[Isaac.turn on the Lighthouse of the Watcher.]

Isaac was startled by the voice of the Sword of May that he suddenly heard. There was no sign of the Sword of May around him. However, she urgently pressed him again.

[Isaac. Lighthouse of the Watcher…]

Instead of asking questions, Isaac hurriedly activated Lighthouse of the Watcher.

As everything became clear, the light emanating from Lighthouse of the Watcher illuminated the flickering flames in the air.

Under the light, the flames began to gather and transform into a certain shape.

At that moment, Isaac understood why the Sword of May had brought him here.

“Lighthouse of the Watcher transforms the area illuminated by its light into the afterlife of that faith. You brought me here as a means of survival.”

Even an immortal being like an angel cannot survive if they die in the heretical heaven. It is a place ruled by an entirely different order.

But the Sword of May had used Isaac, who possessed the Lighthouse of the Watcher, as a ‘save point.’

The Sword of May, now small and cute enough to fit in his hand, sparkled as she responded to Isaac’s words.

[If it was only that, I wouldn’t have brought you.]

There was a sense of satisfaction in the Sword of May’s words. Isaac couldn’t understand her thoughts, but there was no time to ask.

Boom, rumble, boom! The mountains carved by the Sword of May fell, causing earthquakes and dust storms in the area.

“Teacher!”

At that moment, Edelred, who had witnessed the fall of Isaac and Hesabel, hurriedly ran over. He flinched at the sight of Hesabel with her large wings but did not question it.

“The aftershock is coming! Be careful!”

Instead, he spread the cloak of his transformed armor, empowered by Kaldbruch, to shield the surroundings. The storm of debris from the shattered mountain quickly swept through the area.

The storm shook the surroundings for a long time before gradually subsiding.

Isaac first surveyed the area. The most important was Hesabel, who had fallen with him. She was just as battered as he was, but she was rapidly recovering without any major injuries.

“Hesabel. Are you alright?”

“I have been reborn… Please call me Hesabel of the Blood Wings.”

“Does a new birth bring a second adolescence? Anyway, it seems you are alright.”

Isaac judged that Hesabel was not in her right mind due to the shock of the fall.

Hesabel felt sullen as Isaac dismissed her, but he immediately turned his attention to Edelred.

“Your Majesty Edelred, it seems you have… awakened the sword aura?”

Isaac noticed the extraordinary change in Edelred’s demeanor.

He sensed well-honed power and restrained presence from him. No longer did he resemble the child wielding the ill-fitting weapon of Kaldbruch.

Edelred replied with a shy smile.

“Yes. I don’t know how it happened, but when I faced my father, suddenly…”

Isaac nodded.

The moment of awakening came suddenly. However, Isaac believed that Edelred’s transformation might be a temporary change created by Kaldbruch and Elil’s heaven. He couldn’t be certain what would happen once they returned to the surface, where Kaldbruch would be absent and the divine power saturating the air would no longer exist.

“To truly make that power yours, you must not forget the enlightenment you’ve gained now.”

Edelred nodded. Isaac, however, had faith that Edelred would manage well.

There was a world of difference between those who had experienced it even once and those who had not. Given Edelred’s inherent talent, he would quickly reach his current level again.

Isaac emerged from Edelred’s cloak and climbed the hill.

The surroundings were nothing short of a disaster. The once gently rolling hills had transformed into mountains, cliffs, and rocky wastelands. The shock alone seemed to have cleared out any remaining golems or magical creatures. But the important thing was missing.

“Where is Calurien? Sword of May, what happened to Calurien?”

[Cut down, but not killed.]

Isaac felt a chill run down his spine at the Sword of May’s reply.

Rumble, crash.

Then, a massive something emerged from the collapsing rocky mountain. It was an ancient dragon with blue scales, six sharp horns, and scales deeply etched like a millennia-old tree.

The once revered archangel Calurien had revealed his true form. Despite his visible severe injuries and exhaustion, his presence was still vividly alive.

‘It looks like the Sword of May lost.’

The Sword of May had been shattered and transformed into a small size thanks to Isaac, but the opponent, though heavily wounded, had survived.

Calurien’s final gambit had succeeded.

[The rest is up to you, Isaac.]

“…Do I stand a chance?”

The Sword of May answered sternly.

[Of course not.]

Isaac glared at the Sword of May, wondering why she would even suggest fighting, but she responded logically.

[Of course, you do stand a chance now. But Calurien isn’t going to accept a fight with you as you are now. Knowing that you are stronger than expected, he will probably flee, recover his strength, and return.]

“Recover his strength? How long will that take?”

[If it’s enough strength to kill you all, half a day should be sufficient.]

“…”

In other words, there would be no chance to eliminate Calurien unless they did it now. But Isaac doubted if they had the strength to prevent Calurien from escaping. If that massive being decided to take flight, there would be no stopping her.

At that moment, the Sword of May offered a solution.

[Consume me, Isaac.]

“Pardon?”

Fortunately, the Sword of May wasn’t suggesting suicide.

She gathered the flames of her body to create a small flame. Isaac could tell that this burning flame was the essence that the Sword of May had barely managed to gather.

