Chapter "558"

"So, that's what it was."

Rudger finally felt like a missing piece of the puzzle had fallen into place.

Nirva's words weren't lies meant to escape the immediate situation.

After Lumensis intervened in the Lower World once, it became difficult for them to touch the cage.

That's why Lumensis tried to dominate the continent using the religious order, but even that didn't go well.

After the Saint's death, the order's influence weakened over time without his intervention.

The influence of scientific development was particularly significant.

The beginning of the Industrial Revolution, distrust in gods, growth of philosophy, development of magical engineering, the emergence of capitalism.

The weakened Bretus Holy Nation took a major hit about 20 years ago when it locked its doors.

Indeed, could this be a mere coincidence?

No.

Because of his existence, the flow of this world had been reversed.

"Now that you know the truth, do you lament your situation?"

"Of course not."

Rudger dismissed Nirva's mockery with a single sentence.

In fact, he had vaguely sensed it for some time.

His talent. This power to hear the voice of god must have some connection to his arrival in this world.

'The reason must be because of my purpose.'

He was a vessel.

Considering that a vessel's purpose is to contain something, his role was all too clear.

"You are a vessel created to contain Lumensis' power and control the world in his place. At this point, can we even call that a vessel?"

If Rudger had to name it, he would rather call it this: The [Holy Grail].

A Holy Grail can have an enormous influence depending on what fills it but this Holy Grail has left the hands of the Lumensis Order.

How foolish that those blinded by desire had kicked away the blessing bestowed upon them.

To think that the Holy Grail meticulously created by their god was wandering alone on this continent.

It wouldn't have been so regrettable if someone had picked it up and used it.

But surprisingly, this Holy Grail moved with its own will and filled itself based on what it saw and felt.

Not a Holy Grail forcibly created by someone but a Holy Grail fully completed by its own thoughts.

If a vessel meant to contain a god had filled itself with something of its own accord and completed itself shouldn't that itself be called a god?

Nirva felt regretful.

Judging by Rudger's attitude, he seemed to dislike the Bretus Holy Nation and despise Lumensis.

Nirva also wanted to overthrow the wicked Lumensis just the same.

Their objectives aligned, but their methods differed greatly.

In the end, Nirva, who swore loyalty to the goddess, and Rudger, who changed everything with his own will, were like oil and water that couldn't mix.

'If I could just offer this one to the goddess, it would be nothing to cover this entire world with dreams.'

With the right moves, he might even be able to eliminate Lumensis, who was watching from high above the sky but they could never join hands anyway.

Since they were parting ways, Nirva had no choice but to kill or capture Rudger by any means necessary.

Rudger had the same thought.

"You're scheming."

-Crack.

Black tentacles erupted from Rudger's shadow and bound Nirva's body lying on the ground.

Rudger was currently focusing all his senses on Nirva, to prepare for whatever he might try to do.

In Rudger's shadowed face looking down at Nirva, his blue eyes flashed sharply.

"It might be meaningless, but at least for the sake of restraint, cutting off your limbs shouldn't be a problem."

The subdued Nirva had no strength left to resist Rudger but Nirva smiled as if this situation pleased him. As if things had finally gone according to his wishes.

'You're smiling?'

Rudger raised his vigilance toward Nirva.

As if to ensure he couldn't do anything reckless, he concentrated all his magical power and senses on Nirva.

Ironically, Rudger never anticipated that this would lead to a mistake.

With his senses focused on Nirva, Rudger was late in detecting another being's approach.

Someone dropped from the air and, as if waiting for this moment, thrust a dagger into Nirva's heart.

-Stab!

It happened so quickly that Rudger had no time to stop it.

As the blade pierced Nirva's heart, golden blood overflowed from his mouth.

It was a weapon created by concentrating all sorts of power and curses for decades.

With that piercing his heart, even Nirva couldn't survive.

As an apostle of dreams, how shameful it was to die in the dream world.

But this was actually what Nirva wanted.

Nirva's gaze turned to Franz.

He smiled at Franz, who was glaring at him with hatred, and said:

"Th-thank you."

