Conclusion (4)
Chapter 169
Ray had asked Speira about the object when he was ambushed.
He requested an explanation of the function of this gem-like object in the shape of an icosahedron that Ernst had given him.
Speira answered with great surprise.
When the Empire deployed its ‘decisive weapon’ externally, and some force attacked the Empire taking advantage of the gap.
It was one of the artifacts developed assuming such a worst-case scenario.
No matter how powerful the Empire was, it couldn’t build and operate Warp Gates throughout its entire territory.
However, if they dispatched someone comparable to the decisive weapon to an area without a Warp Gate.
The Empire desperately needed a means to quickly recall them in the worst-case scenario.
Even a grand mage required much preparation and time to perform a warp without a Warp Gate.
Thus, the Empire devoted all its efforts to develop artifacts, and one of them was this pair of icosahedral artifacts.
Inserting one artifact into a Warp Gate causes it to resonate with the other.
The two paired artifacts temporarily fix each other’s spatial coordinates on a non-inertial coordinate system through resonance.
This allowed the person possessing the artifact to be summoned to the Warp Gate.
Ernst had given Ray one of the paired artifacts.
After hearing Speira’s explanation, Ray made his decision.
To save people with fewer sacrifices, to decisively annihilate the demons whose full power was unknown, and to conceal Luna’s strength until the end.
He aimed to move the battlefield in front of the Warp Gate despite considerable risks and eventually succeeded.
“…”
A sword was drawn from Ernst’s embrace as he stood beside Ray.
Eridanus stopped moving, unable to move.
The great and terrible demon who had once fought alone against thousands of elite soldiers and returned could not move out of fear.
Just two people, only two people.
Facing just these two… Eridanus understood.
There stood the Empire.
“…”
Eridanus stumbled backward.
But no one here intended to let Eridanus escape.
Eridanus had to fight.
In the relationship between humans and demons, the concept of surrender did not exist.
There were only two options.
Die or kill.
Eridanus had been killing. Or failing to kill and escaping.
That was how Eridanus had survived until now.
But Eridanus instinctively knew he couldn’t escape from this place.
“…”
Eridanus kept stepping back.
Ray and Ernst didn’t wait any longer.
Boom!!!
Ray and Ernst simultaneously kicked off the ground and accelerated.
Eridanus reflexively deployed dozens of magic circles.
The mana that had recovered under the blessing of the Great One was depleted, and black liquid dripped down from the activated magic circles.
But that was Eridanus’s mistake.
Mana should not have been wasted like that.
If magic was to be manifested, it should have been used much more precisely and carefully.
Trrrdrd!!
The Swordmaster’s Absolute Domain unfolded.
Within the Absolute Domain, Ernst exercised overwhelming dominance over mana.
The surrounding mana surged, and the magic circles dripping with black liquid began to collapse.
Seeing the crumbling and disintegrating magic circles, Eridanus belatedly tried to strengthen mana control.
But it was too late.
More than half of the magic circles collapsed and transformed into blades of light.
Enormous blades of light imbued with Ernst’s will bombarded the space where Eridanus stood.
Kagagagagak!!!!!!!!
A flash erupted, slicing the ground like tofu.
Eridanus, reduced to tatters in an instant, crawled away using tentacles to evade the bombardment.
The sight resembled a pitiful insect.
Ernst swung his sword horizontally.
Following the semicircular trajectory drawn by the sword, the wall exploded deeply.
Kwagagagagagak!!!!!!
A loud roar echoed, and thick dust spread.
Due to the previous strike, Eridanus, whose leg was completely severed, regenerated tentacles and stepped onto the ground.
As Eridanus struggled to retreat, a crack appeared in the space above.
Zzaaak!!!
Space split, and Leaping Sword Energy descended.
At the same moment, Ray charged through the cloud of dust obscuring his vision towards Eridanus.
Seeing Ray approach, Eridanus went berserk.
“You!!!”
Chheeng!!!!!!
Amidst the storm, despite being torn apart by the Leaping Sword Energy, Eridanus blocked Ray’s sword strike.
Eridanus manifested magic again.
Hot flames poured out from the Dragonheart in Eridanus’s hand, engulfing Ray.
Whooosh!!
Ray took a step back, spinning the Core and Circle to their limits.
For a moment, the cold emitted from the Circle held back the flames.
Ray put all his strength into crossing and slashing with both swords.
Chwaak!!!!!
The pressure from the swords momentarily pushed back the flame storm, revealing Eridanus beyond it.
A flash pierced through that brief gap.
In an instant, Ernst, who reached Eridanus, raised his sword.
“That is.”
