Chapter 162: If It Were Now (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 162: If It Were Now (2)
The men who had attacked Calian were Warriors of the Great Desert.
The ones who had come for Euria now were just ordinary humans.
It didn't matter if they were from Kairis, Secritia, Tensil, or Libern. As long as they weren't Warriors of the Great Desert, their individual combat strength would be roughly the same, and that was all that mattered.
"Just capture five of them, kid."
"Understood."
"Don't fight them in close quarters. You'll die too."
"…Yes."
As Euria spoke, the hem of her robe began to flutter. Though there was no wind, it whipped about violently as mana suddenly converged around her.
Arsen took a small step away.
Soon, Arsen’s fingertips twitched. Almost simultaneously, an ice spear plummeted toward the head of an approaching knight. It wasn't a serious attack, but rather a probe to gauge the defensive strength of the shield they carried.
Screeech!
An unpleasant sound, like metal scraping against stone, rang out as the tip of the ice spear ground against the barrier. The enemy’s shield flickered once before quickly stabilizing.
Whoosh!
While Arsen was casually testing their limits, a massive spear of wind flew toward him. It wasn't from the knight in front of him, but from some third-rate mage hiding in the distance.
Of all things, wind.
There was only one person in the world who was a true master of wind magic.
Chuckling at the stray thought, Arsen waved his hand. An ice barrier, easily two spans thick, materialized instantly before him.
Crash!
He mused that perhaps only Alan could conjure a wind spear capable of piercing an ice wall this thick.
As if to mock his thoughts, the wind spear dug halfway into the ice wall before stopping. Arsen’s eyes narrowed, whether from the deafening roar of ice and wind clashing or from the attack’s unexpectedly high destructive power.
Dispelling the barrier, Arsen ignored the approaching knight and channeled his mana toward the mage who had launched the attack.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two sharply honed ice spears shot toward the mage. Seeing them approach at what seemed like an easily blockable speed, the mage concentrated his shield’s power, causing its front to glow intensely.
A faint smile touched Arsen’s lips. And then—
Whoosh!
A third ice spear materialized directly behind the mage and plunged downward. Naturally, it moved at a speed no mere mage could hope to dodge.
Squelch!
It pierced his heart clean through.
The heavy thud of a body hitting the ground briefly broke the silence.
At the same time, another ice spear formed, halting the knight who had been rushing Arsen just moments before.
Clang!
The result was the same. With an irritating screech, the ice spear was blocked by the shield. Seeing this, the knight smirked and raised his sword.
A mage who didn't even try to dodge a knight bearing down on him. Even if he was the Vice-Commander of Valkan, this was far too arrogant—
Crack!
The knight never finished his thought.
With a shattering sound, the ice spear embedded in the shield instantly changed shape.
Melting and shifting like ice held over a fire, Arsen’s magic spread out like a spiderweb, rapidly encasing the red shield.
By the time the knight realized something was wrong, the entire outer surface of his shield was covered in a layer of blue ice.
"Nice to meet you."
The knight’s smirk slowly faded as he heard the mage’s calm voice, completely unfazed by the sword pointed at him. A thick layer of white frost now obscured his vision, and he still hadn't grasped what was happening.
"I am Arsen Hertz, Vice-Commander of Valkan, the Kairis Mage Corps."
As his master always said, one must greet someone upon meeting them.
Having frozen a shield that had been manifested from pure mana, the ice mage finished his introduction. However, he had no intention of remembering this man’s name, so he didn't bother giving him time to respond.
Once again, freezing mana gathered at Arsen’s fingertips.
Whoosh!
Shatter!
A frozen shield is weaker than a piece of quartz.
An unprotected knight’s body is weaker still.
Thud!
Struck by the descending blade of ice, the knight—half his neck gone along with his shield—tottered for a moment. Then, he crashed to the ground.
Behind the fallen knight, a stream of blue water could be seen surging forward, tearing through the earth. Euria had not been idle while Arsen fought. She was now standing a good distance away from the knights.
Swoosh!
The blue energy shimmering beneath Euria’s feet shot forward like a bolt of light. It was swift and sharp, like a wingless dragon carving its way through the ground.
The water, which had begun as a single stream, split into six branches like a river delta. Each branch shot toward one of the six knights rushing her.
In the blink of an eye, the water reached the feet of the six men.
Boom!
Without a moment’s hesitation, the streams of water erupted into six towering pillars, instantly engulfing their targets.
The force was formidable, spinning in reverse and surging upward like a waterspout. Though it was only water, it felt as if countless blades were hidden within, shredding the solid red shields of the men trapped in the pillars’ centers.
Crackle! Zap!
