I Pulled Out the Excalibur - Chapter 498

WeTried Translations

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Chapter 498: Interlude, One Step Forward (6)

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A roar echoed across the wasteland.

The prayer chants recited by the statues were buried beneath it, and the statues' applause was swallowed by the thunder of marching feet.

"...Ah."

Najin turned around and let out a sigh.

"Honestly."

Then he burst out laughing. How could he not laugh in a situation like this? He had even bound their feet to keep them from following, yet they had insisted on chasing him to the depths of hell.

Cheers rang out.

They grew louder with every passing moment.

Figures emerged one by one through the darkness hanging thick as fog. There were ten at first, then twenty, then thirty. Before he knew it, more than a hundred Constellations stood there.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Even as he counted them, their number kept growing. It felt as though every Constellation in the world was gathering here. More Stars had walked through the fog and into hell than had come to subjugate Leviathan.

Waaaaaaah!

The cheers only grew louder. At first, they might have been shouts meant to overcome fear, but when one became ten and ten became a crowd, they turned into momentum.

"How..."

Najin was taken aback by the ever-growing number of Constellations. They had not yet fully escaped the Witch's influence. Even if they had, how could so many Constellations walk into the Abyss of their own accord?

It was hard for Najin to understand.

This place was hell.

A hell even Najin could not endure for long.

And yet this many Stars had gathered in the place where the Witch of the Abyss's power was strongest. As Najin doubted his own eyes, Bedivere's voice reached him.

"It's simple, Your Majesty."

Bedivere smiled.

"When the sky held no Stars in the past, King Arthur showed everyone a direction. That is why King Arthur was a lighthouse that illuminated the world."

Countless heroes had been born by following that lighthouse. Yet one day, the lighthouse disappeared, and the heroes had to wander through the darkness while feeling their way along the dim light it had left behind.

Countless heroes were born and vanished in that process.

For a full thousand years.

After a long time, a new lighthouse was born, but its value was no longer what it had once been beneath a night sky already full of Stars. Everyone had begun walking in their own direction.

"But now the Stars have vanished."

The sky had darkened. The Stars had been swallowed by darkness. Beneath a sky claimed by the Blight Star, the Stars had lost their direction.

Yet even then, there was a Star that had not lost its way.

"Look to the sky, Your Majesty."

Najin looked up.

The Dawning Star was shining.

Even in the darkness, his Star was still giving off light.

"It is the path you carved. Those who saw beauty in that path are gathering here. Even if it has faded with the passing of time..."

Bedivere struck his chest with a thud.

"They are heroes too."

If humanity could turn its back on the world over a momentary whim, then humanity could also throw away its life for the world over a momentary whim.

And the world called those who chose the latter heroes.

All Constellations had once been heroes.

Returned to their starting point, they walked willingly into the final battlefield despite trembling in fear.

Because they believed it was right.

"......"

Najin swallowed as he watched them.

The Constellations gathered here did not shine as brilliantly as usual. There was no radiant starlight, no Authority that defied natural law, no pressure that inspired awe in the masses.

Their Stars had been hidden by darkness.

Yet why was it that they looked brighter than ever to Najin?

Their Stars were absent from the sky, but standing upon the ground, their True Bodies shone like Stars.

"I see."

No further words were needed.

Najin pointed Excalibur forward. He pointed at the obstacle blocking his path, and at the road he had to take.

That was enough.

Enough for hundreds of Constellations to risk their lives.

With cheers ringing out, the Stars charged.

They were not as strong as Najin. They could not properly resist the Authority wielded by the Witch of the Abyss, and each time raindrops fell from the sky, flowers blooming across their bodies made them scream in pain.

"Run! Keep running!"

"Clear the way!"

"Open the path for the Dawning Star!"

Still, none of them stopped.

Even as their bodies rotted beneath the Authority of the End, they cut down Thorn Trees. They rammed them with their bodies and swung their weapons wildly, hacking away the thorns.

Waaaaaaah!

The more afraid they were, the more pain they endured, the louder their cheers became. Like moths flying into a flame, they threw themselves forward to open a path.

Every time they shed blood, space opened for Najin to take another step.

"Get down."

A Sword Cry like a person's scream rang out.

Sword Aura cut through the Thorn Trees, and then white hair fluttered beside Najin.

"Yuel?"

"Yes. Your Yuel."

The Order's executioner smiled.

