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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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The weapon, which had taken the form of Bloodstorm, shifted into a bracelet the moment I deemed it cumbersome.
A serpent-shaped bracelet, coiled around the wrist.
Did it change based on my aesthetic sense?
I was annoyed with myself for momentarily thinking it looked cool.
“Are you that pleased?”
Whatever its true nature, it clearly possessed intelligence.
The Imperial Family would know what it was, wouldn’t they?
Just how valuable was a sentient weapon?
Pushing aside a flicker of anticipation, I headed outside.
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As the outside scenery came into hazy view, I spoke quickly.
“Sorry, am I late? I couldn’t decide what to choose.”
I scratched the back of my head, feigning an awkward expression.
While technically I hadn’t chosen, but been chosen, I had still taken longer than I’d promised.
An apology, even a feigned one, seemed appropriate.
But why wasn’t there any reaction?
“What’s wrong? Did it take longer than you expected…?”
Concerned she might be upset, I quickly looked around.
“Me…?”
I found Lux collapsed under the soft light.
The unexpected sight made me blink.
“Hey, hey… what’s going on…?”
Only as I approached her did I realize something was terribly wrong.
“Lux! Wake up!”
I hastily turned her over, and her peacefully sleeping face came into view.
Smudged makeup.
A dust-covered dress.
Her ruby-like eyes had lost their light.
And her cheeks held no warmth.
“Why…?”
A sight I had witnessed countless times in my life.
I knew this meant “death.”
But I couldn’t believe it.
She had just waved goodbye moments ago, a smile on her face.
Why… why did she have to die?
“This can’t be happening.”
In the midst of my confusion, I quickly scanned my surroundings.
A faint magical presence in the air made me narrow my eyes.
“Magical traces… she used magic…!”
I abruptly turned to the Mithril Golems.
“Tell me. Who was it? Who killed Lux?”
Whoever it was, I wouldn’t let them get away with this.
They dared to attack my student.
I would grind their bones to dust.
But the golems offered an unexpected answer.
“There were no intruders.”
“Only Allen and Lux entered this area.”
“What…?”
Golems wouldn’t lie.
More accurately, golems guarding the Imperial treasures had no reason to lie.
Their command structure wouldn’t allow it.
Which meant…
“…Lux chose to die… herself?”
As the turbulent emotions and surging killing intent subsided, I realized the nature of the lingering magic.
The magic floating in the air belonged to only one person.
Lux.
I had seen it countless times in class.
“Magic? Why?”
I didn’t understand why she would use magic if there were no intruders.
But it was clearly the cause of her current state.
And if it was magic, there was a chance she wasn’t dead.
She wouldn’t choose death, not after smiling at me like that.
So what if her pupils were unresponsive, her body cold, and her magical flow undetectable?
As long as there was a sliver of hope, I wouldn’t give up.
“
”
Imbuing my legs with the traits of the Snow Mountain Cliff Thunderbird, I moved like lightning.
To save my student.
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Somewhere in the Suoman Kingdom, in the western part of the continent, lay a nameless village.
A woman lying on a plush bed, gazing into a crystal ball, frowned.
“I didn’t expect the Magic Tower’s scraps to show up.”
She was Espina Pereza, the Thorn Princess, a world-renowned criminal, and the Archbishop of Sloth.
“Has the Magic Tower’s level risen this much?”
She hadn’t expected them to track her so quickly.
The Tower Lord’s rampage across the Empire, chasing Heretics, had clouded her judgment.
She hadn’t anticipated that any mage besides the Tower Lord could follow her trail.
No, that was an excuse.
Normally, she would have moved cautiously, leaving misleading trails before hiding in a Heretic sanctuary.
Confusing her pursuers was the basic principle of escape.
Espina, who knew this better than anyone, had stayed in this village for days for one reason: Allen’s final attack.
“Damn ‘Singularity’…”
Although her wounds were fully healed, the throbbing pain persisted.
Moreover, the holy water that had entered her body disrupted her Magi flow.
A weapon made from a World Tree branch, imbued with holy water – who would have thought a human could possess something even the Forest Elves, the guardians of the forest, couldn’t obtain?
“I can’t fight in this condition.”
Even fully prepared, she couldn’t guarantee victory against the Tower Lord.
And now, the Holy Kingdom’s Inquisitor was also present.
No matter how many times they clashed, she knew it would be a losing battle.
She wanted to flee, but a magic barrier preventing spatial transfer enveloped the entire village.
The Tower Lord’s handiwork, no doubt.
Kwaaang!
Her multi-layered barriers were crumbling.
They wouldn’t last another five minutes.
They would come for her soon.
The encroaching fear of death… wasn’t what she felt.
Espina felt only one thing: annoyance.
“Why aren’t they showing up?”
“As long as they’re not late, what does it matter? It’s amusing to hear Sloth talk about ‘quickly.’”
A woman emerging from the shadows scoffed.
A massive physique, reminiscent of an orc.
A greatsword as large as her body, dark red in color.
Short hair barely covering the back of her head.
Red eyes, slitted vertically like a reptile’s.
It was Diablo Rabia, the Archbishop of Wrath.
