章 14: Nigun’s Despair
Everyone from Slane Theocracy started to sweat a little bit during the tense moment when,
"How dare you fool me, you bastard! How do you know that name?!"
Nigun exclaimed, taking two bold steps forward and pointing an accusatory finger at Aurelius.
In turn, Aurelius merely tilted his head in bemusement.
"What are you talking about? I don't know what nonsense you're spouting. That's my name," he retorted calmly.
Nigun's frown deepened at this denial."Don't lie! How could the God of Calamity be present in a remote village like this?!"
"God of Calamity… I was indeed called that once. Oh, you know that nickname? Is it those loosers, the self-proclaimed Six Great Gods, who told you this?"
Aurelius remarked with a hint of mockery.
"Don't you dare insult our god! Angels! Attack that insolent wretch! Charge!"
Nigun became enraged by Aurelius's blasphemy and disdainful impersonation of the god of calamity.
He couldn't comprehend how this man before him possessed knowledge known only to the highest echelons of the Slane Theocracy and the Platinum Dragon Lord.
But amidst his outrage, a sense of foreboding began to gnaw at Nigun's conscience.
'What is this chilling sensation creeping over me?'
Determined to dispel his rising fear, Nigun directed ten of his Archangel Flames to converge upon Aurelius, their wings flapping fiercely as they swooped in with deadly intent.
When they reached Aurelius's side in a straight line, they threw the flame sword that was in their hand without hesitation.
Since Albedo was not allowed to act as the tanker today, it was Luminus who tried to step forward and take her place in defending these attacks, but.
"Luminous. Stay still."
She stopped at Aurelius's command.
The angels' onslaught extended towards Aurelius, but as their swords were about to make contact, they inexplicably vanished into thin air. At the same time, the angels themselves halted mid-flight, leaving the members of the Slane Theocracy bewildered.
"What just happened? Why aren't the angels obeying our commands? Why isn't he dead yet?!" Nigun demanded frantically, his voice tinged with panic.
"The angels' swords attacked him; there's no way he should be unscathed!" one of his subordinates exclaimed, sharing in Nigun's disbelief.
Despite their initial shock, the ten angels slowly moved up and down, as if splitting, flapping their countless wings. It was like the movement of a butterfly trying to escape from a spider's web. It was then that Aurelius, previously hidden from view by the ten angels, came into view through the gap between the ten angels.
"Did you think you could kill me with something like this?"
A quiet, wrathful voice pierced Nigun's ears.
"How... how could this happen?! The angel's sword struck him. There's no way he'll survive!"
The voice stammered out. Not even his elite force members, who endured years of intense combat on the frontlines, had ever seen anything like it.
"High-level physical nullification. I could clarify its mechanics, but you are too pathetic and ignorant for me to expend my energy and time on it. Besides, these angels are obstructing my view. So, disappear!"
In that instant, Aurelius's bloodshot eyes darkened, and he made a light shot at the ten angels.
[Internal Extinction]
A tenth-tier spell.
It was a spell that systematically eradicated multiple targets from within.
Upon being struck by the spell, the angels' movements convulsed as if malfunctioning. They contorted in agony, clutching their throats before collapsing to the ground, their bodies writhing before disintegrating into myriad shimmering particles.
Seeing the angels who lost their lives miserably right in front of their eyes, the members of the Sunlight Scripture gradually fell into chaos.
"Now, the spectacle has ended. From now on, it's annihilation. Prepare yourselves."
In the eerie stillness, only Aurelius's proclamation reverberated loudly.
At that moment, everyone felt a sinking feeling in their hearts.
Regret filled them.
They wanted to run.
Yet, their trembling legs didn't move.
Even articulating their thoughts proved futile.
It felt like some heavy weight pressed down on them.
But Nigun fought hard against that fear.
He hadn't even killed his target, Gazef, so he couldn't die here.
"Attack with all the angels! Come on!"
Nigun roared, ignoring the warning hint in his mind.
With a jump-like movement, all the remaining Archangel Flames rushed at Aurelius.
