Translator: Marctempest
Editor/Proofreader: TempWane
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Chapter 89: In the Name of the God (2)
Mishra and her companions, along with the late-arriving alliance forces, were in the midst of fighting against the calamities.
In the faraway imperial palace.
······Emperor Eoloman was having a private audience with the theologian Agnatz.
The atmosphere of the carpeted imperial chamber was luxurious and neat. It was a fitting place for those who led the great empire, following in the footsteps of their ancestors.
The emperor spoke first.
“You request a private audience? How rare.”
“Is that so?”
Although he showed the proper respect, Agnatz’s demeanor was similar to usual.
His standing in the country was briefly reflected.
Even so, the emperor did not furrow his brow.
“Indeed. It has been a long time, I suppose.”
“Your Majesty, I am sorry, but I cannot remember the last time I requested a private audience.”
“That is understandable. This is the first time.”
“······.”
They had a mutually complementary relationship.
Considering the years, they could even be called friends.
That was why the emperor had not brought any guards with him.
Emperor Eoloman chuckled, then straightened his posture as if to signal the end of the jest.
“Anyway, tell me. If you requested a private audience, it must be for something of great importance.”
The serious gaze of a ruler.
It was exactly what Agnatz had hoped for.
After moistening his tongue, he spoke.
“Your Majesty, I did not come here today with an ordinary mind.”
“That would be expected. I know.”
“No, Your Majesty. You must understand more. I stand here today with the reputation of a scholar on the line.”
The emperor observed him more closely.
Agnatz, rarely furrowing his brows, looked quite solemn.
“Reputation as a scholar, you say.”
An unusual atmosphere filled the air.
When the emperor gestured for him to continue, the theologian spoke again.
“I have devoted myself to theology for a long time.”
“Indeed. I heard you had an interest in it since you were young. I doubt anyone in the empire does not know that.”
Why was he saying this all of a sudden?
The emperor thought, but Agnatz’s expression did not waver.
With determination, Agnatz continued.
“The birth of the calamities. And the celestial beings who have departed. I have been curious about the truth behind it. I sought the truth and longed for a return to the ancient times.”
“······A return to the ancient times?”
“Redemption, Your Majesty. To cleanse the original sin and fill the void left by the gods. Just like in the distant ancient times.”
“Are you talking about the subjugation of the calamities? I know well that the reclamation of the landfill will not be easy. However, I also know Artan’s resolve─”
The emperor murmured what he had understood.
However, the theologian’s words were not yet finished. His next statement was quite shocking.
“Your Majesty, a season has returned.”
“That boy is often unreliable, but his talent… what did you say?”
“I have seen the goddess of winter.”
The words were spoken in a room where only the two of them were present, and there was no one else to overhear.
For an instant, the air trembled.
“······!”
A strong shock enveloped the emperor.
It was a rare reaction for someone who had sat on the throne for such a long time.
“A goddess…?”
It was the power of the phrase ‘the return of the gods.’
As he observed the shocked emperor, Agnatz thought.
The empire’s movements were essential to his plan.
The empire, being the dominant power on the continent.
And the one who moved the empire was the emperor before him.
“Indeed, Your Majesty. This is a matter of national importance. Please, first look at this.”
Agnatz was confident.
Considering the emperor’s temperament, persuasion would not be difficult.
Receiving a book, Eoloman looked through it. As he turned the pages, his pupils trembled.
“······Hah!”
The book was titled “The Record of Quellière,” written by Agnatz himself.
Before he could calm down, another shock overwhelmed the emperor.
Then, the theologian’s passionate voice descended upon him.
“The goddess Quellière! We must spread her existence and worship her.”
His arms were wide open, and his eyes shimmered with desire.
It was only natural. His lifelong wish was now within reach.
Finally, he declared his fanatic resolve.
“Thus, a new dogma is born! A unification of faith. We must unite the faith of the continent under the supreme being.”
The political situation on the continent was shaking violently.
It was an opportunity to wipe out the Black Devils and lay the foundation for peace.
What kind of future did he sense?
“A goddess… a goddess… The celestial being, the ruler of the world, has returned…?”
As if having an epiphany, or perhaps overcome with regret, the emperor muttered in an emotional tone.
*
I ran.
I ran and ran until my mana was nearly depleted. Then I released my transformation spell and sprinted again like a madwoman.
Rage and fear surged within me.
“…I couldn’t kill it.”
Even after offering up my divine relic, the result was failure.
There was nothing more I could do in the fight against Mahabharata.
There was no way to eliminate the calamity.
“Haa… haa…”
Consumed by anxiety, I pushed off the ground repeatedly.
When my breath caught in my throat, I finally came to a stop.
Lifting my head, I saw a vast field stretching out before me.
“…Ah.”
