Chapter 91

The Breath of Light lay sprawled beneath, a crumpled heap.

The Hunchback mounted the Ancient God, who was half his size and swung his fists.

Scars were etched into the light-fragment body of the Breath of Light and a frenzied scream shook the island of Arete.

“-CO-RDISSSSSSS--!!!”

A roar of hatred toward the Empire.

A scream that scraped his throat raw, splattering droplets of blood everywhere.

That fury was directed at the innocent Breath of Light.

That was the problem.

It was a torrent of emotion that could not be reined in.

The Breath of Light took a thorough beating.

Yet, he showed no signs of serious injury.

The small scars vanished instantly.

His body was not confined by the limits of matter.

The light orb that was his head still blazed intensely.

[---]

A deer charged at the Hunchback.

Although the deer was as large as a cabin, it looked as small as a mouse before the ‘Hunchback’.

The deer had no head; in its place was a sharp thorny bush.

With it, it gouged out the Hunchback's eyes.

“-UGH!”

The Hunchback let out a short scream of pain.

The gouged-out eyes healed instantly.

Soon, other deer swarmed in and headbutted the Hunchback.

However, the ‘Hunchback's’ body was made from interwoven ‘Heated Iron Bloodlines.’

It was tougher than steel, so it sustained no injuries and radiated so much heat that the deer were knocked back instead.

It seemed pointless at a glance.

No matter how many of those deer charged, they didn't seem to be able to do any harm to the Hunchback.

But their numbers were vast.

Not just tens or hundreds, but thousands.

The ground rumbled with the clatter of their hooves.

The deer herd covered the Hunchback.

They looked like a swarm of ants carrying their prey, or a regiment of pygmies holding down a giant.

Some of the deer even jumped into his screaming maw and inflicted wounds.

“-GRA, AARGH-!!”

Even if the wounds healed, the pain remained.

The Hunchback, who was already writhing in agony, let out an even deeper groan.

His fist-swinging stopped.

The Breath of Light, who had been pinned down all this time, slowly raised his head.

[…….]

The light orb flickered.

Dawn had long passed and morning had arrived.

The Breath of Light was reclaiming the power he had during his worshipped days.

The face of the Breath of Light, which had been lifeless and inert as if it had never moved, was now contorting.

[This is unpleasant.]

***

“…The Breath of Light… speaking?”

Amethus let out a sound of dismay.

His face, which had been like a mask, now showed clear emotion.

Soon, a beam of light erupted.

It was dozens of times thicker than the arrows he had been shooting, like a waterfall of light flowing toward the sky.

[Move.]

“G-RAAAAAAAARGH---!!!”

A painful shriek.

The waterfall of light nearly obliterated the entire right side of the Hunchback's torso.

The black monster lost its balance and collapsed.

The Breath of Light, who had been pinned down all this time, slowly got up.

[Hmm, what a wretched sight.]

Breath of Light.

The light orb that he bore instead of a head radiated an even brighter light and more intense heat.

The theatrical mask-like face on top of it was now alive and moving.

Every time the Ancient God waved his hand, thick beams of light poured out.

They added to the Hunchback’s pain without pause.

[Even if anger is inherently ugly, and even more so when its target is undeserving.]

The Ancient God’s voice resonated mystically.

He had no mouth, no tongue, and therefore no vocal cords.

Yet, his words were understood as if they were hammered into one's ears.

[To have a soul so putrid.]

The Breath of Light scowled.

Even without eyes, a feeling close to contempt was palpable.

[You have also fallen, scion of Cordis.]

“…Co, rdis…?”

The collapsed Hunchback raised his head.

Over the side wound inflicted by the waterfall of light, the iron bloodline re-enveloped him.

A single name brought him to his feet.

The Hunchback had no reason. In his heart, there was only screaming and hatred.

“CO-RDISSssSS---!!!”

[Do you not hear me?]

The Breath of Light raised a hand as the Hunchback charged at him.

The Hunchback could not distinguish.

He didn't know if his anger was justified and he didn't want to know.

He was simply writhing, not knowing what to do with his pent-up rage and in doing so, he drifted further away from humanity.

[Know this, child of Cordis.]

The Breath of Light was gradually beginning to resemble a human.

Because the sun was rising higher.

[I am a fallen monster. But beneath the sun, I can still be the Breath of Light.]

As he donned his dignity, it became even more apparent that he was a being of a higher dimension.

Just by existing, he made the surrounding world brilliant.

[You are too high for you to reach.]

The Ancient God, donning his original dignity, slowly rose.

He hovered in the air without needing to step on anything.

It happened naturally.

Because it was natural for the sun to rise.

In fact, it was more strange that the incarnation of sunlight had to be on the ground to be able to stand.

The Breath of Light stroked his chin.

The face on the light orb was now full of life.

Hundreds of arrows poured down on the Hunchback, who was breathing heavily in fury.

Amethus couldn’t even sense their approach.

---Ugh! The Hunchback’s scream.

He was riddled with holes, looking like a discarded rag.

Thick blood poured from the holes.

But after a few screams, he quickly healed.

He stood up with a hunched back and charged fiercely.

[You're persistent.]

The Breath of Light frowned.

His expression held a feeling beyond contempt, closer to pity.

[As tenacious as your stench.]

The Hunchback never fell for good.

He was pushed back by the force the Breath of Light emitted, unable to reach him, but he constantly picked himself up.

[Shall I incapacitate you first.]

