Chapter 448
Chapter 448
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 448
Chapter Title: Still Calling Me Armiel
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“Armiel.”
“...You're calling me that again.”
“Come on, at this point, isn't it time to give up? You've been calling me that for a full ten years now.”
“Ten years to a human and ten years to an elf can hardly be the same. To me, it's just a fleeting moment.”
“Describing the time we've spent together as 'just'—that stings a little. Your words are too harsh.”
“...That's not quite what I meant.”
Cardi let out a sigh.
No one had ever bested him in a war of words, but he could never win against her. Whenever she narrowed her eyes and glared at him like she'd been wronged, Cardi would tuck tail immediately.
“Gleria.”
“What?”
“Let me ask you something in return.”
“What is it?”
“Why call me Armiel? Is there some special reason? Something that makes it absolutely necessary?”
“Of course there's a reason. A very special one.”
“...What could it possibly be?”
Gleria covered her mouth, stifling a laugh.
Then she gave her usual reply.
“I'll tell you later.”
“...So, when is 'later'?”
“Who knows.”
She flashed a mischievous smile.
“After enough time passes that even you won't dismiss it as 'just' a moment?”
“...You planning to tell me in a few hundred years?”
“Depends on you.”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ ⚙ TELEPATHIC COMMAND ⚙ Follow my instructions. I'll send you straight to the center.
Cardi van Armiel.
The subjugation force perked up at the voice claiming to be the Great Sage. Cardi, van, Armiel. Each word of the assembled name conveyed different information to the subjugation force.
Resti Eleonora latched onto 'Armiel.' The inaugural Ashen Mage Tower Lord the elder had spoken of so often. She knew well of the mage Armiel who had recently returned to the Ashen Mage Tower and seized control of one of its branches.
Rak focused on 'Cardi.' A figure from his memories. The first family head, Grace, had spoken of establishing the holy land with Cardi's aid. And testified that he had been Ganikalt's comrade.
And Belnoa and Chloe.
“...Old man Cardi?”
“Master?”
A young man's voice, yet the familiar timbre made them doubt their own ears. They focused on the name and truth proclaimed by the voice.
'I suspected he was hiding something...'
As the two reeled in shock, Cardi's wry chuckle lingered in their ears.
⚙ TELEPATHIC COMMAND ⚙ We'll talk about this later. A short exhale.
Immediately after, Cardi shouted.
⚙ BATTLE ALERT ⚙ Keep your eyes wide open. What stands before you is a fragment of the Demon King. A being positioned opposite the stars. Steady your breathing. The moment your breath falters, the moment fear grips you—it's over. Hold your mind firm. Grip it tight and don't let go. For the battle with the Demon King is also a test of mental fortitude. An unfathomable existence that, simply by being there, twisted providence and drove onlookers insane. The shadow of a false god or not... Cardi declared firmly.
⚙ DIVINE FRAGMENT ⚙ What you face is no perfect god. Do not tremble in fear. That thing is already a fallen god. Repeatedly struck and scattered by humanity. To the first Hero, Ganikalt van Galatric. To the strongest Hero, Kyle Toven. To the Ashen Mage, Raniel van Trias. Moreover, it's merely a fragment. Not the true body. A past remnant broken from what was once great. Look closely. Doesn't it resemble a coward merely puffing itself up? Fear not such a thing. The true essence you must perceive lies farther in. Therefore.
⚙ ADVANCE ORDER ⚙ Steady your breath. Open your eyes wide. Grip your mind. One step forward. Form your ranks. First, stem the surging waves. Thud.
Belnoa stepped forward.
Rak matched him with a step of his own.
Twirl.
Rak spun his wrist once.
In his grasp materialized a platinum holy sword. The very first holy sword wielded by Ganikalt van Galatric.
“It's been ages since we shared a battlefield, Belnoa.”
Belnoa snickered.
Belnoa cracked his knuckles with pops. From his black-carapaced fingers swirled a black storm. The storm commanded by the Dragon Shaman, Belial van Draconic.
“I'll take point.”
Keep up.
As Belnoa kicked off the ground, Rak laughed and launched himself too—not trailing behind, but right alongside. Together, they charged the waves.
⚙ HERO & SAINTESS ⚙ Chloe. And Natida. Here, you cannot borrow starlight. The blessings you possess cannot be used as usual. Therefore... Don't think of borrowing from the stars—draw up the starlight accumulated in your own bodies. Igniting the stars is ultimately each person's will. Do not trust the stars. What you can trust is what you've built. The power accumulated in your bodies. Chloe furrowed her brow.
No starlight bloomed. She couldn't summon it in her usual way. When the stars fell silent, the Hero plummeted to mere mortal.
But Chloe's expression barely shifted.
A situation where the stars ignored her. Where starlight turned away. Raniel had drilled Chloe for such contingencies. She had implored her time and again not to rely on the stars.
Thus, Chloe grasped Cardi's advice in an instant. Not summoning mana through stellar aid as before... She scraped her inner channels, drawing mana forth.
Tick, tiddly-dick-dick-dick!
Mana laced with faint starlight surged up her staff. She wasn't alone; beside her exploded a white gleam.
Saintess Natida.
She wielded white holy power effortlessly. Meeting Chloe's puzzled glance, Natida shrugged lightly.
“I only ever trust myself.”
