Chapter 1916
Chapter 1916
The East Continent, in front of a dimensional gap.
Nevartan was confronting Martial God Chiyou but he didn’t feel any anxiety or nervousness. It was because he was an Old Dragon. Raiders was by his side and Trauka was about to arrive. This was a power capable of eliminating Chiyou without any variables and confirming the intentions of Hanul who existed beyond the gap.
Jingle.
“Today will be my last.”
Chiyou himself was observing his own destiny. The faint sound of laughter permeated the quiet ringing of bells. This crazy Martial God, who blocked the way, was dreaming of simple extinction. Now he was obviously happy. He was looking forward to Trauka coming here more than anyone else.
“……?”
[……!]
It happened at the time when the uncomfortable silence was deepening…
The Absolutes silently facing each other simultaneously sensed something strange. They could feel the temperature of the atmosphere rising rapidly. The heat radiated by Trauka affected even the distant East Continent.
[What?]
Since the end of the Age of Oblivion, the dragons had realized their duty. They no longer hunted each other. This meant there was no need to take the enormous effort to spread their senses all over the world in case of possible danger. Thus, the Old Dragons couldn’t fathom the circumstances of Trauka. They couldn’t figure out who was driving him into a corner.
[I guess I need to help first.]
It happened the moment when Raiders made a quick decision and was about to leave…
“You will have to kill me if you want to leave.”
Before they knew it, Chiyou approached and blocked Raiders’ path. They might’ve been free to come when they wanted, but not when they left. There was no coercion, but Raiders responded calmly.
[Let me go. If I manage to bring Trauka back safely, it will increase your chances of extinction.]
It made sense. From the perspective of Chiyou, who only wanted death, it was ideal to fight three Old Dragons at the same time.
After all, Trauka had a history of hunting the celestial gods. He was the most proven one among the Old Dragons and had the proven qualifications to be a God Killer. Surprisingly, Chiyou wasn’t persuaded.
“What if you don’t come back?” Chiyou blinked and spoke nonsense. At first glance, he seemed innocent. It was an extremely fanatic attitude.
Nevartan frowned with disgust. [Do you think we will run away because we are afraid of you?]
“That’s not it. I’m just worried that you might end up in a situation where you can’t return.”
[Do you think we will suffer a loss?]
“That is impossible. However, there is no guarantee that Trauka will be rescued intact, right? If you ignore me and wait for Trauka to heal, I will have to wait for you again.”
Jingle.
“I’m tired of waiting…”
The Age of Oblivion came about after Rebecca, the Goddess of Light, sealed away some of the powers of the Refractive Dragon. This gave hellish days to Chiyou. It was because the Goddess used her own authority to establish the rule ‘the memory seal might be incomplete so the dragons must not be stimulated.’
Chiyou was under the taboo and was forced to just watch the mighty Old Dragons. The Old Dragons also instinctively avoided him. The years when they were unable to hunt each other was too long to count. Chiyou didn’t want to go through it again.
“In conclusion—”
Chiyou pulled out his weapon and held it. It was a weapon shaped like a steel bar. He broke Nevartan’s scales every time he swung it.
“The two of you should work harder. As long as you don’t let your guard down, don’t the two of you have a good chance of winning?”
Chiyou’s weapon was already falling like a thunderbolt. Raiders had fully recovered from the wounds inflicted by Hayate. His scales were tightly woven together, but Chiyou took on the challenge without hesitation.
“In conclusion, the two of you should work harder. As long as you don’t let your guard down, don’t the two of you have a good chance of winning?”
It was just before Chiyou’s scales collided with the golden scales. Chiyou took a few steps back, put away his weapon, and drew it again. Then he swung it again.
“In conclusion, the two of you should work harder. As long as you don’t let your guard down, don’t the two of you have a good chance of winning?”
The same thing happened over and over again. Only Chiyou’s time was going backward. Chiyou was trapped in the rewound time and only repeated the last one second endlessly.
[…It is only one second?]
Raiders’ eyes widened. Originally, his power was able to turn back the target’s time for up to one day. There were several restrictions, such as the premise that the target had to be alive. But in any case, even the Dragon Slayer’s time was turned back three minutes despite being their ultimate enemy.
However, Chiyou’s time was limited to being turned back only one second. It wouldn’t be like this even if the time of another Old Dragon was rewound.
“As long as you don’t let your guard down, don’t the two of you have a good chance of winning?”
“Don’t let your guard down, don’t the two of you have a good chance of winning?”
“Don’t the two of you have a good chance of winning?”
The cycle was also getting shorter and shorter. Before he knew it, Raiders’ power could only turn Chiyou’s time back by 0.3 seconds. The more times he used his power, the more uncomfortable Raiders’ expression became.
[Is this monstrous bastard resisting in real time?] Nevartan clicked his tongue and couldn’t stand still any longer.
In the misaligned time—
Baaang!
Chiyou failed to react to Nevartan’s attack. His chest was torn apart by the enormous claws and his waist was struck by the tail that curved like a whip. At the same time, Raiders released his power. He used Blink to change position. Once time was no longer rewound, Chiyou was confronted with an incomprehensible situation.
Not only did his attack miss the target, but he allowed a counterattack and was hurt. It was an attack that he allowed without being aware of it.
“…Amazing.” Chiyou’s bloodthirsty smile deepened. Even in the face of incomprehensible harm that the Martial God shouldn’t suffer, he didn’t shrink back or feel wary. He purely rejoiced. “As expected, I need you.”
***
“I guess he won’t come again today~”
The Black and White sisters had no choice but to admit it. The concept of time was nothing for beings who were born an Absolute. It was only then that the archangel Raphael’s attitude made sense. They had been wasting several months already waiting for their prey, but apart from the first two days, Raphael didn’t feel anxious at all.
