------------------
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
------------------
Chapter 217
‘If I hadn’t realized I was the Six Sword Path… this wouldn’t have happened.’
Even if he hadn’t completely fallen for her seduction,
His heart would have wavered to some extent.
‘It’s definitely not a problem with this human body.’
It had only been a few years since Kaylen inhabited this body, but all its functions were working perfectly—no, vigorously.
‘Even though I’ve never used it.’
That was only because he had seen how the Meier Empire collapsed when Emperor Ernestine self-destructed by having too many wives and children. Kaylen had thought it wise to restrain himself.
If he had truly intended to, he could have acted on it anytime.
It wasn’t a matter of the body; it was a matter of the heart.
And as Kaylen continued to accept Arashiel’s dark mana without any inner turmoil, he felt an unexpected sense of bewilderment.
But Arashiel was even more flustered than he was.
‘…What is this? Why isn’t my mana affecting him at all?’
The Lunar Clan.
Each one of them was powerful enough to rival a Demon King of the Demon Realm,
And among them, Arashiel specialized in enchantment.
She had seduced countless individuals.
She knew better than anyone whether her charm was working or not.
‘No matter how strong a human is… he’s still a man.’
If the target were a godlike being, it would be understandable.
Gods had no gender, after all.
But this…
No matter how strong the human before her was, he was still a man.
She had never imagined that any male lifeform—
Would be able to resist the irresistible allure of Arashiel.
‘This doesn’t make any sense.’
Could it be that her dark mana was insufficient?
With a serious expression, Arashiel released an even denser wave of dark mana.
“I… I’m leaving first. I’ll leave the Moonstone behind.”
Johannes, who had been outside the range of Kaylen’s intended target, panicked.
He hastily threw the Moonstone onto the ground and retreated.
Even as a mere bystander watching from afar, Johannes had nearly succumbed to Arashiel’s genuine allure and fled before it was too late.
‘…Even with all this, it’s useless.’
But—
Kaylen, standing right in front of her, only frowned slightly and tilted his head.
"…What exactly did you do?"
"I don’t know. Why don’t you try a little harder?"
"Urgh… This doesn’t make any sense."
Arashiel stopped smiling, crossed her arms, and stared intently at Kaylen.
"Are you… by any chance… a woman?"
"Just because I didn’t fall for your seduction, now you’re trying to change my gender?"
"Otherwise, this makes no sense… If you’re male, you should obviously be enchanted…!"
"Maybe you’re just not attractive enough."
Kaylen let out a soft chuckle as he poured mana stones into the Six Sword Path insignia.
As she watched Kaylen focus more on raising the sword on the ground than on the enchantment of a beauty capable of bringing nations to ruin,
Arashiel felt an overwhelming sense of defeat—something she had never experienced before.
"Ugh… If that’s the case…!"
Flash.
A brilliant light burst from Arashiel.
Her black wings began to turn pure white.
The fallen angel—
Had now transformed into a black-haired male angel.
Her previous female form had been breathtakingly beautiful,
But this male form was just as stunning, capable of shaking an entire nation.
Now in his male angelic form, Arashiel confidently declared,
“So you’ve been pretending to be a man all this time, Emperor Kaylen! This form should work…!”
“That’s disgusting. Change back, Arashiel.”
“Hmph. You’re flustered, aren’t you?”
“I’m serious. Change back before I throw you out.”
“…Fine.”
Only when Kaylen’s expression turned to one of genuine disgust did Arashiel finally revert to her original fallen angel form.
‘Not even as a woman…?’
Her face sank with disappointment, and she lowered her head.
“You should refine your skills and try again. Right now, you have no appeal whatsoever.”
While speaking, Kaylen absorbed and analyzed the dark mana Arashiel had been releasing.
Her genuine attempts at seduction had allowed him to come into contact with more of her dark mana.
If she spread it further, it would only be to his advantage.
“Or… are you not confident?”
“Tch. If I returned to my true form, someone like you would have fallen for me in an instant. Consider yourself lucky.”
“Oh? Your true form?”
At the mention of her true form,
Arashiel’s eyebrows twitched for a moment—
But she quickly regained her composure.
“I’ve said too much.”
“What’s wrong? You sounded so confident earlier. Why don’t you come in your true form and try seducing me?”
“…That would be impossible without the god’s permission.”
“Then go get permission. The Celestial Demon already promised to grant me anything I need. That’s why you’re even here, isn’t it?”
At this, Arashiel responded with a serious expression,
“This has nothing to do with the defeat of the Dragon God. The Celestial Demon would never allow it.”
“Hah… so you’re just afraid. Fine, then. Just keep fiddling around with that weak dark mana of yours.”
Kaylen scoffed and poured mana stones into the Six Sword Path insignia.
Arashiel gritted her teeth—then smirked.
“Very well.”
“What?”
“I’ll make a special request to the Celestial Demon on your behalf.”
Then, she added,
“If I get permission… you will become my slave. I’ll drag you to the moon with a leash around your neck, so look forward to it.”
