Chapter 934: Anathema (8)
Crack, crack…!!!
Anathema stood rooted to the spot, his entire body wreathed in crackling lightning.
But the wings that had been on his back were nowhere to be seen; only his physical body remained intact.
“I cut off his wings. I killed the nerves below his scapulae, so it’ll be difficult for them to regenerate for a while.”
Lennok, holding a cigarette, exhaled a puff of smoke.
“It’s not something created through Apostle Transformation, but power he gained as a Dragon Sorcerer, so it won’t be possible to revive them with human sacrifice either.”
“……”
For an incarnation body serving the Subterranean Giant God, wings were a luxury. The wings on Anathema’s back must have been power he obtained as an 8-level Dragon Sorcerer, not the power of an Apostle.
Knowing this, Lennok immediately chanted a lightning magic spell upon arriving at the scene. He unleashed lightning strikes, utterly destroying all the nerves below the scapulae that supported the wings.
“It gets troublesome if you keep expanding the effective range of Apostle spellcraft. I intend to finish this within this satellite city if possible.”
“……Wizard.”
The goat-headed giant stared at Lennok with bloodshot eyes. A monstrous entity, far beyond human form, glowered at Lennok with an overwhelming surge of killing intent.
“So you were the madman said to possess the greatest talent since the civil war, then.”
“I don’t think there’s any need to categorize it that way.”
Lennok chuckled, the cigarette still in his mouth.
“Kaiser Bajour and I already concluded that discussion. It was an easy victory for me.”
“Nonsense.”
Thud!!
Anathema shook off the lightning wreathed around his body, stomping his reversed-jointed legs as he rose.
“Though an enemy, Kaiser Bajour was a man of greater intellect than anyone I’d ever seen.”
“……”
“Despite being merely human, he knew how to manipulate the success or failure of fate, determined by the heavens.”
Anathema’s inorganic gaze slowly fixed on Lennok.
“Are you saying you truly possess fate-altering abilities comparable to that man?”
“Don’t you think it’s too old a story to discuss now, decades after the project failed?”
Lennok leisurely replied, examining Anathema.
“But regardless of Kaiser’s methodology, I empathize with his will. He was a man worthy of that respect.”
His recovery speed was unbelievably fast for someone who had been struck head-on by lightning spellcraft. However, Lennok wasn’t surprised, as he already knew that the Sixth Apostle was such a monster.
‘The Apostle’s sturdy body, the noble’s outstanding spirituality, and the Pontiff’s constant protection. But most troublesome of all…’
Lennok’s eyes, fixed on Anathema’s feet, darkened.
‘The ability to halve all damage dealt to him from the moment he assimilates with the earth.’
It wasn’t for nothing that Anathema had been simultaneously fighting Krod Azlan and Peshia Grisbern immediately after being reborn as an Apostle.
Among the many abilities that explosively boosted Anathema’s power, this was the most symbolic power of the Sixth Apostle.
Earth Assimilation Damage Reduction, which had even allowed the previous Sixth Apostle to contend with Pyeonram for a brief time.
Anathema, despite having only recently been reborn as an Apostle, was freely using the Subterranean Giant God’s Apostle spellcraft.
This must also be why Anathema, a noble of Ars Nova and an 8-level Dragon Sorcerer, was chosen as the new Sixth Apostle.
Regardless of whether they were perfected by receiving the power of an Outer God, all high-level Apostles were excellent superhumans in their own right.
“Considering your actions so far, I can guess what kind of being you intended to be reborn as in this world.”
Lennok said, watching Anathema slowly approach.
“You intended to balance the three powers of Dragon Spellcraft, innate abilities, and Apostle spellcraft into a trinity, didn’t you?”
“……”
“The innate abilities of the Post-Heaven Eight Trigrams Formation explain the changes in all creation. If you had succeeded in recovering those innate abilities as planned, it wouldn’t have been impossible to reconcile the powers of the Apostle and the noble.”
Behind Lennok, a massive magic circle rose and slowly began to rotate.
Flash!!
“That is, if you hadn’t lost one axis of the formation to me through the ritual.”
“Manipulating innate abilities without spirituality is not a skill permitted to mere mortals.”
Despite Lennok’s sneer, Anathema calmly stated, looking at the lost formation.
“Will and mind are not tools that move as one desires. If you truly understand the elevation and intensification of will-thought so deeply, then you are worthy of wielding my innate abilities.”
“……”
“Outstanding talent and experience refined to the extreme. Have you finally blossomed enough that time is no longer your weakness?”
Anathema, looking down at Lennok with profound eyes, said.
“However, you ultimately chose the wrong stage to display your talents. That choice will be the turning point between life and death here today.”
