Chapter 335: The Tin Knight and the Reviving Myth – Finale
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 335: The Tin Knight and the Reviving Myth – Finale
Once upon a time, long, long ago.
There was a time when the world was shrouded in darkness.
Kings who boasted of their lofty authority, heroes who proclaimed none in the world could surpass them, and even sages praised for having pierced the truth of all creation—all fell helpless before that darkness.
Darkness. Known by another name: the Underground.
That was the nature of their existence.
And it wasn't simply because the eight generals were strong. While it was true the eight generals were their main force and symbol, the soldiers who fought under their command were equally powerful.
Trolls that rose again with seemingly endless life force, no matter how they were cut down or burned.
Dwarves who crafted and wielded mysterious items imbued with a power similar to, yet different from, magic.
Giants, though not as large as their captains, trampled the earth with their colossal bodies, and vampires took advantage of the darkness to display a wide variety of abilities.
Among all of humanity, those who could wield mana and unleash superhuman power were but a handful.
Yet, the forces of the Underground were so strong and vicious that even their lowliest foot soldiers were more than a match for knights who could not wield mana.
The harsh environment they lived in and their deep-seated grudge against the heavens had made them so.
Now, after a thousand years, these people of the Underground had once again appeared on the surface.
It was all but certain that countless screams and rivers of blood would follow.
《Kieeeeeeek!》
《Guooooooooh!》
《Kraaaaaaaak!》
But the ones screaming were not the humans of the surface.
It was the people of the Underground. They, who should have been burning the surface with their overwhelming strength and malice, were instead the ones shrieking in unbearable pain.
Their formidable bodies were powerless against plague and poison.
Their intense grudge faded before the curses spewed by the dead.
Their overwhelming numbers, a force that should have plunged the entire continent into darkness, were being utterly repelled—no, exterminated—unable to break through a single woman.
It was inevitable.
The woman was the only human left in the present age who had personally experienced the war the people of the Underground had waged.
She was a veteran who knew their might, their viciousness, and the blood that had been shed because of them.
There was no way such a Witch of the East would show even a shred of mercy in dealing with the beings of the Underground.
《—■■■■! ! ! !》
As if enraged by the deaths of its kin, the Chancellor of the Underground, transformed into the shape of a black serpent, lunged at the Witch of the East.
The skeleton soldiers who tried to block its path crumbled, unable to withstand the black serpent's immense size and weight. The curses of the vengeful spirits were deflected, failing to pierce the mana cloaking the serpent's body.
Just as its massive maw, large enough to devour a house, was about to swallow the Witch of the East whole.
KUUUUUUNG!
With a deafening roar, the black serpent's charge was brought to an abrupt halt.
It was as if it had crashed into a great wall, but soon, the ‘something’ that had blocked the black serpent revealed itself.
It had the arms of a beast.
It had the carapace of an insect.
It had the wings of a bird.
It had the mouth and eyes of a reptile.
It had the body of a monkey.
It was a lifeform made of grotesqueries, a monster that resembled everything yet was nothing.
The Jabberwock.
The most malevolent undead, controllable only by the Witch of the East and her apprentice, blocked the black serpent's path with its massive form.
《—■■■■■■■■■■■■! ! ! !》
《—*&@%@1!#&^#1^2&%()#! ! ! !》
The black serpent and the mysterious beast entangled each other, turning the surroundings into a chaotic mess.
The Jabberwock's body was continuously wounded and broken before the black serpent's tremendous power, but its ability to recover by absorbing nearby corpses and souls was faster than the serpent's attempts to deal a final blow.
The army of the Underground, which had once driven the surface to ruin, was now being held at bay by a single witch.
However, the Witch of the East felt no particular sentiment about it.
From her perspective, it was the only logical outcome.
The Underground and the surface were separate realms that could not be reached by purely physical means, and traveling between the two was no easy feat.
While a single individual might manage the journey alone, creating a 'path' wide enough for tens of thousands of soldiers was impossible even for the eight generals.
The only one who could make it possible was the Chancellor, and it was because of him that the army of the Underground could set foot on the surface.
In other words, the army he had summoned was the very manifestation of the Chancellor's power.
But now, the one blocking their path was the strongest necromancer.
In terms of pure necromancy, she was a witch among witches, having already surpassed her own master, the Queen of Ashes.
To defeat the Witch of the East, one should never have used 'numbers' as a weapon.
The corpses of the fallen became the Witch of the East's soldiers, and their souls and grudges became her mana.
What was needed to defeat the Witch of the East was 'quality.'
And the minimum requirement was a transcendent being on the level of the eight generals in their prime, the heavenly angels, or the Four Great Witches.
The Chancellor's own rank was certainly high enough to be called transcendent, but his abilities were no match for the Witch of the East.
Realizing that senselessly throwing troops at her would only benefit the enemy, the Chancellor had already cut off the flow of soldiers. The Witch of the East, however, merely sneered at him.
