Thousands of years ago, in an era known as the Primeval Age, the Mage of Ancient Dragons opened the skies. By committing the taboo of Kecheon (Opening the Heavens), he dragged all the false gods down into the earth and buried them deep within the Temple of All Gods.
Countless beliefs vanished.
Countless gods had their names stolen and forgotten.
Thus, the land of Alkeia, where the gods lie buried, ceased to be a temple for worshipping gods and became a tomb for the false deities. Now, after countless years have passed, the Tomb of All Gods will once again become a Temple of All Gods.
Guuuuu…
The air trembled. The space creaked. The enormous presence of the resurrected gods weighed heavily upon the area.
“…….”
Raniel stared silently ahead.
There stood beings who were once called gods, blocking her path. Giants whose tops could not be seen even when she looked up, lowly gods crawling on the ground, and gods swinging vast pillars…
Countless gods rushed toward her.
With each impact against the ground, Kung, Kuung, the earth trembled. The sky echoed. Though they had lost their names and were no longer gods, all of them had once held a position as mighty as that of stars.
Even if they had fallen, they remained transcendent beings.
Compared to these colossal entities, Raniel, standing firmly on the ground, appeared utterly insignificant. Faced with the forgotten gods, she was but a human. However…
【■■■■, ■■■■. ■■■■■■■■■■■■.】
【■■. ■■■■. ■■■■. ■■■■■■.】
【■■. ■■■. ■■, ■■■■■.】
The nameless gods could not afford to let their guard down.
Even having lost their sanity, their sense of self, and their pride, there remained one thing they could not forget after all this time: the memory of a single human standing before them millennia ago.
「I, here today.」
That was the figure of a mere human who had once stood before them.
「Will drag all of you down.」
In comparison to the gods, a mere human.
「Stamping you down, crushing you, and burying you in the lowest place on this land. That will be the best gift I can offer her.」
The gods mocked the human.
All the gods ridiculed the human.
Could a mere human challenge transcendent beings above the sky? It was impossible. The most aggressive of them, the War God, descended to crush the human… but…
「My name is Yormun. Yormun van Dragonik.」
The War God, who descended from the heavens, was ripped apart and died.
As the pouring blood of the gods dripped down, the human laughed.
「I am the name of the human who will kill you all.」
Yormun van Dragonik.
The gods could never forget that name. On that day, at that moment, in that place, every god met their death—feeling fear from a single human.
【■■. ■■■■!!】
This time, the nameless gods, as if vowing it would not happen again, charged toward the human. With a Kung, Kuung echoing, their footsteps deeply imprinted the ground. The giant god reached Raniel first and slammed down its foot.
Kuuwuuung!
The moment the vast tower-like foot stomped down on the human. The giant god’s foot, its ankle, and its leg trembled violently. Then Tuwhak! The giant god’s leg exploded. Blood and flesh of the god splattered everywhere, and the god, now missing a leg, leaned over while screaming.
Kung, Kuung.
The legless god fell to the ground, and dust soared up to the sky. Amidst the rising dust, the human emerged. A human unscathed, laughing.
“I was curious how that senile lizard knocked all the gods down, but I understand now…”
Her eyes sparkled fiercely.
“Seeing your condition, it makes sense.”
Chaaak, chaaark.
Chains stretched out behind Raniel.
Tak.
Now, Raniel charged toward the gods.
Facing the human covered in divine blood, visions appeared in the gods’ minds. The image of the human who tore them apart.
【————————!】
Human, human, a mere human.
A loathsome guide.
Terrified at the return of their predator, the gods shrieked and lunged at the human.
*
Before the rising black reverse cross.
Gleria turned her back to the cross, watching the dust rising. There was a sound of something bursting, and the screams of the gods echoed without pause. The rising dust repeatedly surged and receded in the aftermath of the explosions.
“Aha.”
Gleria smiled at the scene.
Raniel had indeed pulled the head off the giant god and hurled it toward Gletus. The flying head of the god, however, failed to reach Gletus and was caught and crushed by the other gods. Thud, blood poured down.
“More than I imagined,” Gletus murmured.
The inheritor of the covenant, Raniel van Trias.
In just a few years, she had gained enough strength to challenge the gods. The mage who had survived countless times on the brink of life and death rivaled their past selves.
‘Truly, she resembles me.’
The Grand Mage, Cardi van Armiel.
The Grand Magus who proved his power by removing the eyes of the Ancient Dragons. It felt like witnessing Cardi in his prime. Or perhaps… even more so…
“But you know, junior.”
