Chapter 325: Winged Heavenly Being Subjugation (13)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 325: Winged Heavenly Being Subjugation (13)
“Damn it…!”
“We have to stop it! Now!!”
The mana readings were astronomical.
The Allied Forces were already drowning in the sheer numbers of the Heavenly rebel forces; hindering Vuel was becoming an impossible task.
Boom!
The ground groaned and buckled as raw, natural mana surged from the depths of Black Stone.
“It’s an earthquake!”
“Steady yourselves!”
The tremors intensified. The vibrations radiating from Black Stone were powerful enough to reach the distant city. It was the overture to a catastrophe. Once the Spear of Longinus was fully forged, the world would meet its end.
Whoosh!
Crackle!
Swish!
Puff!
Suddenly, the four elements swirled and converged at the heart of the Black Stone crater.
The four Elemental Kings—the Fire Sovereign, Lightning Sovereign, Wind Sovereign, and Water Sovereign—encircled Vuel. Sensing the imminent annihilation of the world, they had finally made their move.
[The Elemental Kings, is it?]
Crash!
Without a word of greeting, the Lightning Sovereign unleashed a bolt of white-hot lightning. It slammed into Vuel, but failed to pierce his armor, dissipating into harmless sparks.
The other Elemental Kings followed suit, unleashing a barrage of high-tier elemental magic. However, the Divine Power swirling around Vuel acted as an absolute shroud, dispelling the spells with ease.
Clad in his divine gear, Vuel possessed overwhelming elemental resistance. Furthermore, the effects of the Heavenly Clock were in full swing. For the Elemental Kings, who existed as manifestations of pure magic, the current environment was nothing short of poison.
No matter how much magic they poured out, Vuel remained unscathed.
“Ugh, my magic isn’t taking hold! This is maddening!”
“Stop relying on pure sorcery. Draw your weapons.”
At the Water Sovereign’s lament, the Wind Sovereign pulled a massive bow from thin air and replied in a flat, monotone voice.
The bow was gargantuan, looking entirely out of place in her small hands. An arm formed of condensed gale-force mana reached out, drawing back the string.
Whooooosh!
A heavy pressure of wind mana gathered around the arrow.
Simultaneously, the Lightning Sovereign brandished a spear wreathed in electricity, and the Fire Sovereign unsheathed a blade engulfed in roaring flames. Each was a high-ranking magic artifact.
“I’ll provide support!” the Water Sovereign cried, summoning a harp that wept water as beautifully as a tragic melody.
The Wind Sovereign loosed her arrow. The Lightning and Fire Sovereigns charged Vuel in a pincer movement.
[Flies. Begone.]
Boom!
“Ahhh!”
“Ugh!”
A shockwave of Divine Power erupted outward, sweeping the Elemental Kings away. Though they deployed elemental barriers to mitigate the impact, they were still blown back helplessly.
[…]
Vuel looked up at the Spear of Longinus as it crystallized in the air.
The grand spear of mana was taking its final shape. Even now, it was but a mere speck compared to the majesty of the Heavenly God, but it would suffice.
The activation of the Heavenly Clock and the massive reservoir of natural mana within Black Stone provided a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to summon the Heavenly God. Exterminating every living creature in this world was merely an unavoidable sacrifice required to drag the Heavenly Beings down from their perch.
Vuel deliberately suppressed his guilt. Recalling the countless comrades lost in the long war, he focused every ounce of his strength into forging the spear that carried the rebels' desperate hopes.
[Hmm?]
With a piercing screech, a massive, hawk-like magic beast soared into view, towing a transport machine. The hawk rode the thermal vents of the battlefield, and a man standing atop its head leapt down with practiced ease.
As his boots hit the dirt with a heavy thud…
He vanished.
Swish!
[Guhk!]
[Ahhh!]
In an instant, sword strikes danced through the air, leaving shimmering trails in their wake. A rhythmic series of sharp slashes echoed across the crater as the screams of the Heavenly Beings erupted.
