Chapter 91
Chapter 91
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: Chapter 29 - Sky Island #7
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A blinding blade of light cleaved everything in two.
The superheated edge reminiscent of the sun melted the surface of the A-Part, and even after extending over a hundred meters, the sword's unyielding power pressed forward proudly.
One stroke, two cuts.
As the golden flash split the A-Part in half, a delayed explosion finally erupted.
The blast began in the ritual device's chamber and spread throughout the entire A-Part.
It wouldn't normally have been enough to disintegrate the whole structure, but the excessive power gathered to gain altitude acted as the perfect catalyst.
-Boom! Boom! Boom!
The small explosions from the A-Part's cross-section merged in an instant, leading to a massive detonation.
The soaring flames latched onto the masses of flesh filling the A-Part's surface and interior, fueling an even greater inferno. The shattered fragments of the A-Part rained down toward the surface like burning meteors.
Those who had been entranced by the mythic spectacle unfolding before their eyes began to snap out of it one by one.
"Archangel..."
Sandalphon expressed awe, his face beaming with a wide smile.
Queen Reina felt her heart pounding as she beheld the miracle Luther had wrought.
Ash thought of the miracle.
As a priestess, she naturally clasped her hands and offered a prayer.
But it wasn't over yet.
The debris from the A-Part was falling not into the sea, but onto the surface—right onto the royal palace.
The Grand General, who knew neither Luther's identity nor the full details of the events in the sky, made the quickest decision.
"Keep pushing the wyverns! I'll stop the debris!"
He infused his greatsword with sword energy, gauged the size of the fragments by their fiery glow, and launched himself toward the ones that needed to be intercepted.
It was a superhuman feat: leaping high into the sky and unleashing sword energy to pulverize the debris.
"Block them! We have to block them! Minimize the damage!"
The High Priest sent water droplets to the ground while commanding the palace priests.
Even if they couldn't intercept the debris like the Grand General, there were things they could do, like preventing the fire from spreading.
"I'll go too!"
Sandalphon kicked off the water droplet, maximized his size, and hurled himself at the debris.
His figure, smashing fragments with punches as he advanced, evoked myths as well.
Queen Reina soared into the sky to block the debris.
Ash raced to where the largest fragment would land and unfurled multiple barriers toward the heavens.
They couldn't completely stop the debris damage.
The palace suffered destruction in several places from the raining fragments, and the spreading flames set the gardens ablaze.
But the royal palace of the Malkuth Kingdom was different from ordinary ones from the start.
Thanks to the waterways laid throughout the palace, the fire couldn't spread as wildly as feared, and the priests wielding water powers quickly extinguished the blazes that had ignited.
History changed once more.
The Sky Island and ritual device that had left an indelible scar on the south in the original story were destroyed and gone. The anomalous flock threatening the capital dispersed and returned to normal.
No spy emerged.
None of the three candidates betrayed the kingdom, and all three survived to play their parts in the battle against the Hecatoncheires.
[Ultimate Cube lost.]
[Chassis damage at 82%.]
[Clairheim Morr, ceasing operations.]
The blade of light that had slain the heavenly calamity faded away.
The split blade, which had parted in two, rejoined and returned to its original form.
"Haa."
Luther, who had extended Clairheim Morr to its limit, let out a long breath.
His heart swelled with elation from the miracle he had created, but separately from that, his body felt utterly drained.
His eyes felt like they could close at any moment.
[Master! Pull yourself together!]
[We need to land on the surface first!]
[You'll die if you fall from here!]
But Luther ultimately closed his eyes and let his body go limp.
It was partly from sheer exhaustion, but also because he trusted Integra.
[Really!]
[Night Wing! Dive mode!]
[Brace yourself—I'm going to lecture you plenty once we land!]
Instead of replying, Luther just gave a small chuckle and surrendered to the wind.
The fully spread black wings caught the air currents, and at one point, they transformed entirely into a parachute, slowing Luther's descent.
[Night Wing, normal mode.]
[Disengaging nanosuit.]
[Body temperature abnormally elevated due to overheating.]
[Landing in a waterway for emergency cooling.]
The augmented reality displayed the landing point, but Luther just kept his eyes closed and waited.
Integra grumbled something again because of it, but only briefly.
[Landing!]
Luther, who had reverted Night Wing to a coat, plunged into the waterway with a splash.
As Integra had said, his body was burning hot—the cold water in the channel boiled instantly, steaming fiercely.
"Urgh..."
Thanks to the flowing water, the now-lukewarm water allowed Luther to adjust his position. He leaned back against the waterway wall and relaxed his entire body once more.
It was a bit silly, but the water heated by his body temperature felt just right.
"Haa... Feels like I'm alive."
He wondered if this was how it felt to soak a fatigued body in a bathtub.
As Luther closed his eyes and murmured from the depths of his heart, Integra immediately appeared.
[Master!]
[Did you just say you feel like you're alive right now?!]
Luther was in the water, and Integra stood on the surface, looking down at him.
With her hands on her hips, she looked exactly like someone determined to scold—no, sermonize—him.
[Master, you said it before, remember?]
[That if things got hopeless, you'd run away!]
He definitely had said that.
When he first learned this world wasn't Dragon Hunter 3, but Dragon Hunter Origin.
That was his mindset then.
If worst came to worst, just run.
Even if most of humanity died, at least 20% would survive, and with nanomachine abilities, he'd surely be among them.
[But what was that earlier?]
When he realized Lagros's final gambit.
When he saw the A-Part heading even higher to destroy the surface.
