Ch.281281. Six Clock Hands (1)

Tick, tock, tick, tock.

In the sound of the reversing clock hands.

Tembris reaches the ruins.

And each realizes there is a place for them.

Blue flame.

Broken mirror.

Charred lotus.

A lake that ripples without stopping.

A bellflower ring stained with blood.

These were drawn as symbols, designating each person’s place.

But one was missing. The remaining empty space seemed like it would never be filled. That bright, white-glowing spot must be Erica’s place, the one who handles divinity.

Is it acceptable for one place to remain empty?

As everyone wears complicated expressions, the clock hands stop, and a familiar voice reaches them.

【At last, you stand at the final place of the previous world line.】

【That position is where you remained until just before you turned back the world line. Simultaneously, it is the place where that world line ended.】

【So from now on, I will return your time to you. The time you turned back. The previous world you lived and breathed in.】

Returning time? I had no idea what that meant. And for some, this telepathic message was something they were hearing for the first time.

【Do not forget now. Accept without hesitation.】

【Face the place where Alkaid’s last breath reached, the world where you lived and breathed.】

As the message ended, starlight engulfed their vision.

***

The party leader’s breathing is labored, like a great mountain.

Not only because of the monsters rushing in, but because he’s giving his all to protect the fallen comrades behind him.

The dragonkin that appeared before them was despairingly powerful. Enough to make most members faint and collapse.

In truth, if Goden had faced it head-on, he would have met the same fate as his sprawled companions.

But he could endure.

Because there was a boy who squeezed out every bit of his mana to create a massive barrier with all his might.

-Hisssss.

Repeatedly bursting lotuses and heavy chunks of ice break through the transparent wall hanging in the air.

Mana Shield.

It was his power that had almost completely blocked Ashpern’s magic, reducing damage again and again.

However, even that reached its limit and finally crumbled.

With his mana nearly depleted, all that remained was his Chain Shield. Now he had to endure with his body.

Sensing the approaching limit, Goden stands protecting the fallen Junon and says:

“…I’m sorry, Junon.”

I’m sorry.

“Don’t move. This is a burden I should never place on you, but… this is all I can do for you.”

“Ugh…! What are you suddenly saying? I can still fight!”

But contrary to his words, Junon’s body doesn’t budge an inch.

Though his mind was clear, his body was far from intact after repelling Ashpern’s power as much as he had.

“You once told me that the sight of my back was like being protected by a massive mountain.”

After that, nicknames like “Great Mountain” and “Mighty Mountain” were created. Though they never became standardized, everyone agreed with Junon’s metaphor, saying they felt Goden’s back was like a mountain.

But to Goden’s eyes, it looked different.

“If I’m a mountain, you once said you were a massive wall. True to your word, you’ve been the wall of our party in this battle, nullifying all that dragonkin’s magic.”

He confesses that while there may be a mountain in this party, there was an even greater wall.

And then.

“Tembris has survived by the skin of our teeth because of you, the wall. No one has died.”

-Thud.

“…What? Why are you giving me the armband…?”

“It has to be you. You’re the most qualified to be this party’s leader.”

He points to him as the leader who will succeed the Tembris party leader position.

“…What?”

“It’s always been your brain that’s gotten us out of countless crises. Ironically, it’s you who’s most despised in the Empire, you who’s gossiped about as not fitting in with Tembris. So shouldn’t the next party leader be you?”

-Click, click.

-Snap.

“Why are you giving me the Blushire Arc? What are you trying to do?”

“A signal will soon be sent through that Blushire Arc. To Professor Muniher.”

“What does that mean?!”

“Our party. I’m entrusting it to you, Junon.”

“What…? Hey, Goden!!!”

With those words, Goden charged at Ashpern.

That day.

Junon had to helplessly watch his friend die before his eyes.

***

That day, the scorching sun beat down relentlessly.

The parched earth was burning under the sun, without a drop of water falling. Yet the ground was soaked with another liquid.

The bright red blood shed by humans.

“…”

The stench of rotting corpses is overwhelming. Flies and crows cling to the chopped and severed pieces of flesh.

This was the current state of the Mirpark outpost that Junon witnessed when he left the makeshift infirmary after somewhat recovering.

“You damn bastard…! You should be the one dead, not Goden, you piece of shit!!”

A senior whose face he barely knew grabs him by the collar. Some people around might have intervened, but no one stops it.

No. Rather, they join in.

“Because of you, this country’s pillar has been uprooted, you useless trash…!”

“Isn’t it because a worthless piece of garbage like you was holding him back that Goden died?!”

“I was saved by Goden four times. Four times by that Goden. But… does it make sense that Goden died trying to save someone like you?!”

The Levrant Academy students wailed at the death of Goden, who had been so dependable in character, personality, and skill.

