Chapter 482: Final Act (5)

Crunch...! Crack—!

Yula tightened her grip on the sword, and the blade embedded in Zarka Hochi’s torso finally pierced through his body entirely.

“Kay...!” he called out to her, even as he was being cut in half.

Kay, in turn, mustered every ounce of strength to control the doll.

Although he was being mutilated, Zarka lunged at Yula and wrapped himself tightly around her.

“You... cursed wretch!”

Yula’s power obliterated Zarka’s limbs, reducing them to dust. Then, in a fit of rage, she incinerated what was left of the elf.

“Now...!”

Even as his soul faded away, Zarka’s final word echoed like a signal flare.

Fwoooosh...!

A fierce tempest erupted from the fiery remains of his doll-like body.

Aidan Hamil’s blade surged toward Yula.

“Ghraaaaah...!!!”

Zarka Hochi’s final call had also rallied Toska, who reverted to his massive Bone Dragon form.

“You lunatic...! You know what it means to wield Divine Power as an undead!”

Yula’s voice trembled with disbelief, but Toska met her words with a mocking grin.

“Annihilation. Wielding light infused with darkness is no different from holding an unstable bomb. I might detonate at any moment. But now, I too can wield both light and darkness simultaneously.”

The dragon gripped Yula tightly.

“Besides, as the elf hero said, we’re not afraid of death.”

“You...!!”

“But you are,” Toska went on. “Don’t expect a goodbye from me. You and I will cease to exist entirely.”

Toska wrapped his wings around Yula and roared toward Aidan, “Stike her down!!”

Shing! BOOOOOOM...!!!

Aidan’s blade cleaved across Yula’s collarbones, and Toska erupted in a blast of blinding light.

“GYAAAAAAAAAAAH...!!!”

A piercing scream erupted from Yula. This time, she felt genuine agony. Her head snapped back, her gaping mouth spewing a black mist that spiraled skyward.

Whooooosh...!

Skreaaa...!!

The mist coalesced into monstrous, distorted shapes resembling demons, splitting into countless tendrils that scattered in every direction. Their gaping maws seemed ready to consume everything in their path.

“Hup!”

Hawat rushed in front of Miliana, who was still fallen on the ground, and raised the Aegis.

“Everyone, to me!”

“Protect the empress.”

“What?”

Despite the encroaching mist, the other Godslayers did not retreat behind the shield.

“Hey, priest. Although she pisses me off, don’t let her die. If you fail, you’ll have me to deal with.”

After cooling her fractured leg with ice, Serica Lauren lifted her spear.

“I’ll remember that.” Yurin Huygar gave a wry smile.

“Then...” Hawat looked at them nervously.

“We fight,” Serica said firmly, to which the other warriors nodded.

BOOOOM...!!

“Dragons, scatter and deploy the magic barriers! Focus all your efforts on defending the humans!” Enuma Elashi shouted as he took to the skies.

The other two dragons promptly followed his order.

“It’s coming!”

VOOSH...!

From the ground, an ominous black cloud of dust surged upward, radiating suffocating divine energy. The Golden Dragon summoned every last ounce of his magic and braced himself against the oncoming onslaught.

Crack...!

The ground shattered like brittle crackers, crumbling into fine dust as the beasts of dark mist rampaged, ravenous for the life force of everything around them.

“W-What...?!”

“Such an oppressive and vile miasma!”

“Could this truly be the work of a god?”

The three dragons were aghast as the black mist, thick and bubbling like tar, multiplied and sought to breach their barriers.

“Whatever it takes, we must hold it back!!!” Enuma Elashi roared louder than ever, unfazed by the noxious mist. He raised his head high, his golden scales bristling.

With another powerful roar, a radiant golden light—unique to the Golden Dragon—surged upward alongside a massive magic circle, consuming the black mist and transmuting it into a viscous, molten substance.

Drip... Drip...

The substance quickly hardened, solidifying into an iron-like material.

“We’re... alive?”

The soldiers watching the dragons heaved a sigh of relief at the apparent success of repelling the divine assault.

CRACK...!

