Chapter 403
Chapter 403
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 403
>Chapter Title: It's Not True
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Grind, grind—!
The trembling earth. A chill wind swept through the space beneath the gaping clouds.
Below it, the three transcendents took each other in with their eyes.
Right after an exchange that wasn’t even amusing, they fell silent, observing one another instead of speaking.
After a moment, a voice broke the silence.
“Hraman’s third son, Kain…… Nah, not him. The Emperor sent you?”
“No, Decullan.”
“Decullan……?”
“Actually, it’s not.”
“…….”
Silence fell again amid the contextless conversation. Veins bulged on the back of Oukan’s hand gripping the greatsword.
“Yeah, no need for talk in a situation like this.”
“How about you ask nicely? I might even chat then.”
“Hah.”
A dry laugh spread out. This arrogant bastard…… After ascending to Geyar Driman, Oukan found the humiliating situation—something he’d never felt before—more amusing than infuriating.
But what was even more ridiculous……
“Driman Yurubuke. You really joined hands with the continent.”
“…….”
Yurubuke didn’t respond. Because it was true.
That was when Shine stepped forward.
“No need for more talk, is there? Geyar Driman, you rotten scum. Draw your blade. If there’s even a shred of a warrior’s spirit left in you, come test your mettle against me.”
“…….”
Oukan turned his gaze to Shine. The continent’s knight who’d suddenly appeared to challenge Amar. A wondrous warrior who had mastered martial prowess at its peak.
A situation where any warrior would joyfully draw their sword, but Oukan’s eyes were utterly cold.
His heart no longer raced.
No fighting spirit stirred.
He simply etched the current moment into his mind.
‘Driman Yurubuke joined hands with the continent.’
The pretext he’d put forward as a lie was no longer a lie.
A situation that filled him with utter joy, yet it wasn’t without its regrets.
Who would’ve thought Kain, Hraman’s third son bearing that massive ‘Owl,’ was a continent mage in disguise.
If he’d known, he wouldn’t have erased Pushk and would’ve just dealt with Driman Yurubuke.
……He wasn’t worried about the continent mage’s outburst: ‘He used dirty tricks on Amar’s challenger.’
No warrior would believe the words of a cowardly intruder.
And even if there were warriors who believed……
‘……I’d just handle them.’
But that was only after everything was over. Right now, what mattered was this.
- Hey, you idiots! Your boss is chickening out! Ugh, poor bastards! Worshiping a coward like that as Geyar Driman. That ain’t right?! That fucker?! Used poison on Amar’s challenger! Curses too! Did it all! You lot! Warriors?! Warriors my ass! If you’re warriors, I’m an angel, you morons!
Slaughtering the continent mage who’d inflicted an indelible insult on him.
As his will hardened, energy surged from deep below his navel. Tra, the energy used by the Great Plains warriors.
As Tra swirled through his body.
“……Hup.”
Oukan kicked off with a sharp, clipped breath. Soon, a spirit’s form flickered behind him, lending its power.
The spirit manifesting behind him was markedly different from those of other warriors. Less a beast and more…… a person. No, more precisely, a warrior.
It was the greatest spirit of the Great Plains, granted only to the Geyar Driman—the soul of the great warrior Kaliman.
An unannounced ambush. Utterly cowardly, yet the strike itself was ferociously powerful.
Thus, Oukan had no doubt this blow would cleave his foe.
That was when.
Clang!
“……!”
Oukan’s face hardened at the immense shock transmitted through his grip. But only for a moment.
He swiftly retreated. Blood sprayed through the air with a whoosh, slicing space apart.
“…….”
Oukan narrowed his eyes. He swallowed hard without realizing it. A strike so threatening that even a slight delay in judgment would’ve sent his head flying.
As Oukan thought that far, a languid voice echoed through the space.
“Indeed, you’re no warrior.”
The voice belonged to none other than Amar’s challenger.
He assumed a stance, wielding a blade of pure white that seemed ready to slice with a mere glance.
“Why not play with me, since we’re at it.”
“…….”
Oukan’s eyes twitched as he gripped his greatsword. He hadn’t noticed until now…… But facing the sword-wielding opponent made it clear.
Dangerous.
This was entirely different from the impression when he’d learned Shine was a master of peak martial arts.
More visceral……
A tangible sense of crisis.
And around then.
Grind, gri…….
The earth’s tremors began to subside. Oukan turned his gaze to the change, taking in Aster.
“So that’s how it is.”
Aster had already retreated a few steps with Yurubuke in tow. As if creating a stage for them.
From the start……
These guys didn’t care about the pretext of ruining Amar. No, they’d probably drawn swords for that reason initially, but now it was irrelevant.
What they…… no, what that knight wanted now was one thing.
A duel.
In that instant, fighting spirit welled up from deep within. Facing an opponent who wanted to purely clash martial prowess, disregarding pretexts, his dormant warrior soul stirred.
But only for a moment.
