Chapter 291 - Chapter 290: Omnipresence
Royal Castle, dungeon.
Yaroibarov, having left the Audience Chamber, wandered about searching for the dungeon, finally arriving there.
He had taken out the Royal Guards knights coming down from the upper floor along the way, so it took a little time.
He took out the dungeon guards as well and found the cells where the Royal Guards officers were being held.
"Here I come!"
Yaroibarov spun his Halberd around and around, slicing through the iron bars of the cell.
He had grown tired of looking for keys among the key bunches and decided to just slice the iron bars.
Gashaaan!
The prisoners, stunned by such rough tactics, were left speechless.
He broke open several cells using the same method.
"Hey! Which one is the Crown Prince?"
He asked a man who had come out of the cell about the Crown Prince.
It wasn't something to boast about, but ordinary commoners didn't know the Crown Prince's face.
"His Highness is at the very back. That one over there is Prime Minister Dedoderic."
He glanced in the direction the man pointed.
It seemed everyone currently locked up in the cells were those who had sided with the Crown Prince.
"What exactly are you... what is the situation right now?"
"Well, I don't know. It's certain that your subordinates are still following the King, though."
When Yaroibarov said that, the man twisted his face in displeasure.
"Anyway, because you lot are incompetent, the Kingdom is on the verge of destruction right now."
Yaroibarov glared at him, and the man twisted his face in regret, choking on his breath.
Yaroibarov broke the cell where the Prime Minister was said to be held and dragged the man inside out.
He then threw him onto the floor.
"Get up with your life on the line. You try doing something useless? Wherever you are, no matter how many guards you have, I'll go kill you."
These were the words of a man who had stormed into the Royal Castle, fortified by all the Royal Guards knights, and rescued them.
It was certain that this was not a threat or anything, but "advice born of kindness."
If he wanted to kill, he could kill anytime.
No one was so carefree as to doubt that fact.
"...Advice. I thank you."
Dedoderic gathered strength in his withered limbs and body and sat up.
Yaroibarov watched his eyes steadily, then turned toward the back without saying a word.
In the cell at the very back, a man was lying on the floor.
The contours of the man's face were clearly unnatural.
Probably his jaw had been broken and swollen.
There was no doubt he was the Crown Prince I had heard about.
Yaroibarov broke the cell and entered.
He poured a Potion over the lying Crown Prince.
As the Potion was splashed onto his face with a splash-splash-splash sound, the Crown Prince groaned.
Since it was done suddenly, he must have unconsciously tensed up.
Yaroibarov understood well the pain when putting strength into a fractured part.
Soon, the fracture must have been repaired to some extent.
From the Crown Prince's expression, the air of enduring pain had faded.
Yaroibarov silently broke the handcuffs on the Crown Prince's hands.
"Sorry... I'm saved."
The Crown Prince, who seemed to have finally been able to speak, offered his thanks.
He managed to sit up his body somehow.
"Who are you...? Could it be, Mika Noisheim----!"
Paahn!
Yaroibarov slapped the face of the Crown Prince who was about to say something.
The Crown Prince collapsed onto the floor as is.
"Your Highness!? "
"Y-you bastard!? What are you doing!?"
Dedoderic and the Royal Guards officers raised a tense voice at this outrageous act of slapping the Crown Prince's cheek.
But Yaroibarov turned around and gave them a single glare, and they could say nothing.
They realized their lives were genuinely threatened.
Yaroibarov grabbed the Crown Prince by the collar of his shirt and lifted his body up.
"I don't know how great you think you are, but are you greater than a monk? ...Do you think you're great?"
Feeling the genuine killing intent in that low, heavy voice, Cranzard clamped his mouth shut.
"Didn't you hear that voice just now talking about gods? The monks are fighting with their lives right now. To protect this country and the people living here."
Strength gathered in the hand grabbing Cranzard's collar.
"He's doing things only he can do! He's risking his life! While you idiots are lying around here like this! Right now!!!"
