kscans

Chapter 225 - The Sea General, the Corruptor, and the Fateweaver.

A dragon appeared in the sky.

It was the first time since coming to this world that I had laid eyes upon a truly absolute being.

I...

"To think I'd get to see something like this at a time like this... God sure knows how to put on a show."

I smiled.

To think it would show something so incredible to me, a man on the verge of death. I had nothing but gratitude. Normally, I should have been terrified, but I felt nothing of the sort. Awe had completely eclipsed any fear. It was like seeing a childhood dream—one everyone else had given up on—come to life.

Amon was dumbfounded.

...Could that dragon be the one? The Mediator from the legends. An absolute being who acted on a whim and never showed itself.

Amon cried out.

"...W-Why? Why have you revealed yourself?! Weren't you supposed to operate from the shadows?!"

So, Amon knew the dragon? But something was off about his reaction. It was as if he was seeing something he never, ever wanted to encounter.

The dragon twisted through the air and opened its mouth.

"...You have gone too far."

Just one sentence.

The overwhelming power in its voice was enough to make us shrink back. Not just us, but the humans and monsters a short distance away were also trembling, unable to speak.

Meanwhile, in the Republic...

At the Royal Capital Gate...

Just as the exhausted human army was about to surrender, a massive tsunami suddenly crashed down from the sky.

...Caught off guard by the sudden event, everyone froze, making no move to evacuate. But the giant wave didn't swallow the capital. Instead, it arched like a rainbow and fell before the gate.

And it didn't disappear. It formed a wall of water, blocking the monsters' path.

On the monsters' side...

An immense amount of water had appeared out of nowhere like a waterfall, preventing their advance on the capital. As the monsters reeled in confusion, three figures appeared atop the cascade.

A mermaid, with the upper body of a beautiful woman and the lower half of a fish. A fishman with the face of a kisslip fish. And another fishman with the face of a tuna.

Of the three, the tuna-faced fishman was Madelo, the same one who had once fought Shinsuke.

"Well then, shall we begin, Sugi?" Madelo said.

The kisslip fishman, Sugi, replied, "Ready when you are, Madelo. Sein... provide support, if you would."

The mermaid, Sein, chirped, "Right, right. Roger that. Laaa~~ la-laaa~~♪"

A beautiful melody echoed through the air.

As soon as the nearby monsters heard it, they collapsed as if all the strength had drained from their bodies. The effect spread like a chain reaction, with more and more monsters slumping to the ground.

Amidst the chaos, the elite force led by the Muay Thai Kongs held firm.

Madelo remarked, "...Just as I thought. They have some resistance. Let's go."

Sugi nodded at the signal and descended to the ground.

Madelo, nunchaku in hand, faced off against a Muay Thai Kong. The kong unleashed a lightning-charged left fist at him. Madelo deflected it with his water-infused nunchaku. The Muay Thai Kong tried to follow up with a lightning-charged right fist.

But Madelo was faster. He slipped inside the kong's guard and slammed his nunchaku into its face. The handle of the nunchaku was reinforced with condensed water, making it a hammer stronger than steel.

Combined with the fishman's strength, it was a blow powerful enough to take down even the Guild Master in a single hit.

The Muay Thai Kong's eyes rolled back as it collapsed.

Sugi, armed with tonfas, squared off against another Muay Thai Kong.

The kong charged both fists with lightning and lunged forward with a simultaneous thrust. Sugi blocked it with his tonfas, which he used as a shield. He was pushed back slightly, but that was it. He remained standing, calm and composed, a confident look on his face.

The Muay Thai Kong's lightning had no effect at all. Sugi's tonfas were coated in water, which had absorbed the entire shock. After a brief pause, Sugi deflected the fists. He released the water that had absorbed the lightning, and as the Muay Thai Kong stood defenseless, he delivered a spinning tonfa uppercut to its jaw.

The monster took the hit flush, stood frozen for a moment, and then fell backward onto its back.

The other five Muay Thai Kongs and the monsters watching the battle trembled. After all, their champions had been defeated with ease, without their opponents even breaking a sweat.

Sein, who had been observing, called out, "Hey, you two. Your target is the Skeletons, not the gorillas, right? They're hiding behind the other monsters."

She pointed.

