Chapter 50: Ragnarok (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 50: Ragnarok (2)
The arrow, which had seemed like a fatal strike, dispersed and evaporated effortlessly into fine particles.
As the energy turned into fine powder, the old knight, Ragnarok, clicked his tongue in disbelief.
=An Apostle, indeed.=
That was the extent of his reaction. He showed little lingering regret over an attack that had vanished so effortlessly despite its overwhelming pressure.
=An Apostle fitting for the attribute of destruction.=
The old knight cast his gaze down at the severed neck of his donkey. Though it lacked a head, its thunderous snorting blew the clouds away.
"Haa, haa..."
I caught my breath, steadying both body and mind. Amidst that, a sudden anxiety crept in. Don't tell me... that was just a basic attack?
Whatever the old knight was planning, I had given it my absolute all. If he could fire those off repeatedly...
I'll need a resolve even greater than the one I had before entering this fight.
That resolve would mean being prepared to sacrifice a piece of this world.
Judging by its power, the target would be a portion of this planet. Switzerland might get erased from the map entirely. A giant hole would be blown straight through the heart of the European continent.
If that happens, Abel loses her homeland.
I couldn't be the kind of husband who turns his wife into a refugee.
"...Ha."
The situation was grave. Yet I cracked jokes in my mind to keep my cool. Koreans were practically specialized in turning tragedy into comedy. Laughing at a time like this made me top-tier.
With a bitter smile, I slightly raised my chin.
Skoll and Hati moved nimbly, drawing close to the sun and moon. Avoiding the barrage of arrows had slowed their approach. They seemed to realize those arrows were anything but ordinary.
Yeah, you're doing great.
I had cut through his previous attack. Judging by the feedback through my blade, even those basic attacks would claim a life in 'one hit.' That was a well-founded certainty.
The arrows falling toward the ground are being blocked as much as possible by the spatial severance, but...
It was slowly reaching its limit. The torn three-dimensional space was stitching itself shut, layer by layer.
The power contained within the arrows was truly extraordinary. The scene unfolding before me was the result of exceeding the threshold of pain the dimension itself could withstand.
How many seconds had passed? Was it even measured in seconds? The clock in my head broke down for a moment. Damn it. What I cut with the [Blessing of Borrowed Power] was the world's clock, so why am I the one getting confused?
As I lightly knitted my brows, the old knight actually offered me praise.
=Though we share the same taboo and unknowable nature, it seems I underestimated you quite severely. Your true strength far surpasses what I had envisioned.=
"I'm not particularly thrilled to be praised by an entity whose identity I don't even know."
=It seems you still have the leeway to wag your tongue. Well, understandable. Having been chosen as the Apostle of the Counterforce...=
"No, fucking hell. Look here."
I flicked my Sashimi knife through the air, spitting out my words. Dregs and residue flew off the blade.
"What the hell is this 'Apostle' garbage anyway? You've gotta explain that first if you want me to play along, you boomer apocalypse geezer."
=Ha, haha. Don't tell me... you know nothing about yourself?=
Pzzzzzzzt!
Without answering, I sliced through the area with lightning energy. Thick bundles of lightning draped around me like bars of a cage.
=Refusing to talk, I see.=
"Your goal is only one thing anyway. Eradicating this world through the will of the Counterforce."
Deep dimples formed on the cheeks of the old knight, Ragnarok.
=You have seen correctly.=
At that exact moment, the donkey's head, which should have plummeted to the ground, shot up out of nowhere. As the old knight touched it, purple froth boiled up.
Decaying in an instant, the horse head was reduced to a macabre skull. The old knight placed it upon his head.
A skull helmet. A sinister light flashed within its hollow eye sockets. The left eye glowed light green—the color of pestilence—and the right eye glowed ash-white—the color of conquest.
Chills.
Just as an eerie chill spread through my chest, hundreds of pairs of bows materialized out of thin air. It was a sight reminiscent of my Flying-Sword Technique.
The bowstaves tilted downward simultaneously. They weren't aiming at me, but toward the ground below.
