Chapter 183
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 183
Turan’s escape attempt might have seemed impulsive at first glance, but the decision was rooted in a cold, complex calculation.
First, he couldn't afford to wait. The moment he left this spot, he would likely never get another chance to contact Harun. Since it was a busy period, his disguised identity, Paol, undoubtedly had duties to attend to; failing to show up would inevitably arouse Talis’s suspicion.
Though the probability was low, it was even possible he had already been discovered and they were already on their way. Furthermore, once they realized he had infiltrated by impersonating a subordinate, they wouldn't allow the same trick twice—especially considering how much luck had played a part in this particular gambit.
So, did he have a foolproof way to get her out?
If asked, Turan would have said the odds were fifty-fifty. He couldn't guarantee success, but he had devised a plan worth the risk. While the odds were far too low to gamble with a life under normal circumstances, there was virtually no chance of survival if he didn't try. There was no reason to hesitate.
“You—!”
Immediately after Turan took flight with Harun, the floor exploded, and Badal’s enraged roar shook the air. In that brief moment, the god had realized the intruder was Turan in disguise and that he was attempting a rescue.
Leaping up from the basement, Badal saw a shattered window on one side of the bathhouse and Harun flying off into the distance. As she passed through the aerial barrier, suspended by something invisible, a shrill alarm rang out.
How dare you—
Badal immediately activated the Thunder Lord’s Symbol, using magnetic force to lift himself into the air, intent on snatching the fleeing Harun.
Perhaps it was because he was carrying Harun, who was now nothing more than an ordinary human, but the escape speed wasn't particularly fast. If Badal went all out, he could catch them in three seconds at most.
However, just before he took flight, Badal hesitated, struck by a strange sense of dissonance.
Why is he hiding?
At a glance, it looked like Harun was flying alone. Since she lacked the ability to fly, Turan had to be supporting her while invisible. But why waste mana to stay hidden now? Harun’s body wasn't affected by the invisibility, so their flight path was perfectly visible anyway.
The moment the thought crossed his mind, an attack slammed into Badal’s face from right beside him.
“Urgh—!”
It was a maximum-power sling shot delivered from stealth. Because Badal of the Arabion bloodline could sense electricity, Turan hadn't been able to enhance the shot with magnetic force, but it was still powerful enough to pierce through a defensive magic tool and shatter a cheekbone.
As Badal staggered from the point-blank hit, Turan, who had been hiding in a corner of the bathhouse all along, lunged forward and thrust a sword at his throat. It was the piercing longsword he had previously lent to Berit.
Got him.
The one who had flown off with Harun while invisible moments ago was actually Bije. Turan had only pretended to fly away at first, then immediately doubled back to wait for an opening. Thanks to that, he had managed to land a heavy blow on a completely unsuspecting Badal.
Now, if he could just deliver the finishing blow to his incapacitated opponent—
Hm?
But for some reason, the longsword he thrust toward the exposed temple didn't sink into the skull. Instead, it slid off at an angle, merely tearing the scalp. It felt as if he had stabbed a reinforced steel plate.
It was too powerful to be a simple defense from a magic tool. Was it a holy relic? Or a defensive ability triggered by specific conditions?
In a split second, Turan’s mind raced through an analysis. The previous sling shot had been partially blocked but still dealt damage; why was this attack ineffective?
He didn't dwell on it. He immediately switched to the Baraha bloodline, activated Judgment Light, and lashed out with a golden whip, binding Badal’s entire body.
“Aaaaaagh!”
The smell of burning flesh stung his nose along with the scream. Unfortunately, he couldn't sever the body—the man clearly had some other defensive measure in place—but he had succeeded in dealing significant damage. Full-body burns were no minor injury, even for a noble.
Suddenly, Badal’s screaming body began to glow brilliantly. Turan immediately switched his holy relic to the Ruban bloodline, activated his Guardian magic tool, and threw himself backward.
“Die—!”
With a roar like an ancient thunderclap, purple lightning erupted from Badal’s body, laying waste to the Zahar Family Head’s entire residence. Nothing remained except the outer walls, which were made of bricks ground from giant bones.
“Ugh.”
Even though he had retreated as far as possible to minimize the damage, Turan's entire body tingled. He now possessed mana levels roughly equal to Badal’s normal state, but with the Thunder Lord’s Symbol active, the gap had widened again. Moreover, that purple lightning was a skill of the Thunder Lord itself.
“Turan, you… how dare you!”
“I haven't lived such a reckless life that I need to hear ‘how dare you’ from an idiot who holds a grudge for thousands of years just because he got dumped by a woman.”
Badal’s face flushed crimson. He had been mocked with a disguise and had his ancient, shameful weakness dug up. Turan laughed, having successfully provoked a powerful god who had once felt like an insurmountable wall.
“Well then, goodbye!”
With that farewell, a pile of gunpowder he had prepared in advance exploded. Turan shot through the broken window like a projectile, clutching his aching abdomen to dull the pain. He had used several times the amount of gunpowder he normally used for emergency evasions; the impact on his own body was considerable.
