Chapter 179
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 179
Chapter Title: Thunder God's Spear Astrafe
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Thunder God's Spear Astrafe.
When I reached the 7th Circle, it was an overpowered unique spell that downed me after just one shot due to mana depletion.
Of course, how many of the spells I use aren't my unique magic anyway.
It wasn't until the late stages, when I hit Overlord level, that my chronic mana shortage finally resolved. But back then, it was practically one of my ultimate trump cards.
Honestly, at my current level, it should be a spell where firing even one shot is the limit.
Even so, I didn't care.
My greatest advantage was that I'd possessed Overlord-level mana ever since my days as a 1st Circle mage.
The mana required to cast Astrafe?
Scooping up a bit from my ocean-like reserves wouldn't faze me.
As if mocking his predictions, multiple Astrafe began manifesting around me, and the bastard's eyes flew wide open.
"You don't need to worry about someone else's mana."
Thunder Spear Astrafe
Full Barrage Fire
Zzzap!!
At my command, the thunder spears hovering around me shot toward him in unison.
-Kraaaaaagh!!!
Varil writhed in agony from the excruciating pain.
What a horrific spell!
Its structure was incomprehensibly complex, and the sheer volume of mana infused within left even him stunned.
How could a human possibly do this?
As a being who'd existed for eons, he simply couldn't comprehend it.
Long ago, those cultists had unwittingly broken the seal binding him and left without a care.
Once freed into the world, he'd pursued his desires as always.
His rampage in the Holy Kingdom was just another chapter in that saga.
Problems? No issue. To him, humans were insignificant vermin, and he was confident they could never truly harm him, no matter what went wrong.
Of course, that held true even now.
Leon was certainly beyond expectations, but he was still just a human.
He had to admit he'd been complacent.
But he was certain.
Leon might be a threat, but his power couldn't kill Varil. That much was clear.
He acknowledged the human's overwhelming potential, but in the end, victory would be his.
Watching his wings slowly regenerate, he dodged Leon's attacks once more and struck back.
What baffled him was how Leon knew the structure of a mana dragon's attacks so intimately.
The mana reserves inhuman in scale. And this deep knowledge of mana dragons.
Could he be a dragonkin? No, that couldn't be—none of his kin were active on the continent anymore.
His mind raced with complications, but for now, it was time to retreat.
Only a few minutes had passed since their clash.
And in those minutes, how many lethal blows had he taken?
He'd deliberately let himself get "hit" to create an opening.
And the moment Leon fell for it and lunged in...
Whirrr!!!
His tail, wreathed in black flames, whipped out and bound Leon in an instant.
Leon couldn't resist.
-Fool!! Your arrogance will lead you to death!!
He admitted the human was strong. But caught in his tail like this, Leon's vast power was now his for the taking.
As he began siphoning the mana permeating Leon's body, Varil felt a massive surge of vitality flood his flesh.
As expected! What a monster! He held an insane amount of mana.
His severed wings regenerated in a flash.
The massive gash in his abdomen healed agonizingly slowly for some reason, but restoring his wings was enough.
Without hesitation, Varil took to the skies, tail still coiled around Leon.
Soaring high in an instant, he felt euphoric.
Mana beyond imagination. With this, he could grow even more overwhelmingly powerful than before.
I'll drain you until you're a husk.
High in the heavens, he looked down at Leon mockingly.
-Your mana will become my power. Bet you didn't see that coming.
Leon said nothing, head bowed, staring downward.
Soon, as if to boast his newfound strength, Varil gathered breath in his maw.
Power overflowed! He felt like he could shatter that Holy Kingdom barrier right now.
Just as he prepared to unleash it...
Something felt off.
He knew the human had vast mana, but there was a limit, right?
Why wasn't it depleting?
A normal human would've shriveled into a mummy dozens or hundreds of times over by now. Yet Leon's body remained perfectly fine.
No— the mana flowing in was actually increasing.
-Grk?!
Something was wrong. This shouldn't be happening.
He dispersed the breath in his mouth and twisted in panic.
-A... no! Stop! Stop!!
The moment he tried to release Leon from his tail...
Subspace tore open around Leon, and swords poured out, mercilessly embedding into Varil's body.
-Kraaagh?!
