Chapter 309
Chapter 309
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 309
Chapter Title: Finale (1)
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"Finally..."
Abel muttered. If only his two legs had been properly attached, it wouldn't have taken this long. Time had dragged on far longer than expected. His chilled body had almost no sensation left.
'Gotta end this quick.'
Fleeing from the main peak, he had somehow arrived in the giants' world. A sphere as massive as the imperial palace throbbed before Abel's eyes.
The sphere was the energy mass the giants called the "Origin." Abel had thrust his remaining hand into it. An indescribable, overwhelming force spread through his entire body.
"Incredible power..."
There was a reason the giants revered it. The white clouds, which had flowed silently before, now swirled violently around the Origin. Low, thick voices echoed ceaselessly from all around.
Each word threatened to tear his eardrums, but Abel showed no reaction. Thousands of giants—at least that many—surrounded him.
"How dare you touch His heart!"
One giant bellowed. Even the usually composed ones couldn't hide their panic this time. They should have dragged Abel out immediately, but they hesitated, fearing damage to the Origin.
"How does it feel, you bald bastards? This is the power of a mortal."
Abel chuckled as he scanned the giants' faces. Their frantically flapping wings betrayed their desperation. Nothing was more amusing than watching these arrogant beings plunge into despair.
Abel had planned this for a very long time. He had bowed his head to the giants through mortal crises and humiliating ordeals—all for this moment.
This mass served as the heart of the entire giant race and could only be touched when the king was absent. Shwaaak! Abel took another step forward, plunging his arm fully into the Origin.
"What are you trying to do?!"
The giants' faces twisted once more. Instead of answering, Abel flashed a sinister smile.
Memories of what he had sacrificed for this moment flashed before his eyes. Finally recalling his time with Cain, he spoke with grim resolve.
"Watch closely from there. Watch us mortals march toward immortality."
"...Abel!"
The giant king sighed. He watched Abel through their shared senses. The filthy traitor had reached the Origin in the blink of an eye.
He was slowly pushing his body into the Origin's core. Whatever he planned felt deeply ominous. The star children refrained from attacking, lest they harm the Origin.
"How dare... a mere speck of cosmic dust..."
The king gnashed his teeth. Suddenly, a recent memory surfaced. When Abel had visited his world, he had taunted him aloud: "Are you afraid to descend to this planet?"
That single remark had sparked everything. Wary of the previous king's disappearance, the king hadn't intended to descend—but the provocation had drawn him down. Kwaaaang! Eight wings unfurled in an instant.
"Out of my way!"
"H-Hes running!"
The battle watchers cried out in shock. Ignoring them, the king shot into the sky. Utterly humiliating, but he had to stop Abel first.
"Where do you think youre going mid-fight?!"
Ronan, clashing swords with the king, bellowed. They thought his injuries had grounded him, but he still had reserves.
Regrettable for the king, but Ronan and the others had no intention of letting him go easily. Mana-reinforced thighs swelled massively.
"Stop!"
Ronan kicked off the ground, leaping vertically. Barely catching up, he thrust his broad back-mounted sword deep. Pook! The blade pierced flesh and lodged in a wing bone.
"Kruuuh...!"
The king's body lurched violently. But he didn't stop climbing. Ronan cursed at the unexpected reaction.
"You bastard..."
Kwaaaa! Dragging Ronan, the king rocketed toward the magic circle overhead. Just two or three wingbeats from entry. Suddenly, dizzying pain struck.
"Ugh...!"
Pain he couldn't ignore. His body felt heavier; his brow furrowed.
Turning, he saw massive ice spikes piercing one wing and a thigh. Confirming hits, Asel shrugged in shock.
"I-I hit!"
"You... mage."
Gazing down, the king gripped his sword hilt. He knew this red-haired mage through shared senses. Insolent mortal stealing the stars' power.
He deserved to be torn apart, but no time. The struck areas froze slowly. Shaking off the pain, he tried flying again.
Paaaang! A black comet-like sword from the flank pierced his third right wing. Simultaneously, a dark shadow from the opposite side severed his fourth left wing completely.
Orse and the Shadow Archduke. Freed from Iril's hallucination, they were furious. Then, an invisible colossal force crushed the king from above.
"Kuhuk!"
Unprecedented pressure. Plummeting nearly a hundred meters, the king barely stabilized mid-air. Witnessing it, Rorhon wiped blood from his lips and sighed.
"Damn, my trump card."
He'd used all his power but failed to restrain him. Not entirely futile, though. Unable to endure, the king roared.
"How dare you-!!"
Hwaaaak! His five remaining wings exploded outward. The gale uprooted mountains, flinging Orse and the Shadow Archduke away.
