RNP Page 55
Page 55
"Phew... Now, you expect me to go easy on you, huh?"
With a flick of his sword, Mo Zai, befitting a mischievous child, taunted the church shrouded in smoke. However, the law of "no harm in smoke" always applies; the dust was dispersed by magic, and Achilles emerged unharmed from the scorching, sparking earth.
"It's a pity. If you possessed divinity, I might have died at your hands. But my name is Achilles!"
"Are you immortal?"
As fate would have it, Mordred, being a lone wolf, was unaware of the real names of the other members of the Red Team. Only now did Mordred turn his gaze to Achilles' heel, wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, and, panting heavily, point the King's Sword back at Achilles.
"Did you notice? But can you keep up with my speed?"
With a whoosh, Achilles, who hadn't suffered any real damage, disappeared from Mordred's sight once again.
Chapter 146 The Light of Resistance Against Oppression
According to a live broadcast from the front lines, although he had not yet arrived, Kenneth was fully aware of the battle situation. Through the projection in his mind, Kenneth's attention was focused on the collapsed church, bypassing the fighting between Mo Zai and his heels.
In a corner unseen by everyone, Spartacus's body swelled under Arjuna's attacks. Just moments before, Mordred's disastrous sword strike, the dissipating lightning, had been the final straw that broke the camel's back. His flesh began to expand uncontrollably, eyeballs, arms, and insect-like appendages spilling from every corner. Staring at his head—the only part of his body that hadn't deformed—Spartacus directed his rebellious flames towards Amakusa in the distance.
"O oppressors! The flame of resistance will not be extinguished. Is it time to rebel? Come, accept my love! Accept my dignity!"
Rebellion is my life! O distant oppressors! I will utterly crush you with my blade!
The gladiators, symbolizing resistance, unleashed their fiery passion without reservation. Under the successive attacks of Siegfried and Arjuna, and under Mordred's impact on the military-level Noble Phantasm, the long-accumulated magical power spread in its most primal form, overwhelming and unstoppable. The light, reaching the level of a city-wide attack, completely covered the scars on the ground. At this moment, dawn broke.
Sight was stolen by the white light, hearing was shattered by the high-frequency sound waves, the white light tearing through the sky gradually turned crimson, transforming into a tangible impact that blasted everything in its path away, fueled by magic accumulated from countless wounds, the rapidly exploding fireballs incinerated everything they touched...
The warhorse, startled by the tremors, instinctively shielded its eyes with its hand. Even though it was thousands of meters away, the intense heat still struck Kenneth's wrist. The Spirit Disc appeared in his hand, and as Spartacus vanished, the light representing the Red Caster was also gone.
"The flames of resistance are truly magnificent, Spartacus. No matter how much blood your life has been stained with, even though you have lost all your sanity, I have felt your conviction. Even if it is only for this moment, I will ensure that you shine brightly in this instant."
Even the most refined person possesses respect, and even the coldest killer has a touch of tenderness. Having seen himself clearly and followed his heart, Kenneth now doesn't hesitate to offer praise, nor does he regret his actions. Given the chance, Kenneth would still make the same choice. Kenneth knows that others see his actions as conspiracy and evil, but he doesn't deny it, nor does he try to escape it, because it is the truth. To do evil and acknowledge it, to commit evil and bear the consequences—this is the creed he now firmly upholds.
Kenneth didn't care about Sieg. Humans would throw bait at ants out of interest, and Kenneth's mentality was roughly the same. Compared to his previous life when he wanted to kill Sieg, Kenneth was now more interested in seeing how far this android who had broken free of fate could go. Familiar fate was like a chicken rib, while an unknown future was what could pique Kenneth's interest.
Just as Kenneth approached the ruined town, Spartacus's final act had faded away. Near the deep pit flowing with scorching lava, an arm broke through the crystallized scorched earth and emerged. It was Sieg, the warrior born to rebel, who, at the last moment, controlled his deformed body to bury his little brother deep into the soil, using his own firelight to point the way forward for the bewildered homunculus.
Stand with the weak, and even if it costs us our lives, raise the banner of resistance against the oppressors.
"Spartacus, I understand!"