It was just swords piercing him, but for some reason, he couldn't move his tail.
"What's wrong? Take more. I'm being generous here."
Leon finally looked up, smirking at him.
"Feeling like you're gonna burst yet?"
-You... you bastard! What the hell are you?!
Varil was overcome with sheer terror.
Facing him directly, it was clear now. The absurd amount of mana dwelling within this human named Leon.
All he'd siphoned so far was just a fraction.
This couldn't be. No human body could contain such vast mana.
What in the world was this human?
-Cough! Gah!
His unprepared body. The sudden influx of mana exceeded even a dragon's tolerance, inducing mana poisoning.
His flesh was collapsing.
The mana coursing through his veins rampaged beyond his control.
-Guh! Ack!
This was a serious blow.
He had a bad feeling that even if his body recovered, the damage might be permanent.
He needed to escape now.
He'd need years, maybe decades to recuperate, but survival came first.
Varil soared higher into the sky and bellowed at Leon.
-Damnable worm! I won't forget this humiliation!
"Letting you run?"
-Urgh...
"You're free to go, but it's been five minutes. Wanna glance below?"
Leon grinned and snapped his fingers. Varil's tail went slack, sending him into freefall.
But Varil couldn't focus on him.
His eyes caught something on the ground below—something radiant that hadn't been visible moments ago.
That woman...
Her gray wings turned pure white in an instant, increasing from one pair to two, then three.
Ah... an Archangel...
The incomprehensible being summoned by Saintess Nadia...
Hadn't it returned? That was the woman by Leon Cascadia's side—how was she suddenly revealing such a form here?
She raised one hand, and atop her palm, a tiny pure-white spear, no bigger than three finger widths, slowly materialized.
That... is dangerous. Nothing he's faced so far compares.
As Varil frantically tried to cast spatial transfer...
Her three pairs of wings flapped, propelling her form higher into the sky than him in a blink.
Then, as if on cue, her wings expanded to dozens of meters wide, illuminating the night sky like daylight.
-Ah...
Her halo above her head gleamed gold and began spinning rapidly. Simultaneously, the white spear on her palm vanished from sight.
-W-where'd it go?!
Varil whipped his head around searching for the spear of light when...
Piiiiiiii...
All sound vanished into a deafening void, pierced only by a piercing PIII!! ringing in Varil's mind.
In the sudden shift, he instinctively ducked his head and saw it—a three-meter white lance of radiance impaled at the center of his massive body.
"Kyaaaaagh!!!"
"S-save me!"
The moment Diablo's attack briefly pierced the barrier...
Demonic Dragon Varil succeeded in forcing some of his power through the hole.
Most was intercepted and destroyed by Diablo, but a tiny fraction reached the ground, spawning his dragon spawn plagues—twisted abominations of life.
"Twisted undead in the Holy Kingdom..."
These were utterly unlike the undead summoned by necromancers—horrific entities that made people scream and recoil in horror just by looking at them.
They attacked anyone in reach with gelatinous, grotesque forms.
If the Holy Knights and inquisitors hadn't moved to intercept them preemptively, the damage would've been catastrophic.
Those sheltering in evacuation zones clasped their hands in ceaseless prayer, while the devout wept at the defilement of their sanctuary.
"What's going on here?"
"Everyone! Wounded, come this way!"
Saintess Nadia darted about frantically amid the chaos.
Regaining her senses, she guided people to safety amid the screams from all sides.
"Saintess! Get to safety! It's dangerous here!"
"I can't! I have to fulfill my duty!"
"If you collapse, the barrier in the sky will vanish too!"
The demonic dragon Varil was no longer visible in the heavens.
Leon had severed his wings after breaking through.
But the black mist still lingering inside the Holy Kingdom confirmed his presence remained.
Without the barrier—or the angel's descent and sanctification—imagining the potential devastation was unthinkable.
"Saintess, leave the rest to others and rest. You've pushed yourself too far today."
Deputy High Priest Diablo approached her then.
He gazed calmly at the sky.
"Will they be alright?"
"Who are you worried about?"
"Pardon?"
"Not the dragon, surely. You couldn't mean those two, could you?"
He asked with a look of genuine bafflement.
"How long has it been since he left?"
"O-only a few minutes?"