Chapter 26
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: 7. Monster
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Outside the barrier, Imperial Army forward base.
Gareth Haidelrun held a cup of cold coffee inside the tent. His fingers trembled slightly.
"Still not coming out?"
"Not yet, Commander. Energy levels inside the isolation barrier are still rising."
Magician unit leader Elliott held out the terminal screen. The readings spiked and dipped wildly.
Mana Density: 4,700 Ardan ▶ 8,900 Ardan ▶ 15,400 Ardan
Space Stability: 84% ▶ 62% ▶ 41%
Life Signs: 2 entities detected ▶ 1 entity detected ▶ 2 entities detected
"Why are the life signs dropping and spiking like that?"
"It's been this way since the explosion inside the barrier. Almost like one dies, revives, then dies again in a loop. But regenerating a body that fast is next to impossible..."
"Has Leonidas's ability activated yet?"
"Solar Hour preheating just started rising. It's at 30% now."
Gareth's face hardened.
Leonidas deploying his ability meant the enemy was that dangerous.
"Visuals from inside the barrier?"
"Solar Hour manifestation blocks optical observation entirely. We're limited to thermal imaging and mana reactions for now."
Suddenly, alarms blared.
"Seismic waves detected! Magnitude 4.2! Epicenter inside the barrier!"
"Energy levels surging! Mana density past 20,000 Ardan!"
"Space stability at 18%! Barrier on the verge of collapse!"
Gareth bolted out of the tent.
Overhead, fissures spiderwebbed across the golden isolation barrier like black cracks in glass.
"Repair the barrier, now!"
"Commander, repairs impossible! The energy surge is originating from inside. This is internal overload, not an external attack!"
Rumble rumble rumble!!
The ground quaked. Soldiers stumbled and fell.
Gareth stared skyward. The cracks spread like a web across the golden dome.
Isolation barriers were designed to contain internal shocks.
If it shattered, the impact exceeded all projections.
They'd already contained one blast. A full rupture would sweep everyone here away.
Gareth made the call.
"All units, retreat immediately!"
That was when it happened.
Light erupted from the barrier's center.
All sound vanished. The wind. Soldiers' shouts. Equipment hums.
The world held its breath.
In the silenced realm, Gareth ducked low.
And──
BOOOOM!!
The golden barrier shattered like glass into countless shards.
Not fragments, but glittering motes of light that scattered, unveiling the devastation beyond.
Gareth's breath caught.
"Gods above..."
The city's outline was gone. Building debris unrecognizable. Even the terrain warped beyond recognition.
The ground had been scooped out like with a massive spoon, forming a vast circular basin.
Its center gleamed, melted to glass and refrozen.
And at the basin's heart.
Two suns blazed.
One, the true sun overhead.
The other, a second sun scorching the earth.
"Leonidas...!"
Leonidas was barely recognizable.
Flames engulfed his body, wings of searing heat fluttering from his back.
"It's... over? Am I... done...?"
"What the hell happened? Status report!"
As Gareth scrambled to assess, Leonidas lost consciousness and plummeted.
"Damn it all!"
Facing a distant past.
[Please. Ersela. Only you can do this.]
I was speaking to a woman.
Her face was blotted out by bizarre noise.
My memories are mostly like this.
Unless it's recent, faces don't stick.
[...Why. Why make such a request?]
[I need your ability. If we keep going like this, the damage will only mount. We have to pinpoint the archdemons' locations precisely.]
'Ah, this moment.'
Early days of the Empire's founding.
Back when northern demons still rampaged freely.
[No matter how noble the goal, if the means aren't... I can't...]
[...I know. It's ugly. Forcing life extension through sacrifices. But you know it too. We can't win without this.]
[...First time. Getting a request like this.]
The woman laughed. No expression visible, but I felt it.
A laugh. Vague in form and meaning.
[But you believe it's worth it. That's what you're thinking.]
Sacrificing lives to forcibly prolong existence.
Even back then, I knew it wasn't justice.
But even so.
[Yes. If it's just you, me, and the offerings who suffer... we can save far more.]
To save more people.
For humanity.
'Yeah. That's how it was.'
No fondness welled up.
Just a detached "So that's what I was like."
Like watching a stranger.
'No, he is a stranger. I've seen and endured more since then.'
[...If that's your will. Then promise me.]
The woman whispered.
[That you'll fulfill your duty to the end. That you won't abandon it and fall.]
[I promise.]
An answer without a hint of doubt. Inspired by my resolve, perhaps.
She replied.
[Gladly.]
The memory blurred.
Gazing at Ersela's blank face, I thought.
'Kept the first promise. Failed the second. Ersela.'
Ah, should I tell her in person?
I chuckled and shook it off.
The past held no interest for me.
Consciousness surfaced. Cold air chilled my skin.
[Still alive?]
I opened my eyes. The wooden doll and Ella watched over me.
"Situation?"
[Imperial Army's started clearing Eisenheim. The whole city area's gone—what the hell happened?]
"I won."
I'd deliberately let Leonidas "kill" me throughout the fight.
Then revived in someone else's body for ambushes.
[All part of the plan?]
"Half of it. Even the most rational analyst gets fixated on repeated deaths and revivals."
'Impressions and instincts sway logic.'
Unconsciously planting the idea: "No corpse means kill in one go."
That's why I fully concealed my true skills and powers.
Waiting for him to unleash a massive attack on Eisenheim.
"If he reacts the instant I pull out a corpse, just create a situation where he can't see."
The moment Leonidas and I spotted the soldier and sized him up.
Leonidas opted for a devastating wide-area strike over charging the grunt.
[...And that bought you time to retrieve Silverlane's body from sub-space.]
"Exactly. He'll be in a coma for a while. Mana circuits shredded—even if he recovers, he won't regain his full strength."
I patted Ella's stunned head and scanned our surroundings.
A bit removed from Eisenheim. No sign of the Imperial Army.
Slipped away while the battle's aftermath drew their eyes.
"Any word from Blue Moon?"
[Came earlier.]
[Pre-recorded message from Ludwig Kreuz]
"If you haven't forgotten our promise, meet in the north. Detailed coordinates on the terminal."
Broker had played Ludwig's pre-recorded voice through the doll. It carried heavy fatigue.
I took the terminal and checked the location.
The north.
A mountain village near the Empire's border.
"We leave now."
News of the massive explosion in Eisenheim spread across the continent.
The battle between Leonidas and the cult leader was thoroughly buried.
Blue Moon Attempts Demon Summoning Ritual in Eisenheim...
I boarded the train and read the paper.
It covered the Eisenheim incident.
The gist was simple.
Blue Moon tried summoning a demon in Eisenheim. It backfired, vaporizing the city.
"Passing the buck. Their best option, but a poor one."
The wooden doll nestled in Ella's arms nodded.
[Feels that way.]
"...Why?"
Ella's question.
"It signals Blue Moon isn't some dying spark."
Reactions to Blue Moon's emergence had been straightforward.
[Vile terrorists. Bound to be wiped out soon.]
"But this proves they're still a force."
The truth—that Blue Moon turned to demons out of desperation—mattered little to the masses.
"Play it right, and the kingdoms might try to exploit them. They'd love to topple the Empire."
No mention of Leonidas.
'They think he can be treated.'
A superhuman like Leonidas going missing wouldn't stay quiet long.
The Empire planned to heal him and pretend nothing happened.
'No point advertising a power loss upfront.'
But would it really be that simple?
The train plunged into a tunnel.
After the long darkness, light appeared at the end.
A snowfield stretched ahead.