Chapter 457
Chapter 457
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 457
>Chapter Title: Got Nothing to Say?
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Boom—!
The shockwave that spread throughout the Sanctuary shook the entire mountain.
The first to react to the explosion was the 11th Elder.
“What the hell...”
A shock that rattled the entire space.
Others might not know, but the 11th Elder, sensitive to black magic power, could tell. It was no ordinary explosion.
A massive eruption of black magic power.
“What are you looking at?”
“...!”
Lost in thought, the 11th Elder hurriedly formed hand seals. Dozens of wraiths rose from his necklace, forming a barrier.
Kieee—!
Amid the faint wails echoing through the air, a flash of light erupted at the center.
Boom!
“...Ngh!”
The 11th Elder groaned from the shockwave transmitted through the Soul Spirit Barrier. But the assault didn’t end there.
Boom! Kwagagagagagak!
Dozens of ice shards battered the barrier. It was unremarkable magic, but each shard delivered a jolt that rattled the 11th Elder’s skull.
‘This brute...!’
It wasn’t output possible under the suppression of the white magic circle.
So how?
‘...Transcendence.’
Kazar had compensated for the shortfall by adding more calculations, entering transcendence to process them.
Impossible.
Could the Blade of Balance withstand the curse bestowed by an ancient artifact?
He checked if the artifact’s bindings had weakened, but the curse chains extending from the red dagger remained intact.
That meant... he was enduring the curse through sheer mental fortitude alone...
“Lost in thought again?”
“...Kuh!”
Zheeeeeeng—!
The 11th Elder screamed as the onslaught of magic poured in. A massive ice spike slammed into the Soul Spirit Barrier.
The wraiths forming the barrier wailed as frigid air leaked from the spike.
Crackle—
The freezing Soul Spirit Barrier.
‘Impossible!’
Cold that froze souls? He’d never heard of such a thing.
But instead of panicking, the 11th Elder responded immediately.
Wraiths rose from the necklace, layering a second, then a third barrier.
And then...
Kwangchang!
The ice spike shattered the first barrier and embedded in the second. Then again...
Crackle!
The Soul Spirit Barrier froze.
This was...
Soulreave (削魂)
Ice that shaved away the soul.
...The Soulreave ice that froze the second barrier plunged straight into the third.
By now, even the 11th Elder grasped the gravity.
‘These aren’t foes we can fend off half-heartedly.’
The goal had been to stall until the 4th Elder activated the black magic circle, but that was a grave miscalculation.
Pahren hadn’t even stepped in yet, but revealing his full power felt reluctant...
‘...No choice.’
Zheeeeng—!
The Soulreave ice shattered the third Soul Spirit Barrier. The 11th Elder stared straight at the tip of the oncoming ice.
It was right after that the 11th Elder removed his robe’s hood.
His face was revealed.
Surprisingly, the 11th Elder was a young woman.
Of course, that was just appearance.
Inside lurked a decrepit monster who had lived over a century.
Just as each elder had pursued their own value through the endless years they couldn’t die—5th Elder seeking immortality, 9th Elder aiming to create a world and become a god—the 11th Elder’s pursuit was simpler.
What she sought was pure...
Resentment (怨)
Revenge.
Returning more pain than inflicted upon those who wounded her.
The 11th Elder’s eyes gleamed. At the same moment...
Kwudududuk—!
The Soulreave ice tore her body to shreds. No, “tore” didn’t suffice.
The moment the Soulreave ice touched her body, it froze solid and shattered into pieces.
But.
Kik, kikikikik...
A bizarre sound emanated from the remnants—barely her ankles. It was like the whir of a clock being wound, and change followed immediately.
Gururuk, guruk.
Clusters of black magic power surged from all directions, forming shape. And when that form completed...
“...”
The 11th Elder.
...The 11th Elder lifted her eyelids. Slowly, they rose, revealing her eyes to the world.
And when those eyes met yours.
“...Hah.”
Kazar let out a hollow laugh at the dizzying sensation. He wasn’t the only one.
The moment Pahren met the 11th Elder’s gaze, he frowned at the strange magic invading his mind.
How to describe it.
...A curse.
Yes, cursed.
The chill swept in right after.
Kkaduk, kkak—!
From the 11th Elder’s unfocused white eyes, frost spread outward. Simultaneously, the surrounding temperature plummeted exponentially.
Soon...
Kkaduk, kkak—!
The space froze completely.
Kazar let out a hollow laugh at the cold enveloping everything.
“Soulreave...”
Yes, Soulreave.
Not as potent as his own, but the chill emanating from the 11th Elder was unmistakably Soulreave.
“Returning as much as received?”
Soulreave chill seeping into his bones.
No escaping it.
That was the nature of the 11th Elder’s curse from the start.
‘...This is dangerous.’
Kazar grimaced at the Soulreave chill tightening around his throat. Without the white magic circle or the ‘Dagger of Balance,’ he could’ve handled it...
