What Kreutzvalt aimed for was Hio’s body itself.
To make the divine authority sleeping within it his own, he had grown the vessel beyond a certain level, provided guidance, and waited.
Hio fought back because he knew this.
‘Kreutzvalt won’t try to kill me with all his might.’
He would try to prevent as much loss as possible and either keep Hio alive in an incapacitated state or, even if he killed him, ensure he secured an intact corpse.
That was why Hio could not back down.
Simply avoiding him would only lead into a corner. He had to strike back and draw out more of Kreutzvalt’s power. He had to move as if he were just barely within reach, inducing his master to exert even greater strength.
Even if he lost, he had to ensure he died cleanly in one go. He had to be annihilated instantly without leaving even the smallest remnant so that nothing would pass to Kreutzvalt.
Therefore, even as the Bone Dragons rushed in from three directions, Hio did not move. He simply made a call.
**[Skill — ‘Dragon Summoning Magic’ has been activated.]**
He called upon a single book that had been lost even in ancient times, its records faint. A giant, green book floated in the air. On its cover, the ancient language was clearly engraved.
The Book of Dragon Summoning.
**[Summoning an Ancient Dragon.]**
The pages began to flip rapidly, one by one, before coming to a sudden stop on a specific page. It had responded to the call.
**[The Dragon of Verdant Shade and Wind responds to the call.]**
It was not a fake dragon that was already dead with only a shell remaining. The last remaining true dragon was following the contract.
Green light burst forth from the Book of Dragon Summoning, which was created as a skill effect. When the light reached its peak, the three Bone Dragons arrived simultaneously, swinging their bone-only teeth, front paws, and tails.
*Crash!*
Even though it was a simple, blunt physical collision, the impact and the sound of the explosion were enough to cause a blast. The shockwave spread outward. Being at the center of such an impact, it seemed difficult for even Hio to remain unscathed.
**[Ancient Dragon — Freya manifests.]**
The voice heard through the smoke of the explosion belonged neither to Hio nor Kreutzvalt.
[YOU WHO CANNOT FIND REST EVEN IN DEATH.]
It was not a booming voice, but it shook the soul. It did not slash violently, but it crushed with overwhelming pressure. It was not a particularly strong wind, but it was a flesh-chilling gale.
[MY UNFORTUNATE KIN.]
The smoke cleared. The figures of the Bone Dragons began to appear, frozen in mid-air like fossils.
If the Master of the Abyss handled the depths as his own, the Dragon of Wind, who had protected the world since ancient times, handled the wind as if it were her own body. So how could a mere empty shell like a Bone Dragon face a true Ancient Dragon?
All the Magic Power in the area fluctuated. With a single word, she vibrated the Magic Power and raised the wind as her body. What she demonstrated was the power of the Dragon Tongue.
The wind blew.
**[DO NOT MATCH HEIGHTS WITH THE WIND LORD.]**
From high in the sky to the distant ground, it was as if a giant’s hand was pressing down. As if they were being dragged by something, the Master of the Wind did not permit flight.
*Boom!*
The dragons of the past, consisting only of bones, crashed into the ground simultaneously.
[HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN EVEN THE ANCIENT PROVERBS?]
The roar produced as the three Bone Dragons, each as large as Freya, crashed at once shook the earth. Dust clouds billowed. The dragon’s eyes looked down at them for a moment before turning her gaze.
Her green pupils were slit vertically. It was the gaze of a predator that placed everything in the world beneath its feet. However, the person facing it possessed the Eye of the Abyss, eyes so deep they could easily encompass even that.
“How interesting.”
Kreutzvalt wore a bizarre expression, grinning without a hint of tension even while facing a dragon.
“I went to the trouble of preparing necromancy techniques, but it seems you used them in the wrong place. Seeing as the dragon is so intact.”
The Eye of the Abyss scanned the dragon’s entire body. It was as if he could see through all the power contained within Freya.
“You should have used necromancy on the dragon. You should have made its power no different from yours through all sorts of restrictions. Or, you should have at least thought about destroying the dragon’s soul and taking its body for yourself. That was why I left the necromancy techniques for you.”
Freya and Hio’s eyes met briefly. Freya, immediately understanding his intent, tried to pressure Kreutzvalt with the Dragon Tongue.
