novelraw Chapter 188 : Chapter 188
Chapter 188 : Chapter 188
Chapter 188
[It’s Adamas, right?!!]
‘Who are you.’
Killian thought.
He figured that with an intangible opponent like this, his thoughts alone might be enough to convey his message.
It didn't seem to be the case.
[It's me, me!!]
A childish voice.
The voice, which at first spoke the Eurasian language, soon began to speak in the language of the Empire.
And then.
[Please, answer me.]
The human language changed to the language of the fairies.
“Who is it.”
Killian opened his mouth and spoke, but the other party didn't seem to hear him.
[Save me…….]
A sense of urgency began to creep into the voice.
“……”
[I, I am an immortal being…… a holy servant of God…….]
What the being was chanting was a Divine Formula.
Human language, fairy language, and even a Divine Formula.
‘What is this thing?’
Killian thought as he drew up his mana.
He thought that by strengthening his body, the conversation with the being might become smoother.
He was mistaken.
[……be…… uh…… s…… no…… ah…….]
As if the conversation with the being was being interrupted by something, the voice, which had seemed to be getting fainter, was soon cut off completely.
“Ha.”
He let out a dry laugh and finally looked around.
At some point, streams of blue, violet, and green mana had spread out.
It seemed he had focused more than he thought to communicate with the being, but the action hadn't been in vain.
Something foreign had been detected in Killian's mana.
He moved toward the inner part of the temple.
A large, empty lot, similar to those seen in other temples, appeared.
Broken statues of someone were lined up.
It seemed to be a place where worship was once held.
‘A minor god.’
Not all gods were revered by humans.
There were some whose deeds were wrongly known, like Pantera, but there were also cases where their evil deeds were later revealed, and they were shunned by their followers.
It's just that considering the prestige of modern priests, it was more beneficial to accept them than to shun them, so they usually didn't.
It seemed that the one who was here was one of those shunned gods.
‘I should ask the Saintess when I meet her.’
Since all temples were currently under the jurisdiction of the Holy Nation, he should be able to find out whose temple this was.
“Is it here.”
He discovered a staircase leading to the basement and stepped down.
Sreung.
He drew his sword and infused it with mana.
The sword's light acted as a torch, illuminating the surroundings.
As the darkness lifted, the bare face of the long-neglected building was revealed.
A space filled with numerous warp stones and Warp Gates.
Among them, there was one particularly large Warp Gate that stood out.
“That’s a large-scale Warp Gate, isn’t it?”
An object capable of transporting hundreds of people without mana over long distances at once, something that, in the modern era, could not be operated without the permission of the Holy Nation.
Such a thing was operating, emitting a strange energy.
“This is strange.”
That a large-scale Warp Gate was in a frontier like this, and that the Holy Nation had left an object of this magnitude unattended.
And above all.
That the Warp Gate in a place that seemed to have been unvisited for a long time was operating on its own.
“So this was it.”
The magic circle that Orchid Owl's information spoke of.
The difference was that it was a Warp Gate, not a magic circle, but that was probably not a big deal.
As he approached, Killian frowned.
Seureuk.
When he enhanced his eyes, he saw a thin film in front of him.
“Right. It would be weird if something like this didn't show up.”
Killian clicked his tongue and flowed mana into the barrier.
Pzzzt.
Sparks flew from the barrier as it reacted to the mana.
He could tell instinctively.
‘It’s dangerous to try and cut it recklessly.’
Several Shiks were engraved on it, and it seemed those Shiks were something closer to curses than magic.
While he was contemplating, Crimson Wolf arrived.
“A barrier. As expected of you, my lord.”
As expected of a man with excellent social skills, he expressed his respect casually.
A step later, Orchid Owl arrived.
“How about sending Crimson Wolf in first?”
The madwoman who didn't hesitate to suggest sacrificing another to achieve her goal.
“Orchid, are you itching to have your crotch torn apart?”
