NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 58
A sharp piece of metal-clad Chaos Realm monster was engulfed by furious flames.
Unbelievable.
To think that the iron-clad dragon, which was more ferocious than any creature, was so ravaged.
The sight of the massive monster, swinging its sharp claws and massive tail in the Imperial City, becoming nothing but pitch-black ashes was truly grotesque. The apostles of the Disaster God, who had mobilized the magical beasts from the Chaos Realm as a last resort, were horrified by the might of Ludmilla, a being close to demi-god status.
“The Empire’s Red Dragon is this strong!”
“I expected it to some extent, being one of the Seven Heroes of the Warring States… but it’s an outrageous monster!”
Even among the numerous beasts in the Chaos Realm, the iron-clad dragons, positioned at the top of the food chain, crumbled so unilaterally.
What a miscalculation.
I had wished they would last at least until the iron-clad dragons assassinated the Emperor.
There was no communication from the Apostle of Fresh Blood. They must still be chasing after the Emperor.
─────!!!
The last remaining iron-clad dragon also met its end at Ludmilla’s hands.
With its strong regenerative ability, it was somehow holding out against the flames, but it was only a matter of time before it fell. Eventually, it would become another sacrifice for the Red Dragon.
“Red Dragon.”
“Your rampage ends here.”
The Priest-Knights, who worshiped the Disaster God, aimed for Ludmilla’s back. They activated the Divine Descent in one go and swung their black blades.
If Ludmilla returned to the Imperial Palace after defeating all the iron-clad dragons, all their plans would collapse. Feeling the urgency, they tried to buy as much time as possible.
But-.
“So, you are the ones who instigated rebellion using the nobles.”
Ludmilla extended her hand with a chilling gaze.
Flames erupted.
The flames of the Red Dragon greedily consumed the Priest-Knights.
The blessing of the Disaster God was engulfed by the fierce blaze, leading to its obliteration. The Priest-Knights swept up in the flames let out horrific screams before being incinerated.
“Indeed, it is the Red Dragon. To burn down the iron-clad dragons of the Chaos Realm in an instant…!”
A swirling darkness rushed toward Ludmilla. She deployed a wall of flames and easily blocked the attack.
The person who ambushed the Red Dragon was an old man with a face full of wrinkles.
The advisor.
The one behind the Empire’s downfall had made his appearance.
Ludmilla instantly sensed that the old man was the leader of the Disaster God-worshipping cultists. The ominous pressure emanating from him was as terrifying as deadly poison.
“A poison that can rot the body in an instant? Pathetic.”
If she hadn’t been able to block the vortex filled with deadly poison, her flesh would have melted away. It boasted a toxicity as foul as the breath of a black dragon.
But it was useless.
No deadly poison could pierce through the fierce flames of the Red Dragon.
Under Ludmilla’s overwhelming might, reminiscent of a blazing inferno, the Disaster God’s apostle became visibly intimidated. This was due to the flames that had mercilessly incinerated the iron-clad dragons.
“For your crime of invading the Valtarian Empire, pay with your life, cultist.”
“How arrogant, Red Dragon. How many lives have you trampled for the Empire until now?”
“…Dare you utter such absurdity?”
“Treating the truth as absurdity is called hypocrisy.”
Thwack.
The old man struck his staff.
As soon as the old man’s words ended, the passageway to the Chaos Realm that had been swirling with reverse motion let out a deafening roar. A trap designed to ensnare the Red Dragon in the center was activated.
──!
───!!!
Pressure enveloped her body.
It started pulling Ludmilla in like she was bound by invisible chains.
“Ugh! Was this a trap to draw me in? Such pathetic tricks befitting of cultists!”
Ludmilla spewed flames as she desperately resisted.
However, the passageway to the Chaos Realm, which greedily consumed the vitality of thousands, did not let go of the ensnared Red Dragon.
There was no way to escape.
Bound by chains, Ludmilla was sealed within the Chaos Realm.
The Red Dragon had finally been trapped in the ropes of the Chaos Realm.
The Priest-Knights, watching in trembling awe, released a sigh of relief. They had cast her into a space completely severed from the present world, ensuring she wouldn’t return immediately.
The trap was a success.
Just as they were feeling relieved—
“Oh my god…! Krrack!!”
A crack formed in the space separating the Chaos Realm and the present world, and fierce hellfire poured out. The blazing hellfire surged toward the old man as if it had a will of its own.
It was the flame of the Red Dragon.
The Priest-Knights gasped as they watched their advisor engulfed in flames.
Boom! Boom!
That was not all.
A crashing noise echoed as the crack split open like spiderwebs.
It was a passageway to the Chaos Realm.
From the sudden cascade of flames, a roar of the Red Dragon could be heard.
The feral beast that had been trapped was trying to return. The fierce flames began to spread like electrical currents, smashing apart the passageway that had barely not closed.
*
Uninvited guests appeared in the Fairies’ Paradise adorned with gigantic plants and brilliant crystals.
The Apostle of Fresh Blood,
And the Holy Sword wielder serving the Disaster God.
As soon as Edanant and Ariel, summoned from the air emitting white brilliance, landed on the ground, they unleashed a flurry of attacks at each other. The Fairies’ Paradise, swept up in a fierce storm, became engulfed in dust.
“A Holy Sword user using the Disaster God’s blessing?! Who the hell are you?! No, more importantly…!”
