Chapter 308
Huff, huff.
Akshuller struggled to catch his breath. He could even taste the metallic tang of blood as he heaved for breath.
A bone-chilling cold swept around him, yet his massive frame was still drenched in sweat.
Even breathing had begun to feel like a chore.
“Damn this…” Akshuller cursed, his words thickly laced with anger.
He really wanted to rest, but he couldn’t. That wasn’t a choice he could make. If he decided to slow down right then, it would only be a matter of time before the sharp ice sword would pierce through his ally’s heart.
“Are you all right?”
“...Keugh!” Akshuller clenched his teeth in response. “I… I’m good.”
In comparison, his ally looked quite relaxed.
“...He truly is the Ice Emperor. And I see that a Star’s reputation is well-earned. He has two Superhumans attacking him simultaneously, but he is still standing…”
“Kekeke.”
Duke Eima started laughing so hard his whole body shook in mirth; perhaps he had heard what his opponent said about him.
“I’m the one who should be amazed. I thought you were just at the level of the old Mercenary King, Barbarian… but I see that your level is closer to me, a Star…” Duke Eima trailed off as he looked at his opponent’s blade.
A huge, menacing form was materializing from the man’s aura.
- Grrr!
It felt Duke Eima’s gaze and growled like a living being. Duke Eima’s body stiffened when the aura produced a noise.
The power of the man’s materialization was frightening. It was oddly similar to Aura Application.
A thick black mane covered the lion’s head, a set of wings stuck out from the body’s muscular bulk, and a tail as sharp as a sword waved behind it. It was clearly a beast, but it stood on two legs as though it was human.
“Manticore,” Duke Eima muttered as he laughed like a maniac. “The Manticore is a fabled phantom beast species; it is the embodiment of viciousness and brutality. And yet, here I am, looking at you, the one they call the pinnacle of justice, wondering, ‘How can you materialize it?’ Can you see the irony?”
Duke Eima looked toward the man with a smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes.
“So tell me, Lion King. What made you take that step? You hadn’t even when the war was at its hottest. Then, you sheltered in Thran with vagrants.”
Vagrant or vagabond were derogatory terms for the Free Knights; it was to the point that everyone on the continent called Ryan Geiger the Vagrant King.
After staying silent for a long time, the Lion King finally began speaking. “Aren’t there a lot of contradictions in this world? After all, that’s how the people of Igrant call a traitor like you a Star.”
Duke Eima’s expression darkened.
“I guess your mouth still works fine, then.”
“Everything else works fine as well.” The Lion King brandished his longsword, which at first glance seemed quite ordinary. “Should I show you?”
“Kekeke.” Duke Eima laughed grimly. “By all means. I am quite curious, but oh dear, it appears that the protagonist we’ve been anticipating has finally shown up.”
The Lion King’s eyes widened. Askhuller followed the Lion King’s gaze and flinched as he saw what the Lion King was looking at.
BOOM!
An enormous explosion shattered the air. It was quickly followed by a trail of brilliant crimson descending from the sky.
Chills ran down their spines as an eerie chuckle echoed through the air as a man strolled lazily through the thick cloud of dust.
“Seems like you’re struggling quite a bit.” The man licked his lips.
“That’s why I asked you for your help, Your Majesty.”
“The Lion King is here, I see. What a surprise.” The man cocked his head to the side.
The Lion King met the newcomer’s gaze. He understood the man better than anyone else.
The newcomer’s red hair and crimson clothing caused everyone seeing him to think of blood.
“Grand Duke Lucifer!” Akshuller groaned at the sight.
The Lion King let Akshuller’s cry of distress slip into one ear and out the other.
“I will give you a sign,” he told Akshuller.
“...HUH?”
“Don’t look back.”
“Wait a minute! What the heck are you—?”
As if to show that he had no intention of expanding further on his words, the Lion King stepped forward.
“How can I just stand here and—”
“Calm down and come to your senses.”
“...!”
“Who do you think will benefit if the two of us die like this?”
Akshuller gritted his teeth at the Lion King’s voice.
“If I increase my true mana, then I can slow down both of them for a bit.”
Akshuller was startled by the Lion King’s statement because true mana was the source of life and was not something that could be restored.
It was unbelievable that someone with the capabilities of the Lion King was willing to use his true mana, even if that meant his life span would be reduced indefinitely, to buy them some time and be satisfied with just that.
“There is only one chance,” the Lion King told Akshuller.
Duke Eima noticed the odd atmosphere.
“Do the two of you have a plan brewing?”
Instead of receiving a response, Duke Eima felt an unprecedented cascade of power emanating from the Lion King like a waterfall.
- GRRRRRR!
The Lion King’s aura added its own roar to the torrent as a beam of mana headed toward Duke Eima.
“Keugh!” Duke Eima staggered backward as he was struck by the golden mana.
The Lion King’s eyes gleamed.
“NOW!” he shouted in a powerful voice.
Without a second’s hesitation, Akshuller spun without hesitation and struck the ground with all his might as he ran. The ground began to tremble and shake. He was fully aware that a head-on fight would only result in their death.
“Kekekeke.”
