Ch.102Sky Island (2)

The azure sky, with a floating island above it. And smoke billowing from that sky island.

Hero Lepin, who had successfully entered the sky island after its defensive shield was shattered, was racing through and destroying the sky island, trusting in Jerome’s swift feet.

“Jerome, now that you can run on solid ground, can you go even faster?”

-Leave it to me!

As if his previous aerial leaps had been mere child’s play, Jerome accelerated the moment his hooves touched the ground, leaving a blue trail behind him like a meteor as he sprinted across the sky island.

-Ahaha! Full-speed running is so much fun!

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it. Let’s head straight to the heart of this island. Where do you think the core would be?”

-Where the mana feels strongest! That’s where the power source will be! I’ll run there!

“Yes! I’ll continue attacking the sky island’s defensive facilities.”

BOOM—!!

The combination of the hero and unicorn was like an unstoppable catastrophe for Sky Island Salion.

The rapidly thrown javelin killed mages before they could even react, destroying defensive installations, while the unicorn, enveloped in blue light, shattered everything in its path as it charged forward.

Racing through the sky island at lightning speed and wreaking enough havoc to half-destroy the ground facilities, they finally found a path to the power source.

-Now we’re going underground!

“Yes!”

CRASH—

Spinning like a drill, the unicorn broke through the defensive wall blocking the entrance to the underground and several layers of titanium walls. What greeted Jerome and Lepin’s eyes was an enormous corridor.

“This is where the real challenge begins. Let’s deal with this quickly.”

-Yeah! I miss the carrot cake that Miss Zetia makes.

“You ate carrot cake from the Zetia sisters again?! I told you so many times we should eat it together!”

-We can eat together when we get back, what’s the problem?

“That IS the problem. Last time I said the same thing, but I heard you ate the carrot cake from the Zetia sisters all by yourself!”

-Next time I’ll tell you… Oh no!

A streak of yellow light flew toward Lepin and Jerome as they were chatting while advancing down this strangely long corridor.

The light filled the entire corridor, leaving nowhere to dodge. Facing this unavoidable attack, Jerome concentrated more holy power into his horn and charged forward.

-Wow! It’s hot!

Despite being protected by holy power, the tremendous heat completely melted the titanium corridor, causing Jerome’s feet to suffer from the intense heat.

Though his feet were burning in pain, they somehow endured with Lepin’s continuous healing spells and arrived at a massive cavern.

“What is this…?”

-Looks like a research facility?

“Well done… for making it to my research facility.”

An old man answered their questions.

With white hair, a face full of wrinkles, and a long white beard reaching down to his waist, he held a book emanating an ominous aura.

Seeing it, Lepin involuntarily grimaced at the disgusting energy, and Jerome felt the same.

The unpleasant aura emanating from this person was death energy and magical energy, something said to have disappeared long ago.

But since the person standing before them was clearly not dead, there was only one possibility.

“A dark mage…”

“Oh…? The young one is quite knowledgeable… Heh heh heh, that’s right. In the mythical era, there were many strange things. Enough to satisfy the thirst for knowledge I’ve felt for 30 years…”

BOOM—!!

“Such foul energy…!!”

Emitting intense light from her entire body just as she had with Evir, Lepin compressed light to its maximum and threw a spear, intending to kill with a single blow.

The strike melted the solid titanium wall—a blow that would be life-threatening even for an Orichalcon-class adventurer, let alone an Adamantium-class one.

With this strike, a dark mage using magical energy that opposes holy power should certainly have died.

But our hero, Lepin, recalled the words of her master Peres, who had been the leader of the previous generation of divine knights.

‘When you think “Is he dead?”, move your arm one more time. If you’re not sure whether someone is dead or not, keep attacking until there’s no response. If they survive those continued attacks, there’s nothing you can do, but it’s a headache if they ambiguously survive and revive.’

KEEEENG—

“Sacred Nine Orbs!”

Following her master’s advice, she summoned orbs of light in the air and continued her attack.

These Sacred Nine Orbs automatically attack evil beings and evil energy, never stopping until they are eliminated as long as the hero’s holy power exists.

