Chapter 391
Chapter 391
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 391
Chapter Title: Madman, Kelrhalrm
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Madman, Kelrhalrm.
The superhuman who had lived through long ages thought back.
To the past. To those glorious days.
...Someone once said that memories fade as time passes. Time is the great healer. Time washes everything away and lets you stand again. Plenty of people spout such nonsense as if they've experienced it firsthand.
But to this mage who had lived for over a century, it was all nothing but lies.
Those glorious memories never fade.
Nor do tragedies ever truly vanish. When a colossal tragedy strikes, one person's time freezes right there on the spot. Kelrhalrm's time had done just that.
An entire century.
A short span for a long-lived race, but an unbearably long one for a single human. Throughout that time, Kelrhalrm had endlessly chewed over the past. All to keep a promise.
"......"
A soft crunch.
Something crumbled underfoot as he stepped forward.
Kelrhalrm gazed at the ruins stretching before him. The charred remnants of buildings. A city buried in ashes. A place where even the original shape was now unrecognizable...
"If you go down this alley, there's a shop, Master. Run by an old couple. I bet it'd suit your tastes. You have surprisingly rough preferences, Master." In the ruins, Kelrhalrm saw the past.
"Come on, Master, hurry." "Lunch break's short. You can take your time, but I've got class right after..." In the ash-covered alley strewn with debris, Kelrhalrm saw neat sidewalk blocks. Amid the fragile ruins that would crumble at a touch, he saw the little flowerpots the old couple had once lined up along the wall.
"See? Pretty good, right?" "Told you it's tasty." In the ruined city of today, Kelrhalrm glimpsed his old hometown. He walked on in silence.
Academy City, Artia.
It had taken a full century to return here. How many knights had poured their efforts into pushing the front lines this far? With the Hero's aid, no less. Feeling gratitude toward them, Kelrhalrm kept walking.
Walking and walking.
"Ah, Master." Before he knew it, he had reached the heart of the ruins.
The center of the ruins, scarred everywhere by destruction that even a century couldn't erase. Standing where he had once lost his reason and rampaged, Kelrhalrm let out a long breath.
"...It's been a while. Celestia."
The heart of the ruins.
There stood a single staff plunged into the ground. Kelrhalrm knew no one was buried beneath it. Celestia's body had long since crumbled to dust.
He merely gazed at the staff she had wielded, lost in memories. Kelrhalrm sat down beside it.
He had so much he wanted to say upon returning here, but with Celestia's staff right before him, no words came. Should he say he'd kept his promise? That this time, he had saved her?
Unable to open his mouth easily, Kelrhalrm sighed deeply. Though he had lost most of his emotions and was barely human anymore, being here made him feel human again.
It was then, as he immersed himself in sentiment.
A twitch.
Kelrhalrm frowned. Artia had become a cursed land shunned by all. Yet in this ashen city, he sensed a presence.
Something was there.
Kelrhalrm slowly rose to his feet.
2.
Belnoa and Chloe moved toward the front lines Kelrhalrm had been overseeing. To fill the superhuman's absence—and since this wasn't their first time, their expressions remained much the same as usual.
The Hero Party was essentially a special forces unit, flitting from battlefield to battlefield as a matter of routine.
"So, what was it about?"
"Visiting his hometown."
"Ah..."
Chloe knew the tales surrounding the Madman. The tragedy at Academy City Artia. With Artia recently recaptured, stopping by made perfect sense.
"Then we'll join that front line and..."
"Our mission is to cover until Kelrhalrm returns. Might run a few ops too."
As they discussed plans ahead, a knight cut in from behind.
"First time for both of you heading near the 6th Unit, right?"
It was Horon, the middle-aged knight attached to support the special forces' Belnoa and Chloe. A veteran of the fields, he knew the intel on their destination cold.
"Did a mission there about four years back. Whew, no joke. The terrain alone's bad enough, but the monsters that spawn there..."
"Yeah, Horon?"
"Yep. Brace yourselves."
Chloe swallowed dryly as Horon gave a wry smile.
"Of course, with the Hero and... Shadow Knight around, mid-tier beasts would get shredded. Still, stay sharp. Cadres show up in that area."
Demon King's Army cadres.
Not quite Disaster-level, but superhuman-strong. Those who had broken through walls after relentless training.
"Dragon Slayer, Asterio."
Horon shuddered as if the mere thought repulsed him.
"If you run into him, never engage head-on. Knights backed by high mages with layered greatshields... He crushed them all in one blow."
Belnoa gave a wry smile as Horon shuddered, recalling the scene vividly.
"Noted, Horon. Any other front-line intel?"
"Plenty. Been itching to share."
A survivor of long campaigns, Horon valued info over personal strength. He'd been a huge help to Belnoa and Chloe this past year. Same here.
"Terrain favors environmental spells over AoE. That battlefield where Turbulent Rox went wild? This place."
Terrain, fitting spells, and more. As Horon shared useful tips, Chloe suddenly asked,
"You know a lot about magic, Horon."
"Just heard a lot."
Horon smiled wryly.
"On the battlefield, knowledge is survival. Know more, live longer. My old lieutenant drilled that in. Memorize everything you hear."
That's why I know so much.
Muttering that, Horon continued. Belnoa halted mid-stride, listening intently. Horon and the trailing knights stopped too.
"Ah, come to welcome us..."
Horon trailed off.
He felt the unease too.
"......"
Belnoa silently thrust out an arm. Knights behind her hands drifted to their waists.
Then, a flash from the opposite side.
As the gleam burst, Belnoa's arm whipped around. She snatched the incoming silver-white arrow barehanded with a thunk.
Screeeech.
With the arrow caught, no need to hide anymore—the approaching knights' necks twisted at odd angles. Demon King's soldiers hidden behind them emerged one by one.
Puppets.
Necromancers' trick: manipulating corpses to disrupt foes. Having fallen for it before, Belnoa clicked her tongue and barked,
"Battle stations."
A hail of arrows rained down.
Clang of drawn blades, and combat erupted. Two forces clashed in the narrow gorge.
3.
As Belnoa, the de facto commander, issued orders, knights slammed their greatshields into the ground. Boom—the earth trembled as the inscribed spells activated.
⚙ Guardian Barrier ⚙ Activated The knights encircled Chloe, forming a protective wall. As she plunged her staff down and began chanting, Belnoa stepped forward.
Belnoa at the vanguard.
Three knights followed to support her. As shadows draped from Belnoa's back linked to the three, she charged ahead.
Crunch.
Rushing the enemy, Belnoa clenched her black-armored fingers into empty air. Air currents twisted with a screech.
Rooooaaar!
Belnoa swung her gripped hand.
A bizarre roar—like tearing air or a dragon's cry—echoed. The sky-filling arrow storm was swept away.
A raging tempest.
The sudden reversed airflow hurled arrows and mages' spells back at them. As enemy attacks boomeranged amid their panic, Belnoa closed in swiftly.
Necromancers' controlled corpses at the front.
Trolls tore through them, swinging fists. Slamming down. As shadows loomed overhead, Belnoa exhaled sharply.
"Hoo..."
One breath.
Shadows rippled, enveloping her. Shadow armor clad her fully. Having contracted directly with a primordial god, Belnoa wielded shadows faster, at lesser cost.
A technique once requiring sanity's sacrifice, now effortless.
Its proficiency had risen thanks to that. Donning the armor, Belnoa accelerated in a fluid slide. Troll fists cratered the ground—Belnoa was gone.
⚡ Shadow Stake ⚡ Activated Kicking off, Belnoa leaped over the trolls, swinging her fist. Shadows erupted from the armor, devouring five at once. Crush—green blood sprayed everywhere.
Neutralizing the front line in a breath, Belnoa's gaze turned to the Demon King's forces. Quite a number.
