Episode 168
“I came to see the Source of God.”
Leon answered slowly.
“They said that as long as I have that, I can bring my parents back to life….”
“What on earth…. Do not come any closer. If you approach, I will attack.”
During the last meeting, she had been told to attack if the opponent acted differently than usual.
Lilibet, who was highly tense, took a step forward. Eter, in human form, stood by her side.
Due to the overwhelming aura emanating from Eter, Leon flinched and could not move forward any further.
The snake controlling him also held its breath and quietly observed the situation.
It was a moment when such a delicate confrontation continued.
“Leon!”
Someone looking for Leon appeared from behind.
It was Sol, the Divine Beast of the Sunrise ducal house.
Sol, who had rushed over, grabbed Leon’s shoulder.
“It took time to pinpoint your location because of the barrier spread across the entire Great Temple. Are you alright? Where is the snake?”
At the word ‘snake,’ Lilibet’s face stiffened hard.
She hurriedly tried to shout something to Sol.
But it was already too late.
Before Lilibet could shout, the snake disguised as a knight was faster at sending a signal to Leon.
Having received the snake’s instructions, Leon immediately gave an order to Sol.
“Marquis Lilibet Skya is the snake. Sol, attack.”
“What? No! It is the Duke of Sunrise who was instigated by the snake—!”
Bang!
It was before Lilibet’s words could even finish.
An explosion occurred at Leon’s feet.
The snake had used attack magic.
An astonished Sol transformed into a Divine Beast and caught the flinging Leon.
At the same time, chain explosions occurred here and there. Sol’s vision was thickly obscured by gray smoke.
While frantically dodging the explosions, he felt an object presumed to be a giant tortoise strike down at them with its front paw.
Sol, in the form of a white tiger, narrowly avoided the attack.
“Grrr!” (Eter!)
As he was baring his teeth in anger at the sudden attack, the figure of a blue tortoise was revealed through the smoke just in time.
Sol charged straight ahead.
Just like Sol, Eter, who had been in Divine Beast form to block the attacks of something presumed to be a white tiger amidst the continuous explosions and smoke, responded immediately.
Eter warned Sol in an angry voice.
“….” (Get a grip. Your master has been enticed by the snake!)
“Roar!” (No, that is what I should say. Is it not your master who was devoured without you knowing!)
A strange sense of incompatibility enveloped the two Divine Beasts, but neither backed down. It was to protect their masters who were caught in the explosion.
While such a long confrontation continued.
Asil, Edenber, and their party arrived.
“What’s wrong! What happened to both of you!”
Asil shrieked at the two large-bodied Divine Beasts.
What on earth happened that you are fighting even while destroying the building! The protective barrier that was surrounding the Source of God has become a mess!
Instead of the two Divine Beasts still in conflict, Lilibet, who had briefly fainted from the explosion, managed to open her eyes and answer.
“The snake instigated the Duke of Sunrise and came all the way here. Eter and I were blocking the Duke and the snake from entering inside….”
“Where is the snake?”
Even after scanning the surroundings thoroughly, there was only the fainted Duke of Sunrise, and no one presumed to be the snake.
Lilibet’s face, having checked the surroundings following Asil, turned pale.
“It seems he went toward the Source of God!”
It was at that very moment.
Bang!
Along with a roar, the ground shook as if an earthquake had occurred. The epicenter was the place where the Source of God was located.
In an instant, all the light existing in the Great Temple was sucked into that direction and then reappeared.
At this, everyone present looked toward the Source of God.
A white snake, about the size of a decent mountain, was raising its body with both eyes recovered.
* * *
The snake succeeded in making the two Divine Beasts fight using hallucination magic and getting its hands on the Source of God.
He swallowed it immediately.
With the feeling of a hot fireball piercing through his body, his vision turned pure white.
— What is it that you desire?
A voice that seemed to come from deep within the body buzzed in his ears.
The snake answered.
“I need the power to massacre humans and beastmen.”