"What?"

Franz couldn't understand the meaning of that smile.

It would be difficult for anyone to understand.

Who could believe that Nirva actually desired death and deliberately induced it?

Even Rudger, who had an immediate bad feeling, had been wrestling with whether to kill him or not.

'Why? If an apostle like him died, wouldn't the goddess's resurrection be virtually impossible?'

There wasn't enough energy yet to resurrect the goddess.

Buying time until then should have been Nirva's goal, right?

"No way."

An uneasy thought flashed through Rudger's mind.

"Is he trying to use himself as a sacrifice?"

It was just a wild guess. No, he hoped it was just a wild guess.

But Nirva drove a nail into Rudger's anxiety with a deflated smile.

"Goddess. Your humble servant dedicates himself to you."

-Whoosh.

Nirva's body slowly turned to sand and began to scatter.

His main body collapsed and completely dispersed, leaving only glass-like debris sparkling in that spot.

Nirva, the apostle of dreams, had completely died but Rudger couldn't rejoice.

Nirva was dead, but that death was exactly what he wanted, and it was just the beginning of what would happen next.

"Over here! I heard sounds from this direction!"

"The demon? Where did it run to?"

People who had been chasing Nirva arrived one after another.

They were surprised to see Rudger unharmed, and surprised again to find that Nirva's traces had disappeared.

"That demon, is it possible he's dead?"

"Then what happened? Is it all over?"

Students who had been watching the fight from a distance also approached, checking the situation.

Their faces showed clear signs of relief that everything was over.

But Rudger's hardened expression did not soften.

"You..."

Just as Rudger was about to say something to Franz standing dazed in place, the Infinite Prison shook violently.

"Wh-whoa? It's shaking!"

"Everyone be careful! The prison is falling because the caster died!"

The prison vibrated greatly with rumbling sounds.

Timid students screamed.

"Protect the students!"

"Everyone be careful!"

But contrary to their worries, there was no major collision.

The Infinite Prison crumbled into sand and flowed down when it touched the ground.

The people inside were able to remain unscathed thanks to the soft sand.

People were bewildered by the outside view of the deep level that reappeared.

"Are we alive?"

"We're alive! We survived!"

Everyone who had been caught in the fracture and fallen to the middle level rejoiced with tears, grateful that they had all survived safely.

They were covered in sand, but what did that matter?

What's important is that they survived right now.

But among the rejoicing people, there was someone who couldn't shake off his serious expression.

Alex, wearing a mask, was relieved to see Rudger unharmed but simultaneously read something in his expression.

'What is it? Leader's expression...'

Alex's body stiffened as he pondered.

The hair all over his body stood on end.

His muscles tightened, his neck tensed, and cold sweat ran down his back.

Pantos felt the same thing.

His snow-white hair stood on end, and a formidable wildness instinctively erupted from his entire body.

Pantos' gaze turned toward the massive obelisk visible in the distance.

"Something is happening."

Though that murmur was quiet as if talking to himself, everyone could hear it clearly.

Right at this moment, the people who had been rejoicing all fell silent at once.

What's this?

Why is my body trembling?

I can't make a sound.

People were perplexed by the unusual reactions of their bodies.

The mind might not understand, but the body's instincts were more honest than anything else.

As if choreographed, everyone's gaze simultaneously turned to one place, the massive obelisk tower rising in the distance.

From that place—how such a gigantic structure could exist in this world was unknown—something black and sticky surged upward.

"What, is that?"

Someone asked in a bewildered voice, but there was no answer.

Everyone had their eyes and minds completely captured by the magnificent scene unfolding in the distance.

Black like viscous tar flowing from industrial waste, it resembled something bubbling and difficult to describe.

The writhing black mass rose and swelled like a balloon.

Pulsating like a massive heart impaled on a stake.

Eyes rolled up, wriggling on its surface.

-Snap!

People who saw the pupils turned to stone.

They couldn't make a sound, faced with such a bizarre sight.

-Bulge. Bulge.

