< 302. Decisive Battle (10) >
#302
[Adeshan. Dangerous.]
“Ugh!”
Adeshan, who was concentrating, flinched. It seemed like it would be quiet for a while, but then it was uproar again. A familiar woman’s voice pierced her brain.
Now I’m tired of asking what’s dangerous. When she saw that her shadow’s mana had been disturbed, she let out a sigh. She felt like she needed to get her attention to refocus.
“Haaa… really.”
Adeshan opened his eyes nervously. I could see the Allied forces gathered in formation, the protection of stars covering all directions, and the sparkling sky beyond. It seemed like the battle between Ronan and the Giant King was still going on.
“Ronan.”
She bit her lip as she looked up at the sky. Her heart was heavy because she felt like she had left the outcome of this fight entirely up to Ronan. Of course, the only strong person who could take on the king was him or Navarre.
‘Is there any way to help further?’
Even Navardose was still missing. He organized and sent a separate team to find out whether he was alive or dead, but he still hasn’t received any notification that he had found him.
It would have been nice to be able to provide support fire, but even that was not feasible. He probably had to attack with magic, but all the mana of all the allies, including himself, was being transferred to the savior.
“I can’t help it…”
No matter how much I thought about it, this was the best thing for now. Adeshan was about to concentrate on his mission again. A low laugh echoed from behind her.
“Ahaha…then you can’t use it, Ronan.”
“What?”
Adeshan hurriedly turned around. She was a woman in a pure white dress, slowly walking across the Allied gap. Her eyes widened at her dazzlingly beautiful appearance.
“···Iril?”
It was definitely Iril. It was reported that she was apparently unconscious, but did she just wake up? Ade Shan suddenly shifted her gaze and narrowed her eyes. She said that with every step Iril took, people around her were falling over and over again.
“W-what is it?”
Judging by his normal vital signs, he did not appear to be dead or injured. Everyone in the direction Iril passed by had already collapsed.
I couldn’t understand the English text. Adeshan, who instinctively sensed something ominous, was about to take action. Suddenly, all the strength left my body.
“What’s going on now…”
thud. She stumbled and fell to one knee. In her hazy consciousness, a feeling of happiness of unknown origin was creeping up.
“···uh?”
Something was strange. My five senses were being distorted one by one. The cruel battlefield was changing into a panoramic view of Phileon Academy from the hill of the Four Seasons. The smell of ash and blood that had stung my nose had turned into the scent of cherry blossoms.
“senior. What’s wrong?”
Suddenly a familiar voice rang in my ears. She turned her head to see Ade Shan clutching his forehead in confusion. Ronan, dressed in her school uniform, stood with her hands in her pockets.
“Ro, Ronan?”
“Have you ever had a hard time? “The student council job was shit.”
Ronan asked with concern. He was looking down at himself with the kind eyes he only shows when they are together. Adeshan stammered.
“I, I… So.”
“Don’t overdo it. “I’m still doing really well.”
After saying that, Ronan lightly hugged Adeshan. The cozy yet warm embrace was definitely that of a lover. Her thoughts stopped for a moment.
“ah···.”
Adeshan knew. Everything I saw, heard, and felt right now was just a fake. However, regardless of my awareness, the rising happiness was clouding my judgment. Suddenly, a woman’s voice was heard from not far away.
“okay. If I’m tired, I’ll take a little rest. “You’ve just been running hard.”
“···mom?”
The tone was familiar. Adeshan turned his head and his face hardened. Her mother and two older brothers, who had been killed when she was young, were coming up the hill.
“You’ve grown a lot. Adeshan.”
“My little brother, I think you’re taller than me now?”
The two older brothers waved their hands. The two people and their mother’s appearance had not changed since the last time they saw each other. Adeshan muttered as if possessed.
“Nonsense···.”
This was just too much. Her vision became clouded by the frighteningly welcoming face. She belatedly realized that she was also wearing a school uniform.
“It doesn’t make sense… huh?”
Of course, it didn’t really matter now. Adeshan fell sideways and sat on the floor. Her shoulders began to shake as she lowered her head.
“Ahaha…ha.”
****
The sound of the wind was harsh. A sea of white clouds was flowing far away at my feet. The harmony with the dark blue sky stretching overhead was beautiful.
It was a superb view. However, Ronan did not have time to appreciate such things now. He spat out phlegm and asked in an annoyed tone.
“Let’s get this over with. “Aren’t you tired of it, huh?”
But this time there was no answer. In front of him, the king of giants was flapping his wings. Ronan, who could not fly, constantly activated his aura and hovered around him like a satellite.
‘It’s so big. really.’
Ronan, who was watching the king, clicked his tongue. Ten times the size of a typical giant, it completely blocked the scenery behind it. In particular, it was difficult to see the eight wings in their entirety even if you turned your head.
There were a few wounds inflicted by Ronan on the pure white giant, but so far there had been nothing that could be called a final blow. This was because of its outstanding defense as well as its overwhelming size.
