Chapter 290
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[Translator – Night]
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The Hero was about to move directly to the heart of the Great Forest, the Immortal’s Realm.
However, just before doing so, he sensed a barrier obstructing the teleportation.
Unlike the barrier of the fairies who had protected the forest before… this one exuded a very sinister aura.
Having replicated the essence of the Archmage, he could decipher its contents.
“A barrier for blocking space, comprehensive camouflage… illusion and reality manipulation.”
It was an intricate and high-level barrier, making it understandable why no one had noticed the anomalies in the Great Forest.
The Hero had no choice but to change the destination to the entrance.
Upon arriving at the Great Forest,
“…”
The forest from the outside appeared as tranquil as ever.
A clear and blue sky.
Sunlight filtering through the leaves, and a subtle floral fragrance.
Even the chirping birds.
Crunch-
However, the moment the Hero took a step inside,
Whirrrrrr-
as if turning the page of a picture book,
the tranquil scenery vanished in an instant.
Swoosh-
The Hero drew the Sword of Hope, gazing at the floating ashes.
The acrid smoke stung his eyes.
Screeeech-
The eerie cries of monsters broke the silence.
The Hero realized the sounds were getting closer.
There was no time to waste.
▼
Replicate recorded individual: Ted Redymer.
▲
Whoosh-
The Hero leapt, slicing off the talons and their owner lunging at him.
The chimera with its grotesque form thrashed on the ground.
“The 1st and 2nd corps of Theo.”
…And Theo was here too.
Although far away, he could clearly sense the evil presence.
An indescribably sinister chill was emanating from the heart of the Great Forest.
A sense of urgency slowly crept over him.
“I need to hurry.”
But at this rate, it would take quite some time to reach the interior.
Theo seemed to have noticed him, as all forces were focusing on him.
“Fighting them directly will delay me.”
The Hero decided to test a slightly different combat method.
▼
Replicate recorded individual: Yussi Glendor.
▲
▼
Replicate recorded individual: Pia Joyce.
▲
Rumble-!
With the highest level of alchemy at work, the devastated ground of the forest trembled.
Large rocks clung together.
Debris of earth and wood filled the gaps, forming a shape.
It seemed as if a powerful magnetic force was at work between them.
Roarrr-
Finally, the colossal golem took shape and slowly rose.
It wasn’t just one.
Despite the Hero pouring only a portion of his mana, more than ten golems were formed.
Thud-!
The weight crushed the ground.
The golems advanced in all directions.
“…Break through the encirclement and aid the nearby fairy villages.”
After giving the order, the Hero immediately prepared the next technique.
▼
Activate Infinite Technique, First Style: ‘Massacre’.
▲
Massacre was an ultimate technique created through the essence of his disciples.
As the children grew stronger, the number of ice arrows had increased from the previous twenty to nearly a hundred, appearing behind the Hero.
“Intercept the approaching monsters.”
The ice arrows imbued with the magic property of ‘tracking’ from Evergreen hummed as they circled around the Hero.
All that remained was to charge forward.
Amazingly, all of this took place in less than a few seconds.
Even the Hero’s running speed hadn’t diminished at all.
Synchronization with ??? had rapidly increased the replicable capacity.
Thus, as he anNyhillated the demon army on his path and advanced through the forest, the Hero suddenly sensed a familiar presence and came to a halt.
Clack-
Beyond the dense trees, a silhouette appeared.
“Nyhill?”
The Hero’s face brightened for a moment, then immediately hardened.
It was because he saw the dozen or so puppets following.
…It was clearly beyond Nyhill’s capability to control.
“Did she overexert herself this much?”
One fortunate thing was that Nyhill was still alive.
If she had died, the puppets would have disappeared as well.
One of Nyhill’s puppets spotted him and approached.
“Hero.”
“…Yes.”
“I will report the current situation.”
The puppet closed its eyes momentarily as if communicating with the main body.
The Hero watched as the puppet, identical to his disciple, opened its mouth to speak.
“We are currently in combat with Theo. Of the eight dispatched Dawn Knights, six are dead and two are critically injured. The chief guardian, Laplace, is also critically injured.”
The Hero’s eyes wavered.
“Notably, Larze Gion has joined the battle. I will relay her message.”
“…Go ahead.”
“Don’t be reassured just because I’m here. Theo’s power is stronger than we thought. We’re reaching our limit. The seal is still intact, but it seems his goal isn’t the seal. Come quickly.”
Larze’s uncharacteristically terse message indicated the seriousness of the situation.
The Hero’s grip tightened on the Black Hope.
“Then, we will return to our master now.”
Srrr-
Leaving the puppets that melted into the ground behind him, the Hero started running again.
Crackle-
The World Tree, turning black, watched him.
* * *
“Wake up… Please! Iira!”
Iira responded to the desperate cries piercing her ears.
As she lifted her heavy eyelids, Taylor, who had her face buried in her chest, raised her head sharply. “Iira!”
“You’re heavy.”
“You….”
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“Even pirates cry. Funny.”
