Ch.178EP.41 – Until the Heart Beats (5)

…applying sword energy to one’s body is nonsensical by common standards.

Why are there so few martial artists like monks who fight with their bare hands?

Because they cannot wrap their bodies in energy like sword aura.

The energy density is too much for fragile human skin to handle.

So, wrapping energy around one’s fists or feet is merely theoretical, not practical.

It risks melting or rupturing the body.

But Ihan’s body…

Whoosh!

“My body is sturdier than most armor or greatswords, right? So it doesn’t matter!”

Believing in his body’s durability, Ihan attempted the protective energy technique without hesitation, and then…!

Boom!

He charged forward.

He paid no attention to the threatening soil and debris trying to engulf him.

Crack!

It all crumbled away whenever it collided with him.

No, evaporated would be the more accurate description.

Crunch!

He advanced.

As if demonstrating that such attacks couldn’t possibly harm him.

He crushed and shattered everything!

A charge without the slightest hesitation, without even bothering to dodge.

Roaaaar!!

But it wasn’t just the overturning earth targeting him, but also a rising tornado.

A tornado wrapping snow instead of seawater, sweeping across the entire area.

Common sense dictated that even Ihan with his protective energy would be blown away if he collided with that…

‘I won’t be blown away!’

Ihan believed in his protective energy, the culmination of his efforts.

Though he wouldn’t arrogantly claim he could blow away or eliminate that massive tornado.

He still had many shortcomings, after all.

But he dared to say that his power…!

—!

“He… he broke through…?”

The astonished murmur of a magician who somehow survived the thunderbolt.

Despite being his most hated and despicable enemy, the knight forced admiration as he finally broke through the tornado.

Though he couldn’t eliminate the tornado, he didn’t fly away like a deeply rooted tree, but managed to pierce through it.

With nothing but the potential of a physical body that was infinitely weak compared to nature.

A knight who didn’t defeat the tornado but ‘overcame’ it.

It was a moment when an achievement was born that no one would believe even if it became an epic tale.

“—.”

But Ihan, regardless of whether he had overcome the tornado or achieved a historic feat, simply gritted his teeth and charged forward ferociously.

What mattered to him wasn’t the achievement, but finally confronting the monster he had targeted.

Crack!

Ihan gripped his axe tightly and leaped high into the sky, then rotated his body forward like a somersault to add power to his axe.

“I’ll reach you.”

Declaring his will, he swung his axe at the monster.

Whoosh!

Thunk!

And his will finally succeeded in severing the “monster’s arm.”

* * *

……A moment of silence fell.

“Huh? …Huh…huh……huh?”

They say people lose their language ability when experiencing something surreal, and the Tower’s magicians were currently experiencing a severe drop in linguistic capability.

That’s how unbelievable what just happened was.

“T-Tower Master’s a-arm!?”

“It… it was cut off…?”

“…T-this is a dream, t-this can’t be anything but a dream-.”

The precursor to panic.

They clutched their heads, their eyes bloodshot.

Though Tyr was a madman who killed them indiscriminately and was unqualified as a leader of an organization.

But he was a Grand Magician.

Moreover, he had been at the pinnacle of the central continent for the past four centuries as a Grand Magician.

In a way, he was the king of magicians, and within the Magic Tower, he was like a [God].

Yet his arm had been severed.

Is this what blasphemy feels like, or what citizens witnessing their nation’s downfall experience?

No, it might be even worse.

It was natural for the magicians to disbelieve reality.

This was none other than ‘Tyr de Sagan.’

The king of magic who cast impossible spells as easily as breathing!

Yet this king of magic was injured.

…No, he lost an arm.

The king of magic losing an arm was something that shouldn’t happen, that shouldn’t occur.

In a way, it was only natural for his followers to fall into panic.

…But in reality.

“Amazing, truly. This is my first crisis of this kind!”

The king and god of magicians whose arm had been severed was simply wearing a bright expression while looking at his severed arm.

Even for him, the pain must be difficult to bear.

“Ah, I’ve modified my body in various ways, so I can’t feel pain. Even if I do, it’s just slightly itchy or stinging? So I’m really dangerous. And regeneration isn’t working either, haha! …Hmm, is it because that destructive energy seeped into my arm? This is troublesome…”

Despite losing his arm and feeling no pain, Tyr’s attitude of merely finding the situation curious was almost dizzying to witness.

But the knight facing Tyr knew.

“Are you so insane that you’ve lost your sense of reality?”

“That’s right. Living for 400 years, things like emotions, memories, and sensations all break down. You know what? Most of what makes up my body isn’t originally ‘mine.’ Almost everything except my brain has been transplanted! As a side effect, I’ve even become somewhat younger!”

“……”

“Hmm? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“……”

“Come on, let’s have a conversation.”

