Chapter 376: It's a Thief
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 376: It's a Thief
Since ancient times, humans believed that lightning flashed first, followed by the sound of thunder. But that’s a misconception, born from the difference between the speed of light and sound. In truth, thunder and lightning—children of the great bolt—are twins. It is only because the light of lightning is faster than the sound of thunder that it is perceived to be born first.
But now, having experienced a thunderstorm right before my eyes, I was unwillingly forced to realize that the two were indeed twins.
One side of my vision was flooded with lightning. A brilliant yellow light painted my retinas a single color. For a brief moment, I could see nothing but the Thunder God’s punishment.
At the same time, a thunderclap that could tear the world apart echoed in my ears. A sound so loud became pain itself, shaking my very skull.
If I didn't have the ability to read minds, the power to steal another's perspective, I would have been incapacitated for a moment.
"Of all the times!"
The children were staring up at the top of the Cloud Waterfall, trembling in fear. My vision barely recovered, I staggered and cast my gaze upward as well.
And I saw the Thunder God.
A colossal shadow flickered at the peak of the Cloud Waterfall. A giant, seemingly formed from condensed lightning and storms, was looking down at us. The giant, its upper body protruding above the clouds, had eyes that flashed with the light of lightning, and its lips looked like a further condensation of thunderclouds.
Wind and rain raged. The Cloud Waterfall, which had been falling peacefully to the ground, now churned violently as it greeted the Thunder God. Raindrops lashed our faces, and a fierce wind shook our bodies.
First the Golden Lord, and now the Thunder God? Am I cursed? Why does this happen everywhere I go?
Even Tyr, who was always composed, sensed the extraordinary power and spoke.
"Is that the Thunder God?"
"It's my first time seeing it, so I'm not sure, but I think so! If that's not the Thunder God, who else could it be?"
"I have passed the Cloud Waterfall several times, yet I have never seen such a thing..."
"When was the last time you passed through?"
"I do not recall clearly... Was it about three hundred years ago?"
"That was ages ago! I guess after three hundred years, even a Thunder God decides to pay a visit!"
Wait. Tyr has never seen it either? Tyr, who passed through the Village of Clouds in ancient times to build her duchy?
Gods exist. The great principles of nature stand independent of humanity, waiting in their place, whole and complete, even before they are discovered.
But... is that the Thunder God?
While I was lost in thought, the child who had called himself a Guardian of Thunder shouted in a shrill voice.
"Everyone, get down!"
The moment I sensed the danger and instinctively ducked my head...
[---!]
When the Thunder God opened its mouth, thunder roared forth instead of a voice. Even from a height similar to the clouds, its bellow seemed to make the world tremble. The Thunder God, aiming for the Thundermill, raised its arm. In its flashing hand was a spear of lightning, as if plucked from the sky itself. What it intended to do with it... was painfully obvious.
[---!!!]
Along with the thunder, lightning struck again.
"Hiyah!"
Just before it hit, the girl moved first. Dozens of lightning rods extended from the Lightning Tower. Placing her hand on its core, the girl used alchemy. The lightning rods, which had spread out like an umbrella, folded their branches and focused into a single point. The sharpened Lightning Tower looked like a spear aimed at the Thunder God.
Flash.
The lightning bolt struck the very center of the lightning rod.
Fortunately, the anti-Thunder God weapon of the Cloud Village, which had fought against lightning for a lifetime, performed its duty well. Instead of incinerating a human being, the tremendous torrent of power flowed through the Lightning Tower and seeped into the ground. The tower, having received the Thunder God's power, vibrated violently.
"Kyaaah!"
But the aftershock of the lightning alone was terrifying. The girl, who had taken the full force of it at close range while controlling the tower, was thrown back with a thud. As the child's body rolled like a ball, Azzy quickly dashed over to save her.
"Woof woof!"
Though her clothes and skin were singed, the girl was surprisingly unharmed. It seemed the title "Thunder Disciple" wasn't just for show. The girl grabbed onto Azzy to stand, muttering.
"Oh, no! The Lightning Tower...!"
Rumble, rumble.
The Thundermill, empowered by the lightning, spun even more fiercely. Perhaps because the girl had been knocked away, or because of the single powerful strike, the tip of the Lightning Tower was now slightly bent. If it was attacked one more time, the tower might cease to function.
[*---!!!]
Whether it knew this or simply intended to continue its assault, the Thunder God let out another roar and plunged its arm into the clouds, as if to pull out another bolt of lightning.
"How does one hunt something so high up? Hu. Is there a way to ride the clouds and ascend?" Tyr asked.
"No! You can't ride clouds in the first place! A master of Qi Arts might be able to run on water droplets, but that would only be for a few steps!"
"But did Shei not say he would kill the Thunder God?"
"That man is just strange!"
The Thunderarch can beat it back, and the Regressor can kill it? How in the world do they do that? Is everyone around me a monster?!
"Help! If we don't straighten the lightning rod...!"
