Chapter 293

Chapter 293

[Go away!

Navarordze let out the breath he had been holding. A tidal wave of fire swept across the sky. Abel’s voice echoed through the crimson flames.

“You know that doesn’t work.”

The barrier of flame cracked open and Abel stepped out, unharmed by the primordial fire except for a few scorched hairs. Abel’s sword energy cut through the wind and grazed Navarordze’s cheek.

[Cough—!

Their fight was taking place on the edge of a white nothingness. Their skills were evenly matched, and the fight was becoming unwinnable. He was about to strike back when I raised an eyebrow.

“Hmm?”

I couldn’t see Navarordze. Her voice echoed overhead.

[I know].

“Oops.”

Realizing his mistake, Abel looked up. The giant’s grip was already on him. Navarordze’s hand slammed down on him. With a loud crash, his falling body hit the ground.

“This isn’t going to work.”

Abel muttered as he lay there. The blow was substantial. So deep that the hole he’d gone through looked as small as a fingernail.

I was expecting it, but Navardoze was too strong. My back was throbbing, even though I was under the protection of the stars. At this rate, I could really lose.

“—I can’t help it.”

He didn’t want to, but he knew he had to do something. With that in mind, Abel pushed himself to his feet.

****

“Damn it, get over it at all costs!”

“Bring me blood, bring me more blood!”

The final charge was ordered. Shouts of profanity were coming from all directions. With their fears allayed, the Allied forces were mobilizing all their forces to assault the General Headquarters.

Huge siege weights pounded on the gates, ladders and siege towers slowly advancing. People were drinking a dilution of Ronan’s blood or applying it to their weapons, preparing for the final battle.

“Move on, just move on!”

“We must capture the castle before Mage Arcel falls!”

Someone called out. The stars were still covering the sky. The shields that Asel had raised with determination were barely holding back the giants’ barrage, their dwarven bodies draining the mana of all the mages.

“Turn it off!”

Blood trickled down Asel’s thin lips. Even with support, his limits were clear. He spoke through clenched teeth, concentrating as if he were walking on a blade.

“Hurry up!”

[Don’t stop! Find the archbishops and stop the ritual! We must not let the giants descend any further!]

At the same time, Adeshan’s warcry rang out. She remembered Thieria’s words about the Advent ritual being underway, and it was most likely taking place inside the castle.

“We must take the castle first and fight the giants, and if we can hold out until Navarordze or Ronan returns—!

They had to bide their time while taking away the enemy’s foothold. Fortunately, the siege itself was turning in the Allies’ favor. Nebula Clasier’s faithful, who hadn’t expected the situation to go this far, were busy.

“Man, these guys just won’t give up and—!”

“Shake them off! Don’t let them climb the walls!”

In fact, apart from the giants, it was the Church that lacked power. The bishop was off somewhere with Navarrozze, and the next best thing, the archbishops, were mostly focused on Advent rituals.

Of course, the defending side had the advantage. The believers defending the northern flank were preparing magic to destroy the siege tower. Kugung! Dozens of shadows shot out from below and landed on the ramparts. The first shadow to rise opened its mouth.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Come on, Zaifa!”

The faithful were horrified. In the Dark Weartiger’s hand was an auror-impregnated unholy sword. Before they could say a word, the blow sliced through their bodies. Marja, standing behind them, sighed.

“It’s really up. I don’t know anymore.”

“Hahaha, isn’t this the honor!”

Braum chuckled. The mana from the shadows had dissipated his fear, and he was back to his roguish grin. Looking around, Schlieffen leapt forward.

“I’m going to get this amount and come back.”

“Schuh, Schlieffen!”

Marja called out, but Schlieffen did not answer. He rushed into the depths of the pale castle without looking back. The screams of the faithful echoed as the wind rushed past. Zaifa, who had just wiped out an entire army of enemies, bellowed.

“Kill them all.”

“Waaaaaah!”

With those words, the men on the ramparts rushed in. It was a makeshift task force organized to stop the ritual and rescue Iril. But if they thought they could turn the tide, they were wrong again. Boom! A blob of blood erupted in the middle of the Alliance camp.

“Ugh—!”

The stricken mage staggered back. Suddenly, something leapt from the ramparts and punched a hole in his chest. He had been dispatched from the Full Moon Tower, where he and the other mages were lending their strength to Asel.

Shuffling. Finally, he fell to his knees and reached for the woman before him.

“Give it back to me.”

“Who’s going to stand for that kind of arrogance?”

Archbishop Thieria laughed. In her hand she held the heart of the mage from earlier, the one who had finally run out of breath and collapsed to the floor. Taking a bite out of the heart as if it were an apple, Thieria opened her mouth.

“Give up hope. This is your end point.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

The soldiers charged, but Tieria was the most powerful Archbishop in the pantheon, and with each swing of her nails, severed limbs shot into the air.

“Hmmmm!”

“Sah, help me!”

