Chapter 159
Chapter 159
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Guardian Constellation (2)
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"Ah."
High sorceress Yoan.
The tension drained from her body all at once, and she collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.
"Lady Yoan! Are you alright!?"
Durakta, the warrior guarding Yoan.
He rushed to her side, reaching out with his thick hands to support her.
"Get away!"
"...!"
But Yoan shoved Durakta back with a spasmodic shout.
"If you touch me now, its energy might rub off on you."
"I'm fine!"
"No. It's not something you can handle."
It's not something any of us can handle.
Yoan muttered gravely to herself, gazing at Hamun collapsed on the ground.
Last night.
Yoan, who had been camping near Roera's group, read the stars before bed as usual to divine her future.
In the midst of that.
She spotted a cluster of light unusually bright in the distance, close by.
Astrologers who read the stars and their companions.
And the presence watching them from the darkness beyond the starlight's reach.
Yoan's original goal had been to give a light warning to that naive sorceress out of goodwill.
She had even considered offering direct aid depending on the situation, to incur a debt.
Having seen it in the stars and met them in person.
Roera the hero and her companions seemed worth it.
However.
This was unexpected.
To think the entity targeting this young sorceress was so powerful and malevolent.
The thick darkness she had seen.
Was merely a tiny fraction of the whole.
"What the hell is she dragging around with her..."
Yoan shuddered, sensing the traces of 'it' that had nearly consumed her until moments ago.
It was clearly an off-the-charts existence.
The word 'calamity' fit perfectly.
No matter how skilled the sorceress—
No matter how exalted the guardian constellation—
Before it, they were no more than a single beast before an avalanche.
At this point, Yoan had two questions.
What exactly was it?
And why had it suddenly retreated?
"Hamun! Are you okay!? Snap out of it!"
The answer probably lay with the beastkin girl named Hamun.
The beastkin girl, unconscious and surrounded by her companions.
She approached Hamun cautiously and checked her condition.
"Mental exhaustion."
"Mental exhaustion...?"
"Her mental strength was depleted by the evil spirit's attack just now. In itself, it's not life-threatening."
"Whew!"
Lotna let out a heavy sigh of relief upon hearing Yoan.
"So she just passed out from fatigue? Thank goodness!"
"Thank goodness..."
Yoan echoed meaningfully.
Lotna and Roera's group faces twisted with unease.
"What now? What's the problem this time? Isn't it over?"
"..."
Yoan silently pulled a crystal orb from her luggage.
She covered both her face and the orb with a cloth.
The orb glowed in the created darkness.
Showing the stars to the astrologer.
Moments later.
Having finished her observation, Yoan spoke to them.
"'It' is still lurking near that girl. Writhing in humiliation and excitement. It won't be long before it strikes again."
"You mean that situation from before is gonna happen again?"
"No."
Yoan shook her head at Gelrad's words.
"Something even more dire will unfold. The darkness is boiling. This time, 'it' will try to completely devour that girl."
"What exactly are you talking about?"
Yoan pondered Roera's question for a while before answering.
"It's a kind of horde."
"Horde?"
"A massive horde formed by countless evil spirits gathered together. I've encountered many evil spirits, but nothing like this."
"..."
Yoan's mystical aura as both sorceress and astrologer.
Her words carried a strange weight.
Her gravity transmitted fully.
Roera, fully absorbing that gravity, asked.
"Is it targeting Hamun?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"It's the predator, and that girl is the prey. That's all there is to it."
"How do we save Hamun from it?"
"The surest way is to extinguish her star."
"Extinguish her star?"
"Yes. If that girl completely abandons her power as an astrologer, it would have no reason to chase her."
"...Damn, that's too cruel."
Lotna muttered.
Hamun.
That young beastkin girl could join the hero's party precisely because of her special talent as an astrologer.
Lotna, Gelrad too.
They were special beings with special talents.
That's why they were allowed by the hero's side, more than anyone.
Now Yoan was advising her to give up that specialness.
Lotna and Gelrad imagined from their own perspectives.
Give up sword (magic) power completely to survive?
Absurd.
They'd choose death instead.
Hamun likely thought the same.
So they wanted to protect her.
"Is there another way..."
Then.
Roera's gaze chased some thought.
Recalling the earlier situation, she said.
"It looked like it suddenly retreated just now. Did I see that right?"
