Chapter 48

The battle is over.

I gathered the surging Divine Power and stood up.

It’s a sense of liberation I haven’t felt in a long time.

The choking collar is gone.

No more unsettling eyes.

Everything that was bothering me has disappeared, and I’m in a very satisfying state.

I took out the Sealing Orb from the Void Space again.

Through several upgrades, its performance has been pushed to the limit, and the glossy black metal felt heavy in my hand.

I hesitated for a moment.

…Do I really need to wear this?

*

“Belva, I told you not to cook.”

I said as I walked inside.

Belva was conjuring something that could either be dead or food.

“No, if you just try it…”

Belva, who was about to retort naturally, fell silent for a moment when she saw my neck.

Guess it feels a bit empty without it?

I feel awkward too.

I casually brushed my now lighter neck and sat down calmly.

All my senses are unfiltered, vividly alive.

Just quietly enjoying that feeling was enough to fill me with satisfaction.

“Aren’t you going to wear it now?”

Belva subtly asked me.

Hmm…

“I will.”

Logically speaking, wearing the Sealing Orb is almost a necessity.

Without it, only Belva, who shares Divine Power with me, can properly communicate.

So this is just a momentary deviation.

Calling it a deviation makes me sound like a delinquent, but I couldn’t think of a better word.

“If you get used to this state, it might be hard to go back.”

“I know.”

“You might have to make a choice someday.”

“I know.”

And I also know that whatever choice I make, Belva will follow.

That’s probably what she’s implying.

My conscience is pricking me.

This makes me feel like I’ve really become a bad guy.

I shouldn’t take advantage of her kindness.

I should put the Sealing Orb back on soon.

But not right now.

Let me think of an excuse.

I need a reason to maintain this complete state.

That’s when it happened.

“That’s…”

Belva muttered softly.

I turned my head sharply towards the majestic wave of Divine Power approaching from afar.

Three presences.

The structure of their divinity felt identical.

And it was almost identical to Belva’s once pure white divinity.

Comparing the purity and magnitude, theirs was far superior.

This isn’t good.

I smirked and ran out.

Belva sighed softly and slowly followed behind me.

*

There were three enemies.

Each had two pairs of wings and their eyes were covered with golden blindfolds.

Belva trembled slightly when she saw them.

They also seemed a bit flustered when they saw Belva.

“…Belva. I thought you were dead.”

Their tone was filled with sorrow.

No need to listen to that.

I stepped forward and drew a longsword from the Void Space.

Their weapons were also longswords.

Seeing my aggressive stance, they calmly prepared to respond.

The one in the middle held a sword.

The ones on the sides took out a scale and a golden trumpet.

“Belva, how high are they?”

“…Dominions. Fourth rank.”

Fourth rank.

Back when Belva explained the ranks, I asked where I, as a Watcher, would stand.

Belva thought for a moment and said somewhere between the fourth and third rank.

From the third rank onwards, they are high-ranking angels, beings beyond time and space.

So Belva had only heard of them but never actually faced them.

Meaning, the three angels before me are, as far as Belva knows, on par with me.

Of course, I’d win.

Before charging in, I decided to ask something I was curious about.

“Can Watchers interfere with dimensions like this? I thought there was some law preventing you from entering.”

The angel with the sword nodded.

“That’s correct. There are no exceptions within the law.”

“Right.”

That means this situation doesn’t violate the law.

A bit ambiguous.

They made the law, so they could just tweak it, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Seeing my confusion, the angel with the scale stepped forward and explained.

“Our duty is to hide or protect dimensions from otherworldly gods. To watch over the mortal world, distinguish good from evil. To weigh the distinguished good and evil on the scales, judge, decide, and purify.”

At the same time, the golden scale, which had been balanced, tilted slightly to one side.

Belva’s eyes widened.

“Don’t tell me, the Sacred Artifact…!”

“We have seen. All the sins you have swallowed. The weight of them.”

Something feels off.

I instinctively turned around.

There, a massive scale of immeasurable size floated in the air like a mirage.

The ominous waves emanating from it caused a sharp, splitting headache.

[That’s a Sacred Artifact!]

Belva, clutching her head, whispered to me through her powers, unable to speak.

[For three mid-rank angels to summon a Sacred Artifact means…!]

At the same time, the angel on the left stepped forward and blew a long horn.

“We shall purify you.”

Booooom-

*

…My head hurts.

I forced my consciousness, which kept trying to slip away, to stay awake and opened my eyes wide.

“Ugh. Ack.”

Something surged up from within, and I spat out red blood.

Red blood.

An awkward color.

After the assimilation with the divine became stronger, it was something I couldn’t see anymore.

What this meant was simple.

