Chapter 419
Chapter 419
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 419
>Chapter Title: Guardian of the Star Graveyard, Eorian
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Eorian, the guardian of the Star Graveyard.
He had been protecting the statue while awaiting Maradum's resurrection.
Shing...
Without hesitation, Kang Seol drew his sword and stepped forward.
It was an action taken to protect his companions from an opponent he couldn't afford to take lightly.
Whoooosh...
[Eorian uses Iron Blade Pulverizer.]
[Throws an axe and makes it return.]
[Inflicts massive shockwaves and additional damage to targets at the turning point.]
Whirrrrrrr-!
Bitan clashed with the axe.
Krrrrrring...
KABOOM-!
Sizzle...
Kang Seol was pushed back, carving a groove into the floor.
Thud-!
The axe returned to Eorian's hand.
Hoo...
Kang Seol cracked his neck side to side and took a deep breath. The opponent's combat prowess was anything but ordinary.
"Sh-should we help?"
"Yeah! Let's combine our strength for now..."
"Leave him be. It looks like he'll have to handle this one alone anyway."
"...Pardon?"
"What do you..."
As Ur muttered, text appeared in Kang Seol and Han So-mi's message windows.
[The resurrection ritual of the Calamity Mage Maradum uses the Authority: Stone of Time.]
[The Stone of Time charges with calamity as time passes.]
[You cannot defeat the compelled guardian Eorian until sufficient calamity is gathered.]
[The compelled guardian Eorian is immune to status abnormalities until sufficient calamity is gathered.]
[The more calamity gathers, the stronger Maradum becomes and the more abilities he can use.]
[The more calamity gathers, the stronger Eorian becomes and the more abilities he can use.]
[The current Stone of Time is in an overcharged state. It cannot be destroyed.]
[Cannot read further abilities of the Stone of Time.]
[Cannot read further abilities of Maradum.]
...
That information flowed into Ur and Mariju as well.
To them, it felt as if they had known these facts from the beginning.
"To think he'd resort to such a clever trick..."
Claaaaang-!
[Eorian uses Body Slam Charge.]
[Deals 80% of Strength as damage to everything it collides with and sends them flying back greatly.]
[Enemies pushed into walls or structures take the same amount of damage once more.]
Thwoooooom-!
Kang Seol flew far back.
"Ur! We can't kill this guy."
"I know. That's what makes it a headache. Maradum, was it? He's using his head."
Ur spoke to Mariju and Han So-mi.
"That dwarf can't be killed right now."
"Th-then what do we do?"
The only one here who could withstand Eorian's fierce assault was Kang Seol.
Even Ur had a bad matchup against him.
Eorian was immune to his specialty, freezing, and charging relentlessly like that was burdensome even for Ur.
So, Kang Seol would handle Eorian.
Ur gazed at Maradum's statue and said,
"Once we deal with this side, the problem solves itself."
"Destroy the statue!"
"No, watch. It's not that simple."
Ur led the group toward the statue. He planned to manipulate the orb.
"Do you two enjoy traveling?"
"Not particularly..."
"I don't like going far."
"Is that so? Then this might be rough for you."
"...Pardon?"
"Huh?"
Ziiiiing...
[The Stone of Time opens the predetermined door.]
[Pursuing Maradum.]
Whoosh...
Crackle...
A large hole shimmered into existence before their eyes.
"Hurry. Kang Seol, I leave it to you."
"...Whatever it is, make it quick."
Whoosh...
Whoosh...
Whoosh...
The trio vanished through the hole.
KABOOM-!
The clash between Kang Seol and Eorian began.
* * *
Crackle...
"Ack! My body..."
"You'll be fine."
"I'm okay?"
"Where is this..."
The group, minus Ur, busily scanned their surroundings.
"No way... right?"
"This can't be..."
Ur smiled at them and said,
"Your guesses are correct."
"Oh my god... it's the Ashen Throne!"
"So all this is ash?"
A hazy something floated in the air.
Their throats felt phlegmy, and their mouths were dry.
Even the fake Ashen Throne manifested in the Star Graveyard had left Mariju in awe, but this overwhelmed her completely.
"This place... the Ashen Throne... the vanished history..."
"Didn't you say you hated traveling?"
"W-well, that's for regular trips! Ruins are always welcome!"
"Unfortunately, this isn't ruins."
Ur grimaced.
"It's a battlefield."
"...Pardon?"
"No way... here..."
"Yes, Maradum is here. He played a clever hand. He used us as a passage."
"Huh? Passage?"
"If we fail to stop Maradum here, he'll cross into reality through the door we flung open."
"But... wouldn't it have been better if he never came in the first place?"
"Then that brutish warrior would've slaughtered them all. That guy suits the moniker 'Immortal' better than anyone."
