Chapter 230
Chapter 230
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 230
Chapter Title: Golden Lord (3)
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As the quiet night ended, a massive storm raged through.
In the conference hall where silence had reigned moments before, an enormous uproar exploded.
"What in the world is that nonsense?! Saved Lord Remillion's life?!"
"How dare you! How dare you spout such lunacy in a conference hall where all the alliance representatives are gathered?!"
"That madman has blasphemed the sacred founder of our alliance! Drag that lunatic out of the conference hall right now!"
Not a single one was missing—every delegate from Galentana, Vesta, and even Delutana shot to their feet. Shouts echoed deafeningly, faces flushed red and purple with rage, eyes gleaming with fury. Even Enrico and the Delutana delegates were either frozen speechless or betrayed a flicker of hostility.
It wasn't unreasonable for such reactions to erupt. After being conquered by the empire in the past, Delutana, Galentana, and Vesta—the three great cities—had long been scattered, each fending for themselves. Yet there was one thing they still shared without fail.
The absolute reverence for Remillion, the Golden Lord who had unified the eastern continent and established the Free City Alliance.
Alliance folk lived their entire lives alongside that great hero. As children, they grew up on tales of his adventures; when blessing one another, they invoked his gold; when swearing unbreakable oaths, they swore upon his name. Naturally, every alliance member held Remillion's name as sacred and inviolable, akin to religion.
In other words, Kadim's words were tantamount to barging into an Elga church and declaring, "I saved Elga's life when he was on the brink of death."
The one mitigating factor was that Remillion was a deified human, not a true god. But that didn't make the claim any less absurd.
"I can't fathom how you could utter such vile nonsense! What, did you receive a god's blessing and live for centuries? No, no—even granting that a hundred, a thousand times, do you have any proof you saved Lord Remillion, Demon Slayer?"
"Just ask the man himself."
"Damn it, enough of your ravings! The great Golden Lord passed away over two hundred years ago!"
"Did you see him die with your own eyes? Or did you visit his grave and gawk at the corpse?"
"Please, for the love of—shut your mouth! Lord Remillion's tomb isn't even within alliance territory! For unknown reasons, his whereabouts in his final years remain a mystery..."
"Then I probably know his current status better than anyone here. I've seen the man alive with my own eyes."
When he should have been retracting his words and smoothing things over, Kadim poured oil on the fire and lobbed in a grenade. The conference hall descended into utter pandemonium, making the earlier chaos look like a friendly gathering. Beneath the fanatic fervor, the delegates' fury finally overrode their instinctive fear of the barbarian.
Finally, a high-ranking mage could hold back no longer and declared:
"This madman murdered the Tower Lord and insulted our alliance's founder, shaking the very foundations of the Free City Alliance that has upheld a pillar of the continent for ages! As a seeker of mysteries and a member of the alliance, I can no longer tolerate this outrage! The Magic Tower hereby declares the 'Demon Slayer' a public enemy of the alliance as of this moment and will execute him on the spot!"
Soon, an incantation poured from the mage's lips. A sinister flow, the mana coalescing in his heart's magic stone—it was visible.
In that instant, Kadim leaped forward as well.
Kwa—ang!
It might have been better called flight than a leap. In a single instant, that massive frame covered over thirty meters. The desk at the landing point shattered into oblivion, the pre-deployed barrier exploded into shards, and a merciless hand seized the mage's cheek.
Pachachachachang—!!
"Ugh!!"
"One more word, and I'll rip out your tongue. If you've got a spare, keep talking."
The high mage froze solid. It was unmistakably a blunt, unadorned threat.
A ferocious aura more menacing than any demon's spread. Those nearby couldn't even scream before freezing in place. But delegates a bit farther away screamed and fled, while the remaining mages recoiled in horror and prepared counterattacks.
"L-Lord Forsilion! Are you alright?!"
"E-Everyone, attack the Demon Slayer! [Holpera, Mol, Ketilis, Apicanto, En…….]"
Kadim furrowed his brow slightly. As ever, past or present, he found nothing likable about these spell-slinging bastards. It would feel damn good to just slaughter them all...
