Chapter 190
Chzzk-, chzzzt-.
The surrounding magic particles began to sparkle in blue, and some of them even sparked in reaction to the intense energy.
'It’s a fascinating feeling…'
Franz was inwardly marveling at the overflowing power.
It was as if he could do anything. The way he saw and felt the world was completely different.
In truth, this was akin to a miracle. The rampage of a mana core was not something a human could control at will.
A mana core would trigger a rampage and spew out an immense amount of magic power, and the mage would simply slowly die, unable to control it.
But Franz had actually managed to do it. It was thanks to the knowledge and experience he had accumulated while creating Seri-ah’s mana core, as well as his innate magic power control ability.
It was truly a miracle shown by an Archmage at the end of his life.
Perhaps the ultimate goal that mages should strive toward.
Having already reached the pinnacle of magic, the one he faced before his eyes was none other than one of the two Creators who had created this world, Tiamat.
“You asked me if I had the courage to sacrifice my life.”
“I certainly asked such a question.”
“Thanks to you, I found that courage, but I can’t say thank you even if I die.”
Saying so, Franz lightly tapped the floor with Mistilteinn.
Slash-!
Tiamat’s arm was cleanly severed, as if cut by something sharp.
In a split second that didn’t even allow for the blink of an eye, a magic circle had been deployed and the magic had been activated.
However, Tiamat remained as relaxed as ever even in such a situation.
“Your death shines so brilliantly.”
Red smoke began to creep out from the severed stump of the arm.
That smoke never reached Franz. The magic power radiating from his body did not allow it to approach.
But it was a different story for the women collapsed on the floor.
“Is it a curse…”
Making that judgment, Franz cast a protective barrier over the bodies of his fallen comrades nearby.
Because it was certain that the dying women would meet their end the moment they inhaled the smoke.
It was then.
As Tiamat gestured into the air, nine stone pillars surged up around Franz.
Unknown characters were engraved on each of the stone pillars.
“The greater the hope, the greater the despair.”
At the same time that voice was heard from Tiamat, the characters began to glow, and dark red chains shot out from each pillar.
Chrrrrrk-!
The chains wrapped around Franz’s body and tightened fiercely.
But that was only for a moment.
“In the end, magic is also nothing more than something created by the Creator.”
Therefore, tracing the origins of magic would allow one to reach a fragment of the Creator’s power.
Modern, ancient, mythic… and the beginning of time.
The history of magic regenerated inside Franz’s mind.
Pssss…
The chains slowly began to lose their strength, and soon lost all power and snapped.
Franz had grasped the primordial ability possessed by the Creator itself and reduced it to nothingness.
It was thanks to becoming the Saint of the Goddess Church and being able to wield divine power. No matter how much one understood the principles of the world, it was useless if they lacked the power to revert it.
Step-.
As Franz took a step forward, the raised stone pillars returned to their original places.
While he dismantled Tiamat’s attack like that, Tiamat’s arm that had fallen to the floor had transformed into a massive demonic beast.
Grrr─.
Even behemoth and leviathan were beings born from Tiamat’s fingers, so the creature formed from an entire arm boasted an overwhelming majesty far beyond theirs.
As the wolf-shaped creature slammed its front paw down, something shaped like smoke rapidly surged forward.
This was surely also a type of curse. Anyone it touched would instantly lose their flesh and blood, leaving only bones behind.
But to the current Franz, a demonic beast, no matter how strong, was nothing more than a mere animal.
Tap-.
As he tapped the floor with Mistilteinn, a brilliant white beam of light shot toward the creature.
Struck directly by that light, the creature vanished without a trace, leaving only its four legs behind in the world.
It was a level of power unimaginable for a magic spell fired without any preparation process.
And that was precisely the power the current Franz possessed.
He had surpassed the limits of a creation and was daring to rival a god.
'There isn’t much time.'
Judging by the reaction of his mana core, the time he had left was just over five minutes.
If he couldn’t finish Tiamat off within that time, it would truly be an ignominious death.
Huu-.
Letting out a short sigh, Franz drew up the divine power that had been resting quietly within his body.
'It’s a method I haven’t even researched yet, but…'
Yusti-ah had said it once before. That divine power felt similar to magic.
It was definitely what she had said when she first awakened her divine power.
Franz had seriously pondered it since that day. If divine power was similar to magic, couldn’t the two be mixed?
But he had only pondered it, without even going through proper verification, so if one had to be precise, it could be called a gamble.
