211. King of the North (5)
#211
“nice to meet. “You bastards who ruined everything for me.”
“Barka.”
Ronan urgently turned the corner. Barca was nowhere to be seen. Only sparkling mana and a presence similar to Zyfar were stirring beyond the darkness.
“It’s like a tight daughter, not coming out?”
“I am not a fool Ronan. It wouldn’t be a smart idea to reveal yourself after experiencing your sword skills and strange powers. “Your ability must be to attract beings that come into contact with your vision or light.”
Ronan’s eyes widened. There were two things that surprised him.
One was that the fake Zyfa knew his name, and the other was that he had seen through the Auror’s abilities right away. Barca said.
“It’s a powerful ability, but the law of destruction is simple. “As long as either one of them doesn’t stand in front of you.”
“It would be nice if the poop was thick. “Who told you my name?”
“Ha, you just put two Lycopos aside and hoped that they wouldn’t find out? It is no exaggeration to say that everyone in the church is targeting you. Of course, my stupid brother also said something in a letter.”
“If it’s your brother, then Zaifa was talking about me? “Is that guy related to you guys too?”
“Hahaha… well.”
An approving laugh was heard. The hand holding the hilt of the sword gained strength.
Ronan wanted to scream out what bullshit that was, but he suppressed his doubts by taking deep breaths and exhaling. There was also a possibility that it was psychological warfare.
‘calm down.’
It seemed like it was going to be an annoying fight. Unlike his older brother, who pushed with force, he was a guy who actively used his head.
I tried to concentrate my mind and guess its exact location, but strangely, I had a hard time detecting it. Has anything been done to this entire ice cave? Ronan glanced at the seven heads and opened her mouth.
“Did you make Jager like this?”
“You can say that. “I wasn’t the one who cut off his head.”
“Why did you do that?”
“Jager was literally like a maggot. He had a talent for gathering people, so he tried to put it to good use, but somehow he betrayed him at the last moment. “Thanks to you, most of my plans went awry.”
Judging from his tone of voice, it seemed like he was very angry. Barca’s voice was coming from a completely different direction than before. But in the end, Jager died as a king. Ronan clicked his tongue once and continued.
“The plan is to unite the North?”
“There is no reason for me to tell you up to that point. It looks like they are wasting time to escape, but let me tell you first that it is a futile effort.”
“Plague.”
Ronan cursed. In fact, he and Adeshan were moving stealthily toward the exit. Because there was nothing good about being in that guy’s mouth. Fuck you bastard. You’re quick to notice.
‘Damn, is there anything good to talk about?’
I tried to move towards the exit as much as possible, but the situation became difficult. Barca’s dark laughter suddenly stopped. It was the car where he said his villainous goodbye.
“Then let’s say goodbye here. well···”
“You used Jager as a puppet, raised him as a tyrant, and then tried to kill him. Then you can become a hero. “I think I understand why he didn’t increase his power even though he had the ability.”
Adeshan suddenly intervened and cut him off. Ronan raised his eyebrows. Before she knew it, she had come to her side.
“senior?”
“Because you can’t escape Jaifa’s shadow by acting normal. There are still many more people who are satisfied with the peace achieved through Zaifa’s sacrifice. “I guess they were planning to reveal that the curse placed unreasonably on the North was a collaboration between humans and Jager.”
The eyes that had been shaking with anxiety calmed down. It seemed like they had succeeded in getting their attention, so there was a fairly long silence. Barka’s voice became even more ferocious, coming from the darkness.
“···The woman who was there at that time. “What is it?”
“You are the one who lost everything. “Barka, there’s just one thing I want to ask you.”
“What.”
“Why are you so obsessed with uniting the North? Is it worth doing such a thing to your compatriots? Even as you wring out the tears of those who will later become your people and army?”
No answer came back. The two started walking again.
Although there was considerable movement, the passage was so long and winding that there was no sign of an exit. Wow. A sound like teeth grinding bounced in the darkness.
“···To show hell to you humans, especially the people of the Empire. “After a while, everything will disappear under the starlight, but it is such a sweet and peaceful death for the pigs of the Empire.”
“Starlight, what do you mean?”
