Chapter 196
The Crimson Spirit (5)
Dalen had faced the dark gods more times than he could count.
In the endless cycles and branching paths, there wasn’t just one way to reach the final stages of the apocalypse.
Of course, the characters who had carved out their own domains were a given, but even without reaching such heights, Dalen had joined humanity’s last stand in various forms.
As the end drew near, it was inevitable that the five dark gods would lead their armies to invade the continent.
If one could just hold out until the end, observing and strategizing against the arrival and battles of the dark gods was entirely possible.
“Among the five dark gods, Suum was the one who loved direct confrontation the most. Because of that, I had more opportunities to observe him than the others.”
As a result, Dalen was the first to learn Suum’s patterns and strategies among the five.
Though he hadn’t often faced Suum directly with his own character, he had frequently watched from afar.
In one cycle, for instance, the head of the Holy Knights, Edgar, had made a remarkable stand.
The one-armed swordmaster who, with an unprecedented awakening, single-handedly defeated Suum’s avatar. That image lingered vividly in his mind for a long time.
“There were times when the transcendent beings of the Golden Palace united to bring him down. Even if not, fierce battles often erupted.”
In the world rushing towards its end, there were more hidden masters than one might think.
They lived with their powers concealed for various reasons, only revealing them when the right moment came at the very end.
Among them, though rare, were transcendent beings who could stand a chance against the fallen avatars of the dark gods.
However, those who managed to defeat Suum’s avatar in the final battle all met the same fate.
Suum would sacrifice his dying avatar to forcibly summon his true form from the Infernal Palace of Destruction.
“Not even a cornered demon, but a god, the symbol of immortality, diminishing his own power to descend… It’s a development even transcendent beings couldn’t foresee.”
[How do you know this… No, such battles ended thousands of years ago. There wouldn’t be any records.]
“Forget the history lesson. I’ve lost many characters, you know.”
For powerful demons or dark gods, their avatars naturally possessed a high level of power.
Thus, sacrificing an avatar wasn’t theoretically impossible.
But to forcefully bring a true form into reality required a greater price. And no demon or dark god would stake their existence on a single battle by paying such a price.
Any demon of a certain rank would own their own hell, and they could simply recover their strength there for decades or centuries before invading again.
Suum, obsessed with battle, was a rare exception.
He was a being who would descend to the continent with a fallen avatar, disregarding the immense cost, just for a single fight.
When faced with a strong opponent capable of bringing his avatar to its knees, he couldn’t resist the temptation to descend in his true form.
“That’s probably because it’s your way of existing. Battle and victory. And raising your power through the slaughter that follows.”
In the battles he won and the ensuing massacres, Suum often regained more power than he had sacrificed.
This incomprehensible way of existence was likely the reason Suum craved battle more than any other dark god or demon.
“This time, things won’t go your way.”
Crackle…!
Lightning that isolated the space emitted a strange cry.
Watching Suum’s increasingly unstable form, Dalen chuckled softly.
The failure of a summoning ritual always came with a harsh price. Even a dark god couldn’t completely avoid it.
With the ritual to burn the incomplete avatar and summon the true form canceled, it wasn’t surprising that Suum’s very existence was twisting.
Even as the creator of his own world, the Infernal Palace, he couldn’t be without flaws once he set foot in this world.
Dalen’s journey of strategizing against demons and dark gods from beyond the monitor wasn’t just about brute force.
“Since you conducted the ritual yourself, the backlash of failure will affect not just your avatar but your true form as well. I wonder how much damage you’ve taken this time.”
[…]
“You won’t be able to set foot on this continent for decades, maybe even a century. But you won’t have to wait that long.”
Step.
Standing on nothing but air, Dalen raised his sword and bared his fangs.
“The next time we meet, I’ll drive a blade through your heart on the throne of the Infernal Palace.”
With blood-soaked claws and fangs, the avatar charged.
[Graaaah!!]
It wasn’t so much anger at Dalen’s words as it was the rage of a child whose favorite toy had been snatched away.
Boom!
Of course, the power emanating from its fingertips was far beyond a mere child’s tantrum.
Compressed space burst from its feet, and the avatar’s body shot forward like a crimson flash.
“Hoo.”
Dalen didn’t back down. He raised his sword over his shoulder and stepped forward.
While maintaining the isolation of the area with the Crimson Spirit, he couldn’t use the power of the Thunder Sea. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t disappointed that he couldn’t use his sharpest weapon directly against the enemy.
But relying solely on a single blade, no matter how sharp, was a fatal mistake when facing the apocalypse.
To prevent that, he had absorbed and mastered countless possibilities, increasing the variety of weapons he could wield effectively.
Even raising his chances this much with the newly acquired power of the Thunder Sea was enough.
The rest would depend on the possibilities he had accumulated along the way.
Thud—
He leaped into the air, thrusting his gleaming sword at the charging avatar.
A brilliant white flash and a crimson glow clashed within the massive prison of red lightning.
The two lights intertwined, chasing each other’s tails in countless crossings.
Clang—!
The dark god easily deflected the descending holy sword. Its foot extended towards Dalen’s throat.
He dodged by twisting his waist and head, using the momentum to spin in the air and hurl an axe from his waist.
Whirr!
It wasn’t a simple throw of a blade.
The axe now was not the relic axe broken in the battle against Deltarion, but a reconstructed object of unknown origin.
