Chapter 755
Fragments of the shattered Divine Palm fell downward, slowly fading away. It was like a mirage, or perhaps some kind of sublimation.
Whatever it was, one thing was clear: Ian’s higher-level magic had been completely nullified before the shadow.
‘So that’s… possible.’
The wizards watched in stunned silence, their minds reeling. It felt as if their entire horizon had expanded by a notch.
None of them had ever imagined such a thing before seeing it with their own eyes. Even if someone had proposed the idea, they would have dismissed it as nonsense.
After all, on Gaia—the world they stood on—higher magic was said to possess power closest to that of the gods. And with Ian as the caster, there was no room for doubt.
“Th-this…”
Ian himself seemed shaken, frozen in midair.
The shadow tilted its head, watching Ian with an amused gaze—the look of an absolute being observing a mere creature.
—I am the Shadow. Without gods, I do not exist, but the reverse is also true. Without me, gods cannot exist. Isn’t that fascinating?
Fragments of gods, your power stops at the boundary of my pieces.
No matter how much you defy time or bask in divine favor, there is a clear limit. An absolute truth that even a rift cannot distort.
Ziiing! Ziiing!
Instead of answering, Ian immediately began to condense his magic. He needed to confirm whether it was only the Divine Palm that had been nullified, or if all magic itself was powerless here.
Boom! Bang!
Ian circled the shadow, unleashing a series of explosions. His fierce attacks struck the shadow.
But the darkness swallowed them all, as if melting everything away. It was unbelievable. A different dimension itself was breathing right before their eyes.
‘…No matter what I do, it’s useless?’
That conclusion flashed through Ian’s mind. He quickly pushed the thought away.
If he accepted it as fact, that would be the end. No path forward, only doubt. That was the first step toward certain defeat. Ian steadied himself and took a deep breath.
‘There has to be a way. There must be.’
Think, Ian.
He bit his lower lip hard and glared at the shadow.
Then—
Thud.
A sharp pain flared beneath his chest again, as if reminding him not to forget. The same strange ache he’d felt when he annihilated Idgal’s army earlier.
‘Right, Idgal remains.’
Let’s see if this alone can cut through the shadow.
Ian grasped Idgal with both hands. His fingertips trembled faintly—not from fear, but from physical exhaustion.
Since entering the heart of Torolun, Ian hadn’t rested. He had borne the burden of higher magic alone, which he had previously shared with his clone. He sensed his limits creeping closer.
—Isn’t that also divine power?
The shadow laughed mockingly.
It seemed genuinely amused. The world beyond the rift was so trivial. Now he understood why the gods loved it so much.
“Ahh.”
How kind of you to tell me it won’t work.
But Ian didn’t stop. He stepped closer to the shadow and swung his sword. Even if it connected, it would only leave a scratch—barely a wound.
Swish!
Following Ian’s sword trail, the shadow parted slightly, like a dense fog dispersing.
From that gap surged a dark, demonic energy.
“…!”
An abyss. Having fallen into the abyss twice before, Ian recognized the energy instantly.
The shadow’s interior was filled with abyssal power. Whether it was the source of its strength or because it couldn’t ascend to Gaia without the abyss separated, Ian couldn’t tell.
A question suddenly struck him.
‘If I cut it, will the abyss spill out?’
He recalled the words of a dead gypsy.
When he had fallen into the abyss with Rutherford, she warned Ian, who wanted to take Naum with him, that if the abyss rose to Gaia, a terrible disaster would follow.
“…This is complicated.”
Ian admitted it. This was the most complex and colossal being he had ever faced. In times like this, it was best to step back and assess—
—Finally.
The shadow whispered.
Ian turned around and saw the magic swordsmen racing across the rooftops. They had just finished the battle at the castle walls and were rushing to support the wizards.
But instead of relief, Ian felt his heart sink.
“Don’t come!”
If they all gathered, the shadow’s movement would begin.
Jaret, who was charging forward, hesitated at Ian’s shout.
“Stop!”
At his command, the magic swordsmen halted immediately, but from the shadow’s perspective, they were already well within its sphere of influence.
For a moment, the wind shifted.
“Ah.”
Seeing the god up close was indescribable. It was earth and sky, a stormy night and the scorching desert sun all at once.
Even chosen by the gods, mere humans could never hope to wield such power… The magic swordsmen’s neck hairs stood on end.
‘It’s coming.’
Within the shadow’s domain—
Everyone there sensed it.
—I have waited. Fragments of the gods.
Boom! Thud!
Boom!
The sky, from which the Divine Palm had descended, roiled into a whirlwind. Everyone who could see the ground looked up.
“Stay alert!”
From the wizards’ side, Hale shouted, and from the magic swordsmen’s side, Jaret roused his troops. How could they afford to lose focus when their lives hung in the balance?
“Look at Ian!”
Ian was gathering his magic again. He knew his attacks were ineffective, but he refused to give up.
The wizards gritted their teeth and poured every ounce of strength into capturing the king before them.
Thaat!
Ziiing! Ziiing! Pfoom!
“Captain Jaret, what should we do?”
“Ian told us not to get close—”
“Ian—!”
Jaret’s voice rose from deep within his core. He wanted to ask what was happening, why they couldn’t approach, but the shadow wouldn’t allow it.
—Disappear.
Boom! Thud!
The sky shattered.
