Translator: FenrirTL
Editor: Doodle
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< Chapter 197: Dragon Spirit Sword Hrunting (2) >
The God of Causality.
Theo thought that he—or perhaps she—was truly peculiar among the many gods of the Pantheon.
Even while ascending the White Tower, this god had occasionally displayed an oddly absent-minded (?) demeanor.
Now, it was exactly that same impression.
‘If what Ashin said is true and all the messages I’ve seen so far were created by this god... the disparity is too great.’
The messages Theo had encountered until now were delivered with such stark precision, devoid of any emotion, like a machine conveying nothing but cold, hard facts.
Even the penalties for failing quests always ended in death.
It was hard to reconcile such a harsh, unyielding system with this god’s seemingly absent-minded character.
‘More importantly, this god showed consistent favor toward me even in the White Tower.’
That’s why Theo couldn’t connect the messages with the God of Causality.
“Kerto.”
『Yes, my lord.』
“What do you know?”
『Well, I’m merely an intermediary for the Pantheon’s will, so I cannot claim to know much.』
‘…….’
『However, there is one thing I can tell you. The “messages,” or the system you’ve been referring to, were indeed created by the God of Causality. That god also manages it.』
Then could all those messages truly have been from the God of Causality?
Suddenly, Theo noticed a gap in Kertoscus’s explanation.
‘Just because they’re the system’s creator and manager doesn’t mean they’re its user.’
『That is correct. Utilizing the system is an entirely separate matter.』
Which meant that the god who had issued quests to Theo all this time was someone else.
‘Then who is the user?’
『All of them.』
‘All of them?’
『The gods of the Pantheon. They are all closely observing you. And their expectations of you differ greatly. Some hold a great deal of favor toward you.』
Unconsciously, Theo glanced toward the message.
[The administrator seems startled, as if your eyes have met.]
[The administrator quickly looks around, embarrassed, trying to hide.]
『Others, however, hold no particular expectations.』
[■■’s god is watching you.]
『And there are even those who bear hostility toward you.』
“Hostility? Toward me?”
Theo couldn’t comprehend Kertoscus’s statement for a moment.
Why would they harbor hatred for someone like him, who fought on the front lines against the Nameless Sovereign in their stead? Indifference was understandable, but why resentment?
『Primarily, it’s the gods who believe someone else should have been chosen. Or those who are on friendly terms with the Outer Gods.』
Theo wondered how a god of the Pantheon could be friendly with the Outer Gods, but soon he understood and nodded in agreement.
It was something easily comprehensible when thinking of Ed.
Human society operated in much the same way. There could be spies, or individuals who, despite their affiliations, formed personal connections because they got along well.
Each individual’s political position shaped their stance, and the gods were no different.
In fact, Theo found this realization comforting.
No matter how transcendent the gods claimed to be, they were ultimately nothing more than living beings.
『Some gods, on the other hand, wish to test you further.』
[A nameless god meticulously observes your every decision and action.]
[A nameless god hopes you will show something more evolved.]
Theo had an idea of which god this might be.
-Sigurd Ragnar.
If it was that ancestor he had seen in passing, it wouldn’t be strange for him to take a deep interest in a descendant who became a new partner to Lodbrok in his stead.
‘So in the end, the system you mentioned is essentially the will or trials of the gods of the Pantheon?’
『That is correct. The God of Causality plays the role of coordinating it all.』
Theo now understood why the difficulty of his quests had been so erratic and why they often seemed unconnected.
‘That would mean the rewards also come from the gods of the Pantheon.’
Discovering the secret behind the messages brought Theo a sense of relief, but also left him feeling unpleasant.
‘So, in the end, they just think of me as a convenient puppet to use?’
The very notion of gods manipulating mortals “at their whim” irritated him.
Although he had rapidly grown stronger with the power of the quests, and even though he had actively utilized and exploited this system himself, the feeling of resentment remained.
It was akin to how humans regarded ants—insignificant creatures to be dealt with as they pleased.
Theo now vaguely understood how gods viewed humans.
‘I think I’m beginning to grasp why Father held such disdain for both Lodbrok and the Mad Dragon Emperor.’
Lodbrok was essentially the god representing the Pantheon in this world, while the Mad Dragon Emperor was a lunatic who had surrendered his soul and sanity to the Outer Gods in his madness.
Their reasons for despising the Chosen One likely stemmed from the same roots.
The divine ability to rewind time stripped humans of their free will.
[The administrator anxiously clarifies that not all of them are like that.]
Theo adjusted his grip on the Dragon Slayer Sword and the Dragon Spirit Sword, one in each hand.
Regardless of what the God of Causality said, a sense of mistrust toward gods and transcendents was already beginning to take root within him.
Of course, that didn’t mean he intended to rebel against their will right away.
Still, at the very least, there was no longer any respect (尊敬) left in his heart.
And so,
“To make that clear, I’ll need to defeat that thing completely.”
Theo directed his gaze forward.
The scattered flesh of Ashin—blown apart by an explosion—began to wriggle mid-air, sprouting tendrils in all directions.
As the chunks of flesh connected, upside-down human faces started to emerge one by one.
“Kyahahaha!”
“This is fun! So much fun!”
“I’ve never played such a fiery game before! It’s my first time!”
“Play with me more! More!”
“And then get devoured by me!!”
It wasn’t over yet.
<Infernal Hell>
Theo clenched his fist.
Flames roared to life, unleashing a deluge of lightning strikes upon the battlefield.
Boom! Boom! KRA-KOOM!
The bolts scorched the writhing flesh, while infernal flames rising from the ground consumed the remaining fragments.
Rumble...
But that wasn’t all.
Behind Theo, an enormous iron gate appeared and swung open, releasing a Legion of Dragons.
This time, however, the legion was different.
