——————
HEL SCANS
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
——————
Chapter 191
The children ran in silence for a while.
Initially, their minds were greatly complicated with various thoughts when they first left the village.
‘…I never thought it would turn out like this.’
‘I thought we could just take Cuculli back to the academy.’
‘Can we really handle such a heavy mission?’
Exaggerating a bit, it was no exaggeration to say that the fate of the continent rested in their hands.
If the baptism was not properly completed, a tremendous threat would loom over humanity.
It was a sense of oppression that the children had never felt before.
Even Luke, who had proposed the lure, was so tense that his hands holding the reins turned white.
‘…This is really surreal.’
They were luring dangerous pursuers unseen by their eyes, racing along the frozen northern coast.
Just a while ago, they were leisurely lounging at the resort, so they honestly couldn’t feel the reality of it all.
The fear of being threatened in a strange land.
Pity and worry for Cuculli.
Regret for leaving things behind.
With all these emotions mixed together, the children felt overwhelmed.
They knew they would eventually have such a duty, but they never thought it would be now.
But why?
Even amidst the countless swirling emotions, the children were able to gradually focus on their mission.
It surprised even themselves, but soon they found the reason why.
“I will train you all to be the pioneers of humanity.”
“I promise. I will cultivate the courage and strength to not retreat in the face of any difficulty.”
The “extreme” that their teacher had carefully prepared for moments like this.
All those arduous processes were for this moment.
They were already preparing for it.
As the children realized this fact, their mouths gradually opened.
“The pursuers are supposed to be following us. Can anyone see or feel anything?”
“Not me for now. I don’t sense anything unusual.”
“Me neither.”
Luke, implicitly taking on the role of leader, gave orders.
“Everyone except Ban, stop detecting. The quantity of detection doesn’t matter. Save your mana because a battle could happen soon.”
Then his expectant gaze fell on Ban.
“Do you sense anything?”
Ban, focusing intensely on detection at the rear of the group, was being particularly vigilant.
His mana was constantly fluctuating within him.
When Luke received no response from Ban, he called out again.
“…Ban?”
“Just a moment.”
…Ban thought.
He had never once neglected to be vigilant since entering the north.
Especially in such a dangerous area, he was more diligent in detection than ever.
‘But Cuculli was sure we were being trailed without our knowledge. That means….’
His fist tightened.
‘…My detection is useless against these enemies.’
After realizing this fact, Ban stopped indiscriminately spreading out his detection net, which was both wide and dense.
And he attempted a slightly different approach.
Woooong-
His densely packed mana shot towards the cliff.
It was a mass of mana that contained the properties of ‘rebound’ with less detail.
If it was a technique to nullify detection, it would surely contain qualities of “dispersion” or “absorption.”
Therefore, dispersing the power would be foolish.
Even if the range became extremely narrow, it would be right to shoot mana in clumps to elicit any kind of response.
Woooong-
In this way, Ban attempted dozens of unconventional detections.
And….
“…There seems to be something on the cliff.”
He succeeded in detecting extremely subtle signs.
Like Felson, who traced faint traces leading to Eitrobin, he also discerned the abilities of the top-class demons.
“…It’s a pursuer.”
“There really was one.”
“Oh my.”
Joy and fear flashed across the faces of the children simultaneously.
There really was a pursuer.
This meant Cuculli’s conjecture was completely accurate.
The unidentified forces that killed the powerful Dorempa and pushed the north into danger were indeed pursuing them.
The silence fell among the children again, inevitable.
“This, this is an adventure. You only get to do things like this when you’re young! When else will we ever do it!”
Gerald threw a joke as he always did, but it didn’t help much this time.
Perhaps because even his face was pale with fear.
Tatatat-
Luke, who had been running at the forefront, sighed shortly and looked back at his friends.
Except for Leciel and Ban, they all seemed to be pretending to be calm.
…He, who was more accustomed to such dangerous deeds than these kids, would have to protect them.
‘I was the one who initiated this plan. It’s my responsibility.’
He would protect them by any means necessary.
That was Luke’s determination.
At that moment, his dark eyes turned towards Evergreen.
“We’ll reach the coast soon.”