"Hey, you son of a—"
Before I could even react, the old knight released the bowstrings.
Ting!
A chilling sound echoed from bowstrings with no arrows notched. I shot forward like a flash of lightning, but it was already too late.
=My target is not you, but this world. As the Apostle of Death, you will never be able to protect life. Remember this.=
The old knight chuckled. His aged eyes remained pinned on me.
=They shall face innocent extinction.=
A downpour descended.
The arrows of Conquest and Pestilence rained down upon the world I was trying to protect.
* * *
"Is everyone clear on this?"
Yoo Se-in finished explaining her plan. Normally, it would have taken time, but she had intentionally structured the Exchange Meeting content to mirror the Apocalypse.
Thanks to the visual reference materials, everyone grasped ten things from a single word. Of course, they were all sharp to begin with.
"Yeah. More or less."
Ryozo nodded on everyone's behalf. Her sky-blue eyes harbored deep trust in Yoo Se-in.
Her comprehension is top-notch.
As for the others...
Yoo Se-in checked their faces one by one. Although Ryozo and Abel had pale blue lips, their gazes were firm and resolute.
Reassured, Yoo Se-in glanced sideways at Leon.
"..."
He was lost in thought with sunken eyes, reminiscing about the 2nd Human-Demon War.
Grip.
Veins bulged on his knuckles. Leon was the very person who had almost brought about the destruction of this world by siding with Kuarne. To him, this was a chance to avenge his past.
I know what you're thinking, you idiot.
Could you try being a little less obvious?
Fitting for a Hero archetype, Leon's personality was terribly bland. Hence, he lacked flexibility and imagination.
But in an emergency like this, flexible thinking was required.
"Don't take everything so seriously by yourself."
"...Se-in..."
Today, his sapphire-blue eyes looked murkier than usual. Yoo Se-in shrugged.
"You don't have to carry the whole burden alone anymore. I know it, you know it, everyone knows it."
"..."
Yoo Se-in raised her index finger and pointed toward the sky.
"Even that guy up there relies on us."
"...Yeah, you're right."
Leon muttered before closing and opening his eyes. A brilliant gleam filled them—an icy, piercing sharpness returned to his blue gaze.
It was right then.
"...!"
KABOOOOOM!
Everyone in the training ground snapped their heads toward the epicenter of the blast. A thunderous roar resonated from a ridge of the Alps Mountains.
Moments later, the smoke billowing from the aftermath of the explosion cleared. Immediately, terror struck them all in different ways.
The Alps Mountains, which had stood there for ten thousand years, were gone. A beam of light had struck down from the sky, devouring the eternal snow without leaving a trace.
Dante, having abruptly lost one of Parsi Academy's iconic vistas, stared in stunned disbelief.
Abel was no different. In fact, she was worse. What if the collateral damage reaches Castle Sigurd? Her mind went completely blank.
"Snap! Out! Of! It!"
Ryozo bellowed sharply, raising her bow at the same time. The [Owl's Blessing] was specialized in split-second calculations. The very next move flashed through her mind.
Rumbleeeeeee.
The collapsed mountain range vibrated. In the next moment, the ruins of destruction—piles of rocks—were seen floating high into the sky like tiny dots.
The debris began fusing together, shaping itself into a gigantic human figure. Its body was literally made of rock, and its beard was fashioned from the eternal snow to give it human features.
Thud, thud, thud, THUD.
The shadow casting over the humans grew steadily larger and darker. A giant made of stone had appeared. True to expectations, it held a hammer embedded with jagged rocks.
The Golem's hammer thrust through the clouds. After briefly striking a pose akin to the Statue of Liberty, a deafening bolt of thunder shook the world as if to shatter their eardrums.
BOOM! BOOM! CRASSSSH!
The giant pulled back the hammer it had buried in the clouds. Electric currents sparked vivid blue across its rugged surface.
It pulled its shoulder back, drawing the hammer all the way behind it. The next scene needed no explanation.
A throw.
───────!
The hammer cut ominously through the atmosphere as it flew forward. Anything struck by the [Arrow of Conquest] was forced to act according to Ragnarok's will, regardless of whether it was living or inanimate.