Almost simultaneously, purple lightning rained down from the sky. Before hitting the ground, the bolts split into six perfect forks, striking the knights trapped inside the water pillars.
Lightning from a clear sky shook the very earth.
Crash!
With a deafening roar that echoed through the forest, the swirling pillars of water absorbed the full power of the lightning.
The force of the water, which hadn't dissipated even after shattering their shields, tore wounds all over their bodies. The lightning’s power surged directly into those deep, open gashes. Before their healing abilities could even activate, it charred their skin and seeped deep into their bodies.
Zzzzt!
Euria’s power was different from Arsen’s ice. It was more like Alan’s fire.
Arsen’s ice spears took a life in an instant. Alan’s fire, however, kept the victim’s mind awake, forcing them to feel every last second of pain until their heart stopped. The electrical power Euria wielded was the same. It rarely allowed the mercy of unconsciousness.
Writhing on the ground, the men who had barely escaped immediate death screamed as the horrific sensation set every nerve in their bodies alight. The lightning’s energy, soaked into their wet forms, refused to dissipate.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Once, twice, three times.
The relentless lightning struck their bodies without pause, ensuring their hearts were completely charred and that no healing power could ever regenerate them.
In an instant, six knights became six corpses.
"Twelve."
The enemies didn't flee. They continued their attack.
And so, Euria and Arsen did not stop.
Arsen froze the ankles of a knight rushing toward Euria, and Euria struck him down. A dark red sword imbued with aura swung at Arsen, only to shatter into countless pieces before an ice spear plummeted down on its wielder.
"Ten left," Arsen said.
At his words, Euria raised her hands to the sky.
She was tired and hungry.
She didn't want to drag this out any longer.
Rumble!
The bluish-purple sky, where darkness was beginning to settle, let out an uneasy shriek. With a roar that sounded as if the heavens themselves were tearing apart, pure white sparks blanketed the sky.
She gathered thunder and lightning. A sound like a cat’s purr echoed from above, soon transforming into the cold growl of a tiger.
Crack, crackle!
It sounded as if the sky were splitting in two, then three. The sound of reality being ripped apart by a giant hand echoed endlessly.
The weeping of the sky—the thunder—was a source of primal fear for all living things. Looking up, the enemies instinctively took a step back. Seeing this, Arsen bound their feet with a simple wave of his hand.
Rumble…
A flashing light engulfed the sky.
Then came the calm before the storm.
A silence so profound that one couldn't even hear their own breath fell over the land. The world sank into absolute stillness.
"Everyone…"
Unable to bear the silence, one knight swallowed hard and opened his mouth. That was the signal.
Boom! Crash! Roar!
Rumble! Crash!
Was he going to say, "Everyone, attack"?
Or, "Everyone, run"?
It didn't matter.
As if waiting for that fear-choked voice to break the silence, bolts of deep purple lightning struck down, one after another. Endlessly, relentlessly.
Euria’s arms remained raised to the sky as she continued to call down the heavens’ wrath. At the same time, blue water erupted from the earth, tearing it apart, soaking the men’s bodies and obscuring their vision.
Zzzzzzt!
Euria was right.
Shields, the distinction between knights and mages—none of it meant a thing.
The lightning that struck the knight who had spoken traveled along the water-soaked ground, jumping to the mage beside him, and then to the knight behind him. Trapped in a cage of purple sparks, they were rooted to the spot, taking the full brunt of the assault.
Crash! Rumble!
Once summoned, the lightning showed no sign of stopping. Even after the enemies’ regenerative powers were exhausted and their lives completely extinguished, it continued to strike and pulverize the ground.
After some time, Euria’s arms finally lowered. The sparks she held in her hands subsided, and the water gushing from the ground dried up in an instant.
All that remained was the gouged and shattered earth, and the forty corpses lying upon it—charred, barely recognizable bodies that told the tale of what had just transpired.
Silently observing the scene, Arsen turned to look at Euria.
"Their sword stances were incredibly clumsy, yet they used aura. A foolish mage who only chased what was right in front of him used enough power to pierce my ice. On top of that, both the mages and knights possessed healing abilities."
His voice dropped to a chilling low.
"Are these the ones who attacked the Prince?"
At Arsen’s question, Euria, who had grown slightly pale from expending so much power, replied in a low voice, "Yeah, that's right."
So that was it.
Was that why Calian had told them to increase Valkan’s numbers?
Arsen clenched his fists.
The immediate reason had been different, of course, but this was the fundamental reason Calian had told them to prepare for an uncertain future.
"Kid. Stop overthinking and come here. Let's eat some chicken."
At her suddenly carefree tone, Arsen looked exasperated.
"There are forty corpses right next to us, President."
