212. King of the North (6)
#212
A sting shot like a comet pierced Barca’s chest. It was an incredibly fast sword strike, incomparable to what I saw in Jager’s room. Barka gasped in pain as if his body was on fire.
“Huh…!”
“Throw it away.”
Ronan twisted the blade vertically and then lifted it up. The red blade quickly moved north, splitting bones and internal organs. If things continued like this, his head would be split in half from below. Barca, demonstrating superhuman strength, launched himself to the side.
“Aaaah!”
Sigh! The blade, whose trajectory was distorted, tore through his right side and protruded out. It was Jaifa’s younger brother who reacted at this speed. Ronan clicked his tongue as he twisted his sword around.
“Perseverance.”
“Do you think I’ll be treated like this?”
Internal organs were spilling out of the ruptured side. It is said that he escaped instant death, but the wounds must have been fatal, so he showed great tenacity.
At that time, the sparkling mana blooming on Barka’s shoulder became even stronger. I hadn’t noticed it until now, but it was almost the same size as the bishops. Barka pushed Ronan away with one large swing of his arm and roared in anger.
“Kaaaa!!”
In an instant, Barca’s physique swelled to almost twice its size. Ronan raised his eyebrows. It was one of the abilities used by Ahayute on the battlefield of the past.
‘Is that the power he received?’
The wounds on his chest and side were also healing quickly. The expanding robe was torn, revealing an upper body covered in scars. Barca, now more muscular than Jaifa, swung her claws.
“die!”
It was a much stronger and sharper attack than before. Of course, it didn’t really matter whether that was the case or not. Ronan responded by charging head-on instead of dodging. The blade, which turned elegantly, passed by Barca’s left arm. Suddenly! The cleanly severed forearm fell onto the deck. Ronan, covered in hot blood, muttered indifferently.
“Do you still have any funds left?”
“Huh! Oh, how…!”
Barka was shocked and looked at his severed left arm. Something that couldn’t happen was happening. Is this guy really human?
Something had to be done, but there was no time to plan. Sgak! Ronan’s slash flew straight through Barka’s neck and passed horizontally.
“Big… billion!”
Barka’s eyes grew so big that they almost seemed like they would pop out. Fortunately, he was able to avoid being beheaded because he pulled his body back, but about half of his neck vertebrae were severed. His blood spurted out and soaked the sea.
‘If this continues, I will die.’
My consciousness was fading. Only then did Barka realize that he could not defeat Ronan in hand-to-hand combat. Having decided on something, he struck the deck with his remaining right arm. Kwaaaaang! The ship split in half and shattered. A surge of spray covered the sky.
“What the fuck!?”
“Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr to!”
Barka sank into the water. Ronan lost her balance and was about to fall. A beluga whale that had been waiting in advance supported his back with its head. Thanks to this, he was able to jump onto his whale’s back without falling into the water. Adeshan’s voice came from behind.
“Ronan! are you okay?!”
Adeshan was approaching on another dolphin. Ronan, who took control of the dolphin’s mind and was quick to act, was sent first and followed late.
She too looked like a wet mouse. Her complexion was noticeably pale. After wiping her face once, Ronan opened her mouth.
“I’m OK. But the crazy guy suddenly destroyed the boat…”
I had no idea what I was thinking as I threw myself into the sea after being mortally wounded. Perhaps because of the debris covering the surface of the water, it was not visible. Adeshan, who was suddenly looking around, let out an expression of astonishment.
“Hey, over there!”
“yes?”
Ronan turned his head and looked where she was pointing. Beneath the drift ice about 20 meters away, something was wriggling in the deep water.
It didn’t take long to figure out that it was Barca. In his desperately struggling hand, he held a pure white scroll. Ugh! Ronan’s eyes widened at the sight of the portal that soon appeared in front of him.
“Ha, that dog.”
Only then did Ronan realize that the bastard had fallen into the water on purpose. Ronan reflexively grabbed the hilt of his sword and concentrated his mind. La Mancha’s sword body was dyed the color of the sunset.
“Come here.”
Paaaa…! A halo of light that attracts the opponent was shot toward the sea floor. However, there was no change in Barca’s movements. A plump cod that had been brought in to replace him appeared before Ronan’s eyes.
“Damn, is this why I went into the water?”
The cod that was fluttering in the air returned to the water. Ronan twisted his lips. Aiming was not accurate, perhaps because the light was refracted by the water. He was about to activate his aura once again. Adeshan, who was next to him, shouted urgently.
