Chapter 333: The Song of Wither And Fireblast - 1
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 333: The Song of Wither And Fireblast - 1
The Primarch of Heat and Explosions. The Fireblastarch. Just from the name, he sounded like a very hot-tempered person. Considering that one’s Unique Magic was often influenced by their personality, I figured he’d probably explode if someone so much as poked him.
His personality was one thing, but the fact that he carried bombs was another. What’s more dangerous than a hothead? A hothead who uses bombs as volatile as he is. The former only kills himself, but the latter kills others.
I couldn’t care less if he killed himself, but if he started killing others, it would become my business. Just as I, thoroughly terrified, was about to close the tent flap and hole up inside, the chief burst out of the tent.
“Don’t do anything rash! We’re up against the Fireblastarch!”
The chief stood tall in the middle of the path, trying to stop the fleeing people as he yelled at the top of his lungs.
“His direct subordinates are all equipped with the Fireblastarch’s propulsion units! You can’t outrun them anyway. Stand and fight here!”
His words might have been the most rational course of action. Explosions are intimidating and loud, but they aren’t as dangerous as one might think. An explosion radiates, its force spreading in all directions. Anyone with even a little Qi training could use the principles of Qi Deflection to offset some of the shrapnel and heat.
The real danger wasn’t the rockets… it was the madmen riding them. Against them, banding together to resist was several times more advantageous than getting picked off one by one while fleeing.
But humans are rational only to a fault.
“Don’t be ridiculous! You fight him yourself. I’m getting out of here!”
If everyone joined forces, they might have stood a chance even against the Fireblastarch. But if I ran while the others fought, my safety would be guaranteed.
Faced with that dilemma, the Dholes of the camp chose to flee en masse. And just like that, they were defeated before the fight even began.
With no one to fight for them, they couldn’t even ensure their own safety.
“Everyone, to the north gate!”
“Then why are you heading for the south gate! You’re trying to use us as bait!”
“Shut up! Just get out through the nearest gate!”
Their flashes of brilliance were used solely to deceive one another. Their cries turned into shouts directed at each other. Amidst the chaos, they were all remarkably consistent in trying to grab as many of their belongings as possible before running.
The alchemists who had set up stalls were slower to start. As they belatedly packed their things to flee, the chief shouted at them.
“You fools! Don’t go! This is the safest place! Here…!”
Here, we have the Witherarch! The natural enemy of alchemists!
Fweee—
Just then, a rocket tore through the tent and landed right in front of the chief’s nose. The alchemists scattered in a panic.
The chief could have dodged, but Peru was behind him. Planning to block it with his body, he infused the tent with Qi and stepped forward.
At that moment.
“…In my presence.”
The flame burning at the fuse died out.
That wasn’t all. The igniter that created the flame, the brass cylinder—they could no longer hold their shape and crumbled away. The fire turned to ash and smoke, and the steel rusted, corroded, and disintegrated.
As everyone stared, mouths agape, Peru pushed aside the tent flap and stepped out into the street. Treading on the crumbled steel, she murmured softly.
“…Nothing shines.”
A rocket, instantly rusted and destroyed. Seeing it, the alchemists let out involuntary groans.
“The Witherarch?”
With Peru’s appearance, conflicting emotions flickered across the faces of the alchemist merchants. One was relief at having survived, the other… was a fear of permanent loss.
It was a fear born not of instinct, but of understanding. The alchemists hesitated, clutching their possessions and backing away.
The reason was simple.
The power of the Witherarch, Peru, rendered the alchemists’ assets—their precious metals and goods—‘unusable.’
In the Fallen Dominion, ‘unusable’ had a slightly different meaning. As long as alchemy, which could freely transform materials, existed, metal always had value equivalent to its weight. If it was no longer needed, it could simply be re-alchemized for another purpose.
But Peru annihilated even the value inherent in that weight.
She left behind nothing but the withered debris of rust, useless for anything.
“We’re… we’re saved… but…”
“That… that power…”
Should they protect their lives, or their property, which was as good as their lives? Caught in this dilemma, the trading company’s alchemists agonized over their decision.
Unbelievable. The nerve of them. To actually weigh their lives against their money. I’ll give them the answer.
“Hey! You over there! You should be praising her for helping us, not…”
I’d scold them sternly and then push them forward to be my cannon fodder. I was just about to decide on my next words.
My sleeve tore, and black crumbs rained down. They were the charred remains of a square-shaped card.
That symbol… a diamond? Wait a minute.
“Aaaaaah! My diamond cards!”
