Chapter 29
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Kerknoode Withdrawal Operation (4)
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“What purpose do you think the Abyss has in threatening humanity? For wealth? For honor?”
I remember what happened at the Hall of the Valiant Sword.
The theory instructor, Rahel Dune Jeraye, always began her lessons with a question like this.
“According to all known information, the Abyss's objective is conquest. To ‘reclaim’ all the land.”
“…!”
“Land corroded by the Abyss changes, starting from the very ley lines. Mountains become volcanoes, spewing ash, and the earth turns into swampland or, after becoming wasteland, a desert.”
These natural changes played a significant role in continuously cornering humanity.
The volcanic ash and fog severely obscured vision and grotesquely disrupted the growth of flora and fauna.
Above all, the summer heat…
Without magical tools to block the heat, soldiers couldn't fight on the front lines.
“The one fortunate thing is that this power isn't wielded by the demonkin, but only by the [Forgotten Kings].”
“…!”
“That is why you, as Warrior candidates, must learn about the Hai Kun Tark.”
The power of the Hai Kun Tark is fundamentally different from that of other Uruk clans.
They use the power of the Kings. Though the type of power varies depending on which King bestowed the blessing.
I even remember Arin Perry raising her hand and asking this question.
“I don't understand why what you just said is fortunate.”
“Only the Kings can wield it, meaning those who haven't received a King's blessing cannot use it. The chieftains of the Hai Kun Tark wield immense power, but it is confined to them as individuals. It means not all clan members can use it.”
“…!”
“If you defeat these chieftains, you can consider it as depleting the Hai Kun Tark clan's strength by at least half (in the case of a warrior), and as much as ninety percent (in the case of a spellcaster).”
Rahel would pause her explanation there, always giving the candidates time to think.
“Do you understand what I'm saying?”
The habit of thinking for oneself, no matter the problem—that was the virtue Rahel demanded of her candidates.
“Repelling the Hai Kun Tark is the mission of you, the ones who will become Warriors. Your senior FakeWarriors have, in fact, annihilated four Hai Kun Tark clans.”
After a long history, only three clans that had reigned as Hai Kun Tark remained.
Second-ranked, Kiral.
Third-ranked, Nuwigin.
Fourth-ranked, Tahup.
Two clans during the ‘Black Summer,’ and another two during the five years of the ‘Red Summer,’ were scorched beyond recovery.
“So you must do the same. If the Uruk have the Hai Kun Tark, humanity has the FakeWarriors. Always remember that you—yes, you—are the key to turning the tide of this desperate war.”
Three Thousand Cuts,
Kerknoode Withdrawal Operation (4)
Why…
Why is this damn memory surfacing now…?
Though he had lost his sight amidst the agony of his eyeballs melting, his five senses were slowly recovering.
“…Great Insect Lord, Kellek-Shak…!”
The sound of Ranikikhan offering a prayer to a [Forgotten King] could be heard.
In front of the corpse that had lost its original form, festering like pus, bursting and melting away.
Whether because the heat from the explosion hadn't yet dissipated or because his vision was still recovering, the corpse shimmered like a heat haze.
“…Your servant offers up the soul of this irreverent one…!”
Just as he was about to poke at it with his skull-topped staff, a torrent of light erupted from the city center.
A pure blue light—a vast, provocative life force. It was the light of the Supreme Holy Sword Tassalpo.
As if the provocation had worked, a crimson smile spread across Ranikikhan's lips, as though he had found a delectable offering.
*Clack, clack, clack…*
Ranikikhan turned, dragging his staff.
Then, the madmen who had been grotesquely twisting their bodies nearby began to follow their master, one by one.
As if waiting for that very moment, a butterfly flew up from the corpse, and soon, what ‘had been a corpse’ rose into the air as a swarm of countless butterflies.
“We managed to fool him.”
A man muttered, his back pressed firmly against the window of an abandoned house as he watched.
The Mad Spear, Barov.
An officer of the Black Rose Corps, one of the elite warriors commonly referred to as the ‘Hero's Party’.
“Arte is useless with combat magic, but she's incredibly skilled with illusion magic based on information warfare.”
At the moment of the explosion, this man, Barov, had appeared with swift footwork, rescued Kaisen, and brought him here.
Of course, he had to pay a price.
Hadn't he fractured one of his legs from pushing his leg strength to its absolute limit?
That wasn't all.
While helping carry Kaisen's body, which was covered in corrosive blood, the flesh and muscle of his own left arm had melted away, exposing the bone.
