Chapter 222
Chapter 222
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 222
Chapter Title: Aftermath of the Explosion
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Flash!
It exploded with a deafening boom.
The shockwave caused the castle to crumble violently.
“Run outside the castle!”
Damian shouted at the top of his lungs.
“This way!”
“Erect a defensive barrier!”
The shield unit soldiers swiftly formed a protective wall, shielding people from the falling stone debris.
Meanwhile, the knights frantically evacuated people to safety.
A massive plume of smoke billowed up like a mushroom cloud from the explosion’s force.
A moment later.
As the smoke cleared, Tomoya Castle came into view.
Over half of it had collapsed, evoking the image of a war loser.
Those who had safely escaped the castle stared at it in stunned silence.
Then they began wailing and screaming.
“No!”
“Tomoya Castle…….”
“Mom!”
“My child…….”
People rushed around searching for their families, gripped by anxiety.
Damian stood before the half-ruined castle, frantically scanning his surroundings.
‘You mustn’t die!’
Searching for Arthur amid the mountain of rubble was impossible.
He heightened his senses to the maximum, trying to detect even a trace of his presence, but nothing registered.
It was exactly as it appeared to the eye.
Anyone buried under that rubble had to be considered dead.
“No, you can’t die like this!”
Damian shook his head wildly and began shoving aside the stones in front of him.
But clearing countless debris pieces one by one was impossible.
“Ah…….”
He collapsed to the ground in a daze, utterly despondent.
Damian clasped his hands tightly and prayed fervently.
‘I believe you’re safe. Don’t betray that faith. Please, I beg you.’
***
“Hmm.”
From a hill in the Gopra Mountains overlooking Tomoya Castle, Ruan’s face hardened.
The shadow beneath his feet stretched long and rose from the ground.
-We’ve been had.
“Unexpected. I didn’t think Collepton would fall.”
-Me neither.
“Was it carelessness? Or overwhelmed by skill? What do you think?”
-Both, probably. Collepton was drunk on power, and the one who inherited Tehran’s legacy has tremendous potential.
“Collepton awakened as that monster Artisan. Even if careless, he wouldn’t have let himself be annihilated without unleashing his true power.”
-Then Arthur Julius awakened?
“That’s the only explanation. The Julius Family can never be underestimated. And with Tehran’s legacy, his potential surpasses our imagination.”
-He’s dangerous. Why not eliminate him?
Nightmare’s voice was filled with doubt.
“I’ll wait until he grows stronger.”
-Why? He’s strong enough now. The stronger he gets, the harder it’ll be for you.
“If I make the Demon King my subordinate, do you think the world will see me as a great being?”
-What are you talking about all of a sudden?
“As long as the hero ‘Tehran Julius’ lingers in people’s minds, my presence means nothing. That’s why I’ll wait until he reaches Tehran’s level.”
-Now I get it.
Nightmare’s voice sounded thrilled, extremely satisfied.
Ruan thought of Arthur and spoke.
“Grow strong. When the whole world looks up to you in awe, I’ll crush you beneath my feet. Then they’ll know Ruan Barotas is the greatest being in history.”
-I look forward to that day.
The shadow before him vanished.
Ruan silently gazed at Tomoya Castle, then looked down at the battlefield below the hill.
The two armies remained locked in stalemate.
It didn’t look like either side intended to start a war.
This had to be that guy’s doing too.
It seemed the war was over.
He had hoped to completely push back to Tomoya Kingdom before ending it—a great pity.
And now, that guy had become the war’s biggest beneficiary.
He himself would be the greatest loser.
But that was only on the surface.
With Nightmare, the darkness spirit, and the Demon King’s guardians now summoned under his command.
Even that alone dwarfed what the other had gained.
And now, he was heading to find the Demon King’s sword Nightmare mentioned.
Decaragrow!
He had checked Golden Barotas’s book just in case, and found a likely location for the Demon King’s sword.
The site of Tehran’s final battle.
It was probably buried there somewhere.
“Yes, grow big and strong for me now.”
Ruan turned his horse toward his destination.
The western mountains where the final battle took place.
He headed toward the border between Grada Territory and Kanura Continent.
***
-Awaken. It is not yet time to sleep.
Nigras’s voice echoed.
Then, in pitch-black darkness, a brilliant light poured down in an instant.
“Gasp!”
Arthur jolted awake, startled.
His body was drenched in sweat.
He took a long breath, steadied himself with deep inhales, and looked around.
It was dark, but faint light seeped through cracks, enough to survey without strain.
He recalled the situation before passing out.
The aura explosion coincided with the building collapsing, sending him plummeting below.
Buried under rubble, on the brink of death.
Incredibly lucky—a massive boulder, no, something as hard as iron, had acted as a shield, protecting him from all debris.
That’s how he survived.
He had thought he could eliminate Collepton and escape right away.
But he hadn’t anticipated the explosion’s aftershock.
Its power far exceeded his expectations.
Checking his body for injuries, he found only minor scratches—otherwise fine.
He was truly fortunate.
Back on Earth too, he had faced death multiple times, but always escaped through grit or sheer luck.
His luck seemed to hold here as well.
That aside, he wondered what had happened to Collepton.
Arthur maximized his senses to check for the enemy’s presence.
