#95
The abyss opens (2)
The being crawling out of the hole in the floor was emitting black magic like black flames from its entire body, and it was spreading an oppressive presence that made it feel suffocating just by looking at it.
[Oh! Great! Very cool! Hahahaha—!]
Hans, amazed by its overwhelming grandeur, burst into a satisfied laugh.
A skeletal dragon with a sword and flames wrapped around its body? Isn’t that the very definition of a necromancer’s dream?
[Ugh——?]
At that moment, as if responding to his voice, the bone dragon, which was busy twisting its body and escaping the hole, turned its head and looked in the direction where Hans was.
Two pairs of blazing eyes met hotly.
Hans, who had been exchanging glances with the man, called his name softly with dark magic in his voice.
[Entrasio—]
Woof—
His call, as if coming from hell, spread with will…
The waves containing that strange resonance dug straight into the body of the dragon Entrasio.
According to the oath that had been passed down from time immemorial, the connection that started from the heart of the Immortal King began to connect with him.
The contract that had been passed down from generation to generation was renewed here.
[Crow——!]
The dragon’s purple eyes flashed as it let out a roar that shook the space.
It was an expression of joy to welcome a new master, having finally awakened from the long wait of having to seal oneself away.
‘It looks like you’ve got a pet that listens well. If you look closely, it might be cute?’
Smooth, glossy bones, wide range of motion joints, and pretty purple eyes.
Perhaps it was because of Hans’s twisted sensibilities that the huge, vicious bone began to seem endearing.
The moment I watched the guy come out of the hole with such satisfaction in my heart.
‘What is this?’
I felt a new energy again.
[Krrrrrr——!]
And a little later, Entrasio also felt the same energy, and began to growl lowly while looking to one side.
It was a very stimulating and yet very familiar feeling to Hans.
[Is this the New Testament church?]
A divine power that can be felt tinglingly even though there is still a considerable distance.
The elite of the order, including many paladins and archbishops, came all the way to this remote place.
‘Well, that’s to be expected.’
It was inevitable that they would come here to find out more about the situation, as there was no way they would have missed a ritual of this scale.
‘What should I do···.’
It was not a good time to run into them right here.
The direct confrontation with the church should have been a more dramatic moment, and with so many variables at play, the scenario needed to be tweaked a bit.
‘But if I make good use of this opportunity, I think a good situation will be created.’
Isn’t that the situation now?
Suddenly, an abnormality is observed, and an abyss opens for the first time in a thousand years.
They were members of the main sect who were dispatched to the place where the ceremony began with a sense of mission to save the continent.
The one who appeared before them at that time was the evil Immortal King who was trying to dye the continent with death!
The conflict between light and darkness, good and evil.
The situation on the continent is moving towards a breaking point, and the threat of darkness is gradually closing in!
What will be the fate of the world in this great crisis?
‘Hmm… This seems like it would be perfect as a trailer. The situation is good, and the directing is good.’
Hans turned his head and looked towards the bone dragon, which had completely pulled itself out of the abyss.
Perhaps due to the bastard’s escape, the size of the abyss was shrinking faster than before.
‘Isn’t there anyone else who can get out of this hole? This guy must be quite the burden.’
In fact, the biggest cause is probably the ‘madness’ that the Oath of Reverse Heaven brought out from the abyss.
If it had not come out completely and had crumbled, the load on the Abyss Gate would have been considerable.
Rather, it should be considered lucky that the dragon was able to escape from that situation.
[Entrasio.]
[Krrrr——?]
The bone dragon, which had been growling lowly as it looked in the direction where the divine power was felt at his call, tilted its head.
Hans moved lightly in the air and climbed up onto the giant skull.
And then he stroked the horn of the dragon sitting next to him and whispered softly.
[You must have been frustrated, but you worked hard. Now, fly freely. Show them what kind of person you are.]
At Hans’ words, a light flashed in Entrasio’s eyes.
As I recalled the time I spent floating around in a daze, unable to continue my thoughts in the unobservable boundary of time, a sudden, explosive desire welled up in me.
