WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈
Chapter 115: The Black Wedding (1)
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1.
-O God.
-Help me.
A girl prayed, and it was granted.
Thus.
-O God.
-Help us.
A boy, as her butler and childhood friend, who had always stood by the girl, prayed, and it too was granted.
2.
“We need to change the arrangement of the wedding venue.”
Raviel whispered.
“Now that we know where the Apostles will appear, we can strategically place the Special Forces and warriors there.”
Preparing for the wedding, I realized that enormous power is granted to the bride and groom. We can arrange the guests at the wedding venue as we wish.
If we wanted, we could even place feuding nobles at the same table. Sure, it would damage our reputation, but what does that matter? Defeating the Apostles of the other world is our priority.
‘If only I could have taken her blessings as well...’
Regrettably, my skill, [I Want to Become Just Like You], couldn’t copy Goldencup's blessings.
-Zombie, I told you. The Tower is brutally logical in strange ways.
Delighted that I couldn’t cheat, the Sword Emperor was grinning.
-You are already receiving several [Blessings], aren’t you? You were when you fought Preta, and even now you have the God of Beauty’s blessing, the God of Snakes’ blessing, and so on.
'Yes, yes. Those are treated separately from my own skills.'
-Exactly. They're technically 'buff effects given by the Constellation using their own skills.' Since that's how they work, what can you do? If you’re upset, go invade the Constellation who put the buff on you and get killed by them.
‘Got it, got it. Anyway.’
I grumbled. All these mechanisms sounded like a computer game, but what was before us was not a game, but reality.
The Heretic Inquisitor thrust that reality at us.
“If there's an Apostle skilled in mental attacks, we must drastically reduce the number of guests! Especially if the Apostle's blessing involves recreating [one's happiest memory]!”
Candles flickered, casting light on the Heretic Inquisitor's face.
At night.
The three of us gathered in the toilette room, brainstorming. The wedding venue layout and guest list were spread out on the table. Raviel's toilette room had transformed into our secret strategy room.
“The most deadly poison in the world never causes pain. It brings happiness! Not many can escape the poison of happiness spread by [The Immortal Missionary of Happiness]!”
“…The problem is this.”
Raviel lightly tapped the guest list with her slender finger.
“The smaller the number of guests, the harder it becomes to confront the Apostle of [Warhorse of the Eternal Plains]. This Apostle summons an army of nearly 10,000. If we increase the number, we fall to mental attacks; if we decrease, we get crushed by sheer numbers.”
“Hm. A valid point. It's indeed difficult…”
The two were lost in thought as the candle burnt down.
"Leave that to me.”
I spoke up.
Both turned to look at me.
“Do you have a good idea, Gong-Ja?”
“Yes."
I nodded and explained my plan. As I continued, the expressions on Raviel’s and the Heretic Inquisitor’s faces gradually changed.
“…Indeed.”
Raviel was impressed.
“My wife truly has extensive connections. If we follow your plan, there will be no problem.”
Just as I respected her without pretense, Raviel praised me without hesitation. I felt a bit shy.
“However, there’s one condition.”
“What is it?”
“Allow me to wear black, Raviel.”
......
Raviel pursed her lips.
In the empire, only the person who will become the head of the family can wear black on their wedding day. It’s not a color meant for the Duke’s Wife. Yet, I had to wear black.
“Not because I suddenly want to play the role of the head of the family. It's just…”
“No need to explain. I've known since my previous life that you're not the kind of person who craves power.”
Raviel shook her head.
“It was just the empire's customs and traditions that concerned me. And I can't ignore my wife's wishes because of tradition. Hm. I'll prepare the clothes for you.”
“Thank you.”
Our three gazes met, and we nodded in unison. By coincidence, at the exact moment we nodded, the candle on the table flickered.
Everything was ready.
3.
Evening approached.
Renowned nobles of the empire began arriving at the venue.
The wedding was announced and prepared in just over a month. Despite its hasty arrangement, no noble dared refuse an invitation to the Ivansia marriage. Regardless of their private criticisms, they had to smile outwardly.
Power was the biggest bully of all.
“…The arrangement of the venue is unusual.”
The nobles, upon entering the venue, tilted their heads in confusion. It was understandable to hold the ceremony outdoors, not in a temple. A marriage between nobility and commoners was unlikely to be blessed.
However.
“Why are the warriors gathered in one place?”
The chief steward, my foster father, asked after entering the groom’s dressing room.
“Moreover, this arrangement seems to be as if we’re preparing for battle. Capable people are placed at the front, and ordinary nobles at the back.”
“I'm not sure what you mean.”
Surrounded by attendants, I casually replied. The old man chuckled.
“It looks as though you pushed the riffraff who would only become liabilities in a fight to the rear and gathered all the useful sacrificial pieces at the front. Would it be discourteous of me to put it that way?”
“My husband must have her reasons.”
“You, too, are wearing a sword on your waist.”
“Yes. I enjoy practicing martial arts and training. Wouldn’t it be shameful if the person to become the Moon of Ivansia appeared weak? Besides, some troublemakers might disrupt the wedding. We must be prepared for anything.”
