Chapter 410

Chapter 410

– The ability to make wishes come true?
– Yes. A power that Abel never got to keep.
It’s not that long ago.
I was walking down an icy passageway to the Bald Sun King.
Every time he spoke or breathed, white steam billowed out.
My father, who had just gotten out of the recovery unit, was on my back.
– So why don’t you just use that to shave off the bald spots? Why do you have to hit them like this?
– I would have loved to, but this power cannot touch life. I stopped a supervolcano from erupting that would have destroyed the world, but I could not save the people of my hometown—a town smaller than Nimburton.
My father smiled bitterly.
My parents–that’s my grandparents–and the people in the village didn’t make it out alive.
The only exception was Abel, who had lived through countless ages.
– Besides, even if I were able to perform life-altering acts, I would be of little use. I no longer have the power to fulfill my wishes.
– Huh? Who has it then?
– Iriel. It was transferred to my daughter, so I had to put a curse on her that was far worse than yours—to deceive Abel’s eyes.
Surprisingly, it was his sister who had the power to make his wish come true.
It was a moment that answered a question I’d had since I was a kid.
It honestly didn’t make sense.
So pretty, and not a single clingy son of a bitch in sight.
I smiled as I remembered my sister’s face.
-Good for you.
– Huh?
– I’m glad it was my sister who inherited the power, because if it had come to me, it would have been abused or squandered on uselessness. The river that winds through Nimburton would have been turned into beer in no time.
It’s obvious.
Whatever it was, it probably enjoyed being pathetic to no end.
Eventually, they would have gotten tired of it and left.
My dad smiled at my self-help ramblings.
-Whoops, I don’t think so.
– Yes?
– It wouldn’t have made any difference if you had inherited your powers, you’re a good girl. You have no idea how much Kasha adored you.
—What’s wrong?
He didn’t answer, just laughed.
I stomped my feet, feeling a little smug.
The ice cave seemed to go on forever.
By the way, hope, hope—.
[Ronan!
.
.
.
“——That would be pretty handy.”
[Ronan! Wake up, Ronan!!!]
“Huh?”
[Jeez, what are you doing all of a sudden, freezing up!
A booming voice rattled my ears.
When I opened my eyes, I saw Orsay’s face, furious.
The long, narrowed pupils look like they’re about to emit a beam of light.
[Get ready, the ground is coming!
“Aha—right.”
Orsay was flying with me at his side.
The cut in the ground was spread out on either side.
“Yeah, this is what I cut.
My dizzying vision has been corrected.
I think the side effects of the illegal drug caused me to black out briefly.
I was flying to Akasha after drinking the blood of the Good King.
“I’m sorry. I’m a little dizzy.”
【After such a devastating blow, he falters—! There is no room for error!
“I’m sorry about that. What’s going on with that, anyway?”
When I looked up, I could see it clearly.
Color was seeping through the cracks that were getting closer and closer.
The sphere formed by Ceniel’s destruction was a far cry from its early days of fire and darkness.
“Did your sister do something?”
I couldn’t tell what was what.
The only thing that seemed clear was that it was still an urgent situation.
The color has become slightly less intimidating, but the amount of power it conveys hasn’t changed.
Coming fully to my senses, I grabbed the hilt of my sword.
“Well, we’ll see.”
[Out!!!]
The exit was just around the corner.
With a sudden explosion, the inner wall collapsed.
Another piece of debris has fallen to the ground.
Rocks and ice rained down like a landslide.
It’s enough to squeeze, but the orce doesn’t slow down.
I don’t panic either and swing my sword.
Dozens of strokes flashed before my eyes.
Kaaaaaah!
Everything that stood in his way was torn apart.
Orse roared as he slipped through the blast.
[Kaaaaaah!!!]
“That sucks.”
The horizon was clear.
I grit my teeth at the sight of the ground.
It was a nightmare.
There were dozens of pits that could have swallowed the headquarters whole.
The sphere had fallen apart.
We were lucky we didn’t hit any of the resistance locations.
One of the men who saw us exclaimed, “I’m sorry.