She clapped her palms together.
Clap—the completed blessing enveloped the entire battlefield. Natida chanting blessings, Rak and Belnoa charging amid white radiance, Chloe incanting spells.
⚙ SUMMONER ⚙ You. ...You already know what to do, without instruction. As everyone found and fulfilled their roles, Cardi gazed at one. Resti Eleonora stood with eyes shut, arms outstretched.
Blink.
She opened her eyes.
Resti Eleonora, Ashen Witch of the Ashen lineage. She swept her extended finger. The bone dragon roiling behind her—the Ashen horde she summoned—froze instantly.
✨ SPELL ACTIVATED ✨ Overcome Numbness | Pain Nullification | Emotion/Instinct Control
>Limitless Sensory & Physical Maximization
Trailing her swung finger rose her creation: the Ashen Witch's signature spell. Straightforward in effect, yet devastatingly potent.
It nullified all that made living beings recoil—numbness, painlessness, mastery of emotion and instinct. It unleashed sensory and physical prowess beyond limits. All constraints on life forcibly sundered. Naturally, affected familiars would disintegrate post-effect...
But the results were guaranteed.
Guwoong.
A pulse of resonance.
As it faded, the familiars' eyes behind Resti shifted hue. Deep blue irises bled red. Seized by frenzy. Crunch, cruuuunch—their flesh ballooned grotesquely.
“Rip them apart.”
Resti pointed to the shadows.
Aimed at the encroaching grasp.
“Every last one.”
The bone dragon's jaws parted.
Crunch, cruuuunch—from the gaping maw thundered a roar. A bestial shriek.
———————!
The bone dragon led the charge.
Roaring, it plunged earthward. Kagagagak—the ground quaked. Trailing it over the shuddering terrain surged the familiars.
Kagagagagagak!
Roars shaking heaven and earth, the familiars hurled themselves at the shadow waves. They feared the dark no longer. Stripped of even instinctual dread, they registered shadows as foes alone.
Things to rend, trample, pulverize.
As their mistress commanded.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Cardi surveyed the battlefield through borrowed eyes. Even he had to marvel at the sight.
...Gruesome.
He watched Resti's madness-soaked familiars rampage. Shadows devoured and pulverized all they touched, yet had their limits. Resti's horde outpaced the hands' crushing grasp.
———————!
Familiars' roaring wave.
An army fearless, pain-free, enemy-bound. Superhuman summoner's pinnacle beasts formed a nightmarish tide. The witch's legion incarnate.
“...What the hell did Raniel teach that girl?”
Cardi groaned.
Raniel once described Resti as a pupil trained to purge heretics—the one meant to inherit his mantle.
True enough.
But she wasn't the lone astonishment.
Cardi shifted focus amid directives.
His gaze halted on two at the vanguard, bounding off Resti's familiars.
'Belnoa, and Rak van Grace.'
They tumbled repeatedly into black clutches. Bled. Spat blood. Hurtled battered. Yet sprang up undaunted, charging anew.
Swords cleaved. Storms churned.
Injuries routine, pain familiar—they pressed on. Inch by inch, overpowering the hands.
“Rak!”
Belnoa's arm swept—a tempest erupted. Black hands uprooted skyward; boulders, Resti-familiar corpses levitated wholesale. Bounding debris, Belnoa dashed.
Faster, Rak sword-dragged in pursuit.
Blizzard whirled his fragment-kicking acceleration. Balance-enhanced physique. Blizzard harnessed, Rak slashed. Belnoa swept arm.
Kagagagagagagak!
Storm parted path. Elongated sword arcs mulched visible hands. Charging familiars snagged plummeting wreckage, shunted aside.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Flare Chloe's voice echoed.
Kiiiiiiiiiiing!
Before Rak and Belnoa's breach resealed, searing beams engulfed hands. Flames roared sky-high. Beside assisting Chloe, Resti narrowed eyes.
Watcher, star-context reader.
Toward lingering star-mana and circuit shards, she reached. Fractured circuits. Scattered remnants. To her eyes, splintered flows. Manipulating splits... specialty of her superhuman mage mentor.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Split Resti inscribed on fractured circuits.
Hundreds of shards ignited as one.
💥 CHAIN EXPLOSION 💥 Residual mana detonates in sequence Boom—Flare's remnants detonated en masse. Cardi chuckled watching blasts consume black hands.
“Press on.”
Chuckling, Cardi commanded.
Gazing at children battling proxy for his immobilized self, he shared visions seen. Advised. Wishing their goal attained.
Now he grasped why Raniel led them here.
Each honed to a razor edge.
Deficiencies offset via allies. Humans imperfect solo, advancing through aid. Therein Cardi beheld.
Heroes once envisioned.
Comrades propelling forward—like his former selves.
“Well then.”
Cardi smiled wryly.
“Training's top-notch.”
As if battlefield-tailored from inception—kids intuiting counsel, orders, moving fluidly—Cardi marveled.
...Counsel ample.
No further directives needed.
Cardi exhaled briefly.
“That's enough.”
To his visual proxy.
“Go join them. Hands itching, right?”
⚙ ACKNOWLEDGED ⚙ ...Yes, understood. Blink—vision hazed.
Vision link severing, Cardi glimpsed.
Creak.
A moonlight arrow drawn to the bowstring.