Chapter 303

“Your blood smells like a good king.”

“What?”

Ronan frowned. He couldn’t understand what this bald man was talking about all of a sudden. The king continued.

“I always thought that mortals’ powers were beyond belief, and you must have taken them from them.”

“So what’s that bullshit—ah.”

Ronan raised an eyebrow, about to curse. He wasn’t sure if it was good or bullshit, but he knew what the king was talking about.

A giant buried deep in the Sea of Wraiths. The eight-winged giant that had lifted Ronan’s curse bore a striking resemblance to the king before him. Ronan said.

“You don’t mean the one with eight wings like you?”

“Also.”

The king’s eyes widened. It was the first change in his expression I had ever seen. He raised his greatsword and pointed it at Ronan.

“The Sun King came to this planet tens of thousands of years ago and disappeared. He was the most powerful warrior our race has ever known. Now speak. What despicable means did you use to kill him?”

“I didn’t do that.”

“Bullshit. Then who dared to do that?”

Ronan narrowed his brow. He couldn’t possibly know what the Savior didn’t know. The last time he’d seen her, the wounds on her body suggested she’d been killed by something, but he couldn’t think of anything.

“What the fuck do I know.

But if I did it right, I could capitalize on this opportunity. Ronan hesitated for a moment, then spoke.

“Hmm, so you might remember—.”

Ronan interrupted. Not to keep the conversation going. In the first place, he wasn’t really interested in the information about what the Good King was up to.

“If you don’t want to die on the spot, you’d better come up with something.”

“Mmmm—so—.”

The king spoke in a menacing tone. The flesh oozing from his massive body prickled his skin. Slowly, Ronan shifted, and before he knew it, he was down to the level of his shins.

This should be good enough. Ronan, who was purposely drooling exaggeratedly, clapped his hands with all his might. A cheerful sound echoed through the sky.

“Oh, I remembered!!”

『—!』

The hilt of the greatsword twitched slightly at the sudden action. Seizing the moment, Ronan gripped the hilt.

“Now.

He twisted at the waist and threw his sword with all his might. It left his hand and shot toward the king’s chin. A shockwave ripped through the back of the sword’s blade, transcending the speed of sound. The lamancha had been soaked in blood and was now sharp enough to tear through the king’s skin.

“Foolishness.”

But the king was no match for him. Just as the sword was about to touch his throat, eight wings unfurled at once.

A gust of wind blew in and the king’s body shifted sideways. In a straight line, the Ramancha vanished into the night sky. Ronan sighed.

“Ah!”

“To lose the chance to live a little longer. The inferiority of mortals is beyond my comprehension.”

Ronan, having lost his Auror, began to plummet to the ground. The King heard his pitiful screams and sighed. A pure white light began to emanate from the hilt of his greatsword.

“Well, that’s enough, go away.”

It was an annoying opponent, but that was it. The king was about to swing his greatsword, determined to send Ronan flying from this place. Ronan, in the midst of his fall, threw his arms up in the air.

“Reach!”

“Hmm?”

He was a first-time gambler. The heat from his heart turned Ronan’s hands scarlet. A beam of light shot out in a straight line, striking the Ramancha in the distant night sky.

“Stand, you made it!”

Ronan cried out in pleasure at the sensation of being grabbed. It was his first time using his body as a medium to trigger his auras, and he didn’t think it would work.

In fact, it was only now that it really mattered. Turning, Ramancha turned the tip of his sword toward Ronan. The king still hovered above his head.

“Haaaaah!!!

Ronan, his arms bent as if in a tug. Until the very end, the king did not recognize Ronan’s intentions. A comet-like Ramancha pierced his throat.

“Kaboom!”

Blue blood spurted from its gaping mouth. Chuck! The hilt of the fully rejuvenated Ramancha was in Ronan’s hand. You are truly a madman, Rin’s voice echoed in his head. Ronan twirled the blade once, then slammed his middle finger down.

“How’s that taste, you bald head?”

“Kirch, what the hell is this?”

The king’s face contorted for the first time. He clutched at his throat with his left hand and coughed up a watery cough.

It was a mortal wound, even by pretense. But Ronan wanted to make sure of it, and once again his auror was activated, this time enveloping the king. Ronan’s body shot toward him as he gripped the ramancha.

“Kwink—!”

The king quickly took a defensive stance. But Ronan was faster. He plunged into the defenseless arm and swung his sword wide. A long, deep line cut across the white body. Another gush of blue blood stained the night sky.

“Huh!”

“Now go fuck yourself!”

Ronan shouted. This time he felt it. His blade tore through the creature’s flesh and gutted it.

Still, the giant king did not fall. Ronan was about to deliver another blow to finish him off once and for all. The king threw down his greatsword and punched him.

“How dare you-!”

“Holy shit—!”

Ronan sucked in a breath. He hurriedly brought his sword up, but it was too late to parry. A huge fist slammed into the belly of La Mancha’s blade.

“Kaboom!”

Kwaaaah! Ronan’s body slammed into the ground like a thunderbolt. This time, he landed on top of the Savior’s stellar protection. Ronan coughed up blood as he crashed through the shield, the bones in his back seemingly crushed.