“You will find out soon enough. And to that hateful Zaifa…”
Barka trailed off. The gap between Ronan and Adeshan’s brows narrowed at the same time. Earlier I was saying something about the letter, but this time it was hateful and I was confused as to which melody I should set it to.
‘This···.’
Ronan, who was suddenly walking, raised his eyebrows. The sound of waves crashing was heard not far away.
At this point, I felt like I was close enough to the exit. The two people who exchanged glances were about to run out. Coogung! Suddenly, the ice ceiling in front collapsed, blocking the passage.
“Fuck, what?!”
Ronan reflexively pulled the hilt of his sword. The sword energy poured out like a torrent and hit the pile of ice.
Kwaaaaang! Cold debris flew and a path was opened. But immediately the ceiling further ahead collapsed, blocking the path again.
“Hey, fuck.”
There was even more debris than before. It seemed like it would take some time to break through. At that time, a similar sound of collapse rang out from behind them. Adeshan sensed something and shouted urgently.
“Ronan, something came out. “It’s coming this way!”
“I beg your pardon?”
Ronan’s eyes widened. As she said, I felt a hint of popularity that had not been noticed before. Something was quickly approaching the two people. A loud, gut-wrenching sound was echoing in the ice cave.
“Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! “Kaaaaak!”
“It’s been a long chat. Say hello to Jager.”
In an instant, Barca’s presence disappeared. But I didn’t have the energy to chase him right now.
Adeshan, who was aiming inside the passage, fired his crossbow. Sigh! At the same time as the sound of an arrowhead digging into flesh, a shaped shadow rolled around on the floor.
“Kean!”
It was a werefox that looked similar to the boy who attacked Jager. Black blood was flowing from the open mouth. He noticed that his joints were rotated in strange directions.
“This is what I saw back then…”
In the center of the small head was the crossbow that Adeshan had fired. His brain seemed to have been destroyed by a single blow, as his body was unable to move and was trembling. Adeshan, who was looking down at Werefox, frowned.
“Of course. This was created through necromancy. “If a curse isn’t enough, it’s black magic…”
“My major is very different from your brother.”
Were Tiger Warlock was a very unsuitable combination. As Ronan grabbed the hilt of his sword, a golden afterimage ran up his right arm to his shoulder. First of all, escaping this fucking freezer was an urgent priority.
“Then I’ll go. “Follow me closely.”
Ronan said that and ran towards the exit. For a moment, his hand became blurred and dozens of straight lines were drawn over the debris blocking his path. Ronan didn’t slow down and hit the wreckage with his shoulder. Quaaaang! The ice wall shattered with a loud noise like a bomb exploded.
“oh my god!”
Adeshan was impressed. Varen’s physical abilities enhanced by Auror made such a reckless act possible. Suddenly, a tearing sound echoed from the front.
“Khhhhhhhh!”
“Grrrrrrr, Kiririk!”
“You do all kinds of things.”
Ronan laughed out loud after seeing the scene ahead. Contrary to expectations that it would be wide open, the passage was extremely congested.
A dizzying, thick smell washed over me. The passage was filled with beasts revived through necromancy. It was a car that made me wonder where it all came from. Kwajangchang! The ice wall in front was destroyed and a weardeer jumped out.
“Muik! “Muik-!”
“aha.”
It seemed like the bodies had been buried here and there in the ice. Ronan, feeling an inexplicable sense of déjà vu, tilted his head at her.
“Are some of them a bit familiar?”
“It’s the prisoners in Jager’s room…!”
Adeshan bit his lower lip. Among the living corpses was the one I had seen in Jager’s room. Rather than withdrawing, he seemed to have been annihilated by Barca. A were lion with all his mane missing was muttering in a broken voice.
“Ronan. Ronan. Ronan.”
“You really are a fucking bastard.”
Disgust towards Barca was increasing. His situation was unfortunate, but there was nothing we could do about it. Ronan rushed to her feet and grabbed the hilt of his sword. He drew a wide semi-circular slash across the lifeless face. Wow! The beasts’ heads rose up to the ceiling, leaving only their lower jaws.
“Kyaaaaaak!”
