Chapter 214
Chapter 214
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 214
Chapter Title: Jeron's Tribulation (3)
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Cough—
Black, dead blood erupted ceaselessly from his nose and mouth.
He had tried his best to suppress it somehow, but the bleeding had now exceeded what his will alone could control.
'Damn it, at this rate, I'm really going to die.'
The blood spilling out was merely a symptom of the problem.
Due to forcing himself beyond his limits, his mana circuits inside his body had twisted and shredded apart. Seizing the chance from his weakened control, the rampant curse raged wildly, greedily devouring his life force.
If not for the holy mark Heinrich had given him, it wouldn't have ended at just this level.
And the price he had to pay wasn't limited to that alone...
'Still, I made it in time, so that's what matters.'
Hesperon felt the necklace he had tucked inside his clothes around his neck crumble away, and he smiled bitterly.
Drip—
Immediately after, bloody tears flowed from his right eye.
His vision in that eye gradually blurred, then went completely black.
'...My right eye, huh.'
A dramatic rescue at the very moment the heroine was in peril.
Judging solely by that exquisite timing, it might seem like the cliché of a protagonist awakening in an extreme situation and shining brightly...
But for him right now, it was far from such a fortunate tale.
— Hannibal Strauss Still, losing just one eye isn't bad at all. The price for forcibly drawing out power only grows greater. Your efforts right up to the last moment have paid off. — Hari Kahah! Ahh, who cares about an eye? Just slap a new one on! Like me! Among the black magic tools Hans had acquired while reorganizing the Immortal Army, there were many with all sorts of bizarre abilities.
It was ironic that most demanded life force or lifespan as payment, making them unusable for the undead.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ The entity has met the conditions and grows. Skill Threads of Binding evolves into special skill Chains of the Covenant. The necklace Hesperon had used this time was one of those items.
Thanks to it supplementing the missing skill growth points, he had been able to evolve Threads of Binding and summon his contract target, Riley.
'On top of additional corrections, it can now exert coercive influence like just now. The skill's application range has even expanded to allow binding with inanimate objects.'
Of course, since the skill had just evolved, he would need to think more about its applications, but the fact that his options had increased was certainly welcome.
"Hesperon...?"
At that moment, Riley's dazed voice reached his ears.
Well, it was understandable—she must have thought she was done for, only to come to in some strange man's arms.
Perfectly natural to be flustered.
But now wasn't the time for casual chit-chat.
Without even looking at her, he just flashed a grin and spoke.
"Riley, talk later. The situation's urgent right now."
"...Okay."
Hesperon's gaze had been fixed on one spot from start to finish.
On the man standing blankly a short distance away—Starb.
He still held the grotesque dagger in one hand, slowly turning his head to stare at them intently.
'All that's left is to synchronize Riley and me with Chains of the Covenant, then use Hero's Footsteps to escape this place...'
However, having just forcibly summoned Riley, the connection of Chains of the Covenant was unstable and needed time to stabilize.
It was inevitable since he had pushed skill usage beyond his actual level, but in this situation, it was far from good news.
"What a pain..."
And sure enough.
Shh—
Starb's body blurred faintly as he muttered softly.
'Of course he won't wait!'
As Hesperon's mind sharpened, Hypersensitivity activated, drastically slowing the surrounding time.
However...
'Even in this state, that speed?'
In the endlessly stretching world, Starb's movements stood out as blatantly unnatural.
While everything else slowed to a crawl, he strode forward alone, sending chills down the spine.
'...I've been playing in such big leagues lately that I hadn't fully realized.'
Having mingled only with heavyweights lately—enemies and allies alike—his senses had dulled, but the pinnacle realm was never low-tier.
Even in vampire society, where they lived centuries with ease, the Brocoslak Clan—the top three—had only three True Bloods, including the lord. In the Main God's Church, boasting the continent's greatest influence, it corresponded to the leadership like Paladins and Archbishops.
And now, such an opponent was charging at him with murderous intent blazing in his eyes.
Hesperon gritted his teeth and forced his body to move.
By the time he barely managed to step back one foot with all his effort, the other had already taken five or six strides unhindered.
Though his abnormal stats and skills barely let him perceive the foe, his reinforced body was woefully inadequate against a pinnacle knight's movements.
'Ugh, just a bit more!'
The synchronization process was progressing just as slowly in the slowed time.
Mana might largely defy physical laws as energy, but the pathways it flowed through were still real flesh and blood—it couldn't be entirely immune.
'No chance in close combat. I have to keep him at maximum distance.'
In the end, to buy time, Hesperon unleashed every means at his disposal.
Blood-red orbs infused with Heinz 2nd's Refined Blood Essence rained down, unleashing inscribed blood magic in all directions.
Heinrich's holy mark, filled with divine power, formed a barrier to block the enemy's path.
And naturally, cursed items and every other magic tool were mobilized as well.
"Ugh, annoying tricks! Where the hell did you even get these things?"
Swoosh—
Slash slash!
Unfortunately, however.
The opponent clearly didn't appreciate his surprise gift barrage.
— Heinrich It's not just about speed. He's precisely targeting the weaknesses of these incomplete spells manifested through mediums. Definitely skill beyond Geos. Starb gnashed his teeth in irritation but pulverized every obstacle with his fiercely blazing aura blade as he closed in.
Now close enough to call point-blank.
Throb.
Perhaps from overusing the cursed items.
