Chapter 147
Chapter 147
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 147
Chapter Title: Magic Empress (2)
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‘No. Same face, but not Leje.’
What should he call this?
Reincarnation?
Clone?
Or just a simple coincidence?
No, it couldn’t be coincidence.
The captain was holding the Grim Reaper, identical to Leje’s.
The difference was that it exuded a far more ferocious aura than when Leje wielded it.
‘Reincarnation, probably. Unlike me, she doesn’t remember her past life.’
A few days ago, the question Leje had thrown at Cassandra.
Could he become king?
And that was the answer.
On the other hand, he could see why Grim Reaper’s Magara had started drifting away from Leje.
With the appearance of a being with the exact same face and soul as its past master, it must not have wanted to part again.
「Ahh……! I thought I’d never see you again.」
Sure enough.
Magara had appeared beside Theo, shedding tears.
「You can’t understand someone like me.」
Magara said, eyes fixed on the face of her old master.
「But after seeing that…… you’ll understand on your own. The gap between you and her!」
It was right then.
『You foolish ghosts of the Lordsbrok. How dare you attempt such a futile act?』
Opposite the spot where the suicide squad stood.
Black darkness descended, revealing a being of enormous size that blanketed the sky.
And beneath it, legions of demons so malformed they were hard to discern filled the horizon.
Monsters of the Demon Sea.
-What’s futile about it?
The suicide squad captain sneered coldly, scraping the ground hard with Grim Reaper.
Whoosh!
Black flames erupted with frictional heat, instantly taking the form of a skeletal reaper wielding a Death Scythe.
-There are too many prey to hunt like this.
Roooar!
In that instant, the black flames swirled into a vortex, fiercely gathering above in the sky.
The sphere kept growing until it boasted an immense size like a black sun.
「That’s [Black Flame Dark Sun]……?」
Theo realized its identity and widened his eyes.
It was a familiar technique.
Why was the absolute secret art that Troyvan’s family head, Granada, had shown against Kyle appearing here?!
「So that’s what you call that secret art?」
Theo turned to Magara, who was scoffing.
「It’s not a name worthy of being called that. ■■■ ■■’s ■■……! Damn. Can’t mention it after all, huh.」
Magara spat a curse and continued.
「Fine. Whatever you call it doesn’t matter. Anyway, it’s a secret art your master created by gathering all of Ragnar’s swordsmanship and breathing methods! A third realm that’s swordsmanship but not, breathing method but not. It transcends even the realms of magic and abilities.」
‘The sword Cassandra got from Troyvan was the Black Flame Dark Sun. Granada disguised it as his own secret art.’
「That’s exactly why I can’t accept you as master. Watch closely.」
When the black sun had grown to over ten meters, the skeletal reaper slammed down the Death Scythe.
Slash!
In an instant, the black sun was diagonally sliced from upper left to lower right, sliding apart.
And darkness fell.
[First Form – Eclipse]
The black sun exploded.
The shattered fragments turned into burning meteors, raining down on the demon legion’s heads.
Boom! Rumble!
Kaboom kaboom kaboom—
Demons shattered in the explosions, and the spreading black flames devoured them.
-What are you waiting for! Get moving, all of you!
-Hahaha! Been waiting for that!
-Chaaarge!
At the captain’s hearty command, the 299 suicide squad members charged across the plain in unison.
『What a clever idea. Rather than using the Demon Sea’s poison to detoxify, you’ve amplified the toxicity and infused it into your aura?』
The [Nameless Lord] seemed somehow amused, even as his minions rapidly dwindled.
『But in the end, it won’t catch me, the origin. You weren’t this sloppy from what I’ve seen before.』
-Of course. You think I’d end it here?
The captain began walking slowly toward the [Nameless Lord].
Demons lunged at her from everywhere with each step, but their heads were swiftly severed by the Death Scythe swung by the skeletal reaper.
Rumble rumble—
Earthquakes rippled in her wake.
The ground sank, flames surged.
A bizarre phenomenon, as if the world was being recreated.
Then, iron gates burst through the earth’s surface in places.
Iron gates engraved with motifs of tangled demons.
Creaaak—
As the gates opened one by one, even more black flames poured out, and atop them emerged monsters as horrific as the Demon Sea’s denizens.
Among them were no small number with various dragon forms.
[Second Form – Flame Hell]
『Hahaha! The Demon Sea has its own Demon Sea, does it! Who would’ve thought the world’s guardians would become monsters just like them!』
-Someone said it. Face the abyss’s monsters long enough, and you become one yourself. Tangled with you so long, it just happened naturally.
The Demon Sea monsters clashed with the Flame Hell monsters.
Rumble rumble rumble……!
A ferocious battle fierce enough to make one think the world might end right there.