A crisis, indeed.
But the 11th Elder wasn’t at ease either.
‘Precarious.’
What if Pahren stepped in now?
No guarantee.
And above all...
‘9th Elder.’
The 11th Elder gauged the 9th Elder’s life force through their spirit link.
The fading life force of the 9th Elder.
‘...So it was there.’
She realized the explosion originated from the 9th Elder’s location and couldn’t suppress her unease.
How many were left over there?
‘One? Two?’
Worst case, after Kazar and Pahren, she’d have to block the great mages the 9th Elder had held off...
How long must she endure?
She hoped the 4th Elder would hurry with the black magic circle, but the 11th Elder steeled herself.
Always prepare for the worst.
Before Pahren moved.
Before the great mages the 9th Elder blocked arrived...
‘...I’ll finish Kazar.’
With that thought, the 11th Elder focused her mind. Soulreave ice conjured by curse gathered at her will.
* * *
While the 11th Elder held off Kazar like that.
The 9th Elder was gasping for breath.
“Hahk, heuk...”
His spirit, fused with the phantom barrier, returned to his body the moment it shattered. A razor-thin escape.
‘A little later and...’
His spirit would’ve been torn apart with the exploding barrier. A spine-chilling moment...
A voice came then.
“Still alive?”
The 9th Elder slowly raised his head toward the voice. Nausea surged with bile, but he suppressed it and fixed his gaze on the foe.
The bastard had donned a new mask, covering his face.
...The Tower Lord.
“You damn...”
He meant it.
That final moment.
The 9th Elder remembered clearly.
...It had been a moment of choice for both him and the Tower Lord.
- If you detonate... you die.
Not just the foe.
Himself too.
So how to survive?
Simple.
Withdraw power and protect himself. He’d take wounds, but live.
But a problem.
‘The foe?’
If only he withdrew... clear loss. He lives, but the foe survives intact.
So what then?
Best if both spared each other’s lives.
Withdraw or not... one or the other.
The 9th Elder couldn’t decide.
That ended the moment of choice.
...This was the conclusion.
The Tower Lord hadn’t withdrawn power, but he had. In other words, he’d chosen mutual death...
“Got nothing to say?”
“Want last words?”
“No, beg for your life.”
What did that mean?
Spit out something useful if you want to live.
“Who knows? Might let you go.”
“...Haha.”
The 9th Elder laughed hollowly.
Might let you go, but his eyes saw only a corpse. No intent to spare, whatever said.
“...Just kill me.”
“Alright then.”
Aster snapped his fingers at those words. A gust of wind sliced the 9th Elder’s throat.
And...
Roar—!
The 9th Elder’s body ignited in flames.
Aster watched briefly before turning away.
A voice came then.
“...You?”
It was Demeia.
Meaning, you dispelled the barrier? Aster nodded calmly.
“Yeah, me.”
“Thanks.”
“No big deal.”
Normally he’d gloat, but Aster held back at Demeia’s unamused expression.
Instead, he looked elsewhere.
Searching for Zamal’s Judge...
‘...He’s fine.’
Aster spotted Zamal’s Judge seated against the wall, focused on breathing exercises, and nodded.
A sense check confirmed: Zamal’s Judge was in good shape.
So, situation summary...
‘...9th Elder’s dead.’
Their side’s damage wasn’t severe.
Demeia and Zamal’s Judge’s spirit powers seemed heavily damaged, but only the powers— their presences remained unshaken.
Only regret: letting the 9th Elder die cleanly.
‘Well, unavoidable.’
With time, he’d have pried his mouth open, but time was short.
Gains weren’t small.
‘Learned Reverse Heaven fragments are in the Sanctuary.’
And that the Sanctuary was a massive trap targeting Reverse Heaven’s master.
Now the issue...
‘...What to do.’
Aster paused, organizing thoughts.
Heading deeper for Reverse Heaven fragments was obvious, but charging in blindly wasn’t ideal.
Demeia and Zamal’s Judge were fine, but...
‘...I’m not.’
If he at least knew Sun and Moon’s trap...
Demeia’s voice came then.
“Let’s share intel.”
“...Intel?”
Aster tilted his head.
Surprised Demeia spoke first, and that she suggested sharing.
But only briefly.
‘...Right, they saw illusions too?’
Aster recalled Demeia and Zamal’s Judge might’ve seen illusions too.
Meaning, clues to Sun and Moon’s trap from them...
Demeia’s voice came again.
“I’ll give one first.”
“...?”
Giving intel first?
Generous terms, head tilted... but Demeia’s info surprised even Aster.
“Reverse Heaven fragments are in the Sanctuary.”
Aster knew that much.
But the number differed.
“Total of...”
...Three.
Demeia’s voice drilled into his ear.
“What you answer: Are you truly Reverse Heaven’s master? ...Answer, and I’ll tell you the fragments’ locations.”