Chapter 504: Three Battles

Editor: Tseirp

The space was already familiar to Ryo, as if he had been here countless times.

“Sealed Corridor…”

Ryo murmured.

He had been separated from Abel and Duke Helb.

“Abel… if he dies, could Duke Helb perform the ‘procedure’ like he did for Secretary Zlurma and bring him back to life?”

Despite the ominous nature of his words, Ryo was genuinely concerned.

However, he quickly refocused his thoughts and steeled his resolve.

Before him stood the bespectacled woman he had encountered earlier.

“Rare enough to see a Mirage being* or a human swordsman… but you, you’re something special. What is that essence overflowing from your body?” (TLN: Illusionkin, the Kanji is also used to mean ‘Magician’)

The bespectacled woman scrutinized Ryo from head to toe, repeatedly.

Making him deeply uncomfortable.

“Fairy factor? Or fairy essence, perhaps?”

“Ah, yes, that’s it. How remarkable. To think someone so unique would be here, in the seas of the Eastern Countries… fate can be terrifying.”

“Fate…”

“Yes. You appeared amid my experiment. If not fate, what else could it be?”

The woman nodded enthusiastically as she spoke.

“I didn’t come here because I wanted to… The fact is, this island, or rather, the death dragon—approaching the southern continent is a problem. I came to eliminate that threat.”

“Hmm, I see. That would indeed trouble humans. But it can’t be helped. This experiment requires a lot of materials. I found the death dragon, so I decided to act quickly… my apologies to those who’ve been caught up in it.”

“…How many people are you planning to involve in this?”

“Not sure, but… around a million?”

The bespectacled woman answered after a moment of thought.

“That’s unacceptable.”

“Yes, I understand. But great results often demand great sacrifices… that’s an unchanging truth of the world. Still…”

The woman again studied Ryo intently, from head to toe.

“Right now, standing before me is something even more fascinating than my grand experiment.”

“No, there isn’t. Letting a million people be sacrificed is better than involving me…”

“Don’t be so cold-hearted. Just fifty years of your cooperation in my experiment, that’s all I ask.”

“What does that even mean?”

“Just a little dissection experiment. I’d like to study the essence overflowing from you…”

“I refuse!”

“It might bring us closer to the truth of the world, you know?”

“Please uncover the truths of the world in some faraway place that doesn’t involve me.”

Ryo shook his head firmly.

“By the way, my name is Pastra. What’s yours?”

“…Ryo.”

“Ryo, is it? A fine name. Dissection Subject: Ryo. Yes, it has a nice ring to it.”

“No, it doesn’t!”

“If you’re against it, I could use anesthesia. Though I prefer natural reactions…”

“Anesthesia-free dissection?! That’s horrifying!”

“Exactly! It’s painful, isn’t it? Ah… Ryo, are you the type who dislikes pain?”

“I hate it!”

The world, it seemed, was full of difficulties.

“Are you sure you won’t cooperate in the dissection experiment?”

“I won’t!”

“Even if I ask nicely?”

“Absolutely not!”

“In that case, I’ll just have to force you. Even if it means killing you first…”

“Anything is better than dissection… Wait, killing me first?”

“Yes, and then extracting information from your brain…”

“…”

Pastra shook her head slightly.

Ryo steadied his breathing.

“So be it. .”

“.”

Stones erupted around Ryo, forming a cage.

But water imbued with ice-cutting properties sliced through them in an instant.

“What?! Wind? No, water? Cutting stone with water—how fascinating. Now I simply must dissect you…!”

“I refuse!”

Pastra’s expression shifted from surprise to glee as she persisted.

Naturally, Ryo refused.

“Then I’ll take you by force!”

“You’ve been trying to from the start!”

“.”

“.”

Rocks rained down.

Only to be deflected by layers of ice.

But…

Clang!

Pastra had formed a stone spear without warning and lunged with it.

The stone rain was a diversion.

Of course, Ryo had anticipated as much.

He parried the strike with Murasame.

“What is that sword? An ice sword? Fascinating. I must dissect you, no matter what!”

“I’m pretty sure dissection is pointless if I’m dead!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll handle it skillfully.”

“I’m not reassured at all!”

Despite their banter, the intensity of their battle was breathtakingly sharp.

“You’re trying to cut off my legs…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll sew them back on afterward.”

“Neither you nor Duke Helb seems to understand—human limbs don’t just work again after being stitched back on…”

“Just sew it up and you’ll be fine. Like it never even happened!”

“…And still be able to move them?”

“Of course not.”

“…Please, just stop.”

“.”

“.”

A flaming spear of wind collided with a shimmering ice wall.

The resulting spectacle was almost surreal.

“Hm, that ice wall is troublesome. It nullifies magic attacks.”

“Why not try a stronger attack?”

“This is already plenty strong!”

Pastra pouted, clearly displeased.

Ryo thought to himself.

