Chapter 382
Chapter 382
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 382
Chapter Title: 2-4. The Red and White World (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The true nature of the hand was a colossal structure.
From afar, it had looked unmistakably like part of a living creature, but up close, the feeling was entirely different.
What should I even call this thing?
It was a truly bizarre building.
'Did those giant bastards make this?'
It felt like illegal construction had been added onto a massive hand statue.
Each of the five fingers towered as high as Phileon's spires.
The flat, expansive palm faced parallel to the sky.
Judging by its snot-like, pale surface, it seemed modeled after the hands of those bald giants.
"Let's land first."
It seemed worth a closer look.
There was no other way to avoid plunging into the sea anyway.
I swung my sword toward the approaching water surface.
Boom!
The blade energy erupted like fire, clashing with the seawater.
"Ugh...!"
The scale was bigger than expected.
An explosion like a mine detonating went off.
My body, struck by the shockwave, was flung wildly.
I'd been flying almost straight, but I finally halted my flight by slamming my back into the giant hand's middle finger.
"Aaaagh! Fuck!"
That actually hurt.
The vibration echoed through the entire hand.
I somersaulted into a landing and rubbed my lower back.
Rin let out a sigh.
"Reckless. As always."
"We made it here, didn't we? That's what matters."
"True enough. I'd have died for sure without you."
Her tone was full of conviction.
I agreed completely.
Every time something like this happened, it hit me anew that I wasn't some ordinary guy.
But what could I do?
I'd been born with a body that could pull off this kind of nonsense.
"I'm not dead, see."
The palm was spacious enough for a stroll.
No cracks were visible, unfortunately, but it was littered with equally intriguing features.
"Speaking of which, an altar?"
"Oh yeah. Doesn't that finger give off that vibe? Something keeps coming out of it."
I nodded toward the fingertip.
It was so high I had to crane my neck all the way back.
Atop each of the five fingers stood a pointed structure.
They almost looked like nails at a glance.
"You're right."
"I'm sure I've seen that somewhere... Where was it?"
Five beams of light streamed from the nails, connecting sea and sky.
The sparkling mana unique to Nebula Klazie shimmered within the light.
I was wrestling with a powerful sense of déjà vu.
"Adren."
Snap!
My fingers flicked involuntarily.
The moment the memory surfaced, it was as clear as stifling a sneeze on the verge.
I'd seen something like this before.
It was back when I'd gone to the dragon city of Adren with Asel and Schlieffen.
Atop the sky tower where Dragon King Azidahaka dwelled.
"Those two-faced bastards were performing a ritual, and beams like that came from the magic circle. Remember?"
"Now that you mention it, kinda."
It had already been years since then.
The jealousy-blinded Dragon King had dragged in Nebula Klazie to gain power surpassing Navardoje.
Those cultist con artists had tricked him into performing a shady ritual.
Pretending to grant power while actually summoning a bald giant.
"Definitely. That's a signal to their baldhead world."
"What's the point, though? If the giants already conquered it like you said, no need to go there."
"Guess we'll find out now."
Curiosity demanded answers.
I unleashed a light slash at the index finger before me.
The blade dug into the surface and stopped midway.
"Oh?"
Pretty sturdy.
But what I wielded was the sharpest sword in the world.
A bit more force, and the blade smoothly carved into the inner wall.
A diagonal line etched across the finger's center.
The upper section slid along the cut and toppled toward the sea.
Boom!!
A crimson spray shot skyward.
The beams dwindled to four.
The water was clear enough to watch the finger sink.
"What? Nothing happened."
A touch disappointing.
I'd expected something to go down for sure.
I was about to hack off the rest in frustration.
Kwaaaaaah!
Suddenly, a dam-bursting roar exploded from behind.
"Fuck, what?!"
This wasn't ordinary.
I whipped my head around.
From the center of the vast palm, dark red seawater gushed up.
Like a whale spouting.
"We should dodge."
Rin chimed in.
I agreed.
The scale dwarfed the earlier splash.
I took cover behind the severed index finger.
The seawater that had surged to the heavens poured back, sweeping across the palm.
"Fucking brutal."
I clung to the finger's base like a cicada, watching the spectacle.
The current was so fierce, getting swept up would leave no bones.
The sudden geyser was dyeing the already eerie sea even redder.
'What's mixed in there? Not blood?'
The sensation wetting my face felt unpleasant.
Thicker than the previous red seawater.
Viscous enough to evoke blood, but no smell or taste.
The eruption lasted another ten minutes before stopping.
I descended from the finger and approached the geyser's source.
"A hole..."
A massive hole gaped in the palm's center.
That's where the seawater had come from.
Wide enough for even bald giants to pass through.
Deep enough that the bottom vanished into darkness.
I was peering into the depths when...
"Ronan."
"Yeah. I felt it."
Rin vibrated.
I nodded.
A definite presence stirred deep in the hole.
"This time it's certain. Something alive."
"One of those giants?"
