NOVEL NEXT Chapter 169
Chapter 169-63: The Emperor Has Returned!
Garum, not realizing he would bite into himself, was soon overwhelmed by the attacks of Kariel and the Summoned Beings against the panicked woman.
The Red Flame encircled, restricting her movement, while the summoned beings mercilessly attacked.
Whenever she attempted to counterattack Kariel, Garum would bite back.
Garum’s strikes were embarrassingly simple for a being of his former greatness, but even that was enough.
With the current strength of Hell, it was tough to deal a fatal blow to Garum, so they had to keep interrupting him, while Kariel’s strikes, albeit weak, were still landing on Hell.
Thud! Thud!
– Kyaaaah!
As the saying goes, there’s no match for a mob; her health deteriorated rapidly under constant pummeling, even if the strikes weren’t particularly severe.
Kariel, who had previously purified the corrupted lands of Hell, quickly felt the decaying bodies of the wraiths bound by tainted energies crumble away.
– My… my loyal servant… why have you…
With one of his legs firmly caught, Hell spoke towards Garum.
– Why do you aid those Betrayers?!
Hell’s furious words recounted tales from the Mythical Era, filled with resentments from being unjustly forsaken, and the sorrow of dying alone after the ruin.
She unleashed her rage upon Garum, almost as if vomiting forth her anguish.
Watching her, Surth couldn’t help but smirk.
– Hahaha! I see it now.
“What?”
As Kariel raised her head to question the grinning Surth, Skoll beside her also wore an eerie smile.
Having absorbed fragments of his past identity in Hell, Skoll now recognized that the current condition of Hell was far from the ruling woman’s past glory.
– You hound! How dare you stand against me!? Answer me!
Hell’s enraged expression bore down on Garum, yet his face only hardened further.
Seeing Garum remain unmoved, Hell’s urgency began to climb.
The more desperate she became, the more aggressively Garum attacked her.
As Kariel gradually weakened, Garum filled that void, leading Hell’s once-gigantic form to shrink gradually.
“Ah…”
The Roman Emperor let out a pained sigh as he watched the diminishing figure of Hell.
He had concentrated all of the Roman forces to aid Hell, but they were blocked by the elite forces of Ignit.
The solid defenses set up around Talion and Achelio, coupled with the Hell army’s inability to breach Kariel’s embers, were severe setbacks.
“Is this how it ends?”
The Roman Emperor, kneeling with a face of despair, gazed hopelessly at the sky.
He had come this far, fixated solely on this outcome.
Watching his trusted goddess crumble was a real-time agony.
At last, the massive tower fell, with the bodies sustained by wraiths reverting back to countless wraiths.
“Ah…”
The late-arriving Golden Hawk from Sandria stared vacantly at the collapsing tower.
Feeling as if their only shred of hope was crumbling, the Golden Hawk stood still, utterly unmotivated to face Ignit.
And it was the same for everyone else.
Amidst the despair of witnessing their long-desired dream shatter, the colossal body finally disintegrated, leaving only a small woman atop the altar.
Half her face was beautiful, while the other half bore a hideous visage—a pitiful woman.
With a vacant expression, she gazed upon the gigantic dog.
– Why… why have you…
Surth, having transformed into a smaller version, answered Hell’s question about her betrayal.
– Because you are not ‘Hell’.
– …No, that can’t be!
Hell turned her gaze to a small ember at Surth’s words.
– Yes. You may possess her ‘memories’, but you cannot become her.
– …Nonsense.
Seeing her dismiss him as nonsense, Surth couldn’t help but chuckle.
– That’s the reaction! If you were the real Hell, you would be trying to fight me instead of reacting like this.
Recalling the Hell he had witnessed in the past, Surth pressed on.
– I too, have only dim memories due to the wear of my soul, but I distinctly recall her being the most proud and valiant of all.
– …
– The Hell I remember was not a weakling like you. Even discarded in the Land of Death, she rose alone and built a palace in Hell as a proud warrior.
The woman’s eyes began to tremble at Surth’s words.
As her gaze shuddered in denial, Garum, now smaller, stood before her.
– Is what Surth says truly the case?
At Hell’s question, Garum gazed quietly at her.
After moments of silence, he finally replied softly.
– …That is incorrect.
With Garum’s answer, the tremors in her eyes found stability at last.
– Yes… I… I am Hell.
– Correct.
As Garum articulated, he reminisced about the past.
She had always been dignified, vowing to take revenge in the future even after facing defeat.
The Hell his memories embraced was exactly that.
Yet, there was only one time she had shown vulnerability.
It was when she faced destruction herself.
Weeping, she envisioned the chaos that her death would bring to Hell and the suffering souls therein.
This current weak form of Hell mirrored her visage on the brink of death.
– Therefore… you must lay everything down now.
– What do you mean…?
As Hell’s eyes swayed in confusion, Garum’s body expanded once more.
From within his immense form, he offered her the last precious gem he had held onto.
– This was given to me after my demise in Ragnarok.
The moment Garum finished speaking, the small gem disintegrated into dust, melding into Hell’s body.
As the essence of Garum’s memory intertwined with Hell’s previously held artifacts, her eyes widened in astonishment.
– Ah… ah… yes.
