Chapter 448

The Black Queen threw her jaws wide and let out a scream of ultrasonic pitch.

The moment that inaudible frequency struck human eardrums, countless people collapsed on the spot.

The frequency had pierced their ears and hammered directly into their brains.

Bodies dropped to the ground, writhing like insects.

Only the high-ranking Awakened barely managed to remain standing. But “standing” was all they were doing, barely holding on to their fading consciousness, limbs drained of strength and heavy as stone.

Krudu, the chieftain of the Giants, narrowed his glowing eyes.

“What power…”

It wasn’t admiration for the Black Queen’s sonic assault.

It was awe toward Zeon, the one who had driven her to such a desperate cry.

Bubble! Bubble!

The ground beneath the Black Queen boiled like molten lava.

She twisted her massive body, trying to free herself from the Sand Gehenna, but the more she moved, the more the sticky lava clung to her like thick mud.

The searing magma stuck to her body, seeping into the gaps between her shattered scales and melting her living flesh.

The agony was on a level far beyond anything she had felt before, and the Black Queen screamed again and again in ultrasonic pain.

Each time she did, the Awakened who were barely standing fell like dominoes, until only a handful remained, leaders of the various races, struggling to steady their breathing.

Every one of them wanted to rush forward, to join Zeon and strike at the Black Queen together. Yet they all hesitated.

Krudu. Taboaru. Laune.

The chiefs of each race stood frozen, like mannequins, unable to move.

Not because of the Black Queen.

But because of Zeon, floating in midair, standing upon the sand.

All who still stood could feel it: the dangerous scent of raw destruction.

The overwhelming pressure of a volcano moments away from eruption.

That energy was pouring out of Zeon.

A single careless moment, a single “oh no” too late, and all of El Harun could vanish in an instant.

Even Krudu, the giant chieftain who was known to lose all sense of reason before battle, felt hesitation before Zeon’s presence.

He was calculating.

Would it be wiser to aid Zeon and slay the Black Queen? Or… to kill Zeon instead?

For Zeon had become as dangerous as the Black Queen herself.

Perhaps even more.

Because Zeon was far more cunning, and far more rational, than she was.

“Damn it. Never thought I’d be weighing this kind of choice over a single human.”

“That human is too dangerous, Chief. If we’re not careful, we could end up controlled by him, just like when we were manipulated by Hieltun.”

“That’s not the kind of power a mere human should possess.”

The others voiced their concerns.

Krudu listened, his brow furrowed deep.

And then, a surge of irritation welled up from the depths of his chest.

Not at Zeon,

, but at himself, and at the leaders who stood beside him, all paralyzed by fear.

He finally spoke.

“When did we… become such cowards?”

“What?”

“That human from the outside is fighting with everything he’s got to slay the Black Queen, and we, the rulers of this land, hesitate out of jealousy? We looked down on humans, mocked them. And now look at us. Tell me, what makes us any better? I’m too ashamed to lift my head.”

“…”

Silence fell over those nearby.

They wanted to refute him, but not a single word came to mind.

Krudu rolled his shoulders and began walking toward the Black Queen.

“I’m fighting.”

Crack!

The sound of bones grinding came from his neck.

That sound struck the hearts of the other warriors.

“Ha! Damn it.”

“Shit!”

A few of them glanced at their own leaders, and then followed Krudu’s lead.

This was their land, after all.

It was their duty to protect it.

They couldn’t entrust the fate of their people to an outsider.

“Yaaaaah!”

“Let’s go!”

They charged at the Black Queen, who thrashed within the lava.

BOOOOM!

With a roar, their full assault began.

At the forefront were Krudu and the Giant warriors.

They hurled their massive bodies through the air, crashing against the Black Queen.

“Uraaah!”

“Gwooop!”

The Giants bellowed as they struck.

Then came the follow-up from the elite Awakened of every race, doubling the Black Queen’s agony.

Thanks to Zeon, who had already shattered her scales and torn at her flesh, her defenses had been severely weakened.

Blood sprayed in every direction.

Normally, serpents would be born from that blood, but now, every drop burned away the moment it touched the lava. No serpents could emerge.

The Black Queen’s greatest advantage, her overwhelming numbers, had been completely sealed off by Zeon.

Fury erupted within her.

When rage reaches its peak, it often turns cold and calculating.

That was her state now.

Instead of thrashing in pain, she went still, and raised her gaze to Zeon.

He moved like a maestro, conducting his attacks with a sweep of his hand.

At the graceful flick of his wrist, Sand Spears flew.

At a subtle motion of his finger, Sand Soldiers obeyed.

Nothing else existed in her vision, only Zeon filled her eyes.

The Black Queen, Neria, spoke.

“So this is your true power. Certainly… formidable. Yet still not enough to kill me. My divinity will not be broken by something so small.”

“You mean… I should try harder.”

“Exactly!”

“As you wish. Then I’ll give it everything I’ve got.”

Zeon smiled as he replied.

Neria nodded slightly.

“Before that, I should clear away all these annoying insects.”

