Ch.1290Malevolent Spirit

The clash between Vanirgand and the two ancient dragons was so brief and one-sided that it could hardly be called a battle, and those below didn’t even notice it.

Had they fought near the fortress, it might have been different, but the dragons chose a passive strategy of firing breath attacks and magic from high and far away.

As a result, from the dark depths of Naraka, their forms were barely visible. Even straining to look up, one could only faintly make out small, blurry silhouettes. Only the undead knights who had flown toward the fortress realized what was happening.

In truth, even they hadn’t properly witnessed the two ancient dragons being overwhelmed. They had only captured the aftermath.

【 KREAARAAAAAAYH―! 】

In the center of ruins that looked as if a meteor had crashed, the Thunder Dragon thrashed about in madness, slaughtering the fortress garrison with broken legs and missing wings.

That alone was enough to guess what had happened.

‘Did that black dragon, Balaur, self-destruct? Well, to devastate Agnita like this would require at least that much…’

‘Those wounds on the thunder dragon don’t look like they came from bombardment. Was it caught in its own kind’s self-destruction?’

Of course, since they were still unaware of the monster called Vanirgand, their speculations based on the results before their eyes were seriously disconnected from reality.

“Thunder Dragon Bishaf is a formidable opponent… but with damaged wings and legs, we might stand a chance. We’ll eliminate it here!”

So they charged without hesitation toward Bishaf, who was rampaging in the center of the fortress.

【 KRAAAAAAH―! Foolish, rotten maggots! 】

And thus began the legendary battle between the Thunder Dragon and the undead knights, inside the sky fortress where no one but themselves would witness it.

And then.

– KWAAAAAAANG―!

At the same time, in the middle of the battlefield below the fortress where only blood remained without corpses, a crimson comet crashed down.

Like a calamity.

—-

The comet that struck the rear of the battlefield pulverized everything around it like dust with an indescribable wave of force.

Soil erupted hundreds of meters high, sweeping across the surroundings like a tsunami, while friction and impact brought forth flames and lightning that burned and scorched what remained.

It was an unstoppable natural disaster even by Naraka’s standards, where demigods and ancient dragons openly ruled.

Everyone within range, both dead and living, vomited blood, tumbled about, and was torn to shreds.

Since the epicenter was near the rear of the battlefield, the undead forces suffered greater losses in terms of scale, but the allied forces’ casualties were not insignificant either.

Unlike the undead who didn’t die easily because they were already dead, most of the allied forces were fragile beings who could die from a single ruptured organ.

In any case, disaster swept over them, temporarily halting the fierce battle.

Even the mindless lower undead momentarily succumbed to their living instincts, turning their heads to look at the terrifying sound and impact.

“Ah, uh… has it, stopped…?”

“What just fell…”

Those who had been knocked down by the aftershock, or who had hidden behind shields and endured through gritted teeth, began to raise their heads one by one, looking at the impact site with trembling eyes.

A hellish scene where steam and plasma danced together over a pit of lava, as the ground itself had been shattered by the impact and boiled by the heat.

Something was there.

A strange figure with red, translucent ears and tail, its entire body shrouded in red mist that glistened blood-red while sparkling with something like stardust, resembling a nebula.

Two streams of blue ghost fire flickered slightly from what appeared to be its head, followed by a flash of intense, blazing eye light.

“…A god?”

Someone unconsciously murmured, staring blankly at the black hole-shaped halo floating above its head.

It couldn’t be considered a demigod.

None of the demigods they had ever encountered had demonstrated such power with just a landing, not even a full-force strike.

The suffocating pressure they felt from the moment they witnessed it, and the strange attraction that made it impossible to look away, added to such speculation.

Descending with transcendent natural disaster, overwhelming everyone with its mere existence and bringing silence.

What else would you call such a being if not a god? At least, to those standing in the middle of that battlefield, it was a god without doubt.

“Is… is that… on our side…?”

The problem was that in this world where numerous gods exist, even gods take sides and oppose each other.

Is this truly “our” ally, or an enemy? Everyone who witnessed it wondered the same thing.

