Chapter 224

Chapter 224
## Chapter 224: The Celestial Consumer of Clouds

Whoosh!

Encased in his spectral plate, Agnis tightened his grip on the javelin of white heat.

This weapon of flame was no longer the gargantuan, roaring pillar of fire it once was. It had become refined, almost understated.

‘True mastery often wears a mask of simplicity.’

Agnis understood this paradox well.

The potency contained within this slender spear eclipsed any strength he had previously manifested in the physical plane.

He thought of the boy—the youth possessed of a preposterous talent that could drag a spirit of his stature into this world against his will.

The ‘Primal Spark’ residing within that child had even touched Agnis’s own essence.

It was a staggering realization.

As the Sovereign of Fire Spirits, a being who had watched the rise and fall of countless eras, he had never been dominated by a mere mortal practitioner.

“Disappear.”

Swish!

He launched the projectile.

The spear cut through the air with a deceptive, leisurely grace, driving straight into the ‘Appendage of the Slumbering Deity.’

“Kraaaah!”

The ‘Appendage of the Slumbering Deity’ went into a violent, final convulsion.

From its crown, a multitude of obsidian limbs burst forth, clawing desperately toward the young ones nearby.

Yet, they fell short.

Fwoosh!

Before they could bridge the gap, they were reduced to cinders by the sheer radiance.

“N-No! My existence cannot conclude… so insignificantly…!”

It was fading.

The creature was being unmade.

This was the javelin of nullification, a strike designed to prune the very roots of a being’s history.

‘A technique I have never needed to unveil in this realm until now.’

Even the legendary masters who had summoned him in the ancient past had failed to draw out this specific power.

This spear of erasure was the bedrock of Agnis’s authority.

Naturally, his curiosity regarding the boy deepened.

For the first time in his eternal life, he felt a genuine spark of fascination for a human.

“I am a god!”

Agnis let out a dry, mocking laugh.

A god.

Could such a pathetic manifestation truly claim divinity?

The Fire Spirit King saw through the facade immediately.

‘A reach exceeding its grasp.’

This was no deity.

It was a scavenger born from the rot of fallen pride.

A common parasite.

Its very title, ‘Appendage of the Slumbering Deity,’ betrayed its status.

It was a hollow imitation of the divine—a lie that required correction.

While the spear was far too grand a tool for such a pest, Agnis had a motive: he wanted to demonstrate his true magnitude to his summoner.

“I am Agnis, the Sovereign of Fire Spirits. The monarch who commands the source of all existence.”

Finally, Agnis shifted his attention to the fiend.

The Archdemon of Arrogance.

The vermin he had just incinerated was undoubtedly a product of this demon’s machinations.

“Depart.”

Regardless of the turning of the ages or the shifting of dimensions, a demon remained a demon.

Such a foul creature had no business speaking of the heavens.

Its tainted nature was immutable.

Agnis’s gaze was a silent decree: Do not overstep. Stay buried in the filth where you belong.

“……”

The Archdemon of Arrogance, King Frederick, looked on with a face of stone.

Ssshh.

Without a word, he pivoted and melted into the encroaching shadows.

“Will you not finish that demon as well?” Isera inquired.

Agnis gave a slow shake of his head.

“Do not involve yourself with that entity.”

It wasn’t a question of capability.

Demons of Arrogance were harbingers of nothing but misfortune.

Furthermore, mere holiness and light were insufficient to truly extinguish that specific shadow.

Only a force of darkness more profound and absolute than its own could hope to end it.

Most importantly, the core essence that served as Pride’s true vessel was absent from this place.

As the tension ebbed, Lucaria pointed a finger at Agnis.

“You’re just a flaming, eccentric old man!”

“……”

—

Tremble!

Pride was shaking with rage.

To endure such a slight.

Despite the unpredictability of the encounter, he had been forced to retreat like a common coward.

‘The Primal Spark and Agnis…!’

His jaw clenched so hard his teeth groaned.

He had viewed the Kingdom of Ballan as nothing more than a sandbox for his amusements.

Who could have anticipated such titans residing in such a trivial corner of the world?

