Chapter 240 (1/2)

Death Mage 240 – The death of a God of war

It was roughly 50,000 years ago when Fitun lived as a huine… and a considerably long time even to a God

At his core, Fitun was a fanatic for combat, a thrill-starved battle junkie

As a huth Poas necessary Weak soldiers on a battlefield were not cos to be used as a meat shi+eld They did not have the ability to enjoy combat or feel any thrills; they were simply cut down like weeds

In order to be able to continue enjoying battle, the strength to survive was needed The archery skill to shoot down ility to dance around a heavily-arhtly-arth were needed in order to survive battles against es, adventurers and mercenaries

After going through the effort to beco that had left hih for Fitun He wanted to experience as many battlefields as possible, and to experience each for as long as possible

But naturally, Fitun had desired not only strength, but money as well, in addition to fame, drink, food, women and every other pleasure conceivable But the reason he desired these was because he wanted to steep his body with the feverish excitement that came with the taste of battle

Money was necessary to attain proper equipht on the battlefields that Fitun found so fascinating, he had needed fame… achievements

The alcohol, food and women to enjoy between battles were also i so close to death, Fitun needed to be living It was because he was living a fulfilling life that he had been able to feel the raw thrill of death

He was paid to kill, enjoyed his food and drink at banquets, andand look for his next battlefield His lifestyle had consisted of endless repetitions of that cycle

Thus, Fitun had thought that he would die on a battlefield one day

But before he knew it, he had been the one as leading a es across the land, the war had ended

The nation hiring Fitun had achieved victory in athe era of war between rival warlords

Fitun had hastily searched for his next battlefield, but unfortunately, the h to satisfy hireat nation that he had once served, there had been none in that nation more powerful than Fitun

He had been left with no choice but to wait for the next war He would have to endure until the great nation fractured once more, and a neerful foe was born

But despite being a living legend, in the end, he was still a human His incredible Vitality had allowed him to live for over 120 years, but in the end, he had reached the end of his lifespan before the great nation ever fractured

The people had mourned him as the hero who had helped in the foundation of their nation, the one who had brought them victory after victory on the battlefield They had thanked hi them peace

They had been unaware that Fitun was the one who had desired more than anyone for that peace to become undone

But thanks to the people's prayers, Fitun had joined the ranks of the Gods after his death As soret that he had not been able to die on the battlefield, this was more than he could have ever asked for

He would becoainst the re in the shadows of the world as well as Vida and the Gods who served her within the Boundary Mountain Range of the Bahn Gaia continent

His blood would boil and his flesh would dance onceevil Gods whoainst when he was a ht fierce battles unlike any that he had ever experienced before

But those hopes had been betrayed What had awaited hi the power of the wind-attribute that filled Lae the world And the task of leading the believers who offered hi the a God

He had spent his days tending to the world like a gardener would tend to his garden, and guiding his believers with far less effort and care than he had taken when training new soldiers as a mortal

Of course, he had not forgotten that ene's army, the Gods who served Vida, and Zantark, the God of fire and destruction as said to have descended into madness It had been decided that if these enemies were to make awith the other war-Gods

But the evil Gods that had once been a part of the De's army would only move their followers in their plots and schemes; they would never take action on their own The Gods of Vida's faction had holed up within the Boundary Mountain Range, and Zantark on the Dark Continent, showing no signs of wanting to leave

Fitun and his subordinates were fully prepared, but they had no choice but to continue their tedious work, as they were not blessed with the opportunity for actual combat

Fitun are that he had been given an honorable task, one that could only be performed by a God

But it was not the heated, sti role that Fitun had desired

Gathering the members of his former mercenary band who had died before him and becoathering believers, granting pointless divine protections

He had nothing to do but gather proht for their lives in the 'Dungeon of Trials' that he had created

During that tireat nation that Fitun had worked for had fallen, and even its naotten A world of conflict had come about once more, and Fitun had felt envy as its inhabitants enjoyed the war But he had been unable to descend upon the world hi other than watch

Before he knew it, ten thousand years, twenty thousand years had passed The otten, and he had beco Alda

But with the e with him had awakened

And Vandalieu had fulfilled those desires, far ined Of course, those desires being fulfilled too much would be problematic

Fitun liked battles to the death, and did not dislike coer when he ounded And it was not that Fitun wanted to lose

Even now, he was suffering fro been eaten from within by Vandalieu's 'Bloodlust'

He had healed his body's injuries with healing ic, but he was unable to heal his own soul He had no choice but to endure this pain, but…

Speaking of pain, what happened to the others? he suddenly wondered

The 'Curse of Consequence of Action' caused Fitun to feel not only the pain that he himself had caused, but also the pain inflicted by the heroic spirits serving him But the instances of that pain had become fewer and fewer before he realized it

The transparent,this area from the outside world, but Fitun could see Kanako and her coainst Bobby and the other heroic spirits on the other side of it It seee as they had lost oneon

But what had happened to the other heroic spirits?