"......"
Mariju stroked the surrounding stone gates.
"The Ashen Throne... the real one... not from afar... not fake... the actual thing..."
"Yes, it's real, so let's find Maradum quickly. The real Maradum should be here too."
"But... why is it so noisy?"
"...It seems connected to this era from the start. It's that day. The day Maradum visited the Ashen Throne."
Han So-mi voiced her doubt.
"But... isn't that weird? Maradum's plan started after the Ashen Throne's collapse..."
If Eorian existed now, the time they'd arrived must be when Eorian had revived.
"Who knows... time magic isn't that simple. You just believe it's that way because that's what you think you know. Nothing is set in stone with this power. That's why it's dangerous magic."
"Huh? What does that mean?"
"This timeline is merely an illusion. You've heard that changing the past changes the future, right?"
"Yes! Then we can definitely save the dwarf kingdom..."
"No, we can't. That thing you call the Stone of Time doesn't have that kind of power to begin with. Only a select few do."
"...So we can't change anything? This is too complicated..."
"Don't try to understand the phenomenon. You won't get most of what I say anyway. Just do as I tell you."
Ur was confident.
"If you follow my instructions, you all can return to reality safe and sound."
"That's a promise?"
"Yes, a promise. I've never broken one."
Hoo...
Ur flung open the stone gate.
Rumble...
Deafening noise poured out from within.
It would normally be unintelligible, but with Ur there, things proceeded more smoothly.
[Frost Storm Ur's Demonic Path activates.]
[Interpreting unknown language.]
[Interpreting language.]
[Language interpretation complete.]
"Block them! Block that guy!"
"Don't let him reach the throne!"
"Lord Sirion! We can't hold! We are defeated. Hurry..."
The group bolted toward the source of the voices.
They were outsiders, but in this moment, it didn't matter.
A world of only elders and children. The threat to them was the impending encounter.
Whoosh...
"Ugh... the wind..."
"It's a cliff! The Ashen Throne... so this is what it really looks like!"
A massive ring-shaped trench encircled the throne.
At cliffside height.
Yet it fit the atmosphere perfectly.
"Urk... grrr..."
A groan accompanied an immense presence before them.
"...Maradum."
"That's... Maradum!"
[Captured the form of Calamity Mage Maradum.]
[Maradum attacks using time.]
[Maradum's Stone of Time can be destroyed.]
Maradum gripped someone's throat.
A familiar face.
The subdued one was Sirion, king of the ash dwarves.
"M-Maradum..."
"Guests have arrived, it seems. Time to end this."
Swoosh...
Whoooosh-!
"Oh my god... what have you done..."
Han So-mi grimaced.
Maradum had released his hand, sending Sirion plummeting into the cliff.
They had just discovered a torn page from history.
Ur muttered,
"If we destroy the orb he has, we can go back and sleep in warm beds."
"......"
"......"
"Bide your time. You don't need to do anything. So... act with utmost caution."
Maradum clutched the Stone of Time and asked,
"...Who are you?"
"Your invited guests."
Maradum fell silent for a moment, then muttered from within his beard.
"I see. Has the plan succeeded? But... of all times, now."
With a single phrase, he discerned Ur and the two women's identities.
As a time mage, could he pierce through future events as well?
"For now, yes. But from here on, it'll deviate greatly."
Maradum's red eyes fixed on Ur.
"I am omnipotent."
"That's your delusion."
Swooooosh...
Crackle...
Ur's body began to freeze chillingly.
[Ur uses Body Freeze.]
[Agility slightly decreases.]
[Mana recovery speed greatly increases.]
Crackle crackle...
"This isn't my specialty... but I'll borrow it."
[Ur uses Ice Flower.]
[Frost Fists unleash a flurry. Each hit deals the same damage as Frost Fist, and striking the same target applies 10% additional damage per consecutive hit.]
[On flurry success, target is slowed.]
Kwa-gaga-gagak-!
Azure fists flew toward Maradum.
Whoooosh...
The Stone of Time vibrated.
[Maradum uses Time Deceleration.]
[All forces above a certain speed directed at Maradum slow down.]
Ziiiiing...
The wave swept through, slowing Ur's Ice Flower.
Maradum had already escaped its range.
Maradum spoke calmly.
The frantic battlefield seemed to wait at his pace.
"What did you do to Eorian?"
Crack...
Crack...
Ur's arms transformed like a demon's blades.
[Ur uses Ice Scythe.]
[All bleeding from Ice Scythe induces frostbite.]
Flash-!
Ur tried to close in on Maradum, but his movements slowed under Time Deceleration.
Whooosh...
Slash-!