Had he been forewarned, he would have steered clear entirely.

‘You act as if you are a Celestial Sentry.’

The power displayed was certainly on par with a Guardian of the Heavens.

Yet, it defied logic.

He could not understand why a Celestial Sentry would be wandering the mortal world, let alone why it had crossed his path.

He hadn’t committed any act egregious enough to trigger heavenly intervention—not yet.

‘The era of old has passed.’

The Archdemon of Arrogance stared at his palms.

They were vibrating.

It was the deep, instinctual dread a demon feels when confronted by the divine.

In the ancient days, demons were forbidden from even lifting their eyes to the firmament.

Pride ground his teeth together.

He forced his gaze upward toward the sky.

“I do not fear you. I am not intimidated.”

The words felt hollow, a lie his own body refused to believe.

The ancestral memories carved into his very marrow were not so easily suppressed.

He was far stronger than he had been in the past—possessing might that rivaled theirs—and yet, the terror remained.

If he weren’t afraid, he wouldn’t have fled.

‘Greed. How did you manage to ignore this shivering?’

He had always found Greed tedious and kept his distance, but now he felt a desperate need to know.

How did that being suppress this primal horror to challenge the divine time and again?

Then there was the boy with the flickering, unrefined flame.

If Pride had truly committed, he could have ended him.

‘If it were only those two.’

The youth with the Primal Spark and Agnis.

Against that pair alone, he could have held his ground.

Even if a direct confrontation failed, he could have manipulated them from the darkness, dragging them into depravity.

That was the specialty of his kind.

But the true issue lay elsewhere.

There had been a third presence.

‘That girl…’

Thinking back to the girl’s piercing eyes, Pride’s hand tightened into a fist.

…She unnerved him to his core.

‘What manner of creature is she?’

—

“Mm…”

Serengeti’s eyelids fluttered open.

She sat up instantly, her senses on high alert as she surveyed the room.

‘Why did I lose consciousness?’

She remembered Yazam, the regicide.

Her memory became a blur during the struggle against the ‘Appendage of the Slumbering Deity’ that had emerged after she took his head.

And now, she was here.

‘The royal chambers…’

How did she end up in this bed?

What became of the nightmare creature?

“Oh! The Lady of Triumph has returned to us!”

“Huzzah!”

The Lady of Triumph?

The shouting wasn’t coming from just one person.

The entire palace grounds seemed to be in a state of delirium.

The cheers were so thunderous they vibrated through the floor.

“You have returned to the waking world?”

Marquis Wyzer stepped into the room, followed closely by King Ballan.

“…What occurred?”

“Ah, do you truly not recall? It was a struggle of legendary proportions…”

King Ballan tugged at his snowy beard and went on.

“You single-handedly dismantled the entire elite guard of King Frederick. Serengeti, the White Knight. Your status as the realm’s premier warrior is now beyond dispute.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Is there any boon you require? I intend to bestow a high title and sprawling estates upon you… though I suspect that is merely a start. Name your desire, and I shall fulfill it.”

“…Sire. Are you claiming I annihilated the ‘Appendage of the Slumbering Deity’?”

“Appendage of the Slumbering Deity? I am unfamiliar with the term.”

Something was fundamentally wrong.

They appeared to have no recollection of the monstrosity whatsoever.

Suddenly, a memory surfaced for Serengeti.

‘The youths!’

…Right.

Several children had appeared out of thin air.

Who were they?

Where had they vanished to?

“It seems you are still quite fatigued. Please, rest.”

“That isn’t the issue.”

“It is no matter. You were somewhat… exposed during the transformation, but no soul would dare criticize you for it. If they do, they shall answer to me personally.”

“…Exposed? What are you suggesting?”

“When your power reached its zenith. Your form became a pillar of fire, incinerating your garments and your steel… It is quite alright. Truly.”

“……Excuse me?”

Incinerated?

Her clothes and armor had burned away?

Did that imply the entire garrison had witnessed her in such a state?

She had absolutely no memory of this.

Unless… unless someone had performed a massive, collective alteration of everyone’s memories.