Intense pain shot through Hesperon's entire body... especially his right hand.
But he couldn't give up now.
He hugged Riley close and retreated a few more steps.
Crunch—
His muscles screamed from forcing himself to match the enemy's pace in the slowed world, but now wasn't the time for minor complaints.
"Starb, you bastard! How dare this filthy traitor lay a hand on Her Highness!"
"Urgh! You think I'll just meekly die here?!"
Meanwhile, as he fell back, the few surviving knights who had held on until now stepped forward instead, blocking Starb's path and clinging to his ankles with utter disregard for their lives.
Badly wounded and too few to turn the tide, but they were all elite in their own right.
Enough to buy a fleeting moment in this dire crisis.
"Tch, you idiots. Can't even handle trash like this anymore?"
"S-Sorry, Captain!"
And the moment those knights bought with their heroic sacrifice.
Was exactly the instant Hesperon had desperately hoped for.
'Got it.'
With his remaining eye, he watched the last knight fall to Starb's blade, took a deep breath.
"Hoo—you all."
Finally, he swept his gaze over the traitors charging fiercely from all sides and murmured softly.
"Go ahead and struggle all you want."
With that, he flipped his palm downward, dropping his final gift to the floor, and activated Hero's Footsteps.
Afterward, as space warped and his vision blurred.
Unlike the foes lunging at him with deadly momentum, Starb urgently shouted something and hurled himself backward in slow motion...
Then, like a screen switch, the scenery around him changed in an instant.
'Sharp instincts, as expected. Well, the real show starts now. From the moment Riley escaped safely, they've already plummeted into the abyss.'
Not just them—anyone even remotely involved would suffer the same.
When such a reckless plot to assassinate the princess via terrorism in the capital failed, the fitting price would follow.
Oh, and by the way, the gift was nothing special.
He just prepared it with extra care since they hadn't appreciated his previous offerings, and parting without something more felt regrettable.
A Hans special—Deep Abyss Bomb, compressed to its absolute limit.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The massive invasion of the Immortal Army erupting across the continent.
It inflicted damage incomparable to previous raids worldwide.
[Kihihik!]
Crack! Crunch—!
[Join us!]
"Hold the line with your lives! If this breaks, the whole city is at risk!"
"W-Wait. This is different from what we've faced before!"
"Reinforcements! Where are the reinforcements? We can't hold much longer!"
The primary cause lay in the leadership's complacent response.
Saint Heinrich had repeatedly emphasized the danger of this raid multiple times, but—
Those accustomed to 'Hans'' mild invasions thought merely upping the prior response level would suffice.
[Ahh—! Wonderful! How long has it been since I tasted mortal flesh! This sweet blood and screams excite me so! Yes, yes. Scream more—scream louder!]
[On this land—endless terror—eternal death—!]
To make matters worse, high-ranking undead that had holed up in the Immortal Fortress until now were scattered among the invaders...
Complacency turned the situation into chaos in moments.
These long-secluded high undead led forces from the northern mountains, mercilessly striking across the continent, with civilian casualties snowballing in their wake.
Enough to shake the stagnant peace that had lingered lately.
Yet, as always, some moved diligently, achieving the most concrete results...
Whoosh—Boom!
[Grooo—!]
Thud!
The hero party, newly reinforced, was at the forefront.
"Situation cleared. No special threats detected nearby."
The green-haired elf calmly spoke after sniping the Death Knight leader's core with a wind arrow.
Lydia Granwood, a high elf and leader of the Elven Kingdom's sentinel warriors, had joined the hero party right after the second summit.
Originally in the Ion Continent as Rapori's successor nearing retirement, the escalating crisis naturally drew her into the party.
As a combat envoy responding to the turmoil, it wasn't so surprising.
Just unfortunate for Rapori, whose retirement was delayed yet again.
"Saint? You okay? You've seemed off since earlier, not focusing on the fight."
As the party tidied up, a woman cautiously approached Heinrich, who stood lost in serious thought.
A petite girl with black hair and eyes—the empire's grand magus, Isea Pristin.
"Ah, Lady Isea. Just something bothering me. It's fine now—resolved just moments ago."
Heinrich, who had been checking the empire's side, smiled softly at her.
Fortunately, unlike Hesperon, Princess Riley was unharmed, so he could speak confidently.
The conspirators had thoroughly jammed communications, so she likely didn't know about Jeron's incident yet—but word would reach her soon.
She probably wouldn't stay this serene then.
"...But casualties are way higher than usual this time. Undead forces on a level we've never seen. And this scale across the entire continent?"
"Sigh—yes. Ah! I should help with the wounded now. Saintess can't handle them alone."
"Oh, then I'll help clean up around here."
As Heinrich hurried to the injured, Isea bit her lower lip, surveying the devastation.
They were in Saridan, a trading hub at the southern tip of Tulke Kingdom, specifically the Merchant Alliance headquarters.
Now, it was a utter ruin, like a battlefield's heart.
"...I see. Now it really hits home. What we're fighting against."
Demon King's invasion. Death-filled lands. World-ending crisis.
What had felt distant until now became viscerally real.
Isea clenched her fist and moved to help where she could.
Heinrich, slipping away from guilt, overheard her mutter and sighed inwardly.
'Hoo, Hans...'
Truthfully, his feelings weren't much different.
He just wanted to end this crisis somehow.
After all, he was this world's hero, guardian of justice and light.