Countless eyes of varying sizes rose like bubbles and then sank, repeating the process.

Some people who faced that scene either collapsed or began to retch.

The changes didn't stop there.

Both sides of the undulating massive mass swelled up.

What burst through the surface, like a membrane, were two gigantic arms.

Black liquid gushed out like amniotic fluid from where the arms protruded.

Its size was so enormous that even from a distance, it felt like a waterfall that made the ground vibrate.

-Boom!

The two gigantic hands touched the ground.

Even though they merely placed their palms down gently, Dreamland screamed as if it would tear apart.

—————!!!!

It was just one hand gesture yet an entire world was trembling.

The writhing form gradually began to take on a human shape.

The eyes floating on the sleek black surface all sank and disappeared, and in their place, a human head abruptly emerged.

Slowly raising its upper body while pressing both hands to the ground, it resembled a woman with long black hair.

It looked like a shape roughly sculpted from black wax.

Or like a doll made by pouring wax directly onto a person.

There was no nose or mouth. Only white light, presumed to be pupils, rose faintly like dawn mist on the face.

Rudger immediately realized the identity of this being.

The Goddess of Dreams.

Noxana had opened her eyes.

"She's resurrected?"

The Dream Walkers stared at Noxana with blank expressions.

It was then that Clara Cohen stepped forward and dispersed magical power.

The stabilizing energy contained in the dream calmed people's minds.

"Everyone, get yourselves together. Look there."

Clara's staff pointed at the area around Noxana's solar plexus.

"The heretical god has not yet been completely unsealed. That gigantic structure is still piercing through her heart, so it's not too late even now."

Those words gave people hope again.

The heretical god had opened her eyes, but that didn't mean the seal was completely broken.

Currently, Noxana’s body was still pierced by the obelisk.

Though she was taking on a human form and rising, her movements were sluggish, and there were clear limitations to her range of motion.

Perhaps…there might still be a chance.

"Right. If we stop her now..."

"There's still hope."

Everyone became united in purpose.

Even if they wanted to flee in fear, escape was virtually impossible now that she had opened her eyes.

Having come this far, they had no choice but to fight, come what may.

They couldn't completely wash away their fear, but a vague hope arose that they could succeed.

"Yes. If the seal's effects are still there, it's entirely possible."

"We defeated the apostle too. Even if it's a heretical god, we can surely stop her if she's not in perfect condition."

The mages of the Dream Faction took the lead first.

"Hey, you bastards!"

Zantman deliberately raised his voice to boost morale.

"Surely you're not thinking of running away in fear from here!"

The Dream Walkers responded with smiling faces to his provocative words.

"What nonsense!"

"If we retreat from here, we'd have to give up our Dream Walker title!"

"The dead would be laughing at us from the afterlife!"

Elisa also addressed the Theon teachers while gathering her magical power.

"Is everyone ready? This is the final battle."

All Theon's teachers nodded with determined expressions, preparing for combat.

Rationally, fighting was insane, but with the Dream School shouting so loudly next to them, they were starting to feel motivated.

Rude also finished his preparations to fight.

His gaze turned toward the masked Owens members.

Words weren't necessary.

Since intentions could be sufficiently conveyed with just eye contact, Alex nodded and gestured.

They would also join the battle.

"Rear units fall back!"

"Everyone, prepare yourselves thoroughly!"

Everyone who had readied their formation aimed their weapons at Noxana, visible in the distance.

They planned to launch a coordinated attack upon the signal.

At that moment, Noxana’s white eyes turned in their direction.

-Rumble.

The goddess lifted her two hands from the ground.

-Gurgle.

Something like black tar gathered on her palms and took on a single form.

It was a sleek, glossy black bell.

Noxana is trying to do something!

"Attack!" Follow current novels on novel[f]

Spells were fired simultaneously at the urgent command.

Magic unleashed by hundreds of mages crossed the space and flew toward Noxana.

Noxana, without even glancing at the magic, quietly gazed at the bell, and then.

-Tinkle.

She shook it once, lightly.

“————.”

The world went dark.