txolops Chapter 637
Chapter 637
Chapter 637
Shuuuu!
The destructive energy that had been raging so violently gradually began to subside.
The Steel Fortress, which had been shaking as though it would collapse at any moment, had somehow regained stability.
Jin Geum-ho looked toward the place where Del Roa had been and muttered,
“Did the spirits resolve it?”
There was no other way to explain the sight before him.
The destructive force that had raged like a storm had completely vanished, and the atmosphere had regained stability.
Far away, Del Roa, who had been the eye of the storm, could be seen standing blankly.
The spirits that had made contact with Del Roa disappeared one by one.
As the spirits vanished as though everything that had happened until now had merely been a dream, the people could not hide their regretful expressions.
Only three spirits still maintained their forms intact.
Lili, Yuri, and the spirit who had been chosen by the Fire Spirit King.
These three spirits looked at one another’s faces for a moment before returning to their respective contractors.
Meanwhile, Gaia slowly floated upward like a balloon and rose high into the sky.
The moment they left, Del Roa’s body crumbled into dust and scattered in the wind.
It was the end of Del Roa, who had ruled El Harun for so long.
Del Roa was not the only one who lost his life.
“Kraaaak!”
With a desperate scream, Crudu collapsed.
Standing before Crudu were Oh Mu-jin, Grain, and Choi Seong-ho.
During the battle, Grain and Choi Seong-ho had joined in to help Oh Mu-jin.
No matter how powerful Crudu was as the strongest giant, he could not fight three Numbers at the same time.
Even while the spirits were calming the rampaging Del Roa, they had continued their fierce battle.
When Crudu saw Del Roa crumble into dust and disappear, an opening appeared in him, and the Numbers relentlessly dug into that weakness and managed to inflict fatal wounds.
The Numbers themselves suffered severe injuries in return, but their expressions were bright nonetheless.
With Del Roa, El Harun’s spiritual pillar, and Crudu, its strongest warrior, both fallen, it was no different from securing victory.
“Ugh!”
“This can’t be happening!”
“W-what are we supposed to do now?”
Just as the Numbers had expected, El Harun’s awakened ones fell into utter confusion.
The two beings they had trusted and relied upon had died at the same time, so it was only natural.
“Everyone, calm yourselves.”
Garlanta, El Harun’s priest, stepped forward in an attempt to settle the chaos, but it was useless.
The influence of a priest was nowhere near comparable to Del Roa or Crudu, and he had rarely shown himself to the public in ordinary times.
Naturally, Garlanta’s authority carried no weight.
“Everyone needs to find their own way to survive.”
“We’re withdrawing here.”
“Damn it!”
In the end, El Harun’s awakened ones split apart by race and fled the battlefield.
The coexistence that had lasted for a hundred years had come to an end.
The beastfolk separately, the Asil tribe separately, and the Abyss tribe grouping together as they abandoned the battlefield.
Only the giants led by Crudu stubbornly endured to the end, but as more and more of them collapsed, they too eventually decided to retreat.
“Everyone, fall back.”
“Grrrgh!”
The giants, having lost Crudu, retreated while shedding tears of blood.
“Waaaaah! It’s our victory!”
“We won!”
The awakened ones of the Steel Fortress, who had fought fiercely until now, erupted in triumphant cheers.
They embraced one another and shed tears of joy.
Countless people had died or been injured, but in the end, they had protected the Steel Fortress with their own strength.
A surge of exhilaration heated their blood.
The very fact that they had defended their land with their own power was no different from a great medal to them.
Even the elves and other races of the North District, who had remained distant from humans until now, became one and shared in the joy.
A celebration was also unfolding inside the Steel Fortress.
“Waaaah!”
“We protected our land!”
“Hahaha!”
The humans and elves inside the Steel Fortress embraced one another and laughed.
“Hoo.”
After watching the scene for a moment, Jin Geum-ho approached Latrisha.
“Thank you for helping us like this.”
“My name is Latrisha. As you’ve probably already guessed, we came from the World Tree Village.”
“World Tree Village? So the World Tree truly was born?”
“Yes! Thanks to Lord Zeon, the World Tree took root in our village. Thanks to the World Tree’s blessing, countless spirits were born.”
“So Zeon was involved after all.”
“He possesses that great of a power. It’s something everyone should be grateful for. If someone with such immense power lacked a sense of duty, he would have become a disaster for the world.”
“That is true as well.”
Jin Geum-ho nodded.
Latrisha spoke again.
“The situation was urgent, so we used the portal without permission. I apologize.”
“No! Thanks to you, we avoided tremendous damage. But judging by the fact that you used a portal, it seems a portal has been installed in the World Tree Village as well?”
“Yes.”
“Then someday, people from Neo Seoul will be able to enter the World Tree Village too.”
“Yes! Someday, a time will come when we can communicate with one another.”
“I hope that day truly comes.”
“I believe it certainly will. Lord Zeon will help make it happen.”
“Mm.”
Kwaaang!
At that moment, a thunderous boom exploded across the sky.
Everyone’s gaze naturally turned upward.
Above the dark sky covered in yellow dust, flashes of light burst out while peals of thunder rang continuously.
“Mm.”
Jin Geum-ho’s eyes sank deeply.
They had won the war against El Harun, but Zeon’s battle was still not over.
‘Zeon!’
---
Seogeok!
Zeon’s robe was sliced apart.
Blood spurted from the severed area.
Zeon clenched his teeth.
It was not a serious wound.
Only the muscles on his back had been shallowly cut.
He had suffered wounds of this level countless times before.
Naturally, he knew this degree of pain, and he possessed the endurance to withstand it.
But the pain he felt now far surpassed imagination.
The divine-slaying authority had invaded his body.