“Soft, dull, and clumsy.”
But Kreutzvalt was one step faster. It was unknown when he had moved, but his staff was already raised.
“As expected, authority is a power far too great for you. My disciple.”
A pitch-black darkness suddenly formed. An abyss deeper than the abyss itself. It was Kreutzvalt’s Ideation, which devoured everything. Without any warning, it covered Freya’s head, wrapped around her two wings, and gagged her mouth.
With that single move, the dragon fell.
Kreutzvalt did not even glance at the dragon, looking only at Hio. His mouth glistened with blackness. Facing that abyss that broke into a grin, Hio also forced the corners of his mouth up.
He had finally drawn out Kreutzvalt’s Ideation.
“Shut up, you monster.”
‘The plan is half-successful.’
If the world were to end, would it look like this? Would there be such noise and such flashes of light?
The black abyss and the Azure Flame covered the entire sky, constantly clashing against each other. Directly below them, all sorts of skills exploded along with thunder, dazzling the eyes.
Thousands of monsters that had plunged the entire Holy Kingdom of Hibernia into despair were slammed into the ground simultaneously with a single gesture. Even as other monsters pouring from the stone coffins began to slaughter the existing ones, the two beings in the sky continued their fight as if they didn’t care about such things.
*Boom!*
Lightning sparked and space melted away. Their movements could not be followed by the eye, and the air exploded with each collision, making the ground tremble.
Humanity moved quickly, even while fearing and revering such supernatural power.
“There! They’re over there!”
“Move fast!”
They reorganized their formations, tended to the wounded, and even found Claire and Hamelot, who had been separated far away, leading them to safety.
*Crash!*
Even amidst this, the battle in the sky continued. Thousands of Strange Entities rushed toward one person, and hundreds of monsters cut them down without hesitation, blocking their path.
‘Looking at such a sight, how could anyone doubt?’
“Oh, Liphyue…”
‘How could anyone even think of the absence of a god?’
“It is the Apostle. The Apostle has been resurrected.”
“The Goddess of Liphyue sent the Apostle down for us.”
‘How could they not be in awe?’
The Sanctuary was the source of divinity and the mental pillar for all believers. This miracle appeared just before it collapsed.
“Ah… Liphyue!”
The priests knelt and joined their hands. Others stretched their arms high toward the sky. Even the commanders who tried to judge the situation coolly could only look up at the sky helplessly.
‘How could they intervene in that gap? What help could they provide? Like the kneeling priests, there was nothing they could do but pray.’
In the middle of that, a shadow suddenly cast over them.
“T-There…!”
The three Bone Dragons revealed themselves. They were the worst monsters from ancient legends, passed down only through records. What the Magician created to face them was a brilliant book.
The events that unfolded when it opened were also like the legends.
[MY UNFORTUNATE KIN.]
An absolute power disguised as wind blew from above. The three Bone Dragons were slammed into the ground at the same time.
*Boom!*
The impact was as if an entire fortress had fallen. The earth shrieked. A cloud of dust billowed.
Despite this, the energy in the sky remained the same. The overwhelming presence of the three beings was palpable. As everyone looked up at the sky, Hamelot turned his head to look beside him.
One woman was more beautiful and brilliant than anyone else despite her haggard complexion. He could only stare blankly at his young master, who had always hidden her sadness.
Even as she was surrounded by priests and receiving treatment, and even though her condition was so poor, Claire had a brighter expression than ever before. She wore the smile he had only imagined in his head, and her red eyes burned with a hot light.
Hio had drawn out Kreutzvalt’s Ideation. That meant he was being serious. It meant he had judged that Hio could not be suppressed with moderate strength.
Therefore, he was half-successful. Even if he were defeated, Hio would be cleanly annihilated by that power without leaving a single hair or a fragment of his soul.
Even if things didn’t go as planned, the divine authority would never pass to Kreutzvalt. And if he started using his power in earnest, it was certain that ‘that time’ would come sooner.
“Heh heh.”
Kreutzvalt’s voice, having pulled out an Ideation so bizarre it was strange to even call it that, spread out strangely to match it. The voice itself spread like an abyss, shaking the mind.
