Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Legendary Ability, Wanna Control It? - 3
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Kurrrung!
In the dark night, amid the wasteland where the winter winds should have blown silently, massive blue flames roared to life.
A storm wreathed in blue flames. Centered on the Skull King hovering in the sky, everything within hundreds of meters was being swept up in that tempest.
Kurrrung—!
The forest bent and burned away. Even the blessings conjured by the Savior and the Saintess were devoured in an instant by its ferocity.
As black as pitch-black darkness,
yet at times shining brighter than daylight in a bizarre spectacle.
Within it, the climbers were entangled in a frenzied melee. All to cut down the snake-men that kept emerging from the earth.
-Shiiik! Shiiik!
"Hah—!"
She shattered the charging snake-man with a mace infused with holy power. But soon enough, it regenerated, wrapped in blue flames, and lunged again.
-Shiiik—!
"Damn it! They never end! Holy Mace!"
Boom!
Such chaotic battles raged across the wasteland. Even the Skull King, slowly advancing on the storm's winds, was locked in combat with Aslan, who stood in its path.
The golden-haired, blue-eyed holy knight, clad head to toe in a golden aura, was batting away the barrage of blue flames raining down on him with his sword.
A human blocking the storm.
The King of the Storm bellowed at Aslan.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Do not interfere—!] "Your head's not on straight. Making a useless request like that! You ask favors by considering the other person's situation! Didn't your mother teach you that?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [You bastard!] Aslan had used a holy knight secret technique—'Provoke.'
"Haha, looks like you're no good with words either. Cursing means you've already lost the war of words! My dad taught me that!"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Shut up!] "Ah! With a skull for a face, I guess you don't have parents! Wanna come be our family pet skeleton?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Graaaah—!!] The humiliation of being called out on his behavior by an idiot.
Unable to contain his rage, the King of the Storm sprayed blue flames like a sprinkler—aimed solely at Aslan, ignoring everyone else.
Fwoooosh—!
"Tch!"
Aslan gritted his teeth and deflected the World Quest boss's onslaught. Attacks too tough to parry with his sword, he blocked with his shield.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
But even that had its limits.
Crack!
"!"
Another crack in his armor. How many was that now?
Standing alone had reached its breaking point.
But he couldn't pull back and swap with a party member just yet.
-Knock back the snake-men! Hold the line—!
-Clear all the trash mobs heading for Vice Captain Aslan!
-Only Vice Captain Aslan can hold the boss's aggro!
'Of all things, endless trash waves and attribute attacks in a field boss...'.
Thousands of snake-men swarming to encircle Aslan, endless blue flames to block—everyone was occupied. Even the Sword Empress, the most offensive among the vice-guildmaster ranks, had been deployed.
"Haat!"
The Sword Empress whirled her moonlit sword in a frenzy, weaving through hundreds of meters. Occasionally batting away flames headed for Aslan.
Ting
Ting
Ting
Ting
The Sword Empress called out to Aslan.
"Hold out until Lord Lucius wipes the snake-men outside! No one else can hold the boss's gaze like you!"
"I know!"
The surrounding priests and holy knights, once they had breathing room from their own mobs and flames, lent a hand.
"Vice Captain! Guardian Shield here!"
"Potions raining down! Catch 'em!"
"Vice Captain Aslan, switch to this sword!"
"Aslan, gong—! Get under the ice barrier!"
A torrent of support poured onto Aslan's battered form from the blue flames. That was how the 1v1 with the boss was barely maintained.
But even that was nearing its end.
Fwoosh!
The King of the Storm shattered the climbers' aids in one blow, aiming to collapse the front line with blue flame attacks.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Die! You idiot—!] "!"
No dodging it.
A head-on clash it was.
He cried out the prayer to the god he believed in.
"Those who know justice never yield—!"
Aslan charged straight into the blue inferno swallowing him. Feeling his cheeks and skin tear away in real time, he gritted his teeth and pressed forward.
Shield raised ahead!
"Hup! Hraaaah—!"
His bellowing mouth dried out from the heat. But if he didn't shout, it felt like the flame storm would sweep him away. And so he ran onward.
Clank!
"!"
The presence of the enemy.
The sound of the Skull King firing flames from the storm's heart. In an eternal instant, he had crossed dozens of meters through the gale.
Aslan glared at the King of the Storm. The King glared back through the blue flames. Then it clenched its fist and rocketed like a missile.
Whoooosh!
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [I'll kill you!] "A direct attack!"