“Kwak, kwak-!”

“Well, holy shit—.”

A scream of pain echoed from above. The finishing blow hadn’t come yet, perhaps because of the pain.

“There’s no time to waste.

At this rate, he would attack both the ground and himself. Ronan was about to pull himself up again. Suddenly, a dry groan came from beneath the shield.

“Lo–I.”

“Huh?”

Ronan lowered his gaze urgently. The Savior was staggering, arms outstretched to the sky. He looked very bad, blood dripping from every orifice on his face.

“What the hell, why did that happen all of a sudden?!”

“Heh–heh–heh–whoops!”

The Savior coughed up blood before he could reply. Ronan’s face hardened. He wondered what had happened to him when he’d been fine a moment ago.

“Huh?”

Ronan raised an eyebrow at his surroundings. He hadn’t realized it, but they were all lying down, and not just lying down, but giggling and talking in their sleep.

“Hahaha, I’m the strongest!”

“Hahaha–Mom, I missed you too.”

“Yee-haw, piss fire!”

“What the fuck—.”

Ronan was speechless, and then he heard the sound of something cracking in the shields he was leaning against. The crack at the point of impact was widening rapidly.

“What?!”

The shields that should have protected him from the giant king’s blows were absurdly weak. Ronan hadn’t even done anything. With a crack, the shield finally broke, unable to overcome the widening crack.

“Bam!”

Coughing up blood once more, the Savior lurched forward. Landing in a swallow, Ronan rushed to him, the pain of the hammer blow to his back long gone.

“Shit. What the hell is going on, huh?!”

“Yi, Yil—.”

Ronan called out to the Savior. The smell of blood made him dizzy. His eyes widened at the sound of his sister’s name.

“Iril? What’s wrong with your sister, did something happen?!”

“Don’t, you’ll have to block it–hmmm.”

“Wait, wait, wait, hey!”

Then the Savior who had been speaking fell unconscious. Ronan shook his shoulder nervously, but he didn’t wake up.

“—What the hell is going on?”

He was not dead. Gently laying his savior down, Ronan looked around. His sister and lover were nowhere to be seen. Spotting his friends soon enough, he called out.

“Asel! Marja!”

“Mara, Mara–you can’t do this here. I, I must preserve my dignity as a matriarch…”

“Woohoo–that’s right, I’m Count Armalen.”

But they were in the same daze as everyone else. Asel, Marja, and Brahm were lying in a huddle, drifting off together, like people having a good dream.

“Ahhhhh—yes. How’s that taste, you cat—who’s the black sheep now?”

“Shit.”

Ronan cursed under his breath. Even the Iron Lady, Nabirozedo, was sleeping with Dae Taedo in her arms. He clutched at his head as he tried to wrap his mind around the situation. From behind the clouds, an angry roar rang out.

“Kaaaaaaaaa-!!!”

It was the king’s voice. Ronan’s wounds seemed to ache with pain. It was a roar that could have been the sound of a star being born, but none of the people awoke.

Ronan’s face grew grim. Soon, dozens of balls of light tore through the sea of clouds.

“Shit, no!”

Ronan screamed. It was the attack of the king he had been so wary of. It was weakened by the fact that it was dispersed into many, but each one would still be more powerful than the spears thrown by ordinary giants.

“Even the people around me…!

I had to make a quick decision. It would be impossible to protect everyone with the shields down anyway. Ronan gritted his teeth, choosing a beam of light to slice through. Asel, lying in front of him, stirred.

“Asel?!”

“——”

Ronan called out, but no answer came. Before Ronan could say anything, Asel raised his hand. Shimmering mana swirled and gathered around him. It was so vast that space seemed distorted.

The balls of light were about to crash into the ground. Paa-! A stellar arc of light enveloped the entire allied army. Kwagwagwagwang! Ferocious explosions rang out without interval.

“Hey, are you okay?!”

It was an attack that even a weakened Savior could barely handle. But Asel’s expression showed no change. Only a thin line of nosebleeds slid down his tiny nostrils.

“You—!”

The eyes that had been closed were sluggishly open. The normally violet pupils had turned a murky ashen color. Ronan had seen this phenomenon before, surely. Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind him.

“That’s why I kept warning you that it was dangerous.”

“What?”

Ronan whirled around quickly. Adeshan had reappeared, hands in his coat pockets, looking up at the sky. His collar fluttered in the breeze.

“Adeshan?”

Ronan said. But there was no answer. Adeshan’s cold, sunken eyes took on an entirely different aura than before. Shadow mana, incomparably more powerful than ever before, was flowing over her shoulders.

“—No way.”

Ronan’s eyes widened; he knew this aura better than anyone. But it could not be, and so Ronan’s mouth remained open, unable to speak.

“That can’t be right.

Then Adeshan, who had been babbling, lowered her head. Her eyes locked with Ronan’s, and he stiffened. The words he’d been holding back came out of his mouth.

“—Sir?”

“You’re welcome, Corporal.”