Chapter 237
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 237
As I dropped into a fighting stance, Iscariot smirked, his voice laced with a warning.
“Quite confident, aren't you? Though you should know your own condition better than anyone.”
“……”
I forced my trembling limbs to go still.
Just as Iscariot said, my body was a complete wreck. I had already spent hours trading blows with Girena. Even though my physical wounds had healed, the stamina and mana I’d exhausted wouldn't recover so easily.
But.
“That’s none of your concern.”
I clenched my fists and glared at him.
I had expended an enormous amount of energy in the previous battle, but I had recovered just enough to absorb mana and demonic energy to transform once more. No, even if I were in no condition to fight, I couldn't back down now.
If I didn't step up, not only would Isley's revenge be impossible, but I couldn't guarantee the lives of Freya and the others.
As I steeled my resolve, Iscariot tilted his head slightly, looking amused.
“Well, fine. In that case...”
Fwip—.
Iscariot’s hand shot out. Simultaneously, mana began to ripple from his fingertips in concentric circles.
Zwoong—.
As the mana touched the air, space-time blurred and turned monochrome. Iscariot had erected a barrier, completely severing us from the outside world.
I scanned the interior of the barrier. The scenery inside moved rapidly, like a video playing at several times its normal speed. To be precise, it wasn't that the world was moving faster, but that my perception of it had slowed down.
The flow of time for the entire space, including myself, had been decelerated.
I quietly gritted my teeth.
This is another of Iscariot's Authorities: Time Manipulation.
Truly, an ability worthy of a final boss. Within the barrier he cast, Iscariot could manipulate his opponent's flow of time at will. In the game, being inside its range slowed down all actions, including skill casting times and the delays before and after every movement.
There was only one way to counter this.
The power of the Cognitive Acceleration Stone.
Thump—.
I activated the Cognitive Acceleration Stone's ability through my pendant. Another monochrome world spread out, centered on me. My world overlaid Iscariot's barrier, and my body regained its original speed.
Just as my perception and the flow of time returned to normal—
“……!”
Shk-shk-shk—.
In that instant, spears of black demonic energy erupted from beneath my feet. I reflexively kicked off the ground and leaped into the air, dodging the spears that shot up like iron skewers.
This must have been the attack that dealt Professor Isley his fatal blow.
A strange light flickered in Iscariot's eyes as I dodged the attack with swift movements.
“Hoh. To move without resistance even within my barrier...”
Ignoring his commentary, I pressed the attack.
Fwip—.
I kicked off the tip of a spear beneath me to jump even higher, glaring as I aimed a clenched fist at Iscariot. As my will commanded, the space at my target point distorted into a vortex.
Shwrrr—.
An Authority that distorts space itself. Anyone touched by it would suffer a fatal wound, but…
Iscariot dodged it with ease, his eyes gleaming.
“So this is His Authority! How I covet it!”
Fwip—.
Iscariot spread his hands to his sides, his cape fluttering, and dozens—no, hundreds—of black magic circles appeared behind him. Then, spears of black demonic energy launched from the circles, raining down on me.
Kwagwagwa—!
I summoned chains of mana to counter the barrage. The spears of demonic energy and chains of mana clashed in mid-air, scattering fragments of broken power throughout the space.
The battle raged on. Like the fierce hand-to-hand combat with Girena, it was a grueling struggle of Authority against Authority.
Flash—.
Mana shot by both of us rained down everywhere as we exchanged fatal blows. But as time went on, I was the one growing exhausted.
Shnk—.
“Kugh.”
A sharp spear of demonic energy grazed my cheek. With every exchange, the number of wounds, large and small, gradually increased. I clenched my jaw and glared at him.
His mastery over his Authority is on a different level.
Like Girena, Iscariot was a monster who had lived for hundreds of years. He possessed an immense amount of combat experience, incomparable to me, who had only awakened and used demonic energy for a few months.
