Volume 4: Chapter 292 – The Return of the Age of the Gods (2/2)

The hero was just like a beast with the finest meat placed before it as he licked his lips and lecherously eyed Reshia.

“You’re not going anywhere!”

The God of WarVaishura stood before him, but the hero did not pay her any mind.

“You think you can stop me?”

Already, the hero’s voice was not that of a human’s, filled with a dignity of a being that has watched over humanity since ancient times. From out of the hero’s body came pouring torrents of mana, a sort of divine authority that acted as an armor and rejected all attacks from the world.

“Dwell in My Sword, CalamityDizae Rugo!”

The power of the God of War filled the sword of black flames, but though that power had once sent the hero flying, the hero proceeded undaunted, a wry smile appearing on his face as though such a thing was not even a threat. The only thing reflected in his eyes was the figure of his beloved daughterZenobia that he has been searching for, and the girl who has received her favor, Reshia Fel Zeal.

The sword of black flames touched the body of the hero.

“—!?”

But the sword merely vanished as it touched him; Vaishura opened her eyes wide in surprise.

“O Black Flames, Burst.Burst.”

Immediately, she decided to make her sword of black flames explode, but the hero came out completely unharmed.

“So you’ve manifested too…”

“Ah, Zenobia… Just wait. I’ll be there soon…”

The hero muttered deliriously. His eyes could no longer see Vaishura.

「──My tears are…Call.”

Ativ’s aura covered the whole world. Vaishura, who has already determined that it was impossible to inflict any wounds with a half-hearted attack, removed her eyepatch to reveal a red eye that burned fiercely. That was the crimson eye of the girl known as the Saint of FlamesEliza Sol Rain.

“Scorch the Heavens With the Flames of WarRain!”

“…Verid.”

The wyverns that should have been wiped out were brought back by the guidance of the Goddess of Destiny. The sight of the saints gathering around those irritated Gawain, but for just a moment, he turned to the God of War. A faint smile could be seen hidden behind Verid’s hair as she apologized to Gawain.

“Sorry. I’ll be going ahead.”

The thunderclouds split to reveal the specialty of the former hero. Flames and black flames mixed with each other as a star burned red hot, dyeing the heavens and the earth in the color of its raging fire as this enemy god of the world unleashed her full power.

Even Douhet the Flame Ryuu and Saint Reshia did not escape the scope of that attack, but when the hero looked up at it, only a faint smile could be found on him.

“…So even a fallen god is still a god, huh.”

In his long sword was the mana that formed the world. He sucked that out and refined it into a blade.

“The World Exists for MeEnchant!”

Then uttered a chant that could change the world. As a miracle gathered into his hand, a divine sword that could cut through everything gathered into his long sword, then with the might of heaven imbued in his sword, he drew a stroke, splitting the star with a thunderous roar. But even then, two stars still remained. Though cut, they maintained their weight, and would – at this rate – surely fall into the ground and give rise to a powerful explosion.

Hence, the hero had to go up to a higher area.

“Seven Strokes of Heaven’s Might.”

The star that should’ve fallen to smite that hateful foe blew up in the sky under the power of those seven strokes. With the composition formula sustaining the spell broken, the spell itself could no longer maintain itself and could only collapse.

That was the attack that the God of War had staked everything on. Yet when it exploded, the only thing that fell on the earth was a smoke. The power of the God of War could still be felt beyond that smoke, but the hero could tell that the power was weak, no different from a mere human.

“Fufuhahahahaha!!!”

The hero laughed. Already, the God of War has been defeated. There was no power that could threaten him anymore.

“──Know the regret of my friend!”

But behind the scattering stardust, from beyond the veil of smoke, suddenly approached the God of War. The hero had used his power to get rid of the falling stars, but that was exactly what the God of War was waiting for, and she suddenly appeared and penetrated the hero with her sword of black flames.

“──You!”

Understandably, even the hero found himself faltering in the face of that attack, but the God of War had already used all of her strength, so it was not possible for her to continue any further.

