331st Chapter
“The Blue Scripture…”
Bael looked rather surprised.
After all, it was quite shocking for something like the ‘New Testament’, which hadn’t manifested in this world for thousands of years since Schugenharz’s death, to suddenly appear.
Vargan smirked and said, “It seems the power of the same Scripture is indeed quite effective.”
Bael, with his right arm burst open, finally sustained significant damage despite the novel’s main characters unleashing relentless attacks that had only left behind minor wounds on his body.
“You all continue to surprise me. Where did you get that?”
“Would you believe me if I said I picked it up off the street?”
Vargan joked about how, when living a good life, the Goddess sometimes bestows such gifts.
Gulemashia, at the pinnacle of humanity in the realm of mana, felt the surging power of transcendent mana swirling around Vargan.
It seemed to dominate the surroundings along with the chill of Frikkanrisk.
At that moment, only Vargan heard a voice.
—As expected, as long as Beled possesses the Scripture, the full power of the Old Testament cannot be unleashed. Vargan, this is the only opportunity to kill Bael.
The incorporeal Schugenharz, now leaving behind only invisible traces through his Unique Spell, transmitted a message to Vargan.
It resonated as if his very thoughts were being heard from deep within Vargan.
—But… as I mentioned before, I am already a dead body. Even if I help you harness the power of the New Testament, it will not be for long. You must take care of that matter.
Due to the direct clash of the two Scriptures in the past, the Scripture received a severe shock, and practically no one besides Bael and Schugenharz, the previous owners, could draw out its power.
Thus, even Amon, who had been responsible for the Old Testament for a long time, was unable to use the Scripture’s power and lost it to Beled.
Not to mention, Vargan had only possessed the Blue Scripture for a few years.
Without the help of the remnants of Schugenharz, he could not utilize the power of the New Testament.
“Is Schugenharz lending me his strength?”
“Are you still there?”
Bael, who had been silently staring at Vargan, swiftly regenerated his arm and asked.
Shugenharz was taken aback by the unexpected words. Since he didn’t have a physical form, he couldn’t possibly perceive anyone but Vargan; yet somehow, Bael spoke as if Shugenharz was present in this place.
“To still be stuck here in this world after thousands of years means you haven’t given up your obsession to kill me. Quite impressive, isn’t it?”
Creeeak!
The Twelve Divine Beasts, having completed some repairs, charged at Bael again.
In response, Bael uttered something that embodied the utmost sense of foreboding.
“Die.”
Guuuuuh—
In an instant, the echo of death spread throughout.
The weeds protruding from the ground, as well as the earth itself, were annihilated by an absurd force as the rushing Twelve Divine Beasts halted and vomited blood.
“Even though the power was properly conveyed, they’re merely experiencing full-body paralysis and organ rupture level. …It really feels like I’m facing the past Twelve Divine Beasts.”
Kwahaaang—!
With a thrust of Bael’s divine authority, the head of the beast resembling a white tiger exploded.
While engaged in the intense combat, Bael coolly contemplated. His eyes seemed to be seeing the future.
“Seiman is bombarding from above. To the left is Kanilisk. Behind is Vargan.”
Soon, as Bael had imagined, Seiman’s feathers descended like a machine gun from the air.
Kanilisk, bursting through the clouds to the left. In perfect timing, Vargan, aiming from behind, unleashed the chill infused with the power of the blue scripture.
Kwahjahjahk—!
In an instant, a massive iceberg rose up. Bael stood atop it.
Vargan gathered his gaze and smiled.
“It seems you’re starting to struggle a bit?”
Bael’s hair was frozen. Instantly, frost capable of snuffing out lives clung to his left arm.
Vargan viewed this as the first condition for gaining the upper hand being achieved.
“Given that you’ve forcibly made the First Legion, led by Amon, obey your orders, it must have consumed an outrageous amount of mana, and immediately after, you faced all the forces stationed at the Central Church.”
Moreover, there was no break, and Vargan and the Twelve Divine Beasts crashed in.
No matter how unimaginably powerful and mana-efficient Bael was, he was not a ‘God.’
Vargan knew this fact well through the past shown by Shugenharz.
“If you surrender right now, I will make sure to send you off without pain. What do you think? Quite an attractive proposal, isn’t it?”
Guiding the conversation while easing the bind on Frikkanrisk, Vargan activated Gamigin’s power and leapt high.
Whoooom—!
In an instant, Vargan jumped up to confront Bael. The chill robe he had been clad in vanished, replaced by Seiman’s steel wings attached to his shoulder.
“So, do you have the intention to surrender?”
“Is that really the case?”
“I knew you would say that.”
Zstsukaaang—!
