Chapter 300
Chapter 300
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 300
Chapter Title: Feint Operation (1)
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As dawn broke, the Empire's Greatest Swordsman donned his armor and ascended to the top of the walls.
"Hmm."
The Empire's Greatest Swordsman rested his chin on his hand, gazing down at the base of the walls.
Undead emitting a rotten stench scratched at the walls while letting out shrieks.
"...Eos, swap roles with Demian Haksen even now."
Commander-in-Chief Slinder said with a bug-sucking face. The Empire's Greatest Swordsman asked him.
"Doesn't it look like rain?"
At those words, Slinder shouted in disbelief.
"It's so clear—rain? What rain?"
"Today looks like it'll pour, so we should hurry the operation."
The Empire's Greatest Swordsman took out a fruit the size of a plum from his bosom. Unusually, the fruit gleamed silver.
This silver fruit was the produce from a branch of the World Tree. It was extremely precious, but Millene had given it to him for today.
"Commander-in-Chief, the undead might attack the castle while I'm gone. Please hold them off well."
"...You really don't listen to a word I say."
Slinder let out a deep sigh. But he soon steeled himself.
"What's done is done. Leave this place to me and go wild as you please."
The Empire's Greatest Swordsman nodded, then bit into the World Tree's fruit.
It wasn't sweet; it was refreshingly tart. The Empire's Greatest Swordsman chewed it all and swallowed it down his throat.
Soon after, he expanded his senses. He gazed eastward and murmured lowly.
"Leos, so you're there."
The Empire's Greatest Swordsman leaped down from the walls. He landed in the middle of the undead legion.
-Kieeeek!
-Kraaaak!
The moment the Empire's Greatest Swordsman revealed himself, the undead charged at him immediately.
Rotting flesh, but not to be underestimated. They were all selectively revived powerful monsters.
Even as the undead rushed in, the Empire's Greatest Swordsman didn't draw his sword. He simply closed his eyes.
With his eyes closed, the scenery around him vividly appeared in his mind.
The Elfheim royal castle right behind him.
The clear, pristine blue sky.
And the undead charging toward him.
The Empire's Greatest Swordsman added a touch of his imagination to it.
He envisioned the undead charging at him being sliced into pieces.
The moment his mental image solidified, lines etched across the undead bodies everywhere.
Soon, the undead crumbled into fragments. A wide empty space formed centered on the Empire's Greatest Swordsman.
Heart Sword.
It was the name of the realm he had attained.
After realizing the Heart Sword, the Empire's Greatest Swordsman could manifest his mental images into reality.
"Then, shall I go meet my little brother."
The Empire's Greatest Swordsman kicked off the ground and moved along the wide path that had opened.
The remaining undead tried to block his path, but it was futile. They all turned into chunks of meat.
After traveling for a while, the Empire's Greatest Swordsman's steps halted. He said with a welcoming face.
"Leos, did you have sweet dreams last night?"
A place where tents were clustered.
There, the Master of Myriad Flames glared at the Empire's Greatest Swordsman with a furrowed brow.
"...So you've decided to kill me after all."
"How could I, as your brother, kill my little brother?"
The Empire's Greatest Swordsman raised his fist and said.
"I'm just thinking of giving you a few good beats. Then I'll have you pay for your crimes in the Empire's prison."
"I told you to cut the bullshit!"
The Master of Myriad Flames widened his eyes and spat out his rage.
"I can't understand you, brother! How can you side with those pointy-ears? How did those bastards treat our mother! What insults did they give us two brothers!"
The Master of Myriad Flames couldn't calm his excitement. Instead, he shouted even louder.
"They called us dirty blood clots born from fucking beasts! Treated us like filthy abominations! So why? Why are you protecting those pointy-ears?"
"......"
"Say something!"
"Mother loved Elfheim."
The Empire's Greatest Swordsman's tightly shut mouth opened.
"So I'm protecting Elfheim too. That must be Mother's will."
"...As expected, I can't communicate with you, brother."
Black-red flames surged from beneath the Master of Myriad Flames' feet.
Soon, the flames took the form of a giant. The giant, staked all over his body, looked at the Empire's Greatest Swordsman with half-dead eyes.
