Chapter 796
At that moment when Violet lost her will to fight in the face of this transcendent evil.
Behind Ziz's wings, which were being torn apart and exploding, two griffin riders appeared.
They were the same two who had transported Violet and King Poseidon to the battlefield.
Swoosh!
The two griffin riders descended without a moment's hesitation into this hellscape where monster blood and flesh were raining down like a shower.
As promised, to retrieve the allies who had entered this hell first.
The 'Sleepless Lake Princess' slowly raised her hand, aiming at one of the griffin riders…
"Dance even without a head!"
Just then, the Dullahan Legion Commander sprang out from Ziz's corpse.
"Sing even without tears!"
Following him, the Banshee Legion Commander appeared, her torn dress fluttering.
"Those who have lost their heads, fight with me!"
"Those with only heads left! Wail together!"
Then.
Thud-!
The corpses of monsters that had died without heads all stood up in formation, and the corpses of monsters with only heads left all opened their mouths and began to wail.
"The pretense of being good ends here…"
"This battlefield belongs to us monsters!"
Leading the army of the headless, leading the choir of those with only heads, the two monster Legion Commanders glared with red eyes from within the pitch-black evil aura.
"The rest of you, get lost-!"
Leading their respective armies, the two monster Legion Commanders charged towards the 'Sleepless Lake Princess'.
They who had once abandoned being human and become monsters to destroy the world.
Were now charging at the monster of monsters, opposing the world's destruction.
"Ah…"
A griffin rider approached and snatched the nape of Violet, who was blankly watching this scene.
Thwack!
Violet, clinging to the back of the griffin rider, flew towards where King Poseidon was.
"Merfolk King!"
Violet shouted urgently.
"Let's escape together, quickly!"
"Hehe…"
But King Poseidon waved his hand, refusing to board.
"It seems my tenacious life ends here."
A large tooth was stuck and broken in the center of King Poseidon's abdomen. It was Leviathan's tooth.
Despite suffering such a severe injury during the battle, the Merfolk King had endured by suppressing the bleeding with his authority.
But it seemed to have reached its limit, as blood was pouring from his abdomen and back.
"I'll buy some time too, so hurry and go."
"But!"
"Those who can live must live. That's how hope is born on this battlefield."
Pushing away the griffin rider's hand, King Poseidon stood up, leaning on his trident.
And he smiled faintly at Violet.
"Thank you for rushing to save me."
"Your Majesty…!"
"If I can die for young people like you, that in itself is fortunate."
Boom!
An explosion sounded.
Not far away, the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' and the two monster Legion Commanders collided, and each time the Princess's sword swung, the monster army recruited on the spot by the two Legion Commanders was being annihilated.
The two griffin riders exchanged glances and shouted "Hya!" as they made their griffins ascend again.
Violet reached out her hand once towards King Poseidon and the two Legion Commanders, then tightly closed her eyes.
"…Hah."
King Poseidon, staring at the retreating allies, stretched out his hand to the side.
"Hey, Kraken."
There, the Kraken's body, with all its tentacles burst like balloons, was taking its last labored breaths.
"Surely it doesn't end with just this?"
King Poseidon drew out his last strength, connected the tip of his trident to his home sea, and as he spewed seawater from the spear tip… he thrust its end into the Kraken's body.
"…!"
As seawater filled its body, the Kraken regained its strength as if experiencing a final burst of life.
"Let's show them the rage of the sea, brother."
Guooooo-!
Filling its burst body with seawater in an instant.
Letting out a final roar, the Kraken rose and lunged at the 'Sleepless Lake Princess'.
Atop it, gripping his trident and leaping down, King Poseidon thrust his spear at the enemy commander with all his might.
To his left and right, the Dullahan Legion Commander and Banshee Legion Commander charged in, roaring together.
"…"
The 'Sleepless Lake Princess' only stared intently with emotionless eyes at these foolish ones resisting to the very end.
"…"
In the back seat of the griffin rider returning to the 'Blue Pearl'.
Violet looked back with blank eyes.
The mission was successful.
Using the ultra-colossal monsters, the ground was devastated and the sky was completely cleared. The initial goal of delaying the monsters' advance was admirably achieved.
However-
Does any of this have meaning?
Violet stared at the distant battlefield, and the enemy commander standing in its center.
The countless gazes of the Outer Gods pouring from the split sky were clearly connected to the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' like pitch-black strings of darkness.
In that state, the Princess danced a swaying dance of death, holding her sword of darkness.
Before the lives she had struck down, atop the mountain-like pile of allied and enemy corpses, endlessly…
Truly, like a puppet dancing on the strings of fate.
Lake Kingdom.
10th Zone. King's Castle.
"The monsters can no longer be controlled."
After accepting my alliance.
The Demon King suddenly said.
"Player. Even if I cooperate with your plan, the monsters' advance to destroy the mortal world can no longer be stopped."
"…"
"The rules of this Apocalypse Calamity were devised by agreement between you and me, but what ultimately created and systematized this game is the will of the Outer Gods."
The Demon King looked upward. Towards the sky that couldn't possibly be seen from beneath this lake.
"They want to see destruction. They are beings who simply enjoy watching the destruction of a world, like pouring water into an anthill and observing."
"…"
"The 'Sleepless Lake Princess' is the agent of these Outer Gods. She is a puppet that moves directly connected to the will of the Outer Gods watching this world, that is, the observers."
So.
This means that the authority for the monsters' final offensive has already passed from the Demon King to the Outer Gods.
To enjoy this final game, what the Outer Gods are directly putting forth as a puppet and controlling is the embodiment of nightmares — the 'Sleepless Lake Princess'.
"I too hate you humans who treated that person as a monster and subjugated her a thousand years ago… but the final offensive of Apocalypse Calamity is separate. This is not something that can be stopped, regardless of my hatred or this alliance."
"…"
"Even if you and I form an alliance here. The monster invasion will continue to happen by the will of the Outer Gods. And the Outer Gods will try to destroy your world no matter what."
I smirked.
"That's exactly why, Demon King."
"…What?"
"Because the Outer Gods have directly intervened in this final monster offensive, because they are directly controlling Nameless as a puppet…"
I took out the black thorn staff, Everblack, from my chest.
"It's precisely at that point that we gain a chance of victory."
The Demon King was bewildered.
"What do you mean…?"
"You'll see if you watch. Now then, let's hurry and go."
I drew Everblack through the air.
Then space split, and a magical passage was created. It was a door leading to the spirit realm.
Standing in front of it, I pointed inside with a grin.
"Our battle… to the 'Spirit Realm Showdown'!"
Now two battles will proceed simultaneously.
The battle to stop the endless monsters in the mortal world, the Great Monster Invasion.
The battle to rebel against the Outer Gods in the spirit realm, the Spirit Realm Showdown.
These two final battles to be fought simultaneously are connected. To win, each needs the help of the other.
'Both will be tough fights. But.'
We can do it.
I believe in my people.
And I believe in myself, whom my people believe in.
