Chapter 60

"Beowulf, I've heard that name mentioned before. He's the king of Geatland..."

Siegfried spoke in a steady voice, which was quite normal for him, given his personality.

"Hahaha, king or whatever, I was just a Warrior before I became a king, it's nothing."

Beowulf then looked at Avia, his eyes filled with determination and pleading.

"Avia, you must be an envoy sent by the great god Odin!"

"... Well, I guess you could say that, since I do have some Runes."

"Although it's very inappropriate for our first meeting to be like this, could you please come with me to destroy the Water Demon Grendel?"

119: I absolutely, positively want to eat you up!

Born from the harsh environment of the snow-covered Northern Lands, home to a grand myth where everything is End Times by fire, the cold winds blow throughout Scandinavia, yet the people living here are not afraid of the cold, but instead burst into hearty laughter.

Because they knew that the North Sea Kraken that had wreaked havoc in the North Sea, had been defeated by their king Beowulf half a month earlier.

Now, we can fish in the North Sea with peace of mind again.

After all, the people here mainly rely on hunting and gathering for their food; venison, fish, and wild fruits are their primary food sources.

The power of gathering, the power of hunting, the power of devouring, the power of fighting, the power of killing, and the belief in survival in any environment—this violent power exists in the hearts of almost everyone here.

The majestic mountain range soars into the clouds, its peaks perpetually covered in snow, as if wearing a silver-white hat. Under the sunlight, the Snow Mountain gleam and sparkle with dazzling light.

In the city below, many excited citizens, dressed in warm and durable clothing made of animal hides, stopped what they were doing and awaited the return of their king.

From anywhere, you can hear cheers and shouts coming from afar or from all directions.

Amid cheers from the crowd, a tall, muscular, and scarred blond man, King Beowulf of Geatland, standing nearly 1.9 meters tall, with two silver-haired figures whom the people were seeing for the first time, slowly emerged from the Great Gate.

The moment they saw it, almost everyone shouted and cheered in unison:

"Beowulf! Beowulf! Beowulf! Beowulf!"

People's joy stemmed not only from the successful destruction of the Kraken, but also from their sincere trust in Beowulf.

At the same time, Beowulf smiled and slowly scanned the entire room with his bright gaze, his eyes filled with gentleness.

Without a word being spoken, the bustling city fell into complete silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"Everyone! The Kraken Monster of the North Sea has been defeated! But this is not my achievement alone!"

The shirtless blond man gave the illusion that the cold had no effect on him whatsoever.

"This man is from afar, named Siegfried, the dragon slayer! He's the one who will fight alongside me to defeat the Kraken!"

Siegfried, who had volunteered to come with Avia Siegfried, nodded slightly.

Then, Beowulf lifted Avia's hand, revealing his white teeth in a smile:

"And this man, Avia! He is the one who personally slew the Kraken! He is the true one who brought peace to our Geatland! He is also the one who saved Siegfried and me from the Kraken! A true hero!"

Although it was extremely rare for Beowulf, a king and Warrior, to belittle himself, he didn't care at all.

It's not only out of respect for his skill and the recognition he received, but also out of gratitude for his acceptance of my commission.

Grendel, Water Demon monster and Giants who wreaks havoc on the Scandinavian Island, lives deep in the mountains and enjoys killing. He is a terrifying being far more terrifying than the North Sea Kraken. Beowulf has always wanted to kill him and rid the people of this scourge.

In fact, Avia also knew of this Grendel; he and his mother were actually descendants of Cain.

This refers to Abel, the eldest son of Adam and Eve in the Bible, who was Cain for killing his brother Abel out of resentment over his actions.

A Christian being committing evil in Norse territory naturally had to deal with Avia, who had received the power of the great god Odin and Rune and also served as the first pope.

Then Beowulf shouted again in his powerful, rough voice:

"Not only that, but he is someone who has overcome the trials given by the gods and gained their approval! He is someone protected by Valkyries beautiful Valkyrie who once soared through the skies of the Age of Gods! He is Warrior recognized by the great god Odin!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was invigorated. When they saw the Runes appearing around the man named Avia, they looked at the Warrior with respect and admiration.

'...'

'Why aren't you saying anything, Ephimilous?'

Among the seemingly happy crowd, only Avia knew that Typhon, who remained silent, seemed to be in a bad mood.

The silver-haired teenager Telepathy in his mind to the girl who was tens of thousands of years old.

Thinking that she herself was also confused, the girl, currently transformed into armor, was somewhat unable to express the emotions that were difficult to let go of in her heart.

'I'm thinking, Albion's been dead for so long, how come you still have her scent on you? And given her personality, there's no way she would allow anyone to touch her. Could it be that you touched her corpse? That shouldn't be possible; an ordinary person shouldn't be able to touch it...'

'Albion? Why is there no possibility of contact with people?'

Avia asked with great interest.

"You were born in this era, so of course you wouldn't know. That girl always called herself the strongest dragon. Although I didn't see her much back then, when we did, she always acted all high and mighty. But at the time, I didn't care much. After all, I was going to kill the Olympus gods, so I couldn't be bothered to argue with her."

