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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the rivalry between divinity and magic began with the history of war itself.
Divinity.
The power of divine will bestowed by a great god.
Magic.
The culmination of innate talent and refined magical power, the manifestation of the magical path.
The Holy Kingdom, which worshipped the One True God’s divinity, treated magic as a suspicious heresy. And the Magic Tower, which had produced countless archmages, denigrated divinity as the deviant power of charlatans, expressing their contempt.
“The Harmless Calamity, said to be the pinnacle of all Disaster Gods… A worthy opponent for the Master of the Tower.”
If the great Master of the Tower, who commanded countless archmages, were to defeat a Harmless Calamity, even the old geezers of the Holy Kingdom would finally acknowledge the supremacy of magic.
It was a golden opportunity to put an end to the long and drawn-out conflict between divinity and magic. That’s why Querisa, facing the numerous firearms surrounding her, burst into a triumphant laugh.
-Let’s have a battle of firepower, Granny Master of the Tower.
“Very well. I’m confident in my firepower.”
The firearms deployed in the air simultaneously erupted in a torrent of fire.
At the same time, the Master of the Tower extended both hands, unleashing a barrage of magically charged bullets.
Bullet against bullet.
Countless projectiles clashed in midair, creating a deafening roar.
Surprisingly, the clash between divinity and magic resulted in a stalemate. Despite the torrential downpour of thousands of bullets, neither Edanant nor Querisa sustained any injuries.
‘She hasn’t unleashed her full power, but… to accurately calculate the trajectory of each bullet and deflect them all…’
My opponent was one of the Seven Strongest.
This was to be expected.
I gazed at the Master of the Tower hovering in midair.
The beautiful woman with flowing emerald green hair smiled seductively, extending both hands. As if her staff, an accessory that aided in casting magic, was nothing more than a mere trinket, she cast her spells solely with her hands.
“Shall we raise the stakes?”
At the Master of the Tower’s gesture, the flames that had taken the shape of a ferocious beast began to descend. Edanant, observing this, deployed hundreds of cannons, unleashing a simultaneous barrage.
A brilliant golden light flashed.
It was the radiance emanating from Aldebaran, the Yellow Star.
Querisa’s eyes widened as she witnessed the golden light.
For the first time, a look of shock replaced the amusement in her emerald green eyes.
‘Wielding both the Disaster God’s divinity and the Earth Mother’s holiness imbued in the holy sword…?! He should be torn apart by divine collision!’
Edanant, clad in black armor, effortlessly wielded the holy sword, cutting through the approaching flames. Querisa, observing this, raised her hand, deploying a defensive spell.
–Fwoosh!
The flames, surging forward like a tidal wave, were severed in two.
At the same time, Edanant amplified his divinity and charged towards Querisa.
“I hate strenuous exercise…! My joints will ache tomorrow morning!”
Close combat was imminent.
But Querisa didn’t try to evade.
She could have easily created distance with teleportation magic, yet she chose to engage.
“Arise, Knights of the Magic Tower!”
Querisa raised her high-heeled foot and stomped on the uneven ground. A heavy metallic clang resonated, and a dozen metal golems emerged from the earth.
Their weapons and armor gleamed with a bluish light.
The golems, brought to life by the Master of the Tower’s magic, formed a defensive formation around Querisa, like royal guards protecting their queen.
Homunculi.
Golems imbued with temporary life through powerful magic.
As Edanant closed in, wielding his holy sword, the golems simultaneously drew their swords and charged.
“Do you wish to play with dolls?”
A golden torrent erupted, striking the dozen homunculi. Aldebaran’s holiness rapidly infiltrated the golems, disrupting the magic circuits within.
–Screech.
–Screech!!!
Grotesque screams echoed from beneath their metal armor.
It was the sound of the homunculi resisting the holy sword’s power.
Edanant seized the opportunity while the homunculi were momentarily paralyzed by the holy energy. His sharp blade danced through the air like a whirlwind, tearing the Master of the Tower’s golems to shreds.
A vessel containing the Calamity of War.
His individual prowess was as formidable as the ever-amplifying divinity he wielded.
He was truly worthy of being the Valtarian Empire’s hero.
A moment of carelessness could lead to being consumed by the Harmless Calamity. Sensing this, Querisa activated teleportation magic, creating distance between herself and Edanant.
“Explode.”
