< 312. Finale (3) >
#312
It didn’t take long for the battle to end. Abel brushed off the blood from her knife and opened her mouth.
“how is it. Are you ready to give up hope now?
No reply came back. Only Ronan, who had been confronting him until the end, was coughing up clotted blood and giving a nonsensical answer.
“Gawk…Huheook…!”
My whole body felt like it was on fire. The bare skin exposed beneath the torn clothes bore traces of cuts and stabs from Abel’s sword.
The bleeding wound showed no signs of healing easily. It was indeed a sword that turned the savior into a half-baby. Abel chuckled, showing the stab wound on his side.
『Still, I was impressed by you. It would have been dangerous if it had been a little deeper. I knew your martial arts skills were outstanding, but I didn’t know it was to this extent.』
Ronan gritted his teeth. As he said, it should have ended then. If he hadn’t wasted his strength in the battle with the Bald King, he could have driven his sword to the heart.
‘Damn, I wish I had time to recover.’
It was a shitty thing to do, but it was impossible to turn back time. Ronan, who muttered her swear words under her breath, made an obscene hand gesture.
“Fuck you.”
“ha ha ha. He is also my nephew. You have to come out like that.』
“Step away from those people.”
Ronan snarled, pointing the tip of his sword at him. At Abel’s feet, Jaifa and Nabirose lay seriously injured.
As soon as the melee began, the two swordsmen rushed at Abel, but were defeated. Jaifa was unconscious and passed out. The butterfly barely raised its head and I opened his mouth.
“Ro…I. Run away…”
Ronan met her and twisted his lips. It was difficult to open my eyes and see the sight of my teacher covered in blood being trampled by his enemies. Sigh! Ronan made Abel retreat by shooting out sword energy.
“Get those dirty feet off me!”
『Roughness.』
Abel laughed humorlessly and took a step back. Somehow, his teacher’s honor was preserved, but that did not make the situation any better.
Aside from the two sword saints, there were many strong people scattered around. The moans and screams that were heard in succession were driving the listener into confusion.
【Keuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu…
Not far away, Orsay was writhing in pain. When he returned to his original form, a spiral spear carved from his own bone was deeply embedded in his side.
The head of the Shadow Duke was lying nearby. The fanged mouth slowly opened.
【Val···Zac···.】
It was a wonder that he was still alive. Torn bodies were scattered in all directions. If he hadn’t possessed seven essences of fresh blood that could revive the dead, he would have followed his younger brother a long time ago.
Among those who fell were Navardoje and the Dragon King. He fought hard while enduring severe burns, but was ultimately defeated. When the first large-scale attack came, the position in the sky was fatal.
“Ro, Ronan…”
Asher, who was watching the confrontation between the two from afar, cried. Behind him were his unconscious friends, including Schlieffen, Marja, and Braum.
“Kwaeuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu her its a kind annoyance.”
“W-Here’s the medicine. “You all can’t die… okay?”
Iril, who was relatively healthy, was busy running around and taking care of the injured. Ade Shan groaned as he suffered a wound to his shoulder.
“Damn it…”
They were all huddled together. The protection of the hemispherical star raised by Asher was protecting about 5,000 people.
It was a force that Adeshan urgently retreated after realizing that there was no chance of victory. She lowered her head and a muffled voice came out of her mouth.
“I’m sorry… if I had been a little more competent…”
“Well, don’t say things like that…”
Asher shook his head. No one could fault her for doing her best.
In fact, if Abel had wanted to, he could have ripped off the protection right away, but he didn’t do that. It wasn’t that he was particularly showing mercy, it was just so he could look at the faces of people filled with despair for as long as possible.
Everyone on the battlefield knew that, but it was just a damn thing that no one could resist. Abel, who absorbed all the power of the giants, was much more powerful than Ronan expected.
He also received wounds as the battle continued, but all of them healed quickly except for Ronan’s. Abel suddenly turned his head to her and spoke in a voice full of admiration.
“ah. The thing that surprised me the most today was you. Alibrihe.』
No answer came back. In the corner of his eye, Alibrihe was gasping for air as his limbs fell off one by one.
“This… devilish guy…”
It was no exaggeration to say that Alibrihe’s condition, now in tatters, was second only to that of the Shadow Prince. Right next to him, a dimensional rift was opening its blue mouth. Abel, who was looking at the crack, laughed.
『I never thought they would have created another sealing stone identical to the one that imprisoned Navardose… I admit it was dangerous. If I had been a little late, I would have been caught dead.』
He sighed seriously in relief. Because Alibrihe took advantage of the melee to approach so secretly, he was almost sealed away.
