Chapter: 571
Benedict felt the hostility pouring towards himself, no, towards the child he was holding in his arms, as he placed Lucy down with a shoddy smile.
“Just take it easy with your friends over there.”
“Are you… okay?”
Despite her worries, his daughter sat down weakly, but Benedict confidently flashed a grin.
“Well, I don’t know for sure, but I don’t think I’ll lose.”
Gently stroking his daughter’s messy hair after a hard fight, Benedict took a deep breath and turned his body leisurely.
The knight’s face was serious, heavy, and fierce compared to when he was in front of his daughter.
“I’ll ask you. Dark Master, was it you who hurt my daughter?”
“My only regret is that I couldn’t torment that bitch more! Damn it! I should have killed her while she was shaking in fear. I should have made her spit only blood from that vomit-inducing mouth!”
“Indeed. That is your answer.”
The knight, known for his indelible reputation across the continent, drew his sword from his back.
It was a sword he wouldn’t have even dared to lift if it wasn’t for his massive size and strength.
A weapon that even historical heroes wouldn’t choose, a weapon one would expect to see in a strongman contest.
As Benedict gripped the colossal greatsword with both hands and swung it with his aura, a booming sound resonated from the spot where the man stood.
A sword strike from a single human created an explosion that no ordinary magic could replicate.
“Indeed! Such power to withstand against fire!”
The man’s body scattered on the ground, leaving no trace, but his voice did not cease.
“However, it is meaningless! The darkness will not disappear!”
From the shadows, another man emerged, as if flesh was merely a tool. “How resilient. You’re nothing but insects.”
“Insects!? Me?! Ha! Hahaha! That’s absurd! Truly ridiculous!”
As the man burst into mad laughter, those standing nearby began to prepare for battle one by one.
Aura enveloped the sword of the Sword Saint.
The Apostle was blessed by the Goddess.
The sharp claws of the wolf pointed at the enemy.
Smoke undulated around the fox like a wave.
The fairy queen commanded war. The knights swore by their continental supremacy.
“Go ahead if you can! To deities, the concept of death does not exist!”
As the Evil God’s wrath consumed the world, the fairies who had been chattering nervously retreated in terror.
“Have you ever fought in the dark!?”
The scent vanished from the world. The pleasant floral aroma that had once returned to the fairy forest after ages was obliterated by darkness.
“Have you ever faced a god?!”
Touch was erased. Whether one was holding a weapon or wearing armor, it became impossible to tell if one was grasping anything properly.
“Have you ever thought about why gods are called gods!?”
Sight faded. The world was soaked in darkness. All things powerful, beautiful, and precarious vanished, leaving only blackness behind.
“If not, you will regret it now! You will feel what it’s like to face an existence that governs a single authority!”
Sounds were disappearing. The sound of breathing from the surroundings. The noise of leaves brushing against the wind. The screams of terrified fairies. The clanging of iron as they prepared their stances.
“Hey.”
At that moment, when everything was about to be erased from the world, a voice full of mirth pierced through the darkness.
“Compared to my true self, there may be many deficiencies, but still, I am the Great Wizard Erginius.”
Sounds returned. The fairies’ chatter seeped back into their ears.
“I am the foe to you and a fragment of the hero who will defeat you.”
Vision returned. Those who had sharpened their senses in bewilderment flinched slightly at the sudden light.
“I am a madman who has sought a way to combat you for hundreds of years.”
Touch returned. The gentle caress of the breeze in the forest told him his body was still intact.
“Do you think I haven’t devised a method to counter your authority?”
Smell returned. The familiar scent of flowers from the fairy forest, which had always been there, timidly spread, announcing the arrival of a late spring.
“How arrogant. Just like when you lost to us before.”
“How dare you!”
“Haha. Do you think your power will always belong to the gods…”
Clang! As iron clashed against iron, creating a sharp noise behind Erginius.
The man who was clearly showing anger in front of Erginius had somehow reached behind him, launching a spear of darkness.
Had Benedict not realized this and deflected the attack, Erginius would have had to allow the attack to land uselessly.
“Hm. For all that noise, you’re pretty weak. My daughter is stronger.”
“Tch!”
The man’s eyes widened when Lucy’s name was mentioned, but attacks from the surroundings came faster than he could charge in.
All those positioned here were beasts that formed the forefront of the continent.
They wouldn’t waste the opening their opponent offered.
The wolf’s fangs tore at the neck.
The Sword Saint’s slashing sword sliced through the waist.
The Apostle’s punch burst open the chest.
If the opponent were human, these would have been fatal wounds.
If it were a human opponent, even one would have been enough to deliver a sharp blow.
However, this time, the opponent was not human. To a god, attacks aimed at flesh were as insignificant as the flapping of an insect’s wings.
