Chapter 215: Shock in Heaven (2)

Boom!

At the instant Ymir’s straight punch struck, only the greatsword remained and Rian’s figure disappeared.

In Rian’s mind, as he was sent flying rapidly, all kinds of thoughts crowded in. To block the next attack, he had to regain his balance and land.

He barely managed to stabilize himself. It seemed he could more or less land on both legs.

But in the next instant, he realized that his body was rolling across the ground, completely bent.

When the remaining impact left his body, the sensation of the cold ground touched his cheek.

An incomprehensible sound escaped from his mouth. It wasn’t that his body hurt, but he couldn’t exert any strength.

Ymir observed Rian lying there and picked up the greatsword that had fallen to the ground. For a human it was a greatsword, but in Ymir’s hands it looked like a normal longsword.

As he examined the blade, Ymir’s eyes shone.

“Oh? This seems quite useful.”

“R-return it. That… is my… grandfather’s…”

Rian stood up trembling.

Thanks to having trained his body to the limit every day, the time it took him to recover from the impact was much faster than that of a normal person. What was called endurance.

Ymir smiled crookedly and threw the greatsword. The sword slid along the ground and reached Rian.

“Do you want to try again? I like your tenacity.”

Rian picked up the greatsword with difficulty and charged again. The difference in strength was evident, but if Ymir’s destination was the Great World Temple, there was no choice but to fight.

Ymir and Rian collided in the center of the corridor. Ymir did not even try to block the greatsword.

Clang!

The greatsword struck Ymir’s forehead. No, more precisely, he blocked it with his forehead.

Ymir’s fist came in a wide arc.

He couldn’t dodge it. Realizing that, Rian opened his eyes wide. If he was going to die, he wanted to fight until the very last moment.

In Rian’s gaze, Ymir felt an electrifying emotion.

‘It’s a shame not knowing your name.’

Ymir’s fist raised a gust of wind and passed through the place where Rian had been.

For a moment, silence reigned.

Ymir’s expression became irritated. Is there anything more annoying than an interruption in the middle of combat?

It was a strange phenomenon, but familiar.

Just before the fist reached him, he clearly saw Rian split into dozens of squares.

“Seriously… those above don’t know how to follow the mood.”

About 3 meters from where Rian had been, square glass panels flickered and projected two figures.

The handsome black-haired man, Ashur. And beside him, Rian was kneeling.

Ymir smiled coldly. Just the fact that a Mara known for not leaving heaven had appeared meant something out of the ordinary was happening in the Great World Temple.

“Well, someone busy showed up. And you left the one you adore so much to come wander the battlefield?”

“Ymir, if you do not respect the laws, unpleasant things will happen. Return now.”

“Hehe, and what if I don’t want to?”

“Then I will have no choice but to erase your existence.”

When Ashur opened the palm of his hand, about 30 glass plates aligned in three rows in the air. On them was projected a long, thin sword emitting a violet glow.

“Signal?”

Ashur’s Signal ability gathers all kinds of signals.

Each panel contains a signal, and by combining the patterns of those panels, phenomena close to infinity can be materialized.

Ashur’s longsword, Shockwave, was also created by receiving 30 different signals.

Due to the influence of the electromagnetic pulse, it vibrates on its own, and once it penetrates, it has destructive power capable of ravaging the interior.

Rian looked at Ashur without reacting. It was as if he had died and been reborn, skipping the entire intermediate process.

“Who are you?”

“Go. He is an ally.”

It was a short sentence, but he understood it immediately. It was clear that Shirone had caused some kind of change.

Rian stared at Ymir. But since Ashur appeared, he wasn’t even looking at him.

Rian clenched his lips and ran toward the Great World Temple.

A fire boiled inside him. He had not been raised so nobly as to fear defeat. But the fact that he had not landed even a single successful attack hurt deeply.

He could feel Tess’s drone following him. The machine remained silent until the end, but the voice of comfort she conveyed echoed like a hallucination.

“Damn it! Damn it!”

Rian ran with all his strength toward the Great World Temple.

***

Ashur continued blocking the path. He wanted to go to the Great World Temple following Rian, but for now, the urgent matter was to stop Ymir.

If he used the Signal ability, transmission, he could send a signal to the destination and move instantly, but in the case of the Great World Temple it was impossible.

Since it was covered with electromagnetic waves, waiting for the signal to transmit would be slower than running.

That was why he had sent Rian first.

“Withdraw, Ymir. I will not tolerate further excesses.”

Ymir stroked his jaw and said,

“If you even left behind that pretty angel, it seems something important happened. How about you share it?”

“It is none of your concern.”

“For some reason, it sounds like it is.”

Ashur did not deny it.

What the king of the giants, Ymir, desired was combat. Deprived of his body simply for being strong, he longed for a fierce battle where he could only win by fighting with his true power.

On the other hand, Ikael wanted to avoid war.

If that was what Ikael desired, Ashur would follow it as well.

As long as he intervened, nothing would happen in heaven. Therefore, there was no reason for Ymir to take interest.

Ashur pointed Shockwave at Ymir’s plexus.

“By order of Archangel Ikael-nim, I will revoke all rights that have been granted to you.”

“Hehe, does a vulgar angel also have that authority?”

Ashur rushed forward like a gale.

Ymir’s forearms, which he had crossed, were torn open and blood splattered. The vibration of the electromagnetic waves heated the bones until they burned.

Ashur crushed Ymir with a look of disdain.