Ernst’s sword swung towards Eridanus’s shoulder.
“A filthy thing that shouldn’t be touched by scum.”
Zzaaaaak!!!!!
The semicircular trajectory drawn by Ernst cut through Eridanus’s shoulder.
Eridanus screamed, losing the arm that had held the Dragonheart entirely.
“Kaaaaaaak!!!!!!!!!”
Eridanus screamed again, understanding anew.
Fighting those two simultaneously was impossible.
Even if this were the deepest part of the Demonic Realm, victory against those two was never assured.
Escape was necessary. Escape at all costs.
But escape was impossible.
Even if miraculously able to leave this underground plaza, the region where Eridanus stood was the heart of the Empire.
How could one safely escape from the center of the Empire while being chased by the Empire’s Swordmaster?
It was certain that Eridanus would soon encounter the Empire’s reinforcements pouring in.
The only choice with a sliver of possibility was to retake the Warp Gate in the underground plaza.
Though control had been seized for now, with Eridanus’s abilities, regaining control and activating the Warp Gate was possible in one swift move.
Somehow reaching there, killing that damn blue-haired girl who stole control…
Killing the girl…?
Could Eridanus really kill her?
She was an existence that shattered seals which dozens of skilled mages could only undo after hours of effort.
She was also a monster. Perhaps the most dangerous monster in this space.
Certainly, she was not an entity Eridanus could tear apart instantly.
There was no escape route. No way out was visible.
Fear overwhelmed Eridanus.
Life had been so long that most of the past was forgotten, and now its end was approaching.
The fact was so terrifying that Eridanus couldn’t regain composure.
Ernst charged towards the wandering Eridanus.
Eridanus continued to struggle, begging for the Great One’s blessings.
Each time Ernst swung his sword, Eridanus overlapped dozens of magic circles to absorb the impact and infinitely multiplied tentacles to protect vital organs.
At that moment, Ray’s sword strike sliced through the air.
Zzaak!!!!
At first glance, it seemed nothing was cut.
However, Ray’s sword strike momentarily severed the connection between Eridanus and the ‘Great One.’
Ernst’s fatal strike penetrated that brief gap.
The full-powered fatal strike of the Empire’s Swordmaster bisected Eridanus’s upper body.
Kwagagagagak!!!!!
Half of Eridanus’s body vanished.
The significantly smaller Eridanus rolled on the ground.
Eridanus, having suffered irrecoverable injuries, screamed.
Even the blessings from the Great One were fading.
Eridanus realized that the Great One had abandoned them.
The terror filling the chest revived countless emotions forgotten hundreds of years ago.
All those emotions acted as catalysts, making the bloated fear even more vivid.
Black tears dripped down.
Eridanus didn’t want to die. Truly didn’t want to die.
Eridanus pondered ways to survive until the end.
Even abandoning the physical body, spending hundreds of years alone in darkness if necessary, searching for a way to survive.
Then Ray approached.
Despite the pain from the wounds covering his body making him pant, Ray walked steadily toward Eridanus with a straight back.
Ray raised his sword.
The space around the sword distorted, emitting radiant flashes in all directions.
This sword carried Harshia’s wish.
His wish to destroy those accursed beings who, no matter how torn apart, always found ways to resurrect and return.
This sword, fixed in reality yet elevated to a higher dimension, shattered and cut through both flesh and soul.
Numerous evil entities were permanently annihilated by this sword created at the pinnacle of the Empire’s history.
Eridanus, driven mad by fear, screamed and charged at Ray.
“Harshia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Crunch!
Ray brought down the Empire’s divine sword.
Together with Eridanus’s already tattered body, its soul crumbled.
The shattered soul fragmented further, grinding into powder and scattering.
That was the end of Eridanus.
The Empire’s divine sword concluded the evil ties with Eridanus that had lasted over 600 years.
Eridanus’s halved body swayed and collapsed.
The corrupted black body finally ceased movement.
After a period of silence.
Someone raised their arm, and a shout erupted.
“Waaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
The surviving humans’ shouts continued to echo through the half-collapsed underground plaza.
They knew.
We are standing in the midst of history that will be recorded as mythology.
While tending to the wounded and collecting the dead, the fervent shouts continued.
They called out for the Empire, praised the Empire’s Swordmaster, and shed tears looking at Ray.
Amidst everyone’s cries, Luna approached Ray.
Ray asked Luna to hide her power.
When a disaster he couldn’t face alone arrived, he asked to borrow her strength then.
Therefore, Luna approached Ray.
Feeling Luna approaching, Ray slowly turned his head towards Ernst.
One battle had ended.
But Ray still stood on the battlefield.