At Yaroibarov's angry shout as if lightning had struck, both Cranzard and Dedoderic became unable to move.
Yaroibarov suddenly released the hand holding the collar and stood up.
"The one pretending to be King, the monk will handle it. If anyone, he will definitely finish it."
"..........So, the 'Cursed Child' after all."
Yaroibarov looked down at the Crown Prince.
"You, Crown Prince, heard that, didn't you?"
Muttering that, Yaroibarov left the cell.
"Make a country where the monk can live easily with your life on the line. If you can't, then next time, the monk and I will destroy this country, okay?"
Saying only that, Yaroibarov headed for the dungeon exit without turning back.
Cranzard and the others followed him, chewing on Yaroibarov's words that were neither advice nor warning.
■■■■■■
Royal Castle, second-floor corridor.
Ozendorwa and Ixel were heading toward the Audience Chamber.
They arrived in front of the Audience Chamber, but the Royal Guards knights who should have been guarding the door were nowhere to be found for some reason.
Ozendorwa tried to open the door, but it wouldn't open.
"Is it locked?"
Muttering that, Ozendorwa frowned slightly.
With Ozendorwa's arms and the sword made of Orichalcum, he could surely slice such a door.
However, he was hesitating whether this was the right moment to do so.
"A voice is coming from the other side. Let's go check."
Ixel, looking toward the passage winding around the Audience Chamber, proposed.
Nodding at Ixel's words, Ozendorwa decided to go around the side of the Audience Chamber.
A large hole had been made on the side of the Audience Chamber, extending all the way to the castle wall.
"..........What on earth happened to make it like this?"
Looking at the hole from a distance, Ozendorwa let out such a comment.
It seemed the voice was coming from inside the Audience Chamber.
He went close to the hole and looked into the Audience Chamber, and involuntarily closed his eyes at the devastation.
In one glance, there were hundreds of corpses.
Limbs were scattered.
Corpses without upper bodies.
Such things were rolling around everywhere.
"Hold it together!"
"Come on, it's okay now."
"Could you lend a hand a bit!?"
Inside the Audience Chamber, the Royal Guards knights were rescuing the survivors.
"..........What kind of thing is this...!"
Ixel muttered as if groaning.
A Royal Guards knight engaged in rescue work noticed Ixel and ran over.
"Ixel-sama!"
"What in the world happened to this!? Why did it come to this!?"
The Royal Guards knight asked by Ixel choked on his words.
Seeing that, Ixel immediately understood.
Because he had received an explanation from Ozendorwa.
"..........It was done by His Majesty, wasn't it?"
When Ixel said that, the Royal Guards knight nodded with a pained expression.
"Many of the survivors have witnessed it. When the Apostle and the big man appeared, His Majesty used some strange power...!"
"..........I see."
Ozendorwa, who had been looking around the Audience Chamber, came over and asked.
"Where are that His Majesty and the Apostle?"
At Ozendorwa's question, the Royal Guards knight looked toward the throne.
In front of the throne, the old maid Nieslaza and Kelnile were lying on top of each other.
Leaving His Majesty's corpse as is was usually impossible, but it seemed the survivors had gone half-mad and stopped them.
They seemed genuinely afraid of being killed by His Majesty, so they decided to prioritize rescue.
"Mika-kun... Where is the Apostle?"
"I don't know. There are those who saw him jump out through that hole, but beyond that...."
When told that, Ozendorwa turned around and looked at the hole in the wall.
Is he going to dispel that black mist in the sky above?
However, if that were the case, he wouldn't be able to lend a hand to Ozendorwa.
"Ozendorwa. You should better join up with the Fifth Knights Order. The town seems to be in terrible shape."
Ixel pointed toward the town through the hole in the wall.
There, the capital city could be seen with smoke rising from various places.
Ozendorwa hesitated, then nodded.
And he leaped out of the Audience Chamber.
"..........Mika-kun. I'm counting on you."
Muttering that as if praying.