[Stop him! Aah!]
[How dare a mere human…! Ugh!]
The Heavenly Beings fell in droves. Vuel’s displeased gaze shifted toward the carnage.
A man with forest-green hair was elegantly reaping the Heavenly Beings with nothing but a single sword. They tried to resist, but they couldn't even track his silhouette. He was a blur of lethal precision.
Even from a distance, his speed was staggering. His movements were reminiscent of the boy named Tristan Humphrey whom they had encountered at the Land Bridge, but this green-haired man was on an entirely different level of mastery.
[The Sword Saint…!]
Gerald Astrea.
The man who had reached the absolute pinnacle of human swordsmanship had arrived as a reinforcement.
“Father…?”
“Father?!”
Kaya Astrea and Merlin Astrea were visibly stunned. Gerald had long since retired as an Imperial Knight; he had no formal obligation to be here. He had stepped onto this hellish battlefield for one reason only: to protect the Empire.
The transport machine touched down, and the elite knights of the Astrea Ducal family poured out, following in Gerald’s wake.
Gerald cast an amplification spell on his voice. Though the mana in the area was distorted, simple utility magic remained functional.
“Imperial Knights! Are you truly being pushed back by these creatures?!”
Gerald roared as he cut down another rank of Heavenly Beings. Despite the earth-shattering tremors, he never lost his footing. Instead, he used the shifting ground to his advantage, springing forward like a coiled serpent.
He was a human who had honed nothing but his body and his blade. In a world where mana was warped by the Heavenly Clock, Gerald’s physical perfection allowed him to display overwhelming dominance.
Slash!
The enemies that had pushed the Allied Forces to the brink were being harvested like wheat.
“Amazing…”
Even in the heat of combat, the soldiers were awestruck by Gerald’s prowess.
“Know shame!!” Gerald barked. “Protect the Empire! Defend the people! That is the sacred duty of an Imperial Knight! Show me the courage to fulfill that oath, here and now! Everyone, lay down your lives for the Empire!!”
The cry of the Sword Saint ignited the dying embers of the Allied Forces' morale. They let out a thunderous war cry, throwing themselves back into the fray.
Vuel clicked his tongue in irritation. He extended his remaining hand toward the Allied Forces, preparing to unleash a wave of Divine Power.
Piuung!
Boom!!
An arrow of compressed wind mana whistled toward Vuel’s head. He deployed a shield of light, and the arrow ground against the barrier, creating a shrieking vortex of wind before finally being deflected.
The Lightning and Fire Sovereigns charged again, their weapons wreathed in elemental fury.
Clang!!
Vuel’s subordinates intercepted them, clashing steel against steel. The Elemental Kings were archwizards who had mastered their respective domains, but because their power was so heavily reliant on magic, the mana distortion forced them into a desperate melee, using their magic weapons to bridge the gap.
[Do not interfere.]
Vuel’s voice was heavy with authority. He unleashed another burst of Divine Power, forcing the Elemental Kings back once more.
[It is almost complete. The spear that shall bring down the Heavenly God! Our destiny is at hand!]
At Vuel’s shout, the Heavenly Beings rallied, pushing the Allied Forces back with renewed fervor. Their goal was to drag the Heavenly God down and offer Him as prey to the Evil God, the wielder of the Godslayer power.
If they could defeat the Heavenly God, the cycle of sacrifice would end. Vuel envisioned a world where his kind would no longer be driven into endless wars and cruel ends.
The Allied Forces were at their limit. Even with the Elemental Kings and the Astrea knights, they were too late. They could only grit their teeth and stare at the nearly finished Spear of Longinus.
Whoosh!!
With a strange, whistling wind, a dazzling half-moon of ice manifested in the sky.
[…!!!]
An enormous pressure of mana—incomparable even to the combined might of the four Elemental Kings—blanketed the battlefield. Everyone present felt an instinctive, primal fear.
Even Vuel felt a chill crawl down his spine as he looked up at the frozen moon.
[What is that…?]
