*
EP.505 Heavenly Blessing: Subjugation Battle (9)
*
Death approaches.
Acrita felt a strange sensation in this moment. Sparks flew into his view. Every time a petal brushed against his skin, every time death closed in on him, his senses became razor-sharp.
The tension he had forgotten, the thrill of battle.
It felt like walking a tightrope. Blood splattering, the exhilaration of death closing in. While countless humans feared the Fear of Death, Acrita absorbed it as the most delightful stimulus.
Kang, Kaaang! Kaaaang!
Acrita accelerated.
The speeding spear overwhelmed Destel. Destel was busy fleeing. Of course, merely escaping would mean victory for the author. After all, he was dealing with the waves of stars, the superhuman in pursuit, and Lac von Grace all at once.
‘Do you think I’ll let you escape?’
So, he stands in defense.
Blocking the retreat, forcing choices, anticipating attacks and countering them beforehand. Acrita relentlessly pursued Destel, who was hiding in the waves.
Pip.
Blood oozed from Destel’s skin as the spear grazed him. The moment the spear touched him, the starlight cloaked around Destel flickered. With a frown, Destel threw himself into the waves of stars.
Chwhaaaaah!
As the spear pursued through the waves, Destel managed to buy himself a moment to catch his breath. Gathering his breath, Destel grasped the starlight firmly. For sure, the Braver in front of him was a superior version of himself.
The cuts from Berzer.
The guidance from Ganyr.
Along with countless other techniques.
Although Destel imitated the techniques of numerous heroes, the Braver blocked all of them. Not only did he defend, but he also countered as if he knew exactly where the techniques were heading and how they would end.
‘Let alone… the connections are free.’
The degree of mastery in the techniques is incomparable to his own.
As if he had lived through it all in that body. A being that was a superior version of himself. Naturally, it was this side that was at a disadvantage. Destel’s body accumulated wounds. Blood splattered.
‘But…’
As he retreated, Destel exhaled.
This wasn’t the first time he fought against a being that was a superior version of himself. He knew. He understood how to fight opponents of this kind.
A duel against his future self.
And the path he had walked.
Destel widened his eyes, broadening his vision.
Destel never obsessed over the win or loss of a duel. He was a strategist, a commander, the overall leader on the battlefield. He sought victory in war, not duels.
‘The environment is favorable. Use the environment.’
Adjusting the trajectory of his ally’s spear, Destel threw himself into the waves. While the waves closing in on the Braver were poison, for Destel who wielded the starlight, they were close to a blessing. He swung his spear in the waves, creating a splash.
Chiiiiiing!
The drops of water he couldn’t fend off burned the Braver’s body. The Braver’s arm got scorched. With a swift strike, Destel’s skin got torn. Jumping off the flower bed, Destel exhaled long and deep.
Acceleration.
Borrowing Kyle’s starlight, Destel launched himself to the ground.
Creating a spray of water, he thrust his sword through the blooming petals. Kaaang! Releasing the unsettled sword, he brought down his spear, Kaaaang! and while smashing his shield, he hid behind it to pull back his bowstring.
Every single motion was incredibly fast.
The moment the Braver deflected all of that, Destel jumped off the ground where his shield had been slammed down. Over the Braver’s head, he swung his spear.
Kaaaaang!
At the moment the spear clashed, Acrita spun his spear around. Deflecting Destel’s spear while sharpening his, and in that moment.
Spang!
The sound of air rupturing resonated.
Destel twisting his body was purely thanks to his acceleration. Even after twisting, a large chunk of flesh was torn from his side. Had he not twisted, his heart would have been pierced.
“Cough…”
Crimson blood splattered from his mouth.
The starlight wrapping around him tore apart. Kyle’s starlight flickered and then departed from his body. The Braver would surely not miss that moment. Just as the Braver was about to stab again, Karioth leaped out from the side.
Kaaang!
He blocked the blow headed toward Destel, but he couldn’t prevent the gap. With a sound of tearing, Karioth’s leg was ripped away. Spinning, the Braver pivoted perfectly in place, swinging his spear.
Chzzt.
Karioth, struck by the spear, was flung away. Now, only Destel, who clasped his side, was left collapsed. Acrita took a short breath and vertically plunged his spear down.
Thud!
Destel rolled along the ground in an embarrassing manner.
An utterly disgraceful movement. The Braver chuckled, grasping his spear tightly, and threw it. Destel’s thigh, rolling on the ground, was pierced by the spearhead.
Blood splattered onto the flower bed.
The long chase had ended. The moment Acrita clutched the air, the spear that had lodged in Destel’s thigh returned to him. Gripping the returned spear, Acrita closed the distance with a single step.
He aimed his spear down at the collapsed Destel.
With the spear pierced through the Braver, he could not create a weapon. His weapon stemmed from the starlight. Without a weapon, there was no way to block the spear. Based on prior knowledge, Acrita predicted the future and made a judgment.
Therefore, the Destel he looked at was cowardly. A coward trying to survive by bowing down embarrassingly. A fool who would meet death while trying to escape.