“Hey, hey, hey! It’s Ronan and Captain Orse!”
“What? So the ground didn’t just crack—!”
The panicked crowd became a bustle.
I tried to yell at them to evacuate and not stand there like an idiot, but it was pointless, so I stopped.
If I fail, we’ll all die anyway.
I looked up and the night sky was filled with spheres.
It’s one of the most intense sights I’ve ever seen.
Flames and shadows.
The colors were swirling in a jumble of unknown origins.
I honestly don’t know if I’m allowed to put my body in there.
I can’t imagine what you’ll find when you get in there.
Of course, nothing changes.
I and Orse became black meteors and shot toward the sphere.
We were just about to enter.
Kaaaaaah—!
Not far away, the sky tore open to reveal a giant dragon.
“Sister.”
My heart sank.
The first to leave the sphere was Navarordze.
However, it didn’t seem to be out to announce victory.
Falling headfirst, her eyes were closed as if she were dead.
【Navardozze—!】
Orse’s face went white.
He didn’t appear to be mortally wounded, but he was disoriented.
“Akasha, you bastard!
The rate of ascent has decreased.
Orsay stared back and forth between Navarrozze and the sphere, unsure of what to do.
My clenched fists tightened.
Oh my god, what are you thinking?
I flicked my bangs and called out to Orsay.
“Orse. I’m fine, go save your sister, and come back to me after you do!”
[But you have wings—!
“Shut up and go, asshole, you want to regret it until you die like I did?!”
It was frustrating and unbearable.
I punched Orse in the face.
Bam!
My head is back to normal after a rough tilt.
Orce, catching his breath, spoke through clenched teeth.
[—I’ll kill you if you die first].
“Shut up and throw it away!”
Orse squeezed his eyes shut.
He grabbed my arm and threw me into the air.
He spun toward Navarrozze and kicked my outstretched foot away.
Pow!
Our antagonized bodies flew in opposite directions.
Orse’s body exploded.
The sphere engulfed me just as he reached Navarordze in his original form.
“Hmph.”
I frowned.
The inside of the sphere was no different than the outside.
There was a disjointed vortex of light and color.
The life force that had been in Ceniel had already gone somewhere.
It was like the concept of chaos translated into form.
‘Good thing you fought in a place like this.’
I admired my sister.
An overwhelming power coursed through my body, making it difficult to breathe.
Crimson embers were strewn everywhere.
It was the scars of Navarro’s battles.
Despite her defeat, her strength did not fade, but remained and resisted.
“Asshole, where are you hiding?”
The heat was on.
I had to find Akasha in a hurry.
Luckily, I was in the middle of a search for Akasha.
Kaaaaaah!
A torrent of power crashed into me, tearing through the colors.
“Boom!”
Narrowly missed.
As I flew through the air, I swung my sword behind my back.
Pow!
Sword Qi exploded and slowed down.
As I turned my head in the direction the attack came from, I saw a shadow standing in the middle of the storm.
Akasha, now in full bloom, stares down at me.
“Akasha!!!”
I exclaimed in exasperation.
Akasha didn’t answer.
He stood there, watching me fall.
“This guy—!”
I didn’t like him either.
He knows.
That you don’t have to push yourself.
That I, with no wings and nothing to ride, could do no harm to myself.
If so, I was a judge, too.
You’ve done all you can, you’ve drunk the blood of the Good King.
He gripped the hilt of his sword and the auror burst forth.
A more intense sunset enveloped Akasha.
And—.
“—— Fuck!”
Nothing changed.
My auror didn’t touch it, even though it crossed the land.
The straw I’d barely clutched scattered.
A crack appeared in the center of his mask.
The sound of wind escaping leaked through a crack that resembled a mouth.
『■.』
The voice sounded sneering.
He stretched out his finger again.
A wave of intangibility washed over me.
Return fire with a sword strike.
His swordplay is sharper after drinking blood, but nothing dramatic.
Kwazik!
The wave of force, not perfectly cut, pushes me away and blows me away.
“What the hell are you—.”
