White walls and floor.
In Geladridion, where technology lingers at a medieval level and cleanliness is paramount, this futuristically designed structure was a rare sight.
Among the people hurriedly running across it, the pristine white walls and floors suddenly trembled.
KWAHHHHHHH!
The stone slabs that were trembling flipped over, and the concrete floor and ceiling collapsed, sending the walls scattering.
From the debris arose a cloud of lime dust. Rising without form, countless figures soon burst through the cloud.
KWAGAGAGAGA!
The figures charging forth.
Clad in black scales covering their entire body like full-body armor, with two wing-like appendages, Aslan swung a sword.
The pure white light of the sword held in his right hand left a long trail as it cut through countless figures, causing them to hesitate.
KEEEEEEEENG, KAAAAAAANG!
Where the sword had passed, another blade of light filled the void.
The thrusting sword strikes shone even darker gray than before.
Blade met blade.
KAGAGAGAK, CHHEEUK!
Clashing blades. Without falling, the entangled blades surged forward, slicing through necks.
Even with their heads severed, the figures did not fall.
Instead, they clung to Aslan, who effortlessly kicked them away without a moment’s hesitation.
Shattered machinery fell into pieces scattered on the ground, while countless other machines threatened Aslan in various ways.
Before the broken wall’s slabs could hit the ground, Aslan charged forward.
KWAGAGAGAGAGAK!
Swinging wings. The wings, wielding the will of a blade, pierced the machine targeting Aslan from behind.
Then they blocked the guns aimed at Aslan.
BUUUUUUUK!
A sound like tearing a long piece of cloth.
Weapons designed to tear apart the world spun their barrels at high speed, unleashing rounds.
One hundred bullets per second.
No matter how skilled Aslan might be, blocking all of them was impossible.
The bullet curtain swarmed toward Aslan. His response was simple:
Not dodging, but confronting head-on.
As the bullets struck him like rain and bounced off, Tiyalmisof realized the hardness of the wings that had blocked the minigun.
The hardness of the wings was almost equal to that of the Dragon King’s scales.
Thus, the hundreds of bullets fired by the minigun were meaningless. The ricocheting bullets reflected light, glittering and flashing when—
Aslan’s hands and both wings moved simultaneously.
—!
With the purity in his right hand, he slashed through the minigun’s barrel.
With the Abyssal blade in his left hand, he transformed it into a spear and thrust it.
Piercing through Tiyalmisof holding the minigun, he rotated his body like a whirlwind, flapping his wings.
Even gods used these wings as tools for hunting, and faithfully unfolded them, cutting indiscriminately through walls, ceilings, machines, and rocks.
They scattered, broke apart, and shattered. Before the fragments of destroyed machinery could hit the ground, Tiyalmisof charged.
Far from a typical tackle, it was a charge entirely committed to speed.
Finally, as the fragments of the wall shattered and rose, touching the ground, Aslan and Tiyalmisof collided again, breaking another wall.
KWAHHHHHHHHHNG!
Two figures emerged from the broken wall fragments, locked together. Each punch they delivered produced sharp metallic sounds.
Tiyalmisof realized something.
There was absolutely no way to defeat Aslan right now.
Unfortunately, she had to admit it.
The Aslan she knew was strong due to sharp techniques, survival instincts, and an unscrupulous approach to means and methods.
But now, Aslan possessed everything she lacked.
Unbreakable defense combined with physical abilities far surpassing human limits.
And then there were the wings, which functioned as directional control surfaces, never recorded in any documentation.
Skill became power when it met strength.
Survival instincts evolved into those of a predator.
Aslan, who fought for 12 years from the perspective of the weak, left no openings.
With a punch gripping the throat, a mechanical head flew off.
Even if attacked from behind, the Abyssal spear instantly appeared and neutralized the threat.
Reaching inside the punctured machine and destroying it, the spear was swung widely and thrown at another machine.
When the thrown machine collided with others, the spear transformed into a mace and smashed down.
KWIZZIZZICK!
Fine sparks flew everywhere. Even as momentum slowed and feet dragged, Aslan accelerated once more.
A chill clinging to Aslan’s body evaporated, turning into steam that billowed around.
Through the swirling steam, the Abyss manifested in the form of a flail.
‘What kind of unpredictability is this…!’
The iron ball of the flail smashed through a machine’s head and caught the neck of another behind it.
With a rattling chain sound, it was pulled out, and the weight and force grew like a rolling snowball, drawing a dark trajectory.
Gripping the center of the chain and swinging the flail showed no mercy, completely crushing Tiyalmisof’s forces.
