Chapter 97
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: The Final Chapter of All These Stories, Yuri ha Geldina (3)
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The flagship Territos bobbed at the estuary where the river met the sea, flaunting its grand majesty.
It looked exactly as it had two thousand years ago, had its surface not been covered in the dark blue of the Abyss.
The Abyssal entities clinging to its surface were Deep Sea Trees; they writhed, their roots spreading across the exterior like tumors. Right above them.
A thunderclap.
A ferocious, blood-red bolt of lightning struck down.
The lightning's shockwave spread across the deck, and the bodies of the Deep Sea Trees exposed to it shattered as they screamed.
Kkii…
…Kkiik…
………Kkiigiik, kkiigiigiik…
The hounds of the deep sea had no time to react. By the time the flash erupted, their bodies were already being incinerated.
—Dash forth, Galadiel.
A momentary draw from a sheathed stance transformed his physical phase into a crimson bolt, allowing him to traverse the heavens and earth at superluminal speed.
An instant.
Truly, an instant.
The time it took for thousands of Deep Sea Trees to be slaughtered by the blade of lightning was over in an instant—an interval too brief to even be called time.
[Whoa, that's incredible, but it's as flashy as it is incredible.]
Leadwords whistled.
The Thunderous Fragrance Heart Resonance Formation now connecting the five of them had been activated by Kaisen.
An application, one might say, of the power he had received from the soul of Thunderous Fragrance during the subjugation of Neigalas.
[Are you trying to work my bugs to death? What'll you do if they decide to go on strike…?]
Amidst the slaughter, there was no discernible reaction from the Tervenople proper.
Thanks to the Apostle of the Void, Leadwords.
Tens of millions of Void Bugs filled the horizon like an aurora, serving as camouflage.
The authority of the void draws all desired things into its domain and annihilates them, without sound or presence.
Sight, hearing, and even smell.
Thanks to them, the anomaly occurring on the Territos would be undetectable by the five senses.
[Liam, deploy Verkensia.]
[It's already deployed.]
The chances of the legendary illusionist Shu’ylkulla detecting the vibrations of the force field were also extremely low.
Verkensia's power would be disrupting that field.
Of course, their time was limited. A brief moment, less than five minutes. Those five minutes were the turning point between victory and defeat.
‘He said he was trained under Mirngadia…’
This heart-poundingly narrow gambit… did he learn it from Mirngadia…?
[Siren, what's the situation?]
As Siren's light green flames swept through the ship's corridors, the Abyssal tumors were instantly incinerated.
The Three-Tailed Fox race were masters of fire.
Unlike the flames used by humanity, they wielded a light green flame called foxfire, which was nearly twice as powerful.
On top of that, Siren was born with hair redder than flames—a blessing of fire.
The power of her flames was transcendentally strong, and she needed not a single moment for the incantations and calculations required to cast her spells.
She could conjure flames merely by pressing her palms together.
Thus, she was renowned as the Chantless Flame Sorceress.
Excluding Akirea of Crimson Flame, who was fire itself, Siren was the greatest of all flame sorcerers in history.
[I've reached the bridge.]
The sound of exploding flames.
The agony of the Abyssal monsters being incinerated by the blaze could be faintly heard.
Through it all came Siren's monotonous and emotionless voice.
[Hurry up, Halvaron.]
[Don't rush me. Let's see, yes, there should be a slot... Ah, here it is. Equipping the Black Ram Scale. This is quite the artifact. Is this really from two thousand years ago?]
[Can you do it?]
[I studied the language of the gods since I was a child for a day just like this. Don't worry.]
The warship that had once served as the flagship of the Golden Fleet, leading the charge in the endless war against the Abyss, had awakened.
[User registration, complete. Bypassing identity verification procedure... Please activate the Global Positioning System to assess the ship's internal status...]
Light, waves of light, spread throughout the entire battleship. Five pulses of light rippled out, blasting away all the Abyss clinging to the hull.
[Upgrading to Level 1 Threat. As per Military Regulation 18, Clause 3, this vessel will transition to combat readiness at the discretion of the logistics monitor.]
The power of light that remained within the Territos, the power of Tervel, spread to the still-intact cannons.
The gunports opened, and golden thunderbolts soon dyed the horizon in a dazzling and imposing golden light.
The majesty of light pierced even the depths of the sea.
