Chapter 191: Where the Sky Thins (2)

Chapter 191: Where the Sky Thins (2)

The monster's body, cut in two, fell to the floor. Purple-colored blood poured down like rain. Ronan, turning his sword, looked up at Bnihardo and spoke.

"Your mouth is louder than your actions. What happened to protecting me?"

"...How?"

Bnihardo, who had been frozen for a while, finally spoke up. By the time he noticed the monster's presence, it was already too late. He was prepared to be seriously injured, but he didn't expect to receive help from a human.

"Well, I came here to know that too."

"That's impossible."

"If it was really impossible, you would've already been crushed to death. But can we just leave that thing alone?"

Ronan lifted his chin, indicating somewhere. It was the direction from which the monster had flown. As he followed Ronan's gaze, the eyes of the dragon and the elf widened. A rift, big enough for two horses to pass through, appeared in a corner of the barrier.

"Oh my god, a rift...!"

"We need to seal that first."

Monsters, avoiding flames or still breathing, were rushing towards the rift. Despite the mismatched size, their grotesque attempts to tear or squeeze their heads through were eerie. Boom! Bnihardo's wings spread explosively. With a single flap, he reached the rift and breathed out fire.

[How dare these little vermin...! Disappear!]

-Krrgaaaah!

Fire poured out. Swept away, the monsters turned into ashes. In terms of scale, it surpassed even Navardose. Ronan frowned his brows as the swarm of light enveloped all directions.

'He's no joke.'

The expanding flames covering the surroundings reminded Ronan of a flood of pouring lava. However, like the conversation he had shared with Irainiel, it seemed lacking in temperature compared to Navardose. As if to prove it, some larger monsters endured the flames and held on. It was then that Ronan could confirm the existence of the "protective shield" that Irainiel had mentioned.

'Is that it? Similar yet different.'

Ronan narrowed his eyes. A translucent resin-like membrane covered the bodies of the monsters. The areas covered by the shield and their sizes varied from individual to individual.

Although it fell far short compared to the Protection of the Stars, it still seemed quite durable. Bnihardo's flames could only burn their flesh after completely melting the shield.

Thud. Some monsters managed to break through the flames and invade. Bnihardo couldn't afford to pay attention to the enemies outside the rift. Soon, the fleshy masses that had risen were rushing in with tentacles outstretched.

-Kiiyeeaah!!

"As expected, strength is lacking."

Irainiel muttered bitterly and closed her eyes. With a low chanting sound, geometric magic circles appeared above and below the monsters. Snap! The moment she flicked her fingers, ice blades burst forth, piercing the monsters.

-Kyaaak! Kyauwook!

-Crackle!

The monsters pierced from top and bottom screamed. The bone-chilling cold spread through their bodies, making them shiver to the core. Ronan whistled at the unexpectedly powerful magic.

"That's impressive."

It was not enough to become a Tower Master or a Great Nage. Honestly, they both seemed like braggarts, but they did have enough skill to look down on humans.

However, despite the onslaught of fire and ice, the monsters inside the barrier were still alive and moving. Perhaps they couldn't deliver the finishing blow. Frustrated, Ronan tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword.

"Will you able to finish them off like this?"

His core began to pulseate rapidly. Lamancha's blade was dyed in a crimson hue reminiscent of blood. Clang! In the moment when a monster broke through the ice confinement and rushed towards Irainiel, Ronan, blocking its path, swung his arm. The crimson trail drawn along with the black sword passed by the monster.

-Grruk?

The monster, sensing the change, hesitated. Simultaneously, several red lines were drawn over the body reminiscent of an octopus. Boom! The severed body of the monster collapsed. Ronan, irritated, muttered with a disgusted voice, covered in sticky bodily fluids.

"Ugh, it's disgusting."

"What in the world are you..."

Irainiel muttered, dumbfounded. She hadn't seen wrong. The protective shield, which even dampened Bnihardo's flames, tore apart like paper. Instead of replying, Ronan ran towards other monsters still breathing. Boom! With each strike of his sword, purplish blood spurted out.

****

"Bnihardo, are you alright?"

"Yeah. My throat feels a bit hoarse, though."

The situation soon came to an end. Bnihardo and Irainiel, having dealt with all the monsters inside and outside the barrier, set up a temporary barrier over the newly formed rift.

It wasn't perfect, but it was a barrier strong enough to incinerate most monsters upon contact. Irainiel, catching her breath, spoke up.

"Phew, I want to switch places and rest quickly. By the way..."

She turned her head. Ronan was moving among the corpses of the monsters, still dealing with those who were still alive.

"They look damn ugly."

Frowning as he wiped bodily fluids off his face, Ronan looked down to see a wriggling mass of tentacles resembling eyeballs attached to a hammerhead.

He needlessly thrust his sword into the shiny eyes of the monstrous creature. Squelch. A sensation of piercing decayed flesh was transmitted to his fingertips.

-Krrguh.

The momentarily convulsing body went limp. Ronan kicked the monster's head and said.

"This thing is dead, right?"

"...Seems like it."

"How do you dispose of the corpses? They smell awful."

"Just leave them alone. There are people in charge of handling the cleanup."

Irainiel said. Her gaze towards Ronan was quite different from before the battle. Snap! When she flicked her fingers, the blood that had been on Ronan's body evaporated and disappeared.

"Oh, you could do this too?"

"It's a simple spell. By the way, we haven't introduced ourselves properly. I'm Irainiel Lemation. And you?"

"Ronan."

"Alright, Ronan. Do you realize what you've done?"

Irainiel's expression was serious. Ronan chuckled. What was she asking when she clearly saw it?

