novelraw Chapter 131
Chapter 131
Ch.131 For the Greater Good, It Can’t Be Helped
Mia climbed onto the watchtower.
The wind gently stirred her long golden hair.
“What’s going on?”
“High Elf. Explain that technique you saw last time—the one blending magic and divine power! That was clearly magic, wasn’t it?!”
Perhaps ashamed that a dragon—a being of magic—couldn’t recognize magic itself, Icira’s eyes were slightly red as she demanded an answer.
Mia nodded.
“Yes, Lady Icira. It was unmistakably a fusion of magic and divine power—two opposing forces that clashed violently before merging.”
Icira fell silent, lost in thought.
In the game, this skill forcibly loaded dragon’s breath data.
In reality, blending magic and divine power was impossible—except through a Concept Artifact said to be crafted by the gods themselves. And that fusion yielded power akin to a nuclear weapon…
Several questions arose:
Why was it designed this way?
Did Destiny replicate a real-world technique of immense power?
Was it deliberately coded so the last skill in the data file—dragon’s breath, classified as the game’s strongest magic—would trigger?
“Hmm…”
Perhaps the skill I used and dragon’s breath were technically different, but treated as identical in-game…
Was it due to budget constraints during development?
As I pondered this—
“See?! Mia agrees with me! It was magic and divine power mixed together!”
Though Mia supported her, she clearly didn’t grasp the current situation.
“No, I keep telling you—I have no magic in my body! You know that!”
“What?! Master has no magic? Then how do you cast magic?!”
Leah’s shocked outburst turned into an accusation as her eyes narrowed.
“Did you use Artifacts for all your magic?! You tricked me, you lying Master?!”
She looked utterly betrayed—but then sighed deeply.
“No wonder… you never knew a single magic formula, and never taught me magic directly.”
Her cold stare made me flinch.
“But I hired you excellent tutors, didn’t I?”
After rescuing Leah from her former master Clyman, I—knowing nothing of magic theory—hired tutors exclusively from the Mage Tower. It cost a fortune, but I believed it was worth it if Leah could grow stronger.
Leah’s nostrils flared.
“Hmph! What do you think the master-apprentice bond means? A disciple’s duty is to inherit everything from their master and uphold their name! And a master must pass down all their knowledge!”
Cecilia chimed in with a sly giggle.
“Oh? Leah-ssi? Does that mean you’re no longer Priest Hans’s apprentice?”
“No! That’s not what I meant!”
Leah jumped, waving both hands wildly—prompting Mia and Scarlet to join the teasing.
“Ohho? So Leah’s no longer Hans’s disciple? After singing his praises for so long, you’ve finally given up?”
“Congratulations, Leah! You always said you hated Hans-ssi, right?”
“Tch! No! Even if I learned nothing… he’s still my Master!”
Her face flushed with frustration, her eyes glistening.
Normally, she’d lunge at them—but surrounded by formidable women, she could only seethe silently.
Scarlet turned to me.
“But… if Hans Priest can’t use magic…”
“Wait!” Mia interjected, turning to Cecilia.
“If Master uses the Goddess’s Wedding Ring to gain divine power… doesn’t that invalidate his priesthood?!”
Cecilia blinked.
“Priest Hans is an honorary priest. Such titles are granted to esteemed individuals regardless of divine power.”
Priesthood could be bought—not that it made one a true priest…
“And besides…” Cecilia added with a coy smile, “even if Hans Priest weren’t a priest, it wouldn’t break our bond. Oh, don’t misunderstand—I mean our fated conflict.”
Returning to the topic, Icira dropped her usual grace, speaking urgently:
“Anyway—this technique is a fusion of magic and divine power! Even Mia the Elf confirms it… that’s certain.”
“I… I don’t know if ‘Equality’ drew magic from you despite your lack of it…”
Though illogical by this world’s rules…
“Hmm…”
If Icira and Mia were right, it meant ‘Equality’ could harness an impossible power.
Their insistence felt too significant to dismiss.
But how to proceed? Testing it recklessly was out of the question—
a skill inflicting instant death within kilometers had very limited safe usage zones.
“Hoho, my adversary. Since you’re here, shall we talk?”
“Oh! Lord Auros. My apologies for the delayed greeting.”
The Lord waved dismissively.
“Never mind. What does an old dragon like me matter? But… what’s your plan now?”
“Huh?”
“I hear the King of the Dead bypassed your trap and shattered one Seal Stone.”
“Well…”
“I’m not here to reprimand you. I’m asking how you’ll protect the remaining four.”
Naturally, Auros would wonder—but…
“I don’t have a clear solution yet, but I’ve found a clue.”
