Book Eater

Chapter 332: Dmitra (3)

Theo’s body stiffened as Nídh?ggur’s presence surrounded him. He managed to keep his composure, but the rest of the mortals fell to the ground without daring to look up at the sky. Nídh?ggur was a being they couldn’t even face! But it was better this way. They would have been needlessly provocative if they had managed to stay standing.

... We would be dead without Mitra.

It was true. He could see power radiating from her that was offsetting the pressure coming from the inky sky. It was like a fly falling after being hit by a sudden clap. Just like how people didn’t hesitate to trample on ants, Nídh?ggur had no need to think about slaughtering mortals.

The malevolence of the Sneering Butcher, Nídh?ggur, was worse than they had imagined.

- Kuhuhu, you say that you are going to deal with this body?

Nídh?ggur silenced Elvenheim from the distant sky. The girl with the wheat-colored hair looked so small next to the dragon that suppressed the sun with a word and ripped the sky apart. For a moment, Dmitra, the ancient elemental who had become the incarnation of the world tree, looked like a victim before the evil dragon, rather than a goddess.

However, she was far more prominent than anyone else in this room.

[Yes, you stupid person!]

Mitra puffed up her chest and placed her hands on her waist. She addressed the evil dragon without taking a step back.

[The sky is dark because of you! Too disruptive! Can’t you read the mood? You, no friends!]

- What nonsense is this?

[If you have one, call them. A person who can’t read the atmosphere won’t have any friends!]

- This girl!

Nídh?ggur raised his voice at the slander.

- For a great demon king, other existences are either slaves or enemies to be killed. Therefore, I have no need for friends!

[Yes, yes. I heard your excuse. My score is zero points!]

- W-What is wrong with you?

While transcendents who challenged the realm of the gods were in the double digits, how many of them had dared to mock Nídh?ggur from the Age of Mythology? He couldn’t argue childish humor with philosophy. However, Dmitra didn’t stop after raising Nídh?ggur’s blood pressure.

[People who don’t have friends talk like this. You tell me that you don’t need friends. Then why did you come to another person’s house and cause a disturbance? In fact, you were lonely because you have no friends to play with!]

- ......

[Don’t you think you are lonely? Do you want to be Mitra’s friend? How about it?]

Finally, Nídh?ggur lost the last of his patience.

- ... That’s enough.

[Yes?]

- This damn world, I will blow it away with my breath. I will make sure it doesn’t come back again!

Nídh?ggur opened his mouth, and started to spew poison at Mitra. Even a god couldn’t handle this much poison. Dmitra bit her lips and gathered her strength to prepare for the incoming wave.

It’s coming.

Theo, who had been paralyzed by Nídh?ggur, sensed something. This poison was just a prelude to the breath. The real attack would come next. He could sense Nastrond’s death energy filling the dragon’s breath. It would obliterate one in body and soul.

A moment later…

Kuooooooh!

Nídh?ggur’s breath blew forth from the heavily ripped crack in the sky like a massive fog bank. It didn’t seem to have much destructive power, and it wasn’t all that fast. However, the air became heavier as the energy slowly descended to the ground. The masters who recognized it were the first to react. The moment the fog covered the forest, everything in Elvenheim would die.

“Damn!”

The transformed Veronica unleashed a massive breath, and the guardians unleashed all their strength at once. The storm arrows, thunderstorms, and other chain attacks sank into the fog with vigor, but the destructive power of the fog was too high.

“... Dammit, it didn’t work at all!” Veronica paled unconsciously.

Her breath that was comparable to a pureblood red dragon only destroyed a little bit of the poison, while the attacks of the guardians only made it a few meters into the fog. Nídh?ggur’s breath was still descending from the sky.

[Don’t be afraid!]

Mitra raised her hands without any fear.

[I will stop that stupid dragon’s bad breath!]

Dmitra wasn’t like the old Mother Earth. Elvenheim’s faith alone couldn’t make up for her mighty divinity, so Theo used the second best thing—the world tree, Yggdrasil. The sacred tree found in the myths was a symbol of the origin of life and wasn’t lacking divinity at all.

In addition, I cooperated with Nohengrin!

As such, it was possible to control this Great Forest. As Theo was calculating whether it would be enough, Dmitra finally moved. She was now the incarnation of the world tree and a goddess of the forest. The earth shook, and something rose from the ground.

Kukukukukung!

Tree roots, rocks, and dirt... The deeply buried roots of the world tree were as long and thick as city walls, and they rose up from beneath the earth like a kraken’s arms. Dmitra controlled the roots to form a pair of huge hands. It really seemed like she could cover the sky with her palms.

[Eeit!]

Dmitra brought her hands together, as if to seal the jagged crack in the sky. It was like Atlas holding up the sky. The fog of death was pushed back into the crack, and Nídh?ggur’s presence was blocked, temporarily freeing the Elvenheim residents from paralysis. When they looked up at the sky being held together by two palms, some sighed with relief while others cheered.

