Ch.250250. God of Lightning and Clouds

Just as a fierce battle was unfolding on the royal rooftop, below in the city streets, where souls were rising and obscuring visibility, a grueling time continued.

Knight Commander Gloria was walking among the souls, running through the city. She had thought there would be no dangerous beings other than Black Mages.

But when the situation unfolded, a monster incomparable to any Black Mage was prowling through the city.

“Hup!”

Her flaming sword slashed through the souls. Her sword couldn’t harm the souls anyway.

That’s why she swung without hesitation, but her opponent blocked her sword without even watching her movements.

It felt like punching steel with her fist.

The tall man with long blonde hair flowing showed the skill of blocking Knight Commander Gloria’s sword with his shoulder while maintaining a relaxed smile.

Crack! Crackle!

The electric current flowing through the man’s entire body was fiercely howling as it protected its master.

“Ah, child.”

His voice resonated just as heavily.

When his golden eyes, with arms folded, looked at Gloria, she momentarily felt as if her body had been pierced.

Living as a swordswoman, wielding her sword.

She had never thought she was inferior to anyone in terms of skill.

For the first time, she questioned whether there was any future where she could defeat the being before her.

“Why do you strive so hard?”

He reached out toward Gloria with a genuinely sympathetic expression.

“Everything flows according to fate—that is the principle of the continent.”

His palm was so large it could envelop Gloria’s face.

For a moment, her body stiffened and couldn’t move properly.

“Snap out of it!”

Boom!

Magic Judge Tyren Ol Velocus appeared, striking Gloria’s shoulder armor with his staff, followed by his judges.

Thanks to them, Gloria escaped from the man’s hand and shook her head in the air several times to regain her senses.

“Sorry… thank you.”

Two of the most powerful forces in the Griffin Kingdom. And even the Magic Judges, known as the ultimate counter against Mages.

This was the force they had brought to face one tall man who was strolling through the chaotic city as if sightseeing.

But despite this, the man scratched his chin and showed no particular reaction.

No fighting spirit, not even killing intent to annihilate his enemies. He merely gazed indifferently at those lined up before him.

He would probably wear the same expression if cows or chickens were lined up in front of him.

“The Royal Guard?”

Sensing something ominous, Tyren asked without turning his eyes, and Gloria bit her lip before answering.

“Down.”

“…”

At those words, Tyren’s gaze, which had remained vigilant, dropped slightly.

The numerous souls rising from the ground obscured the surroundings like fog, making it difficult to see clearly.

But he could confirm that the red armor of the Royal Guard was already scattered on the ground.

That was it.

Tyren asked no more.

The Royal Guard had fallen, and only their commander, Gloria, remained.

“Dangerous.”

“He’s fighting with lightning. Raise your barriers as much as possible.”

As Tyren and Gloria swallowed hard and pointed their staff and sword at the man before them.

“Hmm, why have the clouds stopped?”

The man stroked his chin and glanced at the sky.

When he saw the souls of Hertia and Stella facing each other, his expression showed slight anger for the first time.

“This is absurd.”

Crackle!

The lightning howled fiercely, expressing his anger. Like a lightning rod, he began to emit and spread electricity throughout his body in all directions.

The ground split, and buildings began to disintegrate.

Even the souls distanced themselves from the man in fear and urgently flew toward the royal rooftop.

Only after seeing this did the two people vaguely realize the identity of the giant before them.

The deity known as the most excellent and great warrior among the gods’ secret history.

The ruler of lightning and clouds, Raizer.

As he took one step forward.

Countless spears of lightning rose from the ground, screaming as if to tear apart the knight and the judge.

* * *

[…]

The cloud of holy power stopped its advance.

Stella carefully looked down at the royal palace rooftop, where she could see Findenai and the Dark Spiritmaster engaged in a fierce battle.

[Senior…]

Stella clenched her fist as she watched the Dark Spiritmaster facing Heralazard.

No matter how great a necromancer the Dark Spiritmaster was, his opponent was a being who had single-handedly driven a nation to destruction.

