Chapter 451

【 World of Mortality 】

The ultimate technique of Hersela, who led the empire to ruin, hailed not as a human feat but as a divine calamity, the Heroic Tale.

The proof of the blood-soaked seas she has amassed and continues to amass.

It was, quite literally, a tidal wave of death.

========[ Basement ]========

The world is dyed crimson.

An abyss of unconsciousness where even the floor is invisible.

From beyond, an indescribable ominous force takes shape and surges like a wave.

The endless crimson mist thickly blankets the ruined basement.

A blood fog so thick it feels tangible, so eerie it sends shivers.

Everything in sight is shrouded in the mist, turning red. Rocks, metal, sky, and divine light—nothing is spared.

“What… what is this?!”

“The world… the world is turning blood-red!”

The priests of Grimnir, even halting their manifested magic, looked around in shock.

Their priestly instincts, their mage’s rationality whispered. Something indescribable, something terrifying and unknown was approaching them.

In a world dyed monochrome.

Only Hersela retained her color, her blue eyes flashing like flames.

“Huh, all that grand talk and it’s just the Life Force Technique again? I thought you’d have learned by now that it’s meaningless. Fear is nothing but a weak mind’s turmoil. In the face of the Wisdom of Magic, it’s nothing!”

But Rübitz only let out a hollow laugh.

He already knew this technique.

The overwhelming pressure of the Life Force Technique that Ai-shan Gi-or Ha-shal-leur, the Empire’s Greatest Sword, used to subdue thousands of enemies in the Battle of Zeren Plains.

Back then, a red mist had risen too.

It was more akin to magic than a warrior’s technique.

A thousand mages casting fear magic with all their mana could achieve a similar effect.

‘Efficient and powerful, but ultimately just emotional manipulation. Not hard to counter.’

Just moments ago, though on a smaller scale, hadn’t she used a similar technique?

It was the same as before. Just counter it.

“Serénus potéstas!”

Rübitz allocated part of his gathered mana to cast a calming spell again.

The next strike might be delayed by a dozen seconds… but that’s all. No problem at all.

Or so it seemed.

“……Do you think it’s meaningless?”

Hersela, baring her fangs, smiled like a beast, glaring at Rübitz.

“Still?”

Her eerie eyes. Lips torn to her ears.

Though wearing a human guise, it was no longer a human face.

The intense killing intent conjured an illusion, sending a chill down Rübitz’s spine.

‘……Did I just feel fear?’

An inexplicable emotional turmoil. Doubt filled his mind.

It was impossible. The calming spell, ‘Clear Reason,’ should still be in effect.

A spell that forcibly suppresses emotions to maintain absolute rationality, yet fear?

‘It can’t be. Impossible…!’

Rübitz denied the black emotions filling his chest and drew more mana.

“What are you doing! Don’t stop the attack!”

Rübitz barked orders at the priests staring blankly from the railing.

The half-dazed mages frantically began casting their spells.

But it was already too late.

“I see your fear. Foolish and arrogant western sorcerer.”

Hersela laughed at him.

It was her first time using it in real combat, so it took longer than expected, but now everything was ready.

All that remained was to unleash the power she had been holding back.

“Fear, you say…? Don’t spout nonsense…! With the blessing of Grimnir, the god of magic, your fear can never touch us!”

“Can’t touch you? Hahaha! What a grand delusion. Yes, sorcerers are always like that. They babble as if they hold the world’s truths in their hands, but when you look beneath, they’re no different from common folk! Just as I heard!”

Hersela, gripping the hilt with her right hand, covered her face with her left and laughed.

The power pushed beyond its limits brought her endless ecstasy.

‘…What is this? Her tone, her demeanor, completely changed. Like a completely different person… no, is she even human anymore…?’

Cold sweat dripped down Rübitz’s cheek.

Was this how a husband felt witnessing his wife’s infidelity?

The shock of something you thought you knew perfectly transforming into something incomprehensible in an instant.

For him, it was an incomprehensible transformation.

“This power, the essence of the Life Force Technique, is not to instill fear. Those who glimpse the source of power fall into fear of their own accord. Your fear stems from the instinct to cling to life. Even if you suppress emotions, can you escape instinct?”

“What… what are you talking about?”

Rübitz, unable to understand Hersela’s explanation, asked blankly, but she had no intention of explaining further.

She didn’t have the time.

“All living beings fear death. Now, behold the end of mortality!”

