Barbarian in a Failed Game

313. Heaven (9)

… Boom! Ka-ka-BOOM─!!

The uninhabited sanctuary trembled as if it were on the brink of collapse. It was the vibration created by the clash of two beings exerting God-like power. The God of Solitude, though a God of the pantheon, had a divine name that was not highly favored, making it one of the lower-ranking gods.

E-Urel, confident enough to challenge a Supreme God, and the extraordinary mortal standing at the threshold of transcendence, were in a confrontation that the sanctuary couldn’t withstand for long. When E-Urel said, “we don’t have much time”, it included the durability of the sanctuary.

‘They’re fighting like beasts.’

Therefore, the fight was all the more intense. E-Urel went all out, aiming to kill Khan. Even if he wasn’t entirely serious, he was using all the power he could muster. Destroying an aura clone didn’t make it disappear.

If he ignored the clone to target the main body, the Sword of the Night Sky would unleash another terrifying strike. Fortunately, Khan wasn’t just taking hits.

Crunch!! Bang─!

The Heavy Sword, loaded like a cannonball, launched and exploded with the Sword of the Night Sky. The pain of his arm shattering was immense, but he ignored it. As he retreated, swinging the Unyielding, E-Urel’s main body lunged from the side, throwing a punch.

Wham…!

Just because aura was versatile didn’t mean it was light. Proving this, the overwhelming force pushed Khan’s body to the edge of the sanctuary.

Crash!

Despite the immense speed with which he was slammed, he had to immediately regain his posture. He had learned through experience not to assume he had any reprieve just because the main body had launched an attack.

He didn’t need to see to react. E-Urel’s will—his aura clone, wielding the night sky—was thrusting a sword right in front of him.

Boom─.

Khan’s fist, gripping his axe, released a heavy wave. The wave shattered the night sky and dispersed the aura clone, continuing on to strike E-Urel’s main body.

“Brutish!”

Brutish.

It was literal. Unlike E-Urel, who created aura clones and spread the night sky to create waves of sword strikes, Khan simply used the ash-gray power to throw punches without any technique. But the extent of his brutality was extraordinarily striking.

Buzz…!

E-Urel’s aura, mingled with the night sky, had the power to block even a demon’s authority. Yet, this aura was shattered by the mere aftershock of Khan’s punch.

‘That’s… brutish!’

Watching the wave that shattered his aura shield before dispersing, E-Urel clicked his tongue and unfolded his aura wings. Flying faster than a dragon’s flight.

Whoosh—

As he approached, he reassembled the dispersed aura clone into a giant sword. The massive sword, the size of an ogre, filled the sanctuary’s ceiling and plunged towards Khan’s head with tremendous speed.

Boom────!!

At the sight of a crack forming in the corner of the sanctuary due to the collision, Aries quietly closed her eyes. Both E-Urel and Khan were fighting with all their might.

‘I…’

Before being an apostle of a God, Aries was a paladin. Her martial prowess came from the Goddess of Justice, and without holy power, Aries was merely a girl with exceptional sword skills. Now that the Goddess of Justice couldn’t answer her prayers, she couldn’t even be considered a proper apostle.

So, what could she do? Aries quietly delved into her own mind.

『My sword. Poor child.』

The Goddess of Justice’s voice once again reached the worried young apostle.

『Come to me.』

The Goddess of Justice had self-imprisoned. To avoid the eyes of the gods who followed the God of Magic, the other highest-ranking gods who remained passive, and any possible traitors.

Only another highest-ranking God or oneself could imprison a Supreme God. And the prison chosen by the Goddess of Justice, who bore her own guilt, was…

『… Come here.』

『There, you will truly become my sword.』

Aries nodded as if in a trance.

Boom──!!

The sanctuary’s ceiling collapsed, and thunder rumbled in the realm without a sky.

“…?”

The connection with the Goddess of Justice was severed. It was inevitable. The sanctuary was collapsing around the two combatants as if something catastrophic had happened.

Crack. Crackle!

Aries lifted her expressionless face to observe the two. E-Urel, standing in mid-air with a look of disbelief and a slight sense of unfairness. And Khan, staring at the destruction caused by his own fist with a curious expression.

Even Aries, who hadn’t been watching the fight from the beginning, could easily understand the situation. Khan must have finally grasped something similar to what E-Urel was using, the power of the night sky. Or perhaps, he didn’t need to grasp it. As Khan looked down at his fist that had shattered the sanctuary, he gave a hollow laugh.

‘This is…’

It was slightly different from what E-Urel wielded. It was a similar method, but this potential had always been inherent in Khan. He simply hadn’t known how to wield it. It was only natural. The ash-gray power, chaos, whether it was before or after the possession, were things he had from the beginning.

Until now, he had used the ash-gray power to repel authority and enhance his physical strength… but even that method was wrong.

‘Willpower, determination, obsession… they are all similar, yet not exactly right.’

Khan recalled the sensation from moments ago.

… E-Urel was terrifyingly strong, and his combat style was equally terrifying. The aura clones were another E-Urel and simultaneously his weapon.

The attacks of the two Eurells relentlessly pressured Khan. When he destroyed an aura clone, the dispersed aura transformed into a sword and attacked, or it became a massive mass that surged forward. And the Sword of the Night Sky… it contained E-Urel’s entire life. Thus, it was heavier than anything else.

But its essence is still aura.

Aura condensed to an infinitely small size, and further condensed, forms the night sky. Although it appears to be shaped like a sword, it’s actually an enormous mass of aura that could form hundreds of millions of swords of the same size.

‘The reason this is possible is because E-Urel longed for freedom.’

The extreme utilization of aura is a byproduct of E-Urel’s desire for freedom.

