Kays Translations

Chapter 28: Priest of Regeneration [Part 2]

Why did Lizred say that the flame maybe stronger than her dragon’s breath? Why did he appear here, when Vane and the others struggled to deal with the waves of power that could have been stronger than the dragon’s breath, and how did he dispel them?

In the vast temple’s colonnade, an open space, the wind of Windea reached the seven people’s hair from outside the wall lined with pillars.

“Is it Ren?”

“Yeah.”

Vane may have been flustered. He had been so preoccupied with the fact that he and his companions were all injured that he hadn’t been able to think clearly. He hadn’t been able to properly comprehend Ren’s strength that he had just witnessed.

“He’s dangerous…”

“Oh I know.”

But they should have been able to defeat him with Vane and the others. Ren wondered about this situation.

“But don’t worry.”

He gave a short reply and a smile.

But that soon changed.

“Leave the rest to me.”

When he turned his face from Vane to Orphide… his smile disappeared from his face. 

For Vane, Ren, his classmate, had a different expression than he had ever seen before, the expression of Ren as the Sword Saint.

He thrust the flaming magic sword he had in his hand into the stone pavement.

Drawing the Mithril magic sword he carried at his waist, he advanced.

“…Who you are doesn’t really matter.”

Orphide swung his leg sharply. It was a magic bullet, a mass of magic power with significantly increased destructive power compared to before he had fallen once.

A magic bullet that quivered as if shaking the entire space, turning into flashes of black and red.

Vane was about to shout, “Ren!” but his voice disappeared.

It was a sight none of them had ever seen on the battlefield, the appearance of their classmate. Right now, he was trying to show it to everyone.

“…Why did you stand up again?”

It was like an unexpected event battle.

In fact, in the legend of the Seven Heroes, there had been an opportunity for Ren Ashton, Vane’s classmate, to help them in a crisis. This was exactly that.

Against Orphide’s attack, he showed no fear at all.

The Mithril magic sword was mowed down at an inconceivable speed, and the released magic bullets disappeared like clouds, surprising the descendants of the Seven Heroes more than ever.

There was silence for a few seconds.

Vane and the others were left speechless by Ren’s strength, and Orphide, who had just awakened, felt an increased tension in the presence of this sudden powerful figure.

It was Kaito who raised his voice in surprise as if he had burst a dam.

“What!? Ashton, you’re lying!?”

He had tried to protect Ren, but his body did not move as he wanted it to, and he was momentarily delayed in his reaction.

But it was clearly unnecessary.

…Not to mention that he even thought that if he intervened carelessly, he might interfere with Ren.

“That uniform is from the Imperial Military Academy, right? Did you come to help your friends?”

“…That’s not all.”

Ren answered succinctly and moved.

The stone pavement, which had been dissolved by the dragon’s breath, crumbled and floated up. The magic gathered in the debris.

At the center of the violent flow of magic power that seemed to explode at any moment was the Mithril magic sword.

Sanctuary’s Fall.

Ren used the technique that the Sword Demon had used, but now…

“But I have one more thing I want to ask you!”

As he swung the Mithril magic sword, he also used Sanctuary’s Fall on Orphide.

The descendants of the Seven Heroes were speechless at Ren’s strength, 

“………….”

Unable to completely block the Sanctuary fall, Orphide was sent flying and lost sight of Ren, who had been chasing him.

Ren’s presence suddenly appeared behind Orphide.

The Demon King’s priest’s heart is dominated by emotions that he did not feel when he was fighting Vane and his friends.

The feeling was different from when he was facing off against those seven.

An unmistakable superior!

Even though Orphide possessed absolute regenerative power, he couldn’t help but have respect for Ren’s attacks.

He tried to defend himself by covering both arms with magic, but the Mithril Magic Sword easily cut through Orphide’s magic without hindrance.

The sword strike left a single line from Orphide’s neck to his lower abdomen, but it didn’t draw any blood.