Gleria smiled.
“You’re not the only special one, are you?”
From the very beginning, Gleria had been wary of the existence called ‘Raniel’. Her strength exceeded expectations, yet she was still alone. Gleria glared at the disasters she had resurrected.
The calamities revived by drinking the blood of gods.
Humans struggled against these calamities, bleeding, wounded, and falling. Gleria sneered at the sight.
“You can’t win alone.”
The forgotten gods will rise again and again.
By the time Raniel managed to reach this place, cutting through the endless resurgence of gods, everything would already be over.
“You’ve lost, child.”
Gletus grinned.
2.
The black lake rippled.
As the overflowing lake filled the Great Abyss, Kelharlem and Resti dangled from their summoned beasts, hovering in mid-air. Instinctively, they could tell they shouldn’t touch that lake.
“Split.”
And that choice was the right one.
Dozens of circuits rose around Kelharlem and unleashed various spells. The moment the divided spells struck the lake, there were no sounds of a fierce explosion.
Pasa-sak.
The spells crumbled upon contact with the lake. Kelharlem frowned. The very mana itself was being decomposed. The murky waters filling the Grand Abyss had the property of decomposing anything it touched.
‘…How do I combat this?’
The answer seemed elusive.
And the lake did not grant Kelharlem the time to ponder that question. Suddenly, the lake surged violently, beginning to overflow.
“…Coming!”
Resti shouted, pulling on the tether connected to her summoned beast. The summoned beast accelerated and veered away from the spot where the two had just been, as the water pierced through that very spot.
Screech!
As the water struck the wall, Pursak, the wall crumbled with a sound. Resti gritted her teeth, looking down at the lake. She did not have good compatibility with it.
‘…If I release a mere summoned beast, it will just dissolve into the lake.’
Then, she needed to release a masterpiece… but even releasing one here wouldn’t give her any idea of how to clear the lake. Moreover, those beasts were meant for eliminating Gletus, not for this situation.
Surge.
While she was deep in thought, the lake was already on the move. A powerful whirl began to spin at the center of the lake. Water from the whirl began to rise, sucking in its surroundings.
The water column shot up towards the sky where the ceiling had vanished.
The moment it touched the sky, Tutuk, droplets began to fall. Tutududuk, raindrops intensified. Soon, Shwaaaah, the torrential rain began to pour down.
Screech!
The wings of the summoned beast caught in the downpour crumbled away, as if decades of time had washed over it in an instant, the once mighty beast fell toward the ground, now reduced to bare bones.
Tak.
With a protective barrier surrounding her, Resti leapt off the beast. Trying to summon a new one to ride, but that one too would not last long. The protective shield surrounding Resti also diminished with every drop that touched it.
Summon.
A rift to the Otherworld opened, and a horde of summoned beasts poured out, surrounding Resti and Kelharlem… but even that would not last long. They needed to come up with a plan.
“Kelharlem, what’s the method…?”
Just as Resti was about to speak, Kelharlem grabbed her by the nape. Then, he threw her toward the wall of the Great Abyss.
“…Ugh!”
The moment she collided with the wall, Kelharlem snapped his fingers. The earth from the wall erupted and enveloped Resti. Just as she was about to shout why he was doing this, she locked eyes with Kelharlem, who was surrounded by summoned beasts.
Kelharlem was smiling bitterly.
At that moment, dark clouds gathered in the sky, and lightning as black as the lake fell. The lightning pierced through the summoned beasts and engulfed Kelharlem.
Kwa-rung, followed by a resounding sound.
The world turned pitch black.
*
“…The King of Beasts.”
Lac glared at the creature rising up from the plains. That was the King of Beasts. However, this was not the same King of Beasts Lac had faced before. That entity drew out a sword.
Surung, the sword was drawn.
Mud dripped down from the fingers gripping the sword.
The physical form of the King of Beasts was made of divine blood. What stood before him was merely a fake imitating the King of Beasts, yet it bore the memories of the King.
‘But…’
Its aura was not strong.
The King of Beasts Lac had encountered before, Barta, did not appear to possess pride. Its presence was faint. Was it merely a fake that mimicked the King of Beasts?
Kurrrrk.
Lac gripped his sword tightly and aimed it at the King of Beasts. The landscape he had seen through the future vision remained unchanged. Lac charged forward, kicking the ground.
And then it happened.
The King of Beasts, initially looking down, raised its head. The moment its bluish-green eyes met with Lac’s, the future that Lac had envisioned shattered into pieces.
——————!