But if we were to fight, I would absolutely crush her under my feet with ease. Human, you need to understand, because true power doesn't boast about being the strongest. That guy was obviously just putting on an act. Who isn't Pureblood Dragon? He keeps saying it so many times, it's disgusting to hear. Damn it, Zeus is clearly a bull, yet he's so much stronger than the Babylon bull. If I wanted to kill him, I would have done it long ago, and wouldn't have been sealed away for so long.

But thinking about it now, it's not so bad. At least he wasn't as badly dead as Albion; he probably couldn't have been saved...

Typhon is still the same as ever; once he starts a conversation with Avia, he can't stop talking, like a chatterbox.

Even after listening for so long, Avia still laughed from the bottom of his heart, because Typhon, apart from killing the Olympus gods, was utterly excessive and childish in every other way.

'... Well, I see.'

'Oh right, I almost forgot, I was also going to eat you.'

'You sound really listless. Let's do it again. What's your goal?'

'I am absolutely, positively going to devour you.'

120: The Alliance of the Age of Gods and the Anchor of the Storm

"What? The Kraken of the North Sea has been wiped out? That shouldn't be possible. That guy should be able to live for a thousand years..."

Holding a wind-wrinkled handkerchief, a man in a top hat stood in a courtyard somewhere in Monaco, gazing at the scenery before him as if it were perfectly natural.

The courtyard has been modified, but conceptually it remains the same as Moonlight, which is normal, since Dead Apostle have an aversion to Sun, so modifications are to be expected.

"Yes, that's right. When Foaublo Lowein and I arrived at the Kraken, all that remained were the rapidly dried and weathered bodies of octopuses, as if they were the result of a mixture of molten lava and Thunderbolt."

The twentieth patriarch, a Dead Apostle of Crimson Moon Brunestud, was named Merem Solomon Solomon.

After the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors betrayed the True Ancestor and Crimson Moon died, he decided to live in seclusion, but for some unknown reason, he is currently plotting something with the 14th Ancestor, Van Feim.

However, decades ago he originally wanted to join the Church's Burial Agency, but he was almost killed there, and that's how he ended up with Van Fem.

"How interesting. The Kraken, who shouldn't have died now, is actually truly dead. Is this what Kishua meant by a certain fixed era? But despite being trapped in a dead end, the Planet hasn't given up..."

The man wearing the formal attire actually possesses a certain degree of Future vision. According to observations from earlier years, the North Sea Kraken, should be an ancient species capable of living a thousand years into the future.

Behind him stood six girls. Although their hairstyles and clothes were different, their limbs, bright blonde hair, and even their clear skin were strikingly similar, making them appear like sisters.

This is the 'daughter' of Van Fem. The fourteenth ancestor Van Fem was the Supreme Being puppeteer in creating enormous objects. He once created the seven great Golem cities. In other words, these sisters-like girls are the embodiment of the Golem cities. The reason there are only six is that one of them was destroyed by the White Knight a long time ago, and has hated the Altrouge Brunestud faction ever since.

"However, as for the North Sea, Rosiean, who lives in Scandinavian Island, should know something."

The Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors are not allies. Apart from the five ancestors known as the Age of Gods' Alliance, they are mostly enemies. The requirement to join the Age of Gods' Alliance is simple: one must be over three thousand years old. Currently, there are five such ancestors: the sixth Black Knight, Rizowall Stuart; the fourteenth, Van Fem of the Demon Castle; and the seventeenth, White-Winged Duke Tevanm Otenroche.

"Speaking of which, the mixture of lava and Thunderbolt... not long ago, Mount Etna was sometimes active and sometimes quiet. Could it be because someone went inside?"

After saying that, Van Fem frowned.

As Dead Apostle has remained active to this day, he still has some knowledge of Mount Etna. After all, even Magecraft cannot alleviate the high temperature of the lava inside, making it a veritable death trap.

Could it be that some Phantasmal Species or something else within it has naturally revived?

Van Fem's thoughts were drawn to this.

"What should we do next? Aren't we dealing with B. J. of Britain yet? That guy has lost the assistance of the Church of Wales, and the Church of the Western Rome is currently stuck in Gaul. Now should be the best time to get rid of him, after all, that guy's strength is among the top of our ranks."

"Do you really think the Holy Church will be stuck in Gaul? Even the true God might not be able to hold out, let alone a God who is only manifested under the constraints of a contract... In any case, these are truly turbulent times."

"... really."

"..."

Van Fem was silent for a moment, then spoke as if spitting out cold crystals.

Glory should bow down to me.

"Huh? What's this?"

"Originally, it was a praise of Nimrod, the legendary ruler of all under heaven and the foremost hero in human history—it was also the reason why the man of the Clock Tower and the Lostbelt Sea searched for the Anchor of the Storm on the Island of Britain. The Tower of Babel, reaching to the heavens, was destroyed by the God believed in by the Church, and thus humanity lost its 'Unified Language'."