Fortunately, because the wound was shallow, the invading authority was also faint. But even that alone caused the muscles around the wound to necrotize, producing unbearable pain.
At least he had his super regeneration ability. Without it, the wound would have continued spreading endlessly.
Dantal flew at him once more with the Sword of Cobaltan leading the way.
Zeon fired Fire Spears at him in succession.
Peobeobeobeong!
The Fire Spears burst apart futilely against Dantal’s sword.
“That level of attack is useless against me, Zeon!”
“Even though El Harun appears to have lost, you still intend to continue?”
“So what if they did?”
“You mean to say you feel nothing even though your own people have been defeated?”
“They aren’t children. How long am I supposed to look after them? Once they become adults, they should survive on their own.”
“It seems not even the bare minimum of humanity remains in you.”
“What nonsense are you spouting in the middle of battle?”
“Hoo.”
At Dantal’s cold words, Zeon let out a sigh.
Dantal was not an elf. He was a monster.
He had discarded even the bare minimum morality and humanity an elf should possess and had been reborn as a monster.
If someone like Dantal, who possessed the divine-slaying weapon known as the Sword of Cobaltan, was left alive, he would surely continue tormenting Neo Seoul and the Steel Fortress in the future.
No matter what, this had to end here today.
Even if it meant suffering severe injuries.
Zeon raised his dominance to the extreme.
Kwaaaa!
A violent gale swirled around him.
The sand hanging hazily in the sky revolved around Zeon.
“A sandstorm?”
Dantal bit his lip tightly and raised the Sword of Cobaltan.
Uwoong!
The Sword of Cobaltan emitted a sword cry and released red energy like mist.
Within the red energy spreading like a tidal wave was dissolved the authority of divine slaying.
Dantal, too, was going all out against Zeon.
Jureureuk!
Black blood flowed from the corners of Dantal’s mouth.
Divine relics always burdened the body in proportion to their use.
No matter how powerful Dantal’s body and will were, he could not avoid straining himself.
Like cracked glass, Dantal looked dangerously unstable.
One mistake and his body could burst apart first.
Even so, Dantal did not hesitate to use the authority contained within the Sword of Cobaltan.
Because he knew that if he wanted to kill Zeon, he too had to stake his life on it.
“I’m coming.”
The one who moved first was Dantal.
He flew toward Zeon with the Sword of Cobaltan leading the charge.
Zeon responded by unleashing his authority.
“Chaat! Fire Sandstorm!”
The sand raging like a storm became imbued with terrifying heat.
It had literally become a blazing sandstorm.
Wrapping himself within the blazing sandstorm, Zeon collided head-on with Dantal.
The sky turned completely red, as though the end of the world had arrived.
Kwaaaaaa!
The two forces clashed in midair.
The Sword of Cobaltan relentlessly split apart the Fire Sandstorm.
The blade imbued with divine-slaying authority sliced through the authority possessed by a mere human as though it were paper.
But the Fire Sandstorm Zeon created was far too enormous to cut through in a single strike.
At the center of the blazing sandstorm, hundreds of meters wide, stood Zeon.
To kill Zeon, Dantal had to cut through hundreds of meters.
The price was horrific.
Hwaruruk!
Dantal’s body caught fire.
His hair, the weakest part, burned away first, while his skin roasted and began to melt.
The clothes and armor he wore had long since burned into ashes.
Terrible pain assaulted him, but Dantal gritted his teeth and endured it.
As long as he could kill Zeon, he could endure pain like this endlessly.
Zeon was the lifelong enemy who absolutely had to die, no matter the cost.
Seogeogeok!
The Sword of Cobaltan relentlessly cut through the blazing sandstorm and approached Zeon. But the closer it got to Zeon, the stronger the power of the Fire Sandstorm became.
Advancing through the ten meters nearest the center required more than ten times the power needed to cut through the first ten meters at the edge.
Under the horrifying pressure and heat, veins bulged across Dantal’s entire body.
The blood vessels in his eyes burst, turning them red, while blood flowed from his nose, mouth, and ears.
Now only a short distance remained between him and Zeon.
Barely a few meters.
It felt as though if he stretched his sword just a little farther, he would reach Zeon.
And so, as he extended his body and thrust his sword forward—
“Summon Sand Soldiers.”
Zeon summoned Sand Soldiers above Dantal’s head.
The Sand Soldiers pounced upon Dantal and became one mass with him.
“N-no!”
Interrupted at the very last moment, Dantal shouted in anguish.
Dozens of Sand Soldiers and Dantal became entangled together and plummeted downward.
At that moment, Zeon unleashed his final skill.
“Diamond Spear!”
Puhwahak!
A gigantic diamond spear burst upward through the earth.
The Diamond Spear shot upward like a rocket and pierced straight through Dantal and the Sand Soldiers.
“Kuhuk!”
Dantal’s eyes flew wide open.
A massive diamond spear protruded through his chest.
No matter how overwhelming Dantal’s authority was, he could not survive with such a massive hole through his chest.
The light of life rapidly faded from his body.
Hwaruk!
Dantal’s body rapidly shriveled.
His remaining life force was being absorbed into the Sword of Cobaltan.
He was paying for recklessly using a divine relic with his very life.
Zeon unleashed his final skill.
“Sand Mixer!”
Gaaaaang!
An enormous amount of sand swallowed Dantal and rotated violently.
Having lost his authority, Dantal’s flesh and bones were ground apart by the grains of sand.
The Sword of Cobaltan was no exception.
Cracks formed across the blade of the Sword of Cobaltan as it greedily devoured Dantal’s life force.
Zeon had no intention of leaving either Dantal or the Sword of Cobaltan in this world.
Their very existence was a disaster.
“Disappear and become sand.”
Pakakakang!
The Sword of Cobaltan shattered into pieces.