Chapter 208: The Land That Flows Like a River - Finale
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 208: The Land That Flows Like a River - Finale
The Mage Marshal’s request for surrender was polite, yet arrogant. Tyr, who was already displeased, became violently enraged at her words. Her faithful servant, the darkness, witnessed its master’s fury and trembled in fear.
“How absurd. Do you think you have the upper hand just because you float in the sky, looking down on me?”
The darkness that surged from the wide-open coffin grew even thicker. If it had been like a fog through which one could still discern what was ahead, it was now like being underwater, barely able to see an inch in front of your face.
Within the gradually darkening view, only Tyr’s eyes glowed crimson.
“Did you think magic was yours alone? Blood Magic is a tool of my Kindred, but for you, I shall make an exception and show you…”
Blood Magic—magic manifested using blood energy instead of mana.
As Tyr tried to draw a magic circle with her blood, she realized it refused to leave her body. She faltered for a moment, caught off guard by the unexpected situation.
Is she trying to use Blood Magic? It is an honor to be able to cross spells with the Progenitor in my lifetime.
“In that case, I shall prepare as well.”
Prelvior spread her cloak wider. Between the fluttering hems, red-hot steel spheres exhaled fierce breaths.
Her General's Combat Arm: Ugong-isan.
A piece of equipment for the Mage Marshal who calls herself foolish, capable of moving mountains.
Its abilities were to protect the wearer from the aftershocks of magic, accumulate mana, and recycle it.
Prelvior’s magic was immense in scale, but the spells themselves were rudimentary. The simpler a substance or a spell, the easier it is to convert. This equipment helped her recycle that mana to cast one strategy-level spell after another.
It was a piece of equipment made by Prelvior, for Prelvior.
“Preset. Re.”
Ugong-isan absorbed the remnants of the fire magic, converting them into light. A dazzling brilliance flashed from the metal spheres attached to the massive cloak.
In contrast, Tyr, unable to use Blood Magic, was forced to confront the power circulating within her own body. Instead of obeying her command, her blood energy was cheerfully coursing through her veins, breathing life into her.
Tyr muttered, dumbfounded.
“Hah. How crude. Is this truly the only way?”
Having made her decision, Tyr bent her knees instead of twisting the world with magic. At Tyrkanzyaka’s will, the pitch-black darkness supported her from below.
“To think I must throw my own body into the fray like some common soldier…”
The moment she straightened her bent legs, the earth shook. Tyr’s body shot toward the sky. The darkness cloaking her couldn't keep up and was left behind, but that was hardly an issue.
By kicking off her own darkness, Tyr had closed the distance to Prelvior.
The Mage Marshal’s spell wasn't ready yet. Prelvior’s eyes widened as she chanted.
What? This isn't the Progenitor's way…!
“This is no more pleasant for me than it is for you. I’ll end this quickly.”
Tyr’s pale white hand, having torn through the wind, was just about to snatch the cloak.
A spear flew from somewhere and struck Tyr’s body, knocking her away. At the last second, the distance between them widened. Tyr’s body slid back through the empty air.
Patraxion, who had intercepted the Progenitor with a throw meant not to pierce but to repel, grabbed another spear and shouted.
“We meet again on the battlefield, Progenitor! Last time I had no reason to fight, but this time is different!”
“A mere knight…!”
While Tyr’s expression twisted savagely, Prelvior’s spell was completed. A compressed beam of light rained down on Tyr, who was now without the protection of her darkness.
*
The Regressor had tried to slip away the moment the Mage Marshal appeared, but Historia, sensing her movement, stuck to her like a ghost.
“Where are you going?”
Historia smiled faintly as she watched the cornered Regressor.
“You have to play with me. Ah, is ‘older woman’ a bit too stimulating for you, cutie?”
Though she had mixed a bit of her true feelings into the words, the Regressor took it as a provocation and ground her teeth.
“‘Older woman,’ you say? Hmph. You don't know anything.”
“Such a foul mouth. Well, bad manners are a child's prerogative.”
“…Did you say manners? I should be the one saying that.”
The Regressor closed her eyes for a moment. Historia, who had been perfectly at ease, lowered her stance, tensing at the sudden shift in aura. When the Regressor lifted her head again, a rainbow-colored light glinted in her eyes.
Seven Colored Eyes, All Eyes Open. Revolving Wheel of Heavens.