The newly restored memories caused Hell to gaze blankly at Garum.
– You… you have kept my last will.
Tears streamed down her face as she recalled her final words before death.
After worrying about chaotic Hell following her demise, Garum refused to rest, madly clinging to his duty until this very moment.
– My loyal hound. It is enough now.
At Hell’s words, Garum shook his head minutely.
Hell was in a Dangerous Situation like no other.
Therefore, he couldn’t rest just yet.
Seeing Garum’s resolve, Hell wore an apologetic expression.
Observing Garum’s stubbornness, Hell forced a wry smile.
– I shall proceed ahead and wait. Now, wrap things up quickly and join me.
After petting Garum’s head, Hell turned her gaze toward the despairing Roman Emperor from afar.
This unfortunate emperor had come here solely for his long-desired peace.
Having read his past, Hell turned to Garum and spoke.
– I’m sorry, but I might have one more favor to ask.
Garum lifted his gaze to meet her eyes.
– Could you wash away their sins?
For those bound to eternal torment, unable to find rest.
To cleanse their sins required the powers of the past Hell.
Yet, her current powers were barely existent.
In such a scenario, there was only one method to atone.
It necessitated permission from Modgud, who managed Hell in Hell’s stead.
The absolute ruler of Hell was no more; thus, her remnants of the past and acknowledgment from the current keeper would suffice.
In truth, the moment Modgud heard Hell’s plea of absolution, he would release the wraiths of the East Continent.
Nonetheless, Hell’s request encompassed the need for a greater force to fully cleanse their original sins.
Garum held the most essence of Hell, more than any artifact or Modgud.
– I humbly ask.
As Garum looked toward Kariel instead of answering, Hell turned her gaze to Kariel and bowed her head in request.
For the sake of the ancestors and the innocent souls seeking peace, the soldiers of Rome and Sandria had made any sacrifice they would need to again.
However, too many lost their lives because of them.
Was it right to ignore their sacrifices and decide unfettered?
As she pondered such a grave decision, the Roman Emperor slowly approached from afar.
All humans within the crumbling palace had listened in on the conversation.
Thus, the Roman Emperor acted without hesitation.
No matter what pain he would endure, he could indifferent.
If only the innocent could cease enduring pain that was enough for him.
As he approached the silent Kariel, the Roman Emperor slowly dropped to one knee.
“I will gladly take the punishment for my sins. So please, grant peace to the innocent!”
As their emperor knelt, tears streamed from those approaching.
Discarding their weapons, they knelt before Kariel.
“Please… at least… grant peace to my children…”
“We don’t mind. Just for the children… please!”
What happened in life mattered little anymore.
They begged only for their suffering after death to end.
The soldiers from Sandria, who had dashed over, also fell to their knees, desperately pleading.
They were not the only living beings present.
Even the dead wraiths were pleading fervently.
They didn’t care about themselves.
They simply sought to free their children and yet-to-be-born descendants from this cycle of misery.
Touched by their earnest appeals, Kariel finally spoke after much contemplation.
“Can they be held from rest until their crimes are fully atoned for even after death?”
Upon hearing Kariel’s question, Garum nodded slightly.
Then, looking at the kneeling Roman Emperor, he responded.
“Your sins are indeed grave, unable to be pardoned. However… for those who have not yet sinned, we shall bestow mercy.”
With that declaration, Kariel nodded at Garum.
Finally, a smile returned to Hell as she addressed Kariel.
– The blessings of the afterlife shall always be with you.
After kissing the symbol upon Kariel’s forehead, Hell slowly began to disintegrate into dust.
– I hope that salvation reaches my poor hound as well.
Feeling a melancholic sense of farewell, Hell wept before completely fading away.
After her disappearance, the artifacts that composed her body turned to dust.
Instead, all the power she possessed converged upon the gem she had given to Garum.
Holding the gem close, Garum swallowed it whole.
At that moment, the palace, barely standing, began to collapse completely.
Kugugugugugu!
Watching the crumbling palace quietly, Kariel turned to Roman Emperor and declared.
“From now, your only task is to deal with the Remnants of the Past that have ascended from Hell, prepared to face your death.”
Turning her gaze toward the soldiers of Rome and Sandria, Kariel shouted,
“On the day of the complete vanishing of all Remnants of the Past from the continent, the souls that perished in this war with you shall also find peace! So move, for the sake of your ancestors!”
Kariel’s mercy extended solely to those yet unborn and the innocent. She would not absolve those who caused this chaos and the ancestors who bore original sins.
To liberate the souls from their anguished aftermath, they must negate all traces of the past from the continent.
For their own peace, they would strive diligently.
– Are we rolling again?
“The price of sin must be paid by oneself.”
Sitting in a prison waiting for execution would yield no assistance at this moment.
That was why they must keep rolling.
The Remnants of the Past must continue to live as criminals until all is vanished.
With that, a plethora of issues may arise, but that too was inconsequential.
Considering the victims lost and those suffering due to war, they couldn’t forgive them.
Thus, after Kariel’s declaration, the palace of Hell crumbled completely.
Finally, as the Human Alliance emerged victorious against Roman and Sandria, news of this spread throughout the continent.
“The fallen palace of Hell. The savior of humanity has defeated the Army of Hell!”