Chapter 305
Chapter 305
Again this time.】 She ground her teeth as she caught her breath. In this pristine white space—devoid of front, back, left, or right—there wasn't a single crack or scorch mark to be found. This was already her hundreds of attempts to escape, all in vain. She had been sealed in this pocket dimension mid-battle with Abel. It seemed like some trick of his, but she couldn't recall the details. All she remembered was him pulling out what looked like a stone just as she was about to land her final blow. 【The children... they're in danger.】 Navardoje groaned anxiously. She couldn't bear the worry for them all. In this void where nothing existed, she couldn't even gauge how much time had passed. If she was out of the picture, there was no one on the allied forces' side who could handle Abel right now. She was tormenting herself over her own weakness when suddenly, a familiar voice echoed from below. "What, still haven't given up?" 【You...!】 Navardoje looked down. There stood Abel, battered beyond recognition. Having lost one limb from each side, he was leaning on his sword like a crutch. 【You bastard!】 Boom! Without hesitation, she stomped down on him. Confirming nothing was there, Navardoje furrowed her brow. Abel's voice echoed throughout. "It's no use. I'm just a conceptual body, not the real thing. I came to check just in case, and damn, you're persistent." At that moment, Abel's form reappeared beside her foot. His semi-transparent body, like a spirit's, proved his words true. Thud! Stomping him again, Navardoje bellowed in fury. 【You scum, what the hell do you think you're doing trapping me here?!】 "Blame yourself for being too strong. Be grateful I used my one and only sealing stone on you. It wasn't even meant for the likes of you..." Abel clicked his tongue. In truth, the sealing stone he'd used on Navardoje belonged to someone else. Ronan had shown up at just the right time and proven stronger than expected—lucky break. "Anyway, you'll never escape this place. Unless I release you, you'll be stuck here forever. But don't worry too much. Soon as I wrap things up, I'll come kill you myself." 【Shut your nonsense and let me out right now!】 "See you soon, then." Ignoring her shout, Abel bid farewell. His fading form vanished completely. Unable to contain her rage, Navardoje spewed flames and spat curses. 【Damn it...】 Navardoje cursed again. Her body, wrapped in light, reverted to human form. She took a moment to steady her breathing before slumping to the ground. "Haaah..." It was a miniaturization to conserve energy. Of course, she'd rest a bit and resume escape attempts, but after all these failures, a nagging doubt crept in that Abel might be telling the truth. "Do I really... have to stay like this?" She'd lived an immeasurably long time, but this was a first. As she imagined the worst possible futures, a black horizontal line suddenly slashed across the white space ahead. "Hm?" Navardoje raised an eyebrow at the unprecedented sight. The line stretched across her vision, bisecting it completely before stopping. Then, centered on that line, a vertical one appeared. Next came diagonals slicing in opposite directions. "...
What is this?" It made no sense. It almost looked like it was drawing a circle. Before long, the line-covered vista turned pitch black. The color evoked the depths of space. Intrigued, Navardoje took a step forward when a voice echoed from within the darkness. "Ah, it opened. What a relief." "What?" Navardoje's eyes widened. The hearty voice was unmistakably familiar from long ago. Soon, two men emerged from the heart of the darkness. Spotting them, she froze in place. "You two...!" **** [3rd and 5th Units, fire!] Adeshan shouted. The reorganized detachment opened fire to support Ronan in his battle against the giant king. The people with clouded eyes were all under her mental domination. Boom! Crash! Projectiles and destructive spells rained down on the giants. The sight of hundreds streaking across the sky was spectacular in its own right. Most missed, but they effectively pinned down the giants. 『Foolish mortals. Cease your resistance.』 『Pointless folly.』 Despite their disdain, the giants dodged or blocked as best they could. Ronan's blood coated them, preventing blind reliance on their blessings. Adeshan had poured every last drop of Ronan's blood into the detachment, making their attacks far more potent than before. Those hit occasionally groaned in pain and staggered. 『Urgh...!』 [Don't give them breathing room. 1st, 2nd, and 4th Units, fire!] 『Stop that right now... guh.』 