Chapter 404: The Oracle

“Press forward!”

“Leave none standing!”

The Wyvern Squadron unleashed fire upon the Nephilim, the skies blazing fiercely.

Rumble...!!

As the fiery battle raged on, dark clouds gathered above the frontlines, swirling akin to a vortex. Brilliant light poured down through the eye of the storm, illuminating the Celestial Fortress.

The Nephilim looked up in confusion, their expressions filled with unease.

“The Celestial Fortress is collapsing...?”

“But why?!”

The Four Archangels knew what that light meant—it was the protective spell that activated when control over the Celestial Fortress was lost, forcing the Nephilim to return to their own realm.

They never would have believed the fortress could fall on Judex’s watch. After all, Judex was the leader of the Nephilim, chosen by Yula herself. And anyone who became Judex gave up their name, bearing only the title of the Judge.

However, the fact that the Celestial Fortress, where their most powerful warrior resided, was being forcibly summoned back to the heavenly realm could mean one thing only.

Judex was dead.

“Re... Retreat...!! Head back to the Celestial Fortress...” Maron’s wings quivered with fear. “No, wait! Head for the dimensional gate! We need to get through before it closes!”

He promptly took off without looking back, soaring toward the swirling clouds above. The fallen fortress and the leader’s fate held no place in his mind—only his own survival.

“Go after them! Don’t let a single one cross that boundary!”

The Wyvern Squadron swiftly launched an assault on the retreating Nephilim. The frontlines that had been fiercely contested moments before now collapsed rapidly.

“Aaah...! No...!”

“Gyaaah...!!”

The Nephilim’s screams echoed through the skies as they plummeted one after another, their bodies littering the ground. The other battlefields bore the same brutal scene.

“The golem units have reached the hilltop. Frontlines, advance!”

“The Fonein offensive team has subdued the Nephilim!”

“Enemy forces are retreating rapidly!”

Despite the flood of reports, Wingel Hart managed the forces with a steady hand.

“It seems this formation was prepared by Sir Anthem to intercept the Nephilim while our lord was away... Huh, no wonder everyone calls him a master tactician,” he muttered with a smirk.

Despite never having personally commanded golems, Anthem had orchestrated their deployment flawlessly, making use of each unit’s traits.

Following the coronation, Wingel had rearranged the golem squads—except for a few—as per their wartime drills. It had all been quietly arranged in advance by Karyl, just before leaving for the Thousand-Year Ice Cave.

Still, Wingel had questioned Anthem’s decision to keep him out of the coronation ceremony, which everyone else attended, as well as the order to deploy the main golem force to a completely unrelated location.

But once the Celestial Fortress appeared and Karyl’s command echoed through the Superior Vision, Wingel felt a shiver run down his spine.

“Anti-aerial golem units reporting damage!”

“Units One and Three have been hit and are holding position.”

“What about the knights?”

“All accounted for. The damaged golems are repairable—none were completely destroyed.”

“Good.”

Status updates kept streaming across the upper edges of Wingel’s goggles. As a magitech engineer, he was thrilled to see his modified golems effectively battling the Nephilim, a divine race, while sustaining minimal damage.

“Of course, this strategy only works because of our lord,” he muttered to himself. “The Celestial Fortress is falling quickly, and Judex failed to transmit Yula’s power to the other Nephilim.”

Though he was satisfied, Wingel wasn’t one to become complacent. He promptly resumed pressing the buttons before him.

“Without the power of light, they’re just a bunch of harpies.”

His eyes flickered across the constantly shifting metrics of the golem battalion. “Still, we’re not done yet. Those are just the gatekeepers anyway...”

Slowly, he turned his head. “The real enemy lies elsewhere.”

His gaze landed on the colossal black construct slumbering beneath the cave.

“Unfortunately, it’s incomplete and can’t be used this time... But things will be different on the next battlefield.”

Clank! Vroom...

The equipment in the massive chamber hummed to life, as though responding to Wingel.

“I won’t leave you as a mere Dragon Slayer,” he said, watching as the cranes and scaffolding around Ascalon moved, pristine white parts locking into place to form the golem’s armor.

“After all, the era of the dragons has passed.”

The price Wingel had paid for sacrificing Revol, his lifelong creation, was steep, and a hint of bitterness lingered in his expression. Yet the ambition gleaming in his eyes eclipsed that bitterness.

“We’ll be the first to strike Yula.”

Even as victory against the Nephilim was close at hand, Wingel knew well that there was no time for rest. The new challenge that lay ahead would see him working day and night for countless days to come.

***

Vrrrr...

A faint hum resonated from the core of the Celestial Fortress. Karyl slowly opened his eyes. Beside him lay Judex’s corpse, split in half and sprawled across the floor.

The Judge’s eyes remained wide open, as if refusing to accept his defeat until the very last moment.

“Unbelievable... You actually took control of the Celestial Fortress. Turns out I was right about this.” Allen Javius nodded with a look of satisfaction.

He had always known that Karyl possessed a deeper understanding of mana than anyone else, despite having been born without it. If that hadn’t been the case, he would never have been able to master Allen’s Arcane Technique.

