Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Queen
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The Ashen Queen was enormous enough to coil around Godel's Tower.
Whether she'd burned away completely or absorbed the tower's heat, her ash-gray scales made her look like a massive serpent at times. But then there were the locks of hair flowing along her spine, and the enormous white orbs dangling from them-pustules, or perhaps eggs containing her bastard spawn, no one could tell.
Every time she moved, those locks and orbs collided like bursting amniotic fluid, filling the cavern with a nauseating sound.
Having lost all trace of the beautiful woman she once was, she wrapped around the tower like a twisted corpse tree guarded by a mir beast.
Her eyes were crushed, multiple pupils scattered within, and atop the serpent's maw, a human-like face was etched in patterns, as if she had two mouths. She looked like a coldly deceased woman, but no one in Godel remained who knew that this was the Ashen Queen's original face.
"It's time for you to die!"
Of course, the prince who had fled Godel recognized her face.
Gaon swung his sword at the massive vortex formed from Godel's hunters and bug corpses, striking the Queen's face.
"KyaAAAAH."
The Queen let out a human woman's scream.
Even as Gaon's blade tore through her ash-gray scales, shattering them, she stiffened her neck like she was preparing a spell and spat dark crimson fluid from the serpent's maw.
Those massive droplets flew around Gaon like living butterflies, and the Queen-perhaps strengthening her spell-coiled her body once more, clashing the orbs on her hair to make noise.
Each time she did, rocks fell from the Sovereign's Tower, crushing not a few people below, but to the Queen guarding the seed nursery, such things no longer mattered.
"Do you even recognize him?"
Her mind was filled only with the thought of killing her returned son. Gaon scattered wind blades in the air to dodge the dark crimson butterflies she unleashed, then shot up to the ceiling and struck a stalactite.
"Damn it!"
He then turned the entire ceiling-lined with stalactites-into his sword and brought it crashing down.
KrBOOM!
The serpent gaped its maw and screamed again. This time, it seemed to hurt; as she coiled around the tower, she writhed in agony from the vine-like supports holding the nursery, even snapping them herself.
But that was all.
The Queen's spell-veiled membrane didn't tear, and for Gaon, staying airborne had reached its limit. As he fell, he drew his sword once more.
"Is evacuation complete yet?"
Gaon swung toward the Queen's tail rather than her head. When she lifted it to dodge, the humans around in Godel began emerging from their caves, looking around.
This was exactly why Gaon couldn't land a fatal blow on the Queen. Even though he had the power to kill her, this was why he'd lingered near the Empire, waiting for the knights.
It had to happen simultaneously.
If he killed the Queen or pierced the membrane supporting the nursery before everyone below evacuated, they'd be crushed under her filthy corpse or buried in seeds bursting from the nursery, turning into bugs without fail.
So.
"Hurry up, knights of the Empire!"
He twisted his falling body midair, spinning once before lunging onto the Queen's body and slashing wildly at her scales again. When one scale peeled off, he turned it into a blade and slashed with it.
Like scraping scales off a fish, Gaon was tearing the Queen's "clothing" apart at terrifying speed. The Queen screamed and screamed, then shook herself, scattering white orbs everywhere. Those massive spheres smashed Godel's caves and burst people open.
Watching this, Bison shouted desperately.
"Over here! I'll reopen the entrance-hurry!"
But Godel's humans, terrified or perhaps not, refused to come out despite the ground quaking.
Were they afraid of the Ashen Queen roaming outside? Was that why they wouldn't flee? If so, what could be more frightening than being crushed by her body and orbs?
"Please! You have to go now!"
"I'm heading to the tower!"
Pushing aside his bewilderment, Gil shouted to Bison and rushed toward the heart of Godel, where the Ashen Queen and Gaon waged their apocalyptic battle-the Sovereign's Tower.
"Why won't they listen... Ah."
Bison, left alone pulling Godel's humans from the collapsing caves without realizing Gil had gone, suddenly understood upon seeing their faces. They weren't afraid.
