The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 509

“Well, no, not really. I’m fine. I don’t feel any pain at all.”

“No pain….”

Azadin’s body was so broken that it was being held together by divine magic.

As Zekt’s power drained from his wounds, the insects that had been maintaining Zekt’s body burned away, and Azadin’s body quickly recovered.

“Jibek, was that you?”

Even after having his head cut, Zekt recovered, squinting as if doubting his own eyes.

It was Zekt, the dwarf grenadiers, and the nuns of the Javi Order who had arrived.

They cleared away the approaching minions with mana bombs and surrounded Zekt.

“Sir Zekt. You are not someone who can compare to His Majesty. I will be your opponent.”

Jibek advanced towards Zekt again with his sword.

He seemed to be within striking distance, but then he moved like flowing water, instantly cutting Zekt.

The swordsmanship that Zekt had taught was now being used against him.

“Kuh!”

Even when cut, Zekt did not die, but instead split and recombined, firing sharp poisonous needles.

However, Jibek easily blocked the attacks with his armor and sword.

While his master, Zekt, used monstrous techniques, his disciple, Jibek, displayed the essence of dense and concise swordsmanship, overwhelming Zekt.

“Kuh! Stop….”

“Someone like you gets impatient when you’re held back by someone you think is beneath you. You’ve always been like that. You’re a petty and insignificant human who can only be satisfied by devouring the light of others!”

Jibek shouted as he attacked Zekt repeatedly.

“The most fitting punishment for you is for me to be the one to end you! Not a rival of the great emperor who will be remembered in history, but a fallen knight who was defeated by his own disciple is the name that suits your tombstone!”

Jibek’s words struck Zekt’s true feelings directly.

If he died fighting Emperor Azadin, Zekt could be satisfied.

If he could draw out the maximum of Emperor Azadin’s divine magic and inflict a massive psychological blow, Zekt would be proud and happy, feeling that he had proven his existence.

But Jibek?

That was unacceptable.

The problem was that Jibek was also Zekt’s disciple, so he knew Zekt’s inner thoughts perhaps even better than Zekt himself.

“Jibek! How dare a lowly being like you!”

“Ah, you’re showing your true colors, Master! But I have a reason to face you! Because I was intimidated by you, I had to kill my own heart and live cowardly! Although I was able to break free from that cycle by meeting His Majesty the Emperor, the fact that I was a cowardly and miserable being will forever weigh me down! Unless I defeat you with my own hands!”

Zekt drew his sword. His body was not fully restored, with only a few bones and tendons, and a golden armor dangling from his grotesque form, yet he took a sword stance. Even in that state, a great swordsmanship could be felt.

However, Jibek’s swordsmanship was what he had learned from Zekt, and when their swords clashed, surprisingly, Zekt was overwhelmed. Zekt’s physical condition was not perfect, and Jibek’s fervor was extraordinary.

The pure will to subdue Zekt before him, even if it meant burning his entire soul, added sharpness to his sword.

It was fundamentally the same as how Zekt devoted all his energy to hindering Azadin in any way possible.

Just as Zekt tried to steal Azadin’s light and make it his own, Jibek was also trying to overcome the fear, intimidation, and sense of defeat he had felt in the past by subduing Zekt at all costs.

As Zekt had once said, Jibek and Zekt were similar.

*********

Before meeting Azadin, Jibek was a coward who could only passively help a dying girl in the wilderness.

Was it because he lacked skill?

No.

He was simply afraid of the implicit order and violence of the world he belonged to.

And it was Zekt, Jibek’s master, who had instilled that implicit order and violence.

He told him to submit to the dark customs of the Knights rather than to a righteous heart….

He ordered him to turn a blind eye even when they exploited the weak and violated a girl’s chastity in a despicable way, telling him to follow only the bloodline of the Divine King rather than the light of the King.

Even now, after meeting Azadin and becoming his vassal, freeing himself from the implicit order of the King’s Church and the Yaeghas Divine Royal Family, Jibek was tormented by his past cowardice, the past where he had lived timidly and intimidated.

That’s why he wanted to cut down Zekt with his own hands at all costs.

“I understand. I’ll leave it to you.”

Azadin entrusted Zekt to Jibek and turned his back.

“No! Emperor! Why…!”

Zekt was flustered to see Azadin ignoring him and trying to leave, but Jibek’s sword blocked his path.

Jibek was trying to atone for the countless mistakes he had made out of fear of Zekt by breaking Zekt’s wishes with all his might.

It was a fitting end for someone who could only confirm his own existence by stealing the light, warmth, and achievements of others.

“You reap what you sow. Congratulations, Sir Zekt.”

Azadin left Zekt to Jibek.

And at the same time as lightning shook the heavens and the earth, Azadin’s figure disappeared from their sight.

*********

Azadin had arrived at the Butuma Royal Castle.

The Butuma Royal Castle was swarming with Nether’s minions, and Nether’s minions were seen hanging around all the magnificent structures, such as buildings, bell towers, drainage systems, dikes, and bridges.

It was a scene where human architecture and heterogeneous beings were mixed together, reborn as a supernatural space.

“What is this? Suddenly.”