Waldiff, who had been silent, spoke up.
“As I mentioned before we set off, this chase cannot last long.”
…Indeed.
The difference in height between the coast and the cliff was rapidly decreasing.
As they continued along this path, the cliff eventually encroached upon the coastline, completely blocking their way.
The pursuers will realize there’s nothing at their destination and finally understand they’ve been deceived.
“But until then, if those guys keep following us, our goal will be achieved.”
Luke accepted that.
“Yes, because Cuculli will be able to receive baptism without interference at the sanctuary.”
“If we signal, sister will head to the sanctuary. We just need to hold onto these bastards as long as possible.”
“…Alright.”
“It’ll take about 5 minutes to encounter them. Before we can’t continue our conversation anymore…”
Waldiff’s bright blue eyes scanned the children one by one.
“We, on behalf of the North, thank you once again. We will remember you.”
There was lava-like determination in his turquoise eyes.
Luke replied briefly.
“We’re friends.”
After that, the conversation didn’t continue.
A razor-sharp tension began to linger around the coastline.
The sound of Capra’s hooves digging into the receding ground, rough breaths, the waves, incongruously bright starlight and moonlight…
All of that began to subside.
“…We’ve arrived.”
The children stopped.
The cliff had now risen to a height resembling a small hill, blocking their path.
Ban swallowed nervously and directed his detection straight ahead.
Woooong-
“There.”
It was certain.
The pursuers were there.
Though they hadn’t yet realized it was a trap, they were definitely on the cliff, overlooking them.
“Alright.”
Luke dismounted without hesitation.
In his hand was not a bow but a sword, black with the same hope as darkness.
Woooong-
The boy, with the sword slung over his broad shoulders, shouted towards the unseen pursuers.
“You bastards.”
A small chuckle escaped among the children.
“Will there be a sanctuary here?”
“….”
“It might look too humble to be a sanctuary.”
“….”
“Well, it’s still a place overflowing with your graves.”
A very brief silence.
And…
Sarrurrurrrrk-
The concealment barrier spread out by Okultus was lifted.
The children earnestly hoped that the pounding of their hearts wouldn’t be heard by the enemies.
Some found themselves unknowingly taking a step back.
‘…That person.’
The number of individuals wasn’t as many as they had thought.
Only about ten.
A number that didn’t require them to lose confidence.
Of course, their strength was formidable, but it wasn’t too much of a burden for the children who had been fighting against the Hero all semester.
——————
HEL SCANS
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
——————
…However, the pair of the man and woman in the lead broke the children’s fighting spirit that was just beginning to bloom.
First, the man wasn’t human.
‘…A demon.’
With skin so black it seemed to dissolve into the darkness around him, yellow eyes, and horns bending inward towards his mouth, his entire body was black except for his eyes, which seemed to float in the air like eyeballs in a void.
Vertical pupils torn so thin they seemed like they might belong to a reptile, enlarged.
The emotions contained within were colder than his appearance.
“…To be fooled by such ridiculous antics.”
Disgust.
The disguised demon Okultus was visibly uncomfortable with the fact that he had been deceived by mere humans.
Intense demonic energy erupted from his body.
And…
“…What’s that?”
Standing a step ahead of him was a white-haired woman.
Gerald involuntarily took a few steps back when he met her red heterochromic eyes.
She looked human, but he was certain she was not.
A creeping sensation, as if encountering a ghost, rose from the soles of his feet and spread through his body.
In a low voice, Ban whispered to his friends.
“…Insignia.”
“Huh?”
“That, isn’t it the symbol of the Demonic Church?”
Confirming the ominous glow emanating from the center of her forehead, they all took a sharp breath.
Since the large-scale suppression carried out by the Hero a few years ago, the Demonic Church had not caused any incidents and had remained hidden until recently.
That’s why to them, the Demonic Church members were nothing more than sinister and unpleasant urban legends.
The appearance of such beings made them seem more unreal than demons.
Moreover…
“…It was said that the location of the insignia indicates the rank.”
“Then…”
“…She must be the leader of the church.”
A dry gulp followed Ban’s explanation.
But the leader of the Demonic Church, Kalende, paid no attention to the children.
