NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 59
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The Disaster Gods, known as the Rulers of Catastrophe, were primal fears born from numerous disasters threatening humanity.
They mocked divine creation, akin to cruelty that ruthlessly tramples wondrous life.
As humanity’s fear of disasters grew, countless Disaster Gods were born. Fear of pain and loss acted like shackles that eternally bound humanity.
However—.
The Disaster Gods that were born did not reach the level of “catastrophes that would destroy the world.” The disasters born from humanity’s fear were mere trifles. They lacked the divine status to sever humanity’s continuity and the world’s lifeline.
Four disasters that could destroy the world.
Tyranny. War. Famine. Death.
The Endless Calamities began with humanity’s birth.
The Disaster Gods born after the creation of Endless Calamities were nothing more than insignificant imitations. The true source of fear that humanity dreaded was the Endless Calamities themselves.
“Guh…!”
The sight of a myriad of diverse firearms engulfing the air and moving in unison was genuinely surreal. It was no wonder that the Blood Vampire facing it let out a sound of disbelief.
Guns and cannons—
They were nothing but crude toys created by humanity to replace magic.
However, those were weapons forged with the Blessing of the War God. They were on an entirely different level compared to common firearms.
Ariel swallowed hard as she recalled the bullets that maximized penetration power. Surely, the shells loaded into the siege guns would possess corresponding lethality.
────!!
──────!!!
Countless siege cannons roared, belching fire. The pitch-black projectiles targeted the Blood Vampire in unison.
It felt like a storm was raging.
An extravagant display of hundreds of shells poured down.
If she did not stop it, she would die.
A fierce gale swept through, causing her blood-stained hair to whip wildly.
‘How am I supposed to stop all this?!’
She unfolded both her offensive and defensive spells to respond to the shelling barrage. Yet the torrent of cannonballs shredded the Blessing of the Blood Vampire like paper.
She was overwhelmed by the firepower she had once been so confident in.
Even with nearly infinite magical power and the maximum extraction of the Blessing of the Blood Vampire, it was not enough. The Blessing of War seemed to mock her desperate efforts and sent Ariel flying backward.
“Ugh!”
As the last defensive spell was destroyed, she tumbled to the ground.
She had been utterly defeated.
The vampire, covered in dust, gazed with glassy eyes at the reloading siege cannons.
“The Disaster God of War…! Why does it have to be the Disaster God of War?!”
When she first faced the line of muskets, she had thought it was just a casual encounter. Firearms, including muskets, had not been used on the battlefield for long.
It was undoubtedly a third-rate Disaster God.
She had thought of it as an unnamed God serving in some remote location.
But the Disaster God she had taken lightly turned out to be an unimaginably formidable being.
She came face to face with the Endless Calamities that encompassed all disasters.
Ariel stared, trembling, into the eyes of Edanant, who looked down at her.
“Don’t joke! The Disaster God of War? Why would such a big shot be loyal to the Empire?”
The warning from the Blood Vampire echoed in her mind.
Yet Ariel pushed it aside, showing hostility toward Edanant.
“Edanant!!”
“……”
She was outmatched by firepower.
Chances in close combat were slim.
To confront the Apostle who summoned the Disaster God of War would be akin to suicide. Knowing this, the Blood Vampire had likely advised the devout Apostle to retreat.
However, Ariel did not back down. The hatred to assassinate the ruler of the Empire and avenge her fellow countrymen burned fiercely in her heart.
“If this war erupts, it would benefit you too! If the entire continent is swept up in war, the Disaster God of War might even surpass the Divine Status of the Earth Mother!”
“War that results in countless deaths is unbearable. Just because I serve the Disaster God of War doesn’t mean I’m some mindless warmonger.”
Ariel and Edanant clashed head-on.
Holding the crimson spear of blood, she thrust forward with her Holy Sword wrapped in white radiance.
With every clash of their weapons, storms erupted. The spreading tempests turned the villages of Luinong into ruins. Despite the ruthless destruction, it showed no signs of stopping.
“Guh!”
