Chapter 82
Chapter 82
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Chapter 30: Conclusion (2)
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All his wounds began to heal.
The greatsword blade that had pierced his chest pulled itself out automatically and embedded into the ground.
Sable unleashed a jet-black divine power in thick streams, exploding with killing intent as if everything until now had been mere child's play.
"Kugh!"
Jamie felt his breath catch under the overwhelming pressure of the air-crushing killing intent.
This level of power was something he'd only seen in the past.
It made him truly realize that even among humans, monsters like this existed.
"We have to dodge!"
"You're right."
This time, even the Bell Marquis didn't stubbornly refuse.
The two turned and ran toward where Riki was.
Riki swallowed dryly amid the dire situation, focusing on healing Ras.
"What the hell is going on?"
"I'm scared, big brother... "
Anna trembled violently, clinging tightly to Riki's waist.
Though blind, her instincts were sharper than anyone's, leaving her especially vulnerable to Sable's killing intent.
Ras still hadn't regained consciousness.
"We're getting out of here. If we stay, we all might die."
"...That bastard!"
Riki spat curses through gritted teeth, slamming his small fist into the ground.
Why were the wicked always so strong?
Why were the weak always persecuted?
Jamie understood Riki's feelings, but now wasn't the time for anger.
"I need your divine power. It'll buy us some time, even if just a little."
Pyro hadn't descended herself but had instead granted Riki an immense amount of divine power.
That should be enough to stand against the divine power of war emanating from Sable.
It would definitely prevent instant death.
"Got it. Take care of my brother. I've healed all his wounds."
"Don't worry."
Jamie began reconstructing Gremia in his mind.
The form would be a swift airship capable of rapid movement.
It needed invisibility functions and multiple defensive barriers.
Even that wasn't enough, so he based it on durable materials to block sword energy even slightly.
'Mana shortage.'
The Brain Dragon Sword Gram provided perpetual energy, but Jamie's mana was only as efficient as a decent battery.
He could maintain it with the Full Body Breathing Method, but detailed transformations had clear limits.
'This mana tank is never enough, no matter how much I expand it.'
"Jamie. I'm ready."
While Jamie concentrated, Riki gathered his divine power and signaled his readiness.
"Apostle, are you sure you'll be okay alone?"
The Bell Marquis asked Riki with a worried expression.
Riki was visibly tense but forced a smile in response.
"I can do it."
The terror he'd felt in that hellish Chimera lab was immense, but this was on another level entirely.
Still, he had no intention of running from something like this.
'I'm the apostle of a god.'
He still didn't fully understand what being Pyro's apostle entailed, but Jamie believed in him.
Hadn't he always been the one receiving help?
This time, he'd land a solid blow on that hateful dog of Zenith.
The marquis smiled faintly at Riki's resolved expression.
"If we all survive, let's throw a party. A grand one."
"...Will there be fried chicken?"
"Anything you want will be there."
"Heehee. I look forward to it."
"Good luck."
The marquis gave a brief bow and headed toward Jamie.
Though the exchange was short, it eased Riki's tension a bit.
The divine power of war drew near.
His hands shook, his heart pounded painfully in his chest, and his legs wobbled as if they'd give out at the slightest push.
Even so, Riki clenched his fists tight.
Pyro's divine power wrapped around his body began to unfurl and expand.
And Sable landed lightly atop the cliff.
In his hand dangled Bayil, half a corpse.
"Resistance to the end is meaningless, young apostle."
His once-clear form was now shrouded in jet-black divine power, visible only as a shadow.
Riki didn't respond, instead spreading his arms wide.
"Pathetic. Utterly pathetic."
Sable tossed the unconscious Bayil aside.
"That one will suffer worse than death. And you all the same..."
"I."
Golden radiance flickered in Riki's eyes.
"Won't budge a single step from here."
"...Then watch closely."
The divine power of war intertwined with his aura.
"Hup!"
With Sable's short shout, a jet-black sword beam charged toward the divine barrier Riki had erected.
