Chapter 158: Fusion (Part Two)
Under the High Tower, in the southern ruins, Carlos, the Sword Demon, and Tarlasya stood atop the crumbling remnants, gazing at the ever-churning Dead Smoke, Black Fire, the enormous and ominous skeletal remains, and the undying red flames amidst the chaos.
“The Infernal Fire is losing ground.”
The Old Man’s weak voice rang clearly in everyone’s ears. “The Mad God’s power has exceeded the Church’s worst predictions…human methods cannot harm it in the slightest.”
“Yet, no matter what, we’ve already stepped into the worst scenario. Our only option now is to help Miss Peilo defeat it.”
“But in the end, that girl is just a fragment of the Mad God’s will. And even if that will is powerful…how could it possibly overcome the embodiment of madness?”
“……”
This statement plunged everyone into a brief silence.
Suddenly, Carlos’s eyes lit up as he remembered something. “But she still has the power of sin! We both witnessed the Goddess of Sin in the Eastern Continent, Teacher, remember how she absorbed the…”
Before he could finish, the Old Man gently shook his head. “That power is also incomplete.”
“What I do know is that a portion of the Goddess’s divine power is contained within a corpse, made into a Divine Reliquary by the Church. Those things aren’t necessarily all beneath the Tower of Divine Grace, or even in the Holy City.”
In other words, even if all the relics inside Sword Demon’s package were absorbed by the girl, it might still not truly help her withstand the Mad God’s devouring.
The Old Man’s meaning was clear to them.
“But—”
Ryan looked at the serious faces of everyone and said solemnly, “At this point, this is the only thing we can do.”
“RUMBLE—!!”
From the direction ahead, the expanding Black Smoke emitted a growl as the Dead Body roared suddenly from it.
Accompanied by that sound, the terrifying smoke surged like a black sandstorm, creating a towering wall of fog with the incredible momentum to engulf everything, roaring toward them from the intertwining black and red fires. It was clear that within minutes, it would crush down upon them again.
Carlos, Sword Demon, and Tarlasya felt a heavy weight on their hearts, knowing that the success or failure of this battle would determine the fate of the entire Western Continent and humanity.
“There’s no time to hesitate now.”
The Old Man declared decisively as he staggered, gripping his sword tightly, and called out, “Tarlasya.”
“I… I’m here.”
Tarlasya, despite standing weakly at the back and sweating from the pain, nodded. The Old Man turned to glance at him.
“Next, we have to make our final stand. If you can’t hold on, you can leave; don’t hold everyone back.”
The old man said coldly.
However, Tarlasya just shook his head slowly but firmly. “I promised that girl. I… told her that if humanity faces disaster, I would be among the first to stand in defense.”
He paused, “So if I can’t escape, don’t save me. It’s the most honorable fate for me as a warrior.”
After that, the man gritted his teeth against the pain and jumped into the ruins below. His sword had been lost in the previous explosion, but that was okay; the ground was littered with corpses and usable weapons.
Tarlasya braced himself as he leaped into the rubble, picking up two swords stuck in a wall, then quickly turned to toss one to Carlos, who had also lost his sword.
“Sword Demon!”
In the meantime, the Old Man focused his attention on Sword Demon, contemplating, then with a gentle expression asked, “Are you afraid of dying?”
“Not afraid,” Anna shook her head like a bobblehead.
“Then hold onto all the bones in the package.” The Old Man’s tone was calm, with a hint of a smile, “From now on, for the next few minutes, remember, it is more important than your life.”
“…Okay.”
Anna nodded earnestly, “I’ve never lost anything, not once.”
Among the three, only she held her sword tightly in her arms.
But when the Old Man turned his gaze to Carlos, he merely stared into the man’s face, making eye contact with his beloved disciple, holding that gaze for a moment without speaking.
Yet in that burning look, it felt like everything had been said.
BOOM!
Ahead, the explosions rang out one after another, and the black mist wall rushed in, the horrifying Dead Smoke had already swallowed half the Holy City.
The Black Smoke rolled in, quickly engulfing the broken bridge, the High Tower, and the northern part of the entire Holy City, while the chaotic power compressed the beams of light, producing a series of ear-piercing hisses.
“It’s coming…”
Carlos gripped his sword, surrounded by lightning, ready to set everything ablaze—for Little Shay, for Leah, for anyone.
“One last chance.” The Old Man spoke solemnly beside him, raising his remaining sword high, “Regardless of whether we succeed, you’ve done everything you could. You are the bravest swordsmen of the Western Continent, and now’s the time to showcase your courage.”
WHISH WHISH WHISH!!!
That one sword fell silently, and as the Old Man’s words fell, a whirlwind suddenly arose, creating an opening through the rolling black smoke just as it rushed toward them!
This time, without needing to say anything, everyone knew exactly what to do.
With a surge of fury and powerful thunder, closely following that old figure soaring in the wind, without a hint of hesitation, they charged into the towering black fog.
The gale swirled around the four of them, temporarily averting d*ath, but this time the wind was clearly much weaker than before.
The Old Man, dragging his frail body, led the charge at the forefront. Carlos could see the hand that gripped the sword trembling.
The man’s eyes glowed redder, channeling the power of lightning. The sword in his right hand crackled with arcs of lightning, readying the strongest strike of his life as they raced toward the base of the Dead Body, following the direction of the burning scarlet flames.
“Steady…”
The Old Man shouted loudly, his voice hoarse, “The Mad God’s attention is not on us; it’s fully focused on that Infernal Fire. We have to seize this chance to get closer to Peilo!”
The enormous body of the Dead returned to land, flames wrapping around it, and Dead Smoke filled their view. From where the four stood, they could only see two gigantic, rotting legs; higher up, there was just a hazy shadow, obscured from view.
But at least they could lock onto the Mad God’s head, where the burning scarlet flames, though weakening, still pierced through the black mist clearly enough for all to see.
“Go—”
Suddenly, the Old Man called out softly in front, and in the next moment, Carlos and the others felt the wind beneath their feet again, their bodies lifting, following the Old Man’s determined figure up into the sky, charging towards that red fire.
“Steady.”
In midair, the Old Man kept advising them, “Once we’re up, follow my lead. In an instant, we’ll strike through the chaotic flames. Sword Demon, you need to watch for the opportunity to—”
Before he could finish his sentence.
Suddenly, the wind howled through the black mist, carrying an ear-piercing shriek straight at them; it was not the Old Man’s wind. A gigantic, decaying hand burst through the fog, bringing with it an astonishing force as it directly swatted at the group.
“AHH—!”
In an instant, the Old Man roared like a tiger; facing that ferocious palm and the burning black fire, he didn’t retreat but charged forward, raising his sword to meet it!
The seemingly weak strike didn’t touch the palm, but the compressed air had already pushed against the knuckles, producing an ear-splitting buzzing sound while the mad flame teetered precariously, and that hand, which felt like a mountain, was staggeringly blocked right in its tracks.
