Chapter 104 - EPISODE 104 – CONCLUSION (KARAVAL) (1/2)
The explosion was over.
Dark Ghost’s self-destruction was stopped, and they no longer heard the pained screams of the wild god.
But not everything was over.
“Hey! Jude! Hey!”
Cordelia shouted as she struggled in Jude’s arms. Dark Ghost was gone, but the monsters that appeared with him were still present.
“Jude! Hey! Stand up!”
Cordelia’s last words were buried among the roars and shouts. Because the monsters and warriors had begun to fight again.
“Uhh…did you pass out?”
Cordelia herself had used up most of her power, and so did Jude. Moreover, since Jude was even drained of his mana, he no longer had enough energy to spare.
He was clearly not lying on his stomach, as he was lying on his back with Cordelia in his arms – to be exact, it was nearly impossible for him to have fainted given that he had enough strength to prevent Cordelia from getting out of his arms. But Cordelia immediately began to act instead of thinking deeply about it.
“<Mana Drain>.”
“Gah?!”
“Oh, you woke up.”
“How could I not wake up?!”
As soon as Cordelia used <Mana Drain>, Jude groaned in pain and opened his eyes in a flash.
“I mean, did you use <Mana Drain> on a person who had already passed out from exhaustion?”
My power is already at 0, yet you’re still taking more of it from me?
“Hey, you won’t die from it, you won’t.”
“That’s still a problem, okay?”
“Anyway, I’m glad you woke up. First of all, let’s drain some more mana.”
“What? Hey, sto-…uuuggghh.”
Cordelia raised herself from Jude’s upper body and continued to use <Mana Drain> while sitting. She then placed on her chest the hand with the ring and activated the magic.
“<Shield>.”
It was the defense magic in Count Chase’s ring.
Since Jude and Cordelia were close to each other, the shield became stronger. Cordelia then stretched her shoulders in relief.
“Huu, I didn’t have enough mana to use the shield magic.”
She had used up all her mana in pushing Dark Ghost and dealing the last attack.
“It’s a good thing the battery is next to me.”
Cordelia giggled and tapped Jude’s chest, while Jude looked up at Cordelia and had a sullen expression.
“You’re really a mean person.”
“You’re the only one I’m mean to.”
Cordelia giggled again before looking outside the shield.
Because they were near the center of the explosion, there were no monsters around them. But at less than 10 meters around the explosion’s center, the monsters and warriors were engaged in a fierce battle.
“We have to help. Do you have any potions?”
“I only have a stamina potion.”
Their supply of potions had been cut off since they came to the wild lands.
The one he fed to Cordelia was the last mana potion.
“Umm, so you have a stamina potion?”
Cordelia grinned as she rummaged Jude’s waist pockets while Jude trembled.
“Hey, hey, no way… Isn’t this plan of yours demonic if you’re going to drain my mana after I’ve recovered from the stamina potion you’ll feed me?”
When Jude urgently spoke, Cordelia’s eyes became round and she clapped her hands loudly as she said.
“Oh my, there was such a way? You’re a genius.”
“Ugh…your acting has improved.”
Look at her pretending to be ignorant.
But why does that make her look pretty too?
It was when Jude was feeling skeptical about his own love blindness.
Cordelia moved her bottom from the top of Jude’s torso as she sat on the ground. She then said after finding the stamina potion and handing it over to Jude.
‘Isn’t it nice that it’s quiet around us?”
“I suppose so.”
Because the two didn’t have enough strength left.
And the warriors of the wild lands were not weak.
Since they were the elites of each tribe, they were not overpowered by the monsters.
And two more people.
Among the various warriors, there were some who were particularly prominent.
“She fights well.”
“Isn’t it? My sister is good at fighting, right?”
Cordelia boasted as she looked in the direction where Adelia was.
‘As expected of a combat wizard.’
The Royal Guard Magic Corps was a group of fighting wizards like their name ‘corps’ suggests.
Adelia was one of the seven leaders of the Royal Guard Magic Corps, so her combat power was undoubtable.
