Chapter 135
Chapter 135
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 135
Chapter Title: The Isolated Island in the Mist
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*
From the damned thunderclouds, more damned rainwater was pouring down once again. To all the wanderers who once crossed the Great Wilderness, a sudden downpour had been like a blessing from the gods. But now, it felt more like a curse.
A beastfolk warrior rummaging through a mound of dirt with the tip of his spear spat out a curse and scratched his head. It had been raining nonstop across the Great Wilderness for a full month now. This was no natural occurrence.
True to the beastfolk's sensitivity to superstitions and curses, the warrior took a sip of the rainwater into his mouth, gurgled it, then spat it onto the ground. It was a prayer that this ominous rainwater's curse would pass him by.
Grumbling, the warrior began preparing to return to camp. If the rain got any heavier and turned the path into a quagmire, he'd be in a foul mood the whole way.
The whole area was already a quagmire. Whatever.
-Crumble.
At that moment, the warrior's ears perked up. With a face twisted in panic and fear, he whipped his head toward the source of the sound, growling.
‘The ghosts in this region all vanished suddenly...’
It had been a month since the Great Chieftain's orders to scour the area around Ptaha. That was also around when the rains began pouring across the entire Great Wilderness. The ghost city that had occupied the vicinity of Ptaha sank into the earth in an instant, leaving behind only trifles like scraps of ancient gold dust and shattered pottery.
But then, the sound continued.
-Crumble crunch.
“Who's there!!”
The warrior bared his fangs and glared. Mixed in with the patter of rain, he couldn't pinpoint the direction. Fortunately for him, he didn't need to soon. Far off, in the middle of a dirt mound in the wasteland—
-Crumble!
A hand burst out. The warrior hurled his spear and fled on the spot.
*
Nostrils, mouth, ears. Eyes could be closed, but his limbs were packed with dirt. Fernandez shuddered from respiratory distress.
-Almost there now. I saw it.
‘That's really helpful, Feizashi. How about thinking of ways to actually help?’
-Haha!
Even in this disorienting situation, Fernandez strained to extend his arm. The soaked, heavy mud entangled and crushed his body.
A normal person would have died by now in this extreme scenario. But to bury a Demonica alive, things needed to get even more ‘extreme.’
-Rumble rumble...
The sound of rain shaking the earth came from afar. Almost there. Fernandez breathed carefully to avoid swallowing mud and thrust his arm out vigorously.
-Crumble!
The dirt mound scattered, and cold rainwater hit his arm. He was out! Vitality surged through Fernandez's body. He quickly extended his arms and kicked his legs to climb up.
-Splash! Whoosh!
“Ha, haha!”
With his lower body still buried in the dirt mound, Fernandez stretched both arms toward the sky and shouted. His vision was blurred by the torrential downpour, and his whole body ached from the ordeal. But the air—the material world's air—filled his lungs.
“Cough! Urk! Hahaha!!”
Spitting out the mud in his mouth, Fernandez laughed like a madman. He wiped the mud from his rain-soaked face and hair, guffawing for a good while.
-What's so funny? Surviving?
“You idiot! Haha! Isn't the possibility itself enough to be joyful!”
That the world still had a chance at salvation. That meant there was still a spot left for his own redemption too—and even in the moment he'd inwardly given up on life, this final opportunity had been granted.
That joy made Fernandez laugh. When the spirit realm collapsed and the depths below crumbled, Fernandez had instinctively known he couldn't survive.
If the contract with Beitasser—the stigmata etched into his body as its guarantee—had been upheld, he wouldn't have lost his immortality. All that remained for him was this withered husk.
‘It was always like this.’
This life had gone particularly well, all things considered. When had he ever fought with spare lives? There had never been an easy trial or a bloodless struggle. This was his everyday, and he always came out alive.
-Whoosh...
Fernandez kept bursting into laughter as he gazed at the rainwater drenching his body and the small sprouts pushing through the dirt mound. It meant the vicious curse that had blanketed the Great Wilderness was finally coming to an end.
*
How long had he walked? Fernandez trudged through the waterfall-like downpour. Nights in the wilderness were brutal. Without warming his rain-soaked body, hypothermia was a real threat.
“Is this the Ptaha region?”
-The last place I saw was, so probably.
Fernandez blew warm breath on his numb hands as he walked. His graying hair, wet from the rain, clung to his eyes. Then, he heard signs of life from afar.
“That's him!!”
A group of beastfolk warriors was charging toward him. Fernandez brushed back his hair and looked at them. He slowly moved his hand to his sword hilt and assumed a stance.
“I saw him! He burst out of the ground! I said he wouldn't have gone far, right?”
“Well done. Who are you, stranger? You don't look like a ghost—why are you in this area?”
A mounted beastfolk growled down at him.
“Is this near Ptaha?”
“You don't even know where you're standing?”
“Unfortunately. If there's a village or city nearby, could you guide me? I'm lost.”
“We're not foolish enough to lead a mysterious stranger who crawled out of the underground to our village. Seize him!”
The warrior on horseback raised his spear and shouted. The beastfolk lunged to grab Fernandez's arms. Fernandez gripped his sword hilt, stepped back, and glared at the warriors.
“Are you with the Beastfolk Tiger Clan Alliance?”
“What if we are?”
“I'll come quietly. As a guest. I don't want to make enemies of the Beastfolk Tiger Clan Alliance warriors. I know someone there.”
“...Hmm.”
The warrior seemed flustered. Normally, not drawing a sword first in this situation meant no immediate hostility. But was it okay to bring an unknown figure back to camp? Even in this ceasefire, the area was a powder keg.
