Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert Chapter 588

Chapter 588

Kovaltan, the chief god, was far from a merciful being.

During the birth of Kurayan, he massacred innumerable gods using a sword infused with his divine power and seized the throne.

Not one god possessed the bravery to challenge Kovaltan.

Titan, the giant god, and Atansha, the war god, were compelled to prostrate themselves before him.

He stood as the supreme deity, honored by every race.

Yet eventually, he faded from the gods' historical records.

No one could determine if rival gods had vanquished him or if he relinquished his position willingly.

At that instant, the gods' decline commenced.

As though coordinated, the Twelve Great Gods halted their involvement.

Oracles delivered to priests grew scarce, while the divine strength they commanded diminished sharply.

With divine inaction prevailing, the sway of religious sects contracted.

Prior to his retreat, chief god Kovaltan severed a fragment from his sword and granted it to his followers.

This became the Sword of Kovaltan that Dantal now demanded.

Although it represented a vastly inferior replica, diluted dozens or hundreds of times from the original, the divine authority it harbored remained profoundly potent.

When Del Roa transferred from El Harun to Earth, securing the Sword of Kovaltan became his top priority.

It surpassed in value even the holy artifact of Siela, the elf god he loyally served.

Other deities bequeathed numerous relics, yet this sword stood as Kovaltan's sole remaining legacy.

After Kovaltan's entire worshiping order perished in El Harun, Del Roa preserved the Sword of Kovaltan in their place.

Nevertheless, Del Roa concealed his ownership of the sword even from his most intimate confidants.

The artifact carried such perilous potential.

Del Roa bellowed fiercely.

“What rubbish are you uttering? The Sword of Kovaltan? No such thing exists.”

“Do you believe you can conceal it from me?”

“What?”

“I’ve known for ages that you carried the Sword of Kovaltan here. I merely feigned ignorance since I lacked interest in it then.”

Faced with Dantal’s assured declaration, Del Roa saw denial as pointless.

“Then why pursue the Sword of Kovaltan now? Elves cannot hope to wield such a blade.”

“Claims the elf himself.”

“This bears a god’s authority. Wielding it spells annihilation, regardless of your prowess as the mightiest elf warrior.”

“Annihilation won’t claim me. Do you know the reason?”

“……”

“I’ve assimilated a fragment of Krasias’s authority.”

“What madness is this? Krasias?”

“Simply accept that it’s real.”

“What on earth have you done, Dantal!”

“It’s preferable to your actions.”

“What?”

“Behold your state—merging with a decaying World Tree merely to sustain it. How long do you suppose that counterfeit World Tree will endure? Your efforts prove utterly pointless.”

“You dare ridicule my devotion?”

“Enough. Surrender the Sword of Kovaltan. Yield it to me, and I’ll depart in peace.”

“I’ll never relinquish the Sword of Kovaltan to you.”

Kuuuu!

A colossal surge emanated from the World Tree.

Del Roa’s rage stirred the World Tree into resonance.

The oppressive force that had earlier overwhelmed Liala and Hera now targeted Dantal. Yet, in stark contrast to the women, Dantal stood unflinching and utterly composed.

Only then did Del Roa comprehend Dantal’s unimaginable surge in power.

“You… have you genuinely acquired Lord Krasias’s authority?”

“Merely a portion for now. But securing the remainder will elevate me to Krasias’s level of might.”

“Insane elf! You truly believe that feasible?”

“Such words from an elf fused with the World Tree—how ironic.”

Dantal twisted his lips into a scornful smirk.

Shing!

He unsheathed his massive greatsword, aiming it squarely at Del Roa.

“This is your final warning. Deliver the Sword of Kovaltan. Refuse, and I’ll strike you down to claim it.”

“If you possess the ability, then attempt it.”

Del Roa refused to yield an inch despite Dantal’s menace.

He ruled El Harun, after all.

Should word spread of him capitulating to Dantal and surrendering the chief god’s weapon, his authority would shatter irreparably.

Kuuuu!

As the duo locked in confrontation, the surrounding atmosphere roiled like a ferocious tempest.

“This… what is happening?”

“Lord Dantal himself…”

Liala and Hera stared at Dantal’s silhouette in utter astonishment.

Dantal embodied El Harun’s legend.

Even Krudu, the giant leader hailed as El Harun’s current strongest, appeared infantile beside him.

Dantal had abandoned El Harun’s security to roam the world seeking greater power.

His mere homecoming stunned all, but learning his aim was the chief god’s relic held by Del Roa,

The women stood speechless in shock.

KwaKwaKwaKwa!

With the clash of these titanic powers, El Harun quaked as if ravaged by a cataclysmic quake.

“Aaah!”

“What should we do? It seems on the verge of crumbling.”

Chaos already reigned beyond the confines.

Mount Pankrena, after its initial eruption, now sent tremors through the whole of El Harun, making it seem like total collapse was imminent and filling everyone with terror.

Del Roa and Dantal betrayed no intention of retreating or giving ground.

In that instant, Liala’s eyes darkened intensely.

As she observed the standoff between these two colossal forces, her determination hardened completely.

“I’m leaving.”

“That’s…”

Hera, ready to suggest it was too rushed, sealed her lips instead.