However, the effort to regenerate was incredibly taxing. He had to expend magic power beyond what was necessary to heal the visible wounds.

“I won’t hold back, Orphide.”

The Sovereign Blade – a special technique that only those at the level of a Sword Saint could use. The colors of the waves surrounding it were unique to each user, and their properties, aside from destructive power, also varied among users.

Ren’s Sovereign Blade produced two colors of waves – a pure, silvery white reminiscent of Licia’s power and a jet-black color reminiscent of Fiona’s power. Although the nature of the user’s abilities was still unknown, the destructive power was particularly noteworthy.

The Mithril Magic Sword, which Ren raised.

“A student has this much power?”

For Ren, this battle was about extracting information from Orphide.

He hoped to learn about the girl and perhaps uncover the reasons behind the tragedy in the legend of the Seven Heroes—the killing of Saint Licia.

There was no need to hold back in this fight.

The Mithril Magic Sword, surging with silvery white and jet-black power, was unleashed like a lightning bolt, releasing its full force.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa……..”

Following a roar that resembled a triumphant cry, a burst of power and the blade’s flash were directed at Orphide.

Against the envoy of the giant god, Wadatsumi, it was an attack that could almost take his life with a single blow. Orphide, who had been prepared to receive it, felt the overwhelming strength but had not expected it to be lethal.

The regenerative power he possessed was something special. While Vane’s attack had been effective against it due to the hero’s power, Ren’s power was supposed to be different—yes, he had thought so.

“How absurd…What!” 

But when it came to the Sword of Authority, it was a different story.

Ren himself still didn’t understand his own abilities, but for some reason, his power had proven effective against Orphide’s regenerative ability, just as Vane’s power had.

The Mithril Magic Sword, surging with silvery white and jet-black power, left multiple wounds on Orphide’s body.

Blood was flowing, bright red blood.

“You’re not using the power of the hero, and yet why can you negate my power…!?”

Orphide unintentionally uttered his thoughts, and Ren responded.

“The power you’re using… might be akin to divine power.”

The words of Klonoa in the headmaster’s office came to mind.

Divinity.

It was a characteristic of magic power that also filled Roses Caitas, and unless for exceptions like the hero, it was a special characteristic that could not be housed in a human body without a special method.

The same went for divinity, which was equivalent to the magic power of a god or the like.

Unless special means were used, it was a nature that would never be contained in a human body.

If Orphide’s regenerative ability also had divinity, it might explain why it had been so abnormal.

To that extent, divinity is out of common sense.

The power of a hero was effective against it because it had the properties of divinity, so it’s able to compare with other divinities.

But Ren’s sword of authority seemed to deny it, as Orphide had expressed.

Negating divinity might be the nature of the Sword of Authority.

(Well, I don’t care what it is.)

If he can suppress the enemy’s divinity, there’s nothing more to ask for.

The only thing to think about now is how to stop Orphide.

“The descendants of the hero, and your existence, were beyond my expectations!”

“Then what is it that you’re saying!?”

“I didn’t expect this outcome, even though I kept the Sword King, the Witch, and the Lion Holy Sanctuary’s Chief far away…!”

Having finished speaking, Orphide distanced himself from Ren.

And then the priest adjusted his glasses.

“Enough… I have nothing left to prove except with my life.”

He pierced his own chest. The hole in his chest didn’t bleed red but started oozing a black magic mist.

Orphide spread his arms wide, looking up at the sky.

He had something in mind.

Just as Ren was about to step forward to stop him, Orphide’s power spread across the stone floor faster than the wind, surging out of the temple’s colonnade and reaching the square. It began to erode the natural elements of Windea, even the water.

Ren swung the Mithril Sword to dispel the dark mist and said.

“Darker than the night, become the darkness.”

The magic Orphide released darkened the evening sky further. The seal of the Demon cult, which had been between his collarbone and chest, spread all over his body.

Literally, he was going to activate all the power he had created by burning his life force, combined with the power of the Demon cult’s seal. It was an enormous amount of magic energy, enough to make all of Windea tremble.

