Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Icarus's Wings (3)
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Icarus's Wings (3)
Rumble-crack-boom!!
A thunderbolt embodying the wrath of the gods struck down. Not just once, but dozens, hundreds of times.
On top of that, rain poured down as if a hole had been punched through the sky. It was like dumping entire clouds at once, and each raindrop was a sharp spear.
The raging winds carried eerie blades, making it impossible to even approach.
Even more astonishing was that the raindrops that had fallen to the ground defied gravity and rose back up.
The spiraling rain resembled a dragon ascending to the heavens.
「Like a rat.」
「Dodging so well.」
Yamata no Orochi had thought a little more pressure would bring it down, but that wasn't the case. The Dragon God's face twisted in fury.
「How long.」
「Do you think.」
「You can keep dodging!!」
This time, it was breath. Dragon breath exhaled from inflated lungs.
Fwooooosh!!!
The pure white energy bursting from Orochi's maw tore across space.
It felt like it was carving a long scar across the world. Needless to say, the rain, clouds, and winds conjured by its words were shredded to pieces. Even the thunderbolts caught in the blast were mangled beyond recognition.
"......"
If it had hit directly, even Lee Sang-hyun wouldn't have survived unscathed.
'...That was close.'
His spine chilled at the thought that his survival instincts or Icarus's Wings had been even a fraction slower—he would've been dead.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Yet his heart remained calmly steady, circulating blood without a hint of disturbance.
「Kuh, kukukuk!!」
「Struggle!!」
「The more you do!!」
「The fuller I'll get!!」
Yamata no Orochi charged, wildly twisting space. The sharp winds and rain aided it, relentlessly tormenting Lee Sang-hyun.
Whoooosh!!
Lee Sang-hyun sporadically unleashed sword ki in counterattacks, but it was like getting wet in a drizzle.
「Strike down!」 「Strike down!」 「Strike down!」
Rumble-crack-boom!!
No one watching could deny Yamata no Orochi's dominance. Lee Sang-hyun's victory seemed impossible.
Swish...
But bit by bit, the rain was weakening. The winds persisted, but the downpour lessened, and the thunder quieted.
Of course, it was still intense enough to call divine punishment. Yet compared to the start, the difference was stark.
「...What.」
By the time Yamata no Orochi noticed, Lee Sang-hyun had already recovered.
And gathered even greater power.
'Time to start.'
Lee Sang-hyun's counterattack began with a single bolt of lightning.
「?!!」
Cognitive dissonance flashed across Yamata no Orochi's face. Because something impossible had happened.
「How?!」
「This can't, happen!!」
「Impossible!!」
「Clouds and winds!」
「That's my, authority!!」
「Authority, I say!!!」
For Yamata no Orochi, who wielded clouds and winds through words of power, being struck by lightning was inconceivable.
Yet a thunderbolt from the sky charred the base of its wings black.
Its pure white scales...
Turned pitch black.
Not only that—the spear-like rains pierced straight into its body without deviation.
Pfbt!!
「What have you, done!!」
「To meeeeee!!」
Yamata no Orochi's rage warped the surrounding space, whipping up winds, rain, and lightning.
And its words birthed a typhoon of fury.
Whoooosh!!!
The 50-meter-wide mini-typhoon was a vortex of blades. Anything caught in it would be torn to shreds.
But it didn't touch Lee Sang-hyun. It merely grazed past him pathetically.
「Ku, aaaak?!!」
To make matters worse, massive hail began pummeling its body.
Thud-thud-thud!!
Its enormous size made dodging impossible.
In that gap, Lee Sang-hyun closed in and swung his sword. Immense power gathered along the blade.
Slash!!
By the time Yamata no Orochi realized, the wound was already there.
「U, aa, aaa!!」
Not fatal. But a glaringly vivid gash.
And red blood flowed from it.
From the pure white body...
Of a god.
All of Japan saw it.
「G-God...?」
「Ah... Ahh?」
「What happened...」
「The god...?」
「No way...」
The sight of an omnipotent god bleeding was utterly shocking.
Everyone denied and averted their eyes from the truth. Some were stunned speechless, others screamed it couldn't be, and some wailed that the god had died.
「Lies...!」
「This is a lie!!」
「Nightmare, a nightmare...!」
「The god can't fall to a demon!!」
「Lord Yamata no Orochi!! Save us...!! Protect Japan from the demon!!」
「You can't lose...!!」
Not everyone despaired, of course.
Even more believed in Yamata no Orochi—Kaguya Hime—to the end.
And prayed for hope.
「Please...」
Yamata no Orochi chose Kaguya not just for her exceptional talent, but for her overwhelming desire to become special.
Her craving and longing for uniqueness were unmatched.
「I will become a god.」
And Yamata no Orochi felt the same.
A 6th-rank constellation—one of only seven—but far from satisfied. Dissatisfied, even.
So it sought to become a one-of-a-kind god.
A god transcending constellations.
The absolute sovereign.
Yet... to be wounded by a puny human... a fake without a constellation, no less.
Tremble...!!
「How, dare...!」
「How dare youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!」
Yamata no Orochi's fury shook the world.
