Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Legendary Ability, Wanna Control It? - 2
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As the blue storm erupted into being,
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ 【World Quest Objective: Protect the Holy Temple from the Storm's Horde.】 "!"
Everyone, climbers and NPCs alike.
That was why their eyes filled with terror as they gazed at the raging blue storm. The massive blue flames slicing vertically through the dark night sky inspired dread simply by existing.
And that blue storm was heading straight for the Holy Land.
Niva murmured blankly from beside me.
"Feels like things just got way bigger."
"Yeah."
I let out a groan as I watched the storm recede faster than expected. Then Angela, who had approached unnoticed, spoke up.
"Savior, look at the base of the storm."
"!"
Just as she said, peering at the storm's underside revealed shadowy figures wriggling amid the eerie blue staining the horizon. Like the horde from before, it resembled a legion slithering forward.
'No, these look even more... human.'
But.
The newly appeared legion had snakes for heads. They were exactly the snake people from Emil's nightmare.
"Snake people, huh. So the ones Emil saw are showing up now?"
"Those are... the Eternal Serpent's minions."
I turned at Angela's words, as if she knew their true nature.
"Eternal Serpent?"
"Yes."
Angela explained with an uneasy expression.
"It's the colossal serpent from myth, servant to the Goddess of the Earth. Just rearing up casts shadows over the land and brushes clouds with its nose—so immense. Unlike the goddess who wields abundance and blessings, it commands the essence of death."
Servant of the Goddess of the Earth.
The 'Eternal Serpent' was said to be an ancient god overseeing reincarnation and immortality. In ancient myths, it revived mountains of corpses from every war as its minions to fight.
"But the myths depict the Eternal Serpent as having died in that war."
"Has the Eternal Serpent been revived?"
"I don't know."
"... ."
There were plenty of unsettling details.
But that wasn't what mattered now.
I set aside the serpent for the moment and asked,
"Fine, let's ignore what we don't know and narrow our focus. First off, what's special about those minions?"
"They possess an incomplete version of the Eternal Serpent's immortality attribute. That's why they've lost their souls and revive endlessly, no matter how many times you kill them."
"Can't they be killed for good?"
"No, attacks infused with life force—holy power, blood magic, or flames that purify death—can neutralize them."
"Neutralize... ."
Not kill them completely?
The Storm King provided the answer to that question surprisingly quickly. Several of the endlessly spawning foes below were swept into the blue storm.
-Shaa aak—!!
-Shiiik! Shiiik—!
But the ones shredded to pieces amid the brightly blazing fiery storm rose again the moment they hit the ground. It was so vivid in the eerie blue flames that we saw it clearly.
I groaned again.
"... ."
'Smashed to hamburger from dozens of meters up, and they revive. Even dropping rocks to pulp them wouldn't keep them down.'
Essentially, zombies on steroids.
Even if their base specs were nothing special, the endless regeneration made them deadly.
'Okay, strategy revised.'
I turned to Niva and said,
"Niva, first warp me and Angela to the Holy Land."
"Planning to handle them with Blessing Explosion there?"
Nice.
Our little bunny caught on quick.
I nodded and replied,
"Yeah. Then send Abel and the Lord's forces in waves. Block the front line as much as possible."
"I can only warp two at a time... It'll take nearly an hour to move everyone."
"Doesn't matter. We're holding the Holy Temple no matter what. Send two at a time there. Leave the villagers here—it's safer for them."
"Got it."
Leave the villagers at the makeshift fortress and warp key forces bit by bit. With our plan set, we warped away in an instant.
Poof!
Sure enough.
Snake people were already emerging on the plains around the walled Holy Land, swarming in. Climbers, including the Holy Knights, had their backs to the walls, driving back the snake people.
-Strike of Justice!! Repent—!!
-Holy Iron Fist—!!
-Begone from the land of the living—!!
Bright lights and flames flashed everywhere. Leaving Niva—who vanished to ferry more people—I and Angela headed toward the frontmost fighters.
"Haaap! Strike of Justice—!"
Flash!
As the half-elf holy knight thrust his sword, golden energy bound and neutralized a snake person. He wielded his massive sword and shield against dozens at once.
