Ch.132132. Rage

[Dodge!]

Kaordics screamed urgently. Until now, he had refrained from interfering with Rex. Combat is always unpredictable, and a single word uttered in a critical moment could disrupt concentration and lead to a fatal mistake. But now, he simply couldn’t stay silent.

[It’s Divine Authority Release! In your current state, you must dodge!]

Rex didn’t hear those words. The ringing in his ears—ziiing!—disrupted his senses with its buzzing resonance. His vision was washed in brightness. Though Kaordics’s words didn’t reach Rex, he still realized that Elandir had used Divine Authority Release.

Dodging was impossible. A single flower suddenly bloomed in the forest. It started as just one, but in an instant, countless flowers spread like spilled paint. Blue, yellow, red. Flowers of every color opened their buds wide, releasing a sickeningly sweet fragrance that numbed the senses.

Paradise unfolded.

Under a clear sky, beautiful flowers covered the world. Though the scenery could certainly be called paradise, Rex felt a chill. The petals danced in the gentle breeze. These were no ordinary flowers. Rex swallowed his breath and activated the Heavenly River Formation. The tickling scent at the tip of his nose disappeared.

And what remained was—an ominous magical power that made his skin crawl.

“Once someone enters the Myriad Flower Paradise, they can never escape.”

Elandir stood in the center of the garden, looking at Rex. The flower at his feet tilted its petals toward him as if alive. Slowly, petals began to fall. The flowers that lost their petals drooped as if dead, then regenerated and bloomed again.

Whoosh.

The petals didn’t fall to the ground. They floated in the air, clustering together to form massive shapes. Swords, spears, hammers. Countless different weapons. Each one sharp enough to cut through steel like tofu. Elandir no longer held his longsword. This entire space itself was his weapon.

“I won’t deny your accusations.”

Elandir spoke with an expressionless face. Swish! The petals floated and wrapped around his body.

“Nor will I justify my actions.”

Even now, Elandir wasn’t using his Radiance. Nevertheless, Rex felt a much greater pressure than before. An Apostle’s Divine Authority Release is the power to reconstruct the world entirely for oneself. Just like Shaharon’s Void Scatter, Elandir’s Myriad Flower Paradise was designed to favor him.

This very world Rex stood upon was his enemy.

“I survive by sacrificing Ellin. I’ve committed an unforgivable sin. I know that. No matter how long I atone, my sin can never be redeemed. But I will not reverse my choice.”

Elandir raised his hand. The flower blades embroidered in the air all aimed at Rex at once.

“I will kill you and perform the ritual. For Albheim.”

“Stop spouting bullshit. No matter how nicely you wrap it up, you’re just trash. If something isn’t right, then don’t do it.”

“Even if it’s not right… it’s what I must do.”

“Fuck off.”

Any more of this and his ears would rot. Rex spat out a curse as he raised his zweihander.

Must do it? For Albheim, for the elves?

To make her suitable as a ritual sacrifice, Ellin had been emotionally castrated since childhood. Joy, happiness, sadness. The emotions that humans should naturally possess were unnecessary for a ritual sacrifice. The sacrifice must always be pure. Must have no attachments. So she lived like a doll, unable to experience the joy of living, happiness, or anything else.

All to preserve the lifespan of the elven race.

What sophistry. If Ellin performs the ritual, all elves receive the blessing of life. Without the ritual, the elves’ natural long lifespan would shorten, and they would live brief lives like humans. So what? As far as Rex was concerned, if a world had to be maintained through the sacrifice of one girl…

Such a world deserved to perish.

“Tsk.”

The Radiance surrounding Rex vibrated violently. Elandir clicked his tongue and waved his hand. If only he wouldn’t resist, he could be killed without pain. So in the end, he would have to personally end his life. There was no hesitation in his actions. From the moment he returned, Elandir had resolved to kill Rex.

A shower of sharply honed petals rained down. Kwaaaa! Everything in this world was under Elandir’s control. Here, Elandir possessed power approaching that of a god. Elandir harbored killing intent toward Rex, and the countless blooming flowers responded to that will.

