Chapter 134
Chapter 134
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 134
Chapter Title: Hundred Cuts Blossom
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Kallias stood motionless, lost in thought, when Chris approached him.
"Uncle."
"......"
"Uncle, you're a pilgrim, right? But why don't you have a spear? All the pilgrims carry spears. Or maybe a mace?"
"......"
"Which is stronger, spear or mace?"
"......"
"Spears are stronger, right?"
He had tried ignoring him, but it was clear this kid wouldn't take the hint.
Kallias gave a half-hearted reply.
"Spears are just easier to use."
"But aren't maces easier? You just swing 'em."
Chris mimed swinging a two-handed mace, making Kallias's eyebrow twitch.
"Just because something's easy to use doesn't make it stronger. Spears or maces—any weapon can be simple or complex depending on how you wield it. Once you reach a certain level, it stops being about the weapon's power and becomes about the power of the one holding it."
"The spear pilgrims said spears are the best. Swords are total trash."
"......"
That one stung.
It was hard to let slide.
'Lord above.'
Was this another trial of the pilgrimage?
As a pilgrim who wielded a sword, there were certain lines he could never ignore.
And this brat had crossed one. Kallias's brow furrowed.
"Swords aren't weak."
"You said every weapon is either thrusting or swinging. A sword's thrust can't compare to a spear's, and its swing can't match a mace's. That's why it's trash."
"......"
The logic was annoyingly sound.
But there were plenty of counterarguments.
Yes, a sword's thrust was weaker than a spear's—unavoidable, given the length.
Yes, its swing was weaker than a mace's, thanks to the weight difference; a simple swing favored the heavier weapon.
However.
Swords weren't weak.
Shorter than spears, lighter than maces.
But swords were light and could slash with blinding speed.
Beyond a certain realm, there were no limits to what could be cut.
"If swords were strong, we wouldn't have lost to the Empire!"
Kallias paused, about to retort, cut short by Chris's words.
As he looked down at the boy, his hand twitched to strike—
"Huh? Wait a sec!"
Chris bolted away.
'Sharp instincts.'
A moment later, and Kallias would've smacked him.
"Hm?"
Something felt off.
The boy's expression changed rapidly as he talked to the spear brothel workers.
"Uncle...!"
Soon, pale-faced, the kid ran back to Kallias.
* * *
Thud, thud.
"Brother, wanna play with me for a bit?"
"How about me?"
Kallias ignored the flirtations thrown his way as he walked.
Toward the highest, deepest place.
He walked and walked.
The women he passed each tried to tempt him with a word, but he didn't spare them a glance.
Having seen Esther's and Helena's beauty, and even Queen Clara's, their allure meant nothing to Kallias.
Besides, he'd been traveling with an elf lately.
With Serena's beauty before his eyes every day, these women didn't register.
"Hey, no entry here. Turn back."
Rough-looking men blocked his path. Kallias didn't stop.
Chin.
Crack!
"Arghhh!!"
He twisted the outstretched hand, breaking it.
The bone snapped ominously.
Local thugs couldn't handle Kallias's trained body.
"What the hell are you?!"
Another charged.
He seized the man's fingers and snapped them.
Crack—the sound echoed through the spear brothel like a pig's squeal.
"Eek!"
Women screamed in fright, drawing more thugs.
But they were no match for Kallias.
He shattered an arm or leg on each until they begged for mercy.
'Save Veronica!'
Chris's voice echoed in his ears.
He hadn't expected that cocky kid's voice to crack like that.
'I lied! Veronica's been waiting for Philip! Now that she knows he's dead, who knows what she'll do!!'
A common tale.
As a pilgrim, Kallias had wandered far and seen many stories.
With the main quest stirring, the only way he'd grown stronger was through these acts of grace.
He'd witnessed countless deaths, countless grudges and tales.
A brothel girl and a man's romance?
Nothing special.
Yes.
Just a common story.
Utterly ordinary in this world.
Nothing more.
Thwack!
He smashed the last thug's face and yanked the door handle.
Creak.
In the dim room, lit by red candles, Veronica lay sobbing on the floor, while a man with oiled-back hair smoothed his locks.
"...Who the hell are you?"
Veronica's hair was disheveled, her cheek swollen.
Bruises were forming on her back and arms—she'd just been beaten.
Kallias drove his fist straight into the man's face.
Splat!!
"Guack!!"
Crash!!
The man crashed through a desk. Kallias turned to Veronica.
"Was this scum involved in Philip's death?"
She didn't answer, just nodded through her sobs, swallowing her rage.
Tears and blood soaked the floor.
That was enough.
"Philip probably wanted your happiness. That's why he showed me you and the spear brothel."
In Philip's memories, Veronica smiled so brightly in front of him.
A face that rarely smiled otherwise beamed warmer than sunlight, brighter than a full bloom.
Philip loved that smile.
The one she showed only to him.