But he decided to hold back just this once. It would all be sorted cleanly soon enough, and Enrico in the chairman's seat looked like his lifespan had just halved.
"You there, Duncan."
"...Y-Yes! Right here, milord!"
"Handle them. Don't kill any."
"U-Understood!"
Duncan burst from his shadowy corner. The mages couldn't hide their shock at the sudden emergence from the shadows.
"Gah! W-Who the hell are you...?"
"H-Hold it, you bastard!"
Guuuung—!
"Guh..."
The World Tree dagger whipped through like a gale. One, two, three, four... the mages dropped one after another. The merchant's movements had become astonishingly swift and efficient, even to himself.
But to Kadim, it wasn't satisfying. As Duncan was choking out the mages into unconsciousness, Kadim waved him off impatiently.
"Too slow. Give me that wooden dagger."
"Uh, uh, y-yes..."
No sooner had he received the dagger than Kadim hurled it with all his might.
——Swaaaaaang, guuuuuung—!
"Ack!"
"Heuk!"
"Gak!"
Approaching subsonic speed, the projectile pierced targets in a line and embedded in the wall.
——————Kwa—ang!!
Eighteen mages down in a single throw—more than Duncan had stabbed. After Kadim hurled the dagger two more times, every chanting mage was subdued and out cold.
"A dagger isn't just for close range. Practice throwing techniques when you have time."
"..."
Duncan thought to himself: Even if he spent a hundred years eating and throwing daggers, he couldn't match that...
In any case, the chaos in the hall was thus completely quelled. The side where those who had fled the commotion gathered was still in an uproar, though.
——————Whiiioooo—!
The doors emitted an eerie howl. Fierce winds wrapped around the handles, and a barrier of repelling gales blocked the entrance. The sole exit sealed, the entire conference hall was locked down.
"What is this? I-I can't get out because of this..."
"O-Open it! Clear this away! If we stay trapped here, we'll surely die..."
The delegates initially thought it was some trick by the mages battling Kadim. But when the spell persisted even after they fell, panic set in, and they flailed about.
Kadim's expression hardened slightly as well. For some reason, unlike other magic, he couldn't sense the presence of this spell.
The mystery didn't last long. Soon, the caster appeared amid a whirlwind.
————Whiiiuuung—!
"Heh... As expected, not your average brute."
Disheveled hair, half-lidded eyes. His face was densely etched with mystic runes and wrinkles. He looked like nothing more than a cranky old man at first glance, but the pitch-black robe and the remaining mages' reactions attested to the elder's extraordinary status.
"L-Lord Elder! W-Wendigoth Elder!"
"What? Which elder is here...? Oh, oh? Elder?"
"T-The 'Endless Tempest' has personally come..."
Wendigoth, second seat of the Magic Tower's Elder Council, the "Endless Tempest."
With the Tower Lord and chief elder absent, he was currently the highest-ranking elder in the tower. The hall buzzed at the unexpected heavyweight's arrival. Even those unaware of his identity sensed the formidable presence and tensed up.
All except one: Kadim.
"Looks like another fly I haven't seen before."
"..."
"You're one of those elder council spell-slingers too, huh."
Wendigoth responded to the discourteous question without offense.
"Indeed. We've finally met, Demon Slayer. I am Wendigoth, vice elder of the council, the 'Endless Tempest.'"
"...Funny, I don't remember seeing you at the tower last time."
"I was away inspecting Soltana with the Tower Lord then. Well, had I known this mess would unfold, I wouldn't have left the tower at all..."
He spoke casually, but beneath the surface lay palpable tension, ready to erupt. They exchanged words gingerly, like walking on thin ice. Kadim nodded toward the wind barrier sealing the exit.
"So, how'd you pull that off? No 'magic power' at all—it doesn't feel like the usual spells you lot use."
"...!"
Wendigoth's eyes twisted sharply. He scanned Kadim thoroughly, then let out a deflating chuckle.
"Heh heh... Not sure if that's sharp eyes or dull ones. The answer's plain as day on your neck, though?"
"..."