You feel a bounce and he moves away.
It’s like going blind.
What the heck is that guy?
What’s stopping my sword from reaching?
But even as my despair erodes, my hands move.
He explodes at your feet again, ready to fly.
Win or lose.
The car was about to catch its breath and spray black energy.
Suddenly, something surged up from down there, grabbing me by the scruff of the neck.
“Huh?”
Not Orsay.
But it was a familiar face.
White hair flutters in the wind.
I gulped, realizing what it was.
“Abel.”
“You’re a pathetic child. I can’t stand you.”
Abel growled.
I’m at a loss for words with this unexpected face.
It was the first time I had seen it since returning from the bald world.
“Have you been watching?”
Abel was silent.
He grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and leapt into the air.
The flames and shadows dispersed, revealing Akasha’s form.
Abel drew his sword with the hand that wasn’t holding me.
“—prove that you are your brother’s child.”
“What?”
“Damn it, I’m not going to lose to a poofter like that on a topic that just destroyed my plans!”
Abel bellowed.
I didn’t even have time to ask, “What the hell?
He threw me off with a flourish and leaped toward Akasha.
It’s fast, too.
Akasha pointed a finger at him as his strike lit up the sky.
Kaaaaaah!
Abel is sent flying like he’s been hit by a siege weight and falls outside the sphere.
“Kaaaah!”
“Abel!”
I was a little excited, but there was no reversal.
But it wasn’t a pointless sacrifice.
Akasha’s attention was focused on Abel.
I’d gotten to his level before I knew it.
In other words, close enough to touch if you swing a knife.
Akasha, seeing Abel’s fall, looks back at me.
“I don’t know what it is, but—!”
This was probably my last chance.
Akasha stretched out a finger.
The intangible torrent hit me head-on.
There’s nowhere to go but up.
I swung my sword with a large rotation of my entire body.
Butterfly-type spinning sword.
It was the first skill I learned from Eunsa.
Kagagagagak!
A cacophony of blades and magic clashed.
“Eek!”
I can’t tell the difference.
There’s something to this guy’s magic, after all.
Still, I didn’t stop.
If anything, he gripped the hilt harder, adding more force to the rotation.
Pow!
Flames suddenly burst forth from behind the blade.
The embers that had been scattered around him clung to his sword.
“This is—!”
His eyes widened.
Navardoze was helping me.
The embers clung to the sword, gaining strength.
Each time the fire grew larger and brighter, the swordfire was accelerating.
Still, it lacks a decisive blow.
It’s an enemy that deserves to be called a scourge.
Out of nowhere, my father’s words echo in my head.
– If you had inherited it, it wouldn’t have changed much.
I don’t know why it suddenly popped into my head.
Is he hoping that the blood he’s scraped up has the power to fulfill his wishes?
It’s a stretch, but it might be.
I don’t have an answer for that.
I thought.
If only, if only, we could wish that were true.
If I could wish for just one thing.
“—— let me give this bastard a punch.”
It was a whisper.
A force of unknown origin is added to the back of your hand.
It’s very small and tenuous, but it’s enough to tip the balance.
A stagnant sword shot moves forward.
The magic splits.
The cracks in Akasha’s mask have disappeared.
『■?』
He hastily increased his finger count.
That’s five of them.
The forces crushing my body amplified dramatically.
“Boom!”
My eyes turned red.
The regurgitated blood gushed out between my teeth.
If you say you don’t care, you’re lying.
It honestly fucking hurts.
“Hmph—!”
But hang in there.
You can’t lose to a juggler with grit.
The blade began to slice sideways through his cloak.
It’s incredibly hard, but not so hard that you can’t cut through it.
The sword god was now completely engulfed in flames.
Hooray!!!
The growing fire exploded once more.
The blade that was hanging in the middle of the cloak slips out the other side.
A searing line was drawn over Akasha’s body.
『——!!!』
There was no sound.
Akasha’s detached upper half soared into the sky.
The flames that had engulfed the blade died down.
Pfft!
The tumbling sphere dispersed, revealing a vast night sky.