It was the hour when the sun began to rise.
The blood-red sky was dyed in somber indigo.
Kwaaaaaaaa!!!
Riki's body was pushed back.
He tried to hold his ground with his small legs, but a Sword Master's aura and an archbishop-level divine power showed no mercy to the boy.
"Kraaaaaah!"
The rage and fury from before he'd met the Pyro Goddess still burned in his chest.
So he would endure, somehow.
'Even if it costs my life!!'
Goddess.
If you're watching, please grant me strength.
Look upon this young apostle with mercy!
"You're not the only one with a god."
At that moment, a viscous voice burrowed in, embracing despair.
The brilliant divine power split in half.
The jet-black sword beam pierced the sky, plummeting toward the earth.
In that hopeless scene, Riki could say nothing.
"Goddess. You truly made a mistake."
Sable offered infinite gratitude that the goddess hadn't descended herself.
And with his smile unchanged, he prepared to drop his sword and slay the goddess's apostle.
"You held out well, Riki."
Sable's eyes narrowed.
Another artifact?
No matter. The apostle had to die regardless.
The power of Causality Reversal activated. His sole desire: the apostle's death!
"Wrong."
Clank-
"You should have blocked this."
The invisibility dissolved.
What appeared was a massive cannon barrel gleaming pure white.
Composed of four metal panels, it sparked with purple electricity as it slowly parted.
Jamie gripped the launch controls from within the cannon barrel, Gremia.
Her two glowing purple eyes were visible.
Black mana tinged faintly purple gathered, amassing tremendous energy.
'I was going to make an airship originally.'
The moment Sable launched his strike at Riki's divine barrier, Jamie realized.
Escape was impossible.
So he used Riki as bait to land a proper blow.
"Eat this!!"
Wuuuuuum-!
From the elongated barrel split into four sides, immense energy erupted as a beam of light.
Kwaaaaaaaaaa!!!!
Sable hastily formed armor of divine power and aura, invoking Causality Reversal to manifest the outcome of 'slicing the beam'.
'Slicing it!'
Sword met beam.
The necessary processes flooded his mind madly.
To minimize wounds etching into his body, Sable poured all his power into parrying the beam.
"Kraaaah!"
Yet his body was still pushed back.
To push back a Sword Master wielding vast divine power—what was this force!?
'My divine power is scattering.'
Sable's pupils trembled at the incomprehensible phenomenon.
He hadn't panicked this much even when Bayil had vanished and reappeared via artifact power moments ago.
He'd experienced much, but nothing like this.
'It's like the natural counter to divine power.'
Sable didn't know.
The power Jamie wielded.
A special black mana called Godslayer!
"A power made solely to exterminate your kind!"
A power he could use freely within Gremia.
Jamie cranked the black mana's output to its limit.
"Je...gil!"
Sable kept getting pushed back.
But this attack only repelled him without real threat.
He slammed his front foot hard into the ground.
Then his back foot the same, anchoring him.
The recoil slowed slightly.
Sable took a deep breath and twisted his sword downward.
"This is enough."
He activated Causality Reversal.
The manifested outcome was—
"Disappear!"
The beam shot skyward.
The massive energy mass climbed altitude before exploding, dyeing the sky purple.
But the moment he saw the scene that followed, Sable's face twisted.
"Told you. Too late."
Jamie, emerging from Gremia, smiled wearily.
Having depleted most of his mana, he slumped against a tree. Nothing was felt around him.
Not half-dead Bayil, nor the Bell Marquis, nor the blind saintess and divine executor, nor even Pyro's apostle.
All gone.
"...You planned to buy time from the start."
Enveloped in extreme rage, Sable grew eerily calm instead.
He'd expected an immediate kill attempt.
Jamie sighed inwardly in relief.
"Realizing escape was impossible, you teleported the rest away."
"Yeah. No matter how I thought about it, that was the only way."
"Sacrificing yourself."
"No."
Sable's eyes twitched at the unexpected reply.