(This Pastra person must be an Akuma. She’s similar to Leonor or Jean-Jacques. But her magic isn’t as powerful. Leonor’s spells would require a ‘layered’ defense to block…) Ŗ�

He concluded.

(If it’s a magic duel, I might actually have a chance.)

But an omniscient observer might have warned him.

‘That’s a flag’.

“I’ve decided! I’ll break your spirit and make you cooperate with my dissection experiment. As a magician. Your spirit must be vulnerable to this: .”

The moment Pastra invoked the spell, the ice walls shielding Ryo vanished into thin air.

“What?”

For a brief moment, even Ryo couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.

“No way… ”

“”

Once again, the ice wall was dispelled and vanished into the air.

“”

“”

The four ice spears flying toward Pastra suddenly veered off their path, shooting skyward and disappearing midair.

“Could it be that my control over the magic was stolen?”

“Ahaha, how does it feel to have your magic constructs taken from you? With enough study into magic and magical power, such things are possible.”

Pastra said smugly, smirking at the astonished Ryo.

“…You’ve clearly delved deeply into magic studies.”

Ryo said, smiling faintly.

Before continuing,

“I’d like to learn how to do that myself…”

“It’s not that simple, you know? Even among my peers, no one else can do this. You’d need about 200,000 years of research…”

“That’s… long.”

“Research is a time-consuming endeavor.”

“I can’t disagree with that.”

Ryo replied, nodding in agreement for the first time.

Until now, there had been no points of agreement between them.

“Usually, showing is enough to break someone’s spirit… but not yours, Ryo. Still, a magician without magic can’t possibly fight, can they?”

“Is that so?”

Ryo tilted his head slightly.

Indeed, fighting without magic posed significant challenges.

Ryo had faced battles in magic-nullifying spaces before, and each one had been difficult.

This time, however, the opponent could use magic freely.

While he was completely restricted.

“Even so, I still have options.”

Ryo declared, bringing his blade, Murasame, into a seigan stance.

It was Ryo’s most reliable and fundamental form.

When facing adversity, one should return to the basics.

Often, solutions reveal themselves that way.

“I’ll face you with my sword.”

Ryo said resolutely.

Among the group divided by the Sealed Corridor, perhaps Abel found himself in the most well-matched encounter.

The initial moments of separation caused some confusion.

But within three seconds, he had regained his composure.

An adventurer like Abel was cut from a different cloth than the average rabble.

His experience far outstripped the superficial knowledge Ryo had boasted about to Chairman Sukhwe.

“This is my first time in a space like this. It’s different from where I was before, though.”

While Ryo was already accustomed to the ‘Sealed Corridor’, Abel was not.

Still…

“Does it feel a bit like when I was sent to the 40th floor of the dungeon?”

Abel recalled being forcibly transported there during an investigation following the Great Rune Flood.

The environment covering that floor felt similar to this one.

Later, Ryo would dismissively describe it as a ‘poorly made Sealed Corridor’, which perhaps explained the resemblance.

Probing the surroundings, Abel discerned that neither Ryo nor Duke Helb were nearby.

He also realized that the Death Dragon and the woman who had been beside it were absent.

But he was not entirely alone.

“Something’s coming… from ahead.”

He murmured, drawing his sword and taking a ready stance.

In truth, Abel often felt that as long as he had his sword, he could manage.

Such a mindset was undeniably muscle-brained… though he would deny it if confronted.

After all, even the water-attribute magician who might call him out on it was just as muscle-brained…

“Oh, come on… this really is like the 40th dungeon floor all over again.”

Approaching from the front was a group of devils wielding swords.

However, they were somewhat different from the ones Abel had encountered in the dungeon.

“These ones are black, like the wyverns.”

Indeed, they were entirely black.

With only their eyes glowing red.

“Could they have been created by someone, like the wyverns?”

Abel questioned aloud, though, of course, there was no response.

As the devils drew closer.

One stepped forward and drew its sword.

“What’s this? Are you proposing a one-on-one duel?”

Abel muttered, keeping his guard up.

The devil that had drawn its sword moved forward, while the others hung back to observe.

“Hmph, this suits me just fine.”

Abel said, smiling faintly.

The most troublesome foes are those that overwhelm you with numbers.

Rushing in recklessly and without regard for casualties.

Once surrounded, gaps inevitably form in your defense, and those gaps will be exploited.

No matter how many you cut down, exhaustion eventually sets in, leading to fatal mistakes.

Sheer numbers alone provide a massive advantage.

However, the devils in front of Abel did not seem inclined to press their numerical advantage—for now.

“Do you want to see what I’m capable of?”

Abel asked the devil before him… naturally, it did not respond.

“Hmph.”

Abel stepped forward with a large stride. Bending his knees.

Naturally, his body dropped lower.

His weight shifted forward as his back leg pulled in. His knees straightening as his body rose.

With the rising motion…his sword swung upward.

