Chapter 174
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 174
Chapter Title: Outstretched Hand
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The reason the Prime Venom Mage had been able to rampage across the surface until now was thanks to another entity lingering in the mines.
It had been drawing up the mana present in the mines to the surface for him.
But that entity had been destroyed by something.
The steady supply of mana was cut off, and in his bewilderment, his body froze for just a moment.
That was when his death was sealed.
Manifestation - Reverse Emanation Cataclysm
A force mighty enough to crumble even a mountain came crashing down atop the Prime Venom Mage's head.
"Now I finally understand the principle behind your movements."
"......!!"
Kurururuk!
He belatedly tried to shift at least part of his body.
But he couldn't.
The mana throughout his body had frozen solid, refusing to budge.
And so, the greatsword came plummeting down upon his head.
Kwajik!
Kwagwagwagwagwagwang---!!!
The terrain twisted and collapsed.
Whatever had once been the Prime Venom Mage inside crumbled away without even leaving a shape behind.
Its heart was utterly pulverized in the same manner.
"Hoo......"
The culprit behind this incident had fallen.
Only then did he look around, and even the endlessly spawning clones lost their forms, collapsing into mere puddles of poison.
"It's over."
Dawn was slowly brightening the sky.
It seemed the long, grueling battle had finally reached its conclusion.
Or so he thought.
Until Jinovan Edmiller, standing behind Dexter, raised his sword.
Jinovan Edmiller.
A knight from a fallen noble family who had displayed genius-level swordsmanship talent from childhood and even entered the Imperial Academy.
The night he received word of his parents' deaths,
he swore upon his sword.
That one day, he would elevate his family's name with it.
But reality was far from kind.
To rise high, swordsmanship alone wasn't enough; he needed political savvy as well, and Jinovan had no such talent.
No, he knew but refused to learn it.
Because he had to raise his name through the sword alone.
To a knight, a vow was little more than shackles.
And so, he was exiled to the 3rd stratum, the ore district of Voltain—a place knights derisively called a penal colony.
Meanwhile,
the White Whale Mercenary Corps, who had once shown him the taste of success, had amassed numerous achievements and been promoted to full mercenary company status.
He would be lying if he claimed no jealousy arose.
He envied them—the ones recognized by the world on pure skill alone.
But such opportunities never came his way.
Still, he quietly carried out his duties.
Believing that someday, recognition would come.
And so, one day amid the endless monotony,
-Long time no see, Jinovan. First time since the funeral.
Botan,
his uncle, came to visit.
Why had he come?
It didn't feel like pure goodwill.
-I've been trying my hand at business lately, but nothing's going right.
Jinovan sensed something suspicious the moment he heard that.
The man who hadn't contacted him once since his parents' deaths had shown up.
Upon hearing him out, Botan was apparently selling herbs, but business was tough.
Digging deeper,
using what scant connections he had, Jinovan learned that the merchant guild Botan was with operated in the shadows, not the light.
And recently, according to a letter from the White Whale Mercenary Corps' captain, Jun,
'There was definitely some incident involving herbs that reached the surface.'
His uncle might be involved.
If he resolved this matter tied to his uncle, wouldn't that pave the way out of this exile?
The thought struck him suddenly.
But in that instant, a contradiction arose.
Should he turn a blind eye for the sake of family?
Or treat him as a criminal per his knightly oath?
Wavering at the crossroads of choice, Jinovan decided first to investigate his uncle further and delve deeper into the incident.
And that choice led him into a swamp as deep as an abyss.
The Celestial Heaven Sect.
Realizing their existence, he investigated alone without telling others, nearly drawing suspicion several times.
He barely evaded it each time, but the evil spirit pearl he unwittingly swallowed became his final shackle.
"......"
Now, the scales held not honor versus his uncle, but life versus death.
'Is this as far as I go?'
The power from the fallen spirit was in no way sweet.
It elevated his swordsmanship to its utmost, yet the sword brought him no joy anymore.
His heart felt like it was crumbling.
The one thing that had made his parents smile had been taken from him.
He could no longer love the sword he had defiled.
'What remains for someone like me?'
Nothing but hollow honor.
He couldn't even commit suicide.
It would sully what little honor remained.
'Was I always this indecisive?'
Trapped in daily torment,
a mage came to him.
The captain of the White Whale Mercenary Corps, who had once subjugated a Goblin Lord under his command.
"It's purely theoretical. Shall we try it?"
Without further explanation, he extended his hand once more, urging him to trust again.
The directive handed down from the Prime Venom Mage's master, who had once been human.
-Sprinkle some ash on the meal, why don't you?
Simple yet ambiguous, offering myriad interpretations.
And for the Prime Venom Mage, now a monster, it was a stroke of luck.
He had overflowing options.
One was assassinating imperial royalty.
