Ch.98Ep.98 D-6

CLANG!

A sword resembling the Twilight Blade slashes at Radios’ wrist.

However, for some reason it didn’t cut through, and instead the sword simply broke.

“Tsk.”

The mysterious man clicked his tongue briefly and stepped back.

Radios, whose temper was already about to explode, perhaps because he thought he was being attacked.

Erupted on the spot.

“RAAAAARGH!!”

Radios let out a great roar and charged at the mysterious man with elongated fingernails.

Though he charged at a speed impossible to follow with the naked eye.

To the mysterious man who knew Radios’ movements better than anyone, the predicted path of his movement was already mapped in his mind.

Just as Radios reached the front of the man and was about to claw at his face.

The man curled up one corner of his mouth.

“Your combat sense is passable, but I’m not someone who’ll fall for this.”

As the mysterious man pointed his hand blade at Radios.

WHOOSH!

“Gah!”

A transparent sword energy expanded and split Radios’ body precisely in half.

The demon mask prevented him from dying, but an enormous amount of damage accumulated in his body in an instant.

As pain invaded his brain, Radios was able to break free from the greed of the demon mask, if only momentarily.

“W-wait–“

Before he could say let’s talk, the man punched Radios in the face as if there was no need to listen further.

SMACK!

“Ugh!”

His head rang as if his skull was being pulled.

It was as if the fist was coated in steel, making him lose his sense of balance and blurring his vision.

This wasn’t an ordinary punch. The punch contained divine power.

‘Who the hell is this guy…!’

He was grateful for being awakened from the demon mask’s greed, but that gratitude vanished the moment he got punched.

It was bad enough that he thought about how everyone he’d hit in the head until now must have felt the same way.

Still, Radios quickly recovered and as soon as his sense of balance returned, he took a defensive stance.

CLANG!

The next punch thrown by the mysterious man was completely nullified by Radios’ guard.

Radios immediately formed the Flashing Heavenly Sword and pointed it at the man.

“Who are you? Why are you attacking me suddenly?”

“Speak properly. You attacked me first with the Flashing Heavenly Sword, and now you’re asking why I attacked you?”

The man stopped attacking when Radios came to his senses and attempted to talk.

Because he had no particular desire to fight.

Of course, from the man’s perspective, it was annoying that Radios was complaining about being attacked after attacking first.

But he decided to put up with it, knowing that Radios’ judgment was distorted when he chose to engage.

“Fine, whatever. Don’t you have any thoughts seeing this?”

“F-Flashing Heavenly Sword?”

Radios gasped when he saw the Flashing Heavenly Sword form in the man’s hand.

The Flashing Heavenly Sword was his ultimate secret skill.

He had created the Godslaying Light Sword skill with Divine Fragment: Replication, but.

That skill disappeared due to Azathoth’s machinations, so it was correct to assume he couldn’t use the Godslaying Light Sword anymore.

In other words, the best skill he could use now was the Flashing Heavenly Sword.

His eyes widened in surprise seeing this unknown man wielding it.

But the man burst into laughter as if Radios’ expression was amusing.

“Your face is funny. Did you think I couldn’t use this skill?”

“No way… are you Divine Fragment: Replication?”

“What nonsense is this idiot spouting?”

The result of his deduction being Divine Fragment: Replication.

Perhaps his brain circuits had been damaged from being hit in the back of the head so many times?

How could anyone deduce Divine Fragment: Replication?

But thinking about it, when someone appears using the exact same skill as you, it might be difficult to think otherwise.

“Seeing you still talking nonsense, it seems you need a few more hits?””W-wait a moment!”

“No need for words!”

SLASH!

The man charged at Radios wielding the Flashing Heavenly Sword.

Radios swallowed hard and carefully defended against the attack that came in the blink of an eye.

But for some reason, there was no killing intent in the man’s attacks.

Rather than efficient attacks targeting vital points, they were like acupressure techniques targeting only painful areas.

He was faithfully fulfilling his words about hitting Radios, but.

Radios was not someone who would continue to take it.

“Twilight Blade Infinite Barrage.”

Having regained his composure to some extent, Radios went all out when he sensed no killing intent from his opponent.

Whatever the intention was, there was no reason not to fight with killing intent against someone who suddenly attacked saying he would hit him.

Even without Divine Fragment: Infinity, his magical power was vast in quantity.

The infinitely fired Twilight Blades would be quite powerful, as he thought.

As he expected, the man was focusing all his strength on deflecting the Twilight Blades.