"You think I'm crazy enough to throw away my life?"
"Then what..."
Stab-
At that moment, Sable grimaced at the pain in his side.
Someone had stabbed him with a sword.
He staggered, checking the attacker.
"D-Divine Executor!"
The one who'd stabbed his side was Ras, the divine executor who shouldn't have regained consciousness yet.
No presences were felt except Jamie's.
But he should have questioned why none were felt.
"You tricked me...!"
"Why'd you fall for it again?"
Jamie laughed.
In that instant, Ras charged again, kicking Sable's hand away with his foot. The sword flew from Sable's grip and lodged in a tree.
Then he thrust again.
"You won't dodge this time!"
The situation was different now.
Bayil lacked strength for a follow-up, but Ras could sever the weakened Sable's neck.
"Insolent worm!"
Sable caught the incoming sword barehanded.
Blood poured from his palm, but aura prevented it from being severed.
Ras drew a dagger he'd kept just in case.
And stabbed.
"Guh!"
Right chest.
Pierced the lung precisely.
He had to end it here, somehow.
He couldn't waste the final chance Jamie had created.
With bloodshot eyes, Ras poured all his strength into the thrust.
"Kuhuk-"
Air hissed from his punctured throat.
No matter Sword Master or leader of the Seven Knights—once reduced to this, death was inevitable.
"No time for recovery!"
"Kuh-"
Flailing hands grasped at empty air.
He'd aimed for the heart, but even as is, death was certain.
"Graaaaaah..."
It was then.
The flailing hand tapped Ras's shoulder and arm before gripping his forearm. The grip was weak, but startling nonetheless.
Sable's eyes rolled back.
Gnashing his teeth as if about to snap them, he screamed like a banshee.
"...Aaaan!!!"
Crack- A gruesome sound rang out.
Ras's arm broke.
There shouldn't have been strength left for this.
"Kuk!"
He tried supporting the broken arm with divine power to heal it, but the grip only tightened.
"Like... this... I'll... die..."
Despite the pierced lung, he thrashed to survive.
Sable pushed with his legs.
Ras began sliding backward slowly.
"N-No way!"
It felt like facing a horrific monster.
As if an immortal that couldn't be killed no matter what.
Crunch-
The sword snapped.
The hand gripping the blade was half-severed but began regenerating at tremendous speed.
The fading divine power of war writhed back to life.
Sable seized Ras's dagger hand and yanked it out blade and all.
Blood gushed forth.
"I. Won't. Die."
His breathing returned.
Sable picked up the broken sword from the ground.
Ras collapsed to the ground in despair.
A lightning spear flew at him immediately, but it did nothing to Sable.
"...Damn it."
The lightning spear, squeezed from every last drop of power, scattered futilely.
He couldn't even maintain the Full Body Breathing Method now.
Sable walked past Ras toward the front.
"My enemy, but impressive."
Honestly, it was shocking.
He'd truly been pushed to the brink of death.
And the one who'd orchestrated it all was just a seven-year-old child.
If he'd been a bit older, he might have died here himself.
The mere thought sent chills down his neck.
"I'm glad I can kill you here."
A boy with far greater potential danger than the goddess's apostle.
Jamie looked up at Sable with weary eyes.
The purple sky cleared, and the bright morning sun rose behind him.
This cast deeper shadows on Sable's face, amplifying his eerie aura.
"Curse me."
The broken sword fell toward Jamie's head.
'...To end in a place like this.'
Jamie closed his eyes.
An opponent unbeatable despite every measure.
His chest ached with bitter grief.
But the blade was already at his nose.
Then.
The necklace the Bell Marquis had given him upon first arriving in Appleton began to glow.
'Someday, it'll aid you greatly—just once.'
The marquis's voice echoed in his mind.
Sable's eyes widened in shock.
The moment he thought all was over, an unexpected miracle occurred.
Before Jamie appeared a woman strikingly similar to Sears, yet subtly different.
She gazed at Jamie fondly and nodded.
That was the last scene Jamie remembered.