Chapter 396: It Doesn't Change (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 396: It Doesn't Change (1)
As the golden moon fell toward the earth, Alon’s senses were stripped away.
His vision, which had been fixed on the giant mouth just before it snapped shut, was bleached white. Instead of information about his current situation, a continuous, electronic-like ringing filled his ears.
And then.
When Alon’s sight and hearing finally returned to him, what he saw was the gruesome, mangled remains of the Devourer.
“…!”
Alon’s mouth hung open involuntarily.
The state of the Devourer was that shocking.
The massive mouth that had swallowed the Colony’s royal castle whole was half-gone, as if it had been torn away. From the jagged wound where something had been chewed off, crimson blood—indistinguishable from a human’s—poured out like a waterfall, soaking the ground.
Finally, the charred body, limp and sizzling from lightning, proved that the massive Divine Blood had met its end.
Alon stared blankly at the sight for a long moment before a question occurred to him.
“?”
Until just a moment ago, he had been bound by the Poison Eater’s threads, positioned right above the Devourer’s maw.
So why—?
Alon slowly turned his head and realized something.
“…”
“…”
He was being held in Seolrang’s arms.
Like a princess.
“…”
“…”
Alon looked up at Seolrang, who was staring down at him in silence, and thought, ‘…What on earth just happened?’
The beastkin holding him was very different from the Seolrang he knew. Her aura was different, and so was her appearance.
Even so, Alon knew instinctively that this was Seolrang.
He had no idea why she had transformed like this, but he opened his mouth to speak to her—
[Hmph—!]
—but he couldn't.
He grimaced at the presence emanating from the Poison Eater beyond the Devourer’s remains. Despite being battered by Basiliora and Blackie and then struck by Seolrang’s Falling Moon, the creature still maintained its form.
And atop its head…
“Tsk—!”
A rose.
Death was blooming.
[A pity. It is already over.]
A beautiful flower was blossoming—one that would grant an equal death to all.
Seeing the red mist spread in an instant before he could even form a Hand Seal, Alon let out a low sigh.
‘I’m too late.’
If it were before the bloom, he might have been able to do something. But now that it had reached this stage, there was nothing left to do. Alon did not possess a spell capable of stopping a poisonous fog that had already blanketed more than half the city’s sky.
And that mist…
“That’s—”
“Are you kidding me—?!”
“…Ah.”
It sought to extinguish everyone’s hope once again.
From the fighters who were the first to notice the mist, to the mages digging tunnels with Penia, to the citizens who saw the reactions of the fighters and mages…
Just as despair was about to take hold, Alon, who had been staring vacantly, suddenly formed a Hand Seal. A single thought had occurred to him.
‘At least I can try this…!’
Given his current physical condition, he wasn't sure if it was possible. But he couldn't just stand by and watch the poison spread.
‘Somehow—’
Just as Alon steeled his resolve, Seolrang, who had been staring at the Poison Eater with him, gently set him down on the ground.
“…Seolrang?”
“I’ll be back.”
Despite Alon’s call, Seolrang gave a calm reply and then—
Flash—!
She vanished from before his eyes.
It was as if she had never existed there to begin with.
Just as Alon was about to question the sudden turn of events, a thunderous roar erupted from where Seolrang had just been, the sound lagging far behind her movement.
BOOM—!!!
That wasn't all. As if everything were struggling to keep up with her speed, the air exploded in a straight line toward the sky where she reappeared.
Then.
Crackle—!
Golden lightning erupted from Seolrang’s body, turning her entire form into a brilliant gold.
It was the Thunder God form he had seen several times before. But in the next moment, Alon saw something impossible: dark storm clouds gathering above Seolrang even as she maintained her Thunder God Transformation.
Seolrang raised her hand.
“Strike.”
At her emotionless command, her hand swept down.
KABOOM—!!!
A lightning storm began to pelt the Colony.
The lightning rain struck the entire city with insane ferocity, as if determined to erase everything on the ground. And the moment Seolrang raised her hand again to end the storm…
“!!”
The red mist that had covered the sky over the Colony vanished as if it had never been there, and the Flower of Death that had bloomed atop the Poison Eater crumbled powerlessly.
[This is impossible—!]
A bewildered voice erupted from the Poison Eater, who had been certain of victory.
[…Ha!]
The creature let out a hollow, absurd laugh.
[…Fine. If it’s come to this—]
The Poison Eater’s voice was thick with malice.
[I will simply kill you all.]
It began to spray threads in every direction.
Vroom—!
Magic circles appeared, the same kind Alon had seen near the 1st Prince to summon Unique Entities. However, there was one difference.
