Chapter 211
Chapter 211
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 211
Chapter Title: Northern King (5)
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"Nice to meet you, you vermin who ruined everything of mine."
"Barca."
Ronan hurriedly rounded the corner. Barca's figure was nowhere to be seen. Only glittering mana and a presence eerily similar to Zaifa's rippled from beyond the darkness.
"You rat bastard, won't you come out?"
"I'm no fool, Ronan. After experiencing your swordsmanship and that bizarre power of yours, revealing myself wouldn't be a wise choice. Your ability must draw in anything that enters your sight or touches that light."
Ronan's eyes widened. Two things startled him.
One was that this fake Zaifa knew his name. The other was that his aura had been seen through in an instant. Barca continued.
"A powerful ability, but its counter is simple. Just don't stand in front of you, either one or the other."
"Must be nice having such thick shit. Who told you my name?"
"Ha, after taking out two Lycophoses, you expect me not to know? It's no exaggeration to say the entire cult is after you. Of course, my idiot brother mentioned you in a letter as well."
"Your brother? So Zaifa talked about me? Is that bastard involved with you lot too?"
"Hahaha... who knows."
A laugh that seemed affirmative echoed. Ronan's grip tightened on his sword hilt.
He wanted to shout what nonsense that was, but Ronan took a deep breath in and out to suppress his suspicions. That could be psychological warfare too.
'Stay calm.'
This seemed like it would be a troublesome fight. Unlike the brute force type, this one actively used his head.
He focused his mind to pinpoint the enemy's location, but strangely, he couldn't detect it well. Had some measure been taken throughout this entire ice cave? Ronan glanced at the seven severed heads and spoke.
"Did you make these?"
"You could say that. Though I didn't cut the necks."
"Why?"
"Jayger was a maggot through and through. He had a knack for gathering people, so I tried to make use of him somehow, but the bastard betrayed me at the last moment. Thanks to that, most of my plans went awry."
Judging by his tone, he was thoroughly pissed. Barca's voice now came from a completely different direction than before. At least Jayger died as a king. Ronan clicked his tongue once and continued.
"Plans meaning unifying the north?"
"No reason for me to tell you that far. Looks like you're stalling to escape, but it's futile."
"Damn it."
Ronan spat a curse. In truth, he had been stealthily moving toward the exit with Adeshan. Being in the enemy's mouth wasn't ideal. Damn sharp bastard.
'Shit, no good conversation topics?'
He'd tried to move as far toward the exit as possible, but the situation turned awkward. Barca's eerie laughter cut off abruptly. He had been in the middle of a villainous farewell.
"Then, farewell here. Take ca—"
"You planned to prop Jayger up as a puppet tyrant and then kill him. That way, you could ascend as a hero. Now I get why someone with ability didn't build his own faction."
Adeshan suddenly cut him off. Ronan raised an eyebrow. She had somehow come right up beside him.
"Senior?"
"Because acting normally wouldn't let you escape Zaifa's shadow. Far more people are still content with the peace bought by Zaifa's sacrifice. You probably planned to reveal someday that the curse rashly inflicted on the north was a joint human-Jayger plot."
Her eyes, shaken by anxiety, had calmed. It seemed they'd succeeded in drawing attention, as a long silence followed. Barca's voice, now even fiercer, echoed from the darkness.
"... That woman from back then. Who are you?"
"Someone you took everything from. Barca, just one question."
"What?"
"Why are you so obsessed with unifying the north? Is it worth brutalizing your own kin for it? Squeezing tears from people who'll become your subjects or soldiers later?"
No answer came. The two resumed walking.
Despite moving quite a bit, the passage was so long and winding that no sign of the exit appeared. Crunch. A grinding of teeth echoed from the darkness.
"... To show hell to you humans, especially you empire dogs. Soon everything will be swept away in starlight anyway, but that would be too sweet and peaceful a death for the empire's pigs."
"Starlight? What are you talking about?"
"You'll know soon enough. And to that loathsome Zaifa too..."
Barca trailed off. Ronan and Adeshan's brows furrowed simultaneously. Earlier he mentioned a letter, now loathsome? It was confusing which tune to follow.
'This is...'
Suddenly, while stepping forward, Ronan raised an eyebrow. The sound of waves crashing came from not far away.
They seemed close enough to the exit now. As the two exchanged glances and prepared to dash out— Boom! The ice ceiling ahead collapsed, blocking the passage.
"Fuck, what?!"
Ronan reflexively drew his sword hilt. Sword energy poured out like rapids, striking the ice pile.
Kaboom! Cold shards scattered, clearing the path. But immediately, the ceiling further ahead crumbled, blocking it again.
"Argh, damn it."
And there was even more debris this time. Breaking through would take a bit. Then, a similar collapse echoed from behind where they'd come.
Adeshan, sensing something, shouted urgently.
"Ronan, something's coming! Heading this way!"
"What?"
