Akatsuki Translations

The place closest to the Sun within the continent of Isralia,

Where can one receive the greatest blessings of the Sun God that illuminates this world? Likely, all people would point to one city.

It is the center of the continent of Isralia.

The place where the wisest king among men resides.

Guarded by the Apostles of the Sun, the strongest, most fortified city in this world.

The City of Sin, Proudia.

In the heart of the greatest city, there is a high castle where the Wise Heavenly King resides. Its name is 【True Babel】, the only tower acknowledged by God, allowed to bask in his divine glory.

At its top floor—

“This turnout is decent! Not bad, compared to usual!”

The one who spoke with a booming, resonant voice was 【Heavenly Fist】, Gronzon Seira Dylan. A formidable warrior who could slay dragons with his fists bestowed by God, he laughed heartily at the scene before him.

A huge round table prepared at the top floor, with seven chairs for the Seven Heavens to sit, many were vacant. Most notably, the central chair, beautifully crafted for the leader of the Seven Heavens, the Wise Heavenly King, was also empty.

Present were four individuals, Gronzon, and next to him, a petite human dressed in the white robes of a priest. With hair as white as an old man’s but with the appearance of a young child. A person with an androgynous appearance sat there.

“……….Is that so……….yes……then……in that case……”

【Heavenly Prayer】, Sua Shinra Prominence, was, as always, conversing with the void alone. It seemed almost like she was talking to herself. Or perhaps as if she had gone mad.

She concealed her vision, her words and actions vacant, yet unmistakably Sua of the Seven Heavens continued the dialogue with those present.

“Many fools take lightly the name of the 【Seven Heavens】 bestowed by the 【Wise Heavenly King】. It’s displeasing.”

Sitting opposite Gronzon was a dark blue beastperson. 【Heavenly Sword】, Yuri Seira Bluesky. She appeared as a petite and lovely girl. Her voice was as adorable as the chirping of a small bird.

However, in contrast, she exuded a murderous aura, as if merely touching her would cause one to be torn apart. Her words were directed not here, but at the other Seven Heavens who were absent.

“Ha! Is this something new? Hasn’t it always been the case that the 【Seven Heavens】, more or less, are a gathering of eccentrics who’ve gone off the rails?”

Responding to her lament, the man seated to her right, an elf, laughed at their own kind without choosing his words carefully. Handsome and youthful, fitting of an elf. However, one should not be deceived by the youthful appearance of this long-lived race.

In fact, the sarcasm and malice in his face as he sneered at the 【Seven Heavens】 as “eccentrics” were far from youthful. A cunningness that comes with age was evident.

He was one of the 【Seven Heavens】, 【Heavenly Demon】[1] Greylei. He smirked, amusedly laughing off the chilling murderous intent emanating from his neighbor.

“…” -Yuri

“Kahaha! Don’t glare like that. I never meant to insult the title of 【Seven Heavens】 you received from the king. What was it again? 【Heavenly Mutt】?” -Greylei

The blatant disrespect and insult were enough to surpass her boiling point, which had long been exceeded. She touched the golden sword at her waist.

“If it’s your wish to have that unnecessary tongue of yours trimmed, I’ll gladly do it.”  -Yuri

“That sounds interesting! I’ve been wanting to try out a spell I crafted after hearing about the 【Dragon of Sin, Lust】. I’ve tested it on subjects a few times, and I’ve been itching to try it out on myself.” -Yuri

The situation began to descend into chaos. Yet, at the same time, it was a familiar scene. Things might have been better with a different group, but when 【Heavenly Sword】 and 【Heavenly Demon】 are together, trouble is inevitable. Gronzon, often reprimanded for his forceful and boisterous methods, found himself playing the mediator among this company.

Just then, he was beginning to think about how to calm these two down.

“Be quiet.”

At that whispered command, the previously tumultuous group fell silent. Even Sua, who had been ignoring the commotion to continue his “conversation,” stopped speaking abruptly, stood up, and bowed deeply to the source of the voice.

Accompanied by servants, was a man who wore the crown of the Temple’s leader. The one who bears that proof in the City of Sin, Proudia, is indeed the proof of this world’s king.

【Wise Heavenly King】 Arnold Shinra Prominence

The head of the Temple, who has mastered the greatest of wisdom,

The young king with dazzling golden hair like a lion’s mane seated himself on his throne.

“Your majesty, it’s a joy to see you in good health.” -Yuri

【Heavenly Sword】 Yuri was the first to speak. She was the most loyal to the king. Seeing her demeanor, Greylei would sometimes tease her, calling her “dog-like,” but Yuri paid no mind to such mockery. She was merely showing her loyalty.

King Arnold nodded dutifully at her words. Then, an elderly woman standing next to him reported to him.

“【Heavenly Garb】 and the 【Hero】 are absent. If necessary, I can summon them back with the teleportation sacred relic—”

“No need. They are each in places where they are needed right now.” -Arnold

Each word he spoke resonated heavily in the space. While appearing merely human, the aura he exuded was far more transcendent than that of an elf. It was comparable to a manifested spirit rather than a human.

“Then, my king, may I ask for the reason you have interrupted my research to gather us here?” -Greylei

However, Greylei, who dared to interrupt the king wrapped in such a serene atmosphere, had quite the nerve. It was either that or, as he himself claimed, his mind was somewhere fractured. Naturally, Yuri glared at Greylei as if looking at a vile insect, but he didn’t seem to care at all.

