Chapter 470: The Great War (2)

“This is madness!” the elder bellowed, his face contorted with rage.

“How dare you insignificant creatures mock the divine?! How far do you think you can go?!”

“Wanna find out?”

Schwing—

As Miliana swung her sword in a wide arc, the sharp hiss of the blade cleaving the air echoed across the battlefield.

“So you think you can win? I’ll admit, being born with draconic mana instead of having to acquire a dragon’s heart is impressive... but that’s hardly a real blessing.”

THOOM—!

At that moment, the ground quaked as Toska suddenly descended. Dust rose around his massive frame, and his enormous claws cast looming shadows over the three gods.

“Consider yourselves fortunate. If I still had flesh, you’d be paste right now.”

The Second God’s serpentine lips quivered slightly as she stared at Toska’s massive claws.

“What I bestowed upon these people,” Toska went on, “wasn’t just a blessing. It was my very will to fight, carved from my very existence.”

Toska turned and gazed at Miliana intently. Her arms were covered in scales, shimmering like polished dragon hide. Her Dragonization was complete.

“Hmm...”

Toska gave a slight nod of approval.

“Your draconic mana feels more potent than last time. You were trained by the last three great dragons, weren’t you? Was it their teachings that sharpened you? Or was it your own natural talent that made the difference?”

“The latter, clearly.”

“Haha... I see. You’ve mastered the ancient technique of Dragonization on your own, and you control it flawlessly. You’re truly worthy of inheriting my will.”

Toska completely disregarded the gods around them. To him, the vibrant draconic aura radiating from Miliana was far more important.

The Digon lineage was known to carry the Golden Dragon’s blessing, but Miliana stood apart—even among them—for the true blood of the Golden Dragon flowed through her veins. It was for that reason Enuma Elashi had taken an interest in her.

Still, it wasn’t her bloodline alone that accounted for her mastery. Rather, it was her unparalleled skill and dedication that allowed her to stand unfazed before anyone—even before gods.

However, there was one factor Toska wasn’t aware of. Miliana’s exceptional command of draconic mana wasn’t merely due to the blood in her veins. In truth, the biggest reason her once-faint draconic power had surged so explosively was Karyl himself, who had unlocked her meridians.

Adding her tireless efforts and unwavering determination, it was almost unsurprising that she now stood tall before the gods without the slightest hint of fear in her eyes.

“You require just a bit more refinement to reach true perfection.”

“Huh? What could I possibly be missing?”

“You shall see in due time. True mastery requires time and understanding. There are always hidden depths to techniques that only their creators comprehend.”

Miliana chuckled dry at Toska’s response. “Techniques evolve, old dragon. Have you considered that my mind might outpace your ancient, outdated methods?”

At that, Toska’s massive form began to shrink and shift. Within moments, he stood before Miliana as a human.

FWOOSH...!

“You...”

The man raised his arms to his chest and crossed them just in time to block Toska’s punch.

“...”

Toska looked at the gods and flashed a smirk, as if daring them to make a move. Miliana said nothing, but her expression betrayed a hint of surprise.

He’s fast.

Though she was in her Dragonized state, she had failed to register Toska’s speed after his Polymorph. But the First God had reacted in time—a clear display of the gulf between their abilities.

Scrrrreech—!

The sound of Toska’s claws scraping against the First God’s gauntlets reverberated through the air.

“Back in the Mythical Era, when I fought alongside the Bladers, I used this form far more often than my dragon body. It wasn’t out of preference for this flesh. It was simply the most efficient way to fight.”

Toska slowly pulled his hand away. One of the god’s arms dangled to his side, bloodied and scorched. Being the only dragon wielding solar power, Toska possessed the light attribute that could harm gods.

“That’s why I entrusted my legacy not to my remaining kin, but to a human. Miliana, this war will push you to grow even further.”

Toska lightly tapped the cheek of the male god, who stood frozen in shock.

“When the time comes, even gods will fear you.”

“The technique of some dragon striking fear into us, the gods? Just what has this world come to? It feels like not a single soul holds the divine in higher regard than some stray mutt on the street...”

“You probably think I’m being arrogant, don’t you? So what? This isn’t my first time standing against gods. Indeed, we failed, but if you think we challenged the divine without something to rely on, you’re dead wrong. Besides, as far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing majestic about you.”

“Count your blessings that we don’t see you as enemies right now. Despite your insolence, we’re still choosing words over violence.”

“

For now

, right?”

With those words, Toska reverted to his dragon form and dipped his head in a slight bow. Without hesitation, Miliana leapt onto his back.

“As infuriating as this situation is, annihilating humanity now is out of the question. Working with him to deal with Yula takes priority,” argued the serpent-lipped woman.

“Tch...” The elder scoffed and turned away.

“You. You may be bold, but no matter the blessings you’ve received from the Golden Dragon, defying us gods is unwise.”

“Try me. Digons don’t shy away from fights.”

Miliana chose to play with fire, responding to the warnings of the gods with taunts.

“But no one’s dared to challenge us so far.”