Following Sieg's gaze, a slightly disheveled Amakusa emerged from behind Achilles. Meeting Sieg's gaze, Amakusa felt a strange unease. The storm gathered magical power, and Sieg's body, modified by Kenneth to far exceed the scope of a homunculus, erupted with a mystery surpassing modern magic. The vanished greatsword reappeared, and the blood armor of the evil dragon covered Sieg's entire body. In this moment, Sieg briefly resurrected the hero seated upon him.
“Oppressor, I will complete his unfinished rebellion! Although I do not understand whether your relief is right or wrong, I know that the future of the weak should not be in the hands of one person.”
Following the memories in his heart, Sieg pressed the button on the hilt of his sword. The true ether stored in the gem surged out, and the light and shadow that slew the evil dragon brought back the past years. Following his instincts, Sieg recited the true name of the treasure in his hand.
The evil dragon will eventually fall, the world is turning to twilight, shoot it down! Fantasy Greatsword - Fallen Demon!!
"This is the power of the hero who gave me my name, but it's not enough, not enough! This power is not enough to defeat that green-haired guy, Sieg! How can I inherit his will by relying on borrowed power? Even the weak must possess their own power!"
The next moment, his heart began to pound, and the phantom of a dragon appeared in Sieg's mind. The dragon's head was close at hand, and its golden vertical pupils were staring directly at Sieg. There was no escape, no fear. In his fantasy, Sieg accepted the dragon in his heart.
Embrace the evil dragon, and all things dissolve! Fantasy Greatsword! The Fallen Demon!
Beyond reason, Sieg's greatsword was unleashed once more, a torrent of blue water carrying the breath of the evil dragon, a storm of energy raging forth. With a domineering determination, Sieg, in his homunculus body, reached the realm of a Servant at this moment.
Crack! The overheated circuit groaned, and the skin on his body began to crack under the impact of the massive amount of magic. At this moment, with the unintentional flutter of a butterfly's wings, the android named Sieg embarked on a completely different path.
"This is truly unexpected! Karna, save him."
Sieg's special effects were flashy and impressive, but Kenneth knew that this attack could be categorized as a "I'm about to launch an awesome attack" level. Without divinity, even if Sieg burned this body dry, he wouldn't be able to break Achilles' defenses. Considering how much Sieg had surprised him, Kenneth didn't mind giving him a hand; he was still having a good time, and it would be too boring for the movie to end prematurely.
"Sieg, Sieg, you've really given me quite a surprise! Your mentor has already pointed you in the right direction. Now that you've combined the wills of two Servants, what kind of performance will you present to me? I'll wait and see."
Braving the torrent of true ether, Achilles, relying on his mythical immortality, tore through the dragon's breath, hurling his meteor spear, the chilling lance aimed directly at Sieg's heart.
Clang!
The divine spear, ignited with divine light, deflected the starlight-transformed spear. Karna raised his hand and forced Achilles, who had launched a surprise attack, back. With a calm expression, Karna looked at the swaying Sieg.
"You who have inherited the power of Black Saber and the faith of Red Berserker! You have found your own path. Do not be confused. Borrowed power will also shine, and borrowed ideals will also sprout. Walk firmly on, and what you have borrowed will bloom into your own flower."
"Karna!!"
As long as Karna is in the same area, an Arjuna will always spawn next to him. Right after Karna encouraged Sieg, the Arjuna that always spawned called out the name of his nemesis and smashed his divine bow onto the gilded divine spear. With the fighting spirit that had been suppressed for a long time, the two men, who regarded each other as their destiny, started fighting each other without holding back after a few seconds of probing.
At that very moment, a dark figure joined the battle, and behind him, Chiron, transformed into a steed, stood before his former beloved disciple. Riding up, the Grand Duke glanced around before fixing his eyes, which had been preoccupied with cultivation, on Joan of Arc, who held the holy banner. Behind Joan, Mordred, whose injuries had mostly healed, returned a provocative look to the obviously weakened Grand Duke of Romania.
Vlad III completely ignored Mordred's gaze, gestured to Astolfo and Avisbro behind him, and then turned his attention to Amakusa, who was confronting Joan of Arc. As a king, seizing benefits was what Vlad III should be concerned with. Responding to Ruler's call was just a pretense. If he could eliminate the red side's servant in the process, he wouldn't mind.
