Chapter 462: Fragment (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 462: Fragment (1)
At Alon’s request, Karsem showed him the ability he had gained without hesitation.
He showed it, but...
“...Is this it?”
“Uh... it’s a bit unimpressive, isn't it?”
Karsem laughed awkwardly.
“....”
It was exactly as he said.
Karsem’s ability didn’t look all that remarkable.
What had entered Alon’s field of vision was simply an arm growing out of the man's back.
Indeed, there was no better way to describe Karsem’s ability than that.
Karsem had activated his power, and a single, slightly translucent arm of average size had sprouted from his back.
That was it.
Alon stared blankly at the arm before asking cautiously, “...Does it have any additional effects?”
“I’m still looking into it, but so far, I haven't found any specific—”
As Karsem trailed off, Alon had no trouble understanding what he meant.
Regardless, just as Alon was about to thank him for showing the ability...
“Your Majesty, if you don’t mind—may I take a slightly closer look?”
Penia, who had been standing beside Alon, suddenly stepped forward.
“Huh? Sure, go ahead.”
Though puzzled, Karsem showed her the arm.
Thanks to his cooperation, Penia spent some time examining it, even infusing a small amount of mana into it as part of her investigation.
“Thank you.”
She eventually bowed her head in gratitude, signaling she was finished.
Only then did Karsem stop using his ability.
“Thank you for complying with a request that might have been uncomfortable.”
“No, not at all! If you ask, Brother, I’ll show you as many times as you like... Though, as you can see, it’s not much of a power.”
Karsem laughed sheepishly, and they spoke for a while longer.
“Oh—I should probably get going now.”
“I’ve taken up too much of your time.”
“Don’t worry about it, Brother. If there’s ever anything I can do to help, please don’t hesitate to ask!”
He left the room after adding, “I want to repay my debt to you whenever I can!”
The boisterous atmosphere settled into silence.
Recalling Penia’s behavior, Alon turned his gaze toward her.
“Penia.”
“Yes?”
“Did you find something?”
Penia paused to gather her thoughts before answering.
“It’s not so much that I found something, but rather that the mana emitted by that arm was a bit suspicious...”
“What do you mean?”
“Well—maybe 'strange' is a better word than 'suspicious'? Anyway, how should I put it... Alon, did you see the flow of mana?”
Alon nodded.
“Didn’t it seem a bit odd to you?”
“...Was it?”
Alon recalled the mana that had flowed from Karsem’s arm.
“It was certainly a bit different from ordinary mana.”
Fundamentally, once mana was released externally, it would quickly and naturally dissipate into the air unless it was refined into some form.
However, the mana from Karsem’s arm—
“Hmm. Come to think of it, it didn’t feel like it was dissipating naturally.”
“Exactly.”
It didn’t scatter into the air; instead, it floated for a considerably long time before vanishing. It was a completely different pattern from normal mana.
“But can we learn anything from that?”
At Alon’s question, Penia pondered for a moment.
“This is just a thought of mine, but—”
She began to share her theory.
Just as Alon was listening to her reasoning with interest...
“Oh? What are you two doing?”
Evan opened the door and walked in.
“Where have you been?”
“I went to meet with the information guild. Didn't we request the exact location of the Fragment while we were heading here?”
“Ah.”
“So, I thought it would be best to find out in advance if we’re moving early tomorrow, and I made contact, but...”
“You couldn't get the information?”
Evan nodded at Alon’s words.
“They confirmed that the Fragment fell near the Colony, but they said they couldn't get any more information than that.”
“...So we have to search for it ourselves.”
“It looks that way.”
As Evan expressed his frustration at the headache-inducing situation, Alon thought for a moment and spoke.
“Is there no way to track the Fragment?”
“A way to track it? Hmm—”
Searching for a Fragment of unknown size in this vast, sprawling desert was quite literally like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Still, Alon asked just in case.
“Well—there does seem to be a way...”
“And?”
“I’m not sure if it’s a method we can use.”
“Why not?”
“Apparently, it’s something they heard from the Divine Blood.”
“...The Divine Blood?”
“Yes, it seems there’s a Divine Blood entity they exchange information with.”
“...Is that okay?”
“Well—I’m sure it’s fine, right?”
Alon nodded as he watched Evan shrug. Since the one leading the information guild was Nangwon, he didn't think the man would do anything strange.
“So, what is it?”
Having made his judgment, Alon listened as Evan relayed the method he had heard.
“They say the Divine Blood can naturally sense the location of the Fragments.”
“...The Divine Blood can?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know how they sense it, but that’s what the information guild told me.”
“....”
Alon grew a bit confused at Evan’s words.
Of course, Alon didn’t think of himself that way, but technically, he was also a Divine Blood. Unfortunately, he didn't feel anything like the location of a Fragment.
“...Hmm—”
While he was lost in thought...
“Ah.”
Penia, standing beside him, let out a small exclamation as if something had occurred to her.
“Did you think of something good?”
“I don’t know if it’s a good idea, but... the important thing is that the Divine Blood can find the Fragment’s location, right?”
“Right.”
“Then...”
Penia glanced toward Blackie.
Evan looked puzzled for a moment, then his expression shifted to one of realization as he too looked at Blackie.
Alon also let out an “Ah,” as he turned his gaze toward the creature.
[...Kyu?]
Blackie, who had been lying down lazily, tilted his head in confusion.
