Chapter 319
The spell, now without a master, shatters and escapes.
In a space filled with chaos, Barghan stands alone on a vacant stage that feels oddly out of place.
“……”
Barghan gazes at the remnants of Helion’s presence.
He neither smiles as a victor nor sheds tears in honor of the deceased.
He wipes any emotions off his face and reorganizes his thoughts and body.
The battle with the hero had caused significant damage.
“…Finally, I can start to hear the noise of the battlefield properly.”
Barghan swaps his mount. He dons Uni, who possesses remarkable self-healing abilities. His battered body quickly begins to recover.
Zziiiing—!
Gluttony consumes Barghan’s mana at a terrifying speed.
More than half of his total mana has vanished after this battle. It’s even more than the amount when he moved the Academia during the hunt for Gamigin.
The fierce battle with Helion had been that intense.
“Is this how I end up with two Judgment Weapons now?”
The color of the ‘Ring of Glory’ that Barghan wore turned black. The Judgment Weapon that Helion possessed has also vanished, its power transferred.
What was previously a worthless item has now become an absurdly powerful relic, just like Gluttony.
Zzuung—.
Barghan attempts to manipulate his mana as a test.
The output of his transference mana was about 1.2 times before. Now, it’s close to 2 times.
Using it alongside the Essence of Life, it becomes 4 times the basic mana output. If he also uses Gluttony in that state, the kind of output he experiences has never been seen before.
‘But every time I use it, my body gets wrecked.’
Relics push users beyond their limits, but they don’t guarantee stability.
With great power comes great side effects.
However, to fight against top-tier beings that exist in novels, one must embrace that risk.
Snap—. Clash—!
Finally, the unique spell enveloping Barghan from Helion completely disappears.
As if waiting for this moment, a bow flies towards Barghan.
And a swordsman.
Meanwhile, two archbishops appear to intercept it.
“Kiyahhh—!!”
A voice explodes, threatening to burst eardrums. Archbishop Cyclamen’s deafening shout stops the arrow, clashing with the swordsman, with a spear coursing with purple lightning.
“Hahaha! What an incredible achievement, Barghan! You killed Helion!”
“Wow! What an incredible achievement, Vargan! To have killed Helion!”
Archbishop Blurans laughed heartily, baring all his teeth in disbelief.
Cyclamen was similarly excited, his momentum elevating his sound waves beyond ordinary levels.
“I knew you could do it, Executor!”
“Cyclamen! Just a moment ago, you were anxious about Vargan dying, and now you’re talking big!”
“W-what are you saying, Archbishop Blurans? Please, don’t joke like that. The Executor might misunderstand!”
“Joke? Ha ha ha!”
Kaang—!
Blurans shoved the swordsman aside.
Seeing his hand numbed from holding the spear, he realized the swordsman’s skill was no joke.
The swordsman was furiously red in the face.
“Vargan… Don’t play dead!”
“…Kshanoll, it’s been three years since I last saw your face.”
“I don’t believe it. It’s a sure trick of yours! Are you not ashamed to pretend you killed Helion while you’ve moved him somewhere else?”
Kshanoll, who had followed Helion for a long time, could not accept Helion’s death.
He was angrier than ever.
He was itching to kill Vargan right then and there.
“…How ugly. My late master would be saddened to know this.”
“Shut that filthy mouth! Don’t dare call Helion your master! You have no right to call him that after betraying us and humanity!”
Kshanoll appeared to have lost his sanity.
To engrave that thought into Kshanoll’s mind, Vargan raised the Ring of Glory.
“Do you still not grasp reality?”
“…Th-that’s… Judgment Weapon?”
The only Judgment Weapon that Vargan possessed was a single staff.
Given the number of archbishops and the current owners of the Judgment Weapons, it made no sense for him to hold one more.
…Unless Helion was not dead.
“…It’s a fake! It’s definitely a fake!”
“How long will you continue this denial? Hero Helion died by my hand. And that’s not all.”
Vargan chuckled mockingly at Kshanoll.
Understanding the implication, Cyclamen let out a broad grin, inhaled deeply, and shouted.
“Helion is dead—!!”
Cyclamen’s shout instantly seized the chaotic battlefield of Tozkam Peama, filled with the noise of war.
Time seemed to freeze for a moment, and silence fell over the battlefield.
The forces of the Goddess Church roared in response to the revelation.
“Ha ha ha! Helion! Helion is dead!”
“Massacre! Tear apart and humiliate all the humans!”
“The hero is dead! There’s nothing left to fear!”
“The Executor has defeated the enemy leader! Victory is all that’s left!”
The eerie laughter of the devils sent shivers through the battlefield.
The soldiers who had led under Helion turned pale in an instant.
Hero Helion. With the weight of that name, the scale of victory that had tilted towards humanity suddenly toppled down.
Completely dominated by Vargan on the battlefield.
“My personal victory is the victory of this entire battlefield.”
Vargan affirmed confidently.
In a hospital located in the Darek Union, where the divine tree Yggdrasil grows.
In the recovery room, which is filled only with critical patients, there lies the hero Charlotte.
“…You don’t have to come this often. You must be busy with your own tasks, and I feel sorry for you.”