I leapt into the door leading to the spirit realm, taking the lead. The Demon King urgently followed me.
And…
[Now Loading… Teleporting.]
[Tip — If you don't give up, there's always a way.]
The tip window I hadn't seen in a very long time flickered before my eyes.
Then it disappeared with a crackle.
Inwardly smiling at the Director who had squeezed out his last strength to send me this message, I thought.
Let's go.
To the path to the ending that lies before us.
Splash…!
After the sensation of being swept up in a rapid current enveloped my entire body, I entered the airspace of the spirit realm.
The Demon King, who had emerged from the passage right behind me, turned his head to look to the side.
"This is…"
A thorn tree stretching from the edge of the spirit realm's sky covered in aurora, all the way down to the far-off snow-white ground.
It was the stem and roots of the Black Thorn Tree, Everblack.
"…"
Just as the Demon King seemed about to sink into some complex thoughts.
Screech!
Along with a sudden intense mechanical sound, a huge airship revealed itself beside us.
"This is…"
"The more fighting power, the better, right?"
I grinned and pointed at the airship.
"Let me introduce you. My ship 'La Mancha'. And…"
On the deck of the airship was my father, driving with magic circles floating on the back of his hand. Traha 'Peacemaker' Everblack.
And behind him, five knights stood in formation-
The Emperor's Imperial Guard 'Glory Knights' were standing with resolute expressions, waiting for me.
"The Emperor of the mortal world and his Imperial Guard."
Neither the Emperor nor the Glory Knights can fight anymore in the mortal world.
But here in the spirit realm, they move in the form of spirit bodies, not physical bodies. In other words, their physical damage has naturally recovered.
And the Emperor and Glory Knights have all fought endless battles on the Empire's northern front — right here on the spirit realm's god-war front.
In other words, they can be called specialists in spirit realm combat.
Among the heroes of the World Guardian Front, there are no warriors more suited for the Spirit Realm Showdown than them.
Thud!
The Demon King and I stepped onto the deck.
The Emperor and all the Glory Knights looked at the Demon King standing behind me with astonished eyes.
"Ash. Are you really going to carry out that crazy plan of allying with the Demon King?"
As expected of His Majesty the Emperor, blurting it out without hesitation even though the person in question is right here listening.
But the Demon King himself seemed to agree that this plan was crazy, as he didn't look particularly displeased and just stared at me blankly.
So I answered cheerfully.
"Yes!"
"Crazy bastard…"
The Emperor snorted a laugh, then raised his hand to drive La Mancha.
"That's my son alright."
The ship gliding through the air began to descend rapidly — towards the end of Everblack's roots.
Meanwhile, I addressed the Glory Knights.
"Glory Knights. I'm sorry for bringing you back to a dangerous battlefield."
"Not at all, Your Highness."
Hecate, standing at the front, smiled.
"We're glad to be able to join the final battle."
"This isn't why I left you all on the front lines though…"
Scratching the back of my head awkwardly, I admonished them again.
"You'll be able to fight like before here, but the curse of immortality is gone. Always remember that you only have one life."
"We'll keep that in mind."
Hecate scratched the back of her head sheepishly.
"We want to… find something we want to do somewhere other than the battlefield. So we'll try our best not to die."
"…"
These twisted patriots who had dedicated their lives to the country, the battlefield, the Emperor. May they survive and find what they truly want to do.
As I prayed, La Mancha had already reached the white sandy beach below the roots.
And on this beach where transparent water was rolling in, four giants were waiting for us.
Dwarf, Elf, Beastkin, Merfolk…
They were the racial deities of the four heterogeneous races, the four great gods.
"…Are we really allying with them and fighting together?"
"Yes."
I nodded at Hecate's question.
We've already finished discussing this Spirit Realm Showdown through the avatars put forth by the gods — Kellibey, Verdandi, Kuilan, and the Rompeller siblings.
Those four great gods will also fight alongside us.
"To weave those who were fighting to kill each other into an alliance again, really…"
Hecate glanced at me.
"Your Highness is extraordinary."
"I do get called crazy a lot."
I think I just heard it from the Emperor a moment ago too.
Thud…!
La Mancha landed on the beach.
I went to stand at the bow of the ship. The four great gods who had walked out from the beach approached the front of the ship.
Turning my back to them, I addressed the Emperor, Glory Knights, and Demon King standing on the deck.
"Alright. Since it seems all the personnel who will join us immediately are gathered… I'll explain the operation outline for this 'Spirit Realm Showdown' once more."
Taking a deep breath.
I said.
"First, we'll burn all the guardian trees of every race! All of them!"
…
A moment of silence.
The Emperor, who had been listening quietly, muttered with a low sigh.
"As expected… he's my son…"
Chapter 797
After the Outer Gods chose this world as the stage for their Apocalypse Calamity.
They forcibly widened the boundary between life and death, this world and the afterlife, and created a new space in that gap.
That artificial space is this place, the spirit realm.
And the Outer Gods began to interfere with our world through the spirit realm.
They planted the trees of the races they chose — guardian trees — allowing those races to use magic, and thus began to spread their influence throughout the entire world.
"The spirit realm is the channel through which Outer Gods interfere with this world. In other words…"
I explained, looking around.
"If we 'close' the spirit realm, the Outer Gods will no longer be able to play with this world."
To expel the Outer Gods, we must inevitably close this spirit realm.
"And to completely close the spirit realm, we must eliminate the trees of each race rooted between the spirit realm and the mortal world — the 'guardian trees'."
The guardian trees have their roots in the spirit realm and their trunks in the mortal world. Because they have a structure that draws up otherworldly power from the spirit realm to the mortal world.
And above all, because they root between the mortal world and the afterlife, widening the gap between life and death, and also perform the role of a 'wedge' maintaining that separation.
Only by eliminating these guardian trees first can the connection between the spirit realm and the mortal world be severed, and the spirit realm can be completely closed.
'That was a long explanation, but to sum it up!'
To drive out the Outer Gods, we must first eliminate all these trees!
That's when the Emperor, who had been listening, spoke up.
"If we burn and uproot the guardian trees, all magic, all mystery, all authority will disappear from our world."
Even though this had already been decided at the World Guardian Front meeting.
The Emperor deliberately asked me once more. As if to confirm whether my resolve was firm.
"All the laws that have sustained our world for the past thousand years will collapse. Civilization will decline, and the royal authority of all countries ruled by magic will weaken. You are no exception."
"…"
"Are you truly saying that you will give up everything that makes you special… of your own volition?"
"I am an ordinary human."
The value of a human is not determined by what power they possess.
"If there is a moment when I, an ordinary person, become special, it would be when I risk everything to take on a challenge. Just like now."
I believe that the value of a human is determined by how much they do not avoid the challenges they choose for themselves.
I am not a special or great human. However.
I intend not to run away from the challenge I now face.
The Emperor smiled, showing his molars.
"Do as you please."
Bowing my head once, I continued my explanation to the suicide squad.
