Chapter 212
Chapter 212
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 212
Chapter Title: Even If I Lose the Light 7
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Hatir is like a child to me, and you’re my disciple, but also a son.”
That was all Kazas could say.
And that answer was good news to Azadin, in a way. At least it meant Kazas didn’t fully approve of Hatir’s atrocities.
He helped because Hatir was like a child to him. Holding that view meant he didn’t fully endorse Hatir’s actions.
“From what I see, Hatir doesn’t strike me as such a devoted son. I doubt his filial piety runs so deep that he’d summon Nether’s emissaries to lead the Age of Jupiter together.”
The elders listening couldn’t hold back their laughter.
“Laughing?”
As Hatir snapped irritably, the elders immediately wiped the smiles from their faces.
Seeing this, Azadin felt endless disappointment.
In his childhood, the elders had been authority incarnate within the clan. To see such figures minding their words and actions out of fear of Hatir was pathetic.
And the power and authority centered on Hatir made him want to vomit. All those acts rotting and destroying the world, turning rivers and mountains into the blood and flesh of the innocent—they were the deeds of Hatir, that demigod. Yet Kazas loved and prioritized that wretch over Azadin.
Hatir, too, could not tolerate Azadin’s presence.
“You’re not just making a fool of yourself—you’re making a fool of me too. Son of Arcre. I should have killed you back then, but Aldis stopped me and I spared you….”
“Do you regret it?”
“Yes.”
“If you regret it, that means you recognize you made a wrong judgment in the past. Which means there’s no guarantee your current actions aren’t wrong judgments either?”
“You’re grasping at straws. I was thinking of chatting for amusement, but you can’t even manage that.”
Vice Leader Hatir was about to issue the order to kill Azadin and his group.
“Then, Vice Leader Hatir! I challenge you to a duel!”
Azadin challenged Vice Leader Hatir to a duel.
“What?”
“You said yourself you were looking for amusement. You can’t claim to be too busy now and make excuses. How about accepting my challenge?”
“You bastard….”
Coldly considered, Hatir had no reason to accept this duel. Even now, reinforcements were gathering at the rear, and if he just bought a little time, Azadin and Arael’s faction would be completely surrounded.
It would end by overwhelming them with numbers. But Azadin was a famed slowpoke among the Heralds. Refusing his duel challenge would deal a major blow to the vice leader’s honor.
Doubts were already rising among the younger Heralds. If not for that, Arael couldn’t have reached this far, no matter how many Nether beasts she commanded.
The clan’s slacking and the many who didn’t share Vice Leader Hatir’s vision had allowed them to arrive here.
In this situation, would he ignore Azadin’s duel challenge?
Hatir viewed Azadin’s challenge as impudent.
“I can see right through your scheme. Fine. I can’t afford the stigma of fleeing in fear from a duel challenge by you, famed for your slowness. But Arael, maybe—do you think you’re my equal? Azadin of No Grace? A duel challenge only stands between equals.”
“If you beat my brother, I’ll stake my life too. How about if I guarantee it?”
Arael put her own life on the line.
“Your life is already mine, Arael. What meaning is there in staking what’s already in my grasp?”
“I assure you, if I unleash my true power, half these elders die. And you won’t get my body alive. But if you defeat Azadin, I’ll surrender intact. How’s that?”
“…….”
“Lady Arael?!”
The Four of Blossom, Bird, Breeze, and Moon were startled. If Azadin lost, she would surrender without resistance. That’s what Arael was saying.
‘That far?’
‘No, Lady Arael isn’t in perfect condition.’
Arael had consumed much power breaking through the massed forces to reach here. In truth, arriving at all was a miracle—she had already wrought one.
In exchange, she suffered from depleted mana, life force, fatigue, and anemia. If she dueled Hatir here, she couldn’t perform at full strength.
‘Why Azadin of all people?’
‘Does she see us as inferior? He’s lost his left hand.’
The Four of Blossom, Bird, Breeze, and Moon regretted Arael’s choice but… soon changed their minds.
The Arael they served never acted in vain.
It wasn’t favoritism toward her brother Azadin or to grant him glory. Azadin was truly the only one among them who could beat Hatir.
“Hmm?”
Hatir noticed Arael was desperate to make this duel happen, no matter what.
“Very well. I accept your challenge, Azadin. Rejoice. You’re the first in 150 years to challenge a vice leader. But starting 100 paces apart in the clan’s style would be impractical now, right?”
“Yes!”
At that instant, a sword of light whipped from Hatir’s hand. Before anyone could react, the blade of light slashed across Azadin’s neck.
“The, Emperor’s Sword!”
“Ararat!”
The onlookers gasped in shock.
The sword of light, said to have been used by the Emperor to subjugate mythical beasts, now blazed in Hatir’s hand.
It was so swift and massless that even Azadin couldn’t react.
