Chapter 314: Winged Heavenly Being Subjugation (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 314: Winged Heavenly Being Subjugation (2)
Vuel raised an arm, effortlessly parrying Tristan Humphrey’s kick.
The compressed wind mana in Tristan’s leg detonated upon impact, yet Vuel didn't even flinch. Despite the ease with which he defended himself, Vuel’s expression remained grim.
“Cowards! Now that Isaac’s gone, you think you can do whatever you want!”
Tristan unleashed a relentless flurry of blows.
[Begone.]
Vuel blocked every strike with clinical precision. He caught Tristan’s leg mid-air and slammed him into the earth.
Wham!
Crash!
Tristan collided with the ground, the impact carving a deep crater. Blood poured from a gash on his head, but he forced himself up, laughing maniacally.
“Hahaha! Is that all you’ve got? It doesn’t even tickle!”
Tristan hadn’t received any specific instructions from Isaac. However, the moment the sky turned white, he knew something catastrophic was unfolding. When he saw the heavenly beings invading the academy, his instincts took over.
The Academy had already initiated emergency protocols to prioritize student safety, but Tristan’s decision to confront the invaders was his own. It was clear what these "heavenly beings" intended for humanity, and he refused to stand by.
[Was there always such a fool among them…? I have no time to waste on weaklings.]
“Wait—!”
Whoosh!
Vuel barked an order to his subordinates and turned back toward the Black Stone. As Tristan tried to give chase, the heavenly being who had kicked him earlier swung a spear to intercept him.
Tristan enveloped himself in wind mana, retreating at lightning speed. Even the heavenly being seemed taken aback by his invisible velocity.
“You damn pigeon…! Who are you calling a weakling?”
Tristan glared furiously, veins bulging from his forehead and neck. In the sky, Alice was locked in combat; on the ground, Tristan clashed with Vuel’s underlings.
Boom!
Suddenly, roiling purple thunderclouds coalesced before Vuel as a black thunderbird shrieked into the sky.
[Gaaaaaah!!]
It was Luce Eltania’s familiar, the Thunderbird Galia. It roared ferociously at Vuel, forcing him to halt once more. He narrowed his eyes at the creature.
On the ground, a girl with rose-gold hair glared up at him.
A massive shadow fell over the area. A menacing whale swam through the thunderclouds, looking down at Vuel with cold indifference.
The White Thunder Whale, Bello. This giant magic beast had grown alongside its master, absorbing both potent water and lightning mana.
“Surround the enemy!”
The Imperial Knights and the academy’s combat forces arrived on their own familiars, cutting off Vuel’s path. Many knights and faculty members lined the landing bridge, training bows and crossbows on the winged intruder.
And then.
Whoosh!!
Ice mana surged from the sea, land, and sky. Massive ice magic beasts manifested simultaneously, all targeting Vuel.
The Ice Bound Crocodile Tugaros, the Glacial Bear Barbatoma, and the Frost Spirit Merphil. The oppressive presence of these disaster-level entities weighed heavily on the landing bridge.
[I knew you wouldn’t let me go so easily.]
Vuel tilted his head slightly, his voice heavy with power.
[Luce Eltania.]
Among the Class A students Vuel had taught, Luce Eltania was the undisputed genius, second only to Isaac. Vuel addressed her with a chilling tone.
[You should act like the student you are.]
Vuel extended his right arm, shrouding it in Divine Power.
The ensuing battle did not last long.
“Kugh…!”
With Thunderbird Galia and White Thunder Whale Bello collapsed in pools of their own blood, Vuel seized Luce by the throat and hoisted her into the air.
Luce gasped, her breath faltering. Due to the influence of the Heavenly Clock, her mana was in total chaos, preventing her from casting magic effectively. The Imperial Knights and the academy’s forces had already been rendered unconscious.
Alice and Tristan, who had been holding their own against the other heavenly beings, were swiftly neutralized the moment Vuel intervened. Even the disaster-class ice beasts were either staggering or completely incapacitated.
The match was hopeless. Even without being fully armed, Vuel’s power was overwhelming.
[None of you are a match for me. That includes you, Luce Eltania.]
“Ugh…!”
Luce grimaced, desperately trying to summon lightning, but the output was pitiful. A simple spark wasn't enough to leave so much as a scratch on Vuel.
[Pathetic fools.]
Vuel tossed Luce aside like a broken doll. Her body hit the Thunderbird and slid onto the rough ground, tumbling helplessly. She coughed violently, gasping for air.