‘If she could use wide-area magic, she would’ve cleared this place in no time.’
Since this was a melee battle of enemies and allies, she couldn’t use wide-area magic.
But Adelia was definitely an experienced fighter.
Instead of simply using attack magic, she used magic that affected the entire battlefield by using a combination of fire and earth wall magic to divide the battlefield and isolate the monsters.
‘As expected of a leader.’
She was someone who was capable of commanding an army and not just a mere corps.
“I think Red Wind will be all right.”
Cordelia pointed to the very end of the battlefield. The Blade Song tribe were there, and among them was Sun Song who protected Red Wind.
“Gaël is strong too.”
“He’s strong.”
In the midst of their conversation, the situation on the battlefield was rapidly improving.
This was because Adelia and Gaël were actively fighting in the south and north sides respectively.
“Chivalry.”
The magic of the knights.
Gaël strengthened himself with Chivalry and easily cut down the monsters across the battlefield.
Like a warrior from the Bayer family who aimed to become the ‘wind,’ his momentum was like a storm as his sword danced freely.
“Umm, I seriously think we can just rest.”
“Right?”
Cordelia smiled and stretched out her hand to Jude. He grabbed her hand, raised his upper body, and sat down next to her.
And it was at that moment.
[…Guardians.]
A low voice talked to Jude and Cordelia in their minds.
The voice was somewhat garbled, but the two showed no repulsion to it. Because they were able to guess whose voice it was.
[I am…Dark Ghost…]
The only wild god who was forced to die by the Devil’s Eye.
His soul regained its freedom after losing his body, but his contaminated soul was not washed clean.
[Soon…I will disappear…so I…wanted to…say goodbye…]
Cordelia had a gloomy expression as she heard the voice that became broken little by little.
She had met him for the first time today and didn’t even got to talk with him much, but she was heartbroken by what happened to Dark Ghost.
[Thank you…for stopping me. Thanks to you…I could not harm…them.]
Violent Avalanche and Gentle Snow Breeze.
And the children of the wild lands.
[Farewell…Guardians… This is my…last…reward for you…]
A piece of memory came into the minds of Jude and Cordelia.
It was a fraction of the things Dark Ghost had seen, heard, and felt, and also information about the last thing he could leave for Jude and Cordelia.
[Goodbye…]
Dark Ghost’s voice completely disappeared. Cordelia turned her tearful face away, and Jude could see the sobbing Gentle Snow Breeze and Violent Avalanche wiping away his tears.
Perhaps he delivered his farewells to the two wild gods too.
“Goodbye…”
Jude paid a silent tribute for Dark Ghost, and Cordelia brought her two hands together in prayer.
They grieved for Dark Ghost.
***
The battle was over.
Since the recovery of the casualties was a priority, each tribe focused on cleaning up the battlefield instead of talking about the Karaval.
And the next morning.
A memorial service was held for Dark Ghost and the deceased, under the supervision of Gentle Snow Breeze.
Violent Avalanche lit a great fire and cremated them. Gentle Snow Breeze created a wind and blew their ashes and souls up high into the sky.
“Those evil western demons.”
Gentle Snow Breeze was usually meek, but she was clearly angry at the present moment.
She sharply looked at the western direction before she turned her gaze to Red Gale and Nine Blades.
It was to talk about the Karaval.
The first to open his mouth was Nine Blades.
“O wild gods who look over the wild lands, I have something to say if you will permit it.”
When Nine Blades politely spoke, Gentle Snow Breeze and Violent Avalanche nodded and allowed him to speak.
Having knelt down to show his respect, Nine Blades stood up from his spot and then headed to the center as he looked at everyone.
He then shouted out loud.
“Karaval couldn’t proceed normally because of an unexpected incident! But you all know about it! The rules of Karaval!”
Red Gale frowned while Violent Avalanche and Gentle Snow Breeze had awkward expressions.
Because they also knew the rules of Karaval.
“Karaval ends when either side declares defeat or become unable to fight. In other words! The last one standing is the winner of Karaval!”