Chapter 82
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: The Hill Where Ice Flowers Bloom (7)
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Vow of No Retreat.
To compensate even slightly for my below-average stats, to push even a little beyond my limits, I had shackled myself.
A constraint that activates unconditionally upon facing a villain designated by the world, forcing me forward no matter if it meant life or death.
I had believed it would trigger instantly against a monster like Carserion.
But—
'Why isn't it activating?!'
I couldn't understand it.
I didn't know much about Carserion's past or true nature, as it had never been clearly revealed,
but just looking at what he was doing now, he was at the pinnacle of evil.
So why?
Why hadn't the world judged this monster as a villain?
No... no, that made it even more incomprehensible.
"Damn it..."
I blasted away the chains flying at me from all directions with mana bullets while briefly shifting my gaze to the left.
To check on the battle between Wol Ha-yeon and the Dullahan.
And there, unfolding was a duel on an entirely different scale, incomparable to my fight with Yoon Seo-rin and Carserion.
Clang—!! Clang!!
Krraaaack—!!
The sound of metal clashing and the two beings' auras violently colliding echoed across the entire battlefield.
The Dullahan's spectral glaive sliced through the air horizontally.
With that single swing, the ground within a several-meter radius cracked open, and black deathly flames scattered in all directions.
Yet Wol Ha-yeon slipped into that opening like she was dancing, flowing like water.
Flash—!!
Her afterimage fluttered like moonlight.
The moment the Dullahan's attack shattered the ground, she was already dropping from above, crossing her twin blades in a diagonal slash.
Krunch—!!
The Dullahan's breastplate tore open, exposing the undead core inside.
"Guh... impressive... truly satisfying!!"
However, the Dullahan felt no pain.
Instead, he stroked the wound as if delighted and began swinging his glaive even faster.
His reaction speed increased as well.
Deathly flames churned within the headless helmet.
At the same time, blue death aura amplified across his entire body in an instant—
Boom!!
He leaped from his horse, soaring into the sky in a flash.
Then, plummeting straight down, he thrust his glaive vertically.
Wol Ha-yeon raised the sword in her right hand straight up to meet the attack.
Bang—!!!
Like a bomb exploding, shockwaves burst outward, shredding the ground like paper and sending dust skyrocketing into the sky.
Within it, for a brief moment, Wol Ha-yeon's ankles were visibly sunk deep into the earth.
But her expression didn't change in the slightest.
As if this were mere morning exercise, her face remained impassive.
"... Is that all your power has?"
"Huh?"
Wol Ha-yeon whispered very softly.
The blue flames flickering inside the Dullahan's helmet shook violently.
He pulled out his glaive and charged at Wol Ha-yeon with his massive frame.
Crunch—!!
Crrunch—!!
Bare-handed, piercing straight through boulders like an arrow.
His speed was too fast to follow with the naked eye.
But Wol Ha-yeon was even faster.
The tip of her foot lightly pushed off the ground.
With just that small motion, her body floated into the air.
And at the tip of her sword, bright moonlight rippled.
"Eclipse Scar: Sinking Moon Falling Blossom."
"Eclipse Scar: Sinking Moon Falling Blossom."
⟨ Moon Sword Art ⟩
As soon as the words ended, fragments of moonlight bloomed from her sword tip, scattering into the air like petals.
Shhh— crackle—!!
The moment the moonlight petals touched the Dullahan's body, its entire surface began freezing from the inside out.
Mid-charge, the Dullahan's body crumbled to dust—
His glaive halted in midair, and his massive form cracked and collapsed as if chewed up by the moonlight frost.
"...?! ...Heh... guh......"
With a dull metallic sound, his torso split, followed by his legs slowly crumbling as he knelt.
Boom—!!
The massive armor crashed to the ground in pieces.
Fsssh...
The deathly flames flickered and died out.
... It was over, plain as day.
I kept deflecting the incoming chains while searching for a way to block the Gate of Death, but instinctively glanced that way.
"Is it done...?"
Wol Ha-yeon lightly spun her greatsword and sheathed it, quietly looking down at the motionless Dullahan.
"......"
There was no joy of victory or lingering thrill of battle in her gaze.
Just impassively confirming, as usual, that she'd won effortlessly.
The moment she turned to head toward Carserion and lend aid—
Thoom——!!!
A pulse unlike any before reverberated across the entire battlefield.
The ground shook like an earthquake, and pitch-black mana churned wildly around where the Dullahan had fallen.
I shouted reflexively.
"Wol Ha-yeon!! Behind—!"
But she had already sensed it before I could warn her.
Whoooosh—
Blue deathly flames rose from the cracks in the shattered armor... and the Dullahan's body reassembled from the broken pieces, rising once more.
However, the reformed body was entirely different in form from before.
The armor had fallen away, remnants clattering against the ground— cling, clink—
Revealed inside was a much smaller, lighter, yet far sharper silhouette.
Like a living shadow.
Deathly flames burned across his headless form, enveloping him.
And—
"...That was close. Thought it was really over."
The Dullahan spoke as if it were a joke.
His voice was even lower and more chilling than before.
"My first form was that of a knight captain. Slow, sturdy, merciless... solely for protecting someone. But—"
He spread his arms, and the remaining armor fragments scattered everywhere.
Crack—! Kik—!!
Deathly flames enveloped his entire body, forming a completely different physique.
"The second form is different.
Sacrificing defense...
For maximum speed and attack power.
We called this the Soul Knight."
"......"
Wol Ha-yeon impassively raised her twin moon blades again.
There was no fear or tension in her eyes.
If anything, a flicker of interest.
The Dullahan stomped the ground once.
Thud.
And in the next instant— his figure vanished.
"...!"
