Chapter 350: Ragnarok (2)

The arrow, which seemed like a lethal technique, evaporated into particles.

As the energy dispersed like dust, the old knight Ragnarok clicked his tongue, as if he couldn’t believe it.

=You are undoubtedly an Apostle=

That was his entire reaction.

His expression showed no attachment to an attack whose threat had completely vanished.

=A fitting Apostle for the attribute of Destruction=

The old knight turned his gaze to the severed neck of his horse.

Even though it no longer had a head, a deafening neigh scattered the clouds.

“Haah… haah…”

I caught my breath as I stabilized body and mind.

At that moment, a thought occurred to me—was that really just a normal attack?

I didn’t know the old knight’s objective, but I had given it my all. If that guy could fire that kind of attack repeatedly…

‘I need to be even more resolved than when I first entered this fight.’

And that resolve meant being willing to sacrifice part of this world.

Judging by its power level, that attack could erase an entire section of the planet. Like if Switzerland just vanished off the map.

It would leave a hole in the heart of Europe.

‘In that case, Abel would lose her homeland.’

I can’t be the husband who turns his wife into a refugee.

“…Haah.”

The situation was dire, but I made a mental joke to center myself.

After all, Koreans are experts at satirizing anything. In times like this, the one who laughs wins. With a bitter smile, I lifted my chin slightly.

Sköll and Hati moved swiftly, closing in on the sun and moon.

It had taken them some time to dodge the rain of arrows.

They seemed to understand those arrows were far from ordinary.

‘Good, they’re doing well.’

I’d tried to cut the previous attack. From the sensation in my hands, even a “normal” hit from those would’ve been fatal. That much was clear.

‘The arrows falling to the ground are being blocked as best as possible by the dimensional cuts…’

But I was nearing my limit. The three-dimensional space that had been torn open was beginning to close, layer by layer.

The power packed into those arrows was far beyond normal.

That scene was surpassing the threshold of pain a dimension could endure.

How many seconds had passed? Was it even in seconds? The mental clock in my head faltered for a moment.

Dammit. I sliced the world’s clock with [Blessing of Power]—why am I the one getting disoriented?

While I was frowning slightly, the old knight offered me an unexpected compliment.

=We are both taboos, mysteries. Even so, it seems I underestimated you. Your power far exceeds what I imagined=

“I don’t exactly appreciate praise from someone whose identity I don’t even know, you know?”

=You still have breath to speak. Well, I suppose it makes sense. You’ve been chosen as the Apostle of the Power of Suppression…=

“No, dammit. I mean…”

I shook my sashimi blades through the air.

Sticky fragments flung off the edges.

“What the hell is this Apostle stuff? Explain that first if you want me to play along, you apocalyptic old bastard.”

=Heh, hehehe… So you know nothing about yourself?=

Crackle!

Without answering, I released a surge of electricity around me.

Thick bolts of lightning swirled like iron bars.

=So, no more words, only battle, huh?=

“Either way, your goal is clear—to destroy this world with the will of the Power of Suppression.”

The old knight Ragnarok’s cheeks sank, forming a deep hollow.

=You said it right=

At that moment, the head of the fallen horse shot up. Upon touching it, the old knight made purple foam bubble over it.

In the blink of an eye, the rotting head turned into a grim skull.

He placed it on his own.

A skull helmet. An unnatural light glowed in its empty sockets.

The left eye was light green—the color of plague. The right, pale gray—the color of conquest.

Shiver.

A chilling sight.

“Hey, you bastard—”

Before I could finish, the old knight released the bowstring.

Just as a shiver ran down my chest, hundreds of bows appeared out of nowhere.

They looked like a giant version of my mental sword technique.

The strings pulled taut all at once.

The target wasn’t me—it was the earth.

Twang!

Though there were no arrows on those strings, a sinister sound resounded. I leapt like lightning, but it was already too late.

=You’re not my target. This world is. You, Apostle of Death, cannot protect life. Remember that=

The old knight smiled. His ancient eyes were locked on me.

=They shall be exterminated, without guilt=

A torrential rain fell.

Arrows of conquest and plague poured down upon the world I was trying to protect.

***

“Did everyone get it?”

Yu Sein finished explaining the plan.

Normally, it would have taken longer, but she had prepared everything so that the briefing would align with the scenario of the world’s end.

Thanks to the visual reference materials, everyone grasped ten concepts with just one word.

Of course, they were also sharp.

“Yeah, more or less.”

Ryozo nodded on behalf of the group. Her sky-blue eyes reflected her trust in Yu Sein.

‘She’s got good comprehension.’

Then, the others…

Yu Sein looked at each face one by one. Ryozo and Abel had pale lips, but their eyes showed resolve.

Relieved, Yu Sein glanced sideways at Leon.

“……”

His eyes were unfocused, lost in thought.

He was recalling the Second Great Human-Demon War.

Crack.

His fists were clenched, red with tension. Leon, who once nearly brought about the world’s destruction alongside Kuarne, saw this as his chance for redemption.

‘I know everything, you idiot. Stop being so obvious.’

Leon, as a “hero,” lacked an interesting personality. He had no flexibility and was short on imagination.

But in emergencies like this, what was needed was precisely a flexible mind.

“Don’t carry the weight alone.”

“…Yu Sein…”

His blue eyes looked darker than usual, almost worn by time. Yu Sein shrugged.

“You don’t have to shoulder everything by yourself anymore. We all know. Me, you, and everyone else.”