“Indeed. Preparing for unforeseeable situations…”
The old man smirked.
“I understand. Then I shall also warn the colleagues who came with me to prepare for any [unforeseeable] situation. Good grief. So this was why Her Grace the Duke of Ivansia chose me, of all people, to be your foster father...”
He greeted me and left the dressing room, probably to instruct his Special Forces to prepare for battle.
It was all a provoked reaction.
‘The more people who remain calm in unexpected situations, the better.’
Raviel had already been moving people behind the scenes.
[There are dissidents displeased with the marriage planning a terrorist attack.]
The rumor spread quietly from person to person. Not everyone would believe it, but nobles were psychological creatures. Merely planting vigilance in one corner of their minds would have an effect.
“Aaaah!”
The effect came sooner than expected.
‘They’ve come.’
I shook off the attendants and rushed out of the dressing room.
At the same time, a voice, probably only audible to the Heretic Inquisitor and me, echoed.
[The Apostle of ‘Ruin-Harvesting Cow’ manifests.]
[The Apostle of ‘Warhorse of the Eternal Plains’ manifests.]
[The Apostle of ‘The Immortal Missionary of Happiness’ manifests.]
The same sunset we had seen yesterday unfolded. The sky cracked, and the trio of apostles emerged through fissures broken like a glass window.
“Good heavens...”
“Oh God, what in the world is that...?”
The guests rose in astonishment. Their shock was the same, but their posture had changed. The warriors instinctively grouped together, gripping their swords, while the non-combatant nobles glanced around, ready to flee.
And.
“Heretic Inquisitor!”
Above all, my actions had changed.
“Yes, Gong-Ja!”
The Heretic Inquisitor, who had been waiting in front of the dressing room, responded.
“I will ride on Gong-Ja’s back now!”
“Okay!”
“Holy Technique, God of Teleportation!”
It was the first time I realized the Heretic Inquisitor was a psychopath. The moment when the Demon King of Autumn Rain and the Goddess of Protection put us to the test, causing our separation. It was the Holy Technique he used then.
The effect was instant teleportation.
-What?
The destination was the blood-red sky.
-What's this?!
Right behind Goldencup, the Apostle. I caught her off guard.
Goldencup turned around in confusion. Clash! My holy sword clashed with her hammer. The gravity of the high altitude pressed down on me. I felt my body fall vertically and shouted.
“One more time!”
“Ahaha! Yes! Holy Technique, God of Teleportation!”
The Heretic Inquisitor joyfully exclaimed. The next moment, we were again right behind Goldencup. I swung my sword powerfully at her now-exposed back.
-Ugh!
Goldencup barely managed to block my attack again. But the two unexpected ambushes had a fatal effect. Her posture was disrupted.
Whoosh!
She had originally intended to make a solid, straight descent from the sky, but with her posture broken, she simply began to fall.
-Whatever tricks you’ve used, they’re useless!
Goldencup shouted, her golden hair in disarray from the fall.
-My body is unyielding! Nothing can hurt me now! I am invincible! The Ruin-Harvesting Cow gave me a body that cannot be wounded!
“Did you sell your soul to the Apostle because you didn’t want to get hurt!”
-What’s it to you!
Goldencup lashed out in rage.
-Everyone only sees Raviel Ivansia! That infuriating woman! She just got lucky with her lineage, yet she acts as if she understands all the world's sorrows! I’ll kill her! I’ll take away everything she has!
Raw and filthy desires.
But I, for one, did not scorn Goldencup. No matter how much one pretends or disguises, in the end, it’s the blatant desires that drive humans. I knew because I had been there.
However.
“You should have realized that the world is full of people worse off than you, Baroness Goldencup!”
Thus, I could shout these words.
I gripped the hilt of my holy sword tighter.
“People know the pain they’ve endured! That’s why when they see others in agony and screaming, they can imagine how lonely that pain is and feel compassion! It’s not about your background! Everyone who screams in agony is my fellow being!”
-Ha, what nonsense! Who would live such a life!
Goldencup sneered. The wind pressure surged. She was falling through the air, looking up at me.
-You can’t hurt me anyway! I am indomitable, indestructible, and have an immortal body!
Yes.
If words could change people, they would have changed long ago. Words are powerless. To help those in agony, force is needed. That’s precisely why the doctrine of shadows arms itself.
“Shiny!”
[Shiny responds to the call of the hero.]
“Transform the Sword of Idol into the Sword of Pity!”
It was the moment I commanded.
[Yes, hero.]
Black corruption flowed from the holy sword. Gurgle! The sacred blade was quickly tainted with murky black.
Her ability was simple yet powerful.
『She is enveloped in one of Mutia's blessings, [The Invulnerable Body].』
『As the name implies, she doesn’t get injured.』
But I had a way to counter it.
『My ability is pain.』
The sword I acquired in my master’s world.
『Those cut by me will feel pain.』
『But never bear a wound, nor will it lead to death.』
『Pain without injury is the essence of my power.』
The second ability possessed by the Goddess of Protection.