Had Erginius not been involved in the darkness, the man would have appeared in front of him and speared his head instead.
“Great Wizard, do you have any idea what’s happening?”
“…It’s probably the use of authority. Since it can’t take away our senses, it must be rotating in another way.”
“What’s the counter?”
“I’m already doing it. Damn it. Has there ever been a time when powers were negated?”
The means Erginius chose to confront the Evil God of Darkness was a form of imitation.
When he previously spoke with the God of Magic, he realized that gods didn’t know their own authority as well as he thought.
To them, authority is something akin to the hands and feet they were born with. Those who use their powers easily accept things beyond their understanding as if breathing.
After conversing with several gods, Erginius learned this fact, and he aimed to exploit it against the Evil God of Darkness.
He searched for ways to replicate power, devised countless strategies considering the moments when he would clash with the Evil God and his authority, and prepared for today.
However, now the Evil God, even after sharing power, was not flustered but instead acted as if it was natural, jostling for dominance of darkness against Erginius.
“You won’t be deprived of your senses! That is a very tricky matter! But right now, I can’t stop the use of authority at all! After all, that guy is a deity!”
“Right now, you mean—”
As Benedict swung his sword through the void, black thorns that hadn’t existed just moments ago fell from his strike.
“If I heard you correctly, it sounds like you could take the authority soon.”
“Not just sounds, I said that!”
The Sword Saint’s sword tore through the night and sliced the man who was beyond it into dust.
“Though you call yourself skilled in wielding power, you’re merely a beast birthed from power!”
The Apostle’s might flew before the man appeared, smashing his attack and shattering the man’s face standing behind him.
“How long can you endure against this genius!”
A wolf with beastly senses detected the enemy, tearing apart the shroud of darkness trying to stain the earth with its claws. Fairies obeying the queen’s command cut through the darkness rising from the depths of the land.
“That fallen thing is no longer a god!”
Yet the man did not die. He surged from the darkness, charging at them again as if the concept of death did not exist.
“I will make it happen!”
“Don’t interfere!”
From the land blanketed in darkness, life began to emerge one by one.
Creatures commonly referred to as monsters by the continent’s humans. Beings filled with hostility toward humans, seeking life.
“They look like they could be the masters of a dungeon.”
The Sword Saint, who had been active as a mercenary and encountered countless dungeons, whistled upon seeing their faces.
Individually, they were nothing but trash, but having to deal with those while combating an Evil God seemed like a hassle.
Just as the Sword Saint considered where to focus his attention, a loud voice, easily overpowering the beasts’ cries, rang out from behind.
“Knights! Anyone who can’t take down at least ten will undergo Hellish training again!”
Even when faced with the monster horde flowing out from the darkness like a wave, Alrn’s knights charged forth and decapitated their foes as if it was only natural.
“What can a mere dozen knights accomplish!”
“Hah. Do you think they’re just a dozen in these ugly eyes of yours? They look far more than that in my view!”
Foxes made of mist filling in spaces that couldn’t accommodate just knights lunged, biting at the enemies’ throats.
“They can’t just stay back!”
“That’s not fair to hoard all the fun!”
“We’ll grant you a blessing!”
The children who had created miracles took up their weapons once more.
Huff!
The mighty knight exploded the man’s flesh along with countless monsters of the earth.
“It’s meaningless! You vermin!”
Thus, a fierce standoff occurred on the battlefield, but only the living were being worn down.
Though the darkness might scatter, it does not disappear. Even if torn, it remains there, consolidating again.
But what about life?
Stamina is not infinite.
One cannot unleash power indefinitely.
Even perseverance through mind has its limits.
“No matter how much you thrash about, the night will come!”
And if that night arrives, the situation worsens.
When the time of darkness comes, Erginius will not be able to fully block the Evil God’s authority either.
“Hey. Nerd.”
The analysis of the way that guy uses power has already been completed. If this was merely a duel between magicians, that guy would have been smashed by now.
However, this is not a simple fight between wizards.
It’s a struggle between gods and humans. It’s a battle between one who has been a master of darkness since birth and a human trying to lead darkness.
To strip the darkness from one who has been born with it, the line between them must be severed! If that line is not cut and night falls…
“Hey! Are you deaf? Ignoring my cute voice is just wrong?!”
Just as Erginius imagined the worst conclusion, he turned his head at the sound of a girl’s voice.
And he found hope.
“Hey! Can you draw attention just once? Is it possible to make that guy lose his sanity?”
It disgusted him to again place a burden on the young child who had reached her limits after creating miracles, but this was the best option. If anyone could create an opportunity, it would be this child, who had shaken the Evil God’s emotions multiple times before!
Benedict’s gaze, mixed with guilt and desperation, met Lucy’s, and she chuckled.
“Why are you even asking me something so obvious?”
*
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