Until now, it had fought while minimizing damage to Japan...
But in its maddened rage, things changed. Even if it meant erasing Japan from Earth, it vowed to kill Lee Sang-hyun.
'Time to end this.'
Lee Sang-hyun, who had awaited this moment, prepared his final strike high in the sky.
「I'll kill you.」 「I'll kill you.」 「I'll kill you.」 「I'll kill you.」 「I'll kill you.」 「I'll kill you.」 「I'll kill you.」 「I'll kill you.」 「I'll kill you.」
Nine voices overlapped. The terrifying rage devoured every nearby bolt of lightning.
Kra-crack! Kra-kra-kra-crack!!
A deafening roar like the remaking of heaven and earth spread in all directions, filling the colorless world.
「Ah, aaa...!!」
The scene etched in Japanese minds was straight out of myth. Everyone held their breath.
Then the lightning...
Burst from the Dragon God's maw.
It was the fury and judgment of the god who ruled winds, clouds, and thunder.
Heaven's judgment smiting evil.
The light bringing hope to a darkened world.
Shiver!!
The Japanese felt an uncontrollable tremor.
No one doubted Yamata no Orochi's victory. No one feared the demon.
Thump!! Thump!!
Swelling deep in their chests was hope. Hope for salvation...!
It filled their hearts.
Splurt!!!
The lightning split in two, opening a path.
Lee Sang-hyun unleashed demon-slaying Elbern swordsmanship toward that path.
Second Form—Pierce.
The strike piercing the darkness impaled the heart of the dragon, Yamata no Orochi, who sought to ascend to the heavens.
「Ku... eeeek?!!」
Tremble!!
「This can't...!」
「Happen...!」
「I.」
「Am.」
「A god...!!」
「God, I say...!!」
A scream-like cry poured from Yamata no Orochi's maw.
「Yet I...!」
「To a mere human...!」
「Lose...!」
「Impossible...!!」
Miracles turning rain to sharp needles, winds to eerie blades, and thunderbolts rained down toward Lee Sang-hyun.
But nothing reached him. They merely veered off like mist in the morning sun.
「Wh...y...?!」
Lee Sang-hyun answered the question.
"You're no god. Just an imugi borrowing a human body."
Did it strike a nerve? Agony twisted its face, but something worse than pain surged—a horrific rage.
「I am a god!!!」
Hundreds, thousands of words of power rampaged, throwing the world into chaos.
「God...!!!」
But it didn't last.
Third Form—Burst.
The sword in Yamata no Orochi's chest exploded. The strike that sealed the fight.
「No...!!」
「I...!!」
「Am a god......」
Red blood rained down like a shower into a world stripped of color, left with pale ashes.
The pure, noble white dragon plummeted. Unable to ascend to the high heavens, it crashed to the earth.
Ruuuuumble...
The dragon's fall was enough to shatter Japan's imperial palace at its center.
And shatter the Japanese people's hope.
「G-God...」
「Orochi...」
「Is...」
「Dead...」
Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead.
The word echoing in Japanese hearts was only one. Nothing else came to mind.
Only the god's death reverberated hollowly.
U, aaaaaah...!!!
The god is dead!! The god has died!! The Dragon God...!! Lord Yamata no Orochi is dead!! No way!! This can't be!! A god passing away? Impossible!! Unthinkable!! A ridiculous lie!! A nightmare conjured by the demon!! A falsehood to corrupt us!! Kaguya Hime!! Save us!! Protect us from this nightmare!! Don't abandon us!! Please save us...!! Save us......
The color of Japan was despair. Despair without a trace of hope filled the empty void.
"......"
Lee Sang-hyun descended straight to the ground and inspected Yamata no Orochi's corpse.
Tremble... tremble...
Its tail twitched, but with its heart pierced and body bisected, the Dragon God's death was clear.
Moreover, its power was dissipating, reverting from Dragon God to the human Kaguya Hime.
'...It's over.'
Confirming the death of Yamata no Orochi—one of the Strongest 7, a 6th-rank constellation aspiring to godhood—Lee Sang-hyun turned away.
Shiver.
But someone blocked his path. Her face was a mess of tears, but her rage was vivid.
Demon.
"De... mon...!! You...! You killed the god!! Killed the god!! The god who would save this world...!! You killed Kaguya!! Our savior!!"
Her scream voiced the hearts of the Japanese.
Everyone...
Raged at Lee Sang-hyun, fury upon fury. No one hid their resentment. They spewed it madly.
"......"
Lee Sang-hyun didn't irresponsibly dodge their anger. He faced it with his eyes and ears.
He confronted the fury of those who lost their great 'god' and their path forward, to the end.
Thud.
"Now... we're... done for... This world... is finished... Everything's... over... We'll all... die... The god... abandoned us..."
The one hurling blame at Lee Sang-hyun collapsed to her knees, shedding tears of utter grief.
Sob. Hic. Sob sob.
Others wept cold tears, like abandoned lambs.
But Lee Sang-hyun didn't lift them up. He offered no irresponsible comfort or condemnation.
"God..."
He watched quietly.
That was all.
"...Even 12 years ago, there was no god."
And he left Japan.