Damn it. All diamond cards were made of alchemic steel with transformative properties, making them extremely vulnerable to Peru’s power. They had crumbled just from being in her sphere of influence! It was even eating away at my clothes!
The Clover cards containing mana and the Heart cards for storing potions had more stable properties and were still intact, but it looked like they wouldn’t last much longer either. I shoved the cards hidden in my sleeve deeper inside and yelled.
“Stop your power! My cards are going to disappear!”
“…Ah.”
‘…I broke something again. All that work for nothing.’
Peru looked at the debris with a bitter expression and retracted her power. But the power of corrosion doesn’t just end when it’s withdrawn. Once metal starts to rust, the process accelerates, quickly rendering it useless. With a heart that felt like it was bleeding, I sifted through the remains of my diamond cards. I felt like I was crumbling inside, too.
Seeing my tragically disintegrated cards as an example, the alchemists made their decision. One of them stepped forward as a representative.
“Lady Witherarch. With all due respect, if you remain here, we will have no choice but to leave as well.”
It was a statement that defied common sense, but this Fallen Dominion was governed by a different kind of logic. Peru, who understood the logic of this land, understood them.
“…I know.”
“However,” the alchemist continued.
“The Witherarch’s power should be effective against the Juggernaut. If you can make the Fireblastarch retreat, we will reward you handsomely.”
In short, an ordinary alchemist was ordering a Primarch of the Fallen Dominion to go out and fight because he valued both his life and his money. I wondered what made him so confident in front of an alchemist acknowledged by the Golden Lord.
But… surprisingly, in the Fallen Dominion, that was how it worked.
‘The Witherarch Peru has no money and no faction. Her ability to break and destroy everything has prevented her from accumulating wealth or building a power base. We can just give her a pittance, and if things go south, we can run. She has no way of catching us anyway.’
This land was a nation ruled by a bizarre economic system. Peru, with no money, no faction, and no ability to create either, was not welcome here. Her power was feared, and everyone acknowledged its strength, but that alone was not enough to survive in the Fallen Dominion.
Despite the alchemists’ transparent request, Peru did have the will to stop the Fireblastarch. However.
“…I can’t fight.”
‘…What the other Primarchs create are valuable assets… but if I fight, whether I win or lose…’
Value is annihilated.
No matter who fought whom in the Fallen Dominion, no matter who plundered what, as long as it remained within the land, it would eventually be transformed into something else.
But Peru, simply by using her power, eroded the assets of the Fallen Dominion. She was truly the natural enemy of alchemy, of the Fallen Dominion itself.
That was why Peru couldn't fight. Instead.
“…If you can make him retreat.”
Here, Peru turned to me.
“…I will cooperate. With anything.”
Well, now. The subcontracting has been subcontracted all the way down to me. How about that? I don’t like being used.
But whatever. Let’s just think of it as a small investment. After all… it seemed like my party was going to deal with the Fireblastarch whether anyone asked us to or not.
I took out the few diamond cards I had left. The Ace of Diamonds I had made in the Abyss, the skewer containing Tyr’s blood, was unharmed by Peru’s power. I used alchemical transformation to turn the card into a skewer and spun it in one hand.
“Loud and clear. Hey, you alchemists over there. Prepare my payment. Oh, and I’m not a pushover, so don’t even think about hiding your goods beforehand.”
An alchemist who had been planning to do just that flinched and shouted at my words.
“Who… who the hell are you?”
“Me?”
If you’re asking who I am, it’s only right that I answer. I snapped the skewer to a halt, struck a pose, and declared.
“I am an apostle of peace, here to protect the peace of this world.”
“Woof! Woof woof! Fire! Fire! Woof woof woof! Woof!”
Just then, Azzy came tearing over from the distance. Covered in soot, she must have been caught in an explosion. She barked loudly, running in a straight line toward me.
Perfect timing. My own feet are a bit slow, so I might as well get a ride.
“I’ll borrow you for a moment, for the sake of peace.”
With those words, I headed for an abandoned cart. Someone fleeing must have left the cart and taken only the horse. I hopped onto the cart, tapped my foot, and shouted.
“Azzy! Dogsled time. Let’s go!”
“Woof! Just this once!”
Azzy, who had run like the wind, landed with a thud in front of the cart and grabbed the shaft with her mouth. A heavy cart pulled by two horses seemed light to the Dog King, as the front wheels lifted easily.
“Go!”
“Mmph!”
At my signal, Azzy kicked off the ground.
Who decided that only animals with hooves could pull carts? An animal that can pull a cart is an animal that can pull a cart, and a dog is no exception. Humans pull carts sometimes, too.