Keeping pace with Najin, she took his left flank. Her sword flashed again and again, cutting down the thorns. The statues' prayers were buried beneath her scream-like Sword Cry.

"Keep your eyes forward and run. I'll take the left."

"Then..."

Blue petals scattered through the air.

"I'll take the right."

Kirchhoff landed smoothly on Najin's right and swung his spear shaft. Bruises covered his body from Najin's beating, but Kirchhoff gave him an embarrassed smile as if he were perfectly fine.

"I said I would never oppose you, yet here we are. I have no excuse."

"...Sir Kirchhoff."

"What can I do? What happened has happened. All I can do is make up for it properly. I'll take the right."

The Stars.

"Damn it, there won't be anywhere left for me to stand at this rate. If my leg had been fine, I wouldn't have been late..."

"Ha ha, you're late, Sir Karon!"

"You people were too fast!"

The Stars who had crossed paths with Najin.

"It's embarrassing, but doing nothing would be even more embarrassing. Sir Kirchhoff, I'll help. Cut what you can cut easily. I'll handle anything that doesn't go down cleanly."

Karon swung Gramr.

Giving Najin an awkward smile, he joined forces with Kirchhoff and cut down the Thorn Trees.

"Lapis!"

"You don't need to tell me, Anton!"

Anton and Lapis landed on the left. As though determined to make up for their earlier disgrace, Anton gave Najin a thumbs-up before swinging his sword with all his strength.

"......"

Thud.

Heavy footsteps sounded.

Imperial Sword, Triumph.

The Thorn Trees were swept away in one stroke. Sword Aura split even the heavy rain as it carved a straight line into the ground, while the old man stood behind Najin and guarded his back.

"I'll take the rear. Go."

Led by the First Horn of the Empire, the pillars of the Empire stood behind Najin.

The Stars surrounded him on all sides.

Those who had pointed spears and blades at Najin only moments before were now wielding them to clear his path.

"Your Majesty."

Bedivere, who had been leading the way, smiled.

"You have good companions."

Surrounded by the Stars, Najin moved forward.

Najin had always bled for them, but this time, they bled for Najin. Even if their bodies broke apart, they opened the way.

"Ghk!"

Pierced by Thorn Trees and eaten away by flowers blooming over their bodies, they did not stop moving.

Countless Constellations did the same.

One became stone, entirely covered in flowers. Another stopped after being pierced by a Thorn Tree. Another was swept away by an explosion from pooled raindrops and rolled across the ground. Some crumbled away without leaving a trace.

Clench.

The Stars following behind seized the weapons of those who had fallen, seized the starlight they had left behind, and took their places.

With their help, Najin advanced.

『Army of forgotten kings, continue the war you failed to conclude.』

At that moment, all the statues opened their mouths at once.

As though she had no intention of indulging this farce, the Witch forced Najin to keep moving.

If they intended to break through with numbers, then she would crush them with numbers as well.

That was what the completed spell seemed to say.

Every door in the towering spires opened.

A black-stained army poured from the open doors. They were the armies of ancient kings who had fought countless wars in this Ascension Land long ago.

Revived, they rushed toward Najin and the Constellations.

"Fighting numbers with numbers. Not a bad strategy."

Not Yuel Razian, the executioner of the Order.

Yuel, Warden of the Sealed City, smiled.

"But we're one step ahead of you."

As though she had been waiting for this very moment, she took the Holy Grail from her robes and gripped it.

The exhausted Holy Grail crumbled, and at the same time, every soul it contained was summoned.

The army of Leviathan, the Mortal King.

The army of tens of millions that had once made the Witch bleed filled the wasteland in an instant.

Fafnir flew through the sky at their head, while dragons unleashed their breath. Flames burned through the Witch's army. Giants charged across the sea of fire with thunderous steps.

...

Fafnir, flying overhead, looked at Najin.

The proud dragon willingly bowed his head to him.

Then he plunged toward the ground.

The arrogant dragon who would never set foot upon the earth willingly dirtied his body for Najin, who had freed his longtime friend. He shattered Thorn Trees with his body and trampled the armies beneath him.

Bleeding, Fafnir roared.

Aaaaaaaaaah!

Tens of millions of humans rushed at the Thorn Trees. They could not break the trees as easily as the Constellations could, but hundreds attacked a single tree and brought it down through sheer force.

The path began to open.

The Witch's most loyal army had become an army for humanity.

Ancient heroes who emerged amid the tens of millions also charged across the battlefield with cheers.

