Ch. 156
Lailnetia the Devouring moved slowly, waiting only for them to confront him.
The descendants of Tiksa, the Sacred Radiance Lineage.
They were the only humans—and transcendent beings—capable of threatening him.
If only he could exclude them from this world, his form would never be erased.
'A human handling the power of a dragon... You've pulled off quite the spectacle.'
Lailnetia the Devouring couldn't help but admire Tiksa the Frostbane.
He had sealed himself away merely for the sake of humans, and as a result, had come into contact with the Book of All Things.
What was the Book of All Things trying to use Tiksa's descendants for?
'Radiance is certainly difficult to deal with, but the situation is different now.'
He had hidden away his own darkness, so there was no longer a need to fear Radiance.
But as he could not deny their power, he needed to eliminate them in advance.
Since even now, the Book of All Things could intervene and cause an incident.
'Book of All Things... You are nothing but a mere book. That's why you can't stop me.'
The Book of All Things had not been given a self.
It was only something that recorded the law of nature and decided the ending.
Since he had transformed everything, even the Book of All Things would not dare try to cope.
'Who could have guessed it would be so foolish? To give up on Ru the Luminescent!'
If anything, Ru the Luminescent could have kept him in check.
Had he not used the Abyss, he wouldn't have been able to suppress Ru the Luminescent.
The Book of All Things must have noticed, so why did it let things unfold this way?
'Does it wish to create a different ending? Does it think such a thing is possible!'
In the end, an ending is always realized by limited conditions and processes.
Even the Book of All Things could not escape that reality.
In other words, since he had survived up to now, the ending had already changed.
'Now, nothing can be done. Only the future where the Book of All Things is torn apart remains.'
Lailnetia the Devouring foresaw a flawless outcome, yet he could not shake his doubts.
Had it been the Book of All Things, it would surely have figured out his plan and actions.
Yet, it showed no response, even ceded the advantageous position to him.
'... Why does it not interfere? My actions should have twisted the ending!'
Lailnetia the Devouring was quite anxious, but he did not forget the fact that he had won.
He simply remained vigilant of the latent power within the Book of All Things.
Thus, he needed to maintain a serious demeanor until everything was definitely over.
'I cannot be swayed by that. I only need to change the ending as I am.'
Lailnetia the Devouring drove out his stray thoughts and reaffirmed his original purpose.
When this world approached destruction, the Book of All Things would inevitably be summoned.
At that moment, he would destroy the Book of All Things and seize its power.
'That moment is drawing near. Just a little more.......'
Suddenly, flames surged from somewhere and began to encircle the surroundings.
Lailnetia the Devouring calmly observed, while immediately corroding his own body.
The density of mana indicated that a rather powerful human had launched an attack.
"Well, at least it won't be boring."
Lailnetia the Devouring started to move forward, only to come to a halt.
The earth from the ground had sprung up, restraining his legs.
It seemed he had encountered a human with an unusual talent.
"Kukuku... Now I see why the dragons fell."
Lailnetia the Devouring corroded the earth and even crushed his own heart of flame.
At the same time, a massive shockwave swept over him, shaking his body.
Not far away, two humans were intently watching him.
"Let's see how long you can endure."
* * *
Alraune gradually retreated, controlling his mana.
With his own magic, he could not extinguish the root source of the corrosion.
Therefore, he was merely trying to slow the enemy's advance.
"It's a difficult foe! My attacks don't work......."
"We already anticipated this, didn't we? All we can do now is buy time."
"I'm still not sure. Can we truly entrust this to Sword Flower and the next great mage?"
Berhan counteracted the aura of corrosion and hastily retreated.
Even he and the great mage could not inflict harm upon Lailnetia the Devouring.
Could the less experienced ones truly eliminate such an unknown enemy?
"Only the two of them can accomplish this. We must clear the way."
Alraune spoke calmly and watched Lailnetia the Devouring intently.
Lailnetia the Devouring spread the corrosion further, yet did not launch direct attacks.
He was likely conserving mana to confront the two.
'A cunning opponent. Has he already figured out the power of Radiance and the dragons?'
Alraune instinctively sensed the danger.
The abilities he possessed were perplexing, and yet he moved with utmost calculation.
It meant he felt sufficiently threatened to prepare such meticulous plans.
'If so, I must assume he's made every possible preparation.......'
Most likely, Lailnetia the Devouring had prepared some means to overcome Radiance.
He would be wary of the dragons' power as well, but as another dragon himself, he could somehow neutralize it.
That may be why he waited for battle with a sense of assured victory.
'I can only hope Alter does his part.......'
Suddenly, cold air seeped in from all sides, confronting the aura of corrosion.
The aura of corrosion thinned and could advance no further.
Alter radiated mana as he fixed his gaze upon Lailnetia the Devouring.