Looking towards Amakusa, who was once again clashing with Joan of Arc, the Grand Duke summoned his spear without hesitation and charged forward. Seeing that the whole of Romania was in chaos, Kenneth, the mastermind behind it all, closed his eyes and sensed that a grand ceremony far surpassing, no, crushing, the present was being launched on the land beneath his feet.
"Go, Assassin, investigate. Be careful not to get caught. That empress has very sharp ears."
As soon as he finished speaking, Kyoshiro's body vanished like smoke. His gaze shifted to the side, and Sieg, whose arms were mostly burned off, was trying to move his body to stand up again. On the crystallized ground, Kenneth stood in front of the android. The hazy memories in the culture dish reappeared, and Sieg's body trembled instinctively. But then, remembering the spirit of Spartacus, Sieg glared at Kenneth with eyes full of resistance.
"Oh, not bad eyesight. Is this the spirit of that gladiator?"
"Are you here to kill me?"
Sieg's words amused Kenneth, who then turned his gaze to Amakusa, who was in a sorry state under the pressure of the Grand Duke and Joan of Arc.
"You want to rebel against him, and you want to rebel against me, after all, in your eyes we are both oppressors. But now you can't even stand up, so how can you raise that sword of rebellion?"
"I will not give up. So what if my body is burned? Even if I only have a head left, I will keep watching over you."
Zig's answer did not surprise Kenneth. Even though his body was trembling, his gaze remained firm. Belief is truly a powerful thing.
"Even though you tremble with fear, you still choose to step forward. That is courage. Congratulations. As an android, you have comprehended a hymn that most humans cannot understand. I am very satisfied with your performance."
With a wave of his hand, the translucent white third magic crystals fell like rain, and under Sieg's incredulous gaze, his body healed.
“I am evil, I do not deny it. I will sit on the throne of evil and wait for your challenge. Until then, you should try to gain the right to meet me, Sieg. If you can do it, then try to pierce my chest with the sword in your hand.”
Gripping his sword tightly, watching Kenneth gradually disappear into the distance, Sieg took a deep breath, raised his greatsword in defiance, and charged towards Amakusa.
"I will overcome you! Oppressor!"
Chapter 147 Blue is Red
Smoke filled the air as Karna and Arjuna clashed in a fierce battle. No longer choosing long-range sniping, Arjuna, who had been patiently waiting for this moment, channeled all his pent-up fighting spirit into his divine bow. The rule of "an inch longer, an inch stronger" did not apply in this clash between Arjuna and Karna. All weapons were secondary; every joint of a true hero could be a fatal blow.
With spears clashing and lightning blades sweeping across, Arjuna leaned to the side, a spear thrusting straight for Karna's head, drawing out a burst of scorching fire as it grazed past the golden armor on Arjuna's shoulder. Amidst the ear-piercing scraping sound, Arjuna, with a fanatical smile on his face, appeared before Karna. His right arm, which was used to nock the arrow, was pulled back, and his hand blade, dragging lightning, pierced straight for Karna's heart amidst leaping bolts of lightning.
"Even without aiming, my target won't deviate."
As sworn enemies, Arjuna knew the power of Karna's Sun Wheel Armor, but Arjuna also knew the vulnerability of Karna beneath that armor. The Sun Wheel Armor's limit was reduced by nine-tenths, but even this small amount was enough to injure the seemingly indifferent man. Knowing Arjuna's intentions, Karna, who had fought him countless times, deflected Arjuna's attack mid-strike with a backhand movement.
clang!
As the hand blade clashed with the arm armor, the air visibly vibrated. With this blow, Karna's heels briefly left the ground, and with a sudden pull of his right hand, Karna's body was brought close to Arjuna in front of him.
"Weapons are just a prelude; true heroes kill with their eyes."
Without Karna needing to chant, Arjuna already knew Karna's intentions. The moment his breath surged forth, Arjuna's right arm, which Karna had locked, exerted force, raising the divine bow in his hand straight at Karna's face. Thunder blades raged, and fire blazed. Surya's flames and Indra's raging thunder collided in the clash between the two inheritors. Through the lightning, Karna sensed Karna's fervor; through the firelight, Arjuna saw Karna's calm face.
A tangible energy accumulated within a short distance, causing the temperature to rise rapidly and space to distort. The blue and red light, upon colliding, transformed into an eerie white—a pure white that obliterated their vision. The dissipating magic crushed the ground, and shattered clods of earth were pulverized and destroyed by an invisible force...