In one fluid strike, he severed the devil’s left arm at the shoulder.

Without pause, he spun and decapitated it from behind.

A clean kill.

The remaining devils, seeing this, showed no signs of agitation…

On the contrary, the next one stepped forward eagerly.

“Do you know what people call this kind of behavior? Muscle-brained.”

Abel said with a grin as he raised his sword once more.

Among the three who had been separated by the ‘Sealed Corridor’, the one most pleased with the situation was likely Duke Helb.

After all, his target stood right before him.

“Kukuku… a one-on-one with the death dragon. There’s no better scenario.”

A wicked smile stretched across his face as he discarded any pretense of being a human envoy.

“So, Ryo or Abel… or perhaps both—are facing that woman? The one who creates wyverns? Hah, a nuisance of the highest order. If she were here, this battle would be far more complicated… but it seems she’s not in this space.”

His tone no longer resembled that of a human at all.

“Death Dragon… I’ve prepared measures to bury you. That said, it’ll take a little time. So, stay still until then…”

Duke Helb leapt sideways, narrowly avoiding something that had come flying toward him.

“Black… needles? I’d heard the Death Dragon wouldn’t move or attack on its own… only retaliating when attacked… They called it a decayed dragon for that reason. But for it to initiate an attack… this isn’t quite the Death Dragon we’re familiar with.”

Duke Helb frowned as he muttered.

Pulling a black talisman from his pocket.

It was a specially made charm, black paper inscribed with white text.

Crafted specifically for this occasion.

Infusing the talisman with magic power, Helb began circling the Death Dragon.

Carefully placing the charms on the ground as he moved.

The Death Dragon’s attacks did not strike the talismans.

Instead, its black needles veered off course, as if the surrounding space were distorted.

It was similar to how, during Queen Iliaja’s coronation in the Suje Kingdom, the talismans in the grand audience hall had deflected every one of Ryo’s attacks…

Thus, Duke Helb focused on evading the dragon’s strikes.

“Apologies, Death Dragon. Even if you can attack, your body can’t move, can it? This magic circle incorporates . It’ll be completed soon, so just hold on.”

As he spoke, Duke Helb continued to place the black talismans.

His tone softened, the initial harshness replaced by something that almost resembled pity.

After all, Helb bore no personal grudge against the Death Dragon.

The only annoyance it posed was the added burden to an already tight schedule.

With the annexation of the Free City underway, a powerful magician and a skilled swordsman had appeared to challenge him.

While he believed he could defeat them with full effort, the cost would be great.

He thought to himself that he might enjoy testing his strength against them once everything was resolved…

But for now, avoiding conflict was the priority.

And then they offered to help resolve the issue.

Thus, how things came to be.

So, he had better hurry and get it over with!

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Death Dragon.”

Duke Helb placed the last talisman on the ground and made his announcement.

As if in response, the Death Dragon unleashed a barrage of black needles, its most intense attack yet.

However…

All the needles missed, veering away from Duke Helb entirely.

“Be gone quietly.”

Helb took a deep breath and began his incantation.

“Pentagrams of heaven and earth, Fill the void, fill the ground, Rend the fabric of existence, Dust and ash, consume the red blood. Return to the sky, sink into the earth, Restore your form to the void. Let all that decays decay, All that moves pass on, All that is known be known. Wayward speck lost in shadow, Your time has passed. Fade and carve anew, .”

As the chant ended, all the talismans emitted bolts of lightning.

Arcing from the ground toward the sky.

“GYOOOOAAAAHHHHH!!!”

The Death Dragon’s scream resounded through the area.

A voice it should not have been able to produce.

The sound was not physical but rather the cry of a lingering will.

A remnant of the dragon’s original self.

Something left behind in its hollow form, perhaps.

Duke Helb had no way of knowing.

As the lightning subsided after nearly ten seconds, the Death Dragon vanished.

“A predictable opponent, in an ideal scenario. No surprises here.”

Helb remarked, his tone returning to that of a calm and composed human.

“Yet even with the dragon gone, this space remains…”

Duke Helb glanced around as he muttered.

Still confined in the distorted space.

“Perhaps this won’t disappear until the one who created the black wyverns is defeated. Ryo or Abel… it seems I’ll have to wait for one of them to succeed.”

Duke Helb smiled faintly and continued speaking.

“With the Death Dragon no longer in the way. The annexation of the Federation and the Free City should proceed smoothly… though fully absorbing them may prove difficult. Before that advances south, we must amass enough national strength to resist… Even my brother cannot pinpoint the exact timing… how troublesome. That such powerful individuals exist… upsets the balance of the world… No matter how vast the empire, mere humans cannot offer significant resistance.”

Duke Helb shook his head slightly.

A future worth striving for seemed out of reach.

“If only I’d been born ten years earlier…”

He sighed quietly.

TLN: Please read my translations at , I did not give permission to any site to host my translations.

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