Chapter 396
Rip!
Craack!
Right after slicing through dimensions with the Void and defeating Sillage, Herseba’s world began to crumble.
‘Kgh!’
At the same time, Simon felt an overwhelming wave of exhaustion and recoil, forcing him to one knee. The Void Greatsword in his hand dissipated as it was released.
His vision twisted, and his mind went completely blank.
‘This is bad.’
He couldn’t afford to lose consciousness here.
He had definitely cut down Sillage, but the entire Blood Heaven Cult hadn’t been wiped out yet. The remaining stragglers had to be dealt with outside, and more importantly, the effects of the Bloodstone Castle might still linger.
‘I have to stay conscious, somehow...!’
Craack!
Rip!
Clang—!
The world shattered into pieces.
Erzebet and Akemius, who had been rushing toward Simon shouting something, vanished. Prince, who had been fighting the Blood Heaven Cult, disappeared too.
Not only the mummies, but also the Golden City, Deathland, Spider Nest, and Jungle.
Zombies, Corpse Spiders, Skullwings included.
Everything Herseba had “summoned” into this place returned to their original locations.
Soon, the scenery around him shifted, and Simon was back in the place he had been before using the Third Authority.
The dungeon master's chamber. Towering black cliffs and trees covered in ore came into view.
‘The Bloodstone Castle?’
But the Bloodstone Castle Sillage had summoned was already shattered. Traces of it being sliced by something sharp remained.
“I—I’m out!”
“I escaped that horrific world!”
The Blood Heaven Cult fanatics cheered simply from the fact they had escaped the “World of Sand”.
Now, the only ones left were Simon, Herseba lying weakly on the floor, and Feer, nearly drained of all power.
Soon, the eyes of the remaining fanatics turned toward Simon.
“Looks like you’re finally worn out.”
They picked up their weapons and marched forward.
Simon tried to stand up, but his body wouldn’t budge. All he could manage was to keep his eyes open and his consciousness intact.
“The brat who took down the archbishop.”
One of the fanatics licked his lips.
“If I offer your head, I’ll at least be promoted to bishop...!”
The words never finished.
Red slashes struck in all directions, and blood gushed simultaneously from a dozen or more fanatics.
Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab!
From the sky, pure white feathers flew in and struck the napes of the cultists. Some foamed at the mouth, others collapsed unconscious.
“Wh-What?!”
“It’s an ambush!”
The fanatics descended into chaos. Simon lifted his head.
‘Ah.’
It was as if a savior had descended from the heavens.
Like a pair of angels and demons—
Two girls descended.
One with jet-black hair, the other with platinum blonde. Their hair lifted from the force of gravity, then slowly settled over their shoulders and backs.
“Simon! Are you okay?!”
The girl with black hair asked urgently.
“Hehe~ I knew you’d be alive~”
Said the girl with silver-blonde hair, her fox-like eyes narrowing into a wink.
“Loraine! Serne! How did you two—?!”
Wham!
Simon stopped speaking. Loraine rushed forward and threw her arms around him. A subtle fragrance tickled his nose.
“...You’ve been through a lot.”
Her eyelashes trembled slightly. She had always been powerful and dignified, but this vulnerable side was something he’d never seen before.
“Ugh, you’re hugging him all by yourself? So unfair.”
Serne pouted. Taking advantage of the moment, a fanatic crept up behind them, only to be struck down by a feather flying in from the air.
“...Walter, no. This was Professor Sillage’s doing, right?”
Loraine asked.
She seemed to have guessed based on the dark magic used, like the Bloodstone Castle. Simon nodded.
“Yeah. But it’s all okay now.”
Loraine gently laid him down on the ground.
“Leave the rest to us. You can rest.”
With just those words—
Simon finally let go of the last thread of rationality he’d been clinging to. His eyes gently closed.
“......”
Loraine’s ruby-like red eyes quietly watched the unconscious Simon. She opened a subspace and pulled out a pillow.
A pink pillow frilled to suit her personal taste. It was something she always carried since she couldn’t sleep well in unfamiliar places.
She placed the precious pillow beneath Simon’s head, then stood up.
Whoosh!
A furious gleam lit up in her red eyes. The cultists flinched.
[You’ll pay for this.]
Two horns rose from her forehead. The air behind her opened like a mouth, and a crimson flash of death burst forth toward the cultists.
Overwhelming firepower.
Every time the crimson beam tore through the battlefield, the earth split, and a storm swept across. The remaining cultists of the Blood Heaven Cult were blown away without resistance.
“Serne! Don’t let a single one escape!!”
Loraine shouted as she unleashed her powers indiscriminately.
“You’ve been grating my nerves since earlier.”
Serne crossed her arms, sending out waves of feathers.
“Don’t boss me around. I’m not working for you, I’m working for Simon.”
Shrrrrrrrrrk!
Hundreds of feathers shot into the sky. Dozens formed barriers, others launched ‘Dark Flares’ in the air, and more landed on the ground, transforming into ‘Feather Soldiers’ to cut off escape routes.
Unmatched firepower and dazzling utility.
In every way, the two were perfectly in sync.