“Ahhhhhhh! This is it!”

Thieria laughed maniacally. The allied forces were too preoccupied with taking the castle to pay her any attention. Asel’s body shook with every mage killed.

“Woof.”

I was really getting close to the limit now. It was taking a great deal of mana to maintain the star’s protection. The giants were still bombarding, and outside, the minions summoned from the feathers glowed and pounded at the shields.

It was unbearable to realize that their source of supply was disappearing. Thieria was just about to collect the thirteenth mage’s heart when something sharp pierced her nails. Something sharp bounced off her nails.

“Oh, you’re good at it.”

Tieria’s eyes widened as she landed with a backward swallow and stared at her opponent. Pointing the tip of her sword at Tieria, Nabiroze opened her mouth.

“Do not disturb my pupil.”

“What if I don’t?”

Thieria laughed. Nabiroze didn’t answer, instead stomping the ground and running. A sharp metallic sound erupted from where the two women clashed. Asel, who had somehow managed to regain her strength, tried to refocus. A familiar voice echoed from the sky above.

“How are you guys doing?”

“—What?”

Adeshan’s face went rigid. Unless his ears were wrong, he heard a voice he shouldn’t have heard. He felt his breathing quicken.

“You can’t be—.”

She looked up in the direction the voice had come from. The sky was empty, except for the magic circles that summoned the giants.

Adeshan was just catching his breath when he realized that he had misheard. With a boom, a gap in the sky shattered and a man leapt out. The congregation, desperate to defend themselves, erupted in cheers.

“Gyo, Gyo!”

“The Master has returned!”

The tide had completely turned. The shocked allies looked up in unison. The figure descending through the wind was unmistakably Abel, the head priest of Nebula Clasier.

“What, you’re not done yet?”

Thump! He landed on the ramparts and kicked out his tongue. The faces of the Allied soldiers went white.

“What, a principal?”

“I, Navarordje, am—?”

Abel was the only one who stepped through the portal. There was no sign of Navardoze. They froze in shock. Abel looked around and snapped his fingers.

“Hurry up, we don’t have time to waste here.”

At that moment, a bizarrely colored shroud began to climb up the outskirts of the General Headquarters. The rumbling, rising shield bounced off the soldiers and siege towers that had been climbing the walls. Adeshan let out a scream of despair.

“Oh, no!”

But the new star has already engulfed the castle. All of your last-ditch efforts have been undone. Those who had already entered the castle are now isolated.

They had to plan quickly again, but Abel gave them no time. Wordlessly, he drew his sword and slashed at the shields protecting the Alliance.

BOOM! As the blade struck, the barrier shattered into pieces. Asel’s already fragile shields were no match for the Sect Master’s blow.

“Kahak—!”

Black blood spewed from Asel’s mouth. Unable to withstand the impact, he fell to the ground. Orce, watching from above, gritted his teeth.

[Holy shit, wizard!

As much as I wanted to save him, I couldn’t afford to. Five giants were already after him. Orse was dodging the spears of light with a series of aerobatics and blinks.

Kwah! The spears that Lorhon hadn’t managed to get out of the way began to rain down on the Alliance camp again. Hundreds of terminals echoed with each pillar of light.

“Moe, everyone run!”

“Command—crack!”

The minions lurking outside the barrier charged as if they’d been waiting. Abel, who had been carrying the burden, shifted his gaze to Adeshan.

“You’re the commander. You’re still young, but you’ve made it this far.”

“Ah… Aaaah…”

Adeshan didn’t answer. Unable would be a better word. Now there was no defense against the giants. The castle could not be taken, and the caravan containing Ronan’s blood had been smashed to pieces.

His eyes were open, but he could see nothing. Despair was quickly taking over where hope had left off. Abel clicked his tongue.

“I told you, it would all be for nothing.”

“—Shut up.”

Adeshan reached for the crossbow strapped to her back. It wasn’t an act she normally thought of or performed; only the need to do something was driving her.

“Quit. Face your end with grace.”

Abel shook his head. But Adeshan pulled the trigger anyway. Bang! The crossbow, aimed at Abel’s forehead, sliced through the air. It was no small feat for Abel to cut down a single crossbow. With trembling hands, Adeshan reloaded the crossbow.

“You’ve done enough. Don’t be afraid, embrace it. We are better for it.”

“I told you to shut up—!”

Bang! Adeshan fired again, but Abel cut the crossbow down with a single stroke of his sword. As she was about to reload, a spear of light fell nearby. The blast sent Adeshan sprawling across the floor, bouncing off the ground.

“Kaboom!”

“That’s a shame.”

Abel turned his back. Adeshan was struggling to his feet, but Abel had no intention of letting him finish. It took a little longer, but it was done. Navarordje would have to wait.

“Okay–let’s see what we can do.”

Abel muttered. Iriel’s power was not yet complete, so he could not send the giants out into the world. He did not want people to die in pain.

