Chapter 197
Chapter 197
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 197
Chapter Title: Sairan Muelle
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Ramin felt a profound sense of unreality as the figure he'd only heard about in stories materialized right before his eyes.
"Sairan... Muelle?"
"Greetings later."
The siege golem brought its massive stone fist crashing down.
Sairan deflected it with his shield and charged forward without pause.
The siege golem raised its foot to stomp on Sairan.
Sairan slid smoothly between the golem's legs in a graceful spin.
Sairan's tail lashed out at the golem's planted foot, sending the hulking construct toppling over.
Leaping high, Sairan plunged his sword into the chest of the golem as it flailed to rise.
Even solid rock yielded, the blade sinking more than halfway in.
But the golem's movements didn't cease.
Ramin shouted.
"It's a golem—the core has to be inside!"
"I know."
Sairan stomped down on the sword's hilt with his foot.
The blade shot forward as if shedding all friction, piercing straight through the golem's core.
The arm that had stretched out in resistance slumped powerlessly.
Sairan yanked his sword free.
Ramin limped closer.
"Impressive swordwork."
"...Yeah."
"But too soon for hellos, wouldn't you say?"
Ramin peered ahead.
The siege golems numbered far more than one.
Some twenty machines had appeared out of nowhere, lumbering toward the fleeing Tooth agents and guards as if to shield them.
And that wasn't even the worst of it—a colossal shadow of indeterminate form loomed even farther off.
These weren't ad-hoc battlefield creations hurled into the fray. They were famed guardians, battle-hardened under the Angry One across long years.
'Never seen this many golems thrown into a fight. At this rate, even piercing their lines...'
Sairan grinned.
"Don't worry. I'm not the only one trailing Lord Rakrak."
"What?"
Sairan tilted his head toward the hilltop.
Ramin followed his gaze.
More lizardmen crested the ridge.
All wreathed in blue light like Sairan, but clad in jet-black scales.
"In the name of Apostle Rakrak!"
They rode the infamous black-scaled cockatoos.
"By the will of the Pantheon!"
Golden spearheads gleamed skyward.
"For Yacheon!"
The army thundered forth.
The cockatoos' earth-shaking strides overtook Sairan and Ramin, slamming into the siege golems.
'Cavalry charging siege golems? That's suicide.'
By any standard Ramin knew, it was.
Siege golems shattered formations and swept away charging riders.
Common sense meant nothing to these ancient warriors, of course.
A single charge toppled half the golem ranks.
One rider pulled up beside Sairan on cockatoo-back.
Ramin clocked the lizardman warrior's missing eye.
"Go, Sairan Muelle."
"...Tatar."
"No more delays. See to your duty."
"Understood."
Tatar handed over the reins to his riderless cockatoo.
Sairan mounted first and offered Ramin a hand.
Ramin climbed aboard with a groan.
"Was that Tatar? The one who beat ten trolls?"
"It was."
Sairan spurred the cockatoo onward.
It wove between the clashing lizardmen and golems.
The once-distant gap to Del began to shrink.
Thunder and lightning.
Earthquake and the ground's lament.
No one would question if the world itself was under remaking.
Just beyond that hill, the clash with the apostles raged on.
"Something's tailing us!"
Del, masked in red, snarled.
"Something? Speak plain."
"...Lizardmen on cockatoos. The vampire we were after rides with them."
Del knew failure when he tasted it.
He'd figured the vampire easy prey emerging from that tight tunnel.
Yet his agents and guards who plunged inside went dark.
Capturing the saintess succeeded, but next steps? Unclear.
'Kill the saintess? Right now?'
But Del grasped nothing of the bigger picture.
The demon god schemed something, but its true desires eluded him.
'Damn it.'
A subordinate barked.
"Enemies closing fast!"
"Full halt! Shake the chameleon-pattern tail!"
The drilled guards and Tooth agents wheeled about-face.
The guard officer snapped off firing orders.
"Aim!"
Ramin flattened himself behind the cockatoo.
Sairan spoke.
"No need."
"Huh?"
"Electromagnetism's more primal than we imagined."
Ramin found the strange term oddly familiar.
"Fire!"
Lead slugs streaked toward Sairan.
Sairan flicked his wrist like brushing away dust.
