Chapter 426: The Beginning Of The End [LXXXVIII]

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The air above the battlefield shook.

At first, nobody understood why.

Vivian was mid-swing, crimson flames tearing through a god’s chest, when a strange pressure pressed down on everyone at once.

It wasn’t a pressure like killing intent or even heat… but it strangely felt… heavy.

Then the sky broke, splitting apart like a rotting cloth torn by an unseen hand.

A thin crack appeared, running straight across the heavens.

CRRRRAAAACK!

The crack widened violently, stretching for kilometers in every direction, and then another formed beside it.

And another…

The sky no longer looked like sky, but like shattered glass barely holding together.

“What… what is that?” one of the gods muttered, fear slipping into his voice.

Before anyone could answer, bodies suddenly started falling from those.

But it wasn’t just a single body, or even tens of them.

It was… thousands.

Gods tumbled out of the cracks, screaming as they fell, wings torn, limbs missing, bodies split open, blood spraying as they slammed into the ground or vanished into the distance.

Some were already dead. Some were still alive, crying out in terror.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

The impact sounds echoed endlessly.

The three high-ranking gods hovering above the battlefield froze.

One of them slowly turned his head, eyes wide.

“…That’s impossible.”

“Those armors…”

More bodies fell.

A god with half his torso missing crashed into the barrier and slid down, leaving a thick smear of blood.

Another had his head cleanly removed, still clutching a broken weapon.

One was frozen solid, shattered the moment he hit the ground.

The third god finally spoke, his voice shaking.

“That’s… that’s our army.”

Silence spread.

The massive legion that had filled the sky minutes ago was gone, leaving only corpses behind.

And then the space cracks widened even more.

FWOOOOOOOM!

A pressure descended so violently that everyone below was forced to their knees.

The air screamed as the ground directly split open from the sheer pressure.

The flames around Vivian flickered wildly, almost pushed aside by something far colder.

From the largest crack, a figure stepped out.

But unlike the other corpses, he did not fall.

He simply walked.

CRACK!

Each step crushed space beneath his feet, sending ripples through the air.

Dark wings unfolded slowly from his back, cutting the sky behind him.

A faint silver glow clung to his body, mixed with deep black lines that pulsed like veins.

His eyes were strangely calm.

“A… Aestrea…” Vivian whispered, her voice breaking in disbelief.

The moment his foot touched the air above the battlefield, the remaining gods felt it.

Fear.

Pure, instinctive fear.

“N-No… it can’t be him…”

Aestrea looked down, but his gaze wasn’t directed at them, but at the battlefield itself.

The beautiful land was broken, the city was in flames, and the corpses of mortals were scattered like nothing.

His gaze moved slowly, quietly, taking everything in.

Then he raised his head.

The temperature dropped instantly.

CRACK!

Ice spread across the sky itself, crawling along the space cracks, locking them in place.

The falling gods froze midair, their bodies stopping like statues before shattering into glittering dust.

One of the three gods shouted, his voice cracking in complete desperation.

“FORM UP! ATTACK NOW!”

None of the others moved because of the terrifying pressure that Aestrea was leaking out, causing them to shiver in complete fear.

And then, Aestrea finally spoke.

“You touched my world.”

“Our… our reinforcements… where did they go?!” Another god stammered, pointing behind him.

Aestrea tilted his head slightly, his lips curling up coldly.

“Dead.”

He lifted one hand.

FWIP!

A wave of pressure swept outward.

The remaining gods were smashed into the ground instantly, their bodies forced down like insects under a boot.

Their bones were entirely shattered as their divine wings were deflated.

The three high-ranking gods barely managed to stay upright.

“YOU THINK THIS ENDS HERE?! THE PRIMORDIAL WILL—”

FWOOOOOM!

Aestrea vanished and reappeared directly in front of him.

The god did not even finish blinking before Aestrea’s hand pierced through his chest, gripping his heart.

SPLURT!

Blood poured down Aestrea’s arm.

“You talk too much,” Aestrea stated calmly, then clenched his fist.

CRUSH!

The god’s body exploded into pieces.

The other two screamed and turned to flee.

They moved one step.

That was all.

Aestrea’s eyes glowed faintly.

Space locked.

CRACK! CRACK!

Both gods were torn apart from the inside, their bodies twisting unnaturally before collapsing into broken meat.

