Level up with swords (260)
It was some time later.
Qarring… !
L’Arc landed on the ground again with the sound of thunder clearly losing its momentum. His entire body was transformed into bluish electricity, and he was barely able to maintain his human form.
If he loses concentration even just a little bit, even the vessel of his soul will collapse and wither away.
It was an extreme that a normal person would not be able to handle even for a second, and at the point where it lasted for over 30 minutes, Larque could truly be called a superhuman.
His mental strength may already be surpassing that of the transcendental.
however.
【Is the struggle over now?】
Vritra looked down at the human blinking and blinking in front of her, just as gloomy as before.
He is still alive and well, and his opponent soon disappears.
It was an ending that seemed natural.
【I will admit that you are just being annoying like a flying insect. Surviving in this body for 30 minutes was completely unexpected.】
The evil dragon Vritra.
Chief Cardinal Larc.
The winner or loser was decided in just 30 minutes. It wasn’t much different from the ending that was decided from the beginning.
Up, down, front, back, left and right.
Rather, it was able to survive this far because Lark was able to run wild in 360 degrees at more than ten times the speed of sound, ignoring inertia. In terms of pure combat power, Irexana would be half the number, but if she had faced Vritra, would she have been able to last for 3 minutes?
Above all, there was a big difference.
“It’s okay, but I’m satisfied.”
Lark smiled slyly in a weak voice.
“Didn’t you give this old man a good blow?”
【-bloke.】
The entire space centered on Vritra is distorted.
He just showed his sincere desire to live, but the dimensional plane couldn’t handle that power. That was the reason why higher beings could not interfere without permission.
However, even though Lark faced the murderous intent head-on, he chuckled without any fear.
It had to be that way.
【You borrowed her power and used it as a skill, so you were good at nitpicking… !】
A ray of pale light was burning diagonally across Vritra’s upper body.
It was a large scar as if it had been cut with a large sword.
If it had been a little deeper, it could have reached the heart, a blow that even the ‘Reverse Heaven’ from the Demon King’s fragments could not have blocked. Naturally, it was the goddess of heaven who made it possible.
Larque teased him by putting his hands together as if praying.
“You’re talking nonsense again. His servants should be proud of that grace, why should they be ashamed?”
The existing divine punishment method not only consumed too much sacred power, but also had little effect on the true spirit, making it impractical.
It worked well for monsters summoned directly from an external dimension, but for external magicians who did not modify their own bodies, they ended up with mild burns.
For that reason, Larque attempted to improve the divine punishment method.
The result has been research for over half a century.
【… I will praise you. With your insignificant mortal body, you have managed to bring shame to Vritra.】
Perhaps because she thought there was no point in complaining to someone who was dying, Vritra calmed down her anger and spoke.
【You may have borrowed her power, but you can make this accomplishment the glory of your life. So now say the name of that grace and let it disappear without any use.】
“The final final law, new punishment, reform.”
Lark muttered while looking up at the distant sky.
“I named it Heavenly Punishment.”
Since ancient times, it has been said that the lightning that strikes from the sky is the judgment and anger of the gods who lived above.
If <Divine Punishment> was a technique specialized for phenomena that deviate from the natural order in the realm of concepts, <Natural Punishment> was a technique that maximized physical power and versatility instead of weakening the concept.
“Divine Punishment” is almost neutralized by Vritra, who wears the mask of a Jeongmyeongja, but the story is different when it comes to “Natural Punishment”. For Vritra, who had a fragment of the Demon King inside her body, the <Natural Punishment> that penetrated through her outer shell had a rather fatal effect.
“Is this the end? “I have walked the earth for a little less than 200 years from the time I was born until today, but in the end, it has come to an end.”
The fingers and toes are falling apart.
The body, which was nothing more than a lump of lightning, dissolved into thin air without leaving a single speck of ash behind. L’Arc looked down at his body, which had shrunk down to his elbows and knees, and felt someone’s gaze looking down at him from his heaven.
