Chapter 94
Chapter 94
Chapter 94
Final Battle, Marbas (3)
"You won? I don't know what you're talking about."
CRACK!
Just by slightly increasing his grip strength, Rudian's skull cracked quite easily.
"...Grk!"
"The tiny alien power and Diablo's rage power have both reached the limits that your body can accept. I'd like you to kindly explain in which aspect you think you've won."
Marbas was enjoying his pleasant victory.
Originally, such a formidable enemy should be killed in one blow.
However, with the leisure that came from eternally casting off his restraints, Marbas was uncharacteristically dragging out time while mocking Rudian.
"Do you think you can reverse this situation with pathetic authority that doesn't even amount to 1/10th of the power that Diablo's main body possesses? Now that I think about it, that woman was much more satisfying to fight."
This was Marbas' taunt intended to provoke Rudian.
In truth, Marbas had found the battle with Rudian extremely enjoyable and delightful, but insulting and trampling on the one who had provided such enjoyable combat was also part of Marbas' pleasure.
"Now, tell me. Are you victorious right now?"
"That's..."
Just as Rudian was about to mumble something.
Maria, who had collapsed coughing up blood from psychic backlash, had somehow approached and aimed precisely at Marbas' arm.
"...Hmm!"
A powerful strike that had clearly been charged with force - too strong to simply ignore.
Not wanting to lose his arm, Marbas obediently withdrew his hand and released Rudian.
"Cough! Rudian, are you okay?"
"Thanks, Maria... Are you okay yourself?"
Maria, whose complexion had turned pale from coughing up blood, grabbed Rudian and immediately teleported a short distance to create space between them.
It was a sight that would have left other magicians gaping, but Maria interfered with space freely as if it were natural.
"I'm still alive. Even though we won, there would have been no answer if I'd been caught and taken down."
"What kind of nonsense is that? Those words are only used when you've defeated the enemy without dying."
"Is that so? Then that's what will happen soon."
Rudian slowly stood up from his position.
"Is it difficult? I'll finish this soon, so rest for a moment."
Though it was a short distance, Maria's teleport had created at least several hundred meters of space.
However, Marbas had somehow closed that distance and was standing before them, stroking his chin with an interested expression as he urged for the earlier answer.
"Now then, shall we have that answer? I hope it's not some pathetic trick to buy time."
"Fine, then I'll give you an answer."
Rudian quoted Marbas' own words back at him.
"Sorry, but Marbas, I also don't start fights I'm going to lose from the beginning."
"What?"
Ignoring the guy's dumbfounded gaze, Rudian took a small deep breath and called out to Adi.
"Are you ready?"
It was the first time he had spoken with his actual voice rather than his inner thoughts.
The answer also came back vividly as a voice with substance rather than telepathy.
"Yes, I'm ready, Master!"
Marbas stared wide-eyed at the black spherical tentacle creature that had suddenly appeared before Rudian.
"What... Is that?"
But Rudian ignored Marbas' question.
"As you said, I hope the odds are 100%."
"Leave it to me!"
"Then let's go."
Above Rudian's palm, Adi, who had been waving its tentacles, settled down.
At the same time, Adi and Rudian's souls connected, and before their eyes appeared a massive golden gate with two grooves carved into it.
The gate existed yet did not exist.
A gate that appeared only in the stream of time, leading to the golden city.
Rudian instinctively reached toward the empty grooves in the gate.
One groove was filled by Rudian's hand, and the other groove was filled by Adi's tentacle.
The moment both grooves were filled, Rudian felt as if all the nerves in his body were connected to the gate like circuits.
Following the guidance of Arcadia, the overall artificial intelligence of the Adora civilization, Rudian opened the gate to the first generation that had been sleeping.
"First-generation collection-type terminal, Eldorado activation."
As those words ended, the world surrounded by magic was turned upside down.
Whoosh!
***
While Rudian was playing his final card.
In the capital Nevan, Luciella von Delphione, who was commanding the army, was urging those around her.