Just then, the girl cried out, reaching a hand toward the lightning rod. Tch, since everyone else had been blown away by the last strike, I was the only one nearby. I guess I have no choice.
"Let's go, Azzy!"
"Woof!"
Azzy, her fur puffed up either voluntarily or not, left the girl and shot forward. Leaping to the top of the Lightning Tower, she grabbed the bent rod with her teeth and pulled. The massive rod creaked as it straightened.
Catching up a moment later, I used alchemy. As expected of the Fallen Dominion, this too was made of Alchemic Steel. A highly reactive metal specialized for alchemy, it changed shape in an instant with just my touch.
...No, it doesn't seem to be just for that reason. Is it because I saw the Divine? Alchemy feels much easier now than ever before.
Anyway. After straightening the rod, I immediately let go. Unlike the Thunder Disciples, my body was perfectly ordinary. Getting hit by lightning at this range wouldn't just send me flying. I had to get away, fast.
[---!!!]
Huh? Am I too late? Can't be helped.
I pulled out a card. The 10 of Spades. The idol of Mother Earth, who supports all things. It couldn't compare to Jizan, but I could probably expect it to divert an electrical current, right? Just before the lightning struck, I gripped the card and offered a prayer.
"Good work. I've received your help, though unintentionally."
But my efforts were in vain.
Thud. The Thunderarch landed atop the Lightning Tower. Clad in thunder, she strode forward and stared at the Thunder God with indifferent eyes.
"You've invaded at a rather curious time... No, perhaps you were aiming for this moment. In any case, leave this to me."
"Lady Thunderarch!"
"It's the Thunderarch!"
At the children's cheering voices, the Thunderarch gave a small, reassuring nod.
Then, the Thunderarch's hair stood on end. Lightning coursed through every single strand, and her entire body flashed as she finished preparing to confront the Thunder God.
The gaze of the colossal god looking down from the heavens met that of the woman looking up from the earth. As thunder and storms filled the space between sky and ground, the Thunder God, having pulled another bolt from the clouds, delivered its divine punishment once more. The lightning fell again.
"Thunder Catch."
At that moment, the Thunderarch gripped the lightning rod.
Lightning has a nature to spread. It never stagnates, always flows, constantly seeking a place to rest its body. The human body is no different; lightning will use even that damp, complex structure as a conduit.
Just as a torrent overflows a riverbank, the human body through which lightning flows is left horribly broken. But the Thunderarch, a native of the Fallen Dominion, is different.
The lightning tore through the world, then coiled around the Thunderarch's body. Her feet were not touching the ground. Instead of passing through her, it swirled, continuously creating a current.
Her insides should have been churned to a pulp... but instead, she made that power her own.
"Oh, Thunder God. I don't know how many times I must return this to you before you are satisfied."
The Thunderarch's current form was nothing short of a Thunder God descended to earth.
A powerful force emanated from her body, which was now wreathed in lightning. With every step she took, thunder rumbled. Her brilliant yellow hair, scattering with flashes of light, looked like lightning itself given form. Her gleaming eyes now held the very image of the storm.
"If you wish it, then once more."
The Thunderarch grabbed the rotating Thundermill with both hands, drew upon the power that filled her entire being, and shouted.
"I will return it to you!"
The spinning Thundermill slowly came to a halt, stopped by the power wielded by a single human.
The Thundermill uses the lightning flowing to the ground along the Cloud Waterfall as its power source. Instead of water, the flow of lightning turns the mill.
In other words, if one were to turn that mill in reverse, one could gather the power of the lightning that had been scattered throughout Claudia and send it back up.
That was the meaning of 'returning the lightning.'
Grrrrrr. The Thunderarch drew on all her strength and resonated with the Thundermill. Using her own power and the power of the lightning against itself, she turned the massive iron wheel, over 100 meters in diameter, backward.
A feat possible only for the Thunderarch, who could contain lightning within her body. And the reason why, within Claudia, the Thunderarch was the strongest.
Thunderclouds and lightning surged from the backward-spinning Thundermill. From the earth, to the sky. In a direction opposite to the natural order, humanity's atonement traveled back up the Cloud Waterfall, toward the Thunder God. Whether it was an attack or a gift, I couldn't tell. The lightning was returning to the sky.
What the first Thunderarch had done in ancient times was being reenacted on a grander scale...
"Ah, wait a minute."
Just then, riding Chun-aeng, the Regressor landed in the middle of the Cloud Waterfall.
Chun-aeng and Jizan were sky and earth. Lightning was the will of the Sky God that traveled between them...
In other words, with those two swords, the Regressor could also wield the power of lightning.
A portion of the surging lightning headed not for the sky, but for Chun-aeng. The Regressor stole a part of the lightning meant to be returned to the Thunder God, storing it between the two relics.
As the world fell silent at such a brazen act of theft, I pointed at the Regressor and yelled.
"It's the Lightning Thief! No, a robber!"