Omul saw that one strike.
He saw the countless actions performed to direct that strike towards himself.
Omul was struck by an innumerable number of spear thrusts.
Each one was unbearably heavy, a desperate and fierce assault.
In the end, Omul’s mana was depleted.
Maan was mostly crushed, leaving no means to resist.
Thus, it could be said that Omul had no real options left.
The attempt to burn part of his own soul to summon a veil of compassion was because there seemed to be no other way to turn the situation around.
Even that attempt was effortlessly nullified.
Omul floated in the air and saw a sword strike that should not exist in this world.
It was a transcendent sword strike, as if it were a divine right.
Like a heard voice, it was truly a sword strike meant to cut stars.
A sword strike that shattered all divinity, split it apart, and reduced it to the plain human flesh.
The preparation for the decisive blow was wasted, and Omul thought:
“I don’t want to die like this.”
Burning his entire soul while flailing to survive, he wanted to live on.
But even that struggle was intercepted by someone.
As if someone directly intervened with their hands.
At the same time, Lumel’s twin spears shot forth.
Kzzzzzzzz!
Two surging bolts of lightning. The lightning enveloped and passed through Omul’s body.
The unimaginable power contained within those spears pierced and shattered his body.
There was no time for screams, last words, or curses.
In an instant shorter than the expression “fleeting moment,” without any memories flashing before his eyes, Omul disappeared while feeling…
The presence of some deity residing amidst the lightning.
A deity that, though now deceased, lingered only in its divinity within the spear, waiting for an opportunity to mete out punishment.
The presence of law and order.
The long-time owner of the spear, which had been defiled in Omul’s possession, interfered precisely when its divinity did, rendering Omul’s struggle futile.
Krrrrrrr!
Thus, after the thunder subsided, Omul had long since vanished without a trace.
The clouds were pierced due to Omul’s disappearance and the trajectory he was caught in amidst the surging lightning.
Above, Lumel hovered momentarily before descending as the lightning faded.
Aslan, whose purity had dimmed immediately after using Star-Cutting, wasted no time upon seeing this and moved.
The beast revealed by the fading purity of Tiylmisof wielded its greatsword and swung it in an arc, intercepting the priest approaching from behind.
Krrrrd!
Streams of blood sprayed where the blade, resembling jagged teeth, swept past, causing the priest to halt. Seizing this opening, Aslan rushed forward.
With acceleration applied to his body and Helle’s wind wrapped around his cloak, he charged straight toward Lumel who was falling vertically toward the ground.
Judging by the injuries already sustained, Lumel would surely die upon impact.
Aslan had no intention of letting such an event occur.
Thus, moving swiftly enough to catch him, he lightly leaped.
Adjusting his direction with precision, he flew toward Lumel’s descending trajectory as if propelled.
After what seemed like flight itself,
“Lumel!”
Aslan caught the falling Lumel and embraced him as they descended to the ground.
Krrrrr, Aslan sank into the swirling dust of earth beneath him.
Upon landing smoothly with control, Lumel lay unconscious in his arms.
His breathing faintly indicated life, and his heartbeat was clearly felt even through the chain armor covering his body.
However, there was no time to relax.
For the moment Aslan landed, priests rushed toward him, bypassing the abyss and the beast.
The rushing priests remained devoid of reason.
Yet their strength hadn’t diminished in the slightest.
Those whom Aslan had failed to finish off had already recovered, and those who survived the abyss’ assault were now advancing toward Aslan.
Aslan attempted to respond with control but at that very moment, his control faded due to mana depletion.
Tsk, clicking his tongue and scanning the surroundings with his eyes,
The abyss was just beginning to fade. Half the sky was still covered by lingering remnants, but that was all.
The remaining mana was barely enough to maintain acceleration for about five minutes.
Thus, Aslan had only one option available.
An option that had never failed to impress.
Hand-to-hand combat.
Aslan drew the Abyss Blade from his waist, and the moment it was drawn, it transformed into the shape of a longsword as directed by Aslan.
Lumel, having lost consciousness, was unable to fight.
Then Aslan must endure alone.
Thinking thus, Aslan placed his hand on his cloak once more.
“Acceleration.”
Words spoken with resolve. Like Astrid’s farewell burning brightly, he circulated mana throughout his body.
Propelled by the force of acceleration and wrapped in Helle’s wind, Aslan became a storm, gripping the Abyss Blade turned longsword with both hands.
“Graaaah!”
The priest, now only capable of emitting ferocious roars, charged forward wielding an axe. Aslan extended the Abyss Blade to meet and block it.
Kooong! With a dull thud, the axe halted, and Aslan swiftly stepped forward, delivering a punch faster than the axe could retreat.
Kwaang!
The relentless surge of his punch soared straight and battered the priest’s side, breaking it and causing the priest to pause momentarily.
