Chapter 501 Miracle and Outcry

Hulim Heyerar closed her eyes slowly, recalling the spell as she clasped the Seven Luminaries in both hands. Her long hair fluttered endlessly in the scorching heat.

In an instant,

her eyes snapped open violently!

Boom——!

A vast, overwhelming mana aura spread out in an instant, and the ash fog lingering in the air was dispelled at once by the mighty pressure.

The Seven Luminaries in her grasp blazed with a radiance unlike anything before.

“I stake all my mana……”

Her fingers tightened around the wand.

“Transcendent Diffusion——!”

Hum——!!!

A colossal Sixth-Tier Magic Circle unfolded above her head.

And that was only the beginning.

It was like blooming flowers:

when the first blossom opened, a sea of blooms burst forth all around in the blink of an eye.

Hum! Hum! Hum……

Gigantic magic circles unfolded one after another, centered on the volcanic caldera, spreading outward without end.

In a breath, more than ten enormous magic circles covered the entire sky within sight.

But……

“It’s still not enough……”

“Mana, I need more mana! Infinite Strike——!”

Mana gushed forth like an endless spring, surging ceaselessly.

Hum! Hum! Hum……

More and more colossal magic circles filled the sky.

By the time anyone noticed,

the heavens were completely blanketed in dense, massive magic circles. Their glow drowned out the crimson light of the lava entirely at this moment……

“Damn it! Hold on——!!!”

At the foot of the volcano,

faced with the erupting mountain right before them, Aralond and Fulmir poured every ounce of their strength into holding a safe haven for everyone.

Irus and Laki maintained defensive barriers, holding all danger at bay.

Ignir hovered in the sky, unable to draw even an inch closer.

“It’s no use…… We can’t keep this up.”

Aralond shouted.

“Master, the lava is eating into the deep underground! We can’t hold on like this for long!”

“I know!” Fulmir gritted his teeth fiercely. “But! We have no choice but to keep holding on——”

Crack!

A fissure split open in the ground.

The two mended it at once with combined power.

But no sooner had they repaired it,

Crack, crack……

more and more fissures burst open.

Even with everything they gave, their safe space shrank bit by bit.

Fulmir’s gaze grew distant and vacant.

He glanced around at the chaos:

the erupting volcano, the surrounding lava, and the despair spreading among the soldiers.

He slowly lifted his head again, staring at the sky above the continent.

A wave of helplessness welled up from the bottom of his heart.

Was it truly……

hopeless?

Just as despair began to take hold of him as well,

Hum——!!!

Brilliant magical light poured down from the sky without warning.

Fulmir froze stiff, standing rooted to the spot, his gaze locked on the sky as if he could not look away.

“What…… is this?”

Gigantic magic circles, each emanating the mana fluctuation of a Sixth-Tier Spell, bloomed across the sky like a sea of flowers.

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At this moment, the entire world seemed to be bathed in this gorgeous radiance.

All sound faded away.

Every living creature stopped moving.

They looked up at the sky,

witnessing this miracle together……

“Rise, Forest Domain——!”

Somewhere in the distance,

a soft voice sounded, unheard by any third person.

And then,

the countless Sixth-Tier Nature-Type Magic circles covering the sky——Forest Domain——

unleashed their full power.

Rumble!!!

A torrential flood of vast mana descended from the heavens.

At this moment, the earth of the endless lava world stirred as if coming back to life, erupting into total upheaval.

Lava rivers collapsed.

The sea of flame inverted.

Rock layers turned upside down.

Gigantic tree roots shot toward the sky, and mountain ranges rose layer upon layer.

Pop!

As the first speck of green bloomed,

a tide of grasslands and forests spread across the earth……

This cosmic upheaval lasted for a long while.

When the magical light shrouding the sky gradually faded,

not a single trace of flame remained in sight.

New mountain ranges and forests rose up, suppressing the reborn super-volcano once more.

“……”

The people stared in awe at the breathtaking sight before them for a long time.

No words could describe what they felt in this moment.

Until……

the first person slowly knelt down, clasped their hands, and whispered with devout reverence:

“Gods.”

Then a second knelt, hands folded just the same.

“Gods.”

Then a third.

“Gods.”

A fourth, fifth, sixth……

Until the entire crowd knelt as one, their devout cries echoing endlessly.

“Gods.”

“Gods.”

“Gods……”

……

……

On the barren wasteland,

two travel-worn figures hurried along.

“Lord Inasil, we’ve traveled so far…… we should be safe now, right?”

Fagu said wearily.

“Can we find somewhere to rest first?”

Inasil frowned.

“……”

They had not stopped running since escaping the Red Mist Volcano. Even he was somewhat tired, to be honest.

But the problem was……

the memory of the countless giant magic circles suppressing the volcano, of the world being reborn——

sent a violent shiver down his spine.

What in the world……

how could something like that happen!?!

He had finally worked with that Fire Demon to trigger the world’s largest volcanic cluster. The entire Northern Wastes should have fallen into an eternal winter, and the Dwarven Kingdom should have collapsed without a fight!

Why……

why had things turned out like this!?

Weren’t the gods supposed to never descend? What was that display!?

