Chapter 116
Chapter 116
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: Blood Soaks the Sand (7)
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A massive whirlwind swallowed the two figures whole. Yuria's scream was drowned out by the roaring wind.
"Ah... aaak...!"
"Fucking bastards."
Ronan flipped off the whirlwind. Fragments that seemed to be parts of the giant hedgehog were swirling up along with it.
It was a stroke of luck they didn't know his secret about severing mana. It was a shame his sword beam's range had been too short to decapitate Yuria, but Schlieffen's follow-up had landed perfectly. The next Sword Saint's storm wouldn't stop until it had ground those two bastards into dust.
"Mm."
At that moment, Schlieffen, who had been quietly catching his breath, staggered like he was drunk. He steadied himself by leaning on his sword.
"What the hell? You okay?"
"...No problem."
It seemed the impact from Teranil's gale had lingered in his body. It was the first time Ronan had seen him look weak since the midterm evaluation. Ronan snorted in disbelief.
"I saw you get flung into that pillar and impaled—'no problem' my ass. Cut the tough guy act and take this..."
He was just about to pull out one of Baren's special potions when a chilling premonition grazed his nape. Instinctively charging forward, Ronan grabbed Schlieffen's arm and hurled himself away.
"Damn it!"
"What the—"
Schlieffen's eyes widened. The moment they ducked behind a nearby pillar, paaaang! The whirlwind collapsed, unleashing a blast of gale-force wind.
"...!"
Fierce winds swept through the chamber. Countless metal shards scattered in all directions. Every time the large and small chunks of metal embedded themselves in pillars, the floor, or the ceiling, the room's lights flickered precariously.
"Yeah, things were going too smoothly."
Ronan let out a deep sigh. It had enough power to obliterate an entire forest or village. Amid the gradually dying winds, Teranil and Yuria's voices drifted over.
"Waaah... We really almost died."
"Can't let our guard down, huh. Now I get why two branch leaders got taken out."
"Shit."
The ambush had failed. Ronan spat curses at the sight of the two, still very much intact. Red-tinged metal clung haphazardly to their bodies.
Come to think of it, that massive hedgehog was nowhere in sight. Yuria muttered in an irritated tone.
"That was my favorite one. How are you gonna make up for this?"
"Crazy bitch..."
Ronan realized it was armor made from dismantling the hedgehog. Clang! Clang! The spent metal pieces fell away. Teranil chewed his lip and muttered.
"Tsk... That actually hurt pretty bad. Gonna need some healing from the church."
They hadn't emerged completely unscathed. Beneath the fallen armor, their battered bodies were revealed. Red blood dripped from the lacerations covering them.
"Bishop, you alright?"
"I'm fine. I don't fight with my eyes anyway."
Blood streamed from both of Teranil's eyes. Probably injured while caught in the whirlwind. That was one solid achievement. Ronan flashed a mocking grin.
"Gone blind, huh. Aw, that's gotta suck."
"You two are more than enough for me alone."
"Sure it is. But damn, you're uglier than I thought."
"What?"
Yuria's eyes widened. Beneath her torn veil, her bare face was exposed.
"Ugh, gross."
Ronan grimaced as their eyes met. Now he understood why she always wore those freakish clothes. Yuria was literally a half-beauty.
Her face was split along her nose bridge like a border between beauty and monster. While her right side was stunning, the left was covered in grotesque burn scars.
The spiderweb-like swelling stretched its claws from her forehead down to her smooth thighs. Urk! Ronan exaggerated a gag and glared at Yuria.
"Wear more layers next time. Think about the people who have to look at you."
"...I'll tear you in half myself."
Yuria growled low. Shhhwick! A long whip slithered out from under her sleeve like flowing water. The whip, linked by sharp metal segments, evoked the image of a steel serpent.
'Perfect.'
Ronan inwardly cheered. The anger in her voice meant the taunt had worked. Shaking an equal or stronger foe's composure was key.
Bam!
Bam!!
Two massive shadows landed in front of her. Like the hedgehog before, they were monsters crafted with mana engineering.
"Grrr..."
"Grrr."
