Chapter 103
Chapter 103
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: Dream (3)
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BOOM!
A one-eyed giant smashed through the castle walls.
Innumerable people were crushed under the rubble, reduced to chunks of flesh.
But the humans' counterattack was no slouch either.
Mithril arrows infused with mana burrowed viciously into the one-eyed giant's body from head to toe.
Everything was cloaked in blood and ash, mixed into a dark crimson sludge that made it impossible to distinguish demon from non-demon.
Through the chaos, Cardina pressed forward.
"Uwaaaaaah!"
A liquid-form aura blade extended from the tip of Cardina's sword, slicing through a massive spider's crystal sac.
The spider collapsed mid-stride, smashing into the nearby aqueduct and shattering it.
'At this rate, it won't hold out much longer!'
Even in the chaotic situation, Cardina clearly assessed the state of the battle.
This fortress was on the verge of falling.
The walls had mostly crumbled, leaving only their skeletal frames, with flames roiling behind them.
Enormous demonic beasts were crawling over the wall remnants and scaling them.
At that moment, she spotted the group of knights she had met earlier.
They were huddling overlapping shields to shield themselves from the dragon's breath pouring from the sky.
[Over here!]
One of the female knights up front called out to Cardina.
She was the first knight who had spoken to Cardina.
Cardina hurriedly snatched up a shield from the ground and joined their shield wall.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
The dragon's fury scorched the sky as it passed overhead.
Cardina tossed her half-melted shield to the ground.
Then, the female knight in front turned her head.
She appeared to be in her mid-thirties, sweeping back her short bangs as she asked,
[You survived that mess, huh. You're with the Meursault House, right? What's your name?]
"Cardina."
[Nice to meet you. I'm Dunkerque. Third Allied Forces, Karkas Regiment.]
"The situation's bad. Shouldn't we retreat?"]
[Yeah, we probably should. No retreat order yet, though. The quiet's suspicious—maybe the command staff who should issue it are all dead.]
Dunkerque spat out a glob of blood-mixed saliva and teeth.
Cardina followed behind her and asked,
"Where is this place?"]
[What do you know? Even a dainty noble lady like you oughta know the name of the place you're dying. Come on.]
"Got separated. Don't know."]
[Ice Scale Plains. You'd know if you're Meursault. Though, we've been pushed back pretty far since then, huh?]
Dunkerque's words made Cardina's expression harden.
The Ice Scale Plains were on the outskirts of Meursault territory, a commercial hub full of gates frequented by merchants.
A trading district far removed from battle.
But now, it had turned into a hellfire.
The frozen lake had not just thawed—it was boiling and evaporating, its bed cracked wide open.
Cardina asked,
"What happened to Meursault territory?"]
[That's the last line of defense now. If it falls, humanity's done for.]
"What about the Meursault family?"]
[Heard some made it out and retreated... but who knows now? The survivors are barely a handful. Who cares what blood runs in their veins?]
She was right.
Of the people here, hardly any were left alive.
Half-destroyed walls and scattered soldier corpses around them.
All that was visible were mountains of bodies and rivers of blood.
At that instant, a massive horn blast echoed.
TOOOOOOT—
The ground trembled.
Dunkerque cursed.
[Fuck! Main force incoming!]
No sooner had her shout ended than the sky turned red.
Soon, a colossal shadow loomed over the cloud layer.
An ominous crimson glow visible even through the pitch-black curtain of thunderclouds.
The moment Cardina faced it, her jaw dropped.
"Wh-what the hell is that...?"
That instant.
[Danger!]
Cardina's waist snapped sideways.
Dunkerque had grabbed her waist and rolled them aside.
Flash!
The being atop the clouds fired a beam of light toward them, vaporizing the ground in an instant.
Dunkerque yelled,
[Highest demon! Fall back! No chance without the hero party!]
"D-demon? Highest-ranking?"]
Cardina looked up again.
That instant.
Flash!
Red light burst forth once more.
Dunkerque's upper body, pinning Cardina down, turned to ash in the blink of an eye.
"No!"
Cardina screamed, but nothing changed.
Flash!
The red light flashed a third time, and Cardina's consciousness snapped.
"They're holding out longer than I thought."
Federback said.
Meanwhile, Queenbits peered worriedly into the crystal orb.
Inside the orb, Cardina was turning to ash and vanishing.
"Normal humans can't keep dreaming like this. Their bodies would waste away to skin and bones from exhaustion. Mentally, it'd be unbearable too."
"Sister's got what it takes to become a 5th Circle knight. A swordmaster candidate doesn't break that easily."
"You wanna keep going?"]
"Why ask the obvious? We repeat the same dream until she's ready. Only if she wants it, of course."
"You're ruthless. How many times?"]
"No limit on repeats. Set it so she can loop as many times as she desires."
"Who'd want to dream this nightmare again? What lunatic volunteers to relive their gruesome murder...?"
Queenbits said incredulously.
But.
Tzzzzz...
The scene in the crystal orb shifted.
Incredibly, Cardina was choosing to dream anew.
This was her unconscious will, etched deep within.
Queenbits's jaw dropped.
"Sh-she wants to dream this hell again? Willingly?"]
"That's my sister."
"How are siblings so alike?"]
Federback smiled faintly.
Hoping Cardina would gain insight from the crystal orb's visions.
Cardina opened her eyes.
'Am I even alive?'
Yes. Alive.
Not in a bed, but in the heart of a half-burnt forest.
'Right. Still trapped in the dream magic.'