He was called into the middle of the enemy camp. Was it because of that Nether lightning?

He had seen the barriers between the real world and the Nether dimension weaken whenever the Nether lightning flashed, and Nether’s minions and monsters appeared, but he never thought that it could isolate Azadin from his allies like this.

If this was possible, they could have isolated Azadin earlier and achieved victory.

Did Zekt not use it because he didn’t want to win like this? Or was it that he couldn’t do it either?

Azadin grabbed his Seramite longsword and advanced, preparing for the Nether’s minions.

The Nether minion that met his eyes, whose head was like a lotus seedpod with countless holes and seed chambers, bowed to Azadin as soon as it saw him.

Not only that.

The Nether minion made of tentacles also bent its tentacles and bowed, stepping aside from the path.

Even the Wendigo, a snow monster, unlike its barbaric appearance, respectfully placed both hands at its feet, crouched down, and stepped back, opening the way for Azadin.

Azadin followed the path they had opened and moved towards the Butuma Royal Castle.

The royal castle of Butuma, the royal wall where the damaged portrait of the Golden King Manja Zadek was hanging, could be seen.

The frame made of tin alloy was shattered due to tin pest [a phenomenon where tin-containing alloys crumble due to extreme cold], and the painting had fallen and was hanging askew.

And beneath the painting, the corpse of Sir Astadere was laid out.

It wasn’t just carelessly left there. Sir Astadere’s sword and wedges, his weapons, were placed on his chest, and Sir Astadere’s corpse was laid out as if it had been embalmed, cleaned, and given a funeral.

Although Zekt had killed Sir Astadere, it seemed that he did have some respect for him.

“Amazing. Emperor. Did you defeat that Zekt?”

While Azadin was distracted by Sir Astadere’s body, a hissing voice was heard from behind him.

Two Nagas were standing right in front of the throne with the Elves.

The Elves’ appearance was familiar. It was Erasmaya, the master of the Telbarin Guild, and her clan.

The Elves, who had been manipulating humans at will and had some kind of deal with the Messenger Clan, were trembling with fear at the sight of Azadin.

And the Naga too… The one assisting the Naga Emperor was a familiar face to Azadin.

Nagaraja Dehares.

The Naga King who had cooperated with Araiel when Araiel rebelled against the Messenger Clan was assisting the Naga next to him.

“It’s been a while, Human Emperor.”

“It has been a while. Then this one is….”

Seeing that the King Dehares was clearly being careful with his posture, it was clear that this Naga’s status was higher than Dehares’.

“Maharaja, the Emperor of the Nagas.”

The Emperor of the Nagas and the Emperor of Humans had met.

It wasn’t exactly a formal setting, but the Naga Maharaja was in awe of Azadin without any pretense.

“To defeat Zekt. What an amazing feat, Emperor. To be unharmed even after defeating that Zekt and the Nether’s minions.”

As long as Azadin’s limbs were intact and the Seramite longsword was shining in his hand, the Nagas and Elves had no choice but to pay their respects to Azadin.

Of course, Azadin was only outwardly unharmed, and his body was already weakened to the point of exhaustion.

However, there was no reason to correct their misunderstanding.

“Yes. I fought and won. And it seems that the Nether’s minions also respect my victory.”

In the first place, the reason why Azadin was suddenly moved here was the effect of the Nether’s lightning.

If they had tried to isolate Azadin from his subordinates and eliminate him alone, there would have been no reason for the Nether’s minions to bow and step back as soon as they saw Azadin.

But the Elves and Nagas would be a different story.

Azadin raised his sword and pointed it at the Elves and Nagas.

The Naga Maharaja let out a long sigh as he looked at Azadin’s blade.

“We used 10,000 eggs of our clan as a sacrifice for the deal with Sir Zekt. As a result, Zekt became a great prophet blessed by the Nether. If even that prophet was defeated by you, there is no need to continue the war. Blessed Emperor of the Angels. We wish to negotiate with you.”

“What kind of negotiation?”

“We ask for a promise that you will not destroy our clan. The jungle is not suitable for humans anyway due to malaria and endemic diseases. If you do not interfere with the cities in the jungle, we will promise 7 years of good harvest in Butuma and 7 years of good fishing in the entire South Sea in return. You will need a lot of food after the Jupiter era ends, right? It’s not a bad condition.”

7 years of good harvest, 7 years of good fishing.

To be able to promise such a thing, they were truly god-like beings.

As expected, the power of the Nagas was beyond imagination.

“To promise 7 years of good harvest and 7 years of good fishing. It’s certainly a deal that scratches the itch. But Maharaja. Humanity has suffered irreparable wounds because of your actions. The deal you are offering is good, but the value of human blood cannot be replaced by material abundance alone.”

“Then what do you want?”

“Sincere remorse and prevention of recurrence. A belief that you truly regret what you have done. At least, you must give us the belief that you are beings who can coexist.”

As Azadin said that, Erasmaya raised her hand.

“Excuse me, Your Majesty, but I have something to say. The fact that the Naga Empire was behind Sir Zekt is an unknown fact. If we keep it a secret, it would be enough….”

“Shut up.”

Azadin was furious at Erasmaya’s shameless words.