Chapter 1946
[Betrayal... That is a poor interpretation.]
Judar’s eyes were transparent and lifeless, resembling a piece of gla.s.s work. He slowly scanned the blood-stained battlefield.
[It is said you dragons have gained near-omniscient abilities thanks to the protection of the foreign G.o.d. But in the end, that knowledge is only ‘transmitted.’ So it has to undergo one round of processing. It is definitely distorted.]
[You have always been jealous of us. This inexplicable nonsense is probably motivated by a sense of inferiority.]
Kubartos was admitting that the situation was unfavorable. He roughly matched Judar’s nonsense while secretly preparing his magic. He intended to pour everything out and kill Asura, who was trampling on the back of his neck.
[What do you mean by nonsense? The fact that you are in trouble right now proves that your omniscience isn’t perfect.]
Judar spoke calmly, but it sounded like mockery to Kubartos. The dragon took advantage of this. Kubartos feigned anger and spontaneously poured out magic.
To his surprise, Asura promptly responded. Even though he reacted barely one second later, he drew his blunt sword and swung it at the bombardment.
[......!]
Kubartos’ composure was shaken. He had cast dozens of spells with the ‘full power’ borrowed from the time reversal, yet dozens of them were slashed by a single sword.
‘This is really Chiyou’s swordsmans.h.i.+p...!’
Kubartos’ struggle intensified, but this time he wasn’t pretending. He released magic and Breaths in all directions while wildly swinging his tail and claws.
Asura quickly turned into rags, but he was acquainted with some of Chiyou’s skills. He responded to Kubartos’s rampage with various martial arts and suppressed him so he wouldn’t be able to take flight anymore.
The loot that Judar gained from h.e.l.l had clearly been honed since Chiyou attacked Grid.
This level of trolling surpa.s.sed even Braham’s.
In any case, Judar kept talking.
[On the other hand, I observe most situations from heaven.]
Unlike the Hwan Kingdom, which only featured small ponds and wells, Asgard had a number of lakes and rivers flowing through the land. Using these, the heavenly G.o.ds were able to observe the dimensions beneath the sky.
In particular, Judar was the most powerful G.o.d, and he had many eyes and ears.
[Unlike you, who relies on distorted information, I can understand the overall flow of the world more closely. The reason I have joined the battlefield now is because I have confirmed that our alliance has been rendered worthless. I have calculated how to best use you in this modified situation. This isn’t a betrayal. There is no longer a need for our alliance since you are incompetent.]
[What kind of logic is this...? You are more shameless than me!!]
Kubartos was unable to keep listening to the traitor’s sophistry and roared like a beast. His horn was emitting a bright light. He was using an organ that was just as important as the heart, due to its symbolism, as a direct means of attack.
It was evidence that he was so angry, he couldn’t even bother thinking of the consequences.
[......]
Judar recited something in divine language. A hemispherical, opaque area unfolded around Kubartos. Asura tried to hurriedly escape but failed, his body grabbed by Kubartos.
Braham’s eyes widened when he noticed the ident.i.ty of the realm.
‘This? Judar created a dimension?’
Just then, explosions broke out inside the area that Kubartos and Asura were trapped in. Countless cracks appeared and disappeared repeatedly, causing the realm to shake as if it was going to fall apart.
Judar was surprised, but nothing changed. Kubartos wasn’t able to escape the isolation dimension. The powerful energy emitted by his horn had no effect on reality.
“......”
Everyone fell silent.
The chief G.o.d of Asgard. Judar was also Rebecca’s direct child. His appearance made the Overgeared members, knights, and tower members feel nervous.
The reason why the tower members showed outstanding combat power against a dragon was because they had been determining how to fight this target for a thousand years. On the other hand, the G.o.ds were unknown to them. They couldn’t help feeling intimidated.
Zik broke the silence. “Not long ago, you were aiming for Trauka’s heart. Now you desire Kubartos’. You are still going around, sneaking like a jackal.” He fired his animosity at Judar, who was watching the realm in which Kubartos was trapped with great disdain.
Judar turned to him and spoke calmly.
[I’m just doing my best. I’m not lazy like you, so...]
Zik’s expression darkened. When the seven good people rebelled against the G.o.ds, Zik had been unable to overcome the Curse of Sloth and fell asleep alone. Judar provoked this guilt that even death couldn’t shake off.
It was mockery from his eternal enemy who had taken the lead in slaughtering his comrades.
“Are you distorting the fact that I was left behind because of the curse you placed on me?!” Zik shouted. Everyone was silent. Even the slightest buzzing was gone.
Zik was a survivor of the perished world, always reticent. He only occasionally smiled in front of Grid and Zibal, but his apathetic expression rarely changed. His heart had been worn down over the years, leaving him unable to produce proper emotions.
However, now, his neck was throbbing as he released his rage.
“It won’t be long...! In this world, I will definitely conquer Asgard! I will cut off all your limbs and throw them to the wild beasts to chew on! I will pluck out your soul and offer it in a ritual sacrifice to mourn the destruction of the world by the angels!”
[...Your G.o.d is already on the side of the G.o.ddess. Isn’t revenge already out of the question?]
“Do you think I will be shaken by such words? The nature of the G.o.ddess is now fully understood. She wouldn’t condemn us as traitors just because we saw the sins of the G.o.ds and rebelled. Now I know for sure that beings like you must’ve played a trick to be where you are.”
[Are you going to forgive the G.o.ddess, just like you forgave Hexetia? Seeing you follow Grid’s will, you are still faithful, Zik.]
Judar’s face showed an expression for the first time.
It was a smile.
