Kays Translations

Chapter  63: Magic Enveloping the Sky

A fierce thrust of the Emperor’s lance surged forth.

War Emperor Benedict’s spear moved so swiftly that even sound was left behind, and its sharpness was such that a sword would be useless against it.

Once again, something mixed into Lucius’s field of vision.

The head of a red dragon.

The head of a white dragon.

Both heads had eyes filled with regret.

Then, an arm covered in black-silver scales extended.

—The vision of the Evil Dragon…

As Yu had mentioned before.

Sharing sensations with a dragon was possible.

And now, the shield reached its limit and shattered.

The Emperor’s attacks didn’t cease.

A lance enveloped in purple lightning pierced through Lucius’s shoulder.

Lucius grabbed the lance with the black-clad hand of his armor.

“I have also activated the fivefold vajra kongo jutsu formula. I will not be defeated by force either.”

Due to the clash of power, both sides reached a stalemate, freezing in place.

—What can I do to win?

He thought about it.

Then, through the magic core in his left hand, a strong intention flowed in.

“Grant me power.”

The Evil Dragon’s intention.

He had thought he had enough power.

The power of the Evil Dragon and the power of Chiyou seemed distinct.

But it was still lacking.

—Ah, I’ll give it to you… but…

Near Lucius was Yu, who seemed close to death.

Territory about to be lost.

A cruel future awaiting the citizens.

Images of Olivia and Lauren’s severed heads flashed in his mind.

“What should I do…”

Perhaps thinking Lucius was begging for his life, Benedict’s face lit up with amusement.

“Fret not. I won’t take your life here. Though that’s my intention for all of them.”

“How can I… be given power?”

“What are you talking about?”

Lucius charged magic into his left hand.

“Answer me… right now! Give it to me now! Tell me!”

“Have you gone mad? Well, you’re still a child. Can’t be helped.”

Emperor Benedict exerted more strength into the lance.

Despite the spear embedded in his shoulder and the pain, Lucius continued to question the Evil Dragon.

“You’re the one who wanted this, right?! Evil Dragon!!”

The vision of the Evil Dragon appeared again.

Consuming the head of a red dragon.

Consuming the head of a white dragon.

Abruptly.

Too abruptly, the Evil Dragon began to absorb the excessively concentrated magic energy in the air.

Magic energy interfered with the mind.

What drifted in the atmosphere was magic energy that touched the spirits of countless humans and creatures on the battlefield.

The Evil Dragon writhed in agony.

To directly absorb a large amount of other monsters magic energy, it came with immense suffering.

Even though he had greater resistance than humans, monsters were not exempt.

This was the same for Lucius, who had a deep connection with the Evil Dragon and was synchronized with it.

“Aghhhh!!! Ughh… Ahhhhhhh!!!”

The pain was so intense that it felt as though his mind would shatter.

All sorts of vexations, pain, regrets, pleasures, fears, ecstasies were pounded into his brain.

Moreover, it wasn’t just for one person.

The emotions of hundreds, thousands of people and monsters flowed into him.

—My head is splitting!

The same pain as the “Ceremony of Bestowal of Magic” or even worse spread from his left hand to his entire body, from his body to his brain.

“…Are you alright?”

Emperor Benedict, who didn’t understand the situation, stared at Lucius as if he was seeing something strange.

“I have absolutely no clue what’s going on. Anyway, I’ll take you with me.”

Emperor Benedict increased his strength in the lance to finish this, but suddenly, a swift flash of a blade was unleashed.

Emperor Benedict swiftly stepped back.

A shallow cut was visible on his armor.

“…You’ve become sharply skilled all of a sudden. Could it be you were hiding your true strength?”

Facing Emperor Benedict was the figure in the black armor.

The armor didn’t respond.

Instead, it launched a sharp strike.

Emperor Benedict, who had evaded Lucius’s attacks with ease until now, was struck by the sword.

Or rather, he had no choice but to be hit.

“The style of attack is different from before. This isn’t Lucius… it’s Chiyou, right?”

The black armor countered, striking three times in an instant.

Emperor Benedict intercepted all three strikes with his lance.

“I can’t entrust this to an incompetent master.”

The battle between Emperor Benedict and Chiyou continued, with both of them exchanging blows repeatedly.

However, their blades only caused each other’s weapons to chip away, without reaching their bodies.

While battling Emperor Benedict, Chiyou spoke with a sense of bewilderment.

“You’re not being serious. Disrespect towards humans, the pleasure of battle, predicting techniques, everything is different.”

Chiyou mechanically continued to unleash storm-like strikes.

“…I see. You’re waiting for Lucius to regain his sanity. This is buying time. I can’t understand the thought process of monsters at all. Even if he returns, nothing will change.”

On the other hand, Lucius was on the verge of losing consciousness.

He was enveloped in Chiyou’s shell, and his entire body was drenched in cold sweat.

“Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…”

His breaths became shallow and rapid.

He couldn’t even take a deep breath.

“Assimilate everything.”

The powerful intention of the Evil Dragon continued to resonate in his head.

He understood.

What was needed for the evolution of monsters.

