Chapter 126: Founding the Nation (2) |
TL/Editor: Rungir
Schedule: none
Illustrations: none
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"We are currently tracking the target. It seems we will soon enter the assault phase."
"…Finally!"
The corners of Ouroboros executive Sharin May's lips twisted into a smile at the shadow's words.
Her eyes gleamed with excitement.
One month.
"Are you sure you've confirmed it thoroughly?"
"Yes. After catching the first signal near the Imperial Capital, we've confirmed it five times with tracking magic. It's definitely the owner of a fragment of the Frost Queen's power."
The 'tracking magic' mentioned by the shadow wasn't meant for tracking people.
Taking a clue from what the demon Diral had said previously, Sharin May had created magic to track the 'Frost Queen's power fragment' itself.
Since one fragment was already in their possession, the method was simple.
All that was needed was to significantly amplify the resonance and synchronization between the fragments.
A few hours ago, Sharin May had activated the tracking magic over the entire capital, and instantly, they were able to detect the target.
"The owner? That bastard is nothing but a thief who stole from us."
Sharin's eyes flashed murderously as she responded to the shadow's words.
"But... It's strange that the first signal was detected near the Imperial Capital. Could it be someone from the Imperial side?"
"What does it matter? When have we ever acted cautiously concerning such matters? As long as it's not a direct descendant, it's fine. Besides, did you relay the message again? The one about capturing that bastard alive."
"…Yes. I've relayed it clearly."
The shadow answered, bowing his head.
"Good. I must tear that bastard apart with my own hands. Only then will I feel satisfied."
Only then did a smile spread across Sharin's lips, as if she was finally content.
Although she had already emphasized this before the assault team's departure, she wasn't reassured and had insisted on sending the message again.
Such was the depth of her obsession with the target.
"Is the assault team's power sufficient, though?"
At that moment, Diral, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, asked Sharin.
"I heard that the target alone annihilated an entire branch. Doesn't that mean they're quite strong?"
"No problem."
Sharin nodded confidently in response.
"Even if they had annihilated two branches alone, we've sent enough power to handle them."
The Red Scorpion Squad.
A force within the ranks of Ouroboros, specialized in one-against-many battles and assassination, formidable enough to give even her a hard time if she faced them alone.
Thus, the likelihood of failure was extremely low.
"Hmm…"
However, despite Sharin's confident words, Diral's expression was not bright.
'I have a bad feeling about this…'
The state of Third Prince Enoch just before his death and Sharin's current demeanor were strikingly similar.
'Should I prepare for the worst?'
Diral's eyes gradually sank with concern.
[End] - please keep this end tag at the end of the text
Gigaperthes, the Giant Slayer.
This legendary weapon was essentially in the form of chains but could partially alter its shape according to the wielder's will.
Therefore, as soon as the battle commenced, Zion transformed the tip of Gigaperthes into the shape of a scythe.
'In a battle against many, this form seems most suitable.'
Boom!
With the sound of compressed air bursting, a masked assailant rushed towards Zion, stopping right in front of him.
The masked individual, without hesitation, thrust a giant awl, coated with poison, towards Zion's heart.
However, the strike never reached Zion's chest.
Crack!
Suddenly, parts of the Gigaperthes chains bunched up, blocking the awl from the assailant.
Sparks flew from the friction.
Despite the simplicity with which his attack was blocked, the assailant's eyes did not waver.
Was this his aim from the beginning?
Crash!
In the meantime, other masked assailants, having taken positions on both sides and behind Zion, swung their weapons simultaneously.
The onslaught from all directions made it virtually impossible to escape without teleporting.
Yet, Zion did not move from his spot.
In fact, he made no attempt whatsoever to block the incoming attacks.
Just as the assailants' attacks were about to strike Zion's vital spots, he said,
"When facing such weapons."
A calm voice flowed from Zion, completely at odds with the situation.
Shrrrr!