Clang— clang—
The sunlight struck my eyes.
It was a beautiful meadow bathed in sunlight and wind.
It was likely a magically constructed space embodying “summer.”
I stared blankly at the unexpected sight for a moment.
Then, startled, I turned to look in the direction I had come.
The calamity would surely be chasing me.
“Huh…?”
But there was only empty air.
Contrary to my tension, not a trace of it could be seen.
I tilted my head.
“Why isn’t it following me?”
Could the divine relic’s attack have inflicted that much damage?
If that were the case, it would be fortunate.
If it left behind some kind of lasting injury, something it would carry for life, that would be even better… though it was only wishful thinking.
As long as the calamity hadn’t been destroyed, it would eventually ruin the world.
As I agonized over what to do next, a thought suddenly came to me.
“Ah.”
I recalled my face.
My real face, which had been reflected back at me when the calamity assumed my appearance.
I was so shocked to see it after so long, but I recognized it immediately.
I still didn’t know what trick it had used, but the sight was profoundly moving.
At some point, I had stopped remembering it.
“…Why had I forgotten?”
The me from modern times, not Quellière.
The real me.
“…”
I quietly lowered my gaze.
A pale hand entered my vision.
Unlike my original self, this was a white and delicate hand.
Quellière’s hand.
This wasn’t me.
It was simply a vessel into which I had poured my time and energy, my painstaking effort—
“Just… a creation.”
And yet, at some point, I had become her.
Was it after ten years had passed?
Or had I been consumed by this world that felt more real than reality?
The reason no longer mattered.
I shook my head and lifted my gaze.
“It seems like everything is coming to an end.”
The thought made me sentimental, as if I were embracing the approaching conclusion.
Whether it would be my end or the calamity’s, I couldn’t be certain.
The depths of the landfill where the obelisk stood.
That was where my companions and the allied forces would be gathering.
If the calamity wasn’t chasing me, it would undoubtedly still be there.
I reluctantly turned back.
“…I have no choice. I’ll just observe from a distance for now.”
With the calamity’s presence signifying the end of the world, there was nowhere else to go.
I walked and walked.
As my anxiety resurfaced, my pace quickened to a brisk march, then turned into a full-on sprint.
After some time, I noticed something unusual.
Crack! Sizzle—
“What’s that?”
From a distance, something resembling thunder rumbled.
A surge of energy, mana, and vibrations scattered like sparks.
It was clear at a glance that this wasn’t ordinary.
I cautiously moved closer.
The moment I stood atop a hill and saw the wide-open view ahead, my eyes widened in shock.
“…!”
Near the obelisk at the heart of the landfill.
The calamity still existed there, but it was surrounded.
By the allied forces and my companions.
It was exactly as it appeared.
“When did they gather?”
From Nell to the Black Knight, all of my companions were there.
The Imperial forces led by Commander Artan and the Holy Nation’s forces, to which Sigina and Lucia belonged, were also present.
They, filled with rage and indignation, were confronting the calamity.
It was as if they were venting years of resentment, their emotions raw and fervent.
I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but one thing was clear.
“The final battle…”
The one who wins here will gain everything.
I watched the battlefield with tension, where the disaster, which had taken damage from the divine, was in disarray.
However, the one being pushed back was the human forces.
A sense of unease surged in my chest.
If we lose this battle, it will all be over.
“But I can’t do anything anymore.”
I had used up all my offerings, and my magic had been depleted.
I felt a throbbing headache and wrapped my head.
Is there really nothing?
Anything, even something trivial, would do.
I needed something to help them.
“My only weapon, the Apocalypse of Calamity…”
A weapon that exchanges something precious to me as a sacrifice.
There were no more items left.
Neither inside my robe, nor outside it.
My white fingers were clean, the ring was gone.
It was then that my gaze lowered.
I suddenly noticed the clothes.
“Oh.”
An unusual outfit.
A robe, a mix of blue and white, like a ceremonial attire.
It was the costume I had worn before going to the Church, and had used ever since, ‘Herald of the Blessed Deity’.
It wasn’t particularly special, but since it was a white base and fit well with the Snow Maiden, I had worn it often.
If it was precious, then of course it was precious.
After all, it was the outfit I wore every day.
“…Would this be treated as a sacrifice?”
There was a high possibility.
But there was one problem.
If I used this whole outfit, a great mishap might happen.
“…”
I hesitated for a moment.
Then, I brought the sleeve to my mouth.
Afterward, I bit into it.
Shhzzzz—
“Ugh.”
With the tearing sound, a thread from the clothing was cut off. Without stopping, I brought it to my mouth again.
I looked toward the battlefield.
Vrrrrrrr—
The allied forces were struggling, but gradually, they were getting exhausted.
