Chapter 88
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: The Vile Breed's Last Stand
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“So, you're saying that man is a Vile Breed?”
“Yes.”
“He really is a Vile Breed.”
───!
A massive boulder shattered into pieces. The broken fragments flew in all directions, but a translucent barrier of ice blocked them.
“You... you bastards! Who are you! How dare you attack me!”
Though unharmed, a furious Bairan roared, his killing intent flaring.
“It seems you still haven't grasped the situation.”
“What did you say?”
The three warriors guarding the desert tribe removed their robes and turbans. However, their revealed appearances were hardly that of desert tribesmen.
“You...! You're not from the desert tribe!”
“Of course not. I'm from the Fallenberg family. And this one is a Bercefe, and this one, a Vienderk.”
“Don't give unnecessary information to a Vile Breed, Pernyan.”
“Pernyan Fallenberg, you say?”
“And you just gave my name to the Vile Breed.”
“Both of you, stop bickering in front of the enemy.”
They were Professor Rosalia, Pernyan, and Ruina, disguised as desert tribe guards.
A day had passed since they joined a nomadic desert tribe in the southern Taklakan Desert.
The tribesmen, who maintained good relations with Altriark, were wary of allowing a large force into their territory, but they mulled over their grudge against the demonic beasts and promised to cooperate.
And that time was now.
“How did you find this place?”
“Is that really important right now? I don't think so.”
Pernyan shrugged. The tremors of the earth, which had felt distant just a moment ago, were now right upon them.
Bairan belatedly remembered that two of Altriark's representative knight orders were charging toward them.
“Damn it all...!”
Why, how, for what reason. None of that mattered.
With his life on the line, there was no time to panic if he wanted to live.
“Dammit...!”
*Peeeeeeeee-*
Bairan whistled.
“Wind is clearly coming from his mouth, yet I hear no sound. An alien, unpleasant energy, different from mana, is spreading out like a wave.”
“It seems he's mixed demonic energy into it.”
“How curious.”
*Th-th-th-thump,* the sound of hooves and the stirring of demonic beasts mingled.
“Kill them all! Buy me time to escape!”
Dozens, no, hundreds of demonic beasts appeared, churning up the desert.
“To shout his objective for all his enemies to hear. I can't tell if he's stupid or just dim-witted.”
“Don't they both mean the same thing?”
“It means he's that hopeless.”
A staff had already appeared in Rosalia's hand. The processed mana stone at its tip began to emit a soft glow.
Ice spread across the arid desert, binding Bairan's lower body.
“A petty trick...!”
However, the ice Rosalia created shattered more easily than expected.
Ruina's slash struck the spot where Bairan had been. He was already shooting backward like an arrow.
Immediately after.
────!
*Craaaaaash!*
*Heeeeigh-*
*Kwooooar!*
The tips of the two knight orders' lances, which had charged across the desert, collided with the horde of demonic beasts.
A momentary pause—it was a brief retreat for a faster advance.
Ironblood and Madblood. The two knight orders sliced through the demonic beasts' formation as easily as a sharp filleting knife through fish.
Just before the split formation could be reinforced by new demonic beasts, Altriark's elite soldiers stormed in.
“Indeed, Altriark's reputation is well-earned.”
Ruina let out a breath of pure admiration at the charge of the powerful knights.
“So, do you think Aint Armian and Ludger Schwaben can defeat that simpleton?”
Despite her magic being easily broken, Rosalia showed no particular surprise.
And for good reason—it was less that she missed and more that she let him go.
Rosalia Vienderk could have stopped him if she wanted to, but she intentionally allowed her magic to be broken.
“I'm not sure. For one, I wasn't confident I could win.”
“It was the same for me.”
It was only for a moment, but the demonic energy the creature revealed had far surpassed Pernyan's expectations.
It wasn't for nothing that he was orchestrating the demonic beast wave in this region.
“I, too, could not guarantee a victory,”
she said, putting a black cigarette to her lips.
Rosalia Vienderk was the youngest person to earn the title of professor since the academy's founding.
While several conditions were needed to become a professor, the most crucial requirement was, ultimately, skill.
Hailed as the next Archmage, her abilities were beyond doubt.
For her to say she couldn't guarantee a win meant the Vile Breed was just that powerful.
“Professor Grad might be a different story, though.”
If anything, Professor Grad was stronger in terms of raw power.
While martial prowess is generally considered most important, Professor Grad was a special case, hired based solely on his power, with all other factors disregarded.
“In the end, it means he's not at a level academy students can handle.”
“But we have an Armian.”
“Right, there's that. The power to break down demonic energy, the antithesis of demons.”
The reason the Armians are called the adversaries of demons.
In the face of the sacred light they emit, demons cannot wield their full power. The same goes for their servants, the Vile Breeds.
“This is your handiwork, isn't it?”
Our forces were clearly superior. But Altriark wouldn't use that power to its fullest.