—Concentration of magic power and intent

Evolution had been observed at Mt. Kuron four years ago and ten years ago.

Both times, it was likely because the Empire’s magic tools were used, releasing a large amount of magic energy from magic stones.

Four years ago, there was a large-scale battle near the borders where Olivia’s brother died.

The magic energy from that battle flowed into Mt. Kuron, causing a localized increase in magic energy concentration.

Ten years ago, it wasn’t clear what happened, but the Empire must have used something involving large-scale magic tools near Mt. Kuron.

The magic energy from that event flowed into Mt. Kuron as well.

Without relying on magic tools, probably even spontaneous increases in magic energy concentration would have a similar effect.

Currently, the situation was the same as in the past.

Or rather, in terms of magic energy volume, it was far greater than battles taking place remotely.

The Evil Dragon had given Lucius a final warning due to sensing this keenly.

It was uncertain whether the Evil Dragon understood the Empire’s movements, but with the Empire’s surprise attack strategy, the magic energy concentration at Mt. Kuron had likely continued to increase.

Furthermore, the intentions of the contract.

One lumberjack-style spell had evolved into a faster form to escape from monsters.

One hunter-style spell had evolved into a flying form to escape from slipping on slopes.

One soldier-style spell had evolved into a healing form to heal wounded comrades.

And now, Lucius.

—Give me the power to defeat the army, to defeat the Emperor!

A vast amount of magic energy flowed in.

Lucius’s intentions.

Now, they intertwined.

—『Rebirth 』—

Just now, from the spot where the Evil Dragon had fallen along with the airship, something enormous leaped up.

“What’s that?”

Benedict, who had sensed the presence first, turned around.

However, he couldn’t catch sight of it.

It left only an afterimage in the sky and disappeared.

The next moment.

Something enormous descended behind Lucius.

It was a mass of magic energy.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it pure violence imbued with magic energy.

The three-headed Evil Dragon.

Black-silver scales.

Red patterns floated on some parts of its wings and scales.

The silver sheen grew brighter, reflecting light and resembling pure white.

Compared to the previous form of the black-silver Evil Dragon, it had grown by about two sizes.

Its arms, tail, and body had thickened.

Its wings had likely doubled in size to match the body’s expansion.

But most of all were its three heads.

Golden eyes, red eyes, emerald eyes.

The three heads and six eyes stared fiercely at Benedict.

The left and right heads seemed as though they couldn’t tolerate the humiliation and were about to pounce on him.

The central head seemed to be restraining them.

It seemed to be waiting for Lucius’s command.

Chiyou turned toward Lucius.

“…Fight as you wish.”

With ecstatic joy, the Evil Dragon attacked Benedict.

It struck like a beast tearing apart its chains.

“Even if you’ve grown in size a bit, what’s the point of it?”

The Emperor countered with his spear, vibrating the weapon.

He evaded the assault from the three heads and stabbed into the Evil Dragon’s chest.

Then, a burst of lightning erupted from the spear.

“You might have made an impressive entrance, but your hardness hasn’t changed at all. The outcome remains the same.”

A large amount of blood spurted out from the wound.

The blood rained down onto the battlefield.

However, by the time the Emperor had pulled the lance back to him, the wound had already vanished.

“Super regeneration, huh?”

On the other hand, the fallen blood had turned into puddles of red.

From those puddles, red tentacles began to extend in all directions, like primordial creatures.

“The blood puddles are attacking the soldiers…”

The tentacles grabbed the beastmen and Imperial soldiers nearby, then threw them into the red puddles.

From within the blood pool that swallowed hundreds of lives in an instant, something began to crawl out.

It was about the size of two horses.

What emerged had red-black scales and wings.

A wyvern with its front legs and wings fused together.

And it wasn’t just one.

There were countless wriggling within the blood pool.

Surprised, Benedict instinctively stepped back.

“Wyverns?”

————

“Savitri, bestow your protection!”

With Captain Karan’s command, magic energy was released from the magic circles behind.

At the front line stood feudal lords, knights, and soldiers from the eastern territories, including Lord Lilinths who hosted the Nine-Tails.

Since they began their retreat, numerous goblins had intermittently attacked.

“Fall back behind us!”

From the back of the griffon ridden by Olivia, numerous meteors were released.

The meteors of light mowed down the waves of beastmen soldiers.

After a brief pause, they simultaneously self-destructed.

A wind mixed with the scent of blood swept through the area.

“Still as amazing as ever.”

Even after seeing it numerous times, Lord Lilinths, the feudal lords, and the knights couldn’t hide their admiration.

Tact’s soldiers proudly accepted their accolades.

At the forefront, the ones continuing to fight were those who bore the names of the Four Great Nobles.

Inevitably, the morale of the aristocrats and knights rose.

Naturally, they were fighting while anticipating this very response.

Among them, Olivia stands out.

First class griffon were the main force of the unit and has become a pillar of support.

Olivia stands beside Lady Lilinths, wiping away sweat.

“The intervals between attacks have become shorter.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Lady Lilinths sends her gaze to the frightened citizens walking behind her.

