Aster’s thinking was natural and simple.
‘What is Ecleksis?’
Aster doesn’t know Ecleksis. No—he’s hearing it for the first time.
In fact, this is information even Frondier only recently acquired. And it wasn’t something anyone told him; he merely listened to the gods whispering and inferred it on his own.
There was no way for Aster, a single-track purist, to know.
If it were Frondier, he would have surveyed the situation and roughly grasped it, or, failing that, steered the conversation to draw out information—but unfortunately Aster had no such knack.
Only one thing:
‘Show sufficient power.......’
Poseidon had said it. Show power befitting one of the Twelve of Olympus.
Whatever Ecleksis is, if Aster himself cannot display power on the level of a god, there is no moving forward.
‘If any kind of power will do.’
Aster’s aura moved.
Aster’s aura slowly condensed, power gathering into his body.
‘That’s easy.’
He hadn’t assumed a stance, but it was the same as the preparation stage for “Ilseom.”
“Hmm.”
Someone let out a sound.
From the outside, Aster’s aura seemed to be getting smaller instead. Because his manifestation characteristic condenses into a single point, it’s an easy mistake to make.
Even Ludovic, who was carrying him, found it hard to read the depth easily.
‘......But Aster, do you even know what Ecleksis is?’
For some reason Ludovic felt uneasy. Naturally, Ludovic didn’t know about Ecleksis either. He only thought that if there’s such a distinctive term, it probably isn’t mana or aura.
And yet Aster was using aura now.
‘Mm, so this won’t work after all.’
Aster had drawn up his aura right to the brink of Ilseom, but the reactions around him weren’t much different.
Rather, there were eyes expecting what comes next. They seemed curious about the Eclek-something he would show after condensing his aura.
‘In that case......’
Aster reached out his hand.
This place is filled with gods. Whatever Ecleksis is, it must be something divine.
There was only one way Aster could show that right now.
Naturally, his two hands gripped the spear and shield.
Ares’s spear and shield. Enkespahlos and Lynotoros.
In the past, these two had been:
[???]
• Grade: ???
• Description: ???
Details of Abilities >
Even in Frondier’s workshop they were armaments that could not be deciphered.
At the time Frondier had thought Ares intentionally concealed their contents,
and it was a very accurate guess.
“Urk?!”
The moment Aster, who had opened his aura, took the spear and shield in his hands, he was seized by a strange sensation.
[Enkespahlos]
• Grade: Divine Rank
• Description: The spear of Ares, god of war. The cruelty and violence of war became Ares’s very nature, and they manifested even in his armament.
Details of Abilities >
[Lynotoros]
• Grade: Divine Rank
• Description: The shield of Ares, god of war. Even amidst the countless aspects of war and its chaotic circumstances, it makes the wearer extremely safe. The pleasure of war can be felt fully only when one is in a safe situation.
Details of Abilities >
One additional line appended to the spear and shield that Frondier had not yet uncovered.
Seeing the contents, it’s clear why Ares hid them. Both sides are things that influence the wearer’s mind.
‘What is this......!’
The problem is that Aster cannot see those contents.
If it were Frondier, the moment he read the contents via the workshop he would have discarded them. Or since he would have Woven them, he would have canceled it entirely.
But Aster did not know what was happening to him now.
Ordinary people would not even feel the effect of the mental alteration being applied to themselves. Not even Renzo felt it. He, seized by a strange sensation, threw away the spear and shield, but he thought he himself had grown weak.
Such is how cunning the power is.
But Aster reacted sensitively the moment he gripped them.
‘It’s stoking strange emotions.’
Aster’s face was badly contorted. The gods around him looked at that appearance strangely.
“......Ares, what’s the matter?”
“Ah, nothing, at all.......”
No matter how he tried to feign composure, it wasn’t easy.
Aster was now fighting a god’s power. A power that cunningly tries to lead his mind in a certain direction.
‘Aster, are you all right......?’
Ludovic, who was carrying him, broke into a cold sweat.
From Ludovic’s perspective, in contact with Aster now, Aster’s state was not all right at all. His aura was roiling without end.
Sss—
At that, the gods nearby slowly brought their hands to their weapons with increasingly chilly gazes.
They, for their part, didn’t know what was happening to Ares—Aster.
But the momentum was not ordinary. It might explode at any time.
If truly someone other than Ares is now preparing an attack......
“......Ares, this is your last chance.”
Poseidon, who had been watching, spoke in a low voice.
