Chapter 298: Iron Fairy Subjugation (8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 298: Iron Fairy Subjugation (8)
❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱ was universally recognized as a notoriously difficult game.
I remembered the first time I faced Iron Fairy Rachnil. I had stared at the screen, thinking, What kind of absurd attack pattern is he going to throw at me this time?
And now, I was living it.
Klang! Klang! Kakakakak!
A deluge of greatswords rained down with the velocity of bullets. Each blade was saturated with dense mana, making it impossible to pick them off one by one.
Noah raised a massive barrier of iron mana, which I immediately reinforced with [Fossilized Ice], weaving together the properties of ice and rock. We poured every ounce of our strength into maintaining that defensive wall against the relentless storm of steel.
BOOM!
Dorothy focused her efforts on the space directly in front of the wall, warping the physical laws to slow the falling blades. Even Dorothy couldn’t outright overpower the fairy’s greatswords given their unimaginable mana density; the best she could do was sap their momentum.
If a blade managed to bypass Dorothy’s interference and pierce my [Fossilized Ice], its weakened force was stopped cold by Noah’s iron wall. I worked tirelessly to restore the ice as it shattered. Our defense was unyielding.
[Kekekeke…!]
Meanwhile, Kaya concentrated on casting [Field of Slaughter], a gruesome fusion of blood and plant magic designed to steadily drain Rachnil’s life force. The eerie, echoing laughter of the spell rang out intermittently.
Rachnil’s stray blades slashed at the encroaching vines of the [Field of Slaughter], but Kaya was persistent, relentlessly bombarding the fairy with aggressive growth. Beside her, Ian was focused, channeling his Divine Power into the Luminous Sword, preparing a decisive, single-strike blow.
[Will you do nothing but cower? Where has that bravado from moments ago vanished to? Have you finally realized the depth of your recklessness, human?]
Rachnil scoffed, his voice rising with an edge of manic excitement. He was clearly incensed by what I had done to him earlier.
“Can we really just stay on the defensive?!” Noah shouted, his brow furrowed as he strained to output mana.
If we relaxed for even a second, the wall would buckle, and our bodies would be torn to shreds by the incoming steel.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can hold out much longer…!” Noah’s breath was ragged.
Rachnil was continuously siphoning Noah’s iron mana, and the boy was reaching his limit. Rachnil knew it, too. That was why he was content to maintain this standoff—he was waiting for the moment our defense crumbled.
“Hold on,” I said firmly.
This was the best we could do for now.
“An opportunity to counterattack will come. I guarantee it.”
First, we had to endure. There was only one specific condition required to defeat Rachnil within the Iron Sanctuary, and to meet it, we had to survive this onslaught. The reason I had tried to inflict as much damage as possible earlier was to weaken his magic; the better his condition, the stronger his output, and the faster our defenses would fail.
“Even in this mess… is there really a way to win?”
“I told you. I’m going to win.”
“…I’ll trust you. If someone like you says it, it must be true.” Noah nodded, his face slick with cold sweat.
At that moment, a chill wind brushed against my mind, and a system window flickered into my vision.
[A demon has been detected nearby.]
What?
A demon?
According to the ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱ scenario, no demons were supposed to appear at this stage. That meant there was only one culprit.
Mephisto…!
It had to be that wretched bastard.
My mind raced, connecting the dots. Vuel and Mephisto were in league, and Iron Fairy Rachnil had appeared ahead of schedule at Vuel’s request. Rachnil wasn't the type to take orders, so Vuel must have offered him something irresistible.
Vuel needed the Black Stone when the Heavenly Clock was active, so he had nothing to give Rachnil right now.
So? That means Mephisto must have agreed to do something for Rachnil…
It made sense. What risk did Rachnil take by acting now? He turned both humanity and the other fairies into his enemies. He would have to bear that burden alone, just as he did in the original game.
If there was a way to minimize that risk while benefiting Mephisto… what would it be?
…Thanatos.
The final boss of Semester 2, Year 2: Thanatos the Ruination.
They were bringing him out early.
If Thanatos were an ally, even Rachnil would be tempted.
In the game, Thanatos the Ruination resurrected at a critical juncture. It wasn't outside the realm of possibility for Mephisto to trigger that revival whenever he pleased. It was a variable I had considered during the last vacation.
If I’m right, we’re in serious trouble…
While the Abyss was a powerhouse from the start, Thanatos was a monster that grew exponentially stronger over time. Unless specific conditions were met, he was functionally unbeatable. To block his attacks required immense magical output, but he simply absorbed that magic as nourishment.