We sped past that battlefield.
Flying.
Shwoong—!
Hanging onto Angela with her Avant-Garde wings spread, I shouted as we flew.
"Sir Aslan!"
"!"
Aslan turned with a delighted face.
"Lord! The World Quest has begu—un!"
-Shaa aak!
He kicked an oncoming snake person away, sending it flying skyward with brute force, then continued.
"...I heard! Since then, these snake people keep coming endlessly, and we're holding them off. Climbers including the Sword Empress have formed lines to defend the Holy Land!"
"Good."
I explained the current situation and our plan using Blessing Explosion. Plant trees while climbers hold, explode and endure, then dogpile the Storm King when he arrives.
Simple plan,
Aslan grasped it after just a couple questions.
"Hm, the Storm King comes as a storm itself. Fitting his moniker."
"Sorry. Didn't expect the Storm King to transform mid-battle like that."
"Haha! No apologies! Then the Holy Knights' job is... one thing!"
Aslan bashed another charging snake person with his shield and grinned.
"...right? Aslan, legend-grade holy knight, I'm confident when it comes to throwing my body around. We'll hold the Holy Land come hell or high water!"
"Count on you."
Still clinging to Angela, I flew to the Sword Empress blooming flowers of blood on the battlefield. Quick on the uptake, she got it in one go.
The Sword Empress shouted to the Hundred Swords Society disciples fighting nearby.
"Until the Storm King arrives, the Hundred Swords Society forms up and charges! When he nears, we go straight into the boss fight!"
"Understood!"
"Understood!"
"Understood!"
With strategy briefed and situation relayed to the climbers, and Niva hustling to warp Lord's forces and climbers piecemeal, the battlefield churned chaotically.
The snake people didn't come from one direction—they sprouted from the ground everywhere. Front lines lost all meaning.
'Zombies popping from the earth, no clean lines forming.'
A chaotic melee everywhere.
Angela and I stabilized spots with Blessing Explosion combos.
"Growth!"
"Power of life—!"
Fwaaah—!
Blessing exploding grass and trees grown across dozens of meters on barren soil. Dozens of snake people caught in the life-force holy prayer.
-Shiiik! Shiiik—!
-Shaa aak...!
They convulsed and fell. But soon their bodies turned to tiny snakes and burrowed underground. Probably the secret to their quick regen we'd seen.
I murmured blankly.
"...They vanish into the earth."
"Minions of a god with immortality and reincarnation. Give it time, and they'll rise again right away."
"Then all we can do is thin their numbers until the Storm King arrives."
"Yes!"
Fortunately,
The Blessing Explosion combo outpaced their regen cooldown, steadily reducing numbers.
The front stabilized; Holy Knights and Lord's forces shifted from dogpiles to rough formations. But the lull didn't last.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ 【World Quest Objective: Protect the Holy Temple from the Storm's Horde.】 "!"
Scorching heat hit,
and far across the wasteland, the blue fiery storm approached slowly. Its eerie glow in the darkness silhouetted the screaming skull king's form at the storm's core.
The Skull King bellowed from within the storm.
[Aaah! So unjust... Unjust—!! Before I could become the true King of Death, to abandon my 'fate' and pour out the soul power I've gathered for 200 years—!!] I pondered his wail briefly.
"... ."
'Referring to falling to World Quest boss before meddling in the main quest?'
But he kindly added a footnote.
[Using the Pope and old archbishops' reincarnations as bait, my grand scheme to become this land's true master was right there!! You, Lucius Baran—!! You ruined it all—!!] "!"
'Ah, got it.'
If I'd dragged the main quest longer,
it might've felt like the Storm King joining as final boss.
While wasting time politicking in the Holy Land, the Storm King raids climbers from behind! Horde only pierceable via Saintess's 'Flower Blessing'!
Something like that questline.
I murmured in admiration.
"Wow, Storm King sure is considerate with explanations."
But the Storm King must've heard.
[You fucking bastard—!!] With a thunderous roar,
thousands of snake people erupted from the ground.
-Shaaa aak—!!
-Shaaa aak—!!
-Shaaa aak—!!
-Shaaa aak—!!
For some reason... .