“This is a small price to pay. I saved a FakeWarrior, after all.”
Three syringes of Dragon's Blood Serum were stuck in his body, and his half-melted form was slowly regenerating.
His blurry vision cleared, and his limbs regained control.
Meanwhile, Barov, who had been glancing over, limped closer as if he had made a decision.
“Actually, I... no, my apologies. I still remember you as a kid from half a year ago, so I keep speaking informally.”
“It's fine.”
“The reason I saved you isn't just because you're a FakeWarrior. I mean, it is, but that's not the primary reason.”
“?”
“You can despise me. It's so selfish… But can you save Commander Sharon?”
Save her?
When had she fallen into danger?
“You don't know? She intends to kill that bastard and die with him.”
“!”
“She's lived her whole life on the battlefield. She used to go on and on about how she wanted to see Lady Ria become a FakeWarrior.”
Tears streamed from Barov's eyes as he knelt on his fractured leg.
“But despairingly, I don't have the strength for that. No matter how much I struggle, I can't grant her wish… But you, a Warrior just like her, you could.”
There was no need to hear more.
It wasn't a matter of hearing a plea.
Helping someone in danger—that was a matter of course for a Warrior. But there was a problem.
“But I can't abandon the right flank and go. If they break through here, all the refugees on the coast will die.”
“I'll take care of…”
“With that broken leg of yours?”
Barov let out a bewildered groan.
The ground was shaking again. The allied demonkin forces were pouring through the path opened by the Tahup clan.
It was time to grasp Aradamanthel and rise again. If not for the battle cry that rang out at that moment.
“Kuaaaaaaaah!”
In that instant, the ground shook violently.
It was an intensely fierce tremor.
So much so that his body was briefly lifted off the floor before settling back down.
“Kyat! Super Dragon FakeWarrior Isla has arrived! Where the lowly Kaisen tucked his tail and ran, Isla will bravely stand and fight!”
Isla, having leaped from the bell tower, had struck the earth with her great-hammer-type holy sword, Gaumris.
The trolls that had been advancing, trampling houses, were instantly crushed into masses of flesh, and their blood rained down.
The force was enough to crumple iron armor in a single blow.
The shockwave sent the charging Uruks stumbling and tangling with each other, breaking their formation.
“Isla will protect this place! Unlike when Kaisen was here, not a single Uruk will get past!”
And behind Isla, titans came running with thunderous steps, blocking the street to form a wall.
The emblem painted on the titans' right shoulders was a dragon (龍) clutching a hammer with its hind leg. They were the titans of the Dragon's Hammer Corps.
Barov muttered blankly.
“Isla Alter Gaumris's designated area was the left flank, wasn't it...?”
Did she smell the crisis?
It could have been Krauzan's command. It was a stroke of luck, if you could call it that, that she didn't run into Ranikikhan on the way.
It wasn't just this time; Isla always had a good nose for the scent of battle. She could instinctively sense dangerous places.
“Let's hurry while Isla buys us time.”
Meanwhile, at that moment.
With the right flank scattered after taking devastating losses, the center of the third line was also engulfed in the flames of war.
The third line retreated to the fourth.
The fourth line then fell back to the 4.5th line…
The 4.5th line was the plaza district, where they had planned to lure in the Tahup and carry out an annihilation operation.
If they failed here, the fifth line would also be breached, and a bloodbath would ensue on the coast where the evacuation was in full swing.
On the front lines of that desperate battle, Sharon's breath grew ragged as she cut down the horde of Tahup madmen.
*‘I'm out of breath.’*
The entire situation was pushing Sharon into a disadvantage.
The longsword-type holy sword, Tassalpo, had the shortest blade of all the holy swords, and her Extreme Thrust Sword Style was a technique meant to kill opponents by striking their vital points.
In short, even if she struck their vitals and killed them, they would still charge forward and explode, making her a terrible match against the Tahup clan.
*‘I haven't even drawn out the chieftain yet, and I'm already this breathless.’*
The next moment, a chain of explosions blew her left arm off.
In the instant she plunged Tassalpo into the heart of a surging Uruk, she let go of the sword, pulled a syringe of Dragon's Blood Serum from her belt, and injected it into the stump of her left arm.
High-speed regeneration using Dragon's Blood Serum was one of the FakeWarriors' famous combat methods.
Although it had the limitation of requiring the catalyst known as Dragon's Blood.
Being able to perform somatic hyper-regeneration, a feat said to be exclusive to high-level beings, on the battlefield was a tremendous advantage.
