novelnext Chapter 245 : Chaos (11)
Chapter 245 : Chaos (11)
A thudding sound.It felt as though I could hear something beating.
But the woman had no composure to calmly judge whether the sound she had just heard was truly something pulsating—or merely her own delusion.
“Uaaaargh!!!”
It was because Arpentia was charging straight at her, screaming madly.
Even if she was regarded as inferior in raw combat strength, that was only within the Eight Demon Lords and the Wolpen Knights.
Across the entire continent, there were perhaps no more than ten—
No, fewer than five who could match her.
‘More importantly….’
If she were struck by Arpentia’s attack in her current state—so weakened that it could not even compare to the past—she would surely not come out unscathed.
That was something the woman knew to her bones.
And so she had no choice but to evade Arpentia’s fury-laden strike.
“What, what in the world are you doing!!!”
KWAANG!!!
The flash that burst from her hand did not merely shatter the surroundings—it vaporized them into powder as if erasing them entirely.
Fortunately, the woman had already withdrawn some distance and did not suffer so much as a scratch.
“Ah, uaa… aaah…!!!”
Arpentia did not follow up.
As if nothing else mattered, she hurriedly began examining Talia’s body, which had been pierced through by the woman’s hand.
“No, no, no…!!!”
There was a large hole in Talia’s body—more precisely, in the region of her heart.
At the sight, Arpentia let out a sound that was half wail, half scream, as though she could not possibly believe it.
“I asked you—what in the world have you done!”
“I merely carried out a request.”
The woman answered indifferently.
She flicked her hand lightly and glanced over the back of it and her fingers.
There was no Brand.
“A request? A request? Who, who in the world would—”
“The request of the mentor you killed with your own hands.”
At her words, Arpentia flinched.
Without realizing it, she turned her gaze toward one spot.
There, Lord Valen Zeisho lay collapsed, drenched in blood, utterly motionless.
“…No.”
After staring blankly for a moment, Arpentia muttered.
“It wasn’t me.”
“Huh?”
“…I didn’t do it.”
At her reply, the woman stared at her as though she had heard something absurd.
Soon, she let out a hollow laugh and shook her head faintly.
“…Are you truly the Arpentia I once knew? The child who dared call herself a Sage and was praised by all—was that truly you?”
“I don’t know. That wasn’t me. I—I…”
Seeing Arpentia falter, the woman let out a small sigh.
“…To the point that even those once-vivid memories now feel doubtful. The long years, the solitude, the loss—they have ruined you.”
“You of all people.”
Arpentia murmured quietly.
“You of all people—one of the Eight Demon Lords—just a Demon woman who should have been killed long ago. I don’t care about your memories or your opinions.”
“……”
“What matters to me is… I… I…”
Soon, Arpentia’s shoulders began to shake.
“…Why did everyone abandon me?”
With a blank expression, she burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably at someone who was not even present.
“Why? I can’t do anything alone. I—I really have no confidence. I really can’t do anything by myself. Sister, brother… uncle… uncle… why… why did everyone leave only me…? Why me…? You should have taken me too… If you had… then…”
“……”
Watching her ramble incoherently, the woman finally whispered as though she understood.
“…I think I now understand why that one cast aside his pride and asked this of me.”
“Shut up.”
Arpentia muttered blankly.
“Shut up, shut up, shut up. Don’t you dare call Lord Valen Zeisho—uncle—my family—with that mouth.”
“Very well. I take no pleasure in conversing with a madwoman either.”
The woman nodded as though she had been expecting this.
“You’ve lost your mind far more completely than I anticipated.”
Then she added in disbelief,
“You crushed that family with your own hands from the start. Why vent your anger on the wrong person?”
“No.”
Arpentia said.
“It’s all because of you.”
She pointed at the woman.
“You—the last surviving Eight Demon Lord we failed to kill. Berenistella. The harbinger of calamity. The wicked woman who destroyed four nations—it’s all because of you. You appeared here, that’s why. You drag everyone around you into disaster. That’s why all the other Eight Demon Lords died except you. Isn’t that right? And now even us….”
“……”
Berenistella remained silent.
It was not because she felt pity for the sight of a once-acknowledged rival crumbling so miserably. Nor was it because she felt any kinship.
“It’s been a while.”
It was simply because someone still remembered her name—and had spoken it aloud.
And that someone was Arpentia.
…If possible, she would have preferred someone else to call it first.
“Well, that is the way of the world.”
Berenistella muttered as though resigned.
She slowly glanced around.
Talia had been subdued, but two others still remained.
“Dragon Knight and Strategist. It has been a long time.”
As if taking Arpentia’s place while she remained lost in madness, the two stared at her.
A Dragon Knight without a Dragon to ride or a siege spear.
A Strategist standing not at the main encampment where he could command and overturn the battlefield, but at the front lines.
Their strength was undoubtedly far diminished compared to their prime.
But the same was true for her.
‘…No.’
If anything, she was weakened beyond comparison to them.
Even so, Berenistella stood firm and faced them.
In the past, such a thing would have been unthinkable.
“……”
She glanced toward Lord Valen Zeisho.
Then she clicked her tongue softly, clearly displeased.
‘You trouble me until the very end.’
Had it been someone behind him, perhaps it would have been different—but to suffer like this because of a request from an enemy she had tried to kill for years.
The balance sheet simply did not add up.
Thinking so, Berenistella spread both hands.
“…Kill her.”
