Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: The Resolve Not to Die
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KABOOOM!
It was a self-destruct attack, a Purifier sacrificing its own body. Amidst the raging explosion, Dale and Sephia chanted ‘Armor of Frost’ without a moment's hesitation.
An icy shell whose molecular bonds were strengthened to the extreme, one that would never break its ‘frozen state’ even in the swirling flames. While it wasn't enough to completely absorb the impact of the blast, it offered just enough defense to narrowly avoid a fatal blow.
This was, after all, the water magic of Dale, hailed as the Empire's greatest genius, and Sephia, an elder of the Blue Magic Tower.
However, the Sachsen cavalry, protected by mere 'steel armor', were not so fortunate.
The searing heat began to melt their steel, incinerating their flesh, blood, and bone.
The Purifier's self-destruction wiped out dozens of the House of Sachsen's famed Night Raven Knights.
Only one of the twelve explosives had detonated. And within the swirling storm of fire, the remaining 'explosives' began to move.
To complete their mission, the 'Purifiers', made of fiery shadows, surged toward Dale.
Unleashing streams of flame with instant-cast spells, unhindered by Sephia's dissonance.
*So that's how you're going to play this.*
But Dale was a seasoned veteran who had seen his share of battles.
Facing the torrent of flames, Dale also moved the 'shadows' at his feet. He formed blades of darkness from his fluttering shadow cloak, effortlessly kicking off the ground to evade the Purifier's fire streams. After dodging, he turned the tables, surging toward the enemy and plunging a shadow blade down.
Shunk!
*That's two.*
SHRRIIIP!
The moment the shadow blade plunged into the Purifier's chest, the single blade split into multiple tendrils and began to tear its insides to shreds.
Like the rapidly spinning blades of a shredder, it ripped apart the heart and organs, the shoulders, limbs, and neck.
Immediately after, the Purifier's body exploded.
The explosion was relatively weaker than the last one, as the 'explosive form' that was supposed to detonate was no longer intact.
That was the second explosive to go off.
*There's no point in trying to reason with them anyway.*
Amidst the swirling flames, Dale focused, trying to remain calm. He glanced back at Sephia.
“Be careful.”
He probably didn't need to worry about her, at least.
“You be careful too, Dale.”
Once again, several Purifiers began to rush in from all directions. They weren't trying to use simple attack magic.
Even they would find it difficult to pierce the shield created by two water-attribute mages in a place where the Blue Dissonance resonated.
“......!”
KABOOOM!
Instead, multiple explosives surrounded the two of them and began to detonate all at once.
If a single explosion could unleash that much firepower, the scale of a simultaneous detonation by multiple Purifiers was simply incomparable.
A strike that burned themselves away without fear of death.
A tremendous roar echoed. The fires of hell began to rage.
An explosion large enough to swallow Dale, Sephia, and all three hundred of Dale's cavalrymen.
A shockwave powerful enough to rattle the brain inside the skull swept through. Amidst the raging blast, Dale's body lost its physical form and collapsed into the shadows.
The ability of his shadow cloak, Wraith Form.
Likewise, Sephia was using her own magic to protect her body. An elder of the Blue Magic Tower, who specialized in defense, wouldn't fall to a mere self-destruct attack like this.
“......!”
But aside from Dale and Sephia, the other knights were not so fortunate. Without even a chance to scream, their bodies were consumed by the flames, vanishing into nothing.
It was a scene straight out of hell.
The casualties had swelled from dozens of knights to well over a hundred.
Within the endlessly swirling storm of fire, Dale, who had become part of the shadow swarm, deactivated his Wraith Form. Protecting himself with the Armor of Frost, he reappeared behind one of the Purifiers.
Shunk!
He plunged the shadow blade down, spinning it at high speed like a shredder. He tore and tore again, mutilating the body so horrifically that its form was unrecognizable.
Flesh, blood, and bone scattered.
*There are still a few left.*
After mincing the body like ground meat, he turned his head, devoid of any emotion.
Sephia stood protected by a barrier of frost. Behind her, molten scraps of iron and fragments of bodies were scattered everywhere in disarray. The mangled remains of bodies, crushed beyond recognition. They signified only one thing.
The Night Raven Knights of the House of Sachsen, who had sworn their loyalty to Dale.
“......”
Seeing the sight, Dale bit his lip so hard it bled.
“Your mission has failed.”
Three Purifiers remained. Looking at them, Dale spoke calmly.
“Because in the end, you will not be able to kill me.”
Leaving behind unspeakable damage and sacrifice... yet still confident in the 'victory' he had surely secured.
“Hee, heeheehee.”
Seeing him, one of the Purifiers burst into laughter. It was a twisted laugh, steeped in madness.