But the relief was short-lived. Cracks spread across the hardened surface, and with a sharp hiss, steam burst forth, releasing an intense wave of heat.

“Run!”

“Get out of here!”

The soldiers screamed in terror as the black mist resurged. As the darkness fed on their life force, tiny spheres of light rose into the air and streamed into Yula.

It seemed that not even the dragons could contain the mist beasts, so naturally, the humans were utterly helpless.

“Golem units, align!” a commanding voice rang out.

As the darkness broke through the hardened barriers, Wingel urgently pulled a lever.

[Ready and waiting.]

Calypson’s voice echoed through Ascalon’s cockpit, and Wingel gave a silent nod.

[Trance Synchronization – 78%]

[Conversion Rate Adjusted]

[Coordinates Modified]

Red markers spread across Ascalon’s frame, confirming its readiness.

Woooooom...!

Dozens of portals emerged above Ascalon’s head.

“...Multiple summons?” Berchi Blano’s voice quavered with astonishment.

“No, the golem isn’t using summoning magic. It’s merely a conduit. I used to think magitech was just a crutch for those who lacked magic power, but... I guess I underestimated it.” Nain Darhon chuckled to himself.

“Teleportation magic circles used on humans require a great deal of mana to preserve their bodies during transport. That’s why they’re used sparingly. But this... They’ve used the Superior Vision, one of the Original Spells, to transfer energy to Ascalon’s coordinates.”

“Energy, you say....”

“They’re likely drawing mana stored in the magitech artillery stationed beyond the Amago Strait.”

Berchi Blano recalled the Celestial Observatory of the Ivory Tower.

“Translocating raw mana... Those engineers have always struck me as odd, but to think they’d replicate what we mages have done in their own way. Color me impressed.”

During the Hekqet campaign, Berchi had used the Celestial Observatory to detect the Tarak across the continent and unleash Toska’s solar power upon them.

“While observing through a scrying mirror and creating summoning gates might look similar, they’re fundamentally different. What’s more, they achieved this with their own power.”

The leaders of the two magical factions, who had always insisted on the supremacy of pure magic, were now forced to recognize the ingenuity of humanity’s innovation in magitech.

“Magitech artillery energy conversion!” Wingel shouted.

Wooooom...!!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!!!!

The condensed mana transformed into massive rectangular shields, descending from the sky like walls to block the encroaching mist.

“Don’t underestimate humanity’s progress...!”

The golems, now equipped with mana shields, moved into a defensive formation.

BOOM...!!

A deafening explosion rang out, and while the black mist surged forward as though to consume the golems’ barriers, the dragons’ protective barriers seemed to weaken its force.

The mist bubbled and seethed, but it seemed unable to advance any further—at least for the time being.

“Good work!!”

The golem operators cheered as the mist dissipated below their barriers.

Skreeee...!

Skrakakakakak!

But once again, respite proved fleeting. Eerie cries rose from the black mist, followed by dull thuds as something climbed onto the golems’ armored shells.

“Monsters?!”

“How... How did they...?”

The golem operators shouted in alarm as they spotted gray goblins clinging to their machines. Unlike ordinary goblins, these creatures had blank, white eyes, as though they had lived their entire lives in darkness.

“Fucking get off me!”

“Aaaaah...!!”

Countless goblins swarmed over the barriers and lunged at the golems, which were quickly overwhelmed and toppled over one after the other.

“Oh, merciful god...” muttered Yurin Huygar, peeking from behind the Aegis at the horrific scene.

But then, he shook his head bitterly.

“What am I saying...? God? This horror is all her doing...”

No one dared to object. Those taking refuge behind the Aegis felt the same. In these harrowing moments, they had no god to pray to, though they desperately wanted to pray to something—something that would save them.

They were humanity’s finest warriors, and yet they disgracefully cowered behind a shield while the battle raged on.

Woosh!

Of course, the carnage wouldn’t slow down for them to overcome the gloom that washed over them.

The goblins rampaged as if trying to drain the life from their prey to heal their own wounds. The black mist surged back up, breaching the crumbling barriers as it rushed toward the soldiers once more.

