Archwizard K’s Journey In The Cultivation World

Case 122: Believer.

King of Underworld, Hades.

'Hades' wasn't his actual name but a title. The man who established the Underworld decided that the king would be referred to as so. There had been many Hadeses, and each one differed from the last or the next, yet their qualifications were pronounced—impartial, diligent, and most of all, steadily powerful.

Powerful enough to repel any sort of external intervention into the realm of the dead.

The dead stay in the world of the dead, and the living stay in the world of the living—this was the absolute rule and promise every Hades made when they took the title.

That promise was certainly maintained through millennia... until a single living human completely broke the rule.

''Kierra... Scarlett Aspenova, you say?''

Hades grabbed his throbbing head and grumbled. 

In the dark throne room, his dark blue skin blended in with the surroundings, further highlighting the two burning yellow pupils. Those, combined with his overwhelming statue, especially compared to the visitors' petite figures, made him seem like a beast.

''U-Um...''

Lan stammered, hugging her pet tightly in her arms.

''...Do you have proof that she sent you?'' Hades cautiously asked. ''Don't try to fool me. The price is heavy.''

''H-Here! Uh... let me...''

Hades felt a prick in his conscience, seeing the timid little girl laboriously climb the high stairs to his throne. Regardless, what he finally received was... a jewel.

A piece of ruby containing a distinct type of mana, one that the King of Underworld was too familiar with.

'...The real deal?'

After all, he did take many of the archwizard's spells in the past when he tried to prevent her entrance. A sense of disbelief arose from his heart—and somewhat of amusement.

crack—!

''...!''

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Hades decidedly crushed the ruby with his finger, startling Lan and Shen. From the fragments, a mist was shot into the air, forming a hologram of the archwizard herself,

[Hades. Get your lazy ass up here and help me. The world is in danger.]

''...''

[Before you ask, it has something to do with the Underworld. A being has appeared and challenged the order of the world—including yours.]

''Hah... this is not my world.''

[But you are responsible for it.]

''...''

The hologram Kierra smirked.

How did she understand Hades so well even though they had only met once?

It was a mystery—an utter mystery, yet the King of Underworld rather liked it. Being in this lonely position for so long must have done something to his psyche.

Maybe it was time to befriend someone.

In the sky of Linoel, chaos was unfolding.

Wielding a lance of fire, Eon tore through Kierra's layers upon layers of spells as if they were nothing. Behind those crass swings, it wanted to close the distance between the two.

Once it sealed what little magic Kierra had, it would be over. 

That was Eon's thought process, but at the same time, there was a growing uneasiness growing within its consciousness. It was sure that the archwizard was merely running away and wasting her energy. Even without that, the scale had tilted heavily toward its side...

[...But what is this feeling?]

Even though it was overwhelmingly superior in strength, Kierra's composure never broke.

Eon decided to follow its instinct and began to think.

Right.

The cosmic beast. Was that the wizard's trump card? Was she trying to create an opening so that the beast could pierce through its defense?

While chasing Kierra's silhouette across the sky, Eon tried to simulate many situations in its head.

But then—

''Phew...''

It caught the archwizard's crimson, meaningful eyes.

[Something's going on.]

Startled by an unknown sense of eerieness, Eon stopped the pursuit and assumed a defensive stance. Something... it could feel something coming down from the atmosphere.

One dot.

Two dots.

Gradually, bright, burning red dots began to accumulate on the dark sky, some of which rapidly enlarged in size. When they appeared behind the archwizard, it seemed as though the vast wings of hers were gaining new stars.

Meteorites.

Upon realizing the overwhelming danger of a full-on meteorite rain, Eon immediately reacted. Within the moment of a flick, it manifested hundreds of lances idling in the air before pulling them toward the burning rocks.

''Not so fast.''

Another streak of lightning shots was called by Kierra, flapping her wings. Yet, they could hardly put a stop to Eon's superior weapons of divinity. 

Chains of catastrophic explosions erupted behind the archwizard. The intense wind following them drowned out the noises that her summons and their enemies were making, drowning out the beating of her hearts, and...

''...''

Eon was approaching again.

It was the first time Kierra had felt her magic being shaken off so easily like this. Of course, if she slammed some ten or eleven-star spells into Eon's face, it would do something, but it wasn't as though it would allow that.

Frustrating as it was, she needed help. And... well, the time was just right.

''...Cosmos.''

Once again, the whole of the atmosphere shook violently. Starting with a rupture in the night sky, space itself was torn off, bit by bit, like a sheet of paper.

————————!!

The cosmic beast let out its low growl and descended from the void itself, pouring out starlights into the world. Those starlights then rapidly swirled before Cosmos's mouth, forming a gust of pure energy and destruction.

[A mere defect. Dare to oppose the genuine?]

Undeterred, Eon raised its lance and took aim at Cosmos.

When both of them fired their shots, the world was as bright as day. The two forces collided fiercely, spewing pure white gas on either side of the contacting point as if there was a supermassive black hole in between. 

The more Cosmos brought forth her momentum, poking even more out of the rift, the more Eon burned its flame to expand its lance.

Seizing this moment, the archwizard began to gather all the mana from her wings, concentrating it all within her hearts. Of course, her opponent wouldn't miss this. It gave a final burst of divine energy to the blazing spear, propelling it forward with an earth-shaking blast.

In half a moment, the starlights were squarely evaporated.

————————!!!

The lance narrowly cut past Cosmos's jaw, shaving a few beautiful scales off her body. The beast wailed in pain.

As calm as ever, Eon turned to Kierra, already pointing the new lance's tip toward her.

[I win—]

Yet, before it could declare victory and sweep the battlefield with that spirit, a soft, flickering green hue fell upon both of them... from below. At some point, the ocean, which reflected the rivers of stars, was slowly changing.

Instead of stars, there was a moon—a bumpy, crooked green moon.

Clouds were heavy in the reflections, and somewhere along those, stray souls traveled aimlessly.

[...!]

Death.

As if representing death itself, a sinkhole rapidly formed right beneath Eon, one that appeared to suck everything into the hell beneath, and from that very hell, dozens of giant skeletal arms reached out, encasing the proclaimed god in their creaking fingers.

'You did it, Lan, Shen.'

Kierra smiled.

The gamble paid off. She was going to deploy some more drastic measures if the two couldn't make it, but it seemed her message had been delivered through and through.

Finally, it was time to end it all.

Kierra wouldn't be sure if Eon could be completely eliminated even if she used her strongest spell, but she happened to be a believer.

'So, let's do it.'

For the fate of this continent... and for the world. Taking a deep breath, Kierra started to chant,