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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 220
[The Dragon God made contact…?]
“Yes. He said he rejected the Dragon God’s offer.”
[And the only proof of that is his word?]
“…That’s correct.”
The Celestial Demon God listened to Arashiel’s report, his wings fluttering slightly.
‘I can’t be certain whether he truly refused.’
The current situation remained at a stalemate—Averia Continent was split between east and west, with the Celestial Demon God’s barrier of light and the Dragon God’s flames locked in an ongoing confrontation.
‘The Dragon God’s power is beyond expectations.’
Even though the Dragon God’s resurrection was incomplete, he was still far stronger than anticipated.
Despite the Celestial God having obtained the power of the Demon Realm, most of his energy was being used just to hold back the Dragon God’s flames.
If the Dragon God had fully revived—
Then the one being pushed back right now would have been the Celestial Demon God.
‘He kept dying and reviving, gradually perfecting his mana… He’s become a real problem.’
The Dragon God had repeatedly died and come back to life.
And through that cycle, he had only grown stronger.
At first, he mainly wielded water mana.
But each time he died, he gained a new element.
By the time the Averia Continent was formed, he had gained mastery over all six great elements.
‘A thousand years ago, back when he was Ernstine, he was still incomplete, so I was able to suppress him…’
But now, things were different.
Even though the Celestial Demon God had done everything in his power to hinder him, and it had worked to some extent—
The Dragon God’s power, sharpened over a thousand years of preparation, was overwhelming.
Even the Celestial Demon God himself was somewhat unsettled.
‘Originally, I only intended for Kaylen to finish the job…’
The greatest issue with eliminating the Dragon God was his infinite regeneration.
As a god tied to this planet, no matter how many times he was destroyed, he always came back even stronger.
The Celestial Demon God had believed that as long as the Dragon God had not fully completed Infinity, his resurrections wouldn’t be a true threat.
‘But now, things are different. If he revives just once more, the one being driven out of this world… might be me.’
That was why Kaylen’s role in completely ending the Dragon God was crucial.
The plan had been to leave the final blow to him.
‘But at this rate… I may need his sword much sooner.’
To suppress this power that even the Dragon God had not foreseen—
Rather than waiting for the end, he needed to use Kaylen more proactively from now on.
‘For that, I must make him completely mine.’
And the Celestial Demon God had the perfect card to play.
[Arashiel.]
“Yes, my lord.”
The Celestial Demon God looked down at the fallen angel, Arashiel.
[Can you descend upon this land in your true form?]
“Yes, I can. I won’t be able to remain for long… but it will be more than enough time to captivate him.”
Unconsciously, Arashiel’s face lit up with excitement.
The Celestial Demon God’s mention of her true form—Arashiel immediately understood his true intent.
The order to descend in her true form meant one thing: she was to use all her power to captivate Kaylen.
‘Kaylen, you bastard! Let’s see if you can keep up that arrogance after seeing my true form… Just wait and see.’
Not long ago—
When he had warned her that he would cut off her head if she kept spying on him—
Her pride had been deeply wounded.
But now, the Celestial Demon God had ordered her to appear in her true form and ensure that she completely enthralled him. Even if she hadn’t dared to ask for it, this was exactly what she wanted.
[Then prepare to descend. The sooner, the better.]
"Understood!"
Arashiel answered louder than ever, fully accepting the Celestial Demon God’s command.
—
When Kaina had died and the Water God made contact above her remains—
Kaylen had immediately sensed a disturbance in the flow of external mana.
‘The Celestial Demon God noticed.’
The Water God had likely tried to enter as cautiously as possible.
But deceiving the Celestial Demon God’s eyes entirely was impossible.
Kaylen, the one who wielded the sword capable of erasing the Dragon God—
There was no way the Celestial Demon God would sit back and allow his greatest trump card to slip away.
The same went for the fallen angel Arashiel.
Even if it wasn’t her, there were undoubtedly eyes watching him.
‘Up until now, it was just a suspicion.’
But with the Water God’s appearance—
It was now clear that the Celestial Demon God’s gaze was fixed upon this place.
‘That means we can’t have a proper conversation here.’
The barrier of the sword that had sealed Kaina also extended outward, preventing external surveillance.
But how long would that last?
The Celestial Demon God’s power was immeasurable.
There was no telling what method he might use to look inside.
‘That’s why I crushed the Water God.’
If they were going to talk, it had to be somewhere far from the Celestial Demon God’s reach—somewhere safer.
Kaylen dismissed Arashiel.
Then, without hesitation, he awakened the Six Swords he had embedded within the Dragon God’s body and made contact with him.
[...So the Six Swords had been inside my body all along.]
The Dragon God, Meier.
A thousand years ago, he had been Emperor Ernstine—the true master of the Six Swords.
Which made it all the more shocking to him.
‘I never even sensed the Six Swords inside me…’
He had always dismissed them.
Believed them to be nothing more than an inferior version of the Six Demon Blades.
But now—
He realized they contained far more potential than he had ever imagined.