A monstrous power that felt like it could crush you to death just by standing still. If an enemy, it was despair itself; if an ally, salvation.

【 ……. 】

And the moment it took a step forward, walking on the lava, everyone reached the same conclusion. All of them, both the living and the dead.

“…No, no! That, that monster is…!”

It is an enemy.

Such a thing could never be our salvation.

Everyone felt it. Instinctively understood it. The ominousness contained within that god-like monster hidden by the dark red mist.

Its abyss-like hunger.

—-

The Calamity God of Predation, Vanirgand, protects nothing. Cares for nothing. A god who does not save, but fattens believers to devour them.

Thus, an evil god. Though somewhat mixed in nature after dwelling in a stellar body, the essence of the divinity he awakened still fully retained its malevolence.

Therefore—

“No, run—”

Just as someone closest to him tried to scream a retreat order, Vanirgand took another step closer.

【 Field of Mortality 】

Quietly reciting the name of a power that once symbolized him, but now only remembered as someone else’s ritual, forgotten even in records.

The next moment, a shower of petals bloomed across the battlefield. Petals of flesh fragments and blood.

Vanirgand began walking forward slowly, spreading the red nebula that covered his body like mist in all directions.

Everyone touched by that mist burst apart simultaneously, as if crushed by something enormous.

In order of proximity to him, a thousand people with each step, without exception.

The calamity of an evil god that could neither be resisted nor blocked. It was literally a slaughter by a ruler, a sacrificial feast to appease a hungry god.

‘This should be enough.’

From Vanirgand’s perspective, who was committing such a massacre, it wasn’t slaughter done with malice, but simply establishing dominance and having a light meal.

Therefore, Vanirgand withdrew his power after just five steps.

Even that was enough to scatter thousands of flesh pieces across a sea of blood, but to Vanirgand, that many deaths was just an insignificant number.

And since that insignificant number was sufficient to restore the balance of power dwelling in this body, Vanirgand stopped the slaughter without any lingering attachment.

If the balance of power tipped and the karma of murder—his divine nature—overwhelmingly dominated instead, that would become troublesome in its own way.

After completing such a splendid yet horrific self-introduction, Vanirgand finally opened his mouth to address the survivors.

【 Be grateful. For the fortune of standing one step behind. 】

After carefully choosing his words to avoid nonsense, he finally spoke in a manner close to his true nature.

【 Rejoice. For avoiding worthless deaths. 】

【 Be glad. You have been chosen. As livestock for a god and offerings for sacrifice. So worship and prostrate yourselves. 】

【 Like the food you are. 】

“……”

A deathly silence fell over the battlefield.

Even the low-ranking undead, who mindlessly obeyed their superiors’ orders, were frozen with such terror that they couldn’t move a finger.

Everyone turned pale with fear, everyone was too oppressed to even breathe.

“…Ha.”

There was only one exception.

“What nonsense are you spouting! You crazy stew-looking bastard—!”

Though equally pale with fear, Arkala alone charged forward with an axe, fueled by defiance against that very fact.

【 You pass. 】

Vanirgand smiled with satisfaction. With genuine pleasure.

A warrior who burns with fighting spirit and determination even when facing a transcendent enemy with no chance of victory, under terrible fear that constricts the entire body.

Such people were his most preferred… pawns.

“KRAAAAAAAP!”

The red lightning axe plunged down with a roar.

– KWARARARARUNG―!

The next moment, Arkala’s axe landed on the evil god’s outstretched palm with a thunderous boom.

【 Hagalaz. 】

And then it was caught, disintegrating into particles and vanishing before she could retrieve it.

“You, monster…!”

【 Yet you still challenge me? Excellent. 】

Arkala gritted her teeth. Vanirgand smiled. Sincerely praising the demigod before him, Vanirgand decided her usefulness.

【 Before returning to… that person, you’ll be enough for some light entertainment. 】

He would play with her moderately, plant a misunderstanding and grudge, and use her as a thorn that could at least prick the feet of his true target.

That was the value and limit of Arkala as assessed by Vanirgand.