Chapter 89
Chapter 89
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Calypso's Nightmare
-----------------------------------------------------------------
─────!
Hundreds of wraiths charging straight at him were mostly shredded to pieces by the blood-red aura emanating from the three Altemias. Seeing the path ahead cleared wide open, the wraiths possessing Count Jinmu fell silent. Glancing back, he saw Jeanne attacking Count Jinmu, but due to the vast difference in their stats, she was being pushed back. With the thought that he needed to hurry, he stepped onto the magic circle. As he entered the circle filled with unknown script, wraiths rose from the ground and grabbed his ankles.
-Where do you think you're going?
-Don't go. Can't you see us sacrificing ourselves to summon Him here!
The formless ones exerted physical force and clung to him, making it feel like he was being dragged into the earth. But since they had no way to pin his body down, he could still move with his muscular strength. Judah wrapped mana around his feet and stomped the ground hard. With a boom, the mana spread out, distorting and shaking off the formless wraiths.
'Persistent bastards.'
But seeing even more of them trying to latch on again, his eyes narrowed involuntarily. Not just from the ground—curses whispered in cursed tongues as hands reached out from all directions. His bastard sword and Altemias traced arcs through the air, slicing through the wraiths, but against a sea of numbers, he was gradually being overwhelmed.
A wraith that had sneaked up behind Judah placed a hand on his shoulder and sent a chill into him. One became two, then three, weighing down his shoulder. Holding an Altemia in his left hand, he activated Release and ground up the cluster of wraiths nearby. Yet the ones on his shoulder wouldn't budge. The curse whispered into his ear had no effect due to his player's trait, only irritating him.
'At this rate, it's like pearls around a pig's neck.'
Each fragment held immense power, but its effectiveness grew or shrank based on the user's capabilities. Of course, they weren't suited for a situation like this.
The twenty-fourth fragment tempted reason, aroused affection, and ultimately subjugated—nothing more. The tenth fragment had limited power, only against those with blood. He wasn't even a true fragment owner like those who had achieved mythic feats while possessing them.
But that was an excuse. It was ridiculous to be held back here when he had two fragments. If he looked this pathetic, he might not be chosen by the ones with egos later.
Objects had owners.
And some objects chose their owners themselves.
If you weren't acknowledged, you couldn't become its master.
A simple truth.
While acquiring two fragments so far, Judah had learned exactly how to use them, whether he was special or all owners were like that.
'No blood? Then I'll use my own.'
Bleeding led to rapid stamina loss, but recovering it by killing wraiths was no big deal. Frowning, Judah staggered forward.
-Be crushed into the earth.
-How dare you interfere with our great undertaking!
-You die too—offer your blood and soul, join us.
While lost in thought for a moment, the number of wraiths pressing on his back had ballooned enormously. From one or two to dozens. Their individual power and physical force were weak, but united, they were bound to be strong. They clambered onto the bent-over Judah's back indiscriminately and bore down.
As he moved to slice the artery on his pulsing wrist, one whisper among the hundreds of wraiths caught his ear. Offer blood and soul? And with that question, his eyes caught the magic circle drawn on the floor. A red liquid that looked like sticky blood flowed along the deeply engraved lines on the ground. The corner of Judah's mouth curled up.
"What do you know—pearls around a pig's neck for real."
The solution had been right under his nose, yet he'd been about to take the hard way without realizing.
With a wry smile at his bitterness, Judah spread 〈Dominion〉. At his will, at his gesture, the fragment's power manifested, and the blood flowing like a river along the engraved gaps shot up into the air.
-Huh?
-Ugh?
The silently surging blood turned into thorns and pierced the wraiths surrounding Judah. Like straws in a drink, they were doomed to be sucked dry. Altemia began draining their life force without warning. One of the writhing wraiths suddenly shouted something unexpected.
-Ooh, oh! He... He has come to this land!
-This is noble sacrifice for Him!
-Offer us, whose only remnant is souls, to bring Him forth!
'It got lighter.'
Judah felt the pressure lifting from his shoulders, head, and back as he straightened up. Raising his head, he saw wraiths impaled on red thorns, lifted into the air, dissolving as if in worship. Fearless, even the hidden ones leaped out to be skewered on purpose.
