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[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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Chapter 244: Identity (1)
"……Lord Ruin."
I remember that day.
Sword Saint, Magnus Baltahar.
Guardian Saint, Galtan Arihama.
Dragon Knight, Iris Seren.
"……."
There was one more.
Yes, there was definitely one more.
The man who appeared when I regained consciousness after losing my memory during the battle with Verkes, as I became crazy.
The man who crawled toward me with his lower body reduced to a mangled mess, poured an elixir into my heart, and then passed away.
Damn our clan head.
Pelleer Samael.
"……Lord Ruin?"
The premise was certainly not wrong.
The traitors of the expedition were the ones who remained until the very end.
The one who could be behind everything happening now could only be one of them.
The one who survived until the very end, distorting all the records up to that point, and preparing for the manifestation of Verkes.
I haven’t forgotten.
I could never forget that Pelleer was there in the final moments.
It was just...
The reason I excluded Pelleer from the beginning was clear.
"Lord Ruin……."
I remember Pelleer’s final moments.
Not just his final moments, but the entirety of the expedition, from start to finish.
I remember every action of his.
"……I’ll come again."
The greater purpose.
Though he was at the highest position, he looked toward the lowest place.
The man who led all of the family’s elite and stood at the forefront of the cursed land like a fool was Pelleer.
—Ruin, you must survive.
Perhaps that’s why I hated him so much.
At one point, all the things he said to me felt like mere tools for a greater purpose.
But I already knew that wasn’t the case.
He was the man who thought of ordinary people more than anyone.
The man who bent outward instead of inward.
—I'm sorry, Ruin.
The man who apologized to me until the very end.
That was our damn clan head.
Could it make sense?
Could it be possible that Pelleer was the traitor?
Whiiing—!
"……Ah."
Suddenly, a sharp slap to my cheek brought me back to my senses.
A strong wind blew through the half-open gap in the temporary barracks' door.
Looking around, Fichte was nowhere to be seen.
Feeling frustrated, I stepped out of the door.
The outside was busier than expected.
The Crazy Mage Squad and the White Horse Knights were visible, and a little further away, Kazen was standing still.
Kazen was silently staring into the air.
"……."
People began to trickle into the street as the dawn light began to brighten.
However, Baltahar and Arihama.
The elite of the two clans were nowhere to be seen.
The atmosphere felt a little off, but there was no time to dwell on that now.
I slowly made my way to a quiet, deserted spot where no one was around.
* * *
Saaah—!
The moment I passed through the Ragnarok barrier, the land of death was revealed.
It was silent.
Unlike before, there were no soldiers guarding the central area.
The Heavenly Swordmasters and the Guardian Knights had all withdrawn.
I briefly looked up at the sky.
While dawn was breaking outside the barrier, it was still as dark as midnight here.
I suddenly moved my steps and picked a flower that was close by.
The Demon Flower.
And it wasn’t just one or two.
Looking around, Demon Flowers were blooming in every direction—north, south, east, and west.
‘It’s thickening.’
When I first entered not long ago, it wasn’t this bad.
The presence of magic was growing faster and faster.
I raised my head and looked straight ahead.
From the distant, black mountain range, a darkness like pitch was creeping toward me.
Damn it.
I could guess what was happening.
The last prophecy the Myriad Demon Assembly had spoken of.
It was approaching.
"Pelleer."
Why?
For what reason?
What was the cause?
Slap—
I slapped my cheek hard.
I tried to forcefully shake off the thoughts of the past that were trying to resurface.
It wasn’t the time to think about the reasons.
The urgency of the situation weighed too heavily on my mind to focus on the cause.
Of all people, Fichte.
Fichte’s suspicion couldn’t be ignored.
If, indeed, Arihama and Baltahar weren’t behind the Myriad Demon Assembly.
Pelleer Samael.
Could he be the traitor?
If he were the traitor, could he explain the connection between the past and the present?
If Pelleer was the traitor of the expedition, and he was still alive...
There was only one person who could be behind it.
"……Kazen Samael."
I remember the day I first saw Kazen.
The memory of how startlingly similar Kazen looked to Pelleer is still vivid in my mind.
