Chapter 866

Clang!

As the explosion swept his consciousness away, Ian's senses snapped sharply back into place.

Yet, the chaotic blue light scattering everywhere, and the sensation of being hurled backward, lingered.

Whoosh—

Ian was still being blasted backward through the violently swirling fog.

Even amid the chaos, the quest completion window became clear.

Fuck.

As Ian tore through the air, the scenes he had witnessed in the vision continued to flash through his mind—the ancient god with its maw stretched wide open, the ominous radiance shining upon it from the heart of the rift, and the blue trails that had begun pouring into it like a collapsing torrent.

He knew immediately what those countless spiraling streaks being sucked into the ancient god’s mouth truly were.

The image of the ancient god rising higher and clearer, followed by the divine explosion that had shoved his consciousness away, flashed through Ian’s head just before he finally slammed into the ground and rolled violently across it.

Boom!

Only after crashing into the sanctuary wall did he finally stop.

Suppressing the dizziness and nausea flooding over him, Ian forced himself upright.

Crack… crack…

At the ominous sound, Ian abruptly raised his head.

He closed the quest completion window and the new quest that appeared immediately afterward, without checking either.

Above the altar, where the fog was rapidly dispersing, the coral and fossil had vanished.

In their place, an enormous crack suspended in midair revealed itself completely. It looked as though space itself had been torn apart.

Did my divinity do that?

Staring at the ominous dark-blue light flickering beyond the crack, Ian slowly frowned.

No wonder not even a shred of divinity remained inside him anymore.

Swoosh—

At that moment, the fog that had been scattered in every direction began gathering back around the altar once more. This was no natural phenomenon. The crack itself was dragging everything nearby inward.

As the suction rapidly intensified, debris scattered across the area was dragged toward the fissure as though caught by a magnetic force.

Ian himself was no exception.

Swish! Crackle…

Instead of retreating, he reversed his grip on the black sword and drove it violently into the ground like a spike.

The dizziness still had not faded.

Crack… crack!

Even now, the crack itself was slowly disappearing from the edges inward, almost as though evaporating away.

This force likely existed to seal the fissure shut again.

This isn’t the time for this… fuck!

Clenching the sword hilt tightly, Ian ground his teeth in frustration.

—Hmm… this is rather dangerous, isn’t it?

A leisurely whisper, completely unsuited to the situation, tickled the back of his mind.

The next instant, a mass of black fog came hurtling down from high above. Spinning in spirals, it escaped the pull of the crack and rushed toward him.

—Looks like something quite entertaining happened here, my friend.

It was Yog, of course.

Still speaking with laughter in its voice, the creature splattered itself against Ian’s shattered arm guard.

Looking down at Yog as it instantly reverted to its true form, Ian muttered, "Did you get thrown out of the body?"

Yog licked its lips and chuckled.

—I couldn’t erase the brand carved into that creature’s soul. Its soul tried to leave the body on its own, and though I resisted for a while, it eventually burst apart.

A bitter smile spread across Ian’s lips.

"So it really did devour all the souls of its servants...."

The countless blue streaks he had seen in the vision flashed through his mind once again.

Yog’s whisper followed immediately.

—Correct. Every single one of them died. They were pathetic creatures, but the spectacle they created at the end was rather impressive.

Which also meant the battle outside the canyon had likely already ended by now.

Ian nodded slightly before finally reopening the quest window.

—So in the end, that thing really is trying to break through the seal, isn’t it, my friend?

There wasn’t even a trace of tension in its voice. If anything, it sounded strangely excited.

"That’s right. From the beginning, both sanctuaries were real." Ian answered quietly without taking his eyes off the quest window.

[The Former Master of the Black Sea.]

—Well, yes. A creature of that magnitude would never leave its traces upon only a single battlefield. One must always prepare for every possibility, after all.

Yog chuckled softly.

Yog's tone suggested it had already suspected as much. Ian hadn't asked, so Yog hadn't bothered mentioning it.

—Anyway, my friend, ‌that thing considered you quite a serious threat. Its preparations were probably not even complete yet. And still, the moment one sanctuary collapsed, it immediately sacrificed all of its slaves and attempted resurrection….

"That’s awfully calm for someone who already knows everything, Yog," Ian cut the creature off as he closed the quest window.

Looking down at the briefly startled Yog, he added, "Cross the canyon like this and deliver a message to Diana. Tell everyone to return to the ships immediately and prepare to depart. Before that damned bastard fully awakens, we need to reach the other sanctuary."

The odds of arriving in time were incredibly slim, but at the moment, it was their only option.

—Delivering the message is easy enough… but that hardly sounds like a very good plan, my friend. Maybe we’ll survive, but all the other idiots are going to die.

As though already aware of Ian’s thoughts, Yog leisurely flicked out its tongue and chuckled.

—Besides, there’s a far simpler and more certain method available right now.

A simpler and more certain method?

Ian suddenly raised his head, his gaze fixed on the crack above the altar.

"Don’t tell me you mean that."

The crack had already shrunk by nearly half. Even so, it continued endlessly, devouring the chaos-filled fog and fragments of stone around it.

—That’s exactly what I mean, my friend.

Yog answered immediately.

A hollow laugh escaped Ian’s lips. "Unfortunately, I already burned through all my divinity. If I go in now, I won’t be able to come back out."

