Chapter 330
The impending forces of Vargan.
Bael seems to be on guard against the Twelve Divine Beasts he’s facing.
“Hehe, by the way, Ahaya. Where has that brat Finn run off to?”
The eyebrows of Kanilisk, resembling freshly fallen white snow, twitched as he surveyed the area.
Despite checking around the surrounding pieces, Finn was nowhere to be found.
With a dazed expression, Liam pointed to the nearby Yggdrasil.
“Finn isn’t at the Central Church; he’s guarding Yggdrasil, so if you want to meet him, you’ll have to go there…”
“What?! This isn’t where he is?”
“Y-yes, yes? Did you come here without knowing?”
“Of course I came without knowing! Damn it! That black-haired brat with no manners! Not only gathering the Twelve Divine Beasts but lying as well! Who does he think he is, asking for divine retribution?”
Kanilisk glared at Vargan approaching from afar, clearly frustrated.
It seems he had been misled by Vargan about Finn’s current location.
Even in a state where Liam felt he might collapse any moment, he couldn’t help but chuckle.
If it were Vargan, it would indeed be just like him.
“Tsk. I intended to slip away with the clouds, and now I’m being troubled. Now I have to face that monstrous thing without moving an inch…”
With that said, Kanilisk rolled up his sleeves.
Though he was grumbling, looking at his face, he didn’t seem genuinely angry.
Realizing the overwhelming power radiating from Kanilisk, Liam spoke.
“Kanilisk, is that power…?”
“I didn’t want to go this far, but what can I do? If I just stand here, I won’t get my clouds back; instead, I’ll end up as rags scattered around.”
Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t just Kanilisk.
Every Twelve Divine Beast present was emanating a level of energy that had never been observed before.
Their power, amplified several times over.
The unique abilities of the Twelve Divine Beasts, which Gulemashia had drawn inspiration from.
They had forcefully drawn out a means that was originally meant to protect their one and only offspring by sacrificing their lives for this moment.
“Has the destination of life, which I thought would last forever, been set? Hehe, life really is something mysterious.”
Moreover, the tattoo-like symbol on Kanilisk’s arm.
Familiar, meaning a direct contract with humans, was enhancing their power even further.
“…Sigh. Even so, it feels unsatisfactory that the Twelve Divine Beasts are being used at their convenience. Liam, if that black-haired brat fails to kill Bael, you must strike him down with your sword. Understand?”
“It seems like we’re just being used however they please, doesn’t it, Liam? If that stubborn black-haired brat fails to kill Bael, you should chop him down with your sword. Got it?”
Kanilisk said playfully, clicking his tongue.
Although his tone was light, it was clear that Kanilisk and the other Twelve Divine Beasts were prepared to face death.
“Finn. I’m worried about not having seen that brat. I wanted to check if his body hasn’t turned into a rag because it can’t keep up with the soul’s achievements…”
Kanilisk’s body was gradually changing.
His beard grew longer, and his physique transformed into that of a giant otter. Clouds wrapped around him like clothes, and his amber eyes were filled with vitality and intent to kill.
Boom—!
Thus, the Twelve Divine Beasts clashed head-on with Bael.
* * *
The battle between the amplified Twelve Divine Beasts and Pope Bael.
The now stronger Twelve Divine Beasts put up quite a fight against Bael, showing that they weren’t going down without a struggle.
It was a scene reminiscent of the era when the Goddess and Demon King were alive, making every creature on the battlefield tense up.
Rumble—!
The heavens roared as the seasons changed without respite.
It felt like facing the blazing red sun right in front of you, only to suddenly find yourself at the peak of snow-covered mountains.
A storm raged, and rocks fell in the Central Church.
Skeleton Soldiers and Francesca protected the barely surviving soldiers. Meanwhile, Clemens, still clinging to her senses, took command with Sylvester’s Judgment weapon.
The soldiers felt uneasy about leaving the battlefield to those brought by the treacherous baron Vargan, but they had no initiative left after being thoroughly beaten by Bael.
Boom—.
Soon after, Vargan and his forces arrived in front of Bael, the true culprit of all this.
Vargan’s troops surrounded Bael on all sides.
Their morale was high, and there were no gaps to exploit.
At that moment, as Bael blasted away Seiman, the distance between them widened, leading to a temporary game of insight.
“Schugenharz Troa Vargan. I know you.”
Bael’s gaze pierced through time, from past to present, landing on Vargan.
Vargan smiled and stepped forward.
“It seems your knowledge of me is quite outdated? It’s been four years since I left my family. Just Vargan would have sufficed.”
Even in front of the Goddess Church’s mightiest, Vargan remained composed.
He exuded a heavy aura of mana, almost like a perfume.
On his long fingers rested a ring filled with vast energy, and beside him, the invisible entity “Gluttony” powerfully consumed mana.
“Quite an alien figure you are. Liam too. You as well.”
Bael’s deep voice resonated along the ground.
His tone carried something that naturally instilled a sense of alarm in living beings.
Vargan quickly grasped the situation and spoke up.
“It seems you’ve taken a look into Liam’s brain. Well, that’s quite fortunate. Thanks to you, I won’t have to let the fearsome Bael know how pathetic and insignificant he truly is.”
Despite Vargan’s provocative words, Bael did not flinch.
But Bael didn’t even flinch.
An emotionless expression, different from Helion.
