Ch.347347. Destiny (13)
by fnovelpia
-Thud.
The boy collapsed. Having poured all his mana into summoning divine power solely to annihilate his enemy, the one who had destroyed the dragon now lay sprawled on the ground, unable to control his body.
And… the veil that had been protecting humans not only from magical and corrosive poison but also from the dragon’s breath—a power beyond conventional measures—gradually began to lift.
Tap-tap-tap!
As soon as the veil lifted, the sound of footsteps splashing through the muddy ground echoed.
His lover, Renias, her face streaked with tears, led the way, followed by all his former comrades who advanced without uttering a word.
The sound of following footsteps continued unbroken. Whether commanders of the Imperial Army or guides of the Rakan tribe, people kept making new footprints in the mud, knowing their savior lay there.
Suddenly, Senia stopped.
“Senia?”
“…”
It would have been better if she had said something, but she raised her arm to block their path toward Junon, her lips tightly pressed together.
Someone might have asked what was wrong, but all of Tembris realized the meaning behind Senia’s action. With their breath caught in their throats, they refrained from asking questions or making any comments.
…No, they couldn’t.
“Brother, brother? Look at me. Hmm? Wake up and look at me…”
Renias asked, holding Junon’s head in her arms.
“Get up… okay? You’re fine. You promised me, you promised me then. That you’d come back safely…”
In the pouring rain, even the soldiers’ movements ceased. Some tightly shut their eyes, some deliberately turned away. Others… hid their feelings behind the streaks of rainwater, swallowing their cries.
As the divine feathers settled to the ground like the receding of noble divinity.
The girl, realizing that her beloved’s magic circuit had stopped and his heart had ceased beating, broke down in tears.
***
Ashpern had certainly recognized it as a dangerous power.
Having always reigned supreme, he had thought he could simply overpower and nullify it with his vast magical energy, but that white spear from such pitiful magical power had, for the first time, brought him to the brink of death.
But no matter what, this was still a dragon’s body, different from a half-dragon’s flesh. Though separated by human hands and not fully restored to its power, it was still gathered together by their greed.
The body of the black dragon, Herkas, could devour all of humanity with just a speck of its power. Its wingbeats could carve mountains and overturn rivers, and its tough skin couldn’t be pierced by mere human weapons. Yet now, that body—a dragon’s body—was melting away?
“This… can’t… be…”
Ashpern muttered to himself.
The view that had allowed him to look down while flapping his wings was now tilted 90 degrees, and with only his neck remaining, he could barely speak.
It had been a single strike.
That power he had been so conscious of and wary of. The spear-shaped mass of mana thrown with all his might.
It had instantly melted the dragon’s body.
“Nooooo!!!”
As the girl’s despairing cry echoed, the corpse of a human who had bent even a dragon’s power lay surrounded by human bodies and heads.
Specks of stardust fell over the crowded people. The feathers filled with divine power that had been floating in the air began to lose their light and disappear.
All this had started with that man. And… it was clear that his breath had completely stopped.
Ashpern couldn’t help but laugh.
“Kuk, kuku. Kuhehe.”
Crack! Snap, crunch!
Hearing the laughter, the humans’ angry gazes turned toward him. No, not just gazes.
Two swords filled with mana, an arrow of blue flame, a pink lotus flower, and sharp ice crystals. All were aimed directly at the dragon’s head, which was all that remained, clearly showing their inner feelings.
“If you drew out such power to defeat me, if you defeated me and my brother who possessed even my father’s greatest power, then of course you would exceed your body’s limits! It’s quite commendable that you pushed this far with such a weak human body.”
“You… shut up.”
“Even without your urging, my body is disappearing. My magic circuit is completely gone, and I have no magic left to regenerate. With Feltiburugos’s body, my core body, and my father’s power all gone, I can do nothing now. So, congratulations, humans! Kahahahahaha!!!”
“You damn bastard…!”
“Why are you crying? Why so gloomy? Having defeated me, you should be more triumphant! Kahahahahaha!”
Though Ashpern knew he could do nothing with his dying body, he laughed out loud repeatedly, as if delighting in Junon’s death.
Knowing it wouldn’t change anything, Tembris still seethed, trying to shut Ashpern’s mouth.
They poured magic at him, as if wanting him to disappear faster.
In reality, it had little effect. It only hastened his death slightly, but their purpose was clear.
────!!
“Ugh?!”
Contrary to his earlier statement that he could do nothing now that his power was gone, Ashpern squeezed out his last strength and swept away the humans’ magic with a Dragon Roar.
Then, looking as if he wanted to twist their necks, he sneered.
“Don’t tell me this bastard is trying to recover his power?”
“No. His magic circuit is completely gone, so recovery isn’t possible. All the corrosive power has disappeared.”
“Then… why?”
As soon as the question arose, the dragon laughed like a victor.
“!!! Everyone, battle formation!!”
Senia shouted immediately, feeling a chill down her spine.
