Chapter 1401: 159. Pincer Attack

Could gods use human magic and martial techniques?

Before this, Ariel had never even thought about such a question.

The reason was very simple. Gods who stood high above others and mastered laws and Authority—how could they possibly have anything to do with magic and martial techniques created by mere humans? She had never heard of any Evil God going to learn magic, and even many evil cultists, after receiving blessings, would look down on human power.

But the scene appearing before her eyes completely overturned her understanding.

The fiery-red clouds had already nearly covered the entire sea of stars.

Those violet bolts of lightning moved through them, actually even more violently than when the black-robed figure had cast the spell just now.

There was no doubt that the terrifying magic called "Lost Paradise" had actually been cast by this Demon God afterimage attached to Muen.

This made Ariel unable to help wondering whether attaching itself to Muen had brought some kind of special change to It?

No.

That was not right.

Even if attaching itself to Muen could bring It some kind of change, that change definitely would not be in terms of magic.

You could not possibly let a pure brute who only knew how to use the Illumination Book give It some kind of enhancement in magic.

That was completely unscientific!

"In other words... this magic was something It learned on the spot?"

"Even the martial technique just now was also something It learned on the spot?"

"Damn it... if that's the case, this bastard is actually pretty eager to learn?"

Ariel's mind shook.

But what was trembling at the same time were her hands.

In the collision just now, because she had been caught completely off guard, she had actually fallen into a disadvantage.

And the one she had collided against was actually her own Heavenfire Unsheathe!

No Heavenfire!

No greatsword!

And no sword sheath either!

Yet that sword strike had still been used just like that!

In other words, whether it was magic or martial techniques, this afterimage before her had managed to imitate them perfectly within an extremely short period of time, and had even... surpassed them, the original users!

"After calculating everything over and over, I actually never expected you to pull this move on me?"

Ariel calmed the surging blood and energy inside her body, raised her head, and met a similarly shocked gaze.

The black-robed figure stood there in a daze. Although his face could not be seen clearly, his current agitation could still be felt.

"Teacher, do you have any clue about this?"

"...No."

After a moment of silence, Peles answered:

"In the era I lived in, It had already been completely sealed. I also do not know much about It, so as for this characteristic... I'm sorry, this is also the first time I have seen it."

"Understood."

Ariel did not reveal much disappointment. Instead, the corner of her mouth curved slightly, and an uninhibited smile made her bloodstained face look especially heroic.

"In any case... in the end, I still have to risk my life, right? Don't worry, this is something I'm very familiar with."

Yes, very familiar.

Although during this period of time, she really had fallen a little too deeply into a life of tenderness.

But some things carved into the bones would not change.

For example, when the version of herself in the mirror gave her a strange grin, she would only, without the slightest hesitation, throw a punch... and smash it!

"Beast Heart!"

Her heart roared like a war drum.

Boiling blood rolled through her veins.

Extreme enhancement descended upon this seemingly slender body in an instant. Ariel softly exhaled scorching air, and the aura of her entire body rapidly rose at a speed visible to the naked eye!

All kinds of enhancement magic, including even some enhancement-type Ancient Magic that Peles had specially researched, were piled onto Ariel all at once. She once again turned into that "multicolored" light-pollution state that Muen would complain about!

"Die."

And so.

That cold word sounded like the horn of judgment.

Ariel's figure flashed, directly appearing before the distorted figure. As a human who used Authority, she launched... an attack against an Evil God's afterimage that used magic!

She raised both hands high, and the crimson patterns on the Heavenfire Greatsword shone brighter than ever before.

However, what surrounded it was no longer flame.

It was pure pitch-black... and light!

The two deeply hidden Divine Favors were used by her without any reservation. The entire sea of stars was divided into two, one side an eternal long night, the other everlasting daylight.

Day and night, black and dark.

The two collided, and all things were annihilated.

One sword... Judgment!

Boom!

The distorted figure, which had just gotten up, bent over once again.

Within the annihilation, endless mighty force erupted and pressed entirely onto Its body. Even the disorderly mutations around It were cut apart by Ariel with a single sword.

Under the crushing pressure, the flickering black lines on Its body decreased again.

Faintly, Ariel could even see Muen's profile gradually being revealed.

It worked!

This delighted her, and the potential inside her body erupted another three-tenths.

However...

"#￥%...#%"

The distorted figure was not suppressed for very long.

After only catching Its breath for a moment, It braced against Ariel's sword blade and stood up again.

The flickering black lines on Its body actually increased again, as though Ariel's full strength, to It, had only been the presumptuous bite of an ant.

"Immortality..."

For some reason, this word surfaced inside Ariel's mind.

Although what was before her was only an afterimage and could not possibly achieve true immortality, this characteristic originating from the true body of the "Demon God" was already enough to make this afterimage... extremely troublesome.

And it did not stop there.

Thump, thump——

In this instant, [N O V E L I G H T] Ariel clearly heard, from that body belonging to the person she loved, a special heartbeat that had never appeared before.

Enhancement Magic · Beast Heart.

"No way..."

Ariel's pupils contracted, unable to believe it:

"Even magic applied to oneself... can be stolen?"

Enhancement magic was applied to one's own body.

From an outsider's perspective, even the route along which magical power circulated could not be known.

Therefore, Ariel completely could not understand exactly how the other party was imitating it.

Or could it be that this actually was not imitation at all?

But rather...

"Ariel!"

Peles's warning interrupted Ariel's thoughts. She abruptly returned to herself and discovered that the distorted figure that had stood up again was slowly turning Its head toward her.

Although that face that should have been incomparably familiar was covered by flickering black lines, for some reason, Ariel seemed able to feel what It was expressing at this moment.

