Chapter 290

Chapter 290

“This place never feels right.”

Abel talked to himself. He was walking on a land that was all white. It was a world of giants. A hollow, cold wind brushed his cheeks, reminiscent of a slum winter.

In a world where even the grains of sand are white, there is no color. Nebula Clasier’s general headquarters is a close approximation, but it still doesn’t compare to the original.

I looked up and saw a white sky. In the clouds that blanketed the stars, a giant magic circle disappeared and reappeared. It was a passage used by giants on their way to or from the hunt.

With that, Abel muttered to himself as he stepped back into the car. A low, gravelly voice echoed from overhead.

“You are born to mortal life. How dare you come here.”

“Cease thy wretched walk.”

“Alas—yes.”

Abel dropped to one knee and looked up. Two giants peered down at him from above. Judging by the four pairs of wings they each had, they weren’t exactly high status.

The wind from the flapping wings periodically swept in all directions. It was a frenzy that would have shattered a human, but Abel was unaffected. His translucent body was made of spirit, not flesh. One of the giants, staring at Abel, opened his mouth.

“You are—the face in my memory.”

“That’s because you were here yesterday.”

Abel nodded. The periodic glances he’d been giving her had stopped him from lashing out. Clearing his throat once, he spoke as politely as he could.

“I’m here to see him.”

“What is—.”

The giants flinched. Their already hardened faces hardened even more.

They didn’t say anything for a long time, and Abel didn’t really press them. Abel knew that the giants were communicating with the being they called “Him.

‘Sensory sharing. How convenient.

Abel waited, his head still in his hands. The silence was longer than he’d expected, and he heard a voice he wouldn’t normally recognize.

-kill.

-I didn’t do anything wrong!

-Please let me out—please—.

It was as small as a whisper. The languages were all different, but the meaning was clear. The cries of an unfathomable number of people were coming from within the giants’ bodies.

Abel knew it was the voice of the souls of those slain by the giants. He had joined the great race and was destined for eternal life, but he didn’t seem very happy.

Abel smiled bitterly. Soon, those who remained on earth would meet a similar fate. Though their circumstances would be much different. Just then, one of the silent giants spoke up.

“Turn back, for He does not want to see you.”

“—Today?”

Abel’s brow narrowed. I expected it, but it still didn’t feel good to be kicked out, he said.

“Come on, tell me one more time, I’m struggling to give you a full star, isn’t that the least you could ask for?”

“I will not tell you twice. Go back.”

Suddenly, the two giants reached out simultaneously. Particles of light began to gather in their pure white grasp. Somehow, these bald men were incapable of conversation. Abel sighed heavily as he watched.

“I don’t see what’s so hard about asking you to show your face for once, and I promise you, if you come in here making fun of my motherhood, you’re going to get mad.”

“You are arrogant. Mortals cannot defeat us.”

“And what of the four who died on our star not long ago?”

“What is—.”

The speechless giants fell silent. Abel slowly raised his head, his eyes no longer that of a cowardly beggar; it was time to make a stand.

“Why, are you scared?”

Abel sneered, one corner of his mouth twitching upward in amusement. A spear of light flew from nowhere and pierced Abel’s back.

“Kuck—.”

Abel sucked in a breath. He couldn’t see how fast it had gone. Barely able to follow the trajectory, he looked up to see the sky swirling above him.

“That one.

It was a vortex that seemed to envelope the entire star. At its center, where the spear had fallen, was a black hole. Abel instinctively realized that something was staring down at him from beyond.

He was about to say something when his vision went black. Opening his eyes again, Abel jerked his upper body up with a bounce.

“Huh—!”

His head was dizzy, and he sat alone in a secret chamber. It was a secret chamber in the General Headquarters. His consciousness had returned to his physical body as his mental body dissipated.

“You’ve got a temper.”

Abel stood up from his seat. His whole body was drenched in a cold sweat. The sensation that had pierced his chest was still clear. At his feet, he drew a magic circle to communicate with the world of the giants.

“Took the bait.

Scratching his chest, Abel smiled. The stupid bald men hadn’t done him any favors in the end, but it didn’t matter now. It was undoubtedly ‘him’ who had thrown the spear of light at the end.

That was all that could be done here. What remained was up to Iril and his few remaining men.

Suddenly, memories of the past flashed before my eyes. Looking back, I realize that I’ve had many enemies in my time following Cain. From savage nomadic tribes to the mechanical legions of the Dainhar Empire. Straightening the scabbard at his waist, he left the room.

“Let’s see where, how much better?”

****

“It’s time you surrendered!”

Marja shouted. Stepping forward, she swung her greatsword sideways, the blade longer and thicker than her body, the red of Ronan’s blood.

“You sassy bitch!”

“Do we look so ridiculous!”

The faithful, engaged in a skirmish on the ramparts, charged in fury. Marja’s momentum was strong, but it could not penetrate their armor and shields.