Click——!
After a sound like shattering glass, irregular black lines extended and spread throughout the tiny area, depriving them of their vision. But both of them knew that the other, just like themselves at that moment, would not give up.
The battle continued, the magic continued to compress, and everything reached its threshold. Mass distorts space, and the same is true for energy compressed to its extreme and concentrated at a single point. Darkness appeared. In the annihilating white light, the long black lines converged at a single point and twisted uncontrollably. The fragile balance was broken, as if thick ink had been dripped into it. The white light deepened until it became profound. The bound energy was no longer suppressed, and the deep sphere of light expanded and suddenly engulfed the two locked in a stalemate.
The wind stopped, and the rising smoke seemed to be paused as well. The calm before the storm paused briefly, and the raging wind that had been tearing the earth rushed toward that distorted singularity. Crack! The black shell could no longer contain the violence within, and deep black light surged out along the broken crack. The dense energy found its outlet, and the towering black light burst forth, the rapidly spreading pillar of light tearing the ground apart, devouring everything in its path like a termite.
Without fire or smoke, a vast amount of magic silently licked at everything in its path. The soil covering the surface vanished, and the red and blue figures were sent flying backward in the hazy black light. Their palms scraped against the ground, and the scorch marks on their bodies sent shivers of pain through them. After a thousand years, in the hands of his nemesis, Arjuna felt a familiar pain—the pain of being burned by the divine fire of Surya! This was the temperature of Karna, the formidable enemy he would never forget.
"Karna!"
The flames of war were ignited. At this moment, Arjuna only wanted to fight the figure in the distance. Raising his right hand, which had just grazed the ground, Arjuna pointed his divine bow at Karna. Along the long, drawn-out slit created by the spear, Karna, gripping the handle with both hands, raised his body, exhaling a scorching breath. The spear was drawn, its tip striking repeatedly, shattering the magical arrows in the silver strikes.
The stubborn rock shattered, breaking through the murky and viscous magic, and Karna appeared before Arjuna. Flames ignited from his cloak, and Karna's heat disrupted the surrounding magic. He raised his long divine bow, and the roaring lightning he drew crashed down on the oncoming heat.
The moment the divine spear fell, the impact ignited the pent-up magic power, like sparks flying in a box full of oil and gas. A world of flames descended, and the restless magic power exploded like willow catkins. The rapidly spreading fireball burned away the life-sustaining gas. Faced with this suffocating pressure, Shishikage Kairi's vision uncontrollably plunged into darkness. Facing the war correspondent who was about to suffocate him, the aura of the Third Law surged out, and Kenneth saved Shishikage Kairi, who had one foot in the Sanzu River.
The dramatic change in the environment did not affect the two people at the center of the battlefield at all. The embers on the ground flickered as the two clashed. The sparks from the collision of divine weapons briefly illuminated the figures in the darkness. Amidst the ear-piercing friction sound, with the sweeping of the thunder blade, Karna's figure took over and flew into the sky.
"Arjuna, I offer my respects to you!"
Surrounded by flames, Karna's body hovered steadily in mid-air, his right arm raised, the divine fire bestowed by the sun god scorching his already blazing spear until it glowed red. Arjuna's slightly rapid breathing grew heavier with Karna's words, his blood boiling, his hand gripping the bow trembling with joy. He struggled to suppress his disordered breathing, the taut bowstring was drawn back, and the arrow formed from Indra's divine thunder pointed directly at Karna above.
At this moment, the firelight dyed the night sky crimson, and the wandering lightning snakes tore the ground below in a blue light. Blue and red began to confront each other, and flames and lightning bared their fangs at each other. The wind that swept across the ground stopped, and the flickering flames were extinguished in the thick air.
"Karna, forge this arrow for you!"
The tense atmosphere shattered the moment Arjuna responded. The crimson spear emitted a sonic boom, parting the divine fire that filled the sky. The red-glowing spear, entangled with flames, locked onto Arjuna below with a heat that could pierce through everything.
"Fate has been decided here; cause and effect, retribution, erupt here!!"
Holding his breath and calming his mind, Arjuna's eyes snapped open the instant Karna's spear left his hand. The lightning arrow nocked on the bowstring was released, and the divine lightning that covered the ground surrounded the arrow as it hurtled towards the sky.
