EP.125 The Path to the North (3)
It was a dark night.
The knights, who were hastily heading to support the front line collapsed by the Betrayer’s Beast, came to a stop. They felt an anomaly. One by one, the torches illuminating their path went out.
…
The torches extinguished silently.
Not a single ember remained. They had lost their light, yet the knights did not panic. They steadied their breaths and scanned their surroundings. They, too, were seasoned soldiers.
And then, they faced it.
A being emerged from the darkness.
The knights’ gazes trembled. Cold sweat trickled down their backs. In the face of overwhelming fear, their spears rattled noisily. Someone clacked their teeth together.
Disaster.
One of the four disasters.
Skebal, the Ancient Lich.
An indescribable being looked down upon the knights.
“Ah, ah…”
In the presence of something unfathomable, humans felt fear. The knights felt it just the same. Even seasoned warriors became mere humans in the face of disaster.
Gulp.
The knights swallowed hard and shifted their gazes. All of their eyes focused on the same place. They saw a single ray of light that hadn’t been swallowed by the darkness.
A being not of mere humans.
A chosen being to stand against the disaster.
Hero, Kyle Toven.
As the gazes poured forth, Kyle gripped his sword tightly. The platinum starlight nestled in his eyes. Kyle raised his head.
“So, it’s just you.”
A crackling noise echoed in his ears. The layered, overlapping voices were laced with mockery.
…
Kyle silently turned to look back.
The Saint was there. The Archery Master was there. Countless soldiers were there. However, that Ancient Lich had said “just you.” It was clear what that meant.
“…Being alone is enough.”
“How arrogant, child of the star.”
The overlapping laughter resonated.
Frowning, Kyle lowered his Holy Sword. The circle of light shone brilliantly amidst the darkness.
Skebal? That coward?
Funny enough, what popped into his mind was that guy’s voice. The tales he had heard long ago lingered in his ears.
Why would he be a coward?
Laying traps, creating altars, spawning Betrayers… It’s certainly annoying, but how many times has that skull bucket shown itself on the battlefield?
He had said this.
If I discount the times I dragged him out… surprisingly few, right? So that means he’s a coward. He does a lot, but always from the shadows. Annoyingly so.
The Ancient Lich Skebal is a coward.
He seldom shows his true form. He always manipulates from behind the scenes.
He is a coward, true. But…
That doesn’t mean he’s a fool.
He wouldn’t miss the chance in front of him.
When the moment comes to seize victory, the Ancient Lich will surely move. He never misses an opening. That is precisely what makes him bothersome.
See?
He never misses an opening.
The mark of the “Altar” engraved upon him.
While pointing at it, Raniel had said it.
Even back then, Skebal had seized the moment when Raniel faltered. That skull had always done so. If there was even a slight gap, he would burrow in and wreak havoc.
Skebal was revealing himself on the battlefield.
That meant one thing.
“You’re certain of your victory.”
Kyle clicked his tongue.
“Is that so?”
He could roughly guess why the Ancient Lich had shown himself here.
Loss of troops due to the Betrayer’s Beast.
Retreat and concentration of the Demon Lord’s Army to the east.
A front line on the verge of collapse.
The shortest route to the east.
As information connected with information, the answer emerged. Chewing over the answer, Kyle frowned. From the enemy’s perspective, this was an unparalleled opportunity.
“So this is where you wait for me?”
Kyle tightened his grip on the Holy Sword. In response, Skebal moved his fingers as well. A bundle of spells coiled around his long fingers.
“Fear.”
Skebal clenched his fist.
Kyle thrust into the ground.
Swoosh!
As the spells poured forth, Kyle swung his sword.
Disaster and hero collide.
2.
The fight of the Mage and the Warrior is a battle of distance. The Mage must keep their distance. The Warrior must close the gap. Their desires are in conflict. The moment the scale tips to one side, victory or defeat is determined.
And the scale always tilts towards the Warrior.
Most Mages cannot contend with Warriors. That is a well-known fact. The means to block a charging warrior are limited.
Let alone if it’s a superhuman level warrior?
“Blocking is almost impossible.”
That’s why the Warrior always holds the advantage against Mages. However, there are always exceptions.
Rebuild.
The ground trembles like a wave. The floor sinks. The terrain shifts. There’s no place to step. Kyle swung his Holy Sword toward the ground.
Swoosh.
The land sliced by the Holy Sword became flat. However, the moment Kyle took a step, his foot sank into the ground.
Swamp.
Before long, the ground had turned into a swamp.
With nowhere to step, he couldn’t gain speed. With nowhere to place his weight, his stance was off.