And soon, the captain stood before the [Nameless Lord] and looked up.
Her tiny frame was minuscule compared to the lord that blanketed the sky.
Yet somehow, her presence seemed no less imposing.
『Now, what will you show me next?』
The [Nameless Lord] gazed at ■■■, who had fought him so long, with intrigued interest.
He was enjoying this moment immensely.
His longtime rival had devised only ultimate techniques to utterly dismantle the Demon Sea, solely to catch him.
On one hand, he could somewhat guess ■■■’s thinking.
To catch the [Nameless Lord], one must become the [Nameless Lord] itself.
He was curious.
How had this small rival viewed him all this time?
How had he interpreted him?
And by what means would he create another [Nameless Lord] surpassing the original?
-This.
Fwoosh—
The Flame Hell’s black flames swirled in unison around the captain, rising as a dragon column into the sky, soon taking a new form.
[Third Form – Yama]
And the revealed form was……
[Mind’s Thought forcibly terminated.]
As the foresight ended, the real world returned.
Magara’s voice faintly echoed in his head before fading.
「[Black Flame Dark Sun], was it? No way that ridiculous name can capture master’s secret art. So abandon any foolish thoughts of restoring her swordsmanship. It belongs solely to her.」
The ghosts hurriedly gathered around Theo.
-What’d you see?
-Did you see it?
-Can the swordsmanship be restored?
-Say something!
Their frantic chatter made his head throb.
Theo raised a hand to calm them and organized his thoughts.
‘Granada’s Black Flame Dark Sun is nothing compared to the original swordsmanship.’
Theo hadn’t witnessed Granada’s secret art himself, but he’d heard plenty.
It was nowhere near enough to rival the [Nameless Lord].
Above all, his defeat to Kyle proved it.
‘For Granada, mere imitation was probably the best he could do. Ragnar and Troyvan pursue swordsmanship in different directions from the start, and he didn’t know the foundation of the swordsmanship.’
But Theo was different.
Not only did he know Ragnar’s sword techniques in variety, he could even invent new ones based on them.
And most importantly.
‘I learned from those who understood the swordsmanship’s master better than anyone.’
Theo looked at the 299 ghosts watching him anxiously.
「Restoration…… seems possible.」
-What?
-I-Is that true?!
The ghosts buzzed with excitement.
Truth be told, they’d half-given up on restoring the swordsmanship deep down.
Theo nodded.
「Yes. I don’t know how long it’ll take, but I see the path. Thanks to all of you elders.」
Theo’s [Nibelung’s Claw] and [Thunder Dragon Instant Step] had been reassembled with the ghosts’ help, establishing a framework fit for the swordsmanship.
Whether it would fully match the captain’s upon completion was uncertain.
Still, Theo judged its power and direction would be the same.
Above all.
‘It aligns with the Dragon Island I pursue. No, it’s broadened my horizons.’
Whether thanks to the Sword Orb or not, unlike Magara’s boasts, Theo had gained far more inspiration.
So it was possible.
-Finally…… Finally, we can build our lord’s grave.
Splash!
Tears from the lead ghost sparked a chain of sobs among the others.
-Damn it, crying like a hag in old age!
-You’re the one bawling most!
-Th-This is just dust in my eye!
-Dust? For a ghost?
Theo quietly turned his gaze to the stone mound.
Tulips swaying gently in the light pouring from the ceiling caught his eye.
-Tulips aren’t just any flower. Long ago, they were our ancestors transformed by the flower god’s blessing.
-Their heads, marching toward Winter even in death, became flowers; their bodies, the black stems supporting them; their praying hands and feet became leaves and roots, remaining here.
Ode’s words surfaced in his mind.
Theo thought the tulips on the stone mound resembled the captain greatly.
The flower petals matched her bold eyes gazing up at the [Nameless Lord],
the black stem like Grim Reaper slicing demons,
the leaves evoking hands wielding black flames, the roots feet treading over dead demons’ remains.
‘Yeah. I absolutely can’t yield this to Troyvan.’
He couldn’t let Troyvan, colluding with the [Nameless Lord], steal the secret art made to catch the [Nameless Lord].
As Theo steeled his resolve.
「We haven’t fully protected it yet.」
Cassandra, shaking off the foresight’s afterglow, spoke again.
The Magic Empress possession hadn’t lifted.
「Their demonic hands are still eyeing the swordsmanship covetously.」
Theo snapped his head up, realizing this was prophecy too.
Rumble rumble!
The spirit mound trembled faintly.
He didn’t know how they’d found this place, but the enemy assault had begun anew.
But,
「No. They won’t take anything.」
Grip!
Theo clenched Drake’s blade, veins bulging in his hand.
Zeal burned on his face.
「I’ll make sure of it.」