Chapter 33: Moon Base Lighthouse (4)
“Ha……!”
Along with Raksha’s shout, eighteen punches came crashing down in a flurry against the aberration’s side.
It was not simple punching.
Each of those strikes, having reached a certain level, had miracles applied to them that generated shockwaves with every blow.
Bang, bang, bang……!
The chain of explosions completely mangled the inside of the monster’s thick hide.
‘To think that the act of attacking itself was a way of writing miracle script. That’s insanely efficient.’
There were countless methods for drawing the scripts required for miracles.
Swinging a brush through the air, producing sounds from bell-like religious instruments, and so on.
Raksha was writing miracle script through straight, driving punches, smooth and flowing footwork that stepped lightly across the ground, and shouts drawn up from his lower abdomen.
‘I didn’t think it could be used that naturally.’
Above all, there were no unnecessary movements, and the miracle script was extremely clean.
To Diesel’s eyes, the concise Fire Faction characters that had just invoked miracles could be seen spinning around Raksha’s body.
‘It’s like watching a martial arts dance.’
Since every single gesture was engraved with the meaning of venerating a transcendent being, the battle the Nachal waged could truly be called a dance offered up to a god.
In the end, unable to withstand Raksha’s assault, the aberration let out an unpleasant screeching noise and collapsed to the ground.
“Ha! It was big, but it was nothing special!”
The Nachal dusted off his hands and put on a triumphant expression.
Just what percentage of his total strength had he used?
Judging by how relaxed he looked, it seemed like he had not even exerted half.
“How many minutes are left?”
Raksha approached Seriel and asked.
“20 seconds.”
“What? It took over four minutes to take down that pig? Did I enjoy it too much.”
The Nachal went hmm and brought his hand to his chin.
Soon, Seriel pulled out a jack and stood up from her spot.
“I’m going in.”
With a pshuuu sound as the pressure vented out, the server room door slowly began to open.
At the same time, a cold chill pouring out from beyond the door spread across the floor.
[Warning, unauthorized intrusion detected. Warning, unauthorized…….]
Red lights flashed inside the server room, accompanied by warning alarms.
Seriel glanced inside and then spoke.
“Raksha, you stand guard here at the entrance, and Diesel, come with me and help.”
“Be careful.”
The interior of the server room was like a massive labyrinth.
A complex maze formed by walls of pitch-black servers.
From all directions came the deafening roar of tens of thousands of spinning fans.
Along with that, the lights produced by the servers’ calculations flickered chaotically.
[This way.]
Seriel gave instructions through the network and moved deeper into the maze.
As if she had a perfect map in her head, there was not a trace of hesitation in her movements.
The place they arrived at was a massive cavity with a cylindrical hole punched straight through it.
Above lay an endlessly spreading pitch-black cosmos, and below stretched darkness plunging deep into the underground.
Between those two abysses stood a single platform, all alone.
Like a small island floating by itself on the vast open sea.
Seriel stepped onto the narrow bridge leading to it.
[Watch your step.]
The angel spread her wings wide and moved forward carefully.
If one were to fall into the deep abyss below, it seemed that even a winged being would not easily escape.
The two Ghostcatchers advanced one step at a time toward their destination, as if walking a tightrope.
“Hoo…… alright.”
On the platform they reached stood a massive server that had ceased operating.
It felt like looking at a monolith that had fallen from space.
‘So the witch is sealed in here.’
Seriel turned her back to Diesel and slowly slipped off her top.
“You know what to do, right?”
She then pushed out a chip from her spine between her shoulder blades.
Diesel carefully took it into his hands.
The palm-sized chip was heavier than expected.
Given that it was a chip with an enormous capacity measured in zettabytes, its internal density seemed absurdly high.
He carefully slid the chip into the slot in the server.
Click—along with the sound of it locking into place, it slid in smoothly.
Then, the server that had been stopped began to hum as it powered back up.
“It’s going to take some time. Probably roughly…….”
Seriel stood up and examined the server when—
Suddenly, a transmission came through from Raksha.
[Hey.]
A notably serious voice.
Sensing that something was wrong, Seriel turned her gaze toward the entrance.
[This isn’t my fault.]
Along with Raksha’s words—
A massive explosion rang out.
“Diesel, no matter what happens, stay here and protect the server.”
After firmly instructing him, the angel spread her wings wide and shot up into the air.
Soon after checking the situation outside, Seriel clenched her teeth and muttered.
“Kaztikan…….”
The shockwaves of battle echoing from the entrance drew closer and closer.
The servers that had been standing tall toppled over like dominoes.
The server room was thrown into chaos as thick smoke piled up.
Bursting through that white smokescreen, Raksha was pushed backward by something.
The Nachal’s face was smiling, but the state of the aura surrounding him was far from good.
“Ha! You’re not wrecking the facility with your own hands, are you?”
“That’s not really my area of responsibility.”
Along with a heavy voice, the figure of a massive body emerged.
Suit pants sharply creased like blades.
A solid upper body bulging as if the shirt were about to burst.
And pointed fangs that nearly reached up to the nose.
“It’s been a while, Seriel.”
Kaztikan spoke with a distinctive pronunciation caused by his misaligned bite.
The troll’s gaze shifted from the angel in the air down to Diesel below.
“There’s a face I don’t recognize either.”
Those deep brown eyes with an intense impression examined him inch by inch.
“Why are you here…….”
Seriel asked, and Kaztikan adjusted the disheveled cuff at his wrist.
“You know how fickle our chairman is. Breakfast in Moscow, lunch in Siberia, dinner on the moon.”
“Since when did the immortal Kaztikan become a dog who obediently follows the chairman’s orders?”
“Hm…….”
