There were quite a few Chimeras on the road to the Celestial Race’s castle.
It seems that most of the Celestial territories in this world have been pushed back by the Demon Race.
Although Uriel and several Celestials are active, the number of Chimeras continuously produced by the Demon Race is substantial.
On the Celestial side, there aren’t any particularly strong individuals besides Uriel, so they keep getting pushed back.
“Or maybe they’re just not showing up.”
“…Hmm.”
I lightly swung my spear, piercing through all the Chimeras in my path.
The Chimeras, noticing my attack, charged at me, but it didn’t matter whether they died early or late.
Some Celestials cheered at the sudden deaths of their enemies, but the spear didn’t spare them either; they cursed and fled in a panic.
The Lower Celestials abandoned their bodies and only their souls fled.
Though their bodies were pierced and killed, the Power of Balance didn’t let them be annihilated.
[Hahahahaha]
[Ah, they’re not friends]
[They like them, but they’re enemies, LOL]
[What are they, not lizards or something?]
[Woah, woah, woah]
[Are they dead?]
[They’re abandoning their bodies and fleeing, not their tails]
[Not just catching demons, huh? LOL]
[For real, haha]
[That’s interesting]
[Isn’t that one still alive?]
[Let’s chase after them and end this, Lily]
“That’s true, but… let’s check the castle first.”
While completely annihilating the Celestials is important, I first need to understand the structure of this world.
As Uriel said, once we occupy the castle, something else will surely come out.
In that way, I slowly walked toward the castle, sweeping away the Chimeras and Lower Celestials.
I could have moved faster, but this would give Uriel a bit of a chance as well.
“A chance to break through first.”
Quests like this can change from success to failure, based on who occupies it first.
Of course, I’m not planning to let the Celestials go, but I thought I would give them a little breathing room.
I wondered how long it would take; I finally reached the entrance of the white castle.
At the entrance, there stood about twenty knights in white armor, each wielding a spear.
This place seems peaceful.
“Stop, Rai.”
“Rai?”
“How dare you betray the great light and mingle with the forces of evil! You shall repay this with death.”
“I didn’t betray; I took them both out.”
What does it matter whose side you’re on?
I came here to happily kill both of them.
[Hahahahahahahahahaha]
[For real, haha]
[Get out of the way]
[Right? Lily took them both out equally]
[Are they trying to die again?]
[Lily didn’t betray anyone]
[Who decides what betrayal is?]
[Move aside]
[Info: You’ll die even if you don’t move]
“…I can’t understand you.”
The man, who seemed to be the captain of the knights, approached me with a clanking spear in hand.
He was different from the Lower Celestial Races I had encountered before.
“The light of balance shall judge you.”
‘Intermediate Celestial Race.’
An existence vastly different from the Lower Celestial Race, even top users like Yena and Leo would have to put forth their utmost effort to face this formidable being.
At least here, even Uriel, who had just dashed out, could not defeat him.
As holy power radiated from his hands, the knights around him flinched and stepped back.
“In this place blessed by the God of Balance, I am invincible. The grace shall not be bestowed upon you, the Betrayer, so this fight will end in your defeat and eternal demise—”
“Are you fighting with words?”
Creeeak!!
I pulled out my hammer and smashed it against the knight’s head.
Regardless of the power of balance or whatever, the knight became one with the ground, and a massive explosion originating from the hammer crashed into the door behind.
KWAAM!!!
“!!!”
“W-What…”
A thick door, towering several meters high and wide, was shattered to pieces.
The knights, utterly freaked out, attempted to flee, but I immediately transformed the hammer into a spear and hurled it.
About twenty knights were slaughtered in a frenzy.
More precisely, only their ‘bodies’ were dead.
“Wow, they really didn’t die.”
The bodies were completely obliterated by the spear, but one soul remained intact.
It was a hilarious sight to see someone fleeing in a soul state; it had been a while.
[LOL]
[Do they have infinite lives?]
[Go, Lily]
[Lily, you too;;;]
[LOLLOLLOLLOL]
[Mirror Healing, LOL]
[Let’s catch them all]
“Should I?”
Up until now, I had let them go to reach the castle, but now that I was at the castle, there was no need to hold back.
I extended the Clone Spear.
To break the power of balance, I had to use one of two methods.
One was to adjust my strength and continuously attack with a little more power than my opponent.
‘Crush them with overwhelming power.’
