Ch.323Chapter 323 – Hakan (1)

Hakan charging at me with his greatsword entered my field of vision.

‘You’re interfering now?’

I thought he had fled when he disappeared earlier while I was fighting Idea.

I never expected he would target my back while I was fighting Idea.

Seeing him charging with his greatsword, I quickly considered my next move.

‘Should I ignore him?’

The armor I’m wearing now is dragon armor.

Unless it had special properties like Idea’s sword that absorbs magical power, it was defensive equipment that could easily withstand most attacks.

It should be able to handle an attack from someone like Hakan.

Of course, such carelessness had already allowed Idea’s attack to get through once, so ignoring him might not be the best idea, but if it’s just Hakan…

As I was thinking this, I saw something like black lightning emanating from Hakan’s body.

It was lightning that felt similar to the red lightning I produce.

‘What?’

“You’re not the only one who can use the power of dragons!”

Seeing Hakan charging while emitting smoke and lightning, I finally halted my attack on Idea and stepped back.

I had considered taking the hit, but now that Hakan had shown an attack method I wasn’t familiar with, I judged that I shouldn’t casually take his attack.

Thinking that I must not be careless, I boldly abandoned the sword that had been pinning down Idea and swiftly flew to the side.

Hakan’s sword slashed through where I had been, drawing an arc that could have cut Idea as well, but Idea glared and deflected Hakan’s sword before punching him.

-Thwack!

“Damn, you dodged…”

“So that was possible because you’re wearing a prosthetic made from dragon body parts.”

Idea remarked impassively.

Then he put more strength into his fist and struck Hakan’s collapsing abdomen once more, sending Hakan flying.

Meanwhile, I rushed toward Idea and swung my halberd.

-Clang!!

“Isn’t he your comrade?”

“He follows the regent. He probably intended to cut us both down.”

Idea said this while struggling to block my halberd with his sword.

Blood began to burst from his arms, as if he had concentrated an enormous amount of strength there.

Then Idea reinforced himself with the magical power in his sword and rushed at me quickly. I changed my halberd into a shield to block him and threw him away.

Then I created a spear as my second weapon and aimed at Idea.

“But I didn’t expect that such a fool would force you to summon your armor.”

Idea said while deflecting the spear.

“That armor must be putting tremendous strain on your body. That bug has done more damage to you than expected.”

“It’s worth it if I can eliminate you.”

Inwardly, I wanted to grit my teeth at Idea’s words, but on the other hand, it was a price worth paying if it meant getting rid of Idea.

Though it couldn’t be helped, what was done was done, and I needed to restore balance by eliminating Idea.

So I pressed my attack even harder.

The flow of battle had reversed from before I donned the armor, when I was mainly blocking and dodging Idea’s attacks while looking for counter opportunities.

With overwhelming physical abilities and speed superior to Idea’s, I went on the offensive, forcing Idea into a defensive position.

Of course, considering the power of his counters and the special properties of that sword, the advantage could shift at any time, but for now, I had the upper hand.

I increased my attack speed even further, thinking I might be able to finish this before Sia arrived.

Idea muttered quietly while struggling to deflect my sword.

“As expected, this is too much.”

“Is that so?”

I created a sword of magical energy from the back of my hand and swung it at Idea.

Idea ducked his head significantly to avoid the attack and said:

“I have no choice but to retreat.”

“You think I’ll let you?”

“I’ll make you let me go.”

Idea said coldly.

“There’s an easy way to shake off a fool like you who can’t discard what should be discarded.”

Idea said this while jumping far back.

After catching his breath briefly, he immediately swung his sword low.

“AAAAGH?!!”

“Let me show you using this one.”

Was he secretly trying to escape all this time?

Hakan, who had been cleverly using building debris to escape, began rolling on the ground with a scream.

Then Idea thrust his sword into the ground and lifted Hakan, who had lost everything below his knees, with one hand.

“You, what are you—”

“Let me show you something interesting.”

Idea looked at me with an indifferent face and said:

“This gem allows for this as well.”

Had he been carrying it, or did he take it from Hakan?