"If you care so much for the lives of these small fry, isn't it time you sent out the next contenders?"
The Chancellor did not answer.
He was locked in a life-or-death struggle with the Jabberwock, which had, at some point, also transformed into a serpent-like creature.
The Witch of the East paid him no mind and continued.
"A thousand years have passed. Just as the heavens have created new angels, you must have been raising successors to the Eight Generals."
Skeleton soldiers spewing sword energy from their blades slashed at the black serpent's skin, while skeleton mages wielding staves unleashed flames mixed with curses.
More and more wounds appeared on the black serpent's body.
"Or... have you failed to raise them yet? Not that it would be surprising. Those monsters, each one capable of tearing a battlefield apart. Raising such beings couldn't have been easy. Perhaps you have the skill, but not yet the eight. Or perhaps you have the numbers, but their quality falls short of their predecessors. That's why you were just testing the waters, only to rush out in a panic when the corpses of your old generals were being desecrated."
KWAAAAANG!
A tremendous shockwave erupted from the black serpent's body. In an instant, the Jabberwock was torn to pieces, and the surrounding undead army was scattered like mere dust.
The black serpent, having laid waste to its surroundings, glared at the Witch of the East with a terrifying glint in its eyes, but she merely scoffed.
With a single stomp of her foot, the shattered soldiers were resurrected, and each severed piece of the Jabberwock began to move with a will of its own.
Finally, the Chancellor reverted from the black serpent to his human-like shadow form.
A sigh escaped his lips.
《You know us very well. And your skills are just as formidable.》
"Didn't you just prattle on about how further conversation was meaningless? How pathetic, to start wagging your tongue again now that the tables have turned."
《I am aware. However, when the heroes who fought for my people are being desecrated, my personal honor and pride are not the issue.》
"..."
The Witch of the East's eyes narrowed.
《If I were to deploy the new generals as you suggest, we might be able to break through you. But I cannot recklessly place them—the new hope of our kingdom—on a board set by the cunning ones in the heavens.》
《I do not ask for much. If you would simply leave us be for a moment, we will retrieve the generals and return to the Underground. If the generals run rampant and inflict great damage upon the surface, it will be playing right into the heavens' hands. Can we not discuss a temporary cooperation?》
《If you require personal compensation, I will consider that as well.》
"What if I asked for your head?"
《I would gladly offer it.》
The reply was instant, without a hint of hesitation.
The Witch of the East could feel that it was not an empty boast.
While not all beings of the Underground were the same, she knew well that a great many of them valued things like honor and pride.
Willing to cast aside his dignity, his pride, and even his life, the Chancellor genuinely wished to retrieve the eight generals.
Some might have paid respect to such an act.
Some might have considered it honorable.
But to the Witch of the East, it was all just infuriating.
Is it a noble death to be killed by someone with pride?
Is the slaughter committed by one who knows honor justified?
The Witch of the East knew.
She knew how favorably the people of the Underground treated the strong, the proud, and the honorable.
But humanity was not composed solely of such people.
The cowardly, the weak, the ugly, the timid.
Such humans far outnumbered the others.
And while the people of the Underground were favorable to 'special' individuals, they were merciless to the 'ordinary' ones.
Of course, the Witch of the East understood that psychology all too well.
After all, she herself was the one who had massacred the ugly, selfish, and in a sense, utterly ordinary people of the old kingdom.
However, that was no reason for her to stop hating them for it.
And so, the Witch of the East, Nesarose, answered.
"—I refuse. Your precious generals will all perish, and you will not lay a single hand on their remains."
《...Even if it means we both dance on the palm of the heavens' hand?》
"Just because a jackal is watching from the side, is that any reason not to chase away the wild dog in front of me?"
In the end, that was the relationship between the Witch of the East and the Underground.
No compromise, no negotiation, could exist between them.
The history the Witch of the East carried, the sacrifices etched in her memory, would not allow it.
Thus, what ended the battle between them was neither the Chancellor nor the Witch.
—Wooooooooooong.
From the distant heavens, a remote yet intense presence was felt.
It was a light of unparalleled brilliance.
It was a power both pure and magnificent.
It was a miracle that shone with an emerald light.
Toward it, the Chancellor murmured.
《—God.》
From high in the sky, eight massive pillars of light descended.
The sight was like a divine judgment.
A blinding radiance, bright enough to mistake night for day, spread out.
Then, a quiet stillness returned.
Immediately after, the Chancellor's body began to blur like a heat haze.
It was not of his own will.
《Some of those on the surface... have crossed over to our side. And the 'path' connecting the Underground and the surface is narrowing. At this rate, it will close completely.》
"...What?"
《It means the surface has obtained peace, with your apprentice and the other heroes of the land as the sacrifice. Isn't it a truly wonderful happy ending?》