That was pity.
“Silvia Evanair!”
I called Goldencup by her real name and slashed down with my sword.
“I will kill you now!”
-Ha.
Goldencup scoffed. She seemed to have no intention of dodging my strike. Her expression dared me to try and stab her. Absolute confidence in the blessing she received supported her.
-Go ahead and try to kill me....
Goldencup couldn’t finish her sentence.
Instead, a scream tore through.
-Aaaaahhh!!
My sword’s tip pierced precisely her heart. No wound was created. The blade seemed to pass through her chest invisibly. No blood gushed.
-But... Ah...?
However, pain was present.
-Aaaahh! Aaaaahhh!!
Her scream ripped through the blood-red sky. Falling like a shooting star, Goldencup agonizingly wailed. Her voice spread through the wind and filled the evening sky.
“Heretic Inquisitor!”
We were plummeting to the ground. The ground rapidly approached. I stabbed Goldencup’s heart again.
Just before we hit the ground.
“Now!”
“Holy Technique, God of Teleportation!”
The Heretic Inquisitor shouted eagerly. He repeated the Holy Technique several times. Flash! Pop! With each teleportation, our falling speed decreased. In the final moment, we landed gently on the ground. We had escaped the fall.
But Goldencup did not.
Boom!
It was as if a small meteor had hit the ground. The earth shook, and dust billowed. Unlike the previous round, Goldencup’s fall had turned into a crash. No one was hurt by the hammer swing.
-Heek, hick... Wh-what…?
Only an Apostle convulsing in pain from being stabbed in the heart remained.
I gripped my sword again.
“Does it hurt?”
I slowly walked towards Goldencup.
"It must hurt.”
Hearing my footsteps, Goldencup flinched. Whimpering, she clumsily got up.
-Help, help me!
Goldencup didn’t listen to me. She frantically called for help. Towards the evening sky. Towards another Constellation’s servant.
-We have a pact! A c-contract! If you stand by and let this happen, Mutia will not tolerate it! Your Constellation will not be pleased either!
-Hmm.
The general riding the Pegasus spoke.
-Strange. Not a Constellation, but a fragment of one. How on earth did you obtain such an artifact? It's utterly baffling.
The general slowly raised the flag.
-The necessity to subjugate a hindrance remains unchanged. Warriors following the Warhorse, awaken.
And then, the summoning unfolded.
-Grooooooh!
Hundreds, thousands of ghosts appeared. Reflected in the red sunset, the ghosts looked like blood-soaked murderers. Cries of terror erupted throughout the wedding venue.
The opponent's power was absolute.
『[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!』
But I had a countermeasure.
"Gong-Ja."
Raviel, who had approached behind me, spoke. Turning around, I saw her holding something in both hands.
"Put this on."
It was a black cloak.
Raviel wrapped the cloak around me, covering my white tuxedo with black. The black fabric was embroidered with the Ivansia family crest in silver thread.
Even as the ghost army drew closer, the martial artists among the guests looked at Raviel in alarm. Unlike the previous cycle, they had formed proper ranks and even a shield wall, but the ghosts’ advance was terrifying in itself.
“Y-Your Grace!”
“What should we do? Give us your orders...”
“Be quiet.”
Raviel answered simply and finished fastening the cloak around me. Her manner said that an army of ghosts was beneath concern.
"Hmm."
She examined my attire and nodded in approval.
“The cloak suits you well.”
“Thank you for fulfilling my request. But, I had to insist on this."
“I understand. End it as you wish.”
“I will.”
I smiled and turned around.
A vast number of ghosts were rushing towards us.
"[Sanctuary of Battle] is an area effect. It impacts the entire vicinity."
"It fixes the abilities of the summoned ones to their prime during their lifetime."
"It impacts the entire area."
I slowly raised the blackened sword.
Then I declared.
"Ghoul Reincarnation."
Shadows spread beneath my feet like dusk.
[Activating skill.]
It was evening.
The sky was dyed red with the sunset, and the horizon was shrouded in darkness.
-What...!
The general, leading the charge atop the Pegasus, hesitated. The following ghosts halted too. Their confident assault, thinking they could easily slaughter us, was blocked by the shadow engulfing the ground.
"My lord."
One of the shadows spoke.
"Have you summoned me?"
Preta kneeled on one knee.
Her appearance was different from usual. No longer in the slender form of Ester, she was covered in dark red mud, continuously flowing from her. She was the very image of the Autumn Rain Demon King I had faced before.
"It fixes the abilities of the summoned ones to their prime during their lifetime."
But Preta wasn't alone.
Behind her, martial artists clad in dark robes stood. They had different faces, origins, and lives, but they were united in black.
“We pay our respects to the Vice-lord of the Demonic Heaven!”
Those who became proof of my life.
I spoke, cloaked in black.
"Fight for me."
The followers of the shadow doctrine performed a fist-and-palm salute in unison.
"We heed the Vice-lord's command!"
The moment to start the war had arrived.
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