And.
Kuwoong.
That was where Acrita’s downfall lay.
Destel kicked the ground, rising up. With the foot that wasn’t pierced by the spear, he kicked the ground, pulled something from his garb, and swung it toward the approaching spear. What he held tightly in his hand was a small blade.
The broken star spear.
The weapon of Galahal he found in the ruined temple post the subjugation battle against the apostate. Also, the weapon that future Destel never let go of till his last breath. The moment he gripped the broken star spear, Destel was mimicking his future self.
He didn’t need the starlight.
Because it was his true self.
The broken star spear Destel thrust out twisted the trajectory of his ally’s spear. The twisted spearhead slammed into the ground, creating a gap. The broken star spear dug into Acrita’s body, and blood gushed forth.
“…!”
Just before that spear touched his heart, the Braver, wide-eyed, kicked Destel away. Destel, who had been rolling on the ground, lifted the broken star spear, plunging it into the earth.
…Acrita had predicted that Destel was cowardly.
However, the one standing in front of him now was unyielding.
An unwavering hero, limping on one leg, charged toward Acrita. A hero without starlight is worse than a superhuman. Acrita was just about to slice through the underwhelming Destel.
Thud!
As Destel lunged, he leapt sideways.
While leaping, he smiled.
“It’s your loss.”
Destel hid himself in the waves.
In his place, coming through the waves was a one-armed warrior. Acrita’s eyes widened. The position where Destel awkwardly rolled, where he retreated to, and the place he was knocked back from all pointed to the direction Lac was charging from.
Kuwoong.
All magic ripped apart, Lac took a strong step forward, shaking the ground. Acrita twisted his body to escape the battlefield, but at that moment, Karioth leaped out from the waves and grabbed hold of Acrita.
As if to say, “Cut me down too,” Karioth chuckled.
And Lac’s axe swung. Acrita hurriedly raised his ally’s spear in front of him, but it was an ill-fated handshake. The northern warrior never misses an opponent in a disadvantaged position.
Chwaaaah!
Following the trajectory of Lac’s swung axe, a raging red line was drawn. The line was iron that would never cool, just like Lac himself, who was neither bent nor broken. In the wake of that line, nothing could exist.
Kaa, ang.
The ally’s spear, overlapped with the line, shattered.
With the spear broken in half, Lac’s red line struck Acrita from his right shoulder to his left side. Blood splattered as Acrita’s body was torn apart.
And then, Chwaaaah!
The incoming waves of stars engulfed Acrita, Lac, Karioth, and Destel all at once. For the three, it was just a rough current. But for Acrita, it was a deadly poison that enveloped him.
Victory and defeat are a hair’s breadth apart.
On the black waves, the black dragon and Skebal, entangled in chaos, felt the moment of their impending conclusion. Both Skebal and the black dragon were battered.
The two wings of the black dragon were torn apart, rendering him incapable of stirring up a storm anymore. The storm that had been swirling around him was gradually weakening as well.
Skebal, whose bones were broken, arms ripped, and spine pierced by towers, no longer unleashed spells recklessly. He was meticulous with each strike.
And then, the moment of judgment arrived.
Woodudududak! Sound erupted as a dragon’s arm was ripped away. Kwak! Quaking sounds resounded as Skebal’s last remaining arm was shattered. At that moment, a colossal hand surged from the black waves, slamming down on the black dragon from above, as if to crush him.
Then, the black dragon lifted his foot to stomp on Skebal’s ribs. Raising his last remaining arm, he gripped Skebal’s skull. With a uduk, udak sound, the pressure cracked the bones, and the black dragon opened its mouth wide.
Chjeok! The black dragon’s gaping maw was met by the racing black hands. They clutched his jaw and pulled. Flames gathered around the dragon’s mouth, attempting to engulf it. However, like everything, some flames could not be extinguished.
Kagagagagagaga!
The storm that had been lingering around the black dragon surged into its mouth. The swirling storm tore apart all the hands that grabbed the dragon’s jaw. With a hwaruk, the fire entwined within the swirling storm.
A close-range breath.
As if squeezing out every ounce of energy left, the black dragon convulsed violently, and light erupted from its open mouth. The compressed flames and storm rivaled even a flash. A dazzling flash lit up, and the incoming flames scorched both the black dragon and Skebal.
Chiiiiiing!
The black sea evaporated.
The black dragon’s scales burned away.
Skebal’s bones melted down.
Amidst the intense heat and storm, which swallowed even sound, the conclusion of the battle quietly approached.
*
Before the oncoming waves, Acrita laughed.
A severed arm.
A broken ally’s spear.
There was no way to block the waves. The moment he touched them, he felt his entire body ablaze. It’s burning away—his flesh, his soul, everything. He felt death approaching rapidly in that instant.
A life that had spanned thousands of years.
A life that had maneuvered for thousands of years, yet its end was utterly pathetic. Feeling the sensation of the waves ravenously engulfing his spirit and flesh, Acrita laughed. Until the last moment, he laughed.
Amidst the sound of crashing waves, the sound of laughter scattered.
