Divine Punishment
The clouds gathered as a cloud giant with a crown of thunder raised his arms high.
"Endure this, evil one."
The spear that strikes is a must-have, energized by the lightning element. It could not be dodged or blocked. To face the all-piercing spear of the heavens-──
[You look down on me.]
Compressing Ruinous Magic Power.
A black beam of light struck the spear dropped vertically by the Thunder Crowned Giant.
Leon clicked his tongue.
'The Heavenly Spear is pure lightning. To block it with physical force.'
That beam is no mere bombardment of energy. The Wisdom Lord's magic was powerful enough to draw in the stars, but it didn't violate any laws.
Leon remembered that demons' magic had different qualities, and he guessed that Rakshar's was unpredictable chaos.
Malus also caused strange anomalies that distorted even space and time but Leon's holy techniques also bend the laws.
The power of concepts and chaos defies all defenses, and the aftermath of their clash scars the world.
-Dodge!
-What's going on!
[Leon! We can't fight this thing with brute force alone!]
Ultima, the God of Thunder, sounded unusually weak. But Leon knew he was right.
"Stallion, evade!"
The divine beast complied. The winged celestial performed dizzying evasive maneuvers, dodging tentacles, claws, and magical bombardment from all sides.
It was reminiscent of the first battle with Rakshar at the East Gate. But the difference was...
[I'll show you there's no point in dodging in the face of this peak power!]
Rakshar's mouth concentrated the power. The power is a bombardment of roars that Leon saw time and time again, a cannonade befitting of a supersized demon.
"Take cover!"
Leon clutched the reins. Stallion urgently folded his wings into an extreme vertical maneuver as Rakshar's cannonballs whizzed past where they had just been.
-Tookaaaaaah!!!
The cannonballs went beyond the city and cut through the atmosphere of the planet on the horizon.
Life forms around the world felt the temperature rise in the planet's atmosphere.
Half the planet's inhabitants could see the afterimage of the bombardment as it stretched into space.
Such a ridiculous bombardment.
-Mmmmmmmmmm!!!
[------!?]
Rakshar saw the bulls on the ground.
Bulls that breathed fire.
Beasts of war, gifts from Petos, the god of war and flame, to the Supreme War Horseman.
"Come, bulls of war!"
-Mmmmmmmmmm!
The beasts, who have fought alongside Leon for as many years as Stallion himself, galloped away, breathing fire. Rakshar's gaze is fixed on him, and he unleashes his destructive energy once more.
But Leon has adapted to his power.
"Mother of Light. My Goddess."
A massive beam of destruction, another light to counter the 'light'.
[------!?]
His own beam fails to melt him. They are distorted and deflected by the Lionheart King's light, but it is not enough for a single entity to survive the aftermath alone.
-Mmmmmmmmm!
That was the case earlier. Even with the speed of Stallion's reverse summoning and the bulls' re-summoning, the damage would have been more than 'nicked'.
'The power to absorb and neutralize heat. Is this the power possessed by the divine beasts of flame?'
A war chariot led by divine beasts. The divine beasts and their chariots were sent by the God of Flame. Heat can't hurt the Lionheart King.
'Monster. His power as a monarch--so terrifying. The horror of evil, the pinnacle of humanity.'
A being so inscrutable that it can do such things with the power of a single body, without an army or weapon.
He can see why even the Demon Archdukes fear to encounter him.
[That is why you must be destroyed, for your presence would weigh us down.]
It's his duty as Lord of Evil. He never thought there would be two monsters like this in a millennium.
In the end, in the end, they're the same... (T/N two ??? did I miss smth ?)
───────■■■■■■■■!!
Rakshar cut off a few of his tentacles. They turn into black ink and spill onto the floor, and the Chaos Servants rise to their feet.
-Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!
The fire-breathing bulls crash into the monsters in front of them.
On their way to Rakshar, countless minions of evil, both small, medium, and large, stand in their way, only to be torn apart by the war chariot driven by the [Mightiest Assailant].
[But in the end, you are alone. I am the culmination of all evil, the convergence of chaos.]
Tentacles slammed down. The bulls, pushing their way through the countless monsters, dodged the tentacle barrage.
But the bulls' speed is much slower than Stallion's and Leon sensed that the bulls would not be able to escape Rakshar's attack.