Beyond the crescent moon, a pale blue meteor streaked through the air at an impossible velocity. Then, in a flash of light, it vanished.
Boom!
Boom!
Explosions rocked the crater as Heavenly Beings were sent flying like ragdolls. A man with silver-blue hair, dressed in an impeccable suit, appeared before Gerald Astrea amidst a cloud of rising dust.
Behind him, six magic circles rotated slowly, extending magnificent wings of frost.
The effect of [Ice Moon]: a localized freeze of time.
The man had manipulated the flow of time to decimate the Heavenly Beings before coming to a halt in front of Gerald.
Crack!
Clang!
The distortion of the Heavenly Clock affected him as well; maintaining [Ice Moon] for even a few seconds was a monumental feat. Yet, the mere fact that he could manifest such a spell proved he possessed a level of mastery that defied common sense.
“You’re late, Ice Sovereign.”
“Looks like you’ve picked up a few new tricks.”
The Wind Sovereign sighed in relief, while the Water Sovereign watched with admiration.
“Ice Sovereign…”
“Heh. Reliable as always.”
The Lightning Sovereign spoke with his usual coldness, but the Fire Sovereign couldn't hide his grin.
“You’ve arrived,” Gerald said, a faint smile touching his lips.
“It’s been a while, Father-in-law.”
The man with silver-blue hair—Isaac—stood tall and turned to greet Gerald with a calm, respectful expression.
[Ice Sovereign… Isaac…!]
Vuel narrowed his eyes, his wariness deepening into genuine dread. This was the man he feared most. The strongest human in existence, a being beyond comparison.
The Ice Sovereign had joined the battle.
“President!” Dorothy beamed, her voice full of hope.
“Sir Isaac!” Kaya added, smiling in relief.
“…Huh?”
As Isaac arrived, Dorothy felt a strange, phantom sensation seeping into her soul. For reasons she couldn't explain, a single tear rolled down her cheek.
Simultaneously, her starlight magic began to refine itself, and fragmented, hazy memories began to surface in her mind.
—Please, become my Wizard of Oz.
“What… is this?”
Overwhelmed by a sudden surge of emotion, she began to sob. Dorothy was bewildered; a woman’s entire life was flashing through her mind like a panorama, filling her heart with an agonizing ache.
It was the chronicle of another self—the fate of a woman who had perished in the cataclysmic fall of the Floating Island. In that moment, Dorothy felt as though she were merging with that alternate version of herself.
“Student Dorothy, what’s wrong?” a female knight asked urgently.
“I… I don’t know…” Dorothy shook her head, her gaze turning toward Isaac with increasing sorrow.
“Isaac… just how much have you…”
On the surface, Isaac looked pristine and composed. But Dorothy could sense the bone-deep exhaustion and the immense pain he was masking.
Isaac stood beside Gerald, his eyes locked on Vuel.
“I’ll handle the Heavenly Beings near the crater. With all due respect, Father-in-law, please take care of the rest. Their reinforcements will be here soon. We only need to hold out until then.”
Gerald noticed Isaac’s breathing was slightly labored. He was clearly fatigued. A quick glance at Isaac’s wrist revealed a thin trail of crimson blood.
His body was a map of severe wounds that had yet to receive proper treatment. Only the visible injuries had been patched up; the wounds hidden beneath his dark clothes were likely grave. That was undoubtedly why he wore a dark suit and a heavy coat—to hide the blood. Having survived countless battlefields, Gerald deduced the truth instantly.
Internally, Gerald found it ironic that he was worrying about Isaac—a man leagues stronger than himself. He closed his eyes for a brief second, then snapped them open, focusing on the enemy.
“Hold out, you say? What a ridiculous suggestion.”
Gerald swung his sword, flicking the blood of the Heavenly Beings off the steel.
“I’ll cut them all down before they can even blink.”
“That’s even better.”
“I’ll leave the center to you.”
“Understood.”
Isaac and Gerald kicked off the ground in perfect unison.