Chapter 214: Long Live the Queen (2)

༺ Long Live the Queen (2) ༻

Yuel the Druid of the Avelorn Forest, Kranel the Golem Mage... and Dorron Warsky were powerful party members of ❰Heroic Legends of Arhan❱.

They each took a considerable amount of time investment and the hidden pieces for their final growth were difficult to obtain, but they were solid members that didn't fall short of Unique Grade as long as they were able to hit that final level.

The three of them played a huge role in the main scenario as it evolved into a larger-scale battle.

Because their top spec was way too strong for mid-game, they were only supposed to be able to hit the final level at the start of the 3rd year, but Korin Lork, the sub-player who knew the future, had already finished supplying them with everything they needed.

He poured a bunch of money from who knows where into Dorron's magic swords and put Yuel and Kranel together from the start to have them get used to their golem union.

At last, after giving them the final masterpiece they required at Mag Mell, it was safe to say that they had already reached their full potential.

And as a result of that, the prowess they were showcasing on the battlefield stood out by a huge margin.

『Go! Nature Wicker Warrior!』

- KUWAAAAAN!

The massive weapon shook the ground with each of its steps. The simple act of lifting its right leg and dropping it down squashed dozens of demons to death.

On a battlefield with no monster big enough to match its size, the Wicker Warrior repeatedly lifted its legs and stomped.

That alone was enough to make the demons explode like puddings.

- Kuuuuung!

『Behold this amazing power...! This is the miracle forged by the union of a golem and a human...!』

『Seriously... You always get so excited whenever it's about a golem.』

Yuel sighed at the sight of Kranel moving the golem around in a frenzy, but still helped out by reinforcing the outer shell. The Nature armor was the core defensive mechanism of Nature Wicker Warrior, and maintaining that was solely up to her.

『Elementals. Please help us wipe out these wicked creatures.』

She asked for help as elementals burst out of the Wicker Warrior's shell. To assist the druid, the guardian of nature, hundreds of spirits and astral beings poured out their spells at the monsters.

It was basically a one-man army. There was a reason why the combination of the two of them received so much love in the game.

"Spectacular."

Standing on the golem's shoulders was a swordsman controlling magic swords.

Using the wide-AOE Magic Swords of Lightning and Flame, he wiped out legions of demons with a blast. The flexibility and sheer power of his magic swords allowed him to deal with the hordes of monsters that the large golem couldn't get rid of with ease.

"I am trying my hardest because of the high pay but... this is becoming more and more out of hand for a mere mercenary to be a part of."

Back when he first heard from Korin about the plan of capturing Marie Dunareff, who had just turned into a Unique Grade demi-human, he thought he was a madman.

After that, he placed the top personnel of the 1st graders at the perfect timing as if he foresaw the escape of the King of Iron Mountain, and on top of that were the recent cases with the Tower of Magic and Mound...

Dorron had known for a while that his employer had been moving with a grand objective in mind.

『Are you going to back out this late into the deal?』

"Of course not. Boss is the best employer in terms of paying on time."

『Everyone else is doing it without the pay, you know?』

"Give me a break. There are a lot of mouths we need to feed."

With those words, Dorron looked off into the distance at another part of the battlefield.

Warsky Mercenaries. They were out there massacring demons to work according to their payment. The Warsky Mercenaries were very expensive. Even a squad of 5 mercenaries was sometimes too expensive for employers to willingly hire them, yet Korin was hiring the entire group.

They were worth every penny, and that was being proven in the fight, but even they weren't the main protagonists of this war.

"We are just side characters in the end. The main characters are somewhere else. How fortunate for us."

He muttered while gazing off into another part of the city.

***

The city was in turmoil.

Demonic creatures crawling up from the depths of hell were crushed and destroyed by the gatekeepers. Due to the Sun, they were involuntarily forced into groups which was unfavorable for them.

But even then, it was undeniable that the sheer number of them was overwhelming, and it was impossible to stop small bits of monsters from squeezing through the gatekeepers.

Although most of them were crushed, massacred, and sliced apart, they gathered one by one before forming a new legion and a new wave.