“Isaac… until Isaac arrives…”
With blurred vision, Luce glared at Vuel and reached out with her left arm. Her gift from Isaac, the Ring of the Abyssal Queen, began to glow. She tried to force more mana, but her strength failed. Luce slumped to the ground, unconscious.
Vuel unfurled his wings, intending to depart with his weary followers.
“Ha…!”
At that moment, Tristan slammed his fist into the ground, using the jolt of agony to drag himself back to consciousness. His breathing was ragged, his face a mask of blood. The white of one eye was stained a gruesome crimson.
Through his reddened vision, Tristan glared at Vuel’s retreating back. He forced himself to his feet.
Whoosh!
Once again, Tristan channeled wind mana through his body and launched himself off the ground.
Boom!
Tristan reached Vuel in an instant, launching a wind-charged kick that Vuel casually blocked with his forearm.
“Hahaha! You think I’ll just let you go, pigeon?!” Tristan cackled to suppress the terror rising in his chest.
[…]
No matter how many punches Tristan threw in rapid succession, they did nothing.
[Begone.]
Vuel buried a fist in Tristan’s abdomen. There was a sickening crack of breaking ribs as Tristan was sent spiraling away.
His body tumbled across the bridge. The excruciating pain nearly forced him into the black, but he clung to his senses and stood again, slamming his feet down to stabilize himself.
He charged once more.
Vuel clicked his tongue. This was a waste of time. He had wanted to avoid killing them personally, but he felt he no longer had a choice.
“Lord Vuel?” one of his subordinates asked.
[I will kill him myself.]
Flash!
In a blur of motion, Vuel shot toward Tristan, seizing his head with lightning speed. Before Tristan could react, his skull was slammed into the ground.
Boom!!
The landing bridge shattered, billowing clouds of dust into the air. The impact was enough to kill an ordinary man instantly. Convinced Tristan was dead, Vuel released his grip.
Whoosh!
Thud!
But then, through the settling dust, two hands reached out and gripped Vuel’s arm.
[What?]
Vuel narrowed his eyes.
Tristan, still clutching Vuel’s arm, flared his wind mana and grinned. “Where do you think you’re going? This fight isn’t over yet.”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Wind mana exploded violently in rapid succession. It was a close-quarters adaptation of Isaac’s [Frost Explosion], reimagined through Tristan’s own brutal style.
I can’t move my body…
Tristan didn't let the thought linger. The answer was simple: he just had to push past his limits. By channeling wind mana directly into his muscles, he forcibly moved his limbs. The sheer force of his grip, combined with the magic, actually caused Vuel a twinge of pain.
[You wretched fool.]
Vuel threw a heavy punch at Tristan’s chest.
Boom!!
The landing bridge split open as Tristan lost consciousness and plunged into the sea.
Sploosh. Tristan sank beneath the waves. This time, Vuel was certain he was dead. He looked down at his blood-stained fist. A surge of guilt flickered within him, flooding his senses.
[This wasn’t how I wanted things to go before the plan was complete…]
His right arm tingled—the one Tristan had gripped. Vuel clicked his tongue and prepared to fly away.
Whooosh!
Suddenly, a figure surged from the sea, cloaked in a violent aura of wind.
[…!]
A kick slammed into Vuel with tremendous speed.
Boom!
Caught off guard, Vuel took the hit directly. He was pushed back, the soles of his shoes scraping against the bridge. He extended his wings to stabilize himself in the air. Though he hadn't taken significant damage, the attack had landed. He felt a dull throb in his head.
“I told you… I won’t let you leave…!”
The boy appeared before him again. Tristan, battered and broken, spoke through gasping breaths. Though he had blacked out, his sheer stubbornness had dragged him back.
[…]
Vuel glared menacingly. He realized that Tristan was continuously breaking through his limits, growing stronger in real-time. He was throwing his life away, foolishly so. And because of that sacrifice, his power was spiking dramatically. It was an unbelievable display of mental fortitude.
However, Vuel had no time for admiration. His eyes filled with murderous intent.
[I find it hard to understand. What is the point of throwing your life away to confront me?]
“Huff, huff… The point? Isn’t it obvious?”
Tristan already knew. He had to buy time. He had to hold this monster back. There was no way Isaac hadn't foreseen this, and he certainly wouldn't have left without a plan. There was a reason Isaac’s women were here, holding the line.
So.
“Isaac will return.”
Tristan chuckled, sounding like a third-rate villain.