With a joyous declaration, she released the reins of her karma.

殺業

The karma of death.

Its essence overflowed.

—-

It was a phenomenon beyond Rübitz’s understanding.

A calamity that the Wisdom of Magic he had studied could not handle.

The Life Force Technique’s mist that covered the entire underground prayer room.

It writhed as if with a will, then suddenly contracted.

Like a clenched fist.

Targeting only the living.

“Guh, guh…!”

“What is this! What are you doing…!”

All the priests in the prayer room were suddenly engulfed by the contracting mist, turning red.

They screamed, their forms like blood-soaked ghouls.

And then.

– Splat!

The bodies of the priests caught in the Life Force Technique exploded like fireworks without a sound.

The sound of hundreds of water-filled leather bags being smashed simultaneously.

The bodies of over a hundred priests turned into chunks of flesh, scattering everywhere.

The wave of blood dyed the walls completely.

========[ Ha-shal-leur ]========

‘……’

Words failed me.

The two hundred mage priests who had given me so much trouble.

They were caught in Hersela’s Heroic Tale, which even I hadn’t anticipated, and were annihilated in an instant.

Only nine priests remained.

High priests with crushed skeletons, unable to rise from the sea of blood, and Rübitz, staring at his exploded left arm, mouth agape.

Yes. It was only natural.

Hersela’s Heroic Tale, the World of Mortality.

It was a technique that delivered irresistible death to all living beings within its range, friend or foe.

Once unleashed, it couldn’t be avoided or blocked by physical means. The only way was to resist with one’s own power.

Among all the Heroic Tales in the original work, none were as specialized in mass slaughter as this.

To withstand the World of Mortality unleashed by Hersela in her prime, one had to be at least at the level of a hero.

[Hmm. As expected, this is still the limit.]

As Hersela let out a regretful sigh, the crimson world faded like a mirage.

Indeed, compared to Hersela in her prime, this Heroic Tale was still clumsy.

The preparation time was excessively long, and the actual manifestation lasted barely ten seconds.

Even that was enough to completely deplete the remaining Life Force Technique.

Taking over my body… no, wait. It was her body, wasn’t it?

Anyway, moving her own body without the Life Force Technique was impossible, so my consciousness, which had been submerged, began to overlay the body like surfacing from water.

After blinking three times, I was back at the forefront of consciousness.

“Ugh…”

A terrible sense of exhaustion that made me groan involuntarily.

The Power of Feats remained intact, but not even a trace of the Life Force Technique was left.

…When facing her as an enemy, I hadn’t realized, but this technique really consumes an enormous amount of energy.

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

Against the backdrop of Rübitz’s delayed scream, I spoke to Hersela, who had just pulled off a shocking reversal.

There were more than a few things to question.

—-

‘…What just happened?’

[What do you mean, what are you asking?]

Well, in just a minute, I had a mountain of questions.

First, I had to address this.

‘You pushed me aside and moved the body. How was that possible? And why didn’t you tell me you knew about it?’

[It’s thanks to the nature of our Life Force Technique. As for the detailed explanation or why I didn’t tell you… I’ll explain later. Time seems to be running out.]

‘Time’s running out?’

[My consciousness… is fading. I overexerted myself by exhausting all my Life Force Technique to manifest the Heroic Tale.]

Was it the backlash of expending all her Life Force Technique? Hersela’s voice grew softer.

Like a child falling asleep.

It seemed I’d have to wait to hear the reasons.

…And it wasn’t like I was in a position to listen anyway.

[…I’m tired. I need to sleep.]

‘Hey, wait a minute. What am I supposed to do now!’

Thanks to Hersela, all the regular priests were down, but…

‘That bastard’s still standing!’

I pointed at Rübitz, floating in mid-air, bleeding profusely, with a glance and shouted.

He was repairing his exploded left arm with divine light and still gathering mana.

– Whooooosh!

The cloud, now filled with enough mana, was spinning almost like a blender.

Meanwhile, my condition… exhausted body, depleted Life Force Technique, only the Power of Feats left.

[…If you have a conscience, you should handle that yourself. I took care of all the annoying underlings, didn’t I…? I’ll be sleeping for a while, so don’t bother me……]

‘Hey, hey, you!’

[……]

Hersela didn’t respond.

No, after boldly stepping forward as if she’d handle everything, she uses one technique and falls asleep after just one minute…!