WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

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Chapter 150: A Flame Born from Ashes (5)

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After parting with Kyle, Elysia traveled east alone without rest.

Snow crunched beneath her feet. The cold had dulled the feeling in her hands and feet. Every so often, a biting wind swept past, stinging as though it were slicing her skin. The fine snow drifting slowly down looked like death approaching at a leisurely pace.

At some point, ragged breaths had begun rising to her throat. Her white breath clouded her vision, then cleared, only to cloud it again. Elysia forced her feet to move even as they kept trying to stop. Every thought in her mind had become tangled together in a complete mess.

Should I go back even now?

A sweet temptation suddenly seized her entire body.

No. Kyle told me. The contract we made that day at Ligrid Gate ends here.

The memory of the past filled her with self-loathing.

Then he wants me to run away alone like this?

What meaning was there in clinging to life so miserably?

The living have to survive. No, it isn't certain Kyle will lose.

They might meet again, however unlikely that was. No one could know what life would bring. Above all, Elysia had seen Kyle's strength firsthand. She wanted to believe in him. She had no choice but to believe. So first, if she could safely reach Rier and meet Uncle...

"Ah!"

Lost in thought, her foot slipped. Elysia pitched forward.

Thud.

Perhaps it was the impact of hitting the ground, but her head rang. A dull ache spread through her limbs a moment later. The snow had piled up, but not enough to absorb the impact completely. Elysia grimaced and struggled to rise.

Forcing her frozen body to move, she braced her arms against the snow-covered ground.

"Haa... haa..."

When she drew breath again, white vapor filled her vision in an instant. Elysia felt the reality she had been avoiding crash over her like despair.

Is he dead?

She did not know. Still, she knew one thing. Both Kyle and Elysia understood that they had little chance of winning this fight. That was why Kyle had deliberately sent her east alone, even breaking the contract they had made at Ligrid Gate.

Why? Why am I this powerless...?

The emotions she had kept buried burst forth, and clear tears fell in drops. Her vision blurred.

Half a year was a short time, yet also a long one.

Kyle had been right. From Ligrid Gate until they entered the Federation, countless things had happened. At least, they were things she could never have imagined when she had first left Archandia.

There had been desperate moments, like when they escaped the pursuit of wyvern knights. Yet it had not all been bad. There had been enough happy moments as well. When she met Alfred, her distant ancestor, and Gilbert, whose situation had been unknown, and heard about her uncle, she had even thought she was glad to be alive.

Glad to be alive?

Her reddened hand clenched tightly against the cold. Elysia gritted her teeth without realizing it.

What did that even mean now? I never wanted to cling to life so pathetically.

Looking back, it felt as though every person precious to her had met the same end, death. Her mother had. So had the maid who had been as close as a childhood friend. There had been many others too.

Kyle was no different. To save her, he had chosen to walk into certain death. He had rationalized it by saying Elysia was right to escape, but she knew. No matter what had happened, Kyle would have made the same choice.

If only I had died instead.

At least then my heart would have been at ease...

Tears fell one after another between the arms she had planted on the ground. Just as she was about to collapse in sobs, she saw the hem of the black cloak. Then she saw the amber Magic Stone necklace hanging from her neck.

Death would end everything. If she broke down here like this, nothing could be more miserable.

Kyle sometimes seemed trapped in the past. He had also writhed in guilt over those who had died. He probably did not realize it, but Elysia clearly remembered him murmuring the names of people she had never heard of in his sleep. Perhaps she was not so different. In some way, they shared each other's wounds.

If I survive...

Elysia forced her unmoving limbs upright. The cold winter wind swept over her entire body at once.

When she turned around, faint footprints marked the path she had taken. Even those ended abruptly at a certain point because she had erased them with magic at regular intervals. Just as she had done before, Elysia used the wind to turn over the snow-covered ground, then began walking forward again.

No more tears fell.

* * *

Compared to the past, how much weaker have I become?

Could I follow even Rowen's shadow? Or at least the path Rowen left behind?

After meeting Elysia, what have the past six months meant to me?

The moment the ring's mana spread through every corner of his body, Kyle charged first. Cassius had yielded the first strike, and Kyle had no reason to refuse. Elysia was still fleeing behind him. This was not the time to cling to worthless pride.

The difference in their strength was obvious.

Even so, he did not stop. He increased his speed further. A pure white light raced across the colorless snowfield. Cassius Mortein's black greatsword blocked its path.