The line of muskets, expanded by the blessing of the Disaster God, began firing continuously, pressuring Ariel. The sounds of explosions echoed as her defensive spell was shaken.
Bang. Bang.
It was dangerous.
The black bullets fired from the muskets were magic bullets maximized for piercing power.
Even Edanant, handling hundreds of muskets with ease, tried to engage in close combat while shouting Aldebaran. Ariel clenched her teeth and prepared to respond.
“What are you, what are you?! You’re the apostle of the Disaster God! Why are you following the Valtarian Empire that killed your kin?!”
“Kin? How ridiculous.”
Could it be the gap in experience?
Edanant had a clear upper hand in battle.
As soon as the army of muskets appeared, he started to reveal his true power without hesitation.
“Ugh!”
While Ariel swung her spear made from her blood to counterattack, it was insufficient.
Skill. Experience. Proficiency.
She was at a disadvantage in every aspect.
She bit her lip in frustration.
Did even battling the ferocious monsters of the Chaos Realm not grant her enough experience and skill? The disparity was painfully evident, making her feel contempt. If it weren’t for the Mage’s magical equipment, she would have faced an outright humiliating defeat.
“What, what’s with this speed?!”
The coordination of blades and bullets was flawless.
She gasped in disbelief at the reckless charge that rushed in with relentless artillery fire.
It all started after he activated the blessing.
The person who had been running away with his back turned transformed into a ghost of the battlefield.
“Why didn’t I trigger the blessing? If I had activated it from the start, I wouldn’t have had to experience the humiliation of fleeing…! Could it be that I didn’t want the other humans to find out I was an apostle of the Disaster God? So I tried to hide my identity while running away?”
How humiliating.
She avoided the fight for such trivial reasons.
Anger surged within her.
She felt extreme contempt.
Hiding her full power.
Considering being an apostle of the Disaster God shameful.
And following the Empire, which had committed numerous massacres under the pretext of subjugating the cultists.
There was nothing she did not despise.
“Filthy wretches that follow the Earth Mother!!”
With blood-red eyes blazing, she shouted.
As if responding to her contemptuous rage, numerous bombardment spells unfolded, pressing down on Edanant.
A wise choice.
She clearly held the advantage in ‘firepower’ and ‘sustainability’.
The Mage’s magical equipment contained nearly infinite magical power. Thus, if she engaged in a war of attrition, she could obliterate the traitor loyal to the Empire.
“Awaken, O Fresh Blood.”
Ariel took out a dagger made of her blood.
Then, extending one hand, she ruthlessly began to slash her own forearm.
Blood spilled.
The pure maiden’s fresh blood dripped onto the floor.
The sudden self-harm was a step toward awakening.
It was also an offering to receive the Apostle of Fresh Blood into her flesh.
As proof of this, the puddle of fresh blood on the ground bloomed into an eerie shape resembling a fully blossomed flower. It was the Disaster God’s will to willingly accept the offering made by the devout apostle.
Reverse Divinity.
Connecting the divine will through the medium of the flesh.
It differed from simple divine descent, where the divine status merely coats the body; this was a liberation of divinity.
“Edanant!!”
Her ebony hair, once beautiful as ebony, was now dyed deep red like fresh blood.
That was not all.
Her eyes transformed into those of a beast, and her fangs became long and sharp.
The magical power of fresh blood, which fluttered like a breeze, surged violently like a vortex. It was evident that it was not merely her appearance that had changed; the sense of oppression had become even heavier.
The Apostle of Fresh Blood descended upon the slender female body.
A god and a vampire,
A vampire and a god.
The half-god half-demon existence unleashed bombardment spells and wreaked havoc. The number of bombardment spells deployed was astonishingly close to one thousand, filling the air.
“Phew….”
The presence of the Disaster God could be distinctly felt.
Could it be that they would trigger the reverse divinity without hesitation?
Edanant looked at the Apostle of Fresh Blood with a look of disgust.
There was no choice.
This time, he had to bring forth the Disaster God as well. With the situation reaching a climax, his expression was almost one of despair.
“May the war last forever.”
In a fleeting moment, Edanant felt a myriad of emotions crossing his mind and let out a heavy sigh as he drew his pistol.
Then, he aimed the gun at himself.
More precisely, at his chest where his heart lay.
Bang—!
He pulled the trigger without hesitation.
At that moment, the bullet pierced into his heart.
“…What, war?”
The Apostle of Fresh Blood, fused with Ariel, muttered in disbelief.
Zzzz…
From the hole created by the bullet in his chest, fine black particles flowed out like gunpowder. As the particles combined, they transformed into solid metal.
Before long, the black metal covered Edanant, molding into the shape of an armor.
– Finally, you have awakened me.
A voice as gentle as a mother’s yet passionate as that of a lover whispered of longing.
Joy over reunion,
And the fiery passion for war.
– Edanant.
The Disaster God, having accepted the apostle’s call, willingly granted him her divine status. As if to prove it, the Disaster God’s divine status floated around Edanant, awaiting commands.
Click—. Click—.
Metallic sounds echoed.
Following that, numerous firearms appeared in the air.
Not only muskets.
Siege weaponry and numerous gunpowder arms used in wars unfolded. They had achieved the culmination of firepower, bringing the terror of war to reality.