[Kuaaaah——!]
Flutter—! Flutter—!
The flapping of wings, accompanied by a roar filled with black magic, caused a whirlwind to blow around the area.
Although it was a tattered wing that had become undead, every time it flapped, the surrounding black magic moved on its own, weaving the mystery of ‘flight’.
And finally.
Kwaaang—!
The giant body of the bone dragon rose into the sky, making the hole in the ceiling bigger.
The sky and horizon where light and darkness coexist, the wind blowing wildly, and the vast wasteland spreading out beneath the snow.
‘···This feels different in its own way.’
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The sky is a place where you can fly alone at any time, but it feels different to stand on the head of a dragon with nothing but bones and look down on the world.
[Kuwaraaa——!]
That makes sense, no matter how you look at it, this is the Demon King himself.
And the appearance of the Demon King who descended like that…
The members of the sect gathered below were looking up with nervous faces.
***
The priests of the sect quickly crossed the wasteland and arrived at the ritual site in a matter of hours with the blessing of ‘Shrinkage’.
The first thing they heard was…
[Kuuuuuuu——!]
It was a roar filled with immense black magic.
“What is this sound···?”
“It looks like they haven’t left yet. Let’s prepare for battle.”
Although they were quite exhausted from the continued forced march, they were the most capable people that the Jushin Church boasted of.
Everyone except those who were exhausted from continuously using the axe raised their divine power and quickly maintained their best condition.
At that moment, as they were carefully approaching the scene of consciousness…
Kwaaang—!
The top of a hill burst open and something black flew into the sky.
It soared high in an instant with a speed that was not befitting of its gigantic body—.
[Kuwaraaa——!]
He roared again, emitting black magic like black flames from his entire body.
“···Bone Dragon.”
“It was a monster I had only seen in literature···.”
The priests were wary of the overwhelming majesty, but there was another opponent they really had to be nervous about.
A being that stands on top of the skull of a giant bone dragon and looks down on them.
The scourge of the continent, the incarnation of death, the reborn terror—.
“Immortal King, Hans···!”
He was looking down at the ground with a proud look.
[Kuuuuuu— Aren’t these the cult’s lackeys? What brought them all this way?]
Even though he was high in the sky, his voice was clearly heard in their ears.
It was a sound that stimulated instinctive fear just by hearing it, but there was no one in this place weak enough to be shaken to that extent.
“You’re not asking because you don’t know, are you?”
“Hans, you corrupted warlock who defied providence! I will cut off your head!”
The priests naturally stepped back behind the Paladins and Templars who stepped forward with their weapons drawn, drawing up their divine powers.
And while they were preparing for battle, Archbishop Latius used the Holy Law to secretly transmit the current situation to the Grand Temple of Roselia.
Since their safety has become uncertain after encountering the Immortal King again, I am leaving this information in the hope that it will be of some help in case of an emergency.
After this series of events, Archbishop Latius shouted to Hans with divine power in his voice.
“Immortal King! We came here knowing that an abyss had opened here.”
[Hoo— So?]
“And because of that, countless sacrificial rituals took place all over the continent. Countless people were sacrificed for this one ritual. Also, the damage that will come to the continent in the future due to the influence of the Abyss is unimaginable.”
The archbishop spoke in a voice filled with suppressed anger, as he glared at Hans with his shining eyes.
“Is all this your doing?”
The archbishop finished his speech with a firm expression filled with conviction.
It was just a formality to boost the group’s sense of mission, and it wasn’t a question that really required an answer.
Wasn’t the Immortal King the one who wanted to cover this continent with death from the beginning?
But Hans answered his questions honestly.
[Kuhaha— That’s something I don’t even need to ask! Who else in the world could do something like that? Khuhahaha!]
It was a statement that seemed like a cool admission, but it wasn’t a lie.
It wasn’t an answer of ‘There’s no need to ask’, but a literal question of ‘Who else can do it but me?’
‘Actually, I’m curious too.’
