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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 22: The Dreihart Rebellion Suppression
The day had arrived.
The rebel forces and the imperial suppression army finally met on the plains just outside Dreihart’s fortress.
Normally, these kinds of suppression campaigns turned into sieges.
After all, rebels tended to hunker down inside strongholds—it’s easier to defend from within, especially when you're the one being attacked.
So the fact that they came out to meet the army in open battle? That meant one thing—They believed they could win in a head-on fight.
Rather than being annoyed, Hadem seemed thrilled that they’d chosen to clash directly with him.
“Say what you will about those rebel bastards, but you’ve gotta respect the guts. They’re challenging ‘me’ head-on.”
Hadem laughed gleefully as he watched the enemy line. Beside him, Zeras could only sigh in disbelief.
“If you ask me, we ought to be insulted they’re underestimating us this much. It’s infuriating, really—makes me wonder which thick-headed brute is making us look like pushovers. Hohoho!”
“There ‘is’ one spineless gnat in our midst. Kehahaha!”
Naturally, Hadem of House Raion and Zeras of House Silla were bitter rivals.
Their animosity ran deep—so deep, in fact, that even in the middle of a war, they were more worried about stabbing each other in the back than defeating the rebels.
They were only cooperating now because the higher-ups had forced them to, but everyone knew—if either of them saw an opening, they wouldn’t hesitate to plunge a dagger into the other’s spine.
The Platinum Council knew this too, of course, which is why they’d sent someone to supervise.
Watching the two men squabble, Wartime Operations Overseer Rakyu sighed and stepped in.
“My Lords, as you are already aware, everything in this battle will be recorded. Please do not forget that.”
“Over a bunch of weakling slave rebels, we have to go through all this fuss. Fine, whatever!”
“Understood. Hohoho!”
The『Wartime Operations Overseer』was essentially the Platinum Council’s official referee—sent to make sure things didn’t spiral into chaos, betrayal, or worse, political disgrace for the Imperial family.
After Rakyu’s warning, both lords returned to their units and began preparing for the assault.
I stood on the hill with the others, watching it all unfold. That’s when Nova turned to me.
“My Lord, do you think the rebels are going to lose?”
“Logically, yeah. With those two going at them? It should be a massacre... But Dreihart has ‘him’.”
“Him…?”
At this point in time, I was probably the only person who even knew ‘he’ existed.
That’s because he doesn’t appear in any official capacity until ‘after’ the rebellion event. But I’d played through that storyline. I’d fought him. And even though it was just a game... he absolutely wrecked me.
Because of that, I couldn’t say with any confidence who’d win this battle.
“The lion always leads the charge! Forward, my lions! TO WAR!!”
[ “UOOOHHHHHH!!!” ]
With a thunderous roar, Hadem surged forward, launching the battle.
Charging like a madman on horseback, his knights followed close behind, equally frenzied.
To the rebels, that sight must have looked like a storm of lions descending upon them—hundreds, maybe thousands of them, roaring toward their lines.
Anyone would have felt fear in that moment.
And yet... the slave soldiers didn’t seem shaken. Not in the slightest.
Because they had ‘him.’
"Brothers!! Fight for freedom!!!!"
[ "For freedom!!!" ]
『Zarha Regon』
Champion of the slave arena in Dreihart and a descendant of the Dragonkin, he is one of the top-tier SSR warrior characters obtainable only through the Dreihart Rebellion event.
To put it bluntly, he was ‘Spartacus’ in the world of World Archive.
Just like Spartacus, Zarha was once a slave who led an uprising. Following the storyline, he would crush wave after wave of suppression forces sent by players, bringing shock and terror with him.
Of course, I was one of the lucky recipients of that gift.
Thanks to him, the slave soldiers did not falter. At the front of the charge, Zarha Regon unsheathed two massive swords.
And he shouted for all to hear—
"Brothers! Charge!!!"
[ "Uwaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!" ]
As Zarha charged, the slave soldiers stormed forward behind him.
Battle-hungry lions and rage-fueled slave berserkers collided head-on in the heart of Dreihart’s plains.
KA-BOOM! CRACK! KRA-KOOM!!
Flesh flew, bones shattered, and blood spilled as the two forces clashed.
In the chaos, ’he’ shone brightest.
"Come at me, slaves! Prove to me you’re worth keeping alive!!"
CRACK! SNAP! SLASH!
Hadem, wielding his axe like a madman, was slaughtering the slave soldiers.
Like reaping wheat in a field, he carved through the muscular fighters—he was the spitting image of Lu Bu at Hulao Pass, a veritable plague of locusts.
If left unchecked, it looked like Hadem might just wipe out the entire slave army on his own.
But someone stepped in to stop him.
CLAAANG—!!
"What!?"
"This is where your rampage ends!"
Zarha’s sword clashed with Hadem’s axe, stopping it cold.
Hadem, stunned, chalked it up to luck and kept swinging wildly at Zarha.
But every blow—every last one—was blocked by Zarha’s twin swords, shocking everyone.
As Hadem was forced to a halt, the momentum of the Raion Knights crumbled.
The slave soldiers regrouped and began to fight back in formation.
With the appearance of a worthy opponent, Hadem raised an eyebrow and asked with curiosity—
"You're strong... What's your name?"
"Zarha Regon."
"Alright, Warrior Zarha. Just asking—but would you consider surrendering and joining my side?"
"I would never surrender to those who seek to take our freedom!"
"Yeah… figured you'd say that."
Hadem dismounted and ripped off his helmet.
The knights of House Raion turned pale.
"Blood!! Run!! The Lord is going all out!!"
"Everyone, get away from the Lord!!!"