Turning him into a slave and taking him to the moon—
Kaylen only shrugged and replied,
“Alright. I’ll be waiting.”
* * *
Geysir Empire
The empire that ruled the western lands of the Aberia continent—
Had been engulfed in flames in just a matter of days.
A massive fire had erupted as the incompletely revived Dragon God sought to absorb more power.
It consumed all life indiscriminately—
Devouring animals, plants, and humans alike,
Reducing the lands of Geysir to blackened ash.
[Still… not enough…]
Even after absorbing everything within the empire,
The Dragon God felt unsatisfied.
Though the power it had regained was beyond expectations,
The real problem lay elsewhere.
The Infinity of the Spirit Realm has been destroyed...
The Dragon God had been drawing mana from the world through the Infinity of the Spirit Realm, allowing continuous mana recovery.
But now, because of Kaylen — something completely unexpected — the infinite mana supply had been severed.
'That doesn't mean I can't recover mana at all, but...'
However, considering the inevitable confrontation with the Celestial Demon, this posed a serious problem.
A battle against the Celestial Demon, who had even conquered the Demon Realm, would be fierce.
The severing of the infinite loop might not matter in a short battle, but in the long term, it would be a significant blow.
'I cannot be satisfied with just Geysir's domain.'
The Dragon God's flames slowly began to advance toward the eastern part of the continent.
By devouring all humans, the Dragon God aimed to end this with a short-term victory.
Although Kaylen, who wielded the sword that could shatter stars, was a concern...
'He will not be able to handle my power now.'
After all, the power the Dragon God had gained by consuming the entirety of Geysir was the strongest among all Dragon Gods in history.
Thus, the colossal wave of flames gradually reached the borders of the Lahendra Kingdom, where the flag of the Starn Empire stood tall.
[Become a part of me.]
A voice echoed from the towering wave of flames.
It was a solemn voice of a god that left the already demoralized defenders of the Lahendra Kingdom powerless.
“H-How are we supposed to stop that...?”
“It’s... it’s over...”
As the mages, overwhelmed by the Dragon God's voice, let their hands drop and stared blankly at the advancing wave of flames...
[Where do you think you’re going?]
Fwoooosh!
A radiant white barrier of light rose, blocking the wave of flames.
A miracle descending from the sky.
The eyes of the soldiers who had resigned themselves to death widened in astonishment.
“F-From the sky...”
“Light has descended!”
A divine grace that no one had expected had come down to the earth.
And it wasn’t just at the borders of Lahendra.
The enormous veil of light stretched across the entire border of the Meier Empire.
[You...!]
The flames rose even higher, attempting to engulf the entire world.
It was a scene straight out of hell.
But the veil of light also expanded accordingly, standing firm against the wave of flames.
“W-We’ll be okay... right?”
“Of course. The Celestial God will protect us.”
Even as they trembled in fear, the people prayed to the Celestial God.
After all, they believed that the Celestial God would always protect them in times of true crisis.
Ever since the dungeon portal disaster, faith that had waned had been rapidly restored.
[I never expected you to protect humans.]
[Huhu. You seem impatient, Dragon God. Is it because the Infinity was destroyed?]
[That is merely a small part of the whole.]
[We’ll see about that. The sword meant for you is almost ready.]
The Celestial Demon.
Had he already made contact with Kaylen and was now protecting him?
He couldn't hide his growing impatience.
‘If this turns into a prolonged battle, it’ll be to my disadvantage...!’
If not for Kaylen, he could have methodically severed the Celestial God's limbs, relying on the infinite recovery of mana.
What was that sword, really?
Why had it twisted everything so badly?
Fwoooosh!
The Dragon God's flames surged even higher, piercing part of the veil of light.
[You’re in a hurry.]
However, along with the Celestial Demon’s sneer, the veil quickly restored itself.
The flames that had briefly crossed the wall were instantly extinguished.
[I’ll make sure you never rise again.]
As the two gods clashed at the borders of the Starn Empire...
In the capital city of Alzass, an uninvited guest visited Myorn’s workshop.
“You were here.”
A dazzling beauty with fiery red hair.
Her body flickered as if elementalized, with flames rippling over her form.
“And... who are you?”
“I am Kaina, the Dwarf Queen. Your grandmother.”
“Grandmother...?”
Myorn stared at Kaina with disbelief.
The Dwarf Queen Kaina?
Wasn’t she from a thousand years ago?
‘But... she’s definitely the Queen. The flow of fire that surrounds her...’
It carried the unmistakable signature unique to the Dwarf Queen.
And the level she exuded was on an entirely different plane from Myorn’s own.
“Would you do this grandmother a small favor?”
Kaina smiled brightly as she slowly approached Myorn.
It was a smile beautiful enough to belong to a goddess.
Yet, Myorn felt a chill run down her spine and instinctively stepped back.
“And... what favor would that be?”
“It’s nothing much. Just...”
Kaina slowly extended her hand toward Myorn.
As her smile grew darker...
Chiiiiik—!
“If it’s nothing, then don’t even bother saying it.”
A single sword sliced cleanly through Kaina’s arm.
------------------
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
------------------
