Chapter 475
Chapter 475
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 475
>Chapter Title: Ominous and Filthy
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To be honest, he hadn’t completely seized the advantage over Sun and Moon yet.
‘Just as I haven’t used all of Reverse Heaven’s power, they haven’t either.’
In fact, Aster had preserved more than eighty percent of Reverse Heaven’s power. So, how much had Sun and Moon held back?
...Who knows.
From what he could tell, they had only started drawing on Reverse Heaven’s power in earnest after blocking the Abyss.
And even that hadn’t lasted long.
So, if they were purely comparing Reverse Heaven’s power, Sun and Moon still held the edge.
Then why were they running away?
The reason was simple.
...Because of the Abyss variable.
‘Their Word of Command is sealed, offensive spells have no effect, and even their protective magic has been shattered.’
But committing to full use of Reverse Heaven’s power came with too much risk.
Aster knew they had two fragments, plus the Sanctuary core and the souls of the Hermits prepared, but they didn’t.
The key here was...
‘...what they’re preparing.’
Ziiing—!
Aster entered transcendence to block the incoming Light of Destruction, then immediately returned to normal time flow.
A chase where they were just barely out of reach.
At this point, a doubt crept in.
‘What if they’re dragging this out because they have some countermeasure?’
He had at least expected them to use the Sanctuary core to evade...
All Sun and Moon did was block incoming attacks with their pure white shield and push back when the distance closed with Light of Destruction.
In such a situation, the archmages’ pursuit naturally grew half-hearted.
Why wouldn’t it?
‘...No need to step up first and draw blood.’
Everyone knew.
No matter how cornered Sun and Moon seemed, they had enough power left to take one or two down with them in a pinch.
Aster subtly slowed his pace, taking in the archmages. To be frank, it wasn’t a welcome sight.
‘Too perfect a setup for second thoughts.’
Let’s see.
An opponent who had once seemed untouchable was now fleeing with his tail between his legs from the combined assault of the arc mages and archmages.
What would that make anyone think?
That things were looking up, so why not get greedy?
‘Pahren, Paraphus, and maybe even Kahajar.’
This alliance was more of a temporary one.
The kind where a backstab wouldn’t be out of place at any moment.
So, what now?
‘Time to raise the stakes.’
Whether Sun and Moon were buying time or just fleeing without a plan didn’t matter.
If they were running, he’d give them a reason they couldn’t.
Aster halted abruptly and stared at the wall.
And...
‘Just half of it.’
He drew on Reverse Heaven’s power. No special spell was needed. The Grimoire’s functions would make any spell he envisioned possible anyway.
What mattered now was imagery.
The target...
‘...The core.’
No, more precisely, the barrier enveloping the core.
“How dare you...!”
“You insignificant...!”
Did they sense it?
Sun and Moon’s voices echoed from afar.
Aster ignored them, focusing his mind. No satisfaction from catching them off guard. He sharpened his senses more cautiously than ever.
And.
“One shot.”
Thung—!
A tiny arrow of light shot from his fingertip. It wasn’t flashy, but it warped space as it flew.
But then.
“Don’t you think that was a bit hasty?”
“Such a pity.”
Their mocking voices rang in his ears as if their earlier desperation had been a lie, followed by a massive explosion ripping through space.
Kwarung-kwarung-kwarung—!
The sound of the wall shattering.
Aster narrowed his eyes. Others might not know, but as the spellcaster, he could tell.
The arrow that pierced the wall toward the core.
It had vanished.
Or more accurately...
‘...swallowed?’
That’s when he thought it.
Pung—!
A grayish giant burst through the wall.
At a glance, it looked like a ‘hand,’ but it was more like...
‘...A giant.’
A giant about four meters tall broke through the wall and lunged at Aster with its maw open. And...
Clang—!
The eerie sound of jaws snapping shut echoed as Aster landed at a distance, narrowing his eyes.
“That’s...”
“...Like a ‘hand.’”
The archmages grasped its nature. Something like a ‘hand’... made of souls but not quite a soul.
That’s when they realized.
“Regrettably incomplete...”
“But consider it an honor.”
Sun and Moon, now atop the giant’s head, grinned. Then...
Shhh—
Their bodies were absorbed into the giant.
The change came right after.
Susu, sususu...
Puppet script emerged on the giant’s skin.
[We’ve forged this flesh over thousands of years... but today, we’ll use it personally for you. Using it now means another thousands of years of waiting, but waiting requires a tomorrow, doesn’t it?]
A unified voice flowed from the giant’s maw.
The moment Aster saw it, he knew instinctively.
The lion uses its full strength even to catch a rabbit, they say?
Sun and Moon were exactly that.
‘So that’s what they were holding back.’
