C396. It Does Not Change (1)
With the fall of Golden Moon toward the ground, Alon Palatio lost his cognitive ability.
Alon's vision, which was looking at the mouth that was about to close, was dyed white, and instead of information about the situation, he only heard an electronic beep, a constant buzzing.
And then—
When his sight and hearing finally recovered their function, what he managed to see was the miserable and crushed body of To the One Who Devours.
Alon opened his mouth inadvertently.
That was how shocking the state of To the One Who Devours was.
The enormous mouth that had completely swallowed the royal castle of Colony had disappeared as if half of it had been torn off, and from the torn spot, as if it had been chewed, red blood identical to human blood fell, spilling like a waterfall and soaking the earth.
Finally, the gigantic body scorched by lightning, hanging limply with a strong smell of burnt flesh, was proof that that great Bearer of Divine Blood had met his death.
Alon stood watching that scene in a daze for a while when…
“...?”
He felt a doubt.
Until just a moment ago…
He was tied by the threads of the Poison Eater, placed right above the mouth of To the One Who Devours.
So why…?
Alon moved his gaze slowly…
And he immediately noticed that he was in Seolrang's arms. As if he were a princess being carried in arms.
Alon looked at Seolrang, who was observing him in silence, and thought:
‘…What the hell happened?’
The beast woman holding him was very different from the usual Seolrang.
The atmosphere was different. Her appearance was also different.
Even so, Alon could instinctively feel that this was Seolrang.
Although he had no idea why she had adopted such an appearance, Alon opened his mouth to speak to her…
[Hu-!]
…but he couldn't.
He frowned upon perceiving the presence emanating from the Poison Eater beyond the corpse of To the One Who Devours.
Despite having been hit by Basiliora and Blackie, and crushed by Seolrang's Descending Moon, it still retained its physical form to some extent. And above its head…
“Chut-!”
A rose.
Death was blossoming.
[What a pity. It’s already over.]
A beautiful flower—
But one that granted fair death to all began to open.
And before Alon could complete a seal, the red mist spread all at once.
‘Too late.’
Alon let out a weak exhalation.
If it hadn't blossomed yet, there would be some way to avoid it.
But in that state, there was nothing he could do.
For Alon, there was no spell capable of stopping the poisonous mist that had already covered more than half the sky above the city.
And that mist—
“That is…”
“This is crazy…”
He tried, once again, to cut off all hope.
To the combatants who were the first to notice the poison.
To the mages who were digging tunnels alongside Penia.
…And to the citizens who saw the desperate reaction of combatants and mages.
Just when terror was about to swallow everything—
Alon formed a seal.
Because suddenly, a thought emerged in his mind.
‘Even if… this!’
He didn't know if his body would allow it. But he couldn't just stand by watching while that poison expanded.
‘Whatever—’
At the moment Alon was gathering determination…
Seolrang, who was also observing the Poison Eater, set him down carefully on the ground.
“…Seolrang?”
“I’ll be right back.”
Although Alon called her—
Seolrang replied calmly…
And—
Chut-.
She disappeared in front of him. As if she had never been there.
Just when Alon intended to question what had just happened, so sudden—
KBOOOOOM!!!
The place where Seolrang had been exploded with a roar that arrived long after her disappearance.
And not only that.
As if everything were belatedly chasing her movement, everything in a straight line burst when she appeared in the sky.
And then—
Pazik-!
A golden lightning bolt burst from Seolrang's body, and her body turned completely golden.
It was the form of the Lightning God that Alon had seen several times.
But in the next instant, Alon saw something else.
As if it were a lie, black clouds covering the sky above the transformed Seolrang.
At the same time, Seolrang raised her hand toward the sky.
“Strike.”
In the instant her hand fell with that voice devoid of emotion—
KWAaaaaaaaaaaa!!!
A thunderstorm fell upon Colony.
Lightning falling incessantly throughout the city, as if they wanted to erase everything on the surface.
And when Seolrang raised her hand again to conclude the storm—
“!!”