In the searing heat that dried even his tears. Aslan forced his eyes open, held his breath, and thrust his sword at the incoming Skull King.
"Strike of Justice!"
An eye for an eye.
A tooth for a tooth!
Kwaaaang—!
The two attacks collided.
A massive shockwave rippled out, shaking the storm itself. But it was fleeting. In the gale draining his life force in real time, Aslan was at too great a disadvantage.
"Tch!"
As the test of strength ended, he lost balance and was hurled backward.
"Ngh!?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Dumb as you are, you're still human! You can't overcome the storm's power—!] "Graaah—!?"
The intensifying wind pressure.
A gale mighty enough to lift even the massive Aslan into the air. It sought to hurl his flailing form back outside the storm.
'I have to hold until Lord Lucius's Blessing Explosion provides support...!'
Aslan tried to anchor his sword into the ground. But the Skull King rocketed toward him again like a missile.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Graaa—!!] Shuuuuk—!
Ridiculous in appearance,
yet the wind pressure was fiercer than at the storm's edge.
A living missile, truly.
'If that hits, I'll be blown to bits with nothing left—not even a corpse.'
Airborne, Aslan had no way to evade. His eyes widened, mouth agape.
"!?"
In time that slowed to a crawl.
The blue storm,
his fighting comrades,
shattered armor fragments,
the Skull King's onrushing fury.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [This is your end—!!] "Ah..."
His mouth moved slowly.
Was this the scenery right before death?
'Death comes so suddenly, doesn't it.'
He'd known that.
But his resolve had fallen short.
"...Mother."
'Should've sent Mother one more letter. She's long-lived, so her grief will linger...'.
Aside from that,
no regrets in his life.
As Aslan slowly closed his eyes—
-Lord Aslan!
"!"
And then.
A massive shockwave engulfed him.
Kwaaaaaang—!
And...
Thud—!
Aslan felt a dull impact—not the one he'd braced for, but something snatching him away—and turned. There floated a man flapping wings studded with hundreds of eyes.
Aslan had narrowly dodged the King of the Storm's attack while clutched by Abel.
He shouted from midair.
"Inquisitor Abel!?"
"Ngh...!"
A mere graze,
yet the King of the Storm's attack left a vicious impact.
The blood-soaked angel.
Abel, eyes narrowed in fury, flashed his crimson gaze and yelled. So desperate that his blood-glistening fangs were visible.
With one hand, he uncorked a potion vial and poured it over Aslan's wounds.
Gurgle gurgle
The highest-grade potions the climbers possessed. Even amid the storm's heat, Aslan felt his body slowly mending.
Flapping his wings, Abel cried out, blood streaming from his parched eyes.
"Hold tight! We endure inside the storm!"
"Th-thank you... But Inquisitor, you...!"
"I've drunk blood laced with utmost gratitude—enough to hold for a while!"
"Got it!"
Aslan nodded. He didn't get the details, but he understood they could hold.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Think I'll let you escape!] Shuuuung—!
A wide arc,
then pursuit by the King of the Storm once more.
Abel flapped desperately to flee.
"Haaaaap—!"
The two desperately waged an aerial chase within the storm.
*
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ -The Saintess and Savior are clearing the snake-men from the road to the walls!
-Use this chance to flee to Windmill Village—!
-Get all the wagons out and evacuate everyone—!!
In the extreme chaos.
Archbishop Kairos staggered out of the temple. Supporting him was the pale-faced Albert. But the old body couldn't handle the turmoil.
Kairos soon dropped to his knees, coughing.
"Cough! Cough... Hoo..."
"Archbishop Kairos! Are you all right!?"
"Al... bert. Cough! Arch... bishop..."
He gripped Albert's hand tightly, murmuring.
"Sorry. Just a blind old fool, and all I've shown you are ugly sights. Didn't even give you time to convince the Pope and archbishops when you didn't know the situation—thrust you into this mess."
"That's..."
"Just leave me."
"No time for that! You have to escape!"
"..."
Despite the urgent voice.
Kairos said,
"Cough... Archbishop Albert, I smell blood thick in the air since earlier. Your wrist feels wet. Did you give blood to Abel?"
"..."
Albert silently raised his arm. In the moonlight, his wrist was drenched in blood, the hasty dagger cut refusing to clot.
Blood laced with utmost gratitude.
He had offered it to Abel with utmost gratitude.
So that even in the storm, he could spread his wings.
Thus his face was corpse-pale.
Albert replied.