He also didn’t know anything about the work done at the Oath of Reverse Heaven, so he wanted to know who really did it.
‘If you look at the spells engraved on the ritual site earlier, it’s clear that he’s not an ordinary genius.’
Just by looking at the traces, you could tell that he was a person who had reached a high level through long-term research and enlightenment.
As we trace the Oath of Reverse, it will be necessary to investigate him as well.
With that level of skill, you should be more than capable of taking the position of one of the Four Heavenly Kings!
While Hans was thinking like that, the church’s reaction became sharper.
“As expected, that guy···!”
“Calm down. This is what you expected.”
Paladins raising their weapons with a fierce aura and priests reciting prayers while drawing out divine power.
They prepared for battle with a desperate resolve.
They knew that they had no chance of winning if they fought the Immortal King now, but they had no choice.
There was no way I could escape from him in this wasteland, and I didn’t want to in the first place.
Their faith never wavered even in the face of life-threatening crises.
In this atmosphere that is gradually becoming more intense.
[Ahh— Everyone calm down. I have no intention of fighting right now. Today, I just wanted to let you know that I’m back, and give you a warning.]
“What···? What kind of nonsense are you talking about!”
Hans, who was standing over Entracio’s head and looking down at their overheated reaction, continued speaking calmly.
[Yes, the knight who pierced my heart… Heinrich Landgard, how are you?]
“Lord Landguard?”
He would have been embarrassed if a fight broke out now, so he slyly changed the subject.
To Heinrich, the rival of the Immortal King Hans.
‘I’m going to remind them of the name again in case someone forgets.’
It wasn’t a bad story, since everyone here was a high-ranking member of the religious order.
[I had a hard time because my plans were ruined because of him. I prepared this surprise gift as compensation, but it’s too bad that the person in question didn’t show up.]
Naturally, he exaggerated Heinrich’s achievements and made it seem like he cared about him a lot.
On the platform that others have laid out.
‘I guess I should end this soon. What’s the best way to leave a lasting impression on people’s minds? Ah! That would be great.’
Since he was the immortal king, he always had to finish strongly to leave a deep impression.
[I wanted to see his face at least once more, but there’s nothing I can do about it now that it’s come to this. Tell Heinrich Landgard that next time we meet, I won’t have the same luck as last time.]
Hans continued speaking and commanded the Bone Dragon he was psychically connected to to fly upward, gradually increasing its altitude.
“Where are you going, Immortal King···!”
[Keuhehe… The existing order will be destroyed and a new era will come, so keep this in mind, you dogs of the religious order.]
The black aura that emanated from him covered the sky like the breaking dawn.
[I, Hannibal Strauss— am the end of this continent!]
Just as I was about to wrap up this unexpected meeting by sneakily promoting such a cool name.
[It would be a shame to leave like this, so I’ll give you one last gift.]
The enormous amount of black magic that poured out from the corrupted heart of the Bone Dragon, Entracio, which was rising in altitude, suddenly gathered at the corners of its mouth.
Hoooow—
The strongest attack that the Bone Dragon can use is Death Breath.
“Breath! You can’t avoid it! Prepare!”
“······The Holy One said, Any harm that crosses this line······.”
With the constant flow of energy, the black magic gathered at the corners of the mouth kept gathering, gathering, and gathering until…
It finally took the shape of destruction.
[Kuoooo——!]
Puhwaaaaak—!
A tremendous amount of death energy poured out from the mouth of the bone dragon and swept across the vast land.
An earthquake caused by the sudden pressure applied, and the ground flipped over and debris flew in all directions.
The toxicity contained in the black air currents, which appeared like flames, liquids, and smoke, turned the already desolate wasteland into a land of death where nothing could live.
It was an excessive attack to call it a farewell, but it was really just a light greeting.
‘To begin with, there’s no way that those skilled people would die from just one attack like this.’
It was just a light performance meant to make a strong impression.
‘Hoohoohoo… As expected, the bone dragon is cool.’
Although there was a bit of selfishness involved.
