Chapter 130
Chapter 130
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: Whose Hand Do the Gods of War Raise?
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“There! I see it! That’s Mount Valdes!”
Exhausted as we were, we somehow made it to the heretics’ mountain stronghold before the day was out—hell, even before sunset.
I’d imagined a sprawling ridgeline of peaks for a place called a mountain stronghold.
But the Valdes stronghold was just a single mound rising alone from a vast plain.
It didn’t look natural, more like a rounded hill deliberately piled up for war.
Doom doom.
Wooden barricades dotted the place here and there, torches blazing to give it a proper ominous vibe.
“Fuck, those half-dead bastards are swarming. Look at that section—it’s black as night.”
Who said that?
Sure enough, skeletons and undead shuffled and groaned all around the mountain and its perimeter.
Clack clack.
Rattle rattle.
Looks like those bones are what we’ve gotta deal with. Not as many as I’d feared, though. A few hundred at most.
Feels like we could each grab a club, charge in, and bash one skull per person.
Of course, bloodless, tearless monsters always come with variables.
But despite running our asses off until just now, when we should’ve been wiped out, some weird vitality buzzed through my body.
Is this the grace or whatever from the count’s daughter, Enya?
Or did that gale-force tactic actually work?—crazy thought.
War has this way of driving people insane.
Rustle.
Then a wind blew across the plain, brushing the grass and our hair. Cool enough to chill the sweat on our skin.
Flutter, flutter.
A bronze rider hoisted a flag high against the breeze.
“Hold—!”
At Enya’s booming shout, we lined up in a straight row before the undead. Facing down those horrors just a few hundred meters away.
“Dorgo. Death. It looms near. Sands of the desert. Good fortune…”
“…Fuck, scarier than I thought. Gotta fight those bastards, huh? Wonder if arrows even work on skulls.”
Our ranks buzzed with excitement, fear, tension.
But the distant undead lines showed not a ripple of emotion.
Rattle, clack.
Groooowl…
If there was one feeling cutting through the standoff, it was pure killing intent.
Killing intent—back home, I’d have called it cheesy. But feeling it prick my skin like needles, nothing else fits.
The undead, minds full of slaying the living, clustered and twitched, ready to swarm us any second.
Anyone with a heart would feel chills and dread crawling up their spine at the sight.
Our near-thousand soldiers trembled, lost in tangled emotions.
My head swam with stray thoughts, my heart going cold as icy fingers stroked it, draining blood from my body.
A twinge in my gut—probably my over-sensitive organs reacting to the extreme tension.
But no way I’m saying I need the bathroom now. So I pressed hard on the meridian point in my palm to steady my insides.
Placebo or not, the pain sharpened my focus, easing the queasy ache a bit.
Clack, pop. Gulp gulp gulp.
Into my calmed stomach, I chugged the potion Luna gave me. Ding-ding—the effect sound rang out, HP up by 3.
Whether from the stat boost or the gritty swallow—like licking beach sand—my mind snapped alert.
Fuck, here we go for real.
“Archers—! Mages—! All hold—!”
As the sun dipped and dusk crept in, a single beam pierced the clouds, oddly illuminating the ground.
“Hyah.”
Enya, spear and flag in hand, advanced slowly toward the undead along the beam’s path.
“Pluto’s heretic—no, Archmage Tower professor Anxius! Accept this duel from Enya Sardici!”
Her thunderous challenge sent ripples through the battlefield in an instant.
“A duel? Looks like Lady Enya’s taking them on solo.”
“Fits the lady, but doesn’t that make our march here pointless?”
“Think she’ll wrap it up quick so we can head home?”
A duel.
I’d heard of them.
Warriors and knights who prized honor settling wars with one-on-one combat, sparing their armies.
First war for me, so first time seeing commanders duel for real.
Heart pounding, I watched to see how it’d play out.
There, before the horde of undead, the bronze-armored knight with her flag looked damn reliable.