"As I said, the roots of the guardian trees are also wedges maintaining the spirit realm. The Outer Gods won't leave us alone as we try to eliminate them."
I glanced upwards.
"So the 'Great Monster Invasion' in the mortal world… the World Guardian Front facing the monsters needs to draw as much attention as possible."
Currently, the Outer Gods' attention is focused on the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' invading the mortal world. They are focused on the destruction of this world, the greatest tragedy, that she brings.
We will take this opportunity to carry out the operation to destroy the guardian trees in the spirit realm.
"While the mortal world holds out, we will finish our preparations and burn all the trees at once."
When the guardian trees disappear, the supply of magical power from the spirit realm to the mortal world will immediately stop.
Then my heroes currently fighting on the front lines will immediately struggle with magical power supply. They will have to fight squeezing out only the remaining magical power, without any further supply.
But this applies to the monsters as well.
Monsters are beings revived by refining nightmares. Their very origin stems from magic. They will take a hit to their very existence.
Moreover, since the connection of the Outer Gods will be immediately disrupted.
The 'Sleepless Lake Princess', who is being directly controlled by the Outer Gods, will also be weakened.
"And after that?"
The Demon King asked coldly.
"The Outer Gods will immediately notice your attempt at rebellion. And even if we eliminate all the guardian trees, it will take time for the spirit realm to close completely."
"…"
"The Outer Gods will try to forcibly open the spirit realm by extending their power directly here. In the process, they will try to slaughter us as well."
The Demon King folded his arms and tilted his head back.
"Of course, the Outer Gods face several constraints when trying to extend their power directly to this world. Even if they use their power, it will be in a considerably weakened state."
"Right. That's why they exerted influence on this world through intermediaries — constellations who jumped down directly, like you."
You could say the levels of existence are different. Or to put it differently, their frequencies don't match.
The Outer Gods are powerful but distant beings. Being in the far-off outer realm, it's difficult for them to exert full influence on our world. That's why they've intervened through intermediaries like the Demon King or White Night all this time.
They can use their power without going through such intermediaries, but its effects don't properly reach this world. It diminishes and gets cut down.
In other words, it's sufficiently endurable.
"On the other hand, you seem to have raised your level of existence through various methods, so you should be able to face the Outer Gods even if they attack directly for a while. But…"
"It won't last long."
I nodded.
No matter how much their power can't be fully exerted without an intermediary, no matter how much it diminishes and gets cut down, the difference in power is fundamental. Those Outer Gods are vast and infinite.
While I am a small and finite being.
I can hold out for a while, but in the end, I'll be crushed.
"This is where the 'one shot' prepared by Aider comes in."
The original player of this Apocalypse Calamity. Aider.
When the name of the previous hero who entrusted me with this task came up, the Demon King's eyes narrowed.
"That stupid fool of a Director, who staked his long life to create… a card that can only be used once. It's being prepared in the mortal world."
"…"
"If we use this card, we can definitely deal a blow to the Outer Gods."
If the mortal world takes the baton again and delivers one shot,
"In the gap when the Outer Gods are hit and retreat, we completely close the spirit realm."
Taking the baton once more in the spirit realm, and finishing it.
I looked straight at the Demon King.
"This final closure, Demon King, you must do it."
After a moment of silence.
"Since I originally selected this world as the stage for the game as an intermediary, and opened the door to the spirit realm."
The Demon King slowly nodded.
"I can close it as well."
And when the spirit realm is completely closed, the intervention of the Outer Gods will also be completely cut off…
All magic, mystery, and authority will disappear from the world.
The monsters, having lost the driving force of nightmares, will also disappear, and thus.
Our war will end.
"Now, this is the rough outline of the 'Spirit Realm Showdown'."
I summarized, looking around at the suicide squad.
I'll give detailed instructions for the operation separately, but this is how the big picture will unfold.
The final battles in the mortal world and spirit realm must help and complement each other, interlocking as one.
"…One can say anything in words, but."
The Demon King exhaled a low sigh.
"At least, it's a theoretically possible operation."
"That's why you've come this far with me, right?"
As I grinned at him, the Demon King was silent for a moment, then.
"Before we start. I want to confirm something."
His voice trembled faintly.
"Whether she is really here."
I nodded.
"Follow me."
The operation began.
The four great gods all moved to where their respective guardian trees were planted, and the Emperor and Glory Knights boarded La Mancha and flew into the air again.
Meanwhile, the Demon King and I headed towards the space under Everblack's roots.
"…"
As we stepped onto the white sand beach, heading towards the roots of Everblack.
For some reason, the Demon King seemed a bit tense.
And we entered the narrow space under the roots.
"Ash!"
There, as always.
Was a woman burning, her entire body bound to the thorn tree.
"What's going on? It seems a bit noisy outside."
The Goddess, who had been asking kindly, widened her eyes as she saw the being behind me.
"You…?!"
"…"
The Demon King entered this space under the roots following me, maintaining silence.
"How is it, Demon King."
I asked him as he silently looked around.
"Can you see her?"
"…"
The Demon King, who had been staring intently at the space where the Goddess was, finally answered slowly.
"…No."
He shook his head slightly.
"I can't see her."
The Goddess bit her lip tightly.
The Demon King continued.
"But, there is a complete void here that I'm facing for the first time. Such a complete absence is here."
"…"
"And somehow, this void is warm. As if trying to warm this tree, this world."
The Demon King slowly looked straight up at the space that, to his eyes, was just empty air.
The place where the Goddess was.
"That's how I can tell. You are here."
"…"
"You've burned even your own existence completely, and are here alone."
Paradoxically, because there is a complete absence there.
Because pain, emptiness, loss — are unmistakable evidence that something existed there.
"You really are here…"
The Demon King brushed with his fingertips the empty space beside the cheek of the burning Goddess, which to his own eyes was just empty space.
"You foolish person."
"…"
"You who lived only for others, not for yourself."
In the Demon King's voice, as he took a deep breath, all delusion disappeared.
"A thousand years repeated infinitely is already enough."
He turned around and left the space under the roots.
"Let's end it now."
After the Demon King disappeared outside.
The Goddess, who had been breathing heavily, looked at me.
"Ash. What… what are you trying to do?"
I smiled at her.
"Ah, I'm really sorry about this, Goddess…"
Deliberately, a little more than usual.
Like a mischievous child.
With a grin.
"You'll have to fall."
"…Huh?"
"To the very end. Completely. Without a trace."
The Goddess, who had been blinking in confusion, muttered in shock.
"What?!"
I grinned once more, then turned around and followed the Demon King out.
'This world was built wrong from the start.'
Like a Jenga puzzle shaking from the bottom, full of gaps.
It was a world wrong from its foundation.
Without power accepted from the outside, one had to live as a slave, and in such a world, a being who tried to save her people volunteered for sacrifice for eons of time.
The laws of the world injected from the outside.
Salvation secured by someone's sacrifice.
All of it, was wrong from the beginning.
So-
'I'll break it.'