At that moment, tufts of fur began sprouting from Hadem’s shiny bald head.
His already swollen muscles swelled even more.
This was the reason Hadem was known as the『Lion of Hell』. His divine blessing—
〈King of Beasts〉
The ability was simple.
He transformed into a lion beastman and became absurdly powerful.
The catch? In that state…
“Grrrrrr… GRAAAAGH!!!”
He lost all rational thought.
Now a lion berserker, Hadem lunged at Zarha.
His berserker-empowered axe swings were several times stronger than when he was human.
And yet—Zarha blocked one of Hadem’s blows…
With his bare hand.
CLAAAANG!!!
"Grrrrr!?"
"You think becoming a beast makes you something special? Let me show you what a real beast looks like!"
Scales of deep blue began to emerge across Zarha’s skin.
His horns grew longer, and his face was soon covered in shimmering blue scales—
Revealing his true nature as a Dragonkin.
This was Zarha’s power…
The unique ability of the Dragonkin—
『Draconification』
"Grrrrrrr!!!"
"WRAAAAAAHHH!!!"
A red lion and a blue dragon clashed.
And in the heart of the battlefield, the monsters began to fight.
＊ ＊ ＊
At that moment, my retainers and I were watching the battle unfold in real time through the『Eye of the Sky』—a surveillance spell set up by Sharon.
I know I shouldn’t say this, but… honestly? It was thrilling.
Watching people transform into beasts and clash in the heart of battle—how could that ‘not’ be entertaining?
I found myself silently cheering for Zarha over and over again, hoping he’d clobber Hadem into the dirt.
I wasn’t the only one hooked.
My retainers were just as glued to the scene, eyes locked on the chaos unfolding below.
At some point, Lana had even pulled out a piece of hardtack and started snacking, casually munching away like she was watching a theater play instead of a full-blown war.
“Incredible. There really are people who can transform into beasts.”
“It’s the first time I’ve seen it in person.”
“Same here.”
“Me too.”
Apparently, none of them had ever witnessed such a transformation before.
I only knew Hadem had that ability—to become a lion—because of the game. But this was my first time seeing it with my own eyes since arriving in this world.
Well, no wonder he had the guts to travel alone without any guards. With a power like that, who needs backup?
The realization made me feel just a little more depressed about my own complete lack of blessings.
“So what does this mean for the battle now?”
Nova's question got me thinking.
Zarha managing to hold off Hadem was impressive, no doubt. But it wasn’t enough to win the war outright.
Because Lord Zeras was still out there.
That man might not even hesitate to blast both Hadem and Zarha away with magic in one fell swoop if it gave him the edge.
“If we’re thinking logically, Lord Zeras could just strike from behind and secure the victory, right?”
“Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen Lord Zeras on the battlefield.”
“Hey… you’re right…”
Now that it was pointed out, Lord Zeras was completely absent.
What in the world was that man doing?
I used the control method Sharon had taught me to adjust the Eye of the Sky’s viewpoint, shifting the vision to a different area.
And then—
“What the—!?”
There he was—Lord Zeras, surrounded by figures in black hoods like assassins straight out of a nightmare.
He was clearly in grave danger.
Wounded in multiple places, he’d taken serious damage, and most of his guards appeared to have already been killed.
What the hell is going on out there?
＊ ＊ ＊
Lord Zeras felt as if he was trapped in a nightmare.
Just moments ago, everything seemed to be going exactly as he planned.
Seeing the slave soldiers appear to stop Hadem and watching their fierce battle, he believed that once he used his magic to finish off Hadem and the slaves, then send in his knights, the fight would be over.
“Everyone, let’s go claim the fruits of victory! Hohoho!”
“Yes, my lord!”
Just as he declared victory and prepared to advance…
Suddenly, they appeared.
Whoosh—!
“Huh?”
At first, he saw the necks of the guards in front of him sliced off, disappearing in a swirl of black smoke.
Startled by the sudden turn, Zeras instinctively cast a protective shield.
“A… Aegis!”
As the shield materialized, the guards outside it started dropping like fallen leaves, their heads severed in an instant.
Zeras couldn’t believe his eyes.
He felt chills knowing that if his shield had been just a moment slower, he’d be the one lying there.
Unable to just stand by, Zeras unleashed his magic.
“Lamina Unda!”
Water blades formed from his incantation, slicing through the surroundings.
Blood splattered in midair, revealing the attackers who had ambushed him.
Five assassins wearing black masks stood before him.
Their outfit was identical to the assassins who had infiltrated Cron.
Filled with rage at their massacre of his precious guards, Zeras shouted—
“How dare you do this to my precious guards! Who are you?”
The assassin in the center, clearly their leader, spoke coldly as if granting mercy.
“Those who die don’t need to know.”
“You bastards!”
From there, the battle was one-sided.
The moment assassins close in, a mage’s strength fades rapidly.
Zeras wasn’t a fool—he traveled with his guards—but these assassins were skilled enough to cut through his guards in an instant.
Dodging Zeras’ spells, they scattered and struck his weak points so fast that in less than a minute, Zeras was left battered and ragged.
He felt the last strike aimed at his neck.
‘Is this how I die? If I die like this, Ain is going to scold me…’
As his death flashed before his eyes, a savior appeared.
Clang!
A knight suddenly appeared and blocked the assassin’s final strike with his shield.
“Are you alright, Lord Zeras?”
“Y-You are?”
“I am Rikain! By Lord Calyx’s orders, I have come to save you!”
The Silver Dragon of Cron!
One worthy of receiving the Princess’s gift—just like him!
At that moment, Zeras felt genuine gratitude toward Calyx.
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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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