Episode 574
Zeke studied the angel, whose lower body was yet to form, with keen interest.
“Did it emerge from its cocoon just before fully hatching?”
Had it been given a little more time, it would have completed its transformation perfectly.
The smooth, ethereal upper body, crafted atop the writhing mass of flesh, resembled a mystical statue.
As Zeke narrowed his eyes and raised Levatein, preparing to approach the statue, its eyes suddenly snapped open.
The eyes of the statue were mesmerizing, like a piece of the night sky captured within them.
The angel’s gaze, reminiscent of a starlit galaxy, swept across the surroundings.
Ooooooo—
A mysterious melody emanated from the mouths of the two angelic statues.
It was neither song nor speech, but a strange harmony that stirred the heart with its sheer beauty.
Even the angel awakened by Harvey West using the fragments possessed an untouchable beauty, but the angel before them was the pinnacle of divine elegance.
The extreme beauty of its form and the enchanting melody from its lips compelled those nearby to adopt a reverent posture and begin to pray.
“The divine… the divine has descended.”
“The divine bestows grace and blessings upon us!”
Though it was a harbinger of doom, the humans, unaware, saw only a godlike presence.
At that moment, the flesh writhing at the base of the statue began to move, extending tendrils that writhed like spider legs.
Ooooooo!
In stark contrast to the angelic upper body singing a beautiful melody, the lower half, with its writhing tendrils, appeared grotesque.
Sensing the energy emanating from the angel, Zeke infused Levatein with chaotic energy.
“Judging by its appearance… is it the angel of the Gemini constellation?”
Seeing the two angelic statues joined together, it seemed to symbolize the Gemini among the thirteen constellations.
Zeke sent Bucephalus away and, wielding Levatein, swiftly flew towards the angel.
Rumble—
An ordinary human would be overwhelmed with awe upon hearing the angel’s song.
But for Zeke, who had transcended to a divine state, the angel’s song held little sway.
He swung his chaos-infused sword at the Gemini angel.
Slash!
The tendrils sprouting from the angel’s lower body moved to block Zeke’s sword.
Yet, the tendrils that touched Zeke’s blade turned to ash and scattered.
He immediately thrust his sword into the neck of one of the Gemini angels.
Crunch!
Levatein pierced deep into the angel’s neck, and Zeke channeled chaotic energy through the blade.
Sizzle—
The chaotic energy Zeke unleashed surged into the angel’s body.
In response, the melody from the angel grew louder, resonating in all directions.
Simultaneously, a message appeared before Zeke’s eyes.
[Sentinel 3 perceives a threat from the exclusion target.]
[Emergency situation detected. Activating emergency protocol.]
[Releasing control device of Sentinel 3.]
With the message, a change occurred in the angel’s body.
Crack!
The angelic statue, previously joined at the back, split into two.
“Was it meant to separate all along?”
Zeke hastily withdrew his sword from the neck and attempted to strike the other side.
But the now-separated statue had already moved out of Zeke’s reach.
Crack!
From the backs of the two divided angels, four wings began to unfurl.
Zeke quickly drew Solomon’s chains with his left hand, binding the angel he had stabbed to immobilize it.
Meanwhile, the other angel transformed into a complete form, adorned with four beautiful wings.
Though its lower body remained a mass of tendrils, its upper body resembled an angel from the scriptures.
Zeke, holding one angel with the chains, aimed his sword at the winged counterpart, stirring chaotic energy.
Rumble!
A storm of chaotic energy swirled around Zeke.
He watched the movements of the winged Gemini angel with caution.
“Even though it’s not fully hatched, it’s dangerous in this state.”
At that moment, the Gemini angel opened its mouth wide towards Zeke.
Screech—
A powerful sonic wave, emanating in concentric circles, engulfed Zeke.
Buzz—
Startled by the angel’s sonic attack, Zeke retreated.
“Damn!”
Caught off guard, Zeke momentarily exposed a gap.
After attacking Zeke, the angel ascended gracefully into the air, wings spread wide.
As Zeke prepared to pursue, another message appeared before him.
[Sentinel 3 connects to the dimensional server.]
[Updating information on unauthorized entities.]
[Deriving optimal exclusion method.]
[Updating related content.]
[Activating annihilation program.]
Zeke was taken aback by the message.
“Annihilation program? Could it be?”
He turned to see where the Gemini angel was looking.
It was towards the citizens and allied forces outside Jupiter Castle.
Zeke realized what the angel was targeting.
“Forget that nonsense and focus on me!”
He launched a sword strike at the angel.
Boom!
The angel spread its four wings wide in response to Zeke’s attack.
Hum—
The radiant wings vibrated, creating a powerful sonic barrier that blocked Zeke’s strike.
Rumble—
The angel, having neutralized Zeke’s attack, immediately flew towards the citizens and allied forces.
Another message appeared before Zeke.
[Replenishing energy for full activation of the annihilation program.]
Tendrils from the angel’s lower body shot towards the allied forces and citizens.
“Even without the Hero King’s homunculus, it’s this strong. It’s definitely different from the last one.”
The Gemini angel, unlike the angel of the Sagittarius constellation cultivated from fragments, seemed capable of blooming without absorbing a special spirit.
Originally, angels were entities that, after causing an apocalypse, would become cocoons buried throughout the world, only to reemerge in their true form when the time of the apocalypse arrived.