The fact that the instances of pain I feel are fewer, itless wounds upon the enemy Have they been killed? Now that I think about it, the city is unharates, but that's all, Fitun thought damn, I suppose this is the best we could do with a hastily-made plan

In order to secure fighting forces, Fitun had prepared improvised bodies for his heroic spirits to be incarnated in, and also prepared ar 'Heroic Spirit Transformation'

But as expected, it had been impossible to prepare the exact aro So enshrined in Churches and such, but there were ht away because they had been lost or now belonged to someone else

Thus, much of the armor used by the heroic spirits were items that they had chosen froeon of Trials' But this had not been an option for their weapons Their ene Guduranis

If they were to kill hi equipment

Thus, Fitun had sent Divine Messages to the clergymen of a Church that worshi+ped him and commanded them to open their secret treasure chambers He had thus acquired several pieces of equip's bone marrow, as well as the Orichalcum scimitars that he had used himself when he was a mortal

Although there had still not been enough equipment for all of the heroic spirits, Fitun had used his power as a God to refine Orichalcum and coat Mythril and Adamantite weapons with it to create improvised Orichalcum weapons

And even that wasn't enough… but they've done very well if they've inflicted that much pain on Vandalieu's pawns I' because they're either exhausted fro my subordinates, or because he's ht But I don't have any reinforcements either Well, that can't be helped If I ain with

“Now then, we're out of time I'll have you help me this ti at the smoke from the explosion that had incinerated Misa Anderson

“Help you out? … Just do as you like Go ahead and let out soh to break these walls of space or erase the 'Bloodlust,' if you want We'll be co back,” said Akira

“Coroaned Murakaot to his feet

Like Akira, he was almost completely unaffected by 'Bloodlust,' as Vandalieu had used all of it as fuel for 'Fla Prison Death'

He pulled out the knife that was still lodged inside hi Potion Now healed, he was able to continue fighting He possessed the 'Super Mana Recovery' Skill, so Mana wasn't a problem either

His failure earlier was due to the fact that he had not expected that Vandalieu would still have a Ghost like Orbia up his sleeve, but he would not fall for the same trick twice

Akira stared at Murakami in disbelief “What do I mean?! Misa's been devoured! Don't you understand? We're at a disadvantage here! One that can't be overturned, at that! We should retreat! It's troublesos over, but it's better than having our souls broken Don't you understand that? Don't tell me you've been infected by this God's fanaticism for battle!”

Murakaave Akira's words some consideration Indeed, Akira was certainly correct

Vandalieu had become much more powerful than Murakami had expected, and they had lost Misa It was possible for theine that they would be victorious if they did so

The fear of having one's soul destroyed… that fear was actually difficult to feel for someone as a mortal rather than a God For an atheist who believed in no religions, one could say that this fate was no different from death

But to reincarnated individuals like Muraka their existence extinguished was true death

Of course, the situation had changed since the last time Murakami and his companions returned to Rodcorte's Divine Realm It was even possible that Rodcorte would deem Murakaration like every other dead soul

Their souls would remain intact this way, but… to Muraka reincarnated as another organism with his memories and personality erased was not uished

But if he continued to fight here out of the fear that Rodcorte would give up on him, was there any hope of victory?

I ca that we have no choice but to amble, even if the odds aren't in our favor, but… I suppose we had no hope from the moment Vandalieu closed off this space and used 'Bloodlust' We ht have had more of a chance if we'd formed an alliance with Fitun and provided hi rather than try to leave it all to hi the case, it seems that it would be best to do as Akira says – Retreat for now and wait for soin who's likely to join us to die and be reincarnated here

“Alright… I' fuss in his Divine Realht about now, but he shouldn't have any proble our souls,” Murakami said

Akira gave a sigh of relief, seeing that Murakami seemed to have come to his senses

Both of thehtly difficult-to-use switches in their minds The pain would only last one second Their hearts would stop, and their souls would leave their bodies in less than a second

But during that single moment –

“'Lightning Fate Grasp!'” Hajime Fitun murmured from behind

Murakahtning released by Hajime Fitun

The shockwave produced by the lightning destroyed the walls of space, causing the space-attribute Ghosts to groan and scatter

Hajiave a satisfied smile as he looked at Murakami and Akira, who had just attempted to kill themselves

“What do you think? I did as I liked Did you not kno fast lightning is? I don't even need a single second to shock you!” he said triumphantly

“W-what is… the asped

He and Akira turned to face Haji to retaliate

But their bodies would not move, and Muraka them to

“There was an opening before your souls left your bodies, so I made use of it! I used electricity to force your hearts tomy power as a God!” said Hajime Fitun

Hajile moment it had taken for their souls to be recovered by Rodcorte The 'Marionette' ability did not have the power to seal souls within bodies, but this feat was possible for the lightning of Fitun, the God of thunderclouds

This was normally a way to maintain cardiopulmonary functions and hold the soul inside the body in order to save soe of death, but in this case, Fitun had used it to put Murakami and Akira in the palm of his hand

“W-what? Did you… really want to… kill us that badly?” Murakaroaned, still in pain

“I did, but that isn't why I did it!” he sneered “I did it so I can use those abilities of yours to kill Vandalieu!”

“You bastard! You damn… brat…!”

