Chapter 745: Beyond Destiny (17)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 745: Beyond Destiny (17)
Greeeeak, kr-gr-gr-gr-ak…!
The lower hull of the Ram began to grind against the Evil God’s castle.
Ban’s left hand, which was pulling the Ram down, trembled with immense power.
[Kaaaaah!]
With a thunderous roar, Ban slammed her left hand down. Finally, the Ram was wrenched from the sky and dragged to the earth, crushing the Evil God’s castle beneath its colossal weight. The sheer mass of the vessel was enough to make the entire structure collapse in on itself.
Trapped within the lightning of Pluto’s Sovereign Sword, the Evil God could only watch the scene unfold, each moment a new wave of shock and awe.
As if unable to comprehend the situation, the Evil God glanced back and forth between the fallen Ram and Ban.
The Ram was battered and broken. The main cannon at the center of its lower hull was completely warped beyond recognition. Though the upper deck was out of sight, it was surely cracked and parched like a dried-up riverbed.
All of this had happened in the few short minutes since the Fighting God Union had been unleashed.
Ban’s power defied the comprehension of even beings like the Evil God, who had personally touched the realm of ‘Creation’.
How on earth did the gods of the past achieve victory against a monster like that?
The Evil God acknowledged that her own status was a tier below the supreme gods. She had intentionally avoided attaining perfect godhood. Had she become a true god, she would have had to abandon her identity as the Patriarch of Runcandel and become a fundamental force of the world—destruction itself.
She had been certain that as long as she held even an incomplete divinity, nothing among mortals could pose a threat to her. That was, until she met Ban.
Even back then, her entire tribe would have been with her. Was it my mistake not to attain true divinity from the start?
Desperation began to creep into the Evil God’s heart. Just as when she had decided to take the Prophet’s hand, it felt as though dead ends were closing in on her from all sides, suffocating her.
The lightning of Pluto’s Sovereign Sword was encroaching upon both the Ram and the Evil God. She watched closely, noting that the lightning did not grow any larger.
…Is it because her allies would be swept away if it grew any fiercer?
The reason the lightning did not rage beyond a certain point was clear. If it intensified, the temporary alliance would be caught in the crossfire. If that were the case, she should have used them as hostages, but even that seemed impossible.
The monster before her was not one to be toyed with by such petty tricks.
That method won't work. I must find something else.
She still had power held in reserve, but she couldn't envision a scenario where she defeated Ban, even if she unleashed it all.
Should she attempt to acquire full divinity now?
Doing so felt hopeless. The loss of the authority she had granted to Dipus was a painful, crippling blow. Had that authority remained, she wouldn't have been pushed back this far in the first place.
[Brother Jin said that although you are his mother and his enemy, you were someone he could trust to lead the family for a time. Did you betray Brother Jin’s trust just to obtain such a measly power?]
[Measly? You speak such arrogant nonsense for a creature that perished five thousand years ago, a mere parasite clinging to your youngest son. Do you think it’s already over?]
The Evil God’s body, bound by the lightning, began to scatter into smoke.
[I admit I cannot defeat you. However, the youngest summoning you must be a form of descent. If my guess is correct, it won't last much longer….]
Duration—that was the sole weakness of the Fighting God Union.
I must endure until that time runs out. To do that, I have no choice but to raise my divinity, even if I have to push myself to the brink.
To raise her divinity was to become closer to a true god. Since she had already lost Dipus, it was impossible to transcend into a perfect god, but she could still strengthen her divinity by using the Ram.
It was a gamble, even for the Evil God. If she failed, her ego could be erased, leaving her as a monstrous entity driven by nothing but a desire for destruction. In such a state, even if she won this battle, nothing would remain. The family she had to protect, the land she had to rule, and the value of the power she had paid so much to obtain—all of it would lose its meaning.
But she had no other choice.
The Evil God, who had been restricting the options of Jin, the temporary alliance, and humanity all this time, was now the one forced into a corner.
Of course, Ban saw right through her thoughts.
[Awakening—such a thing is only suited for humans.]
The lightning of Pluto’s Sovereign Sword grew even more savage.
The Evil God’s body, which was scattering into smoke, began to evaporate at a terrifying pace. Yet, even as the smoke vanished, it constantly surged toward the Ram.
One by one, black spots began to sprout on the Ram’s hull, which was dyed entirely in blue. Ban struck the spots with lightning each time they appeared, but the speed at which they formed was faster.
The spots signified the fusion of the Evil God and the Ram.
Just as Jin had performed the Fighting God Union, the Evil God was becoming one with the Ram.
[Becoming one with something to amplify power is not a blessing granted only to you, youngest.]
Though she could never surpass Ban, the Evil God was still the Evil God. She had hidden depths. Even as she fused with the Ram, she used her remaining soul energy to constantly target the allied fleet.