“That won’t work. Ronan, let’s go!”
“yes?”
It was the moment Ronan turned his head. She said the dolphins carrying her and her Ade Shan dived into the water. Because she entered suddenly, she ended up drinking a little water.
“Fugeook…!”
My face was so cold it felt like it was going to tear off. I was barely able to keep from being thrown off by holding on to her fin. Ade Shan’s voice echoed in her head.
[Come over here and catch me, hurry!]
Ronan nodded. It seemed like there was something planned. Her Ronan, who had transferred to her dolphin of Ade Shan, hugged her from behind. The beluga whale’s body shot out like a bullet. The messenger of the sea, who specialized in swimming, closed the distance between Barca and the two in the blink of an eye.
Barka’s body had already disappeared inside the portal, leaving only his legs behind. Ade Shan gathered mana into his arms and swung his whip. Sigh! The steel snake, which fully extended his body, wrapped around Barca’s left ankle.
“Uuuuuup!”
Barka was embarrassed and struggled with his legs. Ronan, realizing Adeshan’s plan, pulled the handles of his whip together. Because the difference in physique was so great, the two people were drawn to Barca’s direction.
[harder!]
Adeshan shouted again. The two people let go of their fins and crossed the water faster than a dolphin. Barca’s figure disappeared into the portal.
Shuak! The portal that had swallowed Ronan and Adeshan in the nick of time closed its mouth. Along with the feeling of her stomach being squeezed, Ronan’s vision turned pitch black.
****
“Huh oh oh!”
My vision became brighter. Since he was able to breathe, it didn’t seem like he was underwater. Ronan came to her senses and jumped upright. She almost fell because the floor was made of ice.
“Wow…”
When I opened my mouth, the sea water I was holding came pouring out. Neither Barka nor Adeshan were in sight. She quickly looked around and saw Ade Shan’s figure sprawled on the floor.
“Damn it, senior.”
It seemed like he lost consciousness while jumping through space. She was lying there with her face white and not breathing. Ronan rushed to her and performed artificial respiration on her.
“Hmm!”
Our lips touched several times, but there was no time for strange thoughts. I was in the middle of repeating breathing into her and compressing her chest about 15 times. Her eyes opened as she bounced her upper body like a spring.
“Cough! Haaaa…haaah…!”
“Fuck… I’m glad.”
Ronan breathed a sigh of relief. Adeshan, lying on his side, began to cough up sea water. Fortunately, there seemed to be no life-threatening effects. she asked without even turning her head.
“Ro, Ronan… wow, what about Barca?”
To say something like that right after he died and came back to life was an incredible display of persistence. The handle of the whip was still held in her right hand. Even while she was unconscious, she did not let go. Ronan said.
“I can’t see it right now, but it’s definitely nearby. Wait, that…!”
“huh?”
Ronan’s eyes widened. His gaze rested on the opposite end of the whip Adeshan was holding. Accordingly, he turned his head and Ade Shan gasped. His broken ankle was wrapped around a whip.
“Wow, you cut off my ankle…!”
“You really are a terrible bastard.”
Ronan laughed as if he were dumbfounded. It looked like she had been forced to tear it off, as her cuts were dirty. It seemed like it was cut while moving through space and fell in a different place than us. Adeshan, who was looking around, tilted his head.
“Anyway, here…”
“yes. “I think I’ve come further than I thought.”
There was ice everywhere. The irregularly cracked ice field was reminiscent of the scales of a huge fish. The cold, unlike anything I had ever experienced before, was penetrating deep into my bones.
An unidentifiable sound was echoing beneath the dark sky. The eerie, echoing sound that could not possibly be attributed to a living person suggested where they were now. Ronan, who helped Adeshan up, muttered softly.
“···Sea of Ghosts.”
“Did the spatial movement fail? Why in a place like this…”
“I don’t think so. “What about blood acupuncture needles?”
“Oh, wait a minute.”
Adeshan, who was rummaging through his arms, took out a blood needle. She was fortunate not to be lost at sea. Her eyes widened as she checked the needle.
“Ro, Ronan. Are you moving now? “It’s very close too.”
“What, really?”
“huh. “There is no need to look at the blood acupuncture needle.”
“Well, I wonder how far a guy with his limbs cut off one by one would have gone…”
The reason there were no blood stains was probably because the wound froze immediately. Ronan closed his eyes and concentrated. Indeed, just as she said, she could sense Barka’s presence not far away.
