The Descent of the Calamity God (1)
The evidence was unmistakable. The platinum bracelet adorning her wrist was a magic artifact dedicated by the Tower of Magic—the headquarters of all great mages—to the Sage. Bergresar. It was the Tower’s masterpiece, a device that sealed near-infinite mana into a small accessory.
The Sage, once a member of the Saint’s party, had been able to wield nearly a thousand bombardment spells at will precisely because of this artifact. An inexhaustible well of mana had always granted her victory. She would rain down endless barrages until her enemies were annihilated. That was why the masses had called her the “Thousand-Magic Sorceress.”
Why the hell does a Calamity God’s Apostle have the Tower’s artifact, you damn four-eyed bitch?!
The Holy Sword’s slash collided with a gravity spell, sweeping away every piece of furniture and debris in the vicinity. At the same moment, Edanant and the Calamity Apostle charged at each other.
Clang—!!
A razor-sharp blade and a mana-infused fist clashed violently.
“How did you get your hands on the Sage’s artifact? Speak!”
“The moment I activated the artifact, you reacted instantly… It seems you know quite a bit about it.”
The black-haired woman showed an intrigued reaction to Edanant’s furious shout. Then she lifted the platinum bracelet and gave a faint smile.
She had no intention of answering obediently. Nor did she plan to hand it over. From the way she skillfully activated the artifact, Edanant could guess her intentions. He ground his teeth and raised Aldebaran high.
“Y-Your Majesty…! Quickly, escort His Majesty!”
“We shall guide you to safety, Your Majesty!”
Knights clad in sturdy full-plate armor began escorting Barbarossa while keeping wary eyes on the Calamity Apostle. They were completely surrounded by the rebels. Stepping outside recklessly would mean being showered with arrows like a torrential downpour. Still, anywhere was safer than remaining in this palace where a monster was rampaging and turning everything to rubble.
Overwhelmed by the eerie aura radiating from the Calamity Apostle, the knights tried to flee the palace while guarding the Emperor and the First Imperial Princess.
“The opponent is a Calamity Apostle. I will face her.”
“H-How did those bastards…!”
At Edanant’s words, Barbarossa glared at the black-haired woman with wide eyes. A Calamity Apostle. How had they managed to infiltrate the imperial palace? As soon as the Racial War ended, he had poured every resource into eradicating the cults that worshipped the Forgotten Gods. In particular, the groups devoted to the Calamity Gods—the root of all evil—had been hunted down and exterminated to the last.
He thought he had severed their lineage completely. Yet somehow, remnants of the Calamity Gods had survived. Barbarossa clenched his fists so tightly that the skin on the back of his hands nearly tore as he let out a groan of despair.
“Lord Edanant, facing her alone is too dangerous! At least take the Imperial Knights with you…!”
“It’s fine. Exterminating heretics is my specialty.”
In response to Isabel’s cry, Edanant shrugged and answered. Of all things, it had to be an Apostle who worshipped a Calamity God. Among the enemies he had faced since the war ended, this was the most troublesome powerhouse. If he didn’t fight with everything he had, he would be the one who fell.
The Calamity Apostle who had launched a surprise attack on the Emperor’s palace was even armed with the Sage’s artifact. Edanant, who had never lost his composure no matter the situation, swallowed dryly and steeled himself for death.
“How generous. Letting all the targets escape like this.”
“Let them escape? No. I simply let them go for a moment.”
Protected by the Imperial Knights, Barbarossa and Isabel escaped the half-collapsed palace. Even though her primary targets were fleeing right before her eyes, the Calamity Apostle did not move. Overflowing confidence. It was proof that she trusted her own power too much. It also meant she did not consider the person standing before her to be much of a threat.
“Holy Sword user… Your name was Edanant von Hohenberg, correct? I remember it.”
“To think a Calamity Apostle would even remember my name.”
“I am Ariel Spella. I am an Apostle who worships the Calamity God of Fresh Blood.”
“…Fresh Blood.”
The Calamity God of Fresh Blood. It was a name he had never heard before. Fresh Blood. Could it be the heretical god worshipped by vampires? Edanant quietly observed the black-haired woman. Her corpse-pale skin and eerily beautiful features were unmistakably those of a vampire.
“That’s right. I am a vampire.”
Her pitch-black eyes instantly turned blood-red. At the same time, hundreds of spell formulas filled the space like stars in the night sky.
It was similar. Almost exactly like facing the Sage. Her ability to imitate the original was outstanding, but she could not perfectly replicate the Thousand-Magic Sorceress. However, when the blessing of the Calamity God fused with her spells, she reached a level of destructive power that rivaled the original.
Damn it…! Where the hell did this monster come from? I thought everything would end with the Demon King’s death!
The mana, dyed blood-red, began surging from the ground like sparks. It was the Blessing of Fresh Blood. The black-haired vampire had revealed her full power.
If she had been the arrogant type who carelessly showed openings, it would have been easier to deal with her. Unfortunately, the beautiful monster before him was the kind who gave her all in everything she did.
The half-destroyed palace began to shake violently. It would collapse soon. The heavy fragments crashing down proved it.
