The Book Eating Magician Chapter 392:
Chapter 392 - Armageddon (4)
The atmosphere had been broken through . Using the layer of hydrogen and helium as fuel, Wrath entered the planet’s atmosphere by burning its surface . The thickness of the atmosphere was around 1,000 kilometers .
The speed started to decelerate after entering the zone where air resistance existed . However, it was clear that even if Wrath only moved at 2 kilometers per second, it would destroy all life on this planet . Before that, he had to reduce either Wrath’s speed or mass no matter what .
Kieeeeek! The cries of more than a thousand evil spirits rang out at once, echoing in Theodore’s ears . Theodore pushed away the pressure with Soul Calibre but realized it wasn’t a fundamental solution .
‘Kuk, there is no time to think of a way!’
10 seconds were left . After entering the thermal layer, Wrath would burn far more intensely than right now . It would become visible to the people on Earth, and at that point, it would all over . It was because Wrath’s destructive power would increase with the number of observers .
“Emergency order! In the name of the victor!”
He unsealed the knot Seimei had left behind .
“Yin and Yang Bind, release!”
The band on Theodore’s left arm was released . His blood blackened, and the blood vessels bulged from all the magic power—the strength of the heavenly demon . It wouldn’t be hard to get rid of the evil spirits with just 20% of this power . In fact, as soon as this was released, the evil spirits were so afraid that they scattered in all directions .
‘No! This isn’t enough!’
Nine seconds were left . Theodore needed to somehow deal an effective blow .
“ . . . Shit . ”
There was one moment of hesitation before Theodore cried out, 「 Absorption Star Method, activate! 」
It was the ability to disassemble all the entities he made contact with into the smallest unit and then absorb that power . Lust’s final weapon and the strongest ability given to the heavenly demon revealed its teeth again . It wasn’t just in the material world . The mana in the atmosphere, as well as the seeds from soil, plants, and animals, were absorbed . This was the power of predation to eat everything, regardless of species, property, or system .
Kieeeeeeek-!
Those who could threaten a city or a nation were just prey in front of this power .
Theodore’s left arm stretched out and dragged in the evil spirits that were trying to escape . It was similar to a scene of water pouring down a drain . The evil spirits with a high density disintegrated into mana as soon as they reached his arm, filling the circles which had been drained after the previous battle . Theodore’s magic power became saturated in just two or three seconds .
“Haaaap!”
Theodore concentrated all the overflowing magic power into his right arm . As he pushed all the power of his left arm into Soul Calibre, the emerald blade grew to a length of several hundred meters in a flash . It could be called a blessing in disguise . The pure power of the Absorption Star Method increased the power of Soul Calibre . Eating over a thousand high level evil spirits was enough for that .
Synergy-Harmonize .
Add the power of Abraxas to wreak havoc!
Fusion Complete: Four Elements Exterminating Sword .
Once the fusion spell completed, Theodore jumped up and wielded the emerald blade that had become a pillar . The sword accelerated as the faint atmosphere separated . The sword’s length increased, making the sword’s speed increase as well . The edge of the blade broke through supersonic speed and cut the outer wall like it was butter .
Kakakakak!
It pierced through properly . Theodore felt the sensation and didn’t retreat, raising his magic power instead . He couldn’t miss this opportunity . Based on this resolution, he demonstrated more magic power than usual . This was his last chance since there were only 500 meters left until Wrath would become visible to the world . What if the 800-meter-long blade turned into a powder keg?
「 Sword, blow up! 」
It penetrated deeply and exploded . Theodore was unaware of it, but demolition was the simplest and most effective technique . The moment Wrath was about to enter the thermal layer, there was a big explosion .
―――――――――――――!!!
The sky was torn . The air burst and a vacuum occurred, putting out the flames and making everything quiet .
Jjejejeok . . . ! Jjeok . . . !
The state of the sphere was miserable . In the spot where Soul Calibre had been stuck into the outer wall, more than one hundred meters of debris were scattered like a meteor shower . Wrath had lost more than one-third of its volume, and the orbit seemed to shake .
‘That’s it! At this rate, one more blow before it hits the ground―’
However, Theodore wasn’t allowed even a moment of hope .
[The number of observers on the target planet is constantly increasing . 3 . . . 9 . . . 17 . . . 30 people . Upgrading the available power based on the increase in hostility by two stages . ]
The lost volume was restored, and Wrath started accelerating . It was now falling at a speed of 4 kilometers per second . As if the damage Theodore dealt to it hadn’t existed from the beginning, Wrath’s outer wall became smooth and it fell to the ground .
This was when Theodore realized, ‘ . . . Had it already expected this?’
Wrath had the highest logic circuits among the Seven Sins . It collected accurate data and could make future predictions using this data . If so, how easy would it be for Wrath to calculate the range of Theodore’s actions? It had guided the situation to this moment by expecting ‘Theodore Miller’s full power . ’ The killer bots, soul stakes, and evil spirits that it had sent out had just been paving stones to this moment .
Theodore had lost . Thinking this, he tried to deny it, “No, not yet! It isn’t over yet!”
The magic power he had absorbed was still overflowing . By rotating all nine circles, as well as using Gluttony’s functions and the assistance function of Goetia, Theodore used six ultimate magic—lightning, storms, hellfire, blizzard, gravitational field, and space waves .
Jeeeong!
The firepower, which could erase a mountain, struck the outer wall and bounced far away . The defense had increased to a different level from when they fought in outer space . The number of observers was still increasing, and Wrath’s output amplified significantly .
‘Limit . . . !’
Theodore couldn’t do his best . This wasn’t his best . He hadn’t used all the means he had and hadn’t revealed the depths of his creativity .