Their bodies, shaped like a monkey and a leopard, were coated in dark red blood. They were clearly the natives'. Ronan's eyes nearly bulged.
"...Gale?"
"Kkh. Ro... Ronan..."
The giant monkey's grip clutched Furious Gale. Blood dripped from between its metal fingers. Gale, battered beyond belief, turned to Ronan and spoke amid groans.
"Sorry... about... this..."
"What happened?"
"Urgh... Tried to... block the ones... heading to the cave..."
Gale spoke haltingly. Ronan pieced it together: he'd lured the monsters away from the tribespeople and gotten caught.
It was a miracle he was still alive. His right leg and left arm were twisted backward.
His torso, dyed red enough to question its original color, had five or six harpoon-like metal spikes embedded in it.
"What, thought we got 'em all? There's an extra."
Yuria snickered. Something snapped inside Ronan. Yanking his hilt, he charged and swung his arm. Slash! Dozens of red lines carved across the monkey's body.
"Grk...?"
The monkey finally noticed, turning to Ronan. Boom! Its upper body exploded into dozens of chunks. The staggering lower half knelt and collapsed. Gale tumbled free onto the stairs.
"Keurk!"
"What...!"
Yuria's eyes went wide at the blinding speed far beyond expectation. Ronan leaped off the monkey straight at her. She whipped in panic, but he didn't dodge. Shwick! The sharp lash grazed past his left shoulder by a paper's thickness.
"Die."
Yuria yanked desperately, but Ronan was faster. His bloodied blade neared her throat. Bam! Teranil suddenly intervened, blocking Ronan's path.
"Move!"
"No rush."
Blood still poured from beneath his closed eyelids. Shoving Yuria back, Teranil flipped over the slash.
It was unbelievable for someone who couldn't see. He turned to the stunned Yuria.
"Yuria, handle the young Grancia heir. I have business with this one."
"Can't do that, Bishop. You heard what he said to me."
"Yuria."
Teranil's voice dropped ominously for a split second. Yuria flinched. Chewing her lip in reluctance, she sighed.
"Hoo... Fine, we'll do it that way?"
Turning, Yuria lashed her whip at Schlieffen. He, already charging, unleashed a slash. Claaang! The two weapons clashed, ringing out sharply. Teranil faced Ronan again and chuckled dryly.
"I've been waiting a long time. Spare me some of your time."
"I said move!"
Shooo— An eerie breath escaped Ronan's lips. Five mana-infused slashes shot toward Teranil. He dodged two, parried two, but the last caught him off guard. Slash! Blood sprayed above Teranil's collarbone.
"Mm!"
Teranil's face hardened. Ronan's assault continued. Dodging slashes by a hair, Teranil thrust a straight punch.
Pahng! Faster than sound, the fist halted just shy of Ronan's gut. Retard? Ronan muttered inwardly, about to counter. Kwoooom! A shockwave erupted from where the fist stopped, rattling his innards.
"Keurk!"
His breath caught. Ronan flew like he'd been hit by a massive carriage. Unlike wing gusts, this was pure impact.
"Fucking... hell...!"
Twisting midair, Ronan slammed both Emyr and Ramancha into the ground. Kagagagak! Sparks and embers sprayed like waves. His body slid 50 meters before stopping.
"...Fucking bullshit power."
"Back in the day, I was a Valkar warrior."
Thought he was a pure mage, but apparently a martial artist. Glittering mana bloomed over Teranil's shoulder like wildfire. Vibrating aura rippled around his fists.
Suddenly, images of the sandworms uprooted and dead flashed in Ronan's mind. Definitely hit by that power. Teranil, silent for a moment, continued.
"Such a shame. A little duller and you'd have been perfect."
"What?"
"Talent like yours would've made a fine Lycopos... but an untamable beast is truly tragic."
Ronan frowned at the nonsense. Genuine regret dripped from Teranil's voice.
"Lycopos?"
"Yes. The church's sharpest blade. Thought we'd recruited fresh talent for once..."
Only then did Ronan realize Teranil's rambling during their pursuit was recruitment. Teranil tsked, shaking his head.
"Truly, such a shame."