Originally, he planned to poison one of the two princes to incite infighting, but with the imperial family now mobilizing in earnest,
killing even one to sow true chaos was the ideal scenario.
That's when Jinovan caught his eye.
A human possessed by a fallen spirit, just like him.
He could use that one.
'I need to issue the command.'
He quietly, ever so quietly, approached from behind.
Fortunately, even that protective barrier blocking all hostility had a flaw.
It didn't block things harmless to the caster.
In other words, mycelium without poison could infiltrate the barrier.
Bit by bit, expanding his reach, squeezing out mana to spawn clones inside.
Thus, the Prime Venom Mage succeeded in swapping places with the clone spawned behind the group focused on his main body.
'Killing the prince outright is impossible.'
With his body splintered and splintered again, most combat ability lost, it was impossible.
Intelligence said both princes were formidable.
The barrier prevented even poison use.
So, manipulate the spirit within Jinovan to assassinate the prince.
Defying orders was impossible anyway.
With that judgment, the Prime Venom Mage reached toward Jinovan's heart.
Signaling the spirit inside.
......Wriggle.
The response came a tad later than expected.
But it was fine.
Against Jinovan's will, a red glow flickered at the corners of his eyes.
'If possible, kill both!'
Leave First Prince Dexter to Jinovan,
and assassinate the weaker-willed Third Prince Javier himself.
Whether both succeeded or just one, it didn't matter.
Chaos would engulf the empire, and the Celestial Heaven Sect would handle the aftermath.
The moment Jinovan's sword turned toward Dexter—
Puk!
"......?"
The Prime Venom Mage behind Jinovan didn't know.
That the tip of his sword targeted not Dexter, but himself.
"Jinovan?!"
"M-Marshall!!"
The two princes, belatedly noticing the Prime Venom Mage, startled and rushed over.
Dexter drew his sword in tandem, swinging it infused with red aura,
and the Prime Venom Mage's heart, pierced by Jinovan's blade, was utterly pulverized by Dexter's aura, not even dust remaining.
To the end, the Prime Venom Mage brimmed with questions.
Jinovan, piercing his own belly to stab his heart?
Impressive, yes, but not all.
The spirit within Jinovan, designed to obey the commands of a higher spirit like himself, had defied him.
It could become a massive cliff blocking the Celestial Heaven Sect's path ahead.
'How in the world......?'
But the mage who could answer was not there.
Scratch, scratch.
The first thing Jinovan saw upon opening his eyes was a familiar ceiling.
"Man, this feels weird."
"......Jun."
Turning his head weakly, he saw Jun deftly peeling an apple.
"I've woken up a few times to people by my side when I've collapsed, but being on this end feels strangely off."
"......Is that so."
"Yeah. And having been through it, it's not exactly pleasant."
"Who'd be cheerful with a patient beside them?"
"Well, that's part of it. Makes me wonder if my comrades felt the same when I was laid up."
"Hm."
Jinovan listened up to that point, closed his eyes as if pondering, then spoke.
"How exactly did you do it?"
"You mean the spirit in you not responding?"
"Precisely, it did awaken. But only halfway. It couldn't seize control of my body."
"Still needs refinement, then......"
Muttering that, Jun pointed to his ring, Phantasm, to answer Jinovan's question.
"Well, save your thanks for the one inside this. Not sure if it'll like it, though."
"A 'guy,' huh. A spirit?"
"Yes. Spirit of Dreams. Usually just sleeps quietly, but...... lately, some trigger made it helpful in various ways."
Ever since conversing with it for the first time thanks to the wind spirit in Aiden's body,
Jun had steadily attempted dialogue with Phantasm.
His curiosity about spirits brimmed over.
"This one can shape the user's knowledge into dreams and pull it into reality."
"Meaning?"
"Borrowing that power, I put the fallen spirit inside you to Sleep."
Sleep
The effect was far stronger than Jun had imagined.
Amplified by the Dream Spirit Phantasm's innate power, it subdued even the fallen spirit.
"Still not perfect, it seems. Well, it's magic enhanced by spirit power, so I'm not fully used to it yet."
"......Thanks to you, I was saved."
"I'm the grateful one. Never thought we'd take down the Prime Venom Mage."
"You captured it?"
"Haha, unfortunately not."
The Prime Venom Mage, consumed by the fallen spirit, met death.
Capture would have been ideal, but the tricky foe died on the spot.
"Dexter was disappointed about that too."
"The First Prince...... I see."
"Oh, and regrettably? Your uncle was captured."
"......What happens to him?"
"Who knows. Probably only the higher-ups know."
Though he said that, both knew Botan's fate.
Death wouldn't come easily.
'Insulting the imperial family is just the crime to doom three generations.'
No matter how mild the emperor, Botan—who reached for his children and concubines—wouldn't die cleanly.
"Then, what of me?"
The final question followed.
Jun fell silent for a moment.