Chapter 205
Chapter 205
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 205
Chapter Title: Chapter 5-1. These People Here Are Gifts Prepared for You.
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As they neared Roengrim, Judah felt an ominous premonition. He didn't know why, but on instinct, he turned his head. Far off in the distance, a flash gleamed, and something came flying toward them. It took only a moment to recognize it as a bolt of lightning.
Via, beside him, seemed to have spotted the lightning as well, but she couldn't react as quickly as Judah, who had turned first. There was no time to shout for the other elves to dodge.
Judah kicked off a tree branch and leaped into the air, pulling Yakal from <Bag>. Yakal had several skills, but he trusted in its [Magic Defense] and [High-Speed Regeneration] above all.
"Hup!"
The distance was considerable, but knowing the speed of lightning, he swung Yakal the instant he drew it from the spatial pocket in midair. As the blade sliced fiercely through empty space, the tip met the bolt. Seeing the lightning travel along the blade toward the hilt, he quickly let go.
Yakal flew on with its momentum, sucking in the lightning like a sponge before embedding itself in a tree. The electricity lingering on the sword scorched the trunk and seeped into the ground, vanishing. Black smoke rose from the impact site, accompanied by the smell of burning.
Zzzt—zzzt!
Judah's fingertips tingled painfully from the residual spark, and his heart raced. It was yet another reminder of how superior magically enhanced physical abilities were in this world. But still, charging in to block a lightning bolt without knowing anything—hadn't that been utterly reckless?
The blinding flash had nearly blinded him. Up close, the bolt stung, but it wasn't as painful as he'd expected. Whether due to magic resistance or the overlapping [Magic Defense] skill from the three fragments—<Valentine>, <Carpediem>, and <Yakal>—he couldn't say. He hadn't had time to think before leaping, but it taught him one thing.
'Just static electricity level.'
If struck directly or by something stronger, he'd need to be cautious, but that bolt had been no more than a mild shock. Judah pulled Yakal from the tree. With the current fully dissipated, it felt fine to grip—aside from its constant attempts to possess his body, that is.
'This persistent bastard.'
It should have given up and acknowledged him as its master by now, but Yakal showed no signs of it. Truth be told, Judah wasn't particularly fond of Yakal either. Flamberge fell into the greatsword category, with an excessively long blade and hilt. Without its exceptional attack power and useful skills, he never would have used it.
And it didn't matter if it didn't acknowledge him. With his <Player> trait, it couldn't dominate his mind anyway, and the swordsmanship gained from recognition wasn't something he needed. Nice to have, but not essential.
'If I just get a bastard sword—or even a longsword fragment—I won't use you no matter how much you beg.'
He glanced down at Yakal once more, then turned back. The elves had frozen at the sudden lightning from the sky. Had Judah not blocked it, one nearby would have been charred well-done.
Via approached him. Her wide eyes suggested she was shocked at how unscathed he looked after taking a lightning bolt.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes, as you can see."
"What unlucky timing. A bolt out of the blue, of all things."
Judah tilted his head. Via's words sounded like mere bad luck. She didn't know about the thunderlord hawk, so that made sense. Even an Spirit Sword wielder's keen senses wouldn't anticipate an attack from dozens of kilometers away in the invisible sky.
"You think it was coincidence?"
"Wasn't it?"
"Probably not. I hope so, but if it was deliberate, there's one thunderlord hawk up in those clouds. A divine beast thunderlord hawk."
"Thun...derlord hawk?"
Judah nodded at her question. There was a saying about lightning from a clear sky, but this bolt was no natural phenomenon—it was deliberate.
"You may not know this, but if we call this land the western edge, there's an empire called Baekje at the eastern end. They revere hawks as sacred."
"?"
"There are many kinds of hawks, but the one they call emperor—thunderlord hawk—is the greatest. Fittingly, it possesses immense size and power."
Rumble!
As if on cue, thunder echoed from the sky. Judah gave a wry smile and continued.
"There are several thunderlord hawk sovereigns. Storm Sovereign, Flame Sovereign...and one called Thunder Sovereign. That's the one right there."
Judah looked up as he spoke. The sky was a beautiful blue, dotted with white clouds. But he wasn't admiring the peaceful scene. He meant the thunderlord hawk gazing down like a god from beyond those clouds. Via stared at the sky in confusion until the thunderlord hawk burst through, descending toward them. She looked stunned. The elves behind realized it was an attack and nocked arrows, though they couldn't reach it.
"Hmm—sending the other elves anywhere will just get them zapped and fried, so send them to Roengrim."
"...Pardon?"