Cardina quickly grasped the situation.
The highest demon, presumed to be a Demon King's lieutenant.
She clearly remembered the moment she was hit by its magic and died.
"...It was hot and painful. The sensation of my body burning away is still vivid. At least while dreaming, this might as well be reality."
As she muttered to herself,
[Hey.]
Someone grabbed her shoulder firmly.
Turning, Cardina saw a familiar face.
A tall woman in her mid-thirties with short hair—a female knight.
Leading a group of blood- and ash-soaked knights staring at her.
[Straggler?]
[Which unit?]
[Doesn't matter. Stay here, you're dead.]
The lead female knight continued,
[Demon King's army's coming this way soon. His personal guard, led by the King himself. We gotta link up with main forces.]
"Dunkerque."
Cardina called her name.
Dunkerque flinched.
[What? You know me?]
"...We met once before."
[Huh. Which unit? Wait, I don't think I caught your answer earlier.]
"..."
After a brief silence, Cardina replied,
"Cardina of the Meursault House."
[Ah, got it. The northern border marquises guarding the left flank until recently? Heard they took heavy losses. What were you doing there? Straggler?]
"Something like that."
[Too bad. Meursault main forces already pulled north. Most with you probably bought it. No word of survivors from that all-nighter battle. Shame.]
"..."
Everything flowed exactly as before.
Cardina finally realized the purpose of this dream.
'Endless repetition for mastery. Now I get why it's training.'
Everything matched the first run perfectly.
BOOM!
A massive explosion erupted ahead, and one knight shouted,
[Demon dragon!]
That wasn't his last words...
"Dodge!"
Cardina shoved the knight at the front.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
A crimson fire pillar lanced from the black sky, sweeping the ground.
It was less flame and more thick lava cascading like a waterfall.
The spot where the knight had stood moments ago was reduced to ashes.
[Th-thanks!]
The saved knight expressed gratitude, but Cardina just glared at the sky.
Soon.
[Ooooooh!]
A flying beast tore through the thundercloud veil.
Demon dragon.
Ancient dragons that abandoned noble pride to kneel before the Demon King, reduced to pets.
Gone was the dignity and intellect of former apex predators; in their place burned rage and madness.
Its spine resembled a small mountain range uprooted and planted on its back.
Still black and rugged like hardened lava, crimson flames flickered in the cracks.
'Same as last time.'
The first sight had intimidated her with its overwhelming menace, but not now.
She knew horizons beyond teemed with worse.
[Gaaaah!]
The demon dragon unleashed a breath of fiery lava from its throat, shaking the earth.
Its tail stretched toward the horizon like a massive whip, sweeping everything aside.
Right then.
"Won't fall for the same trick twice."
Grip!
Cardina reached out and seized the demon dragon's tail.
[Grk!?]
The demon dragon shook to dislodge her, but.
"No chance."
With astonishing adaptability, Cardina climbed the tail.
...Stab!
She drew her aura blade and pierced the demon dragon's eye.
[Graaaaaah!]
The demon dragon bucked wildly, smashing its head into a dead tree.
That instant.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Mithril bolts flew, embedding in the demon dragon's body.
Dunkerque and the knights charged with drawn aura blades, hacking it apart.
[Cardina, right? Impressive, taking down a demon dragon solo. You look early 4th Circle...]
"Not solo. Just brought it to ground."
[They're scary 'cause they fly. Once down, they're nothing special.]
Dunkerque grinned through her blood-smeared face.
Right then.
TOOOOOOT—
A massive horn blast came from the horizon.
Dunkerque cursed.
[Fuck! Main force incoming!]
No sooner had her shout ended than the sky turned red.
Soon, a colossal shadow loomed over the cloud layer.
An ominous crimson glow visible even through the pitch-black curtain of thunderclouds.
The moment Cardina faced it, she furrowed her brow sharply.
'Saw it once, but still can't get used to it.'
Meanwhile, Dunkerque shouted to the surrounding knights.
[Highest demon! Fall back! No chance without the hero party!]
That instant.
Flash!
Red light burst forth.
Dunkerque raised her shield, but it was useless.
Crack—
Her lower body turned to ash in the blink of an eye.
"Tch—last time upper body, this time lower."
Cardina looked up bitterly.
She still hadn't found a way to escape that massive monster's magic.
Flash!
The red light flashed again, and Cardina's consciousness snapped.
Time in the crystal orb flowed at a different speed from reality.
A night's dream under the southern branches.
Eons in dreams passed in mere seconds in the real world.
Since Cardina began her first dream challenge, considerable real time had elapsed.
So.
"A-already the 108th try. This okay?"]
Queenbits's worry was natural.
Cardina had endured 107 deaths and was on her 108th attempt.
Federback stroked his chin.
"Didn't know Sister's mental fortitude was this strong. Unexpected bonus. She might hit 5th Circle as fast as me. Genius recognizes genius, huh?"]
"Time for casual talk? Death isn't trivial. Perception ends, existence vanishes. Even in dreams, it shocks the soul!"]
"Soft weaknesses burn away, leaving only steel resolve. Like melting iron, hammering it into a blade."
"Why put your sister through such hellish training?"]
"Told you. Sister must become swordmaster after Father. I need reliable wings to guard my flanks."
This life, no hero party comrades.
So, he needed allies of comparable skill and bond.
"Of course, Queenbits, you'll bear one flank too."
"You're killing me! Harassing me again!"]
Queenbits shrieked at Federback's words.
Meanwhile, in the orb, Cardina faced her 108th death.