Haji to act like you're my teacher? … Don't look down on me! I've shut your soul in your bodies, and I'll control you with my electrical currents! Rodcorte won't be able to interfere so long as your souls are still inside your bodies! I'll release you once the battle is over… though your nerves will probably have burnt out by then, so you'll die the second I do But you don'tto die either way! Now then, let's work together, Murakami-sensei!”

Having lost control over his body due to Hajis turn out if the battle against Vandalieu continued in this situation? Murakami's soul would be devoured if Hajime Fitun lost, and even if he won, it was possible that Murakaht lose his sanity from the pain

To begin with, there was no way that Hajiainst Vandalieu It wasn't difficult to iine that he would use Muraka the battle, causing his soul to be devoured in the process

But Hajime Fitun currently controlled even the activation of Muraka Murakami could do

Hajiot companions that share h it's only through electrical currents, but I'll endure it for your sake Now then… where is he co through the smoke that still hadn't faded away

Fitun knew that Vandalieu was hiding in the s to see what move he would make

The truth was that Vandalieu was not si; he had cast 'Death Delay' when Murakami and Akira tried to kill themselves Even with their 'Death Attribute Resistance,' it would have taken them at least aPrison Death' oncethe their souls

As Hajime Fitun had acted first, Vandalieu had not needed to resort to this, a method that could have caused him to be burned by his own spell

“But there is no tih this smoke,” Hajime Fitun muttered

As Haji his power as a God with the 'God Transformation' Skill active, he would die if he exceeded his li the fact that Hajime was a reincarnated individual with a body that had been created through the divine power of Rodcorte

“I'llBlade!'” Hajime Fitun shouted

He used ahis De equipment curved swords in a cross pattern… not towards the other side of the smoke, but towards the city of Morksi that was visible in the distance

The city was between one and two kilometers away, but such distance did not matter In this world, an class adventurer could split a sth Considering that Hajime Fitun was the physical incarnation of a war God, it would be easy for a full-power shockwave produced by his De equipment weapons to destroy a mere city wall

But Vandalieu leapt fro himself

“'Steel Wall,' 'Steel Form,'” he murmured

He activated the De's carapace on both of his ar's exoskeleton protecting his body, and blocked Hajime Fitun's attack

But it seemed that this move had been anticipated

“Stop!” Murakami shouted

One of Vandalieu's arms was frozen in place

“'Divine Lightning Enchant Slash Dance!'” Haji a series of even more powerful shockwaves towards the now-immobile Vandalieu

Unable to withstand this, Vandalieu's carapace and exoskeleton were torn to pieces, along with the De's skin beneath However, none of his blood was spilled

Haji enchantment had burned Vandalieu's wounds shut

“This is your way of dealing with 'Bloodlust,' I see Then I think it is best that you don't attack the city, however,” said Vandalieu

The reason Hajiet the city of Morksi thus far was because he intended to use the city's people as hostages against Vandalieu

He did not h to kill a little over a thousand people But he had e to kill most of or all of the citizens

The reason for that was because… ould happen if Vandalieu abandoned the city, and the city's people lost their value as hostages? Hajime Fitun had known the answer to that, even before experiencing the pain of 'Bloodlust'

But this hostage-taking plan hinged on Fitun's belief in a certain thing – the fact that Vandalieu would continue to defend the city even at the cost of having to put himself at risk to do so If Fitun was unable to believe this fact, then his plan would not work

“Are you expectingto the death, to have a conscience, a sense of justice, a sense of compassion, because you will protect the insects in the city until your dying breath?!” Fitun muttered

Believing that the De would continue to defend the weak, in order to defeat the De

Such a thing would likely have been impossible for the Five Colored Blades But Fitun was absolutely certain that Vandalieu would truly try to defend the city until he was no longer able to

On the battlefield, there were many people ould risk their lives for reasons that others would consider worthless As a human, Fitun himself had been a mercenary who risked his life in order to be paid

These reasons included love, friendshi+p and justice, and Fitun knew that people illing to truly lay down their lives for these reasons

That hy it was possible to believe that Vandalieu would risk his life for a reason that Hajime Fitun could not comprehend at all, at least for the 'previous' Hajime Fitun

But it seemed that the 'current' Hajime Fitun was unable to believe that

“That's impossible! When your life is really at risk, there's no question that you're going to abandon them! After all, there are plenty of other cities, but you only have one life!” he shouted

This hy he had used 'Death Scythe' to stop one of Vandalieu's ar him in mid-air, then attempted to put all of his effort into this one moment

“I see,” Vandalieu said with a nod

Using the De's eyes that had opened on his forehead and one of his palht at Murakami – in order to erase him and undo the 'Death Scythe' ability

He had destroyed the previous owner of the ability, Konoe Miyaji, si the ability with the 'Abyss' Skill, but… as Muraka the ability back onto hi Murakami's own arm

As the bea were not spells, they would be unaffected by Murakainal ability, 'Chronos' He would be unable to avoid the beams and simply die as they created holes in his body

However, with clumsy movements, Murakami avoided the beams – as if he had predicted that they would be aimed at his head and stomach