The light scoured away the Abyss that had covered the sea in venom, instantly annihilating even the Naga race and the fishmen lurking on the seabed.
“This is Sharrilion. Lord Thunderous Fragrance, mission complete.”
And then, the color of steel filled the sea's horizon, where the scales of dawn shimmered brilliantly.
The steel fleet carrying the Tri-Army Alliance.
The entire surprise landing operation took less than three minutes to succeed.
[What a spectacle. If I had a picture, it'd be a great help when wooing beautiful ladies.]
This was the prelude to the Landing at Tervenople, which would be recorded as one of history's great victories.
The Final Chapter of All These Stories,
Yuri ha Geldina (3)
The flames of the Tri-Army Alliance surged over the coastal ramparts, advancing as they purified the Abyss in the golden holy land of Tervenople.
First, the red dragon with wings of flame, Akirea of Crimson Flame, forged a path.
As the fires of karma, which burn evil to ash, incinerated the Abyss encroaching on the city, the allied army advanced in its wake.
“Glory to the firstborn!”
The elves adhered to tradition.
Tradition encompassed everything from intangible aspects like etiquette to tangible ones like environmental preservation.
This included their methods of combat.
The elves still maintained the Holtranks formations of the mythical past.
“Draw!”
The elven soldiers all wielded spears and shields. To elves, the sword was a commander's weapon, not a warrior's.
Considering all Eldia wielded swords, it seemed tradition had strangely been passed down with a disdain for the blade…
“Thrust!”
Paladins, akin to the FakeWarrior's half-brothers who wielded holy spears, commanded the formation.
It would be a lie to say they were not lacking compared to the ancient Holtranks.
But that was a technological difference, stemming from equipment like anti-gravity armor and fifth-tier weapons.
Aside from such differences, the elven soldiers could execute the ancient Holtranks with a surprising similarity to their ancestors.
Excessively long and thick spears pierced through the chests and hearts of demons and fishmen as they advanced.
“First rank, load!”
This Holtranks formation was strengthened by the close coordination between races—a combination with the human rifle corps' Migratory Bird formation, as proposed by Ria.
“Second rank, third rank, fire!”
Turtle-shelled carts with riflemen arrayed in three ranks were positioned between the Holtranks.
Crossfire from steam-belching guns tore through the demons' bellies and shattered their ribs.
The rifle corps would no longer be neutralized by Shu’ylkulla's monsoon—the acid rain—destroying their steam cores.
- These things are called cartridges.
An invention of the Master of a Myriad Weapons, Halvaron.
In the age of steam cores, one had to load the warhead separately and carry a steam engine on one's back to supply the gunpowder.
Riflemen had always fired their rounds using the instantaneous pressure from a steam engine, but a cartridge was an object that integrated the propellant and the warhead.
- I learned about it from a research paper written by Prisvia. It's said to be the method used by [The Ones Who Came] before they developed their optical civilization.
While steam rifles originally had the inconvenient limitation of requiring a steam engine, this new method allowed a bullet to be fired simply by a firing pin striking the cartridge.
Thanks to these cartridges, the riflemen's mobility and convenience increased dramatically.
Above all, its significance lay in the fact that it put an end to the steam engines being neutralized by exposure to acid rain.
[Confirming impact coordinates.]
The demi-human forces were split in two.
An armored division that took the vanguard on land with the presence of giants, and a naval division that provided artillery support from the sea.
[Fire!]
The steel fleet, arrayed in a line formation off the coast of Tervenople, fired shells at the land-based coordinates.
The demi-humans' great cannons were so complex to operate and maintain that only they could handle them.
The concentrated firepower demolished the city districts of Tervenople, repeatedly creating fountains of dust, debris, and blood.
「Ku… dela… aprais…」
A many-versus-one battle against Shu’ylkulla was a very dangerous gamble.
Her wide-area illusions could lead to the tragedy of kin slaying kin.
However, the Abyssal feelers that extended to violate the consciousness of mortals were repeatedly broken and shattered by golden waves.
Thunderous Fragrance Heart Resonance.
The hearts of the soldiers were firmly bound by the light of Setsunen of Thunderous Fragrance, the golden dragon gliding through the center of the formation on wings of light.
[Kaisen.]
The great mage of the north, Johan, intercepted Shu’ylkulla's tentacles as they tried to break the formation.
