Chapter 371
Chapter 371
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Saint and Completer (27)
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Kuuuung—
Another pillar topples, scattering red mist as it falls. It was one of the largest and finest-grown in the area.
With that gone, the region shielded by blood fog would shrink considerably. The land that fed the mutates would be trampled under a wave of steel-clad humans and tainted by that repulsive holy light.
“Tus. I tried my best, but it’s obvious I can’t replace you.”
...Crackle.
Edeorna gave a bitter smile amid the humans’ cheers echoing through the screams of the chamber maid.
This was how it ended.
[...If you had confronted my lingering thoughts, I would have died without securing Father. I’m sorry, but I failed. Ah, I truly thought I could surpass him this time.]
[He’ll probably head straight to the western front now that I’m dead. To finish off our headless race.]
Palkatus had prepared countless schemes and defenses right up until he departed. Even for after his death.
The deeper one ventured into the red mist zone, the more it numbed not just sight but hearing, smell, and touch, while blocking mana condensation and spirit power—a natural fortress.
Hidden from humans, the fog-spewing chamber maids hadn’t lost their reproductive ability. Beyond generating blood fog zones, they could spew strongly acidic fluids and produce exploding lesser mutates. Slow and sluggish, those were tremendously effective in the sensory-deprived fog.
[...Sister. I always respected him, feared him, and lived expecting defeat. I knew a moment like this might come. What I’m about to tell you, think of it as atonement from this pathetic brother who died in vain. First, about the division of the nation humans call ‘Teldrat’...]
How far a primitive human swept by desire could fall, and how they could hesitate not at all to drive even their own kind to slaughter.
What sole means the enemy—whom Palkatus called Father—would choose to turn the tide.
Humans’ detachments, unable to even confirm each other’s positions in the blood fog, flinging acidic mutates at one another that would burst on touch.
Once the detachments were isolated and the enemy’s main force—their strongest—had pushed deep inside, what we must do.
He had spoken of preparing for the growth of the powerful entity Edeorna and the environment suited to it.
The queen could convey her will to all mutates, so every scheme in the thoughts was executed. The humans’ all-out assault split into main force and detachments as Palkatus predicted, burrowing deep enough.
『Kaaaaah! Ooooh, take me in, I burn every last handful of my remaining strength, take the warrior’s soul from my empty shell!!!』
Kwaaajajaajak!
『This is Cherta! The Wisdom Church’s ‘Eye of the Heavens’ is watching you, so Heroes, focus only on the battles at hand! With the two Saints leading, the central Mercy Saintess and Holy Knights have formed the ‘Sanctuary’ ritual circle. Maintain a droplet formation centered on the Saintess!』
- [Palm/Garrison/Dolpar 3 parties 8 people! Named spotted, named spotted! Three-Headed Snake Nigmi, Trap Hunter Dox both! Two nameds! Enemy counterattack!]
- [Wood/Poiled 2 parties 7 people. Garrison means right in front of us. We’re joining.]
- [It’s Professor! You guys just hold them, don’t risk it! Turning the formation head that way, we smash them first!]
- [Whew~ Solid as ever, monster Saint!]
- [Party leader, use party chat to assign numbers, dumbass! How many people do you think are in this channel?!]
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Kuuung—
Kwaaaang!
Sadly, the queen and Edeorna couldn’t handle it properly.
Dozens of elite types Palkatus prepared were thrown in haphazardly and picked off one by one. The humans sent their most precious saintess with the detachment, opening holy comms linking the entire group.
Even blindfolded, they moved organically, steadily eliminating blood fog sources. Where fog cleared, human armies advanced, setting up camps and sprinkling holy water.
“I should have stopped you when you said you’d go to the desert alone.”
...Click.
Slash.
Crunch!
Weapons forged from countless heroes they devoured, infused with their power, began finding their places on Edeorna’s white body one by one.
A greatbow from someone’s spine and tendons.
A sawblade sword from some beastkin’s claws and fangs.
A mage’s eye still holding snowflakes.
Slash, click, click! Crack!
Symbols of once-heroes now buried in white thorns.
And.
...Rattle.
Golden dragon scales and claws, handed to her by a terrified Nigmi with a wail. The remains of a brother who loved family and kin more than any.
[...Also, one last thing I want to tell only you, Sister.]
Edeorna gazed at the white dragon scales sprouting where her once-severed right arm had been, looking down at the approaching steel legions.
[...From the time I was nothing, you loved me as equal, as blood kin. Edeorna, my sister. These thoughts are left only for you, not Mother or other siblings....]
“...Tus.”
Fully armed, Edeorna’s body plummeted from the chamber maid’s peak like a falling star.
[Nigmi came to fear Father, and Dox is insidious and arrogant, likely to botch things. Sister, only you remain. For you... I’ll leave open a slightly different path....]
“What exactly do you want from me?”
With that, recalling her departed brother’s final thoughts.
Whoooosh!
Boom—
Into the thick blood fog, the white form vanished.