As the soldiers’ mood built to a strange pitch—
“Hey, what’s that? Look at the sky!”
“Shit, what the hell…?”
Someone shouted, and we all looked up. Dark clouds over the stronghold twisted and merged in an eerie way.
Too creepy for mere weather.
Soon, they formed a massive black skull blotting out the heavens.
"Enya von Sardici. Brave great warrior of Minerva—"
A thunderous boom echoed from the skull’s mouth, shaking the sky.
Horses under the knights reared back hard. My legs buckled, along with every soldier’s.
Someone yelled.
“…M-magic! There’s a mage at the heretic stronghold…!”
“Didn’t hear shit about a mage… Thought we’d just stomp a few skeletons!”
“Fuck, there’s a mage! A mage! Eek!!”
I’d gotten the heads-up from Hippolyte early, so I knew Archmage Anxius was holed up in that heretic stronghold.
But the clueless troops panicked at the mage lurking among the enemy.
In this world, powerhouse mages were treated like tactical nukes. Makes sense.
Imagine dying to ice or fireballs from beyond sight—like missiles. Yeah, terrifying.
"Ah, terror spreading through the field. We scraped together greenhorns with no real training. Lady Enya, that duel challenge must be to steady them."
“Anxius! Surrender or accept the duel! Those are your only choices!”
"Duels in this cold age? Our lady’s so innocent. Must’ve been like this in the heroic, romantic era. Fine, I’ll accept."
Boom boom, boom. Boom boom.
An eerie drumbeat rolled from the stronghold. Skeletons rattled loudly as a massive brute shoved through the undead ranks.
Twice my size maybe. Fuck, what’d it eat to get that big?
"Like Hector to Achilles, Asterius to Theseus—even fading heroes need a worthy foe."
Clank clank.
Iron chains and balls on its limbs dragged dirt and sand. Half-naked, gray-skinned, rippling with solid muscle underneath.
"Remount of the fallen Titan, Kallaias. Yeah, a match for the lady."
“Anxius, why don’t you come out yourself!”
"Lady, you think any mage steps up to die?"
“Typical heretic, scorning honor! The giant’s remount is a fine opponent, but hardly a fair match! Andrea!”
At her call, a figure pushed through our lines.
About my size, but clad head to toe in plate, shouldering a massive longsword—looked twice as big.
“T-that’s Andrea? The commoner-turned-knight?”
“Damn, huge guy. Looks strong.”
“Still smaller than that Titan spawn.”
“Fuck, tension’s killing me. Gotta piss.”
Amid the murmurs, ironclad knight Andrea faced the giant Kallaias.
Whooooosh.
Just watching them stare each other down stretched the tension taut. We all shut up, eyes glued.
Thud.
Andrea moved first. Drew his trunk-length blade and dashed in, slipping between the giant’s legs.
He slashed the Achilles tendon and shin clean before it could react. Simple, direct, brutally effective.
Rooooar—!
The giant’s thunderous scream said it all—attack landed perfectly. It bent at the waist in agony.
The knight climbed its body, raising his greatsword high.
“Farewell, fallen divine spawn!”
Andrea bellowed and cleaved its neck. The massive body and head hit the dirt, spurting blood, twitching in spasms.
Wooah—!
Cheers erupted at the overwhelming win, morale soaring. Even I was thrilled. Home time?
"Count’s knights really are monsters, one and all."
The skull cloud went tsk, like licking its lips.
Clouds tsking and talking—magic’s some wild shit, no matter how you slice it.
But Enya stood fearless before the skull cloud, shouting boldly.
“I’ve won an honorable duel! Anxius, surrender now! I hold off the charge to honor your time as an Archmage Tower professor!”
"Honor. Thanks much. Guess I’ve still got some left."
“But refuse, and we’ll drag you out in chains! You have one minute!”
"Merciful, too. But that blood on the ground? Just an appetizer, lady. Ever hear of Spirit Possession?"