Their role stops at hunting the demonic beasts.
Professor Rosalia and Pernyan would block the front, while the Ironblood and Madblood knight orders advanced from the sides.
Naturally, the Vile Breed would have no choice but to flee to the rear, where the academy students were waiting.
“The academy students came here for experience, didn't they? A battle with a Vile Breed will be an invaluable experience.”
“And what about you?”
“I don't have much of a talent for combat.”
“Ruina.”
“At the academy, we were taught that knights and mages should fight together. Shouldn't there be at least one knight here?”
“How arrogant, when I am here with you.”
Rosalia clicked her tongue but said nothing more.
“Then why are you here, Professor?”
“Because I can't just leave the students on their own.”
“Did Professor Grad say that?”
Rosalia didn't answer, but that was an answer in itself.
‘Do your best, Aint Armian.’
Pernyan gazed in the direction the Vile Breed had fled.
Though he had ended up setting the stage for all the academy students, not just Aint Armian, this was the best Pernyan could do.
He hoped Aint would gain enough experience and use it as a stepping stone for growth.
‘I even removed Ruina, the strongest fighter besides Aint...’
In truth, Ruina was here largely at Pernyan's request.
“Professor Rosalia is more than trustworthy, but I think it's better to have a knight with you to prepare for any contingencies.”
“...Understood.”
“Then I will go finish subjugating the demonic beasts.”
Ruina ran toward the battlefield. Every time her sword glinted, reflecting the sunlight, another demonic beast fell.
“You go as well.”
“Me too?”
“As you said, the students came for practical experience, and you are also a student.”
“I'm exhausted. Can't I rest for a bit?”
“What did you do to be tired?”
“......”
Under silent pressure, Pernyan reluctantly raised his staff.
* * *
- He's here.
Even without Gardner's words, Aint could feel it too.
The approaching opponent was moving as stealthily as possible, but their speed prevented them from concealing their presence completely.
At the very least, they couldn't fool Aint and Gardner, who were exceptionally sensitive to demonic energy.
“He's coming.”
Aint drew his sword. He took his stance and swung down.
From top to bottom.
──!
A sharp slash cut through the desert and struck the Vile Breed. The shockwave revealed the creature, who had been moving stealthily.
“This disgusting presence...! It's you! You're from that cursed bloodline!”
An instinctive revulsion rose within him, and as his demonic energy was gnawed away by the light, Bairan instantly realized who stood before him.
At the same time, he spotted the others who were waiting for him.
“A trap? You knew I would come this way and were waiting!”
Dammit. Even though he had finally come face-to-face with Aint Armian as he had so desired, Bairan couldn't be happy.
If it were only Aint, things might be different, but there were too many nuisances.
No, the Altriark forces pursuing him from behind were also a force to be reckoned with.
There was no time to dawdle here. Capturing Aint was important, but what use was glory after death?
Even having gained power by offering his soul to a demon, he could not transcend death itself.
“I don't have time to waste on you bastards...!”
It was at that moment.
“What to do? We have plenty of time to waste with you.”
Spears of wind flew at his blind spots. The moment he released demonic energy to dispel them, a bolt of lightning struck.
And before the afterglow of the lightning could even fade, a pure white flash struck Bairan.
It was an extreme cold that froze everything.
“Damn it all...!”
“Just freeze quietly, you filthy Vile Breed.”
The master of the cold, Ludger Schwaben, muttered, extending his staff with one hand.
“Insignificant worms...!”
But Bairan was no pushover.
*Kwad-d-d-d-*
Black scales covered Bairan's body. From his back, dozens of tendrils of demonic energy sprouted like tentacles.
His body, which had been freezing over, instead began to burn hot.
“It's useless!”
Bairan roared.
The noise, laced with demonic energy, assaulted the students' eardrums.
“Guhk...!”
“Aack!”
Some collapsed with groans, but Ludger did not.
“No, it is not useless.”
Realizing he couldn't hold back, Ludger poured all of his mana into the spell.
The beam of cold grew even more intense.
The heat radiating from the Vile Breed's body died down, and frost began to form.
“Kuh...!”
Ludger staggered from the rapid consumption of his magic. Using ice-type magic in a hot, dry desert was inherently inefficient.
Despite this, Ludger squeezed his mana heart even harder.
Not enough magic?
Ludger had learned from Pernyan what to do in such a case.
He opened a subspace and downed a potion. His hands were already covered in artifact rings and bracelets made from processed mana stones.
The artifacts began to shine fiercely, supplying their master with mana.
The beam of cold, which had momentarily weakened, regained its strength.
But even so.
“How dare you be so insolent!”
Ludger's magic failed to freeze the Vile Breed completely.
Bairan managed to overcome it, slowly advancing. Shards of ice covered his skin, then shattered, over and over.
“What a monster...!”
