[Our uploads were a bit scattered this week due to unforeseen circumstances and a change of workflow. Part of the team has changed to accommodate the release of 20-30 chapters a week for this series. Keep updated via Discord (Dec. 9, 2020)
Cataclysm (1)
After the white-burning light disappeared, all that remained was a dull-colored stone that could no longer be called a jewel.
‘Krr~ Krr~’
Cracks soon appeared, and then, the stone fragmented.
The old man looked at his wand and stubbornly pressed his hand against the broken shards of the jewel. Then, he vomited blood.
The old man clutched his chest as he leaned on his cane, his breaths coming out harsh.
“Master!” the wizards who were watching him cried, rushing to his aid.
The old man raised his hand and waved them away.
“Huwoo, Huwoo,” the old man breathed like that for some time, his shoulders hunched as he leaned on his cane, and then he suddenly sighed.
“I’m sorry. It’s really tragic.”
Perhaps he regretted that one of the artifacts of the Mythic Age, rare even in Towers, had become obsolete. Or perhaps his regret lay in the fact that he had not achieved his purpose, despite utilizing all the magic at his command. The old man’s lamentations were vague.
The wizards dared not guess the meaning of his words; for all they saw was an old man with a haggard and ashen face.
It was only as they looked at his face that they realized it: The old man’s gaze was neither directed at the ruined artifact nor in the direction of his intended target in the forest. The old man was gazing farther afield.
Somewhere to the west – In the direction of the territories ruled over by the Burgundy imperial dynasty.
“Now the knights will face that which I have witnessed for the emperor, and it is only a matter of time until his existence is revealed.”
These were very strange words for the wizards to hear. The old man had come into war by order of the emperor, and his mission was to get rid of Dotrin’s knights.
Wasn’t this the reason for him ruining the magical artifact?
However, the old man seemed more concerned that the emperor hears the news of the battlefield than about anything else. Some of the wizards grew tired of the mystery.
“Well, I wonder why master has so recklessly manifested your magic,” one wizard spoke up, giving voice to his uncertainty, and as he realized what he had just said, he flung his hand over his mouth.
The old man did not berate this wizard, nor did he answer his question.
“I have to go back.”
“Master, if you return in the current situation we find ourselves in, even under the direct order of the emperor, we might face grave peril in the future,” one of the wizards voiced his concern.
“I tried to break that man and his novel energies, yet I failed, for I had reached the extent of my powers. If I say this, the emperor cannot fault me,” came the old man’s embarrassed reply, and he seemed rather casual about the entire affair.
However, a fear-filled light now shone upon the faces of the wizards.
Theirs was a true fear of someone, so different from what they had felt when the old man had attempted his cataclysm. The old man despaired when he saw the faces of his disciples, saying, “I am truly worried about it. I will let the emperor know in advance that we have destroyed Dotrin’s outpost, and with the great damage we have caused, the emperor has no just grounds upon which to punish us.”
As they heard the old man’s words, the wizards stated that they dared not speak freely anymore. They would just follow his will. The old man stopped talking then as he sent his mind into the area of the forest where it had been before. His face hardened like stone, yet he did not move, as if nailed in place.
It wasn’t just the emperor that worried him. Still, there was one final thing to be done.
The Wyvern Knights had arrived on the battlefield only late in the game, slaughtering imperial knights and wizards from the sky.
‘Groow~’ the ferocious wyvern growled as if it was being suppressed by some unknown force. The Wyvern Knights looked at the sky, and their faces paled. It was the hour after dawn, and the dark clouds have been scattered, the sky cleared. Yet now, a darkness was encroaching upon the entire world.
“Look! There!”
Some of the Wyvern Knights pointed to the sun. A great dark blotch was encroaching upon it.
And the greater this dark stain stretched, the darker the world became.
It was different from the storm clouds they had faced, much more sudden and far more sinister.
Before long, the blackness completely engulfed the sun.
Night fell upon all the world.
* * *
The Leonbergian knights awaiting the return of the first prince with the Wyvern Knights stiffened in sudden surprise. The sun had been shining up until now, yet sudden darkness came upon the world, so much so that they couldn’t even see a few steps ahead.
“Aahh?” the mute half-elf groaned like a terrified beast.
‘Blach,’ the maid, awaiting only the return of her master, clutched her chest and fainted.
Blue lights blazed into the eyes of the three men who had accepted the spirits of the ancient paladins.
“Finally.”
“The time is right.”
“It has arrived.”
Bernardo of the Eli family screamed as the three men spoke such unknowable words.
“What!? I’m fucking anxious over here! Why are you guys acting like this?”
Bernardo’s eyes were filled with fear of the unknown.
* * *
“Light the fires! All rangers and knights, arm yourselves and ascend the walls!”
The Count of Winter Castle shouted hoarse orders, his fortress surrounded by darkness.
“Call back all the rangers out scouting!”
Upon his command, rangers pulled out flares and fired them into the sky.
‘Buwooo Buwooo Buwooo!’
The sounding of the horn rang out without pause.
The Count of Winter Castle looked out over the walls.
Lights appeared all over the snowfield bordering the mountains. The rangers who have gone out scouting seemed to have lighted torches. The count watched the torchlights approach the castle, his anxiety great.
‘Kra-aa-ah!’
‘Creeeee!’
All manner of monsters came roaring, bounding after those lights. It was as if the entire mountain was roaring with great ferocity.
“What the hell?”
The count’s face became firm as he took in the ominous state of the darkened world, an unprecedented event in all the hundreds of years of history that Winter Castle has witnessed.
“Fuck this. I don’t even get a single day to enjoy a moment’s comfort,” cursed a Ranger Platoon leader as he looked at the sky, complaining all the while.
