Chapter 495
"What the… So this is, really?" Diana, who had been staring blankly, looked up at the sallow yellow sky again.
Disbelief and hope flickered in her golden-glowing eyes.
"It can't… it can't be!" Seren said, astonished. She looked up at Lucia with eyes twice their normal size, gasping as she added, "No matter how great the Platinum Dragon is, it can't possibly destroy this demonic realm—"
Crack—
Before she could finish, a sound like a spreading crack echoed through the air.
Seren paused and looked up at the sky. "My goodness."
Countless cracks spreading across the sky were reflected in her wide blue eyes. The sky of the demonic realm, pierced by countless bolts of lightning, was shattering like a mirror.
Rumble—
The ground shook just as Seren's black lips fell open in a daze.
Grrr!Moro, who had been snorting nervously, tossed its mane and howled.
Lucia, too, lost her balance in the suddenly violent earthquake and collapsed to the ground. Diana, who had been gazing up with hopeful eyes, dropped flat onto the sand, as did Seren, pressing herself low against the ground.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
Only Ian remained standing on his own two feet. He balanced himself as if riding a wave amidst the deafening roar and vibration that shook him.
His eyes, looking up at the sky shimmering with a familiar golden light, however, did not look pleased at all. In fact, he was even frowning. It was because the thought that it might have been impossible to escape this demonic realm on his own from the beginning was flashing through his mind.
How much did it push itself to finish the preparations?
Just as Lucia was about to say, even considering the time difference spent in the rift, it seemed that it was still too early. It must have decided to break down the wall, even if it meant accepting the side effects.
Is this because of me?
Ian's eyes narrowed a little more. He couldn't think of any other reason why the Platinum Dragon would make such a choice.
Crack, snap—
The cracks that had spread across the sky fell like shards of broken glass. Beyond the cracks, the sight of a dark cloud shimmering with golden light was faintly revealed.
Crackle, crack!
On the surface of the falling shards, the sky of the demonic realm was still clearly reflected as if in a mirror. Ian's gaze followed the sky shards, which were pouring down like rain, down below. The sky shards lost their form and scattered as if evaporating before they reached the surface of the ground or the sea.
Ian, who had finally taken in the sea revealed beyond, frowned. The isolated sea was no longer calm like a lake. Countless concentric circles were spreading, as if it were a puddle in a downpour. It was clearly not just because of the earthquake. Far in the distance, near the horizon, an ominous violet light was seeping out from under the sea surface.
As Ian stared at the increasingly vivid violet light, from a corner of the sea where the concentric circles were spreading, giant pillars shot up, scattering water spray.
Whoosh!
They were tentacle-like legs, with hideous suckers sprouting all over them. The torso was hidden under the rolling waves, but it was not at all difficult to infer that it would be enormous.
Swoosh—
Almost at the same time, other legs shot up from all over the sea. All of them had countless suckers, like giant thorns or blades. As the violet light shimmering under the sea surface gradually dyed the sea, the tentacles that had shot up everywhere undulated as if dancing toward the sky.
Are they worshiping it?
It was a sight sufficient to deepen the furrow on Ian's brow. The tentacles all over the sea looked as if they were writhing in ecstasy. Those sea monsters, too, had clearly noticed what was happening. And they were welcoming.
Woosh, boom!
Long, gigantic monsters of unknown form shot up above the sea surface and then sank back down, repeating the motion. Each time they emerged, enormous waves spread out in all directions, churning the darkening violet sea into chaos.
Ian, like the rest of the group who had instinctively dropped to the ground, stared in stunned silence at the sight before them.
The violent earthquake, the sky dyed golden and falling in pieces, and the sea where all sorts of monsters were running rampant. It was a scene that was reminiscent of the end of the world. In fact, it might not be entirely wrong. The demonic realm, the blackened land itself, was crumbling.
Ian's eyebrows shot up suddenly after a few seconds. His gaze shot down to his left arm—heat was spreading rapidly from within it.A crimson glow flickered through the gaps in his armor.
Only then did Ian recall the presence of the gods, the beings he had nearly forgotten. As the demonic realm collapsed, their influence was returning.
"Ah-Ahhhhh!" Lucia's scream-like gasp followed right after.
Ian, who had whipped his head around, immediately realized that a similar situation was happening to her.
Fwoosh…
A scarlet flame was spreading over the hooded cloak of Lucia, who was crouching low.
"Aat, aaat… Aaaak!" Lucia, who was trembling as if convulsing, screamed and threw her head back.
Under the billowing hood, her face, contorted in pain, was revealed. Her eyes glowed a brilliant, searing orange.
"Lucifer?" Diana, who had collapsed right next to her, looked back at her blankly and murmured.
Seren also turned her gaze. "Agent of the Saint… are you alright?"
A blazing red divinity was spreading over Ian as well. His expression twisted into a grimace, and he doubled over, as though scorched from the inside out.
The heat, which had been burning him like a branding iron, was covering his entire body. It felt as if the anger of Karha, who had lost a great warrior, was being transmitted to him as it was.
At last, his head barely turned back.
"Both of you… back… off!" muttered Ian, a faint wave appearing in his eyes.
"Ugh?" The next moment, Diana, who had been looking at Lucia, flew as if pushed away.
Crash—
And so did Seren, who had received Ian's gaze right after. As the two of them, who had flown far away, tumbled haphazardly on the dune, Ian, who had been barely holding on, finally collapsed.
