Chapter 989
Ian and Crony soared into the air simultaneously. Without hesitation or concern for distance, they charged headlong and collided directly.
KRAAAASH!
The explosive blasts echoed every second, shaking the world so violently it felt as if it might tear apart. The sky, once darkened by storm clouds, flickered between light and shadow, creating an atmosphere as if the apocalypse were imminent.
The mages trembled, focusing intently on forming their magic circles. Could they really do it? Protect the entire central area—not just the palace? Anxiety made them steal glances at Ian, but their movements remained mechanical and precise, as always. While Ian held the line, they had to fulfill their part.
“Captain, are we sure about this central shield?” one mage asked.
“The calculations are impossible,” came the reply. “But let’s try extending it in a straight line for now. As long as the central area isn’t damaged, that should be enough.”
“…First, summon all the mages from the South Gate!”
“Understood!”
With the palace sky torn open, concentrating their power in one place was the most efficient strategy. Besides, the target had shifted from inside the palace to the central area. Unlike the fixed palace grounds, the central region was impossible to calculate precisely.
“To protect the center…” Ako snapped her fingers and muttered under her breath. Her pupils dilated, breath growing ragged. It was a primal human instinct to seek a clue in desperate situations. Countless thoughts swirled in her mind, but none seemed realistically viable.
“Captain.”
Naum grabbed her arm. Though tense, his eyes held a resolute determination.
“We can’t protect the entire central area. We have to be flexible.”
“Flexible.”
“Yes. First, order the nearby civilians to evacuate. Then, let’s form a shield centered around Crony.”
If they thought of it as protecting Crony rather than the palace, then at least that attack wouldn’t reach the center. Different process, but the same end result.
“Good. Everyone, focus!”
Ako pulled a magic amplifier pill from her pocket. She bit it sharply with her fangs, then pointed at Crony and shouted,
“Everyone, create your own shields and surround him! If you need help, cover the person to your left! Don’t let any blind attacks slip through to the center!”
The mages took the pill bottles Ako handed out and each crushed a pill. They spread out wide, leaving gaps, but if everyone covered their left side, it seemed manageable.
“Wait, where the hell is that bastard Hale? He’s not showing up!”
He wasn’t supposed to be left alone at the South Gate! Swallowing her rising irritation, Ako glanced toward the South Gate. Smoke curled up—something was definitely happening over there too.
“Right. There must be a reason he’s not here.”
Damn it. Ako clicked her tongue and activated her magic circle, preparing to block a massive chunk of crumbling wall hurtling toward her.
Ziiing! Ziiing!
KRAAAASH!
It was Crony. He had smashed through the wall and hurled the debris as an attack. Ian dodged lightly, but the cleanup was Ako’s responsibility. She pulverized the falling fragments into dust.
Ssssh! Crackle!
“Hah… hah…”
Crony panted heavily, glaring at Ian. They had clashed repeatedly, but the more they fought, the clearer the skill gap became. Even the wall shards he threw with a roar couldn’t so much as graze Ian.
“Damn it! Give me more power!”
Crony screamed into the void in desperation. Ian realized he was directing his rage at the subterranean god writhing inside him.
‘If Crony’s body is a kind of fracture… then the underground god must want him to collapse.’
It was clear the divine power once granted was being slowly withdrawn—to allow Ian to cut through Crony’s body and manifest directly through the opening.
“AAAAAAH!”
Crony gathered all his remaining strength in a final desperate burst. Crack! The pile of broken wall stones collapsed like paper under gravity. From the warped gap, a black form began to emerge.
“It’s coming!”
“Everyone, get ready!”
The mages tensed, bracing themselves. From Crony’s orb of magic, thousands—no, tens of thousands—of black tendrils shot out, stabbing at the surroundings.
Creak!
These were branches wrapped in malevolent energy. They melted and shattered everything they touched, quickly turning the area around Crony into a viscous liquid.
Whoosh!
The black tendrils writhed like living things, lunging at Ian and the mages. Ian easily deflected and swatted them away, but the mages were visibly shaken by the weight of the attack.
“…!”
Ziiing! Ziiing!
Crack.
The sound of cracks spreading through the shields rang out, but the mages held firm, refusing to retreat. Their golden eyes flashed brilliantly as they struck back at Crony’s assault with all their might.
Shhhhhh!
Ian crouched low, catching his breath. He checked on the progress of the mages’ protective magic and assessed Crony’s condition.
Crony’s aura flickered faintly, like a dying ember.
“But Crony…”
At Ian’s call, Crony lifted his gaze. Half his face twisted into a cruel grin.
“You call yourself a mage, yet you don’t use a single spell?”
Ziiing! Ziiing!
“Reactor.”
A massive pair of fiery wings unfurled behind Ian’s back. They soon took the shape of a woman, stretching out long arms. Flames danced at her fingertips, instantly drying the rain.
