Chapter 455
Chapter 455
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: Akasha (2)
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Heavy rain was pouring down.
Billions of raindrops sliced through the world vertically, each one a razor-sharp cut. Visibility, shredded by the downpour, was so poor I couldn't even make out a rock five steps ahead. The sky, thick with dark clouds, offered only enough light to barely confirm it was daytime.
"What shitty weather. Sarante."
I muttered while looking outside.
A makeshift umbrella, twisted from space magic, shielded my head. Magic really was handy. Without it, I'd have been soaked to the bone, down to my underwear fibers, the moment I arrived.
I couldn't see clearly, but beyond the umbrella stretched a grand canyon.
Aged cliffs exposed raw strata, carrying the scent of ancient times. The roar of flash floods, the storm's howls echoed from every direction.
This was Da Konya, the sacred site on the continent's frontier.
The mana tracker, sensing Seniel's presence, had led me here.
A cracked voice burst from right beside me.
"Pardon? What did you just say?!"
"Kratir."
"I couldn't hear properly! More importantly, are you sure you're okay with this?!"
Krava Kratir shouted.
To cut through the deafening rain, he had to yell. His face was beet red, like a mating toad. It was an expression I'd never seen in my original world.
Realizing what he meant belatedly, I bellowed back.
"Yes! Thanks for everything! Head back before trouble starts!"
"No need to thank me! I'm worried!"
"What?"
"I said I'm worried... kuhk!"
Kratir's body jerked.
For someone nearly a century old, his volume was excessive. Clutching his chest and coughing, he suddenly snapped his fingers.
Snap!
A transparent hemisphere enclosed us. The rain's noise vanished.
Kratir cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Ahem... On second thought, a simple silence spell would've done the trick."
"Ah."
I hadn't thought of it either. Immersed in Akasha, I'd turned into a monkey for a moment. I scratched the back of my head sheepishly.
"No need to worry. It's nothing major; I'll be back soon."
"But this place feels off. It's not just the bad weather—the whole canyon has a strange aura. Even your master, Rorhon, expressed concern, saying he'd never heard of Da Konya."
"That old man's instincts are sharp."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing. Thanks for saying that."
A hollow laugh escaped me. A mage's intuition seemed real.
I owed much of my easy journey here to Kratir and Rorhon.
This morning, fed up with timeless, planless travels, I'd decided on spatial magic and asked Rorhon for help. After handing over Nebula Klazje's criminals without a drop of blood, I had ample justification.
'Wonder if the handover went smoothly.'
I'd sent a mage-post letter, and less than ten minutes later, a reply came. Surprisingly, the messenger bird was from Phileon Academy's principal, Krava Kratir.
Under his master's orders, he'd gladly served as my carriage. We'd chained short and long spatial jumps dozens of times to reach Da Konya. Even in this remote empire outlier, we'd arrived in under an hour.
"If you say so, Ronan, I have no choice. Then I'll take my leave."
"Yeah. Owe you big time."
"Don't mention it. By the way, most of the prisoners we handed over are detained in Rodolan for interrogation and reeducation. Cult leader Abel is in the palace dungeon basement for smooth communication. He spilled everything so readily, barely any questions left."
"His mind's probably shattered."
The last I'd seen of Abel, he was carrying Cain on his back, taking punishment. No need to worry. If my memory served, the guy's face, smashed into gravel, wore a strange look of pleasure.
"Oh, did you find that werebeast named Fantasion?"
"Ah... You mean that giant rivaling Jaiupa? I was about to mention it. The dawn after Abel's imprisonment, he trespassed the palace."
"What, a rescue attempt?"
"Surprisingly, to turn himself in. So meek, the fully mobilized imperial knights were embarrassed. Thanks to his earnest plea and His Majesty's mercy, he's jailed next to Abel."
"Phew, good thing. Would've been bloodshed if he'd fought."
I sighed in relief.
Whether convinced by Abel or self-realized, Fantasion not rampaging was a huge relief. Among flying, crawling archbishops, that deer was the strongest.
'Now I can fight without worries.'
Hearing about Abel and the archbishops eased my mind.
Honestly, I'd been concerned before the final battle.
If Emperor Uncle sentenced death, no choice, but ideally, I'd want them reformed and contributing to the world.
Time to part.
We shook hands. Kratir stroked his beard with a smile.
"Good luck, Ronan. Whatever your goal, may you achieve it."
"Take care of Phileon. A monstrous freshman joins next spring."
The dimensional gate opened and closed. As Kratir vanished, the spatial umbrella and silence spell naturally dissipated.
Rooooaaar!
The pent-up rain roared like thunder. Hail-like heavy drops pelted down. As expected, I was drenched head to toe in under two seconds.
Sweeping back my soggy bangs, I said,
"Time to hunt."
I immediately began searching for Seniel. The needle pointed deep into the canyon.
Ugly rocks littered the path. Massive boulders, far larger than humans, were so weathered by wind and rain their original shapes were unknowable.
"Completely mad. Carried that to the Vaidian Mountains?"