Swoosh!

Toska’s massive wings spread wide as he soared into the air, golden light shimmering with every beat.

“That’s because I’ve always cut down anyone who tried.”

Even through the loud flap of Toska’s wings, Miliana’s voice rang sharp and clear in the gods’ ears.

“How pathetic.”

“When Yula’s dealt with, I’ll kill that woman myself. None of you gets in my way!” the elder growled.

“Killing or sparing the humans doesn’t matter. What’s important is how we eliminate Yula,” hissed the woman.

“What’s the issue? The board is already set. If we join forces, victory will be ours.”

“You’re not yourself. I’m beginning to doubt you were ever the strategist once said to rival the Lord. Or have you truly been rattled by a mortal’s taunts?”

“...What?”

Already agitated by Miliana, the elder bristled further at the Second God’s rebuke.

“We can’t kill Yula. We might weaken her, but as challengers of Exordiar, it’s impossible for us to land the final blow.”

“Of course, I know that. I’m merely suggesting that we wait for Karyl’s strength to wane. I never said I wouldn’t help him kill her.”

“That’s why we need to be cautious.”

“About what?”

“What if, after we weaken Yula, the human chooses not to kill her but instead tries to strike another deal with us?”

The elder’s face contorted with disbelief. “What nonsense is that? Unless he’s lost his mind, refusing to kill Yula would only ensure his own destruction and ours along with it.”

“Have you forgotten how he lured us here in this mortal realm? He takes it all on the Divine Throne, forcing us to fight amongst ourselves.”

“And what exactly are you trying to say?”

“A new Exordiar,” said the woman.

“...”

The elder stared at her with a troubled expression.

“It’s not entirely impossible. If he kills Yula and becomes the ruler of this dimension, he can reshape the Exordiar that Yula initiated.”

The man with the gauntlets nodded in agreement.

“He said he wouldn’t keep the Divine Throne to himself, but he never said he’d hand it over quietly.”

“We anticipated him becoming our enemy, didn’t we? If that happens, we’ll simply have to be the first to kill him.”

“And if he proposes another condition, offering the Divine Throne to the last one standing among us, just as he did before?”

“...What are you saying?”

“Can any of us swear not to betray?”

Her words left both gods momentarily speechless. The awkward silence was only natural, as each of them had already killed other gods to climb higher.

“I’m not trying to sow mistrust. I’m suggesting we establish safeguards.”

“Safeguards?”

“Exordiar is a competition. If we turn on each other, it only benefits Karyl in the end.”

“That makes sense. Still, at the moment, he’s the one holding all the cards for the Divine Throne. We’ll have to follow his terms.”

Once Yula fell, Karyl would ascend the Divine Throne. Given that, with the blessings of the four gods, Karyl could fight Yula on equal footing even in his human form, once he claimed the throne, none of the gods would stand a chance against him.

It was a perfect stalemate.

“That’s why we cannot betray each other. To prevent that, we need absolute trust among ourselves.”

“You can’t mean...”

“Yes. A soul contract.”

“You mean the binding oath we impose on humans? That’s the strongest form of binding we know, but it also works on us.”

The remaining two gods stared at her, their words caught in their throats.

Indeed... a soul contract would ensure none of us could turn on one another. Even if Karyl tried to command us to fight, knowing our lives are bound would leave him powerless.

“Not a bad idea,” the elder finally said.

The other man nodded. “But what a ridiculous situation we’ve found ourselves in. Forced to play mind games with mortals...”

For ages, gods had viewed their creations as nothing more than ants, easily crushed beneath their fingers. Yet now, here they were, forced to strategize and scheme against their adversary because they couldn’t kill him outright.

“Our survival is the utmost priority. As much as I despise that woman from earlier, her words hold some truth. As foreign gods, our influence here is limited.”

“If only we could lure him into Pharel...” The man clicked his tongue in frustration.

“No one would abandon a battleground where they hold the advantage. We need to prepare on our own terms.”

“Indeed.”

The three exchanged glances. Without another word, each cut their wrists, their divine blood flowing into a pool.

***

Wooooong...!

[Karyl.]

Allen Javius’s voice echoed in his mind.

Though Karyl was focused entirely on Yula, he nodded slightly, as if he already knew what Allen was about to say.

“It’s begun.”

[Heh... Those cunning bastards. They’re avoiding the fight, letting you take the lead while they sit back and strategize. Bastards like that never end up well.]

Allen looked skyward at the glow of the soul contract.

[Even they must have instinctively realized that once this fight ends, they’ll be in danger. And so, they came up with the soul binding...]

His shadowy form flickered in and out of view. The dark energy once used by Duaat began to seep into Karyl’s sword.

[A soul contract is a double-edged sword—if one side is destroyed, the other suffers as well. This is the stage we’ve been waiting for. After all, your goal isn’t limited to Yula’s death, is it?]

Allen bestowed his dark power to Karyl; it now coursed through his veins.

“The extinction of the gods.”

His voice was like a melody—triumphant yet also haunting.

“Erase them all, for the glory of humanity.”