Each thunderous impact sprayed blue blood. Of course, the giants weren't pushovers; counterattacks flew back. Swoosh! Light spears plunged toward the ground, each potent enough to wipe out an entire unit. [Hold position.] The detachment was outside Asel's barrier for interception, fully exposed. Yet Adeshan hadn't spread them out—instead, she clustered them tightly. Sensing the spears entering range, she turned to the savior. "Please." "I know." The savior chugged mana potions and extended his hand. Hexagonal shields materialized in the air, blocking the spears. Ka-boom! Explosions and backlighting flared. Though far fewer than the full allied forces, he could still protect them despite his injuries. "Are you alright?" "Yes... I'm glad to be of help like this." Recovering somehow, the savior squeezed out his last reserves. The battleship Dainhar, crashed into the ground, was operational again. Dozens of beams from its rocky hull pinned down the enemies. "My daughter... still not caught?" "Yes. Her movements are too erratic; pursuit is proving difficult. But we've formed a containment net, so it should resolve soon." "Good... cough>, I'll leave that to you." The savior nodded. For now, the ground forces' top priority was capturing Iril to neutralize her ability—trusting Ronan to slay the giant king. 'Truly remarkable.' Ronan glanced down and chuckled wryly. Roughly a hundred thousand moved in perfect order. In terms of formation precision and synchronization, they surpassed even sane troops. 'Well, she originally commanded a million.' The Grand General's skill hadn't declined from her past life. Even in his fourth life, limited to observation, she'd grown further from what she'd learned. Suddenly, the king's voice boomed from ahead. 『You, you cowardly mortal...!』 "Yeah. You call me?" Ronan looked up. The giant king growled, breathing heavily. Blue blood still seeped from wounds on his neck and chest. They had healed somewhat since the start, but their depth made recovery tough. Moreover, dozens of new cuts marred his body—Ronan's handiwork since the second round began. Blood flowed endlessly from the minor ones, as he focused on sealing the major wounds. Since discovering this, Ronan targeted only hard-to-defend spots relentlessly. 'This is how you take down big beasts.' Excessive bleeding was fatal even to giants. Ronan's shifted tactics effectively enraged the king. Unfurling eight wings at once, he bellowed. 『Stop toying with me and fight properly! Where's that earlier bravado?!』 "Gave it to the dog." 『You insolent worm...』 As the king tried to continue, Ronan pointed his sword tip at him. The sunset aura thickened, gravity intensifying. Whoosh! Ronan shot forward, unleashing another slash. The sluggish king couldn't dodge as nimbly. Ramancha arced with his tail-like swing, slicing the king's calf. 『Grah!』 "Oh, same spot." Ronan whistled at the gushing blood. The king was truly strong, but battles turned on unpredictable variables. Swoom! Dodging the king's swing effortlessly, Ronan spoke. "The moment you let that hit, it was over. You've lost." 『Your arrogance knows no bounds. Such nonsense... urk!』 Before the king finished, Ronan slashed again. Blood sprayed from near the elbow this time. 『Kraaaagh!』 Splatter! Repeated hits drove the king to a roar. Impossible as it seemed, defeat loomed. Patience exhausted, he raised his greatsword high. 『Fine, then! I'll start by obliterating what you protect! Try blocking this!』 "What?" Ronan's eyes widened. The dialogue felt ominous. Rumble... Light particles gathered from all directions, swirling around the blade. He shouted. "Damn it, stop!" It wasn't hard to guess his intent. Changing tactics like Ronan, the king aimed to wipe the ground forces first. 'Damn, my trump card.' Ronan grimaced. Asel and Adeshan held firm, but that blast would likely overwhelm them. Gripping his hilt, he steadied himself. 'One shot.' He'd need his ace. Meant for a sure kill, but no choice. As he gauged distance and activated mana— Buuoom! The clouds overhead exploded apart. "Damn, what?!" Startled, Ronan cursed. A vast shadow blanketed the land. His neck hairs standing, he turned. Beyond the starry night sky, a red dragon immense enough to dwarf the giant king descended, cleaving the air. "Navardoje...!" 『What?』 Ronan's eyes widened. It was unmistakably the Mother of Fire. As the mana-gathering king turned a beat late— Crunch! Navardoje dove like an eagle on prey, slamming her hind leg into his chest. 【So you're their leader!】 『Gaaaargh!』 Navardoje cried out. Blood erupted from the king's maw. Unlucky for him—the spot matched Ronan's deep cut. She crushed him straight to the ground. Ka-boom! The impact shook the heavens like a volcano erupting. Releasing his power, Ronan exclaimed. "You really survived...!" A miraculous return. As Adeshan said, Navardoje lived. As Ronan marveled at her swift competence— Stunned, Adeshan muttered softly. "I... haven't sent the detachment yet." She'd prioritized calming Iril, holding back reinforcements for Navardoje. No clue what happened. 『Your Majesty...!』 The ground-attacking giants roared in shock. As they turned to aid him— Kwaaa! Twin beams from behind the clouds swept through them. 『Hurk!』 『Guh...!』 Pained cries erupted. Most had lost blessings fighting ground forces. The beams, bright as daylight, seared their skin severely. Above where Navardoje descended, a man's and a woman's voices echoed. 【Fortunately—】 【—we're not too late.】 "Those voices." Unforgettable tones. Soon, a colossal form rivaling Navardoje appeared. Golden scales scarred yet breathtakingly beautiful. At the long-missed sight of the twin dragons, Ronan gasped involuntarily. "Dragon King...!"