The Sagittarius angel absorbed by Zeke was not a complete cocoon but a fragment that Harvey West cultivated with his own blood and flesh to give it form.
It was only after absorbing the Hero King’s homunculus that it could fully regain its original spirit.
This time, the Gemini angel was a complete cocoon that Emperor Nero discovered and found a way to bloom using dark magic.
“It’s absorbing humans to rapidly complete its imperfect body.”
If the blooming Gemini angel exhibited abilities similar to the previous Sagittarius angel, it might become an avatar of the constellation, capable of manifesting its unique domain.
“I must stop it before that happens.”
Zeke looked at the other angel bound by Solomon’s chains.
“If they’re a pair bound together…”
Gazing at the chained angel, Zeke’s eyes gleamed with determination.
He slowly reached out towards the angel and spoke.
“I’ll make you regret awakening here.”
“Knights of blue rank and above, step forward!”
The allied forces swung their swords at the tendrils descending from the sky.
Only aura blades could damage the tendrils, so knights of blue rank and above stepped up to attack, while other knights and soldiers raised shields to block the tendrils’ advance.
Slash—
Hundreds of knights slashed at the tendrils with aura blades, but more tendrils regenerated from the severed ends.
“Aaaah!”
At that moment, a soldier caught by a tendril was lifted into the air, his essence drained until he became a mummified husk.
Witnessing this, the nobles trembled in fear, hiding behind the shields of other knights.
“Quick, do something about that!”
The nobles, who had been the first to charge when storming an empty castle, were now only concerned with saving their own skins in the face of real danger.
But the angel’s tendrils spared no one, noble or commoner.
The tendrils reached out in all directions, ensnaring knights, soldiers, and even the nobles hiding behind them, lifting them into the air.
“Save me! Aaaah!”
Despite their desperate cries, the nobles, drained of their essence, became mummified husks, leaving only bones and skin behind.
Helen, observing the situation, shouted to Duke.
“Sir Duke! Cutting the tendrils won’t stop it! We must attack the main body.”
Duke nodded at Helen’s words, raising his sword and summoning the power of the wind.
Rumble!
Duke unleashed a whirlwind, directing his sword strike at the angel hovering in the air.
Boom!
As the powerful whirlwind approached, the angel spread its wings again, creating a protective barrier through vibration.
Rumble!
Duke’s whirlwind was halted by the angel’s barrier.
Seeing his attack blocked, Duke frowned, but then something flew rapidly from behind.
Boom!
The Red King’s spear, imbued with the power of a dragon, targeted the angel’s back.
Though the spear flew swiftly, the angel’s arm split into two, catching the spear mid-flight.
Sizzle—
Smoke billowed from the spear of the Red King, clutched in the angel’s hand.
Despite the sudden ambush, the angel effortlessly neutralized the attack.
Just as the angel prepared to hurl the spear back to the ground, a fierce cry pierced the air.
“Haahhhh!”
Alicia had soared into the sky, swinging her wolf-fang sword down toward the angel’s head.
Seizing the opportunity created by Duke and the Red King’s surprise attack, Helen had crafted a staircase from fragments of armor, allowing Alicia to leap up to the angel’s position.
Rumble!
With the power of the Wolf King infused in her sword, Alicia tore through the angel’s barrier, aiming to cleave its crown.
The angel, startled, attempted to dodge, but it was a moment too late.
The sword bit into the angel’s shoulder.
Crack!
The blade continued its relentless path, slicing from the angel’s right nape down to its chest.
Roar!
The angel’s body, impervious to ordinary weapons, was vulnerable to the divine-slaying power of the wolf-fang sword, forged from the fangs of Fenrir, the Wolf King.
Gripping the sword with one hand, Alicia seized one of the angel’s four wings with the strength of a titan.
“You monster! This is the power of the North!”
Rip!
Alicia tore off one of the angel’s wings.
Simultaneously, the awakened power of the wolf-fang sword devoured the angel’s flesh, drinking its sacred blood.
Screech!
The angel let out a horrific scream, its wing torn and body grievously wounded.
Alicia, her ears bleeding from the sound, refused to release her grip on the sword.
The angel reached to pull the embedded sword from its body, trying to shake Alicia off.
But Alicia clung tenaciously, ensuring the sword continued to ravage the angel from within.
Screech!
The angel writhed in agony as the sword consumed it from the inside.
Desperate, the angel recalled the tendrils it had sent to the ground, attempting to pry Alicia off its body.
Dozens of tendrils wrapped around Alicia’s arms, legs, and torso.
“Not a chance, you bastard!”
Detaching Alicia, who wielded the strength of a titan, was no easy feat, so the angel changed tactics.
Slither!
The tendrils enveloped Alicia, attempting to absorb her into the angel’s split body.
Even Alicia, who had been tearing at the tendrils with brute force, found herself immobilized as her entire body was ensnared.
“You wretch!”
Flames flickered in her eyes as she struggled to break free.
But the angel held her fast, drawing her into its body.
Crunch!
Inside, Alicia’s fierce resistance was palpable.
The angel, like a creature incubating an egg, embraced the tendrils wrapped around Alicia, trying to digest her.
Gradually, the movements within began to subside.
The angel, finally unfurling its wings and rising, was interrupted by a sudden message flashing before its eyes.
[Unauthorized user accessing Sentinel 3’s main system.]