WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈
Chapter 114: Holy War (3)
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6.
The wedding venue had become a cauldron of chaos.
“Kyaaaaaak!”
“Oh God, what on earth is that…”
A rift opened in the sunset sky.
The red sky cracked like a pane of glass with a long, splintering sound. Blood dripped through the fissures. I strengthened my eyesight with Aura and looked up at the sky.
[The Apostle of 'Ruin-Harvesting Cow' manifests.]
There was a girl wielding a giant hammer, and
[The Apostle of 'Warhorse of the Eternal Plains' manifests.]
a general riding a fluttering Pegasus, and
[The Apostle of 'The Immortal Missionary of Happiness' manifests.]
children holding hands and dancing a strange dance.
“My goodness…”
The wedding guests, shocked and astonished, gazed at these beings. The mere fact that the red sky had cracked was unbelievable, let alone that mysterious beings had emerged from it.
Only three of us were ready to fight.
“They have appeared.”
Raviel, myself, and the Heretic Inquisitor were prepared to confront them. Among us, Raviel was the one in command.
“Special Forces, assemble and protect the guests! Members of the Divine Dragon Corps, gather in one place! My retainers, guide the guests and evacuate them!”
My bride, Raviel, was a duke of the empire. She shouted to the confused guests and, above all, to her house’s retainers. People’s shoulders flinched.
A call by name.
The act of being named has a curious power to awaken one from confusion. When the person uttering this magic is the second-most noble in the empire, its effect is undeniable.
“The Blue Lion Knights, form up!”
“Your Grace, what in the world are those things...?”
“Cast aside such questions. Focus and pay attention to the enemies’ movements. You are the leaders of the empire. If you plan to disgrace yourselves in front of me, surrender your titles! Do you understand?”
“Yes, we do!”
Raviel swiftly organized the venue. Even the military and nobility, who normally wouldn't fall under her command, obeyed her orders.
Instinctively, they understood. Although they didn’t know why the evening sky had shattered or why mysterious Apostles had appeared, they realized that following Raviel Ivansia’s voice was the only way to navigate through this crisis.
“Can you figure out their abilities?”
After issuing a series of commands, Raviel spoke to the Heretic Inquisitor.
“Yes! Just give me a moment!”
The Heretic Inquisitor formed a hand seal, emitting a bright light. The light shot up into the sky, instantly scanning the otherworldly Apostles.
"Hmm. Analysis complete! First, the lady with the giant hammer is---."
However, the Heretic Inquisitor couldn’t finish his sentence. Perhaps provoked by the beam he had shot, the hammer-wielding Apostle leaped down from the sky.
The Apostle, with her blonde hair fluttering, swung down her massive hammer.
Koooom!
The ground literally turned upside down. People screamed.
The wind pressure from the hammer swing alone created a whirlwind. Red and white flowers, brought from the southern empire for the wedding decoration, were thrown into disarray. Amidst the fluttering flowers, the Apostle’s eyes blazed red.
-Raviel Ivansia!
Those eyes and voice were familiar.
-I will leave you nothing!
Surprisingly, the Apostle looked exactly like Baroness Goldencup.
“That’s... Baroness Goldencup…?”
“What is that appearance?”
The guests voiced their confusion. Even if not as famous as my husband, Goldencup was well-known. Many recognized her face. Some gasped in shock, looking back and forth between the Apostle and the Heretic Inquisitor.
"Hm."
The Heretic Inquisitor muttered under his breath, “This isn’t good.”
“That’s probably the true body of Baroness Goldencup.”
“True body?”
“In simple terms, her soul has been pawned to a devil. She has given up her powers, appearance, memories, everything in exchange for borrowing the power of the Constellation! Ahaha. It seems that lady had a wish she was willing to sacrifice everything for. Quite interesting….”
The subject of the Heretic Inquisitor’s interest was wildly swinging her hammer.
Whoooosh!
The wind pressure from the hammer blows caused people to fly off. At least the warriors, gritting their teeth, managed to stand their ground. They were still in shock, but they realized one thing, the Goldencup look-alike was not on their side.
"Block her!"
"Protect the guests!"
"Respond as instructed!"
