Chapter 142
Chapter 142
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 142
Chapter Title: Reader's Route 1
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"Hahaha. You're insane."
Elder Seballi burst into laughter at Azadin, who dared to challenge him.
"To think a lowly Herald would challenge an Elder!"
As Seballi's sword swung, a crimson-black trail flashed. In the storm, the dark blade melted into the shadows, invisible to the eye.
Azadin avoided clashing his sword against it.
'I may have confidence in my strength, but that blade looks seriously unnatural. If I collide with it carelessly, my sword will snap.'
Azadin warily eyed the Elder's swinging blade and first hurled an arrow from his quiver like a dagger. But Seballi brought his hand to his mouth and shouted.
"Burn!"
The arrow exploded midair, unleashing a terrifying roar over Azadin's body.
"Urk!"
As Azadin staggered, ears ringing, Seballi reached out.
"You fool! I only talked to you out of admiration for coming this far. Did you think I was afraid of you?"
Crimson-black darkness extended from Seballi's hand toward Azadin. Azadin dodged the dark magic bullet and deflected it with his sword, but in that instant, a stinging numbness shot through his fingertips. The magic's power had climbed up his arm from mere contact.
"Die!"
Certain of victory, Seballi raised his sword high and brought it down on Azadin.
The spell he used was "Dark Moon" from the Flower-Bird-Wind-Moon arts—a powerful curse that killed on a vital hit and blinded the eyes even on a graze.
But Azadin's body possessed extraordinarily powerful magic resistance unlike others, along with a unique vision.
'He thinks my eyes are blinded. So this is Flower-Bird-Wind-Moon's New Moon.'
Seeing Seballi relax and swing leisurely, Azadin deliberately waited, then dodged by a paper's width and countered with a sword swing followed by a leaping kick.
-Thud!
He evaded the blade, but Azadin's kick slammed into Seballi's face.
It wasn't a clean hit since he was retreating under attack, but Azadin's power was immense. A mere finger flick could sever a nose; a single kick could snap a spine. And that landed on his face.
Elder Seballi's head snapped down as he rolled ignobly across the floor.
"Hmph!"
But Azadin didn't let his guard down and immediately unleashed a thrown sword. Gripping his blade like a javelin, it flew with ferocious momentum.
"Urk!"
A normal person would have lost consciousness from the impact alone, yet Seballi rose the moment he hit the ground and swung to parry Azadin's attack. Azadin's sword shattered midair and fell.
"As expected. Clashing blades would have been risky."
Azadin drew his dagger and curved sword. The curved sword was taken from a naga corpse during the Wendigo incident. The dagger was the Wendigo Dagger.
"You bastard!"
Struck by Azadin's kick, Seballi rose shakily. Blood streamed from his nose, his vision spun, and lightning flashed inside his skull.
Even a glancing blow while retreating proved Azadin's kick no joke.
'Half an inch—no, a fraction deeper, and I'd be dead! That's not human leg strength! And why didn't my magic work?'
Seeing Seballi's fury, Azadin smirked.
"It's been a while since you left active duty, so your combat senses have dulled. Aren't you being too complacent?"
Elder of the Herald Clan, high-ranking officer of the Etar Bloodline, and top guildmaster of the Korasar Merchant Guild. His status dwarfed Azadin's, yet he'd been kicked and sent tumbling. Humiliation enough.
And now Azadin taunted him, driving him mad with rage.
-Flower-Bird-Wind-Moon, Kazas Hasse, Twilight!
Azadin provocatively mocked the Elder, then charged low across the ground toward Seballi.
'Fool! Coming at me with close-quarters combat? Even injured, I—!'
Aragasa Elders passed down the knowledge and techniques of the Aragasa. Swordsmanship, magic, law, politics, stealth, intrigue—masters of every field.
That was the meaning of an Aragasa Elder. Seballi's swordsmanship had long reached mastery.
But Seballi chose a clash of brute force.
Having tasted Azadin's kick, he figured Azadin trusted his strength to press with the sword. Yet Seballi's magic sword could snap ordinary steel like twigs.
'He seems to rely on power—perfect!'
Seballi focused power into his magic sword and swept wide to cleave Azadin in two.
Seeing Azadin bring his weapons to meet the blade, Seballi was certain of victory.
However...
-Clang!
Azadin first met Seballi's sword with the Wendigo Dagger, bracing it with the curved sword to block the attack.
The Wendigo Dagger Azadin wielded was a Nether relic of the being Wendigo—indestructible by this world's means.
Seballi's magic sword sliced mundane blades effortlessly, but the Wendigo Dagger held firm against it.
"Grk?!"
