Chapter 439: 439

BOOM....BOOM....

The sky trembled again and again.

Arnold raised his massive bow, a weapon so large it looked as if an elephant could use it. Mana thickened around him and gathered on the arrowhead.

The air was twisted and clouds were pulled inward. A swirling hurricane formed at the tip of his bow, shaking the world around them.

"Damn!"

"Someone stop that!"

"Stop it!"

Voices rose in panic, but before anyone could interfere, Balthar stepped forward. His heavy armor hummed, and the greatsword in his hand released a dark red light. With a single swing, he cut through the attacks flying toward Arnold, forming a huge sword arc that split the air.

The ground below shattered and a wave of dust exploded upward.

Behind them, the Dark Mages raised their staffs. A rain of blood poured from the sky, and those who tried to get close were instantly bound by red chains made of solid mana.

"No one will interrupt us now," a Dark Mage hissed.

"Hahaha!" Noctis burst into laughter. His bear-like chest swelled with excitement, muscles tightening like coiled ropes. "Here, take this!"

Arnold released the arrow. The bowstring snapped back with a thunderous sound.

The arrow shot out like a falling star. Everyone watching turned pale. The pressure alone made breathing difficult. That one strike could destroy an entire region.

However...

Just as the arrow left the bow, a gentle crackle sounded.

Crackle.

A slash appeared. It did not look like a simple attack. It looked like someone had cut reality itself.

A line of light traveled across the sky. Clouds split and space trembled. Even the world hushed for a heartbeat as if time itself dared not interfere.

The arrow collided with the slash.

The result was immediate.

BOOOOOOM.

The arrow shattered into nothingness. The heavens roared as air pressure exploded outward. The blast punched everyone from the sky. Bodies flew, crashing against broken fragments of floating land and shattered stone. Lightning pulsed through the cracked sky and wind howled like a beast shaking its cage.

When the devastation finally settled and the dust began to fade, a single old man stepped forward. His back was slightly bent. His long gray hair fell behind him and his robes fluttered.

He had a deep frown and a tired voice.

"Damn. Can’t you let this old man rest for a bit?"

It was Ramos.

His frail body looked as if the slightest breeze would knock him down, yet the air around him was heavier than mountains. He ignored the others for a moment and looked straight at the Emperor, Edward.

"I already have one foot in the grave, yet I have to step in again. Aahh. What things I have to do for you, dear friend?"

Edward met Ramos’s gaze. Despite the chaos around them, he smiled. "Do not worry. I will make sure to reward it well."

"Reward it?" Ramos raised a brow. His eyes shifted and finally landed on Ruth. There was something strange in Ruth’s expression, something hidden.

Ramos then followed Ruth’s line of sight and saw a distant group escaping through the smoke.

"I see."

He exhaled and then turned back to the battlefield.

Balthar, the Sword Saint, charged with a roar. His greatsword cracked the ground as he dashed, and each swing released a crescent-shaped blade strong enough to level hills. Noctis jumped in with him, his giant bear-like body smashing through stone with each step.

Ramos did not move much. He simply lifted his hand.

The next moment, the sky bent and a shockwave struck outward. His palm struck the ground lightly but the battlefield quaked. Balthar’s sword aura shattered like fragile glass. Noctis raised his arms to block, yet he was pushed back, his feet plowing trenches in the earth.

Balthar roared and swung again. His sword seemed to create its own storm as he used his strongest technique. Slicing winds rushed toward Ramos.

Ramos stepped through the wind as if he walked through tall grass. He appeared in front of Balthar in a blink and punched him in the stomach. A simple punch, yet Balthar’s eyes widened and his breath left his body. His armored body launched across the sky like a shooting boulder.

Noctis attacked from the side, body covered in dark fur and muscle. His claws glowed with mana and violent nature energy. He swung down at Ramos, aiming to tear him in half.

Ramos caught the claw with just two fingers.

Noctis’s expression changed. His entire arm shook. Ramos twisted his fingers and Noctis flew back, slamming against the remains of a broken tower.