YJIZZ!
Like a snake drawing a flexible path, or like lightning striking down and shattering, it would sometimes hook an arm and pull it in.
Once pulled in, death followed.
A low sweep with the wings cleanly bisected the mechanical torso and destroyed its core.
Every attack from Aslan precisely targeted the core, the exact source of power—a decisive blow.
Had the situation been different, these skills would undoubtedly have inspired awe and provided nourishment for growth.
While trembling at the sheer power achieved by a single human, Tiyalmisof also felt fear.
Knowing that her millennia-long plan might fail, yet unable to look away from this remarkable human…
Indeed, humans are great.
Evaluating this, Tiyalmisof changed tactics.
Machines positioned at a distance. They simultaneously aimed their gun barrels and opened fire.
TADADADADANG!
The firing sounds echoed, paired with the sound of bullets bouncing off.
As the dull bullets deflected, Aslan narrowed his eyes, glowing cyan, and transformed the Abyss back into a sword.
He couldn’t rely on Lewena’s support. The battle’s pace was too fast, far exceeding her cognitive abilities.
Only Tiyalmisof and Aslan could participate in this fight.
As Aslan lowered his stance and charged, countless bullets rained onto the wings spread above his body.
The bullets deflected. Striking the wings and bouncing off, the bullets didn’t stop there.
Within the bullets, magnetically charged mana flowed.
The moment Aslan’s eyes caught it, all the bullets flew towards him.
Flying and striking Aslan.
KAGAGAGAGANG!
But not a single scratch appeared. Was the calculation wrong? Or was it just a probing move?
Aslan saw Tiyalmisof creating distance and observed the numerous mechanical bodies.
Their composition focused on ranged weapons.
Their method of aiming and maintaining a safe distance.
Aslan narrowed his eyes.
‘You noticed.’
There was no way a human like Aslan could maintain such power for a long time.
Tiyalmisof had pinpointed this and was stalling.
Until Aslan’s Dragon King transformation reached its activity limit and reverted.
Then she planned to deal with him slowly.
Though it seemed like a near-impossible situation, Aslan remained calm.
If he let anxiety take over, he’d only end up in trouble. So consciously maintaining composure, he gripped his sword tightly.
He was a veteran of battles.
An embodiment of victory.
Envisioning victory, Aslan closed the distance between himself and Tiyalmisof.
Within that deliberate calmness, he moved swiftly.
KWAHHHHHHHHHNG!
Breaking through walls and revealing a cliff edge, he ran along it, dodging bullets.
At the moment of his leap, large-caliber sniper rounds flew towards him. He deflected them with his tilted wings.
The force shaking the wings was immense. The size of the projectiles alone was comparable to large arrows.
Yet Aslan didn’t stop.
Simultaneously landing and closing the distance, Aslan remained unscathed within the established web of gunfire.
KAGAGAGAGAGANG!
The ringing clangs and firing sounds mingled with heavy gunpowder smoke. Amidst the slits, cyan and red glows intertwined.
Amidst the rising dust, black, white, and cyan lights mixed with red, creating chaotic reflections.
KAAAAAAAAANG!
In the center, finally, the dust was split in half by the wings.
As the dust cleared, Aslan’s wings were embedded in Tiyalmisof’s machine.
And then, they plummeted.
KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!
The machine hitting the ground shattered, and a substantial amount of water splashed upward in sync with the heavy boom.
The splashing water touched the Dragon King’s scales and evaporated, forming a long plume of steam.
As the rising steam began to clear, Aslan’s perception speed gradually decreased.
From seeing each droplet clearly to perceiving rainfall-like streams.
[Mana Depletion]
A light message appeared at the corner of his vision.
Aslan glanced at it and felt the omnipotent scales covering his body receding, reverting to the Dragon King’s arms.
The Dragon King transformation had ended.
Having destroyed hundreds of Tiyalmisofs, only a few remained.
And they were still standing.
Aslan lowered the Purity and gripped the Abyssal blade in his left hand.
The wings still extended from his back, occupying both sides.
Then six remaining machines simultaneously descended toward Aslan’s position.
KUNG, KUGUGUNG.
Rising water columns—or rather, individual droplets—struck his cheeks.
Aslan flicked his head to push aside the wet strands of hair and raised his sword.
KAAAAAAAAANG!
Tiyalmisof immediately lunged forward.
Her arm gleamed with a grayish hue, similar yet different from Purity.
Similar Purity clashed with Purity.
KAGK! A crack formed on the counterfeit holy sword, but Tiyalmisof had already brought her weapon close to Aslan’s face.
