Hello I'm back, thy leg is healed but I don't have molars anymore.
===BREAK===
I've experienced countless failures.
Some of them were narrow defeats that might have been overcome… while others felt utterly impossible to conquer, no matter what I did.
Beyond-Grade Dragon, Ankelenth.
Its awakening was unmistakably the latter.
Out of 487 attempts, I haven't seen Ankelenth awaken all that many times with my own eyes.
No, it was rare for Ankelenth to awaken at all—only in the very last phases of a stage—so it was inevitable.
Even so, Ankelenth's awakening always brought about a guaranteed outcome.
That outcome being… annihilation.
["W-What do we do..."]
Esther trembled.
Even Esther, now possessing enough power to be classified as a Beyond-Grade Boss-class, was terrified—such was the sheer dread the being called Ankelenth evoked.
Kugugugugugu...!
Mount Noah, dormant for ages, began to spew fire once again, setting the sky ablaze.
It coughed up volcanic ash and vomited lava.
An unmistakable harbinger of destruction.
In the face of such a cataclysm, the actions available to a human—such a tiny being—were pitifully few.
[Kiieek...!]
[Kak! Kak!]
It wasn't just Esther who felt the fear.
Even the horde of Beasts, who had been relentlessly lunging toward the Ark, suddenly lost their focus and were consumed by fear.
For the beasts, the arrival of Ankelenth—the one said to sit at the pinnacle of all lifeforms—meant just that.
[Guuuuuuuu...!]
At most, the Regional Lords flinched momentarily at Ankelenth's arrival, then resumed their march.
And so, the beast horde too could do nothing but continue forward, unwilling to be crushed by those ruling monsters.
If that had been the only reason, then only a portion of the horde would've moved under pressure.
But something else was keeping the Beast horde from fleeing.
[Let me out. Let me out. Let me out. Let me out. Let me out. Let me out. Let me out. Let me out. Let me out. Let me out. Let me out. Let me out. Let me out. Let me out. Let me out. Let me out.]
[Re…lease...]
[Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill.]
[I'm leaving. From this place.]
The etheric pulse of the Great Will, spreading across the entire battlefield, forcibly blocked the Beasts' fear.
The very fact that the horde hadn't already turned tail and fled despite Ankelenth's appearance proved just how intense the Great Will's force was.
It meant that Ankelenth's appearance wouldn't miraculously halt the Beasts' advance.
'…So, this is how it ends.'
Ankelenth's awakening was one of the scenarios I most wanted to avoid.
A being that heralds inevitable destruction.
The situation was hopeless beyond measure.
'It can't be helped.'
I, too, wanted nothing more than to quickly finish off the Cardinal Oculus and the remaining regional rulers before me.
No—I needed to.
If the regional rulers reached the Ark's walls, the frontlines would collapse.
But I couldn't waste any more time here—not with the Ark directly connected to Mount Noah now in critical danger.
'I have to hurry.'
I must return to the Ark immediately.
If we can't stop Ankelenth now, everything ends.
"You plan to return to the Ark?"
As if reading my very thoughts, the Cardinal Oculus blocked my way.
"Step aside. I'll kill you later, as many times as you like."
"I can't allow that. I don't think you'll succeed, but that's just a layman's belief. As a descendant of the Great Spirit, you'll surely bring about some variable."
There was no need to say more.
The Cardinal Oculus had no intention of stepping aside—and that meant words were useless.
"Janus."
[Gigit!]
Dozens of Janus's bone tendrils surged toward the Cardinal Oculus.
In response, a shield infused with the Blessing of the Earth and the Blessing of the Soil intercepted them all at once.
Kwaduk!──
Kwaaaaduduk!
Unlike Archbishop Amos Aster—who hadn't even recognized Janus's existence—the Cardinal Oculus had known.
And unlike Amos, he wasn't careless. The ambush failed.
"This power… you're carrying the strength of multiple Apostles of the Great Will. More than one. How is that even possible?"
"You don't need to know."
Right now, Janus was using an immense amount of power just to control this entire region.
That meant Janus couldn't go all-out against the Cardinal Oculus.
So, I had to do it myself.
[Activating 'Rift Space.']
From my right hand, the Ark-34 Automatic Conversion Rifle materialized.
[Switching to Shotgun Mode.]
Loaded with A-985 explosive rounds.
At this range, these could literally rip a human apart.
Kwaaaaang!───
With a pulled trigger, the explosion from the A-985 shell erupted point-blank.
But I knew.
Even that wouldn't be enough to bring down someone like the Cardinal Oculus.
[Activating 'Rift Space.']
Before the thick smoke could even settle, my left hand summoned the BB-88 Blaster, taken from House El's armory.
Its effective range wasn't long compared to other blasters—but its close-range destructive power rivaled a plasma sword.
Juaaang!
"So, this is all the greatly praised descendant of the Great Spirit amounts to!"
The earthen wall before the Cardinal Oculus easily absorbed my barrage.
I never expected a straightforward assault to work anyway.
Throwing aside both weapons, I hurled myself forward.
[Activating 'Rift Shift.']
