Chapter 100
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: Encounter (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
7.
My vision turned crimson.
Even breathing was a struggle, and blood kept rising in my throat.
Karrooon!
Leo's voice rang in my ears.
Karron managed a faint smile. He glanced down at the spear piercing his chest.
A spear that had gone straight through from his back.
Any lower, and it would have pierced his heart.
That was close.
If he hadn't twisted his body at the last second, he would have died instantly.
It was a small mercy that Slaughter's focus had been broken.
And the ones who had created that tiny opening were none other than his comrades.
...You crazy bastards.
Karron grinned as he looked at his companions, who had driven their weapons into Slaughter's body.
Even if it was just a fragment, their opponent was a Demon King.
A being who could turn them into a puddle of blood at any moment.
It was normal to be afraid. But they held their weapons tight, their faces filled with grim determination.
Even so, they glanced over, checking on Karron's well-being.
The sight was so ridiculous.
Claaaaang!
Karron swung Guillotine, severing Slaughter's arm.
Slaughter's arm fell to the ground, and Karron fell with it.
My left arm is useless now.
He had avoided instant death, but his left shoulder was shattered.
He needed to pull out the deeply embedded spear and get treatment. But if he removed it now, he would pass out from blood loss.
Karron gripped Guillotine tightly and let out a heavy breath. Then, baring his teeth, he spoke.
That one actually hurt, you know?
How tiresome.
Slaughter's impaled body dissolved into purple smoke.
A moment later, Slaughter reappeared about thirty paces away.
The wounds from his comrades' blades had healed instantly, but the one left by Guillotine remained.
The chest piece of the purple armor, where a human's heart would be, was empty, as if something had been torn out.
Smoke poured ceaselessly from the wound.
You should have come in your true form. This is what you get for descending as a mere fragment.
Karron taunted Slaughter, then staggered to stand beside his comrades.
Was it from losing so much blood? His breathing was becoming ragged.
Slaughter, on the other hand, was perfectly fine.
Even with the wound from Guillotine, his terrifyingly immense power seemed unaffected.
Swoooosh!
A greatsword of inky blackness materialized in Slaughter's hand.
It was the same greatsword that had split the spire in a single blow.
Slaughter casually gripped the greatsword's pommel.
At once, a horrifyingly dense dark mana began to gather on the blade.
Krrrrrack!
The dark mana converging on the greatsword violently distorted the space around it.
An aura so powerful it made one's hair stand on end.
Slaughter swung the weapon with terrifying ease.
Fwoooosh!
A deafening roar tore through the air.
Just as the sword energy was about to engulf the party.
You mere fragment!
Ifrit, finally free from his restraints, blocked the Demon King's attack.
Fwoooosh!
Ifrit's body blazed with white-hot flames.
Taking the form of a giant bird, Ifrit caught the sword energy with its sharp talons.
The Spirit King, completely freed from his seal, unleashed his fury.
Pure flame and darkness clashed violently, laying waste to the surroundings.
Woooong.
Orion, who had joined Karron, created a hemispherical barrier and spoke.
Are you all right, Karron Leston?
Barely. Do you have any pain-relief magic?
Orion noticed Karron's face was covered in a cold sweat.
He nodded and immediately summoned a spirit.
It was a spirit that looked like a blue tiger.
An intermediate water spirit.
Ssssss!
Water flowed from the spirit's body and seeped into Karron, and the pain finally subsided.
You need urgent treatment. This is not a problem that can be solved with painkillers alone.
Can't get treated right now, can I?
He hadn't shown it, but the constant pain had nearly made him lose consciousness.
Still, with the pain gone, he could finally catch his breath.
Krakoooom!
Karron frowned, watching Ifrit's flames and Slaughter's sword energy clash in midair.
Ifrit was clearly holding his own against Slaughter, but for a Spirit King, his performance was disappointing.
If we were in the Great Forest, a mere fragment like that would be no match for Ifrit.
Orion muttered quietly.
And you? Are you okay?
Karron asked softly.
The elves were the ones suffering the most in this battle.
Elves, still consumed by bloodlust, were dying one after another.
Orion couldn't possibly be unaware of this. What commander could remain unscathed watching his subordinates die so miserably?
But Orion clenched his fists and replied.
If not for them, it would be our kin in the forest dying. Karron Leston. Do not pity their honorable deaths. Their blood is protecting the future of the forest.
I'm not pitying them. I'm paying my respects.
Karron nodded with a bitter smile.
For the elves, their future was at stake in this battle.
To pity them would be an insult.
Krakoooooom!
Once again, flame and sword energy collided, and a massive shockwave swept across the battlefield.
Ifrit. Has the long passage of time weathered even you?
It's still better than your pathetic state, struggling against just this.
Slaughter's gaze fixed on Ifrit.
Watching them, Karron took a deep breath.
The spear through his shoulder made his body feel heavy, but he could endure this much.
If he could just land one more blade on that damn bastard, he could bear even more than this.
Everyone, stay here.
Leo asked urgently.
...What are you going to do?
What I do best.
What?
I really want to cut that bastard's head off just once. So don't stop me.
At Karron's words, his comrades all started to laugh.
