Chapter 89
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Past Glory
In an instant, the ground lit up as bright as day.
A sun made of light took aim at the wings of the hawk floating in the sky. The light exploded, turning everything before my eyes white. The sun swallowed the black shadow.
KABOOOM—
As the light erupted, the monster's form vanished for a moment. Allen instinctively snapped his closed eyes open. As the remnants of the attack settled, the ancient monster was revealed.
It was flying, unharmed.
As if Allen's attack had done no damage at all, it proudly displayed the demeanor of a king of the skies.
No, it wasn't completely useless.
Allen narrowed his eyes. The monster's body faltered for a moment. It, too, had taken damage.
It was a creature of flesh and blood, just like any other. It was merely acting as if the attack was useless to avoid looking weak in front of its enemies.
Having been sealed for thousands of years, it couldn't be at its full strength. Otherwise, I wouldn't even be able to face it.
Ancient monsters were beings comparable to giants and dragons.
If so, the answer is simple.
Giant's Sword Style, Third Form: Ljossál.
Suns of light rose one after another. The dragon's heart screamed. The sensation of a hand squeezing my heart, something I hadn't felt in a long time. It was a familiar pain.
"Vestla, you said you knew that monster. What are our chances?"
Vestla's voice cut through the clamor of the battlefield, clear and distinct.
`Since it was just released... if you fight alone, Allen... a thirty percent chance.`
"And if I team up with Julius?"
Vestla seemed to hesitate before answering quietly.
`...If you join forces with your brother, fifty-fifty... probably.`
Allen was satisfied with that. Did he seem like the type to stubbornly refuse to fight alongside Julius? Absolutely not.
If he could be used, he would be used.
"Seriously, this is so annoying. Aaaaaargh!"
Julius roared. The Mark of the Thunder God on his lower abdomen burned hot. Deep blue lightning energy intertwined to form a single spear.
"Get down here, you bastard!"
[Astrapē αστραπή (A)]
The lightning became a single line.
CRACKLE!
Struck directly several times, Veðrfölnir's wings were torn to shreds, spewing black blood. The spilled blood touched the ground and melted the sand.
Veðrfölnir plummeted to the ground.
But even in that moment, it counterattacked. The white storm enveloping its body finally shook off the chains that bound it.
The Minima and Arachne tribes, who had been struggling to hold on, were thrown back.
Landing elegantly on the ground, it spread its wings wide with a mocking expression. White whirlwinds began to rage in all directions.
“────────────”
Allen's feet slid into the raging gale. Otherworldly Step: Irpascadus. With every step, mesmerizing shadows followed. Allen slipped through the curtain of black night.
Julius unleashed azure lightning, drawing the monster's attention.
A shadow slipped through the opening. His form, melted into the shadow, struck at the monster's blind spot.
The optimal strike, fueled by rage.
First Form. Managarm.
The crimson-stained sword accelerated, aiming for the underside of the wing.
Thwack—
But it failed. Allen's strike failed to tear the monster's flesh.
The blow slid off its hard feathers.
Ferocity filled Veðrfölnir's eyes as razor-sharp winds erupted in all directions.
The cutting wind tore through the shadows. Allen was already outside the attack's range.
So normal attacks don't even work?
Allen let out a hollow laugh. Even if it was just a test subject, this was a technique that could slice through a giant's skin. And yet it couldn't even cut a feather.
"Why did an age filled with monsters like that ever fall to ruin?"
`...I wonder. Perhaps it was because the giants and dragons wiped each other out?`
Vestla said vaguely. Magic drawn from the dragon's heart became threads, occupying the space.
There was no need to be discouraged just because close combat didn't work.
After all, his specialty was magic.
The threads gradually multiplied, weaving together into a tangled web. In the midst of it, a thunderbolt fell.
CRACK!
"Son of a bitch!"
When his minor attacks failed, Julius's eyes became bloodshot. It was absurd. Killing something like this is the quest?
This wasn't a matter of Allen letting him have it. The priority was to kill it, even if it meant getting help.
Magic gathered from the Mark of the Thunder God. Lightning surged. As he kicked off the ground powerfully, the sand, melted by the intense heat, shattered and sprayed fragments everywhere.