In that case, the Dog King in human form would be more than perfect.
Thump. As I felt my body lurch backward, the Dog Kingleds tore through the streets of the Fallen Dominion.
As I sped away at full tilt, I heard a shocked voice from behind me.
“Is he insane? He’s making a dog beastkin pull a sled!”
Everyone’s talking like the Regressor. Is that really your only takeaway? You’re making the Regressor sound like the normal one here.
Tch. I’ll deal with you when I get back.
Outside, the great escape was in full swing.
Hundreds of Dholes were scattering like rats. True to their name, they were all quite fast; it seemed impossible for a single person to catch even one of them.
“Wheee! You think you pathetic worms can escape? First wing, you take the left! Second wing, you take the right! The rest of you, spread out between them!”
But first, their opponent was not alone.
“Khahaha! You think you things that crawl on the ground can escape Lord Rocket’s Winged Assault Squad? Everyone, ignite!”
And second, they all had strange propulsion devices strapped to their backs.
As they ignited, shadows hidden in the night sky revealed themselves. Figures with large wings, laden with rockets, glided through the night as if they owned it. They didn’t flap their wings like birds, but by tilting them, the Winged Assault Squad ascended. Upon reaching their peak altitude, they righted themselves and shouted.
“Now! It’s time to hunt! Tear, slash, and plunder!”
“Hweeeeyoooo!”
Dozens of flames blossomed in the sky. The members of the Winged Assault Squad, wearing their propulsion units, left long trails of fire behind them as they descended upon the ground in unison.
Faced with an organized hunt, the Dholes were slaughtered indiscriminately.
A hunter would spread its wings wide and swing a leg, the blade on its foot tearing through a Dhole’s body. The Dhole would let out a single scream and tumble across the ground. There was no need to confirm the kill. The Dholes, running at high speeds, would suffer a massive impact from the fall.
Even if one managed to regain consciousness, a Dhole without a mount had no choice but to surrender. Without a ride in this wasteland, they would only be plundered.
One Dhole managed to evade an attack with some brilliant driving, but the evasive maneuver that would become the story of his life was just a single attempt for the Winged Assault Squad. If a member missed, they simply left it to their comrades following behind and sought their next prey.
Ascend, then descend again. With every wave of wings that swept by, bubbles of blood frothed up. The Winged Assault Squad was living up to its name and then some, committing a massacre.
“R-run!”
“Help me!”
The Dholes were too much of a disorganized mob to face the Winged Assault Squad attacking from the sky with a deafening roar. They fled individually, only to be cut down in vain. The Dholes, running with their heads in their hands, spotted a gap in the encirclement and shouted.
“Look! There’s no one over there!”
The direction was south. Toward the Military State, there was no sign of the Winged Assault Squad. It was a blatant trap that even a fool could see.
But they had no choice. The Dholes desperately headed that way.
Rodry, the ‘Wing’ leading the Third Wing, watched them flee and let out a manic laugh.
“Keeheehee! That’s right! Run! Run toward the Military State! That’s the only place you can live! Hahahahahaha!”
As he reveled in the first hunt in a long time, a ‘Feather’ flew to his side. Rodry noticed his approach and slowed down. The ‘Feather,’ barely matching Rodry’s speed, asked him.
“Captain. They’re pretending to go to the Military State now, but won’t they make a wide turn and escape once they’re out of range?”
“Keheet! Of course, they might! But they’re short on money and food from fleeing in such a hurry. You think they can get far while avoiding us? It’d be faster to cross the border and come back!”
From the moment the Fireblastarch had taken such a hard-line stance, there was only one path for the Dholes to take.
Plunder the Military State and sell the iron they received from the plunder guarantee.
There was no 100% guarantee that the plunder guarantee would be honored, but it was different for Primarchs who possessed a Juggernaut. If they didn’t want to lose the Golden Lord’s masterpiece, the Juggernaut, they had to honor it and do their utmost to ensure the guarantee was fulfilled.
This was a fact well-known to the Dholes. That was why they had no choice but to head for the Military State.
Not to plunder it, but to at least preserve their own assets.
And Rodry had pointed that out.
“Our duty is just to whip these pigs! Let’s go, boys! Time to give them a motive to plunder!”
With that shout, the captain of the Third Wing flew ahead. The other members, belatedly understanding his meaning, cackled and followed him.
Those with full bellies are passive hunters.
To ensure they plundered with more sincerity, he would gut them and shake out every last coin.
But they didn’t know.
They had no idea what was mixed in with that pack of Dholes.