Feeling a strange emotion rising within him, he turned to the Water God.
[Water God. Do you intend to present him with new terms?]
[……What is it that you want?]
The pitiful voice from their first meeting was gone.
Amidst the flames, the Water God’s cold voice resounded.
"What do I want?" Kaylen answered that question with a single phrase.
"The departure of the gods."
[……What do you mean by that?]
"It means—never interfere with this world again."
The Six Swords spun in the air before pointing their blades toward the surrounding flames.
It seemed like they were scattering aimlessly, but in truth—
They were targeting the places where the auras of the Dragon God and the Water God, the two absolute deities, were most concentrated.
"You have already destroyed countless continents. Trampled upon every possibility. All you ever focused on was strengthening the Dragon God. I understand the necessity of growing stronger against your enemies, but the devastation you’ve brought upon the world is no different from what the Celestial Gods have done. Especially to mortals."
Kaylen thought of Benedict.
The High Elf who once ruled the Continent of Wind.
The one who, after losing his homeland to sudden destruction, grew to despise the Dragon God and became a servant of the Celestial Gods.
And he was not the only one.
Many merfolk had suffered the same fate. Countless beings had allied with the Celestial Gods.
It was all because these so-called gods had never once considered the well-being of the living creatures of the continents—
All they had ever cared about was strengthening the Dragon God to defeat the Celestial Gods.
‘Looking at the past, it’s clear—the situation humanity faces now is the same.’
The Continent of Averia.
The fifth continent, created to contain the mana of light and darkness.
Even this land was at risk of following the path of the fallen continents before it.
Kaylen had no intention of standing by and watching it happen.
‘Even if I’m not human myself.’
His essence may have been that of the Six Swords, but his memories and will were one with Emperor Ernstine.
Preserving the world of mankind—
That was Kaylen’s goal.
[……You are an insolent one, for a mere Six Sword.]
At Kaylen’s statement, the Dragon God remained silent for a moment before speaking.
[This planet is a land born of miracles.]
[Indeed. It is a world created by a convergence of countless coincidences.]
The Water God continued, speaking in a solemn tone.
[The collision with Teia, the Moon’s progenitor, was an accident. But because of that impact, this land transformed into a place capable of sustaining life. Since then, it has been my role, as its guardian, to maintain this miracle.]
"Is that so?"
[Of course, we are well aware that our efforts have caused the rise and fall of countless lifeforms. However, it was a necessary act for the sake of this planet. There was not a shred of selfishness in our actions.]
"No selfishness—only the intent to eliminate the Celestial Gods.
Is that what you’re saying?"
[Precisely. We exist only to protect the land where life can be born. Whether that life be human, elf, or dwarf—it is irrelevant. Our sole purpose as gods is to create and safeguard the foundation for life itself.]
As long as the planet endured—
They did not care what lifeforms lived upon its surface.
It was the mindset of the Water God, who represented the will of the planet.
His stance differed from Kaylen’s.
[If we do not intervene, we will be unable to respond to future extraterrestrial threats that may arise. Your demand for our departure is something we cannot accept.]
"Is that so? Then negotiations have failed."
As the spinning Six Swords came to a stop and slowly began losing their aura, the Water God hurriedly spoke.
[W-Wait…! You can’t just leave like this!]
"If the terms don’t align, then it’s over."
[Even so, negotiations are about finding common ground…]
"But you refused, didn’t you?"
As Kaylen prepared to step back, the Water God desperately tried to hold him back.
Watching this unfold, the Dragon God spoke in a voice laced with irritation.
[How insolent. Six Sword, your demand cannot be accepted.]
"Dragon God, the one negotiating is the Water God. You should stay out of this."
[What…!]
"Aren’t you merely a derivative of the Water God? You’re nothing more than a means to an end. Stay out of this."
The Six Swords, which had come to a halt, began to spin again, provoking the Dragon God.
[You insolent…!]
And those words seemed to strike a nerve.
The flames flared up even more, swirling around the Six Swords.
Their intensity was enough to seemingly burn the swords away entirely.
But rather than cower, Kaylen let out a chuckle.
"Heh. The Water God remains calm, yet… why are you getting so worked up, Dragon God?"
[Water God! How long do you intend to stand by and watch this fool’s insolence? You cower before a sword that destroyed Infinity!]
[But…!]
[Even if that sword once annihilated Infinity, it will be useless against me. I have become more complete than that mere elemental Infinity. There is no need to be dragged around by him.]
As the Dragon God berated the Water God—
Kaylen’s voice flowed from the Six Swords.
"Then how about we put that to the test?"
[What?]
"Let’s see if you can truly withstand this sword."
[Kuh…! With just the aura contained within that blade?]
"Take a good look at the sword and judge for yourself. You haven’t forgotten everything about swords, have you, Dragon God?"
Fwoooosh—
At Kaylen’s words, the flames surged even higher, completely engulfing the Six Swords.
[Fine. Show me what you’ve got.]
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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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