“Y-Y-You can look at this scene and still speak of 'victory'?”
He gestured at the scattered bodies of the Sachsen knights.
“E-Even if you of the Black Magic Tower deal in 'death'...”
He pointed to their broken armor and scattered body parts.
“D-D-Do you think we're a-afraid of something as trivial as 'death'!?”
With a voice full of madness, the Purifiers began to charge again.
“W-We are prepared for death, ready to gladly burn our bodies in its face!”
Just like true fanatics.
“Hail Empire!”
Kicking off the ground, they charged, just as they were about to detonate their bodies again.
“—So, you are prepared for death?”
A voice was heard.
It was a very familiar man's voice.
At the same time, the bodies of the remaining Purifiers all exploded.
Self-destruction.
Flames raged, and Dale and Sephia once again created their armor of frost to envelop themselves. And when the furious blaze finally subsided, Dale gasped at what remained.
The self-destruct magic that detonated their own bodies.
And yet, the Purifiers, who should have been obliterated without a trace by the explosion... were still alive.
Perfectly intact.
“Unlike what people think,”
At the same time.
“preparing for death is easier than one might imagine.”
the voice continued.
“The act that truly requires great courage is something else.”
A man was there.
A man clad in a black robe.
“The resolve not to die.”
Furthermore, the living Purifiers tilted their heads in confusion for a moment, wondering how they had survived the self-destruction.
Their bodies, still intact despite the explosion. This was by no means their intention.
“Do you have the 'resolve not to die'?”
the man asked the Purifiers again.
It was the voice of the greatest black magician on the continent, the man who stood at the pinnacle of the Black Magic Tower. At the sound of his voice, the Purifiers all turned their heads. And there was no hesitation or doubt in their actions.
They charged straight for Dale's father.
To detonate their bodies of blazing fire once more.
KABOOOM!
Another explosion erupted. A massive blast large enough to engulf the entire area. The flames of hell raged.
But it was strange.
There was an explosion, but it caused 'no damage'. Even the ones who had exploded were unharmed.
Lord Black waved his arm again. Then, the 'fiery shadows' that had been covering them were extinguished.
As easily as blowing out a candle.
The Purifiers sensed the gravity of the situation and raised their heads. They looked toward the man in the black robe they were facing.
Facing the continent's greatest black magician, 'Lord Black'.
“Have you still not realized?”
Lord Black spoke.
“That I have not permitted your deaths.”
Realizing the meaning behind his words, the color drained from the Purifiers' faces for the first time.
“Here, there is no 'method for you to reach death'.”
The black magicians of the Black Magic Tower who delve into the truths beyond death, and the man standing at their very pinnacle... was not allowing them to die.
“Curse: Abomination.”
Lord Black continued. He spun eight circles, generating black mana, and unleashed the words of the curse.
At the same time, a wind of darkness began to swirl from all directions.
A powerful, invisible gravity enveloped the Purifiers. They were drawn to each other like magnets, their bodies melting and beginning to fuse into 'a single form'.
“Uh, ah, uh...?”
My body is heavy. I can't move even if I want to. I can't even speak properly. My vision is twisting strangely.
“Uh, eugh, eughhh, ahh...”
“Uh, eugh, eugh, eughhh...”
I can hear my comrades' voices right next to me. Right next to me? No, not next to me. Closer. Closer? No, that's not it. It wasn't even a matter of being close.
Only then did one of the Purifiers realize.
The voices of his comrades were coming from inside him.
He looked down at his body. And upon looking, he understood. It wasn't his body. It was just one large mass of flesh. The three remaining Purifiers, fused together into a spherical aggregate of flesh.
Just as its name suggested, it was an 'Abomination'.
Six eyeballs spun around, looking in every direction. Bizarrely twisted voices leaked from three mouths. Six ears heard the sounds. Thirty fingers twitched erratically, stuck haphazardly to the ball of flesh without any pattern.
Could that truly be called 'human'?
It was like a lump of raw materials a creator had prepared to sculpt a person.
“The act of living,”
Lord Black continued, addressing the mass of flesh.
“is many times more painful and arduous than simply preparing for death.”
Calmly.
“I will ask again.”
His voice was devoid of any emotion.
“Do you have the 'resolve not to die'?”
That man was no Grim Reaper. For he was not a being who would bring a simple form of death.
Before Lord Black, 'death' was nothing more than a luxury.
A pain greater than death. Dale understood its meaning and felt a chill run down his spine.
Because he had finally witnessed the true nature of the man known as Lord Black.
The mass of flesh began to mumble something desperately. The fanaticism finally vanished from their faces, replaced by the shadow of terror and fear. Although what remained could hardly be called faces.
One thing was certain, at least: even they, who were prepared for death, did not have the 'resolve not to die'.