LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 247
247th Chapter
“……Please tell me it’s a joke.”
For a moment, I lost the ability to speak human language and whispered with a cracking voice.
If it were a joke, in such a dire situation, I’d probably be angry that someone would joke about it, but honestly, that would be better.
If it were serious, there’d be nothing but despair.
“I wish it were a joke too.”
Yulian, clutching his head, closed his eyes tightly. His silver eyelashes were trembling, clearly reflecting his pain.
I sensed that pushing harder wouldn’t yield results, so I took a deep breath and calmed him down.
“Do you remember anything?”
“Um…! Almighty Raishi, what was it… the staff of power…? I remember until ‘show yourself here’…!”
“It’s the arm of power, isn’t it! Isn’t that a line from the scripture? Were you using it instead of a staff?”
“Ah! That’s right!”
Serenon, who had sliced the falling poisoned needles, shouted out in frustration. Yulian let out a cheerful exclamation, but at that moment, his reliability took a hit.
“If I give you some time, will you be able to remember?”
I firmly grasped Yulian’s shoulder. Although I felt uncertain, he was the key to resolving this crisis. Yulian groaned and tousled his own hair in distress.
“Damn it, I didn’t want to come here. I was told I just had to keep the commander warm…
The mix of resentment and complaints was lacking any sense of righteousness, but still, I waited for his response.
“Just give me 10 minutes. I’ll remember somehow. If not, I’ll just pray or something.”
Even though Yulian was a bit unpredictable and had a convoluted personality, I knew he wouldn’t shirk responsibility in this situation. Even if that might just be a selfish desire to survive.
I nodded and turned to Kasia.
“Sir Kasia!”
“Yes, Commander.”
“The sorcerer controlling the monsters must be nearby. Find them discreetly and report back to me. Can you do that?”
“I will obey.”
With a precise bow, Kasia started to sprint across the snowy landscape. I turned to Jonathan.
“Sir Jonathan Emeri. Protect Yulian at all costs. Think of it as your own body.”
“……I will follow your command.”
Jonathan, blinking slowly, bowed his head. I looked at him a bit longer, then shook my sword once. A black aura blazed up as if catching fire on a branch.
“You shall accompany me.”
“Yes, Master.”
The moonlight aura sparkled brilliantly atop Serenon’s sword. It wasn’t completed yet, but it was far more stable than when I first saw it. I watched as Kypira began to pour in, keeping an eye on the surroundings.
“Ah! Kayli, Kayli!”
“P-please save me! I made a mistake!”
The makeshift covering over my nose and mouth was no match for the hallucination-inducing red powder. Many soldiers were already flailing in the hallucinations.
‘When you sever a person’s lifeline… never avert your gaze from their eyes.’
I shut my eyes tight against the voice of someone dear to me that started to ring in my head alongside a swaying vision.
This was why I hated facing Kypira. The monsters that charged to tear me apart could simply be sliced down, but…
‘Kill me, Shushu.’
The red powder of Kypira evoked my most horrific memories.
“Cover your nose and mouth tightly, Master.”
I pressed the blue cloth that covered my nose and mouth even harder, glancing back at Serenon.
He too was presumably starting to show symptoms as sweat was pouring down his pale forehead. It made sense that even I, who had immunity, was starting to react.
“Are you alright?”
The mental toll was so heavy that I could feel his aura beginning to waver. Serenon took a deep breath and smiled brightly at my inquiry.
“Yes. I’m perfectly fine.”
That was a plain lie.
Tap, tap!
Without adding any more words, I gathered mana and used it as a foothold in mid-air, racing toward the descending Kypira with a fierce momentum. Serenon followed.
“What hallucinations do you see?”
“…Huh? What…”
Serenon paused at my question, stumbling in the air. I quickly caught him, sensing he was having trouble. It seemed he had memories that were hard to share.
I gently parted my lips.
“I am seeing the scene where my master is dying.”
‘You must bear the weight of the lives you take…
Since killing Karasho, the type of hallucination shown by Kypira was always the same.