Her gaze remained fixed on Waldiff.
Kalende spoke dryly.
“Dorempa and his children are all brave.”
Waldiff trembled as if struck by lightning.
“…So, it’s you.”
With eyes bloodshot, Waldiff slipped his hand into his pocket.
The children worried he might recklessly charge at the Demonic Church Leader.
But fortunately, he hadn’t forgotten his mission.
His trembling fingers pulled out a signal flare.
Boom!
The fireworks started to light up the sky.
This grand display would surely be visible even from the Frost Dragon Clan village.
With this, the first objective was achieved.
Kalende and Okultus, noticing the children’s relief, grew anxious.
“What the…”
Where is Cuculli?
They hesitated to ask.
…No, they had no choice but to remain silent.
Thud, thud, thud…
A violent tremor shook the ground beneath their feet.
What initially felt mild now escalated endlessly.
Creeeak…
A massive earthquake, unnaturally timed.
“What the hell…”
Kalende barely managed to maintain her balance.
Simultaneously, she realized the source of the sound.
The sea.
Her external eye hastily scanned the ocean.
“Huh?”
For the first time in a while, Kalende made a startled noise.
The scene unfolding before her eyes was so unusual that it defied common sense.
“…An island?”
The horizon, which had been empty just moments ago, was now filled.
The sudden appearance of a massive, flat iceberg rising from the coast made it almost like an island.
The scene of the vast ice reflecting the moonlight, combined with its sudden appearance, seemed incredibly mysterious.
Everyone present instinctively understood.
‘That’s the sanctuary.’
‘Wow, was this the way it was supposed to open?’
‘It looks quite distant. Will Cuculli take a boat then?’
Although it couldn’t be confirmed with the naked eye, Cuculli was probably rushing to the sanctuary by now.
However, threats like the Demonic Church Leader, who were accompanied, were still here.
The children felt relieved, while the side of the Demonic Church Leader became extremely anxious.
“We’re heading to the sanctuary. Summon Myrmat.”
Kalende, instructing to summon the flying demon prepared for escape, turned her gaze back to the group.
Her narrowed eyelids emitted a ruthlessly cruel and terrifying gaze.
“As for you all-”
The leader’s hand rose towards the empty air.
The children felt a sense of unease for some reason.
‘…Even though she’s empty-handed, what’s she planning?’
It didn’t seem like she was casting a spell.
Nor did it seem like there was any magical activity accompanying it.
‘What’s she up to?’
The children reflexively drew their weapons and took defensive positions, but looked at her with a somewhat puzzled expression.
Even the pursuers in the background were preparing to withdraw without even looking at them.
It was at that moment that a smile appeared on Kalende’s lips.
Swish…
Severance.
The protection of Zero Requiem was activated.
‘It’s impossible to see through this attack.’
Indeed, Severance was a technique that sent out a conceptual force, like severing and cutting, towards the front.
It was a technique that had shredded dozens of knights and soldiers during the auction incident.
Even if they were geniuses, those children of that age couldn’t grasp and cope with it.
This attack resided in the realm far above that of ordinary fighters.
“Die.”
Kalende’s hand descended diagonally.
There was no need to witness their end.
Kalende turned her head without hesitation.
Myrmat would be coming soon.
If they headed straight for the sanctuary on Myrmat, it wouldn’t be too late…
Kaaang!
At the sharp sound, her body, which had been walking, trembled once.
With an astonished expression in her external eye, she glanced behind her.
“…A genuine Heart Sword.”
There, blocking the children’s path, was Leciel.
Hair flickering like flames in the darkness.
Surprisingly, the Shape Shifter was still stuck in the scabbard.
However, the spirit she exuded was no different from when she raised her sword.
Even more threatening than when she appeared on the Wellington train.
“Is the Heart Sword complete yet?”
Recalling the interview that now felt like a distant memory.
Leciel spoke with a sneer.
“I didn’t want to show it to you first.”
At that moment, Kalende felt it.
The road to the sanctuary might not be as smooth as she thought.
Her lips curled towards her subordinates.
“Attack. Kill them as quickly as possible.”
——————
HEL SCANS
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
——————