It was a sky where nothing was to be seen, a darkly portentous sky without sun or moon, an utterly horrifying sight.
“Just when I relax, something else has to happen! And this time, it’s surprising!” the ranger complained and then jumped in anger as he caught sight of one of his troops.
“Oi, you there! Get on your mark! Everyone keep apart.”
Next to him stood the tower-lord of the newly constructed Spire, and she was staring at the sky.
“Those who have left shall return once more, and their old glories and trails shall be resurrected.”
She had a strange voice as if it flowed from the deepest depths of a cavern.
“What? His Highness is returning?” came the ranger’s chiding question, for he had not clearly heard her words. But the wizard gave no answer. She just watched the night that had come upon the world.
“Huh?”
“It’s getting brighter!”
The night that had so swiftly came disappeared just as suddenly.
“I felt so cold. I thought day would never come again,” the ranger sighed in relief, still trembling in terror.
“To prepare for the unknown, search the castle to see if there is anything wrong. And for the time being, we shall keep an eye on the mountain pass, without conducting long-distance missions!”
The Count of Winter Castle ordered his soldiers to prepare for any unusual events that the future might bring.
“The dwarves have come!”
And in the meantime, the dwarves appeared.
While they migrated, they had postponed the mounting of the iron cannons due to their construction of the Spire. They have now returned to Winter Castle, bringing along their cannons for its walls.
And throughout their labors, they did not speak a single word. They just stared at the mountain with worried faces from time to time.
The sudden phenomenon has ended, yet the mountains still howled.
* * *
A dry laughter echoed through the hall, where only one being was present.
“It has begun, it has begun.”
The emperor, sitting upon his high throne, was smiling.
“In no way can he be a descendant of the lineage is well documented.”
The emperor once more burst into laughter, finding it all to be so pleasant.
After he had laughed for a long time, he once more spoke in his dry voice.
“The road to heaven will open. The winged things shall come once more. The earth will rise and all the beasts that walk upon two legs or jump upon all fours shall make their return.”
His words were like a prophecy, and they were like a poem. The emperor sang his prophetic poem time and time again – With a terribly dry voice.
And in the next moment, the emperor trembled with terrible energies.
However, the knights and attendants outside the hall were merely relieved by the fact that the phenomenon of night by day had ended without any harm coming to them.
* * *
The darkness lifted, and the sky regained its clarity. All was as before.
Yet, my heart was still beating wildly. Something has happened.
I didn’t know what it was, but I knew that it wasn’t auspicious.
b This is a day when the Myth of Gaecheon and the Myth of Sudden Change have reappeared at the same time. It cannot be a coincidence that this phenomenon has occurred}
Agnes thought along the same lines as I, saying that today’s occurrence of sudden night was a clear sign of something.
Still, both of us were ignorant as to the portent of the event.
I tried to rid myself of my worries. If today’s happenings were a sign of something, then its reality would soon be revealed.
No matter how great my anxieties, there was no use in clinging to a mystery that didn’t provide an answer. Then, all of a sudden, Agnes said that we didn’t have much time remaining for talk.
Her sudden communication with me was only possible because my true body had so ravenously consumed the thunderbolts which had filled it with energy.
“Why are you in there?” I asked the question that I was most curious about.
b I don’t even know. However, my guess is that this curse comes to all who wield the same sword}
I was dazed by her response. According to Agnes, there could be so many other beings trapped in my true body. And she confirmed this – There were many beings within Dragon Slayer.
Agnes added that most of these entities have lost their egos over time and have become things that existed – Yet did not.
Like ghosts.
“Then, can you tell me who is in there besides you?”
b We are aware of each other, but we have never communicated. We can only confirm our mutual existence}
Just when I was about to ask more questions, Agnes spoke once more. b Our time is up}
Her voice then began to fade.
b I would have talked longer, if only we had the time}
She sighed and then quickly spoke once more.
b It was indeed a grand thing, to save your life. From now on, save yourself and don’t let it happen again. And keep in mind: Dual swords can never surpass the wielding of a single, proper sword}
She was just nagging me – This was how Agnes said goodbye.
“Can I meet you again?”
b You’re just like a child}
She gave a soft laugh, and so faint was the sound of it that I had to focus my mind to hear it.
b My old companion. Poor Gruhorn}, she called to me.
Her voice was filled with regret and compassion that I could not understand.
b Be devoted and steadfast to reach new heights. Then, only if you forget, can you recover Dragon Slayer}
Her voice turned into the faintest of whispers.
b Be happy}, she said softly.
b I will always watch over you}
That was it.
“Anne!? Anne!”
I called to her several times, yet no answer came.
I tightly shut my eyes, locking my conversation with her into my mind, lest I ever forgot her voice. As I ran through our conversation, I frowned.
Only if you forget can you recover Dragon Slayer.
Somehow, it was a strange thing for her to say: That I had to regain my status as an ancient sword. I felt uncomfortable.
As I thought on it, again and again, I identified where my sense of incongruity arose from.
“Well.”
And all of a sudden, my head started to hurt greatly, as if it was breaking open.
I clenched my teeth, yet I could not prevent a groan from escaping my lips.
“Hold on, Ian! Just a little! Wizards are ready to heal you at camp!”
The urgent voice of the Wyvern Knight pierced into my mind.
I was trying to tell him that I was okay, but my eyes rolled in their sockets, and my consciousness became blurred. I couldn’t even feel the regular, rocking movement of the wyvern.
It felt as if I was floating on the clouds.
“You must not fall asleep!”
“Focus your … mind…”
The voice of the Wyvern Knight started fragmenting, breaking up in my mind.
“I’m here … Mind … Please? Bill … Eat …”
Even that faded, and then – I could hear no more.
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