"You wanna keep playing? Too bad, I ain't got time for pests like you."
Aurelius sneered, taking a step forward.
That one step seemed to magnify Aurelius's presence before everyone's eyes.
Intimidated, the members of the Sunlight Scripture instinctively shuffled backward.
"Ahh..."
Several rough gasps echoed around Nigun.
They were the sounds of fear.
Even the angels hovering in the air, surrounding Aurelius from all sides, appeared to sense the impending danger.
Yet, before they could even react, Aurelius unleashed another spell.
[Negative Burst]
The air quivered violently.
Waves of dark, jet-black light, seeming to eclipse the very essence of light, engulfed the surroundings in an instant, radiating from Aurelius as the center.
The duration of the wave's sweep was truly fleeting.
Yet within that moment, all the angels who had rushed towards Aurelius were engulfed by the darkness and met their end.
Observing this, someone muttered incredulously.
"Th-that's... Nonsense!"
It was an unbelievable sight for them.
So many angels vanishing in the blink of an eye left Nigun ice-cold, his entire body quaking.
It was then that a realization struck him. An intuition whispered that this individual could indeed be the God of Calamity.
Nigun recalled Gazef's words.
—A being with the power to destroy even a kingdom. He is a strong man who you can never win against. When he comes, it will truly be a massacre.
"It can't be!"
Nigun fought to convince himself, banishing Gazef's ominous words that swirled like chaos in his mind. He shook his head vigorously, attempting to dispel his doubts.
Doesn't he still have his secret weapon left?
Nigun bit his lip and reached into his chest to touch the magic item, gaining courage.
'This is a magic item that even killed a Demon God. With this... I'll be able to kill the God of Calamity that even the six gods were afraid of.'
Suppressing his fear, Nigun issued his command:
"Protect me! Protect me if you want to live!"
Nigun took the crystal from his trembling hand and ritually broke it as a brilliant radiance spilled forth.
As if a hidden sun had emerged, the land was bathed in blinding white, and the scent of the grass was faintly fragrant.
The legendary angel descended upon the earth, and Nigun proclaimed triumphantly:
"Behold! The highest angel's majestic form! Dominion Authority!"
Nigun's voice rang out with exultation.
Even though Aurelius knew about this angel's existence, he felt only disappointment when he laid eyes on it.
"This is just belittling me."
He watched the angelic figure float in the sky with disdain. Suddenly, at that moment, an aura of horror and crimson darkness emanated from him, causing Nigun and the others to cease their laughter instantly as an immense pressure was constricted around their necks.
"You did a good job scorning me. You dare to tease me with childish pranks like this. Really pathetic."
"That's a lie! No! Unbelievable! Unbelievable! There is no existence that can defeat an angel of the highest rank."
Nigun's emotions overflowed. His bloodshot eyes fixed on the angel as he commanded it to attack.
"Blow! Use [Holy Smite]"
Responding to its summoner's wish to use its most powerful attack, Dominion Authority shattered its scepter.
The fragments rose up into the air and slowly orbited its body.
[Holy Smite]
The spell was cast, and a pillar of light broke through the sky.
With a loud whoosh, a seemingly endless cascade of holy blue-white radiance flooded down from the heavens, submerging Aurelius, who simply walked through it as if strolling in the park.
The seventh tier of magic—a pinnacle beyond humanity's grasp.
This divine power could obliterate all evil beings, with even virtuous entities meeting the same fate. But to Aurelius...
"It barely even tickles."
His voice remained calm.
No, if Aurelius were to describe it, it was similar to a gentle breeze.
Witnessing Aurelius stroll unscathed through their trump card, an attack they thought to be godlike, Nigun and his men stood frozen in terror.
"Then, it wouldn't hurt to show my magic to repay you lower creatures. From now on, I will show you despair."
With a flick of his wrist, Aurelius cast another spell.
[Black Hole]
On Dominion Authority's shining body, a small point appeared. It slowly enlarged into a yawning black void.