*‘But there's a contradiction in that explanation.’*
The Dragon's Blood Serum didn't restore life; it merely pulled forward one's remaining lifespan and used it for physical regeneration.
As proof, Sharon's white hair had now completely lost its elasticity and luster.
Sharon remembered what Camilla had said on the day she'd had the last Dragon Spirit Stone infused at the Hall of the Valiant Sword.
- *So what? It's better than dying at the hands of Uruks. It's not like you're trying to seduce any men.*
As soon as the Dragon's Blood Serum was injected, blood vessels, tendons, bones, and muscles surged forth, weaving together to regenerate her arm.
With her left arm, which had instantly regained its form, she retrieved Tassalpo, then spun and kicked an Uruk.
The Tahup, sent flying, exploded, and other Tahup caught in the blast also exploded in succession.
*‘If I had just a little more strength, I could have changed positions right before the explosion and trampled them all…'*
Ah, how pathetic.
For me, who has annihilated two Hai Kun Tark clans, to be in this state against a bunch of suicide bombers.
No, I have to admit it. The Tahup clan, part of the Hai Kun Tark, they are formidable foes.
*‘So, in a way, this is for the best.’*
I'm glad these are the ones I get to face in my final battle.
At the end of my life, I'm just grateful for the chance to deal with them.
If I finish them off, Ria and Kaisen won't have to face these monsters.
“Sh-she's incredible…”
“As expected of our Commander…!”
“Our Lady is the foremost FakeWarrior. She won't lose to anyone!”
Amidst the soldiers' cheers, an ominous cold sweat trickled down Ria's face alone.
*‘No. This isn't right. She's pushing herself too hard right now. Why? Don't tell me she plans to end it all here?’*
Sharon Alter Tassalpo's desperate struggle soon reached its limit.
The first to appear was a small cavalry unit led by Krauzan, who had lost his left arm in an explosion.
And chasing after them, a horde of madmen so numerous they couldn't even be compared to what had come before.
Ranikikhan had arrived.
“Master!”
The madmen charged wildly, and Sharon, soon swept up in a furious explosion, was sent tumbling backward.
“Tumbling” couldn't describe it; she bounced off the ground several times before crashing into an outer wall, cracking it.
The bare skin exposed through her already damaged armor was brutally torn and scorched.
“L-Lady!”
“Protect Lady Sharon!”
As Sharon coughed up blood, her vision splintered into two, three, four images before repeatedly refocusing.
She felt her hands trembling so weakly that even gripping and swinging her holy sword was a struggle.
She now sensed her end, standing at the precipice of her long journey.
*‘It can't... end like this.’*
The army of madmen Ranikikhan had brought with him seemed to number over ten thousand.
It was a despairing number, but she had intended to cut through them endlessly with her blue-glowing holy sword and finish Ranikikhan with the ultimate technique of her Extreme Thrust Sword Style.
But the Uruks known as Tahup-hyullere guarding him were faster and stronger than the other madmen… and their explosions were several times more powerful.
*‘I don't have much life force left. In that case, this is the last…'*
Sharon ran her fingertips down the spine of Tassalpo's blade and took her final stance.
“Severed Wish, Azure Sky's Light Halberd: Revised.”
And she thrust the sword—quietly, calmly, elegantly, and yet with indescribable speed.
A ferocious wave of power extended from the sword's tip—a pure blue light.
Like a piercing scream, the clear, ringing light shot forward, precisely piercing the vitals of the madmen obstructing the path as it advanced.
Extending, extending, and extending further still.
Killing, killing, and killing again.
The beam of light reached right before Ranikikhan's eyes, and in that moment, that very instant.
The beam lost its power and shattered into countless particles of light.
My strength…?
Had her power, pushed to its limit, finally burned away the very last of her lifespan?
*Cough.*
At the same time, fresh blood sprayed from her entire body, and Sharon's knees buckled.
“Mentakus.”
A smile spread across Ranikikhan's lips as he watched the blue sword-light with eyes that had flickered with bewilderment.
“Damn it… Fire!”
At Krauzan's signal, Hosen's rapid-fire squad, which had been hiding in the structures surrounding the plaza, revealed themselves and pulled their triggers.
The madmen, charging like a swarm, fell to the bullets, one after another after another…
The gunshots roared, making ears ring, but the tide kept coming…
*‘It's like a nightmare.’*
There was no end to that death march. There was no escape. So Sharon thought.
*‘No, this world was a nightmare from the very beginning.’*