Several Skeletons were hunkered down, trying to stay hidden.

"Understood," Madelo said. "Let's go, Sugi."

Sugi nodded.

The two of them leaped, soaring over the monster horde and landing near their targets. The Skeletons were helpless as the two fishmen shattered them into tiny pieces. With the Skeletons gone, the other monsters suddenly began to act strangely.

The air was thick with a sense of 'Why are we here?'

Just then, a new presence emerged from the waterfall.

With his arms crossed and a gaze sharp enough to kill, Daios the Sea General appeared.

The monsters cowered before this unbeatable being. The only thought that entered their minds was, 'We're going to be killed.'

"The ones who led you astray are gone," Daios declared. "Return to your homes and your former lives."

His voice was heavy with authority.

The monsters, as if frightened by something unseen, fled into the forest.

"Our role here is finished," Daios said. "We're pulling out."

The three fishmen bowed their heads and followed after him.

Back in the capital, the waterfall blocked the view, making it impossible to see what was happening on the other side.

After a few moments of stunned silence, the waterfall receded back into the sea as if time were reversing.

A captain of the guard snapped to attention. "Huh? We need to assess the situation immediately!"

He broke into a run, followed closely by the other soldiers and adventurers. Outside, the vast horde of monsters was gone. In the far distance, they could see them heading back toward the forest.

It was as if they were running away.

When Prince Lustolfo received the report, he paused to think. An adventurer lying on the floor spoke up.

"It's probably just like last time, isn't it? They're just trying to give us a sliver of false hope."

He sounded desperate.

A soldier started to shout at him, but Lustolfo held up a hand to stop him.

"That is certainly a possibility," he said. "Do not let your guard down. Prioritize treatment for the Guild Master and the Captain."

A soldier saluted and hurried off.

If the monsters were to return, those two were indispensable. Their swift recovery was paramount.

But what was that waterfall? The knight sent to investigate gathered testimony from those at the port.

'The surface of the sea suddenly rose up.' 'The birds flying in the sky just started falling one after another.'

There were numerous accounts. Indeed, there were no birds in the sky above the sea now, and the fishermen were already back to work. With food supplies running low, it was only natural for them to resume fishing.

Lustolfo mused, "...Could it be that something is happening at the Empire's border?"

His thoughts turned to the place that was the root cause of this war.

He couldn't say why he thought so. It was just a feeling.

At the Saint's Church...

In the middle of the forest...

It was a desperate situation, with the defenders surrounded by monsters. Suddenly, a pink mist began to form. Not only the humans, but the monsters as well were bewildered. Then, adventurers began to collapse one after another. When the knights checked on them, they found they were asleep.

'Why?' they wondered, just before they too began to fall asleep one by one.

"W-What is this?" Altorine stammered. "I... just..."

She resisted to the very end, but her wounds were deep and she was exhausted. She, too, succumbed to sleep.

The monsters were agitated by the fact that all the humans had fallen asleep. Normally, sleeping prey was meant to be eaten, but it seemed they were forbidden from doing so. It was all very strange. Just then, dark clouds gathered, and the sound of thunder rumbled in the sky.

A bolt of lightning suddenly struck down. It hit only the places where the Skeletons were hiding. With the Skeletons gone, the monsters became disoriented, their minds clouded by the pink mist.

Then, a voice commanded, "Hurry back to your nests."

As if drawn by an unseen force, the monsters disappeared into the forest.

Watching from above were Harynair the Corruptor and Rumby the Fateweaver. The mist was Harynair's doing; she had used its hypnotic effect to put them to sleep and control them. Rumby had inflicted misfortune solely upon the Skeletons—enough misfortune to change the weather itself.

"Well, that was rather anticlimactic," Rumby whined. "I wanted to have a little more fun."

Harynair looked bored as well. "I feel the same. I would've liked to bring that Pontifex back with me. But the Dragon King told us, 'You two take too long. Get it done quickly.' I mean, he's right, but still."

She pouted.

These two preferred to draw things out when they were having fun. Rumby fidgeted, looking like she wanted to complain more. But complaining when the person in question wasn't around wouldn't change anything.

"It's about time we get going," Harynair said. "They'll be waking up soon."

With that, she took off on a leisurely flight.