"Go."
Leon tore the seams in the chariot himself. The bulls leave the chariot and spread out in both directions, leaving Leon stranded in the middle of the horde of monsters.
[It's over, Lionheart!]
The scorching light focuses. His armor and divine power have allowed him to survive the blast, but it's not enough to withstand a direct hit.
He may have been a perfect Lionheart in his prime when he defeated Carakael, but he is no match for a Demon Lord now.
"Time has taken its toll. Now that you've basked in the glory of your first birth, go on a rampage, lizard."
[------?!]
Rakshar noticed the eerie aura at his back.
There is something called pressure that causes all living things to be overwhelmed.
The terrifying divinity of the Lionheart King.
The evil malignancy of Demon Lords.
No creature of lesser rank dared to raise its head in the face of the divine and evil.
But there is only one. There is only one being who has been able to equalize the divine and the evil.
-Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
With a mighty roar, it spread its wings and Rakshar's eyes glazed over with suspicion.
[Dragon---!]
A dragon, the most powerful beings in mythology. A being of history that did not succumb to even the gods, was born from the heart of an ancient dragon and the World Tree.
"Hmph, it worked out."
Riding atop the dragon's back alongside Koo Dae-sung, Karina immediately gave her orders.
"Attack with maximum firepower."
[Don't give me orders, human, you're being arrogant!]
The dragon, with its innate violence and half-bone temperament, was indeed the firstborn of Dragonia.
But he was also the best judge of character in this situation. He made the same judgment as the human, albeit with a toothy grin.
--Kaooooo!!
An aura surged through its body. It was not just the power of a dragon, but also the immense magic provided by Karina's dragon heart.
Rakshar frowned as he watched.
[Something like a hatching!]
Rakshar directed the light that was about to strike Leon straight at the dragon and in the next moment, the two massive forces shot toward each other.
-Kaaaaaahhhh!
The first offspring of the mightiest of the ancient dragons, the Dragon King Dragonia, bargained with the gods to create, until he was backed up by Karina Dragonia.
The pouring black flames collide with the black rays of annihilation. At the center where huge amounts of heat collide, everyone would burn to death except for the two non-standard living beings.
-Kie-E-E-E!
Rakshar's scattering of evil species is overwhelmed, and they crumble to ash. The firepower is too much for the smaller species to withstand. Except for those outside the norm.
"······I'm going to get pushed."
As soon as the words are finished, the light of extinction pushes away the black flames.
[------!?]
The light of destruction, which had once begun to push away, rushed straight towards the black dragon. It narrowly grazed the dragon's head, but inflicted serious damage on the dragon.
[You---! You filthy thing!]
"Concentrate on your flight, little lizard, if you fall and touch that darkness, you die."
[------!!]
The wounded dragon's wrath turned upon its rider. However, he knew that part of the energy that made up him was divine, and he instinctively knew that it was dangerous to touch that dark fog.
Despite the shaking from the impact, the black dragon managed to maintain altitude with the flapping of his wings. But Rakshar's attack did not end there.
[I will not let you escape!]
Rakshar's tentacles grabbed the dragon by the torso and dragged it in front of him, dismembering it with his claws.
[Where are you touching, dirty thing!]
In response, the black dragon used its sharp claws to block Rakshar's pincers and clutch at them. At the same time, its teeth bite down on the tentacles that try to strike it.
It's a beastly battle but it's the black dragon that's outgunned, both in weight and magic.
'What a bother...!'
Rakshar realized that the black dragon, clutching desperately at him, was not holding on by sheer strength alone.
Above the black dragon, its rider, Karina, was channeling massive amounts of magic power through her heart, but he also realized that the dragon's body, which must have been severely wounded, was constantly 'regenerating'.
"As long as it doesn't die------"
Holy Law
The Holy Knight of Life and Abundance was sending life force beyond the basic passive regeneration of a knight.
[This one-day puppy!]
Rakshar continued to pull down the tentacle that held the black dragon's ankle. Even if it was a dragon born from the Ancient Dragon's factor, it was still a hatchling. The difference in strength from the difference in weight is insurmountable.
Little by little, the dragon's body was about to be engulfed by the mist when──
"I am Vulcanus!!!"
The man appeared at the last moment.
[------?!]
