Chapter 367

C367. On Sin (5)

The beginning was when the Bearer’s greatsword was swung with force. From left to right.

A very simple movement.

However—

KWA!

Just a single slash.

But the atrocity caused by that simple movement didn’t seem possible. An immense cut that made one’s skin crawl.

As if a line had been drawn in the world, a thin and sharp crack opened up. And the shockwave that followed swept away everything cut as if it were dust.

But—

KWAJIK!

Yutia’s shield, though wavering, blocked that slash. And thanks to that, an instant was gained.

—«Harden.»

At the moment Alon, using Reverse Heaven, murmured once more, the Sins began to move on their own.

—«Decide.»

And what was seen next:

The Bearer withdrew the greatsword and slowly descended from the air.

Even in such a critical situation spinning at full speed, he fell with absolute calm. Alon concentrated.

He knew it instinctively. The instant that foot, floating in the air, touched the ground… he would no longer be able to follow him.

That is why—

—«Life Shadow Flower…»

Before that foot touched the ground, Alon cast his last Phrase. And just the instant the Bearer was about to plant his foot—

JJEJEJEK!

A hemisphere-shaped barrier emerged around him. The Bearer immediately tried to cut it upon recognizing it.

However—

KWAGAGAGAK!

Even his slash could not pierce that hemisphere.

—«Haa…»

Alon exhaled deeply as he gazed at the deployed spell.

That spell was an analysis and reinterpretation of the 2nd Circle “Shield” that Heinkel had given him. Its effect: to completely isolate the interior and exterior within a hemisphere.

As long as something was inside the Shield, no spell could exit.

And if something was outside, it could not affect what was inside at all.

In other words, from the moment the Bearer was trapped:

The Bearer could not exert any influence toward the outside.

But there was a problem:

“I cannot maintain it for long.”

—He couldn’t sustain the spell for that long.

Alon frowned as cold sweat ran down his face.

In the sky, the stars that had been generating endlessly until then began to slowly diminish.

For the first time, even using any spell, Alon’s magic generated micro-voids at every instant.

Although theoretically his mana was infinite…

Every time the Bearer unleashed himself, Alon’s mana, which always overflowed, disappeared like a lie and then returned, repeating endlessly.

Calculation errors hit him mentally without mercy.

He could not keep the spell up for long.

Nor could he conjure another.

Even though he had locked the Bearer up to hit him with magic, if he couldn’t release a single spell, it was useless.

And yet…

Alon locked him up without hesitation for one reason:

—«Silly.»

—Yes! I was ready from the moment you gave me the signal!

Because there was someone who would attack in his place.

With Silly’s answer as the signal, an electric blue radiance was unleashed through the dark depth.

—Preparations, complete.

Behind Silly rose an enormous structure, like a giant lightning rod, and a blue lightning bolt surged as if it had been waiting for the moment.

It was:

The artifact Silly had created when she built a temple near Caliban.

PAJIIIIK!

And now —a divine weapon fueled by the faith of the inhabitants of the Divine Land:

Divine Punishment.

That devoured the galaxy of the abyss and began to expand.

PEEEEEI—

Making a strange sound as it concentrated on the lightning rod’s needle.

—«Now!»

shouted Alon.

Silly did not answer with words. She simply activated the Divine Punishment.

A white light devoured the galaxy of the abyss.

The buzzing that corroded the ears disappeared, and when the light that devoured everything dissipated, Alon thought:

The timing was perfect.

He was right.

The timing was perfect.

Locking up the Bearer by catching that always imperturbable being off guard.

Then, in that confinement, discharging the Divine Punishment prepared even for the worst-case scenario.

Everything had been perfect.

If the Bearer hadn’t blocked it—

—«Ha…»

Alon let out a hollow laugh looking at it.

Ridiculous but real:

The discharge that absorbed all the divine energy from the outside didn’t cause the expected damage.

What blocked it was:

TUDUK—TUDUK!

The newly formed Sins.

The instant the Divine Punishment fell, they threw themselves without hesitation to take the attack for the Bearer.

Their bodies were destroyed.

If they were truly “Sins”, they would have been completely erased.

But—

TUDUDUK—

Unfortunately, the Sins created by the Bearer began to regenerate without flinching.

As if nothing had happened.

And the combat resumed, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

---

The combat continued.

Or in other words, a useless war of attrition.

The Sins and those facing them exchanged blows endlessly.

Alon and Yutia had already hit the Bearer five times.

Five times.

And none had produced truly significant damage.

Moreover, Alon was beginning to doubt if the Bearer could receive significant damage.

KWAJIK!

—«Master!»

Alon blocked the attack aimed at his heart and put a hand to his head, dizzy.

He reviewed the situation.

The situation?

Not even close to “good”.

Simply put: desperate.

Deus and the others barely managed to contain the Sins.

Yutia also barely blocked the Bearer’s attacks.

At first glance, it seemed they were still even.

But it wasn’t so.

Alon looked around.

The faces of those fighting the Sins were exhausted.

The Sins, on the other hand, were intact.

The more time passed, the more desperate the outlook would be.

Unlike those beings that seemed to have no limit…

His people were exhausting quickly.

Only one falling from exhaustion…

And it would be defeat. No: extermination.

—«Haa…»

Alon breathed with difficulty and kept thinking.

He wasn’t well either.

After more than five uses of Reverse Heaven, his head was burning.

The state of Awakening with Blackie had already exceeded its limit long ago.

Even so, he tried to prepare one more attack.

But his mind no longer found any ideal solution.

After five attempts he had tried everything he could try.

And yet…

It all ended the same:

The Sins stopped the final attack.