“Ha! Truly the Lady of Triumph. The Kingdom of Ballan is blessed. Wouldn’t you agree, Marquis Wyzer?”

“Unquestionably, Your Majesty.”

What was happening?

Stunned, Serengeti could only blink in confusion.

“Salute the Lady of Triumph!”

“Honor to Serengeti, the White Knight!”

“Long live the true champion!”

Outside, the unrelenting roar of the masses continued to shake the walls.

—

King Frederick has retreated in shame!

The news traveled across the land like a wildfire.

The Iron Kingdom, which had been carving a path of destruction through the eastern lands, had finally been halted.

It was the first recorded defeat of its monarch, and it had happened at the hands of a minor state like Ballan.

The continent was suddenly alive with praise for the small kingdom.

“…This is a disaster!”

Thud!

Inside the grand hall of the Hero Assembly.

Darkstar slammed his foot against the heavy table.

“Has the King of Ballan lost his mind?”

…It was maddening.

Following Frederick’s withdrawal, King Ballan had issued a formal proclamation:

“The Tower of Magic and the Hero Assembly! If not for their treachery, our Great Expedition would have been a triumph! The Knight King would still be among us! I, and the entirety of Ballan, am incensed! Do not be deceived by the fabrications of these spineless deserters! They are not champions; they are cowards who deserve our scorn! We, the Kingdom of Ballan, formally denounce these pretenders!”

He had pointed the finger directly at the ‘Tower of Magic’ and their ‘Hero Assembly’ as the architects of the expedition’s failure.

Was the man insane?

Completely delusional!

Under normal circumstances, such claims would be laughed off.

A minor king’s words usually lacked the weight to challenge the Hero Assembly’s influence.

But the world had changed.

Ballan had just proven it could repel the Iron Kingdom.

“Serengeti… the White Knight is back from the grave! What, is she some kind of immortal bird now?!”

And apparently, she had done it alone.

Just one woman.

As Darkstar fumed, Lucifer, who had been sitting in dark silence, finally spoke.

“It isn’t just Serengeti. Saintess Seya is also with them. With those two figures supporting him, Ballan’s words carry immense authority.”

The two icons believed to have perished in the Great Expedition had returned.

As the former confidants of the Knight King now standing beside Ballan, the people of Pangeniar had no reason to doubt their testimony.

The fallout was catastrophic.

Before they could even formulate a defense, they were branded as traitors to the fallen king.

Their denials were met with cold indifference.

Pangeniar had stopped listening to their excuses.

Darkstar sat back, his leg bouncing nervously as he bit his nails in a frenzy.

“We have to do something.”

“……The Church of the Goddess has severed all ties and is demanding massive financial restitution. Our diplomatic channels are closing, and the major merchant houses are blacklisting us.”

The situation was deteriorating by the hour.

In the wake of the announcement, the Hero Assembly found itself completely isolated.

Their foundation in Pangeniar had crumbled overnight.

Forget a counter-offensive; they were facing total expulsion.

The church’s demands alone would leave them destitute.

And that was merely the beginning.

One by one, allied territories were shutting down their warp gates.

Trade caravans were being recalled, deals were being canceled, and the common folk of Pangeniar openly spat at them.

At this rate, they would simply fade away.

Starve and vanish.

They needed a lifeline, a solution.

‘There is no solution.’

But no matter how they analyzed the situation, the result was the same.

They went over the details repeatedly, finding nothing.

The realization slowly dawned on everyone in the room.

……There was no way out.

No path to fix this.

The false heroes.

A heavy gloom settled over their features.

This had to be a nightmare.

It had to be.

Thud!

Darkstar sent the desk flying with another violent kick.

“Arrrghhhh!!! You absolute—to hell with everything…!!!”

—

Deep within the void.

After my discussion with Isabella, I continued my trek through the endless dark.

How long had we been walking?

《‘The Star that Drinks the Nebula’ is tracking your presence.》

What?

I felt my heart stop for a beat.

The Star that Drinks the Nebula.

That was the celestial entity I had been searching for most fervently—the ultimate star that signified Wilhelm!