Chapter 311
Chapter 311
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 311
Chapter Title: Endgame (2)
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『Finally. Is it dead?』
A familiar voice echoed from above the sky. At the eerie sense of déjà vu, Ronan raised his head. Only an empty white space stretched out endlessly.
"Abel...!"
No one was visible. But that had been unmistakably Abel's voice. While Ronan glared at the sky with bulging eyes,
『Truly futile. Acting like you'd live forever, yet in the end, you've wound up the same as those you cherished.』
Suddenly, the voice came from right beside him. Ronan hastily whipped his gaze downward and gasped. Abel had appeared out of nowhere, examining the Savior's corpse.
"What."
『Now get some rest. Foolish brother.』
He hadn't detected the slightest movement. After spitting out the words like they were chewed-up gristle, Abel gently closed the Savior's eyes as if in prayer. Then he opened his own and finally turned to Ronan.
『We meet again. Nephew.』
Abel smiled thinly. His severed limbs had regrown. The shattered sword and his half-corpse of a body had been fully restored to their original state.
"You fucking bastard!"
Ronan reflexively unleashed a slash. The blade rocketed toward Abel's neck at a speed that defied perception. Clang-! A savage metallic clang rang out.
"What..."
『So hasty. We're all doomed anyway—no need to rush your appointment with death?』
Ronan's eyes widened. Abel had already drawn his sword, parrying Ramancha with a look of utter leisure. Just like before, there had been no visible draw.
'What the hell?'
Cold sweat trickled down Ronan's temple. This was leagues beyond when he'd hacked off Abel's limbs. The aura radiating from him felt utterly alien now.
『Easy now. Fortunately for you lot, I'm in quite a good mood at the moment.』
Every hair on Ronan's body stood on end. It hadn't been this bad even against Navardoje or Ahayute—hell, not even the Giant King on first encounter. His instincts were screaming at him to run.
Come to think of it, the exact same energy he'd sensed from the Giant King was pouring off this bastard undiluted. Was it connected to how they'd all vanished in an instant?
'Fight him now, and I lose.'
Ronan slowly sheathed his sword. No room for rash moves here. Abel chuckled at the sight.
『Smart as always.』
Abel sheathed his own blade quietly as well. Not sure if he was savoring the moment, but his softened features brimmed with composure. When Ronan stayed silent, Abel spoke first.
『Rejoice. My long-cherished plan has finally come to fruition. Took an eternity, but I pulled it off.』
"Long-cherished plan?"
『That's right. All those smug baldies are gone. They've become part of me—along with every other soul they've ever absorbed.』
With that, Abel thumped his chest with his fist. He wasn't sure of the details, but it sounded like the bastard had absorbed every last drop of the giants' power and life force. Suddenly glancing around, he muttered in admiring tones.
『That said, brother really is something else. Gave him power and everything, and not a single one of you dropped? You know that last strike wrecked thirty percent of your star, right?』
"...What?"
Ronan's face hardened. What kind of bullshit was this? Not thirty percent of the capital district—the whole damn world? Abel pressed on.
『Empire dodged it by a hair, but double-digit countries got wiped off the map. Happy yet? At this rate, we'll wrap things up in no time.』
"Just what the hell... are you trying to do?"
Ronan clenched his jaw after a long silence. He couldn't even begin to guess at Abel's endgame.
Until now, he'd figured the guy was dead-set on offering up the planet to those baldies and joining their ranks. But he'd wiped them out too—and crowned himself some kind of king in the process.
『...Yeah, guess it's time I spilled it. We're at the finale, after all. You'll be thanking me soon enough.』
Abel cackled at the question. The ghastly laugh sent chills rattling through Ronan's bones. He was just about to say something when—
【You bastard!!】
Both heads snapped around. A pitch-black shadow hurtled toward them in the shape of roaring flames. Ronan's brow furrowed deeply.
"That's...!"
He'd snapped out of it somehow. The red glowing eyes and limp tail were unmistakably the Shadow Archduke's. Of all the shitty timing. Ronan bellowed urgently.
"You idiot, stop!"
He got that rage had blinded him, but there was no way he could match this guy. Ronan tried to intercept, but the Archduke had already kicked off the ground to meet him head-on. Reaching him in a flash, Abel drew his sword.
『Just a mosquito. Never could stand your kind.』
【What...!】
Abel flashed a sinister grin. The Archduke's eyes bulged at the speed that shattered all expectations. Shlick-! Like splitting firewood, the shadow cleaved in two. The bisected body sprawled across the ground, trailing a long smear of blood.
【Gack!】
"You absolute fucking prick!"
It had all happened in an instant. Ronan was already lunging sword-first when Abel, mid-laugh, furrowed his brow.