“Ren Ashton! The magic energy around us…” 

Nemu said, looking at the readings on her magic device. There seemed to be a disturbance in the wind and water magic, slowly turning into a corrupting miasma that began to affect people and the land.

Seeing this, Squall used his magic and said.

“Are you planning to destroy all of Windea?”

“Fufufu… This place is filled with holy power. Let’s end it in a grand fashion,” 

The Demon cult priest said as he clenched his fists.

As they fought, Windea continued to transmit tremors from within.

It was easy to imagine what would happen if this continued.

Given the name of the place, Windea, where water and wind reside, it’s likely that the surrounding terrain will be affected significantly. The landscape may change dramatically, resembling the climax of the Seven Heroes of Legend Part I, like the Baldor Mountains.

However, Ren had a plan. He turned to Vane and confirmed that they were somewhat recovered but still not in the best shape for fighting.

“Vane, look over there,” 

The floor at the back of the temple was broken, and a staircase leading below was revealed. This staircase would only appear on this night, the Water Holy Day, when Vane approached. On other days, it would just be a stone-paved area. It had just appeared a few minutes ago, and no one had noticed it yet.

“What is that…?”

“It seems like his power has integrated into the ground below. Please go and check the situation down there,” 

He said it plainly, but his words were like a whip to the exhausted Vane and the others. However, Ren wasn’t just asking for their help; he was thinking about their future.

“What will you do, Ren?”

“It’s obvious,” 

Ren said as he ran towards it. 

From now on, in order to force Vane and the others to head down the stairs, I hope Orphide won’t spread any more evil power.

Making full use of the sword of Authority, he swung the Mithril Magic Sword at the transformed Orphide.

When Orphide tried to block the Mithril Magic Sword with both arms, a sharp, high-pitched sound echoed as metal clashed against metal. The priest’s combat abilities had improved significantly compared to earlier.

“Hurry!” 

Ren urged the hesitant Vane and the others forward. He continued to insist he’ll fight alone.

As they headed towards the staircase in the depths of the temple, the miasma followed them closely. However, when Vane swung his sword, it was dispelled. Vane glanced back at Ren once more before heading down the staircase with his comrades.

Orphide, who was ready to fight to the death, shouted.

“Is there something beneath those stairs?”

“I don’t know! I’ve never seen it before!”

“But your voice sounded so confident!”

As they engaged in swordplay and combat, the black shadow covering Windea continued to expand. Orphide was using almost all of his regeneration ability for the battle, not sparing any for later. Although he had been doing so all along, he now poured all his focus into fighting Ren, without thinking about what would happen afterward.

A sharp and swift punch grazed Ren’s side.

Even though it was just a graze, the impact was immense. Ren’s cheek twitched, but he managed to endure it.

Orphide’s released black power began to invade the square where the temple stood. The miasma approached the sacred spring filled with holy water, and the black waves creeping along the ground threatened to reach it. The water flowing from the mountain or the rocky terrain was no exception.

While fighting, Ren tried to stop them all. He not only wanted to defeat Orphide as soon as possible but also had another idea in mind—a vision of a Water Magic Sword in his head.

It wasn’t like he was trying to think about anything unnecessary during the battle.

There was a feeling that appealed to the depths of his heart, and that was the magic sword of water.

(I should be able to do something…!)

It was a power bestowed by the Water Goddess, and Windea was a land infused with the Water Goddess’s power. Perhaps this magic sword could be used to protect it.

He summoned the Water magic Sword, which appeared in the air, and gripped it tightly.

Orphide frowned upon seeing the newly appeared sword.

Ignoring his concern, Ren thrust the Water magic Sword into the stone floor.

“This is…,” 

Orphide said in astonishment.

As Ren thrust the sword into the stone, a faint blue, clear water spread like a curtain across the floor.

“Show your power!” 

Ren commanded.

“What! You can even use water magic too!?” 