The bullets arced earthward mid-flight, yanked down before they could strike.
"...!"
Before fresh rounds could chamber, Sairan's cockatoo vaulted into the guards' midst.
Sairan's spear swept; guards panicked and scattered. The cockatoo raked fleeing backs with its talons.
Ramin tumbled off and darted through the fray.
"...Hwikyung!"
Tooth agents yanked pistols and interposed.
But the first took Ramin's hurled knife to the brow; thunder rent the second's chest.
Ramin slid to shrink his profile, wrenching his sword from the crumpling agent's forehead.
Tooth agents drew blades in response.
'I see it.'
Body leaden, sword a dead weight—yet foes so rote and dull, Ramin dodged on reflex.
He half-thought it a joke.
Every stroke traced paths he could evade, parry, counter.
Pistols nagged, but slow wrists lagged swift bullets.
'All one mindless mass. Awkward dancers. Why'd I never notice before?'
Vision clear even to flanks and rear. Eyes shut, he'd still weave free. No wild risks needed.
Dodge, thrust deep, slash clean. Whittle them down.
Fights wear harder over time—yet for Ramin, absurdly simpler.
Ramin merely sensed it; players tracked the shift in cold stats.
The last foe clutched his severed left carotid and collapsed.
"Hold."
Del spoke.
Agents flanked him, blades to Hwikyung's and Juran's throats.
"One twitch, they die."
Ramin halted.
A voice sounded from right behind.
"That won't happen."
"Hold, I said."
"Few hold authority to command me."
Sairan strode before Ramin.
Del dropped his hand in signal.
Blades lunged for Hwikyung and Juran—then shuddered.
"The swords...!"
Sairan swept his hand; blades wrenched free, hurtling airborne.
Some force at play—Del had no clue what.
Quick calculus: Gun on Sairan? Rush the hostages?
No faith in either.
Not the lizardman horde alone—even Ramin, ragged as a corpse, chilled him.
'Can't end a failure's death. Salvage a shot.'
Del lobbed a smoke grenade.
Ramin bolted to shield Hwikyung and Juran, stunned.
Dark haze cloaked him a breath's moment; wind parted it, revealing the scene.
Agents' footfalls fled to rear woods. Ramin wavered on pursuit.
"Sairan...?"
He turned. Hwikyung faced Sairan.
Sairan dropped to one knee.
"It's been too long, Hwikyung."
Hwikyung's lips parted.
"Ah... ah..."
"I came to apologize."
"You're insane."
No defense possible.
Forsaking life and love for a god's decree? Madness.
Sairan bowed his head.
"An unavoidable... choice. I believed a chance to explain would come someday. But it took far too long. Hwikyung. I beg your forgiveness—yet refuse to grant it."
"Look at me."
Hwikyung bit her lip, wiping her eyes.
Sairan raised his gaze.
"Apologize to my face."
"Forgive me not."
Hwikyung shook her head faintly.
"What kind of apology is that?"
"...Hwikyung."
"Say it. Beg me to forgive."
Silence hung. Sairan met her eyes.
"...Forgive me, please."
Hwikyung dabbed her eyes with her wrist once more.
"I'll think it over."
Hwikyung yanked Sairan into a fierce neck-hug.
"A very long think."
Hwikyung wept.
Sairan lifted hands to reciprocate—paused—then lowered them slow.
Hwikyung punched his shoulder.
"What?"
"Huh?"
"Hug me already."
Sairan sighed faint, then obeyed.
He felt his back grow damp.
"You're mad too."
No explanation required.
This world held scant souls defying true gods.
Not sane, atoning eternally against possible posthumous pain for a loved one.
Sairan asked not how she endured such trials.
He knew she'd weighed the backend scarce Yacheon odds.
Just fretted that sliver of maybe.
For it, she'd shouldered over a century—for him. And meant to keep on.
Sairan voiced it not:
'You'd stake your all on a self's gamble, prizing yourself so dear—why hurl everything at me?'
The answer he knew.
Sairan whipped toward the calling voice.
A hooded, lipless figure approached from the gloom.
Ramin spoke.
"...Who?"
"Huh?"
Biyon stomped the ground.
Ramin felt the world invert.
When his eyes fluttered open, green filled the world.