The Black Calamity Mahabharata.
Everyone fought desperately in front of the terrifying opponent.
The bonds I made as Quellière in this world.
“───!”
Although I couldn’t hear the voice, the desperation was conveyed all the way here.
However, it seemed that it didn’t reach the disaster.
Gwooooooo—!
A malevolent aura rose around him.
Grudge and magic surged exponentially.
Was it difficult for him too?
The frenzied Mahabharata unleashed his power.
A mist-like aura, like a tumor, spread and swirled around.
Kwaaaaaaaaaah—!
The allied forces endured with their barriers and other methods, barely holding on.
No one, not even the Black Knight, could respond within the gaps of the power, and this blocked any interference.
Had he been aiming for this from the beginning?
The disaster’s gaze was fixed on me.
“······!”
Just as I flinched, he sped toward me at the speed of sound.
Seeing the approaching disaster, I raised the torn piece of clothing.
【Goddess! If you disappear, everything will be over!】
When he was right in front of me, the Apocalypse flashed in my mind. I immediately exchanged the torn piece of cloth and set one page on fire.
Fwooosh—!
A faint flash struck one side of him.
【······Tch!】
He stiffened for a moment, but was it not strong enough?
He immediately extended his tentacles like hands.
Fwoosh! Fwoooosh—!
I desperately unleashed a series of attacks.
While offering the torn cloth, I kept tearing at the fabric.
The pages continued to burn and sparks flew.
【Do not resist!】
It was working.
It was slowly having an effect.
As I saw a glimmer of hope, a growing sense of expectation filled me.
“It’s not me. The one that needs to disappear is you. If only you were gone…”
However, the barrier that was the enemy of the world proved to be larger than I had anticipated.
A gap I had failed to notice.
Whoosh—!
A tentacle pierced through my chest.
“──!”
The immense, searing pain struck me in an instant.
I couldn’t even form words.
Crunch!
Through my blurring vision, I realized.
It was a fatal wound.
Enough to make it unsurprising if blood poured out like a river.
But I was the Snow Maiden, and not a single drop of blood spilled.
That didn’t mean I wouldn’t die, however.
“Ah… ah…”
Manga, movies.
Or perhaps novels.
I had encountered death countless times in those mediums.
I never thought much of it.
It had always felt so distant from me.
But now that I was experiencing it myself, my only impression was—
Pain and groans.
【This is the end, Quellière.】
The world blurred and faded before my eyes.
An ominous voice descended over it all.
Like fate, I came to a realization.
I couldn’t help but realize.
I was dying.
Quellière was dying.
And then—
Swishhh—!
The Apocalypse shook violently.
At the same time, my body began to glow and fade away.
It looked almost as if I were ascending.
In my fading consciousness, I suddenly glimpsed a fleeting vision of the future.
Because a thought surged through me like lightning.
“…”
The floating Apocalypse.
I looked at it with a newfound gaze.
〈Apocalypse of Calamity〉
·Rank: ?
·Ability: If you offer something incomparable, the calamity will come to an end.
·Description: Equivalent exchange, the first principle of all magic. Truth does not distinguish between the right path and the wrong one.
Previously, when I encountered the calamity in the Holy Nation.
When the Apocalypse surfaced, I instinctively knew how to use it.
A simple, straightforward mechanism that wove power from an offering of something precious.
But perhaps “something incomparable” wasn’t what I thought.
This world’s version of me, the character that made the Four Seasons War even more beloved—my masterpiece.
It was none other than “Snow Maiden Quellière.”
“Ah… no way.”
The moment I muttered this.
The pages of the Apocalypse tore themselves apart and burst into flames in clusters.
Swishhh—!
As if affirming my suspicion.
A brilliant aurora-like light stormed through.
─────!
A light that illuminated the entire world, unmatched by anything else.
【Kraaaaaaah…!】
At some point, the loudest scream yet rang out. Even in my fading consciousness, I could hear it.
I tried to look at it.
But because of the intense light, all I could see was a writhing silhouette.
Whooosh…
And as the light faded.
There was nothing left to see.
“…?”
No trace or sign of it remained.
Though it was an unbelievable sight, the message that appeared proved its truth.
[Four Seasons War II: The Birth of Calamity has been cleared.]
A message announcing the annihilation of the final boss.
I realized then.
The calamity that had tormented me for so long, creating chaos, spreading disasters, and ultimately crushing my spirit—
It was gone.
Truly, completely gone.
“…Haha.”
A hollow laugh escaped me.
Even though it was something I had desperately longed for, my only reaction upon facing it was this.
At last, I had reached the final destination.
I was glad, but at the same time, it felt bitter.
In a world without me, would peace even have meaning?