"Yes. In the end, I was grateful to them. All for protecting the holy land."
"..."
"I realized too late. There was no convincing the Pope and archbishops. My words were utterly powerless."
"..."
"My soul was already grateful to the Saintess and Inquisitor, but my foolish mind and mouth refused to admit it."
He murmured.
"I just... wanted to be honest one last time before death."
"...I see."
Kairos gripped his blood-wet hand firmly.
"Sorry, but one request. Tell me what the plain looks like now."
"..."
Albert looked ahead. Then calmly described the scene before his eyes.
"Beneath the storm raging with blue flames, the serpent kin and warriors clash. To quell those endlessly rising from the plain, the Saintess and Savior advance, radiating light."
But...
"Yet the storm shows no sign of weakening. It's crumbling everything before it, burning the white flowers and Savior's tree... and bearing down on the temple itself."
"..."
Kairos asked.
"Are the blue flames coming to swallow us?"
"Yes. It's right upon us now."
"I see. That's why my nose stings with heat. Are the people fleeing?"
"Yes, already racing down the road toward Windmill Village in the distance."
"Good... The good folk are safe, and only priests and warriors remain..."
The two priests felt the approaching finale. Lives old and young, clashing endlessly in opinions—but that time was now ending.
Before death,
all was meaningless.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [This shall be your end—!!] "..."
"..."
The two priests bowed their heads before the eerily encroaching storm in the darkness. And softly prayed.
"May we too..."
"Become fallen leaves of the earth—."
"Nourishment for all."
On a winter night that would someday end.
May they become hope for this land.
Flash—!
-O Prayer of Life! Accept my faith and shine brilliantly!
"!"
"!"
A familiar voice.
Before that prayer.
The two looked up.
"Angela?"
"Saintess?"
And Albert beheld it.
A brilliant flash shining from the heavens.
The Saintess's light driving back the blue storm alongside the Savior!
"No way..."
"..."
Kairos could feel it on his skin.
The day of prophecy.
An aura akin to the holy energy left by that nameless 'her'...
-Kairos, even if you forget me, you must be happy.
-How can I live alone forgetting you!?
-I'll watch over you forever.
As a star of this land.
As a blessing beyond perception—.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ 【Constellation ■■■ sends a gentle smile to Archbishop Kairos.】 【Whispers earnestly: live a little longer.】 "...!"
*
The light dispelling the blue flames.
The holy energy gleaming from the Saintess's hand was steadily, surely pushing back the flames that no amount of effort could budge before.
Paaaaah—!
The vast plain, choked with flames and snake-men in a nightmarish scene, was slowly purified. In gentle moonlight, enveloped in a soft pink aura, all was restored.
Climbers rose,
snake-men sank into the earth.
I watched the scene beside Angela, wings spread. Just in case, I'd torn the legendary ability upgrade scroll from the vault.
"..."
'Was racking my brain with no solution, and it ends up on Angela.'
One of Angela's abilities had upgraded to legendary.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ 【[Legendary] Light of Life: Awakens infinite life force through faith.】 That ability, intertwined with Angela's 'Blessing of Flowers,' poured out endless blessings. Unlike those drawn from blood and life force, these stemmed from her kindness.
Angela spread her wings wide.
Countless eyes gleamed brilliantly.
Paaaaah—!
With that, the Skull King's blue flames were purified in an instant. Amid flickering flames, the King revealed its pathetic skeletal form in shock.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Graaaah!? Th-this...!] "Haha, third-rate villain dialogue."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [You bastard to the end—!?] Toward it,
Abel charged with Aslan aboard.
Beneath the white wings, Aslan landed sword in hand, wrapped in the Saintess's blessings.
"Justice—!"
Triumphs.
To make those words reality.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Impossible!?] Seeing the holy knight raise his sword high, the Skull King recoiled like a third-rate villain on the brink of death.
And...
Under the moonlight.
The last remaining white flower petal danced in the breeze.
Beyond that floating petal.
A new sun was rising.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Graaaah—!] The villain falls to the hero's hand.
The Saintess's blessing covers all.
The girl from Windmill Village smiled radiantly even in the sunlight. Her crimson eyes unwavering before the dawn.
"Thank you."
"..."
I shook my head.
Seeing that smile,
the sting of wasting a legendary ability faded a bit.
"...If I'm the Savior, it's only natural."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ 【World Quest completed!】 The morning dawning in the holy land.
It was a memory hard to forget, even if one tried.
Probably.
Because of her smile, glowing pink before my eyes.