Especially now, he was using magic without hesitation under the name of his own beliefs and the fate of the continent.

Nevertheless, the sight of the Dark Spiritmaster struggling to protect Deus Verdi was tugging at Stella’s heart.

“Stella.”

At that moment, Hertia, the goddess of fire, who had been looking at Stella with a dark expression mixed with various concerns, called to her.

“Even so, it’s difficult to trust that man.”

[…]

“We’ve waited for countless ages for this moment to finally arrive, and we can’t ruin it because of that one man.”

Even before Shinwoo Kim arrived.

They had already been waiting for this moment for countless ages. The five years from when Aria Rius entered the academy until her graduation.

That was the reason for the existence of the gods looking down on the continent.

Had the persuasion failed after all?

Stella was about to suppress her holy power again with determination toward the deity she had once served, but.

“However.”

Hertia added more words.

Her throat felt thick from tasting the bitter truth.

“Can we, who have lived just for those five years, enjoy freedom after that time has passed?”

In the end.

They had lived following a certain flow, and achieved it. But they didn’t know any truth, and nothing had changed.

What would the gods show when everything was over?

When the fate imposed on them reached the final page.

What would they look like?

Freedom?

Would they rejoice that they had become free from what was called fate?

Is freedom given in such a way truly freedom?

Freedom given without knowing anything is not much different from being trapped in a larger cage.

“Also, if we’ve lived only for that, isn’t our life too pitiful?”

Hertia sighed and finally had to admit it. That she had been bound by the framework of fate for too long.

“I don’t trust that man.”

The outsider.

A being who twisted and broke fate at every turn, falling out of favor with the gods.

Hertia couldn’t trust Shinwoo Kim, either rationally or emotionally.

However.

Until the moment of death.

Even in the tragedy of having limbs severed by demons, he never bent his justice.

“My pride. I will trust you.”

[Goddess Hertia.]

“I will withdraw the holy power. May the future you desire smile upon us as well.”

The cloud of holy power slowly began to spread. The sunset entered through the gaps.

[Thank you.]

Even if faith and words had been false. Stella could be satisfied even if she had lived her life devoted to this moment.

A gentle smile formed.

And then a massive lightning bolt rose from the ground and struck the sky.

Crack!

She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

The goddess who had just declared she would step back for Stella was now split in half, falling onto the clouds.

Crackle! Crackle!

The noise of lightning asserting its presence indicated that nothing was over yet.

“If that was your choice, I respect it, Hertia.”

Raizer, who had killed even a deity who was his kin, reached his hand toward the clouds.

The god of lightning and clouds.

The dispersing cloud of holy power began to gather again and started to check the surrounding souls.

“But I cannot stand by if you try to block our long-cherished wish.”

The master of lightning was different from Goddess Hertia. Like his solid, unwavering large frame, he had no room for compromise.

And this time his hand.

Reached out to Stella.

[Ah…]

She gently closed her eyes as she watched the lightning pouring down on her.

It seemed.

Her journey was ending here.

Boom!

After eliminating the goddess and the Saintess, Raizer reached his hand toward the sky again with determination.

“We’ve come this far after thousands of years. We cannot fail now.”

Crackle!

Lightning flashed again.

The cloud of holy power turned into a thundercloud and tried to inflict divine punishment on the souls crawling up from the ground, but.

Numerous golden butterflies began to take the hits instead, flapping their wings to protect the souls.

A giant golden butterfly blocking Raizer’s path, with Erika Bright riding on top.

“…The Spirit King?”

Raizer looked at the Light Spirit King blocking his path with a devastated feeling.

The electricity still jumping from his fingertips showed hostility even toward the spirit who had lived a similar length of time.

The Spirit King said nothing.

However, he blocked the god’s path for his contractor, and Erika, riding on top of the Spirit King, had no intention of backing down for the man she loved.

‘Knight Commander Gloria and Magic Judge Tyren have fallen.’

Even Stella was no longer visible.

Erika knew well how powerful the being before her was, but.

‘I can’t let him pass.’

She was determined to stop the man in front, even at the cost of her life.