“Chief, what if we take him along?”
“Hmm?”
“The Great Chieftain said something about this. The Great Prophet too. Or we could just knock him out like back then?”
“This guy doesn't match the description of the one the Great Chieftain mentioned at all.”
Fernandez eyed the muttering warriors, fingers twitching. His body wasn't at full strength, but a Demonica's flesh still functioned normally.
He didn't want to, but he could fight if pushed. The last beastfolk warriors he remembered were on edge from civil war and desertions—anything could spark.
“Make way.”
Then, a cold, sharp voice rang out from afar. At the same time, the beastfolk warriors flinched and scrambled off their mounts, prostrating themselves.
It was a familiar voice. Fernandez brushed aside the rain-drenched hair hanging over his face and gazed at the approaching figure.
In the misty wasteland shrouded in water vapor, turquoise eyes blazed.
-Squelch.
The sound of something heavy hitting the ground. The silhouette grew larger. The beastfolk warriors parted the way, bowing their heads silently.
-Kirhas...?
Feizashi's stifled groan echoed. An immense pressure and the ferocity of a chained beast emanated from beyond the fog. Soon, her form came clearly into view.
A woman with a golden mask perched like a crown on her head—glistening even on this overcast day—and a black cloak shimmering in the rain looked down at him. Her appearance matched his memory, but not her gaze.
The cold, sharp eyes of a hardened predator. Kirhas Hearttaker's turquoise irises briefly touched Fernandez's hair, then scanned his entire body.
“You were right. Kadan. Ah, yes. Good job. Now shut up.”
Her voice was as chilling as a honed blade. With a lazy gesture, Kirhas extended her arm to the warrior prostrated beside her.
“Light it.”
“Yes, Great Chieftain.”
The warrior knelt in perfect submission, ignited the pipe in Kirhas's hand, and swiftly raised his shield as a screen. With a deep exhale, tobacco smoke drifted from below.
“Great Chieftain, what about this one...”
“Bring him.”
“Yes! What are you waiting for? Grab him!”
The warriors threw themselves at Fernandez in a frenzy. He hesitated in the chaos—defend or let them bind him?
‘What the hell is going on?’
-The Undefeated Kirhas Hearttaker? How is she here at this time?
‘Don't tell me this is a dream too.’
-That's a plausible hypothesis. Quite rational.
The warriors surrounded the frozen Fernandez in bewilderment. Then Kirhas shouted urgently from behind them.
“Carefully!”
“...Pardon?”
“Er... um. Ugh... Don't hurt him. Bring him. He's my guest.”
Kirhas said that, then swiftly turned and mounted her horse. The warriors exchanged glances, then guided Fernandez to a saddle and set off.
Fernandez remained wrapped in confusion throughout.
*
He kept staring at Kirhas all the way to camp, but she showed him no attention. She merely flicked her ears at the occasional raindrop or repacked fresh tobacco into her pipe now and then.
Upon arriving at camp, she vanished somewhere, and flustered warriors led him into a clean tent.
“Rest here. Hey, if you're the Great Chieftain's guest, you should've said so sooner. Wel...”
The warrior grumbled and left. Warming his hands by the central campfire, Fernandez sank into thought.
‘That aura, that presence. Definitely the Undefeated's. Did we somehow jump through time...?’
-That's one possible hypothesis... Look behind you!
Before Feizashi finished, Fernandez kicked up his sheath at his feet and drew his sword hilt. The near-silent approach sent chills down his spine. Without fully drawing, he swung the greatsword backward.
-Clang!!
The harsh impact flung his sword back, shattering the old scabbard. Amid scattering fragments, Fernandez steadied himself and turned.
-Clang! Grind!
Before he could fully brace, the assault continued, forcing him to retreat wildly. Was it the prolonged rain? Or the unfinished recovery from the battle with Mumto—his body wouldn't obey.
-Clang!
The enemy's strike came a half-beat faster, breaking his guard. Fernandez tensed his arm to recover his rebounding blade. Then, the attacker slipped into his embrace and seized his nape.
“Guh?!”
A sudden ambush on flesh without immortality. He couldn't die like this! Fernandez gritted his teeth to swat the arm away. Then his body floated up and crashed onto the bed.
“Ugh!!”
“Fuu...”
The intruder's breath carried a sharp tobacco scent. Fernandez's eyes widened in shock. In that instant, smooth black hair draped over him like a canopy. The intruder straddling him pressed her lips to his!
“Benefactor...”
Cold, slender, trembling fingers stroked Fernandez's hair. Dazed in confusion, he watched Kirhas pull back from his lips.
She pressed hard on his shoulders with a small sigh. Her lithe calves wrapped tightly around his waist.
“Stay still.”
“Kirhas. What is this...”
“Just stay still for a moment.”
Once more, Kirhas covered his lips. Her water-moistened turquoise eyes glared at him. Sharp, like an injured cat's.
After a short, intense kiss, Kirhas withdrew and licked her lips lightly. Fernandez stared at her atop his waist.
Her fingers slowly stroked his hair.
“You must have suffered greatly.”
“Yeah.”
“I have much to say. Do you as well, Benefactor?”
“Plenty of questions.”
“Then I'll buy your time.”
-Flick!
Kirhas swiftly drew and hurled a dagger at the candle. The tent's candles extinguished at once, leaving only the yellow campfire at the center as the sole light.
The crackle of the dying fire stirred the settled silence in the tent. Torrential rain hammered the roof, muffling all outside sounds.
Like an isolated island in the mist. As if he and she alone remained in this camp.