Elder Seballi was stunned by what happened.
His magic sword should have severed Azadin's blade and body alike.
But the Wendigo Dagger was a Nether relic unbreakable by magic or force, and in overcommitting to bisect Azadin, Seballi had closed too near.
-Thud!
Azadin's low kick smashed Seballi's thigh. His body spun through the air.
The world flipped as Seballi instinctively clutched his head. He hit elbow-first, rolling across the floor.
Then agony hit. Not like a human kick—like being struck by a charging carriage.
'M-My thigh! Muscles torn, bones shattered! What kick is that—like a warhammer!'
True to his title as Aragasa Elder, Seballi regained balance even then, propping with his hand to right his head instinctively.
Years of honed combat skill activated like instinct, even as consciousness fled.
But Azadin was Aragasa too. He knew exactly how an Elder would react in this state.
-Swoosh!
Azadin's curved sword pursued.
Desperately, Seballi propped on his hand, supporting his body with arm strength alone to barely evade.
Performing such acrobatics with torn thigh muscles—to dodge Azadin's sword befitting a Herald Clan's Elder.
Yet the fight was decided. Not just muscles ruptured—his thigh bone was broken.
Fresh shock to the head made the world shake with vertigo; blood poured from his nose like rain, hindering breath.
'Gods. By this brat?!'
Elder Seballi felt utterly wronged. He had untapped sword techniques, spells, tricks—but injuries piled too high.
He shouldn't have engaged in close combat from the start. Should have kept distance with magic and archery.
Had he known this foe's monstrous strength, he'd never have erred!
He couldn't accept defeat here.
An Aragasa Elder losing to a lowly Herald—one who'd failed selection? His pride forbade it.
"You—!"
Seballi tried raising his hand to his mouth to shout again, but Azadin's curved sword aimed to sever it.
Forced to withdraw, with his legs compromised, he couldn't support himself and tumbled once more.
"Elder Seballi. The match is over. Will you surrender? Or die here?"
Azadin's cold killing intent and curved sword menaced Seballi's throat.
Then lightning flashed outside the window, casting long shadows of Azadin and Seballi.
As it faded, another shadow joined them on the lighthouse.
-Rumble.
Thunder followed belatedly, shaking heaven and earth.
*********
-Clap, clap, clap...
The new shadow applauded Azadin.
"Impressive."
A young woman leaned against the window frame.
"For a notorious dropout to beat an Elder. Is that the power of Flower-Bird-Wind-Moon Kazas Hasse? Now I see why Arael insists on pulling you to our side."
"Jenis?"
Azadin frowned.
"Long time no see, Azadin. You're completely different from when you were a kid. Back then, I thought you were an ugly monster, but now you're quite attractive. Wow, once the baby fat's gone, you really do resemble Arael. Losing your eyes is bearable for that charm."
Jenis was two years older than Azadin but had joined training late, so they'd trained together.
Already famed for her beauty then, now Jenis had grown into a beauty with long, wavy, voluminous brown hair and a voluptuous figure. Her age-defying sultry allure had captivated many.
"Hmph."
And of course, she'd stood by—or sometimes joined in—Azadin's abuse and scorn.
Azadin picked up an arrow and hurled it like a dagger, piercing the arm of Seballi on the floor.
"Argh!"
"You'd better stop. Planning to kill an Elder?"
"Have to do this to stop his magic. Lucky for him, I have a healer who can treat it right away—no death."
"That one?"
Jenis snapped her fingers.
"Uh, C-Captain."
From the mouse in Azadin's bag came Scott's panicked voice.
"We're surrounded! And the enemies..."
The mouse shuddered violently and died. The necromancy broke.
"......"
"Well. Now we have a hostage?"
"Surely Elder Seballi's life matters more to you?"
"Oh, drop the bluff, Azadin. You're not the type to abandon comrades, are you? Or are you that loathsome?"
"Loathsome?"
"Will you fight us to the death, sacrificing the comrades who trusted and followed you for Hubris's people?"
"Contact with my comrades is cut, but subduing them isn't easy, is it? From the situation, I can't assume they're your hostages."
"Ahaha. You think so? Your minions are Etar Bloodline folk, right? What happens if someone higher in the Etar Bloodline commands them?"
"Sion Etar, you mean?"
"Oops. Did I say that?"
"I considered it possible once contact dropped. Well, color me surprised. Arael. How did he sway so many?"
Azadin gave a wry smile.
He understood Arael's ambition swaying Aragasa hearts. But it was hegemony—crushing other tribes, dominating all, sparing no lives.
For it to garner such support within the tribe...
'Might turn the entire Aragasa against us.'