Necromancers lurked deep within. No need to plunge straight there, though. Spears, swords, spells flew at Belnoa—but she charged headlong.
The three knights now tailed her.
They split left and right, batting aside flank attacks. Shadow-enhanced, their movements were swift and precise.
Slash, slice.
Demon blood splattered.
Aided by the knights, Belnoa focused ahead. Neither thick-hided trolls nor stone golems halted her.
As a troll swung, Belnoa was already atop its shoulder. Crack—she ripped out its spine barehanded. No spine meant no standing, even revived.
Thud.
Leaping off the falling troll, Belnoa shadow-daggered a golem's core. Assassin, shaman, mage—she could sense the core's position via mana.
Passing the crumbling golem, her gaze snapped back. To Demon soldiers rigging traps. Belnoa deployed a Stocked spell.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Shadow-Thorn Pierces target
Thwip—the thorn impaled a grunt's throat. Shattered the mana-injecting magitech's barrier, then his skull.
"Gurk..."
As bloodied Demons fell, the view cleared. Necromancers preparing rituals stared at Belnoa with trembling eyes.
Shaman, mage, warrior.
Belnoa covered class weaknesses with others. To necromancers, she was another nightmare. They piled corpse walls.
As if to say stay back.
No intention of obliging, but Belnoa stepped back. Then, a trailing knight slammed his arm-shield down at an angle. Thud.
A small barrier unfolded.
Belnoa planted her foot on it.
Rebound spell inscribed. Sinking deep, she launched skyward off the repulsion. Demons below gawked up at floating Belnoa.
A writhe.
Her armor rippled in midair.
Noble like guardian plate, but the claws were feral. Beast-like shadows.
Clack, craaaack.
Beast talons rent the air.
A dragon's cry echoed in Demons' ears. That roar—Belnoa's signature nightmare sound.
...It's coming. Brace.
Necromancers raised barriers.
Demons layered shields into wards. Belnoa swung—diagonal storm from the heavens. Like dragon claws raking, wind pressure slammed down.
Rooooaaar!
Storms shredded barriers.
Shields buckled, arms twisted. Blood and flesh sprayed aside in the gale.
Splaaash!
Gorge cliffs stained red. Surviving necromancers scrambled to raise corpses—Belnoa swung again. Shadow-clad knights were yanked skyward.
Grab.
They didn't attack on descent—instead split, stabbing swords into cliffs, peering down. Necromancers panicked briefly.
Flash.
Their eyes snapped forward, not up.
Platinum gleam there. Far-off greatshield knights parted. A girl aimed her staff ahead.
Platinum staff aglow.
Mana swirled at its tip.
Straight at the necromancers. They hastily piled corpse walls—but Chloe chanted first.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Exterminate High-tier spell / Massive mana drain
High-tier, rivaling top-tier in power. Devours vast mana; hard to control without aid.
Chloe completed it in an instant.
Necromancers saw it.
Circuit from staff tip filling the gorge. Converging to a platinum point.
That glowing point.
...Mages describe high-tier Exterminate thus: Laughably simple effect for the difficulty.
A straight ultra-hot beam.
It earned "Exterminate" by vaporizing all it touches.
Flash.
The beam lanced from the staff.
Vreeeeeeem!
Corpses in the gorge incinerated. Blood boiled off. Half-made barriers, corpse walls—all burned away.
Necromancers too.
Trailing support troops too.
All vanished like mist. The fading beam left scorching heat along its molten path.
"Gah, guk..."
One necromancer barely escaped the beam—waist down gone. Searing on residual heat, he peered through blurring vision.
White hair. Green eyes.
Humanity's new magic-wielding Hero. Her name surfaced in his final thoughts.
Torrent.
Chewing it over, the necromancer smiled. On death's edge, he rolled his eyes skyward. His master gazed down.
Sizzle.
As the necromancer melted.
Something landed in the gorge with a massive thud.