Episode 1147 Turning Point (3)
Isabella and Privalt, who regained consciousness first, rescued three people.
Serphania.Braonic Strom.Xylon Mine.
In order, they were the Cardinal of the Ruas Church, the chief diplomat of the Iderat Confederation, and the Master of the Larian Magic Tower. Each one was a giant of the international community.
The shock of the escape spread widely through my soul. It isn’t deep, so I won’t suffer aftereffects like the Sword Saint, but it will be difficult to open my eyes right away.
I am searching for a place that is at least somewhat safe, but there is no way such a friendly place would exist in this hellish realm. I have no choice but to find a hiding place myself.
There couldn’t be a better terrain than this.
He extended his left hand diagonally, adorned with the Sentence of Domination [Elderon].
Mado
A small cavity was formed as the middle section of the cliff, hidden by the forest, partially collapsed. It wasat a height somewhat elevated from the ground.Isabella lightly grasped the two of them, soared low with
“Let’s have them stay here only until they regain consciousness.”“……Hmm.”
He laid the three men down in a line and nearly sealed off the entrance to the cliff cave. He increased the thickness of the walls.He reasoned that although a monster capable of blowing away the entire cliff was likely lurking there, it was still better than leaving it neglected.
‘Then the cover-up… … .’
I deployed the portable magic circle created in Eon—and modified it into the magic of erosion. As expansion and transformation occurred, the form stored in my mind began to be reproduced without the need to draw the foundation of the magic circle from scratch.
The concealment magic circle learned from the clan head was completed and covered their presence.Isabella, relieved only after taking measures to ensure the magical power would circulate inside the cave without leaking out, turned on the magic stone lamp.
Whoosh.
A faint light pushed away the darkness.
I just sat down anywhere.
Frivalt was pressing his temples, as if still suffering from intermittent headaches. I wanted to help, but that wasn’t a symptom that could be cured by alchemy.
“Since this pain originates from a non-physical realm, potions cannot alleviate the symptoms. It will subside on its own if you wait a little longer, so please bear with it.”“…….”
Frivalt put the top-grade potion he was about to stealthily take out back into the space bag.
A silence settled, with only the sound of breathing.
The furrow between his eyebrows deepened.Cold sweat dripped down.Enduring the confusion that felt like his skull was ringing to the point of tinnitus, he exerted all his strength to gather the chaotic fragments of memory that had been scattered about.
“I recalled that the Red Dragon… attacked along with the creatures of the Demon Realm. And that immediately after that, the Demonic Terror rushed in and collided head-on with the Red Dragon.”
Frivalt asked.
“And what happened?”“What we were originally prepared for.”
Isabella guided the flow of the past so that he could recover his memory.
There was a war.
* * *
“Sar…… Kandra……!!!!!!!!!!”
Sarkandra reacted as he watched the armored human soaring from the ground. The emotion reflected in his distinctive vertically split pupils was none other than bewilderment.
[?]
What is this lower creature that it harbors hatred and shouts its own name?
Zzz
A fist struck by demonic terror slammed into Sarkandra’s scales. The atmospheric waves generated by the impact were visible.
and.
Sarkandra crashed.
Kugugugugugugugugugugugu… … !!
An earthquake at the crash site shook the ground beneath my feet.
The terror of evil landed roughly.
He drew the Great Staff and swung it horizontally. Overwhelming physical strength unleashed a whirlwind. Creatures of the Demon Realm that even grazed him were shattered into pieces.
“Finally…… uh…… Finally, I found it……!!!!”
Ma’s fear, with his usual taciturn demeanor gone, could not contain his emotions intertwined with frenzied ecstasy and hatred, spewing them out.
“Tear me apart…… I’ll kill you……!!!!”
He broke through the biological barrier single-handedly and shot out, devastating the forest. Even the bizarre environment of this nightmare was helpless and shattered the moment he struck it.As he clashed with Sarkandra once again, the aftermath shook the surrounding area.
“Ugh!”“What kind of power is this…….”
Even if I try to help the terror of the demon, I am already surrounded on all sides.
The Red Dragon and the Adventurer.The Extermination Squad and the Monster.
The battlefield was separated.
Heatwave
The sharp wave unleashed by Frivalt instantly sliced the deer, which had extended sea anemone-like tentacles from its split-in-half head, into pieces.He had struck down the source of its pulsating life, but the torso moved again and attacked.