The two people quickly got ready and started walking. The wind was blowing so strong that it was difficult to open my eyes. Adeshan glanced back at Ronan and whispered.
“Thank you for that earlier.”
“ok? What?”
Ronan asked, but Adeshan did not answer. She still had vivid memories of that time when she drank her water and was on the brink of death. Ade Shan touched her lips once and shook her head.
“···Nothing. “Oh, look over there!”
At that time, Adeshan noticed something and stretched his index finger forward. A sailing ship lay on the icy sea. The huge ship, which was probably 100 meters long from bow to stern, looked exactly like the carcass of an ancient whale.
Because the flag had been torn off, their affiliation could not be confirmed. Judging from the many gun ports on her, she looked like a ship used as a battleship. The needle of her blood gauge was pointing exactly at that sailing ship.
The two soon arrived in front of the boat. When I saw it up close, its power felt much greater. Adeshan, who was closely examining the ship, nodded.
“Are you sure. “It’s in here.”
“great. “Let’s finish it quickly.”
The needle of the acupoint was also pointing straight ahead. Suddenly, Ronan grabbed the hilt of her sword. He had no intention of getting caught up in Barca’s nonsense any longer.
“Sigh!”
Ronan gathered all his strength and swung his sword sideways. Kwaaaaang! The sword energy poured out like a torrent and hit the vertical deck directly. Before long, the smoke flew away and the dilapidated cabin of the ship was revealed.
“Wow, it’s amazing…”
“Iknow, right. “I didn’t know it would be like this.”
Adeshan opened his mouth in admiration. Ronan also laughed at her power, which exceeded his expectations. Since she felt the burning pain in her heart a little while ago, the power of her overall technique had increased.
Is this the power I originally had? The two men moved forward along the cave-like interior of the ship. The unique smell of old wood was prevalent.
“···It looks like a ship that ran aground a long time ago.”
“Where did you find something like this?”
The tilted ship was empty. A cross section on both sides showed an empty space and cannons with their heads on the floor.
“ok?”
At that time, Ronan noticed something and stopped in place. The ice exposed under the torn off floor and the floor door there caught my eye.
“This···.”
The bottom door was wide open. Below that, a staircase just wide enough for a were tiger to pass through led down to the ice sea.
Unlike the ship, which seemed to be a thousand years old, the bottom door did not look that old. Apparently, the ship was a trick and this seemed like the entrance to a real hideout.
Barca’s energy was coming from exactly down there. The two people exchanged a glance and headed down the stairs. Tap, tap, tap. Every time I took a step, my footsteps echoed. Ronan, who was holding a shining sword as a torch, opened her mouth.
“It won’t be a trap this time.”
“huh. “It feels different than then.”
Adeshan answered confidently. In fact, it didn’t seem like a trap even to Ronan.
From the beginning, it was clear that Barca had been here just a moment ago. Claw marks and blood stains here and there on the walls and floor were proof of him.
The stairs soon ended. A wide hallway spread out in front of the two.
Unlike the damn ice cave, the stone paving stones were properly laid. Similarly, on the neatly finished wall, luminescent stones were embedded at regular intervals. Ronan, who was looking around, cursed.
“This dog, my house is decorated properly.”
“···Disgusting smell.”
Adeshan frowned. As she said, various foul odors were present in the stagnant air. Bad breath, poisonous plants, and even the smells of various animals. Could it be a remnant of black magic and necromancy?
The more I walked, the stronger the smell became. The two people who were walking following Barca’s footsteps reached a room. Ronan tilted his head at the ordinary space that did not match the suspicious location.
“Is this… the office?”
The space was not very spacious compared to Were Tiger’s size. The room, which was about twice the size of Ronan’s dormitory, was equipped with everyday furniture such as a desk, chair, and bed. There seemed to be no place where Barca could hide her body.
“It’s not here, right?”
“huh. “We have to go a little further.”
Adeshan shook his head in response to Ronan’s question. The acupoint was also pointing to a door on the opposite wall. Suddenly, Ronan’s eyes, which were looking around, landed on the desk. There were piles of parchment lying around.
“···what?”
There were quite a few things that bothered me that I couldn’t just ignore. This was especially true of the frayed edges and the unique handwriting, even when viewed from a distance.
The exciting handwriting, like a dancing earthworm, clearly belonged to someone he knew. Ronan narrowed his eyes as he picked up a piece of parchment.
“This is Jaifa’s handwriting.”
