205. Sadarkelisa, The End of Dragons (3)
Time flows. Beyond the boundary of the Material World and the Realm of the Imagination. The sky, the celestial sphere, turns. Stars rise, snow falls. A light dusting settles on Fernandez’s shoulders.
– Sssss…
Droplets cling between breaths, and the cold wind chills his lungs. Soon, the snow turns to sleet, then to heavy rain. His hair soaks and drips.
– Hoo…
A low exhale fades, and soon the sun rises. Summer rain scatters in the hot day’s wind, and again, the autumn breeze blows, the rain surging like waves.
Snow falls once more. Layer upon layer on Fernandez’s rock-solid body. Snow piles, melts, rain falls, flows, and freezes again…
‘It melted.’
Fernandez stood frozen, his sword plunged into the ground. Slowly sinking into his consciousness, focusing solely on the flow of magic beneath. Sadarkelisa’s cries, rage, and screams echoed from afar, scattering like foam on waves. She couldn’t physically hinder him.
So. It’s a matter of time. Only time was the issue. Sadarkelisa forcibly accelerated time, twisting the flow of magic into complexity. Because of this, her illusions warped beyond her control, but the same was true for Fernandez.
The magic enveloping this Realm of the Imagination was too twisted to recklessly interfere with. The dense, divine-level magic constructing this world made it extremely tricky to dismantle with mere technique.
But he doesn’t give up. Again. Bit by bit. Bit by bit.
‘It melted.’
The magic. No, the divinity melted. A tiny part, but definitely. Fernandez, with closed eyes, felt the change in magic. His, and hers, both slowly melting away.
[Give up!!]
Sadarkelisa’s cry echoed. Ridiculous. Does she think he’ll let her go if he gives up? Twisted time perception made time flow both agonizingly slow and terrifyingly fast.
For a mortal, it felt like time that would erase even the soul’s trace. Like the giants of ancient myths, turning years into moments, crossing them like stepping stones. Time, with a form beyond mere concept, brushed past him.
Beyond physical cold and heat, it gnawed at the soul, decaying it lightly as if it would vanish. No being is eternal, not even magic. Even divinity is treated as a consumable resource under time.
Thus. It melted. Sadarkelisa’s desperation wasn’t limited to Fernandez. She was consuming herself too.
But time is relative. The time Fernandez experienced had substance, yet he sensed the time in the Material World wouldn’t be long.
So. This moment is an illusion. His goal and purpose are focused on the Material World; other realms and dimensions are not his concern.
At this moment, only one thing concerns him. Sadarkelisa’s soul.
“It melted.”
Fernandez slowly opened his eyes. In that moment, Sadarkelisa also narrowed her eyes, glaring at him.
[What nonsense!]
“Your soul is visible now.”
Crunch, his stone-like fingers broke free from the sword hilt with a loud sound. The knot of magic. The storm-like flow of time and concepts became visible.
The massive Hellish Magic and the will of the Great Demon drifting beneath. The vortex. The analysis of that flow was now complete.
He had spent decades, perhaps centuries, under that perception of time, slowly observing and adjusting the flow.
Now, the end was in sight. Between the flows. In the gaps. The bare soul she possessed was faintly visible.
-Crunch.
His fingers bent joint by joint, making rough sounds. Like dust-covered rocks moving, rough and slow. Crunch, crunch. The sound of bones nearly crushing continued.
The pain of illusion. Fernandez coldly glared at Sadarkelisa even as his body crumbled under the pain. If that much time had physically passed, his form wouldn’t remain.
It’s phantom pain from the soul. So, no need to hesitate. Pain without life-threatening danger is just a physical obstacle. Fernandez lifted his sword like pulling out a key.
-Pssst…
Ashes scattered. He carefully observed Sadarkelisa’s hardened face. One step forward.
[Don’t come closer!]
-Crack!
A violent sensation like jamming rocks between cartilage. Fernandez’s senses went wild, his body momentarily freezing. But with a gloomy blue glow in his eyes, he took another step.
‘It melted.’
