, had his right arm severed.
"That side will be decided soon. Hold out until they join us!"
"Holding back... will that work as easily as you say?"
Berus, who had very lightly brushed aside Diablo's beam, snapped his fingers and uttered a quiet word.
-Eden.
"……!"
6th generation restoration-type artificial intelligence Eden.
Eden, the newest terminal excluding Adi, had been discovered by Berus and all its functions had been unlocked.
Moreover, Eden's power with unlimited energy supply was...
"This, this can't be...."
Ruura and Garganta were horrified.
They had barely eliminated two out of five and driven one to the brink of death, but....
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
Due to Berus' single word, the annihilated Evangeline and Crux were revived in perfect condition!
"……."
"……."
They still looked like dolls without consciousness, but their bodies had clearly reappeared before their eyes in perfect condition.
"How can beings that were completely annihilated be so easily...!"
"Didn't I tell you? I said they occupy the most important part in my plan."
Berus mocked Ruura's horror with enjoyment.
"Beings outside the laws wouldn't be annihilated so easily."
-Brat! This isn't the time to stall for time!
-Even though they've been perfectly revived, their power hasn't weakened at all. At this rate, those people will be completely annihilated.
Not only Diablo but even Yev actively went on the offensive toward Berus.
"...Damn."
Rudian felt there was no other recourse and joined their offensive.
"Adi!"
-Yes, Master!
"Bring out all the terminals!"
-Understood!
While his companions cast the resonance of the Seven-Color World behind him, Dilmun and Eldorado, which had been hidden in invisible mode, revealed themselves in the Creator God's temple.
RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
"Pour out all the firepower we've gathered, Elli!"
-Yes, Master, ready.
Elli and the smaller units that had been waiting in Dilmun began pouring into the sky all at once, equipped with great divine weapons and 4th-stage weapons.
"Interesting. The fragments of Deus...."
Feeling the hostility filling all directions, Berus, who had transformed into a complete being of light, created the crown of light that future Gray had manifested above his palm.
"It feels like you've prepared quite a lot...."
And Berus' divine form, wearing that crown, began to slowly rise into the sky.
"I shall show you that all those preparations were in vain."
It was the declaration of Berus, the God of Light, leader of the Seven Great Gods.
***
What began first was the wide-range attack by the Elysion units spread broadly across the sky.
-Brahmastra activating.
-Bashabi Shakti activating.
Great divine weapons that could rival the divine authority of gods if given sufficient power.
Not just one or two, but dozens of great divine weapons were fired simultaneously toward Berus.
Moreover, that wasn't the end.
To ensure those great divine weapons could hit, Yev and Ktuna blocked Berus' front and back without gaps.
-You're still arrogant, Berus!
-I'll judge you on behalf of the great mother!
The massive outer force divinity emitted by the two outer gods began to invade Berus' light.
But even so, Berus' expression remained completely at ease.
"...Setting aside the annihilated Krakar, I'm a bit disappointed in you, Yev."
-...What?
"If you wanted to deal proper damage to me, you should have brought Nug along."
-……!
CRACK!
The moment those words ended, the upper body of Yev, who had transformed into a silver giant, was suddenly torn away as if devoured by something.
-What!
What ambushed Yev wasn't Berus.
The culprit was a lion-shaped beast that had sprung from a blind spot, slicing through space.
Although it was an ambush she received unknowingly, Yev calmly swung her remaining arm to strike down the beast that had attacked her.
Rudian recognized the identity of that 'something' that had attacked Yev.
"That's... the Spirit of Light!"
-…….
The apostle spirit of light that had previously conveyed Berus' words to Rudian.
That creature had sprung out in the form of a beast and attacked Yev.