Seizing this pause, Aslan spun. Lightly planting his foot, his body whirled, culminating in a devastating roundhouse kick.
Chhzzk!
The priest’s neck snapped and recoiled. Behind him, another villain lunged toward Aslan.
Aslan prepared to receive all incoming attacks, immediately grasping the Abyss Blade with both hands upon stepping back.
The ensuing exchange was sharp despite his depleted mana and exhausted mind.
Kaang!
A sword strike aimed at his head. He blocked it as if piercing with the sword tip and deflected it with a twist of his wrist.
Almost simultaneously, a mace and a giant fist aimed for his side.
Aslan blocked the attack with the pommel of the sword.
Jjek, dddddd!
Pressing down on the mace with the pommel of the sword, Aslan kicked the priest’s groin with his foot.
Though the strike was powerful enough to produce a loud thud, the priest barely budged.
However, the priest exposed his neck to Aslan’s subsequent thrust.
Three priests approached while five stood nearby ready to attack.
Aslan withdrew the blade from beside his neck and swung it in a half-circle above his head.
Chhaak!
First, he cleaved through the waist of one.
And two more attacks came toward Aslan.
He deflected one with his blade and redirected the other as the blade stopped.
Though his wrist tingled, the offensive paused briefly.
Taking advantage of the redirection, Aslan delivered a cutting slash with full weight, slicing through the swaying priest.
The number of priests rushing in was bewilderingly large and despairingly strong.
Yet Aslan neither hesitated nor paused.
Enhanced solely by acceleration and Helle’s wind, he received the onslaught akin to a pack of heroes and villains charging at him.
Just then,
“I shall join you!”
As Aslan blocked another priest’s attack, a specter known as the Knight of Love emerged from behind that priest and stabbed him.
The halberd plunged easily through the heart, shattering it, and the priest staggered and fell.
At the side, another priest turned around only to have the Dragoness Warrior twist her tail.
Krrrd!
Her armored tail functioned perfectly as a mace, and the specter’s neck was broken and torn off by the tail-mace.
“I cannot face fire and steel if I stand idle. I shall also join.”
Said the Dragoness Warrior as she swung a greatsword she had evidently picked up.
These two specters fought well.
Their mere joining allowed Aslan some breathing room, enabling him to actively deal with the priests.
But the number of allies was woefully insufficient compared to the overwhelming number of priests.
Moreover, the Knight of Love and the Dragoness Warrior were merely specters, not priests.
They couldn’t endure a prolonged battle against these numerous heroes and monsters.
Eventually, a solution would be necessary.
Just as Aslan considered a response to the approaching priests,
“Hyunwoo.”
Suddenly Lewena spoke through the Abyss Blade.
“Retreat.”
It was a warning.
Her words lacked context.
But Aslan trusted Lewena.
“Retreat!”
Without hesitation, he shouted and retreated despite his doubts.
“What?”
“What’s happening?!”
The Knight of Love and the Dragoness Warrior, though startled by this sudden action, responded accordingly.
By the time they realized what it meant, Aslan had already created distance by carrying Lumel away.
Creeeeeng!
Suddenly, the residual abyss collapsed.
And something flew from the sky and struck the ground.
Kaaaaaaaang!
That something possessed a force capable of shattering mountains and burned with heat like the sun.
An arrow made as if forged from sunlight.
An arrow of considerable length, nearly the size of a spear, that few ordinary bows could launch.
When the arrow struck the ground, it soon exploded.
Kwwagagagagagaga!
Spreading high heat and flames in a circle, the priests burned without a chance to escape.
The mountain-shattering force transmitted upon impact caused the earth’s crust to rise violently.
Priests whose stances were compromised were unable to evade and were consumed by the flames. The smell of burning people filled the air as extinguished lives fell to the ground.
Beyond them, fragments of black glass-like abyss scattered.
Farther still, a dragon-person holding a bow could be seen.
Covering their eyes, this towering figure held a bow proportionate to their height.
Half-naked, their muscular physique accentuated by red scales gripped the bow firmly.
The master archer, Tiamat.
And beyond Tiamat, people began to fall from the scattered abyss.
Each face was familiar.
“How…?”
Aslan’s bewildered voice.
Unrelated to Aslan’s question, the traveling party stood in place.
The party, who should have been waiting at the border, was now here.
How did this happen?
In response to Aslan’s curious gaze, Lewena standing beside Tiamat gently waved.
Not the Lewena embedded in the Abyss Blade, but her physical form left behind in the palace.
Only then did Aslan realize.
That Lewena had brought everyone here immediately upon awakening.
Such a feat was possible because all aspects of Lewena—the physical form existing in Geladridion, the spirit embedded in the Abyss Blade, and the abyss beyond the blade—were all Lewena.
