Chapter 229 – Alteration (3)

Klam, a 10-year mercenary belonging to the Rumbun Mercenary Company, could not understand the events unfolding before his eyes.

“S, save me…!!”

Crunch…!

A companion, who until just a moment ago had been laughing and chatting while making trivial jokes, was floating in the air with his entrails spilling out.

It was strange.

It was strange and strange again.

Nothing was visible to his eyes.

Except for the body of the companion floating in the air, nothing else was visible.

However.

Even though it was clearly so.

“Aaaaaaak…!! No, no, n…!”

Crunch…!

In the empty air where there was nothing, the companion’s head disappeared.

As if someone had taken a bite.

Splash…!

Blood poured down from the upper body that was torn and disappeared, soaking Klam’s head.

The blood dripping down his hair.

That thick warmth made Klam, who was standing blankly, face reality.

“Ah.”

Soon, indescribable terror began to fill Klam’s eyes densely.

10 years.

10 years of mercenary life had cultivated in him the ability to maintain composure and respond calmly in any situation.

However, now that time was meaningless.

Because calmness and composure were things that were created as one experienced numerous situations, that was, as one became able to predict the situation based on experience.

Thump…

Because the landscape seen before his eyes was an unknown terror that he had never once experienced.

“Uh… aaah…”

A voice soaked in terror flowed out of Klam’s mouth.

He looked down with trembling eyes.

There, the companion who was laughing, chatting, and exchanging jokes with him until just a moment ago was stuck as just a lump of meat.

The next moment.

Splash…!

Over the red blood created by the companion’s flesh.

Strange footprints that were neither a human’s nor a monster’s began to be stamped, and gradually drew closer to Klam.

At the moment Klam tightly closed his eyes while intuiting death.

Crunch…!

What was heard in his ears…

“……?”

Should have been the last sound.

Klam fumbled his own head that was intact.

Clearly the sound of something bursting was heard, yet it was safely attached.

Next, he carefully opened his eyes.

What was seen in his vision was.

“……!”

It was precisely the golden coffin.

The golden coffin that was shining more brightly than anything else while receiving the light of the sun that rose over the desert.

That had appeared right above his head.

It was not only that.

“Wh, at?”

Klam blankly looked around the surroundings.

The space that was riddled with cruel slaughter, everything inside it had stopped.

The humans who were crawling on the floor while screaming until just a moment ago were stunned by the sudden situation.

Those who were being eaten by something that was not visible while being held in the air fell to the floor.

At the same time, Klam witnessed.

Dozens of strands of golden coffin that cut through the air disorderly.

Shaaaaa…

When the operating sound was heard behind the place where a giant golden object was formed by being intertwined, Klam carefully turned his head.

There was a blue-haired girl.

The Vice Tower Master of the Blue Tower, Penia Kraisinne, was there.

She, who was murmuring something while floating a staff embedded with a blue jewel in the air, soon drove it down as it was.

With a clear noise of “Tang…” echoing.

Centered on Penia Kraisinne, the world began to change completely.

The world where the hot sun beat down turned into ash-color.

The sand that was emitting golden light lost its color.

The golden coffin that was sparkling brightly lost its brilliant light.

And, they were seen.

Those that were pierced and stuck in the golden coffin.

“Ugh…!”

Klam let out a retch in spite of himself.

Even though he had seen all kinds of dirty and cruel sights during over 10 years of mercenary life.

The sight before his eyes was enough to turn Klam’s insides out.

Klam could not think of how to express that.

It was like an insect to say it was like a human.

It was like an animal to say it was like an insect.

Something that was like a monster to say it was just like an animal…

No, there was something that was just nothing more than a lump of meat to say it was like a monster.

Some had their entrails revealed to the outside.

Some had pierced their own body with their teeth.

Some had their limbs weirdly bent.

They were.

■■■■■…!!

■■■■■■■…!!!!

■■■…!!!

Those things that would only be in hell that priests talk about.

They were letting out bizarre screams while being pierced by the golden coffin.

And at the end of that miserable shape.

“Heh… interesting.”

One man was standing.

