Chapter 261 |
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[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
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The stone building, as old as the history of Rosenstark itself, stood quietly illuminated under the faint moonlight.
The library seemed isolated from the distant clamor, wrapped in silence.
But this did not last.
The metallic sound that had driven fear into the heart of the academy began to echo within the library.
Yol, the skeletal knight, crossed the open space leisurely.
Unlike his main body, which was three meters tall, his avatar was of ordinary size, yet it exuded an unending eeriness.
[…]
Stopping about thirty paces from the library entrance, Yol raised his sword without any warning.
Though it wasn’t the bone sword of his main body, the sword held by his avatar was also a dreadful cursed sword.
Black magic swirled around its pitch-black blade.
This was a silent threat that he would destroy the entire library if no one appeared.
Although the Library of Memories was an abstract space created by Zero’s magic, it was nonetheless anchored in reality through Rosenstark’s building.
If the library were destroyed while its mainstay, Rosalyn, was inside, the place would collapse and cease to exist.
Thus, the librarian had no choice but to respond to the provocation.
Creak-
The main door opened.
“How uncouth…”
The voice came first.
Rosalyn slowly walked out from inside, her white hair and long robes fluttered.
Her deep, wise eyes gazed at the intruder.
“There is no place in my library for a wretched undead like you.”
Yol gazed silently at Rosalyn.
Fwoosh-
A lifeless blue flame flickered in his deep eye sockets.
[…You reek]
A homunculus.
A life artificially created by mere mortals.
Having governed countless lives and deaths, Yol felt a subtle irritation from the homunculus.
It was the peculiar, unnatural vitality, a life born not of fate but of thorough calculation and precision.
To Yol, this was an abhorrent stench that he wished to rid himself of as soon as possible.
[Rosalyn Requiem]
Clatter-
Yol took a step forward as he called Rosalyn’s name.
Simultaneously, complex patterns began to emerge behind her.
It was a sign of powerful magic, but Yol paid it no heed as he continued.
[Theo needs you to solve the riddle]
A legacy of Zero and a repository of memories.
The library, holding the memories of countless people who had passed through it.
In this invasion, Theo had specifically asked Yol to secure her.
“Yol, I will grant you full authority over this invasion as you requested. However, there is just one thing. Secure Rosalyn for me.”
“She is the key to unlocking many suspicious mysteries. If these mysteries are solved… Yes, we will grasp victory.”
“So you must secure her at all costs.”
In response, Yol had promised to secure Rosalyn.
Of course, there was no need to keep her alive.
Theo could extract the desired information even from a fragmented homunculus.
Yol merely had to crush her weak resistance and deliver Rosalyn to Theo.
‘Securing Rosalyn is the end of it.’
To secure Rosalyn without any variables, Yol had allocated as much as 20% of his main body’s power to his avatar.
Once she was secured, he could return that power to his main body.
It would take less than an hour before the struggling members’ heads all rolled.
‘…These worms don’t even realize the outcome is already decided.’
With the hero absent, the fall of Rosenstark was inevitable.
He would use their corpses to bring Rosenstark to ruin.
Bang-!
Yol kicked off the ground and charged at Rosalyn.
Rosalyn responded immediately.
Whirr-!
Rosalyn, embedded with Zero’s arcane knowledge, could cast the magic of the First Era.
She chanted an ancient spell, gathering her mana.
Golden rings floated in the air.
Countless fragments of light poured out from within, blocking Yol’s charge.
They resembled hundreds of flower petals scattering in the wind.
Each possessed immense destructive power.
However…
Boom-!
A whirl of sword energy from Yol’s sword scattered and neutralized them all.
Yet, there was no surprise on Rosalyn’s face.
She had anticipated this outcome.
She was not a homunculus designed for combat.
No matter how much it was just an avatar, she could not stand against Yol, the most powerful among the legion commanders.
Buzz-
Therefore, Rosalyn stood still, pouring out all her mana.
She intended to deplete as much of Yol’s power, which would return to his main body, as possible.
