Chapter 353: Libra (9)
Chapter 353: Libra (9)
"This is driving me crazy."
A birthing chamber to bring forth Ugly Prosperity.
To understand exactly what that meant, one had to know how each Evil God was sealed and how they could be released.
Fundamentally, a seal is an act of suppressing and cramming an opponent down with sheer force. However, by the latter half of the Great War, the Evil Gods possessed divine power far exceeding that of the Good Gods.
No matter how incredible Rahim and his party were, they couldn't seal them through conventional means.
So, they opted for an unconventional method: a conceptual seal that utilized the very nature of each god.
For example, Confused Unity was trapped in a place where there was nothing to consume, and Reckless Roar was imprisoned where there was no one to be angry at—not even himself.
It was a technique created by applying parts of the Good Gods' sanctuaries and Rebecca’s spatial-tier Great Magic.
For the record, Rahim’s role was to beat the Evil Gods into submission and shove them into the seals.
At any rate, because of the nature of these seals, the imprisonment of Ugly Prosperity was a direct negation of her domain.
A world where nothing new could be born. A space where, no matter how hideous, nothing could prosper.
How does one escape such a place? Ugly Prosperity answered that question with a method that was as simple as it was difficult.
She just had to be reborn on the outside.
Projecting power externally while sealed is extremely inefficient, but it isn't impossible.
She believed that with enough divine power, it could be done. In fact, Ugly Prosperity had already successfully manifested once before at H&A.
But the situation now was different from back then.
Though it had been a struggle, I had successfully crushed the Evil Gods' plans. They had been exposed to the world before they could secure enough divine power to escape their seals, which was why they had started this hasty war.
Ugly Prosperity, who hadn't faced me directly yet, should have been in the same boat as the other Evil Gods—lacking the time to gather sufficient power.
So how on earth did she gather the strength needed to be reborn?
According to Solari, who had rushed up after discovering Ugly Prosperity’s Birthing Chamber, that was exactly why Boiling Silence had been quietly collecting corpses.
"That’s a human sacrifice!"
"What?"
"The cultists' corpses and the living prisoners embedded in that thing! They’re all being offered as human sacrifices!"
"...I get the prisoners, but we were the ones who killed the cultists and monsters, weren't we?"
"From their perspective, they died fighting in a holy war! The process of dying gallantly in battle and the offering of their corpses afterward—it all counts as a sacrifice!"
Solari growled, explaining that while it shouldn't be possible normally, with the right preparations, they could make it work even if the efficiency was low.
"They’ve got us there. Right. We aren't the only ones making plans. Is there any way to stop it?"
"Yes! It’s not too late! If we destroy it now, everything will come to nothing!"
"Then our task is clear."
I pulled the communication crystal linked to Milone from my inventory, explained the situation, and gathered everyone, including Fay.
Before long, those who had been fighting outside returned. It seemed they were leaving the defense to the barriers to prepare for something else.
Now that the location of the Birthing Chamber had been discovered and we were making our wariness obvious, Ugly Prosperity changed her tactics.
She recalled all the believers who had been charging recklessly, screaming about tearing down Yggdrasil. Then, she began to absorb everyone except the high-ranking officials into the Birthing Chamber.
Squelch!
The wet sound of flesh tearing and merging echoed. The living, the dead, the screaming heretics who had kept their sanity, and the smiling fanatics who threw themselves in willingly.
Vastly different individuals began to merge into one around Ugly Prosperity.
"Our bodies are becoming one... This is the ultimate orgy!"
"N-no! I did everything you asked! Let me live! Please, let me live!"
"O Goddess! I offer this body to you! May you prosper even more!"
There were those who offered themselves with ecstatic devotion, and prisoners who were dragged in by force, unable to resist.
Gritting my teeth at the sight, I gave a brief explanation of the situation and the plan to everyone except Fay.
"...This is what I’m thinking. I’ve already finished talking with Chancellor Milone. Once we start, they’ll coordinate with us."
Everyone nodded, their expressions tight with tension. It made sense. Who could stay calm when an Evil God was on the verge of descending?
However, that didn't mean they were afraid.
"Leave the vanguard to me, Brother."
"Divine power is vulnerable to the divine power of other gods. So, we should step forward first and shake things up."
Helena and Solari growled, looking ready to pounce at any second.
The others looked tense and solemn, but there was no sign of fear. They probably knew instinctively.
There was no point in running away. It was better to dive in and end it.
If we had been the ones on the defensive until now, this time, they would be the ones trying to stop us.
Since time was short, we had a brief consultation and began preparing our most powerful magic. The only exception was Helena, who jumped straight off the fortress wall.
She bestowed blessings upon the knights of the Levantine Empire and the swordsmen of Alfheim who were waiting below, then took her place at the front, just as she had said.
Gripping her mace, Helena began to draw up her holy power.
Naturally, a white fur cloak draped over her shoulders. The relic, granted only to Apostles, began to glow, and Helena’s presence expanded rapidly.
She had likely allowed Solari to fully possess her body.
A dazzling white light radiated from her, centering on the woman who was both Helena and Solari at once.
For a moment, the intensity of the light was enough to fill one's entire vision, but it soon began to condense, eventually becoming a faint halo that enveloped Helena’s form.
