Shaaaack-!
Space tore apart as the ten meter long aura blade seemed to vanish. If the world was like a watercolor painting, then Zest’s blade was a stroke of ink. Physical strength and defense didn’t even exist in front of it, as the blade was meant to destroy the space which the opponent existed in, rather than cutting the person.
Even the senior demon, Magnus, couldn’t be careless against this attack!
【 No?! 】
Magnus’ eyes widened in astonishment as the aura blade cut Magnus’ head, heart, and neck. The blade forcibly carved away a piece of the material world. There was no way to survive this sphere of destruction. A physical body would be torn to pieces, disappearing without a trace.
This was Zest Speitem’s special move, space destruction. It was a technique where the aura blade literally shattered space around its target. Even Orta would die if he was hit by this move.
Countless blades of light surrounded Magnus.
Hwaaak!
Black blood sprayed outward as the distinctive smell of sulfur filled the air. It was evidence that Zest’s attack had finally injured Magnus’ body, which didn’t exist in the material world.
“Kuheok!”
The aftershock of space shattering caused Theo to cough up blood as he maintained the summoning spell.
Damn, I can’t last much longer!
.
The summoning circle had deformed to the extent that it couldn’t be recognized as a magic circle anymore, and the connection with Magnus was teetering on the brink of severance. It wouldn’t be strange if Magnus’ summoning was canceled immediately.
Zest was exhausted after using all of his aura, but he was convinced of his own victory.
【―Good, now is it my turn? 】
The demon moved, seemingly ignoring his shattered body.
“What?!”
Magnus’ flaming sword, a greatsword which was larger than the pillar of a building, slashed at Zest at an amazing speed. But while Zest no longer had the strength to block it, he desperately dodged to the side.
As expected of Andras’ strongest swordsman, he managed to reduce the damage to the maximum by dodging.
Kwaang!
Alas, that didn’t mean he avoided injury. Magnus’ destructive power had left Zest with both arms broken, four snapped ribs, and seriously damaged internal organs. If there had been a little more strength, Zest would’ve died.
【 As expected, I’m sorry. In the end, I am lacking that final move. 】
Instead of chasing after him, Magnus turned to Theo and grumbled.
【 Summoner, you should prepare yourself for the next few minutes. 】
Despite his exhaustion, Theo looked up. “Is there a reason why I have to hurry?”
【 That human’s skill has touched the dimensional gate. My flames and the boundaries of this material world are bound together, so this whole area will be blown away. 】
Theo’s eyes widened. “Surely, it isn’t dimensional shaking?”
【 As expected from a magician. 】
Magnus’ body gradually faded away. The connection which brought him to the material world had finally dissipated, so it was natural for him to return to his original world. The demon, who enjoyed himself after thousands of years, disappeared, and the space around him distorted.
Huuuuuuong!
Magnus had been correct. After Magnus disappeared, the entire space where the magic circle was drawn had distorted. A world which couldn’t be understood by the human senses unfolded, as a dizzying array of sound and sights bombarded Theo. Theo tried to rise to his feet, but panicked when he found that the ground had already disappeared. It wasn’t a phenomenon which could be escaped with human legs.
He would die. So he went with his first instinct. If he couldn’t find the answer, he knew someone who would.
Gluttony!
– I was already awake. You didn’t have to call me so urgently, User.?
Gluttony was as calm as usual, despite Theo standing at the crossroad of life and death. Its attitude calmed Theo’s impatience. Gluttony was trustworthy as always as he delivered some instructions.
– Protect your body before I give you a way to escape this place.If you take advantage of Umbra’s strength, you can resolve some of the pressure of this distorted space.
Use Dimensional Leave?
– Umbra relies on mental power, not magic power.Even if your magic power is depleted, you can hold it for about thirty seconds.
Theo felt his breathing ease as soon as he unleashed Umbra’s strength. The distorted space had made it hard for him to breathe. Theo grew calmer when he could breathe again, and Gluttony moved onto the next step.
– You need something to get out of here.
That something, do I already have it?
– That’s right.It is necessary to bring out Death’s Worship.
‘What?’
Theo was lost for words. This was the grimoire that had created thousands of undead a few years ago and contained the soul of the ancient legendary warlock, Jerem. He was a specter of the 9th Circle that didn’t belong to this age. Yet Gluttony wanted to release the grimoire that had turned an ordinary magician into a top-grade undead in just three months?
