In the skies high above Azesion.
Four ships of the Sky Fortress had departed from Midhaze and were flying towards the Sun of Destruction. On board were Lay, Misa, and the most powerful demons of the Demon King’s Army from two thousand years ago.
Their goal was to bring down the sinister sun in the sky and stop the Solar Eclipse of the End from happening. The closer they got, the more they felt the oppressive threat of the Sun of Destruction, but the demon ships accelerated without fear.
“Sky Fortress Azetta, full speed upwards,” said one of my followers.
“We’re trying, but...” murmured another.
The Sky Fortress Azetta tried to rise upwards after gaining sufficient speed, but it suddenly decelerated and was unable to close the distance as intended. The airspace being controlled by Sarjieldenav was also known as the sky of destruction. Azetta was being pushed back by the destructive magic power that filled the airspace, preventing it from moving any closer. The only one able to fly through the sky of destruction was Farris Noin, the creation magic master who had spent a hundred years completing his giant fortress.
Only ten ships in the fleet of the urgently prepared Sky Fortress Azetta had reached completion. Once the ongoing threat of the army of gods and Dilhade’s own defensive needs were factored in, it was decided that only four ships could be deployed at most—exactly as Eldmed had predicted.
Leading one ship was Nigitt. Out of all of my followers, he was second only to Shin in his swordsmanship. Another ship was led by Devidra, the demon who had tried to execute the human boy Igareth out of hatred. After I stopped him, he reformed himself, reincarnated stronger, and worked diligently towards protecting the peace of this era. A third ship was helmed by Rouche. She was the best wind magic caster in the Demon King’s Army, and she was also familiar with piloting the Sky Fortress; two thousand years ago, she had been on Farris Noin’s ship when we first approached the Sun of Destruction. The fourth and final ship had Lay and Misa on board.
This was the greatest aerial force Dilhade could prepare at the moment. If these four ships were shot down, there would be nothing left.
“It’s no good,” Rouche said from the third ship. Her words were being transmitted to Lay and the others through Leaks. “We can’t fly any further into the sky of destruction. If we try to charge forward anyway, the Sky Fortress Azetta will fall apart. Lord Farris’s Zeridheavens was the only ship capable of safely navigating this airspace. And though there may be no Keepers to look out for this time with Abernyu gone, the airspace now, because of the solar eclipse, is even more destructive than last time.”
“What do we do, Hero Kanon?” Nigitt asked.
“I was only just able to reach it with Heaven Splitter,” Lay said. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to sever the Sun of Destruction’s fate from this distance.”
Lay stood on the roof of the fourth ship, glaring up at the impending solar eclipse. He had Evansmana, the Sword of Three Races, clutched in his hand, the blade glowing with divine light.
He had poured his entire body into Heaven Splitter, the hidden art that gathered infinite sword slashes into one, and tried to cut the sun in half. But the holy sword had only been able to scratch the surface. The eclipse had only been rewound by a fraction, the majority of Evansmana’s power having been depleted as it crossed the sky of destruction.
When it came to the powers of the Goddesses of Destruction and Creation, the blade had to make direct contact with them to sever their fate.
“Even if we approached willing to sacrifice the Sky Fortress, we’d only cover half the distance at most,” Devidra said.
“According to the information Lord Anos gained in the Divine Realm, the coordinates of the Sun of Destruction have been blessed by order. It’s capable of teleporting anywhere on earth,” Nigitt added, analyzing the situation with a grim look. The information from the Divine Realm had been passed to them through Eleonore and Ennessone.
“But the fact we were able to get this close without it moving means there has to be some kind of cost,” Devidra said.
If the Sun of Destruction had teleported when the Sky Fortress got close, it wouldn’t have received the attack from the Sword of Three Races. In other words, it was still more convenient for the enemy to keep the Sun of Destruction in its current position than move it. If they got close enough for the holy sword to have any real effect, the sun and moon would be teleported—and the earth would become helpless.
“Bwa ha ha! Then why don’t you aim for the moment when it can’t teleport?” Eldmed’s voice said through Leaks. He was currently commanding the troops at the outskirts of Dilhade while simultaneously keeping an eye on the situation in the sky.
The battle on the ground was quite cutthroat as well, but Eldmed was cheery, strolling through the battlefield while suppressing the Keepers.
Rouche’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean, Conflagration King?”
“You mean we wait for the moment the black sun strikes?” Lay asked. He already had the same idea.
“Indeed, indeed, that is exactly what I mean! The black sun emits light of ruin. Its rays can cancel out any and all magic. The spell formula controlling the positions of the Sun of Destruction and the Moon of Creation won’t be immune to it either. It may be able to keep their current positions, but it would be near impossible to teleport them in those conditions.”
“The moment the black sun releases its rays, the enemy won’t be able to move the sun... You have a point. If the sun had teleported away from Evansmana’s attack just now, it would have already fired its rays at the earth,” Rouche said.
“Now, now, I called it near impossible, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be moved. I wouldn’t be surprised if it moved in the midst of the chaos.”
“What happens if it moves?”
“Shouldn’t it be obvious? We get wiped out.”
“Conflagration King... This isn’t the time for jokes...”
“Bwa ha ha! Don’t be silly, carrier of wind. The bigger the risk, the more interesting the gamble! Who would joke during such a fun time? You? No? Listen closely—what we need now is a miracle. A miracle! If you want to sit at the game table, you need at least this much as your chip.”
There was no time to exercise caution. If the Sun of Destruction and the Moon of Creation exceeded our expectations and teleported at the same moment it cast its black rays of sunlight, the plan would be a failure. What the Conflagration King was trying to say was that no method of tackling this was without risk.
“You want us to bet our lives while you stay out of the range of fire?” Rouche asked.
“Is there anywhere out of the range of fire?”
She frowned, irritated by the Conflagration King’s flippant reply.
“Rouche,” Lay called. “There’s no time to hesitate.”
“I know, but...”
“Your master, Anos, failed to destroy me,” Lay said, glaring at the sky. “Yet you think the sun could do it?”
Rouche struggled to respond to Lay as cackling laughter echoed through Leaks.
“Bwa ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Good, very good. Perfect answer! But making the bet is only enough to secure you a seat at the table. We can’t see the enemy’s hand at all, yet the enemy can see every last card we have. On top of that, the dealer is the world, and it can freely control the dice!”
The Conflagration King listed the disadvantages of our situation with glee.
“Everyone knows that in a gamble, the house always wins. What shall we do?”
A thunk sounded, the hard smack of Eldmed’s cane hitting something. He had probably just batted a god away.
“What will you bet with your life, Hero Kanon?”
“I’ll place all seven of my lives on you,” Lay replied without hesitation.
Eldmed inhaled sharply. I could just picture his face twisting with glee.
Lay smiled peacefully. “If the enemy can freely control the dice, we just have to bet on a cheater.”
“I see! You want me, of all people, to swindle the will of the world—to swindle Equis, the Almighty Radiance? Oh my. Do you really think me capable of something so outrageous?”
“We’ll win,” Lay said calmly, drawing a magic circle. “Just because the will of this world wants ruin doesn’t mean we have to accept it. We’re carrying Azesion and Dilhade on our backs.”
He drew Siegsesta, the Sword of Intent, from the circle. Ominous magic power gathered around the blade, while Evansmana glowed even more radiantly. The sight of such different magic wavelengths coexisting in Lay’s hands had Nigitt’s eyes widening.
“It is an honor to be fighting for peace with those I once crossed swords with. I couldn’t imagine better comrades,” Lay said, eyes burning with resolve. “Lend me your strength, and I will bring down the sun.”