Lucia and Suum had called that power “divine.” The identity of the nameless warrior who had appeared before him several times was likely connected to that word.
Letting his thoughts flow, he focused his will on the axe. As the axe left his hand, a gray shadow flickered.
“Return to the Abyss: Ignite.”
The fiery heat that flared from the axe’s blade met the hellfire surrounding Suum’s avatar, triggering a massive explosion.
Boom!
A towering inferno erupted. Through the heat, gray shadows surged forward.
“Twelve Linked Steps.”
The twelve split gray figures were proof that Dalen’s abilities had finally surpassed the latent power of the gray projection.
Each was a vessel and illusion containing physical abilities not much different from the original.
As Dalen’s true form leaped back, the remaining eleven figures extended their limbs, beginning to pummel the dark god.
Thud, thud, thud—!
Only bare hands and feet were wielded. Yet the force behind each strike was enough to demolish a building.
The essence of martial arts, pounding the dark god’s armor hundreds of times. The once grand inferno was quickly swept away by the impact.
Three or four of the gray figures retreated, forming hand seals. Soon, magic surged, unleashing two opposing spells.
The gray figures had moved beyond merely mimicking physical abilities, now able to use the original’s techniques with some proficiency.
“Ice Blossom: Bloom.”
“Clear Wave Pull.”
Snowflakes bloomed overhead, scattering into hundreds of petals, unleashing a storm of ice.
“Red Flame Pillar.”
“Triple Force Reversal.”
Three columns of fire erupted from below, intertwining into a triple helix, overturning the atmosphere.
Boom!
The two colors collided around the dark god. The heat and cold gripped the avatar, resulting in a tremendous explosion.
The clash of two powerful unique spells caused the air to whirl and collapse.
Amidst the gray shadows, the gray figures darted back and forth, relentlessly attacking the avatar’s openings.
Suum’s avatar didn’t just take the hits. Despite the significant damage to its existence from the failed ritual, it began to grab the shadows one by one.
[Growl!]
Crack!
The captured shadow’s spine bent in half, and the battered incarnation let out a beastly roar, its red eyes wide open.
It looked every bit like a beast of the apocalypse, clawing its way up from the depths of hell. Instinctively, its gaze locked onto its next prey.
Crack!
Another shadow was pierced through the chest. The incarnation’s teeth tore into the shadow’s neck.
The head, ripped from its body, dissolved into ashen smoke. From a distance, Dalen watched, steadying his breath.
Exhale.
Even though the incarnation of the fallen evil god was in tatters, its power far surpassed mortal comprehension.
With the power of the Thunder Sea bound, Dalen had few options left.
The scene before him made it clear.
Despite the barrage of spells, none could deliver a decisive blow to end the creature’s life.
It wasn’t merely a lack of magical prowess or martial skill. Fundamentally, the existence of an evil god was shrouded in mystery, even in its incarnate form.
Only mystery can extinguish mystery. The strike that felled the long-fallen Blue Scales was born from the blood of a crimson dragon.
To defeat Suum’s incarnation, another realm’s power must be summoned.
But with the Thunder Sea’s power already stretched to its limits, opening another realm was no easy feat.
Exhale.
His head throbbed, his insides twisted.
Despite the exhaustion and the mental strain, he gathered his will and overlaid it upon the world.
Exhale.
In the realm beyond his mind, countless landscapes scattered.
The choice of which to summon had been made long ago.
Hoo… ugh…
His breath faltered, more like the ragged panting of a beast than a calm, measured inhale.
Unseen white tattoos began to glow on his bloodied body.
A grayish shadow cast over his once vibrant, multicolored eyes.
[Master?]
[Dalen… are you alright?]
Arbor and Red Spear voiced their concern at his unprecedented appearance, but he brushed it aside, stepping forward.
In Dalen’s mind, only one voice echoed.
“Even my final strike, which shattered a mountain peak, could only scratch Suum’s armor!”
He recalled the regretful cry of a man who had failed to stop the apocalypse long ago.
“And you, who cannot even easily defeat me, think you can stop the five evil gods?”
To achieve what the man could not, Dalen clenched his fist tightly.
“Realm Unleashed: The Ashen Sky of the End.”
A gray ripple spread from beneath his feet.
Beyond the sky, where dozens of spells unfolded brilliantly, the background shifted to a gray shadow.
This was both a testament and an atonement.
“I’ll leave it to you…”
It was a tribute to the warrior who passed on his final will, and perhaps a belated offering to a life that might have been a self-made tragedy.
The regret that lingered in the heart of the martial artist who crushed and shattered space. The will of the transcendent who fell without crossing the wall of hierarchy was inherited.
Left foot forward.
Right foot back.
The stance remained the same. Space twisted around his drawn fist, distorting the surrounding scenery.
[Graaaah!]
Crack!
The incarnation of the evil god roared after dispatching the last shadow. It turned its head to face him.
In its red eyes, the image of a white warrior was reflected.
Before any emotion could overlay that image, Dalen thrust his drawn fist forward.
“Ashen Force: Pillar Breaker.”
The ashen sky became a wave.
A tidal wave that tore through the world isolated by crimson lightning.
The strike that once shattered a mountain peak, in the hands of the successor, became a blow that shattered the world itself.
[You…!]
━━━━━━━━!
At last, the evil god’s form was erased.