Both the attack spells and muskets fired simultaneously at each other.
Amidst the fierce explosions, the Apostles rushed in, launching sharp counterattacks.
It seemed evenly matched.
However, it was only natural that the War Apostle held the advantage.
Aldebaran’s sharp Golden Slashes targeted Ariel numerous times. Each time, the Blood Vampire displayed agility and reflexes to evade, but it was far too close for comfort.
How long could she maintain this acrobatics?
Ariel herself couldn’t guarantee it.
If she were to be swept up in the power of the Holy Sword, she would die. Remembering the warning from her advisor, Ariel hurriedly kicked off the ground to create distance.
“……!!”
It was a wise yet foolish decision.
She escaped the threat of the Holy Sword’s power.
But by creating distance, she entered the range of cannon fire.
How long had they been preparing? The siege cannons had surrounded her from all directions. Upon witnessing the dazzling cannons, Ariel froze in horror as she lifted her magical equipment.
“C-Cr…!”
At that moment,
A bullet flew in.
Chaang!!
The bullet struck her platinum accessory with precision.
Ariel gasped in disbelief and looked up, gritting her teeth at the sight of Edanant, who had just pulled the trigger of his pistol.
───────!!!
She was given no chance to counterattack.
All around, radiant chaos erupted as the barrage began anew.
“Gaaaah!!”
In a hurry, she tried to deploy her defensive spells, but it was futile. The cannonballs that came flying in at ferocious speeds mercilessly tore into the vampire.
If it were only a few shots, she could have withstood them easily.
But the siege cannons targeting Ariel numbered in the hundreds.
As the barrage continued, the Blood Apostle was reduced to a pitiful state. It seemed the cannons showed no mercy, as they did not cease for a moment.
Her flesh tore and bones shattered.
She attempted to raise her hand, but the ruined magical equipment lay on the ground.
Thus, Ariel was brutally flung away, mangled and blood-soaked.
“Guh…! Cough, cough…!!”
A chance of victory?
From the start, there had been no possibility of victory for a vampire.
With the Disaster God of War having descended, all chances were taken away.
In the end, she would be trampled and perish as a corpse on the battlefield. The Disaster God of War would show no mercy to those foolish enough to attempt to oppose him.
“Die, vampire.”
The War Apostle clad in black armor raised his hand.
In response, the surrounding siege cannons completed their reloading.
Clang.
The nearly crippled vampire looked up, spitting blood.
She opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out.
Edanant had no intention of granting even the last mercy of listening to her final words. He gazed down coldly at the battered vampire, ready to ensure her demise.
Chchhht-.
At that moment, just as a brief instant remained,
A sound echoed as the barrier surrounding Fairies’ Paradise cracked.
It was likely that she couldn’t withstand the barrage.
Edanant dismissed the change in the barrier as unimportant.
However.
The anomaly emerging from the crack in the barrier shattered Edanant’s calmness. A fierce flame erupted from the split, revealing a woman with blonde hair.
“……!”
A face that was all too familiar.
It couldn’t be helped.
Because they had been together for over a month.
She reappeared in the worst of situations.
Edanant felt his heart race as if he had taken a stimulant. Time around him felt like it was flowing slowly, as if a dream was passing by.
‘Did the Luinong break the barrier? No, that’s not it. They broke through the barrier.’
Why now?
At this moment.
A myriad of chaotic thoughts invaded his mind.
Stuck in this unexpected predicament, Edanant froze in place.
“Your Excellency. No…, Edanant.”
Though a bit disheveled compared to usual, it was undoubtedly Ludmilla.
He had hoped that with full armor on, she wouldn’t recognize him—but that was a futile hope.
Ludmilla Dreg Valtaria.
The second princess of the Valtarian Imperial Family and the Red Dragon that protects the Empire.
The suddenly intervening Ludmilla instantly recognized Edanant through her sharp insight and instinct.
“Could it be… you were the warmonger I had sought so desperately?”
“…….”
After hesitating for words, Ludmilla’s full lips finally parted.
Her voice trembled as if showing the turmoil within her heart.