‘If I don’t exceed the limits . . . !’
Theodore knew that he had to go beyond his limits . He knew that if he crossed the wall in his mind, a mouse could kill a lion . However, this world wasn’t so hospitable . Theodore repeatedly made meaningless attempts as the number of observers who saw Wrath on the ground reached almost 10,000 . Wrath’s surface became so hard that both the ultimate magic and Soul Calibre didn’t make a single scratch .
“Uwaaaaah!” Theodore became so desperate that he lost concentration for a moment .
Puk! A soul stake rose from the bottom and pierced his feet and thighs .
Peeok! Suddenly, two killer bots struck his defenseless sides and abdomen . Theodore’s remaining magic power was strong enough to stop the fatal attack . However, once his bones were broken and internal bleeding occurred, there would be no way to maintain his spiritual body . His translucent body regained its physical form .
Then . . .
[Second vibration activate . ]
It was the vibration that had destroyed Yamato no Orochi .
“Kuweeeeeek!” Finally, Theodore was thrown off Wrath’s surface, with blood spraying from his eyes, nose, and mouth . It was a miracle that he didn’t die instantly . He was saved by the sheer force of kicking off the surface . The power of the super vibration was fearsome, but most of the power was consumed as Wrath fell by centimeters . Theodore was no longer an obstacle, and Wrath kept moving forward .
“ . . . Ah . . . ahh . . . !”
He reached out to Wrath, but it had accelerated to 10 kilometers per second and was now out of his reach .
“ . . . N-n . . . o . . . !”
It was over . Theodore was convinced of the destruction of this material world as blood flowed from his eyes . Like ants in front of a flood, like a frog in front of lightning… In front of absolute ruin, Theodore was just a crumb, a crumb that fell apart once it was kicked .
-Not yet, User, Gluttony’s voice penetrated his body and mind . -Take your family, lovers, and a few other people to another dimension . Then return after Wrath is gone . Even if the civilized planet is reset, User’s power can restore the ecosystem within a hundred years .
It was exactly as Gluttony said . Wrath was still falling, and Theodore had a few minutes to escape from this world . If the fight couldn’t be won, then why shouldn’t he flee?
His valuable family . . .
The women he loved . . .
Was it a sin to evacuate with them?
‘Ah . ’
This was closer to the unconscious desires of a human than a cowardly judgment . In the future which was only filled with despair, a faint light shone through . Who would blame Theodore for thinking this before the imminent destruction?
Kiiing!
However, right after that, a faint light sprang up from his right hand, and something flowed into his consciousness . The people that Theodore Miller thought was precious—his father, mother, and little brother, as well as Veronica, Ellenoa, and Sylvia . . .
Theodore’s eyes flinched . He felt a sudden sense of discomfort as their locations poured in .
‘ . . . What?’
The discomfort was sensed from Sylvia’s location . There were two life reactions coming from her coordinates . Theodore was troubled for a moment before he received a shock like he had been hit by a hammer .
“ . . . D-Don’t tell me . ”
He had no doubts about the precise location . The stirring of life was vividly conveyed from Sylvia Adruncus’s body . A child… His child existed in a world that would soon be destroyed .
“――――― . ” Theodore reached out without speaking, pulling an elixir out of his inventory and pouring it into his mouth . His shredded limbs recovered in an instant . After a few seconds, his body was restored to its original state, and Theodore gritted his teeth .
‘Run away? Leave this world?’
What would he tell his child who would be born in a few months?
‘Your dad abandoned his world and ran away?’
He didn’t want to . He would have to kneel down and bow his head in shame . Theodore couldn’t say this . . . He didn’t want to have his son live in the shadow of a shameful father . Although he felt sorry for Sylvia, he had made up his mind… just like her grandfather, Blundell Adruncus, had once done . For those who were precious to him, Theodore’s life was trivial .
“Gluttony . ”
Hearing his voice, Theodore’s companion sighed .
- . . . I knew you would eventually do this . It will fail .
“Just 0 . 1 seconds . It doesn’t matter if it is only 0 . 1 seconds . If I can maintain my consciousness for even a moment…”
-It has a close to zero chance of success . It isn’t even 1% .
“Won’t you do anything for your purpose of existence?”
Gluttony fell silent at those words, and Theodore immediately concentrated mentally . From now on, he would make a mad gamble . He awakened his sorcery, Forced Harmonization, and reached for the next level . Theodore’s harmonization was able to ignore attributes, elements, and opposing forces, mixing them together . It was possible to even join with magic weapons or foreign bodies that weren’t of magic .
That’s why Theodore had a thought .
‘Maybe it is possible to assimilate with the concept of magic itself . ’
Gluttony had heard the hypothesis a few months back and immediately responded, -It is impossible . No, you will die even if it is possible .
‘Why?’
-I didn’t want to let you know this, but the 10th circle comes from the source of magic . However, User wants to throw yourself into the center of this force . Do you want to dissolve in the infinite flow of information?
-Simon Magus went through proper training and was well prepared, yet he failed at the 10th circle . Jumping into the source is a shortcut, but you will surely die .
That’s why Theodore had erased this shortcut . Now that he had found something more fearful than death, Theodore was able to choose this method without hesitation .
‘Let’s go . ’
His destination was the source of all the wisdom in the universe . Theodore shook off his fears and took a step as he felt his body and soul moving beyond certain boundaries which were neither of time nor space . However, why did he feel that he was going away?
Fate laughed at him as it created a path he couldn’t come back from .
Akashic Harmonize .
Shortly after that, Theodore Miller's life activity ceased .