The brutal melee between the Imperial Army and the rebels, which had seemed destined to continue until one side was completely annihilated, came to an abrupt halt the moment a blood-red lightning bolt struck.
────────────!!!!
The palace where the Emperor resided collapsed. The ground split open like a spiderweb, swallowing countless soldiers whole.
A monster had appeared. The Earth Mother had delivered her punishment.
Bombardment spells reinforced by the Blessing of Fresh Blood rained down mercilessly, reducing the surroundings to ruins in an instant. Soldiers who witnessed the scene screamed and even abandoned their weapons as they fled.
“To think you blocked every single attack…! Not bad, Holy Sword user!”
“Shut your mouth.”
Front, back, left, right. Spell formulas unfolded from every direction, creating a symphony of fire and lightning. Edanant continuously swung Aldebaran, which emitted pure white radiance, demonstrating masterful skill as he deflected every attack.
Missing even one would lead to a fatal wound. Every time he sliced through fire and lightning, a pure white trail was etched into the air.
“But it’s meaningless!”
Wondering if it might work, he pulled the trigger and fired a barrage of bullets, but they failed to reach the vampire. Seeing every bullet bounce off, Edanant clicked his tongue.
Today really is a day of suffering. Until now, there hadn’t been a single opponent whose head he couldn’t put a bullet in.
“Ugh!”
Like a cat toying with its prey, the vampire rained down bombardment spells one after another. Each time, Edanant had no choice but to deflect the attacks and move to another location.
If I use my blessing, I could turn the tide… Damn it, there are too many humans around. No matter where I run, there will always be at least one or two people.
In the imperial palace that had become a battlefield, was there any space without witnesses? With so many troops concentrated here, there would be eyes everywhere he went. A place completely cut off from the outside. A region untouched by human footsteps. There was no way such a convenient, ideal location would simply appear.
While anxiously continuing his death race against the Apostle of Fresh Blood, Edanant suddenly thought of something and lifted his head. A spark flashed in his golden eyes.
“…That’s it!”
He turned and changed direction. The path Edanant chose was, shockingly, toward the banquet hall where Elizabetta and the high nobles were gathered.
“How long do you plan to run? It’s time to obediently become a sacrifice for Fresh Blood.”
“……”
The chilling voice demanding his death rang out, but Edanant, sprinting at full speed, did not answer. It wasn’t even worth responding to. He quickened his pace and charged straight ahead.
“Lue!”
“E-Edan…?!”
He finally reached the vicinity of the banquet hall. Edanant called out to the small fairy in a booming voice. The girl poked her head out. Upon witnessing the Calamity Apostle relentlessly firing bombardment spells, the girl turned deathly pale and screamed.
────────────!!!
Irritated by Edanant’s cunning escape—like a rat slipping through cracks—the Apostle of Fresh Blood flashed her blood-red eyes and intensified her bombardment. The ground exploded, sending thick clouds of dust swirling. It looked like an artillery barrage with cannons at the forefront.
Lue, who had witnessed the devastation alongside the people in the banquet hall, trembled violently as she stared at Edanant. Apparently unwilling to die alone, he had dragged an insane monster straight into a place crowded with countless people.
“W-What the hell are you bringing with you?!”
“Shut up… Just open the door with the kids!”
“You want us to open the banquet hall door…?”
“This isn’t the time for your usual jokes!”
Damn it. What an incompetent fairy. If she were truly his best partner, she should understand even if he explained it like a fool. He had made a mistake. Critically, he had failed to account for the Luinong fairies’ low intelligence.
“I’m telling you to open the passage connected to the Fairy’s Haven! Hurry, Lue!”
“Okay! Got it!”
Elizabetta, standing beside her, explained it to Lue and the other Luinong fairies. The small fairies, who had been tilting their heads in confusion, let out sounds of understanding and nodded.
The fairies joined hands. A brilliant flash of light began to engulf the witnesses’ vision.
Edanant, who had been desperately blocking the banquet hall from the bombardment spells, let out a sigh of relief upon seeing the brilliant light. Then he prepared a decisive strike against the Apostle of Fresh Blood.
“Ugh, what the…!”
“Get ready to fall into paradise, Apostle of Fresh Blood.”
The dazzling radiance unleashed as the Luinong fairies opened the passage was more than enough to rob the vision of everyone watching from up close. The same was true for Ariel, who had seen the light directly from the front.
He didn’t miss the opening. Black haze surged like heat shimmer, forming an army of muskets. Sharp gunshots rang out as a hail of bullets targeted the Apostle of Fresh Blood.
Most of the bullets were blocked by the defensive spells Ariel instinctively deployed, but he had still succeeded in counterattacking.
“Aaaah! N-No way…! How can you—!!”
The countless firearms floating in the air were undoubtedly weapons formed from the blessing of a Calamity God. How? Just how was he able to use a Calamity God’s blessing…!
It was unbelievable. How could a swordsman chosen by the Earth Mother’s Holy Sword wield the power of a Calamity God? The beautiful vampire screamed in utter shock and horror.
But Edanant allowed her no respite. The reloaded muskets spat fire once more, resuming the bullet barrage. Overwhelmed again by the massive firepower, Ariel was hurled straight into the center of the pure white radiance.