Chapter 185
Chapter 185
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 185
Chapter Title: Temporary 5th Squad Leader (5)
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‘What kind of monstrous power...!'
Vector stiffened as he watched the fragments of sword energy whirl like a storm.
He too was one of the superhumans who had grasped the Glass Domain, but he lacked the confidence to unleash his full power like these two.
Rumble—
Demonic lightning forged from magic rained endlessly from the sky, while storms raged from the ground, repeatedly erasing the bolts.
Julius and Ed were displaying utterly absurd levels of power.
On the surface, it looked like they were simply swinging, slashing, and thrusting while exchanging blows.
But he could tell that even a single motion contained countless subtleties, ready to split off in any direction at a moment's notice.
'These aren't human. They're demons wearing human skins.'
That's how Vector assessed Julius and Ed.
Not human.
Such power should never be permitted to humans.
'The words of the great god were right. Gods have positions and duties befitting gods, and humans have those befitting humans. We must spread the god's words throughout this world as soon as possible, strip away their vain power, and bestow proper teachings...!'
But Vector's thoughts didn't last long.
Boom!
A massive explosion echoed from the main gate.
He could see the Black Iron Cavalry attempting a breakthrough in a wedge formation.
Instantly, joy lit up Vector's face.
“They're here!”
Before starting the resurrection ritual, Ed had said something.
—We have intelligence that Ragnar will somehow try to stop the resurrection ritual. The White Dragon Knights will likely step in directly.
—Those heretics are trying to interfere again...!
—But no need to worry. Their plan will fail.
—...?
—Have you forgotten? Ragnar still has the sleeper agents we planted from Troyvan. It's time to activate them.
—Ah!
—Now's the time to reveal their identity.
Ed had repeatedly emphasized that his forces embedded in Ragnar weren't completely wiped out.
Ragnar had as many internal conflicts and fissures as its long history.
A slight shock would cause it to crumble on its own.
So, when the time came, he would draw that blade and deal a fatal blow to Ragnar.
With the resurrection ritual at hand, pulling out that hidden blade was bound to raise expectations.
—What is that blade?
—That blade is.
Thud thud thud!
Raising clouds of dust, the Black Iron Cavalry plunged into the chaotic melee of Blood Priests and White Dragon Knights.
—Torkel Ragnar. Captain of the Black Iron Cavalry.
He'd found it hilarious when he heard that.
The fact that a direct descendant of those hated Ragnars had betrayed Ragnar was endlessly amusing.
The Fifth Apostle.
The god's spirit and flesh, who directly led the Holy Demon Church, must have bestowed grace upon him personally.
In a sense, he was Ragnar's 'rightful master'.
Considering Granada Troyvan was also a servant blessed by the Fifth Apostle, this war had all been in the palm of the Fifth Apostle's hand.
So now, the White Dragon Knights would taste despair.
The moment those they thought were allies turned into enemies.
The moment the Black Iron Cavalry's sharp spears stabbed their backs, their soaring morale would shatter in an instant.
And without knowing the truth, they would perish right here.
Their corpses and blood would all become nourishment for the god's resurrection!
But...
“Don't leave a single cultist alive—!”
Torkel's roar from the vanguard of the Black Iron Cavalry echoed thunderously.
“For the glory!”
“For the glory!”
The cavalry's lances and warhorses trampled everything in sight.
Splatter splatter splatter!
Boom boom boom—
“Gah...!”
“Why us...!”
“Black Iron Cavalry...! Dodge the Black Iron Cavalry...! Hurry...!”
The ones turning into bloody pulp weren't the White Dragon Knights.
It was the Holy Demon Church's Blood Priests instead.
—Something's wrong!
Vector quickly turned his gaze to Ed amid the unfolding scene, completely at odds with what he'd been told.
「What is the meaning of this, young lord?! This isn't what we agreed on! You said the Black Iron Cavalry would aid us...!」
Vector had to cut off his telepathic message midway.
Ed's gaze turning toward him held no emotion whatsoever.
In that instant, a flash of realization struck Vector's mind.
