Chapter 113: The Arrogant ‘King’ and the Wrathful ‘God’
“GYAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
With fury and murderous intent ablaze, Subnock charged forward. Rest deftly dodged the foul, corrosive saliva that sprayed like a water laser and ascended into the sky.
“[Invisibility][Floating][Wind Manipulation][Sky Drive]”
He activated his magic in a harmonious quartet. Using an illusion spell to conceal his presence, Rest propelled himself into the air.
(If I try to get close and attack… I guess I won’t be allowed to do that after all.)
“GYAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
Having lost sight of Rest, Subnock rampaged wildly, attacking everything in sight. It was clear he had realized Rest was hiding with magic. Approaching carelessly could result in a lucky strike that would hit him.
(Then… it seems I have no choice but to resort to this method.)
“[Wind Manipulation]”
Rest soared over Subnock’s massive head, rising high into the sky. He climbed steadily, the air pressure dropping and making it difficult to breathe. The temperature plummeted, and a chill enveloped him. After about one hundred eighty seconds, he reached an altitude of approximately four thousand meters above the ground. Though still lower than the cruising altitude of passenger planes, he was high enough to look down upon Mount Fuji.
The winds were stronger up here. While he couldn’t see any humans below, he could just make out Subnock’s colossal form.
“…This should be high enough.”
Rest hovered in midair, pausing. Below, Subnock continued to thrash about in search of him, but at this height, he was safe from any attacks. Rest looked down at Subnock and confirmed aloud what he needed to do next.
“…Subnock has tough fur, and even advanced magic or composite magic in a quartet won’t deal significant damage. [Star Eater] could shred his body, but its range is short. While using [Star Eater], I can’t cast other spells or enhance my body. It’s impossible for me to get close and strike a precise blow on such a massive creature.”
So, what should he do? One conclusion emerged: he needed to strike from a distance with an attack equal to or greater than [Star Eater]. Unfortunately, none of the spells Rest had mastered could achieve that. While his magical power was infinite, his magic output—essentially, its potency—was merely average.
“[Star Eater]”
The most powerful spell he could cast. It was indeed this magic that birthed a dark star. A black sphere formed at the tip of his right hand, and simultaneously, the magic he had been using to fly was forcibly canceled, causing him to plummet. It was like skydiving without a parachute. Though it was too late to worry, the fear of falling gripped him.
“This is surprisingly tough…!”
Free-falling from four thousand meters without magic or special equipment. The fear and cold were overwhelming, but there was no time for weakness. Rest focused his magical power into the dark star, determined to carry out what needed to be done with calm resolve.
“Absorb the light… O dark star that devours all!”
At that moment, the entire plain was shrouded in darkness. The sunlight dimmed, as if a total eclipse had occurred. Both humans and monsters alike would surely be thrown into confusion by this abnormal phenomenon… but it was Rest who had caused it. He commanded the dark star to absorb the sunlight surrounding him. [Star Eater] was originally an original spell conceived from the image of a black hole. Therefore, just as a black hole captures light and prevents its escape, it was only natural that this spell could consume light as well.
“Anything absorbed by the dark star is unceremoniously annihilated… but this time, I won’t let it vanish. I’ll stop the absorbed light just before it is destroyed and condense it.”
The ground rushed closer. Three thousand meters, two thousand five hundred meters, two thousand meters, one thousand five hundred meters… As he descended, Subnock’s form, which had appeared as a mere speck, grew larger and clearer.
“GYAO…?”
Subnock, who had been rampaging in search of Rest, suddenly looked up, suspicious of the darkness that had fallen upon him. The sky, now mostly devoid of sunlight, was enveloped in shadows… yet it seemed he could see well in the dark. Over a distance of more than a thousand meters, their gazes met.
“GYAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
“It seems you’ve found me… but it’s too late now.”
In Rest’s hand was a sphere brimming with concentrated light energy. From an altitude of four thousand meters to one thousand meters, he fell at a speed of two hundred kilometers per hour for about one minute. Though it was only a minute, he had gathered most of the light that should have rained down upon the vast plain into his palm. Just how much energy this contained, Rest honestly couldn’t say.
“It’s an improvised application of magic, but… can you defend against this?”
If this spell didn’t work on Subnock, there would be no way to handle the situation. Rest would either die or be forced to flee in utter defeat.
(Since I’m at it, I might as well give this spell a name…)
“[Amaterasu]”
Rest directed the light he had captured within the dark star and released it with focus. A dazzling arrow of light shot down toward the earth… aimed directly at the colossal beast below. It was a radiant burst from the darkness, akin to the sun god emerging from the heavenly rock cave, a strike infused with the power of the sun.
“GYAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
Subnock unleashed a stream of corrosive saliva aimed at Rest, who was plummeting from above. However, it was akin to spitting at the heavens—a futile act against the divine retribution of the sun god.
“GYA…!”
The saliva was vaporized in an instant, and Subnock’s massive body was engulfed in light. The beam pierced straight through the center of his torso, mercilessly vaporizing him.
The king of the plains. The master of the demon realm. The monster that had arrogantly called itself the “King” was pierced by the divine hammer of the god that fell from the heavens.