"Is Godel itself under the spell's influence? The whole... city?"
Those demon marks on their faces-the spell had clouded their egos. So they weren't feeling fear; they'd just await the Queen's next order to move seeds.
But for what purpose?
Bison ground his teeth and ran through Godel again.
"Then where...?"
Dodging the falling white orbs from the monstrous Queen, Bison scanned his surroundings.
Suddenly, he realized that what he'd assumed were natural stalagmites-obvious if there were stalactites-weren't natural at all.
After all, things falling from the ceiling were blocked by the seed nursery's membrane, weren't they? So those pillars rising near the lava...
"Are those the mediums spreading the spell?!"
'Justice That Does Not Endure.'
WhiiiiiISH!
Bison didn't hesitate, launching his sword. In an instant, three spell pillars disguised as stalagmites were shredded by the blade and exploded. Bison caught his returning sword and ran on.
"Snap out of it! Run-toward the edges! Avoid that snake!"
He looked around. Those whose demon marks had vanished began fleeing Godel. Their numbers grew each time a spell pillar collapsed, and they even supported those still afflicted as they ran.
Fleeing the Ashen Queen, out of Godel.
"Good. Among those who've come to their senses, save as many others as you can! Destroy those pillars too!"
Yes, he might not save everyone. But these people would save each other. Saving one another like that would eventually purify this land.
Wasn't that what knights-and Heroes-did?
But before that, another knight had urgent business.
"Out of my way!"
Having struggled to the Sovereign's Tower center, Gil slid down the increasingly steep terrain without losing momentum, spinning once before unleashing a massive sword swing.
'[Exploding Justice].'
BOOM!
One face of the Sovereign's Tower-larger than even Sonain's cathedrals-was blown apart along with its guarding hunters. Faces marked with demon sigils peeled off amid the explosions as the wall crumbled further, and Gil dashed inside without even noticing the stench of burning flesh.
"This place... What the hell."
The tower's interior held a scene beyond Gil's imagination. The floor descended into an endless abyss-like darkness, and the passage's outer walls were sealed by a red membrane-exactly like the one supporting the nursery-clearly under a spell.
He couldn't jump down through that membrane, and burning the nursery was his role anyway, so he climbed the ancient stone stairs at the edge.
From the second floor up, there were proper floors and ceilings forming wide interiors. Of course, they were filled with boxes containing what looked like seeds.
"Disgusting."
Those seed boxes surely held transaction records for shipping to Ennaun and more, but checking and burning them could wait until he reached the top. If the flames grew uncontrollable like the rage enveloping him now, descending later would be trouble.
"Gotta hurry first."
So on to the next floor, and the next. This place, piled with seeds everywhere, seemed to be a massive storage for the entire tower.
Enduring the thickening seed poison, Gil climbed higher and higher, losing track of his location.
BOOM!
Suddenly, the Queen slammed into it, crumbling the outer wall. Gil turned to check his position and see where others were.
"Haa..."
Below outside, Godel's humans were evacuating-Bison must have succeeded. Above outside, he could see Gaon desperately battling atop the Queen.
"Me too..."
Gil quickly assessed. It wasn't just the wall; the stairs ahead were broken too. But it was no problem. Gil ignited flames on his sword and crossed the collapsed outer edge to climb on.
"What's this now?"
Reaching the upper floors, nothing lay ahead of Gil. Only hazy support pillars were visible; no more stairs upward. Gil advanced into the center, using his flaming sword like a torch.
And there it was.
"That must be... the lab."
The seed experimentation ground Gaon had mentioned. And.
"Who are you?"
Guarding it: a half-human, half-beast warrior with crushed pupils.
He held a shield-no, a rock-like massive weapon. It'soon blazed scarlet, just like Gil's sword.
"Is that Agagthur's scale?"
It was the former proxy of Agagthur, who had even sacrificed his life for young Gaon.