Chapter 152
Chapter 152
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 152
Chapter Title: Twilight of the Sovereign (1)
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*
-Rumble...
The massive door pushed open, shaking off dust. The elves spun around in panic at the entrance. Soon, a fierce wind whipped up, scattering snowflakes.
Fernandez shielded his face from the thick snowflakes clinging to his skin with one hand as he glared straight ahead. A vast expanse of smooth obsidian flooring gleamed darkly, adorned with opulent tapestries draped in purple silk on all sides.
And at its center stood a colossal jade throne.
"Enter."
An elf seated cross-legged atop the throne, eyes closed, spoke. His snow-white hair spilled down to the floor. Though his voice seemed barely above a whisper, it reverberated through the entire structure.
-Clank.
At his murmur, the elves dropped to their knees in unison, prostrating themselves. They trembled as they bowed toward Maleirn. It was no mere charisma or dominance. Fernandez frowned at the eerie submission as he strode forward.
Even entering the striking range of the elven swordsmen, they kept their heads pressed to the ground, shaking as if blind to his presence. Fernandez walked right through them into the throne room.
-Rumble...
The throne room door sealed shut behind him. Fernandez advanced toward Maleirn, who gazed down at him with a smile.
"Come forth, hero. Human champion, you are graciously permitted entry into this hall. I welcome your audience."
"Permitted?"
For a permission, it felt like he'd slain quite a few scarecrows. Fernandez shrugged, and Maleirn let out a chuckle.
"True, it's amusing to call it permission after that. Human, you've displayed astonishing prowess."
"Were you watching?"
"Did you not suspect as much? I anticipated a mage among you, yet no mana or circuits emanated from your group. Only empty vessels and freshly filled ones were visible. Who are you? And where is the mage who led you here?"
Maleirn still kept his eyes closed, head slightly bowed. His fingers twitched ceaselessly, orchestrating something. Fernandez caught sight of mana knots forming anew by the dozens at his fingertips in an instant.
'He was in a ritual.'
-Holding a ritual while projecting mana outward and conversing with us simultaneously? Incredibly reckless.
'He seems confident enough.'
Fernandez trod upon the purple silk, advancing slowly toward Maleirn. He unfastened the clasp on his back with a clink and gripped the hilt of his greatsword. The blade thrummed eagerly, as if ready to leap free.
"Human, why have you meddled in our kind's private civil war?"
"Because I wanted to meet you, Maleirn."
"What bold spirit borders on recklessness. Ha ha ha."
Maleirn barked a hearty laugh and paused his fingers momentarily. His sleeve slid back, revealing pale skin covered entirely in purple tattoos.
-Rune glyphs.
'Rune glyphs... Not the Beraide school—he's mastered rune glyphs?'
Fernandez furrowed his brow, recalling the tattoos glimpsed beneath the sleeve. Rune glyphs, the traditional magic system of the northern folk. Not elven spellcasting techniques.
"You wished to meet me... Surely not for pleasant reasons. Speak."
"Gaimern prolonged his life by swapping bodies for immortality. In that process, he clearly degenerated. Losing both magic and strength."
Fernandez spoke as he approached the jade throne. Maleirn kept his eyes shut. He turned his head toward Fernandez and replied.
"That must be so. The time I and that fool endured was harsh for mortals."
"But these spells on the ship's hull. And the magic restoring and reconstructing them. Those can't be conjured from mere sensation or knowledge. This is the work of a real mage—an exceptionally skilled one."
The elves were driven to the great ocean after three Serpent Kings slew their god and stole its divinity. Thus, this colossal flagship must have been born after the elven pantheon fell.
Like Gaimern, Maleirn's magic and power would have eroded under the weight of time. Over a millennium, they would have dulled gradually. Beneath that ancient bloodline, mana circuits would fade, muscles crumble.
True shedding of the self. If he hadn't ascended as an immortal. Maleirn likely extended his lifespan through some special means, much like Gaimern.
-Too young.
Fernandez noted it keenly. Even if appearances deceived, Maleirn looked not just youthful but boyish. Had he changed bodies like Gaimern?
Yet that didn't fit. Body-swapping inevitably degrades mana circuits. Without transplanting the old circuits—which was impossible—knowledge would blur, magic dissipate over the ages.
'But the ship's spells were impeccably solid.'
Even confronting time head-on, the spellwork on this vessel was too intricate. The finesse in maintaining and repairing it was overwhelming. Impossible. No mortal could endure millennia while preserving their power intact.
"Hoh, indeed. Continue."
"How did you preserve your mana circuits across those ages? How did you swap bodies and survive while retaining your magic?"
Fernandez drew his sword slowly just below the dais leading to the throne. Maleirn's eyes remained closed. He smirked at the sound of the blade unsheathing.
"It was you. The mage who shattered my wards. Fascinating. No traces of spells on you, yet you wielded magic capable of challenging me."
Maleirn hummed like he was singing, then lifted a finger slightly. The purple tattoos encircling his forearm flared as they absorbed mana.