Kreutzvalt reached out. With that small movement—a strike difficult to notice—Freya began to fall in an instant.
With a second strike, Kreutzvalt’s Ideation began to fill the abyss covering the sky.
**[Skill — ‘Azure Flame’ has been canceled.]**
With the third strike, the sea of Azure Flames was swallowed by the abyssal sky. In an instant, the entire world was shrouded in darkness. The Azure Flame went out, and the abyss took control of the world.
**[Skill — ‘Thunder Emperor’ is being activated.]**
**[Skill — ‘Flare’ has been activated.]**
**[Skill — ‘Explosion’ has been activated.]**
**[Skill — ‘Wind Blade’ has been activated.]**
In that brief moment, Hio fired every skill he could at Kreutzvalt.
**[Skill — ‘Flare’ has been canceled.]**
**[Skill — ‘Explosion’ has been canceled.]**
**[Skill — ‘Wind Blade’ has been canceled.]**
It made no difference. They were greedily devoured by Kreutzvalt’s Ideation, which swallowed everything. The thick abyssal Ideation that had swallowed all the skills grew even larger and approached Hio.
**[Skill — ‘Blink’ has been activated.]**
**[Skill — ‘Blink’ has been canceled.]**
**[Skill — ‘Gravity’ has been activated.]**
**[Skill — ‘Gravity’ has been canceled.]**
**[Skill — ‘Dark Dome’ has been activated.]**
**[Skill — ‘Dark Dome’ has been canceled.]**
No skill, no means worked. Even if he imbued them with Ideation, no matter how heavy the weight of his patience or responsibility, it did not work inside Kreutzvalt’s black space, which was an infinite abyss.
It was because he was not human, but the Master of the Abyss.
While flashy skills flashed and were canceled incessantly to the point where one could not even open their eyes, the abyss approached silently. Kreutzvalt’s Ideation eventually surrounded all the space around Hio.
Hio faced Kreutzvalt again, surrounded by infinite darkness like a space within the abyss. Only the two of them remained.
Was he feeling joy at this moment? Or was even this an act? Kreutzvalt did not hide his happy expression as he approached right in front of Hio.
“Finally, this moment has come. It has been such a long wait.”
He slowly reached out his hand.
**[Skill — ‘Blink’ has been canceled…]**
**[Skill — ‘Blink’ has been canceled…]**
**[Skill — ‘Blink’ has been canceled…]**
Hio struggled, but the skills still didn’t work.
**[The summoned target of the skill ‘Dragon Summoning Magic’ is judged to be incapacitated.]**
**[In accordance with the contract of ‘Dragon Summoning Magic’, the Ancient Dragon ‘Freya’ is being unsummoned.]**
The dragon had been completely suppressed.
“Be happy, Pavlenko.”
Kreutzvalt’s hand was right in front of him.
“I am finally becoming whole.”
The black abyss wavered in it. It felt as if his mind would be sucked into it. Yet, even in such a moment…
“Haha…”
Hio was smiling. It was because he had discovered the sign. He could clearly feel the End of the World, a certain solemn law, binding Kreutzvalt.
“Go back to the abyss and reflect some more.”
‘Was it the power of a god? Or was it someone’s sacrifice?’ From the beginning, Kreutzvalt was a being who could not leave the World’s End for more than a certain amount of time. He himself called it a shackle that could not be broken.
‘Was it a punishment? Or was this even the price for black magic? Was it so painful that he struggled so much to obtain the power of a god?’
He didn’t know, but…
“Congratulations, you bastard.”
Kreutzvalt had already stopped with that same joy-filled expression. His outstretched palm could not even think of moving right in front of Hio and remained still for a while. Then, his form vanished like smoke.
The abyss that had become a part of him by receiving his Ideation, and the Strange Entities that had transformed by receiving his power, all disappeared in an instant.
The midday sun was still hanging in the sky from which the abyss had retreated. It had simply been invisible because of the darkness that was thicker than light. Everyone had simply forgotten it because it was hidden. In fact, it was still shining down on everyone from high in the sky.
The abyss vanished, and the darkness lifted. In the revealed sky, only one person remained floating. The one who looked down at the ground with his back to the sun.
“Hio… Pavlenko…”
The hero had returned.
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