Kays Translations

Chapter 45: The Red Plate of Extreme Flame [Afterward]

“The time you are allowed is a moment, and yet you’re worried about me.”

It’s a fair point, but Ren wants that moment —- to be an instant.

The breath is now once more approaching.

The heat wave will vaporize everything in an instant, to make Ren disappear.

(Endure! I really only need a moment!)

All I need is that one moment.

Then I can resist. I can bare my fangs at the red dragon.

—- Ren was going to put everything he had into the next blow.

It’s still going to be difficult before the heatwave.

Even though, he has to go even further.

He feels like giving up. He wants to give up.

A number of unquenchable emotions birthed in his mind, but despite them, he was determined to not give it another chance.

“Sleep in the Flames. Weakling.”

He thrust out his fist to challenge the red dragon’s breath once more.

…… Yes. A moment less than a second.

In a short time that felt like minutes or even tens of minutes to Ren, the spreading hellfire quickly burned Ren’s shield.

A moment after touching it, it turns into a particle of light, and just by touching it, everything is reduced to ashes.

But just a moment, Ren wanted a moment.

The edges of his mouth slightly hung up, never said it aloud.

(My body will burn up first —- or else)

Asval’s breath was directed at him, and Ren’s resolve overcame him. The acceleration he risked his life for was slightly faster than the speed at which Asval’s breath changed angles.

He ran up the ground and continued to accelerate upward.

Eventually, he reached the same height as Asval’s eyes. —-

He throws another projectile with all the strength in his muscles.

The iron sword, which had left Ren’s hand, flew like a comet as it reflected the lights around it.

The sword was thrust into the remaining horn on Asval’s head.

It was a mournful cry, clearly different from the previous ones.

『Such a blunt thing —- has wounded my horn! 』

The shimmering red wind that Asval wears.

The red scales on the huge body are crumbling away in the blink of an eye.

Towards Asval, who swung his whole body while swinging his tail left and right――――Ren used the fallen rock as a foothold and flew further.

Landing on the corner as it was and placing both hands on the handle, he pulled the iron magic sword forward with his weight.

“Kuh—! More!”

Perhaps it is because of the heat and red wind involved, but there is no previous heat after the wound on the horn.

However, this did not mean that it wasn’t hot, and the burning pain was still present, and Ren’s clothes were beginning to burn even more.

But he’s not dying.

The heat that should have killed him in an instant before has weakened to the point where he can endure it this way.

“——!?』

The pain conveyed by the iron magic sword moving to go deeper and cut it off.

Asval shook and shook his body louder than ever, and stretched out his stiff arms to grab Ren.

But just before he could grab Ren, he yelled out.

Ren gouged the horns even harder, causing Asval to wince.

—-The blade went through more than I thought it would.

Even with the power exerted in the impending crisis, Asval’s horns aren’t as hard as I had expected.

Because he’s undead, or because he lacks the strength to sustain his body. Otherwise, it would have been extremely difficult for Ren to even wound him now.

Whenever Asval swung his head vigorously, Ren would have been blown away if he wasn’t careful.

—- Soon.

A crack appeared, and reddish-black fresh blood splashed from inside the horn.

Asval shouted, bellowed and Whimpered.

Ren continued to endure as Asval’s neck was still being swung around.

But Asval turned his head to the ground and led him to the lava flow there.

“———!”

Still, Ren didn’t pull away or run.

Even though he knew that certain death awaited him if he was thrown into the lava flow, he was convinced that if he missed this opportunity, there was no chance of winning.

(It’s already …… a little ………)

The wildly swung scythe neck twitched like a whip.

The lava flow loomed. The heat was pressing in, trying to drown Ren in the flames.

But —-.

Finally, a crack formed in the corner.

The cracks covered the circumference of the horns as the battered Ren howled, and a flash of crimson flooded out with fresh blood.

It was more suitable to say that the root was broken rather than cut off. Broken debris and fresh blood flowed from the cross section, and Ren’s body, dazzled by the crimson flash, floated in the air with a huge horn that left the dragon’s head.

“Ah——-!』t.

On the other hand, Asval, the red dragon.

Asval falls on the ground, his huge frame making the ground shake with the shock and pain that hit his whole body, starting from the remains of the horns.

The remains of his scales were strewn about, and fresh blood splattered in a jet-black haze.

The boy who Asval called a weakling, —- Ren, approaches the slightly exposed magic stone, while he tries to attack Ren by raising his huge body driven by rage, shouting “You” in a hoarse voice.

As soon as his feet hit the ground, his body wobbled several times during the rush, and his vision was blurry and he clearly knew he was nearing his limit.

Ren had finally reached his limit.