It was a sensation that could never be perceived unless it was a moment when one had surpassed one’s limits and came into contact with death.
“Hehehe.”
Needless to say, it was clear whose gaze was kind and gentle, but also filled with a hint of sadness.
For a believer, is there a greater joy than the love of God?
Even at the moment when my soul was collapsing, Lark smiled.
“What a luxurious end… .”
Before he could even finish his sentence, L’Arc crackled like static electricity and then died down.
The only trace of Chief Cardinal Lark’s presence was the blackened dirt where he had been standing just moments before.
Kwaaaaang!
Vritra stomped on the spot with all her might.
As if even the slightest trace was bothering his eyes, the evil dragon, who had finished venting his anger, traced the wound on his chest.
Crackling, several strands of electricity jump out.
No matter how much Lark risked his life, this power is strange. Even if the inside of his body became vulnerable due to the devil’s side, he suffered serious injuries that would be difficult to recover from a mortal who was not a transcendent?
【—No, I wasn’t harmed by that guy.】
Vritra realized something and looked above her head.
The face, which had been distorted with rage, seemed to be not only peaceful, but even ecstatic.
He muttered in an uncharacteristically friendly voice.
【It’s the same, goddess. Did you cut me with the hand of a servant? When I think that this wound came from you, even the pain and shame that has reached my soul feels sweet.】
Vritra laughed darkly.
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It is said that the goddess hurt him by directly intervening, but this intervention was not wise in the grand scheme of things.
Unlike him, who is free from causality, the goddess must pay the price for using her power in heaven. From now on, it will be impossible to give strength to believers like before.
【Hehehe, don’t be impatient and wait. After devouring this world, this body will personally go to welcome you.】
Now that he had lost his goal, there was nothing left for him to do in this desolate northern region.
Due to Lark’s desperate resistance, opening the magic realm in the basement of the Great Temple failed, but Vritra turned his back, saying that it was a success.
There was no room for the goddess to interfere.
In that case, all that was left was a weak, insignificant warrior.
【The day this wound disappears, I will have to kill him.】
We promise to be fully prepared for any unexpected situation.
Although he was not a standard being like Rodrik, he was also a hero. There is a good chance that you will be defeated due to this wound.
Vritra slowly flew up, leaving the snowstorm behind.
As the giant dragon, which was over a hundred meters high, took flight, a whirlpool arose and swirled around as if erasing its traces. It breaks through the troposphere with just a single flap of its wings, putting even the clouds under its feet.
The battle that only one person was observing ended with Larc’s martyrdom.
Was it a coincidence?
A ray of light came down from the sky where Vritra disappeared, illuminating the last traces of Larc, who was covered in snow and dirt.
It was a light of mourning that was even reverent.
* * *
Meanwhile, Albion and Leon, who heard the news of ‘Dungeon Break’ in Youth, escaped from Ground Zero.
Sleeping periods come often, but not every few months, so Albion has been able to remain active for a while.
She said, hiding her presence with magic.
“If Vritra has truly acquired the ‘corruption’, then those who have suffered it once are dangerous in many ways. “If I am much weaker than I was then and get contaminated again, there is a high possibility that I will not be able to return.”
There was no way to safely save even Roderick in his prime, so he succeeded by cutting out parts of his contaminated wings, horns, and even his heart. If it were to become contaminated once again, there would be no way to do anything even if Roderick came back alive.
Leon carefully questioned those words.
“Does Brita know of Albion’s existence?”
“I’m not sure, but I think you never know. Because dragons are very insensitive to things outside their territory and interests. “He didn’t even know me personally, so he must have forgotten.”
However, Albion added with a sigh.
“If I am exposed even once, his memory will think of me and he will definitely try to use me. So, I must be careful not to let my news reach Vritra’s eyes and ears.”
“okay. “If he can freely corrupt someone like the Demon King 300 years ago—”
“No, there is no need to worry about that.”
Albion said, cutting off Leon’s worried words.
