Chapter 59
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: The Dragon Slayer's Legacy
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What is this?
The moment I stepped into Setsunen's domain, the scorching desert vanished before my eyes.
I found myself in a space filled with nothing but sunlight.
It was a spiritual realm.
A sanctum of the soul that only dragons could create.
‘Just like with Isla...’
In the center of this familiar space, something else stood in Isla's place.
It took the form of heavy armor, its very existence an embodiment of martial might, unyielding strength, an instrument of war, and crushing pressure.
Was its origin a product of pure power? Did it possess a history steeped in blood? It exuded a suffocating, metallic stench.
Setsunen, who had appeared beside it at some point, spoke in a low tone.
「The power of a bygone era. It is the creation of a Dragon Slayer.」
“A Dragon Slayer...?”
「Yes. This armor, this Dragonscale Armor, was forged by him from the very essence of the dragons he slew. From the flesh of the dragons that now constitute my orbs.」
The Dragon Slayer, Arthur Brius.
A man who, in the art of the sword, reached the pinnacle despite the structural limitations of the male mana chain that inherently put him at a disadvantage against women.
He was a figure from a thousand years ago, a mercenary of the Diamond rank—a title only the number one of an era could attain.
As a mercenary, he swept through the conflict zones with the demonkin, and his martial skill was said to be so exceptional that even the Uruks of old held his power in awe.
The problem, however, was his endless lust for power.
For the sake of that power, he committed the atrocity of slaying dragons and devouring their orbs, which ultimately led to an order for his subjugation.
At that time, he faced three FakeWarriors and one True Dragon simultaneously, and killed two of the FakeWarriors.
The legend doesn't end there.
According to official history, Arthur was resurrected 270 years ago and was said to have driven even the Dragon Lord, Rain Ludwick, into a corner.
He was subjugated by the Dragon Lord then, and the souls he had bound to his own were liberated. Setsunen was the aggregate of those souls.
Thus, despite being a villain, his status in the history of swordsmanship was nothing short of legendary.
Tval had mentioned that there was even a group of male swordsmen who sacrilegiously worshipped him as a Sword God.
「I bestow upon you this, which is also my former shell. It fits you so perfectly that I believe it to be fate, not mere coincidence, that your physiques align.」
The Dragonscale Armor, crafted from the scales of a yellow dragon, felt like an illusion. A feather merely borrowing the form of armor...
Though it must have possessed transcendent defensive capabilities, it was as light and comfortable as the quilted armor I usually wore.
When the armor began to fit itself onto my body at Setsunen's gesture, I had intended to refuse it, prioritizing mobility in battle.
「Before Arthur earned his infamous title of Dragon Slayer, he was known as the Uruk Slayer. Does that not align with you as if by fate?」
The armor, crafted to consider both a swordsman's dignity and convenience, gleamed with a faded yellow luster on my body, emitting a cold, metallic stench of blood.
I could feel the armor, imbued with the blood of ancient demonkin, tremble in submission to Aradamanthel's cry.
The helm, with its long, trailing red crest, was also shaped like a dragon's skull—a work of art that blended the majesty of a dragon with the sharpness of a swordsman.
「This was originally an unholy object meant to be sealed for eternity, but I barely managed to receive permission.」
“This is truly a gift I do not deserve. But to give me this in the current situation, you brought me all the way here just for...”
「Listen to the end. While this armor will undoubtedly be a powerful aid, my reason for giving it to you is not for that purpose alone.」
My heart was racing.
Roveris's last words were running wild and chaotic in my mind.
I have to go, I need to go...
「You must now receive a soul from me and read the memories ingrained in this armor.」
“What do you mean?”
「Souls retain traces of memory. I was devoured by the Dragon Slayer and assimilated within him. Though they are horrific memories, I see now that it was all the guidance of the gods, for it has allowed me to pass that memory on to you as strength.」
“Please tell me exactly what I must do.”
「You possess the talent to perfectly replicate any swordsmanship you see even once. Glimpse, steal, and master the Dragon Slayer's sword arts—his secrets and ultimate techniques. That will give wings to your power.」
So this was it...
This was the reason she called me here, amidst the chaos of the great battle about to begin.