Ka-gang, kang! Swaaaak!
Their bizarre regenerative abilities and numbers were a major problem, but the biggest challenge was that they would revive as undead at least once unless their bodies were completely destroyed.Even a small elite force could not perfectly counter the countless variables and numbers.
Above all, the terrain is disadvantageous.
Now that we have entered deep into the abyss, retreating is meaningless. Losing formation at a moment like this would be a bad move that would only lower the survival rate.
What should be done?
In fact, the answer was presented long ago.
The supreme authority of the punitive expeditionary force belongs to the Commander. Once one has joined the World Alliance, it is one’s proper duty to obey the Commander’s orders.
“Keeper.”“Understood.”
Acetro Oldin removed his monocle while emitting refined magical power.
In the world, he is the one crouching in the canyon, the Keeper.In the Ark, he is the Regulator of Balance.
I’ll take care of it.
A magical path most suited for research has been opened—correcting what is out of alignment to return it to its original form, and realigning the original form to create new distortions.
Mado
A small interference was added to the process of a dead creature becoming the undead. The misalignment twisted the process itself, leading to an unwanted outcome.
Crunch, crackle!
The undead, born in an instant with their bones and flesh twisted, lay helplessly on the floor, wriggling like caterpillars.
Form has balance in itself.
The distortion of the form is determined by the way the balance is disrupted.
Acetro did not prefer to harmonize biological misalignments in this way. However, that was the case when dealing with humans.
“The 1st and 2nd squads, led by the Keeper, maintain the defensive line and enter the gate to cut off the enemy, and the rest of you follow me.”
As Isabella was the second squad leader, she assisted Acetro by devouring the bodies of living creatures and causing them to explode without leaving a trace.Meanwhile, Meia stood at the forefront with an expressionless face and headed toward the Gate of Death.
“I will begin the walkthrough.”
* * *
Tickle!
Privalt, a member of the 3rd squad of the Demon Realm Extermination Squad, flinched. Indeed, listening to Isabella’s explanation, it seemed his memories were gradually returning.After a while, the severity of the mysterious headache also subsided considerably.
“In the Four Gates…….”
Frivalt repeated the scenes that flashed through his mind out loud to maximize the clarity of his memory and to confirm if it was absolutely correct.
“In the Gate of Death… there was the Empire’s undead legion that the Alliance was originally supposed to face. These were entities based on creatures from the Mirror of Death, which had emerged from the Mirror of Death before the war and raided the Central Continent…”“It looked as if the Mirror of Death had driven the undead into the Gate of Death.”“And in the battle—no. Just before the battle began—the Executor cast a certain magic.”
Frivalt clenched his fingers.
“The sensation that we could move freely even amidst the chaotic tangle of vines… Despite being outnumbered, the punitive force understood what they had to do. As a result, we abandoned our formation and scattered, moving as individuals.”“Yes, at that time, certainly…”
The world of the Demon Realm’s Four Gates was a barren space, much like a recreation of the Demon Realm itself. In such a place, the punitive expedition displayed skills beyond their original capabilities.
“It felt like reading the future.”“The future… yes, I suppose there is no other way to describe it than reading the future. Was it super-level magic?”“I think so, but I’m not entirely sure. As you know, the Lefragium Magic Tower is shrouded in mystery.”
Frivalt nodded briefly and continued to retrace his memories.
“There were no Imperial commanders in the Four Gates. Our objective was the Source, so there was no need to deal with all those undead. At the end of it all… someone.”“Cardinal Serphania, the Sword Saint, and.”“The War Lord.”
He suddenly lifted his head.
“While we were escorting her, Regrit Narsilia destroyed the source of the Gate of Death. We achieved our objective, but with Red Dragons and hordes of monsters outside, escaping seemed a distant path. That is when the Executor spoke.”“The moment the Gate of Death closes, the entire extermination squad will be flung across the Demonic Realm. We have linked you all together, so find the survivors yourselves. Once you gather at least 11 people, please escape the Demonic Realm on your own…” he said.
Isabella extended her little finger.A pure white thread appeared.It was connected not only to Privalt but also to Serphania, Xylon, and Braonic.
The last remaining strand of thread pointed outward from the cave.It was pointing toward the nearest survivor.