The mages murmured in disbelief.
“No way… when did Ian learn such high-level magic?”
Not only had he mastered it, but he wielded it flawlessly in battle—a fact that left them stunned.
Flare!
The giant woman with blazing eyes glared down at Crony like a predator spotting its prey. As she roared, flames surged up around her, rushing toward Crony.
“…!”
Crony swung his spear swiftly, conjuring a gust to try and extinguish the flames, but the magic fire wouldn’t be snuffed out.
“GRAAAH!”
The Reactor flames engulfed Crony, roaring fiercely as the heat blackened his skin.
But this was no mere burn.
‘The monster is expanding its territory.’
Half of Crony’s body began to transform, tainted by the monster’s influence. As if finally revealing his true form.
Ian withdrew the flames and stepped closer.
“Ugh, cough—”
Crony gasped, struggling for breath. He glanced up at Ian, a horrifying sight—no longer human in any recognizable way.
Ssslick.
Ian summoned a sword with magic and aimed it at Crony’s neck.
A strange feeling washed over him. Though he had truly wished for this man’s death, seeing him gasp helplessly made everything feel hollow. Just a broken, pitiful human. That was all Crony meant.
“Heh, heh… Ian Hadel, my instincts were right. From the moment I first saw you, I wanted to kill you.”
Because you thought I would kill you.
The gaze of that five-year-old child was sharp and piercing, impossible to ignore. Maybe, just maybe, his past self had already known this day would come.
“I sensed it too. That someday, our swords would clash.”
As long as he lived, Ian would pursue the truth behind the one who harmed his parents. Whether he or Crony survived.
Ian pressed the blade to Crony’s throat and asked,
“There’s one thing I want to ask.”
Most of Crony’s face was gone now—except for one eye, the rest had been consumed by the monster.
“When you killed my parents, was the underground god somewhere in your heart?”
Crony frowned, puzzled by the question. He seemed unable to grasp what Ian was asking.
‘According to the
Because the Ian Hielo and the Crony of that era existed first, the current Ian Hadel and Crony exist now. Was this all just the repeated lives of humans caught in the gods’ war?
If so, maybe—just a little—I could feel some pity for you, Crony.
“What kind of bullshit are you spouting?”
Crony coughed up blood repeatedly, veins bulging as he shouted in rage.
“Damn it! I’m telling you, it sucks that I didn’t kill you when you were a kid!”
Ah. Ian raised an eyebrow.
So no matter the ties of past lives, this is just the ‘now.’ Every evil Crony committed was his own will. And because of that will, the underground god used him.
“I understand.”
Ian nodded slightly, as if coming to a realization. Then, gripping his sword tightly, he swung it with all his might.
“Crony. I will cut you down. I will sever the shadow cast over my life.”
The immense darkness of his parents’ death.
‘My darkness, which will be nothing once I pierce through it.’
A strange phrase suddenly echoed in his mind—calm, warm, and oddly comforting. With all his heart, Ian drove his sword downward.
‘The lingering regrets of the past that will fade once cut away.’
Whoosh!
“…!”
Ian’s blade pierced Crony’s heart. Crony’s eyes widened, and he writhed in indescribable agony.
“Kraaah!”
His scream was less human and more beastly. Ian bit his lip hard, feeling Crony’s heart beneath the tip of his sword, pushing just a little harder.
“Perish forever, Crony. There is no place for you here.”
Die. Die. All the pain, the suffering, the childhood fears etched deep within—be scattered like dust, vanish like a phantom.
“…”
The life in Crony’s eyes slowly faded.
Ian felt a strange mix of relief and sorrow. This was not mourning Crony’s death, but mourning the darkness of the past.
‘And for Hielo…’
Tears for the golden mage who had lost everything precious to him because of Crony, dragged down to the depths of hell.
Ian twisted the sword’s hilt, and with a crack, Crony’s breath stopped. Then—
Ssshhh—
Yet the monster’s eyes still flickered, darting around. The moment Crony’s breath ceased, his body turned completely black.
“Show your true form now.”
From the sword Ian had plunged into him, something black exploded upward. Like a sealed smoke dispersing, a darkness so thick it seemed to fill the entire world.
“…!”
“…!”
A dark figure, as if reaching for the clouds, gradually took shape. It slowly straightened from a crouch and began to move. Though it had no face, it felt as if it was brimming with a sinister smile.
—It’s been a long time, humans of Gaia.
The descent of the Underworld God.
—And children of the gods.
Ian withdrew the sword from Crony’s heart and pointed its tip at the creature.
“There is no mercy for those who come uninvited.”
Clang!
Ian leapt into the air, muttering under his breath.
“Return. Go back to your world.”
This place was…
“Bariel.”