Chapter 232: Endgame
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 232: Endgame
Hailey’s face turned deathly pale as she looked at the Blood King—a handsome, pale-skinned man with his black bangs swept back. But the Blood King didn't spare her a single glance.
He had a mission far more important than some vassal—
"...Fairy King. Are you waving at a human right now?"
"Hm? Ah. She's a child I've seen before. It seems she's grown in many ways since then..."
"That's not what I asked. I was asking why you are concerning yourself with a mere human when we are on a sacred mission to punish one who dared to defy our Mother."
"I sometimes think you are far too rigid."
"And you need to be more serious."
"Both of you, stop."
The Dragon King's words, spoken in the Dragon Language, enveloped the Blood King and the Fairy King. His draconic tongue lacked the power to completely suppress the two kings, but it succeeded in getting their attention.
"Fairy King, as the Blood King said, we are here to act as our Mother's will. Personal matters can wait until after our duty is done. I, too, am exercising considerable restraint."
His vertically slit pupils glared at Cloud.
He had not forgotten the humiliation of that day.
Still, the Mother's command came first.
"My, my... getting scolded by both of you just for saying hello."
"Fairy King."
"I understand. For now, let's carry out the order our Mother has given us. Well then..."
Shaking his head, the Fairy King turned his gaze to the Demon King and opened his previously closed eyes. A warm yet menacing mana flowed from his jade-green pupils.
"We will now carry out the punishment for the Demon King, Arcadian Elysium's, act of treason."
The Demon King let out a hollow laugh.
Treason? When he hadn't even committed an act of aggression?
"I merely wished to leave. How does that constitute treason against the Mother?"
"The Mother entrusted you with the important role of being humanity's adversary. By trying to cast that aside and leave as you please, you have defied her will. That is treason."
"Just for trying to leave home, I'm a traitor... She called me her fourth son, but in the end, I was just a slave."
"Do not mock the Mother's great will by judging it with your own pathetic standards. You are nothing more than a defective product that failed to perform its role."
At the Dragon King's cold voice, the Demon King smirked.
"Kaisullan. First son of our great Mother, let me ask you this. If you were given my role, the role of the fourth son, are you confident you could carry it out faithfully?"
"A foolish question. Whatever role I am given, as long as it is the Mother's will, I will do my utmost."
"What a devoted son. And the other two? Do you think the same as Kaisullan?"
"I do."
"Needless to say."
The Fairy King and the Blood King answered without a hint of hesitation. The Demon King gave a bitter smile and spoke to Cloud's party.
"Behold. This is the true nature of the beings you once worshipped. They are not noble or dignified, but mere slaves."
CRASH!
A massive tree trunk shot out from the Fairy King's arm and struck the Demon King's barrier. The barrier shattered with a large crack, and the trunk coiled around the Demon King's entire body, squeezing him.
"Out of respect for our past, I listened to a few of your words, but this is a bit much. It's unpleasant, Arcadian."
As if the crushing pressure of the massive trunk was nothing, the Demon King simply stared at the Fairy King with listless eyes.
"And if you're unpleasant? Does anything change? My soul will be annihilated anyway."
"The process will become more troublesome. And considerably more painful."
The Blood King snapped his fingers. Blood suddenly surged from the stone floor, forming six small whirlwinds around him. The surfaces of the whirlwinds looked sharp enough to tear flesh with a single touch.
"I'd rather it not be painful..."
The Demon King sighed.
The tree trunk constricting him began to burn with black fire. Soon after, the massive trunk turned to ash and crumbled away.
His body free once more, the Demon King rose to his feet.
"I have no choice. If I want a less painful death, I have to fight back."
The black flames that had incinerated the tree trunk now engulfed the Demon King's body. He reached his hand toward the empty air.
The flames traveled up his arm and, at his fingertips, took the shape of a sword.
The Demon King swung the sword, and the black flames that erupted from it covered the area before him. Using the moment the three kings' vision was obscured, he spoke to Cloud's party.
"I only meant to have a conversation before I left, but you've been unintentionally dragged into this. I doubt you'll make it out of this unscathed, but I won't apologize."
FWOOSH—!
The flames subsided, revealing the three kings once more.
"Because you are about to witness a sight that will make death feel worthwhile."
The Demon King charged toward the three kings.
Black flames and red flames intertwined like a helix, a crimson whirlwind swallowed them whole, and a colossal tree thrust itself between them, seeking to destroy everything.
The Demon King's castle crumbled, a battle whose aftershocks alone struck terror into every monster in the region.
It ended with the Demon King's defeat.
*
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. You shielded me with your body, didn't you? Are you okay?"
"...I was the one who protected both of you."
The moment the Demon King's castle collapsed, unable to withstand the battle of kings, Hailey had used a veil of blood to protect the entire party from the battle's aftermath and the shock of the fall.
She had used up all her available blood and was in terrible condition. Yet, seeing the two of them only concerned with each other left a bitter taste in her mouth.
She sighed, lamenting her fate.
"This is no time for this. We need to leave, quickly—"
"And where do you think you're going?"
A deep voice from above made Hailey freeze. Forcing herself to look up, she saw the Blood King hovering in the sky, his three pairs of wings spread wide.
"Blood King... No, I greet the Progenitor."
Hailey bowed respectfully to the Blood King.
"You won't even make an excuse?"
"You knew everything. As expected of our great Progenitor."
"For someone offering praise, your voice is filled with resentment. Do you resent me?"
"To say no would be a lie."
With the situation at its absolute worst, she had nothing left to lose. It was true that she resented him, so Hailey readily admitted it.
"How amusing. A traitor who abandoned her clan to side with a human dares to feel resentment toward me, the master of all vampires."