The headless bodies fell down all at once. At the same time, waves of corpses rushed towards Ronan and Adeshan. Fifty from the front, fifty from the back. As far as I could see right away, there were over a hundred of them. Ronan, who struck with his sword once again, looked back at Adeshan and asked.
“Mind control doesn’t work?”
“You can’t do this because they are corpses without intelligence…!”
“Fuck.”
It seemed like the only way was to go through it ignorantly. Ronan cut, stabbed, and sometimes fired sword energy at the rushing corpses, shattering them into pieces.
The prisoners who were already dead were not breathing. It was both bittersweet and funny that even though there were so many people, there were only two people with their hearts beating and breathing sounds.
Ronan gathered his energy and swung his sword diagonally. A sword beam exactly the same width as the passage was shot forward. As the red crescent moon advanced in the darkness, bodies torn in two popped up like popcorn.
“If you’re dead, go in peace, please!”
Still, the waves of corpses showed no signs of calming down. The ice wall broke again, and the prisoners that jumped out rushed forward, trampling on the dismembered bodies of their comrades. It seemed like they had really prepared well.
As the battle continued, the situation became more unfavorable. The bodies of the two people were covered in rotten blood and turned black. The rotten blood was evaporating along with sweat, taking away body heat.
Adeshan was struggling, using crossbows and whips alternately, but the already dead warriors clung tenaciously. Pow! The werewolf’s front paw dug in from a blind spot and struck Adeshan’s back.
“Ugh!”
“What, are you okay?”
“are you okay. Phew, I blocked it!”
Adeshan gritted his teeth. Fortunately, I was able to halve the impact by quickly rotating the whip to protect myself. The werewolf’s head exploded like a balloon due to Ronan’s immediate stab. Ronan, who suddenly sensed her confusion, asked her.
“I’m just saying I’m confused, but the passage is getting narrower right now, right?”
“Yes, I think so…!”
Moreover, if I was not mistaken, the passage itself was becoming narrower. There seemed to be some kind of magic hanging over this entire block of ice.
It would be really difficult to continue like this. If I didn’t escape quickly, not only would I miss Barka, but I would end up as frozen meat along with the corpses of the prisoners. The needle of the blood meter was slowly moving north.
‘With that bastard’s personality, he will definitely make sure we die.’
It seemed like he hadn’t escaped far yet. He is probably leisurely watching his trap operate from some distance away.
Ronan truly did not want to miss Barca. He could tell from just a few words of conversation. It was a monster filled with disgusting evil that should not exist in the world. Ronan’s eyes opened wide as he desperately tried to find a solution.
‘for a moment.’
I remember bringing it with me just in case. Ronan rummaged through her inside pocket with the hand that wasn’t wielding his sword. A small jewel-like object was touched by the tip of his finger. A smile appeared on the face stained with blood.
“This is it.”
Ronan took his hand out of his pocket. In his hand was a badge in the shape of a sun. It was a first-class merit medal awarded by Aun Pillar, a master of fire magic, when he saved the Dawn Tower from Vajra’s demons two years ago.
Originally, I kept it attached to my school uniform, but I brought it with me in case I needed it in the cold northern part of the country. Aun Pillar had clearly said that he had engraved some self-defense magic into it.
Judging by the author’s temperament, it was undoubtedly a very powerful fire magic. Because he was a man with a large physical scale. What will happen if I burn it all down and escape? Ronan said, looking back at Adeshan who was struggling.
“Stick with me, Senpai. “As close as possible.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Hey, noisy, come quickly!”
Ronan stretched out his arms and wrapped them around Adeshan’s waist. She gasped at the unprecedented close contact.
“Ro, Ronan!”
“Let’s take a look at your skills. Aun Phila.”
I’m not sure how the magic works, but it seemed like it would be enough to get attacked. It was the moment when Ronan raised his badge in front of the beasts. A dizzying burning pain attacked him.
“Ugh!”
“Ronan?! are you okay?”
The pain was so severe that my body collapsed. Heat that seemed to be burning the blood vessels of the entire body was spreading from inside the heart. Ronan’s mouth opened in pain that felt somewhat like déjà vu.
“Ugh…Navardose?”
It was the same pain I experienced when I was doing it in my father’s room. I vaguely felt the heat rising up her arm and converging on her badge.
‘What’s about to happen?’
