Chapter 303
Chapter 303
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 303
Chapter Title: Memories (1)
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Duke-class demon.
The moment he heard those words, the Empire's Greatest Swordsman recalled the demon that had clashed with the Holy Order not long ago.
Babel.
A duke-class demon who possessed the Authority of "Isolation."
Babel favored a tactic of attacking enemies with sturdy rectangular pillars created by "isolating" a fixed range of space.
But the uses of Isolation weren't limited to that. It was also possible to deprive foes of their vision by "isolating" their senses.
By the time his thoughts reached that point, the Empire's Greatest Swordsman realized what had happened to his own body.
"You've 'isolated'... all the flows in my body."
"Sharp as ever. Not that it changes anything."
Dorgo sneered vilely as he spoke.
"A demon's Authority is on a whole different level from some curse. No mere human body can dispel it."
Dorgo added, gazing at the Ruler of Myriad Flames.
"Leos, you did well. We couldn't have cornered the Empire's Greatest Swordsman without you."
The Ruler of Myriad Flames gave no reply. He, too, was suffering under the Authority's grip.
"Urgh... grrr..."
Even so, the Ruler of Myriad Flames did not pull out the awl embedded in his chest.
He merely glared at the Empire's Greatest Swordsman with eyes brimming with hatred.
"Leos... you must have... resented me that much... Even so... I cannot grant... your wish..."
The Empire's Greatest Swordsman calmly examined his own body.
Though his flows had been "isolated," he could breathe, if only slightly. His mana stirred, however faintly. Even his blood trickled, ever so minutely.
The Authority of Isolation was not perfect. The fact that the Empire's Greatest Swordsman still lived was proof of that.
The Empire's Greatest Swordsman resisted the Authority. He pushed it back, trying to reclaim control of his body.
"...I can scarcely believe my eyes."
Hela Fallen spoke with an expression of astonishment. She had noticed the changes in the Empire's Greatest Swordsman's body early on.
"To think a human's will could resist a demon's Authority. No more playing around."
Hela Fallen summoned her black mana.
Vast black mana concentrated in her legs. She lowered her body like a sprinter at the starting line.
Boom.
The instant Hela Fallen kicked off the ground, a flash of light streaked forth. A single ray shot toward the Empire's Greatest Swordsman.
Hela Fallen.
Head of Pandemonium.
She was a master of swift swordsmanship. Her movements and strikes had already reached the speed of light.
Charging as a beam of light, Hela Fallen swung her blade. Her thrust became a flash, aiming to sever the Empire's Greatest Swordsman's neck.
In that moment, the Empire's Greatest Swordsman envisioned one image.
A single sword batting away the light.
The moment the image crystallized, a sharp clang rang out, and Hela Fallen's sword was repelled.
The Empire's Greatest Swordsman's image did not end there. He envisioned pursuing Hela Fallen and swinging his sword.
Invisible thrusts poured down on Hela Fallen. She parried the mind swords and retreated.
"Eos! You monster!"
Hela Fallen shouted with a brilliant smile.
Even though her attack had failed, she looked utterly delighted.
"Does that mean your mind sword is still intact? As expected of the man I acknowledged!"
Even as he lay dying under the demon's Authority, the Empire's Greatest Swordsman's mind sword remained as powerful as ever.
"But how many times can you wield a mind sword in that state?"
The Empire's Greatest Swordsman was dying from the Isolation.
No matter that he was the Empire's Greatest Swordsman, it was impossible to unleash mind swords in succession with his body in that condition.
"Besides, I'm not alone."
Before he knew it, the Four Great Demon Kings stood behind Hela Fallen. All of them gripped weapons in their hands.
"......"
The Ruler of Myriad Flames was out of commission, but four even more formidable monsters had joined the fray.
In contrast, the Empire's Greatest Swordsman had lost the World Tree's support and was dying from the demon's Authority.
Yet he raised his sword. Preparing to face Hela Fallen and the Four Great Demon Kings.
"Eos, just give up. At least meet your end peacefully."
"I can't do that."
"Why be so stubborn? That's not the man you used to be."
At Hela Fallen's question, the Empire's Greatest Swordsman gave a wry smile.
The young elf who had left his island to broaden his horizons had fallen in love with an imperial noble.
Up to that point, it sounded like a beautiful romance straight out of a cheap novel. But the aftermath was anything but.
His mother was exiled from Elfheim for bearing a half-elf child.
Unable to accept the World Tree's essence, she withered away day by day.
His father no longer loved his mother once her beauty faded.
From the start, the father had a proper wife. And an heir to succeed the family.
The father turned his back not only on his mother but on his two sons as well. He gave them no real attention.
Betrayed by the man she loved, on top of being abandoned by her homeland—how agonizing must it have been? How much it must have hurt.
Even as a child, the Empire's Greatest Swordsman pitied his mother. He felt sorry for her.
And he felt guilty.
Because it seemed their existence had ruined her life.
Because it seemed they were the cause of her suffering.