The more Inasil thought, the more agitated and terrified he became,

terrified that the unknown, monstrous being would appear behind him at any second.

“You fool, all you know is rest! What if that abomination comes chasing us!? Move! We don’t stop until we’re completely out of the Northern Wastes!”

At his words,

Fagu’s face twisted with fear at once.

“Y-Yes, you’re right! We have to run!”

With that,

he took off running at once, so fast his feet seemed to fly.

“……” Inasil stared in disbelief. “That bastard…… he had plenty of energy left after all!”

After a string of curses, Inasil prepared to give chase.

However, before his raised right foot could touch the ground,

Boom——!

A sharp sound of cutting air rang out, hurtling toward them at breakneck speed.

The two men froze stiff, their faces contorted with terror as they stared in its direction.

“No…… don’t tell me she really came after us?”

Shwaa!

The words had barely left his mouth

when a figure landed right in front of them.

When they saw who it was,

both men’s eyes flew wide open.

Then Inasil felt a surge of wild joy.

She escaped?

This hero actually made it out!!!

Perfect!

I still have an escape route!

“Excellent! You did well. I never thought you’d manage to escape. For a useless wretch, you’ve finally pleased me for once~.”

Inasil said, his tone arrogant and condescending.

However,

Hena did not react to his words at all.

“……”

She stood motionless, her head hanging low, her expression completely hidden from view.

“Those fools probably think I controlled you with that collar. Hah, how stupid…… Hm?”

Mid-brag, Inasil suddenly sensed something was wrong.

“What are you standing there for?”

“……”

Hena still did not move.

“Can’t you hear me?! Get over here, now!” Inasil grew increasingly uneasy, his voice sharp with agitation.

And at last, Hena moved.

But she did not walk toward him as he had ordered.

She only slowly lifted her right hand forward, her body crouching slightly……

Inasil grew even angrier, and flicked his eyes toward Fagu.

Fagu understood at once, walking toward Hena without the slightest caution.

“Hey, you slave! Can’t you hear Lord Inasil——”

Whoosh!

He raised his hand high, ready to slap Hena across the face.

The next instant,

Shkrt——!

A sound like tearing cloth rang out.

Hena’s figure appeared abruptly behind Fagu.

Her hands were crossed, her head still hanging low. Her fingers had turned into sharp, icy claws glinting with cold light, their tips stained with faint crimson liquid.

It had all happened so fast,

so suddenly,

that the two men did not react at all, frozen completely in place.

“You……”

Fagu slowly turned his neck, trying to look back.

Pfft——!!!

But before he could move, a massive spray of blood burst from his body.

His severed torso slid to the ground.

Crimson blood spread across the earth behind Hena, quickly pooling at her feet.

“Ah…… Aaaaah…… Y-You——”

Inasil’s eyes bulged, pointing at Hena, unable to form a single word.

“You dare…… Gak——”

Inasil’s voice cut off abruptly.

Because Hena lifted her head.

Her ice-blue pupils stared straight at him.

What kind of eyes were those……

Inasil had never seen anything like them.

A terror beyond description seized him.

“Y-You’re not thinking of……”

Pshk——!

His breath caught in his throat.

A sharp, tearing sound rang in his ears.

In his slowed vision,

a familiar arm arced through the air, trailing a line of blood, flying far away.

Thud.

The moment the arm hit the ground, searing pain exploded in his right arm.

“……Ughhhhhh——!!!”

A scream of agony tore from Inasil’s throat.

“You…… Why……”

He clutched his severed right arm, trembling as he stared at Hena.

Cold sweat poured down his paling face.

“This strike…… is for me.”

A voice colder than ice escaped Hena’s lips.

There was not a trace of warmth in her ice-blue eyes.

“This one——”

Her right hand curled into a claw once more.

“Eep!? Wait, wait! I raised you——”

“Is for the people of my village!”

Shkrt!

Her white figure blurred again.

His remaining arm flew into the air.

Pfft——!

Crimson blood gushed endlessly from the stumps of both arms.

“Ughhhhh——!”

A shrill scream rang out again.

“This one——”

“Spare me! I can explain……”

Shkrt!

“Is for my father and mother!”

“Ughah——!”

“This one——”

“Please spare me! Please let me live……”

Shkrt!

“Is for Rita!”

“Ugh!”

“This one is for Rita!”

Shkrt!

“Ugh……”

“This one is for Rita!”

Shkrt!

“……”

“For Rita!”

Shkrt!

“Rita! Rita! Rita! Rita……”

Shkrt! Shkrt! Shkrt……

The sound of tearing flesh echoed on and on, for a long, long time.

Only when the target of her vengeance was completely unrecognizable did Hena finally stop, her entire body soaked in blood.

But why……

why did her heart still hurt so badly?

“……”

She stared blankly at the ground, staggering backward a few steps.

She lifted her blood-caked hands, trembling, and covered her face.

Drip.

A tear slipped through her fingers, falling to the earth.

Drip, drip, drip……

After a long while,

she slowly tilted her head back, gazing up at the sky.

A suppressed sound burst from her throat.

“……Aaaaaah——!!!”

A long, wailing outcry echoed across the wasteland, lingering for a long, long time……