"Hurry up! We must join the battlefield as quickly as possible!"
The large-scale cleanup operation she led had ended in great success.
They had killed nearly five hundred traitors including their minions, and captured more than three times that number as prisoners.
Most of those captured as prisoners were people who had been acting as underlings without even knowing that they and their organization were connected to demons.
With their capture, the empire had essentially removed the cancerous masses of the underworld that had been rotting beneath their feet for decades and centuries.
As soon as the general cleanup was finished, Luciella gathered only the cream of the remaining forces in the capital and set out for the battlefield.
"Can we... Actually be of help by going?"
"What kind of weak talk is that, Gray!"
But when they were about to depart, Gray, who was always confident and self-assured, was trembling with his head hung low.
"It's power beyond imagination. Forces that have transcended humanity are clashing with such intensity that we can feel it even from here."
"......"
"Far from being helpful by going... It's obvious we'll just be a burden or get massacred. Probably, most of the advance guard ended up in such a situation."
Luciella looked around at Gray and the magicians around him.
From some point, those who had reached a considerable level were all showing similar attitudes to Gray, terrified without exception.
"I can feel it. One is my brother, another is that woman. And another is the one called the Demon King. And... My brother and that woman are losing."
"Gray!"
"The world will be destroyed. No one can handle it! Humans, humans cannot handle it!"
To Gray, who was now crying and screaming, Luciella delivered a crisp slap.
SMACK!
"Shut up!"
"......!"
"Even while you're whining, many people outside are risking their lives fighting right now! No matter how much we're like eggs, sometimes we have no choice but to knowingly crash into rocks. Why don't you understand that!"
"Luciella..."
She too was feeling the ominous aura of death rising from far away.
No, there was no need to feel it.
Just the existence of the black sun they were seeing for the first time in their lives was enough to make everyone in Nevan tremble with fear.
But unlike Gray, she absolutely refused to cower.
"Where did that annoying brat go, who proudly suppressed the Magic Tower rebellion and acted triumphant in front of me? We're nobles! We have a duty to risk our lives protecting the country! No matter how much of a deathtrap we're heading to, if you're a human of Bellatrix, you should walk forward with a smile like you've always done!"
Right now in the east, many people with deep connections to her were risking their lives fighting.
People with deep bonds that she couldn't afford to lose and didn't want to lose.
Especially her uncle and two friends who were fighting.
"Let's go, everyone!"
"Yes, Princess!"
Luciella gathered all remaining forces except for the minimum security needed for the capital and rushed out of the capital.
"Young Master..."
The other magicians patted Gray's shoulders, comforting him.
"They're... Just fearless. How can people remain normal after directly encountering such an aura?"
The remaining Bellatrix and four major Magic Tower magicians nodded.
Among them was even a Tower Master who had reached 7th Class.
"Yes... That's right."
"Young Master?"
The magicians cast puzzled glances at Gray, who spoke in a subtle tone.
"I am... I am Gray Bellatrix. The strongest genius in history! One who will someday become the God of Magic! Yes, I can't... I can't be cowering from just this much!"
"......!"
Gray, who had suddenly regained his spirit, mounted his horse and shouted.
"Let's chase after them! If we're defeated anyway, this empire is finished! In that case, we should at least struggle a bit before dying!"
Even though Gray shouted this, only a few magicians responded.
That's how many of them had been completely broken in spirit by the fully restored Marbas' overwhelming presence.
But Gray didn't rebuke them.
He himself had been broken in spirit too.
He had to wait until they overcame it themselves - forcibly lifting them up wouldn't change much.
Just as Gray was about to spur his horse forward.
"Y-Young Master! Look at that!"
"Huh...!"
Dispelling the darkness that had colored the sky, a massive light descended.
"Wh-what in the world is that thing!"
That light was not a simple light.
Something with a definite form.
To the eyes of magicians with good vision, the light looked like a 'city' floating in the air.
"Like an ideal world... A golden city!"