Along with that, a sound resembling a giant armored beast crawling echoed, and then, Boom!
The heads of the assailants surrounding him vanished all at once.
"You should also pay attention to the back."
He had previously thrown the chain scythe behind him, pulling it to decapitate the assailants' heads in one swift motion.
Before the headless bodies could even fall to the ground, KABOOM!
A dozen spells struck the spot where Zion stood, causing a massive explosion.
The attacking mages of the assault team, who had been chanting spells since the battle began, fired their magic simultaneously.
The stage completely shattered, sinking downwards, and as the thick dust began to spread, whoosh!
Newly approached assailants thrust their poisoned awls into the dust.
A seamless sequence of attacks.
However, as the dust settled, the eyes of the assailants were filled with confusion.
"…?"
There was nobody in that spot.
Soon after, the sound of chains they had heard just a moment ago started to echo once again, chrrrr!
As the assailants turned their gaze towards the source of the sound above them, crack!
A dark blue chain scythe, twisting like a snake, descended, cutting down all the nearby masked individuals.
The attackers were sliced through without being able to block Zion's onslaught.
"He's above the lights!"
Perhaps this was the mark of an elite force trained to the extreme?
Despite being taken aback by the overwhelming power of the chain scythe, far surpassing their expectations, the mages and other long-distance attackers managed to pinpoint Zion's location and immediately started pouring down their attacks on him.
The intensity of this assault was incomparably fiercer than before, as if they intended to finish everything with this attack.
However, not a single one of those attacks reached Zion.
KABOOM!
The Giant Slayer, twisting in mid-air dozens of times, ascended rapidly, shattering all incoming attacks.
The chain scythe seemed to move as if it were a living creature, autonomous in its actions.
"…!"
The attackers' eyes widened in shock at this movement, which defied all logic.
Then, boom!
Zion, having retrieved the chain scythe, launched himself straight towards the mages.
'Not bad.'
Interest sparked in Zion's eyes towards this new weapon.
Although it was a form he was using for the first time and still felt unfamiliar, he was gradually getting used to it.
Moreover, by connecting soulstones at various points on the Giant Slayer, controlling it had become much easier.
"He's moving to the back! Block him, don't let him get close!"
Perhaps due to the battle not going as expected, a desperate shout came from what seemed to be the leader among the masked assailants.
Following that command, the front-line assailants charged at full speed towards Zion while the mages quickly retreated, firing another round of spells.
'Break through in the shortest distance.'
With that thought, Zion charged straight towards the barrage of magic aimed at him.
BOOM!
A massive explosion erupted as the spells hit Zion, causing the theater to shake wildly and spewing dust in all directions once again.
'That hit the mark!'
Just as the attackers saw this and a glint of triumph appeared in their eyes, whoosh!
Something burst forth from the dust right in front of them.
A figure clad in black armor, resembling a knight.
It was Zion, wrapped in the Giant Slayer all over his body.
Despite facing head-on spells powerful enough to demolish a house, the chains wrapped around Zion remained unscathed, radiating a dark blue luster.
"Block…!"
The mages, realizing Zion had surged right up to them, tried to react, but the release of Gigaperthes enveloping Zion was much quicker, chrrrr!
Like a coiled snake springing at its prey, the chain scythe spread out with terrifying speed.
Crack!
The darkened chain scythe, tainted by the Black Star, instantly shattered the mages' defensive spells and began tearing them apart.
"Aaagh!"
"Screams of agony"
The front-line masked assailants, rushing to stop Zion too late, proved futile.
Zion's chain scythe, now fully adapted, displayed even more bizarre movements, slicing through their weapons and bodies in entirety.
And so, the massacre began.
Such a scene appeared too feeble for a force considered a pillar of evil in the chronicles.
Yet, it made sense.
"Bl-block…argh!"
Ouroboros, as a group, was significantly weaker in direct combat compared to other heroes' enemies.
