Book Eater

Chapter 328: The Night that Swallowed the Sun (4)

“Hraesvelgr!” Theo shouted as he recognized the giant bird.

I heard he was a big sacred creature, but… isn’t this too big?

Hraesvelgr’s shadow covered dozens of kilometers and allowed everybody on the battlefield to see him. One of his feathers could cover four or five people, and there was the illusion of the whole world turning white every time he flapped his wings. His eyes couldn’t even be measured. Was it due to the large size that Theo’s perspective was strange? Hraesvelgr himself was a transcendent body with such enormous power.

[Hrmm.]

Hraesvelgr, who was white from his head to his tail feathers, slowly opened his eyes. Having been summoned in front of the world tree, Hraesvelgr looked around the battlefield without saying anything until he turned to the part of the sky where Theo and Jerem were standing. There were signs of an enemy that could never be forgotten.

[Arrogant and greedy lizard, you still desire the world tree?]

Hraesvelgr’s voice admonished in a dry tone, spreading to all corners of this battlefield.

Someone had once said that all sound was vibration, and Hraesvelgr’s voice didn’t stray from this concept. The vibrations from the giant creature flowed through the sky and ground without losing a single bit of power. Everyone heard his voice, regardless of the boundaries between the living and the dead.

When Jerem heard Hraesvelgr’s voice, he unconsciously predicted the worst development. The demon king of Nastrond, the arrogant dragon, couldn’t let this provocation pass.

[Hraesvelgr, it’s you?!]

Unsurprisingly, Nídh?ggur roared as he came into the open. So far, he had stayed in the position of a bystander to preserve his power. However, Nídh?ggur faced Hraesvelgr now.

[You are blocking me again! You haven’t learned anything from the Age of Mythology! We have the same origins and will gain nothing from going against each other!]

[That’s why you don’t understand, demon king of Nastrond.]

Since time immemorial, good and evil had faced each other across the battlefield. Hraesvelgr was a sacred creature on the side of good, while Nídh?ggur was a dragon on the side of evil. The battle over the world tree during the Age of Mythology had been another extension of that long struggle. As it happens, the two beings had the same habit of swallowing dead bodies. However, unlike Nídh?ggur who enjoyed the act of torture, Hraesvelgr aimed to enrich the soil.

Hraesvelgr looked at the ground and unfolded his wings with a heavy sigh.

[Today, I might end up overeating.]

Nídh?ggur bared his ugly teeth.

[Good. I won’t pass up this chance if you are coming out!]

These were existences from the Age of Mythology! As the white eagle and black dragon scattered their presence, those stuck in between were forced to endure their pressure. Those who didn’t have properly trained minds and bodies fainted, while the undead that couldn’t protect themselves were destroyed. It was a presence that was hard to bear, even when they were just looking at each other.

[... Let’s take this somewhere else.]

Hraesvelgr flapped his giant wings.

Kuoooooh!

He was so big that the clouds were torn apart with just a light motion, while the atmosphere was twisted into a vortex. The legends didn’t seem to be wrong; it wasn’t impossible for Hraesvelgr to cause a hurricane with a single flap of his wings. Hraesvelgr soared as the mortals looked up at him in awe.

Then he looked down at the ground and asked.

[Are your wings just ornaments, Nídh?ggur?]

[Hah, provoking me.]

Nídh?ggur knew his opponent’s intentions. Nídh?ggur might treat mortals like worms, but Hraesvelgr respected life. This area would be turned to ruins if it was caught up in the fight between two transcendents, so Hraesvelgr flew up into the distant sky to avoid involving them. However, Nídh?ggur just laughed wildly and spread his wings.

[A king doesn’t refuse challenges. I will accept this provocation!]

The enormous bodies of the two transcendents ignored the laws of physics as they shot into the sky. Their bodies were real, yet unreal, so they instantly exceeded the speed of sound dozens of times over. It was a super fast acceleration that wasn’t affected by resistance and gravity! They flashed past the atmosphere and the stratosphere before stopping.

[Hrmm, this place will be fine.]

It couldn’t be helped if those below were still affected by the battle this far up. Then Hraesvelgr gazed at the enemy before him and said.

[Let’s start.]

[Is this place really okay, Hraesvelgr?]

[Huh?]

Hraesvelgr tilted his head, and Nídh?ggur’s venomous tongue slithered out. One bite from Nídh?ggur and even a sacred creature would die.

[Then die!]

On the outskirts of the stars, the two transcendents started their fight.

***

―――――――――――――!

It was a ridiculous sight. Theo sweated anxiously as he gazed at the distant sky. This was a sight similar to the aurora that could be seen in the snowy northern country. However, in Theo’s eyes, this was more frightening than hell.

… The sky is being torn apart. These are Nídh?ggur and Hraesvelgr when their strength is restricted?

The fight wasn’t close enough to be visible, but a magician could calculate the strength of the mana wavelength. According to Theo’s calculations, the two transcendents were around a thousand kilometers away. Their power could affect a few cities, maybe a few kingdoms. Heat, wind, and pressure... The forces that came from the fight between Nídh?ggur and Hraesvelgr exceeded a thousand kilometers!

If Hraesvelgr hadn’t moved, Elvenheim would’ve been destroyed by the fight between the two.

