〈 Chapter 231 〉 Showdown (6)
*
“You’re going to absorb me after becoming a god, huh?”
I had to stop that at all costs.
With that decision made, I swung my sword.
But it was already too late.
A violent wind began to swirl around him.
My sword was pushed back by that wind.
And I was thrown off as well.
“Gah…!”
In the meantime, the High Priest was surrounded by the radiant light coming from the divine authority.
“Yes, this is it…”
The High Priest’s voice was filled with anticipation.
But soon, her voice transformed into a scream.
“Gyaah!”
His body couldn’t handle the divine authority and began to collapse.
‘Of course.’
If he absorbed me alive, it would’ve been different, but it was still impossible.
However, that didn’t mean things were looking good for me.
‘At this rate, the world is going to be destroyed.’
He forced open the seal as he inherited the divine authority.
‘Damn it.’
The destruction had begun earlier than planned.
‘Albert.’
On the other hand, Albert still hadn’t answered.
That meant the divine authority wasn’t strong enough yet.
‘What to do now?’
How could I prevent destruction?
Just when I was racking my brain for an answer.
“Allen Pleuk! Join with me now! Didn’t you say you wanted to prevent the world’s destruction!!!”
The High Priest shouted.
That was definitely one way to go about it.
‘But…’
I still felt a strong aversion to it.
“Then tell me. What’s your reason for wanting to become a god?”
“To prevent the world’s destruction…”
“That’s a lie.”
I could tell without needing to swap swords.
It was a lie.
And there was no time to ponder that lie any longer.
“I cannot entrust this world to you.”
In an instant, the High Priest’s demeanor shifted.
“Can you bear that responsibility? Can you shoulder the destruction of this world?”
Destruction of this world.
To be honest, it was a heavy weight.
Heavier than that Gravitas which is known to be the heaviest.
But…
‘It’s not heavier than the weight of connections.’
They believed in me.
They lent me their will.
So I couldn’t betray those connections.
“I will bear it.”
The only person left to shoulder it here was me.
No, while I may not be the only one here, everyone still trusted me.
And that meant…
“Because I’m a Hero.”
Hero Ranking 101.
73rd Demon King.
Those titles and numbers didn’t matter.
I was a Hero.
“How arrogant!!!”
The High Priest expressed her anger.
Her body was no longer human.
Instead, it was constantly swelling, transforming into a grotesque form.
“Now that it’s come to this, I’ll forcibly absorb you!”
She summoned transparent swords into the air once again.
Clang.
I took out the Rose Sword again.
Gwen.
Flame sword strikes drew across all directions.
They sliced through the swords as if melting them.
“If you can absorb me, then go ahead and try.”
The surviving swords aimed at me.
Even with the body of a Demon King, it was tough to use the same technique in succession.
I unfurled the wings I gained from becoming a Demon King.
‘Wind’s Power.’
And I soared into the air.
The swords chased after me, but I simply cut down the ones that followed me.
“Ugh, gwaah…!”
In the midst of this, the High Priest’s body kept growing.
‘How much longer is the divine authority going to run rampant?’
If left alone, it could blow away the Ice Valley.
No, it might do more than just that; maybe the entire world.
‘I have to stop this.’
I had to kill her.
With that decision made, I started to turn my direction toward her.
Clang.
I switched from the Rose Sword to the Royal Sword and thrust it forward.
Elsie.
With that ultimate defensive technique, I deflected all the swords heading toward me.
Just then, the High Priest let out a howl.
“AAAAAAAH!”
No, that wasn’t the High Priest’s voice.
‘This is…’
The transparent swords that had been following me scattered and disappeared.
That meant…
‘Could it be…!’
As if answering that suspicion, her mouth opened, and she was no longer in human form.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been outside.”
The voice’s owner was clear.
“Creator God?”
“Creator God? Who’s that?”
Thinking back, it was no surprise.
The name Creator God was something the Water Sage had attached after his demise, so he wouldn’t understand it.
Whether he got it or not didn’t matter, because what I had to do was clear.
‘I have to kill him.’
If what Luel said was right, the Creator God was no different from the High Priest.
If anything, he might be an even clearer evil.
And to prove that, he said,
“By the way, what is this peaceful world? It might be better to create a new one.”
His gaze, surveying the surroundings, landed on me.
“Before that… I’ll need that pitiful vessel to fill this one!”
In that instant, a chill ran down my spine.
‘Wind’s Power.’
I shot up into the sky.
Something rushed past the spot I had just occupied.
“Ugh!”
Tentacles.
From the body of the High Priest, which had now lost any shape, tentacles began to sprout one by one.
‘Insane.’
Tentacles began to fill the space in an instant.
I took up the Rose Sword again to deal with them.
Gwen.
Once again, flame sword strikes burned the tentacles surrounding me.
However, countless tentacles still remained.
Elsie.
The speed at which they moved was so astonishing that I couldn’t evade them like I could the High Priest’s swords.
So I began to defend using the Royal Sword, trying to fend them off.
“Ugh…!”
Tentacles stabbed from all directions.
I was swinging my sword almost mindlessly to defend against their relentless onslaught, but eventually, I started taking hits.
Slash.
At first, it was just a few grazes.
But with an increasing number of tentacles, I ultimately took a fatal blow.
Thud.