I'll shatter it to pieces.
I'll eliminate everything, collapse everything, and smash it all.
And, on those ruins…
'I'll start over from the beginning.'
No longer a world where someone depends on someone else,
But a world where we can walk looking at each other equally, at the same eye level.
Because I want to create that.
So-
'I'll challenge it.'
Towards this huge wall standing in my way.
From now on, I challenge it.
As I stepped outside, the Demon King was waiting for me, standing on the white sand beach.
I met his gaze.
There was no need for conversation between us anymore. We understood each other's intentions just by looking.
Of course.
We were sworn enemies who had exchanged moves with each other to the point of tedium.
"From here…"
I stretched out my right hand to the side.
Then a huge pillar of light fell into my right hand, and I caught it.
The pillar of light soon changed form into a huge flag of light.
"I declare rebellion — against the entire universe!"
I planted my flag in the white sand beach with all my might.
Then,
Flash-!
Along with a dazzling burst of light, a brightly shining ash-colored fortress began to rise from beneath the beach.
Chapter 798
The First and Last Fortress of Humanity, Crossroad.
The southern plains stretched out before it.
The Kill Zone — a barrier area surrounded by countless wooden fences.
"Enemy monster corps, vanguard!"
A scout observing the area shouted urgently.
"Entering the Kill Zone-!"
"…!"
The ground rumbled faintly.
Rustle…
The winter forest spread across the southern plains seemed to shudder, and then the next moment.
Crash-!
Monsters poured out of the entrance to the plains.
Like an overflowing muddy stream, black monsters endlessly surged forth, filling the southern plains.
Lucas, aboard the airship Blue Pearl, took a small breath as he looked down at this scene.
"They've come this far."
Earlier, the operation to topple the ultra-giant monsters — 'Titan Fall' — had succeeded.
They were able to devastate both the ground and air completely. The ground, in particular, was split and shattered, effectively hindering the advance of the monsters following behind. Moreover, an enormous number of monsters had died and fallen in this process.
Nevertheless, they were infinite.
Nevertheless, they advanced.
Clinging to the collapsed land and sky, the endless horde of monsters crawled northward over several days. And they finally succeeded in reaching this southern plain where Crossroad was clearly visible.
Throughout this process, delaying tactics were continuously deployed, but it was literally just a delay. Complete blockade was impossible from the start.
The vanguard of the monster horde that had stubbornly advanced finally arrived here.
'In the end, we must defend from the main fortress.'
In the 'Lightning and Tidal Wave' operation, the lightning had ultimately been pierced through.
But the final barrier, the tidal wave — the main fortress of Crossroad — remains.
'We'll try to hold them off.'
Lucas took a breath, steeling his resolve to fight.
'Because it's what my lord ordered, and also… '
His bright blue eyes stared directly at the incoming monsters.
'Because I, too, want to protect this world…!'
Bang! Boom boom boom…!
A distant sound of artillery fire rang out from Crossroad's main fortress, and the next moment.
Kwa-gwang-gwang-gwang-!
Artillery shells rained down on the Kill Zone.
Lucas was in charge of commanding the guerrilla forces aboard the airship Blue Pearl.
Evangeline was in charge of commanding Crossroad's main fortress defense line.
Evangeline had also become thoroughly experienced as the captain of the infantry unit, and she was the rightful heir to Crossroad. The defense command of the future lord was flawless, without a single gap.
"It seems we don't need to worry about the defense of the main fortress."
Lucas looked around at everyone on the bridge.
"Let's do what we need to do."
The heroes organized into the guerrilla unit all nodded in unison.
The 'Lightning and Tidal Wave' operation is still ongoing.
And the heroes on this ship are the final lightning.
The defense battle of the southern plains began in the same manner as previous defensive battles.
The monsters that had advanced northward crashed their forces into the entrance of the southern plains — the Kill Zone. While they were caught in a bottleneck, tangled in obstacles, cross-fire from Crossroad rained down, grinding them to pieces.
But soon, everyone realized.
It was different.
This battle was different from before.
Bubble bubble bubble…
The monsters, tangled and clumped together, continued to pour out like a seething swamp mixing from within.
Endlessly, continuously, without stopping, they crawled out from the south, filling the plains.
They had faced terrifyingly large numbers of monsters during the previous zombie march, but this was on a different scale.
Literally infinite.
It was a truly enormous scale befitting the monsters' final all-out offensive.
"There's no end to them, really…"
Evangeline, directing the artillery while looking through a telescope, groaned as if appalled.
By now, the entire area south of the plains was completely covered with monsters, to the point where there was no space that wasn't black.
A massive black wave, a black tsunami, no…
A black world itself was pushing towards Crossroad.
However.
"We're fully prepared for this…!"
They had anticipated this situation from the start.
They entered the battle knowing the enemy would be infinite. They had stockpiled enough ammunition to fire for a week straight, expanded the artillery positions to be wider and higher, and prepared manpower including reserves.
"Artillery! Continue to-"
Raising the cavalry lance in her hand and waving the black flag tied to its end, Evangeline shouted with all her might.
"Fire-!"
Bang! Boom boom boom-!
As if answering her cry, the neatly fired barrage split the sky and fell on the entrance of the southern plains.
Kwa-gwang-gwang-gwang-!
It exploded.
Currently, Crossroad's artillery was set up in a structure where 3 units fired in rotation. By shooting, loading, aiming, and shooting again, these artillery units could create an uninterrupted barrage that could devastate the impact zone without a moment's pause.
Moreover, it didn't end with just 3 units; 3 more reserve units were also on standby.
A total of 6 units could alternately create barrages and rest, theoretically allowing for an infinite curtain of fire.
Additionally, even the people from the production guild, who were usually evacuated for safety, all remained in the city to help produce and repair war supplies.
'The enemy is infinite?'
Evangeline smiled fiercely.
'Then we'll just pour out infinitely too…!'
The monsters appeared endlessly, invading through the entrance of the southern plains, but.
Bang! Bang! Boom boom boom…!
They were pounded by the endless cross-fire pouring down from above, melting and collapsing.
Quite some time had passed since the battle began, but not a single monster had even made it halfway across the southern plains.
'The experience from the zombie incident was good practice!'
After repelling up to 100,000 zombie monsters at that time, various improvements and ideas were proposed within Crossroad.
Ash adopted several of these for application in this final battle. This system of expanding the artillery and setting it up for infinite rotational firing was one of them.
'At this rate, we should be able to keep repelling the small fry indefinitely…!'
And just as Evangeline thought that.
Thud thud thud thud-!
A series of monsters broke through the cross-fire and charged out.
Small, high-speed monsters that could dash through without being swept away by the barrage.
Large monsters advancing with thick armor that could withstand the cross-fire.
And flying monsters that appeared in the sky, piercing through the thick smoke of explosions.
'Oh no!'
Evangeline hurriedly covered her mouth with her hand.
This mouth of hers is always the problem! How does it happen right after she speaks…
'No, I didn't even say it out loud?! I just thought it!'