“You deceived the Fortress, which runs on the power of light, with Rasis’ power, and replaced its energy source with the Platinum Dragon’s mana... You made those Nephilim look like utter fools. Their fortress, meant to operate on Divine Power, is functioning with mana instead.”

Karyl gave a faint smile.

“Of course, it’s easier said than done,” Allen went on. “Controlling the core while channeling mana through the Celestial Fortress’s labyrinth-like pipe network... That’s like separating your brain from the rest of your body and having them move in different directions at once.”

“Didn’t think I’d see the day when I’d get a compliment from you.”

“I’ve always respected you. I just happened to be the only one willing to hold the whip so you’d keep climbing higher,” Allen responded with a light shrug. “Not that it matters anymore. After all, you’ve surpassed me a long time ago, even in the realm of magic.”

“Well, since we’re having this heartfelt moment, I’ll go ahead and express my gratitude—not just for entrusting me with the repository of knowledge you spent a lifetime building, but for being the only one to treat me as an equal and offer real guidance.”

“Haha... Well, I’ve got no time left to cling to life, so why not.”

Though he was being nonchalant about this, Karyl truly appreciated his being a steady compass for him. Indeed, Allen Javius was the one who had kept him on the right path.

“Look. That’s the city you protected." Allen pointed toward the vast city visible below the Celestial Fortress. “And the one you’ll have to keep protecting.”

There was a hint of melancholy in his voice. Once labeled a traitor and cast away from the tombs of the Assembly of Seven Elders, Allen Javius now stood witness to a new chapter in the continent’s history.

None of those elders would have imagined any of this.

“Yes... even right now.” Karyl slowly lifted his head.

Before him stood a shimmering figure of light, silently gazing at Judex’s corpse. It had taken on a human form, and Judex had reached for it with his final breath. Even now, his hand remained outstretched.

It truly was a fitting death for a Nephilim who had praised his god until the very end. And yet Yula, the embodiment of divine light, showed not the slightest hint of sorrow for Judex’s passing.

“I’ll never hand our land over to the likes of you,” Karyl growled at Yula’s figure.

[How strange indeed.]

The passive figure finally spoke, its words directed at Karyl.

[Why do you refuse to obey the Oracle?]

Vrrrr...

The figure cloaked in light gradually took on a clearer, human form. At the same time, the voice that had been echoing only in Karyl’s mind began to shift, sounding now as though the figure spoke aloud.

Karyl felt like Yula wanted to speak to him alone.

“There are many eyes on us,” he remarked.

“Do not concern yourself. The Spirit Kings and the Master Key Mael lived through the Mythical Era alongside me. And the sorcerer’s soul of the Magical Era...” Yula’s gaze settled on Karyl, “is connected to you, so he is not an issue either.”

“You almost sound like a person.”

“...?”

Yula tilted her head slightly, puzzled by Karyl’s remark.

“Your manner of speech,” Karyl went on, “feels more human now. Before, you only communicated with us through the Oracle. Or rather, through orders.”

Yula’s brow twitched slightly, and Karyl didn’t miss that.

“You were the same when Judex was alive. But now that he’s dead, you’ve changed your form. Your overall demeanor is so natural I could almost believe you’re human.”

“Speaking in my tongue would be unbearable for humans. My taking this form is for your own benefit,” Yula explained.

“Then was allowing Judex to die also for my benefit?” Karyl retorted, almost as if he had anticipated the response. “Why did you let him die?”

“You already know the answer. Nephilim are the only race blessed by my grace, but even Divine Power requires a brief time to take effect.”

“Only one second.”

“Yes, and you didn’t grant Judex that one second. That was his downfall.”

“And yet he came here to deliver your message. His death means that your prophecy will remain unfulfilled, doesn’t it?”

“A god must not directly influence other realms. It is a rule as old as time.”

At that, Karyl burst into laughter. “Bahahaha...! Of course, hahaha...!”

He doubled over, clutching his stomach, and Yula paused. Though her face remained shrouded in light, Karyl sensed her expression had darkened.

“Just as I thought. You really do resemble a human.”

“When I created you, I shaped you in my image, but I did not grant you such arrogance. Do you not realize that your blind ambition will ultimately lead you to ruin?”

“Like during the Great War of the Spirits and Gods?” Karyl stepped closer to Yula, his expression suddenly turning cold.

“In all honesty... I see things differently,” he went on.

“...What?”

𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

“When I said you seemed human, it wasn’t just because of your appearance. And I didn’t mean that you felt familiar either.”

He stared directly into Yula’s glowing form.

“Rules? When I first met the Spirit Kings, they too were bound by these rules. And it seems you are no different.”

“It’s only natural. It’s a covenant that has existed since the dawn of time.”

“Exactly,” Karyl responded firmly. “When I said you were human-like, I meant that you are imperfect. The fact that there’s a rule, a covenant that binds even you, the so-called absolute god, means that nothing is truly almighty.”

“...”

“What do you think I saw in the Thousand-Year Ice Cave? What do you think I realized?”

Karyl reached out, lightly grasping Yula’s chin and pulling her close.

“The Oracle? Fine, go ahead and proclaim it. But know this—the future you envision won’t come. Yula, I will reveal every scheme you’ve woven, piece by piece.”