WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

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Chapter 330: Song of Verdigris and Heatblast - 2

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In the alchemical nation of the Lesser States, powerful factions tended to be wealthy. Surprisingly, though, the Heatblast Lord, one of the strongest figures there, was not particularly rich.

Their abilities involved heat and explosions. Everything they produced was extremely volatile. If demand had been high, they could have made a fortune, but bombs did not sell well in the Lesser States. They were difficult to aim, hard to store, and their effectiveness dropped sharply against stronger opponents. The fact that they were single-use weapons made the jackals hesitate to buy them.

Even so, countless people followed the Heatblast Lord for little pay.

There was only one reason.

"Hahahahahahaha! This is fun! So much fun!"

Primal pleasure.

They flew through the sky with engines strapped to their backs. They soared freely through the wind, looking down on everyone else, then hunted the little creatures crawling on the ground and filled their bellies.

Even someone who was nothing more than a bug on the ground could experience that thrill whenever they wished as a Feather of the Dragonhawk Corps.

"This freedom! This feeling of liberation! You crawling things on the ground could never understand it!"

Birds were truly blessed creatures. They were born with freedom in their very bodies.

Victor, a Feather of the Fourth Wing, thought as much while drawing a blade and searching for their next prey.

A fine target soon caught Victor's eye. A young woman was fleeing on a two-wheeler with a cargo cart attached. Her hat must have fallen off, because her long hair fluttered behind her. Even in the middle of the night, Victor could see her clearly.

Decision made. Victor licked their lips and shouted.

"Good. I can take one woman for myself, can't I?"

Tilting their wings, Victor dove straight toward her.

"Aaaaaah!"

The woman screamed desperately, but to Victor, even that was nothing more than decoration for the hunt. Victor landed lightly on the cargo bed and laughed.

"Hehehe. Stay still."

"W-who are you people?! 'I' am heading for the military state now! Don't touch me!"

"Whoa, whoa. Calm down. Not everyone needs to go to the military state. A few of you can stay here."

"Aaaaah! Don't come near me! Get away!"

She jerked the handlebars from side to side, trying to throw Victor off, but such shaking was no more than a gentle breeze to the Dragonhawk Corps. Victor easily moved behind her.

"You're feisty. Well, I like that better!"

All Victor had to do was grab her shoulder and fly into the sky. Dangling helplessly in empty air, she would not be able to resist...

Victor grinned broadly and grabbed her shoulder.

Then something felt wrong.

She did not move. She was solid.

Victor had gripped her and tried to lift her, yet it felt like grabbing a boulder.

"...Your hair?"

"'I' definitely~ told you not to come near me~."

Something was wrong. No, it had gone beyond wrong. It was grotesque.

She had clearly been a woman with long hair only moments ago. Even in the darkness, her appearance had been too obvious to mistake...

Yet she was different now.

No, she was changing. From a cheerful-looking woman into someone with a slightly gloomy impression. Someone Victor did not often see, yet whose face was familiar.

Without understanding why, Victor called the face's owner.

"...Me?"

'Victor' smiled broadly and replied.

"Nice to meet you, 'me.'"

A moment later, a corpse rolled to the ground.

For some reason, though, the number of Dragonhawk Corps members remained unchanged.

A pitch-black shadow raced across the ground. Concealed within the darkness, it was difficult to see with the naked eye. Yet the Dragonhawk Corps carried lights on their tails, and the light of the person ahead became the vision of the person following behind.

One corps member saw the shadow in the light and snorted.

"Ha! You thought we wouldn't notice you just because you're running around in black clothes?"

It was as black as if it had merged with the darkness. Still, after opening their eyes wide and focusing, the corps member could clearly make out its form. One Feather folded their wings and dove rapidly.

"That was clever, but this is as far as you go!"

They shouted boldly and thrust out the blade attached to their foot. Sharpened further by their speed, the blade pierced the black figure's body...

Yet no sound followed.

No sound of blood spraying. No human scream. No sound of life leaving a body, no sobbing... Nothing.

Instead, the black figure moved an arm and tightly seized their leg. Darkness wrapped around their talons and crept up their leg.

"Uh, what is this?!"

Every member of the Dragonhawk Corps was a capable fighter who had even learned Heaven Qi Art. They drove the darkness away with qi and pulled free.

There was barely time to breathe before something climbed onto their back, throwing them off balance.

They pulled the engine harder, but that meant nothing when they could not tell up from down. After crashing into the ground once, they slid a long distance across the dirt before finally stopping.

All the while, more black shadows gathered around them.

They struggled and shouted.

"Y-you crazy bastards! Are you really throwing yourselves at me to stop me?! Do you all want to die together?!"

