N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
Chapter 706
Wooong!
Colorful magic flared up on the magic circle Merlin had drawn. It was multi-casting, handling hundreds of magics with a single incantation. It was her specialty, a magical bombardment.
Not only the four basic elements of fire, water, wind, and earth, but also hundreds of magics containing light and darkness poured down on the undead legion of the Specter.
Kugugugugu!
Despite being severely injured, Merlin did not lose focus. She detonated all the magics in their intended locations without the slightest error.
Kwagwagwagwang!
The sky and river exploded consecutively, creating cracks in the air as if slashed by a sword, and the vaporized river water surged up like a wall.
“Haaaa….”
Merlin bit her lip as she looked at the wall of steam soaring to the sky.
'I hit them, but the power is weak.'
Because the magic circle fixed to her heart was severely damaged, the power of the magic had weakened to a pathetic extent. It seemed to be less than half of her usual strength.
“Damn it!”
A burning pain surged through her entire body, but that wasn't the big issue. She could endure physical pain as much as necessary.
‘The real problem is….’
The mental anguish. The despair of whether Raon could escape from this place safely gnawed at her insides.
‘I was stupid.’
The Fallen had said he would not interfere at all with the duel to death between Raon and the Axe King.
Even on the day of the duel, he made no moves, so she was relieved and tried to gather information as usual when she was suddenly ambushed by the Fallen.
The shock was so great that she almost lost her mind with a single strike, but thanks to the doppelganger she had prepared in advance, she barely managed to escape.
If Raon hadn't always told her to prepare an escape route, she would have died or been captured on the spot.
‘Even though I escaped, it ended up like this….’
The Specter knew better than anyone that she wouldn't let Raon die. Even knowing it was a trap, she had no choice but to show up.
Huuuuuung!
The rough river wind blowing from above settled the steam and dust, revealing the Specter.
“Even a mosquito bite would hurt more than this.”
The Specter brushed off his unblemished robe and curled his lips. It seemed he had blocked the magical bombardment with the black magic Bone Wall, summoning a wall of solid bones.
Still, about half of the undead army he was controlling had melted away in the magical bombardment.
If she could just erase those, it would be easier for Raon to escape from here.
“No need to worry.”
The Specter laughed as he saw Merlin’s trembling eyes.
“I’m not planning to chase after Raon Zieghart, leaving you behind. Right now, I only want you.”
He waved his hand with eyes filled with madness and hatred.
“I won’t kill you right away. I’ll make you feel the same pain as me. No, even more excruciating pain!”
"What a shame. I can't feel pain like... Cough."
Merlin bent over and vomited dark blood.
'I can't last long in this state...'
She felt a pain as if her ribs were tightening inward. It meant her body and mind had reached their limits and it wouldn’t be strange if she died soon.
She could endure any amount of pain, but she would soon lose consciousness regardless of her will.
‘But I can’t die like this.’
Not because she feared death.
She couldn’t die like this because the Specter’s malice would then be directed at Raon. She had to kill him using her last resort, no matter what.
“You can’t feel pain? Then I’ll capture and torture Raon Zieghart.”
The Specter twisted his lips while looking at the direction where Raon was no longer visible.
“If he suffers, you’ll feel the pain too.”
“Shut up!”
Merlin raised her hand with a pale complexion. The magic circles blooming behind her shone brightly once again.
“You’re going to throw a fireball in that state?”
As the Specter sneered, the undead army began to move. Monsters filled her sight as they swarmed from all directions.
Kugugugugu!
Bone gargoyles and wraiths poured down from the sky, while bone manta rays and bone sharks surged up from the river.
Amidst the undead army, even a breath attack from a bone dragon composed of dark mana flew in, leaving no place to escape.
But this perilous situation was exactly what she had been aiming for.
Woooooong!
As Merlin watched the approaching undead army, she folded the wings of the magic circle she had spread wide. Hundreds of magic
circles overlapped into a bizarre geometric shape in her grasp.
What bloomed from there was a radiant white light. It was the spear of god that could obliterate the darkness entirely.
The great annihilation magic, Gungnir.
An absolute magic that possessed the sole intention of destruction through the contest of yin and yang, pierced through the undead army and advanced towards the Specter.
Kuwaaaaaang!
The moment Gungnir exploded in front of the Specter, the darkness dissipated, and the world brightened to the point that it seemed like daylight had returned. All the undead that had filled the area around the river melted away completely.
Fwoooooosh!
The Specter was not unscathed either. The left half of his upper body had been cut off as if it were snipped with scissors.
