HBWnovel Vol. 4 Ch. 200
Vol. 4 Ch. 200
For a long time, neither of them spoke.
In the crimson world surrounded by flames and storms of magic, two young women stood facing each other. One remained silent, while the other quietly wiped away the tears lingering at the corners of her eyes.
“So, you’ve begun your journey to find Minchen, is that right?”
“Yes, perhaps to others, the Gatekeeper is a great hero, a legend. But to me, he’s nothing more than a coward who abandoned his responsibility and his descendants. His abandonment was the beginning and the root of my mother’s lifelong misfortune. Only him... I can never forgive.”
“I see...”
It seemed there was no need to ask further questions.
After waiting for a while, Violet spoke softly.
“I won’t kill you, but I can’t condone everything you’ve done in the name of revenge either. I think your mother wouldn’t want to see you traverse mountains and rivers seeking his trail just for a few words, or worse, to become enemies... Fortunately, the worst hasn’t happened yet. There should be room for understanding.”
The priestess raised her hand, and a golden chain swept out like a spirit serpent, binding the young woman who had given up resistance due to her perceived failure. Though Silvina did not resist, she frowned.
“Don’t misunderstand. I speak because I acknowledge your strength and actions, not because I seek pity or excuse. I’m well aware of what I’ve done in the past and have long been prepared for it. If I lose, I lose. Violet, put away your kindness. What difference does death make?”
At these words, the girl in white robes merely smiled.
“Don’t misunderstand me either. I’m not someone who changes decisions based on emotions. Your past actions and certain behaviors were indeed ruthless, done at any cost to achieve your goals... But death is never the perfect punishment for a sinner. To me, life and death are merely transitions of states, as they always have been.”
“Watch closely, Silvina. I will bring this matter to its proper conclusion in my own way.”
“You won’t die. Neither will Eileen.”
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“Clang!”
The magic sword and the long blade clashed in midair, transforming into afterimages that filled the space like an impenetrable rain curtain. Eileen unleashed over a dozen strikes in rapid succession, yet each was deftly blocked by Minchen using his long blade.
“Ahhhhh!!!”
The sword blades turned into a hurricane as magical energy surged around the young girl. She screamed and launched relentless attacks, but she couldn’t break through the solid and steady defense of the Gatekeeper. They had been locked in aerial combat for over half an hour, and her frustration was mounting.
Both of them had noticed the reversal and changes in the rift far in the distance. Minchen seemed to have anticipated them beforehand and remained unruffled, but Eileen, in the midst of battle, grew increasingly anxious.
“Why?! Why can’t I win?! I’ve gained so much divine power already, and you’re just a demigod!”
Facing this strike that altered even the heavens, though Minchen spoke lightly, his expression visibly grew serious.
Taking a deep breath, he lightly sheathed his longsword as if vanishing into nothingness, using the heavens and earth as his scabbard. Then, as if moving slowly yet as swiftly as lightning, he swung his sword, seeming to distort space and time itself.
“Ancient Technique: Lament of Solitude.”
There was no sword light, no exploding flames or shockwaves, but as the sword moved across the sky, everything was cleaved in two.
With a single stroke, all things were annihilated.
Including the terrifying giant sword that seemed to thunder and could have crushed heaven and earth, even the clouds, storms, and even time and space themselves were split and halted in that moment.
Until the figure in plain clothes sheathed his sword once more.
*Boom!!!!*
The magnificent giant sword, now split into two halves, exploded into a myriad of colorful lights. Even the aftermath of this explosion seemed to divide the sky itself into two, creating an imperceptible yet profound chasm in between.
“Did I fail... I’m sorry... Silvina...”
Eileen’s consciousness, along with her body, was severed at that moment, plunging into darkness.
“I’m sorry, child.”
She heard him say this.
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Inside the Demon Suppression City.
“!?”
Just after the battle had ended, Cyril, a man with a damaged greatsword slung over his shoulder and a wounded arm, suddenly looked up in horror at the sky. The clouds there were split into two, but as a mere mortal, he could never know what had happened above.
“What’s wrong, Cyril? If you’re badly hurt, go rest first. Have you been pushing yourself too hard lately? Even if you want to learn from Miss Violet about healing and saving lives, you can’t achieve everything at once.”
The leader of the Black Knights Mercenary Group, Lester, known as Black Shield, smiled and patted Cyril’s other shoulder, reassuringly unharmed in contrast to his heavy shield, which had protected the lives of many comrades in this sudden and inexplicably brutal battle.
Known as Cyril, the young man with his eye covered by a swept bangs didn’t explain anything, just glanced again at the distant sky, turned around, and picked up the medicine box beside him.
“It’s nothing, just a minor injury. Let’s go, Captain. There are still many injured people who need treatment. Let’s do what we can to not... waste their efforts.”