Arpentia whispered through her tears.
“Kill her.”
At those words, the aura of the remaining two shifted at once.
“I will tear out that woman’s heart and heal Lady Talia.”
As Arpentia finished speaking, the Dragon Knight and the Strategist charged at her simultaneously.
Berenistella also leapt forward, gathering strange energy into both hands.
At that moment—
As the three figures were about to collide—
“…?!”
Suddenly, a chilling presence surged from behind.
“Hup!”
Berenistella dropped low and escaped from that spot.
The others did the same.
KWA-A-A-AANG!
The instant they moved, a dreadful tearing sound split the air and roared through the space where they had just stood.
“This is…?”
Berenistella looked toward the place where the tearing sound through the air had resounded, unable to understand.
The sight of it—cleanly sliced as though cut by scissors through cloth—made a single figure come to mind.
‘…Lian.’
Lian Gwendil.
It had to be him.
His ultimate technique that shattered his own right arm as he unleashed it.
But to use that, he needed Airos’ Sword. Moreover, his body had to be in perfect condition.
…Having watched him for so long, she knew that better than anyone.
‘Don’t tell me….’
Had something happened?
Now that she thought about it, the strike from earlier had not matched what she had seen in the past.
Its power and its range were visibly diminished.
‘Just what happened…?’
She cut off her thoughts and moved again.
It was not because the enemies before her were charging.
It was because the strike that had just flown in—
was continuing to come, one after another.
“Haa, haa…!”
Lancia drew ragged breaths.
Her entire body screamed in protest, yet she paid it no heed and tightened her grip on her sword once more.
But unlike before, her eyes trembled violently.
The firm resolve that had once filled them was nowhere to be found.
Even her body, which had stubbornly endured beyond its limits, was slowly collapsing.
“I….”
Recalling the words she had spoken, Lancia muttered blankly.
“I…?”
Popolotuass.
Merciful Popolotuass.
Grant me strength.
Popolotuass? Popolotuass?
Was that not the name of one of the Eight Demon Lords?
That name clung to her mind like a curse.
Why—why had I called that name…?
“…So.”
At that moment, the Man without a Head murmured in a voice of satisfaction.
His tone was filled with unrestrained joy, as though the moment he had long awaited had finally arrived.
“How does it feel? To realize that the name you had just been crying out in faith belonged to an entirely different being?”
“…Shut up.”
“In the past, I once conducted a rather interesting experiment.”
He continued calmly.
“It was an experiment exploring the relationship between the existence of a god and Divine Power.”
“Shut up.”
Despite her words, his voice lingered around her like a shadow.
“I manipulated their memories through iron needles, ritual sorcery, brainwashing—every method available. I altered the object of their worship, replacing their god with something else. My primary interest was whether they could still use the same Divine Power regardless.”
He went on.
“The results were astonishing. Insects, trees, heretical gods, even excrement—furthermore, even myself. Though each subject lost a fraction of their strength through my experiments, they were still able to wield Divine Power. Even when forced to insult their former god before using it. Which means…”
“I told you to shut up!”
“Gods are nothing more than the product of inaccurate belief.”
The man spoke quietly, coldly.
“Is that not so? Just moments ago, you cried out my parents’ names as though they were gods and demanded power. And you used Divine Power. The only reason it lacked strength was because you were exhausted. And furthermore…”
“U—Uaaaargh!!!”
Lancia could endure no longer.
As she tried to charge at him again, as though to deny everything about herself—
Lian suddenly stepped in front of her, blocking her path.
“Please calm yourself, Senior.”
“But…!”
“Now is not the time.”
Lian spoke firmly once more.
“If you rush in now, you will only give him exactly what he wants.”
At Lian’s resolute voice, Lancia had no choice but to stop.
She merely bit her lip in frustration.
“……”
The man simply watched the two with amusement.
While he did so, Lian lowered his voice enough that only Lancia could hear.
“…I don’t know what trick he has pulled, but the fact that you are still you has not changed, Senior.”
His voice was quiet yet unwavering.
Lancia looked at him, unable to comprehend.
There was not the slightest tremor in his conviction.
“And likewise, Lord Ilionel.”
He paused briefly before continuing.
“…He knew your faith and belief toward Him. That is why He lent you His power even after you called the wrong name. Your faith and belief have not changed.”
“……”
“Do not crumble from a few petty words from the enemy. Senior. The Senior I know is not that weak.”
Lancia stared at Lian in silence.
Gradually, the tremor in her eyes began to subside.
“…Thank you.”
She murmured softly.
Her voice still shook—but far less than before.
“Hmm.”
The man’s expression soured slightly, as though his enjoyment had been spoiled.
“As expected, you will not move according to my wishes. In that case…”
“Enough.”
Lian said as he adjusted his grip on his sword.
“Right.”
When he thought about it, that was true.
Why had he been watching the enemy’s reactions and moving accordingly?
He hated headaches more than anything.
“Try dying once.”
With those words, a massive slash erupted from Lian’s hand.
A strike that had once cleanly severed even space itself—and the body of a Dragon.
Yet the Man without a Head evaded it without difficulty.
“A futile effort—?”
The mocking words faltered.
Because he saw Lian’s expression.
He was smiling.
“Ah.”
Surely not—
Before he could finish the thought, Lian whispered,
“…You’ve been awfully concerned about what’s behind you.”
With that, Lian swung his sword once more toward the Auction House.
Again.
And again.