“No, it’s fine. I come whenever I have time.”
“With the war going on, there’s no way you have time. If you have a moment, you should take a nap instead of coming to see me. You need to recover your strength.”
“…I come because I want to? You don’t need to worry about it.”
“Honestly, I doubt there’s anyone else who enjoys taking care of me as much as you do. Alicia.”
Alicia often visited this place to see Charlotte.
It has been a year since Charlotte awakened from her coma. The once vibrant Charlotte now struggles to walk without help.
“……I heard about the battle of Tozkam Plain. You lost badly, right?”
“…Yes.”
“That’s the worst news I’ve heard while awake. …Oh, wait, thinking about it again, maybe it’s not the worst.”
Charlotte smiled bitterly.
The death of Helion was a huge shock, but the bigger shock was that Vargan had joined the Goddess Church and committed heinous acts.
“Alicia, as much as I don’t want to say this… I believe the day you encounter Vargan isn’t far off.”
“…….”
“War has already begun, and he is now an archbishop… and even an executor. As you’ve gained fame, he has gained infamy. A clash is inevitable.”
“…I guess so.”
Alicia’s response was indifferent and quiet.
Charlotte swallowed her painful feelings and forced herself to continue speaking.
“Helion was a true hero and light of humanity. And you, his disciple, are carrying that light forward.”
“…….”
“…So I have to say something harsh to you. You are one of the few remaining hopes for humanity. You are one of the very few capable of facing Vargan.”
Charlotte felt as if she was carrying the burden of this situation like her own.
She clenched her fist in anger over how things had turned out, contemplating whether to speak further.
“But… but…”
“…….”
Alicia understood the unspoken feelings of Charlotte, who struggled to voice her thoughts, and took the initiative to speak.
“Let me tell you about something that happened recently.”
Unlike before, Alicia’s voice was heavily suppressed now.
She said, “Lady Riel came to visit me. It was quite a long time since we last met.”
“Riel…? Riel of Schugenharz Troa? The older sister of Vargan’s twin sister?”
“…Yes. She’s grown beautifully. She’s now enrolled in Rikerion.”
“Why would she want to see you…? It’s been four years since you lost ties with the Schugenhartz Family.”
“She said she had a favor to ask of me.”
Riel, the female servant who always quarreled with Vargan, normally haughty, bowed her head politely and asked Alicia for a favor.
“What did she ask for?”
“……She asked me to stop that damn brother of hers. That’s what she said.”
Even now that Vargan has left Schugenhartz and committed various evils, Riel still referred to him as ‘brother.’
Even while engaging in his wicked deeds, Riel still referred to him as ‘oppa.’
That reckless scoundrel, despite being a dog of sorts, was indeed carrying the blood of the family, and thus, the Schugenhartz Family felt the weight of their responsibility, providing full support to the Church.
“…So, can I take that as your resolve?”
Alicia, who would soon encounter Vargan on the battlefield, nodded silently.
Charlotte felt miserable for not being able to support her, but there was nothing she could do directly.
Alicia had already grown to the point where she didn’t need help from someone like Charlotte.
Meanwhile, Charlotte had become a retired hero struggling to take care of herself.
As silence filled the room for a moment, the door to the recovery room opened.
“Alicia, there is no more time.”
“Got it. I’ll get up right away.”
The hero who came to find Alicia was a junior hero, responsible for the schedule of humanity’s hope.
Alicia offered a simple nod to the lying Charlotte before standing up.
Just before she left, Charlotte spoke to her one last time.
“I hope you find happiness.”
“……”
“That was what I wanted to say just now.”
Charlotte didn’t clarify the specific meaning behind her words.
However, it brought great comfort to Alicia.
“…Thank you.”
With those words, Alicia stepped out of the recovery room.
As she walked quickly down the hallway, her junior hero began the briefing.
“As you know, the Central Church is currently surrounded by three nests and the Altifes. Also, enemy squads are approaching us in the Darek Union. We’ve been keeping them at bay, but slowing down any further is becoming difficult.”
“Is there any change in the enemy’s main forces?”
“No. Two moving nests. The archbishops are Crowsel, Veris, and Salecius.”
Archbishop Salecius.
Alicia’s older sister was heading to the Darek Union to strike at Yggdrasil.
“Have there been any movements from the cardinals?”
“…Not yet. However, it is suspected that with Beled’s powers, they are hiding to prepare for a surprise attack.”
“How is the condition of the soldiers?”
“Moral has plummeted sharply since Helion’s death. Saint Diphelia and Emily are trying their best, but… desertions are starting to happen among the mercenaries who were hunters.”
The situation was gradually worsening.
Something was needed to turn the tide.
Alicia sharpened her gaze and gave her orders.
“Obtain permission for the direct troops from the Holy Emperor and contact Trisena.”
“Are you suggesting… we strike the enemy’s squads heading this way first?”
“If we stay like this, we’ll be caught in a dilemma, so we need to take action.”
Alicia showed no signs of wavering or fear in her intentions. The junior hero gulped nervously and asked.
“Are you also participating in the deployment, Alicia?”
“Yes. I will.”
The junior hero Alicia.
Stepping onto the battlefield to turn the situation around.
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