Leaving Thanatos unchecked was a one-way ticket to a future of despair. And with Mephisto’s greatest threats—myself and the Child of Light, Ian—trapped inside the Iron Sanctuary, there was no better time to resurrect him.
White… I’m counting on you.
Everything depended on White now. If she didn't rally the fairies soon, the situation would spiral into total chaos.
*
Meanwhile, outside the Iron Sanctuary.
In Aldreque, silver mana ebbed and flowed like a tide, turning the city into a sea of iron. Fragments of buildings and shattered structures floated aimlessly in the metallic soup. The iron sea exerted immense pressure, crushing everything it swallowed.
The four Legion Commanders of Düpfendorf touched down on one of the few remaining intact structures.
“We haven’t taken significant damage yet. Stay alert,” Dorhan, the First Legion Commander and a white tiger beastman, said solemnly.
The ice magic cast by the Fourth Legion Commander, Erich, had only been intended to drive Mephisto back. They knew the demon was still alive.
Boom!
Sure enough, a grotesque figure leaped from the murky iron sea and landed lightly on the rubble. The Legion Commanders immediately dropped into combat stances.
[As expected, this body is subpar… It’s quite fragile, isn’t it?]
Mephisto gripped the back of his neck, stretching it with a sickening crack. His vessel had been twisted into a nightmare by the pressure of the iron sea. Half of his face was distorted, one eye bulging out of its socket, while his arms and torso were mangled and torn. An ordinary human would have been dead ten times over.
[Are you the followers of the Ice Sovereign?]
“Go to hell.”
Whoosh!
The Third Legion Commander, Isabel Silverwolf, and the Second Legion Commander, the bald-headed Karius Alsav, lunged simultaneously. Isabel gripped her twin silver axes, Farahorn, while Karius swung a frost-coated polearm.
Mephisto leaped high into the air, effortlessly evading the strikes, and landed on a nearby roof.
[Go to hell? Such harsh words. You’ll hurt my feelings,] Mephisto said with mock pity, placing his twisted fingers over his heart and closing his eyes.
Isabel spat on the ground in disgust.
[By the way, shall we acknowledge a simple fact?] Mephisto turned his head, peering toward the towering Iron Sanctuary. [The Ice Sovereign you serve is currently trapped by the Iron Fairy, is he not?]
“So what?”
[Do you really think I would come here alone, knowing such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity had presented itself?]
“Ha! What utter nonsense—!”
The Legion Commanders prepared to launch a coordinated assault, but suddenly, a piercing ringing filled their ears. The hair on their arms stood on end. A primal, chilling sensation raced down their spines, and their eyes widened in unison.
Every gaze snapped in the same direction. Far in the distance, an impossible amount of mana was surging, saturating the very atmosphere.
[…At last, you’ve arrived. I’ve been waiting.]
For a heartbeat, the world fell silent. Then, the growl of a beast reverberated directly into the minds of every living soul.
KWA-AAAANG!
In the distant wilderness once ravaged by the Floating Island, a pillar of dark green mana erupted, triggering a massive magical explosion. Even from Aldreque, the blast was blindingly vivid, and the roar that followed was deafening.
The Legion Commanders, the soldiers, the civilians—everyone felt the same paralyzing dread.
That thing… is dangerous.
“Damn demon… what kind of monstrosity have you awakened?”
Mephisto clasped his hands behind his back and smiled politely at the shocked Isabel.
[The Ice Sovereign is incredibly powerful—an irrational, overwhelming existence. To face such a being, I had to bring forth someone equally formidable, don’t you think?]
The pressure of the mana intensified. The ground groaned, and the Iron Sea surged violently. Something colossal and terrifying rose from the storm of dark green energy.
The creature was massive, clutching an enormous magic staff in its thick arms, radiating an aura of pure frost and death.
Ruination.
The power of annihilation glowed in the creature’s dark green eyes, blossoming with malevolent brilliance.
The Legion Commanders, the refugees, Emperor Carlos, and even Merlin Astrea trembled. The instinct to survive was screaming, almost impossible to suppress. They all shared the same realization:
That demon could not be defeated.
[Welcome, Thanatos!] Mephisto spread his arms wide, his voice dripping with twisted delight.
[ROOOOOAAAAR—!]
Thanatos the Ruination.
The ferocious roar of the supreme demon shook the very foundations of heaven and earth.