To pull me from the battlefield to rest, to have me conserve my strength.
Was it all for the sake of bringing a legendary swordsman's techniques into reality to face the old king?
The approaching thrill of destiny made my mouth go dry.
「For Mirngadia to construct the dimensional geosphere, you must break Neigallas's momentum. The Iron Cross and the Iron Fortress are fighting desperately to buy time for you and Mirngadia.」
“I understand.”
「Kaisen, humanity lacks the power to oppose the Abyss. If even Mirngadia's method fails... you must find a way to stop Neigallas within these memories. Just as the Dragon Lord and the Apostle of the Void did.」
Compared to them, I'm...
Tucking the Dragonscale Armor's helm under my arm, I lowered my gaze.
“How can I possibly accomplish what great figures like them did?”
「You must, Kaisen. You, who have inherited the flame from everyone, must achieve it.」
For a moment, I had the illusion of the warm morning sun shining down on me, even though I knew it was Setsunen, who had drawn close and pressed her forehead to mine.
「I feel sorrow at my own powerlessness, that I can only ever present you with sad and arduous paths.」
Is this a pulse...?
No, this is the pulse of a soul...
From the space where we touched, something... an unseen sight, flooded into me like a vivid memory.
「Can you feel the pulse of memory?」
“Yes.”
「Tell me precisely if you can see Arthur's form.」
“I see a man with both this armor and a dragonbone spear. He's fighting a mage wearing a worn straw hat.”
「Look deeper. From there, it is your fight.」
As these events transpired.
To those left in the physical world, it merely looked as though Setsunen and Kaisen had both lost consciousness the moment their foreheads touched.
Roveris spoke to Seira.
“Seira, remain here and escort Her Excellency and Kaisen to the very end. Protect them at all costs.”
The next charge was not for breaking through or halting the enemy, but simply a delaying action.
It was not a shock charge to pierce the enemy lines, nor was it a tactical charge to weaken their offensive and force a retreat.
All that was needed was to buy time. Thus, this was the killing ground for the Iron Cross.
[I will do my best. Senior, I wish you luck in battle...]
Accepting Seira's distant salute with a light gesture, Roveris mounted his warhorse.
“Alidona, what's the situation?”
[Lady Akirea can't hold out much longer. Neigallas will be coming straight for us soon. Remaining enemy forces number around ten thousand, still a threat.]
“I know, I've been listening. Just wanted to hear your voice one last time.”
[Oh my, if you were a handsome man, I might have fallen for you with just that one line. But who was it that told us not to chat?]
“You have a point.”
[Commander, I suppose it's now a fight to see whether we can hold out against the old king or not.]
[Ha! So you're saying we're the only unit that can end this war.]
“We've always played that role until now, but today, we're the supporting cast, laying the foundation for the end.”
Today, I will build that foundation with my corpse.
So that Kaisen can step upon that foundation of corpses.
Step on it, and carry the world's beacon—which I have borne until now—into the future in my stead.
[You always say that, but haven't we, the Iron Cross, always been the ones to steal the spotlight? Ha!]
Ha, hahahahaha...
At Tval's confident words, Roveris's burst of laughter spread to every member of the unit through the Thunderous Fragrance's resonance.
How long has it been? Since they had last seen their commander laugh.
‘I am grateful to fate.’
To the fate that allowed me to meet such beautiful people as friends on this path.
And to this valley of death.
To the providence of the gods, who, since before the dawn of creation, prepared friends to walk with me to the very end.
“Yes. In truth, I too hope it turns out that way this time.”
[It's good to see you smile, Commander.]
[I'll say.]
“Is that so? Then I'll try to smile more often from now on. Now, Iron Cross! Sound the charge!”
With the soaring tremble of the trumpets.
The knightly order, their Iron Cross banners flapping, charged beyond the sandstorm toward the forces of the old monarch, Neigallas.
That was the final charge of the Iron Cross, as recorded by history.
A Stepping Stone of Blood and Corpses,
The Subjugation of the Forgotten King Neigallas (4)
Kaisen's consciousness, which had been flickering and scattering in multiple directions, suddenly awakened.
A space of golden light...
