218 - Archdemon of Pride (5)

218 - Archdemon of Pride (5)

TL/Editor: raei

Status: ongoing

Illustrations: none

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In the vast outer region of the demon realm border.

Countless beings clashed weapons and tested their abilities against each other there.

"I'll tear out all your fucking throats, you human scum!"

A high-ranking demon covered in blood shouted while decapitating nearby soldiers with foot-long claws.

SLASH!

A single sword pierced precisely through the demon's core from behind.

"GURK!"

As the demon coughed up dark blood with a shocked expression, they saw a knight wearing armor engraved with the Gray Lion Corps' lion symbol.

THUD.

The knight wiped blood from their sword while watching the lifeless demon collapse with cold eyes.

Just as the knight's eyes turned to search for their next opponent-

WHOOSH!

Hearing the sudden sound of wind being cut above, the knight looked up.

What they saw were translucent arrows filling their entire field of vision as they fell.

"...Damn it."

As this low curse left the knight's lips- BOOM!

The arrows struck the ground, erasing all life above including the knight.

SCREECH!

Having instantly erased countless lives, the spectral archers immediately designated their next target and drew their bowstrings again.

But they couldn't release those arrows.

ROAR!

Numerous large monsters like one-horned ogres and twin-headed trolls dropped from even higher in the sky with help from flying monsters.

The scene resembled an air raid.

CRASH!

These monsters leaped into the middle of the spectral archers' formation and began rampaging madly.

"Kyahahahaha!"

The witch and Evil Hand army rushed in right behind them as if competing.

But as if refusing to allow this advance-

-For the King.

BOOM!

The spectral knights charged in spear formation, driving into the Evil Hand army's flank.

A true scene of carnage.

"Ugh...!"

In the middle of this battlefield, Celphia barely blocked the monsters' attacks using "Magic Consumption."

Since following Prince Zion, she had been deployed whenever there were battles with monsters, and this time was no different.

CRACK!

Perhaps because she had awakened her power only recently?

Feeling strength already leaving her hands, Celphia quickly dealt with the monsters before her and withdrew to one side.

"Hah..."

After catching her breath, she watched the still intense battlefield with weary eyes.

She still couldn't believe that she, who had been studying magic at school until recently, was now fighting monsters here.

'I heard I'd be used a lot but...'

She hadn't expected this level, nor imagined being deployed in such a massive war.

A war on a scale reminiscent of the great wars from hundreds of years ago.

'And the problem is that even this massive war isn't the main battle.'

With this thought, Celphia looked up toward the sky.

Her eyes beheld a mythical sight:

CRASH!

Just two beings.

The aftermath created by just two transcendent beings clashing exceeded the total power of the war being waged on the ground.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say most of the warriors cared more about that clash than their immediate opponents.

Truly the battle that would determine this fight's fate.

"Your Highness Zion..."

As Celphia clenched her fist while calling the name of one of those two, the only one who had extended a hand to her-

'Seems he's even more persistent than Liushina.'

The owner of that name, Zion, thought this while-

BOOM!

Mercilessly shattering Pride's head before him.

Perhaps because one of Ogrit's qualities was "collective"?

Though Zion kept inflicting near-annihilating damage, the Archdemon endlessly regenerated using his people's souls as sacrifices.

"Why... WHY ME!!!!"

While his mouth spat words denying this situation.

It was natural, since his trump card had been easily countered by Zion's newly appeared armies.

He had merely wasted part of his authority for nothing.

As this declaration-like shout burst from Ogrit's mouth-

WHOOSH!

The spectral armies fiercely battling Zion's forces instantly transformed into soul form and gathered back toward him.

Simultaneously, the remaining souls within Pride also completely flowed out, merging with the other souls to form a massive shape around him.

RUMBLE!

It was a giant.

A giant with transcendent enormity - each foot covering the entire battlefield, its height piercing the clouds to reach the sky's end.

As every being on the battlefield stopped fighting and gaped at this overwhelming sight-

'Before any more power is consumed, I'll end everything with this strike containing all.'

Following Pride's will, the giant began raising an enormous greatsword high above its head.

Though this strike would permanently lose most of his power, there was no hesitation in Ogrit's eyes.

He had no room for reserve before the Eternal Emperor's descendant.

RUMBLE!

As the spectral giant raised its greatsword, the surrounding world began not just distorting but breaking apart.

Along with this, terrifying pressure began pressing down on the entire battlefield as if trying to fix its target.

"KUGH!"

As suppressed screams flowed from people's mouths as they were driven into the ground, unable to even raise their heads- -Take this, descendant of eternity.

With the Archdemon's final words, the giant's greatsword raised to the sky's end finally fell.

World-Breaking Sword.

Pride's ultimate technique derived from the myth of the primordial giant cutting the world - a quasi-transcendent technique that imperfectly imitated techniques only divine beings could use while containing all his qualities of "pride" and "collective."

What would a strike containing everything from a being who had escaped fate and reincarnation's bonds be like?

Space itself warped from its mere mass, while fundamental elements constituting the world scattered to dust along the greatsword's path.

RUMBLE!

Pressure that continued increasing along with the falling greatsword as if refusing to allow even watching.

Feeling his feet being driven into the ground below from this pressure, Zion smiled slightly.

'It's been a while since I've seen power of this level.'

Different.

Pride's approaching strike was on a completely different dimension from any attack Zion had seen since entering the chronicle.

Truly power worthy of the name immortal.

However-

SWOOSH-

As Zion gripped the air to summon Eclaxia, no tension or anxiety existed in his eyes.

If the opponent contained transcendent status in one strike-

He would simply crush it with even greater power.

As if responding to Zion's will-

SCREECH!

Eclaxia began vibrating its blade and bursting with loud resonance.

This wasn't a scream.

This was joy.

Joy at greeting its master who had regained his original power.

And...

Joy at being able to unleash that technique once more!

SWOOSH-

Gently gripping such an Eclaxia, Zion slowly.

Very slowly began drawing his sword from left to right.

As if cutting something invisible, no, something non-existent.

Deeper than ever before.

More carefully than ever before.

No darkness existed, no power existed.

Just an infinitely pure horizontal cut.

This world is empty.

The burning flames, flowing water, blowing wind, even the sand forming the earth.

Everything constituting the world is empty, and this is an absolutely unchanging truth.

The Emperor who had glimpsed that truth in the past wondered:

The void signifying existence itself.

What would happen if one denied such void?

Path of Void.

One of the transcendent techniques the world-devouring Emperor could unleash despite not reaching divine status, and his strongest technique.

And finally, as the Emperor's sword completed its stroke-

Slice-

With a sound of something being cut-

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The light of everything vanished.