Chapter 212
Chapter 212
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 212
Chapter Title: King of the North (6)
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The thrust shot out like a comet, piercing Varka's chest. It was incomparably faster than the sword strikes he'd seen in Jaeger's room. Varka gasped in agony, as if fire had been lit inside his body.
"Hngh...!"
"Die."
Ronan twisted the blade vertically and lifted it upward. The red sword blade sliced through bone and organs as it rapidly ascended. At this rate, his head would split in half from the bottom up. Varka flung himself sideways with superhuman strength.
"Graaah!"
Slash! The deviated blade tore through his right side and burst out. To react at this speed—he truly was Zaifa's brother. Ronan spun his sword once and clicked his tongue.
"Persistent bastard."
"You think... you think I'll go down like this?!"
Intestines were spilling from the gash in his side. He'd avoided instant death, but it was a fatal wound nonetheless. What incredible tenacity.
At that moment, the glittering mana rising from Varka's shoulders surged even fiercer. Ronan hadn't noticed until now, but its scale was nearly on par with a bishop's. Varka swung his arm wide, shoving Ronan back, and let out a roar of fury.
"Raaargh!!"
In an instant, Varka's body swelled to nearly twice its size. Ronan raised an eyebrow. It was one of the abilities Ahayute had used on the battlefield in the past.
'So that's the power he received.'
The wounds on his chest and side were healing rapidly as well. His expanding robe tore open, revealing a scarred upper body. Now more muscular than even Zaifa, Varka slashed with his claws.
"Die!"
It was a much stronger and sharper attack than before. Of course, it made no difference to Ronan. He charged straight ahead without dodging and countered. The elegantly redirected blade grazed Varka's left arm. Slice! The cleanly severed forearm thudded onto the deck. Covered in hot blood, Ronan murmured indifferently.
"Still got some tricks left?"
"Hngh! H-how...!"
Varka stared in shock at his severed left arm. This couldn't be happening. Was this guy really human?
He needed to come up with a plan, but there was no time to strategize. Slash! Ronan's immediate thrust sliced horizontally across Varka's throat.
"Guh...!"
Varka's eyes bulged. Fortunately, he'd pulled back just enough to avoid decapitation, but half his neck vertebrae were severed. Blood sprayed out like a fountain, staining the sea.
'At this rate, I'm dead.'
His consciousness was fading. Only then did Varka realize he couldn't win in close combat. Resolving himself, he slammed his remaining right arm into the deck. Boom! The ship split in half and shattered. A massive spray of water obscured the sky.
"What the fuck?!"
"Grgh..."
Varka sank straight into the water. As Ronan stumbled, losing his balance, a waiting white dolphin surfaced and caught his back with its head. Thanks to it, he avoided falling in and managed to climb onto the dolphin's back. Adeshan's voice came from behind.
"Ronan! You okay?!"
Adeshan was approaching on another dolphin. She'd used mental control on the dolphins to send the quicker Ronan ahead first, following belatedly.
She looked like a drowned rat herself. Her face was noticeably pale. Ronan wiped his face once and spoke.
"I'm fine. But that lunatic just smashed the ship..."
Diving into the sea with fatal wounds—what was he thinking? Varka was nowhere to be seen amid the debris covering the surface. Suddenly, Adeshan scanned the surroundings and cried out in alarm.
"Th-there! Look!"
"Huh?"
Ronan turned to where she pointed. About 20 meters away, under an iceberg, something writhed deep in the water.
It didn't take long to realize it was Varka. Desperately flailing, he clutched a pure white scroll in his hand. Wooong! As a dimensional gate materialized before him, Ronan's eyes widened in disbelief.
"That fucking bastard."
Only then did Ronan realize Varka had jumped into the water on purpose. He instinctively gripped his sword hilt and focused his mind. Lamancha's blade took on the hue of a sunset.
"Come here."