Ronan's eyes widened. Sure enough, a presence unperceived before was felt. Something rapidly approached them. A gut-wrenching roar filled the ice cave.
"Grrr! Kraaaak!"
"Too much chit-chat. Say hi to Jayger."
In an instant, Barca's presence vanished. But they had no leeway to pursue now.
Adeshan aimed her crossbow inward and fired. Thunk! As the bolt pierced flesh, a shadowy figure tumbled across the floor.
"Kyaaang!"
It was a werefox resembling the boy who attacked Jayger. Black blood oozed from its open maw. Its joints twisted grotesquely.
"This is that thing from back then..."
A crossbow bolt from Adeshan was firmly embedded in the small head's center. It convulsed without moving, brain destroyed in one shot. Adeshan frowned at the werefox.
"No doubt. Necromancy. Curses weren't enough, now black magic too..."
"Different major from his brother, huh."
Weretiger black mage—what a mismatch. Ronan gripped his hilt; golden afterimages climbed his right arm to his shoulder.
First priority: escape this damn freezer.
"Let's go then. Stick close."
"W-what?"
"Shut up and come on!"
Ronan scooped Adeshan by the waist. Unprecedented close contact made her gasp.
"R-Ronan!"
"Let's see your work. Aun Pilla."
He didn't know the activation principle, but getting hit should do it. As Ronan raised the badge before the beastmen— searing pain engulfed him.
"Kugh!"
"Ronan?! You okay?"
It was body-crippling agony. Heat like burning veins spread from his heart. The familiar pain made Ronan's mouth gape.
"Grgh... Navardoje?"
Same as when she treated his hangover in his father's room. Heat rising along his arm vaguely gathered at the badge.
'What's happening?'
He couldn't tell details. Just guessed it was a side effect of her implanting her ember where the curse was extracted.
A massive werebear swung its forepaw. Ronan shook his head clear and raised the badge again.
"Come on."
"Kroooar!"
The brutish paw held power to obliterate a human torso. As frozen flesh met badge— a flash erupted from Ronan, illuminating the dim passage.
****
The sky was overcast. Falling snowflakes fluttered down, vanishing into the sea. Icebergs drifted in from the Sea of Ghosts, floating everywhere.
-Karr. Karr.
Ghostly white dolphins swam in the black water. Rare幻種, but Barca ignored the whales. Rowing his wooden boat, he muttered low.
"About time it ended."
His gaze lingered on a massive iceberg receding into the distance. By now, even if the corpse warriors failed, the ice should've crushed the passages, smothering them.
The glacier spanning sea and land was a grave and trap made to bury Ronan. How much effort for that one?
"Pity. Wanted to kill him myself."
Barca clicked his tongue. As the enemy who ruined everything, he craved to gut him personally, but against the one who slew that monster, carelessness was forbidden.
'No. This is right.'
Caution upon caution was Barca Turgun's way. Moreover, his top assassin, always carried in his robe, was now in the lab undergoing antidote treatment. Stabbed instead by Jayger's dagger.
"... Maggot."
Thinking of Jayger still boiled his blood. Never expected that trash to show such mettle. Should've turned him into a corpse soldier eternally useful instead of a quick beheading.
"Fine. Do it again."
But Barca soon shook off regrets, regaining calm. All past except grudge against the empire was mere shackles.
Starfall was still distant. Swallow the north with another plan. The lab in the Sea of Ghosts brimmed with weapons to unify it.
As he resolved and reached for the oars— Kaboom!! Earth-shaking roar; the iceberg holding Ronan exploded.
He involuntarily stood, yelling in panic.
"Wh-what?!"
Like a dragon's breath inside. Massive flame pillar licked the sky. Charred debris and corpses rained into the sea from that height.
"Impossible. No mages among them..."
Barca stared at the burning ice, speechless. No clue what happened.
Self-destruct at the end? That blast couldn't spare them, but check corpses? As he panted bewildered— a familiar voice came from his feet.
"Hoo... barely caught up. Close call..."
"What?!"
"Ugh, cold... fuck."
Barca looked down hurriedly. A white dolphin clung to his boat's side. Its eyes, meant to shine blue, were clouded gray. A youth covered in black blood and seawater hugged the dolphin's neck, looking up.
"R-Ronan?!"
"Man... you really look alike..."
Ronan grinned. Hoodless, Barca's face strikingly resembled his brother's. Save the reddish fur tint and horrific scar across his face—could pass for Zaifa himself. Barca yelled, unable to hide shock.
"H-how?!"
"That... hoo, no reason for me to tell you."
Thud! Releasing the dolphin, Ronan leaped onto the boat. Seawater on him froze solid upon surfacing. Damn cold, end it quick. Brushing back his forelocks, Ronan spoke.
"To a man about to die."
"You bastard!"
Barca reflexively punched. True Turgun blood, quite fast—but far short of his brother's. Ronan easily twisted aside, drawing his hilt. Pssh! Comet-like thrust pierced Barca's chest.