“Crazy…”
Unlike with the 1st Prince, there were dozens of magic circles surrounding the Poison Eater. Before Alon could even react…
Skreeeee—!!!!
Unique Entities began to pour out from the dozens of gates. The sheer number was on a completely different level from what Seolrang had blocked earlier.
It was overwhelming.
So much so that everyone present let out a gasp of despair.
The Poison Eater used its scattered threads to block out the sky once more. But this time, as if preparing for another lightning storm, it layered hundreds of thousands of threads over and over until the sky was completely sealed.
Simultaneously, a spider web began to spread across the entire Colony at an incredible speed, and Unique Entities began to swarm down the webbing like a flood.
[This time, I will kill every last one of you…!]
Sizzle—!!!
The Poison Eater began to melt its own body, shedding blood as it started to manifest the Flower of Death once again.
At that sight…
“Ah…”
Someone let out a low moan.
It didn't matter whose it was. Everyone there was rapidly being consumed by despair. The scene before them was that absolute.
The sky was hidden by threads, turning the world a dismal gray. Around the Poison Eater, dozens of times more Unique Entities than before were pouring out. These creatures moved nimbly across the massive web, filling the sky and the ground, closing in with death in their wake.
The Flower of Death atop the Poison Eater’s head was already neutralizing mana, waiting to bloom.
The entire spectacle was a clear declaration of hopelessness.
But at that moment.
Snap—!
Everyone heard it. A small cracking sound that lasted only a fraction of a second.
And then.
CRACKLE—!!!
In this desperate, gray world where even the sky was hidden, golden lightning erupted. Seolrang appeared, radiating a brilliant golden light.
Her appearance was different from her previous Thunder God form. Beyond her body being dyed in gold, she had literally become lightning itself.
A blinding, radiant bolt of lightning.
And then, zip—!
The moment she vanished, a split second of silence followed.
KABOOM—!!!!
Golden lightning expanded to fill the entire space.
No one could actually see Seolrang. All they saw was the brilliant golden light orbiting madly and the sight of hundreds—perhaps thousands—of Unique Entities exploding under the golden touch.
Zap, crackle—!!!
The lightning began to swallow the world.
“…Heh.”
“Wow…”
Some gasped in awe; others whispered in reverence.
And finally.
[Impossible—! That a mere lowly creature could—!!]
The Poison Eater tried to force the Flower of Death to bloom even as lightning exploded all around it.
Suddenly, Seolrang appeared above it. Before the creature could act—
“Wolf Spear (Arang).”
Wrapped in golden lightning, she shot down toward the Poison Eater, piercing through the Flower of Death.
Along with the lightning that struck down from the heavens, they saw it.
Seolrang landing lightly on a shattered roof.
And then…
CRASH—!
The body of the Poison Eater, which had been screaming with incomprehensible rage…
[■■■■■■■■■■■—!!!!!]
…shattered into pieces, creating a spectacular sea of red blood.
“…”
As the Poison Eater’s threads vanished from the sky, the sun shone down on them.
However, none of the people there looked at the sun.
…Because something more brilliant than the sun stood before them.
* * *
In the end, both the Devourer and the Poison Eater met their deaths at Seolrang’s hands, and the Colony was saved from the brink of destruction.
However, the situation was far from ideal.
“Marquis, were you here?”
“Evan.”
Late that night, Alon was staring blankly at the view of the Colony when he turned at the sound of Evan’s voice.
“Whew—it’s a bit chilly.”
“…Usually, there’s a temperature maintenance spell the Red Magic Tower made for the city, but not anymore.”
“I guess it would be weirder if a spell like that was still running in this mess.”
Alon followed Evan’s gaze and looked out at the city again. The panorama of the Colony stretched before them.
…A landscape that was essentially a ruin rather than a city, brutally smashed to pieces.
“…I’ve seen a lot of cities get broken while following you, Marquis, but this is beyond imagination.”
“Indeed.”
Alon agreed. The state of the Colony was more wretched than any city he had seen before. Among the buildings currently in his sight, those that were intact could be counted on one hand.
He fell into thought for a moment while looking at the massive hole in the center of the Colony where the royal castle should have been.
“Evan.”
“Yes?”
“…Is Seolrang alright?”
“Ah, for now, yes. The diagnosis is that she just fainted from overusing her power.”
“That’s a relief.”
Alon let out a sigh of relief.
Immediately after Seolrang had finished off the Poison Eater, she had stood over the horrific sea of blood, looking down at the corpse of the Divine Blood. Then, she had suddenly reverted to her original form and collapsed.
