The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 478

“Aaaah….”

“Oh, my god!”

Without a single word, everyone gasped at the sight before them.

Just one of those colossal hands had turned Asendar into a wasteland, and now there weren’t just one or two, but dozens of them pressing down on the Asendar region.

They were too far away to be stopped.

At this rate, most of the kingdom’s inhabitants would be annihilated.

“This… this is insane! Those bastards!”

The elves, realizing they could no longer seize power through conventional means, had resorted to terrorism.

But then, Azadin climbed onto the wreckage of a collapsing watchtower.

“Your Majesty?!”

“Cohen! Get the people underground! Please!”

“Huh?”

Cohen of the Northern Empire didn’t understand Azadin’s sudden request.

It was something he was going to do anyway. So why the urgent plea?

The answer came soon enough.

Azadin nudged the quiver at his side with his heel.

The moment the arrows bounced up, Azadin took his stance and grabbed his bow.

A golden halo appeared above his head, and blue rings of light manifested in both of his hands.

Azadin seized an arrow floating in the air and shot it towards the sky.

The arrow, transformed into a blue beam, sliced through the heavens.

A dazzling ray of light tore through the sky.

The clouds scattered, the frigid gale split in two, and a hot gust of wind surged in the arrow’s wake.

-KWA-AAANG!

The black god’s hands falling from the sky collided with Azadin’s arrow.

The blue beam pushed back the black god’s hands.

The black god’s arms were pierced, shattered, and slowly fell to the ground. It was as if a mountain was collapsing.

If those arms had been real, their fall alone would have shaken the world.

Fortunately, those arms, though visible, were not of this world, and they faded away without hitting the ground.

“Ooh….”

“My god!”

“It’s a miracle!”

In the past, when it was said that the Yaegas gods [referring to the ancient gods of this world] fought to protect humanity, many people vaguely accepted it. It was too distant a past for the current generation.

But now, before their very eyes, the God-King Azadin was fighting against the Nether gods [evil gods from another dimension].

Those who witnessed it, even the priests of the King’s Church, were in awe of what was happening before them.

“Keep going!”

Azadin fired arrows in rapid succession.

The arrows of light, the blue beams, flew through the sky, striking down the god’s hands that were invading this world.

-Wooo-ooong!

The quartz throne of Asendar resonated.

The black god’s hands tried to grab and block the arrows, but they were pushed back, colliding with other hands in the rear, shattering like porcelain dolls.

All the residents of Asendar saw it. The giant hands descending from far beyond the horizon and the spear of light repelling them.

At the point where that spear was launched, Azadin stood bleeding.

“It’s a miracle. It’s a miracle….”

The priests of the King’s Church repeated those words over and over.

Then, Azadin’s body began to fall backward. Like a giant tree that had exhausted all its strength, Azadin collapsed onto the tiled roof of the royal palace.

“Your Majesty!”

Zibeck and Sion, startled, rushed to catch him, preventing him from falling headfirst.

However, the moment they touched Azadin, both Zibeck and Sion felt a shock as if they had been electrocuted.

A sharp pain made them want to let go immediately.

But both of them gritted their teeth and somehow endured the shock.

The two of them desperately and carefully laid Azadin on the tiles.

Snow was falling from the sky, piling up on the tiles.

However, the snowflakes that touched Azadin’s body melted away with a crackling spark, leaving none to accumulate.

“……..”

Sion Etar looked at his own hands.

Just a brief touch had turned his fingertips black.

His nails were dying.

Azadin had drawn on the remnants of the King’s Grace, the power of the God-King’s Scripture, to fire that arrow, and even that was enough to burn his fingertips.

If a brief touch was this bad, they couldn’t even imagine what state Azadin was in, having unleashed such power with his body.

Was this why he had been suffering from illness all this time?

Cohen Lionheart of the Northern Empire looked up at the southeastern sky as Azadin collapsed.

The god’s arms had disappeared, and the enemies’ reactions were silent.

This magic, which summoned a part of the Nether god, must have demanded a huge sacrifice from the elves as well.

It was a spell that could only be cast by a mage who had mastered a very high level of magic and was willing to risk their own life, so even if the elves were masters of magic, there wouldn’t be many who could use such magic.

However, even the remnants were still dangerous.

“What should we do? Should we pursue the elves?”

“Some should pursue the elves… and the soldiers should open the gates of the royal palace and gather the survivors! The geothermal zone underground should be a place where people can take refuge.”

Cohen had been blocking Asendar, preventing outsiders from entering freely.

He had been selecting only those who were chosen to live in Asendar.

But now, Cohen broke that principle and decided to open the gates to evacuate everyone.

*********

The Northern Emperor sat on the throne and began to spread the Light of the King to block the cold wave that was sweeping into Asendar.

Compared to what Azadin had done, it was a very weak Light of the King, but it was enough to protect Asendar, the capital of the Asendar Kingdom.

And it didn’t stop there.

