Chapter 1277: Imitation Gaia
As the name implied, Forrund’s Divine Sword Imitation could create a replica of a divine sword.
The enormous, misshapen sword in Forrund’s hands was the splitting image of Ashwrath’s divine sword Gaia.
However, the pressure I felt from it seemed weaker than the original Gaia. Anyone would recognize it as the Grand Earthblade, but the aura was a bit off.
As expected of an imitation. Of course, inheriting even a fraction of Gaia’s immense powers would make it way stronger than anything we can do.
The pressure emanating from the imitation blade caused the air to tremble, sending shivers across Fran’s skin.
We reflexively distanced ourselves using teleportation, a sign how much danger we felt.
「What... is that...?」
Even Apollonius took a step back in astonishment. However, quickly recovering from the shock, he began to laugh maniacally.
「Hahahahaha! Fantastic! Truly befitting of the Rank A adventurers that have antagonized Raydoss for so long! How reliable it is to have you on our side!」
Forrund promptly sprinted past Fran and slammed the imitation Gaia into Laranflura.
「Haaah! Binds of the Land!」 N♡vεlB¡n: A Haven for Bookworms and Dreamers.
「Gah... G-Gwuaaaah!」
He effortlessly shattered what was left of the seemingly invincible barrier, gouging out Laranflura’s stomach as well. Furthermore, numerous black chains sprang forth from the earth and entangled her body.
She was dragged down to the ground, and restrained with her massive body lying on her back.
More and more black chains sprung forth, covering Laranflura’s entire body and binding her to the earth. She attempted to break free, but her body wouldn’t move as if trapped by an invisible force.
I think I figured out the secret behind this. Judging by the huge amount of mana, she was actually getting pinned by some sort of super-gravity. Regardless of her intense resistance, the binds showed no sign of breaking.
Even as an imitation, Forrund’s weapon was truly a divine sword. He went on to deliver a second strike.
「Rage of the Land!」
「How can you——WAARGHH!!」
He shrouded the enormous imitation Gaia in black divine energy, swinging it down towards Laranflura. If that technique hit us, we would likely disappear without leaving a trace. Teleporting away is the only way to survive. The divine energy infused in it was that formidable.
However, the Superhuman General refused to take this sitting down.
「AAAAAAAARGHH!!」
Laranflura released an immense amount of mana from her entire body. Devouring tens of thousands of people had turned her into a monster that could hardly be called mortal.
This surge of super-dense mana shattered the chains, clashing with the imitation divine sword.
Simultaneously, I sensed joy coming from the Evil God Fragment within me.
It seems Laranflura’s sent her mana through the leylines and blasted it at the fragments sealed in this land, delivering a devastating blow. Those tremors were akin to the fragments’ screams.
But why would that make the fragment within me happy?
「!」
『Do you hate the others or something?』
「!」
Perhaps fragments of the Evil God aren’t necessarily friendly with each other. My fragment appeared to harbor resentment towards the others.
Everyone was surprised by Laranflura’s actions. The sudden earthquake that followed left them even more confused.
That said, Laranflura had clearly exhausted the last of her strength. The cracks in the giant crystal spread, until the entire thing had crumbled apart.
The remaining chunks melted away into dust, leaving only the lump of flesh that contained the Holy Mother.
Was Laranflura still holding her prisoner...? As we were wondering what to do, Sibylla suddenly screamed.
「Gwah...!」
「Sibylla?」
Visibly in pain, Sibylla fell to one knee.
(Master!)
『On it! Vishnu!』
Ignoring the heavy costs, I invoked Vishnu on Sibylla. However, this proved to be futile. While she showed some signs of recovery, the pain only came back just as hard.
「...Fuhaha... Sibylla of the Red Sword, I’m taking you down with me... There’s no saving you now. I applied the Chimera’s power to make your monster factor go berserk. Descend into monsterhood like the savage you are...」
Again, Laranflura’s voice echoed from an unknown location. Fran gripped me tightly, but a certain man jumped into action before I could do anything.
「Orooooooogh! What have you done to my daughter?! Ora!」
It was Apollonius. He cut down the crumbling flesh along with an angry shout. The last piece of what was once Laranflura incinerated into black smoke under Apollonius’s flames.
Ten seconds later, an somehow unharmed Holy Mother emerged from the remains, along with Laranflura’s decapitated head, now normal-sized. It seems this head was acting as her core.
「Oi, cancel the berserk factor thing!」
「So this is the love of a stepfather? I see you are quite agitated! But it’s already too late. Not even I can stop it now!」
「I’ll fucking kill you!」
「By all means, go ahead! I can only maintain myself for a few minutes either way. Fuhahaha! I hope you enjoy watching Sibylla turn into a monster!」