VEEENG—!

The nine orbs of light emitted beams to completely annihilate where the dark mage had been.

Some orbs shot light like beams, some gathered light to burn, and others collected power to fire massive beams.

The titanium wall that had melted was now completely gone, and the orbs of light continued to emit light, drilling deeper and deeper underground.

“Let’s go, Jerome.”

-Yeah!

The pair followed the light that had drilled into the underground.

The Sacred Nine Orbs were still drilling deeper underground, with only distant sounds and flashes of light visible, but they couldn’t be seen despite continuing to descend.

Just when they thought they might drill right through the sky island, the light disappeared, either because it could no longer descend or because it had been shot down by the dark mage, and they reached the end of the dark corridor.

“Get ready. He still seems to be alive.”

-Neigh! Let’s go!

The two entered the dark space where the light from the orbs had vanished.

“This is… What…!!”

What they found upon arrival was an enormous red jewel.

No, a heart?

Whatever it was, they had arrived in a space containing a living jewel emanating tremendous mana.

“To kill so many of my clones… That won’t do, child…”

THWACK—!

“I have nothing to say to a dark mage.”

“Heh heh heh? Is that so? But I will be your only conversation partner until you die. Because you will die here today—!!”

THUD—!

The living red jewel emitted enormous mana and created a magic circle in the space where Lepin and Jerome were standing.

“This is…!!”

-Danger! Something’s…!!

“Hahaha… This is the power of Arkham Salion, an 8th Circle Master Archmage who has glimpsed the realm of gods!”

From the magic circle stained with black magical energy, a strong light burst forth, and black hands rose toward Jerome as he kicked off the ground and rose into the sky.

Those hands made of magical energy were following at a speed comparable to the unicorn’s as it charged through the air.

“Jerome! My holy power won’t come out!”

-What!?

At Lepin’s urgent words, Jerome also tried to draw out the holy power within him, but the holy power did not respond to his call.

“Heh heh heh… Did you think I revealed myself and sacrificed my clones to lure you here without any plan? In the mythical era, just as you could block mana, there existed magic to block holy power as well. You, Uldur’s hero, use light made of holy power as your weapon, right? What will you do now without your weapon?”

-In that case!

Jerome, who had been fleeing through the sky, changed direction and charged toward Arkham Salion.

Even without holy power, Jerome was a divine beast.

His powerful physical abilities gave him the strength and agility to kick through the air and walk the sky.

In an instant, Jerome moved behind the dark mage and thrust his powerful horn to attack from behind.

“Heh heh… This is why young ones’ impetuosity…”

But he was someone who had learned and used magic for 80 long years. Close combat was a natural essential element.

CRACKLE—!!

-Urgh!?

Jerome let out a cry of extreme pain from the black lightning made of magical energy, and though he managed to stab with his horn, it became stuck in Salion’s defensive magic, leaving him unable to move.

“Hmm… But where is that girl who was riding the unicorn…”

THUNK!

“What… is…!?”

A single spear pierced his heart. A spear imbued with holy water, made by her master for emergencies.

With that spear, she was able to defeat the dark mage more easily than expected.

“Master… Thank you…!”

She swung the blade of the spear to cut the dark mage into pieces and shatter his head. Just as she was about to move to deal with the jewel emitting mana to cut off the power source…

-Lepin! It’s a trap!

“Kyah…!?”

Jerome’s warning.

She thought she had completely eliminated the dark mage’s body, but it must have been another clone of the original, as a new Salion appeared and restrained her.

“To think the body I’ve used for over 85 years would disappear… How truly lamentable.”

“You… How!”

The clone, identical to the Salion she had just completely shattered, caressed her cheek and answered.

His hand, emanating magical energy, released black smoke upon touching Lepin’s cheek.

Hissss…

“Urgh…”

“Heh heh heh? Did you think I, who can create clones, wouldn’t prepare for my own death? Dark magic includes various spells, including one that transfers only the mind to another body, girl.”

As a result, he succeeded in restraining both the hero and the unicorn.