Wol Ha-yeon immediately activated Moon Shadow Step, retreating in a flash.
Flash—!!!
An invisible strike hammered the spot where she'd stood.
The ground flipped up in a straight line, gouging 20 meters.
"Dodging even this... there truly is an unreachable realm. But... I won't give up. I was the kingdom's finest knight."
"... A so-called finest knight turned undead, following a lich. What a hilarious joke."
The two beings leaped at each other once more.
Clang—!!
Claaang—!!
Fsssh—!!
Unlike the violent clashes of the first round, the second was an exchange of nearly invisible killing intent.
Speed: doubled.
Precision: tripled.
Killing intent: quadrupled.
"Soul Knight... every single screw job is getting screwed."
I refixed my gun barrel on Carserion ahead, steadying the scorching death energy bearing down.
Behind Carserion, the Gate of Death continued opening.
Rattle rattle rattle...!!
The chains anchoring the gate snapped one by one.
Carserion's ritual deepened.
'Those two... until Wol Ha-yeon finishes off the Dullahan... no, I have to stop it from opening at all costs.'
I gritted my teeth.
'But Yoon Seo-rin and I alone can't fully block the Gate of Death's opening. It's ultimately a battle of time.'
Click—! Clack clack—!
Chains snapping one strand, two strands... at a rapid pace.
The pressure clamped my nape, making my hands tremble.
And I screamed inwardly again.
'Seol Yu-bin... please join us soon.'
There was only one way to resolve this situation.
Seol Yu-bin, who was undoubtedly conducting rescue operations right now, securing the students' safety and rejoining us as quickly as possible.
"I don't know what you're aiming for or waiting for... but it's all futile."
Carserion said, gazing at me as I deflected chains, lost in thought.
Each time a chain broke, the Gate of Death groaned "Crunch—."
Fingers protruding from the gap, twisted shapes, scream-like echoes leaked out coarsely once more.
With that spectacle at his back, Carserion looked down at Yoon Seo-rin and me without a hint of disarray.
Blue deathly flames blazed fiercely within his skull.
"About a minute until the gate fully opens... In the meantime— entertain me with your dance, humans."
"......"
One minute... how the hell were we supposed to stop that in one minute?
Yoon Seo-rin, catching her breath beside me, muttered in frustration.
"Still no idea what's trying to come out of that gate, but judging by his confidence, it's something ridiculously strong."
"... Yeah, one thing's certain: if that thing emerges, we're both dead."
"...... Alright. Then—"
Yoon Seo-rin reconstructed her engraving.
Bzzzzt—!!!
Like a magic circle floating in the air, a seven-layered engraving pattern assembled at her fingertips simultaneously.
"This time... we punch straight through."
Carserion snapped his fingers.
Snap.
At that instant, hundreds of black chains erupted from the void like a storm.
Boom—! Boom!! Bang—!!!
I sprayed mana bullets, splitting the chains one by one, then briefly looked up to find an opening.
Carserion's gestures were slow, but the efficiency and power of his sorcery were terrifyingly precise.
"Don't resist, children. Life and death are always entwined— why fight death?"
"You crazy bastard... you became a lich because you feared death yourself!!"
Yoon Seo-rin shouted curtly.
"Hyun-sol! Ignore the chains and focus fire on the gate!"
"Got it!"
I twisted my wrist.
Deploying Rose Field, I activated the two-star barriers I'd learned in extra lessons from Chae Yeon-hwa.
Gap of Binding, Flow Retardation, Interference Chains.
My fingertips burned hot.
My bones hummed.
—Bang!!!!
The activated Star Mana-infused barriers converged on the gate, suppressing its opening.
Krraaaumble—!!!
The Gate of Death was momentarily pushed back.
Carserion's eyes flickered.
"... Oh?
A splendid resistance.
But—"
As if he'd anticipated it, he poured more pitch-black mana into it.
Carserion spoke leisurely.
"It's almost open. Soon... the true king shall walk forth."
With his words, a massive shadow slowly approached from behind the Gate of Death.
Beyond the gap, a silhouette with presence enough to shake the mind just by outline.
I bit my lip.
'... Even if Wol Ha-yeon finishes the Dullahan completely, it'll take at least another minute. We can't block this gate with just the two of us.'
The Gate of Death wailed grotesquely, opening wider.
The air grew heavy.
Suffocatingly so.
And—
Snap.
Carserion snapped his fingers again.
In that moment, hundreds of spectral arms burst from the gate, reaching toward us in unison.
"—Hold on tight!!"
Yoon Seo-rin grabbed me and yanked me back as I poured everything into the barrier.
Thud—!!!
Clang—!!
The barrier shattered instantly.
"Haa... haa...! Damn it."
Carserion chuckled lowly.
"You've entertained me plenty. Now, time for despair—"
That was when it happened.
Shwoooo—!!!
A blizzard, cold yet somehow warm, swept across the battlefield from somewhere.
Carserion stopped mid-sentence.
The spectral arms extending toward the gate froze solid with cracks.
Yoon Seo-rin and I turned our heads simultaneously.
And from the opposite direction of our path, amid shattered trees and undead remnants, a woman walked forward impassively, having conjured a massive ice flower atop her head.
Seol Yu-bin.
Her long camellia hair sparkled, reflecting sunlight off the ice.
The surrounding air temperature plummeted sharply.
Blue flower patterns bloomed in ice at her every step.
"......"
Standing at the battlefield's center, she quietly said,
"—Am I late?"
At that instant, all the spectral arms protruding from the Gate of Death and Carserion's sorcery shuddered simultaneously.
I exhaled and replied,
"... Cutting it close, but safe. Sis."
Seol Yu-bin took a deep breath and raised one hand.
"Safe... good."
And the sky began to freeze.