Book 21 Chapter 2
Chapter 197
To the Land of Decisive Battle!
The City of Beginning and End, The Decisive Battle of Raptas (1)
“Ah, I’m starting to get hungry. All the jerky I brought is already gone.”
Priede said.
“It’s all Sval’s fault for eating so much that his head is almost as big as Lin’s.”
With an expression that perfectly conveyed a sense of responsibility, Lin smoothly pulled out a pot from the subspace of the Golden Spirit Field.
‘Gasp.’
Priede quickly tensed his abdominal muscles, puffing out his stomach as much as possible.
“Wow, I’m suddenly full. Did what I ate this morning still not go down?”
Lin smoothly put the pot back into the Golden Spirit Field. What a silent threat! A master!
“Look, I see the military camp!”
Riesta exclaimed.
Even while they were cutting through the ochre-covered sandstorm in the south with the light of the holy sword, their beauty never faded.
Rather, they appeared even more elegant.
“Seriously, how excited are these guys? This one and that one, they’re all just marching incessantly.”
Priede grumbled irritably.
“Does it make sense that we haven’t encountered a single military camp on the way here?”
This was a reference to the situation where, as the war reached its final stages, factions that had joined the war late were eagerly striving to achieve their last military accomplishments.
With the annihilation of the New Heaven Caditpol Knights, there were no notable threats left, save for Zernix, whose whereabouts were unknown.
Thus, it was now a competition to see who would eliminate the remaining demon forces and raise their flags over the ruined castles and cities.
“So what? We don’t have to fight, and that’s good, isn’t it?”
“That’s true, but the legion led by Lord Pyrus in the vanguard opened the way with ‘slash-and-burn tactics,’ and it’s ridiculous how they’re bragging about it as if it’s their own achievement… Why are you laughing?”
Slash-and-burn tactics referred to a strategy where red dragons in formation leveled the ground with flames as they advanced.
Though the sandstorm scattered, the Abyss that had infested the land with dunes was incinerated, flattening the terrain and significantly reducing the fatigue of walking.
“Priede, you want the world to acknowledge the efforts of Lord Pyrus and the Red Dragon Legion.”
“Was that it? I thought something else.”
“No, it’s not, so don’t laugh with those expressions. I just hated seeing them freeload off others’ work!”
Chattering like that, they arrived at the military camp, happy at the thought of finally getting a proper meal after a long time… but something was off.
“This is the Abyss…?”
This was surely land that had been purified by flames.
Yet, lava was boiling in various places across the ground…
And torn, shredded corpses were being swallowed by that lava.
[None ;;;]
Kies, who had received literacy education from Lin, was now able to create simple words in Serwebon.
“It’s true! There’s nothing. No intestines or brains… absolutely nothing!”
At the words of Lin, Doctor of Kies Language Interpretation, Priede covered Toureina’s eyes and furrowed his brow.
“This is the work of a wolf. Not just any wolf, but a Blashwurf…!”
“Does that mean… this place is within Urk’s range of activity?”
“That’s true, but it’s strange. The scale of this military camp is at least 2,000 people! There’s never been any observation of such a large Urk force capable of overwhelmingly annihilating this many people.”
Slicing through the lava with the light of the holy sword, Riesta, who had been frantically running through the ravaged camp, finally found a survivor.
“Thank goodness! Just hold on a little longer! Priede! Over here!”
Arriving at the scene with his companions at Riesta’s cry, Lin felt his heart momentarily stop.
‘There’s no hope. The Abyss has already entered deep into his abdomen, and his internal organs must have all melted…’
What stopped Lin’s heart from beating was not the injured soldier’s condition, but Riesta’s expression as she held him.
‘Even though he will surely die soon and cannot be saved by any power…’
Wouldn’t Riesta be the only one who could weep so sadly for each and every such life?
‘Could I become like that too?’
Like Riesta and Priede.
And furthermore, like Dean Atlante.
“Ah… Hero…”
The injured soldier barely opened his mouth.
The fatal wounds were so deep that Priede could do only one thing:
Alleviate his pain as much as possible, allowing him to rest in peace.
“Be careful… It wasn’t just… just a wolf… It was an ancient… an ancient wolf…”
“An ancient wolf? What’s that?”
“I don’t… know, Priestess… Our lord also… received such a letter… and was immediately attacked… Ah… it’s warm…”
With those last words, the injured soldier passed away with a remarkably peaceful expression.
“Riesta, it was a miracle that this person told us this information. It wouldn’t have been strange if he had been dead.”
Priede shook his head.
Riesta closed the deceased man’s eyes, her fingers trembling.
“Priede, do you have any idea?”