Oukan raised his greatsword high and bellowed.
“Dogs of the Empire! Warriors! Draw your blades! Will you hand this land over to the Empire’s dogs—!”
Warriors who had reached a certain level had heard the conversation and knew the opponent’s identity remained unclear…… But facts didn’t matter.
Here and now, continentals were present, and they had swords aimed at their ruler, Geyar Driman.
More than enough reason to ignite the warriors’ battle fervor.
“Geyar Driman—!”
“For the great ruler—!”
The warriors’ roars soon echoed. Shine burst into scornful laughter at the sight. At the same time, she glanced at Aster and posed a question.
“Is it possible?”
“Nothing’s impossible.”
“Then I’ll trust you.”
With that, Shine entered the state of selflessness. Soon, the world turned wholly white—
And what remained in the world was one thing alone.
Not ‘me’……
The enemy.
‘……Oukan.’
In this moment, Shine harbored not a shred of doubt.
……The vile one would hold off every warrior and shaman of the Great Plains until the battle ended.
A single steadfast belief.
Soon……
Screeeee—!
The greatsword cleaved the air. In the selfless world, Shine gripped her magic sword and wore a benevolent smile on her lips.
* * *
As Shine sank into selflessness and the battle with Oukan began.
Aster looked at the charging warriors and gave a wry smile.
“Is this right?”
He’d said to trust him, but facing the warriors swarming like a pack of dogs made him wonder if he’d chosen wrong.
‘The Great Plains, Great Plains, huh…….’
He couldn’t precisely gauge their realms due to differing systems, but roughly estimating, there were more than a few on the cusp of transcendence.
But what was even trickier……
Crackle, crackle.
The bizarre flow undulating toward the sky. Too vague for magic, too distinct for a natural phenomenon.
Then what was it.
‘……Shamanism.’
Yes, shamanism.
No sooner had Oukan’s command fallen than shamanistic rites erupted simultaneously from camps everywhere. Not just one or two. Waves of shamanism filled the sky.
What if one took all that head-on.
Who knows.
Each held negligible power, but if all that energy overlapped…… Yeah, certain death.
“The Empire doesn’t send transcendents for nothing.”
“……If warriors are the shield holding back armies, shamans are the spears hunting transcendents.”
“You sound kinda proud.”
“As if.”
Aster shot Yurubuke a glare before returning his gaze skyward. Blocking the warriors wasn’t too hard, at least.
Zing—!
He plunged straight into transcendence. In the infinitely slowed world, Aster closed his eyes and focused his mind. Soon, five circles spun, seizing the space’s mana.
‘Let’s see…….’
Yeah, like this.
Protecting Shine on open ground was nearly impossible. Stopping their fight to relocate was ridiculous.
So, what then.
‘Change the terrain.’
Aster went to snap his fingers…… but realizing the world was infinitely slowed, focused his mind instead of snapping.
Closing his eyes, he focused his mind instead of snapping fingers.
First.
‘Knock back the close ones.’
Soon, countless bursts of Explosive Demise rose into the air. But he controlled the destructive power. Aster’s goal was endurance. Slaughtering the warriors would make things easier, but he didn’t feel like it.
‘And…….’
He sensed the shamanism filling the sky. Unlike magic, it drifted in like slow butterflies. In the split instants, it seemed frozen.
‘Ignore this for now.’
Time to set the stage.
How to craft a stage that’d earn rave reviews. For a duel between transcendents, making it as shabby as possible seemed fitting.
A brief deliberation.
‘Yeah, that’s it.’
Aster latched onto the idea flashing through his mind and…… couldn’t snap his fingers, so executed the thought magic mentally.
Of course, the magic didn’t manifest instantly.
Unlike fire magic, earth magic catalyzed through material bodies. In split instants, its effect wasn’t immediate. If Aster had mastered earth magic imagery to the limit, maybe, but his transcendence was half-baked incantation.
Anyway.
After setup, Aster slowly exited transcendence. And then—
Boom, boomboomboom!
“Gah……!”
“Gurk!”
Explosions rang from all directions. Amid the screams, Aster scanned them with his senses. No one died as intended.
The earth’s change happened right then.
Rumble, rumb—
The ground was sinking. Yet no sound or vibration. Just like pressing into soft sponge, the earth dented.
His mana control was so precise that Shine and Oukan on the ground noticed nothing.
“What……!”
Aster grabbed the aghast Yurubuke and rose into the sky. Then he took in the earth.
When the change finished.
“Done.”
Aster smiled satisfactorily at the completed dueling arena.
A pudding-cup-like depression. Nothing special at first glance. Just…… a huge pit.
But.
“One more thing here.”
Snap!
As Aster snapped his fingers, flames erupted over the pit. Deep blue flames that burned everything.
Its name.
“Hell’s Arena.”
No one could enter or exit until a victor emerged.
Smiling contentedly, Aster spread his senses around.
‘Now what’s left…….’
Was the shamanism.