"So what? Are we sharing with them?" the Mage Association President, seasoned by countless battles with barbarians in her youth, retorted.
The Vice-Commander of Valkan, who had roamed the Great Desert with his master, simply shook his head and sat down beside her. In any case, both of them were well-acquainted with the sight of dead enemies.
"Ah, it's overcooked."
"I told you to capture five, but you only got three."
"You eat the breast meat. I'm too exhausted to chew."
* * *
The plea to save his life.
Though unintentional, those words had been deeply engraved in Lemain’s mind.
Alan had said it himself: the one Calian should have turned to in order to survive was his father, not a mage he had never even met. So how could Lemain possibly refuse the hand now extended to him?
In the end, Lemain had no choice but to nod. He promised to give Calian a special gift for his upcoming birthday, just as the boy wished.
"Please, be careful," he had added.
In response, Calian promised he would be, but asked if he could remove the two "door locks" trailing behind him. He received permission for that as well.
By the time he finished his meeting with Lemain and stepped outside, the sun was setting.
"I can't tell if the sun is setting early or late."
Calian sighed softly. The day had felt both incredibly short and impossibly long.
In the distance, the lights of the Wilhelm Pavilion were off. Except for the few Valkan members assigned to guard the Heisia Palace, everyone would have returned to their quarters. They still had to conceal the existence of the Axis of Time, even if no one could approach it.
Hina and Yan would have already returned to Chermil.
Thus, Calian directed his steps toward Wilhelm.
Kyrie was likely in the Chermil training ground, so Calian wanted to practice with his sword without disturbing him. He also wanted to be alone for a bit.
But then.
Tap!
What was that sound coming from the unlit indoor training ground of the Wilhelm Pavilion?
Whoosh!
Hearing the sound of heavy iron cutting through the air, Calian had a good idea who it was. A smirk touched his lips as he quietly opened the door and stepped inside.
Within the training ground, illuminated by fragmented moonlight filtering through the windows, a sword shrouded in darkness danced alone. The blade did not reflect the bright moonlight, but Calian had no trouble following its movements.
The swordsman didn't seem to notice Calian hidden in the shadows, so Calian stood quietly and watched. A sword wielded when one knows they are being observed is different from one wielded when they believe they are alone.
Whoosh!
Sharp energy flowed from the tip of the sword as it carved a circular arc. The trembling in the blade had vanished as it thrust forward like a projectile. The swings and strikes flowed as seamlessly as water.
He had improved a lot.
Pausing for a moment, the figure quietly caught his breath. Then, adopting a slightly different stance, he moved his sword again. A distinctly different speed and lightness now clung to the blade’s tip.
Swish!
The Sword of Brissen was, to put it nicely, moderate. To put it harshly, it was ambiguous.
It was moderately light and moderately heavy, but because of that, it was difficult to execute rapid attacks, and its strikes lacked impact. While it could parry both Calian’s and Demirea’s swords, delivering a fatal blow was difficult.
Franz must have known this.
That was why he was trying to forge Calian’s style with that sword, aiming for faster attacks. He had likely learned something from watching Demirea as well.
Because that was who Franz was.
Watching Franz's sword extend as if splitting at the tip, Calian spoke quietly.
"You'll ruin your shoulder."
He had seen enough. Once Franz had finished demonstrating his own style, Calian stopped him before he could fully attempt his lighter swordsmanship.
At the sudden voice, Franz’s movements froze. Letting his sword hang, he stared quietly at the entrance.
"…What is it?"
There was no embarrassment at being caught mimicking Calian’s style. If he were the type to be embarrassed by such a thing, he wouldn't have been able to calmly stroke a cat in front of Calian. It was more likely annoyance at being watched from the shadows.
"That's not a speed you can attempt right now. You might manage it a few times, but you can't sustain it for long," Calian said, indifferent to Franz's annoyance.
Standing still for a moment, Franz nodded. He possessed neither useless embarrassment nor useless stubbornness.
Soon, Franz sheathed his sword and started to walk away. Seeing him head straight for the exit, Calian was surprised. He had expected Franz to ask for a usable technique to replace the one he had just discarded, but he didn't.
Therefore, Calian spoke first.
"Would you like to spar?"
"Forget it."
The refusal was instant.
"You look like you should go to sleep right now."
He was still concerned about Calian's condition after his spar with Alan the previous day.
Calian, who had spent the day reliving his past selves—as Bern, and as the old Calian—said to Franz, "Then let's have a meal, Brother."
"Too much trouble."
He'll probably just go graze on some grass again. Like a Boiled Pea.
"You won't grow any taller if you keep that up."
"Stop barking."
Calian grinned.
He had successfully barked once today, after all.