Chapter 228
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 228
Chapter Title: I'll Kill Them
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"Step back, Aiden."
"...!"
At Jun's words, Aiden halted his standoff with Rikedaimon and retreated.
He didn't ask what would become of Maya, left alone.
He simply trusted and followed Jun's command.
Rikedaimon didn't pursue Aiden either. His gaze was fixed solely ahead.
Only then, standing beside Jun after fully withdrawing, did Aiden open his mouth to ask why—but he closed it again.
A single monster stood there.
"W-What is... that...? Urk?!"
Aiden, about to ask what it was, clutched his head.
An immense headache. Barely staying on his feet was all he could manage.
He now understood why Jun had told him to fall back.
Through the World Tree's vital energy, he could sense Maya's wavering mind.
Only then did Aiden realize the identity of the suddenly appeared monster—it was Maya.
"Senior...?"
Jun was gazing at that Maya as well.
Maya, her entire body swallowed by pure white energy.
The spiral hole pierced through her chest was a void formed by dozens, hundreds of souls clumping together.
Her arms were no longer human—something else entirely, stretched long and scraping the ground, evoking the hatred of vengeful spirits.
"Hmm... Swallowed by the souls, it seems."
Rikedaimon's voice sank heavily.
He had realized the opponent before him was no longer honorable, but a wretched mass of resentful spirits.
"This... isn't good."
With that, Rikedaimon braced for the approaching attack, gripping his two greatswords.
At the same moment, the white monster's silhouette vanished.
As if it had never been there to begin with.
When the white monster reappeared, it was right in front of Rikedaimon's nose.
Claws tainted by vengeful spirits swung like swords.
"Tch!"
Rikedaimon unleashed his full aura.
His fighting spirit was a culmination refined through dozens, hundreds of wars.
It took on physical form by itself, and the invisible, formless energy was a tricky attack for anyone facing it.
However—
Screeech!!
The spirits' claws tore through that formless energy, clashing directly with his sword.
"Such...!"
The matchup was poor.
In an instant, the greatsword was shredded to pieces by the spirit claws, forcing Rikedaimon to leap back greatly.
A moment later, and he'd have been torn apart along with his blade.
Grrrrowl...
As if displeased, the white monster let out a low growl.
"Senior... what the hell is that thing?"
Aiden, witnessing the scene, asked Jun.
"It looks like she's been swallowed by souls...?"
Eleanor answered instead.
In her eyes, which could see souls, there was no trace of Maya left in that white monster.
Something else had completely devoured her body.
The problem was that even Eleanor couldn't properly discern the souls contained within.
"Insane... I've never seen spirits like that. How the hell do you even accumulate that many vengeful souls...?"
"The Chokyeong tribe. As you might know, their history began with the first emperor's 'unification of the world.'"
"..."
Aiden's expression grew grave.
After the empire became master of the earth, the world had distanced itself from the word "war."
The war in the east?
It was mere childish squabbling compared to what came before.
Before the first emperor declared himself ruler of the earth,
the world had been a cauldron of endless wars.
But had that peace come for free?
Never.
Beneath it lay the deaths of countless people.
"The Chokyeong tribe was swept up in the wars starting from the first emperor and vanished. The special thing is that their deaths differ from other sacrifices buried under the name of history."
"What's the difference exactly?"
"They bore the bloodline of spirits. Born with spirit blood from time immemorial, even in death, they couldn't go to the afterlife—they sealed their memories into fragments of mana."
That was the identity of the countless souls dwelling in Maya's body.
"They have only one goal. Revenge for their deaths."
But they couldn't rebel against the completed empire, so their resentful spirits simply accumulated.
"A power built up over hundreds of years, you could say."
That was why Rikedaimon had been pushed back in an instant by the white monster.
A hero of past wars?
So what?
Rikedaimon's flesh had long returned to dust; he was merely briefly manifested on earth by the god of death.
Such a being couldn't stand against the power of resentful spirits amassed over centuries.
"Then... what happens to Maya?"
"The technique Maya's using now... [Blood Ghost Night Journey]. Souls made of blood have seized her body for revenge. But it's not a completed technique. Within it, Maya must fully bear those countless resentful spirits."
How much mental strength would it take to overcome that?
'In the original game, I had to wrap Maya in artifacts related to mental strength.'
If she couldn't, the ancestral spirits would devour her body outright and seek to destroy everything related to the empire.
"Then... is there no way we can help?"
"Not none at all. But... right now, even we can't assist."
Aiden belatedly realized where Jun's gaze was directed.
Since the battle with Rikedaimon began, Jun had never once provided support.
There had been plenty of opportunities, yet Jun and Eleanor hadn't moved from the rear.