After a moment.
“……!”
He faintly detected a trace of dark power.
It hadn’t been fully annihilated.
But the aura felt extremely precarious—he had clearly taken massive damage.
‘Find him before he escapes.’
Arthur carefully navigated the rubble toward the source of the dark power.
About ten meters from where he had been, he found Collepton.
Only the head and half a torso remained, attempting regeneration.
Arthur stood over his head and looked down.
Collepton showed no reaction.
Unconscious, the dark power instinctively regenerating him.
His tenacious life force made Arthur shudder.
But he had gained crucial information.
You had to erase every last bit to truly annihilate them.
Arthur summoned the K1 into his right hand.
“As promised, I’ll finish you off for good.”
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-.
He unloaded until it was reduced to dust.
Collepton vanished without a trace.
No more dark power lingered.
Finally, completely annihilated.
“Cockroach bastard.”
Arthur turned away with a look of contempt.
He scanned for light seeping in, searching for an exit.
“This looks good.”
He transformed the K1 into an RPG-7 and pulled the trigger.
Whoosh-.
Boom-.
Golden aura blasted the rubble away.
Warm sunlight poured onto his face.
Arthur closed his eyes, basking in the rays, savoring the moment.
After a while.
Hearing the explosion, someone came rushing over.
“Over there!”
“Your Majesty!”
Arthur opened his eyes and turned toward the approaching presences.
It was Damian and Millerph.
Arthur grinned, emerging from the debris to greet them.
“Are you alright?”
Damian fretted anxiously with a worried expression, while Millerph immediately cast ‘Recovery’.
Arthur smiled at Millerph as his minor scratches healed cleanly.
“We’re so relieved you’re safe.”
“Didn’t expect the aftershock. Sorry for worrying you anyway.”
Arthur shifted his gaze to Damian.
As their eyes met, Damian bowed as deeply and respectfully as he could.
“Thank you.”
“Just doing my duty. You worked hard on a tough mission too.”
Arthur gripped his shoulder firmly. Then, surveying the near-total ruins around them, he asked.
“Casualties?”
“Without mage support, it’s hard to assess.”
All mages were still facing off against the Namshar Empire’s forces on the battlefield.
To move them, the war needed to end first.
“Battlefield status?”
“They’re still at a standoff.”
As Damian spoke, a soldier came galloping from afar, shouting.
“The Namshar Empire is moving!”
“Damn it!”
Damian’s face twisted.
Arthur whistled as he dashed toward the battlefield.
Kan came charging powerfully from the castle gate side.
Arthur mounted him and headed to the front.
Duke Terry had likely grown impatient waiting and taken action.
He had met Nigras and Aria, but ending the war wasn’t his sole decision.
Beyond command structure, his comrades on the field needed a compelling reason to accept it.
He had wanted to lure Collepton to the battlefield as Duke Terry hoped, announcing that Artisan had fallen to the Demon King’s familiar—but the enemy was too strong.
Now, he had to step in personally.
‘Please, don’t fight.’
With a stern expression, Arthur yanked Kan’s mane hard.
***
“The five Sword Masters have sortied with the Carmen Knight Order.”
At the scout’s report, Skevin glanced at Drakan.
Drakan pondered briefly before asking the scout.
“What about Tomoya Kingdom’s forces?”
“They’re erecting defensive barriers. The knights aren’t moving, so they don’t seem eager to fight.”
“They must not know about Tomoya Castle yet. If they did, they wouldn’t react like this.”
Drakan turned to Skevin.
“Advance and pressure the Namshar Empire. They won’t move rashly then.”
“Understood.”
Skevin turned, drew his sword, pointed it toward the battlefield, and advanced on the knights.
The Death Knight Order’s eyes flashed as they silently pressed forward.
A Namshar Empire scout watching the Julius Kingdom camp from afar hurriedly galloped back.
“We’ve been tricked.”
Pigeaaro thought Duke Terry had fallen for Arthur’s scheme.
Otherwise, something would have happened by now, or secret word from him.
But there was no news.
Artisan couldn’t be a Demon King’s familiar.
They had fallen for the thorough plot.
Surely, his army was advancing now, and the Natarasian side was fully prepared.
“You’ll see. His Grace was played. Order the attack before it’s too late! That’ll make it easier for His Majesty to strike!”
As Pigeaaro pressed strongly and Duke Terry’s face grew grave.
“Your Excellency!”
This time, a knight came galloping urgently.
One of the Sword Masters who had sortied with the Carmen Knight Order.
‘No way!’
They’re attacking……
Duke Terry’s eyes gleamed sharply.
“Arthur Julius has appeared!”
“Oh?”
Duke Terry’s face lit up as he asked.
“What did he say?”
“‘Halt the advance and have all forces retreat!’”
“Anything else? Was he alone, or with someone?”
“Alone. And he insisted I tell you this: the Demon King’s familiar is dead. Namshar Empire’s fate rests in your hands.”
“Dead?”
Duke Terry’s eyes widened instantly.
Pigeaaro, knowing who the Demon King’s familiar meant, gaped too.
“His Majesty…….”
“Hya!”
Duke Terry spurred his horse powerfully toward the battlefield.
‘No choice now! I’ll confirm with my own eyes.’