She started to protest about what if they were attacked, but Via nodded soon after. With a name like Thunder Sovereign, even magical defenses might not activate in time, leaving them charred as Judah said. Better for her to face it alongside him.
The issue was whether the hawk would just watch idly as this many elves fled to Roengrim.
"Don't worry. It's targeted me, so it won't care about other prey."
As if reading her mind, Judah spoke, and after a brief hesitation, she nodded and sent the elves away. As they reluctantly lowered their bows, the Thunder Sovereign dove swiftly toward Judah.
Its widespread wings and tail feathers were beautiful and majestic. Its massive size made the sight all the more vivid. Startled by the lightning-fast descent, the elves drew their bowstrings taut and loosed arrows at it.
"Ah, wait—"
Too late to stop them. Some arrows rose then fell, spent, but the mana-infused ones flew true toward the thunderlord hawk.
Crackle, fizz!
Sparks flew from its wings. A brilliant flash rippled outward like waves, incinerating the arrows to ash mid-flight.
"Scatter! Then head to Roengrim!"
No matter what, the Thunder Sovereign was blatantly diving at Judah, so Via issued orders. Nearby elves retreated without hesitation. It extended razor-sharp talons as if to snatch him. Seeing this, Judah and Via kicked off a tree and withdrew as it neared.
Crack!
Thick branches of an ancient tree snapped powerlessly—or rather, so thoroughly shattered it was a pity. As it landed, dazzling sparks erupted once more, scattering everywhere.
"Urk!"
Judah squeezed his eyes shut and hit the ground. The current coursing through him seemed to drain into the earth, but the stinging sensation was hard to get used to. The forced jolt to his senses wasn't pleasant. This must be what live electrocution felt like. With that idle thought, Judah raised his sword.
Though unseen, he felt the thunderlord hawk draw near. He held Yakal's flat with one hand and thrust it forward. A heavy impact struck. Good thing his feet were planted; on a branch, the weight would have snapped it, sending him tumbling.
"You dare—the one who called me 'that thing'?"
Judah opened his eyes at the deep, charismatic voice and stared at the thunderlord hawk before him. Its massive talons and bulk were oppressive. Without Yakal, the weight and force would have snapped or bent it. It gazed at him instead of pecking with its beak right in his face.
"...Was that you?"
"Insolent cur. Arrogant mages at least had manners."
"You attacked first—why bother with manners? They only bowed to borrow your power anyway."
"Hmph, as if I didn't know that."
The Thunder Sovereign's eyes rolled, then it glanced back. Via had closed in silently, thrusting her blade sharply at its back, but its body turned to lightning and soared upward, evading. Judah stared at the sword tip halted before him. She seemed to track its position, promptly turning and slashing.
Mana blades extended from her sword, slicing through thick branches that slid down smoothly. But they didn't touch the Thunder Sovereign, who shifted like lightning. With it making no counterattack, Via paused and lowered her blade.
Only then did the Thunder Sovereign revert to form, flapping to scatter the dust, then perching on a fallen ancient log.
"Aren't you reckless? What if you damaged these elegant feathers? I'm just out for a stroll today, at the mages' request—no need to come at me like you mean to kill."
It extended one wing forward as it spoke. The sheer absurdity of it was laughable.
"...Out for a stroll?"
The surroundings were scorched by the electricity it had just unleashed. The snow-like white blanket on the ground had melted into muddy slush from the strikes. Hardly fitting for a "stroll."
"Yes, a stroll. And to sample what elf tastes like, while I'm at it."
The Thunder Sovereign licked its hooked beak at Via, eyes gleaming hungrily. Her eyes narrowed.
"But then I spot someone who not only senses my bolt but calls me 'that thing.' Curiosity piqued. No one's ever dared before."
Somehow hearing from afar, it emphasized "that thing" repeatedly.
"Your 'that thing' was quite the shock—delightfully so. I don't know why a human's among elves, but no need to honor the mages' request against you."
"Request?"
"Nothing major. They offered prey in exchange, asked me to help capture elves. Just paralyze the forest wanderers with my power—no killing. But you're human, so..."
"You can just tell me that?"
"Doesn't matter. They might not even know I talk."
"..."
The Thunder Sovereign spoke indifferently, then flapped and ascended.
"Hmm. I'll head out for today. I'd love to taste you now, but that elf won't sit idle. Too much hassle to cook without killing—next time."
With that, it soared away. Via clamped her mouth shut, then sighed and spoke.
"Tricky. Very."
========== Author's Note ==========
Wonder if anyone's still awake at this hour? D