Hundreds and thousands of fragments of light surged toward Yol, and Yol steadily swung his sword to break through them.
Crash-!
The ground caved in.
Amidst the thunderous noise and flashes, the distance between the two, initially thirty paces, gradually closed.
Twenty paces.
Ten.
Five.
One.
Crunch-!
Yol’s sword pierced the exhausted Rosalyn’s abdomen.
The skeletal knight murmured as if intrigued.
[Surprisingly red]
Her librarian’s robe turned crimson from the abdomen down.
Although a homunculus was less vulnerable to Yol’s ‘absorption’ than a human, this was a fatal wound.
Rosalyn slumped towards the ground.
Yol withdrew his sword and raised it high again.
With an emotionless motion, as if a farmer harvesting crops, he brought the sword down.
.
.
.
Clang-!
Leciel watched as her shape-shifter sword shook violently.
The blade made a sound like a crying child.
It wasn’t just the sword.
Waves of pain and convulsions ran from her hand holding the sword to her shoulder.
‘…Still, it’s a success.’
The moment she faced Yol’s avatar, Leciel realized he was an opponent she couldn’t handle.
To block such an enemy’s strike, she had to use the strongest sword technique she knew….
“…Countless One Strike.”
Relying on her senses and instincts, she mimicked the hero’s sword that had defeated her grandmother.
The result was a great success.
Leciel deflected Yol’s sword and managed to position herself in front of Rosalyn.
Rosalyn, who had resigned herself to death, tilted her head in puzzlement.
Such astounding talent.
“Miss Leciel, it’s been a while.”
The two were acquainted.
There had been a time when Leciel’s memories were searched to catch a swindler.
It hadn’t been that long, yet it felt like ages.
Leciel bit her lip and asked,
“…Are you alright?”
“Of course.”
Leciel knew that was a lie.
She turned her gaze away from Rosalyn’s wounds, which were beginning to turn ashen.
[……]
Meanwhile, Yol stared intently at Leciel, then glanced at his own back leg that had been pushed back several steps.
If he had muscles left to show expression, it would have been a sight.
[Another Hiyashin]
He was also a being bound by the undead’s constraints.
He was always intrigued by fiercely burning humans.
Yol readied himself again.
An immature Hiyashin, not yet fully ripened but a swordsman worthy of his legion.
Leciel was about to gather her momentum when a faint voice reached her ear from behind.
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[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
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“Miss Leciel.”
Unable to take her eyes off Yol, Leciel answered without looking back.
“Just hold on a little longer. I’ll take you to a place where you can be healed….”
“Don’t fight. Run away.”
Leciel was about to respond with ‘I can’t do that’.
“Of course, take me with you.”
“…What?”
Boom-!
It was right as Rosalyn finished speaking.
The final reserve of her magic, saved for the ‘self-destruction protocol’, exploded forward with a power even Yol could not disregard.
Leciel seized the moment.
Slash-!
With a full-strength sword attack, she scattered the sword energy and used the recoil to turn and grab the collapsed Rosalyn.
Maybe due to the significant blood loss, the homunculus felt almost weightless.
Tatatak-
Leciel ran.
Where should she go to treat a homunculus?
The Department of Mysticism?
Wherever she went, she had to avoid the central area.
Yol’s main body was there.
Running, she murmured incessantly.
“Just hold on. Just a bit longer….”
Her words felt hollow, and she bit her lip.
Yet Rosalyn’s voice remained as calm as ever.
“Can you do me a favor? It’s not very difficult.”
“…Yes, anything.”
If it’s a request from Zero’s homunculus, it must be extremely important.
Leciel listened closely.
“Don’t hate them too much.”
“…What?”
“Sometimes, lies are inevitable. So, don’t hate them too much.”
She had no idea what Rosalyn meant.
But Leciel nodded.
This allowed Rosalyn to ease some of her worries about her sibling.
* * *
…And the Hero woke up.
In the darkness, his consciousness rapidly surfaced.
Fortunately, unlike humans, doppelgangers did not suffer from fatigue upon waking from dreams.
