Chapter 239 : Awakening of Divinity (2)
Chapter 239: Awakening of Divinity (2)
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"That's an interesting story."
Carl nodded.
He had not ruled out the possibility.
The opponent may have been a fragment, but still bore the Divinity of a demigod.
In ordinary circumstances, it would have been arrogant for someone who was merely human to absorb it intact.
However, the experience and mental strength from living a second life, along with the three divine techniques Carl had mastered, broke through that limit.
‘Still, it wasn’t a total loss.’
According to the female-form Kylos, remnants of the Divinity still lurked within his unconscious.
If he had the chance, it would be wise to sweep through and eliminate them from beyond the unconscious.
"……."
Kylos, perhaps realizing he had misspoken, closed his mouth with a solemn expression.
Carl gave a brief chuckle and shrugged, amused at the uncharacteristic mistake from someone of such a high level.
"Could it be that you've become more talkative after being alone here for so long?"
"Time erodes even Divinity itself. I’ll admit the slip, but it’s ultimately meaningless."
Kylos raised the staff, his eyes flashing.
"Because you won’t be leaving this place."
Fwoosh.
A new spell was cast.
Carl stepped onto the Dark Flow Footwork, blending into the cavern's darkness, but the tip of the staff pointed precisely at the space he occupied.
Boom! Boom!
Crimson flames erupted from beneath the ground.
The heat was so intense it felt like the flames of hell had been summoned, and even Protective Aura struggled to block it as Carl brushed back his disheveled hair.
"Impressive. Makes me want it even more."
"Greed is the root of the branch that bears death."
More flames burst forth from the direction the voice came from.
But it was merely a ruse Carl used to toy with Kylos' focus.
Though Kylos quickly caught on and ignited several suspicious areas, he couldn’t even singe a strand of Carl’s hair.
"Strange movements. It’s not easy to deceive my eyes. But this isn’t a complete technique. Otherwise, it would have been recognized as a Divine Authority."
"…Can you also analyze the nature of the opponent’s power?"
Carl appeared to Kylos’ left, narrowing his eyes at her.
Was it an ability of the fragment, or of the staff she wielded?
Whichever it was, it certainly piqued his interest.
Swish.
The red jewel embedded in the staff dimmed.
At the same time, the towering pillars of fire that had scorched the surroundings vanished, and Carl nodded in confirmation.
"Five left."
Flash!
Kylos didn’t answer—she swung the staff once more.
A blue light flared, and unlike the scorching heat before, the cavern began plunging into extreme cold.
"……."
A white frost escaped with every breath exhaled.
The sudden cold that bound even his limbs made Carl narrow his eyes.
‘The limits from temperature shifts are already meaningless to me.’
But even the Heaven and Earth Immunity state Carl had achieved was overwhelmed by this crushing magical energy.
It was several times more refined than the fire pillar.
"Does the power vary depending on the user’s trait? You’re more talented with ice than flame."
"…You’re deliberately enduring my power, aren’t you? So that you’ll know how to use the staff if you take it."
"Why else would I bother with something this tedious?"
Carl shrugged.
A weapon imbued with Divinity wouldn’t be easily obtained.
And considering it was something passed down since ancient times, it would be priceless even if one paid a fortune.
It would greatly help Yuria, who had constructed the technique of All Things in Creation known as 'Four Seasons.'
Strengthening her power would, in turn, reflect well on his own performance, so there was nothing to hesitate over.
"I’ll take a bit more, so feel free to show me everything you’ve got."
Carl twitched the Heavenly Thunder Sword, scattering pale flakes as he spoke.
Besides, a duel with a mage of this caliber was a rare opportunity.
Perhaps being stimulated in the heat of battle would provide a clue to break through his current stagnation.
It was a long shot, but if he could reach the Realm of Transcendence, it was worth attempting anything.
"Ridiculous."
Kylos clenched his teeth.
The composure of a great sage who had always observed with detachment was shattered.
The gaze of the intruder before him clearly showed he held no regard for him.
Thus, Kylos raised not only his magical energy but his Divinity as well, and swung his hand.
"You’re arrogant."
"That’s because I have the skill to back it up. Doesn’t the answer lie in your fragments now residing inside me?"
Swish.
Carl’s divine form vanished.
He reappeared in the air, just slightly above Kylos’ head.
Standing atop empty space, he lightly swung his sword down.
KABOOOM!
The aftermath of Heaven-Flow Twilight Flash swept across the altar, collapsing everything nearby.
Yet Kylos himself, shielded by a powerful barrier, wasn’t even grazed.
Carl nodded slightly, recognizing that the barrier wasn’t from the staff, but rather infused with Divinity.
"So it’s not Divine Magic, but ordinary magic woven using Divinity. You discovered quite a lot while trapped here."
"‘Discovery’ isn’t the right word. ‘Invention’ fits better. It’s a feat no one else has accomplished."
"Sorry to disappoint."
Carl extended his free hand into the air.
"But I can do similar tricks. So it’s not that surprising."
If Kylos cast magic through Divinity, Carl unleashed martial techniques through Divinity.
The energy concentrated at his fingertip shot out like a bullet and struck her barrier.
Hundred Thunder Fingers—but since it was cast with Divinity, its power dropped about thirty percent compared to its original form.