It observes possibilities that exist in the future and simultaneously pulls them into this world.
Geon, Gon, Gam.
Though she hadn't reached the Axiom, the Qi Art she had once mastered now inhabited her body. Wielding the overflowing energy as if it were her own, she accelerated in an instant and raised both her swords.
“Don’t mess with me!”
Jizan, which had been slow and relegated to a defensive role, suddenly moved with the agility of a snake. Historia’s face hardened.
“Ugh?!”
The relic Jizan was as heavy as a mountain, yet felt light only to the Regressor. But that was because Jizan complied with her, not because she could swing it quickly.
Yet now, for some reason, she was wielding Jizan like a normal longsword, heavily infused with Qi.
“Are you on something? Your skills suddenly improved…!”
“Sorry, but this is my real skill!”
Unlike Heaven and Earth, which relied heavily on sense and skill, Gam was a Qi Art that strengthened the body itself.
Since it reset upon regression, she had to learn it anew in each timeline, and because of that, it was slightly different every time. The Regressor, growing with each cycle, would learn the Gam Qi Art anew, as if shedding her skin.
“Until now, it was too heavy to use with ease…!”
Even a battering ram will break if hung from a cornstalk. It needs something like a sturdy oak to withstand its power.
It was the same principle. Until now, no matter how the Regressor swung Jizan, her body couldn't handle it.
But now, overlaid with the power of the future through her Eyes of Fate, she could use 100% of Jizan’s original power.
“Even with good gear, you need the strength to back it up!”
Jizan, which had moved as if to accommodate her until now, was swung passively.
It was an irresistible blow. Naturally, Historia retreated just outside Jizan’s range, planting her back foot to prepare for a counter-lunge.
Just then, Jizan changed direction. Its target wasn't Historia, but the steel chain that followed half a beat behind her. The blunt end of the sword caught the tip of the chain.
It was just a slight touch. But as if Jizan had become a magnet, the steel chain stuck fast to it.
Terra Firma Arts, Magnet.
If Chun-aeng was repulsion, Jizan was attraction. It was the embrace of the earth, the mother of steel that held all things.
Of course, she could shake it off with her own Qi Deflection… but it’s hard to coat the entire chain in Qi!
“This time, you’re the one who’s caught!”
Jizan had no recoil. When she pulled with all her might, Historia’s entire body was dragged along. She hastily aimed her gun, but the Regressor, anticipating this, blocked the muzzle with Chun-aeng.
At the same time, wham—the Regressor's foot slammed into Historia's abdomen.
“Kuh…!”
Historia had also protected her body with Qi, but for a brief moment, the Regressor’s energy had far surpassed her expectations. Historia folded in half and went rolling across the ground. She gasped for air, a searing pain tearing through her stomach.
“Keuk! Cough, cough!”
“Too bad. If my legs were a little longer, you wouldn’t be getting up!”
Just as the Regressor was about to turn away, she felt a sharp sensation on her ankle. A steel chain was wrapped around it. At the last moment, Historia had forgone her defense to bind her leg with the chain.
Historia stood up again, a languid yet challenging smile on her face.
“So aggressive… But aren’t you overdoing it? Borrowed power won’t last long, will it?”
“You’re really… a pain in the ass!”
I don’t have time to be tied down here…!
*
There are two ways to fly on this Meta Conveyor Belt.
One is to fly at the exact same speed as the belt. This method requires considerable effort, as you constantly have to overcome the wind, keep your body afloat, and match the speed.
But Mage Marshal Prelvior, while possessing an enormous amount of mana, isn't particularly skilled. She can fly, yes, but her control is incredibly rough. She shouldn't be able to fly so smoothly.
“That leaves one other possibility. A simpler, easier trick.”
While a battle of the century raged above, I tiptoed under the Mage Marshal’s feet. The darkness below obscured my vision, and since the Marshal’s senses were on the dull side, she didn't notice my presence.
Once I was right underneath her, I found a thread of mana attached to the container’s coupling. A tautly pulled thread, holding onto something tightly.
Just as I thought.
“I've seen through your trick. You're using that wide cloak like a kite to stay afloat, aren't you?”
The mana thread was connected to her violently flapping cloak, holding her fast so she wouldn't fly away into the sky.
A childish mischievousness screamed at me to cut this taut thread immediately. Calming my excitement, I thought,
“Then my course of action is clear.”