Mockery.

It was... mocking her.

"You..."

However, before Ariel's anger could build up again, the distorted figure reached out a hand and once again... grasped empty air.

Heavenfire, Unsheathe!

The distorted figure possessed no Divine Favor at all, but the heavenly lightning and earthly fire created by magic were directly drawn over by It, likewise condensing within a blade that did not exist in the same mutually colliding manner.

Toward Ariel... It slashed with one sword!

Clang——

Ariel clenched her teeth, her expression instantly becoming vicious.

In that split second, she only had enough time to hold the Heavenfire Greatsword horizontally in front of herself to defend.

Enormous force came crashing down, and she was smashed away once again.

But before she even had time to catch her breath, she saw the fiery clouds above her head rapidly rolling, terrifying rainbow light brewing within them, as though they had already calculated the position where she would land and were waiting here for her arrival.

Then, the rainbow light descended.

"Damn it..."

Too fast. This kind of attacking method gave her no space to react at all. Ariel could only instinctively protect her head... and pray that this body of hers, tempered through countless ordeals, could withstand it.

Boom!

In the next instant.

The enormous sound of impact was like a mountain being bombarded.

But unexpectedly, Ariel herself did not feel the slightest effect.

No pain, no missing arms or legs. Ariel checked herself over and discovered that she was completely unharmed.

She raised her head in confusion and saw the black-robed figure in the distance holding the long mace high. Its fifth level was rotating, and heavy defensive magic had been applied around her, blocking this attack for her.

"Heh."

He gave a cold laugh, as though mocking Ariel for misunderstanding him just now.

"Sorry."

Ariel said sincerely: "And... thank you."

"..."

The black-robed figure froze for a moment and did not say anything more. He merely activated the long mace in his hand again, and the sixth level also began rotating.

"Dispel."

Within some kind of profound field, that apocalyptic scene covering the sea of stars completely collapsed in the blink of an eye.

The world returned to clarity.

The "Lost Paradise" controlled by the enemy dissipated, and Ariel likewise felt the pressure greatly lessen, letting out a long breath.

On the black-robed figure's side, he suddenly noticed that the distorted figure had, at some unknown point, turned Its head... and looked at him.

There was still no feeling of being locked onto by any gaze, but the black-robed figure felt his body turn cold, as though something were silently corroding him. He did not dare hesitate at all. Magical power surged, and the seventh level of the long mace in his hand suddenly rotated!

Steel as bone, mercury as blood.

Behind the black-robed figure, the enormous outline of a machine slowly emerged from the void.

Its crimson outer armor was made from magical metal tempered and forged countless times, enough to withstand a direct bombardment from Truth-Rank magic. Its sharp blades were made from the spine of some ancient demonic beast, and their extraordinarily strong magical conductivity and toughness were enough to bear the passage of enormous quantities of magical power.

And behind this magnificent creation, six wings of light spread open. More than a thousand magical arrays resonated within them, and the magical currents they alone washed out were already enough to turn the nearby islands to ash!

Anti-Giant Demonic Beast Armor, Dragon Hunter · Olisis!

The terrifying weapon once lost by the Magitech School had actually reappeared at this moment!

The black-robed figure floated upward and merged into it.

"You can... imitate magic and martial techniques."

The hoarse voice sounded: "But... I don't believe you... can instantly create... a giant magical armor!"

Boom!

At the rear of the wings of light, enormous magical currents erupted at maximum output.

A meteor-like trail of flame drew brilliant colors across the armor's back.

Although it was an enormous creation comparable in size to a mountain, its speed at this moment was unbelievably fast. In only an instant, it had already arrived above the distorted figure's head.

The enormous sword made from the spine of an ancient demonic beast was raised high. Layer after layer of magical patterns blossomed across it, and the magical effect arrived one step ahead, directly sealing every space the distorted figure could use to evade!

The distorted figure indeed could not create armor in a short amount of time, so It could only raise Its hand, grasp empty air, and prepare to forcibly withstand it!

"Teacher..."

On the other side, Ariel also seized this opportunity and silently said inside her heart: "Let's use that."

"Are you sure? The burden of this move is not small."

"Heh..."

Ariel grinned and at the same time licked the blood at the corner of her mouth: "Forget for a moment who I'm saving right now. Do you think I'm the kind of person who would retreat one step earlier than someone who used to be my enemy?"

"Understood."

Peles let out a soft sigh.

That sigh was full of helplessness, and... unsurprised expectation.

She had long since grown accustomed to this kind of situation.

"Then... let's do it."

As those words fell, powerful soul force flowed out from the ancient ring and reinforced Ariel's entire body.

Only this time, Peles did not come online to fight in her place.

Because the current Ariel no longer needed her to do that.

What she should do... was merely assist.

And so, with the help of that soul force far beyond Ariel's current realm, those powerful Divine Favors that should have crushed her body if even several were used at the same time stabilized one after another.

Fire.

Lightning.

Light.

Darkness.

All the Divine Favors Ariel could currently use blossomed at the same time in this instant.

A four-colored flower, beautiful enough to amaze anyone.

Ariel held the flower in her hands, and her figure was likewise astonishingly beautiful.

However, this beautiful figure was enough to make the distorted figure struggle in alarm, to the point that It did not even pay attention to the enormous blade crashing down.

"Get back into your coffin!"

Ariel stepped forward, ignoring the cracks splitting across the skin of her entire body and the bloody lines bursting open. Cooperating with that gigantic sword crashing down, she smashed the four-colored flower in her hands... straight toward that ugly face covered in black lines.

"Thing That Should Be Dead!"