‘No way... From the start, what Troyvan was aiming for was...!’
He hurriedly tried to turn his head toward the [Black Flower], but
「The cardinals loyal to our Third Apostle are too slow on the uptake. Well, that's what allowed us to get this far.」
Someone suddenly appeared before the cardinal.
A figure wearing a plain, unadorned mask.
It was Bonggong, known as the shadow of Troyvan.
Only then did Vector realize.
The Holy Demon Church was built from five apostles of wildly different origins and their factions.
Until now, the Fifth Apostle's faction, centered on Troyvan, had handled military might, while pushing out the Third Apostle's faction, which managed sacrifices and rituals.
To seize the Black Flower.
And once it was all over, they'd pin the blame on Ragnar to cover up the truth.
A cunning scheme.
Slash!
Spurt—
That was Vector's last thought as his head was severed.
* * *
The Black Iron Cavalry seemed intent on demonstrating why they were one of Ragnar's four symbolic elite units.
Piercing through, smashing apart.
Wherever they passed, only thorough destruction remained.
The ground was littered solely with the shredded remains of Blood Priests reduced to bloody pulp and the imprints of hooves in their spilled blood.
But,
‘Something's off.’
Theo sensed a strong dissonance there.
‘Too straight-line.’
Their greatest strength lay in breakthroughs and pulverization, but right now, it was as if...
‘They're heading straight for a target...!’
Then Theo saw it.
At the end of the Black Iron Cavalry's path.
The half-wilted Black Flower bud.
Flash!
The ritual master was clearly dead, halting the resurrection.
Yet the blood from the slain Blood Priests had already formed a stream, slowly flowing toward the Black Flower bud.
Sizzle—
Thanks to that, the bud was beginning to open ever so slightly.
A murky glow seeped out from within.
‘No way!’
Flash!
Before his thoughts could fully form, Theo's instincts moved first.
Umbra erupting from the shadows instantly carried him toward the Black Flower bud.
And then,
“...Got it.”
Just before the Black Iron Cavalry reached the Black Flower.
As Torkel, under his deeply visored helmet, reached out toward the Black Flower with a voice thrilled for the first time.
Theo intervened midway, batting away Torkel's hand.
Boom!
Neigh!
The armored warhorse Torkel rode veered sharply, rearing up with a whinny.
“Theo Ragnar, what is the meaning of this?”
A bizarre glint flashed in Torkel's eyes.
Unlike his reputation for cold composure, he made no effort to hide his killing intent toward Theo.
“That's what I'd like to ask you, Black Iron Cavalry Captain. Aren't you mistaking your mission objective?”
“Our mission is to stop the resurrection ritual.”
“No. Precisely, it's to 'eliminate the Blood Priests.'”
“...”
“Isn't it?”
Torkel fell silent for a moment, offering no reply.
“Theo Ragnar, do you realize your actions now exceed your station?”
At that moment, Iyan rode up beside Torkel.
“Is that so?”
“Indeed. I've heard you were appointed temporary squad leader for your contributions to the White Tower's mysteries. But that applies only within the White Dragon Knights. Don't forget—interfering in the Black Iron Cavalry's domain is beyond your authority.”
Iyan radiated killing intent like he wanted to tear Theo apart right then.
But to Theo, it was merely a prickling on his skin, no real threat.
No, rather.
Whoosh!
[Skill: Lesser Drake Fear activates, repelling the enemy's momentum.]
The aura swirling around Theo pushed back Iyan's.
Neigh.
The armored warhorses startled in unison.
Iyan struggled for a while to calm his mount.
“Then, it seems safe to assume that recovering what appears to be a key item falls under the Black Iron Cavalry's jurisdiction, so I should mind my own business?”
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
“I'm asking about your 'true objective.'”
Theo didn't miss Iyan flinching for an instant.
‘As expected.’
Their goal didn't seem to be mission completion.
‘Originally, the Black Dragon ordered an assassination amid the chaos, but...’
It appeared the entire Black Iron Cavalry, Iyan included, had already flipped to Torkel's side.
