Chapter 97
Chapter 97
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: He Who Seeks Fate (6)
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9
At that moment, Leticia was locked in a fierce battle outside the castle against Durang and the forces he commanded.
She felt uneasy about separating from Yuren, but she had no choice. Yuren's condition was too dire, so she had hidden him away and headed into the fight.
However, the magic eyes that Yuren had set up were dispelled, and mana exploded from within the castle, signaling that he had entered the fray. Summoning demons must have been an unavoidable choice.
Given the situation, it was natural to feel urgent and confused, but Leticia's composure hadn't dulled in the slightest. She blocked Durang's charging sword—which sought to deceive her senses with an illusionary clone—with her crossed spear.
Baaaang!
By the time the explosive roar echoed, Leticia had already parried Durang's blade and delivered a precise counter with exquisite control of her strength. Durang's shoulder guard tore away as chilling winds whipped around them.
"Hmm."
The area around them had already transformed into a wintry scene amid the ongoing clash. The woman known as the Ice-Blooded Empress rivaled the high-ranking Dragon Demon clan officers who dwelled in the dark snowfields, relying solely on her innate Dragon Demon power.
"Truly, your nose is as keen as a Dragon Demon King's hound. Yuren's hiding skills are top-notch, yet..."
"You'll soon be dragged out like a dog on a leash."
"Who knows? Your master, the one you're facing right now, might end up a corpse."
Not far off, terrifying forces clashed.
In the face of this crisis, it was Durang's side growing anxious, not Leticia. He trusted in Niberis's power. Yet at the same time, he worried she might come to harm—she who was the daughter of his benefactor Saibain, savior of his life, and heir to the noble bloodline of the Dragon Demon King.
In contrast, Leticia remained calm.
*Yuren, if you die here... that dream guide of yours must just be a ploy by a demon inciting ruin.*
She didn't fret over what couldn't be helped. She simply gave her all to the problem at hand.
It hadn't been a wise choice for the pair—who had been waging an intense pursuit battle against the Dragon Demon Worshippers—to enter the Karzark Marquisate. The worshippers always kept watch over this land with vigilant eyes, a fact Yuren and Leticia knew well.
Yet Yuren had insisted they come here.
*'My dream guide said I'd meet my fate here.'*
...Hearing that, Leticia had seriously wondered if the man was truly mad. They had joined hands because he was so capable and their goals aligned, but could she really trust his mental state?
However, Yuren claimed that the very trigger for his betrayal of the Dragon Demon Worshippers—the escape from the fanaticism that had ensnared his soul through relentless brainwashing since childhood—was thanks to that dream guide. He was ready to go alone if she wouldn't join, so Leticia decided to play along with the madman's gamble.
*No matter how I think about it, it's insane... but then again, I'm not exactly sane for opposing these bastards in the first place.*
A closer look revealed that even if Yuren had betrayed the Dragon Demon Worshippers, he was someone she shouldn't keep close. No matter how much power was needed to oppose the Dragon Demons, the moment he summoned demons into his own body to wield their strength, he became an aberration even among black mages.
But astonishingly, Yuren's purpose in committing such profane taboos was righteous, and his actions matched. That was why Leticia had accepted him as a comrade.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Leticia shivered.
In the midst of the fierce battle, Yuren's swelling mana shattered apart, and an overwhelming Dragon Demon power exploded. Realizing its nature, Leticia groaned.
"...Niberis is a Dragon Demon Armament wielder?"
This was an unexpected development. She had been intimidating enough already—now she had a Dragon Demon Armament? Yuren had no chance of winning like this!
Kaaang!
As Leticia reeled, Durang charged and brought his sword down on her. With their blade and spear locked, Durang smirked.
"Seems the results are in on whose faith is true."
"Hmm. Indeed..."
But Leticia quickly suppressed her surprise. She repelled Durang and said flatly,
"Well, if he dies there, it's his fate."
"......"
Durang felt bewildered. Were these two really comrades? His ally was clearly in danger—how could she be so nonchalant?
Leticia smiled. It was a ferocious grin, like that of a carnivore.
"Once you've stepped into battle as a warrior, living or dying is your own responsibility. Fussing over him like a child by the water's edge would just get me killed too—that'd be turning the tables."
Once she acknowledged someone as a comrade, she accepted even their death. If they fell, she'd avenge them, and that was that.
That was the mindset with which Leticia had always fought.
"Whether the fate he spoke of is ruin or hope... we'll know soon enough."
And moments later, the Dragon Demon power storm that had been stimulating her senses from afar vanished as if it had been a lie.
10
"......"
Nibiris was at a loss, unable to comprehend the scene before her.