“Gah…”
However, as a ghost with the abilities of the undead, while spitting blood, he was regenerating his body.
“Huff…”
Merlin bit her lip and raised her hand.
‘This has to end here.’
It was already a blessing that the incomplete Gungnir had been able to do this much.
She had to make sure to kill him while he was gravely injured.
“Die… Kuh!”
As Merlin tried to channel her mana, she vomited pitch-black dead blood. Not only from her mouth but blood also flowed from her nose and eyes as her entire body trembled.
“You stupid bitch.”
The Specter curled his blood-soaked lips.
“Do you still think you're in your right mind?”
He screamed and extended his right hand.
Thwack!
Merlin's body staggered greatly as the old woman's mask she was wearing split in two.
The face revealed was that of a young woman with skin so pale that veins were visible. Her beauty was so extraordinary that it wouldn't be strange to call her a peerless beauty. Unusually, there was a red cross in her half-closed eyes.
“Sorry. Raon…”
She muttered Raon's name as she fell into the river.
"You can't escape even in death... Cough!"
The Specter tried to lift Merlin with telekinesis but furrowed his brow as if he had lost strength.
"Bring her out right now!"
When he gestured back instead of using his own strength, a gargoyle descended and stretched out its sharp claws towards Merlin.
Whooosh!
Just as the Gargoyle's claws were about to pierce Merlin's shoulder, the river water surged as if alive, creating a thick fog and translucent droplets that made it impossible to see an inch ahead.
“What, what is this!”
The Specter bit his lip and tried to create wind, but the fog remained motionless, as if fixed in the air.
“Damn it!”
He went down to the river himself, riding the bone dragon.
But all he saw was the gargoyle floating on the river. The Merlin it had gone to capture was nowhere to be seen.
‘Did she escape?’
No! She definitely fainted!
Merlin cherishes Raon more than her own life. There was no way that crazy bitch would run away.
‘And this isn't magic.’
The fog and water droplets filling the riverbank weren't magic but had a natural, flowing movement, as if created by nature itself. It definitely wasn't Merlin's magic.
"Search!"
The Specter summoned all the remaining undead and ground his teeth.
"Turn this entire river upside down and find that bitch!"
His golden eyes blazed with madness.
“I will never! Never let her escape!”
* * *
Fwaaaaaang!
The speed of Dorian's boat, carried by Merlin's wind, drastically decreased as it hit the river.
However, there was no sign of the pursuing enemies. It seemed they had all gathered around Merlin.
“T-There seemed to be more than a thousand undead, can she hold out?”
Krein trembled as he looked back.
“A-ah! It's not that I'm worried about Merlin…”
He hunched his shoulders as if he had made a mistake.
“It's a fact that Merlin saved us. There's nothing wrong with worrying about her.”
Rimmer sighed and shook his head.
"I-I'm even more worried because she didn't look well."
Dorian swallowed dryly, looking anxious.
“She’s a mage. She can fight moderately and then escape.”
Burren ruffled his hair and bit his lip, but his expression was filled with unease, contrary to his words.
“No.”
Martha clenched her fist tightly as she looked back.
“What?”
“Merlin won’t run away.”
“Yes…”
Runaan nodded in agreement with Martha's words.
"The masked woman will fight until she dies."
"......"
The two of them bit their lips, surprisingly in agreement for once.
"Sigh..."
Rimmer sighed as he massaged the back of his neck.
"Right now, all we can do is believe. Raon also said something."
"Th-the division leader?"
"What did he say?"
Dorian and Krein opened their eyes wide and leaned forward.
Other Light Wind swordsmen also leaned in as if curious.
"He said that as long as we stay by the river, we won't die easily. He mentioned there's help from somewhere unseen."
Rimmer pointed to the Rable River and narrowed his eyes.
"Help from somewhere unseen?"
"Yes."
He also shook his head, saying he didn't know exactly.
"Let's keep going. We're almost at the rendezvous point now."
"Yes. But…."
Dorian sighed as he stroked the control stick.
"The boat is a bit damaged, so it's slowed down. We have the materials to repair it, but…."
"Just keep going."
Rimmer shook his head as he looked around.
"Once we get past this canyon, the river widens again. We’re almost there."
"Yes!"
Dorian nodded and gripped the control stick tightly.
The team captains and the Light Wind swordsmen stayed on high alert around Raon, never letting their guard down.
After about 10 minutes, the canyon ended, and the Rable River's original form, which could be called a sea, was revealed.