Pahng! With that murmur, Teranil leaped airborne. Beast-like leg strength propelled him. Bam!! Reaching the ceiling instantly, he kicked off and dove fist-first like a raptor on prey.
"Bullshit."
Ronan scoffed. The pressure dwarfed Arondale's. He fired a sword beam to intercept, but Teranil twisted aside effortlessly. Shwick! It grazed his ear.
"Noticed earlier, but your swordsmanship's great—beams suck."
"Monkey bastard...!"
Ronan gritted his teeth. Slow beams couldn't match Teranil's speed. Needed close stabs or slashes like before.
The first shockwave rained down from above. Sensing he couldn't tank it, Ronan rolled sideways. Kwoooooom—! The floor cratered with a roar. Metal tiles rippled like waves.
'This is seriously dangerous.'
No exaggeration about leveling ruins. Rippling shockwaves shook the underground. Nearby, Yuria's mad voice echoed.
"Handsome young master, what's wrong? Can't use your strength?"
Her whip danced like it was alive. Kaclang! Clang! Sparks flew wildly with each clash of sword and whip.
Compared to her frenzy, Schlieffen looked rough. He was at a one-sided disadvantage.
It was Star's Blessing. Pinned by shield and whip, Schlieffen endured as Yuria cackled maniacally.
"Kyahahaha! Yes, that's it. You can't break through?"
"Kgh...!"
All his damaging strikes were blocked by Star's Blessing. The shimmering barrier devoured physical slashes and storm aura alike.
"Kraaa!"
To make matters worse, the leopard pounced at every opening. It hid in the blessing to self-repair whenever cornered, repeating the cycle.
Amazing he held on in this mess. But balance wouldn't last. A groan escaped Ronan's lips.
'...Need a plan.'
Unprecedented crisis. To reverse the disadvantage, something different was needed. But Ronan had no spare attention for Schlieffen.
"Eyes wandering?"
Kwaang! Teranil charged again, thrusting. The linear shockwave grazed Ronan's ear. He countered instantly, but Teranil dodged by a razor-thin margin.
"Useless. Against others, maybe not—but I read all your attacks."
"Homo bastard..."
Even seeing it, no one could move like that. He fought by perfectly sensing Ronan's mana.
Feeling his breath shorten, Ronan twisted his lips. His mana was running low.
'Screwed. Can't catch him like this.'
To avoid exhaustion, he needed Bajura's core. But blades powered by its glittering mana were far slower than his usual.
That's why he hadn't used it. Lacked decisiveness against nimble Teranil.
'Gotta stall till recovery.'
No other choice. Ronan switched to Bajura's core. Energy surged; glittering mana climbed the blade. Suddenly, pursuing Teranil froze.
"Mm?!"
Like a man thrown into unfamiliar terrain. Teranil scanned around like a true blind man.
Ronan tilted his head at the odd behavior. A hypothesis flashed.
'No way...'
Teranil relied on mana detection, not sight. And the air was fogged with glittering mana from the shockwaves.
'Can't distinguish...?'
Might be a chance. Ronan switched back. White Ramancha turned red. Teranil's face lit up.
"Aha, there you are."
He charged straight. Kwaang! Ground flipped, sparks flew. The shockwave engulfed Ronan.
He barely blocked flat-bladed, but flew back. Kwaang! Crashing into a pillar, blood spurted from Ronan's mouth.
"Keurk!"
Still hard to adapt. Rising shakily, he glared. Teranil crouched for the finisher. Turning to Ronan, he grinned.
"Giving up?"
Ronan didn't answer. No fatigue showed—befitting a bishop. Teranil smacked his lips regretfully.
"Then let's end it."
Teranil vanished from view. Simultaneously, Ronan switched power sources. Kwaang! Straight-flying Teranil smashed a pillar. Metal tiles flipped; innards burst out.
"Huh?"
Teranil tilted his head. His fist had no blood or guts.
Come to think of it, Ronan's presence was gone. Same weird phenomenon. A chill crawled up his nape.
"What...!"
Teranil spun urgently. As he swung his shockwave fist— Ronan's presence returned. A familiar voice rang in his ear.
"Yeah, let's end it."
Thud. Teranil's arms hit the floor.