A purple crystal was suddenly in Idea’s hand.

And Hakan shouted in surprise:

“Wait, the sea dragon is already dead, using that won’t—!”

Idea didn’t answer.

He simply thrust the purple crystal in his other hand into Hakan’s abdomen and pushed it in.

Perhaps due to Idea’s strength, blood spurted from Hakan’s abdomen, and the gem was completely embedded in it.

It happened in an instant.

“Kuhuk?!”

Naturally, Hakan began to suffer.

Idea watched him dispassionately.

“What are you trying to do!”

I changed my weapon to a bow and shot an arrow while speaking.

Idea threw Hakan aside and dodged my arrow.

Then he quietly chanted:

“‘In the name of the great god, be reborn as an immortal warrior.'”

As I thought it sounded similar to Chris’s incantations, a change occurred in Hakan.

“What?!”

Hakan shouted with surprised eyes.

The crystal embedded in his abdomen began to glow ominously, and thorn-like protrusions spread out in all directions from it.

Naturally, Hakan’s body was pierced by these thorns, which continued to spread everywhere.

“Tch!”

I struck down the thorns that rushed toward me while watching Hakan.

The thorns didn’t touch Idea but changed direction and pierced the six black armors lying on the ground and the sea dragon as well.

Seeing this, Idea quietly said:

“I didn’t mind that they imitated the Red Templar Knights to create the Black Templars.”

Idea said impassively while looking at Hakan.

“But they should have properly analyzed the technique.”

“Wh-what…?”

“The technique used on the Red Templar Knights had this mechanism built into it.”

The black armors began to melt.

More precisely, it felt like bones and flesh were decomposing.

While I was thinking I wanted to look away from this horrific sight:

Hakan was already beginning to be absorbed into the mass of flesh.

“I-Idea?!”

“You’ve worked hard for the god all this time, Hakan.”

Idea looked at Hakan with emotionless eyes.

“Now sacrifice your life for the god.”

“IDEAAAA!!!!”

With those final words, Hakan was buried in the mass of flesh.

And I glared at Idea and asked:

“…Were you planning to turn me and the other test subjects into that kind of meat pile too?”

“If necessary.”

Idea said with an indifferent face.

I gripped my weapon more tightly, overcome with the desire to punch that face.

“Originally, this was a means for destroying evidence.”

Idea looked at me and said:

“It was a necessary mechanism for research, as a final defense measure, and as material.”

“You bastards, how do you see people as…”

I was thinking I should quickly tell the magic tower and Beatrice about this technique that decomposes people, when Idea looked at me again and said:

“We’ve already used quite a few as materials. I forgot to mention that.”

“You real son of a bitch!”

Just as I was about to charge at Idea, the mass of flesh suddenly expanded, and a sword shot out from inside it.

I quickly blocked the sword with my halberd, and Idea used the opportunity to retreat further.

Then Idea pointed at the mass of flesh with his sword and said:

“Eve, Seraphina, Christina, Beatrice.”

Familiar names were listed.

With a bad feeling, I glared at him as the mass of flesh pulsated like a beating heart.

And Idea continued:

“‘The Apostle of God commands: Immortal warrior, strike down the enemy of the Apostle.'”

The mass of flesh burst open.

A monstrosity appeared from within.

First visible were four legs made of bones and meat stuck together haphazardly.

Above them was an elongated body covered with what appeared to be sea dragon scales.

In one hand, it held the greatsword Hakan had been carrying earlier, gripped by a skeletal hand.

The other hand was a sea dragon’s head, seemingly forcibly attached.

And where a human’s head would be, Hakan’s head was attached.

As I thought I wanted to look away from this grotesque sight, Hakan’s face suddenly opened its eyes wide and shouted:

“Power, power, POWER!!”

The monster that had been Hakan shouted loudly, as if celebrating its birth.

“I’m OVERFLOWING with POWER!!!!”

With those words, the monster that had been Hakan turned its body.

It moved all four legs like a horse at once.

Hakan then charged at full speed toward the western gate.

Having four legs made it incredibly fast.