Regression was overpowered, yet I sensed a flaw:
“It’s not perfect.”
“Oh? Have you realized something?”
Hope lit up everyone’s faces.
“Of course we trusted you, Master!”
“Hans Priest can surely do it! Let’s quickly eliminate that scum and save the world!”
Their hopeful expressions weighed on me—I still couldn’t counter Regression.
“It’s too early to celebrate. My realization might be trivial.”
“But still—it’s progress!”
“Exactly! Just understanding that bizarre ability is a huge advantage!”
Scarlet, Cecilia, and Mia all agreed.
“So what did you realize?”
“Earlier, Roy seemed exhausted before we even fought—as if he’d battled dozens of times already.”
Auros rested his chin on his hand, eyes closed.
“He did seem weary… but what of it?”
“He likely used Regression against us and lost repeatedly. That mental fatigue must be immense.”
It was like a player facing constant GAME OVERs after dozens of attempts—
frustrating beyond mere repetition.
“Hmm… He did look tired and irritated at some point.”
Silence fell as everyone absorbed this.
“Then… how does that help us defeat the King of the Dead?” Icira pressed, frowning deeply.
“No matter how I think about it, I can’t see how to exploit this.”
“Ah, Hans surely has a brilliant plan!” Mia defended me.
“Right! Master’s always so clever!” Leah added.
But truthfully, I had no concrete plan.
It was just the hope that Regression—once thought flawless—had limits.
After all… even saving and reloading hundreds of times doesn’t guarantee a game ending.
“You’ve always been sneakily clever, Master.”
Leah and Cecilia beamed at me, their eyes sparkling—making me uncomfortable.
‘Cecilia… ‘sneaky’ isn’t a compliment here.’
Did she resent me and was subtly insulting me? Probably not.
Under their expectant gazes, I waved my hands.
“Well, I don’t yet know how to use this against the King—but its meaning is significant.”
“Meaning?”
“Yes. Regression isn’t perfect.”
In a way, Roy was like a player trapped in a room with no escape until the ending is reached—a game with no breaks.
Ordinary games let you save, quit when bored, and reload later.
But Roy seemed forced into instant Regression—making his fatigue far worse than any player’s.
‘Hmm… but dragging Auros and Scarlet’s group to every Seal Stone location would be impractical.’
My head already ached from the complexity.
***
Roy slumped onto his throne, body exhausted.
‘Damn it… stronger than I expected.’
When he first appeared in the Imperial Capital, he’d fought Hans’s group before and felt confident he could endure.
After all, he’d grown accustomed to their patterns through dozens of Regression attempts.
But with the full Hero Party now united, he’d been overwhelmed.
The Hero relentlessly bombarded him with Levi’s Dagger from range, while Nekhuf matched him blow-for-blow in melee.
Whenever he retreated, Leah and Mia unleashed magical and spirit attacks.
And Hans—wearing the Arbiter’s Armor—tanked everything like a fortress.
He’d attempted this dozens, perhaps hundreds, of times—only to meet the same end: subdued, then annihilated by the Saint and Sage’s divine power, which nullified his immortality.
The modern Hero and Sage’s strength alone was astonishing—but then he witnessed his summoned Wraith of the Giant vanish.
That golem was his only counter to ‘Equality.’
He’d planned to recall it after testing the enemy’s strength—
‘Was the adversary… a being who can blend magic and divine power?’
Using an unprecedented technique, Hans had fused the two forces, unleashing apocalyptic destruction.
Roy had never seen such an explosion—nor the mushroom cloud that rose from it.
That ashen mushroom cloud…
it defied human comprehension.
‘If that power detonated in the middle of my army…’
He knew instantly: his resurrected legions would vanish without a trace.
Of course, Hans wouldn’t use it lightly—
its sheer power would devastate the Imperial Capital too.
And Hans, unwilling to sacrifice innocents, would hesitate…
Roy didn’t know Hans’s reasoning—but this reprieve gave him an idea.
‘Perhaps… retreat and gather more troops from the surrounding areas?’
The God of Death had granted him one power:
Resurrection—the ability to revive the dead.
Though they became soulless puppets…
this power wasn’t omnipotent.
It couldn’t reanimate those already undead.
‘It’s a filthy method… but for the greater good, it can’t be helped.’
Since his human days, Roy had revered justice.
He knew all too well how monstrous and unjust his current actions were.
‘I’ll bear all this filth myself—for humanity… and my family.’
The God of Death had promised the King and his cult a future: a paradise free of fear and death.
‘For that promise… I’ll become a monster anytime. That is my sacred duty…’
Roy’s crimson eyes glowed eerily as he recalled the deity’s vow—
the promise to reunite him with his beloved family.
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