Anyway, she shouldn't even think such things.
The group of swift small monsters that safely escaped the Kill Zone created at the entrance of the southern plains, the group of large monsters armed with thick armor, and the group of flying monsters approaching through the air.
As she glared at them while tapping her forehead, Evangeline's lips eventually curled up slightly.
Carelessness is not good.
But there's no need to cower unnecessarily either.
"We're fully prepared to deal with this level of situation!"
Evangeline waved the end of her cavalry lance with the flag attached as she ordered.
"Sniper unit, target the approaching small monsters! Mage unit, handle the large monsters unaffected by artillery fire! And artifact team, prepare anti-air artifacts!"
As soon as the order fell.
Click! Click! Click!
The sniper unit led by Damien aimed their guns and bows, then opened fire.
Bang! Bang! Bang…!
With each slow gunshot, the speed-type monsters frantically rushing towards the castle walls fell one by one.
The marksmanship of Damien, the world's best sniper, and the elite snipers he led was already transcendental.
While Damien with his Thousand-Mile Eyes was exceptionally extraordinary, the snipers now under his command were all top-class archers and hunters from around the world.
Each of them was renowned under aliases like Hawk Eye, Sharpshooter, Baba Yaga, and Smoking Gun — the best snipers of the current era.
Add to this the original snipers that Damien had trained and drilled from the beginning.
When the sniper unit of thirty members opened fire, the monsters' heads began to explode en masse even from an incredible distance.
Of course, Damien stood out even among them.
Bang-!
With a single rifle shot, he penetrated and instantly killed four monsters simultaneously, then prepared for his next shot with an nonchalant expression.
The snipers around Damien all wore dumbfounded expressions.
"We've lost, we've lost…"
The other snipers grumbled as they continued sniping.
Then there was the mage unit led by Junior.
"Use magic that consumes little mana and is highly efficient as much as possible!"
Junior carefully coordinated the mages lined up in formation.
Humanity's strongest tactical weapon. Mages.
They had not yet exerted their full power. To conserve mana for a prolonged battle, they formed ranks and fired even the smallest spells in resonance with each other.
And that was enough.
When the basic elemental magic shot by the mages, who were now completely skilled in joint magic, intercepted the large monsters, the large monsters collapsed and perished without much resistance.
Arrows of flame, rain of ice, and blades of wind flew alternately, and the large monsters that had broken through the barrage all fell to the ground with screams.
Additionally…
"Activating anti-air artifacts!"
Lily and the alchemist team activated all the artifacts they had prepared.
The artifacts took effect across the entire airspace of Crossroad. The flying monsters that had been pouring down, blackening the sky, all flinched at once.
Speed reduction, defense reduction, disorientation…
Though the effects were minor, they were applied to an overwhelming range. All the flying monsters were afflicted with harmful effects at once.
And towards these flying monsters, humanity's strongest aerial force rushed in.
"Let's go!"
The Sky Knight Division led by Mikhail launched from the airship 'Blue Pearl', plunging into the front of the pouring flying monsters.
"The sky belongs to all of us! Don't let the monsters violate it-!"
Behind Mikhail was the healing priest Zenis, riding along. This was to heal the knights and griffins on the spot.
The entire Sky Knight Division was equipped with holy power armor on their bodies and various elemental enchantments on their weapons.
They had showered beneficial effects on the griffin riders, who already possessed combat power far beyond ordinary flying monsters.
Conversely, they had showered harmful effects on the flying monsters.
The difference in combat power became overwhelming.
Kwang-!
Like lions leaping into a flock of sheep, the Sky Knight Division tore through the flying monsters as they dove in.
'We are strong.'
Evangeline unconsciously clenched her fist.
'We are… strong!'
Pouring six-shift cross-fire to completely block passage through the Kill Zone.
Enemies that break through are crushed by snipers, mages, artifacts, and air forces.
The movements of the first-rate troops working in perfect coordination were beautiful to behold. As a knight and an officer, Evangeline was moved almost to tears for a moment.
Humanity's efforts honed on the monster front over the past 3 years were not in vain. They had blossomed so magnificently.
It was then.
"Reporting-!"
A scout's shout that completely dispelled that emotion pierced Evangeline's ears.
"The 'Sleepless Lake Princess' has appeared-!"
"…!"
Evangeline hurriedly raised her telescope.
Saa-aa-aa…
Far away at the southern end.
Scattering thick darkness, fluttering the ends of a white dress burned at the edges… the incarnation of nightmares appeared.
A burned veil fluttered in the wind, revealing the face behind it.
The pale face was expressionless.
So much so that it was hard to believe it was once the woman they had shared joys and sorrows with.
"…"
Finally.
The worst enemy commander had arrived at Crossroad.
After quietly observing Nameless, who had completely become an enemy.
Evangeline slowly raised her telescope upwards.
The threads of darkness connected to the body of the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' crossed the world vertically… reaching the end of the split sky far away.
Beyond the grotesquely torn sky were countless glistening eyes.
The greedy gazes of Outer Gods watching the final battle unfolding on this earth.
'Senior.'
Evangeline lowered her telescope with a resolute expression.
'We'll keep their attention well, so… '
She smiled with all her might.
"Go all out, as much as you want…!"
With the rebellion Ash had incited, and the opening of the Spirit Realm Showdown.
Here in the human world too, the great monster invasion had entered its final stage.
Chapter 799
As the monsters advanced northward, roaring and stomping, tearing through the earth and sky, the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' moved forward with quiet, graceful steps.
Amidst the pitch-black wave of monsters, she stood out in her white burned dress.
"It's time for our guerrilla unit to take action in earnest."
Lucas said, looking at the heroes checking their equipment and preparing to deploy.
"We'll use every possible method to… delay the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' from advancing towards the city."
Apart from blocking the infinite monsters.
Holding back and dragging out time against an invincible enemy commander who cannot be killed or stopped.
This guerrilla unit — the 'Final Lightning' — was tasked with executing this impossible operation.
'The main fortress will handle the monsters. We'll do our part.'
Lucas took a deep breath and looked at the team to be deployed first.
"Sword Demon. Spear Demon."
Led by the disheveled couple — Sword Demon and Spear Demon — the immortals who had joined from the bottom village and the immortal adventurers who had joined from the base camp…
All the immortals who had joined from the dungeon under the lake were ready for deployment and looked at Lucas.
Lucas carefully asked one last time.
"Are you really sure about this?"
It was Sword Demon and Spear Demon who had first proposed this operation.
And it was Lucas who had recognized its efficiency and planned the operation.
But he had to ask one more time at the end.
Are you really okay with this?
Sword Demon and Spear Demon grinned simultaneously.
"What's good about being immortal?"
"We have nothing to boast about except that we come back to life under that lake even if we die."
"In return, make sure to tell the prince later, okay?"
"Hehe. Tell him we've accomplished such a great feat. Make sure."
The mission these nonchalant immortals were to carry out was to lure the enemy.
