Ch.229Chapter 229: A New Era (1).

# Chapter 229: A New Era (1)

The highest point in the sky.

A silent expanse where even the storm of crimson-black demonic energy had subsided.

Above Valt’s hands floated a massive star of steel with an unimaginable mass.

A creation forged from osmium—said to be the heaviest metal drawn from the depths of the continent by Noares, the highest-ranked earth elemental.

It glowed red-hot like an active volcano, distorting the surrounding space with its ominous heat.

Valt took a deep breath as he made his final aim.

“Here I go!”

***

At the same time.

Deep within the western forest, at the ominous center where crimson-black demonic energy pierced the sky, stood the Dark Council’s massive fortress city.

In its uppermost level was a dark yet magnificent ceremonial chamber where strange patterns glowed menacingly.

The Dark Council’s leader sat reclined on a throne made of bone and black steel, wearing a satisfied smile at the marvelous energy of the being that had just descended through the gates of hell.

Beside him, his officer was delivering a report, unable to contain his excitement.

“Lord Chairman! We’ve finally succeeded! The demonic forces summoned through the gates of hell now exceed three hundred thousand! Among them, seven legion commander-level demons, the elite of hell, have revealed their might… And finally, at the promised time, upon the promised sacrifice, one of the six lords of the netherworld has descended! The great demon Zmorael, the Black Devourer of Desire, has set foot on this land!”

The officer’s voice trembled with almost tearful, fanatical fervor.

Where his gaze was directed, through a massive crystal sphere in one corner of the ceremonial chamber, a gigantic shadow could be seen slowly emerging from the gates of hell.

Though its form was indistinct, its overwhelming presence—which distorted the surrounding space and seemed to devour all light—made the seven legion commanders look like mere children in comparison.

The great demon Zmorael.

With his descent, the continent’s fate was tilting toward darkness.

The Chairman laughed loudly, showing rare satisfaction.

“Hahaha! Well done, officer! Three hundred thousand troops! Seven legion commanders! And finally, the descended Zmorael! Now this continent will welcome a new order under the great demon’s feet! Those worthless human allied forces will turn to dust in half a day at the hands of the seven legion commanders without Zmorael even needing to act personally! Hahahahaha!!”

His eyes flashed with the arrogance and madness of one who had the world in his grasp. The continent’s fate seemed already decided.

That’s when it happened.

“Hmm!?”

Suddenly, the Chairman rose from his seat with an ominous feeling.

Though he had borrowed demonic power, his true strength exceeded that of a Grand Master.

And now, those Grand Master senses detected something foreboding.

“Ch-Chairman?”

The officer called to him, but he paid no heed and opened the door to his chamber to look outside.

There, he could confirm the source of his unease.

“Wh-what is that?!”

The officer followed the Chairman and gazed at a suspicious, enormous sphere floating in the air at the top of the World Tree’s trunk, far from where they stood.

“C-could it be a summon of the demons?”

That couldn’t be.

Demons don’t use such magic.

The Chairman immediately realized something was wrong.

“Damn it all! What the hell is that thing?!”

***

Minutes before the Chairman discovered Valt’s massive meteor.

Valt’s gaze was fixed on the most densely packed area of the demon army swarming like ants around the elven village below.

“Lilith, Arias, Lati… It’s time.”

Valt’s voice was lower and calmer than ever, but the resolve it carried was like a declaration of war against the entire demon army covering the sky.

The three mages nodded, squeezing out their last remaining mana.

As Arias’s Undine removed the water veil and Lati’s invisibility spell was dispelled, the massive steel star floating in the sky revealed its ominous form to the world.

The winged demons patrolling the skies were the first to detect the anomaly.

Their instinctive terror burst forth in horrific screams, but it was already too late.

“Kyaak! Wh-what is that?!”

“Has a black moon risen in the sky?!”

Valt thrust both arms downward with all his might and shouted with his entire soul.

“Now!!”

Whoosh—!

As Valt’s arms swung down, the revealed steel star began to fall.

This was not merely dropping it.

With his strength stat of 500.

That monstrous power was meant to amplify the impact.

The exhilarating sensation of creating a spell of impossible power seared into Valt’s mind as he shouted.

“Star of Magical Annihilation!”

His cry was the signal.

Kuguuuuuuuuu—

The steel star, which should have fallen slowly, began plummeting toward the ground at a terrifying speed from the start, propelled by Valt’s strength.

At first, it was merely an ominous dot floating in the sky, but in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a massive shadow of death covering the demon army below.

Friction heat caused the giant meteor—which Valt had named the Star of Magical Annihilation—to ignite and burn.

KWAAAAAAAA—!

The sound of it cutting through the atmosphere suddenly changed into a thunderous roar, as if hundreds of thunderclaps had erupted simultaneously in the sky.

The surface of the steel star glowed red-hot from friction, shining like a black sun risen from hell, mercilessly spewing terrifying heat toward the ground!