Swoosh.
Frivalt tried to touch the thread, but it did not catch on his fingers at all.There was no tactile sensation, but its presence was felt.
“What on earth is this magic?”
Frivalt, having recovered his memory and understood the series of events, leaned the back of his head against the wall.
Ugh…
It looked like Serphania was about to wake up.The other two would likely regain consciousness soon as well.
Frivalt idly ran his hand through his hair and spoke again.
“If you had been outside the Gate at that time, would you not have been able to escape?”“The transference phenomenon must have spread outside as well. You saw what the environment was like where we were lying unconscious, right?”“……Ashes were flying around.”“While you were unconscious, the Red Dragon breathed nearby and vanished. Whether it’s bad luck or just bad luck, it seems we didn’t travel very far from where the Gate was.”
Even though she was indirectly exposed to the flames, Isabella displayed regenerative abilities and survived. If it had been Frivalt or anyone else, they would have turned to ashes long ago.
Isabella rested her chin on her hand.
“Anyway, if that person had stayed in the same spot the whole time, they wouldn’t have just let the Red Dragon go. Nor could he have died in the meantime. So, the Demonic Terror must have fallen somewhere around here, just like us.”“…….”
Frivalt was convinced by the explanation, yet he could not resolve his doubts.
The terror of demons.
Why does he hate Sarkandra?
* * *
The claws of the giant and the red dragon clashed head-on, tearing through the air.
They bounced off each other.
A human capable of rivaling none other than an Ancient Dragon? Such a being would be impossible unless they were on par with the Second or Sixth Apostle.
───[This smell… … .]
Sarkandra twitched the bridge of her nose and pulled a scent she had smelled somewhere from her memory.Her pupils dilated, and she twisted the corners of her mouth wide.
───[Right… … Was that the human cultivating the field back then? That’s surprising. I’m genuinely surprised. For a lower creature, you had quite a decent look in your eyes, indeed.]
Sarkandra discovered the true identity of the demonic terror hidden behind the armor.
───[I can vividly picture him driven mad with grief, embracing his wife who had been burned to a crisp; to think that in a mere hundred years, nothing but pure rage and hatred remain. Is he weak, or is he strong?]
BANG!
Sarkandralifted his jaw high. His teeth clenched.The pain pierced through the ancient dragon’s resistance. It was clearly a power beyond human reach, a level befitting only a dragon.
───[Surely the work of a resistor. Now I understand why that tentacle guy tampered with this war. It’s been a long time since I’ve had this much fun.]
Destruction and rage.
───[Revenge is the power of the strong.]
Sarkandra, genuinely delighted, unleashed his full power toward the demonic terror. Then, amidst the fierce battle, a transfer phenomenon occurred along with the closure of the Four Gates.
The terror of evil───Damian opened his eyes.
“…….”
He stood up from where he had been leaning against a tree root.He looked around.He detected another presence besides that of the Demon Realm.
“Fortunately, I found you first. You looked like you were having trouble breathing, so I took off your helmet.”
Acetro threw the pitch placed next to him.
Damian stopped moving as he was about to cover his face with his helmet as always.
“Sar. Kandra…… remembered…… me. My wife, too……”“Was she?”“I couldn’t…… get revenge……”“It’s alright. There’s always next time.”
Acetro tossed the handkerchief.
“He might have gone to the continent of Sarkandra. We need to head to the continent in search of the survivors, but should I pursue him first?”“I…… am…… the…… Captain…… As for…… the continent…… the Wonderful…… Explorer…… will…… handle…… it…… on…… his own…….”
Damian wiped the tears that had fallen on his skin stained with burns and scales and put on his helmet.
“We…… go out together…….”
Acetro nodded.
“And there is good news.”“Good… news?”“I felt my soul tremble when the Four Gates collapsed. No matter how I look at it, this is not something to be dismissed as merely a continental affair. I had a hunch—no, a conviction—that this would pose a threat to humanity.”
He asserted.
The likelihood of intervention from the Ark has increased.
* * *
As a result of investigating the matter───disaster.
As the leader of the Ark, he considers the Old King and the Xerion Empire a threat to all of humanity.
“Since spatial movement is currently impossible, it is difficult to move immediately.”“Prepare a boat.”
Leader of the Ark.The first adventurer.
I’ll go down first.
Lugart got ready.