The Northern Emperor sent the Light of the King beyond Asendar, creating a path for the residents outside the city.

He created a path of light that blocked the cold wave, allowing many residents, including refugees, to be accommodated in the city.

The inside of the city was also devastated by the cold tornado.

There were still many spiders and wererats in the underground tunnels, but with the help of the Northern Empire’s soldiers and the Northern Aragasa [a group of warriors loyal to Azadin], they were able to drive out the enemies in the immediate vicinity and occupy a part of the ancient elven city.

This place was much warmer and cozier than the surface, allowing many people to stay there.

The problem was Azadin.

“…How is His Majesty?”

“He has not yet awakened.”

Azadin, who had performed the feat of wielding a bow to repel the Nether god’s hands, had lost consciousness and was suffering from a high fever as a result.

It was impossible for him to endure, having used such immense miraculous power with a mere human body, especially one that had already crossed the threshold of death once.

“Azadin of Muan. I don’t know why His Majesty, who owes nothing to the world, having been persecuted even among the Messenger Clan [Azadin’s clan, known for their unique abilities], was chosen for a miracle. He should have some shame.”

Ismail grumbled like that.

He still complained when dealing with Azadin, but that was why he knew him well.

What kind of treatment had Azadin received from his clan… and what kind of treatment had he received from the King’s Church and the world even after becoming the King of Banreung?

Of course, if Azadin were to enjoy power and honor permanently as a result of this, then that much pain would be a worthwhile investment….

Azadin was dying now.

To die after only suffering, without seeing any proper joy. That made Ismail angry.

Was he going to make Midiam a widow?

Midiam knew this situation well and still married him, but Ismail was heartbroken by it.

“…….”

The Northern Aragasa were also in a difficult situation.

They had been inspired by Azadin and sided with him, but Azadin had not killed the Northern Emperor.

What if Azadin sacrificed himself to save the world?

Then the power would go to the Northern Emperor, and would they be able to handle the aftermath?

There was no way the Northern Emperor would laugh it off and forgive them, saying that it could happen.

‘Should we kill him?’

But the world needed a God-King.

If the Northern Emperor had not controlled the Light of the King, the residents of Asendar would have frozen to death.

Because he had testified to the miracles in Tarasar and Karasar, and to the King’s Church, the King’s Church was now actively helping with the evacuation efforts.

Moreover, despite all that had happened, the Northern Emperor was actually trying to protect Azadin’s honor.

*********

The King’s Church, unwilling to admit its own mistakes, tried to deliberately ignore the many testimonies of miracles about Azadin.

But the Northern Emperor emphasized to them again and again.

‘Azadin is the true successor of Yaegas, and the spirit of Yaegas has recognized him. If you do not face that fact and try to act arbitrarily, you will all freeze to death.’

‘But Your Majesty, he is from the Messenger Clan. It’s not just a matter of us being wrong.’

‘Fortunately, he is a descendant of the Emperor. It’s not that far off, is it?’

‘He is certainly a distant descendant of the Yaegas gods… but Emperor Yaeslat….’

The Emperor’s attempt to monopolize all the power was something the King’s Church, which had enjoyed power by mediating between the king and nobles, could not accept, as it concentrated all power in one individual.

But the Northern Emperor insisted.

‘This needs to be made clear. I have already recognized him as my master, so the Emperor’s position must be restored.’

‘Huh? Are you serious?’

‘Yes. Tell Tarasar and Karasar as well. If you do not recognize the true Holy King, no, the Holy Emperor, and submit to him, I will not spare the royal family even if I save the people.’

‘That’s… blasphemy. Even if you are the King of Kings, that is….’

‘Is it grounds for excommunication? That’s fine. You can excommunicate the one you gave the ridiculous title of King of Kings. Has it been over a year since you gave him the title? The Church will certainly lose face.’

‘……..’

The priests were speechless.

They couldn’t excommunicate the Northern Emperor now.

But to recognize Azadin as Emperor….

‘If he had such miraculous power, shouldn’t he have used it sooner? Could it be some other magic?’

‘Tell them that His Majesty Azadin knew the weight of the Emperor’s position and put you to the test. If he had shown it earlier by performing miracles, both the rotten and the good would have been lumped together! Do you understand? If you want to beg for forgiveness, you know what you have to do, right?’

In this way, the Northern Emperor threatened the priests and forced them to recognize Azadin as Emperor.

*********

While the Northern Emperor was doing everything he could to establish Azadin as Emperor, the Northern Aragasa and Azadin’s vassals were uncomfortable with the Northern Emperor’s actions.

‘Come to think of it, if His Majesty Azadin dies after becoming Emperor, then the Northern Emperor will….’

‘Oh, damn it. That’s really messed up.’

Was he trying to make Azadin Emperor, who was dying as a result of the miracle, and then take over the position?

Everyone thought that was the Northern Emperor’s plan and felt heartbroken.

With Azadin’s lifespan dwindling, there seemed to be no way to stop the Northern Emperor’s rampage.