Chapter 281: Signal (9)
Chapter 281: Signal (9)
Translation: Godtl
At Aitze's words, the Shepherd Andika's veins bulged.
While the technique of disarming opponents was impressive, for warriors of their caliber who could freely manipulate aura, retrieving their weapons from a distance was trivial.
No matter how skilled one might be, to stand alone before the Shepherds—
"Can we kill this bastard?"
Andika's voice seethed with rage.
"He's blocking our path. You're not suggesting we ignore him too, are you?"
"Of course not."
The reply came from Beso.
His wounded pride was evident as he exuded a murderous aura toward Aitze.
"He's a key combatant of the Empire. It's right to eliminate him here."
Seemingly satisfied, Andika grinned.
"I was waiting for that."
Channeling his aura, Andika shouted at Aitze:
"Hey, Aitze! You're overestimating your own strength!"
As if that were the signal, the Shepherds charged simultaneously. Even unarmed, they were formidable enough. Against their coordinated assault, not even Aitze could withstand them.
Above all, their priority was reclaiming their weapons first. Unless Aitze had ten arms, he couldn't possibly block them all.
"I'm not overestimating my strength,"
Aitze raised his spear high, its tip pointing straight toward the sky.
"I'm disappointed."
Thud!
With a light tap of his spear against the ground, the scattered weapons around him levitated.
Clang!
In one sweeping motion, he launched them all toward the oncoming Shepherds. Their eyes widened as they dodged the weapons swinging at them like baseball bats.
"You—insolent bastard!"
The Shepherds' auras flared. Reclaiming their weapons became secondary—now, they were resolved to kill Aitze first.
Whoosh!
But at that moment, from an entirely unrelated direction to their left, magical projectiles targeted them.
"What the—?!"
The spells, though appearing haphazardly fired, precisely struck the boundary between Aitze and the Shepherds. Forced to retreat, each Shepherd countered the magic in their own way.
"There's a mage!"
"He's not alone!"
The Shepherds shouted in unison. Aitze's cold gaze seemed to say, Isn't that obvious?
"Mr. Aitze, provoking them is fine, but don't take unnecessary risks."
From atop a building to Aitze's left, a woman revealed herself—the very source of the spells.
"Frondier was right. The Shepherds of Manggot are weak in one-on-one combat."
With both hands spread, magic formulae glowing at her fingertips, Instructor Jane spoke.
Aitze sighed.
"I didn't expect them to drop all their weapons."
"You're still too harsh on yourself and others. Even a Zodiac wouldn't be able to counter that technique the first time they see it."
"That can't be."
Aitze shook his head dismissively.
"It never worked on my father even once."
"......"
Jane's eyes rolled sideways at that. That single remark likely instilled terror toward the entire Roah family—and not just in Jane alone.
Perhaps it's a blessing for the Empire that the Angper family head never joined the Zodiacs.
Jane couldn't help but think.
"Oho, here you are!"
Then, from the right, another figure appeared.
"I wasn't sure which way they'd go, so spreading out strategically worked!"
It was Pascal Schlitz, a knight of the Imperial Palace and an instructor. His youthful face brimmed with excitement—whether from mischief or battle lust was unclear.
"That strategy was Frondier's idea too."
Contradicting him, Instructor Isamaya appeared, wielding a pointer. Even in the midst of battle, she maintained the composed demeanor of a classroom teacher.
Gradually, more instructors from Constelle revealed themselves from various directions, converging on the scene.
The Shepherds, who had believed they were facing only Aitze, now found themselves surrounded. They were already outnumbered by a significant margin.
"Are you saying each one of them is comparable to a Zodiac?"
"The Director did say that."
After exchanging light banter among themselves, the teachers turned toward the Shepherds, radiating palpable tension and murderous intent.
Jane's arms stretched out to both sides.
From ten points around her where her fingers extended, ten distinct spells unfolded simultaneously.
"It's time to prove Constelle's strength."
One spell per finger.
Jane, who once gained the position of Director and its knowledge due to Osprey's grand magic, had her magical prowess elevated even after Osprey's return, leaving a lasting influence on her as a mage.
"Hmph! Even if you brats try to overwhelm us with numbers, do you really think you can stop us?!"
Andika, one of the Shepherds, shouted. Alongside him, the other Shepherds completed their combat stances.
"The Empire's citizens you're so desperate to protect—Manggot's Karma Fire will burn them all to ashes!!"
Andika's words roared like a beast's howl.
In response, a deep smile formed on Jane's lips, accompanied by an overwhelming killing intent.
"What we protect isn't the Empire's citizens,"
Simultaneous Magic Casting:
Ten-Fold Chant.
Jane Original:
Butterfly Dream.
Jane's ten completed spells unfurled like wings, completely surrounding her and emitting a dazzling array of colors.
Each one radiated an eerie, overwhelming presence—none could be taken lightly.
"It's the children."
And then, Jane's spells rained down like artillery fire.
The Imperial Palace's conference room.
The place buzzed with personnel issuing operational directives based on the war's developments.
"How are the other Zodiacs faring?"
When Philly asked, Malia's eyes swiftly scanned the surroundings before she replied.
"No issues. Most barriers have been restored and remain intact, and the Zodiacs can handle Manggot's upper ranks without difficulty."
"I was worried some Zodiacs might fall, but that's a relief."
If Manggot had individuals comparable to the Zodiacs, it wouldn't be surprising if one of them managed to defeat a Zodiac and breach the barrier.
But so far, no such person had appeared.