The demons capable of speech began to cry out upon discovering it.

“KRAAAAAAAAAAH!”

“R-run! That thing is falling! We must escape!”

The hundreds of thousands of demons surrounding the elven village, even some of the legion commander-level demons leading them, sensed the instinctive terror and collectively looked up at the sky.

Pure, merciless violence incarnate.

An overwhelming manifestation of destruction unlike anything they had experienced even in hell.

Pure fear, despair, and resignation filled the fierce and cruel eyes of the demons.

There was nowhere to run.

That massive shadow covering the sky had already cut off all their escape routes.

The enormous Star of Magical Annihilation finally fell precisely in the center of the enemy demon army of hundreds of thousands.

KUUUUUUUUUNG—

The massive metal object burrowed into the ground.

DDDDDDDDDDD—

Then the earth began to shake violently.

Just as the surrounding demons became unable to stand due to the vibrations.

KWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG────!!

With a flash of light as if the world were burning white and vanishing, the steel star caused a massive explosion in the most densely packed area of the demon army.

Beep—

For a moment, all sound disappeared.

As if the end of the world had arrived.

And in the next instant, the earth tore and split like paper, surging upward into the sky.

KWADDDDDDDDK—

KURUNG–

KURURUNG–

KURURURURUNG–

TUKWAGWAGWAGAK—!!

A massive dust column dozens of kilometers high and a shockwave of extreme heat mixed with crimson-black demonic energy swept horizontally, pushing everything away.

The shockwave itself was a calamity.

With enough force to uproot entire mountain ranges. Demons caught in its range were flung into the air like leaves before a storm, bursting apart without a trace, while even the luckier demons positioned relatively on the outskirts collapsed with their bodies torn apart, bones broken, and black blood spewing from their mouths.

The demons within the direct impact zone… they truly “ceased to exist” without leaving even a speck of dust from their bodies.

No trace remained of the demonic energy they had been mercilessly emitting, nor even of their screams.

They had vanished as if they had never existed, obliterated by the extreme heat, the unimaginable pressure, and the overwhelming physical impact like the hammer of a god.

The heart of the three hundred thousand-strong army that the Dark Council’s officer had proudly reported just moments ago, along with at least three of the seven legion commanders who had been commanding there and driving the elves to despair, had been perfectly erased from the map of this world with a single attack.

A massive mushroom cloud rose high into the sky from the center of the explosion, piercing even the crimson-black demonic energy layer, and the earth-shaking vibrations were clearly felt throughout the entire forest and even as far as the continental allied forces’ main camp.

All beings there instinctively looked toward the direction of the explosion with eyes mixed with terror and awe.

In an instant, the roars and howls of hundreds of thousands of demons that had covered the battlefield vanished as if they were a lie.

What remained in their place was a massive crater several kilometers in diameter, bubbling red-hot like lava.

And surrounding it were countless demon remains, horribly destroyed as if the apocalypse had swept through, and traces of death where everything had burned or melted.

It was a moment when hell—which demons so adored—had manifested in this world.

Except this hell showed no favor to demons.

Even the crimson-black demonic energy seemed purified in an instant, and around the crater, there was only an eerie silence along with the terrible smell of sulfur and the nauseating stench of burning flesh.

“Y-you’re insane!”

Lati, seeing Valt’s meteor magic for the first time, was the first to cry out.

Arias and Lilith, who had seen it before, supported Valt and worried about him.

“Valt, are you alright!?”

“Valt, are you okay?”

“Huff, huff… huff…”

In the sky, Valt was breathing heavily, but his two feet still stood firmly on Lilith’s mana platform.

His body was drenched in sweat, and every muscle screamed in agony from the aftermath of using such unimaginable power, but his eyes shone with satisfaction and a kind of reverence for having accomplished this tremendous destruction with his own hands.

It was clearly different from the previous Orc War. He remained conscious and wasn’t completely exhausted. He still had strength to fight.

Arias, Lati, and Lilith, their mana completely depleted, were gasping for breath beside Valt, nearly collapsing.

But on their faces, more than fatigue, was shock at the overwhelming sight they had just witnessed and participated in, and unbelievable elation at having been part of such a great achievement.

On the walls of the elven village, the surviving elves, including Great Warrior Kiriel, stared blankly at the scene where most of the demon army that had been about to devour their village moments ago had vanished in an instant, and the plain had transformed into a vast land of death.

“Is-is this the hammer of the gods!?”

Their eyes were filled with a mixture of fear, awe, and the emotion of witnessing an unbelievable miracle.

Some elves knelt and began to pray toward the World Tree or the sky.

Great Warrior Kiriel didn’t miss this opportunity.

“Fight! Warriors! The demons are not invincible! The will of the gods is with us!”

“WAAAAAAAH!!”

Valt’s single strike had melted even the demons’ morale.

The tide of battle began to turn.