“... I have to worry about my side.”

Now wasn’t the time to be thinking about the struggle between transcendents. Theo looked in front of him, where Jerem seemed a bit different from before.

Hmm?

There was something strange. Theo felt a subtle discomfort and opened his spirit eyes. Then Theo could see the reason for his discomfort.

Jerem’s power has decreased? Why?

The amount of mana and presence coming from Jerem had decreased considerably. If Theo had been at his limits during the fight earlier, then it was worth fighting now. However, Theo didn’t act recklessly and spent a moment speculating about the reason. There was a chance that this weakening could be a trap.

- It’s Nídh?ggur.

The silent Gluttony said suddenly.

Is that so?

- Yes. Unlike Hraesvelgr who is sustained by the Great Forest, the world tree, and the four high elves, Jerem is supporting Nídh?ggur alone. The burden won’t be light, even if he offered valuable sacrifices.

Theo accepted the explanation. If Nídh?ggur could move freely, then there would be no reason for Jerem to drag on this boring battle. It was a big burden on Jerem, so he wouldn’t do anything to speed up the power consumption.

In that case, this situation was a big chance for Theo. “... Let’s go.”

Jerem belatedly noticed the change, but there was no one in this era who could beat Theo in speed. The lightning was halfway to Jerem before the latter could even cast a spell.

Pajijik.

There were multiple spears in the lightning state. Double, triple, quadruple... It was unbelievable that a single magician could cast the enormous number of attack magic filling the air.

Lightning Vortex, Inferno, Rotting Hands, and Shadow Spike… Eight attacks were completed in a matter of seconds and fired at Jerem.

Kwarururung!

Jerem tumbled from through the sky. He had minimized the impact with defense spells, but they had been blown apart.

Theo wasn’t one to miss this gap. “Gluttony, open the Hall of Fame!”

- Choose the soul you want to call.

“Heathcliff!” Theo quickly summoned a soul and exercised his rights.

[Heathcliff’s soul has been called.]

[You have chosen to use the target name Heathcliff’s Supercell. The rating is C++. Adjusted to the maximum power. 3,000 achievement points will be consumed.]

[Set the target point.]

It was the spell that had catapulted White Tower Master Heathcliff to fame. Theo might not be able to use it himself, but he could borrow its strength using the Hall of Fame. He set the target point as the falling Jerem, and power rose from the mouth in Theo’s left hand. It was the magic borrowed from the Hall of Fame

Supercell!

Lightning clouds suddenly formed over the battlefield. Jerem was falling into the middle of the undead army, so there was no chance of Theo’s allies being caught in the aftermath. The artificial thunderstorm rumbled, forming lightning that was stronger than 6th Circle spells. The rain only made the lightning more efficient as the undead legion was lashed a thousand times in an instant. It was the moment when a spell that could deal with tens of thousands of troops was triggered to defeat only one necromancer.

“... Don’t, climb――!”

Even so, the opponent was Jerem. He might not be able to exert the power of the 9th Circle, but he found the tiniest gap between the clouds and forced his darkness through to create a shield. It was proof that his understanding of magic was ridiculously high. If Jerem wasn’t a warlock and the enemy, Theo would’ve felt in awe of him.

But...

Theo grinned when he saw the ragged Jerem and the newly revealed blackened bones. Jerem had certainly gotten weaker if a surprise attack had managed to damage him. Nídh?ggur was busy with Hraesvelgr and could no longer protect him. Meanwhile, Theo still had strength and more cards to play.

“Gluttony.”

- Yes.

“Call Abe no Seimei. Use Curse Protection and Protection against the Fallen.”

- I understand.

[Abe no Seimei’s soul has been called.]

[Object name Abe no Seimei’s Curse Protection has been selected. The rating is B. Theodore Miller has been chosen to be protected. Any curse magic at or below the 8th circle will be completely blocked. The duration is ten minutes, and 6,000 achievement points have been consumed.]

[Object name Abe no Seimei’s Protection from the Fallen has been selected. The rating is C+. Theodore Miller has been chosen as the target. The target is given the power to deal further damage to all evil. The duration is ten minutes and 4,500 achievement points have been consumed.]

Abe no Seimei was one of the greatest shamans, as well as an iron wall against evil spirits. It might be different if Jerem was in peak condition, but right now, he couldn’t use any curse magic of the 9th Circle. Protection against the Fallen was also activated. Jerem would die if Theo could land a single blow of Soul Caliber.

It is a little bit disappointing, but it isn’t worth saving the points.

If Theo added the thirteen thousand five hundred points he had consumed by using Reading the Mysteries of Heaven, then he had spent thirty-seven thousand five hundred points in total on Jerem. If Gluttony hadn’t swallowed the undead inside Jerem’s Tartarus, Theo wouldn’t have had so many points. In that case, he wouldn’t have been able to fight Jerem.

In a sense, this could be called a situation caused by causality.

“You still have more tricks...” Jerem felt the power coming from Theo’s body and looked at him with a miserable expression.

Theo did not bother responding. He simply sprang forward as Soul Caliber gleamed in his right hand and a lightning spear crackled in his left.

It was time to put an end to this pointless fight.