“Hu… Hahahahaha! I have finally captured the god’s most beloved steed! Now, with this, there is no one in this continent who can stop me…!!”

“You’re noisy.”

BANG—!!

Without any warning, a greatsword appeared and was swung toward Salion.

The greatsword, with power as immense as its size, shattered Salion’s clone, scattering pieces of his flesh across the floor.

“What are you doing, Cain! This was supposed to be the time for the hero’s awakening event, and you’re interfering…!”

“Shut up. If a hero can’t even handle a small fry like this, we don’t need them.”

“Small fry…? That person was a dark mage who mastered spells from the mythical era…?”

As Lepin muttered in disbelief while still restrained, the man with the greatsword, Cain, replied concisely.

“A dark mage from the mythical era who couldn’t even block my greatsword? That’s an amusing joke, weak hero.”

“I’m not weak…!!”

“Now, now, Hero. That’s enough. This person is an ally who has appeared to eliminate dangers to our Holy Kingdom, no, to the world. He’s a swordsman named Cain who uses a greatsword, and he’s incredibly powerful.”

“Even Cardinal Baxter… Why are you here? I heard you went to deal with heretics…”

“Well… The situation has changed. There’s a terrifying monster on the path this sky island is passing through, so to avoid provoking it, we’re trying to take over this island…”

“More importantly! That dark mage can mass-produce clones and transfer his body! If we leave him be…”

“Ah, Hero. I’ve already destroyed all of that. I saw people trapped in strange coffins, but they all looked the same, so I just burned them all.”

“That easily…?”

Indeed, the magic restraining her and the defensive magic circle in which Jerome’s horn was stuck had also disappeared.

This was the most certain proof that the caster had completely died.

“Well then, shall we take this sky island contraption and head back?”

“Hey, wait a minute. Something’s strange.”

A cowboy and a witch who had followed them in.

They revealed themselves before the hero, not hiding the collars around their necks, and pointed at the red jewel in the room, the Dragon Heart emitting tremendous light.

“Why is that glowing so red?”

“Damn it! Something was activated when the dark mage died just now! This is why I said we shouldn’t kill him…!”

“No time for complaints, we need to escape! Lee Juyeon!”

“Yes, yes.”

WHOOSH

Black flames. The symbol of the sun god Agni and flames of purification left her hand and advanced, melting the titanium floor.

“Holy power…? No, that’s not Lord Uldur’s holy power… What is that…?”

-Heretics…?

As Lepin and Jerome wondered, the answer to their questions had to be postponed.

Because the Dragon Heart was releasing all of its mana.

“Damn it! It’s self-destructing! Jump down quickly!”

Those who jumped toward the underground passage that Lee Juyeon had created escaped the sky island using their own methods of movement. From the outside, they could see all the magic cannon ports of the sky island firing until their barrels melted away.

“Damn, what kind of stunt is this…”

“That’s why I told you! We shouldn’t kill dark mages, but torture them or do whatever to extend their lifeline and keep them alive!”

“Is it okay for a clergyman to say such things?”

As Cain and Cardinal Baxter argued…

“You… Are you a heretic?”

“My, are you thinking of fighting? If you want to fight, I won’t back down.”

Saintess Lee Juyeon of the Agni Order and Hero Lepin and Jerome of the Uldur Order were emitting fighting spirit and taking stances to fight, while others were watching like spectators at a distant fire.

BOOOOOM———!!!!!!!

The thousands or tens of thousands of top-grade mana stones and the Dragon Heart in the sky island released all their mana and self-destructed.

As a result, the sky island was annihilated, with a 10km radius caught in the explosion, and the hero and her companions had to survive using their respective defensive techniques.

“The Magician Killers… What about them…!?”

“Let’s pray they’re safe, Saintess. I did issue evacuation orders in advance, but… with that radius, probably…”

The death of ten people capable of using Anti-Mana Shell would be an enormous loss for the Order, and as Archbishop Felix gritted his teeth at that loss…

Crack…

A rupturing sound that should not be heard began to sound.