Chapter 393: Quickening (8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 393: Quickening (8)
Everyone present held their breath.
A Divine Blood larger than even the Colosseum...
Because of the being who called himself the Poison Eater, Alon blankly turned his gaze upward.
At the same time, the ragged, heavy breathing of the fighters reached his ears. It wasn't just one person. Most of those present were gasping for air as if they had been locked in a fierce battle for hours, simply from witnessing the entity before them.
It was a bizarre phenomenon. Yet, Alon understood why the 'fighters' were reacting that way.
"Urgh—"
Hearing Evan’s stifled groan from behind him, Alon thought to himself.
It’s suffocating.
It was truly strange. No battle had broken out. The situation hadn't changed. Even the unique entities that had been attacking them seemed to have lost their will to fight, bowing their bodies as low as possible toward the giant spider in a display of awe.
No—perhaps it looked more like they were cowering in terror. As if they were desperately hoping not to be chosen.
Nothing in the world had actually changed. A Divine Blood had simply appeared before their eyes.
And yet.
That alone made the air feel thick and heavy. It was an unpleasant sensation, as if his breathing were being intentionally restricted, his breath growing shorter and shorter.
Recalling that feeling, Alon regulated his breathing as best as he could and organized his thoughts.
This is the situation I wanted.
In a way, this was exactly what he had been aiming for. To resolve the crisis in this Colony, he didn't need to kill Karan; he had to deal with the root cause—the Divine Blood.
Just as Alon restored his breathing to normal and prepared to move—
[I see. So you are the Star Eater.]
Suddenly, a sonorous voice rang out. It was a voice so majestic that merely hearing it made his mind tingle.
Alon immediately called out to Penia.
"Penia, Evan."
"Yes."
"Get everyone inside the Colosseum. And get ready."
"I... I understand."
Penia nodded with difficulty and began leading the fighters toward the interior of the Colosseum along with Evan.
The Poison Eater, however, made no move to stop them. It was as if their movements held no interest for him. Instead, he repeated his previous question.
[Are you the 'Star Eater'?]
"..."
A natural moment of hesitation followed. Should he affirm it and see what the creature had to say?
But after a brief pause, Alon replied.
"...Why do you call me that?"
The Poison Eater stared down at Alon and answered.
[I see. You aren't even aware of your own identity.]
"What?"
[It is understandable. Still, it is curious. Why would the names of such lowly creatures of this world be on their lips?]
"...If I asked for an explanation, would you give it?"
At the question, the Poison Eater continued leisurely.
[I refuse. I do not particularly enjoy engaging in futile efforts.]
"Futile efforts?"
[You are going to die. If so, wouldn't explaining things be a waste of time?]
He spoke calmly. As if he were stating the most obvious fact in the world.
"...For someone who used humans to gather faith, you're quite arrogant."
[Is that how you think? Truly a human. But do not be mistaken. I only did so because it seemed the most efficient method.]
"And did you see any results?"
[As you can see, it wasn't particularly satisfying. I have realized that it is difficult to gather faith this way without reaching Creation.]
"So you've achieved nothing."
[Is that the concern of a lowly creature? You needn't worry. Your presence here has turned my futile actions into something quite worthwhile.]
"What—?"
The Poison Eater then rolled his dozens of abyss-like eyes in every direction.
Sssssss—!
He began spewing white threads into the surroundings. Threads so thin that even Alon’s eyes could barely discern them spread across the entire Colony in an instant.
[Very well—I shall tell you.]
Perhaps feeling generous, the Poison Eater looked down at Alon and spoke.
[The 'Rot of Eternity'—he seeks to kill you.]
"..."
Alon couldn't understand those words. He knew nothing of the Rot of Eternity. He had never even met such a being.
The only reason Alon even recognized the name was thanks to the information provided by the Wanderer.
The Rot of Eternity. He was the leader of one of the Four Divine Blood Factions, the largest among the Divine Blood.
Alon couldn't immediately process the information he had been given, but he raised his gaze at the Poison Eater's next words.
[So, cease your resistance.]
"Why?"
[As long as the Rot of Eternity is targeting you, your death is inevitable. Even if you were to survive, the path ahead would be an endless bed of thorns.]
"...So you're saying I should just hand my life over to you for a peaceful end?"
[Precisely.]
It was a calm, yet utterly certain answer.
But naturally.
"I refuse."
Alon rejected him instantly.
[Is that so—]
The Poison Eater showed no regret at the firm refusal. He simply accepted Alon’s rejection with composure.
And then.