Whoosh...! A beam of light that pulled its target shot toward the seabed. But Varka's movements didn't change. Instead, a plump cod was dragged in his place, appearing before Ronan.
"Damn it, so that's why he went underwater."
The cod flapped back into the water from midair. Ronan grimaced. The light refracted in the water, throwing off his aim. As he prepared to activate his aura again, Adeshan shouted urgently beside him.
"That won't work, Ronan! Let's go!"
"What?"
The moment Ronan turned, the dolphins carrying them dove underwater. Caught off guard, he swallowed some seawater.
"Pfft...!"
The cold felt like it would rip his face off. He barely held onto the fin to avoid being flung off. Adeshan's telepathic voice echoed in his mind.
[Swim over here and grab me—hurry!]
Ronan nodded. She had a plan. He transferred to Adeshan's dolphin and hugged her from behind. The white dolphin shot forward like a bullet. The sea's herald, specialized in swimming, closed the distance to Varka in the blink of an eye.
Varka's body was already legless, vanishing into the dimensional gate. Adeshan gathered mana in her arm and lashed her whip. Whip! The fully extended steel serpent coiled around Varka's left ankle.
"Mmph!"
Startled, Varka thrashed his leg. Realizing her plan, Ronan grabbed the whip handle with her and pulled. Due to the size difference, they were dragged toward Varka instead.
[Harder!]
Adeshan shouted again. Letting go of the fin, the two cut through the water faster than the dolphin. Varka's form disappeared into the gate.
Swoosh! The dimensional gate swallowed Ronan and Adeshan just in time and closed. A squeezing sensation gripped his gut as Ronan's vision went pitch black.
****
"Haaah!"
His vision cleared. He could breathe, so it wasn't underwater. Regaining his senses, Ronan shot to his feet. The icy floor nearly made him slip.
"Urp..."
Opening his mouth, seawater poured out. Neither Varka nor Adeshan was in sight. Looking around hurriedly, he spotted Adeshan sprawled on the ground.
"Damn it, Senpai."
She must have lost consciousness crossing the space. Lying pale-faced, she wasn't breathing. Ronan rushed over and began CPR.
"Hngh!"
Their lips met several times, but there was no time for stray thoughts. After repeating breaths and chest compressions a dozen times or so, she sprang up like a coiled spring and opened her eyes.
"Cough! Ha... haaah...!"
"Fuck... good thing."
Ronan exhaled in relief. Adeshan rolled onto her side and vomited seawater. Fortunately, her life wasn't in danger. Without turning her head, she asked,
"R-Ronan... urp, what about Varka?"
To ask that right after coming back from the brink—what determination. Her right hand still gripped the whip handle, even in unconsciousness. Ronan replied,
"Not in sight right now, but he's definitely nearby. Wait—that...!"
"Huh?"
Ronan's eyes widened. His gaze fixed on the other end of the whip Adeshan held. She turned her head and gasped. A severed ankle was coiled in the whip.
"He... he cut off his own ankle...!"
"What a vicious fucker."
Ronan laughed incredulously. The ragged cut suggested he'd torn it off forcibly. He'd probably severed it mid-teleport, landing somewhere else. Looking around, Adeshan tilted her head.
"Anyway, where are we...?"
"Yeah. Seems we came farther than expected."
Ice everywhere. The uneven, cracked ice plain resembled the scales of a massive fish. A bone-chilling cold, unlike anything before, seeped into his marrow.
Under the dim sky, an eerie sound echoed—one that couldn't come from the living. The chilling wails hinted at their location. Helping Adeshan up, Ronan murmured softly,
"...The Sea of Specters."
"Did the teleport fail? Why here of all places...?"
"Doesn't seem like it. What about the blood compass?"
"Oh, right."
Adeshan rummaged in her bosom and pulled out the blood compass. Lucky it hadn't been lost in the sea. Checking the needle, her eyes widened.
"R-Ronan. It's moving right now. And really close."
"What, really?"
"Yeah. So obvious I don't even need the compass."
