Chapter 207: The Land That Flows Like A River - 9
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 207: The Land That Flows Like A River - 9
The sun descended. There was no other way to describe it.
A colossal fire covered the sky above the Meta Conveyor Belt like a curtain, gradually expanding. A storm of flames raged as if to scorch the very earth.
“This is…!”
Tyr glanced at the container behind her and quickly spread her hands. The lid of her coffin flew open, and a sinister, swirling darkness poured out.
The darkness instinctively recognized its enemy, rising up to push back the flames.
The battle between light and dark, which had ended at the dawn of time, resumed. The flames lost their brilliance against the surging darkness, and the darkness was devoured by the searing fire as they clashed and entangled.
In the end, only ashes remained. Ash-gray smoke, like a cloud brought down to earth, drifted away, revealing a figure hidden behind it.
It was an old woman with deep-set wrinkles around her eyes. Her stubborn expression and firm-set mouth hinted at her personality from a single glance.
The Military State’s strongest mage flew through the sky, a cloak that seemed three times her size billowing behind her.
“It has been a long time, Progenitor Tyrkanzyaka. You have never seen me, but I have seen you from afar, sleeping in your coffin.”
The most foolish and the wisest of mages. The creator of Standard Magic.
Like the Milky Way, a collection of small but countless lights faintly illuminating the night sky, Mage Marshal Prelvior looked down at Tyr.
“Surrender. The main force is on its way.”
Though the flames had scattered in the raging wind after their clash, the darkness still held its ground. Still, showing her displeasure, Tyr narrowed her eyes and replied.
“Hmph. How arrogant, with just one pathetic spell. Do you think you're the only one who can use magic of that caliber?”
“Of course not. But you are a lord of vampires, are you not? You, more than anyone, should know how futile it is to face an army alone.”
She wasn't standing on the flowing land but floating above it. This meant she was flying at the same speed as the Meta Conveyor Belt.
At night, it might be different, but vampires shun the open sky as much as they do the sun. There is no shade in the air.
Standing aloof at a distance neither human nor vampire could easily reach, Prelvior spoke stiffly.
“Your safety will be guaranteed if you surrender. It would be in your best interest to decide quickly. Once your advantage is gone…”
Prelvior lifted her head and looked far down the belt. Following the deliberate gesture, Tyr also turned her gaze in that direction.
In the distance, a small group of people was leaping over containers, running toward them at a frantic pace. The man at the very front, carrying a massive spear, shouted in a booming voice.
“Daughter of the Military State! Just you wait! Your dads are coming—!”
Sunderspear and ten other general officers had left the main force and were rushing to rescue the Gunner Corps.
Time was now on the Military State's side. Prelvior, who had used wind magic to bring them part of the way, looked down at Tyr and said.
“…The more desperate your situation becomes, the less your surrender is worth.”
Shffflk.
Hiding in the dim container, shuffling my cards, I sighed and flipped over a card I had set aside.
“Just as I expected, it was the Mage Marshal. It would be meaningless if it wasn't someone of her caliber.”
The card I flipped was the Queen of Clubs, the heroine of the Military State who symbolizes magic itself. A hero who, along with the Earth Sage, built this nation from its very foundations.
The Queen of Clubs and the Queen of Hearts have met. The Jack and Queen of Spades are also fighting each other. And now, their King is charging in.
Three against two. In terms of simple numbers, they have the advantage.
“I pretty much expected this… but are they really planning to start a war? What kind of gamble is this? They have a comparative advantage, sure, but it's not like they have such overwhelming military superiority that they'd willingly start a fight on their own soil…”
Mage Marshal Prelvior is a national asset. No matter how powerful Sunderspear or the Gunmaster are, they're still just individuals. But the Mage Marshal's power can easily demolish mountains, divert rivers, and sometimes, make cement flow like a river.
It was a feat that not even the Earth Sage, who commands the land, could accomplish alone. The one who did it with her was the mage of scale, Mage Marshal Prelvior.
“What is it? I really don't get it. It's not rational… Are there circumstances I'm not aware of?”
They didn't really come all this way just to catch me, did they? It feels like something unknown is happening on the Military State's side.
Ah, what am I doing? It's not like I can read the Military State's mind. What I need to do now is come up with a plan.
“Matchup-wise, it's best for Tyr to face Sunderspear, and for Shei-ssi to take on the Mage Marshal.”
Tyr is a renowned Knightbane. The Regressor is a glutton who has killed Arcane beings across her regressions.
I pushed the Queen of Hearts to block their main force, the King. At the same time, I flipped the Jack of Spades, turning it into the Ace of Spades, and pushed it toward the Queen of Clubs.
Which leaves the Queen of Spades. The Daughter of the Military State, Historia.