Ramos walked forward again, not rushing, not slowing. Every step created a small crater beneath his feet.

The Dark Priests panicked and cast curses. Dark runes brightened around them and dozens of black spears formed. They shot toward Ramos like falling meteors.

Ramos raised his hand once more.

The spears crumbled into dust before they touched him.

He flicked his wrist and a shockwave blasted out. The Dark Priests screamed as they were sent flying, crashing, and bouncing along the torn battlefield.

"Give up. It is over," Ramos said. His voice was not loud, yet it echoed clearly across the ruined land.

The priests coughed and trembled, but they began to laugh.

"Kekekek... Kekekek..."

"We knew it..."

"We knew it. We cannot defeat you with such measly tricks."

"That is why we prepared a gift for you."

Ramos frowned. His instincts tightened. Something was not right.

The priests’ bodies began to shake. Their skin melted like wax and their bones cracked. The mana around them twisted and a horrible force pressed out from their merging flesh.

Under Ramos’s shocked eyes, the humanoid figures of the Dark SSS Rank Priests began to converge into one.

And the world shivered again.

Ramos’s eyes widened in shock when he saw the merging mass shift into something far more terrifying. His body moved instantly. He vanished and appeared right in front of the forming figure. He slammed his fist forward with all his strength.

Just as his fist touched the figure, a massive shockwave burst out.

BOOOOOOOOM.

Ramos’s body was thrown back like a broken arrow. He flew hundreds of meters and crashed through several buildings. Walls shattered and dust rolled across the city as his body finally stopped, buried in rubble.

"Lord Ramos!" voices echoed in panic.

The other Dukes and Imperial Knights attacked at once. Their spells and weapons bombarded the figure from all sides, shaking the air. But the moment their attacks landed, a wave of dread spread through the battlefield.

The world dimmed.

Darkness swallowed the sky and the sun was covered by a huge, looming shadow. The air turned cold. Loud, painful cries erupted inside everyone’s ears. Even the strongest men trembled, grabbing their heads in fear.

High above, faint glowing souls began to rise from the bodies of the injured and the dead. Their souls were dragged upward and pulled into a single point in the dark sky, screaming as they vanished.

The merging mass finished taking shape. The priests’ bodies were gone. Their flesh and bones had melted into a thick, muddy liquid that twisted and stretched until it formed a horrifying shape.

The creature stood tall like a gigantic humanoid woman, yet nothing about her seemed human anymore.

Her skin was rotten and pale, stuck tight to her bones. Her ribs pressed out through thin flesh like a cage. Her skull-like face had no lips, only rows of sharp teeth showing in a dead grin. Empty eye sockets glowed with dark purple fire. Long, bony wings sprouted from her back, the feathers torn and dripping with black liquid that sizzled when it touched the ground.

Everyone who saw her felt their breath catch in their throat.

Luke pointed with a shaking hand. "Wait, is that not the one we saw in the Crown Games?"

"Yes. It is her," another answered with dread in his tone.

"Damn, she is stronger. Much stronger than before."

The skeletal figure rose slowly into the sky. Every step she took left a bloody trail in the air. A dark halo formed behind her head, and it expanded until it covered the sky like a second moon. The halo pulsed with a bright flash.

Everyone who looked at it felt their souls being pulled. Hearts pounded in fear. Knees buckled. Some collapsed, gasping as if invisible hands squeezed their throats.

A cold voice echoed across the capital, filling every corner of Heinz.

"Mortals..."

The voice felt like needles inside their veins.

"Bow down before me and beg for mercy, I will spare you."

The air trembled as she spoke again.

"Resist, and your entire existence will be wiped out."

"Haaa!" someone cried in terror, falling to the ground.

Then a power unlike anything before erupted from her body. The sky cracked like broken glass. The ground shook as if the world’s core was splitting. Buildings fell apart. Roads broke open. Towers collapsed in clouds of dust and flame.

The capital of Heinz was drowning in chaos.

And above them all, she watched with empty eyes. A harbinger of destruction. A nightmare made flesh.