I Obtained Sword God Level Talent

73 – 073. The Eye (1)

*Craaack!*

Space warps.

Astonishingly, the place where the sword strike had passed twisted, creating a massive sword scar in the void.

And then.

*Fwooosh!*

A huge gash appeared on Ishmael’s body, having received the strike.

“Keheok…!”

Thud!

Ishmael vomited a basinful of dark crimson blood.

The move Frey had just shown wasn’t a simple ‘slash’.

“You…!”

Ishmael glared at Frey, his eyes filled with resentment.

The attack he had just witnessed was a move far beyond human comprehension. It was, in the truest sense, a strike akin to a miracle, something only a god could forge.

“You’re still alive after taking that?”

Frey shook his head, his expression one of disbelief.

He himself didn’t know the source of this power. The only thing he was certain of was that the previous attack was at a level that even that great archdemon wouldn’t easily overcome.

“Frey!”

Geum Harin, who had been watching the situation blankly, opened her trembling lips.

For the first time, a glimmer of ‘hope’ flickered across her face. She was overflowing with the expectation that Frey could single-handedly break through this unstable war situation.

“Heh heh.”

The Sword Demon, looking disheveled as he lay on the floor, merely let out his usual chuckle.

“Let’s talk later, slowly.”

Frey, re-gripping his sword, stared at the formidable enemy before him.

Ishmael, a demon and fallen angel. Though severely wounded, he was still standing. A moment of inattention during battle was enough for now.

“Y-you little b*stards, daring to dally while I’m here…!!”

Ishmael shot out a glare filled with rage.

Was he furious because he had been injured?

His eyes shone with a rippling, blueish magic. It looked like he would unleash the fires of hell across this battlefield at any moment.

Kugugugung…!

It was at that very instant, as Ishmael was spewing his anger.

A sudden, loud roar echoed from above the barrier. It was a sound like thunder coming from dark clouds on a rainy day.

Kugugung…!

However, the noise was clearly different from thunder.

“Sh, shit—!”

Pak!

Ishmael hastily retracted the energy he was rapidly drawing out.

Does he know something?

His face crumpled abruptly. A palpable unease clung to him. He feared some unspeakable ‘something.’

KuuuNG───!!!

Thunder grows closer.

“Too late…! They’ve found us… Death will fall upon this place now!!”

“You keep saying ‘they,’ who the hell are they?”

“You fool! The enemy of the one who gave you your power, *that’s* who ‘they’ are!!!”

Ismael howled like a man possessed. Frey’s mouth opened slightly at the sudden, drastic shift in his demeanor.

‘Is he referring to a god in the shadows? Or could it be something… else?’

Frey was fairly quick-witted. Thus, he contemplated the present phenomena, that is, the existence heralded by the thunder that vibrated throughout the entire barrier.

“I’m changing the plan. You lot! Get the hell out of here!”

The absurdity didn’t end there.

Frey had expected an immediate, desperate life-or-death struggle.

But… Ismael’s fear-stricken state, didn’t it resemble a dog with its tail between its legs, running away?

Tsss-tsss-tsss…!

And it wasn’t a delusion. Ismael, that b*stard, seemed to wildly flail both his hands, and soon, the green barrier began to shrink little by little.

“……?”

It was bewildering. This was the same b*stard who would immediately slaughter the people inside the barrier, tearing out their blood and organs to add to his horde, wasn’t it?

The trek to the West was to hunt down this monster who hunted people and erected this barrier. Yet, now this b*stard was retreating on his own volition.

“Get out of here. I have no intention of becoming their sacrifice!”

With Ismael’s cry…….

Saaah…!

The emerald sky shrunk. The barrier that had enveloped tens of kilometers around them was now the size of a city, and with more time, enclosed only Ismael himself within its perimeter.

“……”

Frey, who had been calmly observing, narrowed his eyes.

Judging by the situation, it wasn’t remotely likely that he feared Frey, who had gained great power.

Ismael, the ＜Devourer＞.

As mentioned earlier, he feared the ‘something’ that was about to appear here.

Then… what is it?

Who are ‘they’ and what are ‘vassals?’ Are they, as in, “vassal gods” 假神 , a false god?

Was the creature, who acted like a bloodthirsty beast, so dangerous that he was immediately plotting an escape?

‘No. What he fears isn’t his retinue, but ‘them’.’

And then.

Crack! Cr-crack!

The sky, where the barrier had faded. It was at that moment that a massive ‘rift’ appeared in the sky above.

“W-what is this?!”

“…What is happening right now?”

“M-Monsignor! The sky, it’s…!”

Those who hadn’t yet lost consciousness screamed.

