Shoooosh!
Laevatein and Ascalon flashed with sword light as they flew toward the cocoon.
The ground writhed in response, and tentacles burst forth from within.
Kaaak!
In an instant, the tentacles transformed into the form of magical beasts, complete with teeth, eyes, and sharp claws.
Dozens of these tentacle-beasts lunged toward the incoming swords.
Kwa-kwa-kwa!
Ascalon, infused with holy spirit qi, and Laevatein, cloaked in dark-soul technique, pierced straight through the obstructing magical beasts.
Puuuuk!
The tentacle-beasts failed to block the charging swords and exploded, their forms shredding into tatters.
Ascalon and Laevatein, passing right through them, each emitted a burst of white light and black radiance as they impaled the angel's cocoon.
Pewwwwsh!
Holes pierced the cocoon where the two swords had passed through, and from those wounds, blood-red fluid cascaded like a waterfall.
Kududududu—
In moments, the cocoon deflated like a punctured balloon.
The giant magical beast's body began to tremble in reaction.
Gooooooo!
Tentacles extended from every direction inside the beast's belly.
Kududuk!
This time too, the tentacles took on the forms of magical beasts, twisting into grotesque shapes.
In an instant, the beast's innards filled with thousands of these creatures.
Zeke watched this and slowly lifted himself into the air.
He beckoned toward the magical beasts.
"Come at me."
As if responding to Zeke's words, the tentacle-linked beasts raised scythe-like claws and charged at him.
In that moment, shadows surged from Zeke's body, and black blades erupted from below.
Chaaaaak!
The razor-sharp, serrated blades ground the oncoming magical beasts to pieces.
Kwa-kwa-kwa!
At the same time, the sword bodies of the flying Ascalon and Laevatein rippled with light.
Pajijijijik!
Heavenly thunder, infused with holy spirit qi, spread throughout the beast's belly.
The magical beasts struck by the heavenly thunder screamed as their bodies burst apart.
Meanwhile, Laevatein, spewing dark-soul technique, burrowed into the beast's flesh, searching for the core and tearing through its internal organs.
Gooooooo!
With its vital organs destroyed from within, the giant magical beast roared in agony.
Enveloped in shadow blades, Zeke slowly approached the collapsing cocoon.
But then, something writhed inside the cocoon's shell.
Suddenly, a massive blaze erupted from within.
Fwoooosh!
Crimson flames bloomed spectacularly, engulfing not just Zeke but the surrounding magical beasts and the beast's body itself.
Zeke blocked the incoming flames by spreading his shadows.
Surprisingly, the crimson flames began to burn even his shadows.
'Am I a step too late?'
Zeke clicked his tongue and turned to the magical beast. Something rose from where the cocoon's shell had been.
It resembled a small girl, but without a nose or mouth, and where eyes should be, amber gems were embedded.
Unlike other angels, delicate butterfly-like wings adorned its back, giving it the appearance of a finely sculpted girl statue.
But Zeke frowned upon seeing the angel hatched from the cocoon.
After absorbing the soul of the Arrogant Savior, Zeke had gained knowledge of the true names and abilities of all angels modeled after constellations.
'Libra Palace constellation, Raguel.'
Raguel was one of the upper-tier constellations among the Thirteen Palaces, possessing the authority of the flame of execution that burned sinners.
Fwoooosh!
Despite its frail body and delicate appearance, it wielded terrifying power.
The flame of execution, which burned until all sinners were consumed, was the most relentless and fearsome among the authorities of the Thirteen Palaces' constellations.
The crimson flames enveloping the angel's body flickered like tongues, scorching everything around it.
Fwoooosh!
The flames caught on the beast's extended tentacles, spreading everywhere in an instant.
Gooooooo!
As the flame of execution surged from within, the giant magical beast screamed in torment.
Yet the angel of Libra Palace showed no disturbance, only raising the blaze higher.
In a flash, crimson flames filled the area around Zeke.
Zeke furrowed his brow at the encroaching flame of execution.
He grimaced at his still-burning shadows, then invoked the authority of freezing.
Chiiiiiik—
Only after activating the authority of freezing could he finally quell the flames on his shadows.
But even then, the embers seemed ready to reignite the moment he released the authority.
'A flame that doesn't extinguish until all sinners are burned.' Zeke gazed at the angel standing nobly amid the crimson blaze.
The silver lining was that the angel hadn't fully revived.
If it had achieved complete resurrection, it would have taken the form of a grown woman rather than this girl.
The cocoon, serving as its hatching vessel, had burst midway, preventing full emergence.
Even so, the power emanating from this apocalyptic angel was no joke.
Then, a voice echoed in Zeke's ear.
[Foolish one who obstructs the divine undertaking.]
Zeke realized it was the divine tongue transmitted through the angel.
The voice belonged to Raguel, the constellation of Libra Palace.
Zeke made no reply, but Raguel continued undeterred.
[Upon the sinner who interferes with the undertaking, I pronounce execution.]
As the words ended, denser crimson flames rippled from the angel's wings.
Fwoooosh!
The soaring blaze extended like whips toward Zeke.
Chaaaaak!
Over a dozen flame whips lashed out to ensnare Zeke's body.
Zeke countered by spreading his shadows to block the flame of execution.
Fwoooosh!
The crimson flames clung to Zeke's shadow shield, burning relentlessly without fading.
Black smoke rose as the shadows turned to ash and scattered.