Rex gritted his teeth and twisted his body. He couldn’t dodge. There were too many petals. Hundreds of thousands of petals shot forth, each moving differently. All of them faster and more subtle than any elf he had faced before. The brilliantly shining Radiance wavered. A wave of petals crashed over Rex.

[Rex!]

Kaordics shouted in shock. The petals tore at Rex’s Radiance like ravenous beasts. His body, covered in petals, couldn’t even be seen. Crunch! Only the terrible sound of something breaking emerged.

Within the wave of petals.

Rex took a deep breath. Then he lifted his foot and stomped the ground hard. Bang! The ground caved in, sending out a violent shockwave. The clinging petals fell away for an instant, but there was no time to catch his breath. Immediately, more petals surged forward.

‘This is.’

This wasn’t a problem that could be solved by dodging or blocking. The petals of the Myriad Flower Paradise were literally infinite in number. The end of the flowers filling his vision couldn’t be seen. As long as Elandir remained intact, this onslaught would continue without end.

So ultimately, he had to attack Elandir.

‘But how?’

The effect of the Myriad Flower Paradise was blatant. Elves are a race beloved by the forest. In forests with flowers and trees, elves gain power on a different dimension from humans. And this place was the subspace of the Myriad Flower Paradise, lined with countless flowers. It was an entirely unfavorable battle. Even if he could deal with the petals, Elandir’s physical body was enhanced beyond reality.

When even facing Elandir without Divine Authority Release offered slim chances of victory, Rex couldn’t imagine how strong Elandir would be using Divine Authority Release. But. Despite knowing all this, Rex was prepared for battle. Prepared for death. If he couldn’t save Ellin.

He had resolved to die.

“After all that big talk, you kneel to just this much?”

Elandir’s indifferent voice reached him.

“I can see you’re exceptionally powerful among Radiance users. But in the end, you couldn’t overcome the wall of an Apostle. You cannot defeat me.”

I know.

Just as Flame cannot defeat Radiance, Radiance cannot defeat an Apostle. It’s not a matter of will or luck. It’s simply predetermined from the beginning.

No one believes an ant can defeat a lion. The battles of Sacred Awakeners are the same. One who hasn’t crossed the wall can never defeat one who has.

Then he should cross the wall. Reach Elandir’s level.

But such a convenient story couldn’t possibly work. Conveniently ascending to a new level at the right moment? The world is fair. One might grow faster than others due to talent, but achieving dramatic change at the opportune moment is impossible.

Rex had not yet reached the wall of an Apostle. It would take a long time to enter the stage of an Apostle. Rex didn’t understand what Divine Authority Release was. He didn’t know how it could change the world at will and impose rules. As Kaordics said, it was an ability too high-dimensional for the current Rex to comprehend.

So he had no choice but to die.

Of course, Rex didn’t want to die. He wanted to defeat Elandir and save Ellin. That’s why he came here.

He needed power.

He had felt such yearning before. When Shaharon came to the Chaos Cult. In that life-or-death crisis, Rex craved power. The power to protect those dear to him. Absolute force that would allow no one to invade his domain.

‘Not enough.’

Power to reign above all.

[Rex…! Dod…!]

His consciousness was fading. Perhaps from losing too much blood, his vision swayed wildly. It gradually darkened. Kaordics’s scream sounded distant. The once blazing Radiance had diminished to the point of nearly extinguishing. The onslaught of petals didn’t stop.

“Let’s end this. I’ll bury your body beside Ellin.”

Elandir muttered in a cold voice and snapped his fingers. A petal flew toward Rex’s brow. Rex raised his head with a pale face.

Abruptly.

The flying petal stopped in mid-air. Kaordics’s voice, Elandir’s movements. Everything in this world stopped, but Rex couldn’t see it. Couldn’t feel it.

His darkened vision slowly, very slowly brightened.

[Is it not enough.]

In the world shrouded in silence, a gruff man’s voice echoed. Rex stared ahead with dazed eyes. He saw a snowy field with a blizzard raging. A man sitting in the middle of the snowfield stared at Rex with dull red eyes.