The hero swung his arm, and the God of War vanished like a smoke as though there was no one else there in the first place.

Gawain, who had been furiously watching from the heavens, had no choice but to bellow out a roar and turn around. Now that the God of War has been defeated, it was impossible for him to challenge the hero and the Goddess of Destiny alone and win. Despite his wrath, Gawain remained collected enough to understand that and begin to flee, but before he could, he turned his attention to Reshia Fel Zeal. When he saw that girl, who healed Douhet’s wounds, face the approaching hero without fear, he immediately descended.

“You’re not getting her!”

Gawain yelled as he rammed his body against the hero.

“You think a snake could get in my way!?”

The hero spat angrily as he held down the wound left by the God of War.

He reached for the air, and spears appeared in the sky. There were over a thousand of them all in all, every one of them dripping with poison, brimming with electricity, or burning with great heat.

“Skewer HimVana Se!”

Then the spears simultaneously shot out for Gawain as though each spear possessed a will of its own.

“ThundersZand!”

But lightning descended from the heavens and burned them away.

“Go.”

Liuryuna sent the saints into the skies where the spears flew wildly about. With lightning striking madly according to Gawain’s will, and the spears shooting madly at the behest of the hero, charging there could surely be nothing more than suicide, yet the girls that have been turned into saints rode on wyvern back and charged in without hesitation.

When Gawain’s assault waned a little, the hero summoned a spear in his hand.

“Die!”

He casually threw it, but it shot forth at an absurd speed for the heavenly ryuu. Clad in purple lightning, that heavenly spear, the Wyvern SplitterGrand Grim was a weapon that the God of Weapons, Gurdiga, once forged during the Age of the Gods; a spear invulnerable to any lightning. Gawain had no recourse but to dodge it, but when he did, the powerful winds the heavenly spear brought with it transformed into blades that sliced him apart, staggering him and allowing countless spears to penetrate him from every direction, then the dragon lances found their way into him. The saints, riding on wyvern back, had struck him with their spears forged out of dragon fangs.

Lightning Hammer of WrathMegiddo!”

Lightning struck down from the heavens, burning everything including Gawain himself. His eyes dyed in red as he roared angrily.

When he looked below him at the hero, the flying warships rammed themselves into him. The other ryuus tried to stop them, but four of the flying warships unleashed magic bullets of water, wind, lighting, and fire. Gawain lost himself to his anger and bit a large part of a ship, but then a massive magic bullet was unleashed straight at him from the main gun, knocking him unconscious and sending him crashing into the ground. Somehow, he managed to rouse himself awake and fly again, but there was no overturning this battle anymore. All he could do now was to lead his ryuus to retreat.

The flying warships gave chase, and when the hero looked up and saw that, he laughed while pressing down on his wounds. Standing before him was the saint, Reshia Fel Zeal, with her arms extended to protect the ryuu behind her. No, already, the only person the hero could see was his beloved daughter, Zenobia.

“Ah, Zenobia—”

“You wretched man!”

Douhet got up and attacked the hero along with an angry bellow. The hero had his guard down completely, but the saints led by the Goddess of Destiny protected him with their own body.

“Get lost!”

The hero casually swung his sword, and Douhet was sent flying away.

“Douhet-san!”

Reshia cried out, but Douhet too like the other ryuus had no choice but to back down.

At long last, the hero finally got what he wanted.

“Ah, Zenobia, my beloved daughter. At along last, you’re finally with me…”

The moment the hero’s hand touched Reshia, she lost consciousness and fell into the hero’s hand. The hero caressed her cheeks while she lay there unconscious and laughed.

“Fu ha ha ha!!　Humans, multiply and fill the world!　Endlessly, forever!　And those lesser than men shall tremble in fear!　Now, hear the song of the Goddess of Victory and GloryHekaterina!　For our age has come once again. Let all of creation prostrate!　The time for my prayer’s answer has come!!　Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!”

