Book Eater

The castle turned incandescent! The air around Geongun Castle burned steadily as it emitted a white light. The concept of wavelengths had yet to be established, but most magicians knew that heat could be estimated by color, and that white was the most dangerous color. Theo looked at the white light that went beyond an average person’s eyes.

I didn’t know that the absolute defense system would be so extreme.

The ward Lust had established was almost at a mythical level, and could even endure a transcendental attack from Nídh?ggur. There was no way to actually break through the ward, so Theo changed his method of approach. If he couldn’t break in from outside, he would break it from inside the castle. So he had utilized the coordinates of the heavenly demon.

“The amount of heat energy trapped in Muspelheim, the land in which Fafnir resides, is literally close to infinity. Can you afford to endure this power in a confined and narrow space?”

Of course, Geongun Castle was larger and more extensive than Belfort of Andras, but Muspelheim was a dimension. It was like trying to stuff an ocean into a bottle. The ward was so robust that it endured for a while, but it was doomed to fail the moment the door to the dimension was opened. Theo could see the walls start to melt.

Chiiiik!

The specially treated metal, which was more expensive than gold, and the magically treated stones melted like butter. The buildings were melting as the variants started to evaporate after a few seconds. It could be said that Lust had already lost 99.9% of her power at this point.

Theo started to sweat at the sight that was several times more fearful than he had expected. “No, isn’t this enough to kill a red dragon?”

The output was actually inferior to Veronica’s Breath since it would take a lot of time for Muspelheim to expand their dimension through the hole Theo had made. However, the accumulation of heat in a confined space had surpassed even the ultimate fire spell. Even a red dragon that could swim through magma would burn in this castle.

Jjejeok. 𝚋ｅｄｎ𝚘𝚟ｅｌ.ｃｏ𝚖

At this moment, Theo heard it.

“Already?”

He thought it would take at least three minutes, but he had underestimated the heat overflowing from Muspelheim. The ward was visibly cracking. The air leaking through the cracks distorted the atmosphere, killing some of the birds overhead. They were scorched to the bone in a matter of seconds.

Jjeok! Jjejejeok! Jjejeok!

The first crack birthed even more faults. The surface of the ward resembled a spider web in a matter of moments. The light swirling inside came in contact with cold air and found new prey. This was the moment when the seemingly impregnable ward collapsed.

That’s enough.

Theo closed his eyes and focused. He had accomplished his goal of destroying the ward, but if he let it keep going, the heat would overrun the East Continent. It was time to close the door to Muspelheim. It was easier to close the dimensional door because the world wanted to restore its original shape. A few seconds after he issued a command using his administrator’s authority, the door that appeared in Lust’s presence disappeared.

Theo opened his eyes and raised his right hand above his head. The ultimate electrical spell materialized as a golden flash of light and struck Geongun Castle.

「 Penetrate, Keraunos!」

It was the finishing blow.

Kwarururung!

The thunderous strike was the straw that broke the camel’s back as the ward shattered under the lightning bolt. The heat that had been trapped burst outward as a massive pillar of fire. The torrent of energized plasma from inside the castle reminded him of the spear of a god piercing the ground.

“... It is a sight that I won’t forget for a thousand years.”

If night was a physical concept, this would have broken it. A glowing whirlpool broke through the clouds and tore the sky apart. If the pillar had gone in any other direction, it would’ve caused astronomical damage. Theo sighed in relief and examined the remains of Geongun Castle.

There are four life signals that can be clearly detected in the castle... Those might be the three feudal lords who had come to Geongun Castle. However, it is a bit difficult to confirm Lust’s disappearance.

Thanks to the awful heat inside the castle, Theo’s detection spell didn’t work too well. The heavenly demon and the feudal lords were easy to find, thanks to their obvious strength. However, Lust was hard since she didn’t prioritize direct combat ability.

But Theo spread his senses outward. Since the heavenly demon project was completed, her life or death wasn’t important. Even if she survived, she could be killed in a few minutes if he won this fight.

All three of the feudal lords are dying. None of them were a sacred creature of fire? Then there is nothing to worry about other than...

Setting aside the three presences wavering like a candle, he focused on the fourth, nightmarish, presence.

Chill.?

It was a feeling that he hadn’t experienced since he had become a transcendent. The chill of death ran up his spine. He immediately dropped into a combat stance, and not even a moment later…

――――――――――――――!!!

One strike. A beam of light shot out of the burning white Geongun Castle and toward Theo faster than lightning. Hwang Mountain shattered as Theo dodged. Hundreds of tons of rock rose into the sky and poured down like rain. Thanks to the pillar of fire that was still burning white, the night sky was as bright as daylight, but the rain of rocks shaded the area.

