Chapter 232
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 232
Gillean scanned our party, a thin smile playing on his lips.
“Well now, this is quite the impressive lineup. A Grand Mage, the Spirit King’s contractor, a Saintess, and a Hero. You may be mere fledglings now, but I look forward to seeing what you eventually become.”
The moment Gillean finished his appraisal of our group—
“Holy Hammer!”
At Elena’s cry, a massive hammer of divine power materialized above Gillean’s head. Having quickly assessed the threat, Elena had launched a preemptive strike.
The colossal weight of divine energy plunged downward, intending to crush Gillean into the earth, but…
Vrrr—.
A spatial magic circle manifested instantly above his head, and the hammer struck nothing but empty air.
“……!”
Having effortlessly neutralized Elena’s attack, Gillean spoke.
“Attacking without a word? How adorable. Or perhaps I should praise your quick judgment? Divine magic is quite the nuisance, so I shall take my leave for a moment.”
Gillean waved his hand, and a black curtain unfurled around him. It was a completely separate space, as if he had partitioned himself into another dimension. Having established this defensive barrier, Gillean turned his gaze toward Freya.
“Miss Freya, you and I have met before, haven’t we?”
“……”
Freya had indeed confronted Gillean during the practical exam incident. The other three, completely unaware of this, wore looks of shock.
“Wh-what are you talking about?”
“You’ve met this person before?”
As Freya remained silent, Gillean continued smoothly.
“Well, you needn’t worry too much. A great chaos will soon be upon us, so a little past contact with me will hardly be an issue.”
“What do you mean by that?” I demanded.
At my question, Gillean looked toward Glyphe and said, “The attack on the city has already begun. Your absence from the Union has made things a bit more troublesome, but the conclusion remains the same. The Union will be destroyed, and our intent to invade the continent will be made known to all. And as for the Successor… you will soon be joining us.”
“What’s a Successor?” Kiriel asked with pure innocence.
Gillean chuckled.
“Just as the intel suggested, your ability to grasp the situation is a bit lacking. It is cute, though.” His expression hardened as he continued. “Five of the Honored Ones are already invading the Union. The Chairman you rely on, Ain Soph Fingard, is struggling to stop them. And five more Honored Ones have joined this invasion of the Sea People’s territory. At the very least… there is no one here who can stop us.”
Five of them!
Each of the Twelve Honored Ones possessed enough power to topple a kingdom. If five such beings were gathered, even Glyphe, with the protection of the Spirit King, could not hold out.
“By the way, I wonder if you received my gift. My original plan was to quietly take you while you were unconscious…”
“So it was your doing?”
I ground my teeth, glaring at him. It was Gillean who had manipulated the terrorist into the poisoning attempt. Because of that, Ciel…
“Yes, but it seems things got a little twisted, and your confidante was poisoned instead. Well, in the end, you came here of your own accord, so it makes little difference.”
“……”
They had orchestrated the entire incident just to capture me. Perhaps even this massive invasion of Glyphe was part of that design.
I clenched my fists and looked at Gillean. “The others are not at fault. Isn’t it enough if I alone go with you?”
I didn’t want the citizens of the city or my friends to be harmed because of me. If I went quietly, perhaps the damage could be minimized.
Gillean nodded readily.
“Yes, that would certainly reduce the number of innocent casualties. The invasion plan is already in motion, but I will try to persuade the other Honored Ones. However…” Gillean’s eyes glinted as he looked at Freya and the others. “I’m afraid I can’t let those four go.”
He had clearly judged them as future threats to their cause. As Gillean said, these four were destined to become humanity’s strongest assets. They were also my friends. I couldn’t let them die.
I offered an additional condition.
“I understand… Then not only will I go with you, but I will also fully abide by your will. I will cooperate as much as possible with your ‘great cause.’ So, let the four of them go.”
There was a world of difference between me being forcibly dragged away and me fully cooperating. Gillean paused for a moment, calculating the pros and cons, before nodding.
“If that is the Successor’s will… very well. I will let the four of them go.”
Just as I thought I had secured their safety—
“Gillean, I can’t allow that.”
Thud—.
With the sound of heavy footsteps, another figure emerged from the darkness. It was a beastkin of towering height, possessing a muscular frame and a beautiful silver mane.
The Venerable of the beastkin tribe, Werewolf Girena.
His eyes gleamed sharply as he looked down at the four people standing behind me.