Of course, the effect was equally spectacular, allowing him to exit the Family Head’s residence and put over a hundred meters of distance between them in an instant. If he used magnetic force to accelerate now…
Ah.
Only then did Turan remember that the clothes he was wearing belonged to the Zahar noble, Paol, and thus lacked the devices to assist in high-speed movement using magnetic force. It was a detail he’d overlooked in his hastily devised plan.
Badal, who was chasing him with fire in his eyes, wouldn't give him time to change clothes.
After a moment’s thought, Turan pulled out an iron ball he used for throwing, gripped it in his hand, and exerted magnetic force. As the ball was propelled by the magnetism, Turan’s body, which was holding it, was pulled along at high speed. It wasn't a very graceful sight, and it rendered one hand useless, but it was a decent enough workaround.
I thought of everything else but missed this. At least I managed to patch it together—
Just as he was about to feel relieved, Turan felt a chilling sensation and quickly raised his arm. With a sickening squelch of rending flesh, an arrowhead pierced his forearm, stopping just in front of his face. If he hadn't blocked it instinctively, it would have pierced his eye and shredded his brain.
A sniper?
The arrow, barely half the length of a normal one, had flown with the speed of light. He wasn't sure he could block it again if he had to.
Turning his gaze toward the direction of the attack, he saw a man who looked to be in his early thirties, holding a bow with a strange tube attached to it. He had never seen the face in person, but he recognized it from portraits.
It was the heir to the Zahar family and Berit’s father, Rahman Zahar. His body contained a formidable power—not quite as much as Harun’s former strength, but still immense. It was proof that he had successfully inherited the Family Head’s mana.
The man, who was also Turan’s first cousin once removed, wore a grotesque smile as his lips moved.
[You’ve done something quite clever, grandson.]
Because they were over five hundred meters apart, he couldn't hear the voice, but he could deduce the words from the shape of the lips. Seeing this, Turan realized that the one occupying Rahman’s body was his grandfather, Talis.
It wasn't entirely surprising, as he had predicted this to some extent, but…
He’s too fast.
Less than ten seconds had passed since he attacked Badal and escaped. Even assuming Talis’s usual office was nearby, his appearance was far too swift. He was even fully armed and accompanied by a magical beast suited for pursuit.
Turan realized that Talis had already sensed Paol’s deviation and was already on his way to subdue him, having figured out it was Turan in disguise. This meant that if he hadn't acted immediately, his last chance to save Harun would have vanished.
“Ugh…”
The thought was fleeting as his vision blurred and a searing heat radiated from the wound in his arm. Dizziness, high fever, paralysis, and a headache. It was clear that an Alchemist’s skill had been used to coat the arrow in a deadly poison.
Staggering as he landed on the ground, Turan quickly switched his holy relic to the Lavitas bloodline and utilized the Purifier’s ability. He felt the various negative sensations clouding his mind rapidly dissipate. After quickly pulling out the arrow and treating the wound, Turan looked up.
Badal Arabion, his body scorched, was looking down at him.
“I almost lost you.”
Badal spoke with a sneer. Despite his aged body and the burns he had sustained, there wasn't a hint of fatigue on his face. His stamina was on a completely different level than before.
And then, one by one, he felt the presence of others nearby—individuals with mana far too powerful for ordinary nobles. Sensing the Zahar gods approaching rapidly, Turan gripped the iron ball again and attempted to flee.
“Not a chance.”
Along with Badal’s shout, the iron ball leading Turan’s body began to wobble violently. Badal was manipulating the surrounding magnetic fields, interfering with the force Turan was controlling. It was the same principle Turan had used against other Arabion nobles, distorting wind currents to disrupt their flight magic.
However, Turan ignored the suddenly erratic flight path and immediately switched to wind-based flight magic. Simultaneously, he spun around and fired the iron ball from his sling.
Badal, much like Kadram who had once worn the Heavenly Guardian, emitted a bolt of lightning to melt the ball, but instead of pursuing immediately, he maintained some distance. It seemed the blow he’d taken earlier had left a deep impression.
I guess metal really isn't the way to go against an Arabion.
As Turan fled using wind magic, he could feel attacks flying toward him. Arrows, javelins, and sharpened discs like throwing stars. When he performed high-speed evasive maneuvers to avoid them, the attacks naturally struck the city of Axum.
“Aaaaaagh!”
“Oh gods, oh gods!”
“Please, spare me…!”
The attacks of ordinary nobles were a disaster for commoners, but the aftermath of attacks imbued with the skills of gods was even more horrific. Several buildings, sliced through by the passing discs, collapsed and crushed people, while javelins exploded, obliterating small shops. The arrows from Rahman—or rather, Talis—created a thick, poisonous mist that seemed capable of melting anything it touched.
The helpless people couldn't even dream of escaping the battle between these immensely powerful nobles, who were barely visible to the naked eye; they could only prostrate themselves and pray. With something flying across hundreds of meters every time there was a flash of light, where could they possibly run?
In this battle, which was literally a clash of gods, even knights and lower-ranked nobles were powerless. If they were even grazed by a stray attack, their lives would end just as easily as any commoner’s.