“Then when will she wake up?”
“I heard she’ll probably be up by tomorrow.”
“Good.”
“…By the way, Marquis, are you alright?”
“In what sense?”
“Your physical condition. You don’t look so good. Should you really be out here like this?”
“…”
Evan was right. Unlike before, he could now deploy magic quickly, which saved his calculation capacity. Being able to consume mana rapidly in various ways was gradually reducing the burden of using Defying Heaven.
Of course, that didn't mean he had perfectly overcome the side effects. This time, he had maintained Defying Heaven longer than necessary to fight the Poison Eater, and as a result, he would have to stay in bed for a few days to recover.
Alon knew this well. He knew, but…
‘…Those eyes.’
Alon recalled Seolrang’s eyes.
They were inorganic, as if looking at something that had no meaning.
…And because of that, they looked incredibly sad.
“…”
Alon was fully aware that some kind of change had occurred in Seolrang. But no matter how much he knew, the look in her eyes had given him a profound sense of wrongness and alienation.
Even at this moment, he couldn't stop worrying.
“…Let’s go inside.”
“Good idea… though it doesn't look like your worries have gone away.”
Alon headed toward their temporary lodging with Evan. As Evan noted, the concern for Seolrang remained etched clearly on his face.
* * *
“How is your body?”
“I am fine, Prince.”
The next day, Alon woke up and met with Karsem, who had come to his room.
“…I am truly grateful, Marquis.”
After a brief greeting, Karsem bowed his head without hesitation.
“Please, raise your head. You are to be the King now, are you not?”
Alon tried to decline the gesture, but Karsem shook his head and continued.
“No. If I am to be King, I must bow even deeper. A King is one who takes responsibility for his people and leads them correctly, not one who leans on power to hold his head high.”
“…”
“Thank you, truly. If it weren't for you, Marquis, everyone in this Colony would have been sacrificed to them.”
Faced with Karsem’s repeated gratitude, Alon stopped trying to prevent it. He simply found himself thinking that a Colony with Karsem as King, rather than Karan, might shine even more brilliantly than it did now.
After a moment, Karsem spoke again.
“I truly don't want to express my gratitude with just words. However, the city is currently in such a state…”
At Karsem’s words, Alon quietly turned his head. The view of the Colony was the same as yesterday—a landscape that felt more like a ruin than a city.
Alon replied without hesitation.
“I am fine, so please focus on the reconstruction of the city.”
“…Are you really sure?”
“Yes. If necessary, I will reach out to the Magic Towers as well.”
At that, Karsem seemed overcome with emotion, bowing his head as his shoulders trembled for a long moment.
“Thank you… thank you so much…!”
He expressed his gratitude once more, his voice thick with tears.
Right after Karsem left…
“Marquis.”
“Evan.”
“Are you feeling alright?”
“There are no problems.”
“Well, that’s a relief… but did something happen with the 2nd Prince?”
“Why do you ask?”
“No, it’s just… he was sobbing quite a bit while muttering your name.”
Alon listened to Evan’s account of Karsem’s behavior, which might have seemed a bit odd to an outsider. Then, Evan got to the point.
“Marquis. There’s an interesting story that just came in from the Information Guild.”
“…The Information Guild is still operating in this mess?”
“I received it via crystal ball.”
“…What is it?”
“Do you remember? I told you before that Calliban was under attack by the Divine Blood.”
“Did something happen to Deus?” Alon asked reflexively.
Evan shook his head. “No. If something had happened to Deus, would I have come to you like this?”
“…Then?”
“Actually, Calliban has moved past the crisis.”
“…Even though the Divine Blood attacked?”
“Yes.”
“…Did Deus stop them?”
“He did, of course, but Deus didn't stop all of them.”
“Then who did?”
At Alon’s question, Evan seemed to contemplate how to phrase his answer for a moment.
“Um, Marquis, I’d like to ask you a question, just in case. Is that alright?”
“…What is it?”
“By any chance… were you an actual god in your past life or something?”
Alon stared at him. “…What on earth are you talking about?”
“No, I mean exactly what I said.”
“Are you asking that seriously?”
“I am.”
Seeing Alon’s reaction—that of someone who couldn't even begin to understand the question—Evan continued.
“…From what I’ve heard, a Divine Blood in the form of a massive giant helped Calliban.”
“What? A Divine Blood?”
“Yes. And apparently, it said that you were the one who sent it.”
Evan delivered the information exactly as he had received it.
And then.
“…?”
Alon’s face was filled with confusion.
…Excuse me?
I did?