Crack.
At that moment, the countless corpses of flesh monsters that had fallen at Anathema’s feet began to be absorbed into his body.
The tattered flesh, bones, and blood were entirely sucked into the Apostle’s body, becoming part of the sacrifice.
Subterranean Turtle Sea (地低龜海) Pre-access.
Spirit Incarnation (靈者化身) Quantitative Imprint.
[Earth God Transformation (地神化)]
Thud-thud-thud!!
A mighty surge of magical power erupted from Anathema’s massive body, instantly enveloping him. Wrapping his entire body in an earthen armor from his feet up, the goat giant’s colossal form rapidly began to shrink.
“The firepower that impinges on an Apostle’s body. The magical distortion that hinders even regeneration through human sacrifice is astonishing, but that’s as far as it goes.”
A grotesque creaking, as if the giant’s body was being compressed by Apostle spellcraft, reducing its size. The Apostle’s true form, closer to a beast, completed its humanization on the spot and stood before Lennok.
Low-Altitude Rotation (低空回祝)
All surfaces visible to the eye began to rotate around Anathema.
Kwa-ka-ka-ka-ka!!!
Anathema, his dark red eyes blazing within the earthen armor, spoke.
“In this battlefield, where the blessing of the Subterranean Giant God can be used without limit, my victory is an inevitability ordained by the gods.”
Lennok’s conjecture that Anathema intended to balance Dragon Spellcraft and Apostle spellcraft using innate abilities was not wrong.
However, from the moment his innate abilities were taken by Lennok, he had been forcibly reconciling the two spellcrafts, suppressing their full power.
At this point, with Dragon Spellcraft sealed and forced to focus on Apostle spellcraft, it was inevitable that his power as the Sixth Apostle would grow stronger.
“You don’t even know what inevitability truly means. True inevitability isn’t like that.”
But Lennok, knowing this, simply laughed and immediately retorted.
“Don’t you think it’s too much to boast when you haven’t even grasped how you lost the Eight Trigrams Formation?”
“……”
Anathema’s reply was slow, as if a blind spot had been hit.
“That fact must bother you the most. The fact that I’m interfering with the Apostle’s authority must be unpleasant.”
The authority of the priestess, bestowed by the priestess, was a miracle that allowed access to the cult’s faith system and observation of its essence. Thus, Lennok interfered with Anathema’s mind, preventing him from reclaiming the Eight Trigrams Formation.
However, from Anathema’s perspective, as he was not the priestess, he couldn’t understand why he couldn’t reclaim the formation. Anathema had been wary of Lennok to an extreme degree since the start of the battle, preoccupied by that fact.
Whoosh!
As Lennok took a light step, magical power surged beneath his feet, beginning to rotate fiercely. Anathema, now in human form, and Lennok’s gazes crossed in mid-air.
“Go on, find out with your boasted Apostle spellcraft.”
Lennok smiled, looking down at the blazing eyes within the earthen armor.
“Then, I’ll personally teach you what you call inevitability.”
“Come, arrogant one.”
Anathema replied, gathering his magical power.
“I will make you realize that your talent can never reach the end of that sea!!!”
With those words, the ground beneath Lennok’s feet cracked, and dozens of massive spikes surged forth. A grand destruction, like giant earthen flowers blooming on the ground.
The impact caused the ruined urban area to collapse and vanish without a trace, unleashing a powerful shockwave that swept through hundreds of meters in radius.
[Distorted Pillar Earth Flower (柱歪地花)]
KWA-AAAAAANG!!
Lennok, who had flickered away to avoid the dozens of meters tall earthen spears, snatched Krod Azlan and Peshia Grisbern from mid-air. Countless thorns erupted from the surface of the earthen spears rising from both sides, once again targeting Lennok.
But Lennok, gripping Krod Azlan and Peshia Grisbern with Magic Scribes, spun his body on the spot. The wizard’s form vanished as if sucked into the air, reappearing high above in the dark night sky.
GOOOOOH!!!
He twisted his body halfway in the fierce wind high above and pulled one hand back.
“The Sixth Apostle’s spellcraft is specialized in widespread area denial and bombardment rather than delicate manipulation.”
Lennok muttered, gathering magical power as he watched the earthen spikes erupting from the ground.
“But if you go all out and counter, there’s nothing you can’t overwhelm with sheer force.”
[Encompassing Thunder Belt (帶羅電)]
[Armored Hand Strike (胄拍手)]
As if Lennok’s hand, extended towards the night sky, served as a reference point, dozens of lightning bolts plunged down from the dry sky, converging.
CRACKLE-CRACKLE-CRACKLE!!!!
Dozens of lightning bolts compressed around Lennok’s hand, and at the moment they explosively swelled, powered by their repulsive force—
A colossal lightning hand, as if Lennok’s own hand had been enlarged dozens of times, descended vertically from the sky.
[Thunderous Radiance Manifestation (雷曜申來)]
The massive lightning hand crashed down from the night sky, crushing the bouquet of earthen spikes. Unable to withstand the power, the earthen spikes snapped and broke, losing their sharpness.
Anathema’s form, who had been manipulating the Apostle spellcraft at the center of the flower, was also swept away.
KWA-AAAAAANG!!!!
Anathema’s entire body, engulfed in lightning, burned wildly in the pale blue lightning storm. Lennok, flickering into the storm, chanted a spell, sweeping his fingertips downwards at close range to Anathema.
[Swift Thunder Narrow Flight (翩雷飛隘)]
A lightning bolt, compressed to smaller than a fingertip, collided head-on with Anathema’s armor, then explosively expanded. It sent the Apostle’s body flying back hundreds of meters.
BOOOOOOM!!
Lennok, having successfully forced a distance from Anathema, immediately threw Krod Azlan and Peshia Grisbern to the ground.
“How long do you intend to rest?”
“……”
Peshia Grisbern lay sprawled, limbs broken and covered in blood. Krod Azlan knelt, his pristine white robe stained with mud and blood.
But Lennok, knowing this, shoved potion bottles into both their mouths.
“This is the last time. Get up.”
He injected a combat-sustaining ampoule, a mixture of stimulants and painkillers, into their necks, then struck their chests as if punching their hearts.
CRACKLE-CRACKLE…!!
[Converging Binding Shatter (鑄迫鎖)]
[Residual Thunder Body (余雷身)]
[Involuntary Body (不隨意體)]
Pale blue clumps of electricity extending from his fingertips split into two, striking Peshia and Krod Azlan’s bodies. The two spear-wielders twitched and convulsed faintly as if electrocuted, even while unconscious.
Only then did different screams erupt from their mouths.
“Agh, aaaaargh…!!!”
“Gah, this is…!!!!”
Trembling all over, they rose to their feet with bloodied bodies. Their faces were stiff, as if not moving of their own will, and their arms, legs, and fingers twisted in different directions.
“Ugh…!!! Damn it, bas…!!!”
Peshia glared at Lennok with bloodshot eyes, spitting out a vulgar curse. After opening her eyes and coughing up the blood that filled her lungs, Peshia spoke in a cracking voice.
“You, son of a…!! What the hell were you doing, and why are you only here now…!!”
“The person I promised to meet here was late, you see.”
Lennok replied nonchalantly.
“It’s been so long since we last met, it took a while. I’m going to finish this now, so prepare yourselves.”
“……One cannot leave the battlefield before the fight is over.”
Krod Azlan, leaning heavily on his spear to prop himself up, asked in a voice heavy with fatigue.
“How much longer must we endure?”
“There’s one technique among the Sixth Apostle’s Apostle spellcraft that must be provoked.”
Lennok said.
“Endure until he uses it. I’ll provide support.”
“You always talk such bullsh*t… Endure and buy time until he uses some uncertain technique?”
Peshia retorted sarcastically, as if she had been waiting for the chance.
“Why don’t you just honestly admit you want to kill us quickly right here.”
“It’s not that I don’t feel that way, but Anathema returning to human form means he realized he shouldn’t be hit by my magic anymore.”
Lennok exhaled a puff of cigarette smoke and replied.
Although he tried a head-on power struggle, it was clear that Anathema finding himself being hit by Lennok’s magic was a significant burden. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have changed form immediately after the battle began, nor would he have opened distance and tried to buy time like this.
“Mobility utilizing the earth as a medium. A body with reduced target area due to human size. His intention is to deliberately avoid my magic and kill us.”
“……”
“I don’t know the specific form. But there will be a moment when he tries to change the tide of battle, even if it means sacrificing his earth spellcraft mobility.”
Lennok, his gaze cold, looked back at the two bloodied vanguards.
“If you can drag out the battle until that moment, then you can die. After that, I’ll handle it.”
“Huhu… what an incredible request you make.”
Krod Azlan gave a wry smile, stroking his chin.
“Endure until he uses a technique whose form and nature you don’t even know…”
“Anathema won’t drag it out for long either. His innate abilities are sealed, and the offerings for his Apostle spellcraft can’t be infinite. However…”
Lennok said, looking at the slowly tilting horizon far away.
“From now on, he will try to crush us with all his might.”
“……”
Rumble-rumble-rumble…!!!
From the far end of the satellite city, a massive tsunami of earth, hundreds of meters in radius, was rolling in.