The Rebirth Of The Hero’S Party’S Archmage [EN]: Chapter 249

249

“Friede, Rin in danger, Rin in danger, Rin in danger.”

Thinking Friede might not recognize her, Pipi deliberately used Rin’s name, but there was no need.

The golden light radiating from the dragon eyes could see the texture of the soul, not just the human body.

Sessen clung to Friede’s leg, thinking a member of her own kind had appeared, and cried for help.

「Making my daughter cry? You’re a really bad dad. Don’t worry too much.」

He lightly kissed Pipi’s beak as he had done long ago, stroked Sessen’s head, and grinned.

Then, he approached Rain and touched his forehead.

Suddenly… the world twisted as if in a vortex, and his five senses seemed to change. Then all the pain disappeared as if washed away.

‘My body is back to normal. My body, my body… have I regained it? How?’

If there were a place called purgatory, this would be it: a world where magnificent flames formed a horizon and blazed.

「This is the Soul Box World, where only dragons can enter. You also have the Mystic Orb, so you can come in.」

It was… Friede, who lightly explained the changes that couldn’t be accepted all at once.

「Hmm, you’ve become more manly and handsome than when you were that troublemaking kid? You’ve had a meteoric rise.」

Rain could only stare blankly at the figure who looked him up and down as if appraising him, then laughed playfully.

「That look in your eyes says, ‘Isn’t it you, the legendary priestess Friede, who’s had a meteoric rise?’ Hehe, you saw right through me.」

Unlike 300 years ago, she was wearing dragon scale armor instead of a priestess’s robe, but her face hadn’t changed at all.

「How do you feel about seeing this Friede, who became a dragon through asceticism [self-discipline and rigorous practice]? My beauty is still the same as when I had men lined up in droves, crying.」

The only thing that had definitely changed was that her eyes had turned into dragon eyes.

「Hey.」

Perhaps it was because her eyes had become deeper and calmer after experiencing hundreds of years of the vicissitudes of time, but even in this banter, a certain untouchable reverence was felt.

「Hey, hey, hey, hey.」

Once again, tears blurred his vision. It was impossible to compose his expression.

「Say something… I made such a cool entrance, but, what was it? You just keep crying, so I’m, uh, I’m about to cry too.」

I had already given up.

Even if we were to meet again, I thought it would be like with Keyes, only able to talk to residual thoughts for a brief moment.

I can’t make a sound.

Lest I make one and this turns out to be a dream, shattering into pieces.

“Friede, F, Fri, Friede, I, again, I again, mee, meet, meet, so, I, again like this, wanted, that’s, th, th, that’s what I, kept……”

The cracking voice repeatedly rose and fell erratically.

「It’s the same for me.」

The former priestess placed her hand on the head of the former boy, who was shedding tears with his head bowed, and moisture finally welled up in her eyelids as well.

Yes, it would have been like this.

If I had been able to break through the ice of Juyeoso Gyeodae Ban and get out in time, I would have been able to greet everyone like this.

「But we don’t have time to keep doing this. Time flows slowly here, but you don’t have much time left.」

“……!”

「You’re not thinking of breaking up right after we’ve barely met again, are you? I’ll delay the collapse of your body as much as possible, but you’d better hurry.」

The left hand, covered in dragon scales like armor, touched Rain’s heart.

Then, countless dragon words were engraved on the skin of his heart, and it began to burn so hot that he couldn’t breathe.

Not only that, but the heart, which was clearly hidden inside his bones, began to emit a dazzling light like a fireball to the outside.

「All transcendents can take temporary forms according to the framework of their souls. It’s the same principle as dragons taking on the appearance of dragonkin.」

“What are you trying to say……?”

「Before your body collapses, you must reach transcendence in the true sense of the word.」

“Transcendence……?”

「The dragon word I’ve engraved on your heart now is ‘Communication.’ It’s the dragon word that the Fire Dragon Bel’daki-dun taught me when I entered this ascetic practice.」

“Communication? With what……?”

「Your own inner self, and the providence of creation, the truth that magicians speak of. From now on, you must find that out. In the journey of the soul.」

What happened then? Had he already become one with Rain’s soul?

As if resonating with the dragon word Friede had engraved, the Black Yang Scale hanging around his neck began to emit light.

* * *

“Heh heh heh! This is one amazing body!”

The combination of earth and poison.

The structures that made up the city crumbled powerlessly into particles.

A huge swamp of poison, like an antlion’s pit, was formed, sucking in everything in the area.

‘This guy, the speed of casting and combining magic is getting faster and faster.’

Bart thought, sweating blood all over his body. There’s no time to use the power Snire had given him.

‘Monster, this is a real monster.’

Rem gasped for breath in the haze of intoxication that dulled his mind.

‘How on earth did our ancestor beat a guy like this?’

It was the first time he had fought for so long with 100% intoxication. And it was also the first time he had been so hopelessly beaten.

‘That combination of elements…….’

Should it be called the realm of omnipotence? Magic of the most suitable attribute and form for the combat situation pops out in an instant.

‘I’ve never seen or heard of magic being used like that.’

Even if magic and the flow are different, what if archery could be used like that? Just thinking about it makes him dizzy.

‘Rem and Bart are slowly reaching their limits.’

Milia, who had instantly unleashed a space-time slash to break through the barriers of water, iron, and lightning, rushed at Zernyx, thinking.

‘I, who have experience fighting this guy, must lead everyone and put an end to this match.’

Pull yourself together.