A man who had a face in the shape of a human on his chest, while holding the golden coffin that pierced all other things.

####

“M, Marquis? F, first, I did as you told me. N… now what do I do? The, situation is this… it seems not easy……!!!”

“……”

The voice of Penia who fell into panic.

Alon let out a deep sigh.

Even Alon could not guess the reason why the Agwi, one of the Four Great Powers, suddenly appeared in the desert.

Because if it moved, the place the Agwi should have appeared was not here but the border where the curse-casters were.

“Marquis, shall we run? Shall we flee? We should, right? I think it would be better to flee!”

Alon looked at her who was trembling beside him.

At a glance, Penia’s state was not normal, but Alon fully understood that reaction.

Even in the work, the Four Great Powers had enormous intimidation just by appearing.

Companions faint, and characters following the protagonist were often depicted as having a hard time being crushed by that presence.

Whenever the Four Great Powers appeared, that depiction was so uniform that players even said didn’t they make the reaction too insincerely, but.

‘……It’s an nonsensical level.’

At this moment, Alon understood why the depiction of the Four Great Powers was consistent.

Alon was at a level where he had just somehow been able to set a foot in the 5th Circle.

But even to Alon, the Agwi before his eyes was creepy enough to make his breath stop just by looking.

In other words, Penia, whose tier of magic was higher than Alon’s, would be feeling that despair even more keenly than Alon.

In addition to that…

“……Haah… haah…”

Rine, who was piercing the Agwi with the golden coffin, also had rough breathing as if the pressure was considerable.

‘Until making the hidden Agwi visible through Penia was good, but.’

Honestly speaking, around when Alon was worrying in a situation that was not very good.

The monster from a while ago began to crawl out from the shadow of the Agwi.

The Agwi who checked people while turning his gaze here and there.

He soon grinned while looking at Alon and then.

“Let us make a deal.”

“……What?”

“Hand over that wench. Then I will withdraw.”

Before Alon could even think of anything, he spat out such words.

####

“Hand over that wench. Then I will withdraw.”

The sentence piercing his ears.

Rine constantly reasoned and reasoned about the current situation while breaking out in a cold sweat.

This was her first time facing the Agwi directly.

However, she could know about its identity and origin without difficulty with the knowledge in her head.

……Even, the fact that she could absolutely not win against the existence before her eyes for now.

“……”

Rine raised her eyes and looked at the sky.

The golden coffin intertwined in the sky while piercing numerous Agwi.

It should have been drawing Pluto’s summoning gate, but it could not do so.

The reason was because dozens of entities of Agwi stuck between the numerous golden coffins making the summoning gate.

Are interfering with the circuitization of the golden coffin by opening their flesh as if bloating while ignoring the death they must have met.

In other words, the combat power she can exert currently was virtually the same as being sealed.

If it were up to that point, Rine would have judged that there was a chance of victory.

No matter how much it was the worst situation.

Because she had made the last move in her own way after the last attack of ‘Greed’.

But now even that had become meaningless.

‘Exactly, how the thing of ‘Greed’……?’

Because the man who was grandly demanding to hand her over incomprehensibly possessed the power of Greed.

Although she could not guess how he obtained Greed.

The purpose could be clearly noticed.

‘……He intends to devour me and obtain the library.’

Rine bit her lips hard and recalled several cases.

But her brilliant head reached a single conclusion in less than just a few seconds.

The fact that what she can do.

Is nothing.

If so, only one thing remains.

The way to make the Great Moon escape from here most safely was…

Only putting her own life on the negotiation table.

“……”

There was no regret.

She was a body that had already been saved twice.

To begin with, her life would have been a life that withered long ago if not for the Great Moon.

It was a body that would have disappeared after being dominated by Greed.

Therefore, this was right.

Rine moved the golden coffin, aimed it at her own head, and hung mana on it.

She set it so that the moment her consciousness flies away by any chance, it would pierce her head as it was.

The expression of the Agwi watching that process hardened.

Soon.

Rine, who confirmed that appearance, tried to open her mouth, but.

“I refuse.”

She could not do so.

The Agwi turned its gaze to look at the Great Moon.

Rine also looked at Alon.

He was still making a seal with one hand, wearing an expressionless face.

“Heh, if you are doing that for fear I might not keep the promise, do not worry. I actually keep promises quite well.”

The Agwi replied humorously.

However.

“Do not make me say it twice.”

Alon spoke.

“I refuse.”

He said the exact same thing once more.

This time, with his face slightly stiffened.

Then.

“……I showed favor because I thought it would be troublesome to touch you, but I did not know you would refuse.”

The Agwi’s brow furrowed as if slightly annoyed.

At the same time.

The appearance of the Agwi.

“In that case, die.”

Appeared in front of Alon in an instant.

The Agwi, appearing at a speed so fast that no one could react, thrust its fist into Alon’s heart without hesitation.

“No!”

The moment the scream that could not be finished erupted from Rine’s mouth.

On Alon’s shoulder, Kkamangi landed.

And.

Alon’s chest was pierced.

Kuaaaaaaaaaaaaang!!!

Everything exploded.

The faded sands splashed in all directions, causing a dust storm.

The carriages behind them exploded,

And corpses were thrown in all directions.

Then, from within the thick dust.

“Ah…”

Rine, who had reached out toward Alon, looked ahead with hollow eyes.

The ash-colored dust had somehow become pure white snowflakes.

Her outstretched hand had become small like a child’s.

A fishy smell of blood lingered in her nose.

And finally, what filled her vision was…

A corpse.

Her,

Parents…

Sister…

The thing her incompetence had created…

Her,

……Sin.

Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-!!!

Her heart began to beat madly.

Her head, remembering everything, brought back the past.

The torn lips.

The guilt of that day.

The sin of that day…

The memories of her family scattered in all directions like glass fragments.

[All of this is because you did not harbor Greed.]

At that moment, a voice was heard in Rine’s head.

[Accept me.]

It was an infinitely unpleasant voice.

A voice so horribly wicked, as if scraping through her inner self…

[Then, I shall give you strength.]

But it was so very alluring.

To that voice she could absolutely not refuse,

[Strength so that you will not lose anything.]

The moment she reached out her hand without realizing it.

“What…”

A voice of an anomaly cut in.

It was clearly the Agwi’s, but unlike before, it was a voice of clear panic.

Because of that, Rine’s vision changed once more.

The black thing that was reaching out to her disappeared from her sight.

Her fragmented family vanished.

And.

What was seen at the end was.

“!”

The figure of Alon, whose heart was pierced by the Agwi’s fist.

One strange thing was…

Sizzzzzzzz-!!

“Kgh!”

The Agwi who pierced Alon’s heart was instead frowning as if in pain.

Bang!

The Agwi twisted its body and kicked Alon’s head.

Alon’s head scattered and disappeared like smoke in an instant.

However.

“!”

The pupils of the Agwi widened at the sight of Alon regenerating as if nothing had happened.

“Phew…”

Kkamangi, who was emitting a flash of light on Alon’s shoulder, was sucked into Alon’s body as if being absorbed, and then two horns began to form on his head.

And.

Alon uttered the last word, slowly controlling the changes occurring in his body.

“Unification.”

The very first time was just a coincidence.

A product of chance obtained while conducting research on Divinity with Penia.

It was the fact that Kkamangi’s body could freely accept not only mana but also Divinity.

In addition to that.

The existence of Unification, which temporarily accepts the Dead Spirit Dragon obtained from the battle with Kailus into the body to directly exercise its abilities, threw a very interesting topic to Alon and Penia.

That was precisely the link between magic and Divinity.

By surrounding Kkamangi with Divinity and unifying, he donned Callanon’s Divinity on his body.

In that state, the body to be replaced by mana using the Lightning God form…

Sizzzzzzzzzzzzzz-!!!!!

By replacing it all with Divinity, resolving the massive mana consumption.

With Divinity, composing the body.

Transformation of Properties.

Lightning God.

Thus.

Sizzzz-!!!

Within the ash-colored world.

“……”

Crackling blue eyes looked down upon the Agwi.