「 Reflection. 」

A word sent the rock shower back.

Huoong! Hung! Huuung!

The rocks that were attracted to the ground because of gravity soared into the sky again, and the eyes of the monster curved. The eyes held nothing but murder and malice.

――――Huook.

Rings of light burst out from the monster, disintegrating the rocks around the monster. They had not been melted nor burned. Instead, the instantaneously applied heat energy caused sublimation.

Yes, this is the power of Karura!

It was said that Karura had once received a lightning strike from Indra, one of the heavenly kings. He had some of the power of the sun god, so he couldn’t be hurt by lightning. Theo saw through the reality and raised his guard. There was now nothing between the two beings as a pair of red eyes met cool blue ones.

There is a lot of resemblance to Lust.

The black-haired man had an unnatural beauty and an unknown magic power.

“How interesting,” the heavenly demon smirked as he spoke. “I thought I wouldn’t be able to satisfy the endless hunger of my body in a world full of insects, but you will be pretty good.”

“Ha, where did you learn to bluff after just being born?” Theo endured the heavenly demon’s presence and snarked back. “A child speaking nonsense after not even being born for half a day. I really wonder about your parents’ faces. Ah! I'm sorry. I just burned your mother.”

“... You.” The heavenly demon was completely immune to mental attacks, but patience was clearly not his strong suit.

The heavenly demon spat out a shard of a tooth and sentenced the person who made him uncomfortable to death, “I will kill you. I won’t leave a single piece of flesh behind.”

At the moment when he was about to distort space and take a life…

Kiiing.

The world stopped. The heavenly demon took half a step forward, his lips shaking as he tried to speak. In a world where time had stopped, he wasn’t completely frozen.

[Yes, you, now, act, once...]

Additionally, he was rapidly adapting to Time Stop. It would take him a few minutes or even a few seconds to adjust perfectly. He was indeed a monster that could stand evenly with a demon king.

「 Now I am faster. Absolute Zero. 」

It was Sylvia’s ultimate ice spell. A pale light wrapped around the body of the heavenly demon. It was a chill that stopped the movement of molecules, living existences, and inanimate objects. In fact, this Absolute Zero couldn’t exert its power in ordinary space. It was because space would steal some of the power of the ultimate ice spell, and its absolute power couldn’t be maintained before reaching the target.

However, the situation changed greatly if it was combined with Time Stop. Theo’s Sorcery strengthened the ice surrounding the heavenly demon.

「 Freeze to death, Cocytus. 」

Frozen a second time... The body might hold on, but the mind couldn’t. This was an ultimate spell that went beyond the physical and non-physical boundaries which could harm even a newly born transcendent. It was an ice that could seal an ancient dragon permanently.

Jjejejeok...!

Even so, the heavenly demon’s struggle left a massive crack in the ice.

[This body, freezing... won’t work!]

Jjang!

One arm managed to free itself from the ice. The ice that couldn’t be broken by physical force had been broken. The body of the heavenly demon, whose skin was blue, gradually escaped from the flow of Time Stop. Had he acquired resistance to the ice attribute? No, it was faster than that. He used another power instead of Karura. It was something that couldn’t be used together without Theo’s Forced Harmonization ability.

「 Well, I thought it would come out like this. 」

By the time the heavenly demon escaped from the ice prison and opened his eyes, Theo had already unleashed his next attack.

Hellfire x Heavenly Sword. Fusion Complete: Hellfire Sword.

A blade of fire shot from Theo’s hand and pierced the heavenly demon’s heart. The sword had not focused on penetrative ability, but pure destructive ability!

Ku kwa kwa kwang!

The Hellfire Sword pierced through the already damaged mountain peak like a hot knife through butter. Rocks weren’t an obstacle in front of Hellfire Sword’s destructive power, since Hellfire was terrible enough to slice through adamantium. After a few hundred meters, the heavenly demon stopped falling. No, Theo’s blow was blocked by the heavenly demon.

“C-Cough!” The heavenly demon e spat out black blood and looked at the curved blade that had cut a few ribs like it was interesting. “Sword, is it? It seems you are well equipped.”

“Tch!” Theo realized it wasn’t a fatal blow and sprang forward. However, the heavenly demon lifted a hand like he was grasping something. There was nothing but air, but his fingers closed around a bloody sword..

Aura Blade?! It is also master level!

Only masters could materialize their own weapon like that. The heavenly demon held the distinctive nine-ring dao and shook his wrist like it was an unfamiliar feeling.

“It’s passable. Let’s try it once.” The heavenly demon sprang forward and swung at Theo.

The sword in his hand wasn’t clumsy as it contained a profound essence.

