novelraw Chapter 117
Chapter 117
Chapter 117
“Those guys were useful. Be careful not to kill them.”
“Yessir―!”
At a single word from Kahaad, the group of shamans he led immediately prepared for battle.
In response, Bernid and his companions did not stay still either and readied themselves at once.
“Looks like you have no intention of letting us pass quietly. Let’s see if you’re even in any position to say that. Terrien, Hastings!”
“Yessir!”
“…”
Sreung―
At Bernid’s call, Terrien answered at once, while Hastings silently drew his dagger. Seeing the two dependable men, Bernid returned their readiness with a smile.
“I ask you to take the vanguard.”
“Leave it to me.”
“…I will assist.”
Terrien stepped forward and aimed his coldly gleaming sword at the enemy, and behind him, Bernid and Hastings stood side by side.
Despite the heavy drain on mana from the aftereffects of teleportation magic, Bernid somehow had enough left to envelop both his hands in blue lightning, his presence fierce as ever. At that moment, Kahaad casually tossed out a question.
“Are you done now?”
“…What?”
“You looked like you needed a lot of preparation, so I waited. Is it because you’re refined gentlemen from the Empire?”
Provoked, Bernid threw it right back.
“Oh? I see. So you were kind enough to wait for us. How thoughtful. But what now? Thanks to your patience, this place might become your grave today.”
“Haha, for an Imperial gentleman, your mouth is quite foul. Good. If you can’t match our strength anyway, you’d better at least have the guts for some bickering.”
Tension exploded. A fierce hostility churned between Bernid’s already-prepared group and Kahaad’s shamans.
“Is that so? Then…”
Bernid’s fingertips, charged with blue lightning, pointed straight toward Kahaad.
“…Burn to death. Every last one of you!”
And at last, the battle between the shamans and Bernid’s group began.
At Bernid’s cry, the blue lightning bursting from his hand turned into thunderbolts and crashed down upon where the enemies stood.
Boom! Kwa-gwang―!
A violent explosion! The impact was so great that a thick cloud of dust rose where Bernid’s lightning had swept through. Terrien and Hastings’ eyes glimmered.
‘Did it hit properly…?’
‘…It was blocked. Of course people born human who survive unharmed in the land of beasts wouldn’t rely only on their mouths.’
Soon, from within the dust cloud, Kahaad’s clear voice rang out, announcing that the enemies were unscathed.
“Hoho, not bad. To think those rotten old magics could do this much. Honestly, I’m impressed. You’re quite something, aren’t you?”
Whoosh, whoosh.
All the mana Bernid wrung out seemed meaningless as Kahaad casually waved his hand and brushed the dust aside.
“You bastard…!”
Bernid ground his teeth at Kahaad’s infuriatingly relaxed tone.
“Boy. It’s too early to be shocked. I shall personally show you what real magic is.”
With those words, the mana gathering at Kahaad’s fingertips surged wildly. It swelled so fast that Bernid didn’t even have time to be properly surprised.
“…What madness!”
As Bernid’s eyes widened, the mana coiled around Kahaad’s bony, withered fingers grew even larger.
In the blink of an eye, enormous mana filled Kahaad’s thin fingers—far beyond anything that could be explained as merely powerful.
Whooooosh—!
The gentle breeze that had swept away the dust clouds soon turned into a massive storm.
A fierce, blade-like wind tore through the air, threatening to rend bodies apart.
The vegetation of the jungle, unable to withstand the force, was ripped from the earth with snapping sounds.
Crack— Crrrack—!
The world seemed to crumble around Kahaad’s outstretched fingers. Bernid’s pupils trembled wildly at the unbelievable sight unfolding before his eyes.
“H-how… how can a person…?”
Bernid had long since lost his fighting spirit.
“You wretch! What kind of sorcery is this! We must stop him! Hastings!”
At Terrien’s shout, Hastings had already leapt ahead, scattering sharp daggers.
Ting—! Ting-ting!
Terrien and Hastings swung their swords and hurled blades with desperate force, but all of it was rendered useless by the barrier of wind pressure that Kahaad raised. Even in that dire moment, Bernid showed no sign of regaining his senses.
‘He’s not my match—no, this bastard, this isn’t a man. It can’t be. A human couldn’t possibly…!’
They said that one only saw what one understood. The genius of magic, Bernid, could tell just how absurd and incomprehensible this man’s power was.
This wasn’t a matter of being stronger or weaker, greater or lesser. It was an unprecedented threat. A towering wall unlike anything Bernid had ever felt in his life stood before him.
His complexion turned ashen, and that expression caught Kahaad’s eye.
“Oh? Those friends of yours still burn with fighting spirit, but not you. Don’t tell me—you’ve seen that wall, haven’t you?”