“Hmm. So who takes Ria? Me? Surely not me?”
That's absurd. I never beat her in a practical exam even once back in Hamelin. How could I possibly take her on? In the first place, I'm just a cheat who got first place in the entire school by copying from every student's mind. Compared to those two who scored 'immeasurable' and jacked up the damn average, I was a much more humane number one, yes indeed.
“It's impossible. I'll have to use myself as bait and play another card…”
I placed my hand on the floor and swept it wide. The scattered cards vanished in an instant and flew into my hand.
Thwip. As I gathered all the cards back into a single deck, I let out a heavy sigh.
“I have no choice but to buy time… We have some history, so she won't kill me, right…? Right, Ria?”
How nice it would be if the world were a card table. I'd always win and rake in the pot.
But even if the world is a card table, I'm not a player. Even I, the master of these cards, am nothing more than a single, lonely card on the board of the world.
After shuffling, I drew nine cards from the top.
The Ace, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10 of Diamonds. And finally, the Jack.
With a few exceptions, they were all damaged Diamond cards—cracked, or missing their mana or bullets.
The cards I lost fighting Wolfen never came back. Even though it costs nearly one Alchemic Gold to make a single card, once it's damaged or lost, it's gone for good.
“The cost-performance is terrible. It makes me want to cry. My money…”
Tap, tap. Holding back tears, I neatly arranged the cards. Then I flipped the top one.
The Jack of Diamonds. A diamond card depicting a knight clad in metal.
“I've used up all my weapons, so my armament is lacking… But hey, when have I ever fought with weapons? Let's just prevent sudden death.”
The moment I jump in there, my life will be hanging by a thread. But what can I do? If I don't, I might get caught.
I just have to hope I don't get swept up and killed.
The Jack of Diamonds, Full Plate.
In other words, the Military State's combat arm.
I plugged the entire stack of Diamond cards into my bio-receptor. I felt a constricting sensation as mana flowed through the cards and enveloped my Arch-Avatar. In an instant, my mana was sucked into a single point.
A sense of emptiness washed over my entire body, as if all the moisture had been drained from it.
Wow. Just for this, my mana is cut in half? And that's with the cards themselves holding most of the mana?
Give me a mana pool as big as the Mage Marshal's… then again, the path she walked was a thorny one. I'd rather just enjoy life with my mind-reading than live through that much blood and sweat.
As I finished my resolve and stood up, Azzy's ears perked up and she trotted over to me.
“Woof? Going?”
“Yeah.”
“No way! You, flimsy!”
“I know, you little rascal. But what can I do? There are times you have to go, even when you know the danger. That's human dignity. And.”
As I shrugged, shoulder guards materialized over my shoulders.
It was a thin, slender suit of armor. A buckler clung to my left hand as if it were part of my body, and wires and chains tightened the metal plates that formed along my frame.
The Diamond cards represent armament. Among them, the Full Plate Armor, represented by the Jack, wasn't anything spectacular, but it would probably save my life at least once.
Humans find courage by wearing armor. My own courage swelled with the heavy weight. The clanking sound with every movement seemed to empower me.
“I'm a gambler by nature. The more cornered I am, the bolder my bets.”
I said it to steel my own resolve, but for some reason, Azzy shrugged.
“Woof, understand! Me, bold!”
“I'm talking about me, why are you shrugging?”
“But, me! Woof! Got bit!”
“You're the one who does the biting, who would bite you?”
“Woof woof!”
“Why are you barking at me? I may be shameless, but I don't bite dogs.”
While we had our casual chat, the armor began to cover my face. A steel mask enveloped it, completing the transformation.
The armor pressing down on my shoulders is heavy. I feel empty with half my mana gone.
But what can I do? If I want to live, I have to wear it.
Just then, Azzy got up to follow me.
“Scrap paper, no! Me, go! Follow you!”
“…You will?”
Azzy is offering to help me on her own? I thought she tried to stay out of human fights as much as possible.
Is this her way of repaying me for treating her well? I guess it's true that animals know gratitude. There are plenty of old tales about animals repaying humans for their kindness.
“Thanks. I guess I can avoid sudden dea—whoa!”
As it turned out, I nearly tripped while walking. If Azzy hadn't caught my chin with her front paw, I might have fallen flat on my face.
Azzy looked at me with pity and affection in her eyes.
“Woof. Maybe, just hide?”
“Sorry, sorry. My bad. I just need to overcome this and move forward.”
Being pitied by a dog. The shame of a lifetime.
It's just because I haven't worn armor in a while. I'm not used to it. I just need to adapt!
“Just don't die, just don't die.”
With that vow, I stepped out of the container, holding a surprise gift for Ria.
Out onto the Land That Flows Like A River, onto a battlefield where a battle worthy of legend was unfolding.