■■■■■■
Mika was looking down at a giant face resembling solidified darkness appearing above the Royal Castle.
The rain clouds created by Mika's God's Miracle were strangely being pushed away, forming a hole centered on the Royal Castle.
"Damn it... I worked hard to make it rain...."
Smoke was still rising from everywhere in the capital city.
As he watched the clouds being pushed away, he noticed something black floating in the far distant sky as well.
"..........What is it?"
Manifesting his Telescope, he looked at that black object.
"No way...."
He couldn't help but mutter that.
Floating there was something similar to the giant face right in front of him.
Mika looked around.
Similar things were floating over several towns tens of kilometers away.
"Omnipresence...."
Existing completely in every place.
It was not occupying everything in the universe, nor was it inherent in everything in the universe, nor was the universe itself deified.
It was a word meaning a completely identical existence that exists simultaneously in the entire universe and can perform different actions at the same time.
An existence that transcended even time and space.
In other words, ---God.
Mika stared blankly at the face of darkness.
That face of darkness, claiming to be Hildinlander, was gradually growing larger.
"..........Is it collecting Voluntas?"
Mika muttered, turning his face away.
If the people who saw this ominous thing prayed to the Six Gods of the Church of Light?
Would even that become Voluntas and become food for this face of darkness?
Willpower began to well up in Mika's fading heart.
"In the end, what they're doing is the same, isn't it...!"
Voluntas, Voluntas, Voluntas!
No matter how much they pretend to be gods, they are just desperately collecting Voluntas.
Hibujiza moved Wyedges and the protective barrier over three days.
But the face of darkness in front of him can exist in both places simultaneously.
"..........It's just that they opened branches in the places they used to visit on business trips, isn't it."
They can collect Voluntas without having to go out of their way.
Good job.
That's all there is to it.
(Can a completely identical existence exist in different places?)
That means, no matter how many existences there are, in the end, there is only one.
"I don't know how they do it, but if you hit one, it's all over, right?"
If they truly succeeded in having Omnipresence, hitting one would end everything.
If they were separate existences, there would be no mystery or anything.
Since one has been hit, the rest can be crushed one by one.
"If we deal with this one in front of us, that should almost solve it, right?"
Whether it's one or multiple, we just need to find a way to defeat them.
And Mika already knows how to defeat them.
"---Dispel."
If the nature changes, Auto-Dispel might not work either.
But that's not a big problem.
If dispelling doesn't work, then make it work.
Isn't that what I've always done?
I have improved magic as needed!
I have created new ones!
"I will dispel you, self-proclaimed god!"
Mika gathered strength in both hands, making fists with cracking sounds.
"""...Fear Me...."""
"""...Be afraid of me... Be terrified...."""
Mika gathered all his mana and charged into the giant face of darkness.
"Uooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!"
Letting out a roar, he focused all his spirit.
He charged head-on into the forehead of the giant face as if body-checking it.
Dopun!
The mass of darkness swallowed Mika.
That was a world of darkness.
There was no up or down, only writhing darkness.
But he could feel the power of curses.
"The curse waves are too strong...!"
He was able to gather mana, but he had to use most of it to protect himself from the waves; otherwise, Mika couldn't endure it.
With this, the mana available for dispelling is not enough...!
Mika twisted his face in pain.
"In that case, I have no choice but to do this, huh?"
Solving everything with brute force like this, hitting whatever comes to mind, even he thought it was a bit much.
"But I can't think of anything else. Absorb Wing - Triple!!!"
Mika shouted with all his might, gathering mana with three pairs, six wings.
At that moment, his head throbbed painfully.
"Auto-Dispel!!!"
He forcibly started dispelling.
He poured mana in, breaking through curses one after another with terrifying momentum.
The dispelled portion was immediately absorbed by Mika's wings, and the absorbed portion was turned back to dispelling.
"Ugh... k...!"
His head throbbed painfully.
His heart beat like a drum, and his whole body grew hot.
"..........As expected... Overheat...?"