A single book floated in front of her, every page coated in pitch-black darkness. This was the Dragon Demon Armament, Tome of Dark Souls, passed down from the era of the Dragon Demon War.
With this great legacy in hand, she could wield magical power on an entirely different level. As a result, she had overwhelmed Yuren—who had been holding his own—in an instant, leaving him battered and broken.
But just as she tried to bind him, a single sword flew into the scene.
Whooooosh...!
The sword plunged down like lightning, shredding the darkness she had conjured. It wasn't due to some explosive, intimidating force. Merely its arrival severed the raging mana waves as if they were lies. Like slicing through a sheet of paper with a knife...
A chill ran down her spine. Was there really a being capable of such a feat?
*This sword...*
It was a blade of pristine white. One glance revealed it wasn't forged from metal but some other material, its texture unmistakable.
"Long time no see."
Then came a familiar voice. The voice of a man she could never forget.
Nibiris glared at the approaching man and spat angrily.
"Azel Zestringer...!"
Rage surged alongside bewilderment. Why was this man here? There had been no intelligence on it whatsoever?
The Dragon Demon Worshippers had been on high alert for Azel's movements. But after leaving the Tarantos Duchy, Azel and Kairen's travel speed had exceeded all imagination. Their surveillance had thus been cut off.
"......"
Silence fell between them. During that time, the Dragon Sword embedded in the ground pulled itself free and floated through the air to Azel's side.
*The Dragon Sword Duke as well...*
Nibiris spotted Kairen standing behind Azel. This was a dire situation.
Suddenly, Azel spoke.
"You've acquired a new Dragon Demon Armament. For a young Dragon Demon like you to possess one means you inherited an existing one. I remember that Dragon Demon Armament."
Azel calmly observed Nibiris. Her Dragon Demon power hadn't changed much. As a mage, her skill was hard to gauge without direct confrontation. But with a Dragon Demon Armament in hand, she could surely wield power on a whole new level.
Azel said,
"Before I ask what business brings you here... I have one question."
"Were we in a position to chat calmly?"
"Did you lot destroy this land?"
Azel ignored Nibiris's sneer and pressed on. Nibiris met his blazing, furious gaze head-on and answered.
"Yes."
"As I thought..."
It was what he had expected. Thirteen dragons suddenly going berserk and hordes of magical beasts rampaging—it was an unnatural catastrophe.
But Azel hadn't confirmed the Dragon Demon Worshippers' involvement solely from that. It was when he learned that every last bloodline of the Karzark marquis family had been eradicated.
No matter how devastated the Karzark Marquisate was, that shouldn't have been possible. Surely the women and elderly had been evacuated, and some must have been outside the territory at the time. Yet all had been thoroughly massacred?
The Great Darkness and the marquisate's ruin—this vast chaos couldn't have happened without someone wielding malice. And the only ones with motive were the Dragon Demon Worshippers.
Azel, who had briefly closed his eyes, said,
"Thank you."
"What?"
Nibiris betrayed her shock at the unexpected words. Azel opened his eyes and continued.
"For giving me free rein to hate you all."
Woooooong!
Intense mana waves radiated from Azel. The moment they hit her senses like a heavy blow, Nibiris shivered.
*What has he been up to all this time?*
Azel's mana had grown to a level incomparable to their last encounter.
Humans, unlike Dragon Demons or Dragon Demon Hybrids born with immense power, could instead grow rapidly up to a certain point. Spirit Order practitioners and mages alike followed this rule.
But no matter how fast the growth, there were limits. It had been less than a year since she'd last seen him—how could his mana have swelled this much?
*At the very least, a septuple master (seven Life Rings)!*
Cold sweat beaded on her skin. Even when Azel's mana had been pathetically weak, he was a threat. To gain this much power in just a year?
Nibiris prepared for the decisive battle, calling in her subordinates via communication magic.
It was then.
"Ah, really..."
Yuren, collapsed at Azel's feet, spoke in a dying rasp.
"The guide's words... weren't wrong... Honestly, for it to match this perfectly... even from my advantageous position... it's kinda... irritating..."
"You'd do well to save your breath."
Azel replied without even glancing at him. With Nibiris burning for combat right in front of him, he couldn't afford to show an opening.
"Hahaha... Thanks for... worrying..."
"I don't know who you are, and honestly, your sinister aura is pretty off-putting... but since you're their enemy, I'll spare you and hear your story."
Azel took a step forward. Confirming that the silent Kairen had picked up Yuren and fallen back, he addressed Nibiris.
"Now, time to settle the debt."
"That's my line. Bearer of the sin-laden name."
"I'm sick of that long, pointless title. I'll make sure you never utter it again."
Murderous intent exploded as Azel and Nibiris clashed.