KWAGAGAGAK!
Cutting a machine attacking from behind in half with his wings, Aslan and Tiyalmisof’s feet moved.
They swapped positions.
To counter Aslan’s ever-changing techniques aimed at disrupting balance, Tiyalmisof carefully adjusted her balance manually using sensitive visual modules while watching Aslan.
Moving her feet, pulling her body closer, and shrugging her shoulders.
The distance closed, bringing faces nearly nose-to-nose.
The mechanical face and Aslan’s weary expression faced each other.
At a distance where their faces almost touched, Tiyalmisof spoke.
Her voice, no longer hidden, sounded distinctly feminine.
“It’s useless. You, Aslan, even if you kill me here, even if you stop me, the plan will proceed anyway.”
Though unexpected, it wasn’t entirely surprising.
Considering the density and speed of the past 20 minutes, it was obvious how much restraint a magician like her must have exercised.
“If I can’t do it, Ados will. Ados will carry out my plan….”
“That’s why my companions have already set out to stop Ados. They’ve probably met by now.”
Aslan already knew about that.
It wasn’t anything new. If Tiyalmisof was a potential ally, then Ados was a potential enemy.
“Even if Ados is a skilled warrior and magician, he can’t handle all of us.”
That’s why what was surprising was Tiyalmisof’s response and attitude.
“I know.”
Tiyalmisof didn’t show frustration. Calmly, while engaging Aslan with her sword, she rallied the machines.
Tiyalmisof knew she couldn’t defeat Aslan, and neither could Ados defeat Aslan’s group.
Therefore, she sought another solution, like any proper magician would.
For instance, as magicians often do.
“So Ados wasn’t sent alone.”
She hired vanguards.
*
They walked down the white corridors that never got familiar no matter how many times they saw them.
Though they practically jogged, their steps were still strong and steady.
Despite not knowing what kind of magician’s workshop they were heading to and the significant danger of fighting a prepared magician,
they had room to spare.
It was justified leisure.
Considering the number of miracles they had overcome so far, it was natural.
No matter how prepared the magician was, or how ancient Ados, who once worshipped gods, might be,
they believed it wouldn’t be too difficult for them, having already felled gods and countless priests.
Thus, even after finally entering the workshop and seeing Ados and Number 13, they weren’t surprised.
Aslan had asked them to eliminate Ados while he dealt with Tiyalmisof.
Perhaps predicting that persuasion or parallel approaches wouldn’t work, Aslan’s request fit perfectly with the situation.
Unlike Number 13, who noticeably hesitated, Ados stood clearly at the center of the workshop, overlooking them.
“You’ve come.”
Ados concluded his gaze with a short remark.
Without answering his words, Tiamat quietly readied her bow, and Ados looked at the bow and said,
“Normally, one shouldn’t enter a prepared magician’s workshop so easily… But given your combat capabilities, it’s not unreasonable. If you decide, you could likely destroy the entire workshop and secure victory.”
This seemingly emotionless statement accurately pierced through the group’s thoughts.
It was perplexing.
If even a bit of sincerity lay in those words, he shouldn’t be displaying such ease.
“Are you delirious?”
With that question, Angie spoke, and Ados briefly glanced at Angie before replying,
“It would be convenient if I were, but I’m not. Rather, since I have some preparations in place, I am acting this way.”
A tone that seemed somewhat arrogant. Perhaps closer to her true nature, Lumel awkwardly observed her.
This arrogance soon became evident.
“First meeting, I assume? Let’s exchange introductions.”
As she spoke, Ados stepped aside, and someone walked toward her position.
He wasn’t particularly impressive in appearance.
Rather, he looked rather shabby.
Firstly, he didn’t seem strong enough to overturn the current situation.
The plate armor tightly fitted to his body was unremarkable.
The veil and tattered cloak draped over the armor made him look like he had just been unearthed from a grave.
Moreover, the single-edged sword in his hand was equally worn-out. Though it was long and thick, giving off a hint of menace, that was all.
He didn’t appear invincible or overwhelmingly powerful.
But there was a faint sense of familiarity.
A familiarity only those who had traveled with Aslan could notice.
Thus, they instinctively realized.
“An Ancient One among the Three Evils, and the strongest among them. Legendary warrior known to have challenged all gods, killing and erasing half of them.”
He was of the same kind as Aslan.
“The Warrior who bore the name before War and Knowledge.”
Possessing the strength that comes from being the underdog, unbound by means or methods.
“The God of War, Evil Ghost.”
A warrior who could secure victory in any disadvantageous situation.