When I say overwhelming power, it meant being at least two or three levels above them.
To annihilate the Lower Celestial Race, I needed to exude power equivalent to the Upper Celestial Race.
And I could unleash even more power than that.
Finally, as thousands of Clone Spears gathered their might, just before unleashing the Spear’s Roar—
“?”
I turned my head toward the center of the castle.
[Why?]
[???]
[?]
[The sky is flashing]
[It’s all sparkling]
[What’s there?]
“The souls are moving.”
Just moments ago, the souls of the celestial race, frantically fleeing, are now being drawn into the heart of the castle.
Not only that, but the souls of the dead outside the castle are also being pulled in.
And at the center of the castle stands a towering white spire, as if supporting the sky.
The spire emits an eerie light.
I launched thousands of spears toward that spire.
“The roar of the spears.”
Kwagagagagaga!!!
An immense storm struck the castle.
No, it couldn’t strike.
Woooo…
“A shield?”
A white shield emitted from the spire blocks the castle.
I can feel the power of balance even from the shield.
“…This isn’t just a castle.”
The spire towering high, not just the celestial race, and the castle itself is a celestial being.
It continuously injects power and authority into a specific object or natural element, transforming it into a ‘creation.’
It’s not unusual for natural elements to possess ‘will.’
Just like Ertarn, the celestial being I encountered, or the Iron Devourer, began as mere non-living beings like rocks.
If it can occur naturally, it can certainly be artificially created.
To break through this at once, I need to unleash a power close to the upper tier.
“Hmm.”
Uriel had a good reason for going to do what must be done without hesitation.
[Da da da da da]
[No way to block this????]
[What the]
[Holy shit]
[How is that shield stopping that]
[???????]
[Huh?]
[Is there a super strong angel?]
[What is this, what is this]
“It seems like this castle is a living being as well. It can’t be breached so easily.”
I’m not sure if the true subject is the ‘castle’ or the ‘spire,’ but its power is close to the upper tier.
As long as the power of balance exists, it can’t be easily destroyed.
What’s more, it feels like there’s no real will there.
Whether it’s instinctual or a command, it’s just ‘blocking.’
It’s a quest that the user is doing alone, so they wouldn’t be commanded to fight a castle of that level.
Most likely, it will just keep defending until it’s destroyed without reacting in any special way.
“This might mean there’s something similar on the demon side.”
It could be a castle like the celestial race, or maybe a specific entity.
Whatever it is, it won’t be an easy opponent, and given that I haven’t heard news from Uriel, it must be struggling.
“…For now, okay.”
I just need to do what I have to do.
I flew toward the spire.
The celestial beings inside the castle rushed at me, but it wouldn’t change the outcome.
The races lunged at me, but the result wouldn’t change regardless.
Like the former celestial races, the bodies were dying, and only their souls were being sucked into the spire.
I tried to hold onto the souls, but the force pulling them in was too great, so I just let go.
After all, exerting ‘Upper’ powers just to capture a single soul was a losing game.
By the time I reached the front of the spire, I could feel the holy influence even more strongly.
“…It’s quite significant.”
[What’s that?]
[It’s huge.]
[Oh.]
[It’s even bigger up close.]
[My heart’s racing here.]
[What’s so significant?]
“There are a considerable number of embedded souls. They seem older than I thought…”
They didn’t seem like just souls accumulated from previous battles.
Some appeared to be kept for ‘protection,’ but the majority had already lost their sense of self and were just lying around.
This spire had stored expendable fuel to release even stronger powers.
As I placed my hand on the spire, light flickered, and someone appeared.
It was the knight I had knocked out earlier.
‘He’s gotten stronger than before.’
Now, he was exuding a decent amount of power even among the intermediates.
“Betrayer. Are you prepared?”
“Huh? I won earlier.”
“That was before receiving the proper grace. But now it’s different. The previous me and the current me are fundamentally—”
Crack!!
I slapped the knight’s head.
Once again, the knight died, and the spire trembled, summoning him back.
A knight even stronger than before.
“Betrayer. Are you prepared?”
“Did you lose your memory?”
“No! I have been granted grace again to judge you. This filthy betrayer!!!”
This time, the knight attacked me first.
Of course, I was faster, and once again, the knight and the earth became one.
And…
“Betrayer. Are you prepared?”
He appeared again.
A bit stronger than before.
I readied my hammer.
“Let’s see how long this can go on.”
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