The Divine Power within my body had been sealed.

And it was done cleanly.

Without leaving a single trace.

What the hell, what kind of ability is that…

*Sigh.*

Let’s calm down.

First, I need to sort out the situation.

From what I remember, that angel blew a horn, and then…

The veil in the sky tore apart, and a pure white light shone down on Belva.

A light that pierced through me and disappeared in an instant.

I couldn’t exactly figure out what it was.

Because the light was too bright.

But it felt more like a finger of something rather than just a beam of light.

Well, anyway, I probably won’t be able to use that often.

I clenched my fist slightly.

Even though the Divine Power is gone, the strength I’ve built up is still there.

Fortunately, the headaches and other symptoms seem to have been caused by the aftermath of the Divine Power being sealed, and now I’m fine.

In fact, my mind feels clearer.

It’s like I’ve gone back to how I used to be.

I opened the Void Space and pulled out a dagger.

This feels different.

The quality of the items I’m holding has significantly improved compared to before.

Both the longsword and the dagger are legendary items made by a master craftsman who represented an era.

They were gifts from the Ogre.

The Ogre, who is now too old to visit this dimension anymore, left these as gifts.

When I had Divine Power, I didn’t need them, and I was afraid they might get damaged, so I didn’t use them, but they can withstand pure Magic Power just fine.

I looked up.

Beyond the broken veil, countless Watchers were falling towards the ground.

…Albino crows.

I channeled Magic Power throughout my body.

And then, I moved my arm towards the spear that was still rushing towards Belva, who was unconscious.

The attack was too fast for me to react to now.

With the Divine Power gone, it feels like I’ve slowed down by at least ten times.

Still, my body, which has evolved repeatedly, didn’t allow the spear to pierce Belva.

I pulled out the embedded spear and threw it at the startled Watcher.

“Ahhh!”

The spear flew cleanly through its shoulder.

This is insane.

I aimed for the head, but it reacted and twisted its body.

It’s not that the guy was fast.

I’ve just become ridiculously weak.

*Thud.*

Another spear thrown by a different guy pierced my chest.

A burning sensation spread throughout my body.

Pain.

It’s an unfamiliar feeling.

When Divine Power flowed through my body, I couldn’t feel any pain even if my head was crushed by flames.

It’s almost laughable that such an attack is causing this sharp pain.

I twisted my body and swung my sword.

A crescent-shaped trajectory imbued with aura sliced through the neck of the Watcher who had lost its spear.

“…Don’t let it get to you. The wound will heal.”

“Why aren’t you guys coming? I noticed your Divine Power has significantly decreased, so are you leaving it to the bugs and taking a break?”

I pulled out the embedded spear and pointed my blood-dripping sword at the 4th-class beings.

The surrounding enemies shouted in anger at my actions.

They stay quiet when I call them bugs, but now they’re angry?

I can roughly guess their position.

It’s not like they’re idols.

As I chuckled, a Watcher holding a sword tilted its head and asked.

“Is it funny? We’re not stepping in because there’s no need. You’ve actually weakened. You can’t even properly kill a single Watcher, and the damage keeps piling up. Even while you’re holding out like this, this dimension is being purified. How about it? Still laughing?”

I didn’t answer.

Instead, I kept the smile on my face and waited quietly.

For my oldest enemies.

The past 10 years.

During that time, the world developed and changed around me.

To kill me.

And to catch up to me.

It was to protect themselves from the coming invaders, and it was the result of my own survival instinct seeping into this land.

This world was created because of me.

“Look up.”

At my words, she obediently looked up.

*Thud, thud.*

Severed wings and bright red blood fell onto her face.

The result of a single swipe from a thirteen-meter pterosaur’s claws.

Compressed aura dripped from their claws.

All sorts of monsters emerged, cutting down and crushing the Watchers.

Deer, snakes, even small animals.

They took advantage of the slightest gap to inflict wounds.

Even ordinary tree branches stretched out like spears, piercing them and injecting poison.

“What the—”

A thick shadow fell over her bewildered head.

“…That.”

A massive figure stood imposingly, ignoring all sense of distance.

Yeah, it’s about time.

I clenched my fist tightly.

Just looking at it, my fingertips are trembling.

My body remembers.

The battles of that time.

That moment.

“It’s going to be hell. Because I made it that way.”

I smiled brightly and sent encouragement towards the Watchers.

“Go die.”

One hundred and twenty-five meters in length.

Eight hundred and sixteen tons in weight.

Before, and even now.

A predator that could never be defeated by pure strength.

*Roar!*

The roar I unleashed shook the heavens and the earth.

The king of dinosaurs looked down from a great height at the invaders from another world.