Chapter 286
Chapter 286
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 286
Chapter Title: Chapter 6-4. Blue Spear Knight
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[Companion [Lime de Tritan] has died.]
Not long after Asmodeus broke free from the seal and vanished before his eyes, a message appeared, causing Juda to freeze in shock. Why on earth was Lime—who should have been perfectly fine—suddenly dead? It was frustrating not even knowing the cause. Standing there dumbfounded with his mouth agape like an idiot, Juda snapped out of it and started running.
He turned back the way he had come in an instant. With the black flames no longer surging after Asmodeus's release, the surroundings were pitch black. Clutching his and a glowing magic stone for light, he raced through the inky darkness.
He nearly tripped midway but didn't stop. Climbing from the fourth underground floor to the first was quick. The problem was the first-floor labyrinth. No matter how fast he ran through the maze he'd traversed over days, it would still take time. He pushed on without rest, his breath ragged up to his throat.
But then, an unbelievable message appeared next.
[Companion <Arhil> has died.]
Juda's motion halted as he glanced at the translucent holographic message and tried to dismiss it.
'Arhil's dead?'
First Lime, and now her too.
Iris had been with her—what could have killed them, and by whose hand?
For a split second, he rejected the fact the system message reported. He wanted to believe it was just because he'd run full tilt without stopping, but his heart began pounding wildly.
"Ha!"
Panting, Juda let out a hollow laugh.
Arhil's dead?
Why?
Who killed her?
For what reason?
What the hell was Iris doing?
His eyes hardened with fury as he gasped for air, rage boiling up. Unable to contain it, he clenched his fist and smashed the wall beside him.
Boom!
The solid stone wall caved in. His hand didn't hurt at all. He was overly excited.
"Huuuuh...!"
He exhaled deeply, trying to suppress the rage that gnawed at his reason, but it was just an effort. Memories of Arhil flooded his mind—from their first meeting to every step of their journey together, flickering before his eyes.
The affection he'd given her must not have been small; he felt tears streaming down his cheeks. The thought that he might never see her again brought a surge of fear.
'No, calm down. Just calm down.'
Why was he overthinking alone?
Never see her? No, he could.
Pulling his fist from the wall, Juda muttered to himself.
'There's a way.'
Die. Whether by suicide or at someone else's hand, just die. If he died, he could return to the last save point—when he'd obtained Fragment Rudmillan. Lime and Arhil hadn't died yet then, so if he could fully escape the labyrinth in that brief window, he could prevent their deaths.
Should he kill himself right here?
Bell-Terza's power would resurrect him, so to return to the save point, he'd need to die twice. Suicide wasn't that hard. Simply summon Altemia and stab his heart, or slit his own throat. But before that, he needed to know why they died and who killed them.
'First, check the situation outside.'
Lime, Arhil, and Iris had definitely been above the labyrinth. Iris's position on the was right overhead.
Racing through the maze, Juda realized this would take too long and needed another way.
'If I return to the save point and climb up like this, Arhil will die again.'
Fortunately, their deaths happened after acquiring the fragment and the autosave. If he could escape the labyrinth in one go, he could save not just Arhil but Lime too.
Was there a way?
Games had return spells, but Juda had no magic items or scrolls for that.
Passing a collapsed wall, he stopped and stared at the gaping hole. Then he looked up at the ceiling.
"Lüsen Ardahan."
Collecting his thoughts, Juda summoned the eighth fragment, Lüsen Ardahan. The ceiling was higher than expected, but in this narrow maze, space tore open, and a massive fist emerged, smashing the adjacent wall.
Boom!
Like falling dominoes, the wall crumbled, and soon the other arm burst from the rift, demolishing the opposite wall.
"Break through the ceiling."
Breaking through days-long maze would be slower than punching to the surface. No more business here since he had the fragment—let it collapse.
Roooar!
After shoving the narrow walls aside to squeeze out, Lüsen Ardahan roared in response to Juda's command and slammed his fist into the ceiling.
Boom!
Chunks of ceiling fell with the strike, but Juda watched unperturbed.
Each punch dug into the rock like a boulder, showering dirt and debris on withdrawal.
Lüsen Ardahan shielded Juda like an umbrella with his left hand while pounding with the right. After four or five hits, a massive rumble echoed as dirt and rocks poured over the protective left hand. Juda waited, then had Lüsen Ardahan move it.
The sky was visible through the hole. Reinforcing his body with mana, Juda kicked off, stepped on Lüsen Ardahan's hand, and emerged on the surface. Surveying outside, he frowned.
"What the hell?"
Blue Spear Knights fully encircled the labyrinth. Not just them—the Holy Knight Order and Bishops from Krahas Holy Empire of the Second Continent were there too.
'Why are they here?'
Honestly, he couldn't fathom why even the Empire's Blue Spear Knights were present. Glancing around, he turned toward the labyrinth entrance and saw Iris panting amid dust, clutching her scythe; the fleeing Organ; and a Blue Spear Knight.
The knight's helmet hid his identity, but the shield on his left arm identified him as Calicteser.
Startled by Juda emerging from the ground, they paused combat and stared.
Juda glared, then scanned nearby for something. The ground was upheaved from the fragment bearers' fight—utter chaos, no intact spots. Arhil's body was nowhere amid the mess.
"Ha...!"
With a hollow laugh, Juda grasped the situation without explanation.
Now he'd choose suicide to rewind and save Arhil and Lime, but first, vent this seething rage on them.
"Lüsen Ardahan."
Calling the name, the massive, sturdy form of Lüsen Ardahan rose from the hole Juda had exited.
"Sweep them away."
Trample the encircling Blue Spear Knights, Holy Knights, and Bishops without mercy!
Instill fear and terror.
Sensing Juda's intent, Lüsen Ardahan began summoning Akan. As the 24 small giants appeared, mana drained rapidly. But with Fragment Valentine, he ignored it—depleted mana recoverable five times fully.
Confirming mana surge from bottom, he activated skills in sequence.
Shadow Heresy 1st Form - Shadow Deployment
Shadow Heresy 2nd Form - Demon Eye Open/Seal
Shadow Sword 1st Form - Potential Release
Shadow Sword 10th Form - Swordsmanship/Heresy Arts Enhancement
Skills fully active, he summoned Altemia reverse-grip in left hand, drew Yakal from <Bag> in right. As always, Yakal tried devouring him even now. But unlike usual, Juda felt no revulsion. He wanted it to sense his rage and unleash full power. As if understanding, a system message appeared.
[[Thirteenth Sword, Beast of Wrath Yakal] recognizes the owner as its user!]
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Afterword
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1) Ugh... Sorry. Trying to write quickly feels too abbreviated, and adding intermediate parts might drag boringly. If I'd done back-to-back updates, you might not feel this, but apologies anyway. This is due to my lacking skills...