The red mist that until a moment ago filled the sky of Colony disappeared as if it had never existed, and the flower of death above the Poison Eater crumbled powerless.
[Impossible—!]
The Poison Eater, who was sure of his victory, let out a voice filled with confusion.
[…Ha!]
And then he let out a hollow laugh, as if he couldn't believe it.
[…Fine. If it has come to this—]
The Poison Eater—
[Then I will kill you all.]
With a torn scream, he began to shoot threads everywhere.
Uuuuuuung—
Magic circles appeared, identical to the ones Alon had seen near the First Prince, circles that summoned Special Creatures. But this time—
“This is…”
Unlike the First Prince, this time there were dozens of circles forming around him. And before Alon could react—
Kwadududududuk!!!
Special Creatures began to sprout by the dozens, even hundreds. Their number was incomparable to what Seolrang had stopped before.
Overwhelming. Abyssal.
Everyone there could only let out a fatalistic sigh.
The Poison Eater covered the sky with his threads again.
But with a difference:
This time, as if foreseeing another storm, he used hundreds of thousands of threads, overlapping, to completely block the sky.
And meanwhile, the spider web expanded throughout Colony again.
The creatures began to run like crazy along those threads, densely filling the ground and the sky.
Death was approaching.
The flower of death above his head was gathering mana again, waiting to blossom.
All of that—
It was enough to inspire despair just by looking at it.
But in that instant—
Pazik-!
Everyone there heard a faint, ephemeral snap.
And then—
Pajijijijik!!!
Through the blocked sky, in that world dyed gray, a golden lightning bolt burst through.
And they saw—
The figure of Seolrang spitting golden light.
Her appearance was different from before. It wasn't just that her body glowed gold.
She had literally become a bolt of lightning.
A dazzling lightning bolt.
And—
Poof.
At the moment she disappeared—
An instant of silence.
And then—
KWAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!
The golden lightning bolts expanded throughout the space.
No one could see Seolrang.
Only that golden radiance spinning frantically…
And hundreds, perhaps thousands of Special Creatures exploding upon contact with the light.
Pajijijik-!!!
The lightning bolts were devouring the world.
Some let out screams, others sighs of reverence.
And finally—
[Impossible… This… this is done by a simple inferior creature—!!]
The Poison Eater tried to force the flower of death to blossom, resisting the lightning, when Seolrang appeared above him.
Before he could move—
“RangChangRangChang (Wolf Spear, Wolf Spear)”
Wrapped in a golden lightning bolt, she pierced the flower of death and descended upon the Poison Eater.
Along with the lightning that pierced the sky—
Everyone saw it.
Seolrang's body landing softly on a destroyed roof…
And—
KWAJijijijik-!
The body of the Poison Eater, screaming with incomprehensible fury, broke into pieces and created a sea of blood.
When the threads covering the sky disappeared, the sun illuminated them.
But no one looked at it.
Because something brighter than the sun was in front of them.
In conclusion, the Devourer and the Poison Eater died at the hands of Seolrang.
Colony was saved from destruction.
But it couldn't be said that it was an entirely favorable situation.
“Marquis, you were here?”
“Evan.”
The night was already advanced.
Alon, who was looking distractedly at the destroyed city, turned his head to Evan's voice.
“Oof, it’s a bit cold.”
“…Normally the Red Tower maintained a temperature spell over the entire city, but not anymore.”
“Well, in this situation it would be weird if it were still working.”
Evan clicked his tongue looking ahead. Alon also looked again.
The destroyed landscape of Colony continued to stretch out.
…Ruins, more than a city.
“….I have seen destroyed cities following you, Marquis, but this surpasses anything imaginable.”
“I see.”
Alon agreed.
Colony's situation was the worst he had seen in his life.
There were barely any whole buildings in sight.
In the center, where the royal castle should be, there was only a huge crater.
He thought about that for just a moment.
“Evan.”
“Yes?”
“…Is Seolrang okay?”
“Ah, yes. According to the diagnosis, she only fainted from using too much power.”
“What a relief.”
Alon let out a sigh.