[This is part of the ‘Flame of Glory,’ the source of immortality bestowed by the Codex of Light. I can’t give you all of it, but it’s enough to imbue you with some of an angel’s power. It’s better than nothing.]

Better than nothing? Isaac felt the immeasurable divinity surging within the flame. Even in her diminished state, the Sword of May still harbored immense power.

Before Isaac could consent, the Sword of May extended the flame towards him.

[The Flame of Glory will manifest according to your will, but it will also activate automatically in the face of mortal danger. Be cautious, as the living body will suffer from the prolonged manifestation of the Flame of Glory.]

The Sword of May delivered this and then began to flicker and dim.

[I will focus on recovery for the time being, so you…]

The Sword of May disappeared before finishing her words. However, it felt more like she had moved to some unseen realm rather than dying or vanishing completely. Isaac hesitated, unsure of what to do with the ‘Flame of Glory’ left by the Sword of May.

‘Should I really follow through with this? What if the Nameless Chaos acts up again?’

[The Nameless Chaos watches you.]

As expected, a message came, indicating that the Nameless Chaos was keeping an eye on him.

This was poison. But since it was the essence left by an angel, it was a poison tempting enough to risk death for.

After some deliberation, Isaac held the small flame in his left hand. His palm opened wide, releasing small tentacles that wrapped around the flame.

‘When in doubt, let this thing decide.’

As soon as the tentacles drew the flame into his hand, a wave of heat surged through his body, almost bursting from within. Isaac thought that the Sword of May might have been trying to kill him with this ploy.

“Isaac!”

“Teacher!”

Edelred and Hesabel rushed over in alarm at the sight of Isaac, but they stepped back in shock from the intense heat emanating from him. Isaac soon realized what was happening inside his body.

It wasn’t the flame left by the Sword of May that was the problem. It was the tentacles.

‘This damn thing is trying to devour the flame all at once!’

Instead of slowly digesting the Flame of Glory left by the Sword of May, the tentacles were attempting to consume it all at once, making it their own instantly. It was an act of pure, beastly ‘Predation.’

The issue was that this wasn’t just any divine power; it was the power that created angels, akin to biting into a bomb.

Isaac gritted his teeth and mentally shouted into his depths.

‘Stop it immediately!’

His fierce command reverberated through his inner realm, causing all his minions to shudder at the echo. Even those far away like Hectali and Zihilrat, and Hesabel, who was closest, clutched her head and sank to her knees. However, Isaac had no attention to spare for them.

The tentacles halted their ravenous attack on the flame in response to Isaac’s strong will. As the raging heat momentarily subsided, Isaac exerted even stronger control over the tentacles.

It was then that Isaac recalled the advice given by the Imperial Guard Knight Bashul.

Don’t let the beast roam freely; leash it and control it.

Until now, Isaac had needed the beast’s power. But now, it was time for Isaac to grasp the leash.

‘No, don’t eat it!’

Wait, was this really how one trained a dog?

Isaac, feeling dizzy, wasn’t sure if this was the right approach, but he continued to mentally whip the tentacles whenever they showed a savage hunger for the flame.

‘Slowly, slowly…’

Surprisingly, this method worked.

The tentacles engaged in a brief battle of wills with Isaac before ultimately obeying his command. Only after receiving Isaac’s permission did they slowly wrap around the flame and absorb it.

The thought of this happening within his own body felt strange, but now Isaac had the flame, not devoured in a single gulp, but ready to be used when needed.

Isaac gauged the power now residing within him.

‘It’s a limited power, but it might be comparable to Kaldbruch at least.’

Isaac gripped the Luadin Key tightly and stood up.

He had gained the angel’s power and recovered his strength. Now, it was time to finish everything.

***

The debris from the collapsed mountain was immense, but finding a hundred-meter-winged lizard among it wasn’t difficult.

Calurien was catching his breath and regaining his strength. However, his wounds did not seem to be healing easily. The six large wounds carved by the Sword of May were bleeding profusely, forming puddles on the ground, and his bones and organs were visible. Each ragged breath he took crackled with lightning, resonating through the air.

Isaac noted that Calurien’s wounds appeared quite severe.

‘With the Flame of Glory and the help of Edelred and Hesabel, there might be a chance.’

Calurien seemed to realize that Isaac was preparing for battle, glaring at them sharply.

The mere gaze of the nearly three-hundred-meter dragon was enough to exert immense pressure on Isaac. Moreover, this was an archangel.

But now, it was just a strong opponent. The crushing oppression he had once felt when facing an angel was no longer there.

This was likely due to having even a semblance of an angel’s rank.

‘Though severely injured, this is still Elil’s heaven. I must attack with all my might before he can escape.’

“Hesabel, Edelred. Can you still fight?”

Edelred had already fought for a long time, and Hesabel had performed a miracle by completely dismantling and reconstructing her body. If they couldn’t fight, Isaac planned to battle alone. He was the only one who had received the essence from the Sword of May.

But Hesabel nodded first, and Edelred followed suit. Still, Isaac didn’t plan to rely heavily on them. He was simply assessing the maximum cards he could play. The specifics were still unknown.

‘Better to attack and formulate a strategy than give him more time to recover.’

Isaac swiftly approached, evaluating the available tactics.

–TL Notes–