Asval was trying so hard to raise his huge frame. Ren reached the slightly exposed magic stone, raised his proud iron magic sword.

“I told you—- I’m serious!”

It was as much as he could muster.

He commanded his body, which was creaking like a gear that had run out of oil, and slammed the iron magic sword into the magic stone where Fiona was waiting.

Asval stretches his neck high into the sky and releases his breath carelessly.

Ren never stops and repeatedly strikes Asval’s magic stone hard.

The second blow, which focused only on destroying the magic stone.

The third blow with relief that Fiona, who looked like a magic stone, is still alive.

The fourth blow, never letting down his guard as he hears Asval’s screams.

The fifth blow, with a roar of fierce encouragement, shattered the iron sword and cracked Asval’s magic stone.

『OOOOOOOOOOO——-』

Asval’s roar shook the underground space.

The overflowing lava gained momentum, and the unprecedented shaking made the rocks pouring down from far overhead even more threatening in number and size.

The magic power hidden in the rocks caressed Ren’s cheeks.

The magic power that had nowhere to go wrapped around Ren’s bracelet and the arm itself.

(Tsu—-This… at the very end)

Ren’s arm was painfully burnt as a result. The epidermis was stained reddish black, and if he tried to force it, he’d feel intense pain.

The bracelet glowed on its own as he held and worked on the burned arm with his safe arm.

Words floated on the crystal that adorned the bracelet.

_____________________

Magic Sword of Flame (Level 1: 1/1)

____________________

I’m not that happy about it.

Although I know that it was obtained from the magic stone of Asval, one of my arms became useless when I obtained this magic sword.

To be honest, the arm is more important in this situation, which causes a bitter look on my face.

…… Anyway, the priorities are not the same.

Ren forced himself to pick up Fiona’s body and release her from Asval.

She gently opens her eyes and looks up at Ren. Her eyes were still powerless and her consciousness wasn’t fully awakened, but she definitely looked at Ren.

“…… Adventurer-san?”

“I’m sorry for being late.”

He leaves Asval’s side, holding Fiona in his arms, with a greasy sweat on his forehead and a strong smile on his face.

He also thought about finishing Asval here.

It was eerily quiet, and he thought that Asval, stiff with his neck stretched out, was already dead, but he wasn’t.

Ren instinctively sensed the danger and decided to run away once he had taken Fiona.

“……Sorry.”

Fiona shed tears on his chest as he runs away.

“I …… really ……”

“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”

“It’s not anyone’s fault. No one knew this was going on —- but you protected me, so you don’t have to apologize.”

The gentle voice soothed her heart, and tears welled up again.

Fiona tried to ease Ren’s pain as much as possible, using what magic power she had left in her body to put her hand on the burns on his arm.

A pleasant cool air enveloped his arm.

Then she stood to her feet.

Ren thanked her softly and quickly caught a certain road in his view.

The road ahead was hazy, but there was no mistaking it.

(It’s going to be all right.)

Asval’s horns were shattered by Ren, and the magic stone was also destroyed, which weakened its power to an extreme degree.

The lava flow, which had been affected by the disaster, gradually calmed down.

This allowed Ren to see one of the paths leading to the outside.

Ren lent a shoulder to Fiona and began to move forward with her.

“Shii…. Shiii..”

Don’t forget.

Asval is still in this underground space.

With his horns shattered and his magic stone gone, Asval had lost all the intelligence he had just a few minutes before, and his whole body was beginning to rot even more.

His eyes are glowing blue, and the flames leaking from his mouth have turned into a miasma.

Every time he moved his feet, the stench of decay and the noxious air came up from the ground.

No matter how undead they are, if the magic stone is shattered, they should have died. ……

The way it kept moving, trying to rot its entire body, reminded me of the vigor it had before it was dead.

Eventually, the rotting body should lie down and fall into a sleep from which it will never awaken again, but I can’t imagine how long it will take.

(Somehow, we’re going to have to get out —-.)

The only thing on Ren’s mind was to get out of here.

He no longer had the strength to fight anymore.

It’s probably the same for Fiona.

She, too, had been taken in by Asval’s magic stone, and her own strength had been sucked out of her, so it seemed that she didn’t have much strength in her body.

That’s why it came down to the first objective.

To leave the Baldor Mountains with Fiona and send her safely back to Eupheim, no matter what it took. The aftermath and the Demon religion matter would then be dealt with.

…… My feet are heavy.

The visibility is even more hazy and the edges are getting darker.

(A little more…..but I’m…..)

My limits had long been exceeded, and I could no longer fool myself into thinking that I was moving only with energy.

The foot that had pushed me forward missed the ground, and I almost fell forward in a heap.