Before long, the whole unit halted the slaughter and surrounded Theo.
As if determined to seize the Black Flower no matter what.
And to eliminate anyone who got in the way.
‘Assassination won't cut it anymore.’
There was only one option left.
—Captain duel.
Thud!
Theo stabbed the drake blade in his hand into the ground and eyed Torkel, Iyan, and the Black Iron Cavalry now encircling him.
“Advanced Swordsman Theo Ragnar, commencing mission execution now.”
[Skill: Hatchling Sync activates, fully opening the brain gate.]
[Skill: Fairy Buff activates, massively boosting mana.]
[Skill: Worm Eater activates, increasing strike force.]
.
.
[Nirvana fully opens.]
[Dragonkin awakening begins.]
Whoosh!
The ancient dragon relics Theo carried unleashed in unison, whipping up a mana storm.
His sleeves fluttered.
His bangs shook.
Theo felt the world around him rapidly changing.
Nirvana.
The reward from clearing the seventh scenario quest signified an expansion of his mental world.
Theo's mind, having already opened the Pantheon Gate and witnessed the gods, was incomparable to an ordinary person's.
And that elevated spiritual stature naturally permeated his enlightenment.
In that moment, the Black Iron Cavalry fell under the illusion that Theo's presence overwhelmed them.
“My mission is the purge of Torkel Ragnar.”
Each word Theo uttered hammered into the ears of the Black Iron Cavalry like thunderclaps.
As Iyan and the others stiffened their faces and raised their lances, Theo issued his final declaration.
“Any who interfere will be deemed traitors to the family's will and executed on the spot.”
[All Buff Mode initiates.]
[Activation time: 10 minutes.]
Crackle, crackle-crackle!
Now the mana storm mingled with brilliant yellow lightning, birthing a thunder storm.
“Protect the captain—!”
With Iyan's urgent shout, nearby squad members rushed to shield Torkel, and
Boom!
Screech—
Theo immediately kicked off the ground ferociously, charging toward Torkel.
“Where—!”
“Die!”
The Black Iron Cavalry's sharply thrust lances poured down over Theo's head and back.
But Theo spun the drake blade mid-charge, deflecting the onslaught entirely, and simultaneously unleashed the swords at his waist per the subtleties of the Ego Swordsmanship.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
Splatter—
Moonwhite, Dragon Slayer, Spirit Wonder—the three swords shot in a straight line, piercing the armored warhorses' necks and embedding in the cavalrymen's hearts.
Spurt!
They shattered into dozens of fragments before they could even scream, raining down.
“Parmaaa!”
“Zender!”
“I'll kill youuu!”
Other cavalrymen moved in rage to target Theo's back, but
“Asked for an assassination, but you're straight-up picking a fight? This is totally nuts, huh?”
A cute laugh suddenly echoed from the sky, leading to an incongruous result.
Dozens of presences plummeted vertically like a meteor shower, blasting away the entire cavalry squad.
Amore and Squad 1 members.
Those assigned to block the Black Iron Cavalry while aiding Theo had revealed themselves.
Amore glanced at Theo with a grin.
“Whew, well, that's more Ragnar style anyway, right? Heh.”
And by then, Theo had reached Torkel.
Their first clash.
Boom!
But Theo's attack didn't reach Torkel.
A dragon form woven from dragon power, demonic energy, and miscellaneous forces beyond them shielded Torkel.
“I wasn't planning to reveal this yet... Impressive. How did you grow strong enough to threaten me in just a year, little brother? You haven't touched taboos like I have, have you?”
Torkel laughed coldly.
But his icy eyes brimmed with jealousy and envy toward Theo.
Zing!
The drake blade trembled violently, as if repulsed by the opponent.
“The Madness Dragon Emperor's frenzy, plus the [Nameless Lord's] demonic energy?”
In lieu of an answer, Theo twitched one eyebrow.
A Ragnar successor wielding two forbidden powers that should never be allowed.
“What the hell are you?”
How the Ragnar Bastard Survives