Gami-gin’s power is clashing with Vargan and Bael.
As they move at ultra-high speed, the air is filled with chaos, resembling an endless rain of missiles being shot down from the sky.
Only beings with the strength of the Twelve Divine Beasts can dare to participate in this battle.
Since they are fighting at such a great height, everyone on the battlefield witnesses their clash.
The injured soldiers looking up are filled with awe, forgetting their own wounds.
Bael. The peak of Altife, an existence from the mythological Zero Danger Class.
It wouldn’t be strange for him to show such inhuman abilities.
But what about that guy?
Vargan, born with a human body, is fighting a bloodbath that a human could never match.
No matter how talented he is, this achievement and power cannot be obtained through normal means.
Those with even a bit of knowledge in magic or martial arts all thought the same and stood dumbfounded.
Kwagagagakang—!
Their battle seemed to reenact a myth barely remembered, as if the Demon King and the first magician of ages past were battling before their very eyes.
—Vargan! It’s good that you’re pressing him, but be careful not to expend all your strength at once. If you’re not careful, your body will break before you can kill Bael!
Shugenharz’s concerns continuously echoed in his mind, but Vargan ignored them.
Instead, he pulled out even more mana, making ‘Gluttony’ feel like an arduous meal and squeezing his muscles tighter.
—Are you listening? Even if your total mana is transcendent, your body is still human!
Shugenharz spoke out of concern for humanity and Vargan.
—I told you that using ‘Gluttony’, ‘Ring of Glory’, and ‘Essence of Life’ carries a tremendous burden. If you also use Gami-gin’s power and the Scripture, it’s like prematurely burning your life out!
“…….”
—Vargan!
Around Vargan, a thousand magic cannons gather, packed with the terrible flames of corruption created by the power of the Scripture.
Zukwagagakang—!
Countless rays are shot toward Bael.
Bael dodges or deflects them, then speaks.
“So you reached the level of Cardinal without using the Scripture. You could easily take Ipos’s place among the Executors.”
Bael held Vargan in high regard.
Just matching the Archbishop as a human takes considerable talent and effort.
Let alone, being able to mockingly subdue the Archbishop makes the Cardinal that much more impressive.
“However… I do find it unfortunate that all your abilities aren’t truly your own.”
As the storm of beams that seemed never-ending finally came to a stop, a bone dragon—Blalirisk—soared up, ready to devour Bael.
But Blalirisk’s bones could not grind down Bael and exploded instead, scattering into pieces.
Bursting forth, unable to contain itself, it crumbles away.
“No matter how much you dangle the Scripture and various relics around, you look as naked as you are.”
Before Vargan stands Bael.
He momentarily halts Vargan’s movements with an unyielding mana and places a hand on his head.
In Bael’s eyes, Vargan already shows signs of strange reactions, his veins bulging.
“Even that flesh is merely borrowed, Vargan. You’re just a criminal pretending to be a genius.”
Bael’s gaze seems to hold all the truths of the world.
He yearns to learn more about the information Vargan possesses about the outside world, as well as the blue Scripture itself.
Bael readies his powers to delve into Vargan’s memories.
“Show me.”
*
I remember that day.
The day when the rain poured relentlessly.
It was the first time I held my mother’s hand as she led me along the path. Potholes were everywhere, remnants of some long-forgotten roadwork, creating puddles.
Splash—.
My mother, seemingly in a hurry, gripped my hand tightly, quickening her pace.
The sound of her shoes clattering forward while my own struggled to keep up beside her.
Both my shoes and socks were drenched. The sneakers of an unknown brand, that barely fit for months, allowed the rain to invade freely.
“…”
As we hurried down the street, my mother spoke not a word to me.
At six years old, I simply followed her, mouth shut tight.
Clank—.
As dawn approached, the shutters of an opening store began to rise.
In the alley, a mackerel-colored cat rummaging through a trash can raised its hindquarters, alerting to its surroundings, and the lights from the bar and telephone pole lit our path.
The damp, musty smell of the city.
The incessant patter of rain striking the ground.
After about 15 minutes of being dragged along, we arrived at a building tucked away in a corner.
“Take care.”
That was the last farewell from the woman who brought me into this world.
As if relieved, she let go of my hand, believing that a disheveled appearance would ensure her acceptance, even taking her umbrella away.
I did not cry or cling to her clothes.
I knew it wouldn’t change anything, and I couldn’t fail to understand the wretched life she led.
“…”
Staring at her retreating figure for a while, I turned my gaze to the sign in front of me.
“Proper Hope Orphanage….”
On that rainy day.
Just days before my sixth birthday.
I was abandoned by the only family I had, my mother.