It felt like gazing into legendary hell.
I glanced aside. The pink-haired saintess met my eyes with resolute determination. To her, now familiar, I said,
"Angela."
"Yes."
Not strategy,
but voicing the irony I felt now.
"Everything's gone totally sideways."
"Pardon?"
"Seems like the path we're taking isn't what this world wanted. Lord or saintess... we're not following our fated scripts."
"...Yes."
"Still, let's protect it."
"For the quest? The temple?"
"No."
"?"
The quest's already a mess anyway.
What we must guard isn't some trivial goal.
'Born as NPCs, but no need to let the Tower control our hearts too.'
So we fight for the most human reason.
I grinned and answered,
"To protect precious memories. Let's keep that little cabin by the waterwheel safe. Stop that storm from sweeping into Waterwheel Village."
"!"
Where we met the two angel siblings.
The scribbles on the tiny cabin walls.
Derrick and Daisy Siblings' Secret Cabin
Moonlit Dinner Spot
And whoever sees this, build a fence! Goblins keep knocking it down!
So hungry... wish there was food
Petty, grueling memories.
But those memories birthed her.
I called 'her' name.
"You can do it, right? Daisy?"
"...!"
Angela's eyes wavered. In a trembling voice, she asked,
"How did you know my original name?"
"Just, only one pair of sibling names scribbled in the waterwheel cabin."
"Really, truly... Savior, you—."
"Like flowers stained with blood, painful and harsh memories. But let's keep them as memories anyway. That's how we survive onward."
"... ."
"Fighting just 'cause saintess or lord feels half-hearted."
"... ."
The girl from Waterwheel Village—starving before reviving from earth—Daisy beamed.
"Glad it's you."
"Yeah?"
She gripped my hand tight.
I felt her surging resolve.
"Then let's go, Daisy!"
"Yes!"
We reached forward together.
"Growth!"
"Light of life—!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Thousands of snakes writhing under the blessing across the wasteland. One man charged across that vast plain, fresh from the fiercest fighting.
"Haaap—!"
Vice Captain of the Holy Knights.
Aslan hurled his shattered armor fragments and charged ahead.
"Shield of the divine! Protect me!"
Where Aslan charged.
A massive storm raged there. Within lurked a being cradling 200 years of death. It smiled in satisfaction at the valiant challenger's approach.
[Kukuku...! Foolish challenger, noble hero.] Ah, this is it.
This makes ruling worthwhile.
Even discarding fate,
degenerating to mere natural disaster... .
He was a lofty king.
A fair fight!
The boundary of life and death!
Separate from actual cowardice, it was the duel of a lord who loved pomp and ceremony. Thus the Storm King twisted his skull face in laughter.
[Kahahahaha!] To the hero charging toward him, he revealed a cruel truth in return.
[Do you still think your goddess exists?] Aslan faltered.
"What?"
[Love that look. So I'll share this world's horrific truth specially.] "...!"
[No Goddess of the Earth remains in this world. Oh! Morning Star and Sky too, of course. This land is trash discarded by the gods.] "... ."
[Well, holy knight? Your die-hard goddess abandoned this land long ago! Kahahahaha—!] "No idea."
[Fool. Choosing to play dumb after all.] The moment the Storm King felt disappointment.
Aslan shook his head and said,
"No, I don't get it. What about the Goddess of the Earth? People gotta live—how can anyone live or die for that?"
[?] His thoughts froze briefly. Then the Storm King gasped in shock.
[No way he misunderstood 'live or die for' that badly...?] Aslan cut him off unilaterally.
"Dumping heavy stuff one-sided like that puts me in a tough spot."
[....] "Anyway. Complicated stuff doesn't matter."
Aslan pointed at himself confidently.
"I believe only in myself. Legend-grade holy knight Aslan believes only in human goodness and justice! So I'll stop you from harming good people—!"
[....] The Storm King sighed.
[...Not a hero, just a moron. Fuck, cowards and idiots as my challengers....] Kwaaaang—!!
With massive flames,
he roared at this wretched world.
[I won't forgive... Won't forgive—!!] "Kugh—!?"
Toward valiant Aslan,
unreasonable flames of fury blazed.