Ch. 157
The woman let her platinum hair fall freely as she gazed down at the earth.
Her light-yellow-tinted eyes captured a single scene.
Only after many aeons had passed did the time of descent finally arrive.
Of course, it was an act that defied the law of nature of the universe, but it was also a great deed to restore balance.
"... Has it finally gone astray?"
The woman murmured coldly, keeping her gaze fixed on Lailnetia the Devouring.
This being originated from another world and longed only for destruction.
Moreover, it had abandoned its very identity as a dragon and had succumbed to the aura of corrosion.
'Because the law of nature has collapsed, I am able to intervene.'
The law of nature was the element that composed the universe and the world, as well as its fundamental concept.
Therefore, it could not be denied in any form and, by compulsion if necessary, had to be established.
If someone were to destroy the law of nature arbitrarily, a will to restore it to its original state would form.
That is, her own descent was constructed from that very will.
'But this alone is not enough. A more definite trigger is necessary.'
She could not descend in this state.
True, Lailnetia the Devouring had broken the law of nature, but had not brought about complete chaos.
Only with chaos unfolding could the limit of the law of nature also be shaken.
'If things were as in the beginning, with the Radiance, I could have punished the darkness...'
The woman remembered vividly the hues of Radiance.
Radiance made it possible to defeat terrible foes and, in the end, bring about peace.
But it could not last forever, so in the flow of time, the Radiance must have awakened accordingly.
'Hiding an inner darkness... To this day, no foe has ever used such a means.'
Originally, darkness could not be seen with the naked eye, but after reaching a high enough realm, one could barely perceive it.
Particularly, a person who possessed Radiance would instinctively discern the presence of darkness.
Even so, since darkness had not been cut down, Lailnetia the Devouring must have been plotting a cunning scheme.
'Abyss must be a means to overcome the gap in power.'
Abyss was similar to darkness, but in practice possessed distinct characteristics.
It would inevitably incapacitate its target, and once it invaded internally, life activities would temporarily cease.
Since this also undermined the foundations of the law of nature, it brought about even greater chaos.
'Do you not realize? A broken law of nature inevitably brings upheaval.'
The woman was aware that Lailnetia the Devouring was heading toward self-destruction.
Certainly, it was likely driven by excessive greed to end things perfectly, but as a result, it had brought disaster upon itself.
The law of nature, for all its one-sidedness, strove for a fair standard—so it could never be monopolized by one alone.
'Because of you, the Sacred Radiance Lineage will grow even stronger. The descendants of Tiksa as well.'
Thus, perhaps she needed to watch a bit longer.
The potential of that bloodline had yet to be unleashed.
Furthermore, the power Tiksa left behind still concealed its true worth.
'The moment balance is restored... my descent will be realized.'
The Goddess Semerune, symbol of the Semerune Holy Order, decided calmly to wait.
She did not send revelations to anyone, nor did she especially demand the founding of the Holy Order.
Yet, in a short span, followers began to appear, and now they had formed a group.
'Perhaps that too will manifest. Surely Radiance was not the only thing handed down...'
* * *
Alter, while staying alert, expelled the aura of corrosion.
He still had plenty of mana left, but eventually it would run out.
He had to eradicate Lailnetia the Devouring before that happened.
'Is her mana overflowing? She shouldn't be wasting it like that.'
Alter eyed Lailnetia the Devouring, bemused by doubt.
No matter how much the body was converted to corrosion, she should not be capable of increasing the concentration and volume of her mana.
Yet, Lailnetia the Devouring was extravagantly expending her mana.
'Or perhaps she's hiding something...'
"I'll let you in on something. When something corrodes, a certain amount of mana is released. Now, what if I can absorb that?"
Lailnetia the Devouring neutralized the cold air and muttered leisurely.
In order to summon the Book of All Things, she needed to corner the descendants of Tiksa and the Sacred Radiance Lineage.
Since they were barely holding on for now, she sought to provoke them psychologically.
'Why is she doing this? She should already be at an advantage.'
Alter instinctively felt wary of that statement.
He'd already confronted the aura of corrosion and could surmise some of its nature.
If she had kept it hidden, she could have used it as a trick later.
'Is there something she wants?'
She would not have invaded the Agnes Empire for no reason.
Thus, she was corrupting the territory of the Agnes Empire but keeping it to mere skirmishes.
Perhaps she was still wary of Ru the Luminescent and the Knight of True Flame.
'... No. If Ru the Luminescent were present, she wouldn't show herself. The Knight of True Flame is no different.'
Because of Ru the Luminescent, Lailnetia the Devouring did not dare emerge.
The Knight of True Flame possessed immense power, so she could not completely ignore him.
If anything, perhaps Lailnetia the Devouring had already subdued them all.
'She must be confident she can beat me and Brillie. Just to be sure, she's checking one by one.'
Alter thoroughly probed the enemy's intentions.