“The Demon King himself might not know, but the limitations of a guy who just picked up the pieces are clear. Unlike the Demon Lord, Vritra’s <Corruption> is more of a consumable material, and considering the amount consumed for self-strengthening, the limit of its use may not be very generous.”
If Vritra’s <Corruption> was something like the Demon King that could be used as much as needed given time, he would have eaten up half of the continent over 300 years, rather than controlling the evil cult’s ragtag group.
Creating ‘Exorcist Bishop’ as he has done so far would have been the amount of consumption he could endure.
“Hero.”
Irexana turned to the four people and opened her mouth.
“From now on, I will head to the Jugend Palace. “Hero, please move with Albion.”
“That means… “Sounds like I have a destination.”
“Yes, there is something I would like to ask you.”
Irexana explained in agreement with Leon’s words.
“Hero, do you know about ‘Yumyeonggok’, the four major demonic sites located at the southern tip of the continent?”
“I’ve at least heard the name.”
“Contrary to the name ‘Yumyeonggok,’ this is a magic landscape that is closer in shape to a forest than a canyon. “It is also the place where the second cardinal, William of ‘Adrift’, currently resides.”
“The Second Cardinal?!”
These were the actions of the Second Cardinal, a cardinal of the Holy Order and an eccentric registered adventurer, whom I had heard about once before.
Leon listened to those words with a surprised expression.
“With his skills, I think he could have easily prevented the explosion of ‘Famous Song’. Perhaps because of the special nature of the ‘Famous Song’, it is not possible to even exchange messages through oracles.”
“You mean to ask me to check on his well-being?”
“The first reason is yes.”
Irexana nodded once and added.
“The second is for the warrior’s faster growth.”
“I understand what the Cardinal means. But can I aim to improve my skills in a short period of time by gaining more practical experience in my field? “It seems like you have to enter the Grandmaster’s realm to defeat Vritra.”
“The Holy Sword can solve that problem.”
“yes? “The Holy Sword?”
At that time, El Cid spoke.
[Aha, you did a good job. Leon, accept.]
‘why?’
El Cid explained to Leon, who still did not know the reason.
[Have you forgotten one of the Holy Sword’s functions? Absorbing power every time you cut down a monster or foreign object from another dimension. Thanks to that function, your mana has increased several times faster than those who have trained the practice for decades.]
‘Now, accumulating more mana doesn’t mean you can rise to the level.’
[of course. Mana isn’t important. What the holy sword absorbs is karma. Mana is nothing more than a by-product. Just like I was taken to heaven, if you want to raise your level in a short period of time, it is efficient to carry out subjugation in rough terrain such as the four major demonic areas.]
Only then did Leon realize the true meaning of Irexana’s words.
Grandmaster’s Wall.
There is no shortcut to being born again from mortal to transcendent. It may take decades, or it may be achieved overnight. It is a labyrinth where you can only see the edge of possibility if you keep trying with all your heart and effort in a future where you cannot foresee even an inch ahead.
In a situation where it was unknown when the attack by the evil dragon Vritra would begin, it was impossible to promise ‘someday’.
“… All right. “Let’s leave for ‘Famous Songs’ right now.”
“Did you understand?”
“yes. “It’s a method that is close to expedient for a military officer, but it’s not the time to be stubborn.”
Even though it could have been done in the original way, it was a method that should not have been done.
Even if you force yourself to build up your karma and overcome the wall, the rebound will come when you reach a level you cannot handle.
Nevertheless, Leon did not hesitate one bit.
Because my duty as a warrior was more important than the unpredictable future and my pride as a warrior combined. Also, El Cid’s presence made him confident in his decision.
‘I think I’ll need special classes, can you do it?’
When Leon asked him that question as if looking at him, El Cid laughed and boasted at the words.
[Don’t whine and say you’ll quit, student.]
I’ll make you grow faster than your karma accumulates.
The greatest hero in human history has rescheduled his education schedule.