"Aah— Aaaaaaaak—"
Then, his vision brightened dazzlingly. Lucia screamed as an orange flame shot up, enveloping her completely. It looked as if she were a human sacrifice, but Ian couldn't properly check Lucia's condition.
Karha… you son of a bitch… is this for real…?
It was because he, too, was engulfed in a sensation as if he were being burned alive. Ian, gritting his teeth, automatically closed his eyes. It felt as if lava were blazing inside him. And it was even slowly rising, like a volcano about to erupt. It was an unstoppable change.
"-----!"
Soon, Ian, who had raised his head, spewed out the heat with all his might. A blood-boiling roar rang through him, and his vision was dyed bright red. As all his senses scattered as if evaporating, Ian's consciousness alone remained in the middle of the blazing red divinity.
And the next moment, Ian felt a fiery gaze pouring down on him from beyond it.
I get that you wanted to see me. But did it really have to be like this, you bastard?
Ian didn't shy away from the gaze. Then, a thunderous sound that shook his consciousness swirled chaotically. Karha was laughing. Of course, Ian was not laughing at all.
If you're done checking, send me back. I don't have time to have a chat with you.
However, the laughter didn't fade. Still laughing, Karha turned his gaze. Ian's consciousness bounced off like a ray of light, following it. Then the center of his vision brightened faintly.
It was right after that he realized that the hallucination wasn't over.
Hope City?
Snow was falling across the plaza and the cityscape stretched out before his eyes. It was the Northern barbarian's city, the one he had built. Familiar, yet far more prosperous than before. In the now-thriving plaza and along the streets, hundreds, no, thousands, of barbarians had gathered. They were all looking up in the same direction.
He didn't need to think deeply about what they were looking at. By now, the Black Wall must've begun to collapse.
It was then that the gazes of some barbarians turned to Ian.
"Wh-What?"
Horror spread on their faces.
Ian finally realized that he was looking at them through the statue.
"That… don't tell me…"
"Oh, Karha!"
One by one, the people gathered in the streets fixed their gaze upon him. It wasn't hard to spot familiar faces in the crowd—warriors and elders, including Alder and Volber. Their faces, dyed in horror, were not much different from what Ian remembered. Of course, not everyone was like that.
"Great Warrior!" Askel, who was looking up with wide eyes, couldn't be called a boy anymore. The boy standing next to him, Rigg, had also grown up.
Judging by the city, it's been at least two years.
"Everyone—bow your heads!" Askel, raising the ax in his hand, shouted, "Our Great Warrior has returned!"
It was a roar sufficient to awaken the minds of the barbarians who were in shock.
"The Great Warrior lives!"
"I knew it! Worship the Great Warrior of Thunder!"
"Our transcendent! Oooooh—"
A thunderous roar instantly covered the city. Their joy and reverence surged like heat toward Ian. Red divinity began to spark and ripple among the gathered warriors.
"Oh— Oooooh!"
"Transcendent of the North!"
As their cries grew wilder, Ian's consciousness was once again flung into the churning tide of scarlet light. He felt himself being drawn inward, as if sucked into a vortex. The crimson vision was swallowed by darkness.
In the middle of the darkness, a huge yellow glowing light bloomed. A pupil, torn vertically long, burning like a flame, was revealed at its center.
Are you alright? What price did you have to pay for this?
Ian, looking back at the glowing light staring at him, asked right away. It was because he had a hunch that he wouldn't have much time to stay here.
However, no answer came back. The eyes that had been staring at Ian just curved gently. Relief and joy, and a strange sorrow, spread in the huge eyes.
Why aren't you saying anything—
Just as he was about to add, Ian's consciousness bounced off again. The blazing yellow gaze, flung far away like a streak of light, vanished behind searing flame.
Rumble, rumble, rumble…
The roar and tremor that gripped him returned with startling clarity. The stifling red heat that clouded his vision receded.
"Cough!" Ian, who had placed his palm on the ground, coughed up blood.
The red divinity that had engulfed him was now dissipating, as though evaporating from his body. Panting through dizziness, Ian slowly turned his head to the side.
Fwoosh…
The divine flames that had covered Lucia were dying down as well. The ground around the two of them had sunken slightly, as if some sacred explosion had gone off.
Pssss… Thud—
As the flames subsided without even leaving smoke, Lucia fell sideways limply. Ian, who had hurriedly turned and crawled, held her in his arms. A faint relief flashed in his eyes right after.
Her side's welcome also seems quite rough.
It was because he had noticed that Lucia had just lost consciousness. Despite how brightly she'd burned, not a single strand of hair had been scorched. Even her cloak was intact.
Woosh, crash—
The sound of a rough wave then pierced his ears. Ian, who had reflexively turned his gaze while holding Lucia in his arms, froze again. The vast mass of ominous purple that had spread across the distant sea was now rapidly retreating. The seawater that had been raging as if in a frenzy was also moving along with the light.
Are they advancing into the Inner Sea?
Ian finally realized that this was no longer isolated. The twisted and misaligned space-time had returned to its original state.
As he stared at the violet light that was gradually fading as if sinking into the deep sea, the earthquake completely subsided.
Rumble...
At the same time, a quest completion window popped up in front of his eyes. The quest he had received just before the collapse began was completed.
Closing the window, Ian raised his head. In the vast night sky, only a thick dark cloud undulated instead of a galaxy-like chaos.
"Is it… over?" A low voice spread from behind. It was Diana.
"Yeah." Without taking his eyes off the sky, Ian finally parted his lips. "The Black Wall has fallen. Completely."