Episode 754

Throughout Bariel’s history, there have been a few rare occasions when beings called gods manifested before humans.

Though infrequent, these events were definitely recorded. Whether individuals believed these records was another matter, but the Bariel Empire officially acknowledged them.

The first was during the founding war—

The inaugural emperor, who brought order to Gaia’s chaos and declared respect for other races like dragons, was said to have met a god and received a blessing. This was documented in exactly thirty-five sentences.

The second occurred during the reign of the fifth emperor—

One night, the emperor met a beautiful woman in the garden behind the palace and fell deeply in love. Later, she revealed, “I am but a fragment of a god, and one day, just as I came, I will vanish without a trace.” According to the record, the emperor loved her so much that he offered sacrifices at the altar and prayed day and night. Moved by his devotion, the god appeared in person and said, “Though I must reclaim my fragment from you, I will grant a blessing to fill the void left behind.”

Afterward, the woman disappeared, and time passed until the emperor married an empress and had children.

He was the sixth emperor, who lived for centuries and ushered in Bariel’s golden age. This event was recorded in three hundred and eighty-nine sentences.

There were five more brief records of gods descending to meet Bariel’s emperors, but interpretations varied so much that the imperial palace hesitated to mention them directly.

Thump. Thump-thump.

Jin forced himself to ignore the wild pounding of his heart and focused his mind.

He was certain: though every step he had taken would be etched into history, this moment would be the one future generations would remember most vividly.

“…All mages, join Lord Ian immediately.”

The emperor’s voice trembled involuntarily. The shadow of a god, the underground deity, had manifested and grown in size before them—a natural reaction for any human.

Even Tweller, the oldest and most seasoned minister, was left speechless, frozen as if time itself had stopped. If not for Eirin’s voice rousing him, he might have remained stuck in that moment.

“All mages, support Minister Ian!”

“Go! Hurry, hurry!”

“Yes! Understood!”

“Let’s go! Move quickly!”

“Your Majesty, forgive me!”

As the emperor’s command spread, the mages snapped to attention and flew toward Ian. At this point, the invisible attacks of King Toorun were no longer a concern. Shields and defenses were stripped away as all their strength focused on erasing the shadow. Golden trails marked the paths of the flying mages.

“Summon the magic swordsmen on the walls as well! They will support the mages!”

…Doom! Dong! Dong!

The offbeat drumbeats faltered briefly before regaining their steady rhythm—a signal that the swordsmen were returning.

“Minister Tweller.”

“…….”

“Minister Tweller!”

“…Ah, yes, Your Majesty.”

“What are the imperial troops to do while the mages and swordsmen take the front lines?”

“The imperial army—”

Tweller muttered, glancing up at the underground deity. There was no way. Ordering humans, with human weapons, to confront a god was futile.

“Best to order them to keep their distance.”

“Granted. But they must not leave the capital.”

Retreating from the battlefield could have unpredictable consequences. And above all…

“Ian—!”

Jin clenched his fists tightly and shouted, causing the courtiers to flinch. It was the first time the emperor had raised his voice with such raw emotion—not anger, but something deeper.

This only proved how dire the situation was. Jin’s shout shattered the surreal atmosphere.

“Return alive! I believe in you!”

He believed Ian would survive, that he could safely erase the god’s shadow.

Jin’s hands trembled as he shouted. Standing before a transcendent being, a human felt utterly powerless and pitiful—someone had just doused him with a cold splash of reality.

Ziiing! Ziiing!

Everyone’s hearts pounded wildly, like the footsteps of approaching dread.

The mages barely breathed as they unleashed their magic, eyes fixed on Ian’s back.

No one could see the expression on Ian’s face, nor the resolve shining in his eyes.

Only—

“…This should be interesting.”

Kumasha smiled, facing Ian alone.

The boy who had received the shadow’s aid dusted off his coat and slowly stood. He staggered slightly, as if one leg was broken, but his attitude showed it was no problem.

“Ian Verosion. What will you do? Shall I give you time to pray to the god? But you know as well as I do—”

The god is kind yet cruel, not a being that moves according to human standards. If it intended to intervene, it would have done so long ago, twisting space and time without sacrificing countless lives.

That is the nature of gods.

Omnipotent, yet not truly omnipotent.

“No.”

Ian took a steady breath and drew the Idgal sword.

Swish!

“There’s no need for the god to intervene. I’ll handle this myself.”

“Not funny.”

“Ah, I wasn’t telling you to laugh, so it’s fine.”

“You look worn out. Better save your breath.”

Hail noticed Ian’s breathing was a bit rough—not from fear. Was it from using countless spells? But the Ian she knew wouldn’t lose strength just from casting a high-level spell once.

