Episode 1163 Battle of the Workshop (4)
The beastmen who were pouring out their rage over the Beast King’s slaying… … My head tingled with a sensation similar to when I sliced up the beastman chieftain who was the second strongest after the Beast King.That bastard was one of the beasts the Beast King had prevented from living freely according to his instincts.
Hisril still could not forget the conversation she had with a beastman about three centuries ago, before he ascended the throne, when they met by chance. She would never forget it for the rest of her life.For it has led to her ideals even now, hundreds of years later.
It went in properly.
The transcendental energy, manifested by concentrating all its power, bit into Akand.
Thump.
The spearhead of Lugina’s soul pulsated and soon seeped into Akand’s body.It vanished, never to be pulled out again.
Not only did it steal vision, but it also kept its promise to the first Demon King. This was thanks to the elf shooting an arrow comparable to the ancient king’s sword energy.
but…….
Nevertheless, she wore a satisfied smile and spoke softly,displaying a wild insight.
“I’m saying this now, but a disgusting stench is emanating from you. I don’t understand it at all. You’re so strong, so why do you live like that?”
Hisril detests a life of pretense. She despises and hates those who hide their true selves and commit acts beyond their station.From her perspective, Akhand was not unaware of his place, but he was a figure full of lies, much like a thick shell tightly encasing the core.
Akand slowly lifted his eyelids, which had been swept by a savage sword energy.
“It is because I believe this is right.”“A born transcendent being or whatever…….”
Hisril chuckled.
“In the end, you were no different from us, were you?”
Mentally ill people who pursue only their own ideals, no matter what anyone says. Like all transcendent beings, Akhand was also a staunch idealist.
Hisril was reflected in the dark mirror.
It was an eye much deeper and darker than before Hisril had slashed it. It was none other than a pupil forged by ‘your’ divine power.
The blades crossed honestly.
Hisril’s Greatsword shattered into pieces. The weapon, which had previously only suffered damage despite clashing with the Dragon Sword time and time again, was finally destroyed.
In fact, since it was a predetermined course of action, Hisril was not shaken at all.
She said she would kill the old king.There is no falsehood in those words.Since the foundation laid by Hisril will lead directly to the old king’s defeat, it is no different from her having killed him.
She fulfilled the contract made with the first servant by opening the Gate of Death in exchange for resurrection, and this time, she completed the deal with the first Demon King.Since she kept all her promises, she saved face as the Empress of Delharun and as a transcendent being.
Akand sent his hind leg forward and rotated his body fluidly.
Crack.
Hythril was cut horizontally in two. Both arms and the waist were severed together. The sound was brief. The body, brutally split in two by the dragon sword, lay sprawled on the ground.With her homeostasis destroyed, death would soon force her to rest.
“In what way do you want to die?”
It wasn’t something said to Hisril.
Akand effortlessly caught the holy sword that flew at him from behind. A strike uninfused with divine power could not even leave a scratch on his body.
The power of rest draws out the true nature of everything.
Under that influence, the Transcendents became even more consumed by madness, but Leonhardt was an exception. On the contrary, he remained unable to use divine power.Unable to recover his severed left arm and leg, he gripped the Holy Sword in an uneasy posture. Blood dripped from the cuts of his still unhealed wounds.
“Gasp, gasp, gasp……!!”
Leonhardt was completely terrified.
His expression was that of a loser, but instead of fleeing, he grasped his sword. It was not that he had chosen to resist of his own accord. It was merely due to a wretched sense of duty, burning alongside others as they sacrificed their lives.
Helpless doll.
That was Leonhardt’s true nature.
Akand pulled the holy sword closer. Then, releasing his grip, he struck Leonhardt’s lower jaw with the lower part of his fist as if to slam it away.The impact to his neck and jaw shook his brain. Leonhardt, unable to even stand properly, was slammed into the ground and lost consciousness.
“…….”
At the end of the fierce battle, the one who stood until the very end was Akand.
Only Ersetia and Adrian tried to stand up somehow. They were the only two who hadn’t lost consciousness. Sadly, one could barely hold on without spilling his organs, and the other lost his speed.
It is you who ignored my warning and intervened in the great war. Therefore, do not expect anything more than the mission given to me.
What is that?Who was that said to?
Akand suddenly made a resolute declaration toward the empty air and dragged his dragon sword. Kagagagak… He likely intends to finish off the Transcendents who still have a chance of recovery, one by one.
Adrian stretched out his trembling hand and barely managed to grasp the light sword [Silendar].
However, far from getting closer, the sound of the blade dragging actually moved further away. Akand ignored them and headed further into the canyon.
To the coalition’s third line of defense.
* * *
Akand crossed the center of the collapsed fault canyon indifferently. He was covered in wounds. It was a sight that inspired awe before fear or hostility.Had he not been a sworn enemy, he could have easily been called a veteran warrior.
Although the Allied Forces, excluding the Transcendents, possessed considerable strength… they were originally an army intended to deal with the undead legion that Akand might be commanding. They were also a contingency plan to save the Transcendents.
Whoooooo──
As soon as Arkhand stopped walking, a low wind blew as if it had been waiting. Blocking his path were an old dwarf and a small golem.
Gharun sat in the middle of the earth and heartily gulped down the strong liquor. Alpha settled on Gharun’s left shoulder and faced Akhand.