'Fanatics, no different. Your ritual failed... but sure, vanishing with that belief isn't so bad.'
The absorbed life force flowed into his body, fully restoring his depleted stamina.
Boom!
Something flew at him with an explosion. No—realizing it was incoming, Judah reflexively tried to dodge, but once he saw it was Jeanne, he couldn't. Catching her, armored with shield and lance, terrified him. He used the blood flowing along the ground nearby to weave a net that crossed and weakened her impact a lot before catching her.
"You okay?"
"Y-Yes, I'm fine."
She steadied herself and stood. Her shield was so dented it was cracked—clearly badly damaged.
"You held up well. This is enough."
"Enough...?"
Jeanne asked in confusion, but Judah didn't answer, rising to his feet and staring at the approaching Count Jinmu. His helmet hid his expression, but it was surely twisted.
"You bastard, what did you do?"
Hundreds of voices rang out at once. The sound carried clear fury.
"Can't you see? I haven't done anything yet. But."
I'm about to. Judah's eyes turned to the three magic circles in the giant circle. Three orbs floating in the air—they were the sacrifices to summon Bell-Terza. Unfortunately, the blood flowing along the floor's engravings reached there too.
"How dare you!"
With the enraged wraiths' cries, purple mana enveloped the orbs, forming a powerful protective barrier. Memories from the game surfaced, making him chuckle.
Originally, breaking one of the three orbs triggered the pattern. The orbs' defense and health increased, even more so when only one remained. He'd had to dodge Count Jinmu's attacks and skills to shatter them.
But now, no need. The blood from the floor turned into hundreds of thorns, pounding the barriers until they shattered instantly, piercing the orbs within. Altemia greedily absorbed their life force in a way it never had before. Overflowing vitality poured into Judah's body, and Altemia's blade gleamed an even sharper red.
"Our plan to bring Him forth!"
As Count Jinmu charged with his lance, Jeanne behind him hurriedly tried to rise and advance. But Judah dashed forward first, clashing with Count Jinmu. Mana wrapped around his bastard sword, turning it into an identical lance.
"You dare challenge me to spear arts?!"
His voice, presumed to be the Blue Lance Knight's, shouted. He knew it wouldn't work. The moment their spears crossed, sensation vanished from his right arm.
"Judah!"
Jeanne cried out seeing the blood spray and his black-mana lance-wielding arm fly into the air. She flinched and halted after one step toward him.
"A predictable result—!?"
Even Count Jinmu, about to mock the foolhardy Judah for challenging him with spear arts, trailed off in shock. The blood spurting from the shoulder torn through by the spear writhed like heat haze. Simultaneously, the arm that had flown into the air melted into bloody liquid and vanished into thin air.
'An illusion?'
The Blue Lance Knight's wraith possessing his body questioned it just as the wraiths inside him shouted it was impossible. But it could only be an illusion. The feedback from the spear tip had clearly felt like ripping off his arm. Yet his right arm was fully regenerated now—even his clothing intact.
"Yeah, predictable result, right?"
As Judah's voice sounded, Count Jinmu felt the red dagger in his left hand whirl blade-like mana that not only shattered his shield but tore into his armor. Barely repairing the armor with mana to block, he was flung back, rolling across the floor. He hurriedly planted a hand to rise.
Crack!
Right on cue, cracks spread across the surface of the blood-red orb whose life force was fully depleted, shattering completely.
The ritual had failed.
It was never meant to succeed anyway. As Count Jinmu tried to rise, he let out a choke and bowed his head. With a gush, bloody foam poured from his helmet. At the same time, the armor made of his mana that covered his body boiled and lost form, vanishing. The haggard-faced Count Jinmu revealed himself, vomiting blood.
"Ex...cellent."
Not hundreds of voices, but one. The voice from their first meeting.
-Impossible!
-Our ritual, prepared for so long, failed! It can't be!
-Jinmu, kill him! We were so close to bringing Him!
Black silhouettes appeared around him, pointing at Judah and cursing. But despite their urgings to rise and attack, Jinmu didn't budge. Instead, he slumped down and spoke to the wraiths.
"Better this way, so why get so worked up."