Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: The One Who Chose a Sinful Name (5)
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After that, he had slain countless Dragon Demon Worshippers. Lennon wandered across the continent, tracking down and exterminating Dragon Demon Worshippers, all the while awaiting the arrival of the prophesied one they safeguarded.
Over the span of several decades, Lennon had survived numerous brushes with death. As a Prophecy Guardian, preserving his own life took precedence over slaying Dragon Demon Worshippers. They existed for the prophesied one who would one day appear. Yet Lennon's deep-seated grudge sometimes clouded his judgment, leading him to charge headlong into danger.
Each time, Zeta had protected him, just as now.
[Lennon.]
Zeta called out the name of Lennon, cradled in his arms. But Lennon, unconscious and limp, gave no response.
Dust clouds billowed before them. An immense force had erupted, obliterating a section of the forest. If Zeta hadn't rescued him at the last possible moment, Lennon's body would have been torn to shreds.
[Unfortunately, it looks like I won't get to say goodbye. Even though it's a dead body, I'd grown somewhat fond of it.]
Zeta spoke as he laid Lennon on the ground.
[Won't you pass it on later? Zares.]
“…I can't bring myself to say deliver it in person. Fine. What should I tell him?”
[Thank you for everything. That's enough.]
“Got it. I'll make sure to tell him.”
Zares was drenched in cold sweat. He too had nearly been caught in the explosion moments ago. If the Undying Dragon Demon Delta hadn't hoisted him over his shoulder and leaped away, that's exactly what would have happened.
Delta tossed him to the ground and said,
[I'm assigning Theta to you. That should let you escape with Lennon, right?]
“Ugh, you treat Lennon like a precious guest and just hurl me aside. Why the difference in handling?”
[Put your hand on your chest and ask yourself—that'll give you the answer. Anyway, run for your life. You're so weak a breeze could blow you away, but you are good at fleeing, aren't you?]
[Hmm. But in this situation, wouldn't it make more sense for the versatile mage like me to stay here, rather than those two who only know how to swing swords like brutes?]
The Undying mage Theta remarked snarkily. Delta shot back,
[No matter who stays, it won't buy much time. Wouldn't it be better to put the versatile one on escape duty…]
Delta's words didn't finish. A deafening explosion roared from the far side of the forest.
Kwarung! Kwarururung!
The dust parted to either side as intense vibrational waves raced across the ground. A terrifying impact exploded against the barrier Theta had erected.
Kwagwang!
Delta said,
[…See? Get the kids out of here with your versatility.]
[Understood. Since we're already dead, we won't meet again in this life. I hope you find a good place in the afterlife.]
[What kind of farewell is that? I don't have anywhere to go anyway.]
Theta turned away from the hollowly laughing Delta, levitated Zares and Lennon with magic, and began fleeing the area at high speed.
Delta muttered,
[Sixty-two—no, sixty-one Guardian Shadows left. Maybe we should call for a joint assault before they're all wiped out. What do you think?]
[I agree.]
Zeta and Delta could detect the presences of nearby Guardian Shadows and issue commands. When the battle began here, over a hundred Guardian Shadows had gathered, and with Zeta, Delta, and Theta among them, they were confident they could overwhelm the enemy.
But it was a miscalculation. The enemies' forces exceeded their expectations, and an absurd monster was mixed in among them.
Fwooooosh!
A gale whipped up, clearing away the dust. In its center, a single silhouette emerged.
No, it wasn't a person. The two sturdy horns on its head marked it as a Dragon Demon, but more than that, it was simply wrong to call a long-dead corpse a "person."
[Heh. Man, this is annoying. I've heard a lot about you Guardian Shadows, but you're a real pain.]
The one surrounded by Guardian Shadows was, like Delta, an Undying Dragon Demon.
But it was clearly different from Delta at a glance. The sinister aura of black magic, the pitch-black armor, and the skeletal knight's form were similar. However, its size was far greater. To the point where one might question if it was truly a Dragon Demon.
It was a giant nearly three meters tall. Clad in armor twice as thick as normal and abnormally bulky, it exuded the intimidating presence of a moving mountain.
In its hand was a massive war hammer. The head was three times the size of a human skull, with a haft two meters long—something no human could dream of wielding.
Its appearance was grotesque as well. The head and haft were integrated in a texture like carved ivory, pure white. The head was designed for striking on one side only; the back featured an intricately carved human face.
[That said, I had business with some living ones from the mountains, but only the dead are left… Guess I'm not popular either.]
[And you're a dead one too, aren't you? Leigus.]
Delta sneered.