Whatever it was, I wanted to settle it down. My overworked limbs were shaking as if they were about to break. Ronan shouted loudly, clutching the hilt of his sword.
“Stop fooling around now!”
At the same time, La Mancha turned a much deeper scarlet. Whoa! The pulling force became stronger and Ronan’s body shot forward.
La Mancha, a wide arc, was drawn aiming for the giant king’s neck. The blade was about to split his neck. Kwaang-! A violent collision sound rang out. Ronan frowned as he held his whining hand.
“shit···!”
A wide and thick greatsword was blocking La Mancha. The king’s main weapon, a huge sword, looked more like equipment used in civil engineering rather than a weapon.
It was not made of light like other giants handle, but was a tangible object, so Ronan could not cut it down easily. Was it too obvious that she was aiming for her neck? He took a deep breath and smiled artificially.
“He doesn’t attack quickly because of his size. “Are things hung properly?”
『······.』
However, the king did not respond to Ronan’s provocation. I felt like I knew who the cynical aspect unique to the giant race came from. A tense silence was maintained. The king silently turned around and swung his great sword widely.
“Ugh!”
Ronan, who read the trajectory, pushed his back. Whoa! The great sword narrowly grazed his floating bangs.
A swarm of light fired along the sword’s trajectory flew beyond the horizon. Quaaaaang-! Soon an explosion tore through the sea of clouds.
“Nimi.”
The shock wave that came late swept the area. Ronan cursed. It was fortunate that this was a remote place. It was powerful enough to blow up an entire city.
Whoa! Immediately the giant’s attack came, but I couldn’t even think of responding. Ronan, who had been maintaining his distance by either shedding or dodging, twisted his lips.
‘Fucked. ‘How do I hold this?’
To be honest, I couldn’t find an answer. It didn’t seem like the king was decided by popular vote. Although they sometimes dealt effective hits to each other, Ronan usually suffered much greater losses.
All he could do right now was wait for the curse remaining in his body to dissipate while preventing sparks from flying among the Allied Forces. Suddenly, a familiar girl’s voice rang in Ronan’s head.
[It’s not easy.]
“What is it, Rin?”
[It’s solid. How could such a being exist…]
Ronan’s eyes widened. It was a voice I hadn’t heard in a long time. It was Rin, the soul of the holy sword residing in La Mancha. Ronan, who once again dodged the king’s slash, tilted his head.
“What happened all of a sudden?”
[I came because I didn’t want to see you die. No matter what anyone says, you are my friend.]
Every time she spoke, the sword body buzzed. Ronan narrowed his eyes at her. The meaning was self-evident.
“Do you think you can’t win?”
[I can’t say for sure, but it will be difficult if things continue like this. They’re reading you just like you’re reading that monster’s fighting methods. If you really want to win, you have to find a new way.]
“It’s a new way.”
Ronan sighed. Indeed, as she said, the king had memorized all of Ronan’s attack patterns. Unless she attacked quite irregularly, she couldn’t land a significant hit.
It had to be caught off guard just once and destroyed. Ronan’s head was getting hot quickly. A new, never-before-thought-of method. After being silent for a few seconds, he snapped his fingers.
“aha.”
[What, did you come up with a good idea?]
“There’s a high chance of failure, but I think it’s worth a try. “Let’s give it a try.”
[What on earth are you going to do… Wait!]
Lin was about to shout something. Ronan suddenly placed his sword on her left thigh and slashed her. Sigh! Blood spurted out like a fountain from where the blade penetrated the flesh. Ronan gritted his teeth against the burning pain.
“Damn, I cut myself too deep.”
[Are you crazy? What are you doing now?]
Lin asked in a puzzled tone. Instead of answering, Ronan pushed the blade further into the flesh.
Let the blood come out just enough not to kill you. I may have a bit of a limp later on. Lin, who belatedly realized Ronan’s intentions, shed her embarrassment.
[Wait, you can’t believe it…]
“okay. “At this rate, even that bastard will be in pain.”
Ronan chuckled. A red spirit was rising from La Mancha’s sword body. This was due to the weapon’s characteristic of becoming sharper as it drank her blood.
It was a necessary preparation before striking the secret blow. First of all, the sword must clearly rip through the skin.
This was the first step, but in fact, it was a gamble from here. It was just as Ronan was trying to explain the strategy to Lin in a whisper. A low, deep voice echoed across the sky.
『Stop.』
“what?”
Ronan stopped without realizing it. It felt like my bone marrow was whining. It was a voice on a different level from the giant’s voice I had heard so far.
Ronan instinctively knew it was the king’s voice. After catching his breath, he raised his head. Before he knew it, the king had lowered his great sword and was looking at him.
“Did you know how to speak?”
『Little creature living a mortal life, tell me the whereabouts of the previous king while I still have mercy.』
“Forefathers…what?”
Ronan tilted his head. He couldn’t understand what was being said.
If it’s a previous king, does that mean there was a king before that bastard? The king continued.
『Your blood smells like the previous king.』