With his sword pierced into the scorched land, and the saint in his arms, the hero laughed madly, his voice resounding sonorously.

◆◆◇

The Goddess of the UnderworldAltesia closed her eyes in her temple.

She could hear all of the events on the ground and all the voices struggling beneath. When she opened her eyes a little, she noticed the person before her.

“…”

It was one of her servants, kneeling before her with her head hung down.

“…”

Her long black hair hid her expression, and she didn’t say anything either, but as the master of the underworld, she knew all too well what she wanted to say.

It would not do for her to dissuade someone that yearned to fulfill her duty.

“…Go. Fight to your heart’s content.”

With an elbow rested on the armrest of her chair, she leisurely permitted her to go.

“Thank you!”

The God of War bowed her head even deeper, then raised her head once to look at her master.

“Master, I will grant your wish with my life!”

The way she smiled was just like that of an innocent child. But she gradually vanished, and in her place soon appeared a strange goblin. That was the small one that sought to conquer the world as her pawn. She smiled at him.

“You won’t kneel, will you?”

“Is that what you want?　A goddess like you?”

That pair of crimson eyes reflected the Goddess of the Underworld.

“Betivia and Verid have left. Gawain was defeated, and Perseval can’t move because of the giants… My old comrades in war… Those that served me are leaving one by one.”

Her golden eyes never left the Goblin King. Every one of her words was a chain that bound her servants tighter than a curse, yet the Goblin King refused to kneel, and that made her smile.

“Fu fu fu, you really are interesting. My beloved is too strong, so there’s no way you’ll be able to win. Besides, that’s your body. Even if you manage to hurt him, the one who’ll suffer is you.”

“I know.”

The Goblin King looked down at his body, and there, on the spot where the God of War had attacked the hero, could be seen a spot bursting with black flames.

“Even then?”

“Yes. Even then, I can’t give up.”

“In that case, I shall bestow upon your body the power of the underworld. You, who walk through mountains of corpses and rivers of blood in pursuit of domination, on your shoulders shall rest the struggling souls of the warriors that fell into the abyss, and in exchange, you shall offer your life. What is your response?”

“In the names of those that have fought with me, and on the names of my sworn enemies, I pledge to prove my courage!!”

The Goblin King tapped his chest with a declaration, and the temple shook.

“Go forth then. For you, who seek the heavens above, I’m sure the God of War’sVaishura’s protection will watch over you. As the Goblin King vanished, the Goddess of the Underworld narrowed her eyes and waited.

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

Race:	Goblin
Level:	100
Class:	Imperial; Great Emperor
Possessed Skills:	King of the Demonic Children of Chaos; Defiant Soul; World Devouring Howl; Sword Mastery A-; Road of the High King; A King’s Soul; A Ruler’s Wisdom III; Servant of the Gods; Oath of the High King; One-Eyed Snake’s Evil Eye; Flowing Magic Control; Soul of the Berserk King; Third Impact (The Third Chant); Warrior’s Instinct; Guided One; The King Who Calls Forth Chaos; Divine Favor of the Goddess of the Underworld; The Goddess of the Underworld Lords Over; Enemy of the World; Lineage of the God of War
Divine Protection:	Goddess of the UnderworldAltesia; God of WarVaishura
Attributes:	Darkness; Death
Subordinate Monsters:	Rook; Kobold (Hasu) (Lv56); Gray WolfGastora (Lv20); Gray WolfCynthia (Lv89); Orc the Great (Bui)(Lv29)
Status:	Blessing of the One-Eyed Snake; Protection of the Twin-Headed Snake; Blessing of the Earth-Devouring Serpent; Protection of the Wingless Sky Snake

The Favor of the Sealed War God has been unsealed.

Acquired the Divine Protection of the God of War.

Due to the Blessings of the Goddess of the Underworld and the God of War, the Lineage of the God of War will make it possible to manipulate the power of the underworld.