5 of Diamonds. Scythe.
A tool with a curved blade on both the inside and outside, used as both a farming implement and a weapon, specialized for cutting.
It was the only weapon I had in decent condition, so I held the scythe in my right hand.
I took it out and hooked it onto the mana thread. With enough tension, cutting it would be easy. The important thing was timing. I had to aim for the moment of maximum effect.
Lifting my head to observe Prelvior, I saw Tyr just as she kicked off the ground and soared into the sky.
“Oh? Looks like our side is winning.”
Maybe I should watch a little longer. If I cut the thread carelessly, I might just give the Mage Marshal a chance to escape.
The airborne Tyr stepped on darkness in mid-air to move. The legendary Void Step was unfolding before my eyes. At this rate, the Mage Marshal would be caught in Tyr’s grasp.
“Did becoming a martial artist make her stronger against a Mage Marshal? A pleasant miscalculation.”
If anything, I should be worried about the Mage Marshal. It would be a problem if Tyr just killed her without a second thought… As I was watching, a spear flew from somewhere and hit Tyr in the back of the head. Intercepted in mid-air, Tyr spun around and around.
Wow. That must have hurt…
“Whoops! This is no time for that!”
The Mage Marshal’s cloak began to glow. Her spell was complete.
I hurriedly pulled the scythe. As expected of a mana thread created by a Mage Marshal, it didn't cut easily. I summoned every last bit of Qi I had, gritted my teeth, and hung from it.
Snap. A welcome sound. The severed thread fluttered away into the sky.
“Lux, Millionaire… Ugh!”
Because I cut it just in time, the Mage Marshal’s aim went wide. The beam of light that should have struck Tyr wavered erratically. With the thread holding her body severed, her aim was thrown off. Searching for the reason, the Mage Marshal’s gaze momentarily fell on me.
Since when was he there!
“Run!”
I immediately broke into a sprint. Two magic bullets fired hastily by the Mage Marshal shot toward me. It was a simple attack, just a blast of mana, but to me, there was nothing more terrifying.
My only chance was now, while the Mage Marshal’s body was unstable. With the box on my back, I ran for my life.
In the direction I was running, the Regressor and Historia were locked in a fierce battle. I had no idea how they’d fought, but a chain now bound them together.
The Regressor, who had been assessing the situation, was the first to notice my presence.
What’s with that ridiculous armor? An enemy? I have to cut him down before I’m surrounded…!
She tries to cut me down on sight!
Before the Regressor could act on her decision, I shouted desperately.
“Shei-ssi! Stop flirting with the older woman and go do something about the grandma Mage Marshal!”
Recognizing my voice, the Regressor paused and yelled back.
“Does this look like I’m playing around?! Look! I’m tied up!”
“Already tied down? Tsk, tsk. So young, too.”
“First my fellow trainee, now you’re both spouting nonsense! It was you, wasn't it?! You picked up the Gunmaster’s bad habits!”
How did she know? She has good instincts.
Anyway.
“Lift your foot!”
“Why?”
“Ah, just do it!”
The Regressor slightly lifted the foot bound by the chain. I slid under her feet, tapping the chain as I passed. It had only been wrapped around her ankle, not truly tied, so a simple touch was enough to release it.
“Escape! There, you’ve lost your chains and gained your freedom! Now that you’re liberated from the grave of life, hurry up and help Tyr!”
“What about the Gunmaster?”
“I’ll take care of her!”
“…Then I’m counting on you! Don’t let her get away!”
If he’s that confident, he probably won’t die…!
The Regressor immediately launched herself away. As she disappeared to face the Mage Marshal, I took a deep breath and looked at my fellow trainee, whom I hadn't seen in a long time.
She could have caught the Regressor if she wanted to. If she had clung on stubbornly, she could have stalled for a little more time.
But Historia let the Regressor go and faced me instead. She must have had business with me.
“…It’s been a while, Ria.”
“It has.”
Historia swept her forehead. Brushing away the hair stuck to her sweat-dampened skin from the intense battle, she gave me a twisted smile.
“A really, really. Fucking long time.”
Still, she seems happy to see me. I guess we’re still comrades. At this rate, I probably won’t die…
You did a good job hiding all this time, you damn bastard. I'll start by smashing that smug face of yours.
Oh. Maybe not?