Ice Scythe attacks lashed out in all directions. Though sharp, only the strikes aimed at Maradum slowed.
The others harmlessly sliced through empty space.
"...Tch."
"Futile. I ask again: Eorian?"
"Your guardian won't come. He's met an opponent he absolutely can't beat."
"...Time will resolve that as well."
Ur sneered at him.
"You overestimate the power of time."
"Time is perfect."
"Maybe... but even if it is, you're not perfect in wielding it."
Rumble...
One of the massive statues at the hall's entrance, sliced by the Ice Scythe, began to topple.
"Now!"
Whoosh...
Mariju's mana wave, who had been biding her time in hiding, surged massively for an instant.
[Mariju uses Giant's Gesture.]
[For a short time, mass-imbued force acts in the guided direction.]
[Magic power is influenced by Intelligence at this time.]
Rumble...
The dwarf statue toppled toward Maradum.
It looked ready to crush him in an instant.
However.
[Maradum uses Time Stop.]
[Stops non-living targets.]
Whoooosh...
The Stone of Time glowed, leaving the statue hovering motionless in midair.
At that moment.
Pew-!
Crack-!
[College Student Near Death uses Silent Compulsion.]
[Arrows make no sound.]
[Penetration reduced by 50%; cannot pierce armor.]
"...Huh? I-I hit it!"
Han So-mi's arrow, fired while waiting for an opening, struck the Stone of Time precisely.
A small crack formed in the Stone of Time as a result.
Maradum's expression changed.
Cries of resentment reached him from afar.
"Maradum! Is all this truly your doing?!"
"Restore everything! You vile mage!"
Elder dwarves and overly young dwarves gathered in droves, trying to join the battlefield.
Their weapons were heavy, and they wouldn't be much help, but their spirit was palpable.
"...Vermin."
KABOOM-!
Maradum, out of the statue's range, used it to seal the hall's entrance.
Whoooosh...
[Calamity charged to a certain amount.]
[Maradum can manipulate time.]
Maradum muttered,
"The young or the old are all frail. You cannot escape that either."
"......"
Snap...
Equipped with Ice Scythe once more, he charged at Maradum.
Maradum clicked his tongue.
"Become a child, mage."
[Maradum uses Immaturity.]
[Calls forth the target's past time.]
Fwooooosh-!
The Stone of Time shot a beam at Ur.
"No!"
"Dodge!"
Too late.
The beam hit Ur squarely in the solar plexus.
Then, Ur's body swelled endlessly.
"Uwaaaaaah!"
Ur reverted to the form from his past, when he had been a massive spirit threatening Kang Seol.
This was beyond even Maradum's expectations.
Whoooosh-!
Ur's enormous fist swung down toward the stone floor where Maradum stood.
"Urk..."
Maradum, visibly flustered, quickly fired another beam.
Fwooooosh-!
The beam reached Ur once more.
Fortunately, before he could smash the throne.
"......"
However, Ur's form was gone.
"Kuh... kuheheh..."
Disgust welled up from his guts.
"Mage... mage..."
"Where are you?!"
Maradum felt fear.
The transformed Ur just now was incomprehensible even to him.
"Where could it be? The answer is..."
Maradum looked down at the Stone of Time.
His face reflected in it.
And in one of his red eyes, a blue glow lingered.
"Inside you."
"Grraaah!"
Crack...
Maradum clenched his fists tightly.
He acted as if to shatter the Stone of Time.
"No!"
Fwooooosh-!
Maradum hastily shone the light on himself.
Whoooosh...
Maradum rapidly aged.
And Ur was ejected.
"Hah... hah... What... what are you? How... what even..."
Maradum bathed himself in light to swiftly restore his vitality.
He tried to shine another light on Ur.
The aging power.
But his hand wouldn't move.
Fear.
Manipulating his own time might invite another mishap to trip him up.
"Afraid? That's what time is."
In the end, Maradum's action had been quite appropriate.
Ur was likely at his most vulnerable now.
Reverting someone who had lived and breathed since the Kagon Empire days to childhood was nearly impossible.
Ur grinned at the Stone of Time.
"That thing'll break soon enough."
"Who... are you?"
Ur, the primordial archmage.
Even power near omnipotence like time was mere illusion before him.
"Mage, that precious stone of yours..."
"The Stone of Time is no mere stone!"
"Heh... right... the ones who made it always spouted the same drivel. Arrogant fools, daring before whom..."
Maradum's pupils shrank.
"...You?"
"That's why I killed so many. Time archmages, that is. Now, a question."
The madness-seized mage beheld madness itself.
Ur's eyes glowed blue.
"...I wonder how many you've slain?"
Crackle...
Frost formed on his hand.
Compared to the horrific past just shown, it was endlessly merciful light.