"...It was a choice I had to make to survive."
"Wouldn't it have been better to die with honor than to prolong your life so wretchedly?"
"I became a vampire because I sought eternal life. I prefer to live, however wretchedly, than to die."
"How pathetic. The noble figure I once knew is gone."
"I don't think you're in any position to say that, Lord Blood King, after abandoning us for so long. You remained silent even when our clan walked the wrong path and faced extinction, yet you appear the moment the Demon King uses a little teleportation. Especially now."
"You call dimensional magic 'a little teleportation'? There is an insurmountable wall between the two. That is why your kind remains at such a pathetic level. And..."
The Blood King extended his hand and made a clenching motion. Instantly, handprints appeared on Hailey's neck, and it was squeezed tight as if he were physically choking her.
It was a trick that exploited the principle that a vassal cannot defy their master's will.
"Ghk... Keuk..!"
The Blood King frowned as he watched Hailey clutch her throat in agony.
"No matter what reasons you give, you are nothing but a traitor. To stand so defiantly before me... Pay the price for your insolence."
The invisible force choking Hailey's neck grew stronger. It was about to go beyond blocking her airway and snap her neck entirely.
"I don't think so."
Cloud placed a hand on Hailey's shoulder. The pressure tormenting her vanished.
"...?!"
Hailey, who had been anticipating death, stared wide-eyed and felt her neck. Though the handprints remained, the invisible force that had been choking her was gone.
"...What just happened?"
The Blood King was just as bewildered.
The moment Cloud placed his hand on Hailey's shoulder, the Blood King's dominion over her had lost all effect.
"What happened? It's simple."
Cloud wrapped his arm around Hailey's shoulder.
"She's not yours anymore. She's mine."
When Cloud had made a contract with Hailey, he had overwritten her vassal contract with the Blood King.
In other words, he could seize all the dominion the Blood King exerted over Hailey whenever he wished.
The Blood King realized this, but he found it impossible to believe.
After all, admitting it would mean that his ability to dominate souls was inferior to Cloud's.
He, the ruler of the vampire clan, was inferior to a mere mortal!
The Blood King's face, which had remained nearly expressionless, contorted.
Just then, a short distance from the Blood King, a tree trunk sprouted and cleared away the rubble of the Demon King's castle. From within, the Fairy King and the Dragon King emerged.
"Huhu. This is what I've always said. If you look down on mortals, you'll be in for a rude awakening one day."
"...Quiet. More importantly, what should we do with them? Surely you don't intend to just let them go?"
"Well, I suppose we should ask the Mother for her opinion—"
"We kill them. It's the cleanest solution, isn't it?"
The Dragon King cut the Fairy King off sharply. His gaze was fixed on Cloud, and his eyes were somehow even colder than when he had looked at the Demon King.
"Hmm... Is that really necessary? This cycle has come to an end, after all..."
"Be reasonable. They've seen far too much. Besides, that human, Cloud, is a strange one whose identity we can't fathom. If we kill him now, we'll avoid trouble later. As you said, everything is over, so there won't be any repercussions."
"Blood King, do you share the same opinion?"
The Blood King simply nodded in response. Seeing that neither of them would back down, the Fairy King had no choice but to concede.
"If you both insist, then I have no choice. Do as you please. However, I will not participate. Heroes, I am sorry. I pray you can forgive me."
The Fairy King placed a hand on his chest and bowed, at least trying to acknowledge their efforts.
A king who represented an entire race and a being who had escaped the mortal coil was showing them respect, but the recipients neither felt grateful nor had the time to care.
"Ah... Aah... I'm dead... I'm dead..! Hey! What are you going to do about this! Do something! You're the one who dragged me into this death trap!!"
Unable to accept reality, Angelica sobbed as she grabbed Cloud by the collar and shook him.
Watching the scene, the Dragon King let out a vulgar laugh.
"Do you finally regret your insolence from that day? It is too late."
The Dragon King released his polymorph, returning to his dragon form. Searing heat emanated from the massive gold dragon's maw.
"Hailey. Did you enjoy your borrowed time? I hope you did. For you will now suffer for all eternity."
The blood whirlwinds that had torn off the Demon King's arm surged forth.
The Blood King extended his hand. The whirlwinds absorbed the fragments of the Demon King's castle as they advanced, and at that same moment, the gold dragon fired its breath.
"Dammit! Everyone, get behind me!"
Frillite slammed her greatsword into the ground and deployed a barrier. The barrier she created was by no means weak. But compared to the attacks unleashed by the pinnacles of two races, it was small and pathetic.
The blood and flames that filled her vision made even the tenacious Frillite lose her will to fight. She clenched the ring on her finger and closed her eyes.
"Am I, am I really going to die? A succubus dying a virgin..!? Ah... Aah... I-I'll be recorded in history as the stupidest succubus queen ever!!!"
Angelica finally accepted reality.
She let go of Cloud's collar, collapsed to the floor, and fell into despair.
Cloud straightened his rumpled shirt and watched the approaching tide of blood and fire.
It was just about to reach the barrier.
He opened his mouth.
"Leah."
Even though it had been a long time since he'd called her name, there was no mistake.
A pure white radiance engulfed the Demon Realm.
It denied all senses—sight, smell, hearing, and touch—to every living thing it swallowed.
How much time had passed since they felt like a mere speck of air?
The radiance gradually subsided and then vanished completely. Before Cloud's party, in place of the menacing blood and fire, stood a woman with one knee and one fist planted on the ground.
A silver-haired beauty in a white t-shirt and tight, black dolphin shorts.
She lifted her head and spoke in a triumphant voice.
"I have arrived."