Bernid was too terrified to even respond. His expression wasn’t merely one of fear before overwhelming power. The eyes of Terrien and Hastings, unwavering even before Kahaad’s strength, proved that much. Bernid wasn’t the type to lose his resolve so easily. Yet this time was different.
‘That face…! Only those who have glimpsed the true realm of magic could ever make such an expression!’
Kahaad didn’t miss the change in Bernid’s eyes, and genuine admiration burst from his lips.
“You’ve seen it. You’ve seen it! Hahaha! I live long enough, and a day like this finally comes! Someone who sees the wall appears at last!”
Kahaad laughed with joy, uttering words none could comprehend. Then he broke into wild, manic laughter.
“Kahahaha! I spent a lifetime climbing to the highest realm alone, trying to preach this enlightenment to others, yet every last fool failed me. But now! At last, I’ve found a raw gem! Excellent! Today, my long-cherished wish comes true!”
In an instant, Kahaad’s goal shifted. His original target—capturing Yuwon—was now only a secondary concern. All his attention was on Bernid. Having treated everything until now like a game, Kahaad rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward.
“No one move a finger. I will take this child myself—without so much as a scratch.”
“Your Great Eye, but why…? Was it not enough to simply keep him alive?”
One of the shamans following Kahaad questioned his sudden change.
After all, Kahaad had earlier said to leave the boy alive, yet now he intended to seize him personally. Kahaad’s reply was chilling.
“Do not question me. Since when have you had the right to ask?”
Kahaad cared nothing for these fools who could never match even the tip of his toe, even if they served him for millennia. In this moment, his gaze was fixed solely on Bernid, who trembled in terror.
Beneath the hood of his pressed-down robe, madness glimmered in Kahaad’s eyes.
Those unfocused pupils aimed directly at Bernid.
‘I’ve finally found it…!’
The raw gem Kahaad had sought all his life had suddenly fallen from the heavens right to his feet.
Among all the magicians who had fled to the Great Jungle for various reasons, none had managed what Bernid had just done before his eyes.
A thrill Kahaad had long forgotten surged through him.
‘Ah… so I wasn’t alone after all.’
Maintaining the storm of magic, Kahaad slowly stepped toward Bernid. Only between the two of them did the wind flow softly, like a gentle breeze.
Terrien and Hastings, sensing something was terribly wrong, tried to close the distance—but the violent storm blocked their path.
“Child, come with me. You are worthy. No, only you can walk this path. I shall guide you to a road of magic you’ve never seen before.”
It was the moment Kahaad had awaited his entire life. Just then—
“Run! If he takes you, you’ll end up worse than dead! Run, now!”
A clear Imperial tongue!
A sudden intruder’s voice pierced through the storm, shattering the sacred moment.
“Huh—!”
“…!?”
Terrien and Bernid instantly turned toward the voice, and Kahaad too snapped his head in that direction.
His unfocused eyes glared murderously toward the unseen speaker. Kahaad could never forget that detestable sound.
“You bastards… again! If you ruin my work this time, I’ll tear you all apart with my own hands!”
Afraid his raw gem might be snatched away, Kahaad roared in fury, threatening the unseen interloper. But the mysterious voice wasn’t speaking to him.
It called out to Terrien and Hastings beyond the storm.
“Your companion is lost already! Don’t hesitate—run and live! Only then can you hope to save him later! Follow my voice at full speed, and you’ll break through this storm!”
An enemy they couldn’t even touch had appeared. Bernid was about to be taken alive.
Terrien and Hastings were forced into a cruel choice. Their eyes met urgently.
‘What should we…?’
‘….’
Though they looked at each other, neither spoke.
Would they stubbornly fight to the end—or abandon Bernid and flee, clinging to the slimmest chance of survival?
The merciless Great Jungle urged them to choose. Hastings spoke first, his voice strained.
“…Fewer enemies, more allies. For now, we retreat as he says. There’s no other way, Terrien.”
“But… how can we…?”
Terrien knew it was the right answer, but his feet refused to move. Seeing his hesitation, Hastings pressed harder.
“Remember what His Highness said. We must live. If we, who are nothing but burdens to His Highness, wish for even one of us to survive, we must be cold-blooded. Choose, Terrien. Someday His Highness will find us again. Will you still cling to pride?”
“Kh….”
Terrien turned his gaze toward Bernid, left alone against the terrifying enemy. Hidden behind the violent storm swirling around Kahaad, Bernid was no longer visible. Terrien bowed his head heavily.
“Let’s go… there’s no other choice.”
Tears reddened Terrien’s eyes.
Yuwon had fought the River Serpent and the Orc Chieftain Muqiam to protect them, but it wasn’t enough. The merciless fangs of the Great Jungle tore Bernid’s group apart.