This place, an endless expanse of sacred radiance, was the inner world of Setsunen of Thunderous Fragrance. But here and there, pitch-black tumors had sprouted.
‘Like tumors... Are those it?’
The moment I reached out a hand to a tumor.
The instant contact was made, a fragment of another's life replayed in my mind as vividly as my own memory.
- Come, follow me. I will teach you what power is.
The childhood of Arthur Brius...
Born an orphan, Arthur was wandering the slums when he was taken in by a swordsman of unknown identity.
Her name was Lilkiur.
- Humans do not seek to know the sacrifices upon which this world was built. They merely continue to preach mercy and compassion to the strong, while mercilessly trampling those weaker than themselves. I will cut down this hopelessly worthless world.
But that sword the woman carried on her back... it looked strangely familiar.
I've never seen it before, yet it was so familiar.
The desperate cries of Aradamanthel and Gaurmris, who had accompanied me into this world of memory, were unsettling.
“Could it be... the True Holy Sword?”
Even the cloth wrapped around the blade could not completely conceal the intimidating violet aura it radiated.
A chill ran down my spine.
An impossible thought—no, was there really someone who could wield the True Holy Sword?
‘That color... it's the same as Ophelia's Verumpeira. Then could it be? But how? Who is she? Why is there no information about this person in the historical records?’
If the true Yongsa were alive.
Why haven't they appeared, even now when the world is so twisted?
‘More importantly, why does she harbor such bizarre ideals?’
That was as far as my ominous thoughts could go. The training had begun.
- That is not how you use a sword. Your strength and frame are better suited for a heavy sword than a swift one. Do not force your trajectory upon the sword. Push yourself into the sword's trajectory. That is the foundation of sword control.
Sword control? To speak of the ultimate secrets of the sword so simply?
In an instant, the memory crumbled like a sandcastle, and I was back in the world of radiance.
A tumor, once read, would explode, spraying a foul liquid, making it impossible to read again.
‘Next. The next memory.’
In the memory that appeared from the next tumor, Arthur had passed his childhood and was entering his boyhood.
Arthur was sixteen at the time.
At sixteen, he was making a name for himself in the conflict zones, the border between the civilized world and the demon realm.
- You're really something, Uruk Slayer.
- Bring me the bastard who gave me that nickname. Thanks to him, the Uruks are too busy running away whenever they see me. Dammit, this is no fun at all.
At this time, Arthur used a greatsword, not a dragonbone spear.
‘Seeing as he doesn't have the Dragonscale Armor yet, this must be before he started hunting dragons.’
There wasn't much to learn from the Arthur of this period. Two or three battle memories replayed, and then the tumor exploded.
The memories worth learning from were when his master appeared to give him new guidance. At these times, Arthur would smile innocently.
It wasn't just a simple look of joy... It was as if he lived his entire life just for those moments.
- Master, look at this!
His infinite craving for power.
His endless accomplishments with the sword.
- The sword ki you taught me last time, I can now unleash it at will!
They all seemed to be nothing more than a means to show his growth whenever his master appeared.
‘Master...’
It's just a hypothetical.
Just a what-if.
If Camilla were alive, would I have been able to smile like him?
- You've improved a lot. I'm pleased. You're beginning to grasp the way of the sword.
My own image overlapped with Arthur's, and Camilla's image superimposed itself over the master teaching the essence of the sword.
...
It definitely would have been different.
Camilla wasn't the type to teach with such dignity, and I wouldn't have been so polite either.
My fists trembled. But, still, even so.
‘If I could have experienced that moment even once, I would have smiled many times more happily than him...’
When I managed to properly execute the sword techniques Camilla taught me...
Wolf would clap, and Camilla would hit me on the head, telling me not to get cocky. Then Jin would laugh his head off.
A memory from a past I could no longer reach...
...
Arthur was an irredeemable villain, but he still had one firm goal.
To be acknowledged by his master.
Was his master's existence like that of a mother, a void in his life since birth?
I felt a strange sense of kinship.
I know I shouldn't, that he's a villain I know all too well, but...
But that was all the time I had to be lost in thought. The most important battle memory had begun.
- Well, well. To think three pretty little Yongsa would come to subjugate me. And the great Yoshuhar, too.