Chapter 259
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 259
Chapter Title: Valhelonia's Guardians
The underground space of the collapsed tower.
Valhelonia.
The beasts of the earth were fleeing from the commotion that had erupted there.
Aieee-aieee-aieee-aieee!
The emergency alert announcing the Prophet's appearance echoed throughout the entire city.
Amid that clamor...
There stood a man with ominous purple flames flickering within his black hair.
His name was Leyzon.
In the Empire, he was known as the Abyss.
Before Leyzon gathered the panting beasts of the earth.
They all bore the same winged emblem.
They were the Valhalla Guardians.
Leyzon clashed with them briefly, gauging their power.
'Roughly between Hero-grade and Bronze Hero-grade.'
But they were far more dangerous than typical Hero-grade foes.
'No restrictions on skills or classes.'
The Empire citizens were bound by limitations on skills and classes.
Such constraints did not exist for these beings.
Moreover, their manifestations—like primal magic—operated at a higher output level.
This was knowledge he already possessed, but experiencing it firsthand made the necessity of primal magic all the more vivid.
'It's much harder for them to reach that realm compared to Empire citizens, so their quality is superior. That explains the difference.'
Empire citizens had their talents capped but grew strong easily through skills.
The beasts of the earth, born with innate talents, required equal effort to match that.
Some among them could never reach it, no matter how hard they tried.
'I'm curious.'
And so, Leyzon's curiosity stirred.
He, who had crossed blades with even Platinum Hero-grade foes in the Empire.
How strong would one be at the 8th stage Cosmic Wood realm?
Leyzon's eyes gleamed with pure intrigue.
A chill ran down their spines—
In that instant, every Guardian present felt goosebumps erupt.
It was as if a colossal skeletal reaper had swept its gaze over them, an unsettling sensation.
Tremble, tremble—
Some shook so violently they could barely stand on their legs.
Others hyperventilated, unable to catch their breath.
All because the foe had merely shown interest.
Yet they sensed the overwhelming gap right there.
Leyzon narrowed his eyes at the Guardians.
'I see. They're far more sensitive to these instinctive senses than Empire citizens.'
Leyzon's level was 15 Corruption, Hero-grade.
He hadn't ascended further, so his level itself wasn't exceptionally high.
But the power inscribed in his body was another matter entirely.
From countless skills to his self-imposed undeath.
Leyzon now possessed strength beyond what levels could describe.
To the beasts of the earth, the concept of levels was meaningless.
Thus, they could only sense his raw power.
Having unconsciously felt Leyzon's might, they instinctively fell into terror.
"W-what are you afraid of! This, this is the Prophet!"
At that moment, a dog-like man spat out a broken tooth and bellowed.
"Fight with your lives on the line! Protect Valhelonia!"
"Hey, that's why I want to talk."
Leyzon sighed as he regarded them.
His curiosity about Cosmic Wood levels had swayed him for a moment.
But he had no intention of antagonizing the beasts of the earth.
"Lord Leyzon, I'm sorry. They just won't listen to reason."
Meanwhile, Nuga-il stood by Leyzon's side, expressing regret.
As Nuga-il said, dialogue seemed impossible with them.
"Can't be helped."
In that case, he'd have to subdue them and force the conversation.
He'd tried to avoid extreme measures.
But he'd make them willing to talk.
Szzzzzzzzz—
In that instant, a shadow unfurled above Leyzon's head.
All eyes followed the suddenly opened shadow upward.
Soon, they beheld what they should never have seen.
Within the shadow.
A massive black sun peeked out slightly.
Space warped around the black sun at its center.
Everything nearby began to be swept up by its immense power.
An eerie wind howled in.
The black sun had merely revealed itself.
Yet the underground city of Valhelonia trembled.
The Guardians stared up at the sight in a daze.
Sensing a power gap only worked when the disparity was somewhat comparable.
This offered no such luxury.
It was a calamity.
A calamity hung in the sky.
Leyzon had anticipated that conversing with the beasts of the earth wouldn't be easy.
So he'd prepared one in the shadows just in case.
Sometimes, smooth dialogue required a strong deterrent.
"Shall we talk?"
Under the black sun, Leyzon smiled faintly as he asked.
The shadow cast by the black sun flickered eerily across his face.
"Talk!"
One Guardian cried out desperately in that moment.
"We'll talk, we'll talk!"
The dog-like man, Bagl, turned in alarmed confusion at the shout.
"Jelri, what are you—!"
"The Captain's not even here—do you want to lose all of Valhelonia? If that thing drops, we're really done for!"
"You're going to trust the Prophet?!"
"Then what, we all die?!"
Bagl opened and closed his mouth before falling silent.
He glared at Leyzon with burning eyes.
Among the Guardians, he harbored the deepest hatred for the Prophet.
"...We'll talk!"
The Guardians reached a consensus and requested dialogue.
If only they'd done this from the start.
Leyzon lightly swung his staff.
Szzzt—Boom!
The shadow closed again, and the black sun vanished.
The Guardians exhaled in relief.
If that had fallen, they truly would have been obliterated.
Leyzon stepped forward to stand before them.