The fleeing residents, who have left everything behind and escaped with only their lives, form an endless column.

The frequency of attacks has increased.

In other words, it meant that the Imperial forces were drawing closer.

For now, they can manage, but if the main force arrives, they will be swallowed up in an instant.

Lady Lilinths muttered in frustration.

“Are we left with no choice but to abandon those who can’t keep up?”

The pace of the people is slow.

Children, elderly, sick, and injured are among them.

Perhaps it’s the mentality of those in power, or maybe it’s just human nature, that prompts them to think of saving as many as they can.

“The next wave of beastmen and Imperial soldiers has appeared!”

The voice of a scout echoes around.

“They’ve come already!?”

Everyone holds their breath.

It’s too soon.

The suspicion crosses their minds that the main force might have already arrived.

Immediately, goblins, trolls, and Imperial soldiers mounted on horses come rushing up from the gently sloping hill ahead.

“There’s no point in complaining.”

Lady Lilinths readies her spear, swallowing her saliva.

Other lords and knights follow suit.

But something seems off.

Their footsteps aren’t in unison, as if they’re not attacking but running away.

“What… is that?”

Exactly as Lady Lilinths mutters, an inexplicable sight unfolds.

“…A flock of wyverns attacking the Imperial soldiers.”

About ten reddish-black wyverns.

Flying creatures attacking the Imperial soldiers and beastmen from the sky.

From the fact that they are spewing red particles, they are likely blood wyverns.

First class magic beasts that lives in some parts of the northern region. Because of its ferocity and poison, it’s considered dangerous in a different way from griffons.

It’s an upper-tier subspecies of wyvern that spews powerful corrosive poison. Its breath can dissolve not only living beings but also metals and rocks.

And, of course, it’s highly poisonous as well.

Olivia lets out an unintentional voice of surprise.

“Why are they here in the eastern region?”

She had heard that blood wyverns rarely emerge from the forests overgrown with poisonous trees and plants.

But here, there’s a flock of them.

And an even more inexplicable sight comes into view.

“… Knights are riding on the wyverns. No, are those Lucius’s armored soldiers?”

Wyverns that spew corrosive poison breath toward the Imperial and beastmen soldiers from the sky.

Armor and equipment turn black and crumble like rusted iron in an instant.

Naturally, the flesh encased in the dissolving armor follows the same fate.

Even those who managed to avoid the direct hit of the breath have their mobility stolen by the poison.

The Armored soldiers mechanically stab their victims without any emotion.

Though they hold Imperial weapons in their hands, they aren’t using any spells.

They seem to be using just spears and swords.

While staring in astonishment, the wyverns completely dissolve the Imperial and beastmen soldiers.

The blood wyverns that land on the ground and lap up the red liquid of the dissolved soldiers, recovering their magic energy.

In the meantime, the armored soldiers collect weapons that haven’t melted yet.

“What on earth is that… it’s like the Dragon Knights have come back from the underworld?”

Lady Lilinths is at a loss for words.

Everyone present, including the citizens, opens their mouths in shock.

“Communication team, we have received a response! We’ve reestablished contact!”

Suddenly, a report comes from one of the knights.

Lady Lilinths expression brightens.

“…So they’re still alive?”

It’s a communication from the unit that was sent to gather information on the Imperial army’s situation.

“Quick, connect the Clairvoyance technique! We need to know the Imperial army’s status!”

In response to Lady Lilinths call, other knights raise their voices.

“There’s a request for external communication!”

“At a time like this, who cares about external communication!”

“B-But, this is signed by His Majesty.”

“His Majesty?”

“Also, there are requests coming from the capitals of the western, southern, and northern provinces. All of them bear the Four Great Nobles’ coded messages.”

Captain Karan stands next to Lady Lilinths, smiling.

“It seems they understand the gravity of this battle. The future of the nation is at stake.”

Olivia suggests.

“They probably won’t want to talk right now. Instead, let’s use the Clairvoyance image as a substitute.”

“That’s true.”

Following Lady Lilinths instructions, a water mirror about three meters in size floats up in front of everyone.

An image quickly forms within the water mirror.

“What in the world is this!?”

Lady Lilinths exclaims in a voice close to a scream.

The image that’s projected shows over a hundred wyverns carrying knights, flying around.

And they’re unilaterally trampling everything.

On the ground, Imperial soldiers and beastmen are fleeing.

Just like what they saw earlier, blood wyverns descend from the sky and release corrosive poison breath with red particles.

Those crumbling.

Those writhing in agony from the poison.

Those being mercilessly stabbed by the armored soldiers.

Even the Imperial weapons flying in the air aren’t safe from the corrosive breath. They’re showered with it from the open decks and fall one by one.

“I don’t understand.”

This is a battlefield where their comprehension can’t keep up at all.

Whether they can even call this a battlefield is uncertain.

Occasionally.

Three beams from something cut across the battlefield.

Two of them are red.

One of them is black.

The power that burns through the clouds and gouges the earth is something Olivia recognizes.

The Evil Dragon’s breath.

She can’t help but let out a sigh that’s almost like laughter.

“Lucius did something again, didn’t he?”

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