“An opening!”

Finding a gap in the man’s defense, Radios immediately rushed toward him, but.

The man smiled triumphantly as if he had been waiting for this situation.

“Sorry, but all swords in this world are under my control.”

“..!”

“You shouldn’t think divine power is your exclusive property.”

As the man gestured, all the swords that were extending toward him changed their target and poured down on Radios.

Caught in an unexpected situation, Radios hurriedly changed the target of his Twilight Blade barrage to the man’s swords, but.

“I told you it won’t work.”

“Damn it!”

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!

Even the barrage of Twilight Blades moved according to the man’s intention and fell toward Radios.

However, in that split second, he seized control of the surrounding space with the Order of Judgment.

With a momentary leap, he escaped from that spot and aimed for the man’s head.

But.

“Enough.”

“..!”

When the man was in danger, the black group that had been watching from behind rushed forward and pointed their swords at Radios’ neck.

Surprised by the attack from those he thought would remain spectators, Radios froze on the spot.

“T-this..!”

His pupils shook like an earthquake when he saw the patterns on the swords pointed at his neck.

“How… the Twilight Blade…”

He couldn’t hide his shock at the sight of every single one of them wielding the Twilight Blade.

And when the man who seemed to be their leader and who had fought with him removed his mask and faced Radios.

He couldn’t help but be even more shocked.

“Yes. Have you finally come to your senses? ‘Me.'”

Because all of them were those who had been Radios Magnum.

**********

“So you still haven’t caught him?”

“I’m sorry. He escaped too quickly, there was nothing I could do.”

“This has become troublesome…”

Azathoth clicked his tongue looking at Idra prostrating before him.

Yog-Sothoth had escaped.

And not just a simple escape, but by awakening his Ascended Order and creating his own world.

Of course, that world wouldn’t be as elaborate as the world Azathoth had created.

Life wouldn’t be born in that world, and Yog-Sothoth would probably be alone there.

The problem was that invading a world created by an Ascended Order was no easy task.

Of course, the world created by Yog-Sothoth was unstable, so given enough time, he could break in and invade it.

The problem was that if he completed all concept establishment perfectly while in that world.

It might be too much for Azathoth to face him alone.

Especially his Divine Fragment: Intervention would give excellent effects to concept establishment.

If he didn’t invade his world within three days, it could become really troublesome afterward.

“What happened to Nyarlathotep?””His wounds are deep. I think… it will be difficult.”

“Useless fellow.”

“…”

Azathoth clicked his tongue after hearing about Nyarlathotep’s condition.

To suffer serious injuries against Yog-Sothoth who had just awakened his Ascended Order.

He had expected as much since Orix and Yad-Tatagg died during the battle.

But he was very disappointed that Nyarlathotep, who had proclaimed himself his servant, was dying.

Not that Idra could be considered in a normal state either.

Though better than Nyarlathotep who was hovering between life and death without regaining consciousness.

Seeing her reporting with one arm blown off, he couldn’t help but feel contempt.

But Idra didn’t mind such contempt.

The only reason she decided to follow Azathoth was one.

It was solely for her own interest.

Nothing would change based on how others viewed her.

Rather, she found the absence of one arm refreshing and was interested in her body’s condition.

Wouldn’t this level be appropriately called madness?

“Leave, you’re unpleasant.”

“Understood.”

Azathoth didn’t stop her because he knew how peculiar Idra was.

More precisely, he didn’t need to stop her.

How could she betray him even if she tried?

The fragment had already successfully integrated into Azathoth’s body.

Even if Idra somehow managed to weaken him through some means.

With Chaos standing firm, there was no way betrayal could succeed.

What if Chaos betrayed him?

That would never happen.

No matter how blinded by power Chaos might be, if he betrayed his only understanding companion.

He would have to live an undying life alone.

Knowing how terrifying loneliness is, he was confident Chaos wouldn’t do such a strange thing.

Because beings who awaken Ascended Order like Hemera or Yog-Sothoth are extremely rare.

“This world doesn’t have much time left anyway.”

He had already rendered Radios, who could be a variable, incapacitated.

Of course, he knew Radios was unconscious but alive.

And he knew all about his companions’ plans to awaken divine power and oppose him.

The world was just a toy spinning in the palm of his hand.

Whatever they did, it wouldn’t even leave a scratch.

“Go ahead and enjoy it. The end of this world.”

From a throne where no one else existed.

Azathoth looked down on everything.

And smiled sinisterly.