"Well, with his limbs chopped off one by one, how far could he have gone..."
No bloodstains probably because the wounds froze instantly. Ronan closed his eyes and focused. Sure enough, as she said, Varka's presence pulsed nearby.
The two quickly prepared and set off. The fierce wind made it hard to keep their eyes open. Glancing at Ronan, Adeshan whispered,
"That earlier... thanks."
"Huh? For what?"
Ronan asked, but Adeshan didn't answer. She vividly remembered nearly drowning, him saving her. Touching her lips, she shook her head.
"...Nothing. Ah, look over there!"
Spotting something, Adeshan pointed ahead. A single galleon lay on the icy sea. The massive vessel, over 100 meters from bow to stern, resembled the corpse of an ancient whale.
Its flag was torn, hiding its affiliation. The numerous portholes suggested it was a warship. The blood compass needle pointed straight at it.
They soon reached the ship. Up close, its majesty was overwhelming. Scanning it carefully, Adeshan nodded.
"Definite. He's inside."
"Good. Let's finish this quick."
The compass needle pointed right at the bow. Suddenly, Ronan drew his sword hilt. He had no intention of falling for Varka's tricks again.
"Hup!"
Gathering power, Ronan swung horizontally. Boom! The sword energy poured out like a torrent, smashing straight into the vertical deck. Smoke cleared soon after, revealing the weathered interior.
"In-incredible..."
"Yeah. Didn't expect this much power myself."
Adeshan gaped in admiration. The force exceeded expectations, drawing a hollow laugh from Ronan. Ever since that searing pain in his heart moments ago, all his techniques had grown stronger.
Is this my true power?
The two advanced into the cave-like ship interior. The air reeked of aged wood.
"...Looks like it ran aground ages ago."
"Where the hell did he find something like this."
The tilted interior was empty. The cross-sections on either side revealed barren spaces and cannons embedded headfirst in the floor.
"Huh?"
Ronan stopped in his tracks upon spotting something. Beneath the torn floorboards, ice and a trapdoor came into view.
"This is..."
The trapdoor stood wide open. Below stretched stairs narrow enough for one were-tiger, leading under the ice sea.
Unlike the ancient ship, the trapdoor looked relatively new. The ship was a decoy; this was the real entrance to his hideout.
Varka's presence emanated precisely from below. Exchanging glances, the two descended the stairs. Thud, thud. Their footsteps echoed. Holding his glowing sword like a torch, Ronan spoke.
"No traps this time, right?"
"Yeah. Feels different from before."
Adeshan replied confidently. True, it didn't feel like a trap to Ronan either.
Varka's recent presence here was palpable. Claw marks and bloodstains on the walls and floor proved it.
The stairs soon ended, opening into a vast corridor.
Unlike the shitty ice cave, stone tiles were properly laid. Smoothly finished walls held glowing luminous stones at regular intervals. Looking around, Ronan spat a curse.
"Fucking bastard decked out his home nice."
"...Disgusting smell."
Adeshan wrinkled her nose. Stale air carried all sorts of foul odors—decay, poisonous herbs, animal scents. Remnants of black magic and necromancy, perhaps.
The stench grew stronger as they walked, following Varka's presence. Reaching a room, Ronan tilted his head at the ordinary space unfit for such a suspicious place.
"This... an office?"
Small for a were-tiger's build. The room, twice his dorm size, held everyday furniture: desk, chair, bed. No place for Varka to hide.
"Not here?"
"Yeah. A bit farther."
Adeshan nodded at Ronan's question. The compass pointed to a door in the opposite wall. Glancing around, Ronan's eyes landed on the desk piled with parchments.
"...What's this?"
Too conspicuous to ignore. Faded edges and distinctive handwriting stood out even from afar.
The bold script, like wriggling worms dancing, belonged to someone he knew. Picking up a parchment, Ronan furrowed his brow.
"This is... Zaifa's handwriting."