Chapter 340: Evil God Subjugation (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 340: Evil God Subjugation (7)
Endless light surged on one side, while an infinite void yawned on the other.
Ice shards shattered with a crisp ring, and embers crackled, erupting like fresh volcanic vents. The mere collision of our mana triggered a cascade of explosions.
Boom!!!
A series of deafening blasts followed. World-ending magic clashed again and again.
Even after using [Ice Moon] to freeze time and unleash a barrage of frost, with the Magic Beast Daikan breathing torrents of cold from its maw and [Cocytus] being unleashed multiple times… all I could manage was to neutralize the Evil God’s widespread flames.
Having experienced the level of a transcendent before, I understood the difference all too painfully.
I was a human who had not yet reached divinity.
The Evil God, on the other hand, had already attained it.
She’s disgustingly strong…
As Stella the Star Fairy had warned, there was an enormous gap between the current Evil God and the one from ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱.
Though this wasn't the timeline where she could crush me with a flick of her finger, my power still fell short of hers.
Even if I used the ultimate power left by Ozma—the one that boosted my [vs. Race Combat Power] by 1.5 times—it was uncertain whether I could defeat her.
That power had to remain my trump card, no matter what.
The Evil God would surely find a countermeasure if I revealed it too early. If I recklessly showed my hand without being certain of victory, that would be the moment all hope truly collapsed.
I repeatedly calculated the highest-level magic, spinning the mana within my circuits furiously, my brain working overtime to choose the best option for every passing second.
Fwoooosh!!
“Urgh!!”
I soared upward, resisting the fiercely burning flames of destruction with a powerful chill.
My vision flickered. It was no wonder; disasters were colliding with other disasters. Kaya had healed me, but my body was already in a wretched state.
Kaya…
By now, Kaya must have fainted.
She had used [Yggdrasil] to immobilize the Evil God, even if only for a brief moment, and it must have drained her life force.
There was one thing to be thankful for, though. Kaya used the seed of Yggdrasil, which she wore as a necklace, as a catalyst for the plant magic [Yggdrasil]. The life force she expended would have been supplemented by the vitality contained within that seed.
From the moment Kaya activated [Yggdrasil], the fusion between her and the seed had begun. The life force she sacrificed would likely return to her.
The unfortunate part was that I could no longer count on her exceptional healing. She had reached her limit.
In other words, if we fall now, it truly is the end.
I had to corner the Evil God here.
Amidst the relentless explosions, I quickly wiped the blood from my forehead before it could seep into my eyes. My entire body was covered in gore from being caught in several powerful steam explosions. It was a miracle I hadn't lost any limbs yet.
But I didn’t hesitate. I refused to show any sign of exhaustion.
Fwoosh!!
A massive tide of fire, incinerating everything in its path, poured down like a rainstorm of overwhelming power. Several black orbs, which devoured space and reduced it to nothingness, flew toward me silently. Void magic.
Each attack was a catastrophe in its own right, and they were all targeted at me.
A single touch meant certain death.
Boom!!!
Gritting my teeth, I unleashed [Cocytus], sending a freezing shockwave in all directions.
But it only bought me a moment. The rain of fire pierced through the aftermath of the explosion and continued its relentless descent.
There was no escape. Wherever I ran, death followed. Blocking all of those attacks was beyond my current capacity.
Using [Ice Moon] consumed too much mana. I had to dodge what I could.
I pushed the power of my wings to the limit and darted through the air at full speed, weaving through the Evil God’s barrage. I focused my mind. For the attacks I couldn't evade, I summoned every drop of mana and unleashed the 7-star ice spell [Abyssal Glacier] at full power. It was my most effective spell for neutralizing enemy offensives.
In the harsh atmosphere, I deployed large-scale magic circles around the Evil God, firing hundreds of [Ice Spears] and dropping [Frostfall Comet of the End]. I even used the unique magic of the Frostscythe, [Absolute Zero], to cleave through the very fabric of space.
But the Evil God skillfully manipulated her flames of destruction, spinning them to devour all my long-range attacks. She was handling everything with methodical precision.
Of course, she’s breaking down my patterns…
To my dismay, the longer the fight dragged on, the more the Evil God deciphered my combat style, countering me with increasing efficiency. I had anticipated this, but experiencing it in real-time was a different nightmare entirely.
Facing it head-on made me want to curse.
But there was still hope. The flames that formed the Evil God’s body and dress were weaker than they had been at the start.
The Evil God glared at me with her countless red eyes.
Is she feeling the same pressure I am?
That was good to know, because I felt absolutely terrible.
I raced through the air, banking and diving, barely dodging the rain of flames as I pressed my assault. I wove through the void spheres.