“Tsu …… adventurer-san!”

But Fiona holds me back.

I’d been giving her a shoulder to lean on, and now she was the one who supported me.

Most of his vision was tinged with darkness and Ren, who was beginning to lose consciousness, muttered, “Please run away”.

But Fiona never nodded.

She kept moving her feet, slower than when she was on Ren’s shoulders, but she kept on moving.

“Fu…fu…shiiii.”

There was a sickening sound from behind.

Fiona turns around for a moment and there’s Asval looming over the two of them.

The fact that he was running with his corroded body, scattering the miasma, is downright hideous.

The legend, too, was immense if you think it would be like that if it fell.

“Uh… don’t come……!”

Fiona, who had more magical power than Ren, created a wall of ice.

The ice wall, which was supposed to be strong, was broken through as if it had never been there in the first place, and Fiona gasped as Asval approached without stopping.

“Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo —-!』

Asval’s stiff arms poked the ground again and again.

The gouged star agate turned into stone rubble and flew away, turning into bullets and hitting Ren and Fiona.

The next time they came close to each other, Fiona used a wall of ice to protect them, but Asval quickly closed the distance between them, getting close enough to crush them both if he swung his hard arm down next,—-.

“Huh..!”

Finally, the hard arm reached them.

The two were able to get to the ground in time and covered themselves with the same solid, thick, crystalline ice that Fiona had used to protect Ren from the flame Breath.

However, Fiona’s cheek scrapes the ground as she falls to the ground from the impact, and red blood runs down her cheek.

For some reason, the blood changed color as soon as it touched Ren.

Fiona herself didn’t notice, but it had changed color from red to black.

“Re…… uh. Adventurer-san.”

Fiona approached Ren, who had fallen down together with her without support, and repeated “I’m sorry” over and over again.

From outside the ice wall, the sound of Asval swinging his stiff arms down repeatedly can be heard.

Asval had gone out of control, but his physical strength was far more fragile than when he was fighting Ren, and it took him a long time to break down Fiona’s ice.

“When the ice is broken, I’ll wrap myself around you again in the same way.”

She says, placing Ren’s fallen head on her own knee, her cheeks wet with tears along with fresh blood.

“I’ll definitely stop that dragon so that you alone can return to Clausel…… So, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I got you into this.”

Her voice trembled.

It seemed hoarse.

“… I’m sorry that you made a promise to me.”

She touched Ren’s cheek for the first time, saying sorry for the umpteenth time.

She carefully wiped the sweat from his cheek and secretly expressed her gratitude for the fact that he had risked his life to protect her.

Soon, a huge crack appeared in the ice wall.

Fiona saw it and knew it was time to say goodbye.

“Thank you so much for looking out for me at the —- fort.”

At the end, she really wanted to say something.

“It was about a year, but you made it possible for me to spend my last hours living like a person.”

She wiped away a tear.

“Good-bye. Ren-sama.”

She said her parting words.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Was he dreaming, or was he in the afterlife?

When he came to, HE was walking alone in a strange corridor.

— what is going on?

I was supposed to be fighting Asval and trying to get out of the Star Agate underground passageway…… but where the hell am I?

My senses were sharp for a dream, and I had the feeling that it was not the afterlife.

So the question becomes, where am I after all?

—-The corridor is a spacious place with black marble floors.

On either side of the corridor, there are beautiful stained glass windows at equal intervals, and the area outside the stained glass windows is dark, as if at night.

The high ceilings have magnificent chandeliers that illuminate Len’s path.

I wondered what it was …….

After a while, a huge door appeared.

It had intricate carvings on it, and no matter how many times Ren tried to open it, it wouldn’t open.

However, it was opened easily by a certain thing.

“I’m sorry you had to make that promise to me ……”

Just when I thought I heard Fiona’s voice, I heard the sound of a key opening the door from inside.

The door then opened on its own, inviting Ren inside.

The cylindrical walls are covered with stained glass windows.

The stained-glass windows here were even more luxurious than those in the cloister.

The painted glass, which was probably a war scene or something, was majestic and breathtakingly powerful.

The sound of footsteps echoed through the room.

Ren was alone in this room.

After hearing the lonely echoes of footsteps, Ren noticed a pedestal placed in the center of the room.

On the pedestal was a long, jet-black sword.

Ren stepped under the sword.

Behind him, the sound of a door closing rang out, but he paid it no mind.

His thoughts of why he was here and where he was had disappeared, and his attention was now focused solely on the jet-black long sword.

Standing in front of the pedestal, Ren stared at the sword for a moment.

Then he heard a voice saying

『I really appreciate you taking care of me at the —- fort. 』

It was again.