“Where did the spirit you once had, charging bravely across the battlefield, disappear to?”
At that jab, Kaztikan briefly turned his head toward the Nachal.
“Many things change as time passes, Raksha.”
“If that’s the case, you’ve changed into something truly ugly. You old troll bastard.”
“But there’s one thing that doesn’t change.”
Kaztikan muttered as he drew up his magic power.
‘A mage…….’
A level 5 Melee Mage who used lightning-aspected magic.
A talent that signified having reached the absolute peak of an entire continent threw out a light straight punch.
‘So this is the level of a level 5.’
Magic power shot almost in a straight line from his heart to the tip of his fist.
Without any separate hand seals or incantation, lightning-aspected enchantment magic was manifested directly and imbued into Kaztikan’s punch.
“Ghk……!”
“The difference between you and me won’t change even after several decades.”
Raksha barely avoided the attack, let out a growl, and charged at Kaztikan.
“Shut up!”
Several rounds of destructive exchanges followed.
With those violent actions, the server room—already wrecked—burst apart in multiple places.
“That stupid Nachal bitch, fighting that recklessly…….”
As Seriel beat her wings, she began pulling weapon components from her body with soft thud-thud sounds.
From her hands and arms, waist and abdomen, thighs and calves, she extracted them and skillfully assembled them.
Soon, a massive anti-demon weapon with an enormous barrel was completed in her hands.
The angel took aim at the target in midair, and as her ash-gray wings fluttered, dazzling light poured down from the sky along with an overwhelming surge of holy power.
At the same time, the halo above Seriel’s head shone brilliantly.
[Raksha, don’t move.]
The brief warning ended—
Tuhng……!
A thunderous firing sound, as if from some colossal cannon, echoed through the cylindrical cavity.
A single divine bullet, layered with countless miracles, flew straight toward Kaztikan’s upper body.
But the troll evaded the shot with an unbelievable reaction speed.
‘There’s one more.’
The first was bait, meant to lock in his movement.
As if she had anticipated Kaztikan’s evasion, the next gunshot rang out immediately.
Tuhng……!
The angel’s second round did not miss its target.
The rapidly spinning bullet struck the troll squarely in the chest.
It pierced through subdermal armor, shredded ribs, lungs, and heart, and gouged a deep crater into the server room floor.
From that single blow, Kaztikan’s breath was cut off.
“Huff……. huff……. Seriel……! Watch your surroundings!”
Raksha shouted before the troll’s corpse even hit the floor.
And as if that sense of unease was not unfounded—
Behind the angel, who was hurriedly reloading, a new body of Kaztikan appeared.
“I’ve lost one life. Your skills are still impressive, Seriel.”
“Kh……!”
Leg strength reinforced by lightning aimed at the angel’s slender waist.
Seriel hurriedly lifted her ash-gray wings to block the attack, but the force was absurdly powerful.
However, just before the troll could fully swing his shin—
Black ice manifested in midair and wrapped around her protectively.
Noticing it, Kaztikan halted his leg.
“Hm…… what’s this now?”
The ‘Black Ice Veil’ deployed by Diesel enveloped Seriel.
Its defensive capability was lacking, but the densely embedded black ice spikes painfully constricted the attacker—a counter-type protective spell.
If Kaztikan had not stopped his attack, that leg would have been smashed to the point of being unusable.
“Black ice, huh……. Interesting.”
The troll grinned and looked at Diesel.
“Krrrgh……. Aaaagh……!”
From far away, Raksha let out a monstrous scream.
Along with it, the Nachal’s form began to change.
The dark crimson aura that had cloaked his skin surged outward like crashing waves.
“Oh…….”
From behind Raksha’s shoulders, two new pairs of arms emerged.
And from his back, a pitch-black halo burst forth.
“You’ve learned a new trick.”
“You’re dead.”
Raksha, borrowing the form of a Martial God, shot toward Kaztikan.
Seizing that opening, Seriel beat her wings with all her strength and soared upward, then stretched out her hand toward the sky.
“O holy one, answer my call…….”
At the whisper-like prayer, blinding light gathered in the angel’s hand.
Soon, it gradually took on a distinct shape.
The form of a sword made solely of light.
‘One of the weapons bestowed by Yahweh.’
“Interesting.”
As Kaztikan spoke leisurely while watching it all, he split into two.
‘An awakening ability that allows division, combined with a lightning-aspected Melee Mage…….’
The original body caught Raksha’s fist as it came charging in.
The other body pressed its attack toward Seriel, who had only just managed to grasp the sword.
“Kh……!”
Struck squarely by the attack, Seriel lost consciousness and fell into the deep cavity below.
“Seriel!”
Seeing that, Raksha’s eyes went wild.
“You dog bastard……!”
After several more exchanges, he pierced the heart of the troll in front of him and then headed toward the falling angel’s body.
“You haven’t changed. You’re still soft-hearted.”
The Nachal barely managed to save Seriel from plunging into the abyss.
After placing her on the server room floor, he hurriedly checked her condition.
“Seriel……!”
“That’s why you die, Raksha.”
Kaztikan, floating in the air, looked down with a cold gaze.
At the same time, a new troll appeared beside Raksha and drove a knife-hand strike into his body.
“Kuhk……!”
Kaztikan’s sharp lightning pierced through the Nachal’s body.
But—
“Hm……?”
The attack did not reach his heart.
“Right.”
That was because another figure had appeared, standing protectively before Raksha.
“This is what I wanted.”
“…….”
“This kind of high-level battle.”
The Nachal muttered as he lost consciousness.
“Di, Diesel……. you…….”
The last thing she saw before collapsing was—
Diesel’s face, wearing a faint smile at the corner of his lips.