"Good. Then let's have that chat."
A fruitful conversation they could fully grasp.
Leyzon demonstrated the power gap and immediately began talking with them.
It hardly qualified as a conversation, really.
They had no choice but to listen to whatever Leyzon said.
But the exchange that followed was unexpected.
"...You'll cure Valhelonia's Black Plague?"
"Yes."
The Black Plague that tormented countless beasts of the earth.
No matter their efforts, once it struck, they lost their lives.
Thus, many among the beasts of the earth grew cynical about life.
What was the point of striving if the Black Plague doomed them anyway?
They saw no value in existence.
Leyzon offered to resolve that Black Plague outright.
Naturally, the Guardians found it hard to trust.
"...Prophet, what do you gain from this?"
Leyzon turned to survey Valhelonia.
The city was eerily quiet, its beasts having hastily evacuated.
"One correction first. I'm not a Prophet."
"What?"
"If anything, I'm from the Niflheim Empire."
Leyzon fixed his gaze on Bagl, the dog-like Guardian he was speaking to.
"A Necromancer known as the Abyss from there."
The Empire.
Bagl's eyes slowly widened at the word.
Few beasts of the earth knew of the Empire.
Precisely, few even acknowledged its existence.
To the beasts of the earth, the Empire was a fairy-tale paradise.
A place free of the Black Plague and Prophets, where happiness reigned.
Twisted tales like that had spread far and wide.
And now, Leyzon declared himself an Empire citizen before the Guardians.
The Guardians murmured among themselves.
Uncertain how to take his words.
"...A parasite from the Empire?"
One among them knew of the Empire's existence.
Bagl alone furrowed his brow at Leyzon.
Thud—
In that instant, Leyzon had already closed the distance to Bagl.
"That's right."
Leyzon thrust his face close to Bagl's.
His menacing visage made even Bagl flinch momentarily.
"You know of the Empire, don't you?"
Leyzon had confirmed through Nuga-il earlier that Empire intel hadn't spread widely.
Just as Empire citizens knew little of the outside.
Most beasts of the earth dismissed the Empire as fairy tales.
But Bagl was different.
He was one who knew the Empire existed.
The term "parasite"—used by beasts aware of the Empire—had slipped from his lips.
"Kuhk, of course. Long ago, one of my ancestors formed a death squad to find the Empire and ventured in."
Bagl hurriedly added an explanation.
"When was that?"
"...Hundreds of years ago. All we know is preserved in ancient texts."
Hundreds of years back.
His ancestor might have been from the Gravekeeper generation.
"I am an Empire citizen, but I don't know the way back.
Can you give me that? In exchange, I'll definitely cure the Black Plague."
Bagl's expression soured.
But if he truly was Empire folk, there was no need for enmity.
Bagl's foe was the Prophet, not Empire citizens.
"...You're really not a Prophet?"
"You all sense me as one somehow, but I keep telling you, no.
I've got nothing but bad blood with the Transcendents. I crush those bastards, not shake hands."
Mentioning the Transcendents outright shifted Bagl's reaction.
Prophets worshipped the Transcendents.
No such devotee would speak so casually of them.
"That Nuga-il over there is a beast of the earth I already cured of the Black Plague. If you doubt me, talk to him more."
For Leyzon, gaining their trust was enough.
Pointing to Nuga-il as proof, Bagl soon stood.
"I'll definitely provide the ancestral records. Can you treat me first?"
Bagl had a condition for the deal.
It minimized the chance Leyzon was bluffing.
Knowing this, he volunteered.
Leyzon smiled faintly at the tense Guardians.
"No more chit-chat. Get ready for treatment."
He'd undeaden him too, but that could wait.
As soon as Bagl lay on the ground, Leyzon moved without hesitation.
Moments later, Leyzon extracted the Black Plague from him and absorbed it in reverse.
"I-it's... really gone."
An astounded reaction came from Bagl.
His skepticism had been unfounded.
"R-really?"
"Insane... I thought this was Moon cultist nonsense!"
Amazement rippled through the Guardians.
Leyzon wagged a finger and grinned.
"Who's next?"
"Me! Me!"
"Please, me too."
Now they trusted Leyzon's words.
As Leyzon treated them one by one...
He suddenly halted, his gaze lifting skyward.
At the same moment, he spotted something plummeting from above.
Kwaaaaaang!
Soon after, something crashed nearby.
The queued Guardians tumbled from the shockwave.
Leyzon narrowed his eyes through the rising smoke.
"Hey, you were harassing my cute subordinates."
Then, someone strode confidently from the smoke.
A tall man in uniform, cap pulled low.
He bore the same wing emblem as the Guardians.
"C-Captain."
With Bagl's urgent cry, he slammed his fists together.
The Valhalla Guardian Captain.
Fist Maniac Gelldrikson.
"You mess up someone else's house, you learn what happens!"
A roar erupted from him.
Leyzon eyed him impassively before turning to Bagl.
"Handle it before I do."
Then he raised his staff smoothly.
Bagl's face paled.
"Captain, stop! Everyone, block him!"
"Wha-what's with you guys?"
It was the first day the Guardians committed insubordination against their captain.