The dragon’s dignity was melting. Along with his divinity. His hand, not holding the sword, twisted, producing a clear sound like a lute string.
-Ting!
The dragon’s body shrank. The presence and magic enveloping her slowly faded. In reaction, Fernandez’s body grew heavier.
‘To drag down divinity, as a sacrifice, divinity!’
-Ting!
To chip away at the dragon’s dignity, the supreme divinity of the immortal, and bring it down to his level, he was burning his own divinity. One move, the Beastman’s hand was caught—
-Flare.
The divinity burned, and a white halo flashed behind his back. Ting, with a sound like a string snapping, part of the halo tore off, directly striking Sadarkelisa’s divinity.
Another step. Sadarkelisa screamed as if convulsing.
[The divinity you built. The achievements you made. Are you willing to abandon it all? Your power, your dignity, completely?]
“I’ll just build it again.”
[Nonsense! You destroyed worlds, subdued dragons, and tamed Great Demons! Can you rebuild that level of dignity, that divinity?]
“My goal isn’t power.”
He was already sick of it. Fernandez looked down at the woman driven to the wall, trembling in fear. Ashes scattered from her body.
Behind Fernandez, remnants of burned divinity scattered like unfolding wings. Divinity is more conceptual than material, and each fragment of manifested divinity was his achievement, his belief.
Thus, the process of losing his accumulated achievements brought a crushing sense of helplessness. He was tired. He wanted to drop his arms and rest, even for a moment. Watching Sadarkelisa’s gasping eyes, Fernandez twisted the hilt and lowered the blade.
[Fine. Do you regret it now? Good. It’s not too late! Sadarkelisa will help. Take her hand. Burn the world again, build your power, your dignity. Even against those celestial gods—]
“No divinity, no achievement, no magic… no power is eternal.”
The blade stopped just before reaching Sadarkelisa’s chest. Fernandez, with tired eyes, plunged the sword in.
Compassion. The only weapon in his hands in this realm of imagination. A symbol of humanity. Its tip tore through the terrified demon’s heart.
A gasp was heard. Under the weight of exhaustion, Fernandez slowly raised his hand to cover Sadarkelisa’s forehead.
[Killing me won’t end it! I am but Sadarkelisa’s reason. The true madness… the real power…!]
“No. Sadarkelisa. You were her last soul.”
A kind of lichification spell. To avoid tainting her soul while absorbing hellish magic, she had sealed her soul within the realm of imagination. Her body, though undead, could be repaired even after physical harm.
Thus, this was the end. After the soul’s destruction, only remnants remained of the lich. Fernandez twisted the greatsword embedded in Sadarkelisa’s chest.
“I will pity you.”
[Hypocrisy!!]
“Power… power without purpose is but an illusion. A dragon drunk on a mirage, losing itself. I pity your plight.”
Once, I was like that. Fernandez felt a kinship with this being more than ever. With the sensation of severing his past self, he drove the blade deeper.
[How dare you! How dare you, to Sadarkelisa! You wretch!!]
“May the Temple of the Gods grant mercy. Grant the accused eternal rest.”
-Crack.
Twisting the greatsword and slashing sideways, Fernandez drew a short cross. The last remnants of divinity burned away, and a deep fatigue weighed on his shoulders. Then, as the greatsword’s tip split the space, the realm of imagination began to collapse.
* * *
-Crash!
[Jormungand moves!]
“This… ha. This is something.”
The serpent began to writhe. Its massive body moved, shaking Yggdrasil as if it were dancing. The burning Yggdrasil, with towering pillars of smoke rising, swayed solemnly like a ritual for the dead souls.
[Let’s see the end!]
“Alright. Let’s go, friend.”
To end the apocalypse. Loft giggled and jumped off the hawk’s back. The hawk hurled Thor. Thor, with crackling hands raised to the sky, plunged straight toward the dragon’s head.
[Val—halla—!!]
* * *
[Ahhh—! Ahhhh—!!!]
-Crash!
The dragon writhed and screamed. Thicker magic than ever swept through the surroundings, and Yggdrasil shook like waves under the dragon’s thrashing. Above, Kirhas carried Abel, searching for safe ground.