—Eos, what would you like for dinner tonight?
But his mother never resented her two sons, not even a little.
—My son, you've grown so much.
—Eos! I told you not to fight with your brother!
—Just wait a bit. Mommy will make you a nice sweater from this yarn.
She even showered them with the love their father withheld.
Thanks to her, Eos never felt his father's absence.
But his mother did not live long. She collapsed the year her two sons came of age.
—Elfheim... I want to run... through those forests...
Until her dying breath, she longed for Elfheim.
Even after being cast out, she could not forget her homeland.
That was why the Empire's Greatest Swordsman had come here.
To repay his mother's love. To protect the homeland she cherished until the end.
"Hela, you're talking too much. Or are you scared of me?"
At the Empire's Greatest Swordsman's taunt, Hela let out a mocking laugh and kicked off the ground.
A light-speed strike flew at him. The Four Great Demon Kings charged right behind it.
* * *
Chunks of earth rained down amid the explosions.
Demian alone could have broken through and escaped with ease.
But the elves were the problem. There was no leeway to save them and flee.
"Dorgo, you damn bastard!"
It was clearly a deliberate trap. Spitting his rage, Demian swung Dawn.
A storm of aura erupted from Dawn, piercing the falling debris.
For a moment, the ceiling gaped open. But only for a moment.
The gap filled in immediately. There was simply too much earth cascading down.
Desperately racking his brain, Demian searched for a way to escape while protecting the elves.
"Demian... Haksen..."
Then, Hata, collapsed on the ground, forced his mouth open.
"Leave... us behind... At least you... escape..."
Demian's body froze at those words. An unpleasant memory resurfaced.
—Big brother! Run! These guys are done for!
His teeth ground together.
His head burned as if it might burst.
He hated it.
Being toyed with by Dorgo like this.
Having to give up something because of Dorgo.
The frustration and irritation were unbearable.
"...Urk!"
In that instant, a headache assaulted him. It wasn't ordinary pain. His head felt like it would split open.
Demian clutched his head with both hands. He forcibly endured the lightning-like agony.
"Urgh..."
Suddenly, Demian's vision went black. Then a familiar scene emerged.
A castle in ruins, engulfed in flames.
Undead massacring people.
Demian stood atop a tall tower, looking down on the carnage.
"Is this...?"
Demian had seen this place in both his past and present lives.
It was the imperial palace.
That realization hit just as a familiar voice echoed from behind.
—P-please... spare me... I beg you...!
Dorgo, reduced to his upper body alone, pleaded desperately.
A knight in black armor stood before Dorgo. The moment Demian saw him, his eyes widened.
It was his past-life self. Demian Haksen, remade as a Death Knight.
Only then did Demian understand what memory he was witnessing.
He was seeing the memory right before his regression.
—Fall into hell.
His past-life self stomped on Dorgo's head repeatedly. Until the skull crumbled to dust.
—W-who... are you...?
A middle-aged man standing a short distance away asked in bewilderment. Emperor Howard Adelaite of the Empire.
But his past-life self didn't even glance at the emperor.
—I still... have work to do.
His past-life self inverted Erebos. He pressed the blade's tip to his chest.
—I need to apologize. Say I'm sorry.
Without hesitation, his past-life self plunged Erebos into his chest.
Erebos pierced through his chest and protruded from his back. Thus, his past-life self met his end.
Up to here, it matched what Demian knew. But the memory didn't end.
Suddenly, a bizarre power began flowing from the chest wound.
It was neither mana, black mana, holy power, nor even demonic essence.
—Why was a power like this stored in my body...?
His past-life self looked down at his chest in confusion.
Then, magic circles suddenly appeared on Demian's skin.
They were densely inscribed across his entire body.
His past-life self examined the circles. Soon, fury filled his eyes.
—Dorgo! Your handiwork! What were you planning to do with my body this time!
His past-life self tried to erase the circles, but to no avail. They glowed even brighter.
Even the seven sigils embedded in his hands began to shine.
The power surging from Demian's body flowed into the seven sigils. In response, all seven Authorities manifested simultaneously.
—Grrraaagh!
Unable to withstand the Authorities' activation, Demian's body began to collapse.
Soon, a black hole formed in midair.
The black hole sucked in Demian. It didn't stop there—it drew in Dorgo's corpse rolling on the ground. Finally, it absorbed Howard Adelaite.
Having taken in the three, the black hole closed.
"...Gasp!"
At the same time, Demian snapped back to his senses. He escaped the memory and returned to reality.
If he wasn't mistaken, that had been a past memory.
One even Demian had forgotten—forgotten that he'd forgotten it.
Milen's words were right. The reason Demian could turn back time was thanks to the Authorities.
He simply hadn't realized it because the memory had been erased.
"...Dorgo, you planned to sacrifice me as an offering."
Demian's body had shattered, unable to endure the ritual's activation.
Dorgo must have intended to destroy the Empire and then sacrifice Demian to return to the past.