Even if the cultists were low-tier, there were occasionally strong enemies who exceeded even Keyzen first-year level—full-fledged necromancer-class powerhouses.
Yet even those elites were no match for the two girls’ might and fell helplessly.
“I—I can’t even get close to them!”
“Are those things really students?!”
The remnants of the Blood Heaven Cult were crushed in an instant.
[Kehkehkeh! As expected of the next-generation rulers.]
Murmured Feer, perched atop a rock.
“Hey.”
Loraine turned around. Despite beams of energy flying in all directions, she remained composed.
“Are you Simon’s Ancient Undead?”
Feer only grinned in response without answering, but that was enough.
Her gaze fell slightly.
“So Simon really is the Commander of the Traitor 7th Legion...”
“Oh my~ You just realized that?”
Serne puffed out her chest as she toyed with the fanatics using feathers.
“...I had a hunch. My mom never told me, though.”
"That's too bad~ Simon told me directly, you know."
Loraine shot Serne a curt glare, then let out a sigh.
"This isn't the time for that kind of talk."
Whether Simon had truly defeated Sillage or not, the Ring of Blood that had sealed the dungeon entrance was now slowly collapsing.
Soon, the adults would enter the dungeon. They needed to clean up before that happened.
"Serne. You can erase their memories, right?"
"Not hard~ It's something I’ve done plenty of times."
Serne gave a sly, smiling squint.
"But didn’t you, always interrogate me, saying I had no right to erase a human’s memory?"
"......."
Caught off guard, Loraine bit her lip slightly. Serne just shrugged.
"You told me to never do such things again, and now you're contradicting yourself? The heir to Neftis?"
"...Then what do you want to do? You’re not hoping for Simon to get captured and executed as the Commander of the Traitor 7th Legion, are you?"
At the word "execution", Serne now fell silent. Then she forced a mischievous smile.
"My my~ Are you threatening me with Simon’s life now? If he finds out later, he might be heartbroken~"
"Don't provoke me. Think rationally. If you have the power to save Simon but just stand by, that’s a much greater sin."
"You Keyzen people are always like this. Always thinking you're the ones in charge, huh?"
"I...!"
[Kehkehkeh!]
The sudden laughter brought both girls to a halt. Feer, still perched atop a rock, was chuckling.
[Next-generation rulers. Your physical strength is impressive, but your mental growth still needs work. Now is not the time for emotional quarrels.]
Feer pointed his skeletal finger at the crumbling sky above.
[If not, then Keyzen and the Ivory Tower. I could simply sever ties with both and escape with the boy.]
They had their emotional baggage, which had erupted in front of Simon, but both Loraine and Serne knew now was the time to join forces.
"Let’s hurry."
* * *
"......."
Drifting endlessly in unconsciousness, Simon slowly opened his eyes.
A white ceiling, sunlight seeping through the window, birds chirping.
It felt like a peaceful place.
After blinking a few times, he finally managed to move his head and look around.
‘It’s Keyzen’s infirmary.’
He was in a hospital gown, with tubes connected all over his body. His sense of smell returned, and he belatedly noticed the scent of medicine.
Outside the window, he saw the familiar Keyzen campus.
His mind gradually cleared, and forgotten memories began to surface one by one.
Simon recalled the very last memory.
—Leave the rest to us, and get some rest.
Loraine’s voice, the last thing he had heard.
Thank goodness.
He had feared waking up in the underground prison of the Keyzen headquarters, but seeing himself peacefully lying in the infirmary meant those two had taken care of the aftermath properly.
“Ugh!”
Even just recalling a bit made his head feel like it was about to split. When Simon groaned in pain, there was a loud rush of footsteps outside, and the door burst open.
“M-Mr. Simon! You’re awake!”
The infirmary nurse’s eyes widened. She shouted something out into the hallway, waving her arms, and the sound of more footsteps followed.
“Mr. Simon!”
Next came the infirmary doctor.
He murmured something quickly under his breath, checked Simon’s forehead, and confirmed the readings on a magic circle before letting out a sigh of relief.
“I’m glad you woke up safely.”
“W-What happened? What about the others?”
“No one was injured. Thanks to your efforts, Mr. Simon.”
The doctor sighed deeply, then turned his head.
“And how long do you plan to stay there?”
The white bed sheet puffed up and then popped open. It peeled back layers of bedding, and a small, adorable silver-haired girl suddenly popped out with a “Hwaa!”
“Hii! Long time no see~”
“Lady Neftis!”
Simon’s face lit up with a wide smile.
Tatatatat!
Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps came from the hallway, and the door opened again.
Two of Keyzen’s elite necromancers—Crows—kneeled on one knee before Neftis.
“Lady Neftis! We’re here to report on the war situation!”
The doctor scolded them for barging into a patient’s room, but Neftis just smiled and listened calmly, giving a few brief orders.
The Crows bowed deeply and left the room.
“Is... is something happening?”
Simon, sensing the tension in the air, asked.
“Yup!”
Neftis beamed brightly.
“Actually, we’re in the middle of a war with the Blood Heaven Cult right now!”
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters