Chapter 152
Chapter 152
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 152
Chapter Title: The Forgotten 29th Captain
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A jolting sensation rocked against his back.
Separately from that, a cozy warmth enveloped his entire body.
It felt as if his whole form was wrapped in soft fur.
He could have stayed like this, sleeping forever.
'No. I can't sleep forever.'
He'd nearly chosen eternal rest without meaning to.
Leyzon's eyes snapped open.
As he blinked repeatedly, his foggy mind finally cleared.
'I thought I'd adapted to the aftereffects of Undead Fusion.'
Doing it with two undead at once had repercussions beyond imagination.
But his opponent had been Leon, a platinum hero-grade warrior.
He'd fought recklessly, sparing no means or methods.
'And then there was the mana exhaustion.'
Leyzon's fusion had ended before he could recover his mana.
The backlash from his depleted reserves had hit him all at once.
'I need to be more careful about this from now on.'
Fortunately, he had a solution here.
Leyzon activated a skill while lying still.
He hadn't thought to use it earlier.
But now he did.
Light seeped into his body, healing every part of him.
His overheated mana circuits eased, and he could finally breathe freely.
It felt like shedding long-accumulated grime.
Leyzon pushed himself up.
His field of view rose immediately.
The ground swayed gently below.
This sensation was unmistakably that of riding a beast.
"Haron?"
As Leyzon called out, a head popped up from the front.
"Woof!"
There was Haron, grinning innocently and wagging his tail.
Haron was the one carrying Leyzon and moving along.
"It was you, huh."
Leyzon reached out to stroke Haron's head, rewarding his hard work.
Haron stuck out his tongue in delight, spinning his tail like a propeller.
As expected, the bigger he is, the cuter he gets.
"Ah, Lord Leyzon!"
Syria fluttered over just then.
She was still in bat form, the aftereffects of the undead fusion lingering.
But she seemed able to move around decently now.
"You're awake."
Eden hopped onto Leyzon's shoulder.
She seemed fine for moving too.
"Lord Leyzon, you're up?"
"You've awakened, sir."
Hanok Wilbria and the Shadow Warlord reacted as they walked alongside Haron.
Leyzon felt a swell of pride at having so many who cared.
"You were out cold for so long—I was so worried."
Syria wiped her tears with her bat wings.
"Syria, you're overdoing it."
"Heh heh, it wasn't that long. We just barely left the crater."
Eden and Hanok chimed in on Syria's fervent concern.
Soon, all three were chasing each other around.
Leyzon left them to it and surveyed his surroundings.
As they said, the land behind him was utterly devastated.
From Leyzon's Abyss to Leon's self-detonation, two massive skills had exploded over Valantia Village—it was only natural.
Just then, a familiar figure caught Leyzon's eye.
"You're still here."
Trailing behind Haron was the Salvation Lord.
He had been shattered to dust.
Yet somehow, he'd fully regenerated in the meantime.
Even seeing it again, his recovery was astonishing.
He walked with hands clasped behind his back, step after steady step.
No eyes, no ears—yet not a hint of stumbling.
The Salvation Lord showed no reaction to Leyzon's words.
He had lost his eyes and ears.
There was no way he could hear now.
Leyzon pulled the Soul Lantern from his bag and shook it.
Soon, he entered the soul realm, manifesting as a spirit body.
To converse smoothly with the Salvation Lord.
Simply depleted strength; a collapse from fatigue.
Once his vitality recovered, he'd be up in no time.
Had he waited by Leyzon's side until he woke?
The Shadow Warlord was there, but if any remnants remained, an unconscious Leyzon could be in danger.
The Salvation Lord had stayed to guard him, aware of that.
Even though Leyzon had used him as bait and flung him away.
Leyzon questioned the Salvation Lord about what he'd learned from Leon.
The moment he'd seen Leon, the Salvation Lord had branded him evil and fought without hesitation.
Even Leyzon hadn't dismissed him so outright.
Leyzon had his own suspicions.
Just instinctual judgment of evil, then.
Leyzon realized anew that the Salvation Lord wasn't entirely sane.
Yet his instincts hit the mark uncannily well.
'The Memory Curse was surely implanted by that imperial necromancer.'
The Salvation Lord had sensed it instinctively and judged accordingly.
Practically beastly instinct.
But that's what made him the staunchest ally.
Without the Salvation Lord against Leon, Leyzon wouldn't have won.
So Leyzon tried to recruit him now.
But the Salvation Lord caught on and shook his head.
Could an old, sick man fight like that?
But if that was his will, Leyzon wouldn't press further.
Even the Holy Order he'd devoted his life to had fallen to corruption and cast him out.
The betrayal must have been unimaginable.
He said little about it now, but he surely carried his own burdens.