The second sealing stone made using the remaining materials had the function of sending the first person swallowed to an isolated dimension. Of course, it’s all useless now.
『I will slowly think about who to put in there. Just take a break.』
“Wait a minute… wow!”
Alibrihe, who was about to say something, collapsed and vomited blood. Except for the remaining troops that Adeshan had retreated separately, all the soldiers were seriously injured and were lying on the ground. Something like a pure white haze was creeping over the bodies of the dead.
『I didn’t mean to kill you just now. You are so weak.』
Abel, who saw the scene, clicked his tongue as if he was pitiful. In reality, he hurt people in such a way that they didn’t die. It seemed that my weakened body could not overcome the injury.
All of the haze that escaped the corpse was being absorbed into Abel’s body. Ronan instinctively sensed that those were the souls of those killed by Abel.
‘Son of a bitch. Has he really become a giant?’
Crash. Ronan’s hand gripped the hilt of the sword, making a sound as if it were breaking. It seemed to him that it was better to die or kill him or make a final decision than to keep seeing things like that.
‘If it’s just once, it might work.’
I thought I might be able to win if I take advantage of the gaps. First, I had to catch him off guard. Ronan, who was silent for a moment, spoke to her.
“Listen… let’s see…”
“hmm?”
“What on earth is your grand plan for doing something like this? Let’s see what happens.”
Abel raised his eyebrows after hearing Ronan’s question. Actually, she didn’t care about that at all, but she needed to buy time. He glanced up at the white night sky and nodded.
『Well, there’s still time left, so let’s do that.』
Everyone would soon find out anyway, but I decided to be especially kind. Abel took up her sword and spoke to her.
『Actually, there isn’t much to explain. My purpose is to help those who live on this planet evolve into higher-dimensional beings.』
“High-dimensional existence…?”
“okay. The giants you’ve cut down so far are representative examples. They are apex predators that roam the universe hunting planets. Exterminate the life forms living on the target star, absorb their souls, and live while increasing your strength.』
Ronan frowned after hearing Abel’s words. Even after listening to it again, I didn’t understand it. He, who had been concentrating all his attention on recovering from his wounds, blurted out.
“What kind of idiot… do you really think it’s better to live like that?”
『You people who live a fleeting life will never know. How pathetic we are today. As we live tied to the stars, which are worse than dust, we are anxious not to be able to eat each other.』
Abel’s face stiffened for a moment. It was because she remembered the days she spent with her savior. He remembered the mushroom clouds rising above the atmosphere and the number of civilizations that had disappeared.
“Then why did you attack the giants?”
『It was to gain personal initiative. Previously, we were mere prey, but now that I have obtained their source, we will become the subjects of this collection of souls. We will become beings that never die or grow old and reign over the universe for eternity.』
“He’s as pale and bald as a runny nose.”
『I can assure you that it will be built in a cooler form than that. Because the form of the soul body can be transformed at will.』
Abel said clearly that he also hated baldness. He was twirling his sword playfully and then looked back at Iril.
『In fact, you could have had a much better ending. If I had left Lee Ril alone, at least I could have had a happy dream and faced the end. I couldn’t understand why they kicked away the mercy I worked so hard to show.』
“What a fucking bastard. “Is that mercy?”
『Then is there any word that can replace it? Well, don’t worry too much though. Everyone except you will disappear before even recognizing death…』
Suddenly Abel trailed off. Sparkling mana began to spread around his body. He finished speaking while looking up at the sky.
『Anyway, it’s time to end this.』
Ronan’s brow furrowed. If something unusual was to attack, it seemed like the only time it would happen was now. Ronan, who instantly jumped off the ground, aimed her sword at Abel’s neck. Kaaaang! A short metallic sound rang out.
“···Nimi.”
Ronan twisted his lips. Two blades were swinging together in front of my eyes. It was a mortal blow, but it was blocked so easily.
『Something that fell less. I thought you didn’t know that you were wasting time?』
“shut up!”
Abel sneered. He had already seen through Ronan’s plan. Ronan, overcome by evil, swung his sword one after another, but all of them were blocked.
『Stop it. You already lost.』
Abel laughed out loud. Despair also appeared on the faces of the survivors she watched. She was just as Abel, who quickly gained the upper hand, was about to finish her off. Suddenly Ade Shan jumped up, clutching her wound.
“Ronan! “Now is the time!!”
A split cry rang out. At the same time, the mana of her shadow shot out from her and struck her Abel. The power that took over her mind enveloped him.