Clang——! !
A sharp, explosive sound violently drowned out the noise on the battlefield. Flames and lightning spread rapidly in mid-air like mirrors. Divine fire devoured the raging thunder, and divine thunder tore through the flames. Blinding white light burst forth at the point where arrows and spear tips collided. The fire curtain and lightning net that covered the sky shattered. Flames collapsed the sky and covered the ground. Raging thunder pulled up earth and rocks and submerged the horizon. Bathed in each other's attacks, abandoning their weapons and fighting for their own lives, the two, with only each other in their eyes, broke through all obstacles and collided with a thunderous crash.
Fists clashed in the most primal fighting style. Enveloped in magical energy, the two channeled their beliefs into their fists, transmitting them to each other. Karna, bypassing the spear embedded in the rock, chose to strike Arjuna's abdomen with his right fist; the divine bow trembled beneath his feet as Arjuna chose to stab Karna in the heart with a hand chop. Lightning flashed past the defenses and struck the golden armor, a flicker of pain crossing Karna's eyes; divine fire burst forth, piercing Arjuna's shoulder armor, the spreading flames instantly evaporating the splattered blood.
Boom!
The clash of gold and blue fists produced a dull thud, and the ground suddenly crumbled around them. The loss of footing did not affect their exchange at all; their palms, leaving afterimages, continued to attack each other, the crimson and blue hues becoming the only colors in the darkness...
Chapter 148 Sky Garden
Blinking his eyes, which were dry from the firelight, Kenneth surveyed the surrounding battle situation. Amakusa, defeat was only a matter of time. Looking to the other side, under the combined attack of Heracles and Chiron, Achilles, who had been fighting continuously, could only rely on his speed to dodge. His legendary immortality was no different from that of an ordinary person in front of Heracles.
Achilles' armor shattered under Hercules' immense strength, his soft inner armor was sliced open by the sharp stone axe, and the exposed flesh splattered blood across the battlefield as Achilles moved at high speed. His chest heaved violently, and with a sliding tackle, he dodged Hercules's descending stone axe. With a thunderous crash, the spot where Achilles had been standing suddenly became a crater several meters deep.
Whoosh!
With a whooshing sound, Chiron's arrow struck Achilles' vital spot at an extremely tricky angle. After a brief moment of hesitation, Achilles, whose arm was pierced by the arrow and who was now close to the centaur, aimed his lance at Chiron, who was drawing his bow.
Unfold! Soar across the heavens, spearhead of the stars!
As the area, which resembled a bounded field, spread out, Achilles and Chiron suddenly vanished. Achilles' brow twitched slightly, and he looked toward the battlefield where Amakusa was, but Amakusa had already disappeared without a trace.
"Has the teleportation ended? That means the Empress's incantation is about to finish."
After reminding the sprawled Shishikai Kairi, Kenneth left the crumbling ruins without a second thought. With Amakusa gone, the Grand Duke turned his gaze to Mordred, who had single-handedly defeated a puppet with a single punch. But as Jeanne walked towards Mordred, the Grand Duke, not yet ready to openly confront Ruler, immediately turned his attention to Arjuna in the distance.
Without any warning, at the site of the old church, the solidified lava shattered, and the scorching heat within, which had not yet solidified, gushed out like blood. The ground, which had been baked dry and hardened, cracked open, and beneath the rising soil, the long-gestating fortress broke through the soil. The vain hanging garden, the fortress that Semiramis had been preparing for several days, displayed its oppressive power to all the people present.
Vegetation grows downwards, water flows upstream, and this inverted fortress, resembling a thorny woven structure, soars into the sky surrounded by eleven black stone slabs. The black coffins of the ten and one unfold, and eleven impacts comparable to military-level treasures cover the ruins below like meteorites. At this moment, the EX-level fortress reveals only the tip of the iceberg of its overwhelming power.
The eleven impassable craters had already covered the ruins. The tremors on the ground had not yet subsided when a dense swarm of Dragon Tooth soldiers rained down. The situation instantly reversed, and the strength of the Red Team achieved a qualitative leap at this moment. With a single spear thrust, Vlad III cut through the rising dust and coldly choked off Danic's advice to retreat.