Leyzon wasn't without understanding.
Leyzon smiled.
He repeated himself steadfastly, then slowly turned away.
He'd surely hole up in some abandoned village church again.
Leyzon returned to his body as he saw the Salvation Lord off.
"Th-the Salvation Lord is leaving?"
"Yeah, he prefers being alone."
Leyzon straightened his posture as he answered Hanok.
His body was mostly recovered.
So now...
"Eden."
It was time to view the Memory Curse.
Eden hopped onto Leyzon's lap as he called her.
"Do I just absorb the Memory Curse?"
"It includes the Curse of Oblivion too, so let me process it first."
Leyzon handed the Memory Curse to Eden.
She uncorked the vial, drew out the curse with a straw, and absorbed it.
The process finished quickly.
Eden pointed the blackened straw at Leyzon's forehead.
"Lord Leyzon, it might sting a bit."
"Do it."
As Leyzon offered his head, the straw pierced in.
Moments later, he felt his forehead veins writhing.
Leyzon's vision gradually turned pitch black.
Soon, an unexpected scene unfolded before his eyes.
In the jet-black void.
A single swordsman appeared.
A man in armor mimicking the White Lion, his massive greatsword dangling low.
His face was hard to make out under the deeply pulled helmet.
But Leyzon pierced his identity at first sight.
'White Lion Knight Captain.'
He seemed the embodiment of the White Lion Knight Captain.
The White Lion Knight Captain walked toward Leyzon with heavy steps.
Leyzon sensed an immense power emanating from him.
'He's huge.'
His stature was enormous.
Like a mountain mistaken for a man—not human, but beastly.
The man loomed before Leyzon.
Clank—
The White Lion Knight Captain gripped his sword and raised it in knightly salute.
Lifted straight ahead, it gleamed under white light.
Leyzon's eyes widened slightly.
First White Lion Knight Captain.
Meaning this man before him was the origin of the White Lion Knights.
The scenery shifted.
Pillars adorned an altar that materialized.
Leyzon realized this was a site for some ritual.
Figures in robes emblazoned with the imperial crest appeared around.
They formed a massive magic circle centered on themselves.
Its light spread, turning the surroundings white.
A spirit copy of Crys appeared before him.
The dazed spirit was sucked into the orb at the altar's center.
Moments later, Crys scattered and vanished.
Next came another White Lion Knight Captain.
The second after the first.
The succession didn't stop there.
Imperial knight captains kept appearing.
The Empire, from ancient times to now.
Had ceaselessly passed down the White Lion Knight Captains' talents.
Before long, captains cycled through to the 29th.
'The 28th was the one I knew from the game.'
Leon was the 29th White Lion Knight Captain.
The memories would likely end here.
'But this feels a bit off somehow.'
Then.
Thud—
Footsteps echoed in Leyzon's ears.
Leyzon looked up, puzzled.
Was there more?
A man with long cerulean hair approached.
His eyes were deeply sunken.
Like a broken doll.
His attire was unmistakably that of a White Lion Knight Captain.
'Leon was definitely the 29th.'
Why one more?
Yet Leyzon tilted his head.
His face resembled someone.
His words cut short.
Mages rushed in at his howl, but it was too late.
His talents separated, born anew with grudge intact.
The mages subdued and restrained Siron.
But a manic grin twisted his lips.
Siron roared, fighting the magic to rise.
The mages panicked, amplifying their output to suppress him.
Then a shadow fell over Siron Knight Captain's head.
Boom!
A massive jet-black bony hand smashed down on Siron.
All his talents were ripped out.
Exposed mercilessly to violence.
A man approached Siron with deliberate steps.
Leyzon, watching from behind, couldn't see his face clearly.
In that instant, Siron Knight Captain's head flew clean off.
The mages screamed in shock at the sudden turn.
Leyzon's eyes bulged.
They reacted as if seeing Siron Knight Captain for the first time.
No acting—it was genuine.
As if all record of Siron Knight Captain had been wholly erased.
The man silenced the mages with a sharp command.
He turned from the dead former captain.
Then placed his hand on the orb that had absorbed the talents.
Curse letters flowed from his grasp.
The curse induced oblivion and redirected the grudge embedded in the talents.
The man looked up.
His eyes met Leyzon's through the robe.
A sickle-shaped emblem etched in his pupils.
Leyzon recognized him as the one who had hunted and cornered the Four Dragons' Estelle.
With that, Leyzon's eyes widened further.
Leon wasn't the 29th White Lion Knight Captain.
He was the 30th.
Forgotten by the world before him stood one more.
A man whose face resembles Aegis, the younger sister of Bluebird Knight Captain Karis.
He was the father of the Bluebird Knight Captain.