Right after eliminating the Poison Eater—
Seolrang, contemplating the corpse of the Bearer of Divine Blood amidst that sea of blood, suddenly returned to her normal form and fell unconscious.
“And when will she wake up?”
“Probably tomorrow.”
“Thank goodness.”
“…By the way, are you okay, Marquis?”
“What do you mean?”
“Your body. It doesn't seem to be in good condition. Should you be like this, walking around?”
Evan was right.
Although he could now deploy magic faster, saving calculation capacity, the intensive use of mana continued to wear him down. The weight of using Reverse Heaven was becoming more bearable… but it wasn't something overcome.
On this occasion, he had also maintained Reverse Heaven for too long.
That's why he knew he would be in bed for several days recovering.
And he was aware of it.
But even so—
‘Those eyes…’
He remembered Seolrang's eyes.
Those eyes devoid of emotion, as if looking at something empty.
…Eyes that seemed sad.
Alon knew that something had changed in Seolrang.
But knowing it didn't make the feeling disappear.
Seolrang's gaze had left him with a deep, strange uneasiness, difficult to ignore.
Even now, it continued to disturb him ceaselessly.
“…Let’s go inside.”
“Good decision… although I don't think your worry has diminished.”
Alon headed to his temporary accommodation with Evan.
But just as Evan said, the worry for Seolrang remained clearly reflected on Alon's face.
“Is your health okay?”
“I am fine, Your Highness.”
The next morning—
Alon, just woken up, received a visit from Karsem.
“…I sincerely thank you, Marquis.”
After a brief greeting, Karsem bowed his head deeply without hesitation.
“Raise your head. You must be king now.”
But Karsem shook his head and continued:
“No, if I am to be king, then I must bow even lower. A king is one who assumes responsibility for everyone, not one who leans on his authority to raise his head.”
“Really… thank you so very much. If it weren't for you, everyone in Colony would have died.”
Faced with Karsem's continuous gratitude…
Alon stopped him no longer.
Although deep down he thought:
Perhaps Colony would shine more with Karsem as king and not with Karan.
But that thought passed quickly.
“I don't like to express my gratitude only with words… but the city right now…”
Alon glanced sideways at the landscape outside.
The same devastation as yesterday.
A city that looked more like a graveyard of ruins.
Alon replied without hesitation:
“I am fine. Focus on rebuilding the city.”
“Are you really… okay with that?”
“Yes. If you need it, I can contact the Tower of Mages to ask for support.”
Karsem shuddered, lowering his head again.
“Thank you… thank you so very much…!”
His voice trembled, wet.
Just after Karsem withdrew—
“Marquis.”
“Evan.”
“Is your body okay?”
“No problem.”
“I’m glad to hear it… But, did something happen between you and the Second Prince?”
“Why?”
“Well… he came out crying and murmuring your name.”
Evan told him the curious scene.
And then he got to the point:
“Marquis. The Information Guild sent something new. Something interesting.”
“Is the guild still operating in this state?”
“We received it by crystal.”
“And what information is it?”
“Do you remember that Caliban said they were being attacked by a Bearer of Divine Blood?”
“Did something happen to Deus?”
Alon asked instinctively.
But Evan denied it.
“No. If something had happened to Deus, I wouldn't be so calm here.”
“Then…?”
“On the contrary. Caliban overcame the crisis.”
“…Even though they were attacked by a Divine Blood?”
“Yes.”
“Did Deus protect them?”
“He did, but it wasn't him who resolved everything.”
“Then who…?”
Evan hesitated for a moment and then said:
“Marquis… I wanted to ask you a question, just to make sure.”
“What question?”
“Seriously… were you a god in your past life or something?”
He asked that.
“…What are you saying?”
“I mean it literally.”
“And you ask it seriously like that?”
“Yes.”
At Alon's confused reaction—
“According to the information, a Divine Blood in the form of a giant appeared in Caliban to help them.”
“What? A Divine Blood?”
“Yes. And it said that you sent it.”
Evan transmitted the information just as he received it.
And then—
Alon's face filled with question marks.
Me?