"If you try to stop me, I won't forgive you even if you're my brother."
"Unfortunately, I was planning to forgive you."
"Outrageous. This isn't the time to act so leisurely."
The Master of Myriad Flames pointed upward. Then, something fell from atop the drifting clouds.
A beauty with long, jet-black straight hair cascading down.
It was Hella Fallen, the head of Pandemonium.
"Eos, long time no see."
"Hella, your beauty is unchanged."
"Oh my, you know that makes me happy?"
Contrary to her words, Hella was delighted beyond measure.
"Facing you like this brings back memories of that night."
"You were beautiful that night too."
"Oh my, oh my, keep that up and I'll get embarrassed. You were quite dashing yourself."
Hella said, blushing. The Empire's Greatest Swordsman averted his gaze shyly too.
Only the Master of Myriad Flames looked at the two with displeasure.
"Anyone would think you're still lovers."
"My little one, you're quite angry."
"I didn't consider my brother enough. Sorry about that."
The two nodded understandingly. The Master of Myriad Flames scowled deeply.
"...Hella, surely your heart hasn't changed now?"
"As if. The more I recall the memories, the more I crave your head, Eos."
Hella looked at the Empire's Greatest Swordsman with eyes full of greed.
"Eos, can you handle both of us?"
Hella smiled and said. The Empire's Greatest Swordsman drew his sword and replied.
"Of course. That's why I came from the start."
A green pattern appeared on the Empire's Greatest Swordsman's forehead. Wind blew from somewhere and wrapped around his body.
"Before coming here, I ate the World Tree's fruit."
Those who consumed the World Tree's fruit experienced a massive surge in mana and physical abilities.
But the Empire's Greatest Swordsman hadn't eaten it for that.
"I'll ask you instead. Do you think I can't handle just two with the World Tree's support?"
* * *
The moment the Empire's Greatest Swordsman moved, Demian set off with the elves.
Thanks to the undead legion swarming toward the Empire's Greatest Swordsman, they reached Pandemonium's hideout relatively smoothly.
"Pandemonium's main base is hidden here."
Mata pointed to the forest. On the surface, it was a dense woodland.
"Wait."
This time, Hata took out a large leaf from her bosom. Unusually, the leaf shone silver.
No one explained, but Demian knew what that leaf was.
A World Tree leaf.
An item that dispelled magic by restoring the flow of mana to its original state.
Hata rubbed the leaf between her palms. It crumbled into silver powder that scattered.
The silver powder dispersed through the air. Then, the illusion magic covering the forest began to fade.
In place of the vanished forest scenery, a barren plain revealed itself.
Trees were uprooted and scattered haphazardly.
In the now-empty plain, a hole as wide as a lake gaped open.
The hole was so deep it seemed the ground had been gouged out entirely.
"...To dare do this to our island."
Mata trembled with rage. The other elves glared at the hole with eyes full of fury.
That was when it happened.
-Kieeeek!
-Kraaaak!
Undead sensing the anomaly rushed toward their group.
They weren't ordinary undead at a glance. They were flesh golems pieced together from various corpses.
Demian drew his sword to deal with the undead. But the elves stopped him.
"Demian Haksen, we don't know what's down there. Conserve your strength."
"Leave these to us. Everyone, summon your spirits!"
Mata and Hata commanded the spirit mages.
The elves immediately summoned spirits. Spirits of all colors and forms appeared in the world.
From fire bears to rabbits, varying in size and shape. Their commonality: all top-grade spirits.
-Kieek!
-Kueeeek!
The flesh golems charged at the elves. The spirit mages promptly ordered their spirits.
Crimson flames incinerated the undead wholesale, water droplets became projectiles piercing them, and blade-like winds tore them apart.
In the blink of an eye, all the flesh golems were destroyed.
'Impressive no matter how many times I see it.'
Demian inwardly admired the spirits' power.
Spirits were beings innately possessing power akin to natural disasters.
Under a spirit mage's command, they were nearly unstoppable.
"It's over. Let's move."
-Where do you think you're going?
A chilling voice came from somewhere.
At that instant, a black projectile shot toward Hata, slicing through the air.
It was too fast for Hata to react. The black projectile aimed to pierce her head.