A load greater than anything he had felt before was being applied.
He understood that without anyone telling him.
"Even so! I can't stop!!!"
While shouting, he calmed his heart.
Calm down, calm down, he told himself.
Huge amounts of mana.
If strong emotions are connected, surely the heart will be eroded.
Mental contamination will progress.
Even if it's a futile struggle or a useless struggle, he must keep his heart calm somehow.
Pashiiinn!
At that moment, Mika received a strong impact from behind.
"Guh!?"
Mika was blown away with force, jumping out from the face of darkness.
He spun around in the air and managed to stabilize his posture.
Pyun-pyun!
Two lasers were fired at Mika.
"Kuh!"
He managed to spray Blast and barely dodge the lasers.
But lasers were fired at Mika one after another.
"Heh! Isn't that proof you're scared!?"
Mika took evasive maneuvers freely in all directions.
Due to Mika's random maneuvers, the lasers couldn't catch him and kept firing uselessly.
"""You who rebel against the God, evil demon child. Perish. Perish. Receive God's punishment with love. Pain is God's love."""
"Hmph! Unfortunately, I don't have that kind of mood!"
Unless you are Charl.
Don't try to force that kind of play on me.
However, there is a limit to dodging forever.
If this continues, he will eventually be caught.
More importantly, dispelling isn't progressing.
"Doryaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!"
While performing reckless maneuvers, Mika charged into the face of darkness.
Entering from the mouth, exiting from the ears.
Jumping in from the eyes, piercing through the top of the head.
Charging from all directions, piercing through from all directions.
Dispelling during the time from jumping in to jumping out.
It was just like a small fly flying around the face.
It was a very annoying, harassing attack.
Dopun-zabba, Dopun-zabba, Dopun-zabba!
He kept repeating jumping in and jumping out.
"Haa... haa... haa...!"
While dodging lasers, he charged into the face of darkness and dispelled.
Even during that time, evasive maneuvers continued.
Mika displayed concentration beyond his limits and repeated that action.
Even if plagued by terrible headaches.
Even if the heat in his whole body turned into pain.
Zabba!
When he jumped out from the face of darkness, he noticed a distant town.
The black thing floating above the town was gone.
"Hehe... The branch is crushed, hey."
Mika twisted his pained face further and forced the corner of his mouth to rise.
"""Brat...! I won't forgive you... I won't forgive you!"""
The face of darkness twisted its expression in anger.
He thought it was a dull attack, but it seemed to be surprisingly effective.
"Your tone is back? Is the god play over? ---Ugh!?"
Due to the terrible headache, Mika involuntarily held his head.
(This is bad... I've endured this far, but is this the limit...?)
The backlash from excessive mana usage had reached its limit.
But Mika glared fiercely at the face of darkness.
"..........Don't decide the limit yourself...."
Muttering that, he forcibly lowered the hand holding his painful head.
"Only you! Right here! I will definitely dispel you!!!"
Mika charged into the face of darkness again.
"Trampled!"
He dodged the lasers and entered the face of darkness.
"Mocked!"
His whole body tingled with pain, but he gritted his teeth and endured.
"Tormented!"
His head hurt as if it were about to split, but he twisted it down.
"The resentment of those whose lives were taken!"
Mika stayed inside the darkness, stopped his evasive maneuvers, and concentrated on dispelling.
"Know your placeeeeeeeee......!"
"""Stop ittttttttttttt......!!!"""
He spun Auto-Dispel with all his might.
He poured all his mana in.
And ---.
Bwaaah...!!!
The giant mass of darkness dispersed.
Light shone into the darkness all at once.
Mika watched the dispersing darkness blankly.
"...Pity, Hildinlander."
Suddenly, such words came from somewhere.
"Gahhh!?"
Sharp pain ran through his whole body, and Mika arched his body back as if a sword had been thrust into the top of his head.
Unable to think of anything due to the intense backlash, all the magic he had manifested was cut off.
Mika fell straight down from a height of two hundred meters above the ground.