Chapter 229
Chapter 229
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 229
Chapter Title: Cleanup (1)
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There was no need to waste time grasping the situation.
In truth, only his body had been asleep—his mind had remained awake the entire time.
Even if it had been split into nine fragments, each colored by different tendencies.
"Ha! What a mess."
The fragmented thoughts, each flowing independently in their various locales, suddenly began slotting into a single, unified framework.
Heinz 2nd, scheming with the Republic's vice president to prepare for the showdown with Obifo.
Hubert, turning the chaotic times to his advantage and expanding the merchant guild even further.
Harris, sprawled on a branch of the World Tree like a plant, basking in photosynthesis without a care.
Howard, finally succeeding in learning the dwarven secret arts from Jaonic.
Hesperon, leisurely studying magic under Riley's daily visits.
Hugo, tending to the fallen main body while taking over his role on Earth.
And then there was Harley, battered and bruised from battling the horde, yet triumphantly crushing every last mine and beating the surviving chieftain to a pulp amid wild laughter...
'...It was only two days.'
Heinrich, gripping the radiant holy sword tightly in the euphoria of having just reached transcendence.
And Hans, chest pierced by that very holy sword, unleashing his rage.
'Things turned into this in just two days.'
I dragged my hands down my face and let out another deep sigh.
Looking at the state they were in, I couldn't help but lament.
In the process of gathering his wits, the Abyss that had infiltrated Hans's mind briefly flared up, but thanks to the holy sword's energy embedded in his body, the rebellion was swiftly quelled.
'Of course, even without the holy sword, it wouldn't have been a big issue.'
I glanced sideways to check the message that had come to mind just before losing consciousness.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Your unique skill has grown and awakened its potential. You have acquired the special skill 「Soul Firewall」. Going beyond simply filtering out negative influences via Mind Hub as before, this was a true barrier of inviolability erected around the main soul itself.
'...With this, nothing like before will ever happen again.'
To block the backflow pouring in, he'd struggled fiercely—and in return, the ability had evolved into full immunity against mental corruption.
It had come at just the right time, too, since he'd spotted a vulnerability in the power and needed countermeasures.
'Now, the remaining issue is how to clean up this mess...'
The thought soured his expression without him realizing it.
Everything else aside, the blunder Hans had committed had crossed a line they'd tenuously held for so long.
Countless lives had been snuffed out senselessly in the chaos, and even their ally Geos had been swept up in it.
Since Hans himself was him, who was there to blame...?
Was this how it felt to black out after heavy drinking, cause a huge scene, and wake up in a jail cell?
'Damn it, if that giant bastard hadn't pulled his dirty trick!'
...Yeah, when you got down to it, the real culprits were the ones who'd force-fed him the booze and triggered the disaster.
The giant perpetrator, the revolutionaries who'd summoned it, and whatever "master" lurked behind them.
Strictly speaking, wasn't he just another victim?
'Haa— damn it all.'
Of course, ignoring reality changed nothing.
Before blaming others, he needed to handle the aftermath first.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ [Kiyaaak—!]
Whoooosh—
The true dragon's shrill roar pierced the air as it sensed its master's peril, its massive body shifting to whip up a fierce gale.
Once the wind swept past the Immortal King and the Hero, the battlefield naturally settled into a lull.
The Immortal King Hans, who had swiftly intervened by grabbing Herathos's horn and climbing atop its head before retreating.
And Hero Heinrich, clutching his holy sword and standing firm before his exhausted comrades.
Amid the tension, as they stared each other down, it was the Immortal King who spoke first.
[Kuhuhut— Impressive, Hero Heinrich. To think you'd push me this far. I underestimated you all.]
He laughed in his usual arrogant tone, but Heinrich's final strike had dealt damage even he couldn't ignore.
The holy flames starting from his chest continued burning away his power, and a significant shock had rippled through to the 「Immortal Heart」 in the sub-space.
Of course, as the Immortal King, he wouldn't be neutralized by a single vital hit, but it was still an unforeseen critical blow.
All things considered, withdrawing here made for a graceful exit.
"This is just the beginning, Hannibal Strauss! Next time, I'll shatter that heart for good."
[Bluffing won't work, Hero. You and your comrades don't look so hot yourselves. If we keep going, who do you think will be left standing?]
"...Tch!"
He was right—the Hero's party was in worse shape.
Heinrich appeared relatively intact thanks to reaching transcendence, but his armor and body were equally tattered.
The saintess's barrier shielding the group from the surrounding Abyss energy was on the verge of breaking.
The others, having poured out everything, heaved ragged breaths and dripped cold sweat—clearly in no condition to fight on.
[I have no intention of ending this game here, Hero. Conquering the continent has grown dull, hasn't it?]
And above all... Geos's condition was dire.
To the point where he could breathe his last at any moment.
[But since even I had to step in and then withdraw, I'll call this invasion your victory. Rejoice.]
As a magnanimous concession, he promised the Immortal army wouldn't raid the southern region around Beorsen.
'Truth be told, the shamans make ghostly scouting tricky here, and worthwhile terror targets are scarce anyway.'
Besides, the few potentials like Balteon and his crew were currently getting pummeled by Harley.