End it here, end it here.

But the situation was far too different from back then.

“As expected, that swordsmanship is annoying as ever!”

First of all, the body can’t withstand the maximum output of the Holy Sword. It feels like the blood vessels all over his body are about to burst. It feels like his tendons are about to snap.

– Rista.

– Rista!

And like one body.

His companions, who had precisely and perfectly assisted his every move, are gone.

“But what a pity, there’s no sharpness like there was 300 years ago? It’s only natural since you don’t have the Mystic Orb!”

Elemental combination: fire, water, iron.

Fierce flames evaporated a huge amount of water, and thick steam rose.

Blocking vision and smell, the moment Milia’s parry faltered for a moment, a steel crushing hammer flew in.

Kaaang!

I missed it, Shirpen, fly right here, the moment he lost his grip and dropped his sword was less than a moment…….

“First, get rid of the most troublesome one.”

Taking advantage of that momentary gap, ice stones that had covered the sky rained down.

‘The way to stop that now is, mind sword, yes, pull out the mind sword, no, there’s no time…….’

In that moment when a smile of triumph and a breath of despair intersected, a flame that seemed to engulf the area swirled fiercely.

“───?!”

In reality, it was an enormous amount of heat.

If the sun were shining right nearby, would it feel like this? It was the fire of life, the authority to annihilate evil, the light to protect the world.

The murderous heat, like an explosion, swept through and burned all the ice stones that had swallowed the sky, leaving not even steam behind.

‘This little one is definitely.’

Everyone in that place, even Zernyx, stared at the owner of the flame who had landed on the ground with a dumbfounded look.

A transcendent being who had just barely shed her girlishness stood face to face with him.

“Apologize.”

Her hair fluttered as if the flames were waving in the wind, and fiery horns sprouted from both sides of her head.

“For making Pyrus uncle cry.”

Not only that, but a dragon’s tail made of flames curved majestically from her pelvis.

“Apologize!”

The eyes that looked at Zernyx were simply calm, like a candle illuminating a night without a single ray of light.

“Hmm, what’s with that look? It’s one thing to grow up so quickly, but what about those horns and tail──”

There was no answer.

Instead, the sound of a flame igniting was heard, and a huge impact struck deep into Zernyx’s abdomen.

‘Huh……?!’

Zernyx, who had been blown away with a person-shaped hole pierced through three market buildings in a row, crashed into the outer wall of the fourth building.

“Zernyx……”

“He blew him away……?”

Zernyx spat out blood.

If he hadn’t instantly deployed a barrier of iron and ice in front of him, his abdomen would have been pierced through?

‘What is this pain…….’

His body was regenerating at super-high speed thanks to the abyss, but there was intense pain in the area where his fist had made contact.

‘I’ve faced the flames of the Red True Dragon many times, but this is more out of the ordinary than that time, as if I’ve been attacked by two Red True Dragons at the same time…….’

There was no time to sort out his thoughts.

‘This is dangerous, dangerous.’

The momentum of the baby dragon, who instantly rushed in front of him and wielded ferocious flames with both hands and tail, was no longer child’s play.

‘If I don’t kill her before she becomes an adult, there will be no end to the trouble.’

It feels like his body is melting in the intense firepower.

But this is not enough.

There are, after all, physical limitations for a juvenile.

‘If I let him live until then, this guy will probably become the strongest True Dragon.’

At that time, Milia had to catch her breath and wipe away the tears that were wetting her vision.

‘Pyrus is helping Aki. He’s passing on his power to Aki.’

It is fundamentally impossible for one True Dragon to possess two Mystic Orbs. Yoshhar had told her that before.

The soul will not be able to withstand the power and will collapse.

But Aki, as she has done so far, has once again created a miracle. She has lit the candle of miracles.

‘Aki is fighting like that, I can’t hesitate.’

Not only Milia, but Rem and Bart also started running, holding Serwebon and the Dragon Bone Spear.

‘Thanks to Aki, I had a moment to catch my breath, a moment to look back on my accumulated combat experience.’

Think. Think.

The way to break through those eight attributes and inflict effective damage.

‘Keep pushing.’

‘Keep pushing.’

‘Support Aki.’

At this rate, we might be able to win.

Zernyx has been busy blocking Aki’s attacks since a while ago.

His attacks are starting to become monotonous. That guy doesn’t have time to sort out his thoughts either.

“Originally, I was going to carefully cook each one while adapting to this body…… Hiss, hehehe, at this rate, something big will happen.”

At that moment, a pure white flower bloomed in Zernyx’s eyes.

Bel Curious.

An unfathomable ripple spread throughout the area in an instant, and something primal forcibly bent providence [divine guidance or care].

“Then, without hiding anything more, I’ll show you the true power of Bel Curious.”

* * *

Drop… Rain opened his eyes at the sound of a drop of water falling into a lake.

‘Where is this…… Huh? What is this?’

Could such a space exist in reality?

The authority of the black mist, the black sun Karenden, was spread everywhere.

An old man walked into the mist. It was someone he had seen somewhere before.

‘Where was it? He looks familiar, but also unfamiliar.’

The creator of magic, sitting cross-legged in a gazebo made of mist, gave the answer to his identity.

「Thus, you have finished the race of your life, Ryuken.」

Ryuken?

Ryuken Ludwig?

Ah, I didn’t know because I had only seen him in his middle-aged days. When did he get so old? Is he dead now?

‘But why am I seeing this memory now? No, why are you showing it to me?’