[Cleared Character: Snow Maiden Quellière]
[Registered Secondary Characters: Jinjo Nell Sartilla, Black Knight Chandrafail]
The messages passed by in vain.
I was watching it with the dead fish eyes of a decaying corpse.
[First Clear!]
[Clear rewards are being issued.]
It was a moment of complete stillness.
Countless footsteps were approaching.
Rumble—!
“Quellière!”
“What happened?! That light just now, what in the world…!”
They were familiar faces.
At the very front were Nell with a strained expression and Artan with a bewildered look.
Even at that moment, the messages were being updated.
[…Error! An error has occurred!]
[Reward collection is not possible!]
My body, which was gradually becoming faint, had now completely turned transparent.
How it appeared to everyone was indescribable.
[Moving to the ‘Restoration Chamber’.]
I should have been dead.
My body and consciousness were being dragged somewhere.
The last thing I saw was Artan’s face, full of shock.
*
The disaster was an impenetrable enemy.
No attack could inflict serious damage, yet every single one of its strikes resulted in a fatal wound.
The allied forces, who had rushed in bravely, soon entered a standoff and gradually began to retreat helplessly.
Rumbling—!
The magic, scattered in all directions as if to hinder them, was a manifestation of power of a different caliber from the disaster’s.
The allied forces’ morale was crushed like straw.
And that created an opening.
[Is it over there?!]
The disaster flew toward a certain direction.
We couldn’t afford to miss it.
“Chase it!”
The first to shout and charge forward was Artan, followed by Harold and the Black Knight.
Quellière’s loyal followers chased after them.
The human army marched toward the world’s enemy.
The hope for liberation, the yearning for true peace, drove them forward.
The disaster headed toward a hill, and the moment it reached it, Artan’s eyes widened.
“!”
There, Quellière was.
Before the surprised Artan could say anything, a flash of light struck.
─────!
A dazzling flash.
It was a light so bright, I thought I might go blind.
It was clearly the work of Quellière, and soon, as they regained their senses, they hastily looked around.
The disaster was gone.
It was an astonishing event, but the strange occurrence did not end there.
Quellière was faint.
As if she were about to disappear, her body became translucent.
“The disaster disappeared…?! It might be a trap! We need to search the surroundings—”
“No. No, Hiloze… there’s no need.”
By then, Artan’s voice had become heavy and deep. There was no hesitation in his hand as he stopped the Royal Guard.
He knew.
He had known, because he had drawn her longer than anyone else, because he had watched and understood her.
He could understand what had happened.
“······.”
“······.”
Of course, that didn’t mean they could stay calm.
The others’ feelings were just as conflicted.
In the midst of an incomprehensible phenomenon, yet in a situation they had somehow come to understand, everyone’s expressions were vacant.
Confusion and panic slowly consumed the room.
Then, when Artan closely examined her,
He was even more shocked by her clothes.
“······!”
Her clothes were torn and worn out in places.
This was not the Quellière they had known, so dignified and graceful.
Seeing Quellière in such a pitiful state, which they had never imagined, everyone gasped.
How intense had the battle been?
They couldn’t even begin to fathom it.
“No…!”
Sadness and guilt weighed heavily on their hearts, and now everyone instinctively knew she was leaving.
But they couldn’t accept it.
Nell was the first to shout.
“Don’t leave! Quellière!”
Tearful eyes, trembling shoulders, aching hands.
Her emotions were vivid, even to those watching from the side.
Her cry was just the beginning.
Like a broken dam, the people’s wails poured forth.
“Quellière… No, Master! Can you hear me? Are you listening?”
“Lady Quellière! Please, look this way. I, Dewade, have yet to complete my mission!”
“If you leave like this, what are we supposed to do? What are we supposed to…!”
Among those particularly desperate was Artan.
Choking on his emotions, he forced out his words with great difficulty.
“What was the purpose of all our efforts? Why did we stake our lives on this?”
The entire world seemed engulfed by their lamentations.
Their sorrow pressed down on the area like a towering mountain.
But it seemed as though Quellière couldn’t hear them.
She simply stared blankly into the void, wearing an expression no one had ever seen before.
That only made their despair deepen.
“We believed! We wanted to believe… that with the calamity gone, without resentment… a world where you could smile happily would come…”
Their desperation and urgency were palpable.
Artan’s tear-streaked face, twisted with regret, was heartbreaking.
Yet such things failed to draw even a moment of attention.
Truly, not one person,
Could spare a thought for him.
“We believed…!”
Quellière, fading like a mirage.
Their collective cries echoed through the empty air.
At some point, the sky over the landfill had brightened.
Whooosh…
The heavens were clear, as if after a storm.
The vile aura and poisonous miasma had vanished without a trace.
And in this assurance of peace, humanity realized with clenched fists.
The goddess had fallen.