To provoke the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' and make her turn back southward — away from Crossroad.
Monsters attack the nearest living being. This behavioral principle was no exception for the 'Sleepless Lake Princess'. Ash had confirmed it from past experience, and it had been verified during the recent northward advance.
So the immortals had volunteered.
They, who wouldn't die and would come back to life anyway, would act as bait to try and stop the enemy commander's advance.
"Whew!"
The immortals lined up at the edge of the airship's deck one by one. Sword Demon and Spear Demon slapped their own cheeks.
"Even though we know we won't die, even though we've trained so many times, my legs are shaking seeing the ground so far below…!"
"We've lived long enough to fall from the sky before, isn't it strange, old man?"
"That's right. We can still try something more because we're alive!"
All the immortals were equipped with emergency landing parachutes on their backs. It was an improved version of the equipment Lucas and Evangeline had used when they encountered the beetle legion before.
Everyone was ready, and Lucas commanded.
"Airborne unit!"
Lucas made eye contact with the immortals and nodded heavily.
"Good luck."
Sword Demon and Spear Demon smiled back, and Lucas extended his arm to the side.
"Descend!"
"Yee-haw!"
"Let's fall into hell-!"
The immortals ran across the deck and fell one by one, each letting out piercing screams and shouts.
Their total number was 20. 4 parties.
Watching those embarking on a literal suicide mission, Lucas pressed his lips tightly.
Whoosh!
The 20-member airborne unit fell from the airship to the ground, then deployed their parachutes at the exact timing.
This equipment designed by Ash was crude compared to Earth's parachutes, but it had one excellent feature — the ability to set the landing point.
By combining wind magic, earth magic, and flight magic, it could gently guide them to land at the desired point.
Despite this feature, 1 out of 4 parties landed in the wrong place. But 3 parties were able to land at the planned points.
In the midst of the advancing monster horde.
And at a precarious distance south of the 'Sleepless Lake Princess'.
"Charge-!"
"Out of the way, you monster bastards!"
Led by Sword Demon and Spear Demon, the airborne unit rampaged and slaughtered the local monsters in an instant.
All of these were those who had been living unable to die in the darkness of that lake kingdom.
They were all proficient in close combat ability to handle monsters.
'But our original purpose isn't the monsters!'
Sword Demon and Spear Demon rolled their eyes and looked back.
They had to catch the princess's attention!
"Let's rampage spectacularly!"
"We need to go absolutely crazy to catch the princess's eye!"
And fortunately or unfortunately, there was no need to try to attract attention.
Crack-!
The 1 party that had fallen behind and landed much closer to the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' than the planned point died with their entire bodies crushed.
The Lake Princess had clenched her fist once, instantly taking the lives of the five immortals.
"…"
Then, the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' slowly turned her head southward and stared at the remaining 15 members of the airborne unit.
Goosebumps rose all over Sword Demon and Spear Demon's bodies.
They thought they had become as numb to death as possible, and had long forgotten things like pain or fear.
But just meeting those empty eyes under that veil of the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' –
"…feels like I'm gonna piss myself."
"I, south!"
Sword Demon muttered honestly, and Spear Demon, who came to her senses first, shouted urgently and led the airborne unit members.
"Run south-!"
"Lure the enemy commander! We need to buy time!"
As soon as the words fell, the airborne unit members cut down all the monsters blocking their path and ran southward.
Their purpose was solely to lure the 'Sleepless Lake Princess'. However.
Now they were truly running away.
Sweating cold sweat in fear, to avoid being caught by the incarnation of nightmares…
"…"
In the sky. Blue Pearl.
Lucas observed the battle situation with the scouts.
It was going according to plan. The 'Sleepless Lake Princess' had turned around to slaughter the airborne unit members and was now heading south again, reversing her northward course.
However.
'It doesn't seem like they'll be able to buy much time.'
Lucas groaned as he observed the situation.
The airborne unit members, all immortals, were powerful heroes with above-average combat abilities, but their mission was too difficult from the start.
To break through the endless rising monsters, flee southward while luring the enemy commander.
It was successful for now, and they had secured an escape route by clearing the southern monsters with air missile support from Blue Pearl, but…
The encircling monsters were infinite, and if they entered the range of the 'Sleepless Lake Princess', they would die in one hit.
'Still, they've already succeeded in delaying as much as we aimed for.'
The airborne unit had gloriously accomplished their mission.
We must not waste the time they've bought for us.
'We'll use every delaying tactic we can.'
Dozens of measures had been devised to delay the end of the world even by one second.
Lucas turned his head to the side, mentally counting the remaining options.
"Prepare for the next operation-!"
While Blue Pearl and the guerrilla unit were holding off the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' with various delaying tactics.
The main fortress of Crossroad was struggling to push back the intensified main body of monsters.
Artillery fire was completely nullified in the center of the battlefield where the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' had appeared, and monsters that had infiltrated through this gap were now crowding right up to the castle walls.
The endless mines and traps that had been laid, as well as the medium-range ballistas for interception, were doing their job, but it was undeniable that the front line had been pulled in significantly.
To drive away these monsters, the artifact team and dwarf engineers were working together to prepare a defensive field artifact.
"Good! Just a little higher angle! That's it!"
Evangeline, who was commanding this, suddenly sensed something unusual and opened her green eyes wide.
"Huh?"
Evangeline looked down at her hand. She clenched her fist, then opened it.
An unprecedented emptiness, as if the whole world was being drained away, ran down her spine.
"The flow of magic power… is weakening."
The blessing of the guardian tree is disappearing.
The connection with mana, the source of magic, is being severed.
Realizing what this situation meant, Evangeline exclaimed happily.
"It looks like the first phase of senior's plan has succeeded!"
"Sniff…"
Kellibey, who was adjusting the angle of the field artifact, sniffled and grumbled.
"It's already tough dealing with monsters, and now they're taking away our magic power too. That Ash, he's just recklessly reckless…"
"But we prepared for this, didn't we?"
Evangeline grinned like a mischievous child.
"Those monsters probably didn't prepare at all, right?"
Indeed, the monsters were now easily torn apart by artillery fire they had been able to withstand until just before, and their tough skin that arrows couldn't pierce was now penetrated in one shot.
The supply of magic power from the spirit realm to the mortal world is weakening.
This meant that the defensive measures on the mortal side would lose power, but it also meant that the monsters would lose the power that was the source of their existence.
'Meanwhile, we've stockpiled plenty…!'
Because they had planned an operation to cut off the supply of magic power. Of course, they had stockpiled magic power to the limit in advance.
Of course, they couldn't hold out forever, but the same was true for the monsters.
'On this battlefield where both sides are declining… '
Evangeline, firmly grasping her shield, flashed her emerald eyes.
'Let's see who can last till the end, you bastards!'
Meanwhile.
Sensing this anomaly, a change occurred in the sky as well.
The countless eyes watching the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' and the destruction of this world through the crack in the sky began to spin round and round.
The Outer Gods urgently turned their gaze.