* * *
The next day.
“Mentor!”
“Did you sleep well?”
“Yup!”
Alon’s group headed toward the bandits' base along with Seolrang.
“Ugh—”
“It’s damn hot the moment we leave the Colony.”
As soon as the carriage rolled out, Evan grimaced as if he were dying, and Penia let out a groan.
[Kyuuu—]
Blackie also went limp again.
Checking on them, Alon looked at Seolrang, who wore her usual unchanging smile.
“What is it, Mentor?”
Seolrang wagged her tail with a smile. Feeling the clear goodwill in her eyes, Alon spoke.
“How have things been since then?”
“Huh?”
“Since the reconstruction of the Colony began. I haven't had a chance to ask how you’ve been.”
Seolrang tilted her head and made a thoughtful humming sound.
Her tail continued to wag back and forth, but only for a moment.
“Hmm—I’ve just been living normally!”
“Normally?”
“Yup! Rebuilding houses, taking care of the annoying pests near the Colony! Hmm—I don’t think there’s much else?”
Seolrang’s voice was energetic as always. Alon stared at her for a moment before responding.
“I see.”
“How have you been, Mentor?”
This time, Seolrang asked after him.
They had been conversing naturally for some time when...
“I can’t take it anymore!”
Penia pulled out a Magic Stone and used ice magic once again. Feeling the interior of the carriage begin to cool, Alon asked Seolrang.
“So, how much longer until we reach the base?”
“Hmm—it won’t take much longer. Thinking back to the place I scouted before... we’re almost there!”
More time passed.
The sun, which had risen early in the morning, passed its zenith and began to slowly sink.
Just as Penia had almost exhausted the Magic Stones she said she only had two left of...
“It’s here.”
The group arrived at the entrance of a massive cave nestled within a rocky mountain rising from the sand.
“Is this the place?”
“Yup—the energy the bandits give off is similar to what’s coming out of this cave!”
Seolrang nodded vigorously and immediately walked into the cave, saying, “I’ll lead the way!”
Alon’s group began to follow her.
“....”
The inside of the cave was dark.
It was truly a space untouched by human hands.
Nevertheless, Alon felt a strange sensation instinctively, so he didn't let his guard down as he walked.
“...It’s longer than I thought, isn't it?”
After several dozen minutes had passed and Evan voiced his thoughts...
“But it looks like we’re almost at the end.”
They moved toward the light visible at the end of the cave.
The moment they reached the exit...
“!”
Alon felt a bizarre sensation.
Something incredibly unpleasant and bothersome.
And the moment he stepped out of the exit...
Shiver!
Alon felt it—the chilling mana he had experienced several times before.
Lifting his gaze, the landscape came into view.
“...!”
The first thing he saw was a massive crater formed in the middle of the rocky mountain.
Inside that crater, the corpses of what looked to be thousands of people were scattered everywhere. In the center, black shards emitting a strange energy were embedded in the ground.
And above those black shards—
“...Divine Blood.”
—stood two Divine Blood entities.
[...As expected of a Fragment of the Divine Blood who ascended the Heavenly Throne. To think mere shards could bewitch humans like this. Impressive.]
[I agree.]
[This power seems worthy of contributing to His birth.]
The two Divine Blood entities, seemingly unaware of Alon’s group’s arrival, were casually conversing after twisting the last of the attacking humans with simple hand gestures. Their appearance was quite peculiar.
That was because...
‘...Black armor?’
Both Divine Blood entities were wearing identical sets of black armor.
The moment he confirmed this...
[Hm—]
[What’s this? Humans?]
The Divine Blood noticed Alon’s group.
The two entities turned their armored bodies to face them. Seeing this, Alon frowned behind his expressionless mask.
‘...This is dangerous.’
Alon had fought Divine Blood several times and had even defeated a 2nd Stage Divine Blood. However, naturally, the feeling of facing one Divine Blood versus two was entirely different.
But more than anything, the reason Alon felt a sense of crisis was because of Penia and Evan. There was nowhere for the two of them to run right now. Even if they fled back into the cave, the cave could easily collapse once the battle began.
In the end, Alon had only one choice.
To fight while protecting the two of them.
Of course, with Seolrang there, he didn't think they would be at a significant disadvantage, but the restriction of having people to protect was greater than one might think.
‘...It’s still experimental, but I might have to use the Law.’
Just as Alon was about to prepare...
“I’ll be right back, Mentor.”
Seolrang, who had been silent until now, stepped forward.
“Wait, Seolrang. If we don’t understand the enemies' abilities, we might get hit with a counterattack—”
Alon instinctively tried to stop her.
Of course, he knew she had gained enough power to fight the Divine Blood.
However, the thing to be careful of when fighting the Divine Blood was their unique abilities. Some of their powers were utterly bizarre.
“If it’s that, it’s fine, Mentor.”
Despite Alon’s worried attempt to stop her, Seolrang gave a confident smile.
“Before they can use their abilities—”
—I’ll just kill them.
She vanished.
As if she had never been there at all.
In that instant—
Flash!
A small bolt of lightning flickered in Alon’s vision.
A golden bolt of lightning formed before his eyes amidst the scattering light of the setting sun.
Then.
The next sight to greet him was...
A golden flash.
And a massive hole blown through the torso of a Divine Blood.
And then.
BOOOOOOOOM—!!!!
A thunderous roar, terrifyingly loud, shook the air.