Translator: Pai_
The center of Saintrea, where a barrier was cast around three statues.
And at the heart of it, a single spring had been created.
A small spring built where the statue of the Lord God once stood in the past.
“Has Mimir shown any response yet?”
“No. It seems it will only react once the formation is complete.”
An elderly man spoke, and a middle-aged man answered him.
The man who was once called the Pope had now become a follower of the expelled Absolute God, and the middle-aged man beside him was the same. The man who had once held the high position of Cardinal had also become a follower of an external god.
Those two gazed upon the small spring they had named Mimir.
“O God… please descend quickly.”
From the moment they made the wrong choice, the only thing left for them was the being known as the Absolute God.
To bring about His descent, they had sacrificed countless people, and even now, the Holy Army was dying one after another to buy time.
That was why it had to succeed, no matter what.
To prove that they had not failed.
Was it because of their desperate wish?
Mimir’s Spring began to ripple, even if only slightly.
As the blackened spring became sticky like oil and began to ripple, the expressions of the Pope and Cardinal who were watching it lit up.
“Finally!”
“There’s not much left. Just a little more… just a little more!”
It was at that moment the Pope and Cardinal were speaking like that.
Kwaang!
A loud explosion came from outside, and the Pope hurriedly rushed out.
“Wha… what are you doing! Don’t let them in, no matter what!”
“Protect the statues! They must not be destroyed!”
The Pope and Cardinal urgently ordered that Mimir’s Spring and the three statues placed around it be protected.
But yelling wouldn't solve the issue.
To stop the overwhelming charge of the Otherworlders, they needed a hidden move.
“Prepare them.”
“But… they are meant for emergencies…”
“If we’re breached here, it’s all over.”
As the Pope spoke firmly while looking at the Cardinal, the Cardinal bowed his head and responded.
“All for the sake of God…”
“For God…”
After the Cardinal left, the Pope silently stared into Mimir’s Spring.
Even at a glance, the spring overflowed with such repulsively corrupted energy that even the Pope, a believer in the external god, found it unbearable to look at.
“There’s no turning back now…”
The Pope muttered as he looked into the spring water.
From the moment they betrayed the Lord God, there was no going back.
He knew well that even if they tried to return, the Lord God would never forgive them.
They had long believed in the Lord God and possessed countless records within the temple. Therefore, they knew the Lord God’s nature better than anyone.
When it came to betrayal, the Lord God was more absolute in judgment than any other god.
That was why none of the key figures of the Southern Kingdom Union had survived, all meeting their deaths.
Even the Masters who had greatly aided in stopping the ancient species had all perished.
That was why the Holy Alliance had no choice but to rely further on the external god.
“Please…”
Clutching his trembling arm, the Pope looked up to the sky.
He knew well that even if the external god were to win, their future would not be hopeful.
Still, they had to live.
Because death meant the end.
“O God… please lead us to victory.”
Once again, he prayed to the god who was the supreme deity and once his entire belief.
And as if in response, Mimir’s Spring surged more violently, and a faint gray light began to flow from the Pope’s body.
The once-pure light that had enveloped the Pope’s body was now entirely replaced by the waves of corrupted energy.
Bang! Bang!
“The Pope must not be reached!”
“Stop them!”
The holy knights tried to block the incoming Otherworlders, but it was not enough.
Having grown stronger by defeating the South and the ancient species, the Otherworlders’ level far surpassed that of ordinary holy knights.
To block the three holy statues, the Otherworlders exploited the gap left by the removal of key forces and pushed toward the center where Mimir’s Spring was located, an important strategy.
At this rate, it was a situation where the Otherworlders could enter the temple.
Right then, a powerful wave of energy spread out and formed a barrier.
“This is…”
One of the Otherworlders frowned as he looked at the barrier blocking his path.
They had come so far, only to be stopped.
“How can a barrier this powerful exist…?”
“It’s not the statues. What’s maintaining it?”
“What the hell!”
As the Otherworlders looked around to figure out what was sustaining the unexpectedly powerful barrier.
“You crazy bastards…”
One of the Otherworlders cursed and pointed to the side.
A woman could be seen slowly dying as the energy drained from her body.
“You sick sons of bitches!”
“They’re maintaining it using people’s life force?”
“Look over there! They’re even using children!”
“Fucking bastards!”
The Otherworlders clenched their teeth at the Holy Alliance, which was even using the lives of children.
Even though this world wasn’t their original world, they had grown emotionally attached after fighting together for so long.
Moreover, considering it from the perspective of being the same category of 'human', the Holy Alliance’s act of exploiting children’s lives was something absolutely unforgivable by any normal standard.
As the Otherworlders killed the suffering people whose life force was being drained to lessen their pain, the barrier slowly began to fade.
At this rate, if they pushed just a bit harder, it seemed possible to break through the barrier.
Just then, another power prepared by Saintrea descended.
[The blessing of the Absolute God Odin is bestowed upon all believers in Saintrea!]
-Due to the overuse of the blessing, only 75% of Odin's power can be used upon descent.
-The time of descent is accelerated through forced connection.
-The incomplete barrier is reinforced by Odin.
Odin, observing the Holy Alliance’s crisis, sacrificed his dignity to hasten his descent.
Because his believers needed to hold out until his arrival, he even used a blessing.
As a result, the Otherworlders, who had been advancing without resistance, were blocked by the Holy Alliance’s final resistance.
