Chapter 51
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Breaking the Eggshell (2)
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“Kiiiiik!”
A sharp, metallic screech erupted from the dark elf’s mouth.
It was Sephild, warlord of the Aturan Kingdom, who had visited this place a week ago as a messenger.
‘What is happening?’
He licked his curled lips.
It was all incomprehensible.
First, the vanguard of a thousand soldiers had been wiped out.
He could somewhat guess the reason for that.
“Groooaaar!”
Thwack!
“Kkieeek!”
With every clash of blades and spears, it was a dark elf’s head that was smashed to pieces, a dark elf that fell. It was his kin whose limbs were severed and sent flying.
These ogres were on a completely different level from the beasts of the past.
These creatures knew how to properly distribute their strength and wield their weapons.
Still, this was a variable they could overcome.
After all, they had the monster known as the incarnation of Paractus.
Indeed, if only ogres had been on this battlefield, he wouldn't have worried at all.
“------!”
But suddenly, a giant bird resembling the sun appeared in the sky.
The problem was the monsters that descended like snowflakes in the wake of that flame bird.
Shwaaak!
As the lizardmen, arranged in a rectangular phalanx, advanced, the surrounding dark elves were swept away like autumn leaves.
Kwarrrr!
From below, dark elves with torn limbs were tossed about, swept away by an unknown torrent of water.
Crunch!
Veteran warriors, who had been through countless battles, were laid out with their skulls crushed by some tiny, unknown beings.
Fwoosh!
Elsewhere, an ogre in a strange hat was burning dark elves to death with a club engulfed in flames.
‘What, what in the world is happening!’
Sephild screamed internally.
Including the giant monstrous bird in the sky, he had never seen such absurd creatures in all his numerous battles.
This was no longer a battle.
It was a one-sided slaughter.
So what was that damn turtle, the one supposed to be their savior, doing?
“------!”
It was completely ignoring them, mesmerized by the monstrous bird circling the sky and spewing flames.
Crunch!
Dark red blood splattered across Sephild’s grayish skin.
It had burst from the head of a soldier, smashed by a mace.
But he had no time to wipe it away.
“Groooaaar!”
“Kiik!”
The ogre that had just crushed the head of the guard next to him was now charging at him.
It was slightly smaller than the other ogres, but about his height.
Sephild cursed and blocked the attack with the sword in his hand.
Clang!
The flat of his greatsword met the iron ball of the mace.
Wham!
Fortunately, the small ogre before him was no match for the battle-hardened dark elf.
He kicked it in the stomach.
The ogre let out a pained groan.
The force of the mace pressing down on his greatsword slackened.
Slice!
Seizing the opportunity, Sephild slashed the ogre’s arm.
“Grraaaargh!”
Red blood spurted out, drenching the dark elf’s gray skin.
Yes, this was how it was supposed to be.
But his subordinates weren’t adapting as quickly.
“Kkieeeeek!”
The moment the dark elf general, enraged by this reality, raised his greatsword.
“...?!”
A dark figure shot up before his eyes.
A human.
Turning his gaze, Sephild recognized him.
A week ago, when he had stepped foot here as a messenger.
He had seen two weak and unimpressive humans—
Slice.
Before the thought could fully form, a cold sensation brushed past both his arms.
With a soft slither.
His arms, still holding the greatsword aloft, slid down and fell.
“What are you doing? I told you to do it properly if you’re going to do it at all.”
The low voice was not directed at him.
The human who had casually severed his arms didn't even look at him, but was instead concerned for the well-being of the ogre kneeling before him.
“Kki, kkieeek!”
Only then did the dark elf stare at his own arms, gone from the elbows down, and let out a scream.
He then began to flee, frantically waving his bloody, shortened limbs.
‘Help me! Protect your commander!’
He cried out for help, but there was no answer.
There was only the pandemonium of dark elves being slaughtered.
In the end, the only thing he could rely on was…
‘Pa-Paractus! O, Paractus! Save this life!’
…that damn turtle, still distracted by the monstrous bird.
Sephild ran frantically toward the giant turtle.
‘It’s okay, it’s fine! If I hide behind that shell, this battle will eventually end!’
He had long since forgotten his subordinates being massacred behind him.
Perhaps that was why.
“Kkieeeeek!”
Sephild didn't notice that the screams of the dark elves had changed somehow.
But for a moment, he felt the air above his head grow hot and looked up.
“Ah, ahh…”
From the sky, countless sparks of fire were raining down.
It was a truly surreal sight.
Fire and ice mixing together, descending upon them.
Fwoosh!
As one of the sparks struck a dark elf’s body and ignited.
Amidst the flames that grew, feeding on the body as kindling, Sephild stared at the giant incarnation before him.
Still, the incarnation of Paractus, that damn turtle, paid no heed to its children as they burned to nothing.