Zeke retreated while extending his hand.
The swords behind him flew back to him.
Gripping Laevatein, Zeke drew upon the power of the elemental sword.
Kugugugugu!
He unleashed the chamber of water power while simultaneously awakening the authority of the heart-sword.
The origins of the burning flames began to appear in Zeke's vision.
He swung his sword, severing the roots of the flames on his shadows.
Chiiiiiik!
Incredibly, the so-called unquenchable flame of execution split under Zeke's strike and began to die out.
Raguel watched all this through the eyes of her avatar, the angel.
Raguel's voice rang in Zeke's ear once more.
[How dare a mere human play such tricks.]
To the constellations, humans were nothing more than slaves offering karma—neither more nor less.
Of course, Lamiel of Sagittarius Palace had been sealed by Zeke, and the angel of Gemini Palace, Azrael, had become a guardian under his control.
Despite not being an opponent to dismiss lightly, Raguel felt no threat from Zeke.
She merely mocked Lamiel for being sealed by such an insignificant human.
Kugugugugu!
Raguel infused more of her authority into the avatar.
Fwoooosh!
The angel's wings were now fully engulfed in crimson flames.
With each flap, flames scattered in all directions, and scorching winds howled.
In no time, everything around the angel had turned to char, except for her. The giant magical beast's body ignited and perished.
The flame of execution spread beyond the beast, catching on the magma surging from the earth and the meteors falling from the sky.
Even the magma of the demon realm couldn't withstand the crimson flames infused with Raguel's authority and began to subside.
The magical beasts that had barely escaped the magma and meteors couldn't evade the flame of execution and burned away.
Fwoooosh!
Soon, the entire battlefield was ablaze.
Zeke stood firm amid the inferno, sword in hand, staring at Raguel's avatar standing loftily in the flames.
As the blaze grew larger and wider, the avatar's form visibly matured.
'The more it burns, the stronger it gets.'
Zeke now understood why Raguel ranked among the upper echelons of the Thirteen Palaces.
The angel, calmly scorching its surroundings, spread wings of crimson flame and unleashed a storm of fire at Zeke.
Kwa-kwa-kwa!
The crimson flame storm, incinerating all it touched, hurtled toward Zeke.
Its mere heat wave was intense enough to melt solid iron in an instant.
Zeke pointed his sword tip at the oncoming crimson storm.
Woooooong!
A sword resonance hummed from his blade.
Zeke stepped forward, unleashing the chamber of water power.
Elemental Sword
Chamber of Water Power
Wave Sword
The wave sword, manifested through the heart-sword, pierced the air currents and enveloped the incoming crimson storm.
As if dispersing upon contact with Zeke's sword, the crimson storm instead began to swirl around his blade like waves.
Zeke redirected the flame storm with his sword art, sending it back toward Raguel's avatar in reverse.
Elemental Sword
Chamber of Water Power
Reverse Wave Sword
Defying its original flow, the massive wave of flames turned into a sword strike that engulfed Raguel's avatar.
Kwa-kwa-kwa!
As the crimson wave swept past, the giant magical beast's barely intact form finally crumbled to ash.
Fwoooosh!
Amid the crimson-flamed earth, Zeke stood tall with his sword gripped.
Then, another flame storm surged skyward.
Kugugugugu!
From within, Raguel's avatar emerged, even more grown.
Her body had enlarged, and the wings on her back had expanded significantly.
Through the angel's form, Raguel looked down at Zeke and continued.
[What paltry power.]
Raguel's amber eyes gleamed through the flames.
In that instant, an intense light poured from her eyes, swallowing Zeke's position.
Kwa-kwa-kwa!
The overwhelming flame authority, unbearable to any being of the phenomenal world, incinerated space itself.
Chiiiiiik—
Zeke's spot vanished in a flash of light, the space erased in an instant.
Having dealt with the bothersome human, Raguel withdrew her attention from that direction and slowly ascended into the air.
She raised her head and gazed at Atlas, now free from the magical beast's invasion.
The reason she, a constellation, had twisted causality to possess her avatar and descend into the phenomenal world herself.
To erase this city's civilization.
As the current center of phenomenal world civilization, Atlas needed to be obliterated to initiate the apocalypse.
The angel raised her hand, and crimson flames gathered.
Fwoooosh!
A long spear of flame formed in the angel's grasp.
This flaming spear was one of the horrific calamities that had wiped out countless civilizations.
With an expressionless face, the avatar hurled the flame spear—infused with Raguel's authority—toward Atlas.
The spear shot skyward at tremendous speed, piercing the atmosphere.
It rose to a certain height before slowly arcing back down.
Kugugugugu!
The pressure it exerted dwarfed even the falling meteors.
Atlas's citizens, seeing the sky turn crimson, looked up in renewed fear.
Then, in the distance, a massive blaze plummeted from the heavens.
A fierce heat wave followed.
The people of Atlas were seized by terror.
It resembled the final day described in the scriptures, now manifesting right here.
"O God!"
"Save us!"
Unaware that the very god they called upon sought their annihilation, the citizens could only close their eyes and pray.
Kugugugugu!
The immense flame of execution, harbinger of the end, revealed itself.
Raguel observed the scene through her avatar.
To her, who had created and destroyed innumerable civilizations, it stirred no emotion.
But then—
Tszzzzz—
A translucent spherical barrier expanded, and the flow of time began to slow. Soon, it stopped entirely.