"I killed the monster bastards."

"Yes. You killed the monsters. The problem is that the creatures you slaughtered are completely different from typical monsters. I clearly saw your blade ignoring the shield."

"So what do you want me to do about it?"

"I want to know the secret. How is that possible? I've been studying those abominations for nearly a hundred years, but this is really..."

Suddenly, Irainiel approached and grabbed Ronan's hand firmly. His brows suddenly furrowed.

"Are you not going to let go?"

"Uh, no. Ronan, please let me study you. I'll treat you with the utmost care!"

"If you don't let go by the count of three, I'll hit you. One. Two..."

"Please don't, you are the key to ending this tiresome fight... Keuuk!"

Ronan precisely counted to three and punched Irainiel in the face. Despite hitting her gently due to their significant size difference, Irainiel flew a considerable distance. Thud! She landed on the ground, slightly dazed, and let out a muffled laugh.

"Hah, hahaha... I knew this would happen, so I had my shield up. Seems like punches have no destructive effect."

"You're out of your mind."

Ronan spat out curses. Somehow, he didn't feel the satisfaction of hitting his target; it seemed he had hit the shield instead. Should he tear that apart and beat her up? While pondering, Ronan slowly reached for his sword hilt. From behind, a familiar voice was heard.

"Good job, everyone."

"Lady Navardose?"

Both of them turned their heads simultaneously. Navardose, returning after having finished her tasks, stood there with a weary expression. Across the newly sealed barrier, there was a pile of unrecognizable ashes. It seemed like they had burned everything there. Bnihardo bowed his head.

"Mother."

"A new rift has appeared. I was busy burning everything in the vicinity, so I couldn't pay attention."

"We've completed the temporary measures. However, I'm concerned about the increasing frequency of such incidents lately. The sky is thinning more and more."

"I feel it too. We don't know how long the barrier will hold, but we must do our best. Thank you both for protecting my guest."

Navardose, encouraging Irainiel, gently stroked her head. She alternated her gaze between Ronan and her mother, then hesitantly spoke up.

"...It's embarrassing, but it's the opposite."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"On the contrary, it was this mortal who saved me. Reluctantly... but he did quite well."

Ronan raised an eyebrow. He expected her to be brazen, but this was an unexpected turn. Was she showing some conscience due to her noble bloodline? Bnihardo, who was licking her lips, tilted his head.

"Mother, there's something strange."

"What do you mean by strange?"

"I feel like I've seen this human somewhere before. When I was very young. I'm not sure, but..."

His gaze was fixed on Ronan. The dragon's characteristic fiery gaze was intimidating. It seemed like similar incidents were happening one after another. Navardose nodded.

"You saw right. This child is the son of ■■."

"Him? If it's ■■, then, the one who built this fortress..."

"Yes. Or perhaps his descendant. There's no other explanation."

Bnihardo's eyes widened as if they were about to pop out. Ronan, who couldn't understand the name, was about to burst from anger. Suddenly, Navardose turned to him and said.

"Follow me. As promised, I'll tell you everything I know."

"Are they no longer attacking us?"

"As I said, I burned more than usual and should be fine for a few hours. Now, let's go."

Ronan followed her back to the fortress. There were more people inside than before. Dragons, Elves, Vampires... everyone who greeted Navardose and looked at Ronan with curiosity belonged to immortal races.

"The smell of blood...? Is that human?"

"Thank you for your hard work. O' Primordial Flame."

"Be careful everyone, we got into big trouble just by fooling around a bit."

Inside the fortress, there were many hidden passages, appearing simple yet subtly complex. Navardose only chose such suspicious corridors and walked along them.

She didn't say where they were going, but Ronan silently followed her. While descending a narrow spiral staircase for about five minutes, Ronan couldn't contain his curiosity and spoke up.

"By any chance, could you describe what my father looked like exactly?"

"No need for long descriptions. He looked exactly like you. Just need to dye your hair white."

"Aha... damn it."

Ronan twisted his lips. The only person he knew who resembled him was the damn robed figure. Different, but still, whenever it came to his father... as he delved into the secrets of his birth, the conclusions became increasingly frustrating and ambiguous.

'But isn't that bastard the current leader of Nebula Clazier? Why would he come looking for Navardose? What benefit does he have in telling them to stop those monsters?"

His head was spinning. He couldn't bring himself to untangle the twisted threads. It took about ten more minutes of descending the stairs before they reached the end.

"We've arrived. It's been hundreds of years since I've been here.""

"Here...?"

Ronan raised his head. A large door stood in front of them, blocking their path. Navardose brushed off the dust covering the door and said.

"It's the room where ■■ had stayed. In this room, he dedicated himself to research for three years with Elysia. After that, he occasionally visited me, but he never came here."

"Huh? Who?"

Ronan's eyes widened. The name sounded familiar as it brushed past his ears. Navardose raised an eyebrow.

"Hmm? I said ■■ and Elysia."

"...By any chance, was that person named Elysia a High Elf with bright red eyes? With disgustingly long ears?"

"Yeah. How do you know that?"

Ronan's eyes widened. If his memory served him right, Elysia was certainly someone he knew.

A red-eyed High Elf. One of the founders of Nebula Clazier, who had made a deal with the Wind Spirit Hyran. Ronan recalled the days when she rebuilt the village along with the Savior. Navardose raised a brow seeing Ronan froze suddenly.

"Well, let's head inside and then we can talk about the rest."

She grabbed the door handle. With a click, the locking mechanism was released. Despite being left for hundreds of years, the massive door opened smoothly like flowing water.