Finally, when I reached the Evil God, the highest-level ice and fire magic clashed at point-blank range, each screaming destruction at the other.
Boom!!!!
Another fierce explosion erupted. My vision was engulfed by a flash, and my eardrums rang with a piercing, high-pitched whine. If we hadn’t both established our domains, the world would have been torn apart by the sheer force of the impact.
We were both swept away by the blast. I deployed an ice shield wrapped in [Abyssal Glacier], but I couldn’t fully block the shock that rattled my very bones.
My body was flung backward, and the Evil God was sent spiraling in the opposite direction.
We both spread our wings and regained our stances simultaneously.
“Haah, haah….”
I gasped for air.
I didn't know exactly how bad my condition was, but the searing pain and the blood pouring from my wounds made it clear I was on the brink.
Fwoosh!!
The Evil God unleashed a fiery whirlwind, forcibly pushing back the aftermath of the explosion.
Looking again, the hem of the demon’s black flame dress had shrunk significantly. She still had power to spare, but it was clear I was making progress.
As I gathered mana, intending to continue my relentless assault…
The Evil God stretched her right arm out to the side.
Whiiish!
A rift to a subspace formed at her fingertips.
“…!”
I realized her plan instantly.
I flew toward her once more.
*
Whiiish!
In the sky above the island where the battle raged, a rift to subspace appeared.
From the rift emerged a giant arm wreathed in flames of destruction. Its six long fingers twitched, flicking black embers into the air.
Rumble!!
Suddenly, the fiery arm lunged toward the ground, stretching endlessly.
Amidst the deafening roar of tearing air, the arm’s target was clear: the unconscious girl lying on the ground, Kaya Astrea.
“It’s coming!” the wizard troops guarding Kaya shouted, simultaneously deploying their barriers.
But the fiery arm burned through the barriers without losing a shred of momentum.
Boom!!!
Crash!!
The already wounded Elemental Kings unleashed powerful elemental magic toward the flaming limb. At the same time, Dorothy flew in, pouring her full starlight mana into the fray.
The dense elemental barrage and the 8-star starlight magic [Celestial Explosion] created a brilliant blast, lighting up the horizon and slamming into the flaming arm with a deafening roar.
—If I manage to push the Evil God to some extent, she will likely target Kaya. Kaya is blessed with the gift of life. The Evil God will try to make Kaya her new vessel. So… I’ll leave it to you. Protect Kaya at all costs.
Isaac had said this during the strategy meeting. It was a warning based on the information Dorothy had brought back from the first timeline.
The overwhelming magic bombardment severely twisted the trajectory of the flaming arm. Yet it persisted, still reaching for Kaya.
The Subjugation Force intercepted the arm in unison. The flames enveloping the massive limb gradually weakened. Its size shrank and shrank until it could no longer reach Kaya herself.
Thunk!
The flaming arm used telekinesis to snatch the necklace from Kaya’s neck.
“What the…?”
“That bastard, don’t tell me…?”
The Yggdrasil Seed.
A gift from Sylphia, infused with plant mana for Kaya. Now, it was the catalyst for [Yggdrasil], fused with Kaya’s own essence.
With the flaming arm weakened, the Evil God had shifted her objective.
Fwoosh!!
“Ugh!”
The flaming arm emitted a burst of verdant mana, creating a violent gust of wind. Dorothy and the Elemental Kings were swept away by the gale, crashing into buildings and the ground, leaving deep craters in their wake.
The flaming arm dissipated, and the rift to the subspace snapped shut.
“It took the seed…” an imperial wizard whispered, his face pale with terror as he stared at the empty air where the rift had been.
The worst had been avoided, but the second worst had just begun.
*
Crash!!
Inside the [Realm of the Eternal Glacial Palace].
I poured out a wave of frost, desperately trying to freeze and block the subspace rift, but something unexpected happened.
I was frozen in shock.
“The seed…?”
Fwoooosh!!!
“Ugh!!”
As the Evil God seized the power of Yggdrasil’s seed, waves of mana rippled outward with a roar.
I was mid-flight when I was forced to a halt, raising my arms to shield my face against the pressure.
Soon, I witnessed a verdant mana—a color entirely unfitting for such a destructive entity. A sphere of life energy enveloped the Evil God, blending with her flames of destruction.
My eyes widened.
The reason Kaya was a suitable vessel for the Evil God was her life force. Yggdrasil’s seed was no exception.
This… is dangerous.
Fwoosh!!!
A faint verdant glow wrapped around the crimson-black flames. The sphere enveloping the Evil God gradually vanished, revealing the female demon once more.
Behind her head, rings of verdant light imbued with the power of life trailed like a halo. Ten plant magic circles spread out, and from them, wings of flame and life emerged.