His method was to transform the ground into a layer of ice; while it couldn't stop her power, it could delay it and allow them to predict its coordinates.
Once Johan identified a breach in the ice, he would announce the coordinates, and Liam's 'Warrior's Party', scattered in four directions, would eliminate the tentacles.
[No matter how I think about it, I just don't see why we had to go through all this trouble to get in.]
Leadwords said.
[My strategy would've been much better. Hey, humanity's strongest. If you'd just signed a few pairs of piss-stained panties and promised to dance at some Uruk brats' birthday parties, think how much easier this would've been.]
[Enough with the damn panties. You're a real pervert, Leadwords.]
[Siren, you're still a kid, so you might not get it, but panties are a symbol of trust for both men and women. Showing someone your panties means...]
[Leadwords, that's enough about panties. We're in the middle of a battle.]
Having heard enough, Sharrilion explained his nickname.
“I wasn't the one who came up with the nickname Uruk Slayer. My seniors gave it to me to make fun of me.”
At that, Leadwords chuckled.
[Then you should thank those seniors for the rest of your life, Uruk Slayer. Otherwise, your nickname right now would've been 'Small Fry'.]
[I think Leadwords is way weaker than Sharrilion.]
[Ah, that's why I always call myself the 'Moonlight Minstrel.' If I didn't, my nickname wouldn't even be 'Small Fry,' it'd just be 'Small'.]
[Small? At best, Leadwords, you'd be 'S'.]
[Hey, humanity's strongest. You were just thinking even 'S' is too generous, weren't you? Confess, and I'll grant you a special pardon.]
Mid-phase shift from a lightning bolt, having just incinerated two of Shu’ylkulla's tentacles, Kaisen let out a laugh. It was faint, but clear.
[Judging by that laugh, I must be right.]
It was truly, truly the first time she had ever heard Kaisen laugh so clearly, and Setsunen felt a heart-trembling joy.
‘Raminea.’
I saw Kaisen laugh today about his Uruk Slayer nickname. Just a short while ago, that would have been unthinkable.
Kaisen, your son…
Even when surrounded by people, that child always seemed to be drifting alone in some desolate place.
‘Isn't it amazing?’
That child can finally accept himself. And someone who can accept themself can accept others.
“Liam, what happens next?”
Sharrilion said.
Liam replied.
“Shu’ylkulla currently commands thirteen retainers, and they will appear soon. Reinforcements will also keep coming through the Rulhamrei.”
This was a similar flow to the Shu'ylkelis conquest two thousand years ago.
“Where is Shu’ylkulla?”
The jade light of Verkensia and the silver glow of Sharrilion intersected, slaughtering the demons of the deep sea by the hundreds.
“The northeastern cliff.”
“I'll go.”
He was planning to anyway, even if it wasn't said.
“Why?”
“What?”
“Why... do you never complain? In every worldline, I've driven you alone into mortal peril. Why don't you condemn me for being selfish?”
In that instant, countless memories of deaths he didn't know flashed before his eyes.
Countless faces of Liam, wailing in tears at his death, appeared.
The sorrow of severance that this man had to endure alone, again and again, in a lonely world no one could ever know or empathize with.
Why was it?
Why was it that just by recalling those faces, the joy of memories and friendship, built and cherished in worlds I did not know, swelled warmly in my chest?
“Gods, what kind of a stupid question is that?”
So he smiled.
He gave a serene smile.
Surprised that he was even capable of such a smile.
“I am an Eldia, you are an Apostle of Light. I was born into a hierarchy where I must obey your orders. What's so strange about a soldier following orders?”
Recalling the bond he had built with Tersia as Enuel two thousand years ago, which now overlapped with this relationship.
I am the kindling.
You are the world's light.
My mission is to make you shine, to carry you to the lowest, darkest places.
“Just give your orders comfortably. I will always follow them.”
Liam cut down an enemy with Verkensia and began to sob silently.
His weeping was deep, overflowing with the weight of dozens, hundreds of lifetimes that only he could know.
I slapped him hard on his backplate to stop the crying.
“We don't have time for this. Let's go. To end it all.”
Johan, who happened to witness the scene, smiled.
Watching the back of the old corps' youngest member as he moved forward, sharing idle chatter with a companion of his own caliber and age.
