Chapter 212: The Prisoner on the Precipice
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 212: The Prisoner on the Precipice
Having burned away the afternoon, the sun, as if running low on fuel, began to smolder.
Perhaps because the Meta Conveyor Belt moves from west to east, it felt like evening had arrived earlier than usual today. Or maybe the long chase that had started in the morning had chased away any sense of leisure.
With my composure regained, I watched the leisurely setting sun and muttered.
“Phew. We barely got away.”
Looking at the results alone, it was a resounding success. We had shaken off the Military State’s pursuit before the sun had even set.
The process, however, wasn’t as smooth as I’d hoped. It was the result of various incidents and unforeseen variables.
In any case, I praised the Regressor, the one most responsible for our escape.
“Shei! That was incredible! Truly, it was powerful enough to make the heavens tremble and the earth split! How did you manage that much power?”
“Ah, that? It was nothing.”
The Regressor waved her hand dismissively, scratching her chin as she glanced at Jizan hanging from her waist.
‘I saw the Mage Marshal grab and shake a strip of land and wondered if I could do the same with Jizan… and it worked?’
The generals, having lost the Daughter of the Military State, reacted more fiercely than expected, like a bunch of overprotective fathers. The enraged Mage Marshal, in particular, ignored the other generals' warnings, descended, and seized the Meta Conveyor Belt, shaking it.
The Meta Conveyor Belt is flowing land. While one can stand on it, its flow is ultimately a combination of magic and Earth Art.
The Mage Marshal couldn't affect the land itself, but by interfering with a part of the flow, he lifted it and brandished it like a whip.
Even I was taken aback by the sight, which looked as if a monster was erupting from the ground.
But one of the Regressor's swords, Jizan, was the very essence of Earth Art. Facing the Mage Marshal, the Regressor used Jizan's Earth Art to calm the land.
‘The power of the Earth Sage?! No way!’
While the Mage Marshal was stunned by the sight of his old friend's power, the Regressor, sensing Jizan resonating with the Earth Art, tilted her head and casually slashed at the ground.
And the Meta Conveyor Belt was severed.
With Jizan's sword mark as a boundary, the land following behind came to a halt as if blocked by a dam.
With the Military State's main artery blocked, the Mage Marshal, Sunderspear, and even the main force of the Military State that had just drawn near were literally stopped in their tracks. The soldiers, while horrified at the terrible deed the Regressor had committed, could only watch as we pulled away.
The phenomenon didn't last long. A dam built to block a flowing river would be makeshift at best. The pressure of the land far exceeded that of water, and the dam soon crumbled.
Still, their advance was halted all the same, and now that they knew we could sever the flow, they wouldn't dare approach recklessly…
You did well, Regressor. With enough Qi and Earth Art, you can even sever the flowing land.
But still.
“Nothing? If you had such an amazing ability, you should have told me sooner!”
“It's Jizan's power, so whatever.”
While waving it off as nothing, the Regressor was inwardly overjoyed, so much so that her shoulders squared with pride.
‘What an incredible power! Jizan’s power can control things influenced by Earth Art. And most importantly, I used Earth Art freely, something that should only be possible by believing in and receiving the teachings of Mother Earth! This is a huge achievement!’
Right. How happy she must be, having unlocked such an amazing new power. Especially since Earth Art is so useful and can be applied in all sorts of ways.
But, Regressor.
Does it sound like I'm praising you?
“Even if it's Jizan's power, you're the one who swung it! The master is the one who draws out the weapon's power. You're the one who wields that power!”
“Is that so? Hmph, well. I've used Chun-aeng's power before. I guess it's not that surprising that Jizan has a similar ability.”
‘Right. Using Jizan as just a heavy club is a waste. It’s just that only an Earth Sage-level master of Earth Art can properly wield Jizan’s power, and they were impossible to find. That's why the Sanctum entrusted the recovered Jizan to me…’
“If you had that kind of power, why didn't you use it sooner!”
“I only realized it during the fight. The Mage Marshal was raising the ground to attack, so I just copied him.”
‘Even if it's dangerous, real combat is the best teacher. There are many times I get inspiration from the sparks that fly from clashes in battle. Hehe. I'm still not very confident in Earth Art, but if I can use the powers of both Chun-aeng and Jizan…!’
The Regressor was as excited as if she had discovered a new toy. As she was painting a hopeful picture of the future for a moment…
“Wow. So you just slashed the ground without knowing what would happen? Without a single thought?”
“Yeah! …Huh?”
‘Without a single thought? Something feels off about that.’
You're only just getting it now, Regressor!
“Someone who doesn't even know their own power just swings it around wildly? What if something happened to someone else?”
“Huh?”
Wow. We went back and forth about ten times before she finally got my real meaning. The moment the Regressor sensed something was off, I pressed my advantage.
“Are you kidding me? It's a good thing I was in front of you, otherwise I would've been swept away by that wave of earth! That's not water, it's land! If my foot had gotten stuck, I would've been buried alive, crushed between rocks. And you did that on a whim?”
“It-it wasn't on a whim! The Mage Marshal did something similar. I was trying to block him, and then I had a good idea!”
“A good idea? Are you serious? If you have a power like that, you need to think about how to use it strategically! If you can use Earth Art, you should have thought it over and practiced beforehand!”
Regressor. I don't know why her personality, her ideas, and even her awakenings are all so impulsive.