“Spirit Possession…?”
"When a compatible human calls, a great god temporarily descends into their body. It was just theory—until Anxius figured it works best on blood kin."
“What nonsense is this, Anxius!”
"See for yourself. Behold the fragment of the underworld’s authority! Pray to the primordial night, the greatest son she bore…! The ascension of death incarnate—Moros—!"
Ssshh.
The skull cloud’s words ended, and the world went black.
The setting sun smeared with ink-like soot, until night fell abruptly.
One word: unannounced eclipse.
“Th-the light of glory…”
“The sun god hides his face. What’s happening?!”
This world’s pious folk framed the weird eclipse as divine will.
Sunlight warping—yeah, freaky even to me.
『Calling me on your own, Anxius. I was in the middle of something important.』
Right then, a chilling male voice slithered over my nape like a cold hand.
“L-look! The corpse—it’s moving!”
Someone screamed. I looked down from the sky—the headless, spasming giant’s body was knitting back together.
『…But a contract’s a contract. Rules must be followed.』
The giant raised its head, rubbing its neck as it spoke.
『Fine, let’s wrap this up quick. Death sentence for all of you. Split in half and die.』
Sshing, whoosh.
A lukewarm gust swept over us. Couldn’t even twitch—felt like moving would doom us.
Slaaash—!
Far off, burly knight Andrea’s body split clean in two, blood spraying as he crumpled. What the fuck? Magic?
『Weak possession only gets one, huh. Better handle it myself.』
Crunch crunch.
The giant pawed Andrea’s corpse, yanking out a long bone. It wove the plates into a huge scythe.
『Good enough for mortals.』
Neigh!!
“U-ugh, Goddess of war and honor…!”
Horses went berserk at the horror. Enya tumbled from her mount, trembling on the ground, flag in hand.
“Gr-grant Enya the courage to face death’s power. The boldness to cross the gloomy valley of death…”
『Oh? Staring death in the face and not breaking. Tough mortal. Pray all you want. But death’s authority stops no one. That’s the rule. Next up—who?』
The chaotic plain fell into dead silence. No breaths, no wind.
Time-frozen hush.
Drowned in that heavy sea, we all thought the same.
Please, not me against that freak—.
『No takers? Fine, I’ll pick. Death Grip.』
The scythe-wielding giant spread its palm toward us. Then—holy shit, unbelievable.
“Gah, wh-what the fuck! Sh-shiiiit—!”
My body lurched toward it like a magnet! I nearly pissed myself in shock!
『What’re you? I picked the guy next to you. Hm, whatever—doesn’t matter who. Death has no order.』
Zooooom.
“Grrrrk!”
Stamped my feet hard against the pull—useless. I got flung before the damn giant like trash!
『Struggling’s pointless. Huh, check this out—weird karma on you. What’s with the face? Kid’s finger-painting, all splotchy.』
Crunch.
It grabbed my collar, hoisting me up. Hollow purple eyes bored into me. Fuck, mouse in a cat’s paw.
As my long life flashed before me, too numb for curses—
Its eyes went wide.
『Wait, you… No, no—the youngest is supposed to be a little… little girl. Pink hair…』
Ssshh.
The grip loosened a bit—I could breathe.
『Ahem, uh—you a girl…? No, couldn’t be. Or guy body, girl mind…? Wait, is that possible…?』
Thought I was done for, but the giant mumbled in confusion. What the hell?
『…Anyway, shit. Mom’s gonna chew me out.』
Then the world tilted wildly. The giant clutching my collar collapsed, rolling in agony.
Thud, rumble.
『Wh-what mighty punch! Y-you lowly mortal, daring—urk, ugh!』
It thrashed and flew around on its own. I couldn’t comprehend shit! What the fuck?!
"Moros! What’s going on…!"
『Gah, can’t handle it—! What hero! You’re too strong—!』
“L-look! That weird black-haired guy—he’s overwhelming the giant!”