Now, even the aura, the very essence that Kazen emanated, reminded me of Pelleer.
But Kazen couldn’t be Pelleer.
If Kazen were Pelleer...
In an instant, a chilling sensation ran through me, and all the looks and actions Kazen had shown me over time flashed before my eyes.
Looking back, there were indeed suspicious moments.
‘No.’
It didn’t make sense considering the circumstances.
By the time I was reborn in this body, the Samael clan had already fallen.
Had I not been here, Samael would have been wiped out by Bayern long ago.
If Kazen were Pelleer, Samael could never have been destroyed in such a way.
Fichte doesn’t know Pelleer.
Perhaps, that’s why.
"……"
I turned my steps again and headed toward the Ragnarok barrier.
Why?
Beyond the flickering light barrier, through the bustling crowd, I saw Kazen again.
Kazen, still staring into the air without a word.
"Huh."
Suddenly, it felt like madness was about to take over me.
No, I almost wished that some crazy frenzy would hit me.
I hadn’t felt this much pain in my head since my rebirth.
I couldn’t make a proper decision.
It felt like there was a lump of lead in my head.
I had always been the type to do as I pleased and act on my instincts.
Even when I was trying to find the truth behind the Myriad Demon Assembly, I relied heavily on my intuition.
This kind of deduction wasn’t my specialty.
"Dammit."
That’s when I felt someone’s prayer.
I quickly shook my head and focused straight ahead.
Whiiing—!
Someone was entering the barrier.
"You were here."
A shabby white robe.
A sword sheathed roughly at his waist.
But the aura he exuded hinted at an already transcendent level.
He was the one who had accompanied Julius—the Ten Thousand Swordmaster.
It was him.
"Lord Ruin."
His gaze was cautious.
The way he treated me now was completely different from before.
"……Do you need something from me?"
"The Clan Head is looking for you, Lord Ruin."
"The Sword Duke?"
"He said there is something urgent to discuss."
I stared intensely at the Ten Thousand Swordmaster for a moment.
"Just the two of us? Or is someone else coming?"
"They only told me to bring Lord Ruin."
Why would the Sword Duke suddenly be looking for me?
My head kept getting hotter, making it difficult to organize my thoughts properly.
I shook my head again and took a deep breath.
He wouldn’t have called me just for a casual conversation right after the Divine Clan Assembly.
The Sword Duke was clearly aware of the situation unfolding right now.
It was undoubtedly related to what was discussed during the Divine Clan Assembly.
I looked at the Ten Thousand Swordmaster.
"Could it be something related to Arihama?"
"It would be better if you heard it directly."
"Lead the way."
"I will escort you."
I began following the Ten Thousand Swordmaster.
Making sure to walk slowly across the land of death, avoiding attention, I became certain as I watched his movements.
The Sword Duke was fully on guard against Arihama.
If the Sword Duke had indeed found solid evidence that the Myriad Demon Assembly were behind the situation...
He might act immediately.
Shick—
Suddenly, the Ten Thousand Swordmaster turned and passed through the barrier.
As soon as we exited the land of death, we entered Baltahar's territory.
In the distance, I saw Fichte looking around, and when he spotted me, he gestured towards me.
But I deliberately ignored Fichte.
For some reason, I didn’t want to talk to him right now.
Was it because I was too distracted?
After walking for a while, I finally realized that something felt off.
There was no one else around.
Now that I thought about it, this place felt different from where I had spoken with Julius last time.
"Why is no one here? Where is everyone else?"
"They are preparing."
"…You mean, preparing to strike Arihama?"
"It would be better if you spoke with the Clan Head first."
I immediately asked the Ten Thousand Swordmaster.
"Where is the Sword Duke?"
"He's inside."
The small temporary tent in front of me.
Inside, I could sense Julius' aura of prayer.
"I'll go in and inform him first."
The Ten Thousand Swordmaster entered the tent.
I was about to follow and lift the tent's flap when I suddenly felt an ominous presence behind me.
I turned my head, and an enormous roar filled the air.
Pheeer—!
"What?"
A massive sword energy covered the sky, and below it, a translucent white shield unfolded.
"Shield of Heavenly Pressure?"