"Kraaaak!"
"I swear, no matter what, I will destroy this star!"
The king cried. Too late to turn back. Irrepressible rage boiled from his depths.
Shaking off interferers, he surged toward the magic circle again. As he thrust his head inside—
Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind.
"I'm still here."
"What..."
For the first time, the king felt fear. All feathers bristled. In the chaos, he'd forgotten. Ronan still clung to his back.
"So... you should've forgotten."
Ronan muttered through gritted teeth. Ramancha, buried to the hilt, glowed an unprecedented intense crimson.
The slender blade held all the power Ronan had conserved. Releasing it would shred the king's heart with condensed sword energy.
"You... you dare!!"
"It's over here. Took long enough."
The king snarled, but Ronan ignored him. As he prepared to unleash— Paaaa-! A dazzling wave erupted from the sky-covering magic circle.
"What the?"
Ronan frowned at the inexplicable phenomenon. White light rippled across the battlefield. Suddenly, strength drained from the king's impaled body.
"Euk..."
"Huh?"
The sensation shifted like rock to mud. Ronan yelped in confusion. What's going on? I haven't done anything yet?
"What the hell is this?"
Without time for words, the king plummeted. Kwaaaang! The massive body crashed into the ground with a thunderous boom.
Remaining giants began falling one by one. Kwang! Kwaang! Collision sounds echoed. Ground soldiers watching the final clash buzzed.
"Th-The enemies are falling!"
"...Did we win?"
Changes continued. The sky-covering magic circles linking to the giants' world faded. The total peak, blanketed in eerie white, transformed.
"Hey, this is where we started!"
"The landscape's changing..."
Melted snow revealed grass and flowers. Sky and earth soon regained their original colors.
The alliance army stood at their original camp marching toward the main peak. Surrounding olive forests swayed in the night breeze.
"Hey, look over there!"
Someone shouted. The sprawled king's body dissolved. From extremities, it turned to light and vanished, like ashes crumbling in wind.
Other giants too. Corpses covering the ground particle-ized and floated away. Soon, Ronan rose where the king's body had been.
"Damn it, what just happened?"
"Ro-Ronan!"
Friends seeing him covered their mouths in shock. Despite the fall from height, Ronan was unscathed. Asel, first to rush over, teared up.
"Y-You did it... I can't believe you really...!"
"Incredible, you're really, truly..."
Tears poured from Marya's eyes. They thought Ronan had slain the giant king. Ronan twisted his lips without responding.
'I didn't kill it.'
Deeply suspicious. An unidentified foreboding crept up. Why did this happen so suddenly? Unaware of the truth, others rejoiced.
"W-We won!"
"Hooray! Hooray!!"
Thunderous cheers erupted everywhere. Loud enough to reach the capital. Soldiers, confirming comrades alive, embraced and wept. Amid the joyous atmosphere—
[Everyone, snap out of it! Watch the sky!]
Adeshan's telepathy boomed in everyone's minds. Far louder than before, people winced. Ronan, scanning urgently, locked eyes with her.
"What, why..."
Her face was deathly pale. Ashen gaze fixed on the now-empty sky where the magic circle had vanished. Indescribable dread made his hairs stand. As Ronan approached her, the pitch-black night sky turned white.
"What is..."
Ronan's eyes widened. As if the whole world was engulfed in lightning. Before he could speak, the sky began collapsing.
"......!"
Ronan sensed it. Attacks like the giants' light spears rained down. But the scale was absurdly vast.
'No.'
All present intuited death. Yet in that instant, only Ronan could move. In slowed time, he saw landscape elements decompose into particles.
Floating clouds first, then the towering Baidian Mountains. The pouring light erased from high to low. Warship Dinhar's upper parts vanished, exposing machinery within.
'Too late.'
Ronan gritted his teeth. Same trajectory as giants' attacks—he could slash to offset. But too many to protect. At least 70% would die.
"Damn it...!"
Regardless of calculations, his body moved. To save those nearby. Gathering remnants, as he gripped the hilt—
In his peripheral vision, a familiar voice echoed.
"Conserve your strength."
"What..."
Ronan turned toward the voice. The savior stood there, arms raised skyward like receiving something.
"Father?"
Ronan's eyes widened. The savior moved in slowed time too. An enigmatic faint smile graced his lips. A hemispherical barrier now enveloped the entire alliance army.
"What are you doing...!"
The savior drew no one's mana. Witnessing the recklessness, Ronan shouted. Finally, the white light collided with the barrier.
Kwaaaaa-! Amid world-shaking thunder, everything turned blinding white.