“An ancient wolf… If that’s not this soldier’s delusion but information from elsewhere… No, that can’t be possible… but the circumstantial evidence fits too well, it’s ominous…”
“What is it? Don’t hold back, tell me.”
“Ravashwurf. Legendary demonic beasts that existed in the Age of Origins, before the true kings of the Abyss became the <Forgotten Kings>… meaning they existed when the kings’ powers were immense. You could say they are the genetic ancestors of the Blashwurfs that Urk breeds.”
“Ravashwurf…!”
“Riesta, you know about them too?”
“There’s information that during Senior Sarandis’s great demon subjugation, they persistently tormented the first hero’s party. According to the texts, their size alone would be easily two times, or even three to four times larger.”
Lin suddenly raised an eyebrow, looking intrigued.
“So that means they were enemies faced by Julrak Keppel?”
“An Urk named Kiral is the most famous.”
Kiral.
The progenitor Urk of the Kiral Clan, whose name itself was so renowned that it became the clan’s name.
“It’s said that he handled over a dozen Ravashwurfs by himself. The alpha Ravashwurf he rode was named Kiranzki, and it was even larger than regular Ravashwurfs and much faster.”
“Crazy, isn’t that too cool?”
“Also, according to texts dealing with legends… Ravashwurfs are said to be born in volcanoes, and their saliva or excrement was lava. If that lava is what they shed during their predation, it fits perfectly.”
Priede put his pipe to his mouth with an anxious expression.
“Damn it, I hope this conjecture isn’t true.”
While such information was exchanged, Kies was thoroughly searching the military camp.
He then found a flag that was relatively intact.
Kies returned to his companions, threw it at their feet, and wrote a word in Serwebon.
[Imperial Army.]
Kies, who was originally a palace guard, was familiar with the Imperial Army’s command structure.
[Emperor in danger.]
Lin, with his prodigious intellect, rapidly deduced the meaning of those three words.
“It’s not a small kingdom’s unit, but a lord commanding the Imperial Army… and if they were targeting such Imperial Army units one after another… is the target the Emperor?”
Lin, who had reached that conclusion, and Riesta, who heard it, both widened their eyes simultaneously.
‘Elder Brother…!’
‘Father, Ged…!’
Pomass and Apeltas, father and son from the Osarius Magic Tower, were assigned to the Imperial Army headquarters.
If this unidentified force was allowed to approach, their lives would be in danger.
Riesta urgently shouted.
“Kies, according to the usual formation, where would the Emperor, where would the main Imperial Army be? Tell me!”
[↓(◐0◑)↓]
“Immediately south from here! That’s easy to understand, good! Let’s go quickly!”
The year 1107, Terthia Era.
This is the year when the Great Mage Lin would fall in battle and have his name engraved on a memorial stele.
Therefore, the final chapter of this story, which will be covered from now on… is a tale of dreams, laughter, tears, promises, and farewells during these last times.
* * *
“The Princess of Hosen showed extreme interest in Lin.”
The foundation of the Imperial Army was the Hwanghasamuseong.
Meaning ‘the Four Stars under the Emperor,’ these were a military group composed of the era’s most skilled individuals, serving as the Emperor’s closest aides. The basic formation of the Imperial Army was structured so that two of the Hwanghasamuseong commanded the vanguard, and the other two served to protect the Emperor.
“If we leave them like this, they might not return to the North, so it might be good to warn them in advance.”
The Magus Star, who served as the Prime Minister of the Imperial Council, was naturally a lifelong advisory position, while the other positions were rotated among the three Stars.
“Hahaha, Your Excellency the Magus Star knows too little about men!”
The Star performing the Emperor’s escort alongside the Magus Star on this expedition was a middle-aged man named Spear Star Matrinan.
“Men are completely different before and after they do it. Don’t worry, young man from the North. Once they’ve done it, self-reproach and regret will rush over them, wondering what it was, and they’ll run away from the spot. Men are inherently the kind of creatures who commit deeds and then flee.”
“Spouting lewd jokes again, Matrinan. This is His Majesty’s presence.”
The Emperor laughed heartily on his warhorse.
Beside him was Muchen Ryuminik.
As he and the Emperor got along well, Ryuminik was accompanying him even in such a setting.
“What do you think, Muchen? Whose words seem correct?”
“Spear Star Matrinan, I believe that fellow’s words are correct. People commonly say that men think with their lower half, but in truth, very few men are continuously obsessed with their lower half. Most men become sages after doing it once.”
“Yes! Muchen, you really know something!”
“Hmm… Come to think of it, men are said to excel far more in the magical world than women. I wonder if the decisive reason for that is the presence or absence of that ‘sage time.’ What do you think, Lord Magus Star?”
At Ryuminik’s conjecture, the Emperor slapped his thigh and laughed.