One of the Zodiacs, Medart, had fallen, but Sybil handled it well.
"Many enemies are still hiding, waiting for their moment. They're hoping we'll be worn down by the monsters from the Outside."
"So we still can't let our guard down."
If time dragged on indefinitely, the Empire would gradually find itself in peril.
The Empire was already under multiple time constraints.
But they, too, were waiting for something—something they hoped would arrive before those time limits ran out.
Suppressing their impatience, they endured.
Suddenly—
Malia's gaze sharpened.
"Constelle and Manggot have engaged in battle."
"......!"
Hearing this, Empress Philly nodded.
"A significant portion of Manggot has gathered in one location and is now facing Constelle. They can no longer recklessly use shadow teleportation."
"Correct. The two arrows Frondier spoke of."
The two arrows—May and Selena.
Their ambush was crucial in immediately eliminating some of Manggot's forces, but more importantly, it served as a warning to Manggot.
They were ambushed right after shadow teleportation.
They couldn't guarantee it wouldn't happen again.
Of course, there was no assurance that Selena and May would succeed in another ambush, and considering the risks, they likely wouldn't attempt it again.
But the same went for Manggot.
From the moment May and Selena—the two arrows—struck true, Manggot would hesitate before using shadow teleportation again.
"Then now—"
Philly's gaze shifted to the woman standing at the center of the conference room.
"You've waited a long time."
"Yes. Truly, I have, Your Majesty."
The woman smiled, unfurling a black fan to cover her lips.
Philly spoke to her.
"To bring this war to a complete end, we absolutely need your help. But this operation hinges on Frondier—the spear—piercing through enemy lines."
"Of course."
"Are you confident he will succeed?"
Lowering her fan in response to Philly's question, Quinier de Biet met her gaze with unwavering eyes.
"You refused my offer to become my knight, saying Frondier must save the world."
Quinier's attire remained black, but the insignia symbolizing her knighthood was emblazoned on her shoulder.
She smiled as if there wasn't a shred of doubt in her mind.
"He wouldn't say such things just to stop in a place like this. That's the kind of man Frondier is."
At those words, Philly narrowed her eyes.
Slowly reopening them, Philly spoke.
"Then let us begin."
The moment Selena fired the needle made of Black Heaven,
"......!"
Frondier sensed its movement.
If the needle he had planted earlier worked as intended, Selena would use Shadow Teleportation.
May, who had moved to lure someone from Manggot, and Selena, who had given them the chance to escape Manggot.
Frondier couldn't know which would succeed. He could only trust.
'Then, the time has come.'
Frondier lifted his body, which had been succumbing to Sloth. An overwhelming sense of helplessness, too extreme to simply call fatigue, poured over him, but he shook it off by raising his head.
"......!"
Belphegor took notice.
At this point, not much time had passed since Belphegor's Deadly Sin had taken effect.
Yet, it was excessively abnormal for Frondier, who should have been gradually succumbing, to rise to his feet.
'If he could resist, he would have done so earlier. It's strange that he's resisting now.'
His Deadly Sin wasn't something one could grow accustomed to or adapt to. If it were, even the Emperor of the Empire would have risen from his weakened state. Once inflicted, the curse never weakened—though it never grew stronger either.
If even a mere curse was like that, what Frondier had endured was Belphegor's power itself.
"You...!"
Belphegor's fury surged as he faced Frondier's countless weapons.
His anger wasn't solely because Frondier had overcome his Deadly Sin.
"You were biding your time, even while enduring my power?!"
Frondier had been holding his breath, enduring.
The fact that his ability had been used merely for stalling and bluffing was the ultimate humiliation for Belphegor.
"How did you withstand my power?! I saw your soul directly. It wasn't like other mental magic that could miss or fail!"
"True. It was excruciatingly lethargic. Even now, it still is."
Frondier stretched out his hand. One of the countless weapons in the air flew into his grasp.
"I didn't overcome or conquer it."
The blade trembled, responding to Frondier's aura-infused momentum.
"Just as you intended, I am slothful and lazy. Right now, I want nothing more than to lie down."
But because he had endured that sensation for so long.
Because he had forced his limbs to move despite it.
"I'll kill you like this. Lazily."
He muttered those brazen words to the demon of Sloth.
"You dare spout such nonsense with that pathetic blade after receiving my Deadly Sin?!"
Belphegor's new form shot toward Frondier.
Staring straight at it, Frondier spoke.
"You've forgotten, Demon of Sloth."
The moment those words left Frondier's lips, a thought flashed through Belphegor's mind.
Why had Frondier taken just one sword from the air into his hand?
Why was he "empty-handed"?
"......!"
Belphegor realized in an instant and froze.
But stopping was, ironically, a fatal mistake for him.
The swords and hammers prepared around Belphegor from all sides.
While Belphegor had been busy destroying weapons, Frondier had released swords and hammers from his own grasp.
Excalibur, still brimming with his mana, unable to unleash its flames.
Mjolnir, paired beside it like a companion.
Aura Release, Sword Energy.
Frondier's Original Application.
Sword Essence, Crossfire.
A technique so ruthless it hadn't fully manifested against Renzo.
From all directions—front, back, left, right—Excalibur's blades aimed at Belphegor.
"Didn't I tell you I was a fake?"
With Frondier's declaration,
The hammer struck the hilt of the aura-infused blade.
KWA-A-A-ANG-!!!
Without a shred of exaggeration.
The combined might of god and hero descended upon Belphegor.