Chapter 227: The Fall of the Abyss

The Sword Star, Bitalianus Mahel.

A great Sword Saint who never once faltered, even amidst countless wars and tragedies. That same Bitalianus was currently walking alone through the darkness.

He came to a sudden halt and scanned his surroundings for a moment.

“So, it is,” he murmured.

Finding it too difficult to look any longer, he slowly closed his eyes.

“In the end, it has come to this.”

He was a man who never despaired, no matter the situation. He never broke. He had never bowed his head before anyone except the Emperor. He never looked down at his feet, nor did he ever look back. Whatever stood before him, he only looked straight ahead. He believed that was the path of a Hero and the duty he had to fulfill.

Therefore, even at this moment, he did not bow his head. He simply closed his eyes slowly and wiped his face with one hand. That alone was his substitute for bowing.

“Yes… so that is how it is…”

He merely whispered to himself in his solitude.

***

Freya’s time flowed rapidly. Aerial’s memories were rushing past.

She estimated that decades or even hundreds of years might have passed. However, the time experienced through Aerial’s eyes felt like only a few months.

It was the life of a Dragon. It was a life that was infinitely tedious, quiet, and static. Many things must have happened during that time. The world would have changed endlessly. Yet, the life of a Dragon did not change. They were absolute beings, remaining unmoved even by the torrent of time.

Perhaps that was why it felt even more significant. A life that remained calm despite any storm was so static that it was ironically vulnerable.

Interest.

Not in the world, but in a change within her own life. A small movement was like a high wave, and a tiny resonance became a massive vibration that shook Aerial’s world.

—”The Dragon Knight has been born.”

A Dragon Knight, born with the fate of a companion, had come into the world. It was a change and a birth that had not occurred in thousands of years.

—”It seems the time has arrived.”

The birth of a Dragon Knight meant that a major event, one capable of affecting the entire Dragon Race, was imminent.

—”Preparations are being made.”

Not much time remained. Had not a significant amount of time passed since the first meeting Freya had witnessed? The gods remained silent regarding the Abyssal Depths, and the Dragons had already decided to oppose the Abyss on their own.

—”Nothing will change. Well then, let us gather again when that day comes.”

***

After finishing their piece, the forms of the Dragons vanished one by one. As the meeting concluded, Aerial’s gaze slowly drifted downward.

A tiny creature was meeting her gaze with clear, bright eyes. Aerial had suppressed her presence, but there should have still been an inescapable power and pressure. Yet, the creature showed no fear. After staring for a long while, the yellow eyes crinkled into a smile. Aerial’s green eyes could not help but curve in the same way.

“Regarda Ovierre.”

She approached slowly and picked up the small creature, holding him carefully as if he might break.

“That is your name.”

From now on, Regarda and Aerial were never apart for a single moment. She taught him how to speak and write, and she opened the library of the temple to pass on the knowledge of the world. She personally taught him various weapon techniques, and when he showed the most interest in spears, she encouraged him to pursue that path.

On days with good weather, she would take Regarda and fly through the sky. After repeating this a few times, perhaps because he had felt the wind directly, his Spear Arts became even more sophisticated and sharp.

Sharing such a process brought greater joy and happiness than she could have imagined. Ten minutes of conversation with Regarda were more enjoyable than 100 years of reigning as an absolute being. A few decades of teaching Regarda were a more valuable happiness than 1,000 years of serving as a guardian. Hundreds of years had once felt like a few months, but now, a single day held more meaning than hundreds of years.

However, time continued to flow, and the appointed time eventually arrived.

The time was now. The moment had finally come.

—”We shall reach the Abyss first.”

Regarda was currently out. She had not informed him of this plan in the first place. It was a plan that would bring him no good to know.

“If we fail… we will all be extinguished.”

—”You state the obvious. Aerial, do you fear extinction?”

Aerial could not answer the Red Dragon’s question. Extinction? She did not fear it. However, she did fear death. To be precise, she feared what came after death.

“……You have learned fear, Aerial. Is it because of the Dragon Knight?”

“You will understand once you have something precious of your own.”

—”You speak like a human. You are not human. Judge and act as a guardian of the world.”

“……I know.”

The plan would be executed as soon as tomorrow’s sun rose. Every Dragon was aware of what the Abyss was and how dangerous it could be. Therefore, they intended to enter the Abyss themselves before it could break through. That was the plan, and the decision they made as guardians.

—”It would be best to tell the Dragon Knight as well, rather than delaying it any further.”

” “

—”It might be the last time.”

The ancient Red Dragon vanished after those final words. He was returning to his own temple to finalize his preparations.

“I should…”

Aerial also finished her preparations to cross over into the Abyss. It was the first war in thousands of years. There had been minor issues over time, but this was the first time the Dragon Race was moving with their very lives on the line. They viewed this as the worst possible crisis.

“Because they consider this the first and last opportunity.”