So, what do I desire? Khan constantly pondered this, even in the midst of battle. This fight was different from any he had experienced before.

Khan’s usual combat style, while appearing simple and brute-force, was not truly so.

-He would probe his opponent’s techniques and read their patterns. He analyzed the imagery seen through Karyan’s eyes and predicted the next move based on the opponent’s tendencies.

Every aspect of the battle was a setup for a decisive strike, with complex strategic maneuvers leading to the final blow. In every fight, Khan performed these calculations continuously, something that would overwhelm an ordinary person and cause them to trip over their own feet.

But he didn’t do this in his fight with E-Urel.

‘…Power unsuited to the whims of gods? Returning to Earth? A happy life?’

When asked what he truly desired, too many things came to mind. This was only natural. Most people are like this. Human desires are not single-focused.

The reason why so few swordsmen become Sword Masters is that so few are utterly obsessed with the sword. There are few who, like E-Urel, can repeat undesirable tasks for hundreds of years while fulfilling their own duty.

So—

‘Empty my mind.’

Khan decided to stop thinking. He focused solely on the fight before him. He fervently wished to smash E-Urel’s face. Furthermore, he even entertained the thought of later punching the annoying face of Karyan. He abandoned probing, predictions, and strategic maneuvers.

If an attack came, he countered it. If he saw an opening, he struck. But that alone wasn’t enough to reach E-Urel.

‘It’s not enough.’

What was needed?

Speed? No, speed alone wouldn’t penetrate E-Urel’s aura to deliver a significant impact. Or perhaps, even more overwhelming power? E-Urel would simply dodge before the attack could land.

Ultimately, both were needed.

Crackle…

A form that could accomplish this naturally formed in his mind. Lightning flickered around Khan’s entire body, and as he pushed off from the ground with his feet. Ash-gray lightning split the night sky.

Kwakwoorung!!!

The punch that tore through the clone blocking his path and shattered the Sword of the Night Sky wielded by the main body struck the air.

Crack…!

Cracks spread throughout the sanctuary like broken glass, causing it to collapse. Even though it was the domain of a lower-ranked God, as it was a divine realm, it should have been indestructible, even with a high-ranking God running rampant.

“What a brute…”

E-Urel barely managed to evade and let out a hollow laugh. But internally, he was shaken. A chill ran down his spine because that last strike was powerful enough to make even him tremble.

‘Did he really succeed?’

E-Urel hadn’t expected Khan to grasp it immediately, even though he had aggressively taught him out of desperation, given the dire situation. But Khan had succeeded…

“Lightning, huh. I get what you were aiming for. It’s straightforward and efficient, unlike mine.”

“Is this something I can only do once?”

“Of course. The human mind can’t handle having multiple obsessive desires strong enough to impose on the world. Unless you’re a dragon, your mental world would collapse. Even dragons can’t wield this power.”

Khan nodded quietly at E-Urel’s words. They were obviously true to anyone.

However, questions remained.

The ash-gray power within him was still in its original state. The ash-gray lightning had disappeared as if it had never been there. Yet, if he desired, the ash-gray power within him could become a bolt of lightning again at any time.

‘Is this really the end?’

… No, it wasn’t.

While E-Urel concluded that each person could manifest only one form, Khan felt and was convinced otherwise. Another will was mixed within the ash-gray power he possessed. A will that had been there even before Khan’s possession…

『I wondered what the commotion was.』

His thoughts were interrupted.

『A rat has sneaked in. Executor of the heavens, do you dare defy the will of the heavens?』

The sanctuary of the God of Solitude, now collapsing, had been providing a veil to conceal their presence. The breach in the veil had alerted the divine gods.

“They’ve gathered in droves. Always such idle beings…”

『You know the fate of an apostle who fails their duty.』

“Damn it.”

Heh—

The mocking figure of a God emerged at E-Urel’s curse.

『Perfect timing. You’ve always been a thorn in my side…!』

He appeared like a divine general, reminiscent of an ogre with a massive pillar on his back. But it was clear, even without a direct encounter, that this God could wield the pillar like a twig.

『If I eliminate you, the influence of the Knight God will surely wane…!』

The God of Struggle. A high-ranking God who harbored resentment towards the Knight God for stealing his followers. But he wasn’t alone.

『You…! You are the mortal who cast my beloved child into the abyss!』

Kugugugung!!

A God’s furious roar erupted as the cracked fingers, resembling drought-ridden land, tore through the sanctuary’s ceiling. An old crone, her face covered in warts like those of a witch from stories, but her size was even greater than the hulking God of Struggle. Everywhere her touch landed, the sanctuary of the God of Solitude decayed, crumbling into dust.

She was the God who had cherished Georg Melker, who had been stripped of his priesthood and confined forever in the Church of the Pantheon’s penance hall for aligning with the Paradise and leading the church’s corruption.

『So…! You declared you would face judgment from the gods of the heavens! By all means─!』

The God who governed aging, erosion, and natural decay, unveiled her full might. While not a Supreme God, her presence was enough to overwhelm even the high-ranking God of Struggle like a storm.

『Your crime is death─!!』

The sanctuary, now without an owner, disintegrated into dust in an instant. It took but a moment for the realm of the God of Solitude to decay into ruin. And then…

─Crack.

In the same moment, the ash-gray lightning obliterated the old crone’s head.

“Step aside, minions.”

Khan, standing on the neck of the headless God as if using it as a platform, turned his gaze.

The God of Struggle, taken aback by the sight of Khan effortlessly neutralizing a higher-ranked God, instinctively stepped back.

… Crackle! Boom!!

He thought he had stepped back.

『Kaaahh!』

The ash-gray lightning, which reached extreme speeds and pierced even the God’s perception, struck the chest of the God of Struggle.

“The God of Magic. Where is he?”