"As long as the Main God is with us, we won't stop or fall. I'll hurl you to the Abyss's depths yet, Immortal King!"
[Heh— That sounds fun! I'll eagerly await the day.]
With those words, the darkness filling the space was sucked into Hans in an instant, and the vast battlefield reverted to the mansion's central hall in the blink of an eye.
Flutter—flutter—crash!
The true dragon hovering overhead then smashed through the cramped building's roof and soared into the sky.
[Next time, I'd love to see you in my stronghold, the Immortal Citadel. My one true rival, Heinrich Saint Landgard. Kuhahahat—!]
The Immortal King vanished into the night sky without so much as glancing at the remaining undead or mines.
As if their fate meant nothing to him.
'Good, that felt natural.'
By the time Hans was out of sight...
Heinrich, having flawlessly completed the first task—"Immortal King's withdrawal"—nodded heavily.
"Lord Geos! Pull yourself together!"
"Geos!"
"Saint, over here, quickly...!"
...The anticipated moment arrived.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Bam—!
The 4-meter musclebound giant slammed his fist down on someone even smaller than his chest.
"Guhk! You monster!"
"Kahahahat! Who's calling who a monster, you pint-sized freak?!"
"Tch, you worm—!"
Balteon's body was covered in garish black-and-purple corruption, his grotesquely swollen muscles bulging ferociously.
Anyone would call him a monster outright, but the magnificent warrior Harley (4 meters) just bellowed a laugh and swung again.
'This size is perfect! Any bigger, and I'd lose burst speed—turning me into a sandbag for quick ones like him.'
When the fight began, the mine Balteon had bulked up massively and charged, but against Harley—who could freely control his physique as an 「Ultimate Evolved Lifeform」—size meant nothing.
No, they were merely similar in scale.
Harley outclassed him in every way, compared to Balteon's imperfect transcendence.
Even the stamina issue that had always held him back was solved by converting "madness" into bioenergy via 「Tyrant's Madness」.
"Kahahahat! You're tough! Real tough! Let's see how long till you break!"
"Grrr! You beast!"
Amplified by 「Calcos Combat Engraving」, bolstered by overwhelming vitality, wielding 「Bio-Aura」, and even his irregular ability 「Gem Eye: Coercion」.
It wasn't coincidence that he'd crushed all the mines in a one-versus-many brawl.
In such a scenario, Balteon—the sole survivor—stood no chance against the Harley who'd beaten hordes.
Once the mansion's barrier fell and the Immortal King departed, his agitation grew...
"...Grrr, you were just rampaging like a beast moments ago...! Damn it! You sly bastard, was that a deliberate opening...?"
Soon after, he ended up subdued, neck gripped by Harley.
His crushed limbs twisted under constant pressure from 「Gem Eye: Coercion」, preventing regeneration.
"Uh, well..."
As the main body awoke and his reason returned enough for normal talk, Harley scratched his head at Balteon's aggrieved glare.
It had been mindless rampaging—no excuse there.
But with the fight over, the senses honed to detect every twitch of enemy muscle relaxed from their narrow focus.
The moment Harley's acute perception expanded to a wider range...
'Huh? More survivors than expected?'
He sensed not just the warriors he'd brought, but plenty of other survivors hiding throughout the city.
Most watching this spot with oddly excited vibes.
'Oh ho?'
His gaze, mid-scratch, shifted to the garish, monstrous figure with its collar gripped in his hand.
To Balteon, the southern uprising's mastermind, symbol of dictatorship and oppression, ringleader of evil.
"Hahahahat—!"
Grasping the situation instantly, Harley burst into satisfied laughter.
Ever since ancient times, as wild as he was showy and eccentric...
He answered Balteon's question loud and clear, as if for all onlookers.
"Of course! Balteon, you've been in the palm of this Harley-sama's hand from the start! Naturally—I'm the true warrior and hunter, after all! Kahahat!"
This moment would go down in southern history as monumental.
Harley pinned him one-handed, flexing subtly to flaunt his physique for the spectators.
'Hmm, speaking of.'
His eyes caught the engravings etched across his body, recalling his chat with Great Shamaness Morna.
The promise: solve the south's woes, get the 'Engraving of the Battle King'.
Honestly, post-transcendence, how useful could it be? But the rarity of an engraving none had received in centuries made enduring the hassle worthwhile.
'And handling Balteon wraps up the south's issues.'
Headless, mopping up remnants would be easy.
Morna's presence felt faintly in the city, so she'd hunkered down safely within the barrier amid the chaos.
Mission accomplished, anyway.
But first...
'Balteon, southern branch chief of Oath of Reverse Heaven and culprit behind the Abyss Gate opening. This guy's a fine gift.'
"Guhhh! What are you... grk!"
Crunch! Crack!
Harley methodically crushed more of him, eliminating risks thoroughly.
He needed to keep him alive a bit longer, so this was precise work to preempt any mishaps.
"Phew, good. Let's go!"
With that, he dragged Balteon's thoroughly bound body—secured by 「Gem Eye: Coercion」—across the ground.
Toward the central mansion, now falling eerily silent.