In an instant, I appeared behind the Cardinal Oculus, arms outstretched.
[Summoning 'Spear of Ankelenth.']
Two spears appeared in my hands.
If it were up to me, I'd end this in one strike using Ankelenth's Judgement—but that was power I needed to conserve, considering the situation.
No matter how high his status within the Church of Morte, the Cardinal Oculus was still human.
And for a human opponent, this was more than enough.
Kwaaang!
Once again, the Spears of Ankelenth clashed against the Cardinal Oculus's wall.
As the second-in-command of the Church of Morte, he likely possessed numerous blessings—but he used them all on defense.
His exhausting, obsessive defense meant he was currently on the back foot.
But it also meant he believed time alone was enough to win.
"You plan to stall for time."
Within the wall of soil and stone, the Cardinal Oculus chuckled lightly.
"I'm not arrogant enough to trade blows head-on with a descendant of the Great Spirit."
"Ever consider that thinking you can endure might be arrogance itself?"
"No matter how you flail, everything will return to its destined course."
"Let's see how long you can keep talking."
His barrier could barely be pierced by the Spears of Ankelenth.
The problem was its intense regenerative power—making it hard to reach the man inside.
'So, the wall regenerates… Good. That works for me.'
If brute force wouldn't break it, then I'd just use another method.
I moved again.
Chuk—
One of the spears slashed toward the Cardinal Oculus.
Kwak!
The wall cracked open for a moment, revealing its inner layer—only to regenerate instantly.
After all, its material was just the soil and ore around us, making it nearly endlessly renewable.
But even that was just a distraction.
The real threat came from the Ark-34 and BB-88 I had thrown earlier.
[Target acquired.]
[Initiating repeat action.]
The gravity gloves moved—and the weapons I had tossed now rose into the air behind the Cardinal, pulling their triggers.
Tatatatang!
Bang! Kwang!──
Dust exploded into the air.
When it finally settled, the Cardinal Oculus stood unfazed.
Even the surprise attack from behind had been blocked by the earthen wall.
"Did you think attacking from behind would change anything?"
"Doubt it. I'm not that naive."
I already knew conventional firepower wouldn't break his defense.
So, I'd just need something unconventional.
[Activating 'Rift Blade.']
The [Rift Blade] cut through the Cardinal's wall.
"I don't know what this power is, but it won't be enough!"
His wall started regenerating again—but this time, the area touched by the Rift Blade refused to heal.
The [Rift Blade]'s ability was to seize control of any domain it entered.
No matter how powerful the blessings the Cardinal used—he couldn't override this power.
"What is this…!"
A hole, equal in size to the Rift Blade's path, opened—exposing the Cardinal Oculus.
I shoved the muzzle of the Zeus-444 Railgun through the gap.
[Lv.10]
Tsst, tsssst!
Crackling with furious sparks, the trigger was pulled.
Kuwaaaaaaang!───
Even the Cardinal Oculus couldn't walk away from this unscathed.
The wall crumbled completely, revealing the inside.
A corpse lay there.
'Wait…'
I studied it—and realized the truth.
'That's not the Cardinal Oculus.'
Regrettably, the body wasn't his—it was just another Church of Morte follower.
Apparently, he'd used a substitution and fled.
'A blessing involving human sacrifice? He used it to escape.'
Such blessings always came at a cost.
While it was a pity I hadn't killed him, I had at least removed the one hindrance in my path.
And frankly, I didn't have time to chase after him.
'I have to return to the Ark—fast.'
Then—
["Master! Look over there!"]
A massive shadow loomed through the volcanic ash and rose into the sky.
Not even the thick ash pouring from Mount Noah could conceal its overwhelming presence.
Kugugugugugu───!
Thunder echoed through the ash.
Scattering volcanic bombs and flashing lightning—the scene evoked Armageddon more than anything else.
The darkness born from Mount Noah began swallowing the entire Ark.
The earth burned. The sky disappeared.
Anyone who saw this would think of just one word: apocalypse.
And that wasn't all.
The massive shadow awakened within Mount Noah hovered majestically above the Ark—as if it ruled over everything.
As if the Ark's fate rested in its hands.
I could feel it.
All the humans in the Ark had lost their will to fight—frozen in place, simply watching as destruction approached.
Not a single attack was launched at the massive shadow overhead.
Even though a threat far greater than any they'd ever known loomed right above their heads.
Their inaction looked like begging for mercy.
A desperate, foolish hope that this catastrophe might pass without incident.
But there would be no miracle.
No mercy.
Only the predetermined annihilation.
[Scared. Scared. Scared. Scared. Scared. Scared. Scared. Scared. Scared. Scared. Scared. Scared. Scared. Scared. Scared. Scared.]
[Don't────────!]
[Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop.]
Ether all around us screamed in terror.
It was a sign.
And I already knew what it signified.
Gugugugugugu───!
The massive shadow looming within the ash began to reveal itself.
It was death.
It was also the end.
Even I, for a moment, stood stunned—gazing at it in silence.
The apex of all life.
The one who reigns.
The dragon that brings destruction.
Ankelenth's breath began pouring down from above the Ark.
===BREAK===
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