Kadim subtly activated Blessing of Fire and Ice and let out a small, hollow laugh. Ah, so that's it.
The Magic Tower's mages substituted "ancient mana" with mana laced in magic power. That's why even Kadim, hopeless at mana sensing, could pick up on spells' precursors. But with Melissa's death, ancient mana had returned to the world, and this elder had apparently already mastered spells using it.
A spell-slinger met after so long, one whose tricks were hard to predict.
And it wasn't just that. If his power matched the previous elders', this one could level a city district effortlessly. Moreover, Wendigoth had come fully prepared to face Kadim.
"Anyway, I tailed you here on a hunch, and good thing I did. Admitting to killing the Tower Lord and two elders, claiming you saved the Golden Lord, and dropping this many mages in seconds... Heh heh, thanks to you, I've had quite the entertaining show in my old age."
"..."
"I can guess your answer, but for courtesy's sake, I'll ask once: Will you come quietly and atone? I won't kill you—just let the tower dissect every inch of that freakish body for twenty, thirty years, then release you."
"..."
"Heh, too bad... Refusal isn't an option."
The elder twisted his lips and rolled up his sleeve. From the back of his hand up his arm to his back, intricate magic arrays were inscribed densely.
The evidence was nearly ironclad that the Demon Slayer had killed the elders and Tower Lord. Wendigoth had no idea how, but he figured charging in unprepared would end with him just like them.
Thus, he'd prepared thoroughly. By etching activation-ready "grand magic" arrays across his body.
No need to chant. Just will it to activate. Then a heaven-shattering storm would descend, shredding that lump of barbarism.
Moreover, this grand magic's power source was "ancient mana." Unlike mana, whose core had been exposed, it was an unknown energy with few secrets revealed. He was certain it couldn't be dispelled or canceled like ordinary spells...
That ironclad preparation evaporated in an instant.
Kugugugugu...
"...Gasp?"
Insatiable Predator
Devours all mysteries and miracles
Tur—hup! Kuhuuuuu...
A colossal monster engulfed the conference hall and vanished. Bewilderment spread across every face. Only a few Delutana delegates faintly showed awe—they had witnessed that entity annihilate thousands of gospel bodies in one go during the gospel incident.
Wuuuuung...
The glow from Akulanos's Tattoo gradually faded. Wendigoth belatedly realized his body, once covered in scribble-like runes, was now pristine.
"Wh-what...? My magic...? Kek!"
"..."
A rough hand throttled his throat. Bereft of his prepared arrays, the elder lasted barely five seconds before passing out.
Fresh silence fell, so profound even breaths were erased.
"..."
"..."
With the "Endless Tempest" down, the wind barrier at the exit dissipated. Yet not one delegate dared flee. Muscles slackened, bones stiffened, blood froze, nerves numbed—they couldn't budge an inch.
Love it or hate it, the Magic Tower was the alliance's strongest armed force, and Wendigoth the "Endless Tempest" its de facto top powerhouse. For him to be subdued so pathetically meant...
A fact they'd vaguely known was now seared into their souls.
He was an unstoppable force. He was absolute might. He stood above law, order, faith, mystery, and miracles. No matter what atrocities he committed, they truly could do nothing. Hell, they should be grateful he hadn't slaughtered everyone here.
"Lord Remillion... What kind of world is this, with a monster like that..."
"Hahk, haah, haah..."
"P-Please, spare me... I don't want to die here, not here..."
A few delegates with unusually strong survival instincts barely turned their bodies. Walking was impossible, so they desperately crawled like grubs toward the exit. But pathetically, they didn't get far before hitting a wall.
A sudden flash of light blocked their path.
"Hm... What are you lot doing here?"
"...Huh?"
"...W-Who the hell are you?"
"Er... well... Not sure you'd believe me if I told you..."
The man in golden armor removed his helmet and awkwardly scratched the leather wings on his back.
"I'm Remillion, founder of the alliance and friend to dragons. If you're truly alliance folk... then I suppose that makes me your progenitor."
"..."
The alliance's founder, evolved to soar the skies, reunited with his descendants—regressed to crawling the earth after two hundred long years.