Slamming her greatsword onto the ground, she grumbled at Espina.
“Do you know how far it is from the North to here? And thanks to that annoying barrier, I had to waste my energy swinging my sword.”
“Who cares?”
“Tsk, the previous Sloth wasn’t this troublesome.”
“If you cared so much, you should have protected her. What’s the point of regretting it now?”
No one had expected an Archbishop to be killed by a mere Master.
And now, Sloth had been seriously injured by the same person.
Two Archbishops of Sloth, defeated by a single individual.
“There are such beings in this world… ‘natural enemies.’ This Singularity will be interesting.”
“Stop with the nonsense and prepare to fight. They’re coming.”
Kwaaang!
The final barrier shattered, and a multitude of mages appeared.
Mages from the Magic Tower and paladins from the Holy Kingdom.
At their forefront stood the Tower Lord and the Inquisitor, weapons aimed at the two Archbishops.
“There’s more than one. Even better. I can eliminate two pests at once.”
At Aerius’s chilling words, Romeo slicked back his hair and spoke.
“The Archbishop of Wrath. I doubt a single Archbishop will change the outcome.”
The journey here hadn’t been easy, but not difficult for their elite forces.
Covered in dust and monster blood, they had no casualties.
The Heretics were clearly at a disadvantage.
Openly mocked, Diablo bared her sharp fangs and grinned.
Her red eyes blazed with fury.
“Kukuk, you dare mock me, a mere Virtue? A commoner empowered by a pathetic god!”
A surge of wrathful Magi erupted.
Sensing the ominous energy, Romeo raised his shield –
Swish!
A crisp slicing sound, like paper being torn, echoed.
“W-what…?”
Romeo stared at his shield, its outer edge missing, and broke into a cold sweat.
His shield, imbued with God’s blessing, had been cut without him even noticing.
He couldn’t believe it.
“Tsk, don’t interfere, Virtue.”
“I can’t do that. I’m in charge of this operation. And it’s an elder’s duty to protect the young.”
Only then did Romeo realize Aerius had protected him with some kind of magic.
‘Was I a frog in a well…!’
Despite his arduous training, despite reaching the level where he could hunt monsters alone… he was no match for an Archbishop.
The realization made him despair.
“Get a grip.”
Aerius’s clear voice pierced his ears.
“Your role isn’t to kill the enemy, but to protect your allies. Was your training so shallow that you’d be defeated by this?”
“…No.”
Pulling himself together, Romeo began to pray.
“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…”
“Stop him!”
Diablo shouted, recognizing the significance of Romeo’s prayer.
Once the prayer was complete, God’s power would descend upon them.
“
”
Espina hastily cast her magic, but Aerius wouldn’t stand idly by.
“Do you think you’re the only Grand Mage here?”
“
”
Black thorns erupting from the ground clashed with a surging blue torrent.
But it was a short-lived stalemate.
“…Ugh.”
Espina, not at her full strength, couldn’t withstand Aerius’s magic.
Just as the torrent was about to engulf her, Diablo swung her sword.
But the torrent, split in two by Diablo’s sword energy, surged towards the two Archbishops from both sides.
Crash!
“This is a truly troublesome situation.”
Diablo wiped the blood from her lips and grimaced.
The unexpected turn of events had put them at a disadvantage.
“…There’s no other way. Give me your Magi, Sloth.”
“You’re going to open it?”
“There’s no other choice. Soon…”
Before Diablo could finish, Romeo’s prayer was complete.
“But deliver us from evil.”
“
”
A holy aura emanated from Romeo’s shield, enveloping his designated allies.
Sanctuary, the pinnacle of divine magic, protecting those chosen by the caster.
“There’s no helping it. Take it.”
Disgusted by the holy power, Espina extended her hand.
“I didn’t expect to resort to this here.”
Diablo, grasping Espina’s hand, pulled something from her bosom.
Thump- thump-
A beating heart of some beast.
Aerius focused her magic, perplexed by the Archbishop’s strange actions.
“What are you planning?”
Although a heart, the source of life, held great value as a sacrifice, a single heart wouldn’t be enough to summon anything significant.
Still, she couldn’t be careless, given their desperate situation.
Aerius cast her magic.
“
”
Dark clouds gathered in the sky.
As the clouds quickly filled the sky, Aerius spoke in a chilling voice.
“Pour down.”
Raindrops imbued with pure magic poured down on the Archbishops.
Each drop held the destructive power of a small bomb.
And at that moment, Diablo crushed the heart in her hand.
“Gate of Hell, open!”
Magi, originating from the dark red blood, rose like smoke.
As the rising smoke clashed with the raindrops, an unbelievable sight unfolded.
Aerius’s magic was absorbed by the smoke and vanished.
Aerius frowned at the unfamiliar phenomenon.
“What in the world…?”
The magic-drained clouds dissipated, and the thick smoke cleared.
“……”
A massive gate stood revealed.
The forces stared, speechless, at its indescribably grotesque form.
In the suffocating silence, someone whispered in a trembling voice.
“Hell…?”
It was the only way to describe it.
A gate, the embodiment of hell, stood before them.
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Thanks for the chapter