I couldn’t find out the details. However, it was said that he put his own spark in the place where his curse was extracted, so it was only assumed that it was a side effect.
A huge werebear was slapping down its front paws. Ronan, who shook his head to come to his senses, held up his badge again.
“come.”
“Kwaaeook!”
Its powerful paws had the power to blow away a human’s upper body in one fell swoop. It was the moment when the cold, hardened meat ball came into contact with the badge. A flash of light centered around Ronan brightened up the dark passage.
****
The sky was cloudy. The fluttering snowflakes were disappearing upon touching the seawater. Drift ice washed up from the Sea of Ghosts was floating everywhere.
-Carr. Karrr.
Dolphins as white as ghosts were swimming in the black water. It was a type of fantastic species that was extremely rare to find, but Barka was not interested in whales or anything like that. He muttered quietly while rowing on a wooden boat.
“I guess it’s over soon.”
His gaze remained on a huge block of ice that was moving further and further away. If this time had passed, even if the Corpse Warriors had not been able to kill Ronan, the ice would have covered the passage and he would have been crushed to death.
The glacier spanning the sea and land was a tomb and trap created to bury Ronan. How much effort did it take to build just that one thing?
“What a shame. “I wanted to kill him myself.”
Barka clicked his tongue. As he was the enemy who ruined everything, he wanted to tear out the liver himself, but he could not let down his guard as he was the opponent who defeated Darman.
‘no. This is right.’
It was Barca Turgen’s way to be cautious. Moreover, the best sprayer, who was always carried around in his robe, was currently receiving detoxification treatment in the lab. It was because he was stabbed instead by Jager’s dagger.
“···Rapid worm.”
I still get hot when I think of Jager’s face. I had no idea that trash would show its potential. If he had known this would happen, he would have turned him into a corpse soldier and used it for a long time instead of killing him by cutting off his head with a single sword.
“okay. “You can do it again.”
However, Barca soon shook off his worries and regained his composure. All of the past, except for the resentment toward the empire, was just an obstacle holding them back.
There was also some time left until the star descended. All it took was another operation to engulf the North. Anyway, the laboratory located in the Sea of Ghosts was stocked with weapons that could unite the North.
He had made up his mind and was about to row again. Kwaaaa!! With a roar that shook the heavens and earth, the glacier where Ronan was imprisoned exploded. Barka stood up without realizing it and shouted in embarrassment.
“W-what?!”
It seemed like a dragon was breathing from inside. A huge pillar of flame was fluttering towards the sky. Debris and charred corpses that had been flying high were falling into the sea like rain.
“No way. “There wasn’t a wizard among them…!”
Barca stared at the burning ice, forgetting what to say. He couldn’t figure out what happened.
Did he commit suicide at the last moment? If it’s an explosion of that magnitude, you probably won’t be safe, so should we go check on the body? It was the car where he was dumbfounded and out of breath. A familiar voice came from at his feet.
“Whoa… I barely caught up. It was dangerous…”
“What?!”
“Ugh, it’s cold…fuck.”
Barka hastily lowered his head. A beluga whale clung to the side of his boat. The eyes, which should originally shine a beautiful blue, had turned gray and dull. A young man covered in black blood and sea water all over his body was looking up at his whale with his neck wrapped around it.
“Ro, Ronan?!”
“Hey…but they look really similar…?”
Ronan grinned. Without the hood on, Barca’s face looked very similar to her brother’s. If it weren’t for his slightly reddish fur and the terrible scar across his face, I’d almost believe it was Jaifa himself. Barka couldn’t help but shout in embarrassment.
“Oh, how…!”
“Well… hehe, there’s no reason for me to tell you.”
bang! Ronan let go of the dolphin and leaped onto the ship at once. The moment he came out, the sea water on his body completely froze. I need to finish this quickly because it sucks. Ronan brushed his bangs once and opened his mouth.
“For someone who will die soon.”
“this guy!”
Barka reflexively threw his fist out. As expected, he was quite fast because he was of Turgeng blood, but compared to his older brother, his speed was much lower. Ronan, who avoided the attack by lightly twisting his shoulder, grabbed the hilt of his sword. Phew! A sting shot like a comet pierced Barca’s chest.