‘I see.’
Only then did the dark elf realize.
‘We were the ones abandoned by our god.’
“----!”
A desperate, final scream was torn from his throat as his whole body burned.
The dark elf who had once led countless battles to victory was thus reduced to a handful of ash.
***
[Rain of Flames]
Right after the sparks falling from Ru’s body annihilated the dark elves.
The phoenix let out a low cry, almost like a groan.
“------.”
The battle between the ogres and the dark elves had been brought to a complete end by the recent shower of fire.
All that remained was that giant turtle.
But there wasn't much time.
While Ru's wave of flames and the turtle's frost cannon still clashed in mid-air.
The struggle for dominance seemed evenly matched at a glance, but I could feel Ru’s flames slowly dying down.
Crackle!
The frost cannon was pushing back the wave of flames with ferocious momentum, drawing closer.
Ru’s power alone couldn't subdue it.
To take down that monster, the two of us had to join forces.
“Ru.”
The brilliant divine beast tilted the feathers in front of me.
“I’ll finish that thing. To do that, I need you to help me.”
Success might require burning all of Ru’s life force.
A dangerous gamble.
Nevertheless, I calmly explained how it could help.
And the phoenix agreed.
Lowering the feathers that had been tightly covering my body was its expression of consent.
Gripping the Sword of Lingering Scars, I steadied myself atop the giant phoenix’s body.
“This is intense.”
I muttered, glancing down below.
Even with a fear of heights, the drop was so dizzyingly unreal that I didn't tremble.
Pitter-patter!
And connecting the phoenix and the Ice Ear Turtle, a path of ice stretched out like a rainbow.
Flames that melt all things and a cold that freezes all things.
The result born from the clash of these two energies within a blizzard so thick one could barely see an inch ahead.
That was the key.
“Gono, sorry to interrupt the fight, but come back.”
[The Goblin Slave is returning to the Lord's Castle.]
A purple orb appeared in my hand.
I fitted it into the socket and spoke to Ru.
“Ru, I’m counting on you.”
“-------!”
Ru responded with a sharp cry.
“----!”
The turtle below also let out a roar.
It seemed to think the phoenix was about to attack it with even fiercer flames.
The wave of frost spewing from its mouth grew stronger.
But Ru, instead, reduced the intensity of the flames it was pouring out.
C-crack!
The balance of power shattered.
As the heat diminished, a new layer of ice formed over the great road of melting ice.
It was like a thicker layer of ice covering a frozen river, making it strong enough to stand on and descend.
[Crow's Flap (A)]
My body shot forward.
Leaving the phoenix’s burning body behind, I landed on the ice path.
An ice road carved diagonally across the sky.
Down that ice path, I went.
I shot down as if sliding.
“-----!”
The Ice Ear Turtle was an S-rank monster.
It was incomparably dumber than Ru, but it knew that a being was hurtling towards it from high above, riding the path of ice.
It also knew that this being could become a major threat.
A blue energy gathered in its maw.
[Talons of Ice]
Charrrr!
The blue energy leaving its mouth transformed into several claws.
Talons made of ice rushed towards me along the ice path.
[Wave of Flames]
Just then, a torrent of fire poured from behind, covering me.
Ru was pouring out its last bit of life force.
I swung my sword, deflecting the ice talons that had been weakened by the flames.
[Lord's Lingering Shadow - Undead Lich Iramatus]
Crack!
My enhanced body, combined with the acceleration, shattered the talons with terrifying destructive power.
Kwaaaaaa!
This time, an ice talon the size of a house came hurtling toward me.
And I, descending the steep slope as if skiing.
[Ordinary Horizontal Slash]
I simply slashed through everything that blocked my path.
A blue light momentarily enveloped the blade of the Sword of Lingering Scars.
Kwwadddduk!
The wave of ice, struck by the enhanced slash, shattered like glass.
Enduring the glittering shards of ice, sometimes feeling the searing pain of being cut by them.
I never stopped.
My altitude dropped in real-time.
Ru’s life-burning flames followed behind me like a wave.
Down.
And down again.
“----?!”
Sensing something was wrong, the Ice Ear Turtle stopped firing its frost cannon.
It tried to quickly shut its mouth.
But it was already too late.
C-crack!
Deprived of its source of cold, the ice path began to crack and shatter into pieces.
The giant turtle’s head was right in front of me.
My body shot up with the shattering ice.
And I immediately threw myself forward.
Into the monster's slightly open maw.
Swoosh!
In an instant, my surroundings were plunged into darkness.
Even so, the sensation of viscous saliva and a thick tongue enveloping my body was vivid.
Ugh, this feels disgusting.
Barely maintaining my balance, I unsummoned Odolph.
I then fumbled for the brown orb that appeared in my hand and swapped it into the hilt of my sword.