[In every world, the ‘ordeal of the end’ has always been given by the G.o.ddess. In the end, it was because of her that you and your comrades were stigmatized as the seven malignant saints and pushed to the edge of the cliff, causing you to rally to overcome your limitations.
After all, you failed because you couldn’t overcome the Curse of Sloth. Unlike Hayate, you didn’t become the hope of the G.o.ddess. Therefore, your world was destroyed...]
“What...?”
[Since you have already been through all of this, stop relying on faith and think about it. Do you think Grid is different from the G.o.ddess? Did he consider your position at all when he joined forces with the G.o.ddess? Keep this in mind, Zik. A G.o.d isn’t obligated to repay faith.]
Zik was speechless. His mouth was still open, but he couldn’t speak. He trembled like a fool. The hypotheses that randomly came to mind made him feel confused and afraid.
Kyle, who had been lying down like a corpse, narrowed his eyes. He checked on Zik’s condition and mentally clicked his tongue.
‘This grandmaster... He has become an inconvenience to His Majesty. Shameful.’
Silence reigned again.
The hemispherical realm surrounding Kubartos was lifted.
[Dimensional isolation? You fight like a sinister b.a.s.t.a.r.d, Judar.]
Kubartos appeared unharmed, no injuries grazing his body. On the other hand, Asura was torn into bits and pieces. He’d been swept away by the attacks from the horn that nearly shattered the small dimension.
Judar answered casually, [I’m just fighting a winning battle.]
In fact, he didn’t much care about fights that had small odds of winning. There were many records of him retreating from battle without fighting. A very long time ago, Chiyou often made fun of Judar because of this, but he still didn’t change. This was his nature. Only after making sure that the odds were in his favor would the G.o.d of wisdom make his move.
Just like now.
Breath and magic engulfed Judar. Kubartos was agitated. The duration of time regression was running out.
A huge explosion occurred. Hazy yellow dust and drizzling ice falling from mountain peaks obscured people’s vision. Hundreds of Overgeared members died in the aftermath.
However, Judar had unfolded a circular realm around himself. He’d cut himself off from reality and nullified all damage.
“......”
Soon, the cold wind cleared the dust and a spectacular scene unfolded.
The mountain range looked hideous, as if a fallen moon had collapsed onto it. The highest peak was turned into a crater while Judar stood high in the center of the sky behind it.
Kubartos’ giant body shook once and lost its radiance.
The duration of time regression was over. His scales fell off like rain. One of his wings was torn off, and his tail was bent, dangling down. He looked exactly like when he’d been seriously wounded by the Overgeared members.
No, he looked way worse than before. Consuming the true energy of his horn had proven disastrous. The sphere of magic power collected in his mouth also became dozens of times smaller in size.
[It is a shame that the horn is burned.]
Judar slowly descended and stopped in front of Kubartos’ torso. The atmosphere was unusual.
The people who understood Kubartos’ crisis looked at Braham, Kraugel, and Lord in turn, waiting for orders. They naturally gravitated toward Braham and Kraugel because they were powerful people who represented the apostles and the Overgeared Guild. But before they knew it, people had begun relying on Lord as well.
Kraugel and Lord expressed the same opinion. “We need to help Kubartos.”
Judar wrapped a translucent sphere around his hand and pierced Kubartos’ heart. It was a bizarre sight. The Absolute Defense, scales, skin and even magic—nothing could stop Judar’s hand. It dug into Kubartos’ body without causing any injury and grabbed his heart.
Braham realized what a high-level operation this was, and a chill went down his spine.
A heart bigger than a house was pulled out, still pulsating even after losing its owner. Then, it was soon turned into a red liquid that was sucked into Judar’s body in a beautiful curve.
[Take the body.]
Just as Trauka confirmed, exceptional beings among the dragons wouldn’t die instantly even when they lost their heart. They just became weaker and weaker, dying slowly .
If an old dragon recuperated for thousands of years, there was a possibility that they could regenerate their missing heart. However, this wasn’t possible for a top dragon.
Judar flew past Kubartos, who slumped down in despair. Asura’s body, which had been torn into six pieces and scattered, had gathered together at some point and regenerated.
“I understand. I will eat up the remaining fragments.”
Asura snorted and prepared to decapitate Kubartos. However, Yura and Jishuka’s sniper shots pierced Asura’s brow and heart. Kraugel and Hurent’s sword cut through Asura’s wrists and waist.
Kraugel shouted to Lord and Braham, “Go to Grid! Hurry!”
The two of them were already casting Blink. Most of the surviving forces followed them, because they had clearly witnessed Judar entering Trauka’s lair.
-You... Sword Saint.
Kraugel was fighting back against Asura’s counterattack when Kubartos’s voice entered his mind.
-Accept my remaining traces within your sword. It might be possible since the sword was tempered by Trauka’s flames.
-At the very least, you and Grid should give up the idea of becoming dragon killers. I hate admitting it, but Hayate and Biban’s capabilities are outstanding. If Grid becomes a Dragon Slayer, it will be difficult for him to deal with insidious b.a.s.t.a.r.ds like Judar and Hanul.
-A G.o.d killer... You must aim to be a G.o.d killer.
There wasn’t a single hint of goodwill in Kubartos’ tone. Nevertheless, he was definitely giving helpful clues. He was siding with the players because the only thing left for him was the desire to get revenge on Judar, as if he didn’t care about the role of the dragons a.s.signed by the foreign G.o.d.
‘That is why he is the dragon who defies the natural order.’
How did the t.i.tle of ‘defying the natural order’ come about?
Kraugel looked at the golden glow around his sword and wondered if he should sell his Satisfy-related stocks.