Their final destination was the Academy.

As a result, they had to gather on a single road once again.

Waiting for them there was the final gatekeeper.

"Hello."

It was a calm voice, greeting them in a nonchalant manner. The pink-haired girl wearing a pure white dress welcomed them with an innocent smile.

Estelle Hadassa El Rath.

The loftiest lady of the entire Kingdom.

She, the most esteemed member of the royal family whom the best bodyguards of the world would never suffice, was waiting for them alone without a single guard.

- KIIII...

Naturally, her status in the human world meant nothing to the demons.

They were remnants of the curse left behind by the Danann - creatures that were born from the curse and punishment of Goidels. As a result, the Danann were the only ones that could command them.

Whether it be a saintess or a princess, they were trash of the Goidel race that had to be shredded to pieces, and yet...

Why is the girl before them giving off the radiance of the gods?

『Go and kill them all. Retrieve the Prime, the cornerstone of Paradise, and bring it back.』

If not for the Danann of Light personally commanding them as such, they would have knelt down on the spot and praised the girl in front of them.

"Are you treating me as a god too? I like that."

Estelle could guess what was going through in their minds. Although these demons were creatures that worshiped the gods, they had no choice but to follow their commands. It was because they were followers of Revenge and not Justice.

"Ahah~"

However, she was still sincerely glad to see them show respect. Even though they were monsters that would soon try to attack one of their gods —

"It feels like you guys are proving that I can truly become a goddess. I'm happy."

Their actions assured her even more, and thus the joy of the Non-believing Saintess surged.

"But still—"

Before long, they resumed their movement. The dense pack of demons was about to pounce at the fragile lady but—

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Boom. Boom. Boom.

What befell them was divine retribution.

Three deafening strikes resulted in a massive explosion reaching a radius of 500 meters. In the middle of all that was a goddess carrying a club.

"How dare you attack a goddess. You will have nothing but divine retribution coming your way then."

O mortals crawling the ground.

Worship and fear the one who strikes with the magic club - the new goddess of this era; she, with the ambition of defiling the deceitful god to rise to become a goddess herself.

Nothing will be permitted but obedience and worship to those gathered before her.

Worship. Worship her.

Get on your knees and worship, for the new divinity has risen.

***

The Academy Downfall episode happened out of the blue right when everyone was in a festive mood.

Until that point in the game, the players only saw fractions of the mastermind, Tates Valtazar. They sometimes fought, rejoiced, and saved others but the sudden twist of events not only marked the start of the final arc but also showed them the harsh reality.

The city they had become used to over 2 years would be reduced to ashes in a single day, followed by the sacrifice of the Danann of Justice, Erin Danua.

It was a turning point in history.

This was where Master would have passed away while trying to stop Valtazar.

It wasn't like we hadn't been preparing for this to happen in the last iteration.

Both Park Sihu and I had readied ourselves for this moment. However... we were distressingly short of being enough and that resulted in our defeat.

And because of that...

『Child, I am an adult. As long as I am an adult, I have the duty to prioritize your safety as a child.』

She... died.

After passing all of her teachings to me, she even donated to me her precious life.

"Me and my group had to stop Eochaid here."

We were weak. We weren't strong enough.

The power of the Sun in his possession was unreasonably destructive, and it overpowered every measure we had set up beforehand.

"We failed back then, but not this time."

Back then, Eochaid had the Sun.

Dun Scaith poured out countless snakes and toads; Fermack Daman ravaged the party members like a storm.

They were so strong that Tates didn't have to raise a single finger against us.

"After the defeat on that day, I at least figured out where they were going to show up."

It was none other than this place here.

The clock tower.

A scenario that wasn't even covered in the game. It was right here; at the entrance of Paradise with the Primal Rune of『T』where they revealed themselves.

"Hmm... Is that why you asked me to come here?"

"Yeah. Dumnorix, that guy, is busy preparing for the revival of the World Tree in the north so his hands are full, which leaves behind Tates and Eochaid. And Master, I know you will be able to hold off Eochaid."

"Can you... beat him though?"

She was asking whether I could beat Tates Valtazar, to which I replied with a smile.