Tears flowed endlessly from both her single eye and the eye hidden under the eyepatch.
Iira reached out and wiped Taylor’s tears.
“You’re badly hurt too. Are you an idiot?”
Iira looked down at Taylor’s lower body.
Her left leg was cleanly severed below the knee.
Her right shoulder was also so gouged out that the bone was visible.
But Taylor was more concerned about tending to Iira than her own injuries.
…Because her condition was far more critical.
Iira’s eyelids quivered and closed involuntarily.
“Iira… Iira! Damn it!”
Iira had a large hole in her side.
If it were anyone else, they would have died from excessive bleeding long ago, but Iira had cauterized the wound with white flame and fought on.
However, the wound had worsened, her strength had waned, and the fire had begun to invade her body.
Her injuries were severe enough that it was a miracle she was still alive.
“It hurts, Taylor.”
“…Just hold on a little longer. I’ll do something.”
“…It hurts.”
In the agony of her burning insides, Iira desperately thought of someone.
“…Leader, were you in this much pain?”
Time is cruel.
Though she loved her leader dearly, it had not been long before his face became blurry in her memory.
She had to think hard and hard just to recall his voice.
“Were you this scared?”
But some memories were vivid.
“Ted! There’s someone trapped here? It’s a kid.”
Clang-!
“…Are you okay?”
Right after leaving their home in the Great Mountain Range.
They had suffered at the hands of some vile slave traders.
It was the leader who had saved Iira from that ordeal.
Since then, he had taken her with him, teaching her how to fight… and how to live.
One day, with the leader’s help, she had managed to relocate the people from her home, who had been barely surviving in the Great Mountain Range.
“How does it feel to provide your people with a safe home and shelter?”
“…It feels good. Very.”
His rough but warm hand patted Iira’s shoulder.
“We will bring comfort to more people, and eventually to everyone in this world. I want you to accompany me to the end of that journey.”
At first, she followed the leader simply because she liked him.
But the more time she spent with him, the more she wanted to achieve his goals together.
“…….”
Iira opened her eyes again.
Beyond the crying Taylor, she saw the blackened World Tree.
Its massive base had mostly been corroded by the contamination.
Countless leaves fell lifelessly to the ground.
Flowers and branches withered and drooped toward the earth.
The ground shook as if an earthquake was happening.
It was as if this little world was being completely destroyed.
This wasn’t it.
Not this despairing, futile landscape filled with regret and lament.
She had hoped to die watching people, finally at peace, laugh together.
The leader, Felson, Taylor, Yussi… all of them, even the other comrades who now lay dead beside her, laughing together.
That was the scene she wished to see as she died.
“It’s regrettable.”
“Iira….”
“It’s regrettable.”
Regret.
Finally, Iira understood Ted Redymer.
She realized what he felt when he left the world without fulfilling his mission of salvation.
…So, she could accept the hypothesis that the Dawn Knights had secretly pondered.
‘So that’s what it was. That’s how it was.’
The doppelg?nger wasn’t acting out of its own greed.
It continued all those lies to fulfill the mission Ted Redymer had personally entrusted to it.
As someone who loved the leader dearly, it was a hypothesis Iira had difficulty accepting.
‘You were like me.’
A comrade inspired by the ideals of Ted Redymer, drawn toward where he shone.
“Chase the monster!”
Then she remembered the sight of him running away, being pointed at by people on the hills of Rosenstark.
In the moment when deep regret welled up inside her,
it was already too late.
Iira shook her head weakly.
Crunch-
It was then that they heard the sound of footsteps behind them.
It was hard to believe.
Could there still be a survivor here?
Iira and Taylor blankly stared at the figure approaching them.
“……”
It was an unfamiliar face.
But soon they realized they had encountered him once before.
A vivid memory surfaced.
The hills of Rosenstark.
The man who had stood there calmly.
“……”
The man slowly approached and knelt.
He gently took Iira’s small hand, which had been grasping at the air.
“……”
He said nothing.
He didn’t resent them for chasing him away back then.
He didn’t reproach them for believing in him only now.
He simply looked at her with warm eyes, as if everything was alright.
A single tear rolled down Iira’s cheek.
“I’m sorry.”
For some reason,
although he said nothing,
it seemed he understood everything she wanted to say.
Iira’s lips quivered.
“I’m sorry….”
He nodded silently.
It was then that he tightened his grip on her hand.
“…I understand you.”
All the surrounding noise disappeared, and only the man’s voice lingered in her ears.
It was an unfamiliar voice, just like his face.
But for some reason,
Iira and Taylor felt that the voice was similar to the one they longed for.
Gruff but kind.
Somehow reassuring.
That kind of voice.
Whoosh-
A pure white flame began to flicker on the blade of the Black Hope.
A warm and… comforting flame.
As she watched it, Iira’s expression gradually relaxed.
She smiled faintly.
“Thank you… Hero.”
The Hero gripped the sword imbued with white flame and stood up.
A voice, choked with sobs, reached his ears.
“Please.”
The Hero’s hair swayed slightly as he nodded.
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[Translator – Night]
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