Chapter 189
Chapter 189
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 189
Chapter Title: Spirits' Salvation
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A gale whipped around Parsia, forming small tornadoes the size of humans.
She pointed at the swarming monsters.
"Take them all out."
At her command, the tornadoes surged toward the monsters, sweeping them away.
While Parsia handled the beasts, Arthur dashed toward the castle gate. One side of the gate was firmly shut, blocking the people's escape.
"Everyone, get back from the gate!"
Arthur bellowed at the top of his lungs as he unleashed the K1 Rifle at the gate.
The remaining door toppled backward like a felled ancient tree.
Boom—.
The people hurriedly fled outside.
'571, 572, 573... Damn it!'
There wasn't nearly enough time for everyone to escape.
He had no choice but to handle it as it came.
"Parsia!"
-Yes.
She appeared before Arthur.
"The barrier will explode soon. Erect a defensive wall to brace for the blast."
-Understood.
A transparent wall rose around those who hadn't escaped the castle, forming an oval that enveloped them on all sides.
The charging monsters slammed into the barrier and could advance no further.
Grrr—.
As the monsters growled and glared, the people tilted their heads in confusion.
'598, 599...'
Arthur shouted loudly.
"It's going to explode! Brace for the shock!"
Boom!
The first explosion erupted from inside a building, followed by a chain reaction.
Kaboom-kaboom-kaboom-kaboom-kaboom!
The deafening blasts and tremors made people clap their hands over their ears, gripped by terror.
The mage tower collapsed, crashing toward where the people were.
But it was halted by Parsia's barrier.
The explosions continued, crumbling the castle to ruins, and the walls gave way under the impact.
As debris and rubble rained down from above, the people screamed in horror.
"No!"
Kaboom!
Boom—!
Then, as something invisible collided with the falling debris and diverted it elsewhere, they stared in stunned silence.
Someone shouted.
"It's a spirit. The spirits are protecting us!"
"Spirits?"
In an instant, the people turned wide-eyed toward Keda.
He was the only one here who could command spirits, and he'd used them to slay monsters and shield them.
Seeing that, it was likely he was behind this too.
'The Alpha family is...'
'Why would a devil worshipper...?'
'What the hell is going on?'
As confusion swirled in their minds, the ground cracked open like an earthquake.
"What is this!"
"The ground's splitting! Run to safety!"
"Aaah!"
A few people tumbled into the fissures.
Panic engulfed them once more.
"Damn it!"
Keda unleashed his spirit arts, barely pulling those falling into the earth back to safety.
But people kept dying.
The situation around Arthur was no different.
Just as those who'd survived the building debris sighed in relief, the ground split, bringing a second wave of danger.
Those who'd fallen into the cracks were miraculously saved by the spirits, but soon larger holes yawned open, sucking people in like a black hole.
"Goddamn it!"
Regret and resentment flickered across Arthur's face.
As fury surged at the sight of innocents dying—
-Arthur Julius.
The voice of Earth, the spirit of the land, echoed in his mind.
Arthur's eyes flashed.
The spirit of the earth!
A glimmer of hope appeared, and the voice continued.
-You know that the Spirit King slumbers within your ring.
'I do!'
-Do you know the condition to unseal him?
'I heard that reaching the Teheran Realm will break the seal.'
-You've seen the state of the Namshar Empire. The ecosystem collapsed long ago. One major reason is the absence of Norsbl, the Earth Spirit King.
'No time. Tell me what you want.'
-Restore the Spirit King by breaking the ring's seal within three years. In return, I'll grant you power.
'Deal.'
Arthur answered without hesitation.
What Earth wanted aligned perfectly with his own goals—no need to deliberate.
-The great son of Norsbl, Earth, hereby forms a sacred contract with Arthur Julius. Treat him as you would me, spirits of the earth.
As soon as he finished, countless glowing ochre fireflies like motes emerged endlessly from the ground.
They floated motionless in the air.
'What are these?'
-The spirits of the earth. They're welcoming you.
'This isn't the time for greetings.'
Arthur shouted at once.
"Protect the people!"
At his command, the spirits vanished like lightning, and the cracked earth began to mend.
Earth pillars surged from massive holes, filling them in.
While Parsia and the earth spirits shielded the people, Salamander, the fire spirit, summoned 'Decan,' a colossal fire giant, to incinerate the monsters.
Each swing of Decan's fist burned dozens of beasts to ash.
The monsters fell helplessly before the spirits' overwhelming power.
One hour later.
The vast plain was littered with monster corpses.