“Commence bombardment!”

“All wyverns, deploy shield rounds on the goblins!”

Ganeth’s wyvern unit swooped down, dropping dozens of explosives.

Boom! Boom! BOOOOM...!!

As the explosives detonated, domes of light stretched across the battlefield.

Skraaaaa...!!

Skreeeeee...!!

The goblins screamed in agony as the light scorched them.

“Launch the cannons!”

“Charge at these fuckers!”

The shouts of Greys Fanpinel and Thomson rang out, and behind the charging knights, the Ulkas Guild led the magical battalion in unleashing a torrent of spells.

They called this tactic

the Tempest

—a charge that defied death itself. The Fanpinel knights surged right through the black mist and pierced the goblins’ ranks.

It was the most ferocious and swift attack they had ever executed.

“Arghh...!”

“Ghaaa...!”

The agonized screams of the knights who had charged into the black mist rang out. Hearing those harrowing cries, Viola squeezed her eyes shut and bit down on her lip until it bled.

“Hold your formation! We’re to support the golem forces alongside the northern troops! No one is to break rank!”

The soldiers of the Ranion Alliance, knowing how deeply Greys cared for his knights, burned with fierce determination rather than despair.

“Aben,” said Marze in a low voice, watching Viola steady her mount.

“Huh, it seems there’s work even for us old folk.”

“Yeah, even these old bones should serve some purpose. We can’t let down our lord... not now.”

“I knew you’d feel the same.”

The two veteran knights, once guardians of the Twin Armor, exchanged a look of mutual understanding and nodded.

“So this is it, after decades at the Twin Armor together... I must say, you’ve been quite the pain in the ass.”

“Heh...”

Marze and Aben tightened their grips on their reins and turned their horses away from the main force.

“See you on the other side,” Marze whispered as he charged toward the black mist.

* * *

“What’s going on...?

“Oh, you’re finally awake.”

Taking in the carnage around her, Miliana clenched her fists—but though she had regained consciousness, her strength hadn’t returned. Her hands fell limp at her sides.

“To think I felt proud to be chosen as a Godslayer... What a fool I was.”

“Please, take it easy. You’ve done more than enough, Your Majesty.”

Contrary to his moniker, Yurin Huygar spoke in a calm and gentle tone. It was only natural, as anyone who had witnessed Miliana’s earlier ferocity wouldn’t dare speak against her.

“We can’t step back in, can we...?”

Yurin bowed his head in response. Truthfully, the fact that she was still breathing was nothing short of a miracle.

“It’s a battle of the divine, one beyond human intervention... But if only I could fight for those who followed me to this battlefield...”

Miliana stubbornly tried to rise, only to collapse at once. The pain was so intense, it felt as if every bone in her body had been shattered.

“Ghah...!”

Yurin quickly moved to support her.

“Damn it...”

Tears welled up in Miliana’s eyes—not from the pain, but from the frustration that her body failed her in these crucial moments.

“There is a way,” a voice interrupted, seemingly coming from within the Aegis.

Everyone turned their heads, startled.

“You...”

Miliana narrowed her eyes as she recognized the figure. It was none other than Hagane, the Demon King.

“This will breathe strength into your failing body,” he said, stepping forward and producing an object from within his cloak.

It was the Armor of Extremis.

“Wha... What is that?”

On top of the armor, Hagane also held the Necklace of Revelation and the Garb of Lamentation, thought to have been reduced to dust on the day of the Divine Oracle.

“You... You deceived Karyl?”

“Heh. Well... don’t you humans always say never to trust demons?”

Miliana realized that the Demon King had secretly kept those infernal relics to himself.

“But perhaps this time, you might reconsider. Of course, whether or not to trust me is entirely up to you.” Hagane shrugged with a sly grin.

𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

“However, if you wish to save them, then open the gates of the Demon Realm. Do so, and the demons will lend you their strength.”

His eyes gleamed sharply.

“Let darkness eradicate darkness.”

Hagane dropped to one knee and held out the Necklace of Revelation to her.

“Command the demon army, Empress.”