Following the upward-spreading sharp wooden stakes, Vlad III thrust his sword and pierced through a suspended black coffin. The next second, the sharp spikes spreading from the inside shattered the stone slab from within.
The wooden stakes summoned by Vlad III covered the Sky Garden, which had not yet taken off, like birdcages. As Vlad III struck the ground with the butt of his spear, countless stakes spread out from the torn ground. In just an instant, the stakes used to execute enemies formed a thicket of thorns, obscuring the sky.
Amidst the dense piercing sounds, sharp wooden stakes rapidly spread across the brickwork outside the Hanging Gardens. The smooth outer walls of the Hanging Gardens, a symbol of legend and faith, were riddled with huge holes by Vlad III's piercing.
However, even against such a fortress, the destruction caused by the King of Execution was always limited. As the swirling black coffin spun, it tore apart the wooden stakes that covered the sky. Amidst the flying wood chips, the Sky Garden rose into the air at a speed far exceeding its size.
The black coffin crashed down with an impact comparable to that of an army commander, bypassing the dense artillery fire. Vlad III chased after the rising fortress, stepping on the flying wooden stakes. The next second, a man with a hole pierced through his abdomen leaped down from the sky garden, gripping the divine spear in both hands. Achilles, with an irresistible force, slammed Vlad III, who was in mid-air, heavily into the deep pit below.
The stake used by Vlad III to execute Achilles could not advance further after touching Achilles' blood-stained body, and Vlad III realized the seriousness of the situation at that moment. The Archer's presence had disappeared, and Achilles, though severely wounded, was still alive. His gaze swept towards the Hanging Gardens about to take off, and Vlad III swung his spear, sending sharp, blood-dried stakes piercing the sky from an area of hundreds of meters in radius.
"Red Rider! I am Vlad III!"
The spreading sharpness of Vlad III's spear tip moved with effortless grace. Achilles' speed advantage was severely limited within this seemingly living thicket of thorns. Every time Achilles stepped over a thorn, the thorns would instantly burst open, like a persistent leech, trying to pierce his feet. The continuous battles had taken their toll, leaving Achilles with reactions far slower than before. Yet, as the most shining hero of the Trojan War, Achilles' expression remained relaxed, exuding composure. He broke through layers of defenses and hurled his meteor spear at Vlad III.
"You can't catch me at that speed. The fastest human footsteps are beyond your reach!"
The sound faded with the afterimage, and the Grand Duke's feet were suddenly buried in the stubborn rocks beneath his feet by this blow. Under the power of the demigod, the spear in his hand trembled, and the sweeping wooden stake turned into fragments and scattered in all directions under Achilles's blow. Feeling the tremor from his arm, Vlad III twisted his body and suddenly pierced through, only to see the phantom image of Achilles just moments before.
"Too slow! Grand Duke of Romania."
Achilles' voice rang out from his side. Before the spear could be retracted, Achilles' maniacal smile, stained with blood, appeared before Vlad III. With surging confidence, Achilles swept his meteor spear, and Vlad III's body flew out like a cannonball.
The rocks beneath his feet shattered instantly. Achilles' figure tore apart the wooden stakes blocking his path before Vlad III even landed. Seeing the approaching afterimage, Vlad III's eyes snapped open. He activated his Berserk mode, comparable to an A-rank, empowered by the Guardian Demon General. An ominous aura surged from Vlad III's body, a testament to the legend of the Impaler Duke recorded in this land.
Blood-soaked wooden stakes, empowered by faith, transformed into steel. An overwhelming chill shattered everything in their path, and the thick stench of blood enveloped the battlefield. Vlad III leaped high into the air, unleashing the most powerful blow etched into this land as Achilles charged toward him.
"Ha, are they getting serious? That's fine, let's settle this in one go!"
Come, stand in my way! My chariot, like the stars, will crush you mercilessly! It's too late! Undying chariot of the raging storm!
As the tip of the star-spear vanished, a galloping steed appeared beside him at a speed far exceeding Achilles'. He mounted the warhorse, gripped the reins, and the steed, granted by Poseidon, shattered thorns and soared into the sky. The chariot, ravaged by the wind, accelerated relentlessly, and the swirling magic changed from cyan to dark green. With extreme speed, Achilles, driving the chariot, charged towards the iron stakes that resembled a meat grinder of torture.
Chapter 149 A Short Break