For a moment, I thought Baltahar’s guards had attacked Arihama, but…
The residual mana flooding in immediately told me my assumption was completely wrong.
No.
It wasn’t an attack.
Rather, it was the opposite.
The Heavenly Swordmasters and the Guardian Knights had simultaneously deployed a protective barrier in the same location.
Paah—
I immediately activated Blink and Spatial Acceleration to move, but just before I could, the temporary tent in front of me flung open, and a pitch-black darkness poured in.
* * *
Darkness stretched in every direction—north, south, east, and west.
It was here.
I knew instinctively.
"…The Myriad Demon Assembly."
A white round table.
The Ten Thousand Swordmaster, dressed in white robes, was sitting with his back to me.
As he slowly turned his head, the mask of White Heron appeared.
Shit.
The timing was too damn messed up.
Normally, I would’ve picked up on something strange by now, but due to the rush, my judgment was clouded.
I shook my head.
Regret wouldn't change anything.
Whiiing—!
As I opened the circle, the enormous pressure squeezing my heart once again rushed in, just like last time.
The magic circle.
In the midst of it, I could feel a subtle prayer.
A demon.
A high-ranking demon.
"Ruin Samael."
From behind the half mask, White Heron’s lips twisted in a faint, mocking smile.
"You've gone way beyond what I expected. This has been quite costly."
I immediately responded.
"Shit. So Julius was the traitor. If you're White Heron, then is the Sword Duke a Phantom Thief?"
"Tch."
"Then who’s the wolf?"
No.
The moment I said that, I realized something was off.
The Sword Duke as a Phantom Thief? The wolf?
It didn’t make sense.
The massive roar from earlier.
The Sword Duke wasn’t targeting Arihama.
What the Sword Duke was after was Samael.
It didn’t add up.
If the Sword Duke were part of the Myriad Demon Assembly, he wouldn’t be acting this way.
There was no reason to go through so much trouble just to kill me.
No, from the moment the Sword Duke started suspecting Samael, it was impossible for him to be behind the Myriad Demon Assembly.
If he really was behind the Myriad Demon Assembly…
He should’ve tried to recruit me and target the Guardian Star.
If Arihama fell, there would be no more obstacles to the Myriad Demon Assembly' plans.
Suddenly, Fichte’s words passed through my mind.
The Sword Duke and the Guardian Star had indeed strongly suspected each other all this time.
As the suspicion between them was finally cleared in the divine hall, the current situation began to make sense.
"Shit, my head's killing me. White Heron, did you deceive the Sword Duke?"
"So, it seems the Wolf wasn’t defeated for no reason."
"Did you think locking me up would end everything?"
"......"
"Answer me, you bastard. I don't have time for this. I'm done with this act."
"We’re not locking you up."
Suddenly, in the pitch-black darkness, gray smoke began to pour out.
What appeared from the opposite side was the .
"You die here. Ruin Samael."
Whiiing—!
As soon as I opened all seven of my heart's circles, an immense pressure began to crush me, but I alternated my gaze between the Phantom Thief and White Heron and spoke.
"Don’t you know how Asura died yet?"
White Heron spoke quietly.
"Clown, Wolf, Asura, Giant God..."
"......"
"Such a waste. You know well enough that your attempt at mimicking the omens of the prophecy is dangerous. But I didn’t expect you wouldn’t even be able to handle the ones beneath the realm."
"So?"
"That’s why we invited you here."
Whiiing—!
My temper flared. There was no reason to listen any longer.
As I reversed the rotation of all seven circles that had been fully opened, a loud, cracking sound rang out.
Crack crack crack—!
The barrier that had been pressing down on me shattered completely, and the pitch-black darkness that surrounded the space began to crack like broken glass, spreading in all directions.
"......!"
It didn’t take long for White Heron’s smile to collapse.
A look of pure shock emerged.
"......The boundary of the realm is breaking?"
White Heron’s white robes swelled up, and in an instant, a crimson energy burst forth from them.
But by then, the seven circles had already fully reversed.
I leapt, completely avoiding the trajectory of the crimson energy, and grabbed White Heron's mask.
"Die first."
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[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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