Out of nowhere, he heard Fiona’s voice.

I felt as if it was coming from my own side, or perhaps from some distant other world, a strange sensation.

“It was only about a year, but thanks to you, I was able to spend my last hours living like a human being.”

Ren thought he wasn’t yet dead.

Fiona’s words, the ultimate in sadness reaching his ears, made Ren impatient to get back to her somehow—-

But I don’t know.

He wondered how he could get back outside, and a moment later, his eyes fell on a long, jet-black sword.

I thought it was impossible, but I felt the sword spoke to me.

“Good-bye. Ren-sama.”

Hearing Fiona’s voice, Ren approached the jet-black sword.

……Suddenly, he felt his bracelet glowing and turned to look at it.

__________________

… ？？？？ (Level 1: 1/1)

_____________________

There was the same notation as the magic sword that manifested under the influence of Licia’s magic power when he fought Jerukku.

So is this jet-black long sword the one? Was it related to the power that Fiona had hidden away, and was there a magic stone in her body as well? —- and Ren thought for a moment.

But it felt different.

Ren calmly recalled the sound of a lock opening following Fiona’s voice.

If that is the case, then this jet-black long sword would be the one that Ren had from the beginning.

(I still don’t understand.)

For a moment, Ren thought she had a magic stone in her body, but he laughed it off as absurd.

“But whatever.”

Ren says aloud.

“If you can help her, lend me your strength.”

As soon as he says this, Ren’s body begins to change.

The long, jet-black sword in his grasp, the dense magical power flowed into his body without stopping.

It was strange that he could walk when he was fully wounded to begin with, but even without that, a sense of satisfaction that he had never experienced before enveloped his body.

The feeling of physical fullness lasted for a while, and as soon as it was over, the jet-black long sword disappeared.

Then …… he heard a door open from behind him.

Behind the door, a dazzling light filled the room, and it was different from before. The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that the sword is a sword of fire.

In his mind, he naturally thought of the magical sword of fire.

He thought it was the power he needed to defeat Asval.

But earlier, I felt that I couldn’t handle it because of my intense headache. But now, thanks to the magical power poured in from the long, jet-black sword, these worries were no longer on my mind.

“Come out! Magic sword of flame.”

As he commands it, Ren put it in the hand that is not wearing the bracelet, the hand that was gripping the jet-black long sword just a few moments ago.

A straight sword with flames in it was summoned as a matter of course.

___________________

The Flame Magic Sword (Level 1: ■/1)

___________________________

But as Ren approached the door, the situation changed.

The flames that the magic sword of flame clothed gradually changed color, and the sword body also extended, getting closer to the straight sword.

The sword’s hilt also changes size as he takes another step forward, and the sword’s hilt and blade, which were previously silver, change color to a tarnish-free gold.

__________________

Flame Sword Asval(Level: ■■/1)

______________________

At the same time, Ren feels as if all of the power he has gained from the jet-black long sword is being absorbed by the magic sword of flame.

The phenomenon continues with each footstep, and the flaming sword becomes a long sword as tall as Ren, and changes its name, which is reflected in the crystal of the bracelet.

The name reflected on the bracelet’s crystal—- is Flame Sword Asval,.

When he stood in front of the door that showed the light-filled destination, Ren felt pain in his body. He felt a sense of weariness. He felt a headache due to the fact that his magic power was almost depleted.

The burn on his arm, which he had forgotten about, also ached, making him ready to face the reality of what lay ahead.

(But I have regained enough vitality to move in this way, and I have the golden magic sword in my hand.)

What was that jet-black long sword?　And why is it that the flame magic name has changed and it looks as if it has undergone an evolution.

“Well… whatever.”

If Fiona’s power is involved here, all I have to do is ask her directly.

Yes, after all is said and done. After the runaway Asval is defeated. I’ll ask her what kind of skills she has.

Muttering these words, Ren took a heroic step into the light.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

After saying goodbye to Ren, Fiona had been protecting him, using ice magic to block Asval’s attacks over and over again.

Asval’s hard arm was coming closer and closer.

She was convinced that the next time she would be unable to handle it and lose her life.

“…….”

However, it didn’t take Fiona’s life.

Fiona’s trembling shoulders were pulled back by Ren. The hard arm that had been closing in on her was repelled by the flames from the sword he held in his hand.

“Uh…… Ren….san?”

The sudden change from the depths of despair.

The girl’s face was suddenly dyed with surprise and she looked up at Ren with a startled look.

Seeing that the girl had a single tear running down her cheek.

“I’m sorry for the delay in introducing myself, but my name is Ren Ashton.”

—- Ren gave her a gentle smile.

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