****
“Wow.”
“Huh...”
“Gruuu... Uh...”
Three gaping mouths. And two people, arms crossed, looking up with interest.
Scritch scritch—
“Some human architecture expands the horizons of perception just by beholding it. Tusan, mind stepping aside?”
“Grrr. I’m a bit displeased. All that time caged in a human castle was agony. Don’t want to be near big buildings.”
Elf and werewolf chatting before the massive city walls and skyscrapers.
And,
“Yi, Yggdrasil.... Wh-what is this place?”
“Lordric’s metropolis, the City of Mages. Tobrun. I figured Professor, who knows it better than a first-timer like me. Aren’t you from this city, Ottoman?”
“N-no.... This can’t be—the Tobrun with clean, clear dual upstreams merging into a broad river crossing the city.... Af-after this hero business, we rebuild the Water Spire—the Tobruuuun!!!”
“Gruuu. Meat fortress. Uneatable meat fortress.”
“No! My hometown! That’s not the mages’ city Tobrun! This can’t be, it can’t beeeee!!!!”
The three who’d stayed or passed through old Tobrun were dumbfounded by its drastic change.
- [Um.... Saintess Cherta? This is Professor, but.... What the hell is that?]
- [Don’t show shock. Troops will panic.]
I know, I know that. But....
‘How am I supposed to keep a stern face seeing that?!’
The city once brimming with magic and life had become a biohazard hell with meat Babel towers.
Walls once beautifully glowing with multicolored magic circles from layered spells were now a repulsive barrier of dripping crimson flesh, veins, and pulsing miscellany. Atop them, crustacean mutates chamber maids often used dangled from long tentacles like turrets, wriggling.
Horrific enough to summon a priest if seen in dreams, but what lay beyond was worse.
Wide-root, pauper-pillar, standard—three types of chamber maids. Mutate stronghold production facilities that could dominate entire regions between villages were crammed like bean sprouts filling the walls! And several times larger than standard!
At the center of that bean-sprout jar. The massive tower scraping clouds wasn’t just huge; ceaseless blood flowed from its peak, a giant purple magicore crystal embedded in the middle, thick veins climbing in three strands—whoever saw it knew....
“Th-they stole our spire, the Lead Flow Spire whooole thing!!!”
“Ottoman, calm down a moment....”
“Do I look calm?! The root of our school, the essence of water magic that’ll bloom brilliantly again despite who crushed it now—fallen into those filthy monsters’ hands! Argh, you bastaaards!!!”
....It perfectly resembled the half-ruined Lead Flow Spire. Differences? Five times bigger, blood instead of water.
- [Spire.... Mana influence?]
- [Our Wisdom clerics judge so. Tobrun as mages’ city hoarded vast magestones. Lordric couldn’t evacuate before mutates overran, yielding Tobrun.]
- [They ate all that?]
- [Can’t absorb auras. Holy power countered by evil god’s might. But mana’s natural force, so they can. Likely absorbed all magestones to birth that giant chamber maid. They habit towers like castles or spires; spire site’s densest mana spot, so biggest there naturally.]
Detachment and main force.
Their advance nibbling mutate-held zones halted because of that.
A true mutate fortress. Production facilities rooted atop human architecture in conquered city, enemy core endlessly growing.
Walls not just high but alive enemies themselves. Chamber maid heads faintly visible suggested production capacity exceeding main force’s, spawning hordes instantly.
Truly the strongest, most vital occupied point.
Scale and defenses beyond detachment breakthrough; even if breached, structure barred main force follow-up, halting detachments.
“Ottoman. That.... We gotta breach head-on, right?”
“Huff, huff.... Yeah. Unlike normal castles, whole thing’s near-living organism—no infiltration to drop drawbridge, every foothold enemy flesh basically.”
“Water ample? Tobrun amplified water magic via great river.”
“Tough. No idea how much sucked, river’s bone-dry. Grew grotesquely huge absorbing everything nearby. Ground we stand on’s probably sand lump too.”
“....Siege warfare, then. Us charging headfirst, no variables?”
Normal wars, avoid such fortified lines. But mutates? Attack fortified spots obsessively. Stronger fortress meant stronger chamber maid; killing them decided victory.
‘....Deep in enemy turf, forcing unavoidable fight. Cannibal trap.’
Not our army’s idiotic encirclement—proper lure-in-and-devour. Even with fog cleared on path, forward and flanks partly fogged—perfect for stealth flanking.
Exhausted troops after four days march-battle? Enemy plan crystal clear.
Block front,
Elites from giant chamber maids flank,
Rear scraped clean.
‘Meticulous but amateur execution.’
Past four days’ battles too obvious. Not easy breakthroughs. Nor desperate blocks.
Big baits sequentially: ‘Follow this path!’ intent blatant.
Fall for it, lie with morons buried in Koern.
‘This time it comes. Hidden till now, so full reveal!’
....So I conserved strength.
Detachments always had Courage Saint vanguard-breaking; I trailed, casually handling stragglers.