As he had four years ago, Cassius did not reveal any emotion. He faced Kyle as calmly as he had stood before Rowen. A vivid crimson Sword Aura, like a cloak, had already gathered over the broad blade. With calm eyes that flashed now and then beyond his helmet, he deflected every one of Kyle's attacks.

Clang, clang, clang!

Sharp metallic sounds rang out one after another across the silent snowfield. White and crimson light intertwined as though dancing.

After taking the initiative, Kyle did not give Cassius a moment's rest and poured strike after strike upon him. He knew the flow would break if he stopped. Cassius was not an opponent he could cautiously test. Even if Kyle gave everything he had, his chances of winning were slim.

In fact, Cassius was receiving all of Kyle's attacks without panic even as he stepped backward. Then, at one point, a thrust aimed for an opening rushed toward Kyle's face. It was a swift strike without the slightest presence or warning.

For an instant, time seemed to slow.

Ah.

Clang!

Fragments of scarlet Sword Aura and particles of white light scattered through the air. Kyle had barely redirected Cassius's strike, and he reflexively furrowed his brow.

Heavy.

The impact nearly crushed his hand. For some reason, Kyle recalled the black knight in the ruins of the Kingdom of Alenos. That knight, who had once protected the final ruler of a fallen kingdom, had wielded a weapon similar to Cassius's greatsword.

The difference was likely the color of the Sword Aura, and the weight contained within it.

We are on entirely different levels. This still isn't even his full strength.

What had become of Matis, the Council Knight who remained in Marent, and Noel, his squire? Judging by the fact that Cassius Mortein was here, they had probably met the end Kyle expected. Whether from duty or a sense of debt, they would have defended the city until the end.

Would I be any different?

Amid the fine snow drifting down, Kyle swiftly drove his body forward. The white Sword Aura wrapped around the star iron blade changed into scattering flames.

Asherad Royal Swordsmanship, Second Form.

Dance of Embers.

Sparks scattered. Across the white snowfield, pure white flames became a single line and mercilessly engulfed the pitch-black full plate armor. Sharp spikes of frost rising from beneath the snow bound Cassius's retreating feet.

Asherad Royal Swordsmanship, Third Form.

Piercing Frost.

The following Sword Path shifted form in an instant and rushed toward the center of the black breastplate in its fastest thrust. Cassius, who had calmly blocked the sword forms until then, suddenly twisted the hilt of his enormous greatsword and raised the broad blade before his body like a shield.

Clang!

The point of the star iron sword struck the flat of the black greatsword, and the black knight staggered for an instant. It was only a brief opening, but Kyle's senses, enhanced by mana, did not miss that timing.

Now.

Asherad Royal Swordsmanship, Sixth Form.

Repose of the North Wind.

His legs were unstable for the sixth sword form. It did not matter. Kyle withdrew his thrusting sword and immediately raised it above his head. White Sword Aura swelled explosively.

As he brought it down, the black armor split apart in a straight line.

Like an illusion.

Or a mirage.

Cassius's form melted into the air and vanished as it was swallowed by crimson flames. Kyle knew that sword form. It was the sixth form of the Celestial Sword, the same one Damien had used when he counterattacked before.

Shimmering Mirage.

Clang!

Kyle urgently twisted his waist and swung the sword embedded in the ground in a circle. By the time he realized it, Cassius Mortein had already closed in before him.

Cassius, who had defended the entire time, shifted to the offensive for the first time. After receiving the third strike, Kyle kicked hard against the snow-covered ground. A powerful snowstorm rose around Kyle and Cassius with the sharp wind spreading in every direction. His vision became a blur.

In that moment.

Whoosh!

More than a dozen invisible blades flew through the hazy snowstorm. Cassius tilted his body diagonally and lightly swept his greatsword sideways once.

Ting, ting, ting!

The wind changed direction along the broad flat of the blade. The invisible blades that had failed to reach their target buried themselves in the snow behind Cassius. His crimson cloak, its hem torn, fluttered violently.

At the same time, another attack shot at him from the front.

This time, it was different. It was not wind, but a great crescent-shaped Sword Aura. Cassius knew that sword form. Just as the Knights of Ash knew every form of the Celestial Sword, he, the Commander of the Celestial Knights, knew all of Asherad Royal Swordsmanship.