“So narrow-minded~ I made the suggestion because I hold your abilities in high regard.”
“If you want to die, just say the word.”
“In bed?”
“If you wish.”
“……?”
Ignoring the incomprehensible conversation of the two Night Walkers.
“Ahem.”
Killian cleared his throat.
“I’ve shown a foolish side to my lord. It always turns out like this when I get involved with this one.”
“No, well. There’s no need to be so formal between us.”
Judging by the reactions of those who had trained their senses to the extreme, the barrier before them did seem dangerous.
“What will you do? Shall I try to cross?”
Crimson Wolf asked in a calm voice.
It was a moment where his confidence, born from cutting down countless barriers, could be felt.
“No.”
Killian shook his head.
“If you’re planning to use Memento, don’t.”
“……”
“The energy I feel is unusual. Things like this won’t obediently allow their Lines to be cut.”
He could declare this based on his thousands of years of experience living as a sword.
‘It wouldn’t have been designed to be easily accessible.’
Above all, the biggest reason was that the power constituting the barrier was not mana.
A complexly mixed power.
“I will cut it. You two just provide support.”
“Understood.”
“Hmm. Alright.”
Kugugugu.
Haki was imbued into the Anima held in his hand.
At the same time, the two Night Walkers' movements quickened.
This was because the daggers held in their hands began to cut the Lines that formed the barrier.
Even to Killian’s mana-enhanced eyes, he could see the sturdy film of the barrier gradually thinning.
And.
Kiiiiii.
The Shiks engraved on the barrier began to activate one by one.
The first thing that leaked out was 7-star level mana.
Slice.
Anima cut the mana in a single stroke, neutralizing the Shik.
The second thing that leaked out was Evil Energy.
Evil Energy, the kind that an 8-star monster would emit, tried to take some form.
Kwajik.
That too was cut down in a single blow.
The Evil Energy, unable to form, scattered helplessly.
The third thing that leaked out was Divine Power.
“That’s at least Cardinal-level Divine Power. This is dangerous.”
Crimson Wolf, unaware that Killian had crossed another wall, expressed his anxiety.
“It’s fine.”
Kyarurururu.
Orchid Owl laughed and reassured him.
She was right.
Killian simply.
“Thorn.”
Cut through the Divine Power even more sharply.
A look of admiration flashed in Crimson Wolf's eyes.
“The next one is this, as expected.”
The barrier emitted Radiance.
This was a matter of cutting an unknown curse that was neither mana, Evil Energy, nor Divine Power.
Killian indifferently raised his level.
‘Not the main body, just a remnant at best.’
Kugugugugu.
The temple vibrated from the unsparingly revealed status of an 8-star knight.
“Something like this can no longer stop me.”
A single stroke.
The sword, imbued with blue mana, cut the Radiance.
Space shimmered along the trajectory of the cut.
Blue mana infiltrated through the shimmering space.
And along the sword path that the two Walkers had faintly created, Killian's mana spread rapidly.
Kiii, kii, kiik.
With a sound like scraping metal, the barrier disappeared.
‘He stabilized the 8-star realm this quickly?’
‘He really is an interesting man.’
Leaving behind the gazes filled with conflicting emotions.
“Let’s see just what kind of amazing thing they hid.”
Killian took a step beyond the barrier.
***
The elite mages of the Black Magic Tower, led by the Black Duke, entered the command post where Isaac was.
“Welcome.”
Isaac greeted them and glanced at the Black Duke.
He wanted to question why there had been no contact until now, but there were too many eyes.
“I wish to hear about the war situation from Your Highness the Prince.”
“It's neither too bad nor too good.”
Isaac said nonchalantly.
“The forces of Deravia and Crusty have retreated from the front lines. Naskin Asran’s army is holding the south and north gates of the castle, while my forces are striking the east and west gates.”
“You used the Magic God Stone, I see.”