Bang! The moment they raised their shields and took up a defensive stance. A greatsword that never stopped thrusting sliced through, slicing right through their backs. The man who had lost his senses under Ming Qi cried out in dismay.

“Huh?”

“You look ridiculous!”

Marja shouted again. Half the congregation fell to the ground. BOOM! The deadly strike continued onward, colliding with the nearby watchtower. It crashed into the next watchtower, its base sliced off by the blow.

“Monster, monster!”

“What kind of power is that—.”

There were gasps of astonishment from all sides; the plate armor she wore hadn’t taken a single scratch in the fierce battle. The armor, glowing with bright colors, was something Ronan had brought her from Aurora Scar not long ago.

Armed with heavy armor and a greatsword, Marja was proudly leading the way, slicing through the enemy. As she turned, she saw Braum fighting alongside her allies. “Bang!” she cried out as she blocked the mace of the prefect, Furan, and slammed her shield with the back of her sword.

“That’s all you got, try harder!”

“How dare you say pierced mouth—!”

Furan, enraged, swung his mace, even at the Auror. Another blow, even more powerful than the last, flew at him, but Braum parried it with skill. Finally, a soldier in Furan’s square pierced his back with a spear.

“Kaboom!”

Spitting blood from his mouth, Fulan fell forward. At the same time, five or six spears rained down on his body. Seeing that the foreign foe had been destroyed, Braum looked back at Marja and shouted, “Let’s go!

“This place is over!”

“This is it!”

Marja replied. The two large men’s voices echoed in the distance. They had managed to break through the last bastion and were now working with their allies to wipe out the resistance inside. Looking outside the walls, they could see eight bastions already fallen.

“—did it.”

It was an emotionally charged sight. Eight Allied flags fluttered above the towering walls. Orsay and the Shadow Archduke streaked across the sky, shooting down the remaining artificial giants. Not far away, Asel’s voice rang out.

“All of them, all of them must pay!”

“—Cute.”

Marja blushed with shame. It didn’t take long for her to realize how arrogant she’d been to declare before the battle began, that she would protect Asel.

Asel was mounted on Orshe’s back, hurling giant ice spikes in all directions. Erzebet’s auror-enhanced magic was far more powerful than usual.

[Kaboom!

[Kaaaah!

Poof, poof, giants hit by the unmeltable ice were falling, spitting up blood. They usually died in one shot, and none lasted more than three. Orse, in his dragon form, laughed heartily.

[Kahahaha! That’s it, killing machine!

“Heeeeeeeee! You, don’t fly so fast!”

Asel let out a new scream. Marja laughed. Their adventures so far, and their learning in Phileon, had not been in vain.

I’ll have to work harder. With that, she turned around. Multiple screams echoed from deep within the citadel.

“Here comes the dawn of the empire!”

“Bo, run to your nature, and lock the door!”

All of the believers who had been fighting in unison were retreating into the interior. Fear and despair were all that could be seen on their faces.

Marja’s eyes widened as she shifted her gaze in the direction they’d run. An inferno stretched out before her. The number of torn bodies was unfathomable. Surely there hadn’t been anything like that a moment ago.

“Schlieffen.”

Marja knew that all those clean cuts were the marks of Schlieffen’s stormblade; he was the most prolific killer of the day. Schlieffen was running toward the inner city, trampling over the path of his own corpses.

The Fail Rod in his left hand was casting a cool blue glow, and the gap was closing rapidly with each stroke.

“Close it! Close it! Close it! Close it!”

“De, don’t let him in!”

The congregation was screaming like children. The gates of the inner city were closing at a rapid pace. The specially designed gates were something the Allies would have to work hard to destroy.

“Oh, no!”

But Schlieffen managed to sneak inside just before the door closed. With a thud, the gates slammed shut as he entered the inner city.

“Hmmmm!”

“Help, help!”

The screams grew more desperate, interspersed with the sound of the wind blowing. Even the advancing Allies stopped in their tracks and swallowed hard.

“——!”

Suddenly, the screaming stopped. Voices could no longer be heard from inside the gates. One of the soldiers spoke up.

“Off, are you done—?”

No answer came back. The soldiers exchanged glances, then stepped forward. The ceiling of the inner chamber shattered and a huge whirlwind erupted.

“Heh heh heh!”

“Me, crazy—!”

The whirlwind of knife winds seemed to be dozens of meters in diameter. Debris from buildings, shredded corpses, scattered in all directions.

From the center of the vortex, a human spirit soared. Thud! Schlieffen cried out at the top of his lungs as he landed atop the tallest watchtower.

“Navardoze! I’m done!”

It was an impossibly loud voice, coming from the usually quiet Schlieffen. The shout echoed across the battlefield, reaching the waiting Navarordje.

[Confirmed].

The stellar protection that the fortresses had created, that had shielded the General Headquarters, was fading. Navarordze nodded, her gaping mouth a ball of fire so hot and bright it could have been a tiny sun.

It was time. Navarordze exhaled for the first time in his life. A sphere of flame shot toward the Pale Castle.