"We're close. Just a little more…."
As Rimmer was encouraging the exhausted Light Wind swordsmen.
Boom!
A huge warship burst out of the river with a splash that reached the sky. It was the Azure Wolf, the first warship of the South-North Union, equipped with submersible capabilities.
Paaang!
Dorian's boat collided with the Azure Wolf, shaking violently as if it would break apart.
"Ugh…."
Rimmer bit his lip as he pushed Dorian's boat back.
'The Azure Wolf is here….'
The collision with the Azure Wolf caused ominous creaking sounds to echo from the boat.
If he hadn't blocked it with aura in advance, it would have shattered completely, and everyone would have fallen into the river.
"Finally caught you!"
Helgurum, the vice union leader of the South-North Union, stood on the bow of the Azure Wolf, smiling as if his lips would tear.
"H-how…."
Dorian trembled as he gripped the control stick in disbelief.
"We took a different route to avoid your monster."
Helgurum said they had taken an entirely different route to avoid Glenn, lifting his chin arrogantly.
"Your destination was obvious."
He emitted a thick killing intent, indicating it was impossible to escape the South-North Union on the river.
"The fighting over there must be intense, so why chase us all the way here?"
Rimmer forced a smirk.
"That one is the priority."
Helgurum pointed at Raon, who was being carried by Federick, and frowned.
"Raon Zieghart is the most dangerous one on this battlefield."
He bit his lip, declaring that Raon was someone who must be killed at all costs.
"Wow, you're popular with both women and men, you must be happy."
Rimmer frowned as he grabbed Raon's shoulder.
'Damn it!'
They were so close. Just past this waterway, reinforcements with fast ships awaited, but being caught here was a critical blow.
'We have no choice but to fight.'
There was no other option but to fight. The best they could do was to hold out until reinforcements arrived.
"Prepare for battle!"
At Rimmer's command, the Light Wind swordsmen drew their swords. A chilling aura, as if embracing the river wind itself, filled their eyes.
"Ram it straight into them!"
To maximize their advantage on the river, Helgurum ordered to smash Dorian's boat directly.
Kugu gugu gugu!
As the Azure Wolf charged towards Dorian's boat as if to devour it, a dark shadow
emerged over the river. Everyone's gaze went blank as they looked up at the sky.
“Huh…?”
“What, what is that!”
“A ship! It’s a ship!”
As if mocking the Azure Wolf that had risen from the sea, a black flying warship was falling from the sky.
The flying black warship descended in front of Dorian's boat, blocking the path of the Azure Wolf.
Kuuuuuuuuu!
As the Azure Wolf and the black warship collided, the bows of both ships snapped like dry wood.
“That ship is….”
Rimmer trembled when he saw the emblem of a starry sword engraved in the center of the black warship.
“Holy Sword Alliance!”
Helgurum also widened his eyes at the sight of the Holy Sword Alliance’s emblem.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing! You said you wouldn’t get involved in this matter!”
He waved his hand as if to tell them to back off immediately.
“Do you know what the name 'Holy Sword Alliance' means?”
A young man with a commanding presence stepped forward at the bow. It was Mustan, the new master of sword of the Holy Sword Alliance and disciple of the Sword Demon.
“What?”
"The holy sword we praise is neither a sharp blade nor an absolute technique."
Mustan shook his head as he looked Helgurum in the eyes.
"The Holy Sword is a tribute and admiration directed towards the true swordsman. Rather than seeing filthy pirates reach out their dirty hands towards the swordsman who will become the Holy Sword, I'd rather pluck out my own eyes."
His eyes no longer shone with arrogance and envy. They were gazing at Helgurum with a serene light, reminiscent of Raon.
“Ha….”
Helgurum gritted his teeth.
"So many annoying things are coming at me today!"
He gritted his teeth and threw the spear he held like a harpoon. The storm-like astral sphere on the spearhead shot towards Mustan as if to obliterate him.
Paaaang!
But his spear strike crumbled before a single white sword, only hitting the river.
Fwooosh!
As the water surged and fell, the figure of an old white-haired swordsman was revealed. It was Rector, the master of the bloody sword of the Holy Sword Alliance.
“Rector….”
Helgurum's chin trembled.
"You, you too are interfering..."
“You were the one who touched my disciple first.”
A shimmering haze of energy ignited beneath Rector’s feet. The chilling killing intent was so intense that the nickname "Sword Demon" seemed insufficient.
“This is self-defense, you South-North Union scum.”