Orphide’s power, which had tainted everything, was rapidly purified by the water. 

The water formed a beautiful, shimmering membrane that covered the entire floor of the colonnade.

Ren could control the water, and every time he and Orphide walked, the ripple created was like a servant of water magic. 

He withdrew the Water magic Sword from the stone and ran it along the surface of the water, creating ripples of light. It was clear to Orphide that this wasn’t just water.

It was able to stop the water flowing through Windea from being polluted.

Orphide instinctively kicked the stone pavement with one foot and lunged forward. Before ripples could form where he had been standing just moments ago, he closed the distance between himself and Ren.

As he prepared to unleash a shockwave by swinging his fist, Ren raised the Water Magic Sword.

“Haaah!”

Although he was confident that he could physically block the attack even without using any special powers, when he swung the sword, Ren noticed something unusual.

“Could it be…?”

“Heheh! You’ve never seen water magic like this before!”

As the Water Magic Sword was swung, water on the stone pavement splashed into the air. A vibrant blue water wall formed in front of Ren, creating a barrier between him and Orphide.

The wall of water swayed in the wind. It didn’t seem to withstand physical attacks, but despite its appearance, it was resilient, similar to the water shield summoned by the Giant’s Envoy, Wadatsumi. After blocking the wave of magic that Orphide released, It returned to the water covering the floor.

The water droplets drifted down on the breeze, illuminated by starlight, creating a fantastical scene. As they beheld this sight, the two locked eyes.

…With this much firepower, there’s no way for both of us to come out of this alive.

…At this rate, it’ll be a battle until one of us falls.

At the end of this battle, there would be no opportunity for interrogation. Therefore, a one-on-one duel seemed to be the only option.

Orphide, wary of the water, took a step back and stood atop a massive piece of rubble, looking down at Ren.

“Orphide.”

If I want to ask, now is the time. Ren was convinced that the moment would not come if they continued fighting.

“Do you know about the girl with silver and black hair?”

“…!” 

Orphide’s response was conveyed through both words and his demeanor. While he muttered, “Why… about her…,” he looked deep into Ren’s eyes, searching for Ren’s true intent.

He knew, as expected. Orphide undoubtedly knew about the girl Ren had seen in his dreams.

“Where is she?”

“Where is she, you say?”

“Yes!”

“Heheh… Hahaha!”

Starts with a short laugh.

“Hahahahaaaa… I don’t know where you learned about her or why you’d want to meet her…”

Orphide’s face regained its composure. He wore a peculiar smile that exuded madness and strong determination.

“Why do you speak so arrogantly?”

He reflected the starlight onto his glasses’ lenses, not revealing his eyes to Ren. At that moment, a small gem fell from his pocket.

Unlike the legend of the Seven Heroes, there was a reason Orphide was able to stand up again. It was a sacred relic he obtained when he attacked a temple in a certain country recently—a rare gem with the power of instant healing. It could immediately restore one’s life force.

That gem had fallen from his pants pocket.

The gem that fell sank into the water on the floor and created ripples.

Ren thought that the gem Orphide had dropped was the reason for his revival. It seemed that Orphide had been brought back to fight by the gem he had dropped.

“I also have a question.”

“For me?”

“Yes. Did you take out the ring of the Water Goddess?”

While it was a confident tone, Ren didn’t have much information on Orphide. It was just an intuition.

Ren didn’t respond with a “yes” but remained silent, ignoring Orphide. However, that seemed to hit close to the truth.

Who had orchestrated this situation, and who had pushed them into a corner? 

The answer had come to the priest amidst the spreading, fantastical colonnade filled with water. He realized who might have been behind today’s events.

“You… No,” 

He remembered how swiftly Leomel had acted throughout the series of attacks and thought about the water power he had just used. 

There was no other answer, and he said it with determination.

“You… seem to have cornered us today more than I had imagined,” 

inside the fantastical colonnade, where the water spread. He realized who might be behind all the events of today.

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