If the Bearer was going to take damage, they blocked it with their bodies.

The Sins had to be killed to damage the Bearer.

But the Sins didn’t die.

A situation with no way out.

But Alon couldn’t stop thinking.

He didn’t want to die.

He didn’t want to lose anyone.

That is why—

In the instant he forced his mind to the limit:

—«Eureka.»

Alon found an “answer”.

He didn’t know if it was really the right answer.

But one thing was certain:

—«Yutia.»

—«Yes, master.»

It was the only option he had left.

—«Can you hold him off as long as you can?»

—«I will.»

With Yutia’s affirmation, Alon stepped on the ground and—

—«Thunder Arrangement.»

He used the Lightning God Form.

PAJIK!

Turned into a blue lightning bolt, he ascended to the sky. From there, he saw the scene on the earth.

First, the soldiers trapped in the closed zone of the abyss, surrounded by terrain sticking out like thorns.

Everyone in fear, spreading like a plague, awaiting death.

Seeing them…

—«Manifestation.»

Alon released Kalanon’s divinity.

PAJIIIIIIIIK!

The thunder exploded in all directions, covering the world of the abyss.

His hand reached toward the sky.

Then—

PAJIIIIIK!

The blue lightning joined earth and sky while concentrating on his left hand.

The Bearer looked up to move, but—

WOOOONG!

The multiple overlapping walls Yutia created blocked him.

But—

KWAJIIIIK!

Unfortunately, the Bearer destroyed every wall with a single slash, faster than Yutia could create them.

As soon as he broke the last one, he launched himself upwards—

—«You can’t!»

A figure blocked his jump: Ryanga, smiling wildly.

KWAANG!!

Ryanga, suspended in the air, kicked the Bearer’s shoulder.

The impact made the ground explode.

—«Makalian Eclipse—»

Fragments of the exploded ground were tied with purple threads and wrapped around the Bearer. Black hands emerged from the sphere trying to block him.

The Sins ran to help him, but—

—«Rangchangrangchang—»

—«Second Form—»

Golden slashes, visible and invisible, cut the Sins throwing themselves even if their bodies disintegrated.

KWADUDUDUK!

And a golden crown, overlapped multiple times, crushed them.

In the final instant of the chaining—

KWAANG!!

As if none of that mattered, the Bearer broke all restrictions in an instant and rose toward the sky—

—«ן»

He appeared beneath Alon in the blink of an eye.

An indescribable speed.

—«No!»

—«Master!!»

Ryanga and Seolrang screamed too late, horrified.

The soldiers, previously desperate, who had felt a spark of hope seeing the blue lightning… sank back into resignation.

The Bearer, as if mocking their screams—

—«Block him!»

—«Brother!!»

Raised the greatsword, aiming at Alon’s heart—

KWADUK!

And he could not pierce it.

The small Life Shadow Flower formed near Alon’s heart stopped him.

In that very brief instant—

Alon’s immutable gaze

and the Bearer’s emptiness

crossed.

And then—

The lightning fell.

The electric blue exploded in all directions hitting the Bearer.

A blue sun rose over the dark galaxy of the abyss.

All eyes turned to Alon, emitting the lightning, and the Bearer pierced by the spear.

Resignation turned to doubt.

PAJIK!

Doubt turned to faith.

PAJIIJIK!

Faith turned to praise.

And praise became hope.

But—

Alon himself felt it immediately:

This isn’t enough.

He looked at the Bearer.

Despite the attack, his greatsword was still moving, and had already pierced the place where the Flower was, almost reaching Alon’s heart.

Even if he avoided it reaching him…

This attack would not defeat him.

He had to do something.

In this instant.

A single movement that could finish him.

In that very brief moment, a thousand thoughts passed through Alon’s head.

But there was nothing else he could do.

All his divine energy had been exhausted with that blow.

Using Reverse Heaven would surely kill him afterward…

But it would defeat the Bearer.

His body was already at the limit.

Reverse Heaven meant certain death.

Even so, while he thought desperately—

Do you know what virtue is important to become a god?

Huh?

Do you want me to tell you?

What?

The “Engraving”.

…Engraving?

How you are perceived by existence itself.

The voice of Eliban appeared like a mental lightning bolt.

Suddenly Alon understood.

A solution that only he could realize. A path Eliban had prepared as if he had foreseen this moment.

He didn’t hesitate.

And he acted fast.

—«Reverse… Heaven—»

His head burned again. Blood gushed from his eyes, nose, and mouth, and his mind began to break.

His senses flickered on and off.

He understood something:

One more step…

and he would cross a river from which he would never return.

And yet—

Euduk!

Alon advanced.

The dark galaxy filled with his starlight.

The surplus mana, expelled by calculation errors, gushed from his body.

In that fleeting instant—

Penia’s words passed like lightning through his mind:

“If you do it like that, the technique we wanted to create from the beginning is now completely implemented… But I tell you again: you must not use it.”

“…Because it consumes too much magic?”

“Yes. Not even Reverse Heaven could keep up with it. If you don’t control your mana above a certain level, you will die upon using it.”

“That much?”

“Of course. This spell links analyzed spells into a single execution process. It is a total implementation.”

A dark mist began to exude from Alon’s gauntlet.

“And… why was the incantation chosen like that?”

The stars, until then stable, began to transform.

“Because of the first page.”

“Just for that?”

“Yes. Sounds cool, doesn’t it? Let’s leave that incantation like that—”

Alon’s right hand formed a seal.

—«…Let there be light.»

In the dark galaxy of the abyss, a sun was born.

Hundreds of suns.

And then—

Reverence flourished.