Lighting a fresh cigarette, Hail gave orders to the mages. Perhaps this would be the last cigarette she ever smoked.

“…Don’t hold back supporting Ian.”

“Yes, holding back now would be a waste.”

“Damn, what do we do? It’s not a monster, but the god’s shadow.”

The mages knew well: the god’s shadow was no ordinary foe. Unless the god itself vanished, the shadow couldn’t be erased.

“Maaargh!”

“Ian! We’re here!”

At that moment, led by Akorella, mages flew in from outside the palace.

Ian focused all his senses behind him but didn’t turn his head. His gaze remained fixed on Kumasha. A moment’s lapse could be fatal.

—Grrr…

The underground deity’s breath grew rough. It merely watched the gathering mages without moving.

Ian understood immediately from that beastly growl.

‘It’s trying to wipe us out.’

Bariel’s mages and swordsmen—the empire’s pillars and the god’s warriors—were being gathered to be eliminated.

Ian’s grip tightened on the Idgal sword.

‘Kumasha said the god should have intervened earlier. But that applies to the underground deity as well.’

The underground deity could have crushed Ian and the mages easily if it had shown itself sooner.

So why did it only appear when Kumasha faced death?

‘It’s not easy. The underground deity’s appearance outside Gaia must come at a cost, a sacrifice.’

This was the god’s domain. To reveal itself here was a difficult choice even for it.

One thing was clear: Kumasha was the underground deity’s weak point.

“…Listen carefully.”

“Yes, Ian! Just give the orders!”

“King Toorun is likely one of the underground deity’s vulnerabilities. You must target him.”

Killing Kumasha might be like cutting off a piece of the shadow. It wasn’t certain, but it was the only theory they had.

The mages nodded resolutely.

“No matter what, we’ll burn our breath to kill it.”

“Yes, Ian! We swear by the mages’ oath!”

“For Bariel’s honor and our pride!”

“We will kill it and protect our home!”

The mages shouted in unison, steeling themselves.

Meanwhile, the underground deity caught its breath, waiting for the right moment. It meant not enough mages and swordsmen had gathered yet, and even if they attacked first, it was confident it wouldn’t be defeated.

“…Don’t die, all of you.”

“That’s our line!”

“Ian! Don’t die! Let’s return together!”

Please. The mages wiped their eyes with their sleeves, clenching their jaws. Crying was a waste. They had to gather every ounce of strength to defeat these monsters and go home.

“Wait.”

At that moment, Akorella pulled something from her pocket and snapped her fingers. An unknown substance scattered over all the mages.

“Take this.”

“…Isn’t this an old, untested drug…?”

“No, damn it. What else are we supposed to do? Carry syringes around?”

“Better than nothing. As expected of the captain.”

“If you’re going to die, you’ll really die! No exceptions for Ian!”

Snap!

Akorella tossed a pill to Ian, who caught it without looking and bit down. The pill cracked loudly as its medicine quickly seeped into his body.

Ziiing! Ziiing!

“I’m going ahead.”

“We’ll follow!”

For now, the best option was to strike before the swordsmen arrived—before the shadow moved. Ian sprang forward, and the mages surged after him, robes billowing.

“Hyaaaah!”

Beric also swung his greatsword toward Kumasha, cutting through the earth as he moved.

But the child, seemingly revitalized by the presence of the underground god, dodged with a speed and agility far beyond before, effortlessly evading the attack.

Shhhhk!

The mages sporadically unleashed spells, trying to take down Kumasha, but it wasn’t easy. No—it was overwhelming. Like fighting a spirit, it was intangible, untouchable.

Boom! Bang!

Crash!

Amid the commotion below, Ian ascended higher, leveling his gaze with the shadow of the god. Its head seemed to pierce the sky itself. The sheer pressure was suffocating, as if the heavens might tear apart and the world collapse at any moment.

“You, who even Ian Verosion couldn’t handle in that form—what do you think you can do now?”

“Shut up. The abyss was your world, but this is the realm of the gods.”

Because of that, I can win.

Because of that, I can kill you.

Ian etched into his heart the words Beric had muttered like a mantra: You haven’t lost until you die. If you believe you can win, you will.

Ziiiiiing! Ziiing!

“Divine Palm.”

The hand of the gods.

In the Ruswena War, this spell had been cast alongside a clone, but this time, Ian was alone. If even the clone spell failed, then this would surely be the last of his strength.

He could not afford to lose consciousness now.

If that happened, everything would be over.

Kugugugung—!

Kugung!

From above, a massive golden palm descended, aiming straight for the underground god’s head. Like a meteor, it was calm and deliberate, intending to crush the creature beneath its weight.

The underground god looked up at the radiant golden palm, then raised its own hand to meet it.

“…!”

And then, with an almost gentle motion—

It crushed the Divine Palm.