Radiance was evading somehow, so there was nothing special to fear.
If she'd established special means as well, complacency would inevitably follow.
'What is she hiding? With that, even Ru the Luminescent and the Knight of True Flame...'
"Getting bored. Show me something else."
Lailnetia the Devouring fixed her gaze on Brillie and scattered the aura of corrosion here and there.
She would have to eliminate the Sacred Radiance Lineage before the descendants of Tiksa.
They alone could annihilate her, and they were the contingency prearranged by the Book of All Things.
If there was to be no reaction, she would have to resolve it herself.
'You won't be able to dodge this time. I won't allow you to suppress it with mana either.'
Lailnetia the Devouring targeted just one, slowly condensing the aura of corrosion.
If her attack succeeded, only two results were possible:
The Sacred Radiance Lineage would perish, or the Book of All Things would intervene.
Either way, the outcome would favor her.
'Almost there.'
Of course, the descendants of Tiksa and the humans were doing their best to block the aura of corrosion.
But she merely recognized and glossed over that part.
The current of air directed toward the Sacred Radiance Lineage was still flowing.
'Oh, you noticed? But it's too late.'
The descendant of Tiksa tried to erase the corrosion that had reached the Sacred Radiance Lineage.
At the same moment, the aura of corrosion seeped into their skin.
At this rate, the Sacred Radiance Lineage would rot away and die in an instant.
'Perhaps I was too sensitive. Maybe she hadn't kept anything hidden after all...'
But Lailnetia the Devouring suddenly hesitated as she sensed a subtle change.
The aura of corrosion had certainly touched the Sacred Radiance Lineage, intending to snuff out life.
But within a fleeting moment, the aura of corrosion vanished, and the Sacred Radiance Lineage was still alive and breathing.
"What... This can't be! What have you done?!"
Lailnetia the Devouring, greatly agitated, tried to sense her surroundings.
Could it be—the Book of All Things had protected the Sacred Radiance Lineage?
But nowhere could she find the Book of All Things.
"You blocked it? Are you mocking me?!"
Flaring up, Lailnetia the Devouring fiercely spread the aura of corrosion and started to control each one.
It was an impossible result and an unfair phenomenon.
Thus, she would absolutely turn the Sacred Radiance Lineage into a rotten, crumbling form.
'I won't let go.'
Lailnetia the Devouring retracted the cold air and flame, and immediately flooded in the aura of corrosion.
The Sacred Radiance Lineage resisted, but could not perceive every tiny form.
Part of the corrosion touched them again and she only needed to burrow in this time.
'This time for sure... Hm?'
Though only for a split second, she managed to make out what happened.
The aura of corrosion that surrounded the Sacred Radiance Lineage disappeared instantly.
Not only that, but Tiksa's cold air now surrounded the area.
'So it was you.'
Lailnetia the Devouring, now in utter confusion, glared at the descendant of Tiksa.
She did not know what or how, but she was certain the descendant of Tiksa had intervened.
He must have manifested a special ability, but she simply could not deduce it.
"I'll deal with you first, Tiksa the Frostbane!"
* * *
Alter responded immediately, but judged he was already too late.
The aura of corrosion was already in contact with Brillie.
Ordinarily, her body should have been rotting away, but there was no visible change at all.
'This is...'
Alter glanced around, and soon came to a conviction.
Just like before, the motion of every object had stopped.
But his own body could move freely.
'Ah... I need to save Brillie first.'
Alter released cold air and erased all traces of the aura of corrosion.
Still uneasy, he checked over and over again.
When he was certain the aura of corrosion was completely gone, the flow of time began to surge again.
'How long was it stopped...'
"What... This can't be! What have you done?!"
Facing Lailnetia the Devouring, Alter snapped back to his senses.
Fortunately, he had overcome the crisis, but he had not been able to slay Lailnetia the Devouring.
On top of that, a good amount of mana had been consumed, so he could not afford to simply stand by.
'It must be that I've awakened time magic... but it's not a good situation.'
Alter kept pondering but could think of no clear solution.
At this point, he could only use time magic defensively.
And since he could only freeze a moment, there were plenty of limitations.
'With this, I can't bring her down...'
"You blocked it? Are you mocking me?!"
Enraged, Lailnetia the Devouring poured out the aura of Devouring.
Alter hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly altered the nature of his mana.
Then, the cold air twisted and even froze the flow of time.
'She's targeting Brillie again.'
Alter banished the aura of Devouring at once with cold air.
Afterward, he wrapped Brillie in a chill and turned his body away.
For a brief moment, time—once frozen—began to move again.
'Now, what should I...'
Sensing a strange feeling, Alter looked down at the ground.
A dusky current, condensed, was swallowing his body whole.
He could not shake it off with mana, and it kept dragging him in.
"I shall postpone your end as well. Be sealed inside the Abyss!"