The King of Beasts opened its mouth and let out a scream. An eerie howl. It was a beastly roar that Barta, who considered himself human, would never utter.
The roar of a beast.
The King of Beasts emitted a terrifying cry.
That was the wail of a master of a pack, the king risen above all races. The ground shook in response to the call. The black blood that flowed through the plains and the dark mud that shot upwards gave birth to life.
Kung, Kuung, Kung!
Emerging from the depths of the ground were the beasts held by Gletus. The army of beasts that she had not prepared for her ‘knight Barta’ but for the King of Beasts.
The beasts answered the call of their king.
With crimson, glistening eyes, the army of beasts filled the plains. Creatures extending to the horizon beyond. Standing in the center of the beasts was the King of Beasts, pointing his sword at Lac. At that moment, the beasts charged toward Lac as one.
The beasts remained loyal to their king’s command.
Barta merely wished to remain a knight, yet he stood as the apex of all beasts. The one whom all beasts worshipped as their king. With a single gesture, he commanded thousands, tens of thousands of beasts.
The King of Beasts, master of all creatures.
To his command, the beasts remained loyal.
Before the surging army, Lac’s gaze wavered.
*
…You intend to catch that?
Destel’s eyes wavered.
Destel’s lips parted and closed repeatedly. They envisioned piercing through that enormous monster in her mind, but no image formed.
“U, Sir…”
Yet, Destel commanded what must be done. To buy time, endure, and find the weak points. Having given such a command, Destel immediately changed her armament.
Imitation, the immortal Triton.
The immortal, who was the hero of the previous generation.
His weapon was a great shield, and he symbolized ‘protection’ as a hero. Destel slammed the massive shield into the ground.
Guung.
With a ringing sound, a protective barrier formed around Destel. Each time the roots lashed against the barrier, it rattled with a Kung, Kuung.
Tak.
Then, outside the barrier, Belnoa took a step forward. Chloe immediately began to chant a spell. Watching their actions, Destel bit her lip.
…There was no hesitation in their actions.
They focused solely on capturing that monster, solely on supporting Raniel. To them, this was merely an obstacle to overcome. Watching Belnoa sprint out of the barrier towards the roots, Destel’s face twisted. She lowered her gaze.
All she could do was grip her shield tighter.
With a sound like Kang, Kaang, the roots slammed against the barrier, causing Destel to frown. Since she was staring at the ground, she could spot the signs prior. Destel’s eyes widened.
“Chloe!”
Destel shoved Chloe.
At that moment, roots shot up from beneath the ground and lashed out within the barrier. They pierced through with dozens of tendrils.
Then, Tuwhak.
Blood splattered long and wide.
3.
“You can’t win alone…”
“Why am I alone?”
The human drenched in the gods’ blood shouted.
“You seem to have misunderstood.”
Raniel chuckled.
“Do you think I’m worried? About those guys?”
She glanced around.
Paths splitting into four directions. Calamities blocking the way. Without regard for the disasters in front of her, Raniel laughed as if it were the most ridiculous thing in the world.
“Why would I?”
Kung, she pounded the ground.
“I’m not worried at all.”
She asserted.
“If they were that weak, they would never have made it this far.”
When gauging the strength of others, Raniel possessed an insight sharper than anyone else’s. She was confident that this level of calamity could be easily overcome.
What was required between companions was not doubt.
Just the belief and certainty in each other.
Raniel was convinced they would cut through everything blocking their way and make it here.
*
As black lightning struck and the world turned dark for a moment, Kelharlem opened his eyes amid the falling summoned beasts. Although his body was being charred by the lightning, Kelharlem’s expression did not waver.
“A peculiar structure.”
The nature of the mana penetrating his body.
Kelharlem analyzed the properties of the lake. His superhuman computational ability immediately reached a conclusion.
Shwaaaaaah!
With the pouring rain hammering down, Kelharlem landed atop the lake. The undulating waters rose to his waist, but nothing changed for Kelharlem.
Kelharlem twisted his neck with a Tutuk.
He anticipated this to a degree, but the property he discerned about the lake was ‘corrosion’. It accelerated the time of anything it touched, causing decades to pass in an instant. It varied with resistance, yet this trait was deadly for living beings.
But for Kelharlem, it was not.
Kelharlem walked toward the heart of the lake. Kelharlem was a human who had obtained eternal life. Though he had cursed this eternity, at this moment, he smiled.
“Finally, there’s a use for it.”
As Kelharlem moved, hundreds of circuits unfolded around him.
“This time, I’ll be able to protect.”