A hollow laugh escaped. These were Seniel statue candidates Sarante mentioned. Only rocks enduring millennia like that could be statues.
When Sarante first told me, I'd thought her long ears grew inward, rotting her brain. Now knowing Seniel existed, I respected it.
How long had I walked?
"...Hm."
I stopped before an utterly hideous rock.
Standing alone in an open flat, fully exposed to the rain. Different from the parallel world's, but the needle unerringly pointed here. Seniel's fragment in my inner pocket pulsed with faint light.
Placing my palm on its surface, I smiled confidently.
"Found you."
Definitely Seniel. Immense life force throbbed inside. No denying it—the grass sprouting nearby was irrefutable proof.
Its position differed greatly from the previous two parallel worlds, but I shrugged it off. Near-godlike, why not move?
"Out for a shave?"
With those words, I swung my sword.
A white line slashed Seniel's upper part. The top slid along the cut.
A heavy thud echoed, revealing dazzling innards like a gem mine.
"Star soul and all, you can take this, right?"
No reply.
Of course. Can't be a star soul if you can't endure this.
As I sheathed my sweeping blade,
Grrrrumble...!
Life force erupted from Seniel with a boiling roar. Like blood gushing from a severed neck. The multicolored aura bubbled out, flowing down like beer foam, then gaseous, rising skyward.
"Good. Up to here, perfect."
I muttered at the rainbow smoke.
Seniel's life force rose like a beacon. Eerily holding form amid fierce winds.
Anyone not blind could see it. Especially obsessive mages hunting Seniel.
'Prep's done.'
The pocket fragment absorbed overflowing life force.
Might not need it, but waste not—leaving food is bad.
The smoke now pierced the thunderheads.
"Lots happened while you hid."
I closed my eyes. Tracking space-jumping foes visually was near impossible.
Better to close eyes. Blocking sight sharpened other senses.
Water droplets shattering on skin felt vivid. Resentful winds drummed eardrums.
The wet stone and rain scent stung my nose, almost like taste.
"Let's end this."
I'd done all I could here.
Cleared Acalusia's shadows. Fixed my ball-less friend's fate. Reunited scattered family, fulfilled Cain's wish unrealized even in my original world.
As always, this parallel world would be led by the saved.
Only two disruptors: otherworld intruders.
"Come. Akasha."
Like sharks scenting blood. Eagles diving for prey.
Like you, always craving life.
Even whip-like rain no longer hurt.
Counting to 105 inside, I slowly opened my eyes.
Akasha stood before me.
『......』
He stared down silently.
Very close. Barely three steps.
As if by agreement, no attacks. We gauged each other, probing. Laughable, but proof of mutual recognition. Maybe he too believed it'd end instantly.
Hoped so.
As expected, right arm and left leg still severed.
"You, that?"
But major changes caught my eye.
His cloak and mask restored—nay, more ornate.
The once-smooth mask was plastered with emblems like our first meeting. All familiar. Lightning struck my brain.
My gaze fixed on one.
"Marya."
The golden cartwheel was unmistakably Countess Armallen Marya's crest. She'd bragged about designing it herself; I remembered clearly. Marya wouldn't change her house emblem over time.
The robe bore four or five glittering ornaments. Eye-catchers: plain emerald and gold fragment. I knew their origins.
"Instructor Naviroje... Jaiupa?"
The emerald adorned the pommel of cursed sword Urusa. The gold flake from Jaiupa's crescent blade head.
The world's sounds faded.
Suddenly, Akasha waved his left arm in greeting.
Something fell from the loose sleeve.
"This..."
My gaze dropped naturally. Two flat metal ingots lay at my feet. Platinum and gold processed, engraved with knight crushing dragon and lion howling at moon. Grancia and Acalusia symbols.
"Promissory notes."
No more rain sounds. Quieter than silence spell. Only my heart's growl from deep within.
Why these, my original world's people's items, with Akasha?
Answer obvious.
As I endlessly screamed at myself not to waver,
『■■. ■■.』
Akasha spoke.
Didn't catch it.
'Come at me, Ronan' or something?
Content irrelevant.
Impulse overrode reason.
"You fucking bastard."
Hand on hilt.
Everything but me slowed. Winds halted, billions of drops froze midair.
In slowed time, I drew. Fastest iaijutsu of my life. White line arced toward Akasha's mask. His left hand suddenly blocked.
"You."
No metallic clang yet. Sound would catch up later.
Secret art countered, but undaunted, I fully unsheathed. Blade returned. Neck hairs stood.
"...!"
Body's warning. Simultaneously, darkness burst from Akasha's hand. Surroundings drowned in shadow, ground collapsed. Akasha's world, abyss, unfolded.
『■.』
Akasha laughed. Ignored it. As expected.
I swung at fog-scattering Akasha.
Crimson blade held drifting cloud shards. World deployed since first miss.
『■■?!』
Akasha's eyes widened. Second slash comet-tailed through darkness.
With exploding sunset glow, my world unfolded.