It made no sense. Humans could try to take an enemy down with them when overcome with rage, but that required feelings intense enough to make their own death irrelevant. Most people struggled to survive until the very end, then died still trying.

Yet dozens of them were throwing themselves away just to catch one person. Such an inhuman response was clearly strange...

Inhuman.

Only then did the Feather realize something.

"Wait... You aren't human?!"

Those surrounding them. Those pinning them down. Even the one their foot had pierced.

They all looked like evil spirits clad in black armor.

They were not wearing black clothes. They had simply been difficult to see because they were retainers made of darkness.

"Darkness...?! Vampires?! But there can't be this many retainers...!"

The Feather had heard the rumors.

Beyond the Mist Range, in lands untouched by sunlight, vampires lived. They raised humans like livestock and took their blood, while blaspheming every god. They hated sunlight and did not cross the mountains, but tales said that they sometimes appeared in ever-cloudy Claudia.

As terror consumed the Feather, someone with color approached.

"Phew. We finally caught one. That little fly was so quick that it took some effort."

Pale skin beneath the moonlight. Eyes that seemed to glow crimson even in darkness. A beauty sharp enough to chill the bones.

She was a vampire in every way. One of the blood-drinking race said to rule humans beyond the Mist Range.

"I have one question for you."

She had the Black Knights force the Feather to their knees, then asked,

"Who fired this at me?"

The Feather was forced to raise their head and saw the object she held out. A long cylinder with a burnt fuse. Though slightly dented, it was unmistakably one of the Heatblast Lord's rockets.

It had probably struck her directly.

As the Feather trembled in terror, she urged the captive on in an utterly unhurried tone, as though the captive were the one in a hurry.

"It would be better for you to speak quickly. If you won't answer, I must ask another."

Behind her, dozens of flames were falling like meteors.

See? I knew this would happen.

I didn't even need to lift a finger. Dragonhawk Corps members were plummeting to the ground from every direction. That was because my allies had each eagerly gone on the offensive without being told.

Hilde and Tyr were hunting from their own positions as well...

Still, in a fight like this, neither of them could compare to the regressor.

The regressor was currently standing atop clouds. Balanced on stepping clouds, she took a riding stance and swung Skywarbler in a wide arc.

"Heavenly Sword Technique. Void Severance."

Whooooom.

The wind disappeared.

Even Skywarbler could not cut through this much space. Even if there was nothing but air, a blade grew heavier the farther it extended.

So instead of cutting with her blade, the regressor changed the nature of the wind.

The wind stopped. The air hardened. Within a certain area, the air became resistant to change, so flames could not ignite and smells could not spread.

When the Dragonhawk Corps unknowingly passed through the severed space, the engines pushing them forward all went out at once.

"W-what?! The engines!"

"Light them again!"

Those who spread their wings, glided, and quickly reignited their engines survived. Those who failed fell to the ground. Their wings barely saved their lives, but only for the moment.

Birds that fell to the ground became food for beasts. Several jackals saw the Dragonhawk Corps and their eyes lit up. Hooks, blades, spearheads, and modified front wheels turned toward them.

The Dragonhawk Corps had dominated enemies from the sky at high speed. Once they lost the advantages of speed and altitude, they crashed down and became prey for the jackals.

I really didn't need to step in. Dragonhawk Corps or not, they were falling like raindrops. It's wonderful to have such strong people on my side.

I clung to the cart in a much more relaxed mood when someone racing alongside us saw the scene and shouted.

"W-what the hell are those things?! What's happening?!"

It was probably a mutter to themself, but today I'd make a special exception and answer. I ran beside them and kindly explained.

"We're peace envoys passing through."

They jerked their head toward me in shock.

"What are you supposed to be?! How are you keeping up with me?!"

"Can't you see? It's a dog sled. This dog is incredibly fast."

"Woof woof!"

Azzy barked as though agreeing, still holding the shaft in her mouth. She seemed to have taken it as praise.

Apparently not satisfied with my explanation, they suddenly became furious and yelled,

"Stop saying stupid things! How can a mere dog beastkin keep up with my speed?! That's what I'm asking! No matter how you look at it, this is ridiculous!!"

"Stop saying stupid things. You think a few rocket engines can leave Azzy behind? Use some common sense, Heatblast Lord."

Azzy was the King of Dogs. There was no way a dog sled pulled by the King of Dogs could be slower than those toys. Did this person have any common sense at all?

I gave them sincere advice, and their face suddenly turned bright red. Looking ready to explode, they shrieked,

"Don't call me the Heatblast Lord!"

Footnotes:

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