Not some minor reason like exploiting a gap.
They were going all out.
[Let’s reduce your numbers first.]
Sun and Moon... no, now with a single voice, let’s call it Sunmoon.
Sunmoon said that and slammed its massive hand down. It wasn’t particularly fast, but...
[You, stop.]
One word.
At that one word...
“Ah, aaah...”
The targeted Paraphus groaned and twitched. He tried to dodge as before—
Crunch.
The sound echoed.
“...”
“...”
Silence fell over the space.
* * *
Giant.
After creating the Sanctuary, Sun and Moon had forged this body over thousands of years, calling it their avatar.
The materials were horrific numbers of human souls and...
Flesh fragments from some ‘speaking magic beast’ that emerged from the Demonic Realm, of unknown origin.
Sunmoon had shaped it with a single obsession.
What obsession?
...The annihilation of Reverse Heaven.
For thousands of years, they projected their will with that prayer, and completion was just over a hundred years away.
Only a hundred years left...
Regrettable, but no choice.
Eliminating Reverse Heaven’s master and the archmages came first.
Before that—
[Narrow, isn’t it?]
At Sunmoon’s word, space transformed. Just like during the Sanctuary’s final trial.
Tzzzz.
Space expanded in an instant, displaced bricks clattering into a massive wall.
In that single moment, the archmages found themselves trapped in a colossal cylindrical chamber, narrowing their eyes.
They felt it.
What had changed.
...An eerie presence.
The shock from first sensing that presence washed over them again.
They had thought they’d grown used to it, but no. It had only been muted by cramming that divine mystery into a human body.
In a way, this body suited Sunmoon perfectly, and they shuddered at the fulfillment radiating from it now in its fitting form.
[Truly regrettable. With just a hundred more years, this perfect body could have devoured Reverse Heaven and claimed everything.]
Opening it prematurely meant even after devouring Reverse Heaven, another thousands of years of waiting.
As Sunmoon swallowed its regret repeatedly.
The archmages thought.
‘How...’
Could they overcome that existence?
[Let’s see, time to reduce your numbers by one more?]
Sunmoon’s next target was Kijystone.
...An overwhelming gap.
Even so, Sunmoon didn’t move rashly.
Dealing with Reverse Heaven’s master came after methodically thinning their numbers and eliminating all variables.
[Now, you stop.]
Irresistible Word of Command shook Kijystone’s mind.
* * *
Midway up the Sesuteraion Mountains.
Shine kicked off and leaped toward the peak. Steep cliffs and treacherous terrain posed no real issue for him.
He slashed falling rocks and vaulted cliffs.
Up, up.
As he ascended unimpeded, a sudden thought struck Shine.
‘But is this the right peak for the Sanctuary?’
He was heading for the closest peak from the warp gate, but honestly, he wasn’t sure.
The strange mana flow grew clearer the higher he went, but...
‘Well, it could be wrong.’
No big deal. Once above the clouds, he’d spot the Sanctuary easily.
How far had he climbed?
“Hmm.”
Shine stopped, gripping his demon sword Protius and gazing upward.
The faint mana waves he’d sensed earlier had sharpened.
No, sharpened didn’t cover it.
This was...
‘...Sinister.’
From a great distance, he could tell clearly.
Something had awakened.
‘But this aura...’
Shine’s eyes darkened deeply. His consciousness probed some memory. He’d felt this aura before.
Faint, but such a distinctive one wasn’t forgettable.
‘Ominous. Filthy. And in a way...’
Yes, that’s it.
‘Fear.’
This aura carried memories of fear.
So faint he couldn’t pinpoint it instantly, but certain.
Then, think.
‘There’s only one being this body ever felt fear toward.’
Who?
‘Three Fingers.’
Wearing human skin but not human... something indefinable, dangerous.
The aura from above resembled what that one harbored.
Not identical.
Like dog and wolf.
Similar, yet distinctly different.
“Looks like something’s definitely up.”
Shine curled his lips.
And—
Boom!
A mighty leap, unlike before.
He’d been pondering how to settle the debt from the Great Plains, and here came opportunity so soon.
‘Might as well reassert the hierarchy while I’m at it.’
Hm hm hmm.
Shine hummed a tune, clearly thrilled.
He didn’t for a second think the wicked bastard would die.
That guy would outlast the world itself. If he wanted to live, he would.
How many leaps up?
“A barrier—!”
Standing before it, Shine gripped Protius.
And...
Shraaaaa—!
The pure white blade sliced space, tearing the barrier.
But it was tough.
“Once isn’t enough, huh?”
Shine gripped his sword again.
High above, layered clouds parted slightly, a beam of moonlight falling to earth. His red eyes gleamed coldly.