"Huh? Huh huh? Young Master! Please wait a moment!"
The Bellatrix magicians shouted like echoes toward Gray's back as he suddenly rushed out.
But those words never reached Gray's ears.
***
The atmosphere had settled.
Unlike when Marbas regained all his power, the world did not shake.
Everyone was just holding their breath and silently watching as something appeared.
In the reversed atmosphere, Marbas had his gaze stolen by the massive something that was suppressing his domain and revealing itself beyond the clouds and horizon.
"What is that?"
-......
A strange sight that even Marbas, who had lived for tens of thousands of years, and even Diablo had never seen before.
"Wh-what is that?"
"Am I... Dreaming?"
Those who had been fighting nearby.
And those who had been living their daily lives in the capital Nevan.
When something unidentifiable suddenly appeared, blocking the sun, they all stood still and stared blankly.
That was a city.
A translucent golden city of a size that far transcended even the capital Nevan had revealed itself in the distance, as if sitting astride the world.
'...That's called a terminal?'
Even Rudian, who had summoned it, couldn't continue speaking at the absurd sight.
Marbas, who came to his senses first, glared at Rudian and exploded in anger.
"If you had something like that, why didn't you bring it out from the beginning? Are you mocking me?"
"...Is that your point of anger?"
Rudian burst into helpless laughter.
Truly a battle maniac's reasoning, wasn't it?
"I only thought you were simply Diablo's contractor, but I'm becoming more and more curious about your true identity. What are you planning to do with that now?"
Actually, that was something Rudian was curious about too.
He had activated the first-generation terminal Eldorado to summon the massive golden city, but he hadn't really thought about how to use it.
This was a setting that had never appeared even once in the main story of , something he was encountering for the first time.
It was a gamble thrown based solely on Adi's claims.
-Master.
Adi, who had disappeared from Rudian's sight, called to Rudian telepathically.
-Eldorado has been activated. What would you like to do now?
'...What do you mean what? You said if I use this, I can definitely take down that guy?'
-Yes, however, Eldorado is a power that contacts causality by itself. As I mentioned before, once used, it will sleep until the next terminal is recovered, but with this one opportunity, we can definitely finish him off.
Then a massive hologram window appeared before Rudian's eyes.
'What's this?'
Countless letters were densely arranged.
Fortunately, he could read it, but having what looked like at least a book's worth of content appear in the current situation was somewhat absurd.
-These are the legacies of the creators stored in Eldorado. Please select one of these to intercept Demon King Marbas.
'Are you crazy...!'
Rudian frowned deeply and cursed at Adi.
'Hey! How am I supposed to know what functions these things have and use them carelessly? What if I choose wrong and can't finish him off, or cause excessive suppression that blows away everyone around?'
-Uh, that's certainly...
Rudian felt a headache coming on at Adi's unexpectedly bumbling appearance.
'You choose. Something that can definitely take down that guy while causing less damage to the surroundings.'
The 'collection-type' terminal Eldorado was a place containing all the essence accumulated by the civilization called Adora.
Since he had said it could even destroy planets depending on how it was used, there was surely a high possibility that weapons capable of handling Marbas were sleeping there.
-Command received.
Adi's voice suddenly became extremely businesslike.
And the golden light of Eldorado began to grow even brighter, enough to block the sunlight!
That light completely devoured the magic that had been coloring the atmosphere, creating a scene like the morning sun rising.
When Eldorado's light shone most brilliantly.
-Entity name Marbas, possessing 197.2 million karma, exceeds the causality threshold of the current dimension.
-Searching for corresponding forces. Total of 172 confirmed. Determining forces considering victory rate and minimizing damage to the current dimension.
Rudian saw something black glinting briefly somewhere in the brilliantly shining Eldorado.
-Deployment force approved. Victory rate fixed at 99.99%.
And that something that had been glinting black in the distance began heading toward this place through space.
-Summoning Alprina-class battleship, Heavenly Demon Dragon's battleship from Eldorado to the ground.