The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 214

Azadin decided to deal with Hatir first.

He grabbed the black steel arrow he had picked up on the battlefield and, using the Kazas style [a martial art style], launched it with the Yellow Crane stance [a specific posture in martial arts].

The arrow, riding the curved wind, flew in a trajectory far from Aldis, aiming for Hatir. The trajectory showed his hesitation, as if he was worried about hitting Aldis.

However, Aldis moved and shot her own black steel arrow.

-Clang!

The black steel arrows collided in mid-air, scattering their trajectories.

Aldis had cast magic on her bow, but Azadin’s strength, and the bow itself, were stronger, negating the magic.

“You’ve become stronger, Azadin.”

“Aldis…”

Azadin bit his lip as he looked at Aldis, who was blocking his path.

Before Arael gained that name, she was called the reincarnation of Harkonia. To be compared to Harkonia meant she was the strongest of the Herald Clan.

And now, that strongest being was his enemy, standing in his way.

“To stop you, I’ll have to cut off at least one of your arms or legs.”

“That logic applies to you as well.”

“……”

Suddenly, Azadin’s mind cleared.

That’s right. He just needed to subdue Aldis. Even if he had to cut off one of her limbs, as long as he subdued her without killing her, it would be better than death.

But could he subdue the strongest agent of the Herald Clan so easily?

At that moment, Hatir threw his black steel sword to Aldis.

“Use this!”

Aldis didn’t catch the black steel sword but waved her hand. The black steel sword then floated up on its own, dancing in the air around her.

“Then!”

The black steel sword flew towards Azadin’s knee. It was a fast but straightforward attack. Of course, Aldis’s attacks couldn’t be this simple.

Indeed, at the same time as she sent the black steel sword, Aldis threw a spear above her head and took out her bow, shooting at Azadin.

-Clear Wind, Bright Moon! [a magical technique]

The arrows that poured out of the quiver scattered blue magical light, circling in the air. Like a pack of wolves hunting their prey, countless arrows hovered in the air.

If Azadin showed any weakness while dealing with the black steel sword, those arrows would pour down on him and harm him.

However, Azadin threw his Grimslaw mace to block the black steel sword, flawlessly neutralizing Aldis’s attack, and kicked his traditional weapon up with his heel.

The arrows jumped out of the quiver, and Azadin caught them and shot them. Aldis’s arrows, imbued with the Clear Wind, Bright Moon magic, exploded.

Azadin shot the arrows with strong force, one by one, shooting down Aldis’s magical arrows.

At the same time as the Clear Wind, Bright Moon arrows were all fired at Azadin, Aldis charged.

-Whoosh!

Her spear made a sound like tearing through the wind, transforming into countless shadows of light as it was thrust out.

Seven consecutive lightning-fast thrusts. Moreover, the most threatening long thrust was invisible.

This technique of inserting shadow attacks between flashy attacks, ‘Shadows Cast on Cherry Blossoms,’ was a skill that anyone seeing it for the first time would be unable to defend against.

However, Azadin received the attack with the Executioner of Azure [Azadin’s weapon], causing it to slide off.

He already knew Aldis’s secret technique.

Of course, he couldn’t completely block it, and he suffered scratches here and there, but as the spear slid off, the distance closed. Aldis was now within Azadin’s attack range.

“Hup!”

Now it was Azadin’s turn! Azadin, wielding the Executioner of Azure like a tonfa [a type of handle], leaped forward.

Although he was large compared to Aldis, the moment he leaped was incredibly fast and sharp.

Azadin’s attack, leaping with his body lowered, started at his eye level and dropped to Aldis’s ankle level.

Anticipating that Aldis would retreat, he instantly closed the distance of one and a half spear lengths.

In fact, with this level of mobility, he could easily close the gap even against someone wielding a spear, but Azadin deliberately allowed Aldis’s attacks to graze him, drawing her in.

And then, Azadin’s attack unfolded.

A powerful blow of azure steel, as if to split Aldis vertically, fell. But that attack was blocked by the black steel sword. The black steel sword, controlled by Aldis, danced in the air and flew to receive Azadin’s attack.

And then, from Aldis’s hand, the spear momentarily multiplied into two, then three, turning the black steel sword in the air.

The black steel sword and the spear, two weapons intricately intertwined, moved, absorbing Azadin’s attacks.

And that wasn’t all. Aldis drew the curved sword she had at her waist and flicked it against the shaft of the long spear she was holding.

The curved sword danced on its own, rotating as if it were a flail attached to the spear. The long spear became like a flail with two heads, the black steel sword and the curved sword, shaking wildly.

Aldis swung the spear like a flail, attacking Azadin. Even if Azadin dodged the spear, the swords dancing at the tip of the spear targeted him.

‘She’s strong, as expected. Stronger than anyone I’ve faced so far! As expected of Aldis…’

And more than anything, even at this moment, Azadin felt the urge to throw himself into that spear.

‘If I die by that spear, will Aldis be heartbroken? Will she remember me forever?’

Azadin was heartbroken by the situation, to the point of having such foolish thoughts.

However, as if life was tenacious… Azadin instinctively defended himself and continued to fight.

