Chapter 604.1: Godslaying (1)
Chapter 604.1: Godslaying (1)
When you're just trying to make great content at 𝚋𝚎𝚍ｎ𝚘ｖ𝚎𝚕.𝚗𝚎𝚝.
For mortals to challenge the gods was a popular cliché in Roel’s previous world.
This cliché embodied the sentiment that humans held their fate in their hands. Such belief was the reason humans worked hard to better their environment, no matter how difficult the era they were living in was.
Unfortunately, this was a nigh impossible task to accomplish in the Sia Continent.
In this world of transcendental power, gods were existent beings who had reached the limits of their evolution, making it even more impossible to overcome them.
That was the case between Roel and Banjol.
While Roel looked down on Banjol for abandoning his race, he had to concede that the latter was an opponent far out of his league. The Deviant Sovereign had had all the time to hone his spells to perfection, and his skills were further backed by his strength as a god.
As much as a mortal challenging a god was a romantic concept, how could a mortal actually triumph over a god? This was a question few had stopped to think about, but Roel was going to uncover his own answer to it.
A crisp sound reminiscent of cracking glass echoed in the center of the pitch-black mana cloud. With Roel’s permission, Edavia had happily inflicted severe damage on Roel’s soul. She sampled a sliver of the dissipating soul fragments, only further fanning her excitement.
“Fufu, what an intoxicating flavor. Tastes like strong liquor…”
“What are you doing?!” Artasia exclaimed as she glared at the intoxicated evil god with glowering madder-red eyes.
“Are you angry? Just so you know, this wasn’t my idea,” Edavia calmly explained as she glanced at Roel.
“…It’s fine, Artasia,” Roel said.
“Are you joking with me? Why would anyone wound their own soul? Are you out of your mind?!”
“I should have told you in advance—” Cough! “—but great power comes at a heavy price. That’s the law of the world.”
“…”
Artasia fell silent, whereas Edavia nodded with a smile.
“There isn’t much of a choice when you’re up against an enemy like him… but at least it’s only to this extent. This is still better than having your soul mixed together with those calamities,” Edavia said as she thought about the past Witness State. 𝒃𝙚𝙙𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝒍.𝒐𝙧𝒈
“…Indeed.” Roel nodded in agreement.
“Ah?”
“…”
Amidst Artasia’s confusion and Grandar’s silence, Roel suddenly unleashed an unimaginable surge of mana.
…
This was hardly the first time Roel had sustained damage to his soul.
There was even one point his soul had become so tattered back in the Witness State that he nearly lost his life, though his soul properly healed afterward with the help of the Spiriteer Sovereign. Such injuries were at least well within Edavia’s means to deal with.
The damage Roel had sustained to his soul enhanced the effects of Sia’s blessing, further augmenting his strength. He overcame the bottleneck between Origin Level 2 and Origin Level 1, as his strength surged toward a level close to the gods.
He channeled the newfound rush of mana toward Grandar.
Supported by an unprecedented surge of mana, Grandar howled as his body was swiftly enveloped by a crimson aura. At the same time, Artasia’s and Edavia’s silhouettes began to fade, as the Cogs of Time dissipated into golden light specks.
Roel’s defenses had dropped to the very minimum, but this was an intentional move. He didn’t need the Witch Queen’s protection or the Spiriteer Sovereign’s aid anymore. With the support of ample mana, Grandar would be able to pry open the encirclement of black mana.
“Grandar, don’t bother paying any heed to defense. Focus everything on offense and eliminate him for good!” Roel commanded.
“Mm,” Grandar replied with a decisive nod.
Boundless strength exploded from the skeleton giant’s body. The billowing black mana cloud momentarily halted before crimson lightning broke free from the encirclement and spilled into the surroundings.
Banjol frowned at that sight.
He thought about Roel and Grandar, and his complexion slowly darkened. Both the Kingmaker and the Giant Sovereign were singularities possessing the strength to alter the course of history. The probability of something going awry when the two of them were together was so great that he couldn’t even imagine it.
This made him realize that he shouldn’t hold back anything anymore.
“…I should end it with a single shot.”
That was what Banjol’s instincts were telling him, as someone who had been through countless battles. He looked at the black mana cloud, followed by the searing sun in the sky, then his body was suddenly lit ablaze.
“Kingmaker, it’s foolish that you thought you could make a breakthrough here. This might be a remote location, but it’s also the place I’m the strongest.”
Banjol’s old and tattered body gradually broke down in the flames, while a newer and more energetic one formed from the flames. The reborn Deviant Sovereign raised his hand, and the sunlight converged into his grasp to form a golden scepter.
The appearance of the golden scepter cast a golden light over the battlefield, filling the soldiers with fear and terror.
The Solar Scepter was one of the Savior’s divine artifacts in the ancient era, a symbol of authority He bestowed on His High Priests. Rumored to be forged out of the Savior’s arm bone, it harnessed the mystical power to evict the night, and boundless life force flowing through it granted its wielder immunity to death.
The rebirth of the Deviant Sovereign and the reappearance of the divine artifact shook the battlefield. Nora, Charlotte, and Lilian were appalled. Even Wilhelmina, despite having become a Race Sovereign, felt terribly helpless in the face of this situation.
A god was already an existence beyond reach, let alone now he was imbued with the Savior’s powers on top of that. Who could stop him now?
Banjol didn’t slow down his attacks just because of his sudden surge of power. He pointed his scepter at the black mana cloud in the sky and radiated a stupendously large amount of mana over the land.
Boom!
Under the brilliant light of the Solar Scepter, the black mana cloud suddenly burst into flames and began ascending into the sky. The higher the black mana cloud ascended, the more intense the blaze was. It was almost as if a second sun had appeared in the sky, and the unimaginable heat it contained formed mirages.
“How could this…” Lilian widened her eyes in disbelief and worry.
“Roel!”
Wilhelmina slashed her sword toward the Deviant Sovereign in the sky, but her attack dissipated in the face of the second sun’s intense heat.
This miracle shook the morale of the human soldiers. As they looked at Banjol, the envoy of the supreme god, despair seeped into their faces. Even so, Nora and Charlotte still persisted and attempted to rile the soldiers’ fighting will.
They had overcome so many difficulties together that neither Nora nor Charlotte thought that Roel would abandon them at this critical time, and they were right.
Roel gritted his teeth to remain conscious even though his burning innards were causing him extreme pain. He raised his head and looked at the skeleton giant above him, waiting for the latter to finish gathering his strength.
The Solar Scepter represented the Savior and the sun, making it one of the strongest artifacts in the Sia Continent… but Grandar was the one who had knocked down the sun.
“…Are you ready?”
“Mm. I have kept you waiting.”
“No worries. Let’s begin.”