Luther looked at Integra without answering, and she gritted her teeth.
She stared back at him, then sat down on the water's surface and slumped her shoulders.
[Master, looking at the results, it was a huge success, but that's thanks to Clairheim Morr's hidden power... a variable no one could have predicted.]
When Luther had charged toward the A-Part, he hadn't known Clairheim Morr harbored such power.
All he knew then was that he needed to cause an internal explosion, and his survival odds were extremely low.
Yet Luther hadn't fled—he had gone straight for the A-Part.
That fact hurt Integra's heart.
"Haa..."
Integra finally let out a long sigh.
She had declared she'd scold him, but the words wouldn't come easily.
If Luther hadn't gone to the A-Part.
If he'd kept running without giving up until the end.
But as mentioned first, it had worked out thanks to the unexpected variable.
Relying on luck and hoping for miracles every time was utter folly.
Instead of meeting Luther's eyes, Integra gazed at the reflectionless water surface and bit her lip.
And Luther looked at Integra's face, which seemed on the verge of tears.
Various thoughts swirled in his mind.
Integra was worried about him right now.
So worried she looked pained, on the brink of crying.
The kind Integra.
More human than anyone.
But then, who was the other Integra that had unlocked Clairheim Morr's true power?
Why did two Integras exist in the first place?
Was one real and the other fake?
Even if not—why were there two?
The gentle Integra before him, and the emotionless other Integra.
This Integra didn't remember what the other had done.
Whether the unleashing of Clairheim Morr's true power and the memory wipe were linked, or some measure had been taken, she was accepting it unusually mildly, without her usual probing questions.
Luther looked at Integra's face again.
Seeing her melancholic expression suddenly reminded him of the submarine tunnel incident.
Integra, with dead eyes like her functions had frozen, utterly motionless.
If that hadn't been a temporary glitch.
If it was connected to the other Integra.
[Master?]
Anxiety and worry mixed in Integra's voice.
Luther must have shown his fear on his face without realizing.
So he forced a smile.
He pushed aside all the troubling thoughts and focused only on this moment.
"Integra."
[What.]
Integra answered Luther's call a bit curtly.
She turned her gaze away, pouting her lips as if sulking, and Luther smiled again—this time genuinely from the heart.
He spread his arms wide and said without thinking.
"Can I hug you for a bit?"
[Huh?]
Integra asked in surprise, and Luther realized his mistake.
Of all the things to say, "Can I hug you for a bit?"
But the words were out, so instead of awkward corrections, Luther went all-in shamelessly.
He spread his arms even wider and beckoned her insistently.
Integra bit her lip at his call, her face flushing red.
She twisted her body slightly, then spoke in a prim yet shy voice.
[J-Just for a bit, okay?]
"Yeah."
Only 7 seconds anyway.
As Luther beckoned again, Integra took a deep breath and stepped into the water, approaching him.
To savor even a fraction more of the brief 7 seconds, she slipped neatly into his embrace before activating her sensory program.
Luther hugged Integra.
He felt her small, slender yet warm and soft body for real.
Integra hugged Luther tightly too.
She buried her face in his chest, wearing a shy smile.
7 seconds was far too short.
Luther and Integra could no longer touch each other.
But Luther kept his arms around Integra, and she stayed with her head against his chest, unmoving.
And after some time passed.
Integra, still buried in his chest, spoke softly.
[Master.]
"Yeah?"
Integra chuckled at Luther's question but didn't lift her head.
Still hiding her face against his chest, she continued in a low voice.
[Still... you were cool today. Really cool.]
She'd denied it as result-oriented thinking, but Luther had saved the capital—it was fact.
After fighting without giving up until the end, he'd saved countless lives, following the west.
Integra liked that Luther.
She truly thought he was cool.
Her cheeks burned so hot she needed to hide her face.
Luther smiled.
He tried to suppress it, but couldn't stop his lips from curving up.
So he was grateful Integra's face was against his chest.
He was probably making an incredibly foolish expression.
The other Integra.
Clairheim Morr's hidden power.
The myriad butterfly effects this incident would cause.
Luther cleared them all from his mind, if only for a moment.
And he simply took satisfaction in having saved countless lives this time too.
The wind blew.
The blood-red sky regained its deep blue calm, and the two moons cast their soft light over the capital as always.
Voices drifted from afar.
But Luther didn't rise or shout to call people over.
Instead, he sank deeper into the water, cleared his throat, and spoke softly.
"Integra."
[Yes, Master.]
"15 minutes... still a ways off, huh?"
At Luther's question, Integra lifted her head with a slightly dazed look, then burst into giggles.
[Way off. 9 minutes 27 seconds left.]
"Too bad."
[I know. Feels too long. 7 seconds is too short.]
That was it.
Luther cleared his throat and pretended nonchalance, while Integra grinned mischievously again and nestled her head back against his chest.
The wind blew.
Time passed.
The capital's night deepened.
* * *
"The Star-Cleaving Sword."
One of the Ultimate Weapon series.
The angel of that hateful sword had brought eight calamities to this star.
That much was certain.
And its wielder had appeared.
The situations in the west and south differed.
There was no mana vortex blocking magic.
Unlike the west, where witnesses were practically nonexistent, the south's battle had been seen by far too many.
Thus, unlike Jenadu, Iclusia could tell.
As a superior dragonkin, she didn't view the current incident as merely a failure in the south.
It never should have ended at just that level.
The Sword Emperor's successor had appeared.
Iclusia didn't miss that fact.