The Calamity God's Manifestation (2)
The monsters of the Chaos Realm, clad in razor-sharp metal, were swallowed whole by the raging crimson flames. It was unbelievable. The Iron Dragons, more ferocious than any other living creature, were being ravaged so utterly. The sight of the colossal beasts that had once torn through the imperial capital with their claws and massive tails reduced to black ash was truly grotesque.
The Apostles of the Calamity Gods, who had summoned the monsters of the Chaos Realm as their trump card, cried out in shock at the overwhelming might of Ludmilla, who stood on the verge of godhood.
“The Red Dragon of the Empire is this strong?!”
“We knew she was one of the Seven Strongest of the Warring States, but… she’s a monster beyond reason!”
Even among the monsters of the Chaos Realm, the Iron Dragons occupied the upper ranks of the food chain. No one had expected them to be crushed so one-sidedly. It was a miscalculation. They had only hoped the Iron Dragons would last until the emperor was assassinated. There was still no word from the Apostle of Blood. She must still be pursuing the emperor.
─────!!!
The last remaining Iron Dragon met its end at Ludmilla’s hands. Its powerful regeneration had allowed it to endure the flames for a time, but its collapse was only a matter of moments. Like the others, it would become fuel for the Red Dragon’s fire.
“Red Dragon.”
“Your rampage ends here.”
The priest-knights who worshipped the Calamity God struck at Ludmilla from behind. They activated their divine descent at once and swung their black blades. If Ludmilla returned to the imperial palace after slaying all the Iron Dragons, their entire plan would collapse. In desperation, they tried to buy time.
But—
“So you’re the ones who incited the nobles to rebellion. The followers of the Calamity God.”
Ludmilla’s eyes turned cold as she extended her hand. Flames erupted. The Red Dragon’s fire greedily devoured the priest-knights. The protection of the Calamity God was swept away by the raging blaze and extinguished. The knights caught in the inferno screamed in agony before burning to death.
“As expected of the Red Dragon. To incinerate the Iron Dragons of the Chaos Realm in an instant…!”
A murky vortex surged toward Ludmilla. She erected a wall of flame and easily deflected the attack. The one who had ambushed her was an elderly man whose face was etched with deep wrinkles—the strategist who had orchestrated the Empire’s downfall. Ludmilla instantly recognized him as the leader of the Calamity God’s followers. The sinister aura radiating from him was as lethal as the deadliest poison.
“A toxin that rots the body in an instant. Pathetic.”
If she had failed to block the vortex, her flesh would have melted away. Its toxicity rivaled the breath of a Black Dragon. But it was useless. No poison could pierce the Red Dragon’s flames.
Intimidated by Ludmilla’s fierce presence, the Apostle of the Calamity God recalled the flames that had mercilessly burned the Iron Dragons.
“Pay for the crime of invading the Valtaria Empire with your life, heretic.”
“How arrogant, Red Dragon. How many lives have you trampled in the name of the Empire?”
“…You dare spout such sophistry.”
“Treating the truth as sophistry is the very definition of hypocrisy.”
Tap. The old man struck his staff against the ground. The moment his words ended, the passage to the Chaos Realm, which had been spinning in reverse, let out a thunderous roar. A trap designed to ensnare the Red Dragon at its center had been activated.
──! ───!!!
Pressure crushed her from every direction. Invisible chains began dragging Ludmilla inward.
“Kgh! So this was a trap to pull me in! A cheap trick worthy of heretics!”
Ludmilla spewed flames and struggled desperately, but the passage to the Chaos Realm, which had greedily devoured the life force of thousands, refused to release the Red Dragon caught in its snare. There was no escape. Her entire body bound, Ludmilla was sealed away into the Chaos Realm.
The Red Dragon had finally been trapped in the Chaos Realm’s snare. The priest-knights, who had watched with trembling eyes, let out sighs of relief. She had been banished to a space completely severed from the mortal realm; she would not return anytime soon.
The trap had succeeded. Just as they began to relax—
“Oh no…! Aaaagh!!”
A crack formed in the boundary between the Chaos Realm and the mortal world, and a torrent of hellfire poured out. The blazing flames, as if possessed of their own will, surged toward the old man. It was the Red Dragon’s fire. The priest-knights stared in horror as their strategist was engulfed.
Crack!! Crack!!
That was not all. A deafening shattering sound rang out as the crack splintered like a spiderweb. It was the passage to the Chaos Realm. From the fissure where the flames had erupted, the Red Dragon’s roar echoed. The ferocious beast caught in the snare was trying to return. The raging fire spread like crackling lightning, shattering the passage that had not yet fully closed.
* * *
Uninvited guests appeared in the Fairy’s Haven, a paradise adorned with massive plants and radiant crystals. The Apostle of Blood and the Holy Sword wielder who served the Calamity God. Edanant and Ariel, summoned from a void radiating pure white light, landed on the ground and immediately unleashed attacks upon each other. The Fairy’s Haven, caught in the violent storm, was soon shrouded in dust.
‘A Holy Sword wielder using the power of a Calamity God?! Just who are you?! No, more importantly…!’