[Flames of Hellfire]
Flames erupted from the Emperor's Lingering Scars, illuminating the surroundings.
The inside of the turtle’s mouth was like a massive cave.
I stared up at the roof of its mouth, far above.
I couldn't reach it like this.
The terrified turtle’s tongue was pressed flat against the floor.
I aimed my sword at the squishy tongue I was standing on.
And immediately.
[Ordinary Horizontal Slash]
I swung the blade, which was emitting an iridescent blue light.
A single streak of blue light.
Shwaaaak!
A part of the tough tongue was sliced like tofu, and from deep below, blood shot up like a fountain.
[---------!]
With that, a pained roar erupted from the cave-like throat.
Gurgle!
The tightly coiled tongue began to undulate like a wave.
That recoil was enough.
Covered in blood, I kicked off the squishy tongue and shot upwards.
R-rumble!
The surroundings shook violently.
The terrified Ice Ear Turtle had retracted its neck.
But while its shell could block external attacks, it couldn't stop a sword from plunging into the roof of its mouth.
Plunge!
The Emperor's Lingering Scars, its shining blade, sank deep into the red roof of its mouth.
The orb at the end of the hilt glowed.
[Flames of Hellfire]
Searing flames spread from the roof of the turtle's mouth, splitting into several streams and heading down its throat.
The flames soon reached the turtle's internal organs, beginning to burn its entire body from the inside.
Rumble-rumble-rumble!
The air vibrated as if an earthquake had struck.
It was the death throes of a monster writhing in the agony of being burned from within.
I held on for dear life, my sword embedded in the roof of its mouth.
My final blow was fatal, but the monster's life force was tougher than that.
The thrashing continued, and the monstrous screams persisted.
After some time had passed.
Thud!
A great tremor shook once more, and then silence enveloped the surroundings.
[You have succeeded in defeating the Ice Ear Turtle.]
Finally, the dungeon declared one side the victor.
[The great invasion has failed, and the Ogre Sanctuary has regained its peace.]
[Congratulations. You have cleared the Ogre Sanctuary.]
* * *
After the long battle ended, I pried open the Ice Ear Turtle's mouth and crawled out.
“Groooaaar!”
The first thing that came into view were the ogres, raising their weapons and roaring.
And a clear sky.
The blizzard that had narrowed my vision had cleared away.
As I stood there blankly, the ogres' behavior turned strange.
“Groooaaar!”
They suddenly began to kneel.
When I looked up, I saw two phoenixes playing against the backdrop of the blue sky.
That’s right, two.
The egg had hatched.
“You hatched safely.”
Purr!
As I nodded in satisfaction, the Sage came up next to me and rubbed its cheek against mine.
It seemed it was still upset about being left behind before the battle began in earnest.
[O, Saxs'arva…]
[The god has not forsaken us…]
After expressing its delight, the creature began to translate the ogres’ words.
Well, I had expected them to say something like this.
Having witnessed Ru’s appearance right before their eyes, it was only natural…
[That is right. Our god has descended here.]
But something was strange.
Why were they bowing towards me, not the sky?
[This humble servant beholds the incarnation of the great Saxs'arva.]
“?”
That was roughly what the chieftain’s words meant.
Uh… incarnation? Does that mean they see me as a god myself?
Me, Saxs'arva?
Why?
Your beloved Saxs'arva is right over there, you know? Two of them, in fact… Ah.
“------!”
Right after Ru and the small baby phoenix landed behind me.
I understood why.
Because these creatures were following me.
Since a god wouldn't follow a mere human, Ru and the phoenix had been demoted to divine beasts, and I had been elevated to Saxs'arva itself.
Come to think of it, the series of actions I had shown in front of these creatures…
…wasn't much different from the stories in scriptures where a god descends in human form to bestow influence.
[Glory to Saxs'arva!]
So that's how I became some kind of messiah.
[Glory to the great incarnation!]
[Glory to the great god of the ogres!]
“Ahem, glo-glory to the great Aphraxsas…”
No, Odolph. Just don't.
Don't mumble your words and try to be clever.
Do you really think divine punishment will spare you for that?
“…Hmm.”
Guild Leader? Are you crazy? Why are you nodding your head in understanding?
“-----♬”
Ru and the baby phoenix, you two stop nuzzling me from both sides.
This is my favorite hoodie. If you keep rubbing your heads on it, you'll ruin the fabric.
[(୨୧ ❛ᴗ❛)✧(୨୧ ❛ᴗ❛)✧(୨୧ ❛ᴗ❛)✧]
…Right, let’s just give up.
It was then.
A new status window flickered before my eyes.
[You have met the second condition for clearing the hidden mission.]
[You have completed the dungeon's hidden mission! Hidden Mission - 「Deification」]
[A special reward is being granted to you for achieving deification.]