Despite that, Kyle swung his sword.
He, who learned swordsmanship from the Sword Master Kuntel, must be able to swing his sword in any situation. That was Kuntel’s first lesson.
Swoosh!
The swung sword upturned the ground.
It sliced through the spells that seeped into the ground. He kicked off the ground and leapt up. At that moment, the completed spell struck Kyle.
Flame orbs poured down.
Lightning struck, and bone spears shot up from the ground.
An elite tier spell rained down like a storm.
“It’s hot.”
The heat singed his clothes. The jumping lightning scorched his skin. The bone spear grazed his flesh. Kyle gritted his teeth and swung his sword.
Swoosh.
He swung to cut. At times he dodged. When he couldn’t dodge, he relied on his body’s resilience. While wounds grew, it was fine.
“After all, Sara’s blessing…”
Just as light tried to heal Kyle’s body.
The Lich flicked his finger.
Anti-Spell.
A loud crack, and the blessing that surrounded Kyle splintered. Kyle’s eyes narrowed. He instinctively looked back.
“Ka, Kyle!”
Sara hurriedly cast her blessing.
But the blessing would never be completed. The Lich’s incantation was faster than the Saint’s chant.
“■”
A garbled pronunciation.
It was impossible to tell how many spell languages were contained within that mashed-up sound. The only thing Kyle could discern was one.
Spell-Seizure.
Spell-reversal.
Sara’s blessing was seized.
The blessing infused with starlight turned black. Skebal flicked his finger. As a response, sounds echoed from beyond the darkness.
Clack, clack, clack.
With the sound of bones rattling, Black Bone Soldiers poured forth from the darkness. The inverted spells flowed down upon their heads.
Blessing.
The black light seeped into the Black Bone’s skeleton.
It seemed as though Skebal had deliberately led to this moment as he sneered.
Kieeeeeek!
The enhanced Black Bone Soldiers let out a horrifying scream. They rushed towards Kyle. Kyle gritted his teeth and swung his sword. He couldn’t cut them all down. The Black Bone Soldiers surged over Kyle towards the knights.
“Ugh, cough!”
Damage occurred.
The enhanced Black Bone Soldiers swept away the knights. Remia shot moonlight arrows, but it took time to take down the Black Bone Soldiers. The knights’ blood spurted out.
“I told you.”
Laughter.
“You’re all alone.”
It laughed.
The spells filling the sky continued to target Kyle. Among them, several aimed at Kyle’s back. They targeted the Saint.
“Guh!”
Kyle stomped the ground and swung his sword.
He succeeded in protecting Sara, but he couldn’t shield others. The pouring spells swept away the knights. Chaos deepened on the battlefield.
Blood splattered.
The knights’ screams resonated.
Remia’s arrows rained down noisily.
Amid the chaos, Skebal chuckled. He intertwined spells on his fingers. An incomprehensible language filled the sky.
“There’s no one to intercept my spells.”
Skebal wove his spells.
“There’s no one to counter my spell theft.”
The woven spells emitted light.
“There’s no one to sever my spells.”
A storm of spells filled the sky.
“There’s no one to send you before me.”
The ground upheaved.
Chains pouring down ensnared Kyle’s body. The body devoid of blessings was slower than before. Yet, the battlefield continued to worsen.
“Therefore, you are alone.”
Kyle gritted his teeth and swung his sword.
Swoosh.
He cut through one spell.
Dozens of spells arose.
Swoosh!
He sliced through the falling spells. He took the blows meant for his back with his body. He cut through the pouring chains. He thudded his feet and broke through the mud as he charged forward.
“■■”
For every one he cut down, dozens emerged.
“■■■■■”
For every dozen he cut down, hundreds arose.
“■■■■■■■■■■■”
After cutting down hundreds and cutting again, the spells filling the sky were once again targeting him.
“There’s no end.”
Because there was no end, he couldn’t see the answer.
“Was he such a troublesome opponent?”
No, absolutely not.
Originally, Skebal’s woven spells were all intercepted. Spell theft? There shouldn’t have been a chance for that. Rather, Skebal’s spells were the ones stolen.
“Normally…”
Sara’s blessing shouldn’t have been taken.
He shouldn’t have been unable to close the distance.
There shouldn’t have been a collapse in the ranks due to the Black Bone Soldiers.
“Look.”
An unlikely occurrence took place.
“Isn’t it nothing?”
Kyle knew better than anyone the reason for this.
“Without the Ashen one, you are nothing.”
That guy was missing.
The one who should have neutralized the spells, guarded the rear, and stood in the front line to support him was absent.
“…Once.”