『...Hm?』
He froze in place. Massive dark-red tentacles had erupted from the ground, coiling around him. They looked like some kind of blood magic; even as he thrashed, they wouldn't let go.
Suddenly, the Archduke's severed upper half let out a low chuckle.
【Heh... hehehe... can't... budge now...】
"Archduke?"
Ronan's eyes went wide. He'd realized the guy had baited him with his own body to unleash a major spell.
『As if parlor tricks like this make a difference now. You know better.』
Abel snorted, slicing at the tentacles. Whoosh! Something sliced through the air and punched straight through his chest. Blinking, he glanced down. A spiral spearhead had shattered his ribcage from within.
『This... stings a little.』
【Damn you. Not even faking the pain.】
Despite the grievous wound, Abel remained nonchalant. A grumble drifted from the spear's trajectory. Turning, Ronan spotted Orse clicking his tongue.
"Orse?"
【What're you doing, moron? Standing there all soulless.】
Orse growled at Ronan. His pupils had narrowed to slits in extreme tension. Ronan clocked that he was barely holding back his terror.
Crunch! Suddenly, the ground beneath Abel upheaved and swallowed him whole. The writhing earth and stone molded into a spherical prison. Wood, grass, and solid ice then layered over it like packaging.
"This."
Ronan froze. Figuring out who'd done it wasn't hard. Rorhon, catching his breath and stroking his beard, muttered,
"...Well now. Things just got complicated."
The archmage's usually confident face was ashen white. He was instinctively sensing just how dangerous Abel had become.
With a gesture from Rorhon, the sphere slowly rose into the air. Accompanied by grinding roars, it began shrinking bit by bit.
He'd thought maybe crushing it outright, but no. Dozens of geometric magic circles materialized seamlessly across its bumpy surface—damage amplifiers Ronan knew well.
Suddenly, Adeshan's voice rang in Ronan's mind.
[Now's the time. Hit him!]
Ronan's eyes widened. At the same instant, the rock prison rocketed high into the sky. Fallen soldiers and dragons staggered to their feet en masse.
"Woooaaah!"
"Damn it, I thought I was gonna go blind!"
Cheers erupted everywhere. Their eyes all carried a hazy gray tint—proof Adeshan's ability had forcibly pumped their morale.
The echoes of those roars had barely faded when tens of thousands of arrows and projectile spells rained toward the isolated sphere.
【Vanish!】
"L-let me go home already!"
"You bastard! Our village was in that forest you nuked!"
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-!KABOOM! Explosions of every color lit up the night sky. Deafening blasts hammered one after another. Allied soldiers—even the wounded dragons—were overexerting themselves to cast spells.
"Hngh... haa... urp!"
Adeshan, channeling shadow mana, clamped a hand over her mouth and retched. She'd pushed way too hard.
Suddenly, her gaze locked with Ronan's from afar. Wiping her mouth with her sleeve, she shouted aloud.
"Ronan...! Haa, we have to take him now! I don't know what he is, but he's dangerous...!"
"Grand General."
"Pull it together. We can't let up. You're the only one we can count on right now!"
Her tone carried raw desperation. It didn't take long to piece it together: this full-force ambush on Abel had been her plan all along.
She'd spotted the danger first and was gunning for a quick finish before things escalated further. Every ally on the field was unloading everything they had.
"...Shit!"
His head was finally clearing. Ronan spat a curse as realization hit late. He'd admitted it: the shock of his father's death and Abel's absurd power had cowed him.
Shame and fury coiled around him. Vivid crimson blazed up Ramancha's blade. Legs reinforced with mana, Ronan kicked off the ground.
KABOOOM!! At the same instant, the rock prison exploded. Despair settled on everyone's faces. That leisurely expression mocked all their efforts. Abel reemerged without a scratch.
【Goddamn it...】
Orse gnashed his teeth. His own spiral spear was clutched in Abel's hand. Renewed lethal projectiles screamed in from every direction—front, back, left, right—but Abel neutralized them all with slashes too fast to see.
『Told you. All for nothing.』
"Shut your trap, you scum-sucking whore!"
Ronan alone hadn't fallen into despair. The gap had closed completely. Meeting his eyes, Abel curled his lip.
『Fine. A little warmup before the main event won't hurt.』
Tossing the spear aside, Abel gripped his sword properly. Both men's arms vanished from sight.
The two slashes collided midair. KAAAAANG-!! A chillingly crisp metallic peal rang out over the wasteland that had once been a forest. Adeshan watched the monsters clash, then spoke.
"...What you said telepathically—is it true?"
"Yeah."
Alibriehe nodded. He'd slipped over to Adeshan amid the battlefield chaos.
In his human youth guise, he clutched a single round stone. Adeshan let out a groan before asking again.
"I hope we don't need it... but can you pull it off?"
Her voice dripped with heavy concern. The answer came without hesitation.
"I have to."