LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 107
107. Into The Realm Beyond Gods
A beautiful golden light flooded around me.
It was different from the usual rainbow-colored glow.
“A golden barrier… what is this?”
Greed growled suspiciously.
“With this power, I will seal all of you.”
I stared at the Ancient Dragon.
I felt a power unlike anything before. Now it’s up to me to master it.
No, I will master it.
Definitely──.
“Seal me, the strongest?”
Greed’s seven eyes glinted fiercely. His raw fighting spirit even caused physical shockwaves, raging around him.
“Then try to block it! Even if you wield the power of a god, my strength will crush it. Dragons are beings that have slaughtered and destroyed even gods!”
Power to slay even gods, huh?
Until now, I had absolute confidence in my defensive skills. I thought there was no attack I couldn’t block.
But can absolute defense through divine power still be ‘absolute’ against something that can kill gods──?
There was no guarantee. Yet, I had a strange certainty.
With this power, even if it’s a dragon──I can seal it.
“Here I come, human!”
Greed unleashed a breath from all seven of his mouths at once.
“Bring it, Ancient Dragon!”
I countered with my defensive skill.
Greed, engulfed by his own breath, covered in explosive flames, still continued to breathe more fire. As expected, he showed no signs of faltering.
“Don’t think you can block it all. I can teleport your comrades at any time, you know.”
“──Go ahead and try.”
I calmly retorted to Greed, who was trying to shake me.
“Oh? Then I’ll grant your wish!”
The Ancient Dragon attempted to activate the teleporting Dragon’s Roar once again.
“What… is this!?”
A tone of surprise mixed into his voice.
A sphere of light surrounded the dragon──within one of them, the emblem of a goddess with four wings appeared.
“Second form, [Barrier Phase].”
A skill that seals the activation of magic itself.
“Then I’ll blow it away with my breath!”
“Third form──”
Just as Greed was about to switch to a breath attack, the emblem of a goddess with six wings appeared in another sphere of light.
“[Kaleidoscope Shift].”
I easily deflected the seven breaths.
“Gaah!? Guh, argh…!”
Bombarded by thousands of reflected breath attacks, Greed let out a pained cry. And then,
“Fourth form, [Void Seal].”
I enveloped all seven of his mouths with a skill, sealing his breath attacks entirely.
“You’re manipulating multiple forms at the same time…!?”
The Ancient Dragon was shocked.
Until now, I could only switch between different types of skills.
But now, I was different.
In this golden space, all forms except the sixth form [Reverse React] could be activated simultaneously──.
I could block, deflect, and reflect all attacks, seal magic activation, and nullify attack energy. Whether physical or magical, I could completely suppress all attacks and send them back.
An invincible space.
──Or so I would like to say, but I had already run out of energy to respond.
“Gu… ugh…”
A burning sensation filled my head, and I let out a groan of pain. Blood seeped from my tightly clenched lips.
I had never felt this kind of strain while using my skills before.
Something was fundamentally different this time.
Even so, I stared resolutely at the Ancient Dragon.
I couldn’t show any weakness. If I did, he’d exploit it.
I couldn’t give him any chance to counterattack.
“Dragons are beings that can kill gods. Not even the power of gods can stop me. But──what is this!? What is this power of yours──it blocks, deflects, seals even my power… How is this possible?”
Greed groaned in disbelief. The Ancient Dragon, known as the epitome of strength, recoiled as if overwhelmed by my presence.
“Is the power of a god being accelerated by the human heart… surpassing even dragons?”
The power was vastly superior to anything I had experienced.
But, of course, there were flaws. It took time to synchronize the seven spheres of light.
A battle-hardened Ancient Dragon would never overlook such a gap.
Thus, buying time until the sevenfold resonance was complete was the key to our strategy.
“…Luca’s damage dulled your reactions slightly. At the same time, Salome’s surprise attack created a brief opening.”
I informed Greed.
“Because of the time they bought me, I was able to manifest this power.”
“So this is your──no, your combined power.”
“Do you still want to continue? Your attacks won’t work anymore. We have ways to damage you. Luca’s slashes and my counterattacks, for instance.”
“Hah, hahahahaha! Impressive! Truly impressive, human!”
Greed roared with laughter.
“For the first time in a long while, my blood is boiling. This was fun!”
I, on the other hand, had no energy left to respond. Just maintaining the golden space was taking everything I had.
Explaining the plan out loud was just a way to keep my fading consciousness in check.
But my vision was starting to blur.
Hold on just a little longer. Just a little more.
My consciousness──.
“The heart… does not exist alone. It only emerges through connections with others. A power that gods, dragons, and magic──beings beyond nature, cannot possess.”
Greed took a deep breath.
“…I concede. I am defeated.”
The declaration of defeat was abrupt, almost anticlimactic.
At that moment, the seven spheres of light surrounding the dragon vanished. My concentration broke, and I could no longer maintain the golden space.
“Hah… hah… hah… hah…”
I collapsed on the spot.
My whole body was drenched in sweat. The burning pain in my head gradually subsided.
Yet, my breathing was still labored. My vision was violently swaying. There was a heavy pressure in my head. My heart felt like it was about to burst.
“It seems this power is still too much for you. You should avoid using it recklessly.”
Greed quietly warned me.
“Otherwise, the backlash from that power will shatter both your body and soul.”
“…I’ll keep that in mind.”
I steadied my breathing and slowly stood up.
“Be warned. You, who are still human, are stepping into a realm beyond gods. Deeper and stronger than ever before──”
Greed exhaled deeply.
“Will you use that power to become a new god? Or a demon? Or perhaps──”