At my answer, Serenon looked at me with eyes as wide as lanterns. I focused on running, feeling cheered by my unwavering demeanor.
“It took a long time before I could say that casually, and I still haven’t completely overcome it, but I’m no longer afraid of facing it.”
The Kypira, resembling butterfly wings, revealed their teeth towards us. Poison that caused mental confusion dripped from their fangs.
‘Your life is in my hands, so survive.’
“I’m much stronger than I was back then.”
I was no longer the child who would sit down and cry when nightmares arose.
Whoosh!
I lunged forward, using the momentum to swing my sword wide. The black aura surged forth like a massive wave.
Kyaaaaa!
The Kypira that were cut in half screamed as if being torn apart and fell. Those that had aimed for the soldiers on the ground seemed to change their targets and flew toward us.
Swoosh.
As their wings flapped towards us, the amount of red powder swirling around rapidly increased. I inhaled it to the point of suffocation, and the hallucinations deepened.
Red blood flowing across the snowy field. The grotesque sight of Karasho, who had been stabbed by my sword, spitting out blood. The black aura that had manifested for the first time. The nightmare from that day was replaying.
“It’s alright if it’s hard. You don’t have to force yourself to hold on. You can go down.”
Swoosh!
I slashed at a Kypira that was charging toward Serenon. Serenon, now soaked with cold sweat, was awkwardly adjusting his grip on the sword.
“…I see my mother.”
His voice was almost a whisper. Without responding, I continued to slay the approaching Kypira. The red powder thickly cloaked the blade.
“When the House of Cypros deemed me useless for not being able to become the Crown Prince, my mother was the only one who supported me. Whispering that she would grant me power, I recalled the helplessness of watching her be scorned by others, unable to do anything.”
How many children must suffer from the greed of adults?
I suppressed a sigh as I thought of the vile face of the Count of Cypros.
“But it’s true.”
Swoosh!
The silver aura that erupted purged the red powder thickening the air like a mystical force.
Though it wasn’t a completed ray of light, there was a beauty to its incompleteness.
“As my master said, I am no longer weak like I was back then.”
Even with eyes that were losing focus, I had the resolve to look ahead. Serenon was a student I could take pride in.
“I will take care of the right side. Please handle the left!”
“Yes!”
I started to sweep through the air with a refreshing smile.
Following the trajectory of the aura that flew long, the wings of the butterflies stopped moving and the black blood erupted. Red nightmares burst forth in the air.
“Aim, fire!”
Splash!
At my command, the mages again unleashed a torrent of water magic to shoot down the Kypira. The scent they released was sharp and stimulating.
While they were a considerable threat at a distance, they were as easy to capture as butterflies when they got close.
‘Shushu. My beloved student.’
The two main problems were the sheer number of Kypira, enough to make one want to vomit, and the voice ringing in my head amplifying my nostalgia. I sighed a laugh, drifting back into old memories.
‘Master. Please rest now.’
Boom!
The black aura sliced through trees like soft butter. I felt stunned stares mixed with shock from below, but since there were no victims, I didn’t bother to check.
‘Your will, I shall carry on. It’s time for you to rest.’
The ongoing hallucinations were no longer obstacles for me.
“Commander!”
While I was cutting through Kypira to the point that my entire body was covered in powder, a familiar voice came from below. I quickly glanced down.
“An incantation! An incantation! I remembered!”
There stood Yulian, flushed with excitement, waving his hands. His silver hair had some messy patches where he seemed to have tugged it vigorously.
“That guy is finally earning his keep.”
Serenon scoffed lightly. His cynical tone was contrasted by the relief on his face.
Whoosh!
I let go of the mana footholds supporting my steps and dropped down like a falling object.
Bang!
The ground shook slightly from the landing, but I rushed over to Yulian without a care.
“Can you use it right now?”
“Wait a second! I’m nervous since it’s my first time using it.”
Yulian rubbed his hands together anxiously, then spread his arms to brace himself in the air.
Zzzzt.
A silver spark, radiating with divine energy, erupted from the tips of his white fingers.
“Wait, Commander! Be careful!”
Crack!