"We'll see when we meet it. Let's go."
"Go? Wait..."
Before Rin could respond...
I took a running leap and plunged into the hole.
Darkness swallowed me almost immediately.
"Shit. How deep is this?"
Looking up, the hole entrance looked as small as the moon.
Deep enough to reach the seabed, no doubt.
Normally, speed would hold after a drop like that, but it felt like I was accelerating.
No—something was pressing down harder the deeper I went.
"I warned you about being reckless."
"Don't worry. This won't kill me."
But serious injury or worse was possible.
The wind roaring past my ears was vicious.
I jammed my sword into the wall before it got worse.
Kagagagak!
Sparks flew wildly as my descent slowed.
The hilt buzzed like it was complaining.
"Ow. It hurts, you idiot."
"Hang in there. You'll heal after drinking blood anyway."
"You're mean. You loved it earlier. That's why younger guys suck. Act like you'll pluck the stars, then toss me like chewed gum when bored."
"Damn, where'd you pick up that crap? Come to think of it, you've been acting all human lately, puffing up. Still reading weird smut?"
"Ugh."
The vibration stopped.
Hit the bullseye.
Truth was, I'd known for a while.
The refined holy sword lady's hobby was, surprisingly, devouring sensual novels.
"...Idiot. It's not smut, it's romance."
"Same difference. And romance my ass. From chapter two to the end, it's nonstop fucking. Is that normal romance? Look at you, you pervert knife..."
"S-Stop. I get it, just stop."
"Almost there. Hold on a bit. I'll let you slice all you want later."
Rin grumbled but quit complaining.
This weakness would come in handy.
The presence was drawing nearer.
The passage felt narrower, maybe my imagination.
About a minute passed.
"Alright, we're here."
The bottom finally appeared.
A faint glow leaked from the deep darkness.
But the floor's shape was odd.
A long, narrow line was etched on the flat surface.
I soon realized the entire floor was a massive gate.
"Goddamn. What now."
Something lay beyond.
As I gripped the hilt for another slash...
Hundreds of holes appeared on the adjacent wall.
"Huh?"
Each the size of a horse's ass.
They'd been closed before, invisible in the dark.
Before I could figure it out...
Kwaaaaaah!
Fierce jets blasted from every hole.
"This is...!"
My eyes widened at the rapidly rising water.
Incredibly, it was clean water pouring in through the holes.
The familiar briny sea scent filled the air.
'Not everything sucked dry of life after all?'
This was the seawater I knew.
Dozens of questions flashed, but no time to ponder.
The familiar seawater engulfed me in a blink.
"Gah!"
Drowning crossed my mind.
With a creak of hinges, the gate beneath me opened.
Rumble...!
From beyond, a thick red liquid surged up through the seawater.
"...!"
Far denser than what I'd seen on the palm.
The seawater stained rapidly.
Strong pressure began pushing my body out.
I'd get ejected with the geyser at this rate.
'Lend me some strength, Baren.'
I'd come this far; no backing down.
I swapped cores for the first time in ages.
Golden radiance enveloped my limbs.
Baren's aura, granting monstrous strength.
"Grulk."
I started swimming downward.
The current was hellish, but my mentor's power turned me into a salmon ascending a waterfall.
The moment I passed through the gate after the grueling descent...
Bang!!
The door slammed shut, and the liquid drained instantly.
"Gaaaaah!"
Nearly freefall speed.
I hit the ground hard seconds later.
By the time I cursed and stood, the liquid was gone.
"Fuck, what the hell? Make up your mind!"
Drainage system was top-notch.
My socks were soaked red, but Saranthe's coat remained pristine.
Where was this, anyway?
Dim like an underground dungeon.
The entrance gate formed the ceiling.
As I scanned the surroundings...
"I-Is someone there?"
"What?"
A voice echoed from nearby.
I spun around reflexively.
In the space's center—
Directly below the gate overhead—a dainty young woman sat slumped.
Her limbs bound in shackles, soaked to the bone just like me.
"You."
I couldn't hide my surprise.
A face I remembered.
The archbishop who'd stuck it out to the final war, tormenting the alliance.
The witch over a millennium old, practically Abel's right hand.
Her name was...
"Letansie?"
"Y-You know my name...! Are you Fantasion?! Or resistance?!"
The woman spasmed at her named called.
Thick blindfold kept her from seeing me.
No doubt.
This was Letansie, Nebula Klazie's archbishop.
The one whose head ultimately fell to Schlieffen's blade.
"I don't know who you are, but please get me out... I can't take anymore... Hic, even breathing hurts...!"
Letansie writhed.
No trace of her former dignity in that desperate struggle.
Of course, I was pleased.
This witch probably knew plenty.
About Fantasion, the resistance, all that.
"Alright. Let's hear it first."
The blade shot out.
The bisected blindfold fell to the floor.
A haggard but beautiful face emerged.
Letansie froze upon meeting my eyes.
"Who... are you?"