“….”

The place naturally fell into silence, leaving only the faint sounds of the wind blowing.

Aestrea slowly turned toward Vivian.

Vivian stood there with her flames still clinging to her body, shaking hands, torn wings, and blood running down her side.

Her chest rose and fell fast, as if her body was still fighting even though the war had already ended.

He landed in front of her, the space cracks behind him slowly closing, the sky repairing itself as if terrified to stay broken.

Then her eyes met his.

Her lips trembled.

“…You’re late,” she said, and then she laughed.

The laugh broke halfway through, turning weak and breathless, and tears spilled out of her eyes at the same time.

She tried to wipe them away with the back of her hand, but failed miserably before laughing once again.

“I-I thought…,” she muttered between breaths, “I thought I-I was done for this time.”

Her knees gave out.

Aestrea was there before she hit the ground.

He caught her easily, arms wrapping around her body, holding her close against his chest.

The moment she felt his warmth, her strength disappeared completely.

Vivian grabbed his clothes with both hands and pressed her face into him.

“I was so angry,” she cried out, tears dripping from her eyes, trailing down her cheeks.

“I didn’t care if I died. I just didn’t want them to touch our world. I didn’t want them to take anything else from you.”

Her shoulders shook as sobs tore out of her.

Aestrea tightened his hold, one hand sliding up to the back of her head, his fingers gently brushing her hair.

“…I tried to come as fast as possible.”

“I know…”

She pulled back slightly, just enough to look at his face through her tears.

Her eyes were red, her smile crooked and broken, full of relief and pain mixed together.

“You always show up,” she said. “No matter how long. No matter how far. You always come back.”

Her voice cracked again.

“I was so scared this time.”

Aestrea lowered his forehead until it touched hers.

“I’m here now.”

“Haaa…” Vivian let out a long, shuddering breath, as if her body had been holding it for years.

Her laughter returned, tangled with quiet crying.

“Heh… look at me,” she muttered.

“I must look awful.”

Aestrea brushed a thumb under her eye, wiping away a tear.

“You’re alive… that’s what it matters.”

Her eyes widened slightly, then softened. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.

The kiss was not hurried.

It was slow, deep, and shaking, like two souls checking if the other was truly real.

Vivian clung to him as if letting go meant losing him again.

Her tears soaked into his collar, her laughter breaking into small, breathless sounds against his lips.

When they finally pulled apart, she rested her forehead against his chest, smiling weakly.

“I really love you, Aestrea…”

Aestrea held her closer, his black wings folding around them both like a shield.

“I love you, too.”

At his words, Vivian closed her eyes, and for the first time since the invasion began, she felt truly safe.

After all… she was being held by the arm of her loved one.

After a while, Aestrea slowly loosened his hold, though he did not let Vivian fully go.

“Where are the others?” he asked calmly.

Vivian lifted her head from his chest, blinking a few times as she gathered herself. She wiped her face with her sleeve, then sniffed once and smiled faintly.

“I sent them near the Nether Portal,” she replied. “As close as I dared. It’s the safest place right now.”

Aestrea’s eyes narrowed slightly, then he nodded.

“…Good choice.”

Vivian tilted her head.

“It was Lilith’s idea,” she added. “She said no sane god would risk provoking the Nether Realm while already dealing with you.”

Aestrea almost laughed.

“She’s right. Even idiots have limits.”

Vivian relaxed a little more at his reaction. Then her expression changed, the relief fading into worry.

“But Isabella…” she said softly.

“She should still be in the castle. She didn’t leave yet…”

Aestrea’s gaze went cold instantly.

He didn’t say a word.

Instead, he slipped one arm under Vivian’s knees and the other behind her back and lifted her up without effort.

“W–wah!?” Vivian yelped in surprise, instinctively grabbing onto him.

Before she could protest, she realized how steady his hold was. How familiar. How safe.

“…You know,” she muttered, her cheeks warming, “this really isn’t the time for this.”

Aestrea glanced down at her.

“I know.”

She huffed, then smiled despite herself and leaned into his chest, relaxing completely.

Her arms slid around his neck, and she closed her eyes, letting the tension drain from her body at last.

“Then don’t drop me,” she murmured.

“Never.”

Aestrea took a single step forward, and that caused the world to fold instantly, space compressing, and in the blink of an eye, they were already inside the castle.

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