To be precise, the boundary of the sky vanished at the shadow’s gesture. Like smearing wet paint with a hand, a part of nature itself was disturbed.
Shhaaak!
A thick darkness surged toward Ian, moving too fast to see.
Ian barely dodged, moving with razor-thin margins.
‘There’s nowhere to retreat.’
It was a strange, incomprehensible power. The moment it caught him, his body would melt and split apart—he was certain.
The tendrils of darkness multiplied, flying in from all directions.
Shhaaak! Shhaak!
The shadow was enjoying itself. It looked down pityingly at Ian’s struggles, clearly smiling. Though it had no facial features, Ian could feel it.
“I—”
Ziiing!
Ian spread Idgal wide, forming a protective shield. But the darkness shattered Idgal with ease and pierced through.
An overwhelming sense of helplessness washed over him. By the time Ian sensed the darkness flying toward his neck…
‘…It’s too late.’
He reflexively raised his arm to block, but he knew the truth. It was too late.
Pfuuk!
The sound of something slicing and piercing rang out clearly. The sound of a heart being pierced.
But Ian did not die.
“…?”
The darkness never reached him. At the moment he sensed death, a fluttering robe brushed past him. Red blood splattered in the air.
Shhaaak!
It was a magic swordsman Ian had exchanged a few words with before. Ian could almost recall his name from his face, but the swordsman never looked back. He simply fell, his heart pierced.
“Semi!”
Beric shouted, recognizing him. But in the brief moment of his fall, the swordsman’s body melted completely, crumbling to ash.
Shaaak!
More magic swordsmen approached, climbing the shadow and unleashing their magic.
They were not the kind to weigh possibility or impossibility on the battlefield. For victory, for Bariel’s safety, and for their warrior’s creed, they threw themselves willingly at the colossal god’s shadow.
“Hyaaaah!”
“Sir Ian! We’ll protect you!”
Though their attacks were absorbed like Ian’s, they did not stop.
Ian was confused. His mind had long since numbed, as if half-submerged underwater. He dodged the shadow’s attacks almost instinctively, but gaps began to appear.
The sky darkened with the remains of the magic swordsmen who sacrificed themselves to save Ian.
“Captain!”
Ziiing!
Flash! Flash!
Jaret, leading the charge, felt despair with every step. To this being, they were nothing but insignificant creatures. Was defeat their inevitable fate?
“Until the end—!”
But Jaret could not voice it.
“We complete the mission until the end!”
Even if that end was death.
Following Jaret’s order, the troops kept charging, breaking apart before Ian.
“Damn it! Son of a—!”
Beric lost his temper and turned away. He could no longer bear to watch his comrades die so pointlessly.
And in that moment, Kumasha seized the opportunity.
“Beric!”
Shhaaak!
The crimson Idgal of Kumasha sliced across Beric’s side. In an instant, all the strength drained from his body, and he staggered violently, clutching his side with one hand. Blood poured through his fingers.
“Focus!”
Ziiing! Ziiing!
“Beric, damn it, damn it!”
As Beric dropped to his knees, Akorella shoved a pill into his mouth and continuously infused it with magic.
But the red Idgal, true to its nature, steadily suppressed the power of the magic.
Boom! Bang!
Boooom!
Ian’s jaw clenched tightly. With a thunderous roar, he charged at the shadow.
“I’ll tear you apart—!”
But the shadow flicked him away with a mere gesture, sending Ian flying hundreds of meters before he crashed into a building.
Kraaaash!
Buried beneath the rubble, Ian was trapped.
“…”
Jin, watching from afar, swallowed dryly. This was no ordinary battle.
It was a game.
Yes, a game. One played within the shadow’s grasp.
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty.”
Twellar was equally flustered, repeatedly calling out to the emperor. No matter how many times he’d fought on the battlefield, he couldn’t find an answer to this.
If the mages and magic swordsmen couldn’t stop that thing…
‘Bariel means ruin.’
Ruin. The weight of that word was more than Jin could bear.
Confused, Jin lowered his gaze for a moment. Since Sir Ian was fighting up front, there must be something he could do from behind. Surely, the gods had granted him some purpose.
Jin naturally glanced at Eirin.
“…”
She sat with her hands clasped, eyes closed in prayer. The earnest plea to the gods seemed to echo in his ears.
Watching her, something stirred in Jin’s mind.
“Your Majesty! The citizens have risen in revolt.”
“…A revolt?”
Jin asked mechanically.
But right now, that was the least of their concerns. What mattered was grasping the silent clue that had just surfaced in his mind.
“It seems those who witnessed the Shadow God have risen up.”
“Hah! In this situation?”
“Your Majesty, I will go and quell it—”
‘…!’
Taat.
Suddenly, Jin understood. Without realizing it, he sprang to his feet and turned to the reporting officer.
“You say those who saw the Shadow God have revolted?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
It was the faith of Toorun. Their god had appeared before their eyes—right before the capital fell. In this moment, who wouldn’t offer prayers of awe and gratitude?
Gripping his sword, Jin mounted his horse.
“That’s it.”
“Huh?”
“From now on, we will kill every last one of those who believe in that shadow.”
A god is a being founded on faith.
But what happens when that faith disappears?
“Kill them all. Leave no one alive. Do it with the resolve to erase even its name.”
A crack will form in the shadow’s power.