With all preparations complete, Helena raised her mace and charged, her voice ringing out like thunder.
"The cultists shall be exterminated...!"
"Waaaaaaaah!"
The knights drew their swords in response and followed behind her.
They moved with such power that despite the ground being solid, every step they took left a deep imprint.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Though it was humans running, they made a sound similar to galloping hooves as they charged at incredible speed.
Whether it was cultists or monsters in their way, they smashed heads and cleaved waists in two, advancing like madmen. It was a truly terrifying sight.
They were nothing short of human weapons.
However, no matter how fierce their momentum, it was impossible to break through such a massive army alone.
As the high-ranking priests from the other side began to join the fray one by one, the speed of the charge slowed noticeably.
But it didn't matter. Their role wasn't to crush every single cultist or destroy the Birthing Chamber themselves.
"O Lord! Dwell within me! This humble servant borrows Your justice!"
Since Solari was already present in her surface consciousness, Helena didn't need to shout the prayer, but she did so anyway. She gripped her blood-dripping mace and... swung it toward the empty air.
At that moment, the clouds filling the sky parted slightly, and sunlight poured through the gap.
The light soon took the shape of a giant lion’s forepaw and swung its claws toward the earth.
CRACK—!
Solari’s paw collided with Ugly Prosperity’s defensive field. The result was a draw.
The field rippled violently like a curtain, clearly showing signs of damage, but it didn't break.
The strike modeled after Solari’s paw exhausted its strength and vanished, dissolving into the air.
But that was enough.
While the knights and swordsmen held back the cultists and monsters, Helena’s strike shook the barrier surrounding the Birthing Chamber.
As if waiting for this exact moment, Cyclic Life pulled forth the roots of the World Tree.
Rumble—
Roots burst through the ground, soaring high into the sky before plunging down toward Ugly Prosperity’s Birthing Chamber.
Their tips were sharpened to points, looking like a rain of giant spears.
The barrier, already unstable from blocking Helena’s blow, finally reached its limit and shattered with the sound of breaking glass.
Shatter!
"Now! Don't hold anything back! Pour it all in!"
Milone’s voice, amplified by a magical tool, echoed loudly. Shortly after, a massive surge of power could be felt.
The first to fly were arrows saturated with Aura.
Shot straight and fast like lasers, the arrows targeted the Birthing Chamber, which now sat exposed with its vulnerable flesh.
And what of the multicolored magic flying right behind the arrows?
Led by Iris and Iona’s advanced magic, all sorts of intermediate and low-grade spells swarmed through the air like a school of fish.
Against this, no matter how massive that mound of flesh was, it would be torn apart in an instant.
At this point, the assassins of Boiling Silence could no longer remain hidden and began to reveal themselves.
There were more of them than expected. They had likely brought their entire main force.
Despite the assassins' desperate struggle, they couldn't block the entire offensive.
They managed to deflect or parry most of the arrows, but they couldn't respond to all the following magic, even when using the Authority of Silence to scatter the mana.
It was only natural, considering there were two advanced spells mixed in, while Boiling Silence now had only one Cardinal left.
They managed to block Iona’s Tepes by throwing their own bodies in the way, but they couldn't stop Iris’s Elemental Burst, and most of the remaining assassins were blown apart.
Even then, the remaining intermediate and low-grade spells hammered into the unprotected mass of meat.
Boom! Thud! Splat!
The Birthing Chamber vomited red blood as it was blasted, crushed, and torn.
The creature hurriedly extended tentacles to absorb nearby believers at random to heal its wounds, but it couldn't inflict any meaningful damage back... which meant, in other words, it had no options left other than regeneration.
That meant it was time to push, even if it felt like overextending.
"[O thou who walkest the winding and dark path. O thou who lurkest in the dismal valley. By the authority of the Sun, I command thee. This is the flame of purification, the light of judgment. It is time to be crushed by the weight of thine own karma.]"
A pain as if my nerves were melting rather than burning seared through me. My heart, which had always reliably supplied mana, was beating so frantically it wouldn't have been strange if it stopped right now.
As expected, using it twice in one day was too much of a burden on my body.
But I didn't stop. I knew all too well that if I didn't do it now, there wouldn't be another chance.
I forcibly seized the reins of my mana, which kept trying to go berserk, and spat out the activation word as if barking an order.
"[Punishment!]"
As a massive magic circle was drawn in the sky, a cold sense of loss washed over my chest.
My body swayed from the precursor of mana exhaustion—a sensation I was feeling for the first time—but Elisha, who was beside me, caught and supported me.
Leaning half against her, I looked up at the sky where a giant flaming sword was falling.
It was the second time I had seen it, but it was still a magnificent sight. With this, I could surely deal a significant blow.
...Or so I thought.
Rip.
Ugly Prosperity’s Birthing Chamber split wide open, and from the gap, a graceful woman’s arm emerged.
An arm large enough to catch the falling giant sword.
Creeeeeak—!
The sword, caught in that white hand, twisted and crumbled. The bond became unstable, triggering an explosion, but...
The explosion only left a few minor scratches on that massive hand.
[Hmm. That actually stung quite a bit.]
A voice that was both cozy and seductive. A demonic voice that forced anyone, regardless of gender, to face their inner desires.
At that familiar sound, I realized. We were a little too late.
The scales had already tilted.