Chapter 30: The Judgment of the Fiery Blaze

The mysterious man in a black hood gazed calmly beyond the dense darkness below.

A subterranean chamber so deep that even the torchlight on the walls failed to reach it.

The silver-haired beastkin girl who had obstructed his plans must have succumbed to death by now, having fallen into the filthy, sewage-filled pool.

She had certainly been formidable—expected of someone brought here by that damned cat—but her opponent had simply been too much for her.

Had she been facing the failed creations that he and his organization had produced so far, the outcome would have been entirely different.

If other elite demons had accompanied her, this entire operation would have been stopped right here.

In the end, what decided the victor of this battle was that woman’s carelessness and arrogance.

Still, he couldn’t help but wonder—’where had such a skilled beastkin even come from?’

The man dismissed the thought and turned his head in another direction.

That was when he noticed the black-haired beastkin, standing frozen with a pale face, staring blankly at the depths of the chamber, completely forgetting even to remain on guard against the monsters ahead.

She was so overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events that she couldn’t tear her gaze away from the scene below.

Watching her, the man savored the exhilarating feeling of victory beneath his mask.

Thinking back on all the resources and manpower the organization had wasted due to that woman’s relentless spirit magic and persistent pursuit, he ground his teeth in frustration.

That accursed black cat beastkin spirit mage, always wearing that irritating smirk, constantly interfering with their plans under the demons’ support.

He had long vowed to make her pay a price worse than death, and now, at last, his long-cherished wish was about to be fulfilled.

How could he not be pleased?

Just as he was about to issue the next command to the angel standing by, bringing this wretched feud to an end—

Something brushed against his mind.

A strange sensation.

The woman before him was undoubtedly in despair.

But upon closer observation, it was far from the hopeless resignation of one who had given up everything.

Beneath that overwhelming despair lay a faint trace of another emotion.

A desperate longing.

A flicker of hope that could be extinguished at any moment.

‘What is she expecting from that girl? She should already be dead.’

A vague unease crept into his mind, wiping away his smile.

He quickly moved to finish her off before anything unexpected could happen.

But it was too late.

As if to confirm his worst fears, an unforeseen anomaly occurred.

***

SPLAAAAASH—!!!!

A deafening roar echoed from the depths below, like a massive pillar of water erupting.

A blinding surge of light followed, sweeping away the thick darkness.

Like countless spotlights being switched on at once, the entire chamber was suddenly illuminated.

Snapping his gaze downward, the man’s eyes widened in shock.

Though the distance was great and the radiance too intense to see clearly, one thing was undeniable.

The one responsible for this phenomenon was that girl.

Far from being dead, she had somehow escaped the angel’s authority.

And the proof of it was clear—the angel, that exalted being, was visibly shaken.

As the overseer of its descent, he was connected to the angel by a faint link, and through that connection, he could feel its deep agitation.

His unease turned into urgency.

Yet he failed to grasp the true reason for the angel’s distress.

More precisely, he did not comprehend the nature of the overwhelming power now rising before them—or the hidden truth lurking within it.

In the midst of this swirling chaos, as everyone present stood in stunned disbelief, one fact remained certain.

From this moment on, the tide of battle had completely turned.

***

Like a dam bursting at its limits, an immense torrent of power surged forth, wrapping around my entire body.

Blazing flames, warm yet intense, repelled the foul sewage, while radiant light pierced through the chamber’s oppressive darkness.

With the strength of that force, I emerged from the depths, stepping onto the water’s surface.

Dazed, I lowered my gaze to my hands.

The mask I had been wearing had already been lost upon impact with the water.

But right now, that was the least of my concerns.

At the moment when my consciousness had nearly faded, when I was certain it was the end—

A mysterious memory had surfaced in my mind.

An unfathomable power, stretching endlessly, accompanied by a strangely familiar sensation.

As I gazed at the crimson energy flowing according to my will, as if I had wielded it for years, a question filled my mind.

Then, something else caught my eye.

Strands of golden thread, out of place in this scene, floated weakly around me, driven back by the overwhelming force radiating from my body.

All of them stretched upwards, leading to the ceiling of the chamber.

I lifted my head and focused my vision.

As expected, at the source of these unsettling golden threads—

Stood the otherworldly angel.

‘If I had to guess, this must be yet another power of that being— the very source of the immense pressure that has driven me to this abyss.’

Additionally, the grotesque, tentacle-like appendages connected to the angel’s true body—
those twisted offshoots— are undoubtedly the culprits behind the ‘invisible attacks’ that have persistently targeted me until now.

I had no idea why they had suddenly become visible.

But rather than dwell on it, I quietly focused my mind, clasping both hands together.

In my recent memory—

[The colossal twin greatswords I had wielded. A pair of immense blades, as if carved from a dragon’s fangs, slowly revealed their radiant presence in reality.]

‘Had there been anyone here who recognized those weapons, they would have doubted their own eyes.’

Fortunately or unfortunately, no such person was present.

Gripping the hilts with a comforting familiarity, I finished my preparations and— in one swift motion leapt straight toward the ceiling, toward the angel itself.

I moved so fast— like an arrow, piercing through the air at a speed too great to follow with the naked eye.

Of course, my adversary would not simply stand by and watch.

What had once seemed like mere playfulness— a swarm of writhing tentacles now filled nearly the entire ceiling.

This time, their intent was unmistakable— to completely engulf and crush me, leaving no trace behind.

‘Had they remained invisible, perhaps I could have ignored them.’

But now that I could see them clearly, the sheer scale of the oncoming assault was enough to make one’s blood run cold.

Yet, remaining calm, I analyzed everything before me in an instant— and my eyes gleamed with determination.

‘Dodging was impossible.’

‘Collision was inevitable.’

Then the answer was simple.

I would just cut through everything in my way.

The ultimate swordsmanship that had once cleaved through a raging blizzard, slicing apart the heavens and the earth.

I had no idea what it was or how such a miracle had been achieved.

So instead, I chose to entrust my body to instinct.

‘Even if I don’t know how, surely the instincts residing in my unconscious mind do.’

There was no solid proof, but— I simply felt that was the case.

As if responding to my will, the pure flames of purification blazed even fiercer, engulfing my entire body.

Then, the flames surged skyward, forming the sacred shape of a dragon.

At its peak— I stood, gripping the twin greatswords, each larger than my own body.

And finally, I reached out toward the mass of tentacles filling my vision.

This was the swordsmanship of a warrior who had mercilessly slain countless demons.

The ruthless judgment of a fallen sun from an age long past.

***

Ascending Dragon Scales

Calamity

!!!!!!!!

The descent of another sun.

Before the land was tainted by thick demonic energy, the sun that once illuminated the entire world had returned.

Everything was swallowed in blinding radiance.

At the very center, I continued my relentless charge, ceaselessly swinging the twin greatswords in my hands.

It was like a flawless, continuous performance— a sequence of strikes executed without the slightest error, swordsmanship refined to the level of pure artistry.

Under this overwhelming force, the angel’s final desperate resistance crumbled like a mere scarecrow caught in a storm.

Like the first light of dawn chasing away the darkness at the horizon, everything obstructing my path vanished— leaving me face-to-face once more with that otherworldly being.

But this time, the angel’s countless eyes held an emotion that was difficult to describe.

The expression that fit best— it seemed like it wanted to say something.

For the briefest moment, hesitation flickered within me.

But I could not stop my body— not when I had already surrendered to instinct.

And so, beneath the merciless flames that burned all to ash, the being once called an angel met its final end, not even a trace of its form remaining.