The massive Undying Dragon Demon was Leigus, the "Hammer that Devours the Earth's Scream," one of the four Dragon Demon Generals who had served the Dragon Demon King during the Dragon Emperor War.
Having fallen in that war, he had persisted as an Undying up to now. The bizarre war hammer in his hand was his signature Dragon Demon Armament, the "Seal of Soul Shatter."
Leigus laughed.
[True enough. Well, leave the living to the living. For now, shall we finish up the business of the dead?]
Leigus hadn't come alone. Initially, the Guardian Shadows had spotted a group of Dragon Demon Worshippers. They had deliberately revealed themselves to lure the Guardian Shadows here.
Leigus said,
[You lot, chase down the ones who fled.]
“Lord Leigus. But….”
From within the dust, Dragon Demons and Dragon Demon Hybrids emerged. Each was a high-ranking officer from the Dark Snowfields, possessing formidable power.
Normally, these were figures who bowed to no one in the field. Yet even as an Undying, Leigus was a noble existence.
[This is my first real combat deployment… but the warm-up just now proved there's no need for concern, right? Don't worry. And I perform much better without anyone around.]
“Understood. Then….”
The Dragon Demons and Dragon Demon Hybrids departed as Leigus commanded. Theta and Zeta moved to block them, but at that moment, a fearsome aura enveloped them.
“Ugh…!”
Pitch-black curse energy became invisible hands, crushing down on them. And with time, its density increased, even producing physical effects.
Pajik! Pajijijik!
The dark mana sustaining their Undying forms clashed, sparking black electricity. Theta and Zeta were slowly pushed back. Even these two, whose power far surpassed ordinary Undyings, were yielding to Leigus when combining forces.
[Ugh!]
Zeta stepped forward and swung his sword. A black wave arose along the blade's arc, slicing through the clashing energy currents.
Breaking the standoff, Zeta swiftly detached thirty of the remaining Guardian Shadows to pursue the enemy from behind. Then he asked Leigus,
[How did you know we would come?]
It had been a trap from the start. Aside from Leigus and the Dark Snowfields officers waiting there, there were no other devices, but Leigus's presence alone shattered all the Guardian Shadows' expectations.
'One of the Four Great Dragon Demon Generals is this strong. Beyond the legends. Was he even stronger in life, or are we like this—stronger now?'
Guardian Shadows were powerful. Each individual possessed considerable threat, and they grew exponentially stronger in numbers.
Add commanders like Theta or Zeta—the "Unsleeeping Guardians"—who provided decisive force, and the synergistic effect was tremendous. There was good reason even the Dark Snowfields' Dragon Demon officers feared Guardian Shadows.
Even now, without Leigus, the Guardian Shadows would have won. But Leigus's power defied imagination. With every swing of the Seal of Soul Shatter, mountaintops flew, and forests spanning hundreds of meters were uprooted. It was a spectacle of dragon-slaying destructive might.
'Still, it's not a hopeless situation. It's a shame we have to withdraw here.'
There were eight Prophecy Guardians total. Excluding the rookie Zares, all had "Unsleeeping Guardians" like Lennon. If two or more Prophecy Guardians gathered and deployed their "Unsleeeping Guardians," they could likely match Leigus.
Zeta pondered that far, then felt something off. No matter how he thought about it, it was strange. Leigus must be the Dark Snowfields' hidden trump card up to now. Revealing him to the Guardian Shadows required commensurate value.
The Dark Snowfields didn't know the Guardian Shadows' specifics but were aware Prophecy Guardians were special. So they must have deemed luring and eliminating them worth the risk.
But how had they pinpointed the Prophecy Guardians' movements to set the trap? When Zeta asked, Leigus answered without concealment.
[Simple. We tracked you through the underlings you killed.]
[…Don't tell me all the ones we took out on the way here were sacrificial baits thrown our way?]
[No, not at all. We just focused our intelligence on your movements.]
Dragon Demon Worshippers were scattered across the world. Thoroughly organized in cells, information from the bottom eventually flowed upward to the Dark Snowfields. Ainsera's Great Darkness enabled real-time communication across the continent for those connected, making intelligence gathering, analysis, and response abnormally swift.
After Dragon Demon Prince Sei's kidnapping attempt revealed them, the Dark Snowfields had poured resources into tracking the Prophecy Guardians. Leigus awaiting them here was the result.
Leigus bounced the Seal of Soul Shatter's head on his palm and asked,
[Hmm. On second thought, no need to ask the living. You might know anyway.]
[What are you talking about?]
[I have only one question for you.]
Leigus ignited blue flames in his skull's eye sockets and asked,
[Kallos—where are you hiding that tenacious human?]