“Isn't it an item made for times like these?”
“Kekeke. That’s true, but you used it in actual combat faster than I expected.”
At the Black Duke’s signal, the mages belonging to the Black Magic Tower left the barracks.
“Where have you been and what have you been doing to only arrive now?”
“I was on my way back from an audience with His Majesty the Emperor.”
“His Majesty……?”
“I had to endure quite a bit of hardship as he held me responsible for the last failure. Please be generous and forgive me.”
It was a matter where the sun of the Empire himself had summoned him.
It was not an issue that a prince dared to question.
“Those Holy Nation bastards, who should be neutral, have interfered in the war. Isn't this a clear intention to be hostile to the Empire?”
The Holy Nation's forces were not on the front lines, but because of their sudden appearance, he was unable to properly utilize his Undead army.
This was because the Divine Power they used was fatal to the Undead.
“Divine Power and the Undead are polar opposites. A difficult situation indeed.”
The Black Duke, having grasped the situation, muttered and looked at Isaac.
“His Majesty the Emperor is not satisfied with the current situation, which has seen no progress for several months.”
“……”
The distance from the center of the continent to the frontier of Eurasia was not short.
He had reached the territory after numerous battles, but his forces were cut in half when Crusty was summoned at a crucial time.
If he wanted to make excuses, he could make several.
“The interference of the likes of the Holy Nation is not what’s important. We must achieve a military victory, no matter what.”
The Black Duke said calmly.
His voice was cold and composed.
“More blood must be shed.”
“Our opinions align.”
Isaac gritted his teeth and nodded.
He absolutely had to achieve results in this war.
To make up for his past failure and to solidify his position as the heir to the Empire, he needed to show a strength greater than anyone else.
“I shall teach you how to properly use the Magic God Stone.”
“Are you saying I haven't been using it properly?”
High-ranking Undead like Death Knights and Liches.
Including the lower-ranking Undead, he commanded an army of hundreds of Undead.
He could increase their numbers, but that wouldn't solve the variable of Divine Power.
“Simply increasing the numbers is not enough.”
Isaac showed interest at the Black Duke's words.
“I have yet to tell Your Highness, but the Black Magic Tower is filled with all sorts of rare corpses.”
From monsters on par with Superhumans to species that had lived through the age of myths.
“With the Magic God Stone, you can surely bring them back to life.”
“……!!”
Shaaa.
At his mana-infused gesture, the space in the air shimmered.
As the shimmering space swallowed them, the Black Duke’s personal research lab was revealed.
“This is…… a Subspace?”
It was a space that even Isaac, who had known him for a long time, had never visited.
There, the mages from the Magic Tower who had left the barracks were fiddling with something.
The massive corpse of something that was only bones.
The more the black mana touched it, the more the corpse began to emit a clear presence.
“It's a Black Dragon. A corpse estimated to be at least 500 years old.”
“……”
At Isaac's reaction, the Black Duke burst out laughing.
“It is still too early to be surprised. May I borrow the Magic God Stone for a moment?”
Isaac obediently handed over the Magic God Stone to the outstretched hand.
The elite mages of the Magic Tower, synchronized with him, breathed life into the corpse.
Mana and Evil Energy.
And.
“The Curse of Immortality. As you know, it is a power I have refined through long years of research.”
His hand, emitting Radiance, was raised above his head.
At that moment, the dragon's massive corpse began to stir.
The decayed and rotten scales and bones absorbed the black energy and took on a semblance of life.
[Krrrr…….]
The dragon's eyes flashed open.
Not life, but darkness.
They were eyes filled with the void of the cursed.
The Black Dragon’s massive body slowly rose.
Hwaak.
The air vibrated just from it spreading its incomplete wings.
The surrounding mana seemed to be sucked toward it.
“From now on, everything will kneel before Your Highness.”
Placing the Magic God Stone in Isaac's hand, the Black Duke spoke in a sinister voice.