And the king, too, did not seem to mind the disrespect. He simply stated,

“Before we get to the main topic, I must inform you. An 【Egg】 has formed, using the city under construction as its vessel.” -Arnold

The king’s words were brief, but none present failed to understand their significance.

“…Is this the work of heretics? How troublesome.” -Yuri

【Heavenly Sword】 Yuri stated calmly, but the murderous intent emanating from her was much sharper and denser than before.

“Umm… Are the people working on the construction safe?” -Gronzon

【Heavenly Fist】 Gronzon pondered with his arms crossed.

“Kahaha! There truly are heathens who come up with such interesting things. I doubt they can control it, though!” -Greylei

【Heavenly Demon】 Greylei laughed merrily, not bothering to hide his curiosity, his mouth curling into a grin.

“———Where is it, Father?” -Sua

And for the first time, 【Heavenly Prayer】 Sua spoke words of significance.

“The satellite city of Gradol, Uuga.” -Arnold

“Gradol… lamentable. And in a troublesome location. Interference is difficult.” -Sua

With that said, Sua closed her eyes again. None of the other Seven Heavens showed a positive reaction upon hearing the name of Gradol.

“…However, we cannot ignore it. Shall I go?” -Yuri

Yuri offered, but the Wise Heavenly King shook his head.

“The heathens aim for us. There’s no need to split our forces and play into their hands.” -Arnold

“But” -Yuri

“The 【Hero】 is already there.” -Arnold

At the mention of the Hero, Yuri slightly frowned.

And then Greylei laughed heartily.

“Beaten to it by a mere errand runner?” -Greylei

The next moment, a flash of light streaked across.

A sword flash, released with the sharpness that could split thunder, 【Heavenly Sword’s】blade struck at Greylei’s neck. However, a magical barrier appeared around his neck simultaneously, blocking it. The attack and defense were extremely simple, but the power imbued in them was extraordinary.

“———” -Yuri

Against Yuri’s swing of the golden sword, the magical barrier sparked and shone brightly, attempting to counterattack. Yet, the sword did not move an inch. It remained unerringly in position to decapitate Greylei, continuously breaking through the meticulously constructed magical barrier without deviation.

“Kahaha! Yes, yes, this is exactly what I wanted to test!” -Greylei

However, the magical barrier also behaved abnormally, regenerating each time it was destroyed. With every breakage, the shattered spell reformed anew. 【Heavenly Demon】 Greylei, who was supposed to be controlling the spell, did not move or chant at all. The magic seemed alive, writhing and evolving on its own.

An astounding rate of self-regeneration and self-improvement. And an unyielding murderous intent that paid it no mind.

It was 【Heavenly Fist】 Gronzon who disrupted this dangerously balanced opposition.

“Stop your foolishness, you idiots!!” -Gronzon

From a distance, across the table, Gronzon clapped his golden gauntlets together loudly. A high, bell-like sound rang out. Instantly, with a sound as if something burst, the stalemate was broken. Yuri’s sword was knocked away as if struck by a powerful force, and the spell shattered.

Interrupted by the intervention, the two, however, looked grim. Yuri glared at Greylei with all emotion suppressed. Greylei continued to laugh merrily.

Gronzon let out a deep sigh.

“You are in front of the king!” -Gronzon

With that brief admonition, Yuri hastily raised her face, seemingly ashamed, and sheathed her sword. The Wise Heavenly King, without showing anger or displeasure at the minor scuffle before him, merely observed, which seemed to be enough to bring her back to her senses.

Once Yuri calmed down, Greylei, looking bored, shrugged his shoulders and began examining the magical formula he had activated. This man truly had interest only in his own magic. The numerous provocations towards Yuri were likely just a means to test his spells.

Seeing the situation resolved, Gronzon snorted and bowed his head to the king to offer advice.

“Your Majesty, is it really alright to leave everything to Diz? If a dragon is involved, it might be too much for her alone.” -Gronzon

“It’s fine. Let Gradol be handled by her. The rest of the Seven Heavens should prepare for the ‘main issue.’” -Arnold

“And what is the ‘main issue’?” -Gronzon

The Wise Heavenly King looked up sharply. His gaze was fixed on the ceiling of Babel.

However, there was a trick to it. Instead of a stone ceiling, what spread out in their field of vision was the blue sky. The ceiling of the top floor of this tower, closest to the Sun God, was magically enchanted to reflect the outside scenery, allowing the blessings of the sun to be felt up close.

Therefore, the blue sky and Zerudia, the Sun that envelops and protects the world, were clearly visible even from inside the room.

But in that blue sky, there was one thing that should not have been there.

“Proudia moves.” -Arnold

【The Dungeon of Sin, Proudia】. The sky dungeon that aims to swallow even the Sun shining in the heavens. At the mention of its activation, all the Seven Heavens present changed their expressions and looked up at the same sky as the king. The massive structure floating in the sky without wings remained silent.

Translator’s Notes

[1] I debated after seeing it again, but I’m gonna change “Tenma” back to “Heavenly Demon” since it fits with the names of the other members. It also highlights how Diz is different from the rest of the Seven Heavens, with her title simply being “Hero.”