Gambling was the thing Franz, and all mages, hated the most.
Because mages were those who turned possibilities into certainties through research.
A gamble that bet everything on a possibility was the furthest thing from them.
But at this very moment, Franz decided to bet his future on a possibility.
The magic power and divine power flowing out of Franz’s body, two forces that could not be mixed, swirled together.
The undeniable pinnacle of a mage, creating a new unique magic without any preparation or research.
And so, what was completed was a magic that would present a new option to the world.
Tap-.
Mistilteinn lightly tapped the floor. Then, a magic circle shining in brilliant pure white was drawn in the air.
“If you harbor hope, I will merely bestow despair upon you.”
Tiamat’s voice settled heavily upon the world.
As Tiamat reached out his remaining hand, a sword rippling with darkness was grasped in it.
Tap-.
Mistilteinn lightly tapped the floor once again, and at the same time, Tiamat swung his sword in a large arc from top to bottom.
A brilliant light that permitted no darkness shot out from the magic circle.
Simultaneously, a darkness that permitted no light shot out along the trajectory of the sword Tiamat swung.
Kwaaaaang-!
The two forces clashed in the air, creating a massive roar, and in the aftermath, the laws of the world changed moment by moment.
Sound would disappear, colors would vanish from the world, it would become as hot as a fiery hell, and then as cold as an Ice Age.
“mage…! Taste despair…!”
As the power Tiamat emitted grew fiercer, Franz’s magic slowly began to be pushed back.
But Franz couldn’t give up either. He poured out all the magic power he had to increase the output of his magic.
The violently moving mana core slowly began to stop, and blood flowed from his eyes, nose, and mouth.
The question of whether he could do it-, no longer remained.
Only the will that he had to succeed remained in its place.
In an instant, the world flashed and was dyed entirely in white…
Soon, when that light subsided, the body of Tiamat revealed to the world had mostly disappeared.
Along with that, even the remaining parts were turning ashen, so as a result, Franz had won.
In such a situation, Tiamat stared blankly at Franz with his remaining eye and spoke.
“mage, why do you not despair in the face of death.”
Why do I not despair…
The answer was simple.
“Because I am certain that there will be hope after this.”
“Is it the same answer as back then…”
“Back then” was definitely referring to the Five Heroes.
They must have given the same answer.
“Although this time I am incomplete and disappear like this, it will not be easy next time. Remember. And pass it on. As long as there is hope in the world, despair will not disappear.”
With those final words, Tiamat completely turned to ash and vanished.
The dark clouds that had covered the world disappeared, and the sunlight shone through.
Beneath that sunlight, Franz was smiling.
“You have successfully defeated the Demon God!”
The world will remember you as a hero!”
Ah…
I still managed to do it.
Thud-.
Franz collapsed right after seeing the damn hologram.
Harboring in his heart the relief of having saved the world.
* * *
“Ugh…”
“Uh, hugh…”
“Huu…, I’m dying…”
Yuna, Yusti-ah, Hera.
The three of the Hero’s Party opened their eyes not long after Franz had collapsed.
With the warm sunlight shining above their heads, the three could naturally realize that the Demon God had disappeared.
However, they did not know why such a result had occurred.
To find the reason, the three rolled their eyes, and soon they were able to spot Franz collapsed far away.
“Ah, ah…?”
“F-Franz?”
“N-No…”
Without even the strength left to raise their bodies, the three crawled across the floor toward Franz.
There was an agonizing pain as if their entire bodies were being torn apart, but such pain didn’t matter at all.
Because the man they loved was collapsed all alone and lonely.
Leaving long trails on the floor as they moved forward, the three arrived right next to Franz not long after.
“Franz, you’re sleeping, right…? Please, please tell me you are…”
Yuna grabbed Franz’s hand.
His once warm hand had already grown cold.
“I’ll, I’ll save you. You did it before too… I-I’d rather die instead…”
Golden divine power rippled from Yusti-ah’s hand before disappearing soon.
She was barely managing to support her own body, so she had no strength left to heal anyone.
“You should at least let me repay my debt… Stop this and get up… You can curse at me, you can hit me, just open your eyes…”
Hera lifted Franz’s hand and brought it to her cheek.
Because she had always hoped he would warmly caress her like this someday.
“It’s not true… right… there’s no way you’re dead…”
“Your body feels cold, so I’ll help you…”
“O-Our kin are waiting only for you… So please, get up…!”
They desperately denied reality.
But the tears flowing from their eyes were accepting reality entirely.