…That wasn’t dizziness, but rather a reaction from someone who was no longer ‘human.’

Boom!

The knight, Ihan, felt no value in conversing with this monster.

What conversation could he have with someone who coveted others’ bodies and boasted about it?

There was no need. So instead of talking, he should cut up the monster’s body as much as possible.

If possible-

‘The head and neck!’

He intended to completely crush one of them beyond recognition.

So that it couldn’t even regenerate.

Ihan charged again.

Protective energy.

The ultimate shield and spear that had finally pierced through the monster’s magical barrier charged toward the monster again.

Using the Bow God’s Shadow technique, Ihan shot forward again, raising his axe in a stance like chopping firewood.

His target was the head!

This time, to turn the head, not the arm, into pulp.

However….

[Protect me].

Boom! – With a strong resonance, Ihan’s attack should have been blocked.

“…This is absurd, are you trying to break through a hundred barriers alone?”

Hundreds of defensive spells simultaneously blocked him, and a massive [labyrinth] formed around Ihan.

Swish!

Approximately tens of thousands of defensive spells that Tyr had memorized were deployed simultaneously, creating an anomalous phenomenon, ultimately creating a labyrinth.

A death prison filled with countless traps and defensive spells, impossible to escape even if one tried.

It seemed like the cursed labyrinth of Daedalus from ancient mythology, where the cursed prince Minotaur was sealed.

“You’re too dangerous.”

Tyr was no longer careless.

His perspective manipulation had already been countered, and even with other powerful spells, he couldn’t defeat that knight.

So, Tyr chose.

“I’ll seal you.”

Whoosh!

Tyr put all tens of thousands of defensive spells deployed on his body into the labyrinth.

It wasn’t wise to confront that dangerous knight, and sealing him away like this was the right move.

“Self-destruct as you will.”

No matter how strong, one couldn’t break through a labyrinth created by tens of thousands of layered defensive spells alone.

As long as Tyr lived, the labyrinth’s magic would continue to repair itself, making escape a distant possibility.

Literally a seal (封印).

“What a shame, I originally prepared this technique to capture the Troll King…”

The king of trolls who lived a thousand years.

A trump card created to capture a [Demon King-level monster] and make it an experimental subject.

But sadly, it seemed he had to give up on the Troll King.

“…So, what will you do now?”

“……”

“Hmm, I was wondering what you were doing, but you killed all the old ones? What a bad taste, hehe.”

“They blocked my path, so it was only natural.”

Drip, drip.

Blood dripped from Lac’s staff.

Not his blood, but the blood of three magicians he had beaten to death.

More precisely, those called Grand Magicians.

While they tried to prevent interference during Ihan’s confrontation with Tyr, they were no match for Lac surrounded by crimson flames, and Lac showed the feat of erasing three Grand Magicians alone.

With this, all five Grand Magicians of the Tower, who were only five in number, ended their lives at this moment.

“Hmm….”

Tyr tilted his head.

The Sky Castle had collapsed.

The bronze giants, guardians of the Tower, were annihilated.

Over 85% of the Tower’s magicians, including Grand Magicians, were dead.

In reality, the Tower was at the level of annihilation.

However.

“Sigh, when will I restore all this?”

Tyr was just a bit annoyed, dismissing the aforementioned damage as trivial.

“Well, I just need to squeeze the Empire for about 3 years.”

“……”

As long as he existed, the Tower could be restored anytime, and he was confident it could regain power beyond its prime.

Also, the vast wealth sleeping within the Tower.

Not material wealth like gold or jewels, but ‘intellectual properties’ accumulated over a long time were the overwhelming advantage and greatest asset of the Tower.

With those alone, magicians could be replenished anytime.

As long as magicians instinctively desired forbidden knowledge, they would inevitably gather at the Tower.

“I’ll just have to work for a while after dealing with you, sigh, my fate. What hardship at this age, really.”

“…Stop your nonsense.”

“Hehe, I tried to speak like an old person, how was it? Good acting, right?”

“……”

“Come on, let’s stop this. I know you’re threatening, but you can’t take my head either. At most, maybe an eye or an arm?”

Lac took his stance again, and Tyr waved his hand.

He no longer underestimated them.

Especially that red ‘crimson flame.’

With that, he could destroy all his magical barriers, but even so, he couldn’t kill him.

He still had thousands of spells left.

‘Well, I only have about five methods that can definitely kill that knight.’

It was ridiculous to think about it.

Being cornered like this by knights much younger than himself.

“Maybe I’m becoming obsolete, hehe.”

For some, this might sound self-deprecating, but Lac knew.

That it was just empty talk.

As evidence, he still looked pleased.

And then.

“You are <Knights of Pendragon>, right?”

He guessed, no, confirmed their identity.