“Their defense is solid.”
“We were so close…”
The Otherworlders stood in front of the central temple where Mimir’s Spring was, showing expressions of frustration.
Had they been just a little faster, they might have broken through.
But in the end, they had been stopped here.
“Look at this!”
Crack!
One of the Otherworlders broke something that appeared to be a holy relic.
At that moment, the barrier reinforced by Odin began to waver.
Seeing this, the Otherworlders stopped standing idly and quickly sprang into action.
Already, relics presumed to be sacred items in Saintrea were being rapidly destroyed by the Eastern Army.
Now, with the Otherworlders joining in, they began to smash every relic hidden throughout the buildings.
[Saintrea's holy relic has been destroyed. The Holy Alliance’s debuff intensifies.]
[Saintrea's holy relic has been destroyed. The Holy Alliance’s debuff intensifies.]
(continued)
As the holy relics across Saintrea were smashed, the debuffs hindering the Imperial Army continued to stack up.
And that meant the gods fighting against the Grand Masters could no longer endure.
“Huff… huff…”
-Tweet!
“I can hold on.”
Even as Iron sweated like rain, he endured the War God's onslaught.
Baepsae continued to infuse him with healing power, and the power of vitality sustained Iron’s nearly collapsing body.
Meanwhile, the Divine Beasts, wounded all over, bought time.
Thanks to them, the long-awaited timing had arrived.
-Huff… huff…
Tyr, who had been launching relentless attacks without pause, was finally beginning to tire.
Because he had recklessly charged in without considering the accumulating debuffs, he had eventually worn himself out.
As the debuffs piled up, his anxiety grew, and in turn, the moment the backlash from overexerting his power hit, Iron began to press the attack.
In contrast, the two Family Heads were still struggling against the gods’ onslaught.
There was a difference in mastery, and without the overwhelming power of Divine Beasts and Divine Power, they had to endure with sheer strength alone.
However, the two Family Heads held out to the end and finally seized a chance to counterattack.
[The statue of Odin the Sage has been destroyed. A large-scale debuff is applied to the Holy Alliance.]
As the statue symbolizing the Sage Odin was destroyed, a massive debuff was inflicted on the descended gods.
Even the two Family Heads, whose mastery was still lacking, were now able to pressure the gods, needless to say, so could Iron.
-…It’s over.
The War God Tyr let out a hollow laugh as he looked up at the sky.
Just then, another system message rang out.
[The statue of Odin the Archmage has been destroyed. A large-scale debuff is applied to the Holy Alliance.]
The statue of Odin the Archmage, said to be the origin of magic.
Once even that was destroyed, the gods could no longer endure and were slowly pushed back.
-Collapse it. We need to buy time at least.
At last, Tyr made his decision.
“Ha… but if we do that…”
-Give it up. Unless the Absolute God descends, there’s no hope for you either.
“…Understood.”
At his words, the priest who had been looking at Tyr floating in the sky bowed his head and moved to carry out the order.
Overloading the eastern central axis and pouring all the gathered power into Tyr.
It was no different from abandoning a proper descent.
To those who followed Tyr, it was no less than a statement of despair, yet the very target of descent, Tyr himself, felt liberated.
-Still, I won’t go out meaninglessly.
Tyr said with a faint smile.
The operation to bring about the perfect descent of all external gods had failed.
Now, the only thing left was the complete descent of the Absolute God, prepared just in case.
To achieve that, they had to buy time.
If Odin were to descend and bring destruction to humanity, there might be a slight chance of Tyr’s resurrection in the distant future.
But even that would not be easy.
-Am I to accept annihilation?
While he fled toward the central axis, the Apostle of the Lord God was preparing a Transcendent Skill.
Seeing that, he realized escaping annihilation would not be easy.
-So that’s why Thor made such a choice.
There was a reason his former self, Thor, had chosen to fight while prepared for his own annihilation.
Just then, the system voice echoed again.
[The statue of Odin the Allfather has been destroyed. A large-scale debuff is applied to the Holy Alliance.]
[All the barrier pillars protecting Odin’s temple have been destroyed. The temple’s barrier is severely weakened.]
[Due to the destruction of all statues, Odin’s blessing is weakened.]
System messages came one after another.
Upon hearing them, Tyr let out a small sigh.
-The descent of the Absolute God won’t be easy either.
As Tyr said this, he lifted his sacred arms.
Shields, spears, axes, swords, several weapons were reborn in perfect form.
-I will simply do what I must.
The moment Tyr said this, the central axis he had desperately tried to protect collapsed, and the immense power sealed within began to seep into him.
Yet it still overflowed, extending even to the incarnations.
The incarnations who had been desperately holding back the enemies with limited power turned to look at Tyr.
To them, Tyr gave a small nod.
-Is this how it ends?
-May our God at least complete His descent…
-We cannot go with you.
The many gods who had descended as incarnations lamented their fate and wished for the successful descent of the Absolute God.
Then, Skadi, who had been fighting Lioner, also let out a sigh and collapsed the pillar she was responsible for.
Freyja, realizing their plan had fallen apart, sighed and destroyed her pillar as well, temporarily amplifying her power.
-The debuff really is strong.
Even after giving up her great domain to amplify her power, the result wasn’t satisfying, and Tyr let out a hollow laugh.
But one cannot always have a satisfying battle.
Tyr raised his power to blaze his final moment in glory.
***
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