— Your inside is filled with rage.
A lump of light in human form, which had stood before the snake at some point, examined the snake.
— Is it because you belong to neither the human side nor the beastman side? Is it because you have been rejected for a long time because of that?
“Just give me power, why is there so much talk?”
— If you do not touch them, they will soon hold hands and begin harmony.
The Source of God spoke as if persuading the snake.
— If you promise to stop here, I will turn everything you have committed into nothingness and allow you to live the rest of your life in peace.
“No. I need power.”
— Hmm. It is the Source of ‘God’ by name, yet I must give power to one who intends to destroy the world….
The Source of God, which had intended to trap the snake forever using that as a pretext if he fell for the proposal, pretended to deliberate.
Then, it offered another proposal.
— Your desire is very intense, but the quality is too low. Even if you absorb me in that state, you will not obtain complete power.
At the unexpected words, the snake’s face distorted.
However, the words of the Source of God were not over.
— So, let us make a bet.
“A bet?”
— Yes. In exchange for receiving my power, you must kill all the humans and beastmen in this world as you wish. Upon failure, you will guard this place forever like me.
“I wondered why your tongue was so long, but it turns out you were a failure.”
The snake sneered.
“I do not fail like you. Stop wasting more time and give me the power!”
— Very well. The bet is established.
At the same time the lump of light nodded, the light constituting it was transferred to the snake.
Gradually, the snake’s vision was restored.
The body that had been broken into a mess was also recovered.
The snake savored the ecstasy at the overwhelming power flowing through its veins.
With this power…!
Watching such a snake, the Source of God, which was slowly dissipating, muttered quietly.
— Those with the epithet ‘God’ do not make bets they will lose.
* * *
“Aaaaargh!”
“Save me!!”
The snake, having gained power, attacked the Great Temple just like that.
Countless imperial citizens who had come to see the Source of God suddenly became victims.
At that, the four Divine Beasts tried to counterattack, but they ran into opposition from the Imperial Knights and the Holy Knights.
Duke Starafit was fuming on behalf of Leon and Lilibet, who were in bad condition from the explosion earlier, and Edenber, who was running directly on the battlefield.
“So, the four Divine Beasts must combine their strength and launch an attack simultaneously—”
“His Majesty has ordered capture as the top priority!”
“It is the same for His Holiness!”
“No, people are being hurt and the Great Temple is being destroyed, yet His Majesty and His Holiness mentioned capture even after seeing this?!”
“The order has not been handed down yet. A messenger has gone, so wait just a little longer—”
Bang!
The snake’s magic fell on the place where Duke Starafit, the Imperial Knight Commander, and the Holy Knight Commander were talking.
While the three hurriedly evacuated, Brianna, the parrot, who was watching this ridiculous desk theory from a distance, ground her teeth.
“Honestly, everyone is so narrow-minded!”
“The power is too strong, so it is difficult to respond in this form. I must at least return to my original form….”
Arcian, who blocked the magic being fired in all directions with his sword, took up the words.
Because he was in this place as a Holy Knight, it was difficult to use magic recklessly.
Moreover, when in human form, there were restrictions on using abilities compared to when in his original form.
As the snake’s attack gradually became stronger, Brianna hurriedly scanned the surroundings.
“Where is Snowa?”
“Kuang!”
A leopard that had turned gray in the nearby ashes poked its head out.
Arcian quickly tucked Snowa under his arm and then looked around in the same way.
“Where is Asil?”
“I think she was with the Duke of Monlepe—ah, there she is!”
Asil was busy carrying injured humans by the side of Edenber, who was in battle with the snake.
‘Mom!’
Just as Asil, who met eyes with Brianna, mouthed silently and was about to run this way.
The snake saw Asil.
— Erzébet—!
A voice that seemed to vibrate through space echoed.
The snake, who had accumulated resentment due to many things suffered in the past, poured an attack on Asil.
“No!”
“Asil!”
A horrified Arcian and Brianna ran toward that direction.
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