As she shouted, a horde of magical beasts began to appear one by one. Ashpern’s beasts, not yet tainted by corrosive power, were surrounding the Imperial Army and charging in from all directions.
“Yes. I may no longer be able to live. But… I can at least fulfill my father’s will…!”
The starving magical beasts, who had been waiting for orders, charged forward with fire in their eyes.
Before them were only humans as prey. And weakened humans at that, with some of their magic swept away by the Dragon Roar.
Ashpern, turning to ash and sublimating, proclaimed his final purpose.
“Struggle to the end! You have no chance of winning here, and the body of that human who saved you will be torn to pieces and reduced to prey! Hahahahaha!!!”
Whoosh.
The dragon’s body completely turned to ash and disappeared. Ashpern’s voice no longer echoed.
Drawing their swords again and squeezing out what little magic they had left, the humans faced the magical beasts despite the aftereffects.
But anyone here would know they had no chance of winning.
Nevertheless. They fought.
As apostles of the divine, the very fact that they were alive was the greatest significance of what Junon had left behind by burning even his own body.
They couldn’t let him become prey, torn apart in a place like this, even if they couldn’t bury him in a sunny spot.
─Aaaaargh!!!
They screamed in rage. They swung their swords, squeezing out strength they didn’t have. They drew up magic even knowing their magic circuits would overheat and they would collapse.
They couldn’t let these magical beasts desecrate the body of their commander. The guide of the Ain people. The legendary hero who had saved everyone through dedication and sacrifice.
Now, that was the only mission for those who survived with a great debt.
Just then.
─Over there!
─Deploy the barrier!!
As if accepting the united mission of the Imperial Army to protect only the noble boy’s body.
A barrier was deployed, separating the magical beasts from the Imperial Army.
None among them could deploy such a barrier. This meant─
“The Winter Banner… it’s the Empire’s army…!”
“Uplift magic with a massive amplification field… is it Seiren!”
“Professor Denis, Professor Dalia, the reversal’s Lord Junechen and Lord Rohiniche…”
“…We’re saved. We’ve survived.”
It was a miracle created by someone who had chosen the best option and timed the Empire’s arrival perfectly.
…No.
It was a cruel yet hopeful future that only one person would not witness.
***
Though they had been surrounded, clearing the remaining magical beasts wouldn’t take long.
So they focused on saving the surrounded Imperial Army, and soon they discovered.
“Damn it, were we too late?!”
“…Goddamnit.”
Cruelly, the figure of a boy who had taken on Alcaide’s fate and died.
“No, maybe. Maybe we don’t know!!”
Dalia ran to Junon, biting her lip tightly. In truth, she probably knew too.
The traces of Alcaide’s magic spear were clearly visible, and barely any magic could be felt. His eyes were firmly closed as Renias held him. The bright starlight, evidence of the divine power that had once spread, confirmed all these facts.
Wanting to deny it, she opened her spell formula and took out her magic tool. Somehow, she had to ignite a spark of life in this unresponsive body, to deny the death of Junon who had died bearing Alcaide’s fate.
But his body…
No breathing. No pulse. No heartbeat. Most life signs had already been extinguished.
Those who had witnessed Alcaide’s cruel fate were vividly shown his death, as if revealing that they had once again failed to face the crisis with their own power.
But.
-Woong.
Despite knowing that life signs had been extinguished, Dalia inscribed another healing spell. Denis, who found his sister’s actions pitiful, spoke softly.
“…Dalia. Now, now you can stop…”
“No. That can’t be right.”
“Dalia?”
Then Dalia began to mutter to herself. She was a doctor. A doctor who knew when to let go, even if regrets remained.
Yet she was deploying another healing spell…
“Renias. Could you support Junon’s back with your thigh for a moment?”
“…?”
“Thank you. Stay just like that, just like that.”
“Dalia?! That’s a spell that forcibly amplifies life signs!”
At the same time, it was a spell that would cause the subject’s body to collapse if it failed.
“Magic is also a life sign. When life signs fade, in humans, the remaining magic first escapes as magical energy. But, but… Junon’s magic isn’t gone, just very little!”
“What?”
“He could be… alive!”
『That’s right. Just as you say, Dalia.』
Someone affirmed Dalia’s actions. But.
“Huh? Did someone turn on a magic tool with a telepathy spell?”
“The battle just ended, that’s unlikely.”
“Or is there an urgent patient on the Imperial Army’s side…?”
“…Seeing everyone shaking their heads, it seems not.”
The voice resonated not just with one person, but with everyone, including both the Imperial and Empire armies, like telepathy.
But there were people who were most disturbed by this mysterious resonance.
“W-wait.”
“This voice…!”
“…It’s a voice I haven’t heard in a long time.”
“Indeed. That guy’s voice, I thought for a moment someone was playing a cruel joke.”
But that couldn’t be.
“That person is…!!”
“Am I seeing things?”
“Winter’s Guide…”
“Jack Hanon… Alcaide…?”
Everyone saw it.
As soon as they turned their heads, “Lord Alcaide” was standing there, manifested through someone else’s power.
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