Chapter 84: Living Grimoire (4)

The golden flames erupting from Wolfgang’s body began to consume the world.

Despite fighting in an environment specifically designed to suppress flames, her fire remained unaffected.

The blazing golden flames devoured everything in their path.

Watching this, Gellion clicked his tongue in frustration.

Defeat was already a foregone conclusion.

Gellion knew this from the data he had gathered through Hyde and Monica.

The overwhelming power of Wolfgang, even when sealed, was akin to that of a god.

But it was different from divine power.

If divine power was a gift bestowed directly by the gods, the flames Wolfgang wielded were pure will.

‘What is the Sun God trying to achieve through her? I can’t even begin to fathom it.’

The Sun God was one of the most powerful deities among the benevolent gods.

Alongside the Winter King, the Sun God had existed since the beginning of time. It was only natural for such power to be immense.

But for reasons unknown, the Sun God had a principle of never interfering in the mortal realm.

Even when they were fighting the Demon King, the Sun God never lent a hand.

Gellion didn’t hold any resentment over this.

The Sun God must have had their reasons. But for some reason, this time, the Sun God had directly intervened.

Though Gellion couldn’t begin to guess the Sun God’s intentions, he suspected that the current situation was something even the Sun God couldn’t tolerate.

Still, nothing had changed for him.

All he could do was fulfill his role in this moment.

Steadying his wavering heart, Gellion prepared to cast another spell.

Meanwhile, Wolfgang, fighting Gellion, felt a growing sense of unease.

Gellion was the mage of the hero party, an incredibly powerful mage.

No, more than that—he was the pioneer who had established and written the theories of modern magic.

But the spells he was now casting at Wolfgang fell far short of his reputation.

It felt more like he was focusing entirely on defense. From this, Wolfgang gleaned a hint.

“I see. You’re buying time.”

“You’re quite sharp.”

“I won’t tell you what I’m aiming for, of course.”

“Naturally. What fool would reveal their plans to the enemy?”

Wolfgang frowned.

It was clear that Gellion wasn’t attacking as aggressively as before. Instead, he was pouring all his energy into defense, as if determined not to fall easily.

[What on earth is he planning?!]

“Milena?”

“Oh, I thought I felt something familiar. It’s you, Goddess.”

Unable to stand by any longer, Milena stepped forward. But even as the goddess they once served appeared before him, Gellion remained eerily calm.

[Gellion, you weren’t like this. What happened to the wise and kind child I once knew?]

“I’m afraid the Gellion you knew no longer exists in this world, Goddess.”

Gellion coldly rebuffed Milena’s plea and prepared for the next phase of the battle.

Watching this, Wolfgang let go of the faint hope she had been holding onto.

She didn’t know the reason, but it was clear now.

“But at least I know there’s a 0% chance of you coming back.”

“I’ve already come too far. All that’s left is to see this through.”

“Fine, let’s settle this.”

There was no reason to back down when the enemy was acting like this.

Wolfgang released the power she had been suppressing. The reason for sealing it was simple.

The power was difficult even for Wolfgang to control, and it grew stronger over time.

In other words, if she unleashed it completely, what would happen?

Thanks to this, Gellion could clearly see what was rising behind Wolfgang.

To the untrained eye, it might have looked like a sphere of fire.

But Gellion, of all people, felt a chill run down his spine the moment he saw it.

The immense life force contained within it was no mere fireball.

‘That’s… the sun! It’s undoubtedly the sun!’

Though its life force paled in comparison to the real sun, it still radiated a sacred and overwhelming energy that no mortal could dare approach.

It was nothing short of a miniature sun.

“Try to withstand this if you can.”

Soon, the world Gellion had created with his magic began to burn.

The tiny sun, small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, existed in this space, and its mere presence was enough.

In that fleeting moment, Gellion’s mind was already reacting.

To face the greatest threat he had ever encountered, aside from the Demon King, he mobilized all the knowledge and logic he possessed.

And he manifested it through magic.

The world Gellion created was none other than an ancient world of ice, a world once ruled by the Winter King after driving out the benevolent gods.

It was an era known as the Age of Glaciers, though the Winter King’s reign had lasted less than a decade.

“You dare mimic the Winter King in front of me? You must have a death wish.”

This was Gellion’s only way to block Wolfgang’s miniature sun, but it also struck a nerve with her.

Even if it was just an imitation, the Winter King was Wolfgang’s most painful memory, a hellish past she wanted to forget.

And now, seeing it brought before her eyes, Wolfgang’s anger surged to its peak.

Her flames responded eagerly to her rage.

The small sun, which had fit neatly in her hand, grew rapidly, fueled by her fury.

“…This is a dead end.”

Gellion muttered bitterly.

The only way to block the small sun had been this, but using it had only provoked Wolfgang’s wrath, making her even stronger.

The world Gellion had created began to crumble.

The golden heat radiating from the sun achieved what ordinary flames could not—evaporating water, burning even the vacuum where flames couldn’t exist.

It was a power that defied the very concept of flames, closer to divine authority.

But the backlash of wielding such power with a human body was severe.

Wolfgang crouched down, covering her eyes with her hand.

The unstable power she had forcibly unleashed was running wild.

Cracks began to form in her body, which had been tempered through countless trials and experiences during the Winter War.

“Damn it, I can’t hold it back!!”

In the past, the eyepatch alone had been enough to keep it in check.

But after defeating the heroes, her power had grown too vast.

Gritting her teeth, Wolfgang focused her mind.

[Please sleep for now, Father of All Life.]

‘…?!’

The unstable flames, which had been consuming their vessel, began to calm at the goddess’s words. Seizing the moment, Wolfgang quickly put on her eyepatch and suppressed the flames.

“What did you just do?”

[I may look like this, but I’m quite a high-ranking goddess. I was also quite beloved. So, I can at least make an appeal like this.]

“In other words, you appealed to my flames.”

[Yes, that’s right. More precisely, I appealed to the god within you. But more importantly, what exactly are you?]

Wolfgang was momentarily taken aback by Milena’s sudden question.

Did she figure out that I’m a transmigrator? Or is it because of the flames I possess?

“What do you mean?”

[I don’t understand. How can you possess the Sun God’s authority?]

“The Sun God, huh? I’d like to know the answer to that myself.”

Wolfgang felt like she was going mad trying to figure it out.

Not that the Sun God’s help was unwelcome—after all, it had allowed her to defeat the Winter King.

But from what she had heard, the Sun God never interfered in the human world.

She had learned this from records and even heard it directly from the heroes.

So why had the Sun God bestowed such power upon her, of all people?

What did the Sun God want from her? Wolfgang couldn’t help but agonize over it.

“…I’ll have to think about this later.”

It wasn’t ideal to be distracted by such thoughts in the middle of a battle.