In the world of Magecraft, some Magecraft refer to the era before the loss of speech as the "Age of Gods," a time when humanity began to recognize the existence of gods, and the universal language before the gods lost their speech is called the "Unified Language."

Unified Language is not only a common language for humankind, but also a common expression of meaning for all things. Therefore, it can enable people to communicate not only with each other, but also with the world and to determine meaning.

In the world of Magecraft, the One God gave humankind tangible language to replace the intangible language because it was too terrifying.

Because this language can communicate with the "world," from the perspective of an ontological class system, no one can deny what is said in this language, because that would be tantamount to denying one's own existence in the world.

This phenomenon is called "Absolute Language," where words spoken in this language become reality. Whether "Absolute Language" is similar to "Marble Phantasm" in terms of ability remains unknown; however, it does not require Od to activate and can manipulate anything that exists in the world, unlike Marble Phantasm which cannot affect things that are not natural.

"Those Magecraft probably think that since the Church is not giving them any way out, they will go against the will of the Planet and the subconscious of humanity, dismantle all the Anchor of the Storm in various places, and cause the existing laws to be stripped away from the world they constitute and fall into depravity. This will cause things that have already left the Human World and gone to the inner side, as well as a large number of fantasy laws, to reappear, starting from the navel of the Planet."

A playful smile appeared on Van Fim's lips; occasionally, one of the oldest Dead Apostle would indeed wear such a smile.

"Speaking of which, the Anchor of the Storm was indeed lifted by an unimaginable force hundreds of years ago, and there was a scene that resembled the arrival of destruction..."

Then, Van Fem drank the water in front of him and closed his eyelids.

"It seems that for now, we can only set aside our hatred. Whether it's the old-fashioned White-Winged Duke Tevan Ottenrose, or the White Knight Fina Brad Sfielding who destroyed one of my beloved daughters, they are all irrelevant now."

The blue handkerchief on his chest swayed like a rose, its ten fingers trembling in a chilling way.

"Our Lady has been gone for so many years, it's time for us to go and welcome her back. After all, at least for now, she is our only Lady. Since there is no Future, what's wrong with letting her become the 'strongest' in the present?"

121: The City of God

On a certain day in 423 AD, late at night, in the capital Scandinavian Island on the Geatland Capital.

The people living here had already drifted off to sleep, each with their own thoughts and worries, while Avia, inside the Royal Palace, was still awake in a newly dug garden.

Dawn was approaching, and the first rays of sunlight would soon illuminate the night sky. The silver-haired youth simply sat quietly in his chair, letting the cold, damp air wash over his face.

"Oh, Avia, you're already up."

This shout instantly shattered the momentary tranquility.

Beowulf, who had just gotten up, was still shirtless in the cold air, just as he always had.

"Yes, we need to prepare early because we need to deal with Grendel."

In fact, the reason Avia didn't sleep all night was because of Typhon. When he was about to rest last night, he happened to pass by here, and Typhon had transformed into armor, suddenly didn't want to leave and transformed back into Humanoid to come down and look.

One of its Golden-Eyed Man Gilgamesh with delight, like a kitten spotting a tiny mouse.

Perhaps it's because the garden is full of countless new shoots, some breaking through the soft soil, some pushing open the hard treetops, as if they can't wait to see the outside world. The grass, which shows its face even faster than the flowers, seems to want to attract more attention, and it raises its head vigorously, stretching upwards with all its might.

Although curious about why the usually talkative Typhon would act this way, Avia didn't bother her too much. So, under his gaze, the red-haired girl began digging in the dark, damp place, making holes around the flowers and plants. The holes grew deeper and larger, and the damp soil around her piled up higher and higher.

"Well done, well done, it's alright, it's alright."

The red-haired girl made a sound like a happy child, which startled her, but then she continued to dig the soil carefully. She moved the poor plants that were growing in the dark and had not even sprouted buds to a warm place during the day.

Seeing Typhon's joyful expression as he shook his head, Avia, who was standing nearby, probably understood why Typhon had done this.

Winter may have less color than spring, but it is still beautiful. However, winter brings the world not only beautiful scenery, but also the undisputed season of death, with less sunshine and biting cold.

Typhon, the Primordial Dragon Typhon, was a dragon who longed for freedom and did not wish to die. So when he saw these weak plants struggling to survive, he felt a slight urge to help them... He seemed like a child.

And so, the girl who dug the hole and then buried it, and the silver-haired youth who watched silently from the side, the night passed by in a very simple way.

However, the unconditional gentleness and long silence that the night bestowed upon people somewhat lessened the girl's anxiety about tomorrow and gave her hope.

"Anyway, I'll have to trouble you and Avia, Siegfried." Beowulf stared intently at the pair of Serenity, blue eyes that were still slightly lowered and meeting his gaze, and continued, "To be honest, I'm no match for Grendel. When facing Kraken before, I might have died if it weren't for you."

"But you're the kind of person who won't regret it, right?"