She could also foresee El Harun’s ruin.

The city had long been a hub for various races, where cohesion proved elusive. Now, Mount Pankrena’s eruption, Del Roa’s oppression, and Dantal’s menace

had sparked El Harun’s fragmentation.

Mount Pankrena might not erupt again, yet El Harun’s downfall remained certain.

Kwaaang!

Right then, a colossal blast echoed.

Del Roa and Dantal had collided.

Del Roa channeling the World Tree’s dominion, Dantal unleashing Krasias’s might,

Their impact alone rattled every corner of El Harun.

Kwaaaaang!

Simultaneously, distant lava erupted skyward like spectacular fireworks amid a thunderous boom.

Del Roa, redirecting even the force he’d used to contain the eruption toward Dantal, allowed Mount Pankrena to finally unleash fully.

The volcano exploded with far greater fury than its debut blast.

Ash rocketed upward, while ceaseless lightning hammered down.

Vast quantities of lava gushed out, with ash and debris hurtling straight to El Harun.

Boom! Kwaang!

Rocks crashed down, obliterating forests and shattering buildings.

A monumental catastrophe engulfed El Harun.

Del Roa’s triumph, if achieved, would only accelerate El Harun’s demise from today’s chaos.

Hesitation no longer had justification.

Liala abandoned the forest of Del Roa and Dantal’s battle, heading straight to the human district.

A massive crowd had already assembled in the plaza.

Before confronting Del Roa, Liala had announced her departure from El Harun.

She’d offered them freedom to stay behind or join her, guided by their own desires.

Back then, roughly a thousand had chosen to follow.

Despite enduring heavy prejudice, forsaking a century-old home wasn’t simple.

Yet now, dozens of times more had converged.

El Harun’s violent quakes threatening collapse, combined with Mount Pankrena’s renewed fury, had swayed their hearts.

Liala addressed them.

“We are leaving El Harun today. It will not be an easy journey. The road from here to the Steel Fortress is very long, and many monsters lie in wait. The scorching sun and monsters will torment us, and many will die. Even so, we must go. As you all feel, there is no future here anymore. Even if you choose not to follow me, I will not resent or hate you. I do not have the capacity to take care of those who remain.”

Liala’s declaration met no resistance.

The disaster intensified relentlessly.

The volcano raged harder, and El Harun crumbled visibly in the moment.

One urge dominated their thoughts: flee El Harun.

Liala uttered nothing further and led the way out.

Formerly, other races would have blocked the humans’ exodus.

But chaos left everyone scrambling for their own lives, oblivious to halting Liala or the humans.

They figured the humans were just fleeing temporarily, never suspecting a permanent goodbye to El Harun.

This oversight let Liala and the humans slip away without hindrance.

Beyond the city, devastation worsened.

Kwaaaang!

Mount Pankrena burst once more, unleashing a gigantic lava torrent rushing at El Harun like a raging stream.

Krudu’s giants battled desperately to redirect the flow, but their attempts failed utterly.

El Harun’s engulfment in lava loomed inescapably.

Aware of doom, Krudu and the giants deserted their post, fleeing back to El Harun.

Their arrival would render escape far more arduous.

Liala commanded.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes!”

Liala in front, the humans streamed out of El Harun in orderly ranks.

Tears welled as many cast final glances at El Harun.

Regardless of feelings, it marked their initial settlement on Earth.

Witnessing such a long-nurtured home’s destruction proved agonizing.

Liala skipped consolation.

Creating separation from El Harun took precedence.

Then, Uslan gestured toward a spot and alerted Liala,

“Lady Liala! Look over there.”

Where he indicated, another procession of refugees marched.

Recognizing the vanguard of that group, Liala’s eyes flew open wide.

A known figure headed them.

“Hera?”

Hera commanded the elves in that band.

Hera had originally planned to monitor events briefly more before quitting El Harun, convinced time lingered.

Yet Mount Pankrena’s blast revealing Del Roa’s real face erased every tie to El Harun.

Thus, she guided her loyal elves out of El Harun as well.

Legions of elves trailed Hera.

Like the humans, the elves bore faces of utter despair.

Under any conditions, departing El Harun this way brought deep sorrow.

Yet, they were compelled to depart.

Lingering due to attachment would mean being engulfed by the lava, erased without a trace.

Hera's elves merged with Liala's humans.

Once, the two races might have been uneasy in proximity, but now, bound by the shared tragedy of their lost homeland, they advanced in silence side by side.

Hera addressed Liala.

“So it has come to this.”

“You were going to leave El Harun anyway.”

“That’s true, but…”

Hera let her voice trail away.

From the moment Liala mentioned Zeon possibly knowing the location of a new World Tree's birth, sleep had evaded her.

She believed opening a portal to that site would make forsaking El Harun bearable, yet she never foresaw such a rushed exodus.

Kwaaaang!

Just then, a tremendous blast thundered from El Harun.

Countless trees shattered before their eyes, the city crumbling in ruin.

Dantal and Del Roa continued their fierce clash.

Victory for either would deliver devastating ruin to El Harun.

“Huuh!”

“Ha…”

Simultaneously, the two women heaved deep sighs.

Their footsteps abandoning El Harun dragged as heavily as if iron shackles clamped their ankles.