However, the teleportation wasn’t to escape Aldebaran’s holy sword.
–KABOOM!!!
She clenched her fist.
The homunculi, slain by the holy sword, erupted in a blinding flash.
Simultaneously, the golems self-destructed. The explosion, fueled by the magical cores within the homunculi, engulfed Edanant.
“My, my. Quite the resilient one, aren’t you? Even your durability is top-notch.”
A shadowy figure, clad in black armor, emerged from the explosion.
Only minor scratches marred his armor.
Querisa, witnessing Edanant’s unscathed state, was stunned.
‘How did he withstand the explosion? Even a member of the Seven Strongest would sustain serious injuries if caught in a magical core explosion… Is he on par with Maximilian?’
She narrowed her eyes, observing the Harmless Calamity as he strode towards her.
Everything was unclear.
She couldn’t comprehend the god’s power.
Could such immense divine power truly exist in the world? Querisa, her thirst for knowledge burning like lava, prepared new spells to capture the enigmatic monster.
“The Saintess has quite the capable knight. You must feel reassured.”
“Of course. He’s the one I chose, after all.”
Querisa spoke, her gaze fixed on the girl with flowing silver hair.
A confident response met her words.
“Hmm… Hearing that makes me a little jealous. I’d almost want to steal him away from you.”
“That’s a terrible thing to say. This is why older women… They shamelessly flirt with men who are already taken.”
Zebeline gritted her teeth, her voice laced with venom.
Perhaps it was due to past experiences.
Despite Querisa’s lighthearted provocation, Zebeline reacted strongly.
“You seem quite relaxed, despite the Holy Kingdom elders eagerly awaiting your return.”
“I’m only here to observe the prophesied Harmless Calamity. I don’t care about the Holy Kingdom cardinals’ schemes. I have no interest in their petty squabbles.”
They had formed a temporary alliance due to the appearance of the Harmless Calamity in the Valtarian Empire.
The Magic Tower and the Holy Kingdom were long-standing rivals.
As if to prove this, the Master of the Tower spoke with disdain, mentioning the Holy Kingdom.
With that answer, Edanant understood why Querisa hadn’t shown any hostility. As expected of the leader of the eccentric mages obsessed with knowledge, she was clearly not in her right mind.
“I’ll gladly entertain you later, so how about letting us go for now? I’m starting to get tired of respecting the elderly.”
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible. I’ve already received payment from the Holy Kingdom.”
Negotiations had failed.
Now, force was the only option.
A black mirage shimmered, engulfing the surroundings.
A torrent of firearms, ten times the amount previously summoned, materialized.
And that wasn’t all.
Unfamiliar weapons, never seen before, appeared alongside the guns and cannons.
Querisa, witnessing the overwhelming spectacle of firearms filling the sky like a swarm of scavenging crows, showed a look of astonishment. The sheer scale of the onslaught far exceeded her expectations.
“The final warning is over. I’m not going easy on you, even if you are my friend’s mother.”
“My, my. To think my model student son has befriended someone like you.”
–KABOOM!!!
Edanant and Querisa charged towards each other.
Simultaneously, a deafening roar echoed as the pillars that had separated the interior and exterior crumbled.
They had reached their structural limit.
Weakened by the successive bombardments, the pillars collapsed, marking the end of their confinement.
“The barrier has fallen!”
“Th-The Master of the Tower is visible! But what is that…!”
Numerous paladins of the Holy Kingdom had already surrounded the area. The massive pillars spanning the Sanctuary and the chain of explosions had mobilized every paladin stationed there.
A shadowy figure enveloped in a black mirage.
The paladins, witnessing the figure, gasped in horror, drawing their swords.
A Disaster God’s divinity had manifested.
The ominous aura emanating from the shadowy figure was undoubtedly the power of a cult.
Countless firearms filled the sky. The paladins trembled in fear, facing a natural disaster of unimaginable scale.
“An Apostle of the Disaster God has attacked the Sanctuary!”
“Draw your swords! All paladins, engage the enemy!!”
The natural enemy of the One True God.
The monster prophesied to bring ruin upon humanity.
The Harmless Calamity descended upon the Sanctuary, shrouding the sky in darkness.
We must protect the Sanctuary.
We cannot surrender this sacred ground to a mere cultist.
The paladins surrounding the area, ready to face martyrdom, pointed their sharp blades at the Apostle of the Disaster God.
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