Peng Jia’s Secret Dao Technique. Decisive Hidden Technique. Five Tigers Open Dao, Three Liquid Fall.

The aura blade split into three, and Theo was trapped. Theo admired the attack briefly as he was surrounded.

Fairy Dance’s Direct Transmission. Four Major Hidden Techniques. Fierce Wind and Rain.

He held Soul Caliber in his right hand and the Heavenly Sword in his left hand, and tore up the three tigers. The wind blew like a blade in response. The third hidden technique, Fierce Wind and Rain, broke through the encirclement of the aura blade and surrounded the enemy. It was a strike at the wrong time. The heavenly demon faced the storm that Theo created head on.

I can’t give him time. He is getting stronger at a ridiculous rate!

He amplified the momentum of the storm. The power of the two blades, which already contained forces that were difficult to confront, was extremely dangerous to a person’s body. However, the heavenly demon calmly took two steps forward.

“You have pretty good tricks. Let’s hang out for a while.” The heavenly demon had a relaxed expression as he smiled and moved.

Theo recognized the martial art the heavenly demon was using as Japanese in origin. It was based on onmyōji ideology and had the power to control all types of phenomena. The technique that had been lost to the river of time now emerged.

Wudang Faction Esoteric Law. Wudang Supreme Intelligent Fencing. Extreme Opposite Direction.

What, can he use this sword technique?

Rather than smashing against the rough momentum of the storm, the heavenly demon diverted the flow. Once an object reached the end, it was turned upside down. Or if a bowl was full, it would fall down. Theo hurriedly raised both hands to deprive the storm of Fierce Wind and Rain, reducing its power. However, the heavenly demon struck at the opening he’d inadvertently made.

[I’ll take your eyes first.]

There was no room to speak, but the two could convey their intentions with a single move. The heavenly demon grinned wickedly as his sword curved through the air at one of Theo’s eyes.

Chaaeng!

It struck Soul Caliber, which had come out of nowhere.

[Eh?!]

Um?!

Theo was also amazed as he prepared to take out a defense spell.

- It seems I can’t beat age after all. I was only helpful at the end.

It was natural for Theo to feel this way since his right hand hadn’t moved on his own will. The soul fragment of the great hero Reynolds Spencer, who remained in the imprint of Umbra, exerted the last of his power.

- Don’t lose to this strong monster, junior.

Yes, Senior!’

Theo moved as he felt Reynolds presence gradually fading in his body. Reynolds had placed a single finger on the scales, which was more than enough for Theo to reverse the situation. The blade had been deflected, which had left the heavenly demon open. It was an opportunity to deal a big blow with either an ultimate spell or the sword. Theo raised a hand.

Jingle.

He held the three-ringed staff, the Fleeing Dragon Staff, and threw it at the heavenly demon.

“Hey, let’s move this somewhere else!”

“What nonsense are you saying?”

The heavenly demon was stuck in the Fleeing Dragon Staff’s distorted space before he could much more than retort. It would only take him a few moments to escape, but Theo could take advantage of those few seconds. Instead of attacking, Theo picked another option.

「Teleportation. 」

The trap that Theo had spent a month preparing was waiting for him.

***

Flash!

The movement took a few seconds, but the prison created by the Fleeing Dragon Staff was already cracking. After Time Stop, freezing space didn’t work either. Theo clicked his tongue and made preparations. As time passed, the heavenly demon’s performance rose steeply. He could also utilize the skills and memories of the lives sacrificed to him.

I need to destroy him before he is reborn as an undefeatable being.

Theo wanted to do it himself if possible, but it was too hard.

“... Nasty human. You brought these lowlifes to fight with you? How insulting.” The heavenly demon spat once he noticed the group surrounding him.

Theo acknowledged that compared to a transcendent, the others were just insects. Getting involved in the fight between two ultimate beings was just an insult.

“Well, I think it is still too early to judge.”

“Huh?”

It was the intended location and the intended timing. Theo quickly connected to the magic power source beneath his feet. If he could cope with the power consumed, then it would be the strongest trap.

Theo spoke in a voice too low for the heavenly demon to hear,

「 Dao Yuan Nine Palace Troops, activate. 」

The arrangement of nine colleagues at the points corresponding to the palace meant this unexpected method could be utilized. It was the concept of gam, gon, jin, son, jong, geon, dae, gan, and yi. The concept of magic resonated with the nine circles to fill up power.

In order to tie up the feet of the heavenly demon, Randolph, Nobutsuna, and Shuten-doji were placed in close proximity. Veronica and Daitengu could respond to every type of attack, so they were placed midway, while the other four were supporting from a distance.

“I don’t know what you have prepared, but these lowlifes...!”