A sinister laugh entered Akshuller’s ears. Even if his eyes couldn’t see it, his senses were telling him that something was going on. It was as if there was something asking, ‘Do you think you can run away from me?’
Despite that, he continued on. He knew that stopping for even a second would mean death for him.
‘If I have to, at least an arm…!’
Akshuller repeated this to himself as he dodge away, almost like he was prophesying his own future.
Shick!
He heard a blade cut through human flesh. He couldn’t help but close his eyes, expecting the worst, even as his legs continued to carry him forward.
“...?”
Akshuller’s expression gave away his confusion. It had been a while since he heard that horrifying sound, but he didn’t feel any pain.
He carefully opened his eyes; he turned pale.
A spherical object was floating in the air.
“It can’t be,” Akshuller muttered, his voice laden with shock.
It was the head of a person who had become a Superhuman much earlier than Akshuller. It was the head of the Lion King.
The surprising thing was that the Lion King hadn’t been able to last long against the Grand Duke Lucifer.
***
“It’s a small warp gate that’s been pre-arranged. If you use this, you won’t waste any time getting to the Great Plain of Aiyas.”
“....”
The only thing they could see was a vast wasteland with occasional patches of weeds, but in the middle of it was a small warp gate.
Cain stared at it before asking, “Wasn’t this formerly the site of Reinhardt’s royal tomb?”
“To be more accurate, it used to be here.”
“....”
“Hubalt and Swallow’s first order of business after taking Reinhardt was to demolish this place, saying that people needed to stop talking about neutrality and peace.”
Cain accepted Lilith’s explanation with a nod.
“It was their plan all along,” he mused.
“Will all three of you be going?” Lilith asked.
“Of course.”
“Then, before you leave…” Lilith trailed off, looking specifically at someone. “Icarus-nim.”
“...Yes?”
“You are already aware of this, yes?”
Icarus looked puzzled. “About what—?”
“The fact that the impending disaster won’t simply affect Swallow and Hubalt.”
“What are you saying?” Icarus asked her expression hard.
“Avalon.”
“...!”
Cain flinched at Lilith’s unexpected response.
“Even in the place where it is taking Hart Kingdom has a precedent, the winds of change are blowing.”
“Hmph, even so, it’s just a defeated nation. What do they think they’ll do now…”
“It’s not a simple issue that we can just toss into a corner.”
The usually cynical Cain hesitated at Lilith’s rebuke.
“Something is odd between the First and Second Prince.”
“They’ve been fighting over the throne for three years now. Is there anything new about that?”
“Yes, there is.”
“...?”
“The long-lost Fourth Prince has suddenly shown up with a tremendous supporter.”
“...!”
Cain’s eyes widened at that.
“The Fourth Prince claims to consider himself the First Prince’s man. This information arrived just yesterday, so by now—”
“For the time being,” Icarus interrupted. “Let’s think about what’s in front of us right now. After all, we finally found a trace of our frustratingly elusive master, right?”
“Icarus…” Lilith ducked her head sheepishly. “I’m sorry for adding something else to the plate.”
“...No, it’s not a problem.”
“Well then,” Lilith straightened up. “You can go ahead and step through the gate. The transfer will be complete in a blink of an eye.”
***
In the center of an endless plain stood a soaring tower that was slightly tilted. One side of the tower was scorched by a huge fire.
“Is this… the Tower of Trials?”
“Is this your first time here, Icarus-nim?” Christian asked.
Icarus nodded.
“I was powerless at that time, and I think others regarded me as a burden.”
Christian was tongue-tied when Icarus spoke self-deprecatingly.
“...Shall we go in?” Cain asked in an attempt to break the stuffy atmosphere. “Let’s not hesitate.”
They walked for a while, but after a few steps, Cain stopped. Icarus looked at him in confusion.
“Wha— Why are you suddenly stopping like this?” she questioned.
“Are you getting scared?” Christian prodded. “Is it because we’re at the infamous Tower of Trials?”
Silently, Cain discreetly gestured toward the Tower’s door in response.
“What are you even pointing at…”
Icarus’s gaze followed his hand and she went as still as a statue when she realized what he was pointing at.
“Is that a person?”
Christian quickly followed Icarus’s gaze.
Shing.
“Is that our pursuer?” Christian pulled his sword out of his sheath without delay.
A lone man stood in front of the gate as though he were there to defend the Tower. The problem was the trio could not pick up any type of energy coming from the man.
‘That’s the problem. If he’s a human, then I should be feeling vitality from him, even if it’s just the slightest bit.’
The stress on Christian's face was palpable.
There were two different scenarios that this phenomenon could result from: first, the person has less energy than the average human; second, the person in front of them was stronger than any of them… thus making the situation utterly hopeless.
And just by eyeballing it, it seemed that the latter was more probable.
In Christian's mind, he just couldn't go on.
“Ma-Master?”
Cain’s skeptical voice rang in Christian’s head like a bell. The paladin’s eyes bulged until they threatened to pop out of his head.
“What?”
“Master!” Cain shouted.
In front of them stood a man with hair darker than the abyss and eyes that seemed to penetrate infinitely into the depths of their souls.
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