Chapter 2327 Returned
Even though Dyon's strength had caused them to hope against hope, they ultimately had to face reality eventually.
It no longer mattered. Since they chose to continue to stay on this side, they would do so to the moment of their deaths. Those who remained, at the very least, had this much conviction left.
Dyon's wives held each other's hands. They didn't clench tightly and even had slight smiles on their faces. If it wasn't for the tears they had shed for Madeleine, it would seem like they were facing any normal day.
They were the wives of the Nameless Immortal God. Each of them was a genius that shook the Immortal Plane. Even though they no longer had the power they wielded in the past, their queenly aura and goddess-like demeanors would never vanish.
Alauna's tears were the only ones that didn't seem to stop flowing. She didn't care about dying herself, but having to watch her father put himself through so much made her heart break.
She had been longing to see her father for so many years, but she never thought that just when she thought he was back, that something like this was possible.
She too wanted to beat her chest and say that her father was invincible, that there was no mountain he couldn't climb and challenge he couldn't conquer. She too wanted to be like her big brothers, burying down all the pain she was suffering and putting up a brave front.
But, whenever she saw her father in such a state, it felt like she was watching her world crumble… as though the father she once knew was slipping away from her piece by piece.
"DAD!"
The cry rang through the battlefield.
It wasn't the first time she had called out, and she didn't even want it to be the last. Even if she had to die, she wanted to see the loving affection her father had for her just one more time. The same look he had when she asked for cherry ice cream… the same look he had when he was guiding her in alchemy… the same look he had when he put her through torturous training, all for the sake of helping her grow stronger…
She didn't want to see this skeleton, this villain, masquerading as her father. She wanted to see the true Dyon, even if it was just this one last time.
At that moment, a sigh rang through the battlefield.
It was difficult to tell where it came from. It felt as though it was right in front of them, yet somehow all around them at the same time. It
was almost like the hands of a God enveloping the world in its palms.
The flickering flames within Dyon's eye sockets finally went out. He stood there, his head tilted to the skies. To an outside observer, it seemed as though he had died standing on his feet.
No one knew just how much he had gone through in this battle. He had already put everything he had into defeating Aritzia, not knowing that an even greater battle was waiting for him here.
His body had already long since reached its limits. Others thought he entered this skeleton form because he had lost his mind… and maybe that was in part true. He was enraged beyond belief. It was to the point he wanted the whole world to feel how he felt. The same pain, the same agony, the same helplessness…
But there was an even greater reason. He simply didn't have the strength left to carry around his whole body. Using his soul to control this skeleton was the only way he could keep going, to take revenge for his wife.
In the end, he was still too weak. He didn't have any energy left.
"… I …"
Dyon's voice rang through the skies. It was pervaded by such sadness that tears fell even from the eyes of his enemies.
Empress Elise frowned. Flames flickered on her long lashes, burning the unshed tears that were accumulating away. He affected even her emotions? Just what kind of concept was this?
A small flash of longing crossed Abraxus' gaze. That was it, that thing he had been chasing after for so long… Soul Quintessence.
No, it wasn't as simple as Soul Quintessence. His disciple had touched upon Soul Quintessence long ago. This could be considered to be… the perfection realm of Soul Quintessence.
'It's a shame that you only reached this state at the end of your life.'
Abraxus' eyes were too sharp. He could tell that Dyon was a spent force. There was only so much a fiery will could do for a person.
It was quite ironic. The chilling calm of Dyon's emotions were what allowed him to reach this step, but this calm was also what sealed his death.
"… Really wanted to kill you both with my own hands…"
Dyon's words sounded like a final farewell. Like a man who had done his best to the very end, he was leaving his last imprint on the world.
Even as the Sapientia charged toward his family, even as the man he saw as a father stood before him ready to deal a final death blow, he still reminded them all that he was the Nameless Immortal God. He was Dyon Sacharro, a man who stood atop all eras.
"… But it seems I'll still have to rely on my mind…"
Abraxus had been prepared to say a final goodbye to his disciple. Even Dyon's own wives had long since braced themselves, prepared for their final moments. But, Dyon's words not only left them baffled, but even their enemies.
What was he talking about?
Abraxus frowned.
"… Consider yourselves lucky."
BANG!
"ROOOOOOOAAAAARRRRRRR!!"
The First White Mother's expression changed. She felt an aura she hadn't sensed since her first life. No, even in her first life, this aura was already ancient beyond belief.
'It can't be…'
At that moment, the silhouettes of several massive serpents rose into the skies. They were so impossibly large that they seemed to dwarf even the star segments of the immortal plane.
On their heads, bone protrusions formed majestic crowns. They snaked upward, radiating a pride that sunk deep into their bones.
"World Serpents!?" Abraxus' expression changed.
Soon, a violent lock descended onto the battlefield.
Four World Serpents commanded the cardinal directions, sealing off everything with a haughty arrogance in their eyes. It was as though they
alone could command the winds, seas and skies. They stood alone at the top of the world, unblemished and unmatched.
"That's not possible…" The First White Mother trembled.
In its current state, the mortal plane could be considered to be at the end of its rope. Its connection with the Heavens had been shattered and its borders had been destroyed, releasing it into the void. If this situation was allowed to continue, it wouldn't be long before it was swallowed up completely.
By the calculations of the First White Mother and the Sapientia, as long as the mortal plane fell into Chaos, it would start a series of events that would enrapture the whole of all of existence. Only then would they be able to achieve their goal… this was the significance of the place where it all began.
However, with the appearance of World Serpents, this all changed. As long as they remained, even if a trillion cycles of a trillion years passed, the Mortal Plane wouldn't fall. And, if it was so simple to take down matured World Serpents… would they still be such a legend?
"… Things have already begun but you're already reacting like this… These were just a few beasts I casually helped evolve… Hm, maybe I was wrong. This might turn out to be as satisfying as beating you down with my fists…"
Another change occurred the instant Dyon's words fell.
The Ancient Battlefield trembled. At first it was minor, but then it grew fiercer and wilder. Soon, the passageway formed by Luna began to widen.
BANG!
The seal between the two worlds shattered. At first it seemed like they would crash into one another. Many even began bracing for impact.
But what happened next seemed inconceivable.
There was no bang, no harrowing explosion, there wasn't even a strong gust of wind. As though things were always meant to be like this, the Mortal Plane and the Ancient Battlefield fused into one.
If this was all that happened, things would still be fine, but who would have expected for an army dressed in black armor and numbering no less than the Sapientia would appear in the skies.
On the Ancient Battlefield, there had been twelve clans… The Orcs, the Medusa Clan, the Cyclopes, the Torus Clan, the Undead Clan, the Unicorn Clan, the Griffons, the Cereberus Clan, the Ant Clan, the Golden Crow Clan, the Phoenix Clan…
All of these Clans appeared that day to try to take Dyon's head… However… This only numbered eleven…
There was still a twelfth remaining, a twelfth led by a normal human man who seemed to have no special characteristics about him at all. He appeared in their meetings without a care in the world and vanished just as quietly…
After so many years, the Titans had finally returned.