“Yeah. We’ll have to catch the cockroaches.”

He tugged at the hilt of his sword, coming to a conclusion. The giants outside would take care of the enemy, he figured, and he’d just have to kill the fools who entered the city, while he waited for the apostrophe to descend. Abel was just about to step into the car.

A sound like a million pieces of paper tearing at the same time echoed through the sky.

“What is it?”

Abel’s eyes widened as he spun around, never having heard such a sound before. The space in the center of the group of giants was tearing apart, revealing something huge. All eyes immediately focused on the sky. Adeshan, barely able to raise his head, narrowed his eyes.

“Is that—?”

Shadows were casting over the battlefield. The mass tearing through space took on a bizarre shape that I couldn’t quite describe, a flower of rock and metal, or perhaps a whale with a flower attached to it.

As impressive as its appearance was, it was unrealistically huge. Everyone was confused, wondering if it would look like that if it was pulled out of a mountain. Suddenly, the mass flashed, and dozens of red beams of light shot out towards the giants on the left, right, and center.

“What the—!”

People gasped. It had happened in an instant. The beam didn’t pierce the star’s protection, but it flung the giants into the distance. Some of the lower giants were knocked to the ground and crushed.

“What the hell is that?”

Abel frowned. He thought he’d seen something like that before, but he couldn’t remember. Changing targets, the giants hurled their spears at the unidentified mass.

The spears of light hit every single one of them, but the mass was unharmed. A shield like the one they were using covered the mass. Then a small shadow shot out of the mass. Abel’s eyes widened.

“You can’t be—!”

“What the fuck, assholes.”

Ronan cursed as he surveyed his surroundings. The battlefield was turning into hell in real time, and the giant pits that dotted the landscape reminded him of his former life.

He leapt out as Dinhar leapt through space, and the winged bald men stared at Ronan in shock as he suddenly sprang to life. The winged balds stared at Ronan, stunned by his sudden appearance.

“Huh?”

Then Ronan’s gaze fell on a giant. He’d expected to be fighting giants, but he hadn’t expected this one. One corner of Ronan’s mouth twitched upward.

“It’s been a while, asshole.”

“Are you—?”

Ahayute’s eyebrows twitched; he clearly remembered seeing the man before him before. It didn’t take him long to realize that this was the man who had killed Duaru.

“Who Killed Duaru?”

“Oh, you remember?”

“What is—.”

Ronan waggled his eyebrows. The sensory-sharing giants reacted simultaneously. The surrounding photons began to converge on their hands. The first to strike was the closest Ahayute. Six spears of light formed around him, moving of their own accord.

“You who are against His will. Go away.”

“Fuck you.”

Ahayute swung his spear. Ronan twisted in mid-strike. Six spears of light stabbed simultaneously at different angles, none of them reaching Ronan. He remembered all the habits of his opponent, having fought him once.

Of course, it wasn’t just his past experiences. His body was much different now that the curse had been lifted. Ahayute’s brow faintly creased.

“This is impossible—!”

The spears doubled in number. This time, twelve spears flew at Ronan, but the result was the same. Ronan’s sword path was easily cut through, and he dug deep.

The ahayute’s torso was completely hollow. Ronan tugged at the hilt of his sword. Memories of his former life flashed through his mind in the long stretch of time.

A childhood of blight, a punishment unit captured after killing a nobleman. A life marinated in blood and alcohol, and a punisher comrades who were destroyed whenever they got too close.

The sudden descent of three giants, a dying people, and a sister who perished with her homeland of Nimburton. Lorhon, Navarordze, who chose the same path, and Schlieffen, the First International Sunsword, whose will was never fulfilled. The touch of Adeshan the Great’s lips, fresh after all these years.

So much has changed in hindsight. There are things here that I couldn’t protect then. Glancing down, Adeshan was staring in this direction, as if in a daze. Her eyes locked with Ronan’s, and she whispered softly.

“Ronan.”

Ronan didn’t answer. It was obvious he had been through a lot. He smiled wryly, then looked back at Ahayute. The slow, balding man was still unaware of the blow.

Come to think of it, this asshole had his own motivation. Yeah, he said something. I remembered it clearly.

-That is fortunate for us, for you have rotted your talents in the mud.

-If you had honed yourself, you would have been a great obstacle to our destiny.

“Ha.”

Ronan was mortified. In hindsight, he had a point. In a way, it was that bald man, and no one else, who had cured him of his rotten mindset.

The least I can do is thank you. Ronan gripped the hilt and sliced his sword sideways. The spirit of the holy sword, Ramancha, swept forward in a jaunty arc, causing Ahayute, who had only just noticed Ronan’s approach, to flinch.

“What—.”

I tried to do something in a hurry, but the game was already up. It didn’t take long to settle the past. The blade slid smoothly across Ahayute’s throat. Chaaaah! The head fell in a parabolic arc, gushing with blue blood.