However, Gluttony’s explanation convinced him.
… I roughly understand your explanation. The grimoire’s space transfer ability will allow me to escape this place?
– That’s correct.
Theo lacked proficiency in space magic, and he couldn’t escape from this distorted space with his Circles being overloaded. In that case, he should grab onto an item that could already escape. The space transfer feature of the grimoire could go anywhere on the continent, so Gluttony devised a method to grab onto the grimoire’s instinct to escape. The destination might be a bit random, but Theo nodded.
“Okay, let’s try it.”
There was no time left to worry, and he had no other options. Theo held out his left hand nervously. He hoped he wasn’t making a mistake here.
“Come out, Death’s Worship!”
A grimoire wrapped in chains emerged.
《■■■■■■■―――!!》
Was it an expression of joy from its liberation, or an outburst of anger? The grimoire let out a terrible roar and exerted itself to escape from this space. Theo could see that the grimoire wasn’t affected by the distortion of space. Rather, space was bending around Death’s Worship.
At that moment, Gluttony stretched out its tongue.
– Where are you going alone?
《■■■…!? ■■■■…!》
– Shut up!
The grimoire struggled against the tongue that grabbed it. It didn’t seem like much, but Gluttony and Death’s Worship were fighting fiercely in this distorted space. Theo watched them in nervous anticipation. He could only maintain Dimensional Leave for another ten seconds. After that, he would be crushed by the pressure.
However, Death’s Worship wasn’t a grimoire that could beat Gluttony.
– Good!We are leaving, User!
Death’s Worship had apparently decided to jump, despite being caught by Gluttony’s tongue. Theo disappeared seconds before the distorted space was about to explode.
Flash!
A moment after he vanished, a tremendous, superheated, shockwave exploded outward.
***
The explosion was so large that even the inhabitants of Sipoto could see it from tens of kilometers away. The flames burned the clouds, and the earth screamed. It didn’t resemble an explosion as much as it did a volcanic eruption. In fact, the dust it threw up darkened the skies of Sipoto for a full day.
The space distortion alone hadn’t caused the explosion. A large part of the explosion had come from Ragnaros, the hell ruled by Fulito the demon king. The boundary between Ragnaros and the material world had been broken, so Fulito’s hell had eroded the material world at that location. A world where thousands of hot winds always blew and lava overflowed instead of water… It was a catastrophe for the material world.
Fortunately, there were no casualties. Theo had purposely fled into the wilderness to avoid getting innocent people caught up in his battle with Zest.
Kukukung…
The land continued to groan even after the explosion had quieted. The noise mixed with the sound of the wind created an eerie feeling. However, the same was true for someone who arrived at the battlefield covered in a black robe.
“… Finally, I found it.”
Delight and unpleasant joy overflowed from the mysterious robed figure. Their eyes, exposed through the robe, were gently curved and moist, as if they were holding back tears. One of the four horsemen, the white knight, spoke with tremble in their voice.
“Apostle of Death. Our merciful master, who will lead us to the path of immortality?!” 𝙚𝙙𝙣𝒐𝙫𝙚𝙡.𝙤𝙧𝒈
It was a voice that sounded like a bell, and resonated in the devastated wilderness. It was an unfamiliar feeling for them, but they weren’t surprised. After all, they had been waiting centuries for the resurrection of the Apostle of Death and had actively sought his relics.
He was the founder of the four horsemen. History had forgotten him, but he had been the king of hell. He was the notorious warlock whose four horsemen tried to dye this material world with death…
Even now, humans who learned black magic admired and feared him, and high-ranking demons still remembered his name after thousands of years. Even so, the successors to the four horsemen hadn’t recognized it till now.
“Ah! Please pardon our foolishness! The rudeness we have committed! We were stupid for not recognizing you!” The white knight, Hipatia, bowed deeply before all traces disappeared. “Next time I will find you, Lord Jerem.”
Theo didn’t know it yet. He never thought that another puzzle piece would be placed due to the grimoire he had taken out as an escape method. Ashen powder blew around Hipatia as she turned away. She had to share the good news with the other horsemen as soon as possible.
No one knew what kind of incident would come about because of this revelation.
For now, it was enough to know that the battle between Zest Speitem and Theodore Miller, who had summoned a demon that hadn’t appeared in thousands of years, had devastated the land.
It took a few days for the news of the great battle in the Sipoto wilderness to reach Meltor.