[Then, there is no other way.]
The Poison Eater’s murmur echoed.
[I have no choice but to kill you.]
The sky entered Alon’s vision. In that brief moment, he saw a massive spiderweb constructed across the heavens of the Colony.
And then—
Drip— Plop— Drip!
From the sky—no, from between the countless webs—venom began to rain down.
[Now then, let us see.]
How long you can survive in my home.
* * *
Alon stared silently at the sky. A ceiling that hadn't existed moments ago had formed, scattering venom onto the ground.
Ssssssssss—!!!
Watching the venom that landed beside him melt the earth with a pungent odor, Alon frowned beneath his expressionless mask.
It looked lethal enough that a single drop would melt a normal human into nothingness.
That wasn't all. The unique entities that had been frozen in worship of the Poison Eater began to rush toward the Colosseum with terrifying speed.
The situation was grim.
However.
"Seolrang."
"Yes."
"I'm leaving the Colosseum to you."
"...Understood, Mentor."
Even so, the thought of defeat didn't cross his mind.
Crackle—!!!
Seolrang, who had been standing calmly behind Alon, transformed into a flash of golden lightning in an instant, beginning to wipe out the unique entities charging toward the Colosseum.
In every path the flash traversed, nothing remained but the corpses of the unique entities.
Alon took a deep breath and looked back at the sky. The venom, which had been falling in mere droplets, was now pouring down in increasing volume.
The venom, which melted even the barriers Alon deployed without effort, was lethal even to him. Unlike Seolrang, Alon wasn't agile enough to dodge the endless rain of poison from the sky.
"..."
Alon continued to watch the sky. Droplets of venom he couldn't avoid fell toward him. They were too close to dodge even if he threw himself aside, and there was far too little time to manifest a spell to block them.
Yes. That would have been the case for the Alon of the past.
"Whew—"
A small sigh escaped Alon’s lips. As if waiting for that signal, six Hand Ice Seals formed behind his back.
The moment the falling venom reached right before Alon’s eyes—
A small sphere created in Alon’s hand flickered in and out of existence.
And then.
Crack— Cra-crack!
The world froze.
The falling venom, and the unique entities that had been sprinting past the Colosseum toward Alon, all froze simultaneously.
[!]
For a moment, the Poison Eater expressed surprise through his dozens of eyes.
But the frozen wasteland that had instantly encased everything didn't stop there. As if it weren't finished, the frost climbed up the streams of falling venom.
Soon, it began to freeze the spiderwebs spread across the entire Colony.
[What is—]
The moment the Poison Eater voiced his confusion, he saw it. A star began to rise in the web-filled sky.
Threads erupted from various parts of the Poison Eater’s body, which had been so relaxed until now, wrapping around the ice that had frozen everything.
In the blink of an eye, the ice encased in those threads began to melt under the influence of the venom. As the Poison Eater dissolved the ice, he continuously spewed threads while scanning the ground with his dozens of eyes.
He had already decided to be cautious, given that high-ranking Divine Bloods were interested in this human and because of the mysterious aura Alon faintly exuded.
Yet, the reason the Poison Eater had left an opening was out of curiosity. He wondered why a lowly creature was so hated by a high-ranking Divine Blood.
Furthermore, if a high-ranking Divine Blood was interested in him, he figured there might be something to gain other than just joining a faction—perhaps he could keep him alive for research.
But in this moment, the Poison Eater realized. The lowly creature before him, exuding that suspicious aura, was not an opponent to be taken lightly.
The moment he recognized this, he decided to kill Alon for certain. His power was ill-suited for keeping something alive, but it was all too easy for killing.
Now that the option of keeping him alive was gone, there was no reason to hold back his strength.
As he rolled his eyes in thought, the Poison Eater suddenly noticed something strange. Alon, who had been on the ground just a moment ago, was nowhere to be found.
He flinched.
Whoosh—!
The single star that had existed in the sky suddenly multiplied, spreading out like a Milky Way.
The Poison Eater instinctively turned several eyes toward the sky, but then—
[!]
More accurately, sensing a chilling mana coming from directly beneath him, he turned all his eyes toward the ground.
There, he found Alon.
Holding a ring that contained a terrifyingly massive amount of mana.
"As I thought, it takes a long time to summon using mana."
The 'Star Eater' was looking up at the sky with an utterly calm expression.
And then.
"!"
The Poison Eater saw it.
[Sworn ally, manifest.]
With that small murmur, a guardian deity manifested in this world—
[AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—!!!!]
The descent of the Receiver, Basiliora.