The clear emergence of an ‘enemy’ unified the ‘allies’. The empire’s finest warriors, invited as guests and hired for security by Raviel for this day, drew their swords and charged. Coordinated movements. A joint attack by the elite.
Goldencup scoffed.
-Yes. In the end, all of you follow Raviel Ivansia’s orders too.
Dozens of warriors lunged at her simultaneously.
-Rather than hand everything over to that woman, I’ll smash it all to pieces.
Dozens of blades, infused with Aura, shot towards her simultaneously, only to be repelled with a clang! The blades were blocked by Goldencup’s skin.
"What...?!"
Shocked groans were heard from all around. Goldencup remained unscathed. Even those who didn’t hesitate to strike again were futile. All blades were stopped by her skin. At most, the Auras scorched her clothes.
-O Ruin-Harvesting Cow!
Goldencup hammered down.
-Allow me your favor!
Crack! The hammer crushed a warrior like a watermelon. Blood splattered. Before the blood droplets could hit the ground, Goldencup swung her hammer again.
"Wait just a---"
Another warrior’s head was smashed to pieces. Blood burst forth. The slaughter continued unabated. As their comrades died, the warriors desperately tried to find a chink in Goldencup's armor, but no blade left a mark on her.
"Everyone be careful!"
The Heretic Inquisitor shouted.
“She is clad in one of Mutia’s blessings, [The Woundless Body]! As its name says, she does not suffer wounds. Ahaha. Its precise effect is to [reduce physical harm inflicted upon her by 99.9%]!”
An invulnerable body.
"At least a blow capable of demolishing a peak is required to inflict any meaningful damage on her! Do your best!"
-Raviel Ivansiaaaa!
The warriors panicked. Among them was the old gentleman, who had become my foster father for the day, the Head Butler and Captain of the Royal Special Forces.
The old man, holding the position of the empire’s strongest, said incredulously.
"Demolish a peak? Who could possibly do such an absurd thing?"
“That’s true. It’s a difficult task. But if you don’t, you’ll die!”
The Heretic Inquisitor smiled beautifully. If his smile could be captured and framed, it might make everyone forget that people were being crushed to death by a hammer right now. A crazy psychopath.
“This one alone is a monster.”
Raviel sighed.
“And another one is coming.”
My husband was right. The Apostle, Goldencup's soul or true body, was just one of the enemies we had to face. And perhaps she was the easiest one.
-Pitiable beings.
The crimson twilight.
The general on the Pegasus descended slowly with the sky at their back.
-Blame that pitiable girl. Blame the one inhabiting that girl’s original body, and blame that young man. Because of them, you shall be trampled beneath our horses’ hooves. It is only fitting that you all grieve.
The general looked at Goldencup, the Heretic Inquisitor, and finally at me. No expression could be seen beneath the thick helmet.
-Warriors following the warhorse.
The general raised the flag high. A point of the red twilight soaked into it.
-Awaken.
At that moment, translucent ghosts were summoned around the general by the tens, the hundreds, and the thousands, perhaps as many as ten thousand.
-Grrooooar….
-Moan, groan….
Everyone was speechless.
Even when Goldencup swung her hammer, even when people caught in its blows were torn apart like paper, the guests still gathered their wits. They resisted. They fought back. But the army of ten thousand that emerged from the blood-red sky
Was on a different scale.
"Run..."
Someone whispered hoarsely.
"Run away!"
The same words were shouted by another.
-Charge.
The general cut off their murmurs and shouts with a single command.
-Groooooar!
-Screech, shriek!
Countless ghosts poured out. They wore ancient armor, like warriors from an old era. However, their spears were not outdated. Thud! A guest trying to escape was impaled in the back.
“Please, save us!”
“Kyaaak!”
A massacre.
Guests bled and fell. Their blood spilled, staining the white flowers red. What was supposed to be the most splendid wedding venue in the empire turned into the most brutal hell.
"...Heretic Inquisitor."
I spoke, my voice chillingly cold.
“What are the Apostle's abilities?”
“I’ve just finished analyzing. Hm. One of Mahos's blessings, [Sanctuary of Battle], is activated.”
The Heretic Inquisitor spoke while forming hand seals. Like the character window visible only to me, he seemed to have texts visible only to him.