Just before, Demian reached out. He blocked the black projectile with his palm. A dull sound rang out, and something burst.
"W-Wah! W-What the hell?"
Hata shouted in shock. Only then did she realize she'd nearly died.
"D-Demian Haksen! A-Are you okay?"
Demian casually dusted off his palm as if it were nothing.
The black projectile Demian had blocked was a lump of Aurablade.
Had Demian not blocked it, Hata would've died with her head pierced.
-You blocked that? Not bad reaction speed.
A man emerged from behind a tent set up near the hole.
The man's appearance was utterly bizarre.
In place of where arms should be, a cylindrical strange weapon was attached.
That wasn't all. One eye was grotesquely large, like a glass orb embedded.
-Come out, all of you. I thought it'd be boring with just elves, but there's an interesting one.
The man raised his voice. Then, other humans appeared from various tents.
They too had grotesque forms like the man.
Four pairs of arms, six eyes, or beast limbs attached.
All had spine-chilling appearances.
-Human? Why's there a human?
-Idiot. That's him. Demian Haksen! Didn't you hear he entered the island?
-The human that one desires so much? Demian Haksen?
-Kihihit, that one's mine! I'll present his corpse to her!
The freaks laughed, cried, or raged. Like looking at the insane.
But seeing them, the elves didn't laugh. Tension etched their faces instead.
"...Demian Haksen, they're called the 'Oathbound.' They look weird, but don't let your guard down. Monsters among monsters."
"I heard they're made by modifying Master-class experts. Famous spirit mages all died by their hands."
The two sisters immediately summoned spirit kings.
A serpent of water and a sparrow wreathed in lightning appeared.
-Spirit King? It's been a while.
-First time since we killed that spirit mage with the Fire Spirit King, right?
Even seeing the Spirit Kings, the Oathbound weren't intimidated. They even seemed to underestimate them.
-Spirit Kings are a bit tricky.
-Don't overthink. Just kill the spirit mage and it's done.
-Like with that Fire Spirit King user.
-Distract moderately, then the fast one sneaks in and severs the neck.
When a spirit mage dies, the spirits lose power and weaken.
Thus, the basic strategy against spirit mages was to target the mage themselves.
Just moments ago, Hata hadn't even reacted to the Oathbound's attack.
"You humans dare mock us?"
"We'll turn you all to charcoal before you can even approach."
The Mata and Hata sisters shouted, burning with fighting spirit.
That was when it happened.
Pushing past the two sisters, Demian stepped forward. The sisters said with panicked faces.
"Demian Haksen, you were supposed to conserve your strength..."
"Found you."
Demian's eyes were fixed solely on the Oathbound.
"The traces left on your bodies... Definitely Dorgo's handiwork."
He couldn't mistake it.
He'd experienced it himself when modified into a Death Knight.
And afterward, he'd watched Dorgo modify someone endlessly from the side.
"Here you are. Right here. Dorgo, that damn son of a bitch! That trash is here!"
Emotions surged. Ecstasy and euphoria vied to assert themselves.
That was when it happened.
The first man to appear pointed one arm at Demian.
Mana gathered in the cylinder instead of a hand, and a black projectile fired.
The projectile grazed Demian's cheek and passed. It embedded in the ground, causing a massive explosion.
Red flames reached the sky. The elves watched the scene in horror.
-How dare you utter Lord Dorgo's name so carelessly.
The man said with extreme displeasure.
-Lord Dorgo is a great being beyond your comprehension. Even in his absence, show respect. Otherwise...
Suddenly, Demian's body vanished.
-...What?
Bewilderment crossed the man's face. The other freaks flailed, scanning around.
Then, a shadow fell over the man's face. Startled, the man looked up.
Demian descending from the sky stomped the man's face with full force.
The man's head slammed into the ground instantly. The spot shattered completely.
The man trembled all over with his head buried in the earth. Soon, he went still like a puppet with cut strings.
"What... did you say about showing respect to Dorgo?"
Demian turned to the freaks and asked back.
His voice was calm, but his eyes boiled with rage like molten lava.
"I'm asking now. What did you just tell me to show?"
No answer came.
Heavy silence descended.