“Those four cannot leave. They must all die here. And as for this ‘Successor’ of yours, I’ll have to see for myself if he has the proper qualifications.”
“……”
After a moment of thought, Gillean stepped back without objection.
“As you wish. However, if the Successor proves his own strength, I ask that you reconsider.”
Rumble—.
In the midst of the tension, a vibration shook the ground as another explosion erupted from the distant city center. Gillean turned his gaze toward the smoke and said, “Ah, it seems it has begun.”
*
On a high coastal cliff.
Flames shot up from various parts of the city, accompanied by booming explosions. Glyphe was being thrown into chaos, caught in the throes of a sudden terrorist attack.
Amur and Carmilla sat perched on the cliff, looking down at the carnage. Watching the inferno consume the city like a fireworks display, Carmilla asked Amur, “Hey, can’t you get inside the barrier? You’re a spirit, aren’t you?”
Amur was an ancient spirit species. Unlike ordinary spirits who governed the five elements, he was closer to a forest guardian, but his essence was still that of a spirit.
However, Amur crossed his arms and shook his head.
“I may be a spirit, but the concentration of my demonic energy is too dense to break through the Spirit King’s protection. Isn’t it the same for you?”
“Well, yeah.”
Carmilla lay back on the ground and gazed up at the night sky. Though weakened, the city was still under the protection of a Spirit King. Any place with blood was her domain, but this city alone was difficult to invade due to Elahim’s blessing. The Spirit King’s protection strongly repelled beings with dense demonic energy. Unless one could perfectly conceal their nature, infiltration was impossible.
In the end, Amur and Carmilla had no choice but to wait outside until the barrier was dispelled. But now, the barrier’s removal was only a matter of time.
Boom—! Bang—!
The explosions rocking the city were bomb attacks carried out by the Sons of Boana, a radical faction of the Sea People. Since they were unaffected by the Spirit King’s protection, they were nothing more than convenient living bombs for the Honored Ones to use.
The core of the operation was to create chaos with these attacks, using the opportunity to seize the Spirit King’s Orb and disable the barrier.
“Did Iscariot get in?”
“Yes. Who would dare stand in his way?”
Iscariot, the Honored One who symbolized the demons among the Twelve. His bloodline ability was ‘Doppelganger,’ an Authority that allowed him to perfectly transform into a designated target. He could flawlessly replicate not only the target’s appearance but also their personality, memories, and even their abilities and Authorities.
This was why Iscariot was considered a leading candidate for the succession. If he were chosen as the Successor and could replicate ‘His’ Authority, Iscariot would be the surest key to achieving their goal.
“It’s a useful ability. In many ways.”
Iscariot’s Authority was also the engine behind this urban terror attack. Those who became his vassals could temporarily change their faces and body shapes. This allowed them to easily infiltrate the city by disguising the radical Sons of Boana as citizens and scouts. It was the perfect ability for carrying out sporadic terrorist attacks.
Carmilla looked down at the city with an ecstatic expression, as if mesmerized by the flames. “The barrier’s removal is only a matter of time. Let’s just wait a little longer.”
*
At the scene of the urban terror attack.
An incident response committee had been established near the central square where the first attack occurred.
“Lady Ariel, another bombing in the southern district! The extent of the damage is still unconfirmed!”
“Lady Ariel, a terrorist attack in the western residential district! We are currently assessing casualties!”
Reports flooded endlessly into Ariel’s tent. Her head felt like it was about to explode from the constant stream of information.
Th-this is impossible.
She clutched her throbbing temples, lost in thought. Reports of terrorism were coming in every few minutes. Something like this shouldn’t be realistically possible.
…The Elven Kingdom has fought against the Sons of Boana for a long time.
She knew everything about their ecology, their range of activity, and their methods. Not only was this kind of large-scale bombing not their style, but their previous attacks had never managed to inflict significant damage. They could never evade the eyes of the city guards and spirits, even if they managed to pass through the barrier.
But now, they were moving freely through the city, carrying out attacks without hindrance. It was a bizarre phenomenon. It suggested the enemy had secured some unprecedented means of infiltration. The failure to prevent these attacks could not be blamed on Ariel’s incompetence alone.
“Hoo.”
Ariel let out a deep sigh, collected herself, and began to issue orders.
“Dispatch the response teams immediately. The Aqua Team to suppress the flames, and the Silva Team for urban reconstruction and healing.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“And issue a lockdown order for the entire city. Don’t let a single ant pass through the gates!”