That’s right.

The sky, the blue sky that had been hidden by the barrier… was twisting, cracking. Like a piece of glass about to shatter, with fine lines all over!

Crash──!!!

“Uh…?”

The enormous rift shattered at that very moment.

The shattered sky… beyond it, nothing existed. A deep navy void was visible. No one could even fathom what kind of world existed beyond that space-time.

Whoosh…!

However, one thing was certain.

The air blowing from that rift in the sky, that navy-colored space, was very warm. Like… the ‘divine power’ used by priests.

“O-ooh……”

Thud!

In the distance, one by one, the priests positioned in front of the city gates began to kneel.

“Oh, God.”

They bowed their heads towards the cracked rift. But there was nothing beyond the rift.

It was literally an act of bowing to ‘nothingness’.

‘Could it be?’

These were the priests belonging to the church that served Aldehain. Did they know what that unknown space signified? They wore strange expressions, a mix of shock, awe, and a blend of happiness and dread.

“Oh, God.”

“Oh, God.”

“Oh, God.”

‘…God?’

Frey’s eyes widened at their continuing actions.

God, a god. Judging by Ishmael’s terrified reaction and the priests’ ecstatic expressions… was a ‘god’ from the heavens about to descend?

Even *I*, a seasoned vet of ＜Silvering＞, had never encountered this – were *they* really about to manifest right here?

“Ah…”

*Thump!*

The bizarre events didn’t end there.

Ishmael, who had been acting like a bloodthirsty demon, just…suddenly slumped to the ground, legs giving out, staring blankly at the dirt.

“It’s too late. It’s over. All the plans… gone to dust.”

Ishmael mumbled those words, tears streaming down his face. He was shaking, like a child, making Frey feel utterly dumbfounded.

*Swish.*

Tilting his head back, Frey glared at the ‘rift’.

What the hell was *that*? Why couldn’t *I* see whatever it was?

Frey glanced around. Fortunately, he wasn’t the only one experiencing this— Geum Harin and the Sword Demon were wearing equally perplexed expressions.

*Crack! Crack…*

The rift grew larger. At this rate, it would soon be big enough to swallow the entire border city.

And then.

“…Huh?”

Through the enlarged rift, ‘something’ began to appear.

[ ■■■──. ]

The something spoke. It had no mouth, yet the gigantic being emanating from the rift clearly conveyed its will.

*Lurch!*

…That, it was.

─────

Life and death, a divine power so immense it could harvest my life at any moment for sustenance, a divinity that governed the entire world. They were watching me. The cold I felt in the darkness was laughable in comparison; an oppressive weight crushed my entire being.

─────

…

..

.

*Thud!*

“Kuuugh…!”

I threw a punch with all my might, letting out a painful groan.

My breath returns. The pulse, cut off for a moment, my brain, it restarts its activity.

“Bill, you son of a b*tch…!”

…It was unbelievably, a ‘eye’. What appeared through the crack was the eye of some being.

Unbelievable as it is, that eye was looking over the earth and speaking…!!!

And the instant I heard its voice, my life functions ceased for a moment!

“Heh heh heh… It seems you’re getting quite a bit of attention from ‘them’.”

I turned my head quickly. Ismael, sprawled on the ground, was smiling at me.

“Huh! Huh! I have a question. Who are ‘them’? Is that eye, what you’re calling ‘them’?”

“You fool. What does that eyeball look like to you?”

“……What?”

Heh heh, Ismael laughed softly once more, moving his lips.

“As you see, that’s just one of ‘their’ eyes. It doesn’t mean the owner of the eye has descended here.”

“An eye…”

Dazed, I tilted my head back, then hurriedly lowered my gaze.

I had just experienced it. That eye was so dangerous, just looking at it could mean death.

Kugugugung…!

By now, thunder was rumbling from the crack.

It seemed like the thunder in the sky we’d been hearing was being caused by that crack.

Ssssh!

It was then.

A ‘red line’ descended from that sky towards Ismael, whose face was now resigned.

“What’s this…?”

“Heh heh! The eye speaks to me.”

Ismael said, collapsing onto the dirt, his face filled with a deep longing.

“I’m sorry. This sinner has failed his mission. It seems this is my end.”

Filled with doubt, I approached him, sword in hand. He seemed to have lost all will to fight, no, it was more like he’d gone mad. It didn’t look like he’d launch a surprise attack……

“Mortal! Close the crack with all your might! That is how you’ll live……!”

Thwack!

In that very moment, Ismael’s skull was crushed.

* * *

A flinch!

A shiver, gooseflesh all over.

Murder and annihilation.

This… this was a method I’d seen somewhere before.