Then, they nodded and spoke.
A fine attitude, Karron Leston! I'm with you!
What do you think you can do, you shish kebab? Your big sister will take the lead, so just follow me.
Sigh. This is the price I pay... for having a brother like you.
His comrades were in no better shape.
Their armor was soaked in blood, and all three had wounds deep enough to expose bone.
Yet, they stood before Karron as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
I'll open a path!
With Utulla in the lead, his comrades charged forward.
These were people who should have passed out long ago.
Nevertheless, they willingly swung their weapons, parrying Slaughter's attacks.
Krakoooom!
This time, Ifrit's firepower was added to the mix.
Ifrit's undying flames engulfed Slaughter's weapons.
Karron silently advanced down the path they had opened for him.
He couldn't even run.
The moment he tried, his legs would surely give out.
Slower than ever before, but with certainty.
He approached Slaughter.
Just as Slaughter was about to turn his head toward Karron.
Krakoooom!
Be crushed.
Ifrit's talons clashed with Slaughter's greatsword.
Slaughter had no choice but to focus all his attention on Ifrit.
Thanks to that, an opening was created.
Wooooong!
Utulla.
Speak, Karron Leston.
Throw me at that bastard.
Understood.
Utulla didn't ask why. He simply nodded and lifted Karron's body.
The giant's wound-riddled muscles tensed.
Fwoooosh!
As Utulla threw Karron with all his might, Karron's body shot through the air like an arrow.
Karron glared at Slaughter with wide eyes. He stabilized himself, then gripped Guillotine.
Shlick!
Finally, his body flashed past Slaughter, and Guillotine's dark blue blade sliced through Slaughter's neck.
Having achieved his goal, Karron tumbled helplessly to the ground.
Gahck.
The spear piercing his shoulder tore through his flesh, and another wave of pain washed over him.
Karron rolled several times before finally coming to a stop.
Lacking even the strength to stand, Karron glared at Slaughter from where he lay on the ground.
Slaughter had already turned and was now glaring back at Karron.
Was it his imagination?
He could feel anger radiating from the creature that had been so impassive until now.
...A lowly slave, struggling to the very end. Guillotine... I should have destroyed that damned sword long ago.
A dark blue line was etched across Slaughter's neck.
You will die here.
Just as Slaughter was about to swing his greatsword at Karron.
How amusing, Slaughter. To think you would feel fear from a human.
Fwoooosh!
Ifrit mercilessly crushed Slaughter's body.
And then.
Krakoooooooom!
An explosion erupted, sending a mushroom cloud into the sky.
8.
Karron slowly opened his eyes.
He had expected the massive explosion to tear him apart, but nothing had happened.
It seemed Ifrit had deliberately contained the blast radius.
You've got a long lifeline.
Guillotine joked to Karron.
I know, right?
Karron chuckled, stabbing Guillotine into the ground. He used it as a cane to slowly get to his feet.
Only the deep crater before him served as proof of the massive explosion that had just occurred.
He slowly approached the crater and peered inside.
Neither Slaughter's fragment nor Ifrit were anywhere to be seen.
There was only a deep pit filled with darkness.
Ifrit was reverse-summoned as the price for overloading his mana.
Orion, who had come up behind him, supported Karron as he spoke.
You mean he self-destructed?
...Something like that. We probably won't be able to summon Ifrit for a while. Given the location, he must have drawn mana from the Spirit Realm.
I owe him one.
At that, Orion shook his head firmly.
No, we are the ones indebted to you.
Elves always seem to end up in my debt. I charge some pretty steep interest, you know. You'd better be prepared.
I will be.
While Orion supported Karron, the rest of their comrades staggered over from behind.
Karron gave them a wide smile.
What's with the getup? You look like a bunch of beggars. If we went to the capital like this, we'd make a killing.
In response to Karron's playful remark, Leo raised his middle finger.
You can say that after looking at yourself?
Who cares? We're alive.
His comrades all looked like they needed medical attention.
It was easier to find a part of them that was injured than one that wasn't.
Is it over, Karron?
Karron slowly shook his head at Rion's question.
Not yet.
He turned his gaze back to the sky.
The fragment of Slaughter that had descended to the earth seemed to be gone, but a purple eye still hung in the sky.
That eye continued to inject endless bloodlust into the battlefield.
The elves' frenzy had not yet subsided.
Slaughter's power still dominated the battlefield. As long as that eye was not destroyed, the frenzy would not stop.
If Ifrit were here, getting rid of the eye wouldn't have been too difficult.
But Karron didn't despair.
He may have lost the Ifrit card, but he still had one more card to play.
Karron. That is...
Rion pointed to the hill beyond the fortress.
There stood knights cloaked in pure white radiance.
Karron watched the knights and smiled faintly.
The zealots of the Holy Kingdom.
Normally, they were madmen he would have avoided at all costs, but seeing them in this situation was a welcome sight.
Hah, those bastards. Took them long enough.
A moment later, the paladins' bodies began to glow brilliantly.
For the light!
For the light!
Drive the wicked from this land!
This is a holy war!
The soldiers of the Holy Kingdom charged toward the fortress.