“There’s no denying he’s a hero. So for now, even if I don’t like it, I have to help him.”
He had no intention of being sheltered like a pampered flower. He would hold Vuel for as long as possible until that damned Isaac returned. Even though the Imperial Knights, the faculty, and students far stronger than him had been defeated, Tristan refused to retreat.
He had sworn to surpass Isaac. That life-or-death resolve pushed him forward without pause.
[You risk your life for such a trivial reason?]
“Ha! What a foolish thing to say! Isn’t that reason enough?”
[…Utterly foolish.]
Vuel enveloped his entire body in Divine Power. He mimicked Tristan’s technique, cloaking his fist in golden light while Tristan’s was wrapped in gale-force winds. The two exchanged blows.
Boom!!
Several fierce exchanges followed. Tristan’s movements gradually slowed. Eventually, completely exhausted, he swung one last weak punch before collapsing.
Vuel prepared to take flight, but even though Tristan no longer had the strength to lift his head, he crawled across the ground and grabbed Vuel’s ankle. He summoned a faint green wind, but it dispersed futilely into the air.
[…]
Vuel shook him off and hurried away. Only then did Tristan finally lose consciousness.
Vuel assumed that if left alone, Tristan would die. Anyone who pushed themselves that far past their limits was only hastening their end. Regardless, once he absorbed the mana of the Black Stone, its effects would wipe out humanity anyway.
There were no more obstacles left to stop him.
[Let’s go.]
Vuel spread his wings and took to the sky with his subordinates.
*
This is the story of when I entered the Nether.
When I plunged through the blue wormhole, my body encased in an ice shield, I was met by a flash of blinding radiance. As I was pulled into the light, the roar of a storm filled my ears.
When I opened my eyes, I was in a tempest glowing with blue natural mana. I feared I would be swept away, but then a clear, melodic sound rang out from all directions.
Clang, clang, clang!
Stars rose around me, forming a starlight shield. Then, my body began to move forcibly.
Dorothy…
I knew this was the transport method prepared by Round 1 Dorothy. My vision shifted at an incredible speed, making it impossible to tell where I was going. It might as well have been the speed of light.
Finally, after an immeasurable distance…
Thud!
“Whoa!”
I collided with something, causing the starlight shield to repel. Something had blocked my path. I fell to the ground but managed a light landing.
“What is this?”
I looked around. An eerie purple smoke was seeping through a hole in the sky. The air was frigid. The landscape was covered in strange ice formations, with unfamiliar creatures frozen solid inside them.
Ssssss.
In the distance stood a large elevator, presumably the source of the surrounding frost. It was beautifully carved, and from its open doors, a mysterious cold mist flowed out.
Dorothy’s magic had brought me here. Judging by the environment, that elevator had to lead to the Icy Lake.
[You have broken the rules.]
“…”
I lifted my head.
The being that had deflected the starlight barrier was floating calmly in the air. It possessed a strange, mysterious form, radiating a supreme brilliance that evoked instinctive awe.
A massive golden halo hovered behind its back. From that ring, an astronomical amount of mana rose, shaping itself into ethereal wings.
[Nether King, Hades]
Lv: ■■■
Race: God of the Underworld
Element ■: Control
■ Danger: Extreme ■
Psychology: [ ■ ]
The Nether King, Hades.
A being that, if encountered in ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, guaranteed an immediate Bad Ending. The status window crackled, unable to properly process the entity's information.
I forced a smile and greeted him cheerfully.
“Hello! My name is Isaac! Excuse me, but I’m just trying to pass through!”
It wasn't confidence. It was a desperate attempt to stop my body from trembling.
— The Icy Lake isn’t under the jurisdiction of the Nether King, so he can’t enter or interfere with it. Just make it to the elevator. Once you're inside, the jurisdiction changes.
I recalled Dorothy’s explanation from the first timeline. I only needed to reach that elevator to escape the Nether King’s domain.
[A living being. Now that one with a physical body has entered this place, nothing can be permitted. You must face judgment.]
“…I figured.”
I hadn't expected a warm welcome.
Ruuuumble.
In the blink of an eye, a massive iron door appeared in the sky, its scale incomprehensible. Beyond that door resided my minion, the Primordial Magic Beast of Ice—Daikan.
I let the frigid essence of [Ice Sovereign] flow through my veins, drawing up every drop of my ice mana.
“Sorry, but I have to get through.”
[Apex Predator], the unique trait acquired by maxing out [vs. Other Races Combat Power], activated.