"Isn't that Knight way too grand?"
Yoo Se-in muttered, looking up at the giant.
Ragnarok's son intended to 'erase' this planet and land with his hammer. The heavens were for the father; the earth for the son.
Ragnarok was the Queen, and the Giant Thor was the Knight. What about the Pawns? She hoped she would never see them.
"Damn it!"
Leon cursed, uncharacteristically for him. Yet pure white wings unfurled from his back. The power of an angel, the release of the White Wings. He was humanity's Knight.
Swoooosh! Swoooosh!
Sonic booms erupted, leaving only white feathers dancing gracefully in the air. Blazing forward as a ray of light, Leon collided head-on with the hammer.
KABBOOOOOOM!
Another explosion of noise. Blocking it was beyond his power. Leon spat blood and was pushed back, skidding across the ground.
Pulling tight.
Ryozo instantly dropped to one knee and drew her bowstring with all her strength. As the string pressed heavily against the center of her lips—
"Sky-Piercing Arrow!"
Wind whipped around Ryozo. The recoil pushed her back while maintaining her shooting stance, sending layer upon layer of concentric shockwaves spreading outward.
BOOM!
The arrow from the Immortal Archer Ryozo joined the fray. The speed of Leon's retreat slowed.
But that was all—it wasn't enough to overturn the balance of power. Ryozo unleashed arrow after arrow until blood welled from her fingers.
Abel and Yoo Se-in didn't stand idly by either. Abel swung her sword continuously, her sword energy lashing out like a whip to hold back the hammer.
Yoo Se-in manifested hand-shaped barriers to brace against the hammer, attempting to relieve the burden on Leon, who was taking the brunt of the force at the front.
"Ughhhhh...!"
Everyone from Joaquin groaned. Even with a full-scale offensive, they could barely manage to defend. And the ordeal didn't end there.
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
As if refusing to sit out, the Golem stomped its feet. Their brains rattled from the shaking, turning their minds dazed. Damn it, we don't have the strength to stop that monster too!
SHRRRRRIEK!
A sharp sound of piercing air shot past Abel. The wind pressure alone sent a dull ache through her shoulders.
A streak of light flew with thrilling speed, embedding itself straight into the Golem's solar plexus. While the Golem faltered, another shot followed.
CRASH!
A deep trench was dug beneath the Golem's heels. Abel stared blankly at the sight before turning around to see what had happened.
"Kwahahaha!"
"Nyahahaha!"
The Spear Saint and his niece, Rachel de Myura, stood with their hands on their hips, laughing.
"You can't leave us out of a contest of raw strength. Isn't that right, Rachel?"
"Hear, hear! Besides, heroes always make their entrance at the very end!"
"You learned well!!"
Muscle-brains were always optimistic.
"Are you ready, niece?"
"Of course, Uncle!"
"Let us go."
"Elders first!"
"You learned that well too!"
The two members of the Spear Saint Family nodded to each other, and then...
KABOOOOOM!
With a leap full of domineering power, they launched themselves at the giant. And they were not the only reinforcements.
"My Lady."
"We have arrived as well."
Shail and Karon joined them.
"Then, don't tell me..."
"Yes."
Karon the Rakshasa smiled and gestured upward with his chin. An old man stood upright atop a sword blade, charging forward. Flanking him on flying blades were the Sage and the All-Power.
"Grandfather, Sage, Lady All-Power!"
Sword Emperor Siegfried von Nibelung, Spear Saint Richard de Myura, Sage Medea Poison, and All-Power Meain Poison. The titans of this era joined the war.
DOOOOOOOOT!
A trumpet-like blast rang out as if welcoming the Seven Stars. At the source of the sound, Speed Weapon was playing his recorder with such force that his face looked ready to burst.
Abel stood stunned for a moment before the corners of her mouth twitched into a smile. She felt Ryozo's gaze. Exchanging encouraging nods, the women of Kang Geomma fixed their eyes upon the battlefield.
Crackle, crackle.
Crackling sounds ignited from bows and sword blades. It was Aura.