The ranks of muskets manifested through the Calamity God’s blessing fired in succession, pressuring Ariel. Explosions rang out one after another, shaking her defensive spells.
Crack. Craaack.
It was dangerous. The black bullets fired from the muskets were demonic rounds designed to maximize penetration. Even while freely controlling hundreds of muskets, Edanant thrust Aldebaran forward and attempted to close the distance for melee combat. Ariel bit her lip and responded in kind.
“Y-you… what the hell are you?! You’re an Apostle of the Calamity God! So why are you siding with the Valtaria Empire that slaughtered your own people?!”
“My people? Don’t make me laugh.”
It was a matter of experience. Edanant held a clear advantage in battle. The moment the army of muskets appeared, he began displaying his full power without hesitation.
“Kgh!”
Ariel swung the spear she had forged from her own blood, but it was not enough. Technique. Experience. Proficiency. She was inferior in every aspect. She gritted her teeth. Even after fighting the ferocious monsters of the Chaos Realm and honing her skills, was it still not enough? The overwhelming gap filled her with humiliation. If not for the Sage’s magical artifact, she would have experienced the disgrace of being unilaterally crushed.
‘W-what’s with this speed?!’
The coordination between blade and gunfire was flawless. She was shocked by the reckless charge that plunged straight into the barrage without hesitation. It had begun the moment he activated his blessing. The man who had been busy fleeing with his back exposed had transformed into a demon of the battlefield.
‘Why didn’t he use his blessing earlier? If he had activated it from the start, he wouldn’t have suffered the humiliation of running away… Don’t tell me he didn’t want the other humans to find out he was an Apostle of the Calamity God? So he ran while trying to hide his identity?’
It was humiliating. To avoid a fight for such a trivial reason. Anger welled up inside her. She felt an intense sense of contempt. Hiding his full power. Finding it shameful to be an Apostle of the Calamity God. And following the Empire that had committed countless massacres under the pretext of eradicating heretics. There was nothing about him she did not despise.
“You’re nothing but a follower of the Earth Mother!”
Her blood-red eyes flashed as she shouted. As if responding to her contemptuous rage, countless bombardment spells manifested and bore down on Edanant. It was a wise choice. She clearly held the advantage in both “firepower” and “endurance.” The Sage’s magical artifact contained near-infinite mana. If she dragged the fight into a battle of attrition, she could annihilate the traitor loyal to the Empire.
“Bloom, blood of mine.”
Ariel drew a dagger forged from blood. She then extended one hand and began tearing into her own forearm without mercy. Blood flowed. The pure virgin’s blood dripped onto the ground. The sudden self-harm was a preparatory step for the ritual. It was also an offering to accept the Blood Calamity God into her body. As if to prove it, the pool of blood that formed on the ground bloomed into a strange shape like a fully opened daffodil. It was the will of the Calamity God, graciously accepting the offering presented by the devout Apostle.
Reverse God. She would descend divinity using her body as a medium. It was the liberation of divinity, distinct from the divine descent that merely cloaked the body in a blessing.
“Edanant!!”
Her once ebony hair turned blood-red. That was not all. Her eyes transformed like those of a beast, and her fangs grew long and sharp. The Blood Calamity God’s mana, which had fluttered like the wind, surged violently like a vortex. The oppressive aura grew heavier, proving that it was not merely her appearance that had changed. The Blood Calamity God had descended into the body of the slender woman. A being that was both god and vampire, vampire and god—a half-divine, half-demonic existence—unleashed her ferocity as she deployed her bombardment spells. The number of spells that filled the air reached a staggering thousand.
“Haa…”
The presence of the Calamity God was unmistakable. She had activated her reverse god without hesitation. Edanant looked at the Blood Calamity God with a disgusted expression. There was no choice. This time, there was no other way. To face a Calamity God, he had no choice but to draw upon one himself. With a look of near-despair in the face of the escalating situation, he sighed heavily.
“Eternal be war.”
Feeling a whirlwind of emotions in that fleeting moment, Edanant drew his pistol. He aimed the barrel at himself—at his chest, where his heart lay.
Bang—!
Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger. At the same time, the bullet pierced his heart.
“…What, war?”
The Blood Calamity God, now fused with Ariel, muttered in disbelief. Rattle, rattle, rattle. Fine black particles, like gunpowder, flowed from the hole in his chest created by the bullet. The particles soon merged and transformed into solid metal. Before long, the black metal enveloped Edanant, shaping itself into full-body armor.
—So you’ve finally awakened me.
A voice, tender like a mother and passionate like a lover, whispered with longing. Joy at their reunion, and exhilaration toward war.
—Edanant.
The Calamity God, accepting the Apostle’s call, willingly granted her divinity. As if to prove it, the divinity of the Calamity God, drifting like a heat haze, circled around Edanant and awaited his command.
Click—. Click—.
Metallic sounds rang out. Countless firearms appeared in the air. Not only muskets, but siege cannons and all manner of gunpowder weapons used in war were deployed. It was the completion of firepower, as if the horrors of war had been made manifest in reality.