Even for the Dragon Race, who were the progenitors of magic and handled Magic Power as if it were their own bodies, this much time had been required just for preparation. Opening a passage to the Abyss was no simple task. They had captured signs of the Abyss moving and used that to create a secret passage. Since the Abyss could potentially use that passage in reverse, they had to invade all at once and close the passage immediately.

That was the role Aerial had been assigned. Closing the passage. And after that, she was to give instructions through Regarda.

“He will be very surprised, but it cannot be helped.”

She didn’t know the exact reason, but she hadn’t wanted to tell Regarda until the very end. She didn’t want to drag him into this terrible war. But Regarda was already a knight so strong that it was hard to find a match for him in the human world, and his understanding of the Dragon Race went without saying.

There were things that only a Dragon Knight could do. That was why Aerial was making these preparations.

Then, the terrible catastrophe arrived instantly.

‘……!’

The passage opened. No, it was torn apart. It was as if it had been waiting for this exact moment.

**[Meaningless Void, Abyssal Depths]**

It was a space surrounded by a deep, thick darkness, but it did not feel entirely bleak due to the countless divinities shining like stars.

**[O, Master of that place]**

Antipus stood at the center of it all. At least, that was how it felt to him. A feeling like he was standing at the center of the world. An overflowing power. A sensation that he could do anything he desired.

**[Accept your extinction]**

They were annoying. These numerous divine beings floating like stars. Their arrogant gazes, looking down as if at a lesser being, were irritating.

These were not Antipus’s own thoughts. They were the thoughts of the master of this body—the one he was seeing, hearing, and feeling through. Capturing that unpleasant emotion perfectly, he opened his mouth.

—”Did you all swarm here just to take me down?”

Accompanied by a cackling laugh, his radiating will was fired at all the gods like a cannonball, delivered with an explosive force. A massive will was loaded into a single light word, enough to tear a human apart.

—”Even while discarding all those Dragons you supposedly cherished?”

It was ridiculous. The being Antipus was witnessing found it truly hilarious. They had acted with all sorts of hypocrisy about “cherishing” them, yet they had turned a blind eye to the extinction of the Dragon Race. No, it was certain they had let it happen while knowing it would occur. Only then could they have descended into the Abyss themselves.

‘Was light not originally an existence gilded with lies, superstition, and affectation?’

—”How is it? I have personally struck down every Dragon, just as you wished.”

Thanks to that, those loathsome things had crossed over here directly, but it didn’t matter. It was ridiculous and fun. Watching the Dragons die while covered in distrust and horror had been quite interesting.

—”You loathsome things, who deceived eyes with splendor and deafened ears to grow your power.”

A voice like scraping metal echoed through the Abyss. It felt as if it were echoing through the universe.

—”Do you truly think you can extinguish me?”

The being sincerely believed it. He believed they could not extinguish him. Was it because he was strong enough to face all the gods? That was true, but it wasn’t the complete answer.

—”I shall never be extinguished.”

As long as there is light, darkness will not disappear. As long as gods exist, the Abyss must also exist. The stronger the light, the deeper the darkness.

Too much time had passed. The gods had grown their power excessively, and their influence was among the greatest in the entire universe. However, it was an absolute law of the world that two sides must exist. Consequently, the Abyss had also grown massive. It had grown enough to face all of them.

—”You have taken a meaningless step despite knowing that. Beltesia.”

At the being’s words, the single most brightly shining star approached slowly. No, it was approaching rapidly. It only appeared slow because it was so far away. A giant of massive divinity reached the space directly in front of the being in an instant.

**[We do not perform meaningless actions]**

—”Foolish, arrogant thing. Why can you not admit that you and I have no choice but to coexist?”

**[We have come because we admitted it]**

—”If you admitted it, you should not have come. You should have quietly enjoyed the amusement of war while receiving the praise you love so much.”

**[Long words are unnecessary. Accept your extinction. O, Master of the Abyss.]**

The divine giant reached out. A brilliant, five-colored light surged forth, striking at the being—at Antipus. The mere thought of trying to measure the weight of the power contained in that light made his mind feel distant.

—”I told you, it is meaningless.”

The being lightly deflected such power and even launched a counterattack. He did not engage in primitive acts like moving his body. The world, covered by the Abyss, reacted to his will alone.

The divine giant was pierced by the counterattack. Its head was severed, and its arms were torn away.

—”……What?”

The oldest divinity had fallen far too easily. The last remaining five-colored eye pierced through the being. It looked directly at Antipus, who was sifting through its memories.

**[Both the light and the Abyss. Everything.]**

As long as there is light, the Abyss will not be extinguished. To put it another way, if there is no light, the Abyss can be extinguished.

**[Accept your extinction]**

With that final, massive resonance, every god floating like a star unleashed their respective authorities. The world was dyed in light, and the Abyss shook heaven and earth to oppose it. One by one, the lights were extinguished, but many lights remained, and their will was far too noble.

Following that distant battle.

“……Gah!”

Antipus snapped his eyes open.