Just as Aslan comprehended this fact, the priests charged toward the group.
Seeing the charging priests, the group exchanged a few words, then picked up their weapons.
The calm stance of the group contrasted sharply with the charging priests.
They collided.
Kaaaaaaaang!
Starting with several priests being sent flying by Angie’s swing of Victory, the massacre began.
It was a massacre so one-sided that the outcome was obvious.
No matter how tough and difficult the priests were, they could not surpass Aslan’s group.
It took less than an hour to completely subdue them all.
Around the time an hour had passed since the battle ended, Lumel opened his eyes.
His violet irises, gentle in demeanor, reflected the group.
Somewhere else, another set of violet irises, sharper and seemingly devoid of empathy, also opened.
The moment she opened her eyes, the woman blinked twice and then irritably twisted her face.
An irritation subtle enough to go unnoticed unless one paid close attention.
The man sitting across from her instinctively tensed.
“Why, why do you look at me like that?”
A timid voice. Whether he didn’t read the fear or chose to ignore it, the woman answered without hesitation.
“Omul is dead.”
The man flinched.
And began to gauge the situation.
Because the man knew well the grudge between Omul and the woman.
Upon reflection, this was strange.
For this man, this specter, was no ordinary being.
To make this specter nervous, one would need to be either a god or a hero capable of slaying gods.
Hence, the man named Boren, who does not die.
The sole possessor of necromancy magic in the world, sat nervously before the woman.
Because she was indeed a hero capable of slaying gods.
With her current power, it was certainly possible.
The woman’s name was Ados.
The primate of the Order of Law and Order and historically the most accomplished evocation mage.
She possessed a striking appearance.
Violet irises with sharp features, long braided brown hair flowing down her back.
Her seemingly refined appearance carried an intellectual demeanor, yet her disproportionate bust was striking.
The woman sipped tea with such an appearance.
Closing her eyes tightly, then reopening them, she forcibly suppressed her irritation.
Reading her irritation, Boren quickly reacted.
“Could it be… who could possibly…”
Deliberately sounding foolish, his words had the intended effect.
“I don’t know either. But with a little thought, you might figure it out. Asking such questions is your bad habit.”
“Apologies, Master.”
Ados, who scolded but did not transfer her irritation.
Boren, relieved that things went as planned, bowed his head while Ados exhaled softly and nodded.
“I forgive you.”
The woman sipped her tea again.
Masking her unease, Boren quietly asked,
“How exactly was Omul killed? Even he was one of the three evils…”
“There were plenty of beings stronger than Omul in this era.”
Muttering as she held her teacup, Boren listened attentively with his head bowed as the woman continued,
“Any demon could have easily killed him without trouble. If it were a healer… with luck or the favor of a good deity, they could have subdued him without a scratch. Considering the entirety of the era, the possibility is sufficient.”
“Are you alright?”
At Boren’s hesitant inquiry, Ados twitched the corners of her eyes while holding her teacup.
Pzzz.
Her eyes momentarily glowed golden, and electricity sparked.
The electricity crackled upward, grazing the teacup as Ados stared at it pensively before placing it on the table.
She sighed deeply.
In a manner seemingly masking her unease, the grotesque-looking Boren ‘flattered’.
Whether this could be called flattery was debatable, but the teacher was lenient toward her student’s antics.
“It’s not entirely truthful to say I’m fine, but this personal vendetta isn’t significant enough to compare with the Great Work.”
“Yes, indeed, Master.”
“There’s no need to flatter me.”
Boren smiled earnestly while Ados gave a faint smile in return. Internally sighing in relief, Boren thought,
A hero capable of killing Omul.
Considering the entirety of the era, there weren’t few candidates with that statement.
Recalling the one who had killed him and the eerie green eyes, Boren shivered slightly.
Surely, it couldn’t really be him, could it?
His reverie was interrupted by the teacup pushed toward him.
Bolen, shoulders hunched, accepted the teacup and retreated, trailing his robe along.
As he departed, Ados lifted her gaze steadily facing forward.
She saw countless coffins lining the path on both sides of the road.
Numbered coffins.
A forest of coffins neatly aligned in sequence along the path.
The woman stood in the midst of them, turning her head to look where the coffins began.
The spot where coffin number 1 was located.
From there, up to coffin number 12, they were empty.
However, inside the coffin number 13 before the woman lay someone.
With elf-like pointed ears, draconic eyes and heart of a dragon person, and a human body blessed by elven guardianship.
Possessing magical power that surpassed biological limits, she was Ados’ masterpiece and sole success.
The master of magic, Test Subject Number 13.
Looking at this test subject, Ados thought,
For the sake of the Great Work, perhaps personal vengeance could be set aside.
At least, she tried to convince herself that she could think that way.
The electricity coursing through Ados’ body betrayed otherwise.