At Ariel’s bold decision, a few of her aides expressed concern.
“There are still residents and patrolmen outside the city. Issuing a lockdown order means…”
“We have no choice. Block all personnel from entering. That is the only way!”
Even without knowing the full nature of the enemy, Ariel’s judgment was precise. If all gates were sealed, it would be difficult for terrorists to enter, regardless of whether they were disguised as guards or citizens.
But that decision had come too late.
*
The center of Glyphe City. The San Marco Shrine.
Ariel, looking utterly exhausted, returned to the shrine’s interior. The captain of the guard, who was waiting inside, asked, “Lady Ariel? I thought you were at the scene of the attack.”
“I came back for a moment to rest. The Orb is safe, I trust?”
At Ariel’s question, the captain nodded.
“Of course. Seven Spirit Knights are still patrolling and guarding it.”
The Spirit Knights were high-ranking warriors with abilities comparable to Sword Masters. Even if terrorists were running rampant outside, the Orb itself was secure.
“Good, then.”
Splat—.
As Ariel snapped her fingers, the captain of the guard simply exploded. He became a pool of blood in an instant, unable to even let out a final scream.
Then, Ariel’s skeleton and face twisted bizarrely before transforming into the likeness of the dead captain. Even her clothes shifted, mimicking the armor the captain had been wearing.
“……”
The ‘captain’ proceeded into the shrine, heading for the central chamber where the Spirit King’s Orb was kept. He advanced without hindrance until he was stopped by a single person.
A swordsman with a sharp, piercing presence. A Spirit Knight.
The Spirit Knight asked the captain, “What is it, Blon? This isn’t your post.”
“M-my apologies. I received an order from Lady Ariel.”
“…An order?”
“Yes, here.”
The captain pretended to pull a message from his tunic, then snapped his fingers.
Clang—!
The Spirit Knight instantly drew his sword, blocking an unprecedented impact.
“You bastard, who the hell are you!”
After blocking the attack, the Spirit Knight drew upon the power of his spirit, cloaking himself in magic.
Fwoosh—.
In an instant, blazing flames enveloped the Spirit Knight’s blade. The captain of the guard looked at the drawn sword and smiled faintly.
“I see. So you’re not just some small fry?”
With that smile, the captain’s body twisted once more. His appearance, skeleton, and clothes shifted, revealing a demon exuding an extraordinary, suffocating demonic energy.
He was none other than Iscariot, one of the Twelve Honored Ones.
“This is…! Sylph!”
The Spirit Knight, realizing an enemy had infiltrated, tried to alert the others.
Thump—.
The wind spirit carrying his message flew only a short distance before bouncing off an invisible wall.
Iscariot spoke calmly.
“My apologies. Dealing with seven of you at once is a bit of a hassle.”
The area was already within Iscariot’s domain. Sound, smell, and mana could not escape without his permission.
The Spirit Knight was a skilled warrior on par with a Sword Master. Furthermore, the power of spirits was the natural enemy of demons, making him a formidable opponent for any ordinary demon.
Of course, for Iscariot—the master of ten thousand demons, an Honored One of pure demon world lineage—a single knight was no obstacle.
“Keuk.”
After a battle of only a few dozen clashes, the Spirit Knight was defeated. He fought valiantly, but ultimately, Iscariot pierced his heart.
Schlick—.
Iscariot plucked out the dead Spirit Knight’s eyeball and stored it in his Subspace Pouch. Afterward, he proceeded to defeat the remaining Spirit Knights one by one until he reached the Spirit King’s Orb.
Standing before the tightly sealed door, Iscariot held up the eyes of the seven dead Spirit Knights he had collected. The seal on the shrine’s central chamber broke, the doors opening as white smoke billowed out.
Shaaa—.
Beyond the smoke sat a beautifully shining, indigo sphere.
“So this is the Spirit King’s Orb.”
Just as Iscariot’s eyes lit up at the sight—
Zzt—!
A blue bolt of lightning shot from the Orb, piercing Iscariot’s heart.
“A self-defense mechanism. A fine artifact.”
But Iscariot, acting as if nothing had happened, reached out and picked up the blue orb. And then—
Crack—.
He clenched his hand, crushing the Orb into fragments. As Iscariot opened his palm, blue powder scattered onto the floor.
With this, the long-standing pact between the Spirit King and the Sea People’s Alliance was terminated. There was nothing left to stand in their way.