Unlike Helion, who was born without emotions, Bael seemed to have his heart ripped apart since Shalom’s death.
Bael’s gaze was fixed on over 500,000 monsters and familiars from the Twelve Divine Beasts.
Each one held significant potential, none excluded.
“Is it that you want to become the Demon King in this world?”
The first magician to win against a Demon King and his disciples.
And he was the first disciple, Bael.
As a result, the monsters he had once thoroughly repressed and Vargan, who controlled them, stirred up Bael’s past.
“Even after countless generations, it appears Schugenharz’s will still lives on.”
Schugenharz had mainly dealt with familiars and curse magic, just like Vargan.
Considering Vargan viewed Schugenharz as a major threat, he was an adversary that had to be dealt with first.
Vargan shrugged and replied at a somewhat slow pace.
“I must say, I don’t wish to become the Demon King. The title of Demon King is just a means to an end.”
“A means to an end, you say.”
“What would being a Demon King accomplish? Would you hoard all the money and power in the world? Enjoy the expressions of those who tremble at the mere mention of you, becoming a terrorizing figure?”
Vargan continued, dismissing such things as meaningless.
“Some might enjoy such actions, but… I was born a saint, so I cannot relish in evil deeds. Unfortunately, I won’t.”
It was hard to tell if Vargan was joking or sincere.
Bael recalled one of Vargan’s past actions.
“The number of people you’ve killed to gain the title of Executor would easily surpass the four great cities.”
“Truly a heartbreaking matter. Causing them harm tormented me so much, I spent several nights in pain. However, Bael, you’ve seen the memories of Liam, so you must understand now. I gave their seemingly meaningless deaths significance. Where could you find a greater mortician than me in this world?”
Humanity that would have perished otherwise.
Instead, Vargan claimed that he deserved praise for preparing this much with minimal damage.
It was as if the roles of villain and hero had swapped in his statements.
Bael slowly closed and opened his eyelids before responding.
“…I see. Is that your way of protecting humanity?”
“Hahaha. You make a humorous remark, the former Pope Bael. I am, after all, merely a believer of the Goddess Church. Just the Archbishop serving the current Pope, Beled. For me to protect humanity would be absurd. My intentions to kill you, Bael, are solely for Beled’s sake.”
Barred from his own assertion was Vargan, grinning.
The transparent mana flowing from him had a pressure and density that no one could match except Bael.
As Vargan and Bael stood poised for a colossal battle, Vargan spoke one last time.
“Bael, I too have just one question to ask.”
Vargan continued with a question known only to a few in the world.
The words flowed forth.
“What if the phrase from Shalom written in the scripture wasn’t actually by her…? Does Lord Bael have any intention of stopping the massacre of humans?”
『…….』
Bael paused for a moment at Vargan’s question.
After straightening his posture, he spoke.
『… Shalom is dead. The only truth left is that.』
“I see. I understand your will, Lord Bael.”
Vargan’s forces heightened their awareness.
The 350,000 familiars, who had made contracts with the people of Rubid Village, stretched out their unique weapons and prepared to charge.
The 150,000 monsters bristled their fur and tails, revealing sharp teeth.
The 100,000 moderate Altifes tensed their muscles and exuded purple mana, while the 100,000 modified Altifes revived by Francesca craved the flesh they had been denied in the past.
Supporting them were the sturdy 10 Divine Beasts.
And with Vargan’s absolute command over them.
He reached out and gave the order.
“Kill Bael.”
Kroooaak—!
Krelellek!
Kugung kugung kugung!
Forgetting their fear, the group charged forth.
Bael’s escalating battle destruction obliterated all remaining buildings and structures of the Central Church.
Kwaghak—!
One colossal strike turned the flat ground into a massive pit.
The monsters caught in the attack zone perished.
Khrak—!
However, the death of their comrades did not stop the rest’s obedience.
Those unafraid of death fought with all their might to bite at Bael, their strength far exceeding Bael’s expectations.
‘There are a lot of them. I’ll need to thin them out quickly.’
Having made his decision, Bael stepped down, unleashing the compressed mana.
The surrounding familiars and Altifes turned to ash in an instant.
Only one Altife remained, clutching an Eastern-style sword aimed at Bael’s heart.
‘One… I see. A summoned spirit brought back to life.’
Once the foremost Bishop, he had been defeated in Seiman Dungeon.
Francesca’s achievement after countless failures.
Sak! Sasasak—!
Now a puppet of her and Vargan, he unleashed a flurry of sword strikes.
The red aura charged within the blade had not lost the essence of its bygone era.
It appeared as if he was pressing Bael.
However, this was merely a means for Bael to gauge.
Kwahm—!
Han’s upper body was pierced by the pressure of the wind from the immense blow that was almost invisible.
With his focus lost, Han froze.
Vargan moved past him.
The robe Vargan wore carried the coldness of Frikkanrisk and felt extremely frigid.
‘Has he tamed Frikkanrisk? This power will be considerable. I’ll need even more mana to crush it all at once.’
Having made a decision in the blink of an eye, Bael focused intensely.
Hooah—!
As he raised the power of the purple scripture, he reached out to kill Vargan.
Just as the massive pressure of mana sought to envelop Vargan, Vargan’s mana radiated with an intense blue light.
Bael understood its significance.
‘The blue scripture…!’
The only force that could counter the purple scripture.
That power came crashing down upon Bael.