Ludger, his face contorted, let out an involuntary, dry laugh.
His mana heart, wrung out like a wet rag, pounded as if it would burst at any moment, and his head throbbed from controlling the unfamiliar mana from the artifacts.
*Drip.* A trickle of blood ran from his nose.
His hands and feet trembled.
This was his limit.
But the creature still wasn't frozen.
A true monster.
Ludger now fully understood why demons and Vile Breeds were called monsters, the adversaries of humanity.
His chest and head ached, and the overflowing blood stained his clothes red, but Ludger smiled.
He hadn't managed to freeze the creature completely as he had initially hoped, but he had succeeded in slowing it down.
That was enough.
Aint.
Almon.
Verian.
Alia.
Though they were academy students, they were powerful individuals who had already surpassed the level of most knights.
As they charged in unison, the other mages cast their spells.
A tempest engulfed the Vile Breed, and through it, the knights' swords plunged.
───!
Watching the fierce battle, Ludger threw off the rings and bracelets, artifacts that had broken from the overload.
“With this, wouldn't my contribution be the greatest?”
“The Vile Breed's movements have certainly slowed down noticeably.”
The hidden instructor, Grad, appeared beside him.
“Your role was quite significant. Your timing wasn't bad either.”
He could feel the presence of the knight order not far away. Within his line of sight, there they were—the Ironblood Knights.
He had been watching over the students just in case, and he had clearly witnessed the grand-scale magic Ludger had accomplished.
“However. It was rash.”
────!
A brilliant light pushed back the demonic energy.
“Because people ultimately remember the finale.”
Aint Armian, wreathed in a massive aura of pure white, swung his sword.
It was reminiscent of the legendary first emperor.
Exclamations of awe could be heard from all around.
Ludger bit his lip.
“You should have saved your strength and stepped in at the end.”
“I know that wouldn't have changed anything.”
Whether I acted first or last, the result would have been the same.
Because he didn't have the power to defeat the Vile Breed.
His magic was neither cold enough nor sharp enough to finish off the Vile Breed.
The same was true for the others, and even for Aint. That is, if he didn't possess the power of their antithesis.
“Does it feel unfair?”
“It would be a lie to say no, but it's not like I gained nothing, so it's fine.”
Ludger's eyes reflected Aint's brilliantly shining aura.
‘The Armian family's swordsmanship has been restored to some extent. When did that happen?’
More than the fact that Aint was cornering the Vile Breed, and more than the fact that his own contributions were being overshadowed, that was what bothered him.
‘Did Pernyan know about this beforehand?’
That sly fox.
Ludger let out a dry laugh.
“...This is absurd! I can't fall here!”
The Vile Breed struggled desperately.
Its transformed body grew even larger, its demonic energy more violent.
But it was sliced by Aria's wind and annihilated by Carlo's lightning.
Aint's flash accelerated the process, and Almon's and Alia's swords didn't miss a single opening.
“Who are you now!”
“A professor. For now, I'm these kids' guardian.”
“You monster!”
“Should I take that as a compliment, coming from a Vile Breed?”
There were still some close calls, but Grad intervened at the right moments to cut off the flow.
And so, the Vile Breed was hunted down one-sidedly.
It was undeniable that Ludger's sacrificial magic had played a huge role. The Vile Breed's movements had become noticeably sluggish.
“No, no...! I can't die here...! Spare me, spare me! I'll give you whatever you want!”
Bairan shrieked, coughing up blood. His trembling eyes were filled with the desire to live.
“You think I'd believe the words of a filthy Vile Breed?”
“I'm just following orders! About the demons, the demons...!”
- Disgusting creature. Kill it. Vile Breeds always lie. They're not even worth talking to.
Aint didn't answer. There was no need.
His sword would be the answer.
─!
The blade flashed.
“Ah.”
A thin line was drawn across the Vile Breed's chest.
“Gyaaaaaaah!”
The line widened, spewing black blood.
With a scream, the Vile Breed fell backward.
Aint stomped on the creature's chest and raised his sword high.
*Waaaaaaaaah-*
“Long live Aint Armian!”
“He's defeated the Vile Breed!”
The cheers of the Ironblood Knights echoed across the desert.
“Wait! Don't kill it! I said, don't kill it!”
“...Oh, right.”
At Pernyan's belated shout, Aint hastily removed the foot he had on the Vile Breed.
“...Uh.”
Aint scratched his cheek.
‘...Is it already too late?’
- Hmph, it's a waste of effort anyway. Even if you torture Vile Breeds, they can't confess anything. They're under a restriction.
- That nouveau riche fool doesn't know that.
‘Still, that's not the point for me. I don't want to fall out with Pernyan over something like this.’
Aint took out a potion.
“Will giving it a potion help?”
- You're going to torture it?
- I look forward to seeing the filthy Vile Breed suffer.
“...Guess not.”
Mm, Aint swallowed a groan.