Chapter 141
Chapter 141
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 141
Chapter Title: Spirits of the Heroic Mausoleum (1)
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Theo could read Rjeze's intentions.
“Are you planning to take Cassandra away in the middle of all this chaos?”
“Watch your mouth, little brother. Your mission ended the moment you handed her over to us, didn’t it?”
“The orders I just received have changed. I’ve been told to move Cassandra somewhere safe.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. We’ll take good care of her.”
“Were you the one in charge of this mission, sister?”
Rjeze smiled without a word.
Theo felt certain of his suspicions.
“So, you weren’t.”
“I’m a successor candidate. In emergencies, I have the authority to make the appropriate judgments and issue orders.”
“And that ‘appropriate judgment’ involves hiding Cassandra from the other siblings?”
“That could certainly be one example. It’s obvious what kind of treatment she’d get if she caught the attention of those old Winterer fogeys.”
As expected.
Theo gritted his teeth.
Rjeze no longer seemed interested in hiding her motives.
Cassandra’s prophetic abilities could exert tremendous influence on the future power struggle, depending on how they were used.
It wouldn’t just be relying on prophecies—she could truly seize the throne for good.
And if Rjeze even knew Cassandra’s true identity?
*That would be the worst. She’d swing her power however she pleased.*
Theo knew all too well about Rjeze’s lust for power.
And how it blinded her at times.
That was exactly why she’d lost to Torkel.
“You’re not even going to ask for Cassandra’s opinion?”
“Why are you acting like some amateur, dragging this out? You know better. She’s safest under my protection. If you need her...”
Rjeze’s eyes curved into a sly smile.
“I might even let you see her once in a while, since you two seem so close?”
*You need her abilities too, don’t you? Then join me.*
In other words, submit to her.
She’d probably keep Cassandra hidden away forever, never letting her show her face to the world.
In the end, Theo made his decision.
“Yes. I understand.”
“Oh? And what will you do?”
“I can’t entrust Cassandra to you after all, sister.”
“What?”
Theo pulled Aegir’s helmet from his inventory and slipped it over his face.
*Clank!*
“Like you said earlier, sister—in emergencies, successor candidates have the authority to make appropriate judgments and issue orders.”
*Shrrk—*
Platinum plate armor descended from the helmet, enveloping Theo’s entire body in an instant.
The hero Kriemhild, who had once shone in the Floating Archipelago, was attempting a return in the heart of the continent.
“So, as a successor candidate myself, I’ll act according to my own judgment.”
Theo drew Drake’s edged weapon and activated his inner aura.
*Shraaa—*
Hot steam billowed up as dragon scales bristled along the glowing red-hot blade.
*Boom!*
*Whiiiiiish—*
“You’re going to start infighting over one kid? And picking a fight with your big sister, no less? You’re not just a fool—you can’t even separate personal grudges from duty.”
Rjeze looked incredulous as she dragged Grim Reaper harshly across the ground.
The Reaper Squad moved to intervene, but she waved them back.
“Fine. This works out better anyway. There was something I wanted to ask you.”
*Roar!*
Black flames roared wildly along the scythe’s blade.
Purgatory Furnace.
The secret technique that had earned her the moniker “Black Reaper.”
*This works out perfectly. If I can’t bring him under my command, better to crush him before he grows any further.*
Rjeze intended to subdue Theo in one strike.
He looked imposing enough with that strange armor and drawn sword, but she didn’t consider him anywhere near her level.
She was one of the top five candidates, having overcome dozens—no, hundreds if you included the branch families—of Ragnar bloodkin.
She’d even been named among the Nine Dragons of the Vanguard.
Losing to some greenhorn was absurd.
*And I can finally check what you did to Grim Reaper.*
[Purgatory Furnace – Reaper’s Blade]
Rjeze intensified the black flames and swung down at Theo’s neck in a single motion.
A strike so sharp it seemed to slice through space itself.
Theo raised Drake’s edged weapon to block.
Rjeze sneered inwardly.
The flames of Purgatory Furnace weren’t some mere fire-attribute technique.
They were hellfire that clung relentlessly, burning away life until nothing remained.
Combined with her partner Grim Reaper’s mystical power, its might was beyond words.
Trying to block it with a sword that couldn’t even properly channel aura was pure arrogance...!
“Function freeze.”
Then, Theo’s murmur pierced Rjeze’s ears,
*Crack!*
And the black flames enveloping Grim Reaper vanished as if it were a lie.
But that wasn’t all.
The mana circulation fueling Grim Reaper was severed mid-flow, causing backlash that halted her mana circuits entirely.
It felt as if Grim Reaper was violently rejecting her.
Her body stiffened rigidly in that instant,
*What the...!*
Seizing the opening, Drake’s edged weapon twisted mid-swing and slashed across Rjeze’s abdomen.
*Kwaaaaang!*
“What the—!”
“Lady Rjeze!”
The Reaper Squad, caught completely off guard, sprang into frantic action.
But Rjeze was the most shocked.
She’d barely managed to draw the dagger from her belt—Grim Reaper unresponsive—and block Theo’s strike, but the massive shockwave sent her flying backward.
“You! What the hell did you do to Grim Reaper!”
“Who knows.”
Theo had already activated Wind Thunder God, closing the distance in a flash.
His eyes gleamed fiercely beneath the helmet.
“To put it simply, let’s just say it’s listening to its ‘true’ master.”
“......!”
A message window floated before Theo’s retina.
[Ownership of ‘Ancient Dragon Relic: Grim Reaper’ has been activated.]
[Grim Reaper rejects all touch except from its owner.]
Grim Reaper’s true master was no longer Rjeze—it was Theo.
Of course, unaware of this, Rjeze bit her lower lip and exploded in rage.
Her worst fears had come true.
Grim Reaper wasn’t just some cherished weapon to her.
“How dare you...!”
It had belonged to her mother, unjustly poisoned amid the brutal throne competition.
“Touch what’s mine!”
Even in her final moments, she’d worried for her daughter’s safety.
*This will protect you always, Rjeze. So don’t cry.*
But Theo ignored Rjeze’s screams and swung Drake’s edged weapon relentlessly.
*Shh-shh-shh-shk—*
[Nibelung’s Claw – Ten Flash Falling Thunder]
*Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Lightning crashed down with every dragon flash from Drake’s edged weapon, throwing Rjeze’s defenses into chaos.
If she could properly wield her mana, it might be different, but with Grim Reaper blocking her mana, calm countermeasures were impossible.
She’d be better off dropping it.
But,
*I can’t!*
Rjeze couldn’t bring herself to do it.
She feared that letting go even once would mean parting with it forever.
“Lady Rjeze, let us assist you!”
“Won’t you stay away from Lady Rjeze, Theo Ragnar!”
The Reaper Squad desperately clung to Theo’s rear to rescue her, but
“You said you were taking Cassandra? Is it okay to leave your post like this?”
“......!”
“......!”
Theo’s mocking words made them realize too late. As their formation wavered, someone else broke through.
Selphred, Arin, and Ray, who had been awaiting Theo’s signal.
“Ah, seriously! I told you not to keep giving us these tough jobs!”
“Grab her!”
Ray scooped up Cassandra, while Selphred and Arin blocked the Reaper Squad from both sides.
No matter how elite Rjeze’s personal guard was, they couldn’t easily overwhelm the White Dragon Knights, the Ragnar family’s finest.
Moreover, the Reaper Squad had a far more fatal weakness.
They’d been tied up with Theo too long.
-Holy Demon Rampage!
-Holy Demon Rampage!
The fanatics’ roars echoed from nearby.
The Reaper Squad snapped their heads upward in unison.
“How can so many fools be swayed by vain greed—! They must all atone in rivers of red blood!”
New players entered the fray for Cassandra.
The Holy Demon Church.
Dozens of cultists, led by a parish master, crashed into the Reaper Squad.
These were the reinforcements Arct had desperately dragged along, despite his reluctance.
*Kwa-kwa-kwa-boom!*
“All hands, hold position! Block those things first—!”
Rjeze hesitated for a moment.
Should she block them, or chase Cassandra?
If her formation collapsed now, they’d be surrounded and annihilated in seconds.
But Cassandra was a vital key to Rjeze’s future plans.
Her dilemma didn’t last.
The Reaper Squad’s safety came first, which meant holding the line.
In the end, the Reaper Squad blocked the Holy Demon Church’s advance, buying Selphred’s group time to mount the manifested Umbra from the shadows and prepare for takeoff.
“Got it!”
The skies belonged to the White Dragon Knights.
As always.
Selphred and Arin believed no enemies could pursue them there.
* * *
“You planned this...!”
Rjeze gnashed her teeth, watching Umbra flap powerfully skyward with Selphred’s group.
“You’re the one who first defied Mount Dragon’s orders and acted on your own, sister.”
“That child will only bring chaos in the future!”
“That doesn’t give you the right to hijack her life against her will, does it?”
Theo remained utterly composed to the end.
*Crunch!*
Rjeze realized it clearly then.
Theo was no vessel to be held by anyone.
He would only run parallel to her, never converging.
“I’ll come back for Grim Reaper later. Please take good care of it until then.”
Theo gave a cold smile, pressed Rjeze, then launched himself into the air.
Rjeze tried to pursue belatedly, but Theo had already used telekinetic chains to latch onto Umbra’s leg and soar upward together.
“Aaagh!”
Rjeze let out a frustrated shriek.
The Reaper Squad, Holy Demon Church, and even the Azure-Black Corps could only gawk helplessly at the sky like dogs chasing a chicken.
“Heh, looks like you handled it cleanly.”
A faint smile tugged at Mount Dragon’s lips, but Arct showed no reaction—his eyes beneath the mask hollow and unreadable.
And,
“Ugh. Thought I was gonna die for real.”
“Surrounded by enemies, successor infighting... Felt like a shrimp’s back exploding in a whale fight.”
Only now could Selphred and Arin relax, plopping down on Umbra’s floor with deep sighs.
Still dangling from Umbra’s leg, Theo sent a telepathic message.
「Sorry.」
“Sorry my ass. It’s a team mission. Still, you’ll never understand us shrimp’s feelings.”
「Is that so? But you might want to watch your back a bit more carefully.」
“What?”
Selphred jolted up in alarm.
Down below.
Soldiers had formed a tight encirclement around the estate.
「Troyvan seems dead serious.」
Troyvan’s banners fluttered alongside those of various organizations.
All familiar to Theo.
Rose Family.
One Sword Society.
Black Shadow Sword Corps.
Wandering Knights Alliance...
Traitors who had abandoned the Ragnars for Troyvan.
“Fuck, there’s a shit-ton of them.”
Selphred sighed deeply.
Countless soldiers aimed steel arrows this way.
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