Following Jun's line of sight beyond the canyon, Aiden spotted a hazy silhouette.
"...Another commander?"
"Yeah. He's been watching us since earlier."
Until now, Jun and Eleanor had been locked in a battle of wills with him.
To prevent him from recklessly extending his influence here.
Fortunately, the enemy showed no intention of coming this far.
'Preserving strength for the upcoming war?'
That seemed likely.
Since the military camps rained from the sky, they hadn't moved their main forces yet.
'Like sending in uncontrollable troops first.'
Military camps fundamentally required commanders.
That banner was proof—detailed orders couldn't reach those outside its influence.
'If the number of centurions is low... it's plenty possible.'
So they were taking measures to avoid the worst-case scenario of losing two commanders here.
Of course, that didn't mean they could relax.
They'd strike any gap shown without fail.
'Two level 7s... we have to avoid that nightmare.'
Fortunately, Jun had been bluffing with immense mana since earlier, thanks largely to Eleanor's help.
She was converting her overflowing divine power into mana via the Lament of Disaster.
The enemy surely mistook them for level 7s as well.
All that remained was to watch the fight between Rikedaimon and the Maya swallowed by ancestral souls.
'Maya...'
Maya wouldn't truly bloom her talents until after this hurdle.
A necessary step before crossing the Three Gates later.
But that process was far from easy.
'I've prepared all the contingencies. Now it depends on how well Maya performs.'
He didn't doubt Maya's skill.
So for now, all he could do was trust her.
The only help he could offer was creating an environment where she could focus on her own battle.
Countless souls were questioning her.
-Can you bear us?
They asked if she dared to harbor this massive grudge spanning centuries.
Until now, it had been hard to understand their words clearly.
Because she wasn't one of the Chokyeong tribe.
She was merely a discarded child of the empire.
But now, she understood.
She could see their grudge.
So Maya silently gripped Acander's Fangs in both hands.
Even in this world of consciousness, Acander's Fangs gleamed sharply.
Possible because it was a weapon infused with vengeful spirits, not physical force.
"Don't just ask with words. Come at me."
She assumed a stance with the two swords Jun had personally selected for her.
The resentful spirits approached.
The fight was a one-sided defeat for Maya.
Surrounded by endless spirits, she had to face them using only her own power, without borrowing theirs—it was inevitable.
"...Come again."
But this was the spiritual world.
Dying wasn't the end.
Maya rose again, standing before the ancestral souls.
They ravaged her mercilessly as before, but it took them longer to fell her this time.
"...Not over yet."
The experience of death?
She'd been through it several times already.
What she feared now wasn't death.
Rather, failing her comrades' expectations terrified her more.
She fell countless times, but rose each time to defy them.
The procession of souls made of resentful spirits.
Amid it, Maya carved her own path.
First, one strike mastery.
Then, two strikes.
When she stood again, three strikes.
Her endurance grew each time, until finally, she succeeded in cleaving one of the countless resentful spirits.
"...Again!"
One became two, two became three.
In time that felt eternal, Maya steadily reduced their numbers.
In the process, she internalized their techniques.
"Hah...!"
Each time she felled a spirit, fragments of their deaths flashed before her.
One pierced through the heart by an imperial knight.
Another sacrificing to protect retreating tribesmen.
Yet another slain by the blade that killed their family.
She felt their rage.
Grudges so vast her mind reeled.
She sensed them trying to corrupt her soul.
A gesture beckoning her to become like them.
"My revenge is mine to take."
With clear will, Maya cleaved another spirit and declared.
"Your grudges are none of my concern."
From the moment she was picked up, she'd been rejected by the tribe.
She'd once strived for their recognition, but always faced rejection solely for her imperial blood.
Yet the reason she fought for the tribe's vengeance now...
The father who found her and cared for her until the end.
It was for that one person.
"That's why I've come this far. Not to listen to your whining."
So she declared boldly.
If you won't help me, then I'll use you thoroughly in turn.
[Shadow Step]
Her legs glided over nether-dimensional mana.
[Phantom Spirit Rush]
Within it, she accelerated, weaving through hundreds of resentful spirits.
[Shadow Web]
Thousands of darts exploded from above, raining down on the spirits.
The moment the mana threads connected to their bodies gleamed ominously—
[Shadow Web: Burst]
Explosions from the mana threads ripped everything around to shreds.
What remained at the end was a single resentful spirit.
"Instead, those guys outside."
Maya pointed toward the countless military camps that would still be out there.
"And their commander too."
Her ash-gray glowing eyes turned to the final spirit.
"I'll kill them. So lend me your power until then."
Finally, Acander's Fangs pierced the last spirit's chest.
The only one left standing was Maya.