“I came here to see the actual Dragon Sword crafted by my ancestors and to find out who its owner was… but the story about it burning half the continent was actually an understatement.”
Gharun stroked his orange beard with his forearm.Then he threw the bottle of alcohol.
“Drink.”“A fitting invitation for a dwarf, Hammer of Integrity, G’harun.”
Akand spoke Gharun’s name as if he knew who he was. Gharun, however, showed no particular reaction, regardless.
Akhand did not refuse and picked up the bottle. After quenching his thirst, he tossed it back at Gharun. The bottle fit perfectly into his large hand.
Gharun said.
“Having been called a slaughterer, I assumed you were merely wielding a dragon sword. But you have conviction. You have a great cause. A purpose that cannot be satisfied even by taking so many lives… That is why you are worthy of wielding the dragon sword.”“Acknowledgment from a descendant of legendary dwarves. So, what are your impressions of seeing the first dragon sword forged by your ancestors?”“I have become convinced. That I have already surpassed my ancestors.”
He lifted his chin.
“The Dragon Sword [Magrath]? A sword that subjugates all things? So what? It is a weapon imbued with nothing but the maker’s desires and noble cause, with absolutely no regard for its owner. You may be worthy of wielding it, but the next owner is highly unlikely to be. Just like those who have died trying to become its master. A roughly crafted iron sword I made is better than that kind of thing.”“What great pride.”“The Dragon Sword is a mistake of our ancestors. It is the epitome of a flawed blacksmith.”
Gharun affirmed.
“You shall be the last master of the Dragon Sword [Magrath].”“I wish for it to be so.”
Akand answered in an emotionless voice and shifted his gaze slightly.
“Do you have anything to say to me, his creature?”
[Arkand.]
Alpha asked.
[Why didn’t you kill him?]
If Arkhand had intended to finish off the Transcendents, he would have mobilized all his weapons and poured in every ounce of his power to save them.He was fully prepared.However, Arkhand did not lay a hand on any of the Transcendents other than Hythril. After neutralizing them, he walked to this third line of defense.
“Because I had to, and also because I wanted to. Is that the answer?”
[About half?]
“Is that so? Someday, you will understand everything.”
At that moment, Akand turned his head and surveyed the surrounding area—or, to be precise, the space. Then, stepping back, he continued speaking.
It’s time.
Crack.
The gate opened behind Akand. It was the same method used when retreating from Delharun. As soon as Alpha saw it, she recognized the new change.
The 7th Demon King stabilized the space.
The shutdown has been lifted!
[immediately.]
“Okay!”
Gharun pressed the button without hesitation. A radiance of magical power flashed from the ground.One could feel his single-minded determination not to let Akhand escape.
After redesigning the machine device that the worst dwarf on earth—Grimmel Gromfar—had told him about, he had buried it in advance under the third line of defense with Linus.
Magical power particle explosion.
An explosion that blew away part of the continent threatened to engulf everything. At the same time, Gharun and Alpha were enveloped in a magical shield created by a mechanical device.
Facing a wide-ranging explosion, Arkhand raised his dragon sword without hesitation.
* * *
As soon as Arkhand headed toward the third line of defense, the Allied forces secretly bypassed him and rescued the Transcendents. Their wounds were so severe that the mere sight sent shivers down my spine.
Adrian approached Hisril, having lost a leg, and slumped down.
“Haa…… Haa…….”
Hythril was still alive.Death was imminent.Since all of the highly concentrated Lissandro’s Fruits had been consumed, they were not here. In fact, even if they were there, they wouldn’t be of any help. An elixir might save him, but he couldn’t bring one right away, nor was it suitable for use on Hythril.
“Why did you come here?”“To see you.”“Cut your nonsense.”
Adrian had been unconscious for a moment, so he didn’t know what Hisril and Akand were talking about.However, he already had a hunch who was behind her.
Hythril fled after sustaining a severe injury in battle with his liege. It was a wound that could not be healed in a short time without an elixir.Furthermore, Hythril’s new weapon was formidable enough to rival the Dragon Sword, possessing a form that Adrian had never seen in his life.
“……Did he send it?”
I couldn’t mention the first Demon King in front of others, so I referred to him that way.
Hisril laughed weakly.
“Since you’ve gone this far… have you roughly… made up for… the sect… in the Eastern Continent?”“…….”“Was… helpful?”
Adrian thought about how helpful Hisril’s intervention had been.
“That was helpful.”“Then… I owe you.”“Debt?..”“Then… promise me one thing.”
Hisril wore an endlessly pitiful expression. His face had long since turned pale.
“Later… please grant me a favor.”
What do you mean, later?
Adrian could not understand. No, before he could understand, Hisril forced him. She pressured him with her own death.
“……I understand.”“You promised to grant me a favor, right?”“……!”
Hisril suddenly pronounced it clearly and flashed a vicious smile.
We will meet again.
With those words, Hisril slumped limply. The light in her eyes went out. She was dead. With even her homeostasis destroyed, she was split in two and died. Sincethere was no possibility of resurrection through the power of the Old King, there was no chance of her coming back to life.
But why?
Paradoxically, Hisril’s will was full of life.
─────────!
Just then, a massive explosion erupted in the distance. The entire third line of defense vanished. The final trap, personally prepared by Gharun, struck Akhand.