“[Sanctuary of Battle] is an area effect. It impacts the entire vicinity. The effect is remarkable: [It fixes the abilities of the summoned ones to their prime during their lifetime]. Each of those ghosts is an elite among elites, the souls of warriors who followed Mahos!”
“...We are outmatched.”
Raviel put down her fan.
“There's too much difference in numbers. Mutia's Apostle has an ability that makes her unbeatable in one-on-one combat, while Mahos's Apostle is too advantageous in group combat. We're in a tight spot.”
-Lo.
And then.
-Lu, lo, la. La.
The last Apostle began to move.
-La
-Lulu, la. Lala. Lu.
-Lululu. Lala. La. La.
The child-shaped Apostles sang a song. Their voices, originating from the sky, resonated down to the earth. The children, dancing in a circle as if playing a game, intensified their song as the dance sped up.
-La.
-Lu, la. Lala.
Thud.
Guests fleeing from the ghosts suddenly collapsed. Not just one or two. Thud, thud. Like puppets with their strings cut, people lost consciousness and fell where they stood.
"Oh."
The Heretic Inquisitor quickly formed a hand seal. Light leaked from his hands, enveloping Raviel and me.
“Ahaha, this is really bad! Hm. It’s a kind of mental attack. Exposure to that song forces you into [your happiest memory]. Unless you have exceptionally strong mental fortitude, you can’t resist it!”
......
An Apostle immune to physical attacks with a hammer.
An Apostle specialized in group combat on a warhorse.
An Apostle tormenting minds with happiness.
“…Seriously. They're formidable in their own ways.”
“Yes! If it were only an Apostle specialized in one-on-one combat, there might be a way to counter. Even if forced into group combat, there's a method to respond. If it’s a mental attack, forming a small elite group with strong mental power would work. But facing three types of battles at once, ahaha. That's extremely difficult!”
The Heretic Inquisitor smiled broadly.
“King of Death.”
“Yes."
“Can I believe that you will win?”
The wedding venue was already fading into the twilight.
The sky echoed endlessly with song. On the ground, the dead slaughtered the living.
And then.
Crash!
The last resisting Captain of the Special Forces had his head crushed.
With her foot planted on the old man’s crushed head, the hammer-wielding apostle, Goldencup, glared fiercely at us.
-Raviel Ivansia!
......
Raviel was dressed in a black gown. At a glance, it looked more like mourning attire than a wedding dress. But this was the empire's tradition.
The one to become the head of the family after marriage wears black. The one who does not wears white. Hence, Raviel wore a black dress, and I wore a white tuxedo.
“Gong-Ja.”
Raviel turned to me.
“I should have said this earlier.”
“Yes."
“That tuxedo suits you very well.”
......
I smiled. The Apostles of the Constellations had invaded. All the guests had been slaughtered. Yet at this moment, Raviel complimented my wedding attire. It meant she did not accept 'this ending' as 'the end.'
Yes.
We will never give up on our wedding.
“Raviel is the most beautiful in the universe too.”
I took my bride's hand. The soft touch of her lace glove was palpable.
Boom!
Heavy footsteps approached. Probably Goldencup running towards us. Soon, the giant hammer would crush us. Feeling the earth shake, I said,
“We made a promise to each other. Without Raviel's permission, I will never commit suicide. Even in a moment of death, I will accept it only after trying my best.”
“That's right.”
“Please permit me to die now.”
Raviel smiled.
“I permit you.”
A single word. That was all it took to make me invincible, a word from the one I love.
-Raviel Ivansiaaaa!
As Goldencup swung her hammer, I shielded Raviel.
To die even 0.1 seconds before her.
Raviel, realizing my intention, willingly allowed me to cover her. We interlocked our fingers. Soon, the giant hammer crashed down on me.
[You have died.]
The same death as always.
[Re-enacting the trauma of your killer.]
The same scene as always.
[You will return 24 hours back to the past.]
But.
This was not the usual return.
“Gong-Ja.”
When I opened my eyes, there was Raviel, holding my hand. We instantly understood upon seeing each other. There was no need to explain what we had experienced. We shared 'the same time.'
Just as we did before death, upon returning to life, we were still holding hands.
She and I were no longer lonely returnees.
“Let's establish a strategy.”
Together, we were invincible.
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