"I won't be fighting him fair and square."

"What do you mean?"

"I will be targeting Tates Valtazar's 2nd Precept here."

『I do not perceive spirits.』

His 2nd Precept was what I had copied myself.

Not perceiving spirits.

There was only one way to break that Precept.

"I will make him perceive spirits, and this place is the only place where it will be possible."

"...Shadow Paradise."

It was an ambiguous location where spirits could be separated from bodies. Although it happened in a different location in the last iteration, it should be more than possible to re-enact it here.

"But in that case..."

"If we both received the repercussion for the 2nd Precept, who would that affect more? I'm sure it won't be me."

Right - this was a double-edged sword for me. Breaking the Restriction of not perceiving spirits had a powerful effect, but the backlash of it was equally strong.

However, it would affect Valtazar a lot more than it would to me.

It was greatly in my favor no matter how I saw it.

"Both of us would pretty much die the moment we receive the repercussion of our Precept. If this battle were to continue without me and Tates... it should be doable, right?"

"..."

Despite her silent agreement to my prediction, Master had a gloomy light in her eyes. She might be considering this a sacrifice but I saw it differently.

"I told you. I'm simply returning the favor."

There were too many things I had received from her. This was far from enough for me to give back everything that she had given me - in fact, a whole lifetime wouldn't be enough.

That was why she had to live a lot more. She had to survive and let me pay her back.

Repercussions of the Precept.

I can handle that much.

As long as Master survives... No price is too great

"Let's get ready."

We readied ourselves and I ran several mental simulations on repeat.

The moment he showed himself, I would swallow all the Runes of the Sun scattered across the city and manifest the Sun to attack him in a flash.

That wouldn't be enough. He would see that coming and retaliate one way or another.

Next, I would throw the Silver Spear with the Secret Move of Crumbling Mountain and delay his use of the Spear of Light. Even if he were to activate the Areadbhair in time, there was a way around it. By digging through his lack of information... I should be able to buy enough time to flip his 2nd Precept on its head.

"Now. Come, Tates Valtazar."

This time, it'll be different.

For 3 whole years, I had polished myself just to beat you. From the moment you killed my Master, I had been sharpening my spear longing for revenge.

The night deepened.

The moon slowly climbed down from the pinnacle as the sun started to rise.

6 am.

7 am...

8 am...

"...What?"

Tates Valtazar didn't show up.

***

It was the last day of the Harvest Festival. The royal family's job was not over until the Harvest Festival came to a full close.

Normally, she was supposed to be together with her older sister, but because the Saintess abandoned her princess duties, Miruam had to deal with the Harvest Festival of the royal capital by herself.

"Fuu..."

The morning sunlight was shining through the gaps of the curtain but Miruam was still unfathomably exhausted.

It was because she had been roaming around the city the entire week and she therefore decided to call some maids today for a body massage.

Seeing as how none of the maids had arrived yet, it appeared that it was still very early in the morning. Miruam got up from the bed in search of water, and realized that the bottle of whiskey on her table had vanished.

"Sir Valtazar."

While calling out the name of the intruder, she slowly moved the familiars of her dress. The snake ornaments of the dress started to slither as if alive.

"Princess Miruam."

A voice reached her ears from the terrace on the other side of the curtains. His voice alone was enough to suppress her heart.

The moment he opened the terrace to walk in, her snakes pounced at him.

- Bam!

"Oh dear."

However, the snakes were unable to reach his neck. All too easily, they were being squeezed in his hands.

"I don't enjoy fighting with toys. There isn't enough action."

Kajik!

Her familiars splattered in his grip. Then, Valtazar slowly clomped forward without another word.

"What... brings you here?" she forced out a question.

"Hoh. Not running away?"

"...It will be meaningless anyway."

"Of course."

He was a god in the truest meaning of the word. If he wanted to, he could reduce all the defensive mechanisms of the castle to rubble.

"I am here to let you know about the annulment of our contract, Princess."

Resistance... is futile.

『I really... wanted to bear our child.』

Maybe she should have asked when she had the chance.

Miruam closed her eyes as Tates reached out toward her.