“Ohh...! The evil dragon’s appearance is gone!”

“M-My body can move! I’m alive!”

“Hooray, Dmitra! Goddess of the forest!”

“The world tree is looking after us!”

However, it was still too early to cheer. Theo, Veronica, and the high elves were still warily watching the sky, and their faces weren’t bright. The cheering eventually stopped. If the evil dragon had really disappeared, the sky wouldn’t still be black. He might be hidden by the hands, but it was proof that he was still present beyond the sky.

“Mitra, are you okay?”

Theo was the first to realize it. Mitra’s neck was soaked with sweat despite having become a god. He had never imagined a spiritual body that didn’t have any physiological functions could sweat? There could only be one reason for it.

[T-Theo...]

Dmitra’s face was pale.

[Ohh, he is getting angry. It is hard.]

“Then why did you make fun of him? How is the situation?”

[I can still hold on. But the condition of the tree is getting worse...]

“Tree? Ah.”

Theo realized who she was referring to and looked at the palms holding up the sky. The palms were made of the roots of Yggdrasil. It was impossible for the tree to not be affected after directly blocking Nídh?ggur’s breath.

“This...”

Theo sighed as he saw the edges of the palms becoming black. It was slow, but both palms were slowly rotting. Mitra’s power was still holding it up. However, if this continued, both palms would collapse, and the breath would fall down again.

Theo prepared his heart and pulled out the dragon heart. “Mitra, draw on my strength.”

[B-But...]

“If you are suppressed, then I will die anyway. Didn’t you say it is hard?”

[... Theo is a liar!]

“Haha, maybe.”

Theo smiled bitterly as he faced the tears in Dmitra’s eyes. He wasn’t in a position to complain. Theodore Miller would sacrifice his life if they could overcome this crisis. Mitra had been with him for several years and knew it well. She didn’t try to say anything to convince him.

[I will win.]

She faced Nídh?ggur with a more serious expression.

[If I win, Theo will be okay!]

She started to draw the magic power in Theo’s body out. To be precise, the magic power of the dragon heart flowed into Theo’s body and then into Dmitra. Thanks to that, his actual magic power consumption wasn’t large. The problem was that Theo was still bearing the burden of passing an absurd amount of magic power through his body. He gritted his teeth as he endured the pain. It felt like a few of his blood vessels were bursting.

I can’t stop. I will die if I am weak!

Fortunately, the effect was immediately apparent. The blackened palms regained their color, and flowers and grass grew from the roots, purifying the poison. This was a phenomenon that only a true divinity could produce. If this was the case, then Nídh?ggur had no way of returning to this world.

Theo was briefly relieved thinking about the optimistic future when a voice rang out.

- You. You will never live.

Theo froze at Nídh?ggur’s words.

Jjejejeok!

The spread out breath suddenly drew together, gathering at one point in order to kill Theo. Theo hadn’t expected such an attack. Nídh?ggur wanted to kill Theo and return, rather than destroy the forest or the world tree? In retrospect, Theo had managed to thwart him at every turn.

- Die.

It was a death sentence.

Kiiiing.

Beyond the sky and the limits of the palm, a purple light fell down toward Theo. He could tell what was going to happen. His body would be shattered by the light, and it would dig all the way into the mantle. This flash of light was a kind of ultimate spell that couldn’t be defeated. Nídh?ggur had launched an all out attack, regardless of the damage to himself. No matter what, the young Theodore Miller couldn’t escape the fate of death.

However…

“Consider this my greeting, dumb little lizard.” Theo laughed.

Flash!

A golden light blossomed around Theo’s body. It was divine power! The power of a mighty god from the Age of Mythology, a force comparable to Nídh?ggur’s breath, devoured the ray trying to kill Theo. A god’s immortality couldn’t be pierced that easily.

Thank you, Baldur! I’ll keep my promise with you!

The eternal protection that symbolized the sun god, Baldur, was the best defense from the Age of Mythology, invalidating every attack except those from mistletoe! Theo didn’t pay any attention to the scattering of Nídh?ggur’s breath as he flew upward.

As the crack faded away, he could see Nídh?ggur’s confused face!

“Get lost from this world!”

Theo was temporarily invincible and held the dragon heart in his hand, undaunted by Nídh?ggur’s murky poison. Theo drew out mana at such a rapid rate that it felt like he was going to explode. He took all the magic power he could handle and used the strongest spell he had in his arsenal.

Great magic Abraxas (ΑΒΡΑΞΑΣ). Final Chapter.

Four beads combined to create a sphere containing tremendous power. If he added the explosive power of the dragon heart, then he would have enough strength to smash the nose of that arrogant lizard! Nídh?ggur’s face stiffened just before Theo dealt the stunning blow.

- W-Wait a minute...!

“Elemental Buster!”

The light from Abraxas appeared as the dragon heart cracked.

――――――――――――――――!

An explosion shook the boundaries of this dimension.