“……”

Yu Sein raised her index finger, pointing to the sky.

“The one up there is counting on us too.”

“…Yeah, I guess he is.”

Leon murmured, then closed his eyes. When he opened them again, an icy, intense blue gleamed within.

And then it happened.

“…!”

Boooom!

Everyone in the training field snapped their heads in the same direction.

A deafening roar echoed from a part of the Alps.

Moments later, the smoke was blown away by the shockwave.

Then, a mix of awe and terror spread among them.

The Alpine mountain range, which had stood for ten thousand years, had vanished.

A lightning strike from the sky had consumed the eternal snow without leaving a trace.

The raindrops that fell upon the devastated landscape, once the pride of Parsy Academy, seemed like wandering eyes, taking their own lives out of sorrow.

Abel was no exception. Worse yet—

‘What if that hits Castle Sigurd…?’

Her mind went completely blank.

“Focus!”

Ryozo shouted, snapping everyone out of it.

At the same time, she raised her bow.

The [Owl’s Blessing] specialized in predicting the next move. And she saw it clearly in her mind.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

The collapsed mountain range began to tremble.

And then, the debris of destruction began to rise, as if magnetized.

The fragments began to coalesce, forming the shape of a massive humanoid figure.

Its entire body was literally rock. Its beard, made of eternal snow, completed its form.

Thump. Thump.Thump. Thump. Thump.

The giant’s shadow slowly engulfed the humans.

It was a stone giant, and as expected, it wielded a massive mace embedded with jagged rocks.

The golem raised its mace above the clouds, mimicking the pose of the Statue of Liberty.

But only for an instant.

Booom! Boom! Rumbleee!

The sound shook the world. The giant brought down the mace, wrapped in blue electricity.

He swung it back with his shoulder.

And what came next was obvious.

Throw.

────────────!

The mace tore through the air with a chilling sound.

Whoever is struck by the [Arrow of Conquest] must obey the will of Ragnarok—be it creature or object.

“Isn’t this Knight a bit too much?”

Yu Sein muttered while looking up.

Son of Ragnarok, the golem appeared to be offering the mace to this planet.

The sky belonged to the father.

The earth, to the son.

The giant called Thor, known as Knight, was his heir. She would’ve preferred never to meet this blue hero.

“Damn it!”

Leon cursed—something rare for him.

But from his back sprouted wings as white as snow.

The power of the angel, the White-Winged Celestial Dragon.

He was humanity’s Knight.

Fwoooosh!

Fwooooosh!

A sonic boom tore through the air as feathers spiraled.

Leon, now lightning incarnate, collided with the mace.

Craaaaaash!

Another roar. It wasn’t enough to stop it. Leon coughed blood as he was dragged across the ground.

Grrr…

Ryozo dropped to one knee, drawing her bowstring with all her might. As the string brushed against her lips—

“Cheoncheonshi!”

The wind swirled around her.

She was pulled backward by the force, forming concentric ripples in her wake.

Booom!

Another arrow shot out from Ryozo, the Heavenly Archer.

Leon’s backward momentum slowed—but only that.

The balance of power had not shifted.

Ryozo continued firing arrows until blood burst from her fingertips.

Abel and Yu Sein didn’t stay idle either.

Abel swung her sword relentlessly, using cutting energy like a whip to slow the mace.

Yu Sein created hand-shaped barriers to stop it as well, easing the pressure on Leon at the front.

“Uuugh…!”

Joaquin and his group groaned.

Despite their combined assault, they were barely holding the line. And the ordeal was far from over.

Thump.Thump. Thump.

The giant stomped as if trying to erase everything. His presence shook the brain—dizziness was inevitable.

Swish!

A slicing sound passed by Abel. Just the pressure of the air numbed her shoulder.

A beam of light pierced the golem’s torso. It staggered.

Another strike landed.

Thud!

The golem’s heel gouged a trench into the earth.

Abel, stunned, looked behind her.

“Kuhahaha!”

“Nyahaha!”

Changseong and his niece, Rachel de Mura, laughed with hands on their hips.

“You can’t leave out the muscle when it’s showtime, can you, Rachel?”

“Exactly, exactly! The heroes always arrive at the end!”

“You’ve learned well!”

Muscleheads were always optimistic.

“Ready, niece?”

“Of course, uncle!”

“Let’s go!”

“Hierarchy first!”

“You’ve learned that well too!”

They exchanged glances and nodded.

Boooooom!

They launched themselves toward the giant with explosive force. And they weren’t the only reinforcements.

“Miss.”

“We’ve arrived too.”

Shail and Karon joined in.

“Then, could it be…?”

“Yes.”

The demon Karon smiled as he looked upward.

An old man was descending from atop a flying sword blade.

Beside him, on other flying blades, came the Sage Media and Meian Poison.

“Grandfather, Lady Media, Lady Meian!”

The Swordmaster Siegfried von Nibelung, Richard of Mura Changseong, Sage Media Poison, and Meian Poison.

The giants of this era were stepping onto the stage.

Fwoooooom!

Like a welcome for the Seven Stars, a trumpet blared.

At its source, Speedweapon blew into a flute with such force his face looked ready to explode.

Abel stood frozen for a second before smiling faintly.

She caught Ryozo’s gaze. Kang Geom-Ma’s wives exchanged visual signals of encouragement and fixed their eyes on the battlefield.

Step. Step.

From the bow and swords, a searing sound burst forth.

It was aura.