"You trash! I should tear you limb from limb a thousand times over!"
The thought that he'd nearly been used by Dorgo until the very end fueled his rage.
But now was not the time for emotions. Piles of earth from the ceiling were accumulating on the floor. At this rate, the elves would be buried alive.
Suddenly, Demian recalled Milen's words.
Dorgo had combined Authorities to "restore" objects, she said.
The way the missing parts were perfectly reconstructed looked just like rewinding time.
And in the past memory, Demian had seen how Dorgo planned to rewind time.
"...If I've seen it, I can do it. That's the kind of guy I am."
But he lacked the number of Authorities. Demian had only unleashed five.
He needed demonic essence. Only then could he unlock more Authorities.
Demian dropped to his knees. He placed his hand on the magic circle on the floor.
If it was a magic circle Dorgo had made, Demian could wield it too.
Injecting black mana, the floor's magic circle began to glow.
"If you can activate magic, you can stop it too."
First, Demian halted the demon's Authority permeating the World Tree.
"Hah...!"
"B-breathing... I can breathe!"
The elves gasped for air. Their connection to the World Tree had been restored.
Next, Demian extracted demonic essence through the magic circle.
Demonic essence poured from the circle. Demian absorbed it all.
In turn, one dormant Authority awakened.
The Authority of Sloth.
An Authority that manipulated time.
In his past life, Demian had used it to accelerate himself or slow enemies' movements.
No, that was all he'd managed. But now was different.
Demian applied the Authority of Envy to his mana. He transformed it into the mysterious energy he'd seen in the memory.
With the Authority of Wrath, he amplified the mysterious energy. Using the amplified energy, he simultaneously manifested the Authorities of Pride and Sloth.
The Authorities chained together, unleashing a new ability.
The falling earth slowed bit by bit. Then it came to a complete halt in midair.
"I-it stopped...?"
"W-what's happening...?"
The elves looked up in confusion.
Demian intensified the ability. The earth began rising back into the sky.
The destroyed cavern reverted to its original state. Exactly as it had been at first.
"......"
"......"
The elves stared at Demian in a daze.
What Demian had just accomplished was impossible even for magic or spirits.
They wore expressions as if facing a god.
"Huff, huff."
Demian breathed heavily.
He'd only used the power briefly, yet his stamina and mana were depleted.
"Is everyone alright?"
Demian asked the elves. They nodded slowly.
"Good. You all recover your strength here."
Activating the Authorities had nearly killed him, but he still had work to do.
Demian headed to where the dimensional gate had opened.
The gate had closed, leaving nothing behind.
But with the Authority of Pride, Demian could see it.
The traces left by the gate's opening and closing.
The Authority of Pride governed space. Thus, reopening a closed dimensional gate was possible.
Demian squeezed out his remaining mana and manifested the Authority of Pride. The closed dimensional gate reopened.
Without hesitation, Demian threw himself through.
* * *
It looked as if a storm had swept through.
The entire plain was utterly devastated. Cracks like those from an earthquake exposed the guts of the earth everywhere.
"Cough."
The Empire's Greatest Swordsman lay at the epicenter.
His body was covered in wounds. Blood poured from his mouth, evidence of internal injuries.
"...Why are you still alive?"
Hela Fallen asked in disbelief.
She, the head of Pandemonium, along with the Four Great Demon Kings, had attacked together. Yet the Empire's Greatest Swordsman endured.
Though the Four Great Demon Kings hadn't revealed their true forms, it was undeniably strange.
"...I'm wondering the same. Why haven't you killed me yet?"
Hela Fallen let out a hollow laugh at his words.
"Eos, impressive. But do you think I don't know you've reached your absolute limit?"
As if proving her words true, the Empire's Greatest Swordsman dropped to one knee.
Hela Fallen approached him closely. Even with the enemy right before him, the Empire's Greatest Swordsman couldn't raise his sword.
"Haa..."
The Empire's Greatest Swordsman looked up at the sky.
He had been able to read the flows of fate since birth. Even now, he peered into destiny.
The chaotic flows of fate illuminated a single path.
Death.
The fate he had long foreseen was coming for him.
"Eos, your neck will be my greatest treasure."
"...Polish it clean every day, then."
Hela Fallen raised her sword high.
The Empire's Greatest Swordsman did not close his eyes. He would witness his fate until the end.
Yet something odd caught Eos's eye.
"...Huh?"
The flows of fate grew chaotic once more. The inevitable death scattered anew.
"No way...?"
A dimensional gate opened above the Empire's Greatest Swordsman's head. Demian Haksen burst out from within.
The moment Demian Haksen emerged, he swung at Hela Fallen.
Hela Fallen dodged the strike and fell back. She glared at Demian Haksen in utter disbelief.
"You little... how are you here...?"
"I've finally caught up!"
But Demian ignored Hela Fallen entirely.
"Dorgo!"
He had eyes only for one.
Glared at the tiresome nemesis and roared.
"Stay right there! I'm throwing you into hell right now!"