Chapter 214
Chapter 214
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 214
Chapter Title: Angel's Magic Formula (4)
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Shirone, realizing he had only been thinking of his own situation, turned back to Ikael.
“Oh, um…”
Ikael shook her head.
“No, there’s no need to thank me. That this happened is my fault as well. If anything, I’m sorry this is all I can do to help. The rest is up to you, Shirone.”
“Thank you. I truly mean it.”
Shirone insisted on expressing his gratitude. If not for Ikael, he would still be slumped against the walls of Jebul, weeping.
Ikael’s gaze softened. He was a lovely human, even in his stubbornness.
“Keep this in mind, Shirone. As you may already know, you won’t have many opportunities to use my power. Even with your mind having evolved to the next stage. Cariel is a meticulous angel. Use it only when you’re certain you can save your friends.”
Shirone nodded and prepared to leave. He was sad to part with Ikael, but there was no time to waste.
“Be careful. I hope you can return to your world safely.”
“I will. Thank you for everything.”
As Shirone left the room and the door closed, Ikael sank into a chair, looking exhausted.
The room, now empty, was still perfect, yet for some reason, it felt incomplete.
Shirone had been here. Recalling the whole spectacle, Ikael let out a soft chuckle.
‘I’m glad it was Shirone.’
Ikael’s aura opened into a halo and began to spin rapidly. A crimson whirlpool then raged on one side of the room.
“Answer my call, Ashur.”
Square panes of glass materialized in front of Ikael.
The panes, connected by dozens of intersecting lines, shimmered before gradually taking on color, projecting the image of a Mara.
He was a handsome man with ink-black hair that fell to his shoulders, three triangles floating above his head.
Kneeling before Ikael, he bowed his head and spoke.
“Ashur. I await the angel's command.”
The borders between the panes vanished, and Ashur’s form took on a three-dimensional quality.
“I need your strength. Help Shirone.”
“Understood.”
Ashur answered without hesitation. A look of apology flickered in Ikael’s eyes.
“I’m sorry to ask this of you.”
“I am a being born from your very concept, Ikael. I will follow any command you give.”
A high-ranking Mara was the direct attendant of an archangel. It would be no exaggeration to say they were the busiest beings in Heaven, not someone to be summoned lightly.
Especially Ashur, the personal guard of Ikael, who was known as Heaven’s strongest magic swordsman. Though his power was currently sealed, he was not one to be sent on mere errands.
Ashur spoke gallantly.
“Do not worry. If it is precious to you, then it is precious to me as well. I will stake my very existence on completing this mission.”
“Thank you. But Cariel is strong. What’s more, the giant king Imir is now on the move in Jebul.”
At the mention of Imir, Ashur’s eyes flashed intensely.
“I don’t know why he’s taken an interest in this, but you must be cautious. Imir has reached the pinnacle of physical power a living being can achieve. It’s best not to get entangled with him.”
A look of open displeasure crossed Ashur’s face. He was Heaven’s strongest magic swordsman, but the title of Heaven’s greatest warrior was always a toss-up between him and Imir.
This was because some valued Imir more highly, as he had reached the top through physical prowess alone.
But Ashur refused to accept it. One day, they would have to settle who was truly the strongest.
“Do not worry. Imir is no match for me.”
Realizing she had wounded the warrior’s pride, Ikael soothed him with a gentle tone.
“Hehe, of course I believe you’re the strongest, Ashur. Even if Imir came at his full strength, I wouldn’t be the least bit afraid as long as you were here to protect me.”
Only then did Ashur seem satisfied, rising to his feet.
“Of course. As long as I am here, no one will lay a single finger on you.”
“Ah, and one more thing.”
Ashur, who had turned at the door, looked back at his revered master with a tense expression.
Ikael’s eyes narrowed, and they held an unapproachable dignity.
“If you meet Cariel, be sure to deliver these words.”
6. Heavenly Disturbance (1)
Shirone descended the tower and surveyed the open plains of Araboth.
Igirine’s memories showed him the way to Jebul. It was quite a distance to cover by teleportation.
As he entered the Spirit Zone, a torrent of information flooded in through his synesthesia.
“Whoa…”
He knew his concentration had improved, but experiencing it firsthand was almost unbelievable.
Even while maintaining the same density as before, the diameter of his Spirit Zone had grown by one and a half times. In terms of volume, that meant his mental energy had increased nearly fourfold.
In other words, the strain of casting magic had been reduced by a factor of four.
With his Spirit Zone larger than before, he felt a sense of freedom, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
Shirone targeted Jebul and began to gather the preliminary energy for a spatial transfer.
It hadn’t been very effective before, but with the diameter increased by a full 25 meters, he could now use it in practice.
Twenty-five meters might not seem like much of a difference, but when modified into a four-directional target type, the additional distance increased to 100 meters.
By linking just ten spatial transfers, he could gain an increase of over a kilometer.
‘Everyone, wait. Just hold on a little longer.’
The thought of his friends' plight made his heart ache with unbearable anxiety. But Shirone’s concentration, having reached the Adamantine State, did not waver in the slightest.
As the preliminary energy and the final execution combined, a silent roar of light filled the sky.
A streak of light shot toward Jebul.
@
Rian had been running for thirty minutes straight. His heart pounded as if to burst, but the amount of oxygen he took in with each breath was constant. If he burned through his oxygen all at once, he would collapse before reaching his destination.