At the feet of each dragonkin, a chronograph spun rapidly in reverse, and the forms of swordsmen began materializing above their torsos.
[The Dragon’s magic power is evenly distributed in the area.]
[The activation conditions for <Clockwork Array> have been fulfilled. The spell is triggered.]
[Spirits emerge.]
-Dragon Fang Corps!!
The spirits bound to the Spirit Mausoleum Blade began descending.
-Outer Gods? Who cares about them! Let’s sweep away the rest of this mess!
-Let’s gooooo!!
-Charge!!
The 299 spirits began rapidly erasing the fragments of Ashin’s flesh that attempted to divide further.
[The spirits’ attributes are enhanced with Misfortune Repulsion. The vaccine program is activated.]
[The virus is being deleted at a rapid pace.]
[Some segments of the virus fiercely resist.]
The spirits, brimming with Aura, were as formidable as they had been during their prime, back when they had driven the Nameless Sovereign into the Demonic Sea.
Most importantly, the morale of the Dragon Legion was higher than ever.
Fueled by the rage from the loss of their long-time comrade, Nessie, they fought with unrelenting fury.
“Aah...!”
“I wanted to play more...”
“How disappointing...”
“I wanted to devour you... tsk!”
“But! You’ll play with me again next time, right? Won’t you?”
The faces of Ashin, even as they rapidly disintegrated, showed no signs of pain—if anything, they seemed to revel in delight.
It was as though Ashin eagerly anticipated meeting Theo again someday, not as a mere fragment, but in his true form.
Crunch!
Finally, when the last of them had its skull crushed, the chaos subsided.
-Hah...!
-Why is it so tenacious?
-In some ways, it’s worse than the Deluded God!
Fsshh—
The spirits exhaled deeply as they watched the fine dust of Ashin’s scattered remains disintegrate completely.
The mental exhaustion was evident, given that this reversal had been made possible by Nessie’s sacrifice.
The surrounding area was utterly destroyed; nothing of the forest or the battlefield remained intact after the series of explosions.
-But, descendant, why do you still have that look on your face?
One of the spirits tilted their head, observing Theo, who was still scanning his surroundings with a hardened expression.
“It hasn’t appeared yet.”
-Hmm? What hasn’t?
Theo was about to reply that no message had appeared indicating the virus had been completely eradicated or the quest cleared—
When suddenly,
BOOM!
From beneath the ground behind Theo, a massive form of Ashin, towering several meters tall, burst forth with its jaws wide open.
“Hahaha! Surprise! Guess I wasn’t entirely gone after all!”
-What?!
-It hid underground?!
-Damn it!
Ashin’s gaping maw was moments away from engulfing Theo.
The spirits and the Dragon Legion, having failed to detect Ashin’s stealth, paled and scrambled to act—but it was too late.
At the same time, they shuddered at Ashin’s seemingly endless vitality, no matter how many times it was destroyed.
However,
“Sorry, but you’re not what I was looking for in the first place.”
Theo’s eyes sank into a deep, calm glare, a derisive smile curling on his lips.
Ashin had no chance to respond.
Before it could utter a word, a bolt of black lightning descended from the heavens, cleaving its body apart.
KRA-KOOM!
Hisss!
Where the black lightning struck, dust swirled and settled, revealing a man slowly rising to his feet.
-That face?
-It looks too similar to our descendant.
-So, is that one of our descendants too?
-But why does he reek of the damned Deluded God?!
The spirits glared at the black-haired man, whose aura reeked of the Sacred Demon Church, their eyes filled with hatred.
Growl!
The dragons, too, bared their hostility.
Meanwhile, Ashin, split in half, staggered backward before merging once more. His reformed head spun wildly clockwise as he shrieked.
“What’s going on all of a sudden, Fifth Apostle?! Did ■■■ teach you to act this way?!”
Perhaps it was because his amusement had been interrupted.
Ashin stomped on the ground with evident frustration, growling in displeasure.
The man, however, merely snorted as though Ashin’s irritation was beneath him.
“Sorry, but I’d prefer if you didn’t lump me together with the other apostles. My relationship with the Deluded God is that of equals bound by a contract. And besides…”
Step!
As the man advanced, a surge of black magic and madness spread from him, devouring the scattered chunks of Ashin’s flesh.
Those remnants had been the raw material for Ashin’s fragments to regenerate, but the man eradicated them completely, ensuring no chance of revival.
Moreover, the absorbed divine power of Ashin amplified the man’s own dark energy, making it grow noticeably stronger.
“This place was mine from the start. That boy was my guest. And after interrupting, you still have the nerve to talk so much?”
With a casual wave of his hand, the madness and dark energy that had entwined around Ashin’s body morphed into the shape of a dragon and devoured Ashin whole.
Crunch! Crunch!
“Eeeek! I’m leaving for now, but next time—yes, next time! We’ll play properly! You promised! You promised we’d really have fun next time!”
Ashin let out a bizarre shriek as he disappeared completely.
“Hah. Finally, the unwelcome guest is gone.”
The spirits and dragons, who had struggled so hard yet failed to fully defeat Ashin’s fragment, now turned wary gazes toward the man who had devoured it so effortlessly.
-A Ragnar and an apostle… what in the world is he?
To their eyes, the man did not seem like a fellow Ragnar. Nor did he resemble the zealous fanatics of the Sacred Demon Church, their long-time adversaries.
He was a hybrid—an abomination combining traits of both.
A monster, through and through.
Yet the man paid no heed to the wary eyes of the spirits and dragons. Instead, his gaze rested on Theo.
Strangely, in that gaze, which should have been filled with madness and dark magic, there was a hint of warmth.
“I didn’t expect to meet you like this, but still, it’s good to see you, grandson.”
The Mad Dragon Emperor smiled.