Even with Pluto’s Sovereign Sword, the Brotherhood Guardian, and their own shields, the allies could not fundamentally block the mental pollution caused by the infiltrating soul energy. People began to fall, one by one, infected by it. Even Orgal’s entire body was turning black as he overextended himself to protect too many people.
Don't worry about us! Just fight!
The allies couldn't bring themselves to shout those words. They were already struggling to fend off the soul energy; if the lightning grew any stronger, the entire allied formation could collapse. This was also the basis upon which the Evil God had so hastily decided on the fusion.
[Deciding to fuse with the Witch’s ship only means that the two things I must break have become one.]
However, Ban amplified her energy without any hesitation.
She knew better than anyone that her allies could be swept away, yet she drew out more power for one simple reason: her absolute confidence. The conviction that even if she unleashed the next chapter of Pluto’s Sovereign Sword, she would never let her allies die. The certainty that she could control it perfectly.
Pluto Sword Fighting God Technique 10th Sword
Pluto’s Sovereign Sword - Severance
An azure sea.
As soon as the final Severance of Pluto’s Sovereign Sword began, an azure sea suddenly unfolded across the earth. This wasn't a metaphor; the lightning energy simply billowed like gentle waves.
It washed over the shields spread in all directions, the soul energy piercing through them, and the people standing beneath. None of them took any damage from the Fighting God’s lightning that filled the area up to their ankles. The lightning, splashing like water, carried none of the destructive aura characteristic of the Pluto Sword.
Yet, everyone could feel it.
They could feel what kind of power that seemingly harmless lightning contained—a power so vast it felt as though it could evaporate an infinite ocean. An immense power that defied all explanation.
Ban stood tall in the middle of the lightning waves, motionless.
The soul energy that constantly clung to the Ram’s hull was being smoothly drawn into those waves. No matter how much soul energy it absorbed, the Fighting God’s sea did not grow murky. Rather, it only shone with greater clarity. If one looked down, they could see their own reflection. Fascinated by the light, people found their eyes fixed on the sea of lightning.
The ground and the sky stood in stark contrast. The Ram, hanging low in the air, was as dark as if it would swallow all the light in the world, while the sea of lightning covering the ground emitted a brilliance so radiant it made one briefly forget they were on a battlefield where humanity’s survival was at stake.
The fusion and the Severance of Pluto’s Sovereign Sword were reaching completion almost simultaneously.
The Evil God was reaching the final hurdle of the fusion. Her ego as a Runcandel—the very thing she had tried to protect by refusing perfect godhood—was shaking, on the verge of being extinguished.
On the other hand, while the Fighting God was certain of victory…
She felt it. Jin’s voice, which had been a constant presence within her, had vanished the moment she unleashed Severance.
Brother Jin.
There was no answer. No matter how many times she called, Jin did not respond.
[Ban! Jin is disappearing…!]
Instead, Ling Ling’s voice reached her, sounding infinitely distant and faint.
Ban knew instinctively that something had gone wrong. The reason Ling Ling’s voice was so faint was that he was barely holding onto Jin’s ego, which had been pushed into the deepest recesses of Ban’s consciousness. Ling Ling was using all his strength to prevent Jin’s ego from vanishing completely.
The Fighting God Union was originally a martial art that borrowed the Fighting God’s power. However, Jin was now beyond that; he was in a state no different from having the Fighting God descend through his own body.
The synchronization rate.
The cause was the synchronization rate, which had been rising continuously for no apparent reason from the moment the Fighting God Union began. As the synchronization reached its peak, Ban was inadvertently usurping Jin’s body and, more than that, her ego was encroaching upon his.
This realization instantly shattered Ban’s composure.
If she continued with Severance, she would certainly annihilate the Evil God, but Jin would be extinguished along with her.
[You can't use any more power, Ban! This idiot won't be able to take it! No, he already can't take it! I'm just barely holding him together!]
Ban closed her eyes.
Was it right to stop here?
Would Brother Jin truly want that?
As if a storm had arrived, the sea of lightning churned with an unstable flow, mirroring Ban’s turbulent heart.
Soon, Ban made a decision.
[Ling Ling, from now on, concentrate your mind and read Brother Jin’s will.]
[What!?]
[I need you to confirm what Brother Jin wants. What is he saying?]
[How am I supposed to read his will while he’s being sucked into your subconscious…!]
[You can do it. You are the one holding onto Brother Jin. Quickly!]
Ling Ling followed Ban’s words, focusing his entire being on Jin. Just as the strength in his jaws and paws began to fail, it happened. He felt the faint sensation of Jin’s will being transmitted into him. Even with more than ninety percent of his ego buried, Jin was conveying a clear, unmistakable desire.
[Keep… keep going? Hey, you’ll die if you do that! You’ll be extinguished without a trace!]
As soon as Ban heard those words, she tightened her grip on her sword.
Then, glaring at the Ram that had become one with the Evil God, she spoke.
[If Brother Jin said so, it means he can endure it. No matter how painful it is, I will not be the one to kill him. I will follow Brother Jin’s will.]