A tentacle pierced my thigh.
At that moment, other tentacles seized the opportunity to strike vital points.
“Gyaah!”
Screaming in pain, I still held onto my sword.
Thanks to the Demon King’s life force, I wouldn’t die from this.
‘But I can’t go on like this.’
If I keep this up, I’d just end up dead.
It seemed like it was time to go for broke.
‘Overload.’
I put an overload on the Rose Sword.
I wanted to return the sword to Gwen, but there was no helping it.
To burn all the surrounding tentacles, my usual power wasn’t going to be enough.
On top of that, I was in no state to swing my sword.
I couldn’t use swordsmanship ‘Gwen.’
In that case…
Fwoosh.
I detonated the overloaded sword, creating a fiery explosion.
A massive explosion erupted centered around me.
Naturally, I wasn’t left unscathed from the scale of the blast.
‘It’s not enough to kill me, but…’
I was still hanging on by a thread.
I pulled a potion from my inventory and raised it above my head.
Then I crushed it with all my might.
Splash.
Potion flowed down onto my body.
Somehow, it managed to keep my dying breath alive.
I could at least fight back a little.
I didn’t have the luxury to hesitate.
‘Blood Magic.’
I used Blood Magic to enhance my legs and wings.
Even though I was inexperienced with Blood Magic except for my arms, I didn’t need to worry about the backlash since I had the Demon King’s regeneration.
‘This attack will be everything I have.’
Crack.
The ground beneath my feet crumbled easily under pressure.
I stomped down on the decaying earth.
At the same time, I flapped my wings hard.
A booming sound resonated.
I had never experienced this kind of speed before.
With a thunderous sound of tearing air, I began to approach the Creator God.
“Hm?”
Even the tentacles couldn’t keep up with my speed, and the Creator God used the nearby tentacles to block me.
I pointed the Royal Sword towards the wall of tentacles.
Shimmer.
A massive curtain of light appeared before me.
It shielded me from the tentacles that sought to obstruct me.
Crack, snap.
Tentacles crashed against the curtain of light, ripping apart.
But the shockwave began to slow my speed.
‘No slowing down.’
If I lost speed here, this last chance created by consuming the Rose Sword might fly away too.
“Ugh!”
So, I used the Blood Magic-enhanced wings to flap repeatedly.
Additionally, I dashed off into the air with my foot wrapped in Wind’s Power to boost my speed as much as possible.
The surrounding air erupted with a thunderous sound.
Amidst it, I started to hear ominous sounds.
Crack.
It seemed the Royal Sword’s durability was reaching its limit, and cracks began to appear.
But I was still a considerable distance from the High Priest’s body.
What I needed to do was clear.
‘Overload.’
I wanted to return the Royal Sword to Elsie as well, but there was no helping it.
I had to bet everything on this attack.
Shimmer.
Just before it reached its limit, the Royal Sword gleamed.
It shone like the sun.
I was momentarily blinded by its brightness, but with the Demon King’s regeneration, I could regain my sight.
I wasn’t relying on my sight; I was relying on information from the Wind’s Power.
I rushed forward and swung the Royal Sword.
The sword I struck felt like it was cleaving through time itself.
Simultaneously, the Royal Sword reached its breaking point and vanished.
‘Next is…’
I drew out Albert.
There wasn’t much distance left until I reached the High Priest’s body.
‘Albert, can you do this?’
No answer came.
He was probably trying to conserve the divine authority as much as possible.
But there was a subtle affirmation of his will.
‘Got it.’
I confirmed his response and gripped the sword tightly.
I didn’t have any intention of using his divine authority just yet.
However…
‘Overload.’
There was no choice but to do that for a guaranteed hit.
Plus, there was a way to bring the sword back to life, though only once.
I overloaded the sword and focused all my nerves, waiting for the right moment.
I had to strike before he filled up the hole, while getting as close as possible.
‘Not yet.’
I needed to get a little closer.
I increased my speed and approached.
‘Just a bit more…!’
The distance where I could land a certain strike.
Yes, right now.
‘Now!’
I lifted the sword as I flew at full speed.
My speed was more than sufficient.
In the dimension of time.
Tentacles that had been launched toward me suddenly froze in place.
I steadied my posture mid-air using my wings and lifted the sword.
Yusera.
No, that name fits best.
Honestly, it’s embarrassing, but I’ve grown familiar with that name.
“Heaven’s Cleave!”
With a battle cry, I swung my sword.
Crack.
In an instant, the aurora-colored blade characteristic of Albert sliced through the body of the Creator God.
It succeeded in splitting the body of the High Priest in two.
An immense energy began to burst forth from that body.
‘Damn it.’
As I charged forward, the very energy I unleashed pushed me back.
So hot.
I wrapped my wings around myself to shield from the energy, but they melted within seconds.
Just when my body seemed ready to melt away from the energy, I felt a great shock as I collided with the ground.
“Ugh!”
A pain that shook my brain.
Amid that pain, I managed to open my eyes.
Little by little, the scenery came into view again.
The energy that had exploded out began to compress in an instant.
It shrank to the size of a small dot before vanishing completely.
The divine authority of the Creator God had been completely annihilated.
“…”
The underground was finally quiet.
All that was left was my ragged breathing.
‘Is it over?’
…No, it’s not over.
I still had to prevent destruction.
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