Among them lay the bodies of soldiers and territory folk.
The survivors, having escaped the crisis, raised cheers of joy at being alive.
But many couldn't shake off the fear from that brief ordeal.
They stood with rigid faces, clutching trembling hands.
The soldiers were devastated by the ruins of Kyapur Castle.
"Kyapur Castle..."
"How could this happen..."
They couldn't snap out of their shock.
Arthur scanned the surroundings and walked toward Keda.
Keda had mercifully avoided serious injury.
But he had countless minor wounds, accumulating substantial damage.
Even standing was a struggle.
As he strained to rise upon seeing Arthur approach—
A warm breeze enveloped him, lifting him up.
Realizing Parsia had helped, Keda bowed politely.
"Thank you."
-Not at all. And you fought well.
Her warm voice whispered in his ear.
Keda smiled faintly and looked at Arthur.
"That's—!"
His eyes widened.
Behind Arthur trailed three glowing orbs of different colors.
As a spirit arts user, he recognized them instantly.
Spirits.
Wind, fire, and earth—the finest surviving high-grade spirits were all summoned.
Even more astonishing, they followed Arthur.
Spirits never bowed to humans without a contract.
Following him meant they had contracted with him.
Impossible.
Spirits couldn't form dual contracts.
He knew better than anyone the price of doing so...
'What the hell happened...?'
He was at a loss how to process the scene before him.
Arthur approached and asked.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm managing. And Your Majesty?"
"I'm fine."
Arthur clapped his shoulder encouragingly and continued.
"You protected all these people on your own."
"What I did was minimal; it was the spirits' power that saved us."
"You've done well."
Arthur gripped his shoulder firmly, then called for Parsia.
The sky-blue orb floated forward, manifesting her form.
-You called?
Unlike before, her voice and demeanor were exceedingly polite.
From her attitude, Keda realized she'd contracted with him.
'How did she...'
Parsia was the Alpha family's guardian deity—no dual contracts possible.
His doubts deepened.
Rather than pry rashly, he decided to observe.
"Maintain vigilance until I give special orders."
-Understood.
As Parsia vanished, Arthur summoned Earth.
The ochre orb advanced, revealing a muscular, sturdy middle-aged warrior.
Like Parsia, he exuded a mystical aura laced with the image of a resolute fighter.
-The son of Lord Norsbl, Earth, greets Lord Arthur Julius.
Earth bowed courteously like a knight.
"I have a question."
-Please speak.
"Before coming here, I encountered an earth spirit at Munar Mountain."
Earth's face stiffened slightly.
'You knew.'
Arthur's expression hardened too, his voice turning icy.
"Why didn't you stop it?"
-...I couldn't.
"What do you mean...? Don't tell me the spirits are divided into factions?"
-As you suspect. I can't speak for others, but the earth spirits have suffered greatly without Lord Norsbl.
Earth confessed everything since the Spirit King's sealing.
As the land dried and lost vitality, the spirits weakened.
Initially, they pooled their power to endure, but it wasn't enough.
As the earth's power waned, darkness exploited the gaps, and some spirits confronted it directly.
Their leader was the high spirit Nokum.
To save the land, he resorted to any means, eventually committing grave sins after meeting the shaman Shama.
-It may sound like an excuse, but the shaman's barrier prevented us from approaching.
"I know Nokum was annihilated. The others can be left alone?"
-Lord Nigras's summoning has them all lying low.
"Relay this to them: From now on, follow my orders. Any who defy will be reported to Nigras for annihilation."
-Understood.
"And now, your task is..."
After issuing orders to Earth, Arthur faced the last, Salamander.
Manifested, he was intensely radiant and flamboyant.
Yet an immense power emanated, as if he could burn the world.
He seemed the strongest of the three.
"If you have something to say, speak."
-You're a peculiar one. Taking Parsia and Earth without issue.
"Compared to Teheran, who contracted all spirits, it's no surprise, is it?"
Unlike with the contracted spirits, Arthur used formal speech with Salamander.
No contract yet, and his prowess against the monsters warranted respect.
-True, that one did contract them all.
Salamander met Arthur's eyes with a meaningful smile.
-A question since meeting you. Why do I sense his scent on you?
"Whose?"
-The King of Spirits.
"Perhaps from meeting him several times."
-What!
Salamander was stunned.
Cassandra, who merged with the Sovereign Sword to face the Demon King, vanished when it shattered.
'And he met him?'
Deciding to verify directly, Salamander's eyes gleamed sharply.
-Where is he now?