Kyle looked back.
What he saw was the terrified knights. Among them, there were some Mages. Mages that would be fit to be called elite.
“Just once, I wish you’d block a spell…”
Kyle started to speak and then closed his mouth.
The eyes of the Mages were trembling. There was no certainty in their gaze. They lacked confidence.
“…Could it really be that you can’t block it?”
The Ancient Lich, Skebal.
An ancient spellcaster who had lived for centuries.
The path he tread through magic is long. He had accomplished what a single human could achieve in their lifetime countless times over. A person with elite talent had researched magic without rest for centuries.
Such a being.
There’s no way a human who hasn’t even lived a hundred years could understand his magic. And if they couldn’t understand, they couldn’t block it, either.
“By myself.”
The weight of that statement struck again.
…
It was time to decide.
“If I charge in ignoring the rear, if I burn the starlight… I can kill him.”
But the next problem arises.
If he charges in and abandons the rear, all the knights would die. Perhaps either Sara or Remia might get severely injured.
A hero must not seek victory alone.
A hero is a protector.
If a hero gives up what they must protect, they may be able to hunt the disaster.
But does that hold any meaning?
“…No, it has no meaning.”
Even if he rushed in, prepared to sacrifice, and pierced that skull, it would only take one of the Ancient Lich’s life vessels. Skebal would resurrect again somehow.
…
As Kyle cut through the pouring spells, he looked back. What came into view were the exhausted and wounded soldiers. Sara’s law was stained with blood. Remia was flipping an empty quiver upside down, shaking it.
“…Is that so?”
Kyle made his decision.
“…We retreat.”
The hero decides to retreat.
The hero, who should symbolize victory, admits to defeat. At that fact, the knights’ eyes waver. For an instant, the spears and swords of the knights, who felt fear yet fought bravely, paused.
They looked at Kyle as if they couldn’t believe him.
Kyle shouted once more.
“Retreat! Give up the eastern front!”
The admission of defeat tasted humiliating.
Enduring the humiliation, Kyle gritted his teeth. As he watched them retreat, the Ancient Lich burst into laughter.
That day, the hero was defeated by the Ancient Lich.
It didn’t take long for that rumor to spread to the Royal Capital.
3.
The road leading north.
Inside the carriage, I had quite a few conversations with Lac. It wasn’t simply because Lac was the only one to talk to.
“Surprisingly, we somewhat hit it off.”
Lac nodded at whatever I said without any doubt. It made for a rather enjoyable conversation.
“Indeed, I see…”
Above all, Lac was simple.
His questions were straightforward and fundamental, giving us plenty to discuss. Questions like, “Who’s the strongest?” were truly one-dimensional.
“Speaking of which, Master.”
Lac suddenly asked me a question.
It was still a simple question.
“Who do you think is the strongest Mage?”
“Well, of course, it’s me…”
“Me?”
“Me… the Mage who received three stars from Ra… the Ashen Mage Raniel.”
“Is that so?”
“…Lac, you seem to have a different thought.”
I squinted my eyes.
Lac swallowed hard and answered.
“No, I was just thinking about the Ancient Dragon Mage…”
“Hey, that guy is out of the question. He’s not even human, let alone a Mage. How should I put it, he’s a bit… his very existence is different.”
“Huh? You sound like you’ve met him…”
“…I heard it from Raniel.”
I hurried to append.
“Still, after him, it must be Raniel, right?”
“I guess since he’s called the strongest Mage of the human realm… it indeed seems like Raniel would come next.”
“That’s right.”
Hmm, I nodded, but blinked.
I felt a strange sense of recognition within a limited scope.
“But strongest in the human realm?”
“Right? I just thought there are strong Mages in the Demon Realm too…”
“…Like who?”
“Like the Betrayer or the Ancient Lich…”
“The Betrayer is not a Mage. She’s a Summoner. You can’t consider that crazy woman a Mage.”
“Huh? Isn’t Resti also a Summoner?”
“…Resti is different.”
I fell silent for a moment.
“…Shit, am I not even second place?”
No, but the Betrayer has those weird hands too. As a pureblood Mage, I still consider myself the strongest. That’s the reasoning I decided on.
“Then the Ancient Lich, Skebal?”
“That guy’s trash.”
“…Huh?”
“He’s always getting beaten by the Ashen Mage.”
“Uh…”
Lac had a rather enigmatic look on his face.
I nodded and smiled brightly.
“In any case, the Ashen Mage is the strongest.”
“Ah, I see…”
While it felt a bit reluctant to agree, what did it matter?
“Isn’t that all true?”
I simply stated facts without a shred of lie.