Not only that, he was superior in the manifestation of his Authority and the sheer depth of his mana pool. What's more, I was exhausted from the previous battle with barely any energy left. This outcome was only natural.
But I couldn't just give up. Just as I was desperately trying to think of a way to turn the tables…
Puk—.
A long spear, summoned in my blind spot, pierced through my thigh.
“Kuk.”
I collapsed to my knees but struggled to deploy a barrier to block the follow-up attack.
Kwagwagwa—!
As if waiting for me to fall, Iscariot's attacks hammered my barrier like a torrential downpour.
Crack— Crackle—.
The barrier, which had begun to crack under the continuous assault, soon shattered into pieces.
Shk-shk-shk—.
“……!”
Spears of demonic energy pierced through my back.
“Keoheok.”
I coughed up dark red blood and collapsed to the ground.
“Gurgle. Keuk.”
Blood filled my respiratory tract from the piercing wounds; I couldn't breathe properly. Unlike with Girena, these were fatal wounds I couldn't regenerate from immediately.
Sensing my defeat, I pressed my face into the cold dirt floor and gasped for breath.
I can't… win.
Iscariot. He was truly a wall I couldn't overcome with my current strength. I had charged in boldly, but I had also expected this outcome.
I'm sorry, everyone.
Feeling my consciousness fade, I slowly closed my eyes.
*
The hemispherical conceptual barrier that enveloped Roen and Iscariot stood firm. Just as there was a battle inside the barrier, a desperate fight of its own continued outside.
“Hahp!”
“Chain Lightning!”
Freya and Elena were cutting down the monsters that endlessly swarmed the plaza. Beatrice, too, was firing off spells as if to burst her Mana Heart, fending off the enemies.
Only Kiriel, having lost all will to fight, was crying while cradling Isley's head.
Just then.
“The—the barrier!”
The barrier, which hadn't broken no matter what they tried from the outside, began to fade.
Shaaa—.
Soon, the barrier dissipated, revealing the scene that had been hidden inside. Freya and the others held their breath as they took in the sight.
“……!”
They had looked inside with a sliver of hope, but reality was brutally cold.
Iscariot stood perfectly fine, save for some slightly ragged breathing. And Roen lay battered and broken on the ground. It wasn't even clear if he was still alive.
Shunk—.
Iscariot pulled one of the demonic energy spears from the ground and approached the fallen Roen. He was moving in to deliver the final blow.
At this, Freya and Beatrice stepped forward to block Iscariot's path.
“Stop.”
“We will not permit you to go any further.”
Freya threatened Iscariot, aiming her holy sword, with Beatrice backing her up. His path blocked, Iscariot smirked and silently turned his gaze toward Elena.
“……”
While the two blocked his way, Elena hurriedly rushed to the blood-soaked Roen and checked his condition.
“Ro—Roen?”
She had only touched him lightly to see if he was conscious, but her pristine white hand came away covered in dark red blood.
“Ah, ah...”
She had often seen human blood during her medical volunteer work, but the feeling now was entirely different. It wasn't simply a fear of blood, but an overwhelming dread that she might lose someone precious.
It was a reality she wanted to turn away from, but time was of the essence. Elena stared blankly at her blood-drenched palm before forcing herself to look back at Roen.
Roen's body was riddled with piercing wounds, as if he'd been impaled by dozens of spikes; his condition wasn't much different from Isley's. The wounds were so severe it wouldn't have been strange if he were already dead. He was still breathing, however faintly, but even that last ember of life was gradually fading.
If left like this, he would surely die.
Roen would die.
No.
That can't happen.
The sensation of all the blood draining from her head was overwhelming. Having lost her composure, Elena placed a trembling hand on Roen's wound.
Heal him, I have to heal him...
Panicking, Elena tried to heal Roen with her magic without thinking, but…
Cough—.
As Elena's divine magic touched him, Roen's body twitched and he coughed up more blood.
“Oh, no…”
The divine power that formed the basis of her healing magic was poison to Roen. Her attempt to heal him was only hastening his death.