“Let me tell you in advance, I’m confident I can withstand your attacks until Hakan kills all your comrades.”

“…You.”

“If you don’t want to abandon any of them, you’ll have to go.”

Then Idea added, as if just remembering:

“Of course, if you abandon them, you might be able to take my head. Choose.”

Choice or not.

The choice was already made.

“…Damn you.”

I said as I spread my wings and rose into the air.

Looking down at Idea, I said:

“If there’s a next time, I’ll cut you down with my own hands.”

“I feel the same, Kei.”

With those words, I flew after Hakan, who was rushing through the buildings, destroying them.

And then:

“Sorry, I’m leaving the rest to you.”

I apologized so that only my comrade who had nearly arrived could hear, and pursued Hakan.

Protecting my comrades was the priority.

+

Idea quietly reached into his chest and drank a potion.

It was a silver liquid contained in what appeared to be a very luxurious bottle.

“Elixir, was it?”

A legendary recovery potion said to have been lost in ancient times.

Its effect was described very simply in many documents.

Complete recovery.

Soon Idea felt his injuries healing and wounds closing.

‘Still, the recovery speed is slower than expected.’

It wasn’t an issue of the elixir’s efficacy being degraded.

Simply put, the damage Kei had inflicted on him was greater than anticipated.

His bones were cracked in many places from Kei’s power, and his muscles were overexerted and injured more than expected.

In the end, many blood vessels had burst from the strain of fighting with all his might.

Idea’s body was in such a mess that it took time to recover even after drinking the legendary potion.

“Essentially a technical defeat, I suppose.”

If Hakan hadn’t intervened at that moment to provide a means to shake off Kei, it would likely have been his defeat.

‘How absurd.’

Even while thinking this, Idea had to quietly acknowledge it.

The tide had turned because of Hakan.

Because of Hakan’s petty desire for revenge, Kei had donned his armor, and because of his foolish actions, Idea had found a way to escape from Kei.

A vastly inferior being had created a variable.

And that variable had both threatened his life and saved it.

It was something that couldn’t happen to a perfect being.

‘I suppose that means I’m an imperfect being, as Somnus said.’

As Somnus had said.

He needed to become a more perfect being.

Thinking this, Idea quietly drew his sword.

And facing one direction, he said:

“So, it’s good that I shook off Kei, but…”

Idea quietly said:

“Now I have to shake off your pursuit.”

“Let me tell you in advance. Don’t think it will be easy.”

Sia said slowly, pointing her sword.

“He who can move quickly has gone to save his comrades, and I will execute you. We’ve simply switched roles.”

“Is that so?”

“He entrusted me with his back, and I intend to fulfill that trust completely. Otherwise, I’d feel sorry for him for trusting me and going to his comrades.”

With those words, magical power erupted from Sia.

A symbol appeared behind Sia, and Idea looked at it with momentary surprise.

“…A sealing spell?”

It was a powerful sealing spell that Idea had researched, said to be used by dragons.

Idea couldn’t understand why such a thing was being used on this woman.

“Well, I’d like to call it unnecessary meddling.”

Sia said with a smile.

“The crimson demon dragon placed this seal, saying too much power on an injured body slows recovery. He was concerned about me recovering by the promised day, or something like that?”

Idea didn’t answer and glared at Sia.

And Sia smiled and said:

“However, if I push myself a bit, I can break through the seal and draw on some of that power.”

Sia’s appearance gradually changed.

A black greave was forming on her left leg.

A black gauntlet on her right.

And a demon’s wing grew on one side.

Something like a headgear with demon horns enveloped Sia’s head as she spoke:

“I owe you from the bridge.”

Sia said quietly.

“This time will be very different, Idea.”

“……”

“I declare here and now.”

Sia said, pointing her sword:

“Unless God helps you, you will never escape from me.”

Idea narrowed his eyes and raised his sword.

Looking at Idea, Sia quietly smiled.

“Should I give you time to beg your god for salvation?”

“Not necessary.”

Idea raised his sword, and Sia swung hers.

The slashes of the two swordsmen flew toward each other.