“Ah.”
Arael panicked….
“It’s over.”
Hatir sneered….
“?!”
But Azadin stood there unscathed.
Azadin was bewildered too.
He knew the myths of the Emperor’s Sword, Ararat. Tales of it cleaving house-sized giants—and yet, though it had sliced his neck, it neither hurt nor itched strangely.
“Impossible!”
Hatir cast another spell.
This time, the sky blazed gold, and a bolt of holy light lightning struck Azadin directly. The gold brightened as if gathering thousands of lights, then flickered.
The holy light lightning that could incinerate even demon gods.
Yet Azadin stood unharmed again.
“What?”
A normal person would have been blinded, but Azadin, eyeless, wasn’t dazzled.
“My turn now?”
Azadin took a deep breath, drawing forth the power of the Divine King’s True Scripture slumbering within. White mana surged, clashing with his innate imperfect colorless mana of Blossom, Bird, Breeze, and Moon, creating a terrifying synergy.
It enhanced Azadin’s physical abilities but damaged his body in turn. Strangely, this time the power flowed smoothly, without the needle-like pain or numbness.
[I’ll lend you strength!]
The Emperor’s voice was aiding Azadin.
Unable to interfere directly in human affairs, this artificial spirit existed only to support the Heralds—yet it began helping Azadin directly, even at the cost of its own existence.
“There aren’t many Heralds left anyway!”
Azadin charged forward.
—Kazas Hasseo, Twilight!
His body fooled the eye, closing the distance in an instant. Hatir tried to counter, but Azadin was faster.
The axe-spear of the Azure Executioner sliced at Hatir’s waist.
Hatir conjured a shield of light, but… Azadin’s strike tore through the shield, pierced the armor of light, and grazed Hatir.
Hatir avoided a direct hit only because he’d half-doubted and used defensive magic.
Despite his astonishing reflexes dodging Azadin’s attack, Azadin’s physical prowess was extraordinary—the Azure Executioner grazed him….
In that moment, Hatir tumbled humiliatingly across the ground. A mere graze tore his arm muscles, exposing bone.
“Impossible!”
Kazas was the first to realize why.
“Hatir! The Emperor’s magic doesn’t work on him!”
“What!?”
Then the Emperor’s voice resounded.
[The Emperor’s Proxy is here, so the Emperor’s armaments and magic heed their true master’s voice. Hatir, you are excommunicated.]
“The Emperor’s Proxy?!”
Everyone gasped at the words.
Azadin, the sole remaining Herald of the Emperor, had come as the full proxy of the Emperor’s voice. The entire clan—even Hatir, the Emperor’s son—was excommunicated.
Thus, Hatir had to face Azadin not as the Emperor’s wise demigod son, but as one Aragasa clansman.
“Don’t make me laugh! Without divine power, you think I can’t handle the likes of you?”
Hatir leaped back to create distance and drew his sword. The jet-black steel blade, devouring all light, swung with ferocious darkness.
But….
—Kazas Hasseo, Dusk!
Azadin’s body left a hazy afterimage, evading Hatir’s sword.
A trail of blue light seeped along the ground—the axe-spear of Azure Steel hurtled low across the earth, poised to reap shadows.
‘Azure Steel weapons are impressive, but they can’t match jet-black steel!’
Hatir aimed to shatter Azadin’s axe-spear by pointing his jet-black sword at the ground, targeting weapon destruction….
—Kazas Hasseo, Willow!
Azadin’s axe-spear struck the earth, yanking his body up in an instant. Leaping above Hatir, he showered daggers and struck with bare fists.
“Ugh!”
Hatir countered with Blossom, Bird, Breeze, and Moon magic instead of the Emperor’s.
He batted away the incoming daggers with thunder-wind and aimed his jet-black sword at Azadin’s bare fist.
He could sever the arm!
So he hoped….
—Clang!
An amber mace danced along Azadin’s arm, spinning to deflect the jet-black sword aside.
‘I knew he’d try to slice my bare hand!’
Azadin had a weapon he could wield without hands: the Grim Sorrow mace. Using it, he protected his arm and closed the gap successfully.
“Ah?!”
Azadin’s fist smashed into Hatir’s face.
—Boom!
The onlookers were stunned by the carnage.
Was this a human fist? One blow from Azadin dislocated Hatir’s jaw and obliterated half his face.
“Hah!”
Azadin swung his arm back, grabbed the axe-spear from the ground, and aimed for Hatir’s neck and collarbone. The diagonal slash tore through empty air, poised to bisect his body.
—Blossom, Bird, Breeze, and Moon Willow!
Hatir cast the real spell Azadin had mimicked, teleporting about a zhang away in a position swap.
Unlike Azadin’s body technique feint, this was true magic. The gap as Aragasa clansmen was clear.
Yet Hatir was the one on the defensive.