Chapter 176 – Divinity (1/2)
Chapter 176 – Divinity
“Oh my god.”
Balis muttered with stupor, gazing at the dark orb in the sky above. With the sun utterly eclipsed by the artifact, the city seemed to be enveloped by an eternal shadow.
The whole area around the palace was empty save for the numerous corpses scattered on the ground. Everyone was afraid to come near the palace gates.
“Zarvel, what have you done… ?”
It was not possible for Zarvel to own a Deity artifact unless he was associated with one of the Deities themselves. A Deity who wanted to control the mortal world could only be one belonging to the Infernal Faction.
The battle was most likely still ongoing inside the palace, but Balis had to destroy the dark orb before he went inside. With that Deity artifact active, none of the tower lords would be able to fight against Zarvel, hence it was imperative that Balis exterminated the orb.
*clink*
Balis leapt off into the sky and punched the orb with all his might. However, the artifact was immune to any damage and besides the dull sound of his fist colliding against the orb, nothing changed.
This looks troublesome.
Balis mustered a large majority of his essence into a ball of condensed tornados and prepared to smash it at the orb. After his strenuous journey from the Order’s headquarters, Balis’ essence reserves were almost dry, but he had no choice if he wanted to defeat Zarvel.
“HAAAH!”
The ball made of violent gales struck the dark orb, and Balis fueled the attack by using more of his essence.
*kacha*
Finally, a small crack appeared on top of the glassy orb. But it was not enough to destroy the Deity artifact.
“No… ”
Balis descended to the ground, crestfallen at not being able to execute his task. He was almost completely out of essence, and could not coalesce another attack on par with his last one.
“Rest, old man. We’ll take it from here.”
A deep voice sounded behind Balis, causing the exhausted man to turn around to see who the visitors were.
Balis’ eyes widened in shock at the sight unfolding in front of his eyes.
There were around twenty warriors gathered around three middle-aged men. What shocked Balis was not their numbers, but the power currently being displayed by the three men in front. Countless bolts of lightning gathered above their bodies, all aimed at the dark orb in the sky.
The reinforcements from the Raizel clan were finally here.
………………………………
How are you here!?
Calron inquired the voice inside his mind. The sensation reminded him of Ezkael, filling the void that existed in his soul after his Teacher’s departure.
I don’t have much time, child. In order to come here, I had to sacrifice a part of my divinity so listen carefully to what I’m about to say.
The golden-eyed man stated in a serious tone.
I cannot defeat the creature in front of us, but I can definitely scare him away. I need you to channel the Azure Lightning into me, so I can utilize its power to sustain the illusion. We only have a few minutes left, so let’s make it count.
Since he was going to die anyways, Calron had no qualms with summoning the Azure Lightning once again. All of this conversation happened in the span of a second.
“LEAVE THIS PLACE, BEAST.”
The golden dragon’s voice rumbled, its ancient eyes glaring down at Zarvel. Compared to the gigantic fifty-meter dragon, Zarvel looked like a small plant while the others seemed like ants.
Calron’s body shivered as he transferred the power of the Azure Lightning into the golden dragon.
It’s cold.
Calron could sense his heartbeat slowing down as death rapidly approached him.
“I am not afraid of a Deity, dragon. My master is one of you as well, so you’ll have to face him if you continue to stand in my way.”
Zarvel was unfettered by the colossal dragon looming over him and responded calmly to his threat.
Flashes of dark blue lightning darted across the golden dragon’s scales, as it bent its head down and breathed onto Zarvel’s miniscule body.
“WHO SAID I WAS A MERE DEITY?”
Right at that moment, Zarvel’s eyes fluttered in shock and his body began to quiver uncontrollably. Even the pupils in his eyes rolled back as the winged beast collapsed to the ground and started to twitch.
NO! STOP!
Zarvel bellowed in his mind, feeling his soul being slowly torn apart by sharp claws.
This was not the sheer power of a Deity!
It was a whole realm above it!
Calron, I have used the last bit of my divinity so the illusion of the dragon will fade away in a moment. I am sorry, but this is the extent of what I can do with my avatar in the mortal world.
The golden dragon’s regretful voice echoed inside Calron’s head.
He had managed to injure Zarvel by ripping a part of his soul, but it was not enough to kill the beast.
Child, after I leave, you will need to inform the Patriarch and prepare for the impending war. You only have a few years until the Shadow God makes his move, so you’ll need to be ready by then.
War? And who is this Shadow God?
Calron’s mind was befuddled by the information just revealed to him.
I wish our circumstances were not like this, as I had planned to tell you about them slowly in the following months. Your Patriarch already knows about the situation, so he’ll tell you more about it later.
The golden dragon sighed inside Calron’s mind. He did not expect Calron and the city to be attacked so soon, and was forced to consume his divinity to save them from the enemy.
It doesn’t matter anymore… if you haven’t noticed yet, I am dying.
Calron forced out the thought, feeling the coldness seep into his bones.
It is too soon for you to die, Calron, as your destiny is not tied down to this mortal world. I will transfer the last vestiges of my divinity into you, so your body can rejuvenate its internal organs from their fatal injury. Take care of yourself, child.
The dragon’s body started to fade, rousing everyone’s attention.