Not to the final battlefield of the mortal world, but to behind the scenes.
To the spirit realm where a rebellion was being plotted-
Whoosh-!
I quietly observed the four massive pillars of fire burning in various parts of the spirit realm.
The guardian trees of the 4 major non-human races.
These trees were already in a weakened state. This was because most of their trunks had been removed in the mortal world, leaving only the roots remaining here in the spirit realm.
Of course, they were still fully functional even in that state, but…
When each racial god uprooted and burned them, they quickly lost power and perished.
The problem was the tree before us.
Humanity's guardian tree — Everblack.
The last remaining tree here in the spirit realm did not perish easily.
Even when I issued an eviction order with the authority of a racial god, and the Emperor forcibly set it on fire while riding La Mancha, the tree stubbornly held on.
As if it were trying to survive on its own.
"It's definitely weakening, but at this rate, this tree will endure."
The Demon King, who was watching beside me, spoke up.
"And if this tree continues to act as a wedge, the spirit realm cannot be closed."
"It's like a doorstop preventing the door from closing, huh? How do we remove this…"
As I groaned, the Demon King faintly sneered.
"Do we have time to worry? It's starting now."
"…!"
"Look at the sky."
I raised my head following the Demon King.
Rumble-!
The sky of the spirit realm filled with aurora.
The sky split open, pushing aside the aurora like parting curtains — and like the Milky Way appearing in the night sky, countless eyes began to appear, twinkling like stars.
"…The Outer Gods have noticed our rebellion."
As the Demon King's words fell, the gazes of the Outer Gods that had been spinning round and round all fixed on us at once.
No-
Not just gazes.
Crash! Clang-!
Breaking through the sky of the spirit realm like glass, transparent and gigantic hands…
Began to stretch endlessly towards where we were.
The sight of enormous fingers filling the entire sky and falling to the ground was so surreal it was absurd.
"Well."
The Demon King asked leisurely.
"What will you do now, rebel?"
As if watching a fire across the river, despite being an accomplice himself.
"What else can I do."
I grinned.
There's no way things would go exactly according to the initial plan, right? Of course, errors occur, flaws emerge, and accidents happen.
Then we just modify the plan accordingly and continue the offensive.
That's why I'm here.
'We'll accomplish both removing the guardian tree and repelling the Outer Gods simultaneously.'
Taking a breath, I drew out all the royal authority and power I possessed.
And the power of the two dragons at the same time.
Two flames swirled in a circle in my chest, and immense magical power surged throughout my body.
This is the final battle.
There's no reason to hold back…!
"Now, this is your chance to witness firsthand the troll show of the rogue prince that will never happen again!"
Meeting the gazes of countless Outer Gods with my whole body like concentrated spotlights-
I shouted at them.
"Open those big eyes wide and watch!"
Chapter 800
The eyes of the Outer Gods glaring at me all flickered ominously.
And those gazes shining like stars, in waves-
Blinked.
Closed, then opened.
The next moment.
Whoosh-!
Tearing through the atmosphere of the spirit realm, an immense spiritual pressure rushed in.
It was that instant-death technique used by the Outer God contracted with the Grand Magician White Night before. The existences of this world, mere toys to the Outer Gods, lost their lives with just that single blink.
But the situation now is different from then.
The Outer Gods looking this way now don't have an intermediary contractor like White Night back then. There's no mediator to fully connect that power to this world.
No matter how tremendous the power shot from a star-like distance, its potency is diminished by the time it reaches here.
Moreover, a dedicated defender to receive this attack has already been selected.
Saa-aa-aa…!
As the Demon King stepped forward and lightly waved both hands in front, a massive curtain of darkness was created in the sky — 'covering' the gazes of the Outer Gods.
Boom boom boom-!
The shattered curtain of darkness scattered across the sky like fireworks.
Skillfully spreading and repairing the darkness, while sweeping away the gazes pouring down like rain. The Demon King nodded to me.
"I'll block all the 'blinks' for you."
"How reliable?"
"But you'll have to sweep away the touches yourself."
The fingers of the Outer Gods filling and pouring down from the entire sky.
These too are not the actual bodies of the Outer Gods, but the materialization of their will (意念).
The very will that the Outer Gods have shot into this world to interfere in concrete ways beyond simple slaughter.
Because they take the form of fingers, they can interfere with this world in various ways, but…
Therefore, their simple power is actually weaker compared to those 'blinks'.
"Whew!"
Taking a deep breath, I drew out all the power I possessed.
As the flames of the red dragon and black dragon nestled in my chest blazed simultaneously, dragon wings made of magic power spread wide on my back. I flapped those wings and soared into the sky.
Whoosh!
The magic fortress I had deployed in advance rose up tall, following the flag in my hand.
For a moment, I took on a form similar to a dragon made of fortress.
If I'm the dragon's head, the following walls would be like the dragon's body, I suppose.
"I don't know what sinister intentions you have. But in my world…"
Looking up at the fingers falling to fill my vision, I prepared the dragon's authority.
A sphere of red magic power and a sphere of black magic power floated up above my head, rotating in a circle around each other, and…
"Don't lay your filthy hands."
Merged into one.
Whoosh-!
From the merged magic sphere, a torrent of pure magic power — Dragon Breath — was fired.
Red and black flames swirled, piercing through the sky, and burning the heavens. The Outer Gods' fingers swept up in the breath all turned to ash and vanished.
Then I swung the flag of light in my hand once, grandly.
The magic fortress floating around me broke into small pieces and surged up, forming a long band of walls in the air.
The intertwined rings of walls overlapped, deploying a dome-shaped defensive field in the air. The remaining fingers of the Outer Gods fell on top of it, but…
Boom boom boom!
They couldn't break through.
My walls completely dominated the sky and were reborn as an aerial fortress.
"Good, we've blocked the first wave!"
Just as I clenched my fist in joy.
Rumble-!
Far more hands and fingers than before tore through the sky and rushed towards the ground.
"Ugh?!"
Drawing up magic power again, I gritted my teeth.
"This isn't easy, really…!"
There's a limit to blocking the Outer Gods. They are infinite, but I am finite.
In the end, we need to close the spirit realm while holding out… but Everblack was still stubbornly enduring without perishing.
"Father!"
I shouted to La Mancha, which was struggling while flying around Everblack.
"We need to evict Everblack! Isn't there any way?!"
The Emperor was uncharacteristically flustered.
Among all living humans, he had been in contact with Everblack the longest and handled it most skillfully, but now he wasn't able to control it properly.
"Why, thornbush."
Everblack was still stubbornly enduring even with its entire surface engulfed in flames, and the Emperor slowly reached out his hand while keeping La Mancha close to the thornbush.
"You are a being created for humanity. A magical lighthouse functioning for humanity. You have never disobeyed our guardians' orders even once until now. So why…"
The Emperor placed his hand directly on the surface of the burning tree and breathed his will into it.
While the Emperor struggled to handle the tree, I endured, receiving the onslaught of the Outer Gods' fingers that kept pouring down.