Can't you let me read your thoughts a little? The time between you getting an idea and acting on it is so short that even a mind reader can't react! I was almost swept away by that wave of dirt!
“Th-the situation was urgent!”
“That's my point! If we'd known beforehand, it wouldn't have become urgent! Seriously, Shei! Is your power some scrap of paper stuffed in the corner of a room? If you have the power to sever the land, figure it out in advance! If it were me, I would've scraped together every ounce of that power and figured out how to use it properly!”
“What?! You're all talk, especially for someone who didn't even show their face during the fight!”
“Excuse me? Are you denying my contribution? Can't you see this result right here?”
I lifted the steel chain in my hand, making it jangle. The chain, tied to something, shook briefly.
At its end, tightly bound, was the Military State's youngest of the Six Generals, the Daughter of the Military State, Gunmaster Historia. She had weary, languid eyes and a single cigarette dangling from her lips.
“Right here, who is this? Gunmaster Historia. Who captured her? Me. Who tied her up so tightly and took her prisoner? Also me. Who used Historia to threaten the Military State's generals and keep them from chasing us? That was me, too!”
Fact, after fact, after fact. I was just stating the facts. Even with the clear evidence right in front of her, the Regressor stubbornly insisted she was being wronged.
“I'm the one who half-defeated her and drained all her strength!”
“Oh, yes, of course. Half-defeated her~, fought the Mage Marshal to a half-draw~, severed the land on a half-whim~. Are you going to live your whole life so half-assed, without a single thing being certain? What, do you get to live dozens of lives or something?”
‘Ah, how did he know…?’
He must have just said it, I should just let it go! What does he mean, 'how did he know'?! I can't even make a joke!
‘No, he must have just said it. Anyway, why do I have to listen to this? I worked so hard!’
“Besides, Nabi was the last one to fight her! You just dealt with the exhausted Gunmaster and tied her up!”
“Talk is cheap. If it was so easy, why didn't you do it all yourself, Shei? If you'd subdued and tied up Historia in one second, you wouldn't be hearing any of this.”
‘If I could have, I would have…!’
Her trembling, unable to retort, was amusing. I chuckled mockingly and rattled the chain.
“Just as a dried bean is still a bean and a soaked bean is still a bean, an exhausted general is still a general! Even if she was a general on the verge of death from exhaustion and injury, I didn't let my guard down! I prepared perfectly and attacked with all my might! I defeated a general and even captured her!”
I tugged on the chain again. Historia complied with my gesture, her expression similar to one she might make after realizing the 'cigarette' she was chewing was actually a bitter herb.
“Look at her. For all her strutting around as one of the Six Generals, look at this pathetic sight! Tightly bound in sturdy chains, completely helpless!”
As I kept tugging and shaking the chain, Historia, growing annoyed, glared at me with cold, sunken eyes.
“Stop pulling.”
“Hah?”
She has a lot to say for a captive. I sauntered over to Historia, whose arms were tied behind her back, and tapped her on the cheek.
“Hey. Don't you realize your own situation? You're a prisoner. A prisoner. Got it?”
Tap, tap. I slapped her cheek just enough to be annoying.
No matter your intentions, it's hard to expect them to be conveyed directly. Misunderstanding and misinterpretation don't exist for nothing. The exception, however, is bullying meant to annoy someone. In a way, it's the most honest form of communication in the world.
As I continued to tap her, Historia’s mood soured even further.
“I told you to stop.”
“And if I don't? What are you gonna do? Huh? You may be one of the Six Generals by rank, but here, you're nothing but a prisoner, right? A prisoner, holding her head up so high? Huh?”
Kekeke. This feeling of superiority, wielding power over the weak from a position of absolute advantage. It feels good.
Right in the middle of my taunting, Historia, who had been counting the rhythm, fiercely turned her head to meet my next tap. Her cheek struck my hand with force.
With a loud smack, my hand flew back as if it had been struck by a whip.
…Ouch.
My hand hurts from hitting her cheek!
“…Shei! Look at this prisoner! She's a prisoner, and she hit my hand with her face! Hurry up and punish her!”
Historia, the one who had actually struck my hand, was back to looking languid, her gaze wandering.
The Regressor muttered in disbelief.
“If you're going to do something, you do it. She's your prisoner.”
“Are you going to be so cold? Even if I caught her, we're comrades! We have to share the responsibility! A bound general is still a general. What are you going to do if she recovers her strength, breaks free, and attacks us!”
“…Hngh.”
‘He has a point. As long as we're not going to kill her outright, we do need to keep an eye on her. Hmm. For now, keeping her as a prisoner isn't a bad choice.’
The moment we took Historia prisoner, the Military State's movements became noticeably sluggish. Besides being one of the Six Generals and being familiar enough to be called the Daughter of the Military State, she was also one of their greatest military assets. Her incapacitation was a huge loss of combat power for them.
The Regressor who wields the swords of earth and sky, and the Progenitor of vampires, Tyrkanzyaka. Even with three of them, it had been a tough fight, so it would be difficult for just the Mage Marshal and Sunderspear to stand against us.
‘Since I can sever the land, they can't send their army after us. And if they try to attack with a small elite force, they don't have enough generals. We might even be able to use the prisoner to negotiate with the Military State… Huh. But this is all going suspiciously well.’
Lost in thought, the Regressor suddenly looked at Historia with suspicion.
‘But why did the Gunmaster let herself be captured so easily? She must know what it means to be subdued…?’