He recalled his own past, marching into battle with a different Camilla at that very same age.
‘Congratulations, Kaisen.’
You've finally found them.
Friends to walk with for a lifetime.
Comrades to fight with until the very end.
* * *
[The 3rd Infantry Regiment will follow me. We will establish a fixed position here!]
The current number one in the High Kun Tark, the Valkrush, were a mysterious Uruk tribe.
At the start of the 'Red Summer,' the information the command headquarters had on the Valkrush was virtually nonexistent.
It wasn't due to a lack of intelligence, but because they had been a weak tribe with no reputation to speak of during the 'Red Summer.'
[I hear hopping sounds!]
[It's the Valkrush! They're approaching!]
[I, Akirea of Crimson Flame, will handle this! Advance!]
They had appeared at the start of the 'Black Summer.'
Upon their appearance, they had instantly surpassed even the traditional powerhouse, the Kiral, to become number one in the High Kun Tark.
The Valkrush were a seafaring tribe that had grown by pillaging and slaughtering, using their ship-based mobility to cross the Velisor Great River.
There were many speculations about the source of their explosive growth and power.
[High-level Ancient One has appeared! It's a Kyulryun!]
[This is Sharrilion. Target eliminated.]
[That's really incredible. Taking the heads of ten Kyulryun at once. If there were a Kyulryun-killing contest, you'd take first prize.]
[Leadwords, be quiet.]
Perhaps the Valkrush had received a new king's blessing.
If they had received the blessing of one of [The Forgotten Kings], growing in power so quickly would be a simple matter.
In fact, most of the High Kun Tark served one of [The Forgotten Kings]. The Kiral served Neigalas, and the Tahup served Kellek-Shak, for example.
[They're fighting tooth and nail to stop us.]
[Sharrilion, let's split up and head to the rendezvous point. We must prioritize stopping the ritual.]
[I am sufficient on my own.]
If so, Mirngadia had thought, the king most likely to have blessed the Valkrush was Shu’ylkulla.
After the number one ranked Raktrig Clan was annihilated by Raminea Alter Aradamanthel during the 'Black Summer,' Shu’ylkulla's blessing had always been vacant.
That guess had been correct. More than correct—it was excessively so.
[Spread out and find them! The absolute eclipse is accelerating! Advance! Kill them all!]
The blessing the Valkrush received was of a different nature from the other clans.
“Kyorona renawapra Yotiatos aceturum warbar!”
“Kyorona renawapra Yotiatos aceturum warbar!”
“Kyorona renawapra Yotiatos aceturum warbar!”
Like the old dead, their bodies had also changed.
Thus, all the Valkrush warriors had gills like fishmen, and their eyes were so large they seemed ready to pop out.
It was fortunate that these monsters, who had become invincible in naval warfare, had for some unknown reason taken root in Tervenople.
[Found them! I've found them!]
Of course, that was before the truth was known.
[The Valkrush's… Gaaah!]
The Valkrush were trying to raise the sunken Shu'ylkelis from the depths of the sea with an ancient ritual. To re-establish the celestial order.
- My Kai.
The situation was critical.
- Mommy's most precious treasure in the world.
Tervenople is divided into north and south by the Velisor Great River.
The southwest was an economic special zone open to all, while the northeast was a residential area only for those with pure-blooded Tervenople citizenship.
Valkaro and his confidants were performing the ancient ritual in the northeastern sanctuary of Tervenople.
- I'm sorry... that Mommy couldn't do better for you...
The Valkrush shamans, dancing madly and begging for a blessing from the cosmos beyond the realms of light and dark, crumbled to ash in the next moment.
A bolt of lightning, which had streaked across the skies of Tervenople trailing a long, blood-red tail, had suddenly changed its trajectory, smashing the ritual altar as it plummeted.
“Valkaro.”
Amidst the brilliantly swirling fragments of electricity, the lightning's core took on a human form.
Armor that was a majestic harmony of faded gold dragon scales and an otherworldly black.
Blood trickled endlessly from the bizarre brand on the swordsman's left cheek.
“Do you remember me?”
Was that blood, perhaps, tears that could no longer be shed?
A blade forged by years of blood, born in the heart of a young boy, a time of killing and being killed.
The tears shed by that weeping, sobbing blade.
“I crawled my way up from the depths of hell to find you.”