Clank.

Armor sounded behind him.

Najin did not turn around, but he thought he knew who stood at his back. Soon after, a horn call rang out, confirming his guess.

Horn Charge.

A storm swept over the battlefield.

The Golden Horn Knights spread out to Najin's left and right, charging in perfect coordination. The former captain, who had always led the charge, now supported Najin from behind.

Naturally, he took his place beside Gerd.

Gerd's eyes widened at the sight of the former captain appearing by their side, then Gerd let out a laugh.

Gerd's posture sharpened.

Gerd could not embarrass themself before their teacher.

First Horn, Triumph.

Two streams of Triumph cut across the battlefield.

The path opened wider.

As the tower drew near, Bedivere and Najin began to move faster. Greater spells would fall as time passed.

Bedivere swung his spear shaft with all his strength and smashed apart the Thorn Trees surging toward them.

He broke the spells.

"Your Majesty."

Bedivere remembered.

He remembered his past self, unable to stop King Arthur from leaving alone. He remembered the self who had failed to follow his king.

"I..."

Though he had been called the most loyal knight, he had groaned beneath the disloyalty of failing to stand with his king on the final battlefield.

For the past thousand years, every time he had been called the most loyal knight, all he could do was smile bitterly.

"I..."

The Round Table had split apart.

Or so he had thought.

It had not.

Every Knight of the Round Table had aided their king in their own way. Whether those methods had been right or wrong, they had protected what their king left behind in their own ways.

Bedivere had walked the righteous path.

Foolishly and steadfastly.

He protected what his king had left behind. In places no one looked, he repaired the broken Round Table. Every day, he polished the seat left without an owner.

Waiting for the day an heir of the king would appear, he spent a thousand years.

Had those thousand years held any value?

Only now could Bedivere answer that question.

They had.

Only now did he smile.

"Aaaaaaaaaah!"

His shout rang out.

He was furious at the Witch for trying to block his king once more, and overjoyed that this time, he could open the way.

This time, Bedivere ran while shedding blood for his king.

"I am Bedivere!"

At last, he proudly proclaimed it.

"Bedivere, the most loyal Knight of the Round Table!"

Yet as though to mock that cry, the spells that erupted one after another struck Bedivere.

The Witch's magic forced him to his knees, trying to drive him from this battlefield.

As if this stage was not his place.

Just as the Witch tried to cast him off the stage once more...

Flash.

A Star shone beside Bedivere.

It was a Star he knew all too well, a Star he had once hated, yet could not help missing even after hating it.

The Stars of the Round Table contained within Excalibur scattered their light beside him.

Was it because they had reacted to the Holy Grail?

Or because they had reacted to Bedivere's cry?

Or had they been drawn by the desperate struggle of the knight who had protected the Round Table for the past thousand years?

Perhaps.

No, surely it was all of those things.

Thoom.

The Cross Shield that appeared out of nowhere took the Witch's spell head-on. Clarent glowed red as it cut through the Thorn Trees. A battle hammer struck the ground and canceled out the shockwave, while a rising sun burned the Thorn Trees away.

Whoosh!

Arrows struck the heart of the spells and weakened them. The weapons and armor symbolizing the Knights of the Round Table surrounded Bedivere and aided him.

"Ah."

Because it was Bedivere.

Because Bedivere had remained with the Round Table until the very end and protected their glory.

The Stars of the Round Table answered his will.

Bedivere smiled.

He could not help smiling.

Merlin's magic scattered light among the shining Stars of the Round Table. She needed to conserve her strength, but not now.

Like the day the Knights of the Round Table had gathered to face their enemies, Merlin fired spell after spell to announce the battle's beginning.

A blue stream of water cut across the battlefield.

Starting with that stream, the Stars of the Round Table burst forth with light. Each unleashed their strongest technique, opening the path.

The knights who had wanted more than anyone to be with their king, but had failed to do so, fulfilled that wish only after a thousand years had passed.

The path opened.

Bedivere ran.

He ran and ran again.

Crack. Craaack!

Even as the Thorn Trees rising again pierced his body, he did not swing his spear shaft.

Because his spear shaft was lowered behind him.

"Your Majesty."

Najin understood his intent and placed a foot upon Bedivere's spear shaft.

Bedivere took the Thorn Trees with his body and swung the spear shaft with all his strength.

Not toward the Thorn Trees.

Toward the summit of the towering spire.

Using Bedivere's spear as a stepping stone.