Of course, it would be far more effective against demons or devil races, but it wasn’t well suited against Kylos.
Even so, Carl demonstrated it to prove he wasn’t the only one capable of such feats.
"……."
Kylos bit his lip and gripped the staff tighter.
"The more I see you, the more I dislike you."
"It’s the opposite for me. It’s been a while since I’ve faced someone worth breaking. And the juicy rewards are a bonus. So is this all you’ve got—just freezing the surroundings?"
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"Could it be."
Thud.
Kylos struck the end of the staff against the ground.
Carl already knew she had been preparing something.
After all, compared to the blazing pillars of flame, all she had shown so far was a cold sheet of ice.
"This time, you won’t be able to take it lightly."
"I hope so—"
Shing.
Despite the simplicity of the slash, Carl paled and leapt back.
But even then, his reaction had been slightly late, and a few strands of bright red hair were sliced off, fluttering down through the air.
‘A knight?’
She was a woman with bright yellow hair clad in bluish armor.
Without a hint of emotion in her gaze, she stared at Carl and swung the longsword in her hand with fierce precision.
What couldn’t be ignored was the overwhelming cold radiating from the long blade.
‘Even a single cut could be dangerous.’
The severed strands of hair froze over and began to burn with a cold flame.
Carl raised his internal energy further to suppress it, then used the Dark Flow Footwork to widen the distance.
"Looks like you've summoned quite the formidable creature."
"It should be recorded in human history. She’s the Knight of Frost, one of the ancient Archmage’s companions."
"The Knight of Frost, huh."
It was a name he’d never heard before.
But if such a powerful figure had existed, there must be some record of her somewhere.
Carl observed the knight’s appearance closely and activated the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Fwoosh!
Black Demonic Flame surged forth, pushing back the cold that had engulfed the area and creating a fierce standoff.
Clang.
The Knight of Frost adjusted her grip on the sword and vanished from sight in an instant, charging in at high speed.
‘Behind me.’
In a flash, Carl lost the rear position and dashed in the opposite direction, aiming instead at Kylos herself.
Even with the staff’s assistance, summoning someone that powerful would restrict her mobility.
Flash!
Kylos, perhaps aware of Carl’s intent, skillfully deployed a shield, but the Heavenly Thunder Sword sliced through them like paper as it stormed forward like lightning.
Following behind Carl, the Knight of Frost struck down with brutal force.
As if determined to end him herself before Carl could reach Kylos.
"Of course."
Swish.
Carl’s divine form, struck by the knight’s sword, scattered into shadow.
Immediately afterward, the knight was slammed from the side by a massive shock and flung away.
"……."
Though she quickly leapt up from the ground and regained her stance, much of her armor had been destroyed, and her breathing grew rough, suggesting she’d sustained significant damage.
"Hmm."
Carl narrowed his eyes at the knight.
He had thrown that blow with genuine force, even willing to collapse the entire cavern—yet she could still move?
There probably wasn’t a better vanguard for a mage.
"Rather than handing her over to Yuria, it might be better to find a way to utilize her myself."
Her capabilities exceeded expectations, and now he truly wanted her.
"……."
Kylos immediately swung the staff to cast a recovery spell on the knight, but her hardened expression revealed that the damage was worse than expected.
"You might want to summon one more. Or maybe—"
Whoosh.
In a blink, Carl shattered the air and closed the distance, placing his hand on Kylos’ forehead.
"With all that mana you've gathered over the years, can you only use one at a time?"
Mana and Divinity were different.
Even for one who had reached the status of a demigod, no—precisely because of that—there would be limitations in using magic.
Carl wanted to applaud Kylos for using such a refined spell despite those limits, but even that seemed to have reached its end.
"If you’ve reached your limit, then I’ll just read it directly from your mind. I’m curious what a god thinks about."
"…What?!"
Kylos flinched in panic and tried to pull back.
But being a mage specialized in magic, it was impossible for her to escape Carl’s grasp easily.
Fwoosh.
Soul-Seizing Technique of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
A skill Carl had used to explore the minds of humans and Demon Humans—this time, it was aimed at a demigod.
Shiiiiing!
Feeling the familiar sensation of his consciousness being drawn somewhere, Carl narrowed his eyes.
‘These are Kylos’ memories.’
He skipped through the period when she had secluded herself in the cavern for magical research.
Although the magical knowledge she acquired after becoming a fragment of a demigod was intriguing, what mattered more were the memories from when they still existed as one origin.
‘Only then can I find where the others are hiding.’
It was frustrating that he hadn’t thought of this method earlier.
If he had, he might have found and absorbed Kylos’ fragment much faster than planned.
–…Pathetic.
A low-pitched voice rang out.
It was a voice similar to the Kylos he first encountered.
–A mere human, still bound by shackles, dares to covet the stature of a demigod?
‘Gods are gods after all.’
Carl let out a hollow laugh.
Was this one of those rare moments where, even within a memory, the divine being recognized and conversed with him?
He couldn’t help but be amazed at the unfamiliar phenomenon and spoke.
"You must know this already. At this rate, you’ll be trapped in that musty place for another few thousand years."
–……
"Rather than be forgotten and disappear from everyone’s memory, why not become mine? I’ll make good use of that power."