In the Ancient God’s hand, four wedges of light appeared.

They resembled the arrows he had been shooting, but they were much longer, thicker, and blazed intensely.

One by one, the four wedges pierced the Hunchback’s limbs and pinned him to the ground.

“---ARGH, G-ARGH, AARGH!”

The wedges pinning his limbs radiated heat.

They melted not only the Hunchback they pierced but also the ground beneath him.

Looking down at the screaming Hunchback, the Breath of Light rose even higher.

[You, Cordis, watch.]

The proclaimed words, like a chant, were directed at the Hunchback, at Shion Pollinglight, the 5th Prince of Cordis, within him.

The Breath of Light then turned his head.

[You, Aretion, watch.]

Amethus, who had been observing the situation from behind the city wall, shuddered at the gaze.

The dignity in that look was impossible to ignore.

Even so, he did not avert his eyes.

He raised his jade eyes with dignity.

[See what your ancestor has made of me.]

Under the sun, he regained his original dignity.

But he was still decapitated.

The marks of chains remained on his limbs, a stark blue. And when the sun set, he would likely return to being a monster without reason.

Furthermore, he was bound to the island of Arete.

The chains of the Imperial Academy of Magic were not the problem.

His soul had already become one with the island.

Because of this, he could not leave the island.

He would be lonely forever.

So lonely that he thought it would be better to remain in a perpetual sleep.

[You shall have to tolerate my innocent fury.]

The Breath of Light raised his head.

[O Sun-!]

He looked up.

He looked up at the master of the distant sky, past the clouds and the winds and all things, and gave a fierce command.

[Release my chariot!]

***

A navy-blue sea.

A solitary, lonely island.

In the midst of a lie-like heat and radiance.

The sun opened its maw.

It spat out a single flashing dot.

The dot, spewed out from the sun, slowly flew across the sky.

It gradually grew larger.

It came closer and closer.

The dot that had been traversing the sky suddenly dropped sharply.

From above the eastern sea, the sound of hooves was heard.

It echoed through the void, a mystical gallop.

Soon, it became visible.

The dot was no longer a dot but a chariot bearing a radiant light.

It was being pulled by four deer.

Seeing the approaching chariot, the Breath of Light leaped up.

The Breath of Light, who had mounted his chariot, quietly chanted.

[Ascend.]

Another sun rose on the island of Arete.

The heat so far felt like a mere spring haze compared to its intensity.

The Breath of Light on the chariot truly became a scorching inferno itself.

In an instant, all the trees on the island vanished.

They evaporated, leaving only soot behind.

The rocks melted, the sea receded and the island cried out.

An ordinary person would have evaporated along with the trees.

“Ughh---!”

The Hunchback screamed fiercely and charged.

The Hunchback's body, made of the interwoven ‘Heated Iron Bloodline,’ was resistant to heat.

He swung his grotesquely large hands to try and grab the Breath of Light and his chariot.

[Hmph.]

The Breath of Light snorted and gripped the reins.

The deer galloped and the chariot slammed into the Hunchback with a thud.

Aaaaargh-!!

A painful cry was heard, and the Hunchback was torn in two and collapsed.

His severed body mended instantly.

The third secret would not let him give up.

The pain was there, of course, but the Hunchback just screamed again as if it didn't matter.

The Breath of Light, likewise, continued to drive the chariot as if nothing had happened.

The sun chariot charges in.

The Hunchback screams in pain and collapses.

But he gets up again.

Then the chariot charges in again, a painful scream is heard, but he gets up, and then that sun chariot charges in again…

“…”

Amethus closed his eyes tightly.

The Hunchback was still shedding tears of blood.

The painful sounds he made every time he fell felt like a stab to the heart.

The jade-eyed man muttered.

“Even now…”

He gripped his double-edged sword, ready to leap into the fray.

The black blade was not one that would be called dull, even if it could not match them.

Just then, his eyes met the Hunchback's.

He didn't know how he met the gaze of eyes that had no whites, only blackness, but the fact that he did was clear.

The Hunchback saw Amethus and then, he slowly shook his head.

“…Your Highness?”

Amethus realized.

He had assumed that Shion had completely lost his reason.

It was a natural assumption, given that he was charging at the Breath of Light in a blind rage.

It wasn’t entirely wrong.

In the Hunchback's heart, anger blazed.

A knot of repressed fury kept spewing flames, so human reason could not function properly.

However, Shion was not unfamiliar with rage.

Thanks to that, even as the flames took over his entire heart, he was able to protect his core.

“…Ugh, Ame, thus….”

The Hunchback spoke slowly.

The effort to suppress his scream felt like it would shatter his collarbone, but it was trivial.

The Hunchback, and Shion within him, continued.

“…Just, stay… still….”

The chariot charged in.

The Hunchback met it with a giant fist.

It was a futile punch.

The sun chariot instantly turned his fist and shoulder to ash as it passed.

It was a pain and a scream he had lost count of and so, it was a physical pain that could no longer shatter his heart.

“…It’s all part of the plan…”

The Hunchback was crying.

The tears of blood were black.

No, they weren't tears.

What was pouring out in a gush was closer to mud.

It was a shadow that did not belong to this world.

Black mud poured out endlessly and then it enveloped the Hunchback's body.

It made his already massive body even, even bigger and stronger and more ferocious.

It was a shadow armor that made the Hunchback even more powerful.

Sen Sorti's masterpiece, ‘Mana Armor Valziart’

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