Rakshar's gaze is instantly drawn to the source of the gurgling voice.
A creature that should have been completely incapacitated is on the back of a fire-breathing bull, running on tentacles.
Whatever the trick, when Rakshar swung his tentacles to shake the bull off, Vulcanus leapt atop him.
"Fire, well borrowed!"
-Mmmmmm!
Leaping with transcendent momentum, Vulcanus soared high enough to escape the dark mists.
His armor burned fiercely with the fire he had lost when he was cut off from the divine, borrowed from the flames of a fire-breathing bull.
Though he is considered a castaway, he is a saint of flame. Harnessing the power of a fire-breathing bull to control fire is as natural as breathing.
"Damn you!"
Vulcanus threw down his holy sword. With a burst of air, the holy swords rushed toward Rakshar's head.
Rakshar unleashed his greatest shielding magic to block the holy sword.
-Crack, crack, crack!
The protective magic circle shattered like a pane of glass. Combined with the strength of Vulcanus and the flame spell, the thrown holy sword was more than a bombardment.
But the devastating blade stops right in front of Rakshar's nose.
[Close call, monkey.]
"There's still one more!"
[------?!!]
Vulcanus, on the verge of falling, throws the last of his javelins with all his might.
-Quack!
-Quack!
The second throw shatters the protective circle. But Vulcanus' holy sword only grazes Rakshar's skull.
"Damn, what a waste──!"
A flailing tentacle slams into Vulcanus and with a clang, the building he crashed into collapsed.
'If only I could draw that pesky dragon into the mist──!'
It was then. A pillar of light suddenly rose from the dark fog and Rakshar was stunned by the divine light that pierced the sky.
[How──!?]
Rakshar turned his gaze toward Leon and saw that he was not alone.
Beatrice, the Magician Queen, was with the Lionheart King, accompanied by a fire-breathing bull.
Great Magic
Interpreting and deconstructing magic is the skill of a magician. The Magician Queen, who had reached the peak of her powers, had temporarily pushed back the dark magic around the Lionheart King.
Even if it was the dark fog that had eroded again with enormous density, that moment was enough.
"Well done, Beatrice."
As a result, Leon was able to utilize the lion heart implanted in his heart to its full potential.
Divine Advent
"I invoke Arianna, goddess of light and justice."
[Leon, my first knight. The lion's heart is a symbol of power on behalf of the gods. Crush evil and uphold justice.]
By pushing back the Mists of Darkness, the Lionheart regained its full power, if only temporarily, and Leon used divine descent.
This divine descent perfectly disrupts the Mists of Darkness, which are filled with malice.
Just as darkness cannot exist in a space filled with light, Leon's place is filled with light.
[Still---!]
No matter how many blows it receives, no matter how many sacrifices are made to neutralize it, it persists.
Even in the face of countless evildoers, the most powerful monarchs in the dimensions, and even on a ruinous battlefield where the chances of winning are very low.
[Die!]
Withstanding the dragon's counterattack, the final light of annihilation is shot out. This ray of light cuts through the planet's atmosphere and falls towards the Lionheart King.
The total amount of malice that humans cannot face. If there is anything that can stand up to this infinite power──
"Open Holy Sword."
A power wielded on behalf of the gods and on behalf of the faithful.
The extreme light that cuts through the darkness granted only to living demigods.
The power of the holy sword, perfected through divine descent, tears apart the world around it.
[Tenacious Hound of the Gods.]
Transcendence
It was a terrifyingly immense power but faced with its power, the individual grips the sword with unwavering resolve.
"You are the seeds of destruction, leaving nothing but death and corpses."
People, subjects, nations--and loved ones.
It is the Lionheart's natural right to hate them on behalf of all their victims.
"It is my rightful duty as a representative of the gods and the human race."
Open Holy Blade
We will sever our ties with you, and reach for the stars.
Light reaches out.
Justice surges.
Arianna of Light and Justice, she is the Queen of the Gods, the one who unites all the gods in power.
But in a singular moment in history--the greatest Grail Keeper of all time--the power of all the gods is withheld by a single mortal.
He can do so because he is a demigod, a man whose feats have stood against all evil.
The day when Malus, the Lord of Chaos, was defeated, the living demigod became a concept of a certain 'phenomenon'.