『It’s foolish. Do you think that will work now?』
But Abel was unfazed. In reality, Adeshan’s abilities had no effect on him now. Abel, with his eyes closed, was about to activate his mental barrier. An unbearable feeling of dizziness shook his mind.
『Keuuk!』
Abel was disgusted. He felt like he had been hit by a powerful shock wave. Ronan, surprised by the strong reaction, raised his eyebrows.
“what?”
『Someone, some guy…!』
Abel quickly pulled away and looked around. His eyes, which had been rolling around looking for the culprit, stopped at a certain point. Beyond the tent Asher had erected, Iril was glaring at him.
『You…!』
“Don’t bother my little brother!”
Iril shouted in appeal. The sunset-colored eyes were shining like a fire. Although she was not aware of it, her abilities were being revealed. The most powerful of the savior’s powers, the wish-fulfilling power, was attacking Abel.
『Keu…Keuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!』
For the first time, confusion appeared on Abel’s face. I didn’t expect that two types of mental abilities would attack me at once.
Of course, it wasn’t that there were no countermeasures. Because the power that emerged from the source was strong enough to handle even that. Abel held his forehead and let out a short sigh.
『Haaap!』
The mental curtain was spread. The consciousness of the women who had been eroding his mind was violently thrown away. Blood burst from Adeshan’s nose and mouth.
“Gagging…!”
“Aaaah!”
Iril screamed and fell backwards. Her Adeshan managed to catch her. An angry growl escaped from Abel’s mouth.
『These damn bitches…!』
Abel stumbled, clutching his forehead. Ronan instinctively knew that now was his last chance. bang! Abel, seeing him rushing back, burst out laughing.
『Do you think anything would change just by a fluke?』
Abel twisted his body and struck hard. Ronan, pushed from her force, was thrown back like a battering ram. The faces of the people who were putting their last hope on their faces hardened. Abel shouted.
『It is now. I’ll kill you all!』
Suddenly, a bright light appeared on Abel’s body. The space around him began to distort due to the ridiculously powerful mana.
“Well, that is…!”
“Are we all going to die now?”
People instinctively realized that it was the same attack that destroyed 30% of the stars. It was a moment when two words, death, appeared in everyone’s mind.
Hahaha! Suddenly, a band of scarlet light burst from the direction Ronan had flown.
『Hmm?!』
Abel turned his head as he felt something pulling him. Ronan was still flying. However, the direction was unusual. His body was heading towards the dimensional rift that Alibrihe had opened.
『You, no way!』
“You stupid bastard. “Have you noticed it now?”
Abel was astonished. Ronan raised the corner of her mouth. He had no intention of missing the last chance he had been given. Using Abel’s power against his will, he quickly reached his destination, the crack.
“Come on!”
Ronan shouted and grabbed the hilt of his sword. Paaaa-! The sunset surrounding Abel’s body became brighter. His body, which was barely holding on, was dragged as if it had been hooked.
『How dare you!』
Abel strengthened his legs. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop being dragged. Ronan’s aurors were much stronger than when they faced the king of giants.
Abel reversed his grip on the sword hilt and plunged the sword into the floor. Let’s go! A long line cut through the ground and the brakes began to apply. It was a moment when I was relieved that I could survive this. Ronan, who had reached the very edge of the crack, shouted loudly.
“Aser! “Push!!”
“what?”
“There must be that much mana left! “Push that bastard off his back!”
Abel turned his head with an ominous feeling. Before she knew it, Asher, who had received the blessing of her star, was looking at her. He muttered in a voice that sounded like he was about to burst into tears.
“B-but… if you go in there, Ronan…!”
“Don’t think about the future! “Do you want to lose everything?!”
Ronan got irritated and urged Asher. Asher, realizing there was no other way, clenched her fists. He squeezed out her accumulated tears and stretched out his arms.
“Hey, invisible hand!”
“for a moment···!”
Abel’s face hardened. Whoa! An invisible force pushed his back hard. The body that was barely holding on was thrown into the air and started being dragged again.
“Gotcha. This chewy. ”
Ronan laughed. The dimensional rift had already swallowed him halfway. Abel, who once lost his balance, was dragged right in front of Ronan in the blink of an eye. There was no way to respond. Phew! Ronan’s waiting sword pierced his chest.
『Gagging!』
This wound was deep. Blue blood burst from Abel’s mouth. The overlapping bodies of the two men fell behind the dimensional crack. In an amorphous, turbulent world, Ronan glared into Abel’s eyes and growled.
“I will definitely kill you.”