The black hole swallowed everything.
It was so underwhelming that it made everyone stare in dumbfounded silence. It might even be laughable. But they couldn't see it anymore.
As the Dominion Authority's radiance vanished, light drained from the surroundings.
There was only the sound of the wind blowing across the plains.
Silence—
It made Aurelius happy.
The sun set completely, and darkness swallowed the land.
"You! What are you?"
Nigun knew that this was the end. This was an unassailable reality. But just as his subordinates fell into despair one after the other, cracks appeared in the sky, like the breaking of a pot. They vanished in an instant, and the scenery returned to normal.
As confusion washed over Nigun, Aurelius answered,
"Good grief... You know, you should thank me. Someone appeared to be using divination magic to monitor you, but since I was within the spell's effective range, my anti-scrying offensive barrier activated, preventing any observation of you. But don't worry, I linked a widened [Explosion] They should like my surprise, hehehe."
Those words filled Nigun's eyes with realization. As Nigun picked up the hidden meaning in those words, a cold shiver ran through him.
The Slane Theocracy must have been spying on him.
He, who had always been the oppressor, was now going to become one of the oppressed.
He was filled with an incomparable fear. He was filled with the fear that he, who had taken countless lives in the past, was about to lose his own life. His subordinates saw his terrified expression, and it frightened them too.
Nigun was on the verge of tears.
An entity absolute, surpassing even the Demon God and dreaded by the Six Great Gods, stood before his very eyes.
Quickly realizing this, Nigun bowed his head, sinking to his knees upon the plain.
"Please, wait! Wait, I beg you! Dragon Demon God! I want to make a deal! I'll offer anything, everything! Just spare my life, please...!"
Nigun's actions stunned his men, who watched from the periphery of his vision. However, Nigun paid them no heed.
He discerned that his only chance of survival lay in pleading for mercy.
"Though it may be challenging to appease the Dragon Demon God, I will give everything I have! My body alone holds great value in my homeland! I'll surrender it to you! Please! I beg of you! Spare my life!"
Breathless, Nigun concluded his plea.
"Oh, great Dragon demon God! How shall it be?"
In response to Nigun's desperate entreaty, Aurelius's unwavering gaze met his. And at that moment, two melodious voices reverberated across the plain.
"It is but a lowly creature."
"To haggle with the supreme being is audacity indeed."
"What Aurelius-Sama decrees is absolute law."
"If it is the will of Aurelius-Sama, it shall be fulfilled without question."
"It is sheer folly to spurn Aurelius-Sama's benevolence and rush forth in desperation."
The haunting voices faded, plunging Nigun into a depth of despair and dread. He stared at Aurelius, his expression a mask of pure terror.
Finally, Aurelius spoke.
"I won't end your life just yet. There's an experiment I wish to conduct with you. It won't benefit you in any way, however."
A grotesque smirk twisted the corners of Aurelius's mouth. His blood-red eyes took on a demonic appearance, unnaturally contorted.
"I am the god of demons and the final god of dragons. Welcome to my world. Serve me well in my experiments."
A portal appeared behind Aurelius, and he stated that he intended to use Nigun as a subject for experimentation.
What sort of experiment awaited Nigun?
Nigun realized that death might be better. But the absolute being before him denied him even that relief.
'My lord, please leave me.'
Nigun's cry echoed silently within him. As despair engulfed him, his vision faded to black.
The Horror Lord and the Neuroist were waiting to capture Nigun and his men.
Nigun and his men would be subjected to brutal torture in Nazarick; spells would be cast upon them to ensure their spirits remained intact; and they would be transformed into fodder for Nazarick's future projects.
Moreover, valuable information would be extracted from them.
As their blood-soaked forms vanished before his eyes into a black portal, Aurelius's lips curled into a cruel smile.
'There are really all kinds of people in this world. Ah, speaking of which, there are also elves in this world... I'll have to keep that in mind. Hehehe'
The sky darkened, and night fell upon the land.
In an instant, Aurelius and his two knights vanished from the plain.
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