Just then, Serenon cried out urgently, and the Kypira began to mercilessly swarm toward Yulian. I swiftly sliced a poisonous needle flying at Yulian.
‘Did he sense the divine power? If so, he should be running away instead of coming here. …Looks like the sorcerer is controlling them.’
I couldn’t tell where it was, but it felt like the situation was getting serious, and they were trying to interfere. I gritted my teeth and readied my sword.
“I will protect you. Move quickly!”
At my shout, Yulian blinked in surprise. He nodded firmly and tightly shut his eyes. Perhaps focusing, he furrowed his brow.
Whoosh!
Silver light burst from his body.
“Almighty Raishi, grant me the arm of power, show yourself here now.”
The divine power spread outwards, lifting the very sensation of my body off the ground. Just being beside him made me feel as if I were flying on clouds. I thought I had grown accustomed to the vast divine power with El by my side, but unleashing it at full strength felt entirely different.
“Who among men dares to claim they have seen the heavens? Your abode lies there. As you shepherd the humans under the heavens, we do not… fear the valley of death.”
He stumbled slightly in the middle but fortunately managed to get through safely. I unleashed my aura explosively. The wings of the Kypira were torn apart.
Drip.
I hastily drew up mana in a short amount of time and, due to an overdose of the red powder, blood began to drip from my nose. I wiped the hot liquid across my palm.
“Your loyal servant, with feet planted on the ground, gazes up at the heavens, waiting for your mercy.”
Boom!
With Yulian, who had been tightly closing his eyes, suddenly opening them wide, his gaze became a pale sky blue, devoid of distinction between the whites and pupils, with red blood slowly dripping from his eyes. It seemed to be a side effect of the immense divine power being drawn out.
Wham!
As Yulian knelt on one knee and placed his palm on the snowfield, a column of light shot up toward the sky from the spot where he touched. The silver beam connecting earth and sky was both holy and wondrous.
I paused my sword to admire the sight.
I had completely forgotten, but Yulian was one of the few great priests, even within the vast empire. His divine power surely wasn’t of ordinary caliber.
“I, bow before the sun and, feeling my strength waning, Yulian inhaled deeply, casting a sharp gaze toward the heavens.
“Now, let the parched land receive the refreshing rain.”
Holy Rain.
He whispered softly.
Boom!
A blue lightning bolt split the sky. The heavens trembled. The clouds quickly turned silver, and the radiant light shone even brighter. In that moment, everyone stared in awe at the sky, as if praying for rain after a long drought.
It was as if a deity was descending, such was the mystical moment.
Swoosh!
Heavy torrents of rain began pouring down from the sky.
Kyaaaaa!
The Kypira charging at me screeched as they made contact with the silver raindrops, disintegrating without a trace. Holy water was akin to a flame purging all evil.
I reached out toward the downpour cascading from the sky. The red powder that had covered my hand was washed away completely.
The water that touched my skin was not cold. It felt endlessly warm and comforting.
I felt like I was receiving a baptism of holy water.
“Ha ha, cough! I told you I could, didn’t I? Cough!”
When I turned my head at the rough cough, Yulian was chuckling, wiping the blood from his lips. His face had turned ghostly pale.
“Damn it, Yulian!”
In the urgent situation, I hadn’t had time to think, but a show of divine power like this would surely burden his body greatly.
I rushed over, catching Yulian as his legs gave out beneath him.
“Commander.”
“Don’t speak! Damn it, you’re in terrible shape! Healers! Support priests! Now…!”
Tap.
A hand, cold as ice, grasped my arm. His eyes, having returned to their original lavender hue, fixated on me.
“I… I’m useful, right?”
His cracked voice sounded almost playful. My heart sank.
“So… I…”
“Damn it, you!”
“Please tell Princess Aria…”
Tap. The hand that had gripped my arm fell limp, and his eyes slowly closed.
As I quickly assessed Yulian’s condition while propping him up, I murmured in exhaustion.
“Just sleeping… please don’t talk like it’s a farewell…”
Soft, even breaths began to flow from him.
Yulian had fallen asleep quite peacefully.