“Does a mere giant dare to insult an archangel? You are nothing but flesh. Do not defile a noble spirit with that disgusting tongue.”

“A mere giant?”

One of Ymir’s eyebrows twitched.

“I am Ymir.”

Ashur, sensing the killing intent, created distance. But Ymir reached him with a single 10-meter leap.

Ymir’s powerful straight punch pierced his abdomen.

“Guh!”

The impact reflected in Ashur’s eyes.

His figure, which had been frozen in time, became blurred, and the more than 180 glass panels containing signals flickered and disappeared.

Ymir turned with an irritated expression.

Ashur, who had completed the transmission to a new space, stood with dignity, holding Shockwave.

“Hehe, aren’t you forcing yourself too much? I heard your power is quite restricted.”

“I am not in a position to receive compassion from you. You should worry about your own body instead.”

“Oh, really?”

“Inferno of ice and fire.”

The space surrounding Ashur and Ymir was covered with glass panels.

Approximately 2,400 panels began to flicker, gathering signals of heat and cold. The scene of fire and ice alternating every 10 centimeters made the eyes dizzy.

What would happen when all the signals were transmitted? Would he burn from the heat? Would he freeze from the cold?

“It is something you brought upon yourself. Do not blame me.”

“I blame no one. Because I am the strongest.”

Ymir bared his teeth like a beast and charged. Ashur responded by raising his gaze coldly and swung Shockwave.

When the transmission was completed, a storm of heat and cold erupted at the same time.

***

“Tess! Wait a little longer! I’m almost there!”

Rian was no longer conserving oxygen. After running for 10 minutes since separating from Ashur, he managed to reach the bridge that led to the Great World Temple.

The bridge was 1 kilometer long and 60 meters wide. Without railings, it gave the sensation of floating in the sky. When a strong wind blew, his stomach churned for no reason.

At the end of the bridge rose a dome-shaped structure. It was the Great World Temple where his friends were being held.

The fact that the building was visible was a good sign. It meant that Canis had deactivated the mechanical system.

“What? You’re still here?”

When he turned around, he saw Canis approaching.

“How did you get here so fast?”

“I came through a portal. But… what happened to your face? It looks like someone beat you up.”

Rian touched his face. He had rolled on the ground without even noticing the pain, so he hadn’t realized it was swollen. He looked at the drone with guilt.

‘You must have been worried, Tess.’

Canis also observed it. Without needing an explanation, he knew it belonged to Tess.

Even in a situation where she had been captured by an angel, she had managed to release the drone. Not bad at all.

“What’s the situation inside? Did you already check?”

“Yes. For now, it seems fine. But……”

Suddenly, the drone began to malfunction. It flew aimlessly for a moment and then fell abruptly, as if its power had been cut.

Rian quickly caught it and checked it.

The operating light was off. Since it was a device connected to brain waves, that meant something had happened to Tess.

“What’s wrong? What happened all of a sudden?”

“I don’t know! There’s no time!”

Rian rushed forward first. With Dark Port he could have arrived instantly, but the floating bridge was completely within the domain of light.

Canis grabbed him and, setting aside his pride, activated photonization magic.

A flash carrying both of them crossed the bridge at full speed.

***

“You bastard!”

Amy shouted as she glared at Kariel. The faces of Tess and Arin were also distorted.

When the information penetrated from the panel implanted in their heads, their minds became dizzy as if they had drunk excessive alcohol.

“There is nothing to worry about. Your hormones are simply being adjusted to match the liquor of life.”

Kariel, who observed the women indifferently, turned his gaze to the screen.

“It changes nothing. It will be different after the liquor of life is complete. Anyway, what does it matter? Every living being must go through this at least once.”

“Shut up! Who do you think you are to decide that? Do you think we’ll do what you want? I’d rather bite my tongue and die than go through this!”

Kariel frowned as if looking at something unpleasant.

“I don’t understand. You are not being punished. You have been chosen for the noble mission of conceiving nephilim. Not many women have rejected the liquor of life. Do you not desire immortality?”

“I don’t want any immortality! Even if I die tomorrow, I’ll live the way I want until the end!”

“There is no reasoning with you. In any case, nothing will change. Once all the information from the panel is transmitted, there will be no turning back.”

— Progress of the liquor of life: 20%.

From the ceiling, a woman’s voice was heard. It seemed to announce every 10%. From the perspective of those being subjected to the experiment, that emotionless voice was even more chilling.

Amy struggled to free herself from the restraints.

If she could free her hands, she planned to rip off the panel implanted in her forehead.

Even if she lost her life, she would live her own life.

“Tess! Amy! Arin!”

The door of the Great World Temple burst open violently. Rian and Canis entered at the same time, as if competing.

Tess, who had seen them crossing the bridge, shouted,

“Rian! Here! Hurry and free us!”

Rian stopped abruptly. He was overwhelmed by the size of the Great World Temple, which surpassed all imagination.

Not only its size, but also the objects and equipment were unfamiliar to him.

On one side, a planet was rotating, and on the tower on the opposite side, all kinds of lights shone chaotically.

“Damn it! What is this place?”

Kariel rose to a height from which he could see the humans at a glance.

“Did you come following the women? This must also be the foolishness of ignorant humans.”

“You’re the one responsible? For doing this to my friends, don’t think you’ll get away unharmed.”

Rian raised his sword with complete caution.

Unlike his aggressive words, his actions were careful. Having seen with his own eyes the power of the fallen angel Ikasa, Rian could imagine the strength of an archangel.