Slowly rising while using the black sword like a cane, he looked down at Yog crawling across his wrist.

"Besides, there’s no guarantee my body could survive there."

He was still human, despite how far he had stepped onto the path of transcendence.

Slithering past his forearm without stopping, Yog chuckled.

—Then just get a body that can survive it.

That was enough to make Ian freeze. He finally understood what Yog was suggesting.

"So you’re saying I should become a demon…."

It was a method he had desperately wanted to avoid using. Ever since experiencing it once before, he had become even more wary of it. After all, there was always the risk of being completely consumed by chaos again.

—Of course. Honestly, it’s fortunate that the disgusting divinity of yours has run dry. Nothing will interfere now. Besides, I’m absolutely overflowing with power at the moment.

Crawling smoothly over the back of Ian’s hand, Yog answered while flicking its purple tongue excitedly.

—You already know this is the best option right now, my friend. And the enemy is a transcendent being. Whether it can truly resurrect completely remains to be seen.

As it finished speaking, Yog naturally coiled itself into Ian’s open palm. When Ian slowly turned his hand upward, Yog revealed itself wrapped around the golden orb.

—Of course, the decision is yours. But understand this, my friend—we really do not have the luxury of hesitation right now.

The relaxed whisper continued.

Of course, Ian already knew that. Even now, the fissure continued to disappear gradually.

Clicking his tongue softly while glancing once more at the crack, Ian finally said, "Fine. We’ll do it. But only if you promise you’ll stay fully focused too."

Chuckling, Yog spread open its maw, lined with jagged teeth.

—Of course, my friend. Of course….

As though waiting for that exact moment, the essence bead immediately began spewing chaos. At the same time, Yog bit down hard on Ian’s hand.

It curled around itself as it drank his blood before melting like sticky violet tar.

Swoosh…

Boiling and writhing, it began transforming into an entirely new shape.

—You can hear me, can’t you, pointy-ear. This is your master’s command. Take everyone and return to the ships immediately. Then follow us to the other sanctuary.

Even in the middle of transforming, the creature’s voice echoed far louder than before.

—We’ll go ahead first and deal with the thing that’s resurrecting right now….

By the time its snickering laughter spread through the sanctuary, Yog’s transformation was complete.

It had become a mask with two narrow eye slits like a serpent’s and a long, torn-open mouth, with several horns protruding upward from its crown.

Along the inner surface touching the face, faint violet patterns flickered ominously.

This somehow gets more unsettling every time.

Ian pulled the black sword free from the ground.

His senses had fully returned now. With his own two legs alone, he could finally withstand the pull of the rift.

—Try using it while holding that thing, my friend.

Yog’s languid whisper slipped into Ian’s mind at that moment.

Ian paused, then lowered the black sword he had been about to return to his pocket dimension.

—In a sense, that thing is also one of your servants, isn’t it?

Yog snickered playfully. Each time it laughed, the violet glow inside the mask shimmered faintly.

I am curious what’ll happen too.

Ian raised the Mask of Deception to his face.

For an instant, a cold, sticky chill brushed against his skin.

Swoosh—

The mask melted down over his face, swallowing it whole. His vision turned violet. All of his senses tangled together, melting into a viscous haze.

Crackle… crunch…

Even amidst the nightmare-like experience, unpleasant cracking noises echoed faintly without pause.

It no longer startled him, but it was still deeply unpleasant.

—As expected… it cannot even compare to the body of such a pathetic beast.

At last, together with Yog’s low whisper, all of Ian’s senses resurfaced once more.

Straightening the body he had unconsciously curled up, Ian stretched like someone waking from deep sleep.

Whoosh…

Violet chaos rippled from him like a heat haze.

Before him spread a far broader and more colorful vision of chaos than before. At the same time, Ian realized that a pair of enormous membrane wings had sprouted from his back.

Must be because I absorbed Akihatara’s chaos.

Perhaps because he had already experienced controlling the Avatar of Platinum, manipulating the membrane wings felt effortless.

Tentacles lined both sides of his spine as well, writhing beneath the wings. Their surfaces were covered in countless sharp teeth resembling thorns. However, that was not the only thing drawing Ian’s attention.

I can’t believe this actually worked.

The black sword had fused into his right hand. And it was not merely attached to him.

At the center of the crossguard, now wrapped in violet fibers, rested a massive violet eyeball with a vertically slit pupil.

The blade itself looked longer and far more vicious, too, as though coated in thick tar.

At this point, this feels beyond even an archdemon.

Looking down at the black sword’s eye as it blinked vertically and glanced around, Ian let out a chuckle.

Of course, in reality, only a low growl and a thick tongue writhing beneath the blade emerged instead.

—As much as I understand the urge to admire yourself, there are rather more important matters at hand, aren’t there, my friend?

Yog’s amused whisper echoed through his mind at that moment.

I know.ht

Ian lowered the sword and shifted his gaze. There was no longer any need to look up at the altar.

Crack, crack!

The crack stood directly before him now. It had shrunk considerably, but there was still enough space for him to enter.

A faint smile spread across his face, exposing stalactite-like fangs.

Whoosh!

Throwing his membrane wings violently backward, Ian launched himself straight toward the fissure.