"...Yes. Unless I was mistaken too."
"What? What made it retreat?"
Yoan reached toward Hamun.
Feeling the traces left on the young astrologer's body.
"...!"
Then.
Yoan's hawk-like sharp eyes widened fully.
"Something. Is watching this girl."
"Something?"
"Yes. A being of extremely lofty stature."
"Is that the guardian constellation you mentioned?"
"..."
Yoan neither affirmed nor denied.
She couldn't accurately gauge it herself.
"W-what!? So in the end, the evil spirit got scared of the kid's guardian and ran? Then it's all solved!?"
Lotna's straightforward summary.
All eyes turned to Yoan.
She checked Hamun's state again and spoke.
"Coincidentally. The girl hasn't fully accepted her guardian constellation. And the evil spirit knows that too."
Yoan stood and said.
"Before the girl wakes, the evil spirit will attack once more."
"Damn! Kid! It says so! Wake up quick!"
"No use. She can't regain her senses now."
With that, Yoan turned away.
"Can't we hope for your help?"
Roera called to her back.
"...Durakta."
"Yes, Lady Yoan."
"We'll need our comrades' aid. Prepare it."
Shock appeared on the bear-like man's face.
"Is it worth that much?"
"Yes."
"...Understood."
The man unpacked and began decorating the area.
Staking pillars, drawing ritual diagrams on the ground with beast blood laden with meaning.
"...No way, you planned to help us from the start?"
Gelrad in surprise.
Lotna whispered excitedly beside him.
"I didn't like her calling Hamun 'wench' over and over, but turns out she's a good person!"
"Doesn't seem that simple."
The ritual Durakta prepared took shape.
Its scale.
And Yoan's resolute expression.
It was the face of one resolved to die.
To risk death for a complete stranger like Hamun?
Far from ordinary.
"May I ask what you intend?"
Yoan looked at Hamun without hesitation at Roera's question.
"To gain favor."
"Favor?"
"Yes. Who knows. Protecting the girl might win the favor of the being watching her. Who can say."
"..."
Roera's group nodded but felt doubt too.
Hamun's guardian constellation.
What manner of being would make even this mighty sorceress stake her life for favor?
"Meng. How. Did it resolve well?"
The Abomination Spirit.
After receiving Rishir's power and bestowing the blessing, she had stood blankly in place.
Her vacant gaze at the empty air turned to Rishir.
-A variable has occurred!
"Variable?"
-Because the blessing's target, the astrologer, lost consciousness, she couldn't fully accept it!
"Oh no. Then what happens?"
-The trash targeting the astrologer noticed and is biding its time!
The Abomination Spirit approached Rishir and fiddled with his hand.
-If you want to help that astrologer, Your Exaltedness must intervene directly! How dare they bother Your Exaltedness!!! No need to listen further! Discard those worthless worms!
"My little sister and her comrades."
-...she said! That abomination wench said!
"..."
Swipe.
Swipe.
The spirit's gaze darted busily between the gray-white fireball and Rishir.
As if wronged.
-Her core doesn't change! Your Exaltedness! Don't listen to that impudent thing! This shorty Dan Galleon dares overstep and advises Your Exaltedness! Please, step in personally and save those pitiful ones...!!!
"I get it... so just tell me what Meng says. How do I intervene directly?"
-First, she says Your Exaltedness needs to understand the power of astrology—
"Oh."
Rishir felt troubled.
In this urgent situation, when would he leisurely study astrology?
-Fortunately, no need to worry! Your Exaltedness already understands the power of astrology!
"?"
Rishir tilted his head.
Did I study astrology?
Clana, who had been watching intrigued, spoke.
-No need to panic.
"Ah, Clana. Got a hunch?"
-Probably learned it unknowingly during that process just now.
-Y-yes, as expected of my master!!! That's progress! True progress!!!
"...What is progress?"
Rishir felt a slight dizziness as he began following the spirit's instructions.
Roera's group and Yoan.
They now stood atop the ritual circle Durakta had completed.
Yoan at the center.
She looked at Roera and said.
"The evil spirit's assault will resume shortly."
Endure that assault, buy time.
Until Hamun regains consciousness and her guardian can intervene.
"That will be our goal. If you understand, we'll begin the ritual immediately."
"O-okay...!"
Lotna staggered but steadied herself.