“Kuhaha! That’s truly a profound insight. To think that the difficult problem existing in the magical world stemmed from the presence or absence of time to become a sage, even temporarily.”
The Magus Star sighed, rubbing his forehead.
“Your Majesty, please show some dignity. This is where the Great Mage’s elder brother is present. If Pomass, who is being watched closely by Lin, speaks ill of Your Majesty, what shall we do?”
“Ah, is that so? After seeing the battle in the grand plaza last time, I fell in love and definitely want to appoint him to an important position and keep him by my side, so I hope you will speak favorably of me.”
“I humbly beg your pardon, but even if you command me to do so… it won’t have much meaning.”
Pomass said, smiling faintly, a smile resembling his master’s.
“Why is that?”
“Because there’s only one person in this world Lin listens to.”
“Who is that?”
“It’s the Dean of our Magic Tower. It would be much more efficient for you to speak with Dean Atlante.”
“Is that so? Hmm, I see. That’s right. I should visit the Magic Tower in person, while I’m at it, to see Durren too.”
It was then.
Silviet’s eyebrow twitched for a moment.
“The barrier…?”
When the barrier surrounding the main advancing army’s formation was forcibly broken, the sensation of the connection between magic and the main barrier instantly flooded in.
The Spear Star slung his spear over his shoulder.
“To dare attack the main force of our Imperial Army, at best they’re just remnants of demonkind. Your Majesty, please order this Matrinan to bring you the head of that impudent wretch.”
The Emperor nodded.
“I command you, bring me his head. I will use his neck as a side dish to share with Ryuminik tonight.”
“No, Spear Star. Let’s go together. I need to loosen up too. Before these magnificent muscles suffer any loss.”
However… there was no need to dispatch troops.
For the enemy, barely 10 seconds after the barrier broke, stormed into this imperial presence like a tempest.
The screams and battle cries of the soldiers instantly overlapped and piled up from afar, becoming a great roar that echoed in everyone’s ears.
‘What are these things…?’
It was something that could only be described by the name… Nightmare.
At first glance, it resembled a wolf, but no wolf in this world possessed such an overwhelming physique and five layers of fangs. Crucially, there was no wolf on this land whose saliva, dripping from its maw, was lava.
‘And what is *this* one…?’
The wolf leading the charge was the largest among the dozen or so wolves, and a giant figure mounted on its back was swinging a mace around.
Truly…
An exceedingly brief moment of chaos… a clash in a blink of an eye, less than an instant.
“Spear Star─────!”
A single strike that instantly crushed Spear Star Matrinan’s head and his entire upper body.
Too late, it was too late.
The crystallization barrier that Magus Star Silviet Keppel had momentarily unfurled was… insufficient to protect his body!
‘But even if it had been cast in time, could it have stopped that?’
It didn’t stop it, but the mysterious figure controlling the wolf let out a roar that seemed to tear eardrums, and turned the reins towards Silviet.
“JulllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllRAAAAAAKKKKKKKKKK────!”
It was an absolute threat.
Yet, somewhere in that tone, a feeling of welcome could even be sensed… such was the tremor.
“Your Majesty!”
At that cry, the Emperor’s warhorse, sensing primal fear, reared its front legs and began to thrash. As the alpha wolf charged, aiming for the Emperor who had fallen from his horse, Silviet Keppel blocked the Emperor and cast a spell.
As she performed that action, Silviet thought,
‘I… had been greatly mistaken about something.’
The first was her own power.
The intellect she had accumulated throughout her life was nothing but dregs, unable to withstand even a moment against this barbarity.
‘The second was the creature’s target.’
That being had never aimed for the Emperor in the first place. It was herself, standing beside him.
‘Why?’
The mysterious figure had fangs on its protruding lower jaw that were so large and sharp they reached its eyes. Its body was covered in muscles to the point of being a weapon in itself, and its height appeared to be roughly eight cheok.
It was clearly a familiar yet unfamiliar being.
‘It resembles an Urk, one of the Six Great Demon Tribes, but something is different. If my thoughts are correct, is this an Ancient Urk? Then that wolf is the legendary Ravashwurf…!’
The only reason Silviet Keppel did not die instantly and was able to cast a spell was one.
The rider who had led the wolf right up to Silviet’s throat had intently scrutinized her from head to toe.
The creature finally tilted its head, letting out a deflated sigh.
“Julrak ba garibarina(It’s not Julrak)…….”
That was the end. Not even a single moment was needed.
While the creature hesitated, a wave of crystallization, the Keppel family’s secret art, flew forth to engulf its body.
Until the iron mass, which had crushed the swirling crystals with sheer force alone and charged forward, pulverized Silviet’s body from head to toe.
“─────M-Magus Star Your Excellency!”