He cherished it, hoped for it.
Even in his final moments.
'But now that he's gone, you can't smile like that anymore.'
That radiant smile he longed to see one last time—he'd never witness it again.
"Heh heh, a whore's pure love? Pathetic. Right? I don't know who you are, but if she paid you, I'll double it."
Kallias stared blankly. The man's voice trembled.
He tried to hide it, but he was terrified. A cornered beast had nothing to lose. As Kallias stepped forward—
Squeak.
The floorboard creaked under Rupard's retreating foot.
"Th-three times over! Kill me, and Viscount Gehalt won't let it slide! He'll kill you! Kill her! Everyone dies!!"
Kallias turned back.
"What do you want to do?"
"......"
Veronica's eyes wavered.
The mention of an imperial noble gave her pause.
"Revenge is sweet. Nothing quite like it. Want him dead? I'll do it. Your call."
"......No. I'll do it."
Limping to her feet, Veronica gripped the sword again.
The mediocre-length blade Philip had forged.
Clutching it two-handed, her eyes fixed solely on Rupard.
"You crazy bitch! For some farmer scum? Kill me, and you'll be hunted forever!"
"Don't care. Die, you trash!!"
Rupard thrashed.
Veronica lunged.
Kicks and punches battered her, but she drove the sword into his back.
Her weak woman's strength couldn't pierce fully.
She pulled it out, stabbed again. And again.
Splat, stab! Stab!
Hot blood sprayed.
The office corner's bedchamber soaked in gore.
Whoosh.
A knocked-over candle ignited the sheets amid the struggle.
Flames roared.
Veronica shuddered in the blaze, savoring it.
Rupard's struggles ceased.
At his death, she tilted her head back and smiled.
"Thanks."
"......"
"One favor? I'll give you everything I own."
"......"
"Take care of Chris. He's a fool, but he's my son."
Stab.
Kallias flinched.
Too late—she'd stabbed her own heart.
Slide. Thud.
"Ah...."
Only then did Veronica grasp the sword's meaning as it vanished.
Silver wisps scattered from the released soul of the Carcass Sword, visible to her.
"Philip......"
Swish.
Kallias's eyes shook as he gazed at her peaceful expression in death.
Crackle, pop.
The flames reflected in his ash-gray eyes steadied.
'Just a common tale.'
In this world, nothing more.
A world of killing and dying.
Utterly commonplace.
Nothing else.
Kallias steadied himself.
Or he'd be swept away.
"Hah."
Turning from the blazing office corner, Kallias walked away.
The fire grew, devouring everything. Enough to bury the horror here.
To erase sad tales entirely.
The flames spread and spread.
* * *
Scream.
The spear brothel burned.
Flames lit the darkened night sky like midday.
Among the dazed onlookers was a sniffling child. Prettier than any girl, with long brown hair. She ran toward the man emerging from the inferno.
A spark of hope lit Chris's eyes.
"Veronica?"
But it was false hope.
Kallias said nothing.
'Hadn't expected a boy.'
He passed the weeping youth.
Comforting boys wasn't permitted to him.
"You the one? I had high hopes...."
Before the burning brothel.
An unknown noble waited with knights and soldiers.
Likely the viscount Rupard mentioned.
A knight rushed up, whispering to him.
"Oh ho. That one's the guy?"
The noble's lips curved.
"The pilgrim the princess seeks. Jackpot. Was heading to join her with my troops anyway."
A chance for sole credit.
"Capture him. Pathetic thing with barely any holy power!"
Soldiers' bows trained on him.
Spears aimed at Kallias.
"Uncle......"
Kallias faced the awaiting host.
He reached for Lament, glanced at the burning brothel behind, and sheathed it again.
"Chris."
"......"
"You asked if swords can't compare to spears or maces."
"......"
"I'll show you."
Swish.
From his robe emerged the sword.
Its scabbard and hilt stained as if with blood.
Predatory Sword—Roas.
"Take him alive!"
Clank.
Boom!
Dust rippled outward as Kallias stomped the ground.
In that instant.
His form blurred like a hail of arrows.
Powerful holy power enveloped him.
The world smeared; from his grip, the scabbard unleashed a sword that cleaved all in one stroke.
Silver Flower Sword Wave.
"Hundred Cuts Blossom."
Shraaaaa!!
"What the—!"
The world split in two.
A technique exploding focused power in a blink. A draw-cut annihilating foes.
True to its name, "bent flower."
Imperial soldiers halved, collapsing in fountains of blood.
A single strike felling a hundred.
The fourth form of Silver Flower Sword Wave.
Hundred Cuts Blossom.
Clank.
A hundred felled, sword sheathed once more. Kallias exhaled deeply.
White steam trailed from his robe, whipping in the wind.
The silence he wrought.
Broke again.
By him.
"Flower of the Other Shore."
Splatter!
Blood-soaked blossoms adorned the field.