‘Enemy heart here. They know losing Tobrun puts human blades at queen’s throat.’
Listened to every other detachment comm during Aulys’ fiercest fights, senses honed razor-sharp.
Nigmi appeared twice in four days, killing three, poisoning nineteen. Passive; Mercy Saintess restored most.
One of five must-appears: ‘Trap Hunter Dox’ lived up—fingers planted everywhere. Fog hid; twenty-one crushed dead on fingers, thirteen injured. Waist/knee crushes sent to main rear.
Other nameds including Edeorna nowhere.
Desert fight taught: No matter troops/strategy, super-tier only matched by peers. Their duel outcomes flipped wars regardless totals.
Past three days, hunting Edeorna.
‘Story late-game. Officially killed fifty-two hero units by her hand. Horrifically perfected powerhouse.’
Edeorna’s evolution: Less bodily, more externals/linked flesh. Like Storm Hill’s insane white thorn spear.
Owing to queen-flesh origin; couldn’t make perfecter bodies. Hence long injury recovery.
....Minus severed right arm. Tasty eat, but terrifying what monster my snack-arm grew into. Doubtless ‘Professor-counter custom’ mods galore.
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- Jokasss: How’d Edeorna show in Levit?
- takealook: 9-sword lunatic melee Yeopo. Early assassin spam turned accessories, momentary DPS abomination. Heirloom Castle Knight shield ‘Iron Castle’ du-du-duk smacked, rags in under minute.
- Deer Drug Please: Not under minute—praise Charlotte solo-tanking near-minute? Levit carpet-bombed regardless friend-foe to barely kill.
- takealook: Anyway.
- Jokasss: Thousand Stream Emperor?
- takealook: Breeze. Edeorna-worthy threats Thousand Stream Emperor invalided to beds first. Melee-less, mage/cleric-hunting Edeorna finalized ranged bombardment Gundam. Vaporized ragtag humans, then one-shotted by Thousand Stream Emperor. Anticlimax.
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Chat debating final form.
Whatever, confirmed formidable foe.
Tension? Or thickest mutate blood nearby? Heart pounding loud.
Thump-thump from jaw to skull.
Whooo—
- [Detachment? As said, reverse prior fights. We block enemy rear elites; main with holy knights/heroes ‘by any means’ breaches walls. Khan, Parnamo, mages. Got it?]
- [Khan party 5.... 4 people. Quite the demand.]
- [Azar Khan, hate it? Swap roles with us. White one supposedly here.]
- [Haaa. No wonder dream-smiling comrades who went ahead....]
- [White named Edeorna, Saint Aulys and I handle. Rest nameds on you—]
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Thump....
Shaaa—
“She’s here!”
Blood fog around thickened manifold instantly.
Heroes sensing killing intent raised weapons alert; I focused on scent at nose-tip.
Battle stench pierced nose. Overlaid mutate blood tang. Amid sickly sweet, something essence-close.
Sniff alone recalled when/where faced.
Empire. All strength spent, shattered teeth chewing white arm, that vein-burning wraparound scent.
And.... one more. With desert sand....
‘What?’
Unforgettable archfoe. Thought never again—its trace.
Dragon blood sea-mana laced with mutate blood tang.
Nose-follow, head slowly turned.
To main force rear we guarded.
Rear, to flank.
Then back.... Front.
Front....
‘Front!!!!’
Full turn: White foot already stepping from fog. That step warped air like heat haze.
Slowed time, only me and Edeorna left. In dragging instant, my foot kicked ground.
Another step. Slowly, Edeorna’s face emerges from fog.
“Third time. Archfoe.”
White face near-human now, wry smile rising.
Reptilian white scales cloaking right arm lifts—and all surrounding blood fog converges to her hand pinpoint.
“...Yur couldn’t breathe and died, they say.”
“Scat—ter—”
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Thud.
“Breath.”
Kwaaaaaaaa!!!!!
Before scattering order voiced.
White thorn storm pierces alliance center.
Eyes open: Cratered path holds only one black monster.
One strike vaporizing ten-thousands; fear in battle-hardened soldiers’ eyes.
....Grrrrrind!
“Front reversed.... Clever as your brother.”
“I’m no good at subtlety. Tus always overestimated me.”
Edeorna shakes smoking right arm, raises left’s fiercer white spear.
Behind her, countless enemy eyes glow in fog.
“Want you to know how terrifying you are to us. Accepting our blood to kill us, eating us, killing us. Human Professor. To us, you’re the monster.”
No time reply. Outer shell regens from breath, body uncoils.
Behind, gnashing Charlotte rallies remnants for coming fight; detachment fills ally gaps.
“Come to collect blood debt.”
....Blood debt.
“Heh. Who owes who, gotta cal—cu—late!”
Swoosh.
Pang—
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- Kweeeng!
Spear-tip plunging space-warping clashes fist—signal: Fog-lurking mutates charge humans.
No schemes, no wisdom—pure power clash.
Mêlée.
****