And they denied it.

The fact that he had not only handed over the Blushire Arc to save such an insignificant person but had also neutralized Ashpern at the cost of his own life.

Goden had said that if he entrusted the party to someone, he would pass the armband to that person, but why did it have to be Junon? They couldn’t believe that he had delegated the command authority of the Tembris party.

Rather, they believed Junon had put Goden in danger to seize power. That seemed more credible to them.

“Take it away… don’t let that bastard wear it!!”

Saying that the qualification given to an incompetent person was too excessive, they rush at Junon.

Then, as if unable to bear the sight, Professor Jake appears and forces those consumed by madness to their knees.

“What is this behavior?”

It was a cold voice far from his usually student-friendly demeanor.

These were people who had never had good opinions about Junon and had been calling for his voluntary withdrawal, saying he didn’t fit with Tembris.

They were pouring their anxiety, which intensified whenever the Empire was in crisis, onto Junon in a predictable manner.

“It was Goden’s decision, not anyone else’s. It’s not for you to believe or disbelieve.”

“But…!”

“Even if you were in that position, nothing would have changed. Now face reality and return to your places.”

With anyone else, they might have continued to complain, but not with Professor Jake taking this stance.

However, the current situation was wartime.

It wouldn’t be strange if monsters attacked from anywhere at any time.

-Thwack!

“Aaaaargh!!!”

“Wh-what…! When did… guh.”

Harpy feathers become flying daggers, piercing through their abdomens.

Those who had been insulting Junon just moments ago couldn’t react at all, but…

“Ugh…!”

Even with a body thoroughly broken from the battle with Ashpern, Junon reacted to the harpy’s attack.

He even managed to save one of the people who had been insulting him.

“…Damn it. This is why I said it was impossible.”

The outpost established in Mirpark was being managed by nobles.

They had been confident that they could fight directly if monsters appeared, or if necessary, the proud Mirpark Road School students could handle it themselves.

But reality is as dismal as what’s before their eyes.

Intelligent monsters are always the worst enemies for humans. They won’t move as humans want them to.

In the distance, Ashpern is visible. It’s approaching with a horde of monsters following. The number of humans slaughtered by them must be uncountable.

Moreover, Peltiburgos can be seen from the side. It seems to have already eroded all of Algenib’s land and crossed over.

As two named monsters simultaneously appear in Levrant, the soldiers’ faces turn pale.

‘At this rate, everyone will die.’

As a professor wanting to protect his students. As an adult.

Jake raised his sword toward the approaching Peltiburgos.

“Junon. Can you stand?”

“Yes. But combat…”

“I’m not asking you to stand to fight. I’m telling you to use your authority as the Tembris party leader to lead the imperial troops away from here immediately.”

“…What are you saying? How could I have such a qualification…!”

“Well, that armband alone is qualification enough, isn’t it? Do you need more words?”

With even Arcab missing due to Lenias’s disappearance, Tembris is the only one they can trust now.

Having just become the Tembris party leader, Junon was perfectly suited as a commander to lead the soldiers.

And one person who agrees with Jake’s opinion:

“That’s right. Leave this place quickly.”

Professor Muniher appears and tears off the commander’s seal to hand it to him.

“From now on, you are the commander-in-chief of the imperial army. No matter how I think about it, this is the only way.”

“What…? Me as commander-in-chief! I…!”

“I’m entrusting this to you. Please, Junon.”

“What do you mean…!”

-Rumble rumble rumble.

“Oh my. Peltiburgos is eroding the ground again.”

“Junon, there’s no time! We can buy time until the next erosion comes. We’ll try to drain Ashpern’s strength so it can’t follow you, so hurry and leave with the soldiers. This is the last order I’m giving to the next commander-in-chief. Understood?”

“Pro-Professor…”

-Crackle!

The ground begins to erode from Peltiburgos’s poison.

Having devoured countless lives yet still not satisfied its hunger, Peltiburgos was slow but had the momentum to consume everything.

The two professors rush like moths to a flame toward Peltiburgos. Even knowing it was no different from a path to death.

“Don’t ever think your capacity is small. I, who have watched you for years, guarantee it!! Junon, you are more excellent than anyone here!!”

“Even if you can’t use magic, your body is still moving. Remember. Your mental strength is more intact than anyone else’s here.”

“Ugh, go now! While we buy time!”

Two spells unfold simultaneously. The two living legends of the Mirum Decisive Battle fight with their lives on the line.

They succeed in blocking Peltiburgos’s erosion, but inevitably, Ashpern steps forward to face the two professors.

Junon, who had been gritting his teeth, takes a deep breath. He couldn’t let the professors who had stepped forward prepared even for death die in vain.

“Everyone, retreat from the outpost!!”