Azadin’s arms knocked away the flying curved sword and black steel sword, and his knee kicked away the thrusting spear, pushing it down. Then, he rolled his body on the swaying long spear, instantly closing the distance to Aldis again.

“Excellent!”

Aldis exclaimed in admiration.

Azadin, who had closed the distance, once again swung the Executioner of Azure at Aldis.

But…

‘Huh?’

Azadin felt that Aldis’s movements were strange.

‘She’s not trying to dodge?’

For a brief moment, she was looking at Azadin with admiration as he broke through her offensive. Perhaps she was captivated by the fact that the boy, who was weaker and more powerless than anyone in the clan, had grown enough to break through her attacks?

Even though they were fighting for their lives, Azadin was heartbroken by the warm concern he felt.

That moment of distraction became fatal for both of them.

Azadin swung the Executioner of Azure, changing the grip of the axe-spear to a tonfa grip.

This was good for deflecting heavy attacks. If you extended a sword or axe to receive an opponent’s swing, all the force would be concentrated on the wrist, but the tonfa grip could easily distribute the force throughout the arm.

However, it was shorter. Azadin deliberately insisted on the tonfa grip, making up for the short range with his excellent rushing ability, and then changed the grip at a crucial moment.

The change was so quick and skillful that it looked as if the weapon was growing longer on its own in Azadin’s hand.

Grabbing the cut axe-spear shaft, it was now about the length of a short battle axe.

But Aldis also regained her senses and counterattacked. The black steel sword flew towards Azadin’s neck.

-Thwack!

-Rattle!

The chainmail tore, and the chain fell onto the flagstones of the palace floor, which had been cracked by the earthquake.

At the same time, the Executioner of Azure that Azadin swung hit Aldis’s arm.

To be precise, Aldis had blocked the axe-spear aimed at her neck with a dagger, but the dagger was cleanly cut, and the axe-spear reached her arm.

The Executioner of Azure cut through Aldis’s arm, inflicting a terrible wound. Her arm was severed and flew away.

However, the black steel sword that Aldis had thrown also flew towards Azadin’s neck, and Azadin wrapped his left arm around his neck.

The armor tore, and a bone broke. The black steel sword pierced through not the wax arm that Scott had prepared, but the shoulder area above the elbow.

Aldis and Azadin had each taken an arm from the other.

“…Excellent, Azadin.”

“Aldis…”

However, Azadin did not lower his guard.

Aldis was of royal blood. She was the one who had taken the throne of Coral Sahar, and as Azadin had seen, the throne of Coral Sahar was not yet corrupted, and it was still a powerful source of white magic.

The King’s Healing Miracle. Aldis would be able to use the King’s Healing Miracle.

However.

Aldis’s knees buckled. Too much blood was flowing from her wound.

Unlike Azadin, who had blocked the black steel sword, Aldis had been hit by the Executioner of Azure.

The Executioner of Azure had a repulsive force that widened the wound on both sides of the blade, and Aldis’s arm was cleanly severed. A large amount of blood poured out from her left arm, which was close to her heart.

On the other hand, Azadin had been hit by a thrust. In the end, his arm was cut off, but unlike Aldis, he could reduce the blood loss somewhat by tightening his armpit to stop the bleeding.

No, beyond all that…

Aldis also didn’t seem to want to live very much.

Just like Kazas, Aldis had lost her will to live when her beliefs and the clan’s wishes, two values, conflicted.

She was fair and compassionate enough to embrace Azadin, a sightless abomination, without any hesitation. It was wrong from the start for her to follow the clan’s wish to massacre the Hybrids.

“What are you doing! Use the King’s Healing! Aldis! Your life is not your own! The clan’s wish! Are you going to abandon our clan’s dream passed down from our ancestors! You can do it! If you are my daughter, heal yourself and punish the traitor!”

Hatir raged and urged Aldis. Then Aldis suddenly came to her senses.

“I’m sorry, Azadin. I…”

Golden light began to flash from Aldis. She had begun to use the King’s Healing Miracle.

But when the King’s Healing Miracle shone, its target was not Aldis but Azadin.

“I’m sorry, Father. I… I… Azadin…”

Aldis’s head fell weakly to the ground.

*********

“Aldis!”

Azadin was flustered as he saw Aldis healing him, but his body, weakened by the loss of blood, couldn’t move forward, and he face-planted into the ground.

“Ah… uh…”

A silent scream bubbled up like phlegm in Azadin’s throat.

Aldis was dead.

Kazas, and Aldis too…

And Aldis was even killed by Azadin’s own hand.

‘She was my star, my light, my everything!’

‘What were these Hybrids that I had to kill Aldis with my own hands!’

‘Was that ideal worth protecting so much? Really?’

Azadin crawled towards the fallen Aldis.

The wound from the black steel sword was so mangled that it wouldn’t heal well even with the miracle magic. Even as he crawled on the ground, his arm tore and blood splattered, but Azadin felt no pain.

His heart was already torn to shreds, so he couldn’t feel the pain of his body.

“You’re a fool. And… she was a foolish daughter.”

Hatir, who had been sitting upright on the throne, stood up. He had already recovered from many of his wounds. As he raised his hand, the black steel sword that had fallen to the floor trembled and was sucked into his hand.

-Kuurururung!

Another earthquake occurred, and black smoke billowed from the corrupted quartz throne.