Suddenly, a dark, ominous light began to radiate from her vast body.

Those still clinging to her, attacking from atop her scales, failed to notice the danger.

Zeon shouted out to them.

“Fall back!”

“What?”

“Now!”

At his desperate cry, the Awakened pulled back in haste.

BOOOOOM!

In the next instant, the Black Queen’s massive body exploded.

Flesh, scales, and blood blasted outward like shrapnel.

“Gahhhh!”

“Ugh!”

Those struck by the debris screamed and collapsed. The battlefield turned into utter chaos.

But Zeon had no time to tend to them.

For Neria had shed the serpent’s body and now floated before him in the air, staring directly into his eyes.

Her enormous, seventy-meter form was gone, replaced by a pale, naked woman hovering with a pair of black wings spread wide from her back.

Her lower half still retained the shape of a serpent.

Though she was far smaller now, Zeon didn’t dare underestimate her.

From that small form emanated divine power beyond measure.

This was Neria’s true body, her form fused with divinity.

Now, the real battle was about to begin.

As if to prove that, Neria swung her arm. A serpent-shaped wave of black energy flew toward Zeon.

Zeon didn’t flinch. He fired a Sand Spear in response.

BOOM! BOOM!

Explosions blossomed in midair.

That was the start.

The true fight between Zeon and Neria had begun.

The two clashed in the sky, trading skill after skill, while everyone else could only stare in stunned silence.

It was a battle that took place above the ground, beyond their reach.

All they could do was watch.

Krudu grit his teeth.

As a Giant, he had no way to fly.

He could only look up at the fight unfolding beyond his grasp.

“Damn it!”

Frustration burned in him.

That their fate, the fate of their race, the fate of El Harun, rested in the hands of an outsider.

If only Lord Dantal were here…

The Lion King, Dantal.

Had he still been in El Harun, the title of greatest warrior would have belonged to him.

But Dantal had left decades ago, for reasons unknown, dead or alive, no one knew.

Still, Krudu was certain:

If Dantal were here, they would never have had to entrust El Harun’s fate to Zeon.

Boom! BOOM!

Meanwhile, Zeon and Neria’s battle raged on.

Now that Zeon had revealed himself as a Sand Sorcerer, he no longer held anything back.

He used every weapon at his disposal, except one.

Exion.

The Exion absorbed into his pores was his ultimate card.

He had no intention of revealing it before everyone’s eyes.

Even without Exion, he believed he could face Neria head-on.

BOOM!

“Kh…!”

Neria’s attack struck Zeon, shaking his body violently.

Blood trickled from his lips, but to everyone’s surprise, he wasn’t badly hurt.

It was thanks to the robe he wore.

A robe crafted from Leviathan’s hide, an artifact that granted perfect protection against most magic and physical attacks.

A truly broken piece of equipment.

Because of it, Zeon could withstand Neria’s blows with only minor injuries, his wounds instantly regenerating through his accelerated healing.

That allowed him to continue clashing with her head-on.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!

Sand exploded in rapid succession before Neria.

Zeon had deployed Claymores.

“Kh!”

The shock made Neria bite her lip.

Her energy field wavered.

And Zeon didn’t miss that instant.

“White Phosphorus!”

He pushed hellfire through the gap in her weakened barrier.

The flame rode the wind, streaking toward Neria.

But she didn’t panic.

She had seen how Deva handled White Phosphorus firsthand, absorbing the hellfire and turning it into his own.

If Deva could do it, so could she.

She stretched out her hand, intending to absorb the fire and throw it back.

Her palm turned black.

As she grasped the White Phosphorus with the authority of the Black Queen,

Zeon whispered softly.

“Detonate.”

BOOOOM!

In that instant, the White Phosphorus exploded in Neria’s hand.

Her eyes went wide with shock.

Her entire hand was blown away, everything below the elbow gone.

White flames clung to the wound, eating away at her flesh.

It was so surreal that she didn’t even feel the pain at first.

Neria just stared blankly at her burning arm.

“Ah…”

Since gaining divinity and near-immortality, she had never suffered such a wound.

The feeling was almost… fascinating.

She was so stunned that she didn’t even notice herself falling from the sky.

When she finally lifted her head again, she saw Zeon, already summoning more Sand Soldiers.

Shhhhhk!

Dozens rose around him.

Zeon commanded them.

“Go.”

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!

The Sand Soldiers surged like a tidal wave, crashing over Neria.

The moment they pinned her down, Zeon activated another skill.

“Sand Gehenna.”

At once, the Sand Soldiers pressing her body began to melt like lava.

The molten mass burned into her flesh, seeping deep inside.

“Kyaaaaaaa!”

Neria’s piercing scream split the air.

But Zeon’s assault had only just begun.

Dozens more Sand Soldiers were summoned again.

They clung to Neria’s body, melting into magma and devouring her flesh.

Neria thrashed, trying to escape the lava, but it was useless.

It was time to finish this.

“Sand Mixer!”

GAAAAAANG!