Her form—simultaneously an embodiment of evil and a holy goddess—emitted an overwhelming presence that felt like it was crushing my very soul.
Life and Destruction.
Both forces were now in the hands of the Evil God Nephid.
*
The Evil God stretched her right arm upward.
A beautiful verdant trail was etched across the sky. A giant sacred tree rose, its crimson-black flaming leaves blooming magnificently as if to engulf the entire eternal realm.
It was a magnificent, terrifying sight.
The Burning [Yggdrasil].
Each branch of that tree revealed nine dimensions in the process of ending.
“What…?”
My mind shook. As I looked around, I saw the crimson-black mana staining everything.
It was a mental attack. The [Yggdrasil of Destruction] was trying to drag my consciousness into the abyss.
There was no way to avoid it. Even I had no immunity against power of this scale.
I hastily formed three [Cocytus] spells and hurled them toward the burning tree, but the Evil God countered by launching three black suns.
Boom!!!!
The Evil God’s magic had grown even stronger.
My body was swept away by the explosion, rolling helplessly through the center of the [Realm of the Eternal Glacial Palace].
“Ugh…! Daikan!!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.
The Primordial Beast of Ice, Daikan, tried to gather ice mana, but the mental attack from [Yggdrasil] overtook him before it reached me. His eyes glazed over, and he slumped.
At this rate, it’s over for everyone.
I punched my head repeatedly, trying to snap myself out of the trance, but it was no use. An unbearable drowsiness washed over me, and my consciousness began to fray. It felt as if a disgusting hand was grabbing my leg, pulling me down into a dark swamp.
Fwoooosh!!
The Evil God formed another black sun.
That sun, growing larger and distorting time and space, looked like a death sentence descending from the heavens.
I have to stop it.
But my mind couldn't calculate the magic. I forced my eyes open, clenching my bloodied teeth, struggling to hold onto my mana and my sanity.
…It was then.
“…!”
I sensed a presence outside the domain. There was one being capable of opposing that tree of destruction.
“You finally came…”
Fwooooosh!!!
Within the clashing domains of the Evil God and myself, the ground was suddenly blanketed in a brilliant white light.
The Evil God’s many eyes gleamed with irritation.
The ground began to emit a blinding radiance. Behind me, one by one, white pillars rose, forming the structure of a temple.
The Domain of Light.
The black sun faded, and the black flame mana dispersed. For the first time, the Evil God let out a pained groan.
[Ugh…!]
“Haah, haah…”
I heard the familiar sound of ragged breathing.
The man I had allowed to enter the [Realm of the Eternal Glacial Palace] dragged his battered body toward me, staggering with every step.
“Sorry… I’m late…”
Thud!
He drove the Luminous Sword into the ground.
The blade emitted a beautiful radiance, becoming the core of the Domain of Light.
Ian Fairytale.
He had defeated Angra Mainyu and made it here.
“…Thanks for coming.”
“Isaac. The final part… I leave it to you.”
Ian, barely able to keep his eyes open, forced a smile before collapsing forward. He had reached his absolute limit.
And so, Ian fainted for the last time.
“Truly, thank you…”
I layered [Frost Barrier] and ice shields over Ian to protect him. Since he was imbued with Divine Power, he would recover quickly once the battle was over.
I looked back at the Evil God, who was writhing in pain.
The Domain Expansion: [Temple of Light].
As long as the Luminous Sword was embedded in the [Realm of the Eternal Glacial Palace], the domain of light imbued with Divine Power would remain. The [Yggdrasil of Destruction] couldn't function properly under the interference of the [Temple of Light].
The red light that had clouded my vision vanished, and my awareness sharpened as if I had just woken up.
It was still clear that the Evil God was stronger than me, but I could hardly suppress the smile creeping onto my lips. I spat out the blood pooling in my mouth and spoke.
[Do you know?]
I transmitted my voice directly into the Evil God’s mind.
The Evil God responded not with words, but with a surge of rage and malice. Her bloodshot eyes glared solely at me.
It was an amusing sight. With a chuckle in my voice, I continued.
[You have no idea the lengths I’ve gone to in order to hunt you.]
Clink.
I let ice mana rise from my right hand. Ice crystals floated gently in the air.
[And now, I’m actually happy. Because I can finally take you down.]
In my blurred vision, through the crimson-black flames that enveloped the Evil God, I could faintly see someone else.
A figure that resembled me—once an extra on a journey to become the protagonist. He had ultimately fallen into despair and made a drastic choice, but the journey he had pursued with all his might had led to Märchen Academy, and eventually, to me.
Every step of the journey you took held immeasurable worth.
“…I’m coming.”
Watch closely.
I will finish the journey you handed over to me.