Book 21 Chapter 6

To the land of decisive battle!

The City of Beginning and End,

The Decisive Battle of Laptas (4)

It took a full day to secure the area and attend to the casualties.

The Emperor had regained consciousness, but his grief over losing two of his subordinate stars seemed immensely profound.

At the news that Rista's party would soon depart, the morale of the Imperial Army seemed to plummet, but Riland Apeltas became their focal point.

"Then, we'll be going, Marquis Apeltas."

"Go without worry."

"We will spread this news to the Dragon Legion and everywhere else. Do not advance further from here; wait until the vanguard returns. Understood?"

"Is this a request?"

"It's an order, as a hero."

Gid Apeltas, standing next to Riland Apeltas, nervously moved his lips.

He wanted to say a final farewell to his elder sister, but he was worried about getting scolded by his father again, so he couldn't speak.

Rista, who had clearly understood Gid's heart since childhood, smiled brightly.

"I trust that young master Apeltas will keep a good watch so that the Marquis won't do anything strange. Because he's that kind of child."

At her words, Gid's expression instantly brightened, and he nodded vigorously.

"Yes, Sister! No, Hero!"

This time, Riland also seemed unable to stop him… He merely smiled faintly and didn't reprimand his son.

"Then we'll be going. Mr. Ryuminik, I'll leave the Imperial Army in your care for a while."

"Alright, I feel a sense of responsibility too. Damn, I got along really well with Brother Changseong…"

As Rista returned to her party, this time Rin stepped forward… towards her Senior Disciple Brother Pomas.

"Senior Disciple Brother, why don't you just go back to <Shuriganaqus>?"

"Rin. Do you know this is the fifth time you've said that?"

"Because I thought you wouldn't listen if I didn't say it like that."

"What is there to worry about when Mr. Muchen Ryuminik is also here? And if I'm the only one to back out here, what will people think of our school? All the reputation you've built will be ruined because of me."

"I don't need that kind of thing. I can just build it up again."

Pomas gave a wry smile.

'To think the day would come when you worry about me so earnestly… Truly, a child's growth is astonishing.'

'And it's a little sad to be an object of worry rather than respect as a Senior Disciple Brother.'

"Don't worry, Rin! Though I couldn't show you, I was skilled enough to land a blow on that Uruk with the beast-man magic you taught me."

Rin scratched the back of his head vigorously with a displeased expression, then said with a sigh.

"Absolutely, absolutely do not overexert yourself. Understand? If you overexert yourself, I won't let it go. I'll scold Senior Disciple Brother."

Pomas lightly tapped Rin's crown with the edge of his hand.

"Yes, being scolded by you would be a new experience. I wonder what kind of expression the Dean would make if I told him about it."

"Ah."

"It's a joke. Now, go quickly. The Hero is waiting for you."

As Rin nodded and turned, the Ice Dragon Asruba flew onto Pomas's shoulder for a moment and rubbed its head against his cheek.

"Sval, please take good care of Rin."

"Kkyu-uing!"

"You've really grown a lot. Riki also missed you very much."

The Ice Dragon Asruba smiled brightly and moved back to Rin's head, specifically his conical hat.

"This brat, already thinking of pulling his acquaintances from the battlefield just because he became a Grand Mage… He knows how to handle power better than I thought?"

Freede teased Rin, who had returned.

"Tch, that kind of power only has meaning if the other party accepts it, I guess."

Rista said with a slight smile.

"They definitely received your sentiment. So, what shall we do now?"

"First, let's look around the entire area. There might be clues. Perhaps another ancient demon race appeared and unleashed a tragedy."

"That's a good idea, Freede."

Freede, who had a pipe in his mouth, suddenly raised an eyebrow as if something occurred to him, and looked at Rin.

"Hey, what happened to you earlier? I was relieved, thinking you had died before even awakening as a swallow-folk, saving Pipi and me the trouble."

Rin snorted.

"If I'm going to awaken anew, I'll awaken as a Sun Parrot-folk, so you won't have to go through such trouble."

Then Pipi moved from Freede's head to Rin's head and wiggled its bottom.

"Rin, Rin, Rin is kin."

Sval opened its jealous, beady eyes.

Although Sval's size had now grown larger than Pipi's, Pipi still held the advantage in close combat!

Pipi's kicks were still fierce!

"Rin, that was really good! How was it? Are you starting to get the hang of it? It'll be useful, right?"

[Breakfall is clumsy lol]

"What was that? I deliberately tried to make my opponent let down their guard, you know?"

Then, suddenly, Tureyna grabbed her staff.

She then leaped forcefully, seeming to perform a backward somersault, but instead, she fell face-first, burying her face in the sand.

Then she abruptly lifted her face, putting on a solemn expression.

"You'll have to pay the price for messing with Senior Disciple Brother Pomas, won't you?"

"?"

"Kiral, die, torn into hundreds of pieces."

Freede clutched his stomach and began to laugh with his whole body.

"Yeah, your breakfall was clumsy! It's because you're clumsy, isn't it? If it were Pipi, it would have been much more perfect. You've got a long way to go to become a Sun Parrot-folk."

[<(lol)>]

"Rin, it's okay! You're still learning! I might find it a little funny, but I'm definitely not laughing! Because I know very well that Rin is still in the learning stage!"

Rin's face instantly turned crimson.

As Rin clutched his Golden Staff and charged, Tureyna sensed his murderous intent and quickly began to flee.

"Hey, you come here! You're really dead!! I won't let you off today!!! Aren't you going to stop there? Hey!!!!!"

* * *

The Yellow City, <Laptas>, has long been a strategic border stronghold, a defensive base for humanity that blocked the advance of the demon race from both land and sea.

The place Rze arrived at, having leaped across dimensions, was the very center of the <Laptas> city district, which had been annihilated in the early stages of the war, leaving no sign of human presence.

The city's landscape was somewhat strange.

No, it was strangely changing.

From the southern edge, it was transforming into an ancient desert city, filled only with sand and pillars…

"You've returned."

'He' asked.

The human sorcerer, bearing the authority and form of a king (王), accelerating the city's transformation… Zernix.

"Yes, as you said, the bait has been cast. Whether they take it or not is up to them."

"Hmph, those sword-wielders with their barbaric intelligence couldn't possibly think deeply. They'll come on their own."

"But their movements seemed several times faster than you expected. And that kid, Rin, has become incredibly strong. Stronger than you knew."

Zernix looked back at Rze as if dumbfounded.

"Though you are my avatar, it seems you don't receive all my abilities, do you? Your intelligence is somewhat lacking."

With just that gaze, Rze's body began to writhe and melt, as if made of fluid, the control over this transcendent lava and intense heat entirely within Zernix's grasp.

"As you can see, I've become hundreds of times stronger than that fellow knew. Who is stronger? Tell me, Rze."

"Ugh, uh… Aaaaaaaah!"

"Before this power, all my adversaries will soon kneel. The day is not far when I alone will possess god-like authority and rule this land for my amusement. Lykael, you will be free from that old hag too."

The runaway heat emanating from Zernix's palm transformed Rze into a viscous liquid, leaving no trace of his human form.

'Even Rze, my own doppelganger, didn't know my true plan.'

Zernix reabsorbed only the power he had used to create Rze.

'So there's no way those Hero's Party fools could figure it out…'

Zernix grinned eerily.

'Come on then, hurry. I'll make this place your tomb.'