Asherad Royal Swordsmanship, Fourth Form.

Flowing Moonlight.

Boom!

The smoothly curved semicircular Sword Aura tore through the ground as it surged forward. Cassius slashed his greatsword, swollen with crimson Sword Aura, down at an angle.

Boom!

A harsh explosion struck Kyle's ears. White Sword Aura passed right beside Cassius. The crescent Sword Aura continued forward without stopping for a while, overturning dozens of meters of snow before melting into the air.

Beyond the snowstorm slowly settling down, Kyle stood breathing roughly.

"I see. You use mana through the ring."

Cassius spoke as though evaluating him. Unlike Kyle, his voice had not become unsteady in the slightest.

"You found something precious. But you have not overcome the curse. Worse, you still rely on magic. Have you yet to master a sword form of your own?"

Just as some high-ranking knights of the Celestial Knights used their own personal sword forms, a small number of the Knights of Ash had also mastered sword forms unique to themselves.

Rowen, the former Commander, had been one of them. So had Herman, the deputy commander, and several veteran knights. Kyle had not. Despite holding the title of the last Commander of the Knights of Ash, he had used only established forms of Asherad Royal Swordsmanship combined with magic until Hailen's destruction.

"Let us finish this soon. I believe I have seen enough."

With faint disappointment in his voice, Cassius adjusted his grip on the greatsword. Crimson Sword Aura, which had disappeared, began to surge again from the end of the Cross-Guard. It shone no differently from before.

If anything, it seemed even stronger.

"If you kill me... will you pursue Elysia?"

Kyle spoke after a moment of silence. Cassius raised his head slightly and answered without denying it.

"I suppose I must. I do not have unlimited time either."

"......."

"Do you have any final words, Blue Wolf?"

With weary eyes, Kyle looked down at the sword in his hand. The star iron blade, its mana dispersed, gave off a faint glimmer beneath the dull clouds.

So it really is impossible.

He had known. He had realized it from the moment their swords first met. The distance between him and Cassius, which had always seemed so great, had somehow become even greater. While Kyle had retreated over the past four years, Cassius had killed Rowen, honed his sword, and advanced further.

He knew that.

Still.

Kyle slowly gathered his heated breath and closed his eyes. He could feel Prisia's mana deep inside his leather coat.

It is fine if I die here. If I can hold him back even for a moment, that is enough. Enough to atone to those who left before me. Enough for Elysia to safely reach Rier, where Grand Duke Rivelius is staying.

If I use the Dragon Heart.

Kyle had unconsciously begun to move Prisia's mana, then stopped. His reason had finally returned.

Since when did I start relying on someone else's power?

He still could not properly control Prisia's mana. If he failed to control it even a little, the Dragon Heart would consume him. Using it now was a gamble in every sense. Kyle had to buy Elysia time to escape. He could not stake not only his own life but Elysia's safety on an uncertain possibility.

Besides, I gained something from the past half year.

Perhaps this, too, may be meaningless.

A strange light rose once more in Kyle's dark eyes. He held his sword, its Sword Aura extinguished, upright before him.

"Oh..."

Cassius, who had been watching, let out a low exclamation. A fierce light unlike anything before burst from the ring on Kyle's left middle finger. The sword held vertically above the tightly gripped hilt shimmered like an illusion. It was a light Kyle had created himself, clearly unlike any ordinary sword form.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Cassius could no longer contain himself and broke into heartfelt laughter.

"Only after losing everything do you realize a sword form of your own. What a pity. Is it not already too late? Everything has its time."

Admiration. Mockery. Sympathy. Pity.

With all those emotions mixed into his voice, Cassius raised the sword dyed crimson. Kyle felt an instinctive sense of dread at the unfamiliar sword form. Then a low murmur escaped from beyond the black helmet.

"Sever all, leave nothing behind."

Judgment of Annihilation.

The greatsword swung.

From the edge of the snowfield to beyond the opposite ridge, the world split in two along the crimson Sword Aura that distorted everything. Deep red filled Kyle's vision.

Cassius Mortein's personal sword form.

The moment he understood, mana rushed out of the ring. Kyle did not retreat. He stared straight at the red diagonal line. Along the blade raised before him, a familiar sight from the past flowed by.

Just as he had before, Kyle quietly recited a small wish.

"Blur, reality. Bloom, illusion."

Frostflower of the Daydream.

Footnotes:

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