“Abel, stay with me!”
“Leave me… and survive. Kirhas. I don’t have much time left.”
“I can’t do that!”
“Do you mean to die together?”
“I mean to live together!”
Kirhas gritted her teeth, running, leaping, and dodging burning branches, pillars, and giant leaves!
[Val—halla—!!]
-Boom! Boom! Crash!
At that moment, a shout echoed from the sky, drawing a blue trajectory straight into the screaming dragon’s head! A massive shockwave swept through, and lightning surged, pushing back the flames.
“Oh, Lindworm? You seem quite hurt.”
“Loki. Have you come to mock me?”
“Haha, how could I mock the dying? The God of Death, my friend. My good, pitiful friend.”
Loft appeared behind Kirhas, chuckling. Abel, panting, squinted and looked at him. His eyes seemed to be laughing, or perhaps crying.
“While Thor was busy carving up the dragon’s corpse, I prepared a gift for you, friend.”
[You traitor!!]
Loft held up Botan’s head. Botan glared at Loft with fiery eyes and shouted.
[You’ve broken the pact! Jotun! I trusted you!]
“Did you? I didn’t. Friend. Your judgment is quite poor!”
[What do you want? Why are you doing this suddenly!]
“Well, there’s too much to want to sum it up easily! Haha. Death is greedy by nature. First, your life… Jormungand’s soul… and our people’s freedom. That much?”
[You…! Ragnarok, this plan. Surely not all…?!]
Loft smirked and plunged a dagger into Botan’s skull. Botan’s eyes twitched briefly, then went limp. Loft slowly pulled out the blood and rubbed it between his now-bony fingers.
“So light, so easy a life… Botan. Great friend. Why? With such power, why…?”
“What will you do now?”
“Do what must be done. Lindworm. You’ve worked hard. This is your reward.”
Loft approached Abel, who was panting on Kirhas’ back, and smeared Botan’s blood from her forehead to her neck. The blood spread, forming a rune glyph before fading.
Abel’s pale complexion gradually regained color.
“Will you follow me? Friend. I still need your help.”
“No. I’ll go my own way now, Loft.”
-Rumble!
Yggdrasil shook violently from Sadarkelisa’s screams and thrashing. Abel slowly got off Kirhas’ back and stood, looking toward the most intense part.
“Alright. Lindworm. Go your way. The gates of Vanaheim are open.”
-Pop!
A blue flower bloomed amidst the red flames. Abel smiled softly. Abel and Kirhas walked along the path made by the blooming flower, heading toward the summit of Yggdrasil.
Watching them, Loft chuckled.
“Banadis. You, me, our people. We’ve finally found freedom.”
-Pop!
A flower bloomed on his shoulder. Far away, beyond the horizon, a light descended, and the gates of Bifrost opened.
The gates of Vanaheim. Beneath them, the figures of the Aesir and the Einherjar, hidden until the very end by Botan and Freya, slowly appeared.
Jotun, Helheim, and even the demons. Their battle seemed to calm momentarily with the sudden appearance of outsiders.
As Jormungand’s life faded, the demons of Muspelheim would scatter. Asgard had turned into an irreparable hell, and even Yggdrasil was burning.
Now, the Aesir’s conquest war, which had ravaged thousands of worlds, was over.
Forever.
“This is Ragnarok. Or is it? Friend.”
The Aesir’s conquest war. That long winter… the nightmare of Fimbulwinter faded amidst Jormungand’s flames. The next conqueror, Baldur, fell and perished.
Botan was killed by Fenrir, Heimdall, who played with Bifrost’s power, also died, and the Aesir became wanderers.
The twilight of the gods. But twilight always promises the next dawn. The age of gods ends, and the age of mortals begins.
Loft mounted the hawk and flew into the sky, looking at the burning Yggdrasil. The giant burning tree, seen from afar, looked like an inverted greatsword.
Is that what the heavenly greatsword, judging the corruption of the earth, looks like? Loft chuckled. A sword forged from the deepest flames of Muspelheim. Closer to hell than heaven.
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