Second wave, third wave, fourth wave, fifth wave…
"Ugh…!"
I gritted my teeth and blocked the fingertips of the Outer Gods, their will, now pouring down almost like a downpour.
"Somehow, it feels like I'm playing Tetris modified to the hardest mode…!"
And, I am a master of classic games.
That means I'm an expert at Tetris too…!
I spread ancient magic, shot feathers from my wings, chanted verbal commands, and loaded breath.
I kept swinging the flag emitting dazzling light grandly, controlling the aerial fortress without rest.
I utilized all the means I had at the right place and time, making brilliant moves every moment to nullify the Outer Gods' offensive.
And, perhaps my efforts to buy time weren't in vain.
"…!"
I saw the Emperor, who had been communicating with the tree with his hand on the burning Everblack, suddenly open his eyes. I asked urgently.
"Father! Did you figure something out?!"
"Ah, yes."
The Emperor smiled with an inscrutable meaning.
"So that's what it was… Haha. Indeed."
"No, don't just smile silently! Explain what's going on-"
It was at that moment when I was about to press the Emperor while catching my breath roughly.
Crack…!
A finger that had crushed through the aerial fortress like an ambush fell down.
Right above La Mancha.
It felt like all the blood in my body had dried up. I shouted urgently and extended my flag.
"Father!"
Immediately new walls intertwined to repair the collapsed fortress — but I couldn't block the finger that had already invaded.
I shouted desperately.
"Dodge-"
But it was too late.
The Glory Knights immediately swung their swords to unleash slashes, and La Mancha also urgently spewed flames from its thrusters to try an evasive maneuver.
But the giant finger of the Outer God, even as it was breaking apart, did not yield and thrust its fingertip towards La Mancha.
"…"
The Emperor's face was peaceful even with death imminent above his head.
The Emperor opened his mouth slightly, looking at me. As if trying to convey something one last time.
But he couldn't utter the words.
Crash!
Because suddenly, a huge flying object appeared, tearing through the sky, and inserted itself between the Outer God's finger and La Mancha to protect it.
The surprised Emperor and Glory Knights looked up at that flying object. I let out a sigh of relief while clutching my chest.
"Whew, that was really close…"
The flying object that protected La Mancha had a familiar form that I recognized.
A massive ark made of black thornbushes.
I screamed at the identification name 'Final Ark'.
"Why are you so late! I've been waving this flag so hard for you to come quickly!"
The next moment, the thornbushes forming the outer wall of the Final Ark opened, revealing the space inside.
And two people walked out side by side from inside the ark.
"How vast this spirit realm actually is, how twisted time and space are, how hard it is to endure while drifting in the swirling flow of spirits…"
The man with a monocle, his dark red long hair tied in a long braid at the back of his neck –
Fernandez 'Ember Keeper' Everblack smirked.
"What's the point of explaining. Nevermind, you rogue son. I'm glad to see you after so long too."
Then the man with dark blue long hair standing next to him –
Lark 'Avalanche' Everblack burst into his characteristic hearty laughter.
"We came to help after seeing your flag. Little brother!"
Humanity's greatest magician.
Humanity's strongest knight.
My two brothers who had left for eternal confinement in the spirit realm had joined as my allies for this final battle.
I sneered smugly.
"Did you enjoy your exile life?"
"We brothers got along better than expected. It wouldn't have been bad to be exiled forever from now on, but…"
Lark grinned and raised the longsword in his hand.
"If our little brother asks us to close this purgatory, of course your big brother! Should help with all his might, right?"
He had lost both arms and legs in reality, but here in the spirit realm, they were all restored.
And Lark displayed his transcendent martial prowess without holding back.
Slash!
As Lark swung his sword powerfully, a deep blue trajectory was carved in the sky along the sword's path, followed by a sword wind that swirled like a storm.
The fingers that had been approaching closely were all torn to shreds and pushed back to the far side of the sky. With just one swing…!
"While confined in this spirit realm, the flow of time is different from reality. We had to spend quite a long time… What else could we do here? We just trained with our swords. According to the laws of the spirit realm."
As I gaped at this ridiculous power, Lark touched his lengthened hair awkwardly.
Then Fernandez, who had been watching with his hands behind his back, stepped forward raising his staff.
"By the way, I watched you fight a little, Ash."
"Huh?"
"Even after gaining such power and rank, your battle sense still needs to grow a lot more…"
"What did you say?!"
"You need to use it efficiently, efficiently."
Fernandez raised his staff high.
"Like this."
Then Fernandez's magic power intertwined like thornbushes with my aerial fortress, starting to reinforce my walls at will.
The reinforced walls automatically shot thornbush stems towards the approaching fingers, and the fingers pierced by the thornbushes were shot down powerlessly.
Not stopping there, Fernandez's thornbush-like magic power endlessly intertwined with itself, continuing to expand like a net.
"Now it's a bit sturdier."
After arbitrarily reinforcing my fortress to the fullest, Fernandez gave a hateful eye-smile.
I trembled my fist. If it weren't for the final battle, I would've really…!
Like this, after pushing back the fingers once with the help of my two joined brothers.
Lark and Fernandez stepped down onto the deck of La Mancha. Tension that wasn't there until just before was clearly etched on the faces of the two brothers.
"…"
The Emperor waiting on the deck gazed at his two sons.
Lark and Fernandez slowly knelt on one knee before him and bowed their heads.
"Long live His Majesty the great Emperor."
"Two unfilial sons greet Father's noble countenance."
"…"
After a brief, but aeon-like silence.
"My Avalanche. My Ember Keeper."
The Emperor slowly opened his mouth.
"Due to this father's lack of virtue, you had to turn your backs on the mortal world and live in eternal exile here."
"…!"
"But what's past is past. We must look to the future, not the past."
The Emperor's voice was unprecedentedly aged, and also affectionate.
"Will you forget our grudges, forgive each other's lack of virtue, and lend your strength to this final battle?"
Lark and Fernandez bowed their heads deeply.
"It is our infinite honor, Father!"
"We will fight together until our spirits and bodies turn to dust."
The Emperor approached with a faint smile and grasped the shoulders of his two sons to raise them.
"The day has finally come for us four guardians fighting against the fate of destruction to form a united front."
The Racial God Front.
The Dragon Blood Front.
The Shadow Front.
The Monster Front.
The four fronts that once took charge of each direction of the empire, and once faced external enemies only to protect the empire.
That front has already crumbled.
Now we seek to protect not the empire, but humanity.
Not just humanity, but all people regardless of race.
Not just people, but everything that makes up the world-
"Commander of the World Guardian Front!"
The three people who were once commanders and guardians of each divided front looked at me simultaneously.
"For the sake of protecting the world, give the order."
And, they bowed their heads at the same time.
"Raise your flag. We will follow that will to the end."
A smile formed on my lips without me realizing.
Because it was the moment when the four fronts that had been torn apart and antagonistic, and…
Our family, finally became one.