BOOM!
In his line of sight, he could see Allen preparing a spell. Julius gathered lightning in his hand and stretched it out long.
[Keraunos κεραυνός (A)]
A long whip pierced the air faster than sound and wrapped around the monster's body. For a moment, its movements stiffened. A downpour of lightning rained from the sky.
Krrrrrumble—
The layers of air shimmered as thunder roared.
"Allen—!"
"It's 'big brother' to you. Have we become the same age in this short time?"
At Julius's call, Allen formed a hand seal with cold eyes. Half of the threads flowed down between his fingers. The threads that fell to the floor wove into chains and burrowed into the ground.
The remaining half of the threads became black swords that shot toward the monster's body.
"Brother, a more powerful spell...."
Allen shook his head.
"I'll create an opening for you."
Allen flicked his fingertips, and chains shot out from the sandy ground, binding the monster's legs. Seeing its flapping wings, it was clearly flustered.
At the same time, the black swords from the sky hammered against the monster's body.
“────────────”
Even if I can't wound it, I can physically push it back.
Veðrfölnir's body swayed with the attacks as it let out a monstrous shriek.
He had already completed a rough analysis of Veðrfölnir.
An ancient monster that controls the wind.
It wields wind instinctively and is currently not in a rational state.
Its body cannot be pierced by ordinary attacks, and its blood is highly acidic.
It can fly, and it's highly likely it possesses regenerative abilities.
'I don't know what other abilities it might be hiding... but based on what I've seen so far, it's not a suitable opponent for me.' Unless he fought it in direct physical combat, it would be difficult to inflict significant damage with his magic.
His arsenal of spells for single-target combat was lacking.
"In that case, I understand!"
A flash of greed appeared in Julius's eyes. No matter how difficult, completing a quest is always good. Especially when the reward is a Fragment of Truth; of course he was curious.
So when given the chance to land a powerful blow, there was no reason to refuse.
"Brother, please hold on for a moment!"
"Alright—"
Allen stopped mid-reply. An overwhelming amount of magic began to surge. The magic was originating from Julius's bag.
Julius picked up the bag he had dropped and took out a large jar.
'...So that's what he was in the ruins to get.'
Allen looked utterly fed up with his greed. To think he'd risk his life for a treasure, no matter how important.
And he hadn't even thought of a separate way to escape the ruins.
"...Ah, seriously. I was planning to use this quietly later. My spirit affinity is too low, too."
He grumbled a few more words before starting to focus his lightning on the jar.
The more lightning was infused into it, the more the jar began to tremble, until finally, fine cracks appeared and it began to break.
"If only I'd made it to the Spirit Spring, I could have formed a complete contract, dammit."
Julius winced as if remembering something, then focused his lightning even more intensely as the jar looked like it was about to shatter completely.
Just as his vision filled with the flash of electricity.
CRACK!
The jar shattered.
What emerged from the broken jar was a giant with only an upper body. A translucent giant with indistinct facial features.
In the center of the giant's body, the lightning Julius had infused into the jar was gathered like a ball.
Upon the giant's appearance, Veðrfölnir seemed to sense something and began to thrash wildly.
Razor winds whipped around it, and it began to focus its attacks on Allen, who had bound it.
"Brother, please hold on a little longer!"
Julius focused more lightning into the giant. And when he pointed a finger at Veðrfölnir, the giant nodded.
Dark clouds began to gather above the giant's head.
Rumble—
The air vibrated as if a lightning bolt was about to strike, and electricity began to gather in the giant's arms.
With one hand, Allen continuously wove threads to launch verdigris swords, and with the other, he unleashed shockwaves.
The attacks, which pushed away space itself, clashed with the wind, which missed Allen several times.
A few minutes passed like this.
Allen consumed his magic like a madman to keep the monster in check. Chains constantly emerged from beneath its feet, binding the monster and hindering its movements.
"Are you not done yet?!"
"One minute! No, thirty seconds is all I need!"
He's getting too greedy. Allen bit his lip. Even now, the number of casualties was growing.
Just because Allen and Julius were handling it with relative ease, it was a mistake to think the other students were doing the same. Adding the monsters swarming from nearby, the situation was far from good.