“Show your Ecleksis. Right now.”
“Ugh......!”
Aster barely lifted his head and looked at Poseidon.
He had to make some excuse. Or else somehow prove it.
‘That damned Ecleksis,’ what even is it.
Shwiik!
And then, in the next moment, Aster realized that his hand gripping the spear had at some point already thrust forward.
Sst─!
A faint line of blood etched itself across Poseidon’s cheek.
“......!”
And then,
Thunk.
The spear returned to Aster’s hand again.
“......You cur.”
Rage rose in Poseidon’s eyes.
“Who are you.”
Chzzzt─!!
As if they had been waiting for that one word, all the gods around drew their weapons.
“Hey, Aster......”
Ludovic, who had been carrying Aster, looked around, tense.
“Say something. We have to buy time.”
Ludovic was taut with nerves at the power pressing in from all sides. In truth, he didn’t know if buying time would solve anything. There was no way Frondier’s side could know what was happening here.
But some very clever and tremendous plan might occur to him, and for that, time was needed.
“......I am.”
There Aster opened his mouth.
Strangely enough, he was smiling.
As if refreshed, or as if hollow, as if he had given up on everything, or as if he had contained everything—
“I am Aster Evans.”
“!!”
At that, everyone’s eyes flew wide.
Ludovic bowed his head deeply.
“You, you madman. Spare a thought for me, the one carrying you.”
“And so, all you great and merciful gods.”
Aster answered none of Ludovic’s words and continued speaking.
He truly was not sparing a thought for Ludovic.
“Cast me away.”
Thoom─!
Those words became the signal.
All the gods’ Ecleksis poured down on Aster at once.
Watching that, Aster thought:
‘Ah.’
So that’s the Eclek-whatever.
What a filthy name,
KWA-AANG!!
Aster received the Ecleksis as it was. His body stood still atop Ludovic as if frozen.
“Aster, Aster!”
Flustered, Ludovic shouted.
Ecleksis targets its object clearly. There was no aftershock for Ludovic, but he knew only that something had been done to Aster.
Aster looked as if his mind had gone out.
──Aster had never been able to understand.
Frondier’s course. His thinking.
In this world where the gods plainly exist and display their power, Frondier did not seem to truly believe in the gods.
Rejecting all gods, making them enemies, and as if trying to set himself above them—Frondier looked dazzling even in Aster’s eyes,
or else, very dark.
‘To me, it’s truly frightening.’
The gods.
To Aster, they are objects of vigilance and fear.
From when his god Baldur existed, he had always obeyed the gods.
Aster had said to Baldur:
Cast me away.
Since he could not cast away his god, that was something he could not dare {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} imagine even in fancy.
Cast me away.
Leave me behind and go.
I am grateful for your love toward me, and cannot forget that grace.
But so that I may advance, cast me away.
‘......Frondier. I wanted to follow you.’
Aster does not know how strong Frondier is. Frondier’s power always lies within his imagination.
Aster had struggled to surpass that imagination. Still, Frondier is above him.
He has never been jealous of that.
That imagination is Aster’s alone.
But there is something he could not follow no matter how he tried.
‘O gods, great gods. Lords of this numinous world I can by no means pursue.’
Aster Evans.
He cannot look down upon the gods.
Aster, who has always held himself lower than anything in this world, looking down on the gods is out of the question.
“......Hoo.”
Aster let out a light breath.
That short motion made the gods around him widen their eyes.
‘......He just received the Ecleksis of gods to this extent.’
Except for Frondier, Ecleksis makes it intentionally difficult to kill the opponent.
But if one receives power to this extent, it’s more than enough to drive him mad.
And yet—
“I apologize.”
Aster lifted the spear and shield.
That appearance of trying to fight the spear and shield’s power was gone.
Yet to say he had been swallowed by the spear and shield’s desire—his pupils—
“It truly is something I cannot do.”
are clear.
With a transparent face, Aster spoke calmly.
‘Frondier, I wanted to catch up to you.’
Aster will continue to chase that back from now on. An unprecedented power, not even knowing if it truly is such a power. Frondier’s immense footsteps.
But among them, one thing. There was something that could not be done no matter what.
“I am Aster Evans.”
Poseidon looked upon that sight.
There was no way he had warded off Ecleksis without any device.
That’s right.
It wasn’t warded off.
Aster simply—
“It is a joy without end to meet all the gods.”
Poseidon saw it.
Still inside Aster, the storm of countless Ecleksis whirling.