Their madness, indiscriminate terrorism regardless of time and place, and their operation through hidden cells made them difficult to confront.
Additionally, Zion's power had significantly increased since before.
"How did this…?"
The captain of the Red Scorpion Squad, Jansen, voiced his astonishment as he watched the massacre unfold.
The scene before him was vastly different from what he had anticipated.
'I heard they had the power to annihilate one branch…'
It was ludicrous.
How could this be considered the power to annihilate just one branch?
The Red Scorpion Squad, with the power to take on three branches, was being decimated without even putting up a fight.
An overwhelming difference in strength.
'No sign of the sword that was mentioned.'
Furthermore, they had received no information about Zion wielding such a chain scythe.
It was believable that the information was distorted intentionally to purge them.
'At this rate, we'll be annihilated before capturing anyone.'
The rapidly decreasing number of his troops.
Trained to the extreme and having survived countless life-and-death situations, his squad members were swept away like insects by the dark blue chain scythe without blocking it even once.
A veritable death in vain.
'But returning like this means death anyway.'
Jansen remembered.
Before coming here, how seriously Ouroboros executive Sharin May had emphasized the importance of this mission.
If they returned without any results, they would have to face Sharin May's wrath in full.
'I have to achieve at least a minor victory… Hm?'
That moment,
'That woman is…'
His eyes caught a woman sitting in a corner of the audience, looking at the battle with indifferent eyes.
The theater was very dark, and she had been so inconspicuous that he hadn't considered her part of the battle until now.
'She must be one of the target's companions.'
Since she hadn't participated in the fight, it was clear she was a non-combatant.
'…I'll take her.'
Given there were no apparent attempts to protect her, they seemed not to be closely related.
Still, capturing her would be better than leaving empty-handed.
It might even reduce Sharin's anger somewhat.
Once the decision was made, swift action was best.
Boom!
With the sound of compressed air bursting, Jansen's form shot towards the woman in the corner with incredible speed, leaving a trail behind.
Perhaps she hadn't expected anyone to come at her directly?
"…?"
The woman's eyes widened slightly as she saw Jansen approaching.
But before she could react, snap!
It was already too late.
Jansen extended his hand and subdued the woman in an instant.
Then, looking at the desperate battlefield, he shouted,
"Full retreat! We're pulling out!"
With those words, Jansen, carrying the limp woman, was the first to sprint towards the theater's exit at full speed.
Soon after, tatatat!
Realizing the situation, the other squad members also stopped fighting Zion and started following Jansen.
Thus, the Ouroboros members quickly faded into the distance.
"…"
Zion watched the fleeing enemies without pursuing, a question in his eyes.
'What's happening?'
This was an unexpected turn of events.
He hadn't anticipated they would kidnap Liushina, and that Liushina would let it happen.
Then, swish-
Liushina, seemingly limp from being kidnapped, subtly lifted her head to glance at Zion without others noticing.
The witch then gave a thumbs up with a gleeful expression.
"…"
With that, the attackers and Liushina completely disappeared from Zion's sight.
After a moment of silence,
"Uh… My lord."
Thierry and Eileen, who had been hiding and watching everything, approached Zion with an awkward tone.
"It seems she allowed herself to be captured on purpose… What will you do?"
Puzzlement was evident on their faces.
They had never expected the 'Witch of a Thousand Deaths' to be kidnapped.
"Actually, this works out well."
With that, Zion, who had been watching the attackers disappear through the exit, soon spoke in a languid voice.
"Taking this chance to dig down to their roots might not be a bad idea."
At Zion's words, Thierry and Eileen began to glow with anticipation.
"Understood."
"Then, we'll start tracking them right away."
With that response, they hurried out of the demolished theater, their steps brisk.
Following them, Zion also started to move at a leisurely pace.
'Did they say I wasn't qualified back then?'
Recalling the conversation with Ouroboros executive Sharin May at the auction house, Zion smirked.
The time to prove that qualification was coming faster than he thought.
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