Iscariot, watching this, spoke.
“Messenger of Ru, you cannot heal him with your power. You will only speed up his demise.”
He continued with a smirk.
“Or are you trying to put him out of his misery? If that is your expression of affection, I won't stop you.”
“……”
Elena stared blankly down at Roen with her bloodstained hands. It was a different kind of helplessness from when she couldn't heal Isley. No, it was more than that; she felt a deep resentment toward her own power.
Elena pressed her hand against Roen's wound, from which blood was gushing, and bit her lip.
O, Ru. Why… why give me such a trial?
The Authority of healing, bestowed upon her by a god at birth—she had lived her entire life according to that fate. But for that power to be completely useless when she needed it most…
What in the world was this power for?
Just as Elena was blankly stroking the dying Roen's hand…
Ssk—.
Kiriel, having said her final farewells to Isley, wiped her eyes and stood up. She turned her gaze to Roen, who was dying in Elena's arms.
“……”
Roen, who always wore a confident and relaxed expression, was slowly dying, and even the composed and mature Elena was sobbing. It felt as if Kiriel's heart had dropped into her stomach. At the same time, her chest ached.
Pounding her chest, Kiriel forced herself to look away and survey the ruined city.
Screams and explosions echoed from all around. The beautiful city she had been so proud of was engulfed in the flames of war. The temple, which boasted a thousand years of history, had collapsed, allowing monsters to invade. The canals where gondolas once sailed were now filled with corpses.
The plaza where she had laughed and danced with her friends just yesterday was now a mountain of the dead. The fate of her only sister was unknown, and Professor Isley, who had always looked after her despite her shortcomings, was gone.
And now, even Roen was about to leave her.
Kiriel lowered her head and clenched her fists tightly.
Why… why did it come to this?
Kiriel couldn't understand this series of events. Why they had suddenly come here for a school trip, why this peaceful city had become a battlefield overnight. Why those people, the Twelve Honored Ones or whatever, were after Roen. Why the city had to burn, why people had to die.
Why did they have to suffer the sorrow of losing those they held dear?
No matter how much she thought, Kiriel couldn't find an answer. But one thing was certain. If she didn't do something here, no one would survive.
Tears streamed down Kiriel's face as she clenched her fists.
Please, just help me this one time…
I've always been a burden to everyone. It's fine if I'm treated like a half-wit and made fun of. Because I'm an idiot, and I only cause trouble for everyone.
But not today. Because right now, I'm the only one who can save them.
So…
Kiriel screamed at the top of her lungs.
“You can help me just for today! If you truly care for the people of the forest, you can make a contract with someone a little lacking like me!”
Kiriel shouted, continuously wiping away her flowing tears with her sleeve.
“Make a contract with me! You can take everything, just make a contract with me! Spirit King!”
An empty cry echoing through the plaza filled only with death and despair.
But.
That heartfelt cry reached someone.
Kuruuung—.
Along with a thunderous sound that echoed in her head, a certain being answered Kiriel's cry.
[Very well. Your will has reached me. Though you have not yet blossomed, the potential is there.]
“Ugh… Ugh!”
Her head grew hot, as if it were burning. At the same time, her mana was drained away as the being's voice continued.
[I shall formally make a contract with you, Kiriel Silverwalker. Girl with a kind heart. Child of the ancient forest.]
A contract with a spirit.
Teong—.
A leaf-shaped crest was engraved on Kiriel's forehead, and a path between the Spirit Realm and the mortal world was opened.
Swaaaa—.
At the same time, a cool breeze blew through the place stained with despair and fear. The wind of a spirit, carrying the power of life. Soon after, the abundant forest mana from the surrounding sea of trees gathered and formed the shape of a giant tree.
“Ah.”
Kiriel stared blankly at the sight, a moved smile on her face.
Iscariot raised his head, his expression hardening. Then, looking at the master of providence that had appeared high in the sky, he murmured softly.
“……Yggdrasil, the Spirit King of the Forest.”