“Grid’s holy land ends at the point we saw yesterday, right? Shall we go sightseeing at the river of reincarnation today?”
“…Won’t Black Knight Eligos recognize you?”
Raphael questioned it, “How can he find out? You’ve witnessed how perfect my disguise is many times, haven’t you?”
“But the river of reincarnation is the most central area included in the Overgeared World…”
“Aish, it is fine. There will be no big trouble unless someone reports me.”
The Black and White sisters lost their loved one due to Baal and the demons. They became great demons to get perfect revenge and their revenge battle was currently in progress. Even if Grid killed Baal, a small number of demons, including Rose, were still alive.
The goal of the sisters was to find and kill them all.
The celestial gods, who watched the demons go on a rampage, also weren’t free from their wrath. Therefore, the sisters’ immediate task was to properly mess with Raphael.
Archangel Raphael, who came down to hell for some reason with the purpose of hunting Jishuka—in order to prevent Raphael from achieving their purpose, the sisters were going to watch from the side and interfere at an important moment.
‘I won’t report them… I can’t let a monster like this run wild.’
Yes, it had to be an important moment for them to step up. An Absolute was someone even a truck full of legends and transcendents couldn’t fight again. They weren’t foolish enough to act rashly against Raphael, who was of the same rank as Baal.
The sisters said, “You are right.”
“Haha, it is good that you are quick-witted. That is why you guys are alive.”
The sisters took the lead after appeasing them somewhat. Then Raphael followed them in a leisurely manner. They perceived the sisters as nothing more than a hell tour guide.
“If Asgard is a paradise for gods, then hell is a paradise for the dead. Every time I see souls playing without care, there is no way to express it other than a paradise, right? At first glance, I can see how Yatan felt when he created this world. I wonder if it was necessary to go to such lengths for the sake of insignificant beings.”
Raphael kept talking like a puppy who wanted to poop.
The unfamiliar environment of hell seemed to attract the attention of archangels in many ways.
“I’m sure Baal must’ve started to have such questions and opposed Yatan, right? It is a shame that his soul has been destroyed. It would’ve been quite fun to see his resentment as he watched the purified hell. Ah… Are you angry? That’s right. Thinking about it, hell is like this purely because of Grid. Grid must be your enemy as well.”
The flow was similar every day.
The Black and White sisters explored every corner of hell with Raphael. They roughly responded to Raphael’s chatter with brilliant smiles on their beautiful faces. They consumed a lot of mental energy in order to try not to make mistakes, but the rewards were sweet.
[The special stat ‘demonic energy’ has permanently increased by 2.]
[The special stat ‘willpower’ has permanently increased by 1.]
The divinity of the archangel had a subtle effect even when it was thoroughly hidden. It scattered undetectable energy, causing constant damage to the opposite demons. The sisters earned reasonable compensation every time they endured the damage for more than a certain period of time.
It felt like a growth-type sandbag that grew while being hit. It was unpleasant but the rewards were very sweet. The enhancement of special stats, which was directly related to their status as demons, allowed them to develop rapidly. Instead, their level stagnated due to fewer opportunities to hunt, but even that was an advantage.
Their level remained the same but their stats steadily increased? It was like becoming stronger while still having room to grow.
“Um…?”
The river of reincarnation—the souls, who were living a happy life in the peaceful hell, were driven by some instinct and stepped foot in it.
Raphael had been watching the souls forget their previous lives and prepare for reincarnation. Then they made a strange expression and suddenly tilted their head. They were watching a soul making its way up the river along the river’s edge.
“Isn’t that soul very special?”
Raphael took an interest in the soul that was in the shape of a blond-haired young man.
Was he a prince in his lifetime? His luxurious demeanor and distinctive gaze was very noticeable.
“Indeed. Was he royalty?”
Raphael criticized the sisters. “Is he special because he was a king? You sound like human beings. How special can the human lineage be?”
The Black and White sisters responded no matter what topic Raphael brought up. It was to please Raphael. This time, they were too short-sighted. They reacted incorrectly and were met with suspicion.
Raphael glared at the tense sisters before soon smiling.
“Come to think of it, human lineage is important to demons. Ideally, in order for you to operate on the surface, you might become parasites through contracts with humans. Isn’t that right?”
“T-That’s right. The more powerful the target, the more comfortable it is…”
“As expected. However, the reason I say that this soul is special is due to the power it contains. I don’t want to express it this way since it is a human, but it is almost noble… I’ve never seen anything like him since I’ve been here.”
“……”
The sisters were just puzzled. They couldn’t recognize the power that resided in souls at all. Based on what they could see, the blond-haired young man’s soul was no different from other souls.
“Let’s chase him.”
Regardless of the sisters’ sentiments, Raphael started to pursue the young man’s soul.
It was while humming like Raphael was amused.
At the same time, in front of the hell elevator…
“Don’t waste time. Hurry,” Seuron, the Soul Predator who just arrived in hell, urged Knight. The impression Seuron gave off was very different from the past. His sharp fangs, red eyes, and pale skin that seemed to be bleached all indicated that he was no longer human.
Knight was surprised by the situation. The Soul Predator was famous for being particularly arrogant among the high rankers. He even had a bad relationship with the Overgeared Guild. So how did Katz convince him?
The question was solved unexpectedly quickly. Seuron revealed it himself. “I must succeed in this mission to form a household…”
For vampires, a household meant a blood family. Having a blood family meant being the founder of a new blood family. The founder’s lineage became more nobler as the number of blood relatives increased and they grew stronger.
“Ah…” Knight remembered Katz’ status within the vampire species. He could be confident that Seuron would never betray him.