"New knowledge is the cradle of progress. Very well, I shall answer your question first."
Maleirn snapped his fingers. At once, the darkened throne room began to brighten gradually. Thump—a heavy heartbeat echoed from somewhere. Fernandez slowly raised his gaze to the ceiling.
-Hooo...
The winds grew fiercer. In this vast chamber without windows or doors, a blizzard swirled. Amid the snowstorm, beyond the gradually illuminating ceiling. Fernandez finally spotted the light source illuminating the throne room.
-Thump.
It was a heart. A massive, purple heart. One emanating a somber glow in all directions. Veins of mana lines instead of blood vessels, pulsing mana droplets rather than blood. Yet it was a heart. Likely, a god's.
-Fwoosh.
With each heartbeat, viscous mana flowed through the connected lines. Filters lined the long conduits, mana threads weaving between like spiderwebs, mimicking veins.
"Ha..."
Fernandez let out a short laugh. Not from amusement, but from a rage needing some outlet. He stared dryly at the things dangling amid the mana lines.
They were corpses. Or husks in the process of decay. Elves with trailing white hair, men and women of all ages, hung from the ceiling, twinkling like stars.
Even then, Fernandez discerned they formed a ritual symbol depicting a night sky constellation. Only then did he grasp the source of Maleirn's power.
'No wonder the troops were so subpar.'
-If one devoured all his race's power and potential.
'Yes. That's akin to godhood.'
Fernandez regarded Maleirn atop the throne with parched eyes. Maleirn looked down with a smile brimming with confidence and arrogance.
-Fwoosh.
His closed eyes snapped open, revealing blazing white pupils that burned fiercely. His brows twitched.
"Well, mage? Do you see now? Understand my method?"
"A way to preserve power perfectly for over a millennium. Yes, I see it clearly."
"No, no. Mage, it wasn't preservation—it was accumulation. My people are my power."
Maleirn laughed proudly. If another ruler spoke such words, it might mark a sage king. But Fernandez saw a spider in Maleirn's form.
The throbbing heart of a god, his prey dangling from the ceiling. Victims for his life, youth, and mana. A spider lurking at the center of its deep web.
-Swoosh.
Fernandez spun his greatsword and plunged it point-down. He placed a hand on the pommel and slowly met Maleirn's gaze.
"Is this a hobby of your kind?"
"What?"
"Treating your own children and subordinates like dog shit."
"Dog shit, you say. Amusing words from a mage beholding this sight. Can't you recognize this grand magic?"
-Fwoosh.
Maleirn flicked his fingers, and the ceiling elves writhed in silent screams. The heart in one corner pulsed loudly. A massive mana surge passed through the filters, brushing the elves before flowing beyond the ship.
Fernandez grasped their function. They were living mana circuits. Rather than implanting circuits in his body, Maleirn used his people as circuits and his warship as flesh to wield magic.
The god's heart supplied mana, his subjects shaped it, and the entire vessel manifested his spells. The rest of Clan Maleirn were mere parasites clinging to that body.
No unfamiliar technique. Unpleasant, but a familiar scene. Despite differences in racial and school magics, masterpieces at the pinnacle shared common threads.
Convergent evolution, perhaps, rather than ten thousand paths to one. Fernandez ground his teeth to dust as he watched the writhing elven victims.
'Ha.'
Fernandez slowly dropped to one knee. He quickly checked his body's state. Rest had been ample. Condition nearing peak. Thanks to Religiosa Demonica's overwhelming recovery, he had output for a brief clash.
"Well, human mage. First mortal in a millennium to breach my protective spells. As ruler of the elves, I take interest in you. Remain aboard my flagship. Be my companion."
Maleirn laughed cruelly. Head bowed, Fernandez opened his mouth toward him.
"I am no mage, my king."
"No mana detected... but you are a mage. I sensed the mark of a seasoned one in your methods."
"I am an Inquisitor."
-Shing.
Fernandez raised his head, yanking the sword from the floor. The greatsword quivered. Keyblade. Beitasser's holy sword thirsted for blood. The blood of the spider who sacrificed his kind countless times to transcend a millennium.
-Shing.
With his other hand, he drew the second greatsword from his back. Sword of Mercy. Knight King Dain's blade settled heavily. Like an executioner's. Yearning for the neck of the foul ghoul who devoured his people's karma to cling to life.
"Pray, then, King Maleirn."
"Our kind has no gods left to beseech. I slew them all."
Maleirn laughed as he spoke, and Fernandez spun his blades, coiling into a crouch ready to spring. He spat his next words at Maleirn.
"Then your time for defense is over."
"I make no excuses, human. You dare challenge me with those paltry two blades?"
-Krunch!
In an instant, Fernandez vanished. Maleirn calmly swung his hand. Moments later, Fernandez reappeared at his right, slashing at an invisible barrier and glaring at Maleirn's face.
"I shall burn the heretic, the demon, and the witch."