By now, Canis would have gotten a result, one way or another.
Rian figured it was one of two things: either he had disarmed the Grand World Hall's security system, or he was dead.
He shook his head, clearing the thought. This was no time to worry about others.
If Canis had failed, he would be the next to die.
“Hah! Hah!”
He didn't have an ability like Tess's to lighten his body, but a lifetime of training meant he could run for over an hour without tiring.
After running for so long, he finally reached the last junction connected to the Grand World Hall.
The right side of the corridor was a solid wall of glass, with a vast blue sky stretching out beyond it.
Jebul consisted of dozens of floating plates, meaning this was the very edge of one of them. Therefore, if he kept running along the perimeter, he should reach the bridge leading to the Grand World Hall.
Just as Rian, having gotten his bearings, was about to take off again, something floating near the ceiling caught his eye.
A single drone was approaching him frantically.
The drone was only a machine, but its frantic movements conveyed Tess’s urgency.
“Tess? Are you safe?”
The drone bobbed up and down, as if nodding. It seemed a critical situation hadn’t arisen just yet.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
From the direction Rian had come, the ground began to tremble. He turned to see a colossal man running toward him with long, heavy strides.
Rian raised Signa and Exd.
An unknown enemy. The man running toward him had no aura, no horns.
The first thing that came to mind was a giant.
He was too small for a giant, but the shaking ground with each step hinted at his power.
‘He’s a monster. How heavy must his muscles be to have that kind of weight?’
The giant’s movements were ponderous, but each step propelled his body forward with surprising speed.
THUD!
The giant stomped his foot, coming to an abrupt halt in front of Rian.
It was a display of power.
Something impossible without the raw strength to overcome his own inertia in an instant.
“What are you?”
Imir asked. He was asking because he genuinely didn’t know.
He held Signa and Exd, so he had to be a Mekain, but he looked like one of the Nor-in.
“What are you saying?”
Giants were incapable of mental resonance, so he couldn't understand the words.
The same was true for Imir, but he didn’t care. He was more interested in gauging the quality of his opponent’s strength than his words.
“I see. So you’re the heretic who caused a ruckus in Heaven.”
As a wave of fighting spirit rolled off Imir, Rian instinctively stepped back and raised his sword.
The human he’d expected to piss himself and run had instead brandished a sword, and a thrill shot through Imir. He lived for these moments, when gazes clashed like steel.
‘Good eyes. You’re quite polished for a human.’
Rian slid his left foot back. Considering the difference in weight, a contest of pure strength was out of the question. His best strategy was to end it quickly, striking the moment he saw an opening.
“Reveal your identity. Are you friend or foe? If you intend to interfere, you will not pass.”
Imir couldn’t understand Rian’s words, but he could read a thousand of them in his intense gaze.
‘So, I am to choose. But that’s my line…’
Imir strode forward.
It seemed like a brutish advance, but the timing was perfect to disrupt Rian’s rhythm.
Rian, who had been looking for a chance to strike, was forced to retreat in frustration.
Imir savored the sight.
The battle had already begun. He loved every emotion that unfolded from the moment two beings decided to kill one another.
Imir closed the distance.
“Foe.”
Rian’s hair stood on end.
The giant’s aura washed over him like a colossal wall, so immense he couldn’t grasp its entirety.
“Shall we begin?”
At that moment, a mechanical voice sounded from the drone on the ceiling.
“Lan... guage... de... cod... ing. ‘Shall we begin?’”
Imir’s gaze flickered to the ceiling for an instant. When he looked back down, Rian was gone.
“Hah!”
Imir raised an arm, blocking Signa as it flew in from the side. A powerful shockwave erupted, and the giant’s skin rippled like water in a gale.
But his body didn’t budge an inch.
Shoving Signa away with his arm, Imir tilted his head and glared at Rian.
It was the gaze of a snake eyeing its prey.
“A fine ambush. It almost makes me feel bad. A swordsman deserves to be faced with a sword, after all.”
As he spoke, Imir shoved Signa aside. He spun, his body reversing direction as a powerful hook swung around.
Rian raised Exd and braced himself.
As Imir’s fist struck the shield, a deafening roar erupted, and Exd’s hologram slammed into him.
But again, Imir didn’t budge. It was Rian who was sent flying.
Rian rolled across the floor, catching himself on one knee.
Exd, the shield on his arm, was smashed open as if hit by a cannonball, its inner workings exposed.
Imir glanced over his shoulder and grinned.
“As you can see… not many weapons can withstand my strength.”
“Dammit, how humiliating…”
From the ceiling, he could feel Tess’s gaze through the drone. The thought of her watching, waiting for help, made his blood boil.
“Hraaaagh!”
Rian charged at full speed.
In an unorthodox move, he threw Signa, then leaped into the air, drawing the greatsword from his back.
Imir caught the incoming Signa and crushed it like a biscuit.
At the same moment, Rian brought his greatsword down.
Imir’s fist, still clutching the remains of Signa, shot forward.
Rian’s eyes widened at the sharp clang. The giant had blocked the greatsword’s blade with his bare knuckles. It felt like striking solid steel.
The recoil sent Rian flying backward. Imir immediately pursued, raising his fist.
“That was fun. Here’s a gift for you.”
“Hngh!”
Rian plunged his greatsword into the ground. Using the flat of the blade as a shield, he pressed his shoulder and thigh against it, bracing with all his weight.