Turan, desperately twisting his body, gritted his teeth as he looked down at the scene.
Damn it…
Strategically, he should have welcomed the destruction of Axum, as it was a loss for his enemies, but he couldn't accept it that way. He couldn't take pleasure in the sight of those helpless people—the lambs he was meant to protect—dying pointlessly in the wake of the shepherds' battle.
Ultimately, Turan gave up on the optimal evasion routes and headed toward the outskirts of Axum, even at the cost of taking a few hits.
“He’s fleeing north.”
“Pursue him!”
After taking several hits while escaping to the edge of the city, Turan realized this was also the right strategic choice. Unlike Badal and the Zahar vessels, who could take turns attacking and thus had moments to rest, Turan was consuming far more mana by dodging and counterattacking alone.
As he quickly healed his tattered legs, arms, and side, he looked back to see Badal flying toward him, followed by the Zahar gods mounted on various magical beasts. If he could just fly straight with wind magic, he could have opened up enough distance, but the constant harassment made it impossible.
The biggest problem was Badal. Unlike Turan, Badal seemed to be skillfully manipulating magnetic force using a skill. To lose him, Turan needed Bije.
This is dangerous.
A sense of crisis washed over him; he realized he might actually die here. He hadn't expected this operation to be without risk, but the situation was worse than he’d imagined. From Badal, who was far more resilient than expected, to Talis’s group, who had already been on their way to intercept him. If it hadn't been for this string of bad luck, he would have escaped smoothly…
No, regretting or blaming bad luck was pointless. What he needed to do now was find a way to escape.
As he continued to fly north with his pursuers in tow, racking his brain for a solution, Turan frowned at a presence approaching from the west.
Why?
Harun, whom he had sent away with Bije earlier, was returning toward them. The Zahar gods hesitated and pulled back as the lightning magic unleashed by the Mythic-grade beast, which possessed a massive amount of mana, surged toward them. More accurately, the magical beasts they were riding recoiled, overwhelmed by Bije’s presence.
—Turan!
—Why did you come back? I told you to take her to Kalamaf!
—But this woman said you would die if I didn't come back. I don't want that!
So that was how she’d been convinced. Turan clicked his tongue, but he understood Bije’s reasoning. If Bije had felt the immense power Badal displayed during the escape, she would have sensed the danger Turan was in.
The sudden intervention created a brief lull. As he caught his breath, Talis, inhabiting Rahman’s body, spoke to Turan.
“I never imagined you would actually invade Axum directly, and alone at that. It was beyond brave; it was reckless.”
Why was he suddenly striking up a conversation? Did he want to stall for time so the rest of the pursuit team could catch up?
Despite his suspicions, Turan responded. He needed to catch his breath after the frantic escape, and more importantly, now that Harun was back within the enemies' range, a running battle was difficult. He could use the conversation to devise a better plan.
“Are you going to give me some grandfatherly advice?”
“I’m no longer your grandfather, so I can't do that. So, what were you thinking? That woman isn't worth such a risk.”
It was true. Since she was already in an ordinary human body, getting Harun back wouldn't be of much help to Turan. To exert power as a vessel, one needed a body with a certain amount of mana and good compatibility with the soul. The Parsha family didn't have anyone like that, and even if they did, Turan wasn't the type of person to sacrifice his own subordinates to use Harun as a weapon. Furthermore, even if he captured an enemy, he would need to consume a large number of souls for the possession.
“At the very least, I could extract internal information about the Zahars.”
Since the other party had declared he would no longer play the role of grandfather, Turan’s response was equally curt. Hearing this, Talis twisted his lips into a smirk.
“A decent excuse. But my intuition tells me that’s not the reason.”
Talis’s suggestion—that Turan had acted out of sympathy because Harun had treated him well—pierced through to Turan’s inner thoughts with startling accuracy. As he had felt before, this god’s insight and tenacity were on a different level compared to the other gods, who felt like mere brutes with power.
“What are you trying to say?”
“Leave Caesar… I mean, Harun, here and I’ll let you go. We still have a use for her.”
“That’s absurd.”
The one who interrupted their conversation was Badal, who looked slightly better than before, perhaps having used a powerful healing relic. Of course, because the mana within that body was so immense, he was still far from a full recovery.
“I’m going to kill that brat here.”
“Now, now, let’s not get too heated. It’s not like it matters what happens here in the future anyway, right?”
Turan understood the meaning behind Talis’s words as he restrained Badal. For them, who planned to cross over to another world—the home of the gods—the power struggles of this world were meaningless.
After soothing the enraged Badal, Talis turned toward Bije.
“Come back, Caesar. We still need you.”
“You think those words will work after you threw me to that stalker?”
Unlike the way she spoke to Turan, her tone toward Talis was like that of a young woman.
“I’m sorry about that. But I thought it would be hard to change your mind otherwise.”
“Nothing changes, no matter how many times we talk.”
Talis let out a deep sigh at the firm rejection. Then, he suddenly pointed at Turan.
“Honestly, have you still not given up hope? I told you I confirmed it. That boy is not the reincarnation of Otas, as you wish him to be!”