"Ah... You've arrived at last, descendant of Tiksa."
Lailnetia the Devouring, meeting the familiar cold air, examined Alter's figure in detail.
He looked like an ordinary human, but the latent mana he possessed was profound and chilling.
The same force he had once sensed from Tiksa the Frostbane was now perfectly manifest.
"So that one is of the Sacred Radiance Lineage."
Lailnetia the Devouring spotted a clear fragment of light in Brillie.
He had merely looked upon Radiance, and yet his own darkness already felt oppressed.
Even though he had hidden his darkness in advance, the primordial fear could not be suppressed.
"Book of All Things... What ending are you seeking?"
Lailnetia the Devouring appeared lost in thought for a moment, then opened his eyes wide.
If he could kill both Tiksa's descendant and the Sacred Radiance Lineage, he could break the Book of All Things.
But an unexpected situation might arise, so first he needed to test the Book of All Things.
"Well, I shall amuse you briefly. In the end, I'll still be the one to win."
Revealing his true intent, Lailnetia the Devouring unleashed the aura of corrosion.
The cold air immediately shrank away and then completely vanished.
Soon, a sinister current rapidly swept in, filling the area.
"......"
Alter, enveloped in stillness, released his internal mana.
No matter if all things could be corroded, it all stemmed from the mana of dragons.
With equal mana, it could be counteracted as much as necessary.
'Hm... He defends himself rather well.'
Lailnetia the Devouring observed calmly, but then altered his mana once again.
There were still too many uncertainties to resolve his doubts.
If he pressed a little harder, he might glean the intentions held by the Book of All Things.
'Let's see what you do now.'
Lailnetia the Devouring focused the aura of corrosion at Alter.
At the same time, Alter condensed cold air and neutralized every attack.
But the aura of corrosion suddenly redirected itself toward another target.
"Hoo......"
Brillie gripped the sword hilt and swiftly drew it.
A sword strike in a fleeting moment, followed by a burst of mana that erased even the aura of corrosion.
Violet light flashed ferociously as it advanced, forcing Lailnetia the Devouring to stiffen for an instant.
"Kuhehe... Fierce indeed. Not an opponent to be underestimated."
Lailnetia the Devouring's head and neck were severed, but he simply reattached them.
Had his darkness been cut, the regeneration of his body would have been suppressed.
But the darkness did not contact Radiance, merely sank into the depths as before.
"You failed to slash away the darkness."
Alraune muttered briefly in doubt.
The very concept of darkness was normally perfectly fused with the bearer's body.
Yet Lailnetia the Devouring presented his darkness, having separated it from Radiance.
"I'm not sure either. I thought I had cut it away......"
Brillie targeted the darkness and unleashed sword energy imbued with Radiance.
But the darkness possessed by Lailnetia the Devouring was utterly unmoved.
Could it be that he had deliberately altered the form of his own darkness?
'Was this his intent from the beginning?'
Even Alter could not think of a solution.
If Radiance could not erase the darkness, Lailnetia the Devouring could not be destroyed.
If this battle dragged on, he and his allies would be the first to fall.
'How can the darkness be found?'
Immersed in tension, Alter continued to agonize.
If they followed the fortune-teller's foresight, he and Brillie would have to break the law of nature itself.
But with no concrete plans presented, they could not even attempt such an act.
'Even if the Goddess Semerune is said to descend...'
To begin with, he couldn't even be sure the Goddess Semerune truly existed.
Myths are transmitted by humans, often intermingled with fiction at times.
Above all, how could the Goddess Semerune possibly help in this situation?
'Even if we retreat now, nothing will change.'
If Lailnetia the Devouring closes in, everything within a certain range will rot away.
In other words, even with a brief retreat, the territory of the Agnes Empire would continuously be destroyed.
That's why they had to settle things definitely here and now.
'If Brillie and I die first.......'
"This will not be the end. Was this not the power the Book of All Things prepared?"
Lailnetia the Devouring scattered the aura of corrosion at them again.
The Book of All Things would never allow their deaths to pass unheeded.
Therefore, he needed to observe a little more carefully and wait for the certain moment.
'Does it think I will fall for it? Surely, they have hidden some secret technique.'
He also had to consider the possibility that the Book of All Things would be summoned in this state.
But it was hard to predict what method it would use to corner him.
Perhaps, even now, he had already been caught up in the schemes the Book of All Things had prepared.
'Even if things turn against me... I can always invoke the Abyss, can I not?'
Lailnetia the Devouring had used the Abyss to seal Ru the Luminescent and the Knight of True Flame.
Of course, there were restrictions, but he could still endure for now.
Even if Tiksa's descendant and the Sacred Radiance Lineage weren't destroyed, he would just lock them away in the Abyss.
'Ever since Ru the Luminescent was sealed, my victory was decided. Your defeat is certain, book of All Things!'