'If you're going to do it, do it right.'
Julius was gathering power to kill the monster.
It would be problematic if Allen accidentally killed it. When the promised thirty seconds had passed, Julius shouted.
"It's ready now!"
The gathered lightning converged onto the giant's hands. The concentrated lightning transformed into a massive hammer. Half the size of the giant's torso.
The giant swung the newly formed hammer. No, it threw it.
The culmination of Julius's full power over several minutes was unleashed through the hands of the artificial spirit.
[Mjöllnir (A)] (Temporary)
Immediately after the attack, the spirit's form dissipated and was absorbed back into the Mark of the Thunder God.
A sound exploded. In the blink of an eye, the hammer closed the distance and struck the hawk's chest.
BOOM!
Sparks of lightning flew, burning its glossy black feathers, and the hammer only stopped its advance after caving in its chest.
But that wasn't the end.
"Gotta finish it off."
Julius grinned and lowered his hand, and as if on cue, countless bolts of lightning rained down on the hawk's head.
KRRACK!
Lightning struck again.
KRRRRACK—!
The monster, defenselessly taking the barrage of lightning, looked as if it had stopped breathing.
'But why...'
Something was wrong. His amplified senses were constantly ringing alarm bells. Vestla shouted urgently.
`Allen, get back! Now!`
Allen did not ignore her words. He immediately kicked off the ground and retreated.
Julius opened his quest window. Now all he had to do was get his reward and head back.
[Slay the ancient monster sealed in the ruins 'yourself' and prevent the catastrophe! Time Limit: 3:31:18]
[Reward: Fragment of Truth (???)]
"Well, brother! Let's head ba—"
Huh?
"Why is the quest window still the same...?"
Julius turned his head to solve the mystery, and...
A black shadow descended upon him.
KABOOOM—
That was the last thing he saw before he passed out.
* * *
Julius's body flew through the air like a toy.
His form, with all his equipment shattered in a single blow, seemed unreal for a moment. Allen's gaze remained fixed on the monster that had struck Julius.
It was in the air.
Directly above the spot where it had sent Julius flying.
Pondering, as if filled with the question of whether it had truly been the one to attack.
The sight of a hawk so massive it could hardly be called a mere bird, wearing a look of doubt, seemed detached from reality.
Any wounds it had sustained were long since gone.
After staring at Julius for a moment, the monster turned its head again.
For an instant, Allen's eyes met its. In its yellow eyes, he no longer saw the same ferocity as before.
"Could it be...?"
For a split second.
He lost track of its movement.
—THWACK!
"Kuhk...!"
He only managed to block because Vestla assisted his movements.
Allen scrambled to his feet. A long furrow was carved into the ground before him, marking the distance he'd been pushed back.
Veðrfölnir tilted its head again.
As if to say, 'This can't be right,' it looked at Allen with questioning eyes before raising its wings once more.
His vision filled with black.
—BOOM!
He hadn't blocked it because he'd seen it.
The giant's kinetic vision, the amplified five senses from his empathy, the sensory perception that helped predict movements.
None of it could detect Veðrfölnir's movements.
Allen hadn't been able to react to the attack on his own even once. He was only able to barely block because Vestla moved for him first each time.
A counterattack was still impossible, however.
After clashing with Allen several times, a flicker of sadness appeared in the monster's eyes.
With a nostalgic expression, it looked up at the stars pouring down, as if they had nothing to do with the world below.
“─────So this is the glory of a bygone past. The one with the Thunder God's blessing, and... you as well.”
A look of astonishment spread across Allen's face.
Instantly erasing its emotion, the monster turned its head toward Allen.
“─────I had high hopes, seeing as you inherited the blood of giants... but this is disappointing. You must have acquired that swordsmanship by chance.”
Its tone was filled with disappointment.
Vestla's blade began to tremble faintly.
“─────There is nothing more to see. I thank you for waking me, but...,”
Its intelligent yellow eyes scanned the surroundings.
“─────Since you woke me by force, you shall pay the price.”
The monster moved again.
Its fully spread wings accelerated beneath the glittering night sky.
Not toward him, but toward the others.