The Hero, regaining his clear mind immediately, tried to grasp the situation.
“…You should start by looking at this.”
Izaro handed him the communication orb.
The orb, blinking with numerous messages, was piled high with reports.
The majority were from Mother Ghost and Nyhill, but there were also occasional reports from Pia and Yussi.
However, Yussi’s reports, which had been frequent at first, had stopped two hours ago, and Pia’s reports were becoming increasingly sparse.
‘Recently, only Nyhill and Mother Ghost.’
The most recent communication was from 13 minutes ago.
Mother Ghost had summarized the academy’s situation in a message.
The Hero’s sharp eyes paused momentarily on the casualty report.
Yol’s invasion.
The report, listing only information without any emotions or unnecessary details, quickly forced the situation into the Hero’s mind.
He suppressed anxiety, fear, and sorrow before they could erupt.
Emotions could be dealt with later.
If he lost his composure now, the emotions he would have to face later would be several times harsher.
With a few deep breaths, the Hero brushed away all confusion and fear.
‘Alright, let’s plan first.’
His forte—observation and analysis—began to kick in.
The reports from his comrades and subordinates were very detailed, providing enough data for him to visualize the situation as if he had been in Rosenstark himself over the past three hours.
It didn’t take long for the Hero to fully grasp the situation.
He looked at Maktania and Izaro and spoke.
“I need your help.”
The two couldn’t hide their surprise.
They knew very well what Rosenstark meant to the Hero.
It was essentially his ‘spiritual home’.
However, there was no sign of instability or anxiety on the Hero’s face.
There was only a resoluteness born of duty.
Feeling the same determination, both replied simultaneously.
“As much as you need.”
“Of course.”
“Open a portal.”
Even if he transformed into the fastest bird and flew, it would take days.
A portal was the only answer.
“Can you do it?”
“It’s possible, but…”
Izaro explained that both he and Maktania had expended most of their strength—Izaro from unsealing Maktania, and Maktania from removing the avatar from the Hero’s psyche.
It would take some time to recover enough to create a portal.
“Understood. Please, as quickly as possible.”
The Hero calmed his impatience and summoned Valber’s subspace.
▼
Accessing Valber’s Subspace
▲
A hand-sized doll, a two-dimensional representation of Larze, fell from a golden hole in the void.
Jingle—
The Hero grabbed and shook it.
“Larze.”
The answer came after a moment.
[Hm? What’s up?]
“Rosenstark is under Yol’s attack.”
[Hmm, this side is under Malekia’s assault. How coincidental.]
“…So you can’t help.”
[Right, if I leave, the Eastern Forces will be annihilated. I can do that if you want.]
The Hero shook his head.
“No, just let me use the power stored in the doll.”
[Alright, use it all.]
Understanding the urgency, Larze ended the communication without her usual nonsense.
Tsutsutsu—
At the same time, the doll slowly disintegrated and reverted to mana, which then seeped into Izaro.
Izaro nodded.
“Five minutes should do.”
“Good.”
He had already decided how to use the remaining five minutes.
Without hesitation, the Hero activated the Iris of Laplace.
▼
Initiating Avatar Duel
▲
…This wasn’t the first time he had dueled Yol in the avatar realm.
Malekia, Yol, Theo.
He had been dueling the ‘old trio’ whenever he found a spare moment recently.
But this duel was to confirm ‘something’.
It didn’t take long.
Wuuuuuuu—
By the time Izaro completed the portal, the Hero had finished his duel and returned to reality.
Izaro’s deep eyes looked at him.
“…It seems you’re ready.”
“It’s sooner than expected, but it can’t be helped. This is the only way.”
“……”
Maktania’s eyes, filled with pity and sorrow, turned towards the Hero.
Her slightly lowered eyebrows and barely trembling eyelids.
Although her excessive concern had been tiring him recently, it was a great comfort now.
“Alright then.”
The Hero stood before the glowing blue portal.
“…It’s time to go back.”
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[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
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