The world around them flipped.
"This is—"
Soon.
They stood on a high plateau field.
Mystical winds blew from all directions, gently enveloping them.
And—
Leaping leopards.
Charging bulls.
Galloping mares.
Beasts appearing from somewhere filled the space one by one.
Their forms shifted into beastkin.
Each an astrologer of equal stature to Yoan—
Reinforcements called by Yoan against the evil spirits.
"All gathered."
Yoan muttered.
That instant.
Kaboom!
The sky, now clouded with storm clouds, belched thunder.
It cleaved the air, striking down among them.
"That's..."
Yoan's guardian constellation.
The great warrior's soul appeared before them.
Other sorcerers' guardians manifested one by one.
Roera's group recognized at a glance.
They were great heroes who left massive marks in history.
No time for admiration.
"...My god, what the hell is all that."
Lotna muttered, staring at the field's horizon.
It was like a black tidal wave—
The evil spirits' horde.
The battle began.
"Fuck!"
Huff!
Huff!
Lotna spat amid heavy breaths.
"Is this shit ever gonna end!?"
Her arms, holding the shield at the front, trembled.
How long since the evil spirits' invasion began?
They had endlessly slain countless evil spirits.
Yet.
The assault showed no sign of stopping.
Roera's brows furrowed sharply at the horizon.
Evil spirits filled it without gap.
"Yoan! How long do we have to hold!?"
Gelrad, blocking their approach with a wall of flame, wiped sweat and said.
"..."
Yoan instead gazed desperately at Hamun, protected at the ritual's center.
The evil spirits' power exceeded her expectations,
and the situation was more hopeless than anticipated.
A race against moments.
When Hamun woke—
Or rather, when her guardian intervened—their fate would split.
-Kraaaah!!!
Then, a scream from one flank of their front line.
A great hero.
One sorcerer's guardian surrounded by evil spirits.
The evil spirits attacked mimicking their forms.
Biting, clawing, spewing, tearing, burrowing—
Like swarms of bugs around a beast carcass.
The bleeding guardian's form slowly faded.
The front line collapsed.
"Lady Yoan, no more...!"
Durakta shouted beside her.
Desperate cries echoed everywhere.
At that moment.
"Ah."
The beastkin girl's small body twitched.
"...!"
Others' bodies twitched too.
Hope pulsed.
"Raaargh!!!"
Durakta roared into the evil spirits.
Roera's group and sorcerers marshaled all remaining strength to push back the evil spirits.
Just a bit more.
Hold just a bit longer—
As hope lit their faces.
-Kyaaaaah!!!
The most intense roar yet.
Countless evil spirits' screams clawed the world.
From beyond the horizon.
Fury. Terror. Hesitation.
The evil spirits charging blindly had their momentum falter.
As if realizing fear.
They turned heads and bodies toward the horizon.
"...What?"
Lotna followed their gaze.
"...My god."
Her shield hand slackened unknowingly.
"What the hell is that...?"
A massive sandstorm that could swallow the world.
Suddenly rising beyond the horizon, bearing down on them.
Its domineering force—
In moments, more evil spirits swept into the sandstorm than they had slain so far.
And it didn't end there.
A pillar of fire linking earth and sky swirled, greedily devouring evil spirits.
A rising blood mire swallowed them.
Vast swarms dwarfing the horde overlaid them.
Each a world-ending cataclysm.
Such calamities ignored the evil spirits, hurtling toward them swiftly.
"What... have we summoned...?"
Yoan muttered blankly.
"Ah..."
Someone's sigh.
Clunk.
A weapon dropping.
Utter despair dominated them.
Just as they abandoned all.
"Roera!"
"...?"
A voice and face of pure joy.
Roera doubted her eyes.
"...Rishir?"
He stood beside her now.
Her mind, already blank from the situation.
Her unfiltered cry escaped.
"W-why are you here!!! You can't be here...!"
Why is he here?
What am I even saying?
Nothing made sense.
Everything chaos.
But one thing clear.
Rishir.
Being here put him in danger too.
"I don't know how you got here—but get out!!! Now!!!"
Roera glanced repeatedly at the approaching calamities.
At her, Rishir smiled lightly.
"It's fine. They're good kids, despite looks."
Good kids.
Calamities.
"Huh?"
Did I hear right?
The cynical hero's face turned dumb.