“No, definitely Pendragon. In the current era, only Pendragon could possess knights of this caliber. A kingdom overflowing with mystery, loved by dragons and fairies. Ah, I’m really envious. The Empire and other continents are all hated by mysteries.”

Pendragon.

Their name had been famous for 400 years, and they always possessed strong knights.

How many times had the Empire tried to conquer them, only to be defeated?

It would be countless.

And the cause of these defeats included….

“Are there still Aura Users in the current era? Those superhumans who transcend cognition? …It’s amazing. How can ‘such creatures’ exist? What’s more amazing is that throughout the continent’s history, Pendragon has never failed to produce Aura Users. It’s really fascinating.”

“……”

“If Aura Users weren’t hated by the ‘gods’ of the central continent, they would have targeted my neck many times. Thinking about it, even gods seem useful sometimes.”

Kuhehe, with a laugh that somehow felt fishy, Tyr looked at Lac.

“Yes, I’ve decided! I was going to let you go earlier, but I’ll correct that! I’m going to kill you. You’re too dangerous. And I’ll order the Empire to wage war against Pendragon. After that, I’ll capture a bunch of Pendragon knights as slaves! Among them, there will definitely be those with ‘potential’ like you, for sure.”

In Tyr’s eyes, he saw.

The knights called Ihan and Lac were among those who had obtained the [possibility], the qualification to become Aura Users.

Of course, they had barely met two or three out of more than dozens of conditions.

But those who had obtained just two or three had given him such a blow, so they were definitely dangerous enough.

So it would be safer to bring in those who were less dangerous and merely had potential as slaves.

It wouldn’t do to play around like today and have such incidents happen again, would it?

“Isn’t it terrible? Because of you, Pendragon and the Empire will go to war! Of course, they can’t win. Because there’s an Aura User, haha!”

Still, the damage wouldn’t be small, and Tyr would be able to get the items he wanted, the experimental subjects, to his heart’s content.

His goal would be achieved without him having to step in.

Tyr smiled, anticipating the future.

As if eagerly anticipating what would happen in the future-.

“-Do you know the Troll King is dead.”

“…Huh?”

“As I thought, you don’t know. It shows how little you’ve crawled out of the Tower. Like a cockroach.”

“What died…?”

Tyr lost his smile a bit and blinked, asking again.

Wondering if what he heard was true.

But Lac only mentioned the facts.

“He’s dead. Killed by that knight you sealed.”

“T-that can’t be? Even so…”

He was well aware of that knight’s strength, but even so, it wasn’t enough to kill the Troll King.

To kill the Troll King, one would have to completely annihilate every single cell without exception.

And that knight didn’t seem to have such a skill.

But how…?

Tap tap.

“Physical strength isn’t a knight’s only power.”

“??”

Lac tapped his head.

Yes, a knight’s physical strength is certainly important.

Being good with a sword, fighting well, and having aspects like a human weapon are certainly necessary.

But fundamentally, knights are soldiers, and command-level ranks who lead the battlefield.

That’s why there are occasionally those who become knights solely through strategy, despite having no combat ability due to chronic illness.

And this means that those called knights are also somewhat intelligent.

“That rascal may look like that, but he’s cunning.”

The same applies to capturing the Troll King.

Though he didn’t see it directly, based on witness testimonies, he fought in the most advantageous environment for himself, aiming to hold his position until reinforcements arrived.

The same applies now.

“Thank you for being arrogant until the end. For underestimating us until the end.”

“…?”

Lac expressed gratitude to Tyr for the first time, not contempt, and Tyr was about to ponder what that meant, but-.

[-Kyahaha!]

“……”

…He soon realized why Lac had expressed gratitude.

Flutter.

Trailing aurora….

A certain girl was brightening the surroundings with her lovely laughter, and Tyr widened his eyes and looked up at the sky.

[Kyahaha!]

A ‘fairy’ was laughing.

“-The rascal called this operation ‘making noise in the east while attacking in the west’.”

A smile appeared on Lac’s face for the first time.

Because the ‘Spring Fairy’ who had been sealed had descended.

‘They’ had done it.

*

*

*

Rustle….

“I, I think I’m going to die…”

“……”

“Y-young master? Y-you’re not dead, right?”

“…Not dead.”

As if showing how fierce the battle had been, 2 men, 1 woman, and a golem were sprawled in a mess among fallen magicians.

But it was the knight’s disciples who were still standing, and the magicians who were defeated.

The core of the Tower was destroyed like that, and the three people sat down, saying they didn’t even have the strength to raise their hands.

Covered in sweat, blood, and dust, they felt discomfort and pain, but….

“We won’t get scolded by the instructor.”

“That’s true.”

“Hehe, will he praise us?”

They wore satisfied expressions with refreshing smiles.

─Spring will come to this land again.