[Do you desire power.]

The man rose to his feet. Rex stared at him blankly. Thump. His chest felt like it would burst. Energy sleeping deep within the pattern surged up. So hot, it felt like it would burn his body to ashes.

[Do you wish to save.]

The man took a step. Though slow, his steps were not light. Thud. With each step the man took, the vibration of the pattern grew more intense.

[I could not save.]

The man stopped. A jet-black sword. The sword that had suddenly appeared and remained firmly planted when Rex learned the Heavenly River Formation. The man looked down at the sword with calm eyes, then added.

[You will not be able to save, just like me.]

“…No.”

Rex answered without realizing it. His head was foggy. Am I… dead? Am I dreaming in death? I don’t know.

[Without power, you cannot save. No matter how much you struggle, defeating that fellow is impossible. It is predetermined.]

“…I said no!”

Rex bit his lip hard and shouted. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, filling his mouth with the acrid taste of blood. He didn’t care. Rex glared and spat out.

“I… want to save Ellin.”

[To save, you need power.]

The man said.

[Do you need power?]

“I do.”

[Then.]

The man raised his hand and pointed to the sword.

[Draw it.]

“…Draw it?”

[I will give you power. Powerful strength to achieve what you desire. Absolute power that no one can stand against. If you wish it, draw the sword.]

After finishing his words, the man closed his mouth and looked at Rex. Rex didn’t understand the man’s words. Draw the sword? He had already tried countless times. Besides, how would drawing that sword help overcome the current situation?

Though he didn’t understand.

Rex stared at the jet-black sword as if entranced.

And reached out his hand.

Flames devoured the world. Time, which had stopped, began to flow again.

Thump.

A low vibration sounded. Elandir trembled with a rigid face. The vibration didn’t stop after one time. Thump. Thump… Thump! It wasn’t just the sound. The world itself was being shaken.

‘…What is this?’

The storm of petals was still bearing down on Rex. Rex’s condition was far from normal, and he would clearly collapse from exhaustion soon. And yet. Elandir suddenly felt an ominous premonition. Unease. What? Not knowing the reason made it all the more unsettling.

‘The Myriad Flower Paradise is being perfectly maintained.’

But Elandir didn’t ignore his unease. An Apostle’s sense is almost prescient. If he felt anxiety, there must be a reason for it. Originally, he had planned to kill Rex by controlling the petals, but Elandir changed his plan. For whatever reason, he couldn’t leave that fellow alone.

He immediately put his plan into action. Gripping his longsword, Elandir kicked off the ground and leaped at Rex. Just as he was about to bring down his blade—

“Oh no!”

A foreboding far worse than his previous unease crawled up his skin. Elandir hastily retreated.

That judgment proved correct. The moment he jumped up high. Kwararrung! A tremendous thunderclap erupted. The storm of petals surrounding Rex scattered in all directions. The flowers didn’t leave even a trace of debris. Elandir stared at Rex with shocked eyes.

“It can’t be.”

Impossible. The thought didn’t continue. Before that, a man walked out. Bright red flames burned the garden. Dull red eyes and ash-gray hair. A gaze that pierced through to the soul. And. The jet-black sword gripped in his hand.

Elandir knew this man. The facial features were similar, but the detailed physique was different. Still, that appearance was unforgettable.

Unforgettable, and therefore unbelievable.

—Hundreds of years ago.

He was a specter who endlessly despaired and suffered for failing to save the woman he loved.

He was the monarch who led the Great War to victory and established the first empire.

He was the undisputed strongest whom no one could oppose.

He never lost a single battle, earning the epithet “The Undefeated” (不敗者).

But those defeated by him called him by another name.

The Despair of All Warriors.

Traversing hundreds of years, the Apostle of Wrath had finally descended upon the world.

“It’s been a while.”

Elandir’s breathing grew rough. He stepped back with a face turned pale blue.

“…Kaiserion?”

At the astonished murmur, the man gripped his sword with a hideously distorted smile—and plunged the black blade into the world of the Myriad Flower Paradise.

And thus.

The world collapsed.