Chapter 248 – 24. Kaleidoscope (8)
Britannia, the province of Erinn.
A bloody wind blew through the majestic canyon. Hundreds of soldiers fell like fallen leaves as the revived specter brandished a ferocious sword. It was because of the existence that even his face could not be properly identified because he was wearing a black robe.
“Ah, foolish James.”
However, a bigger problem than that was the main body of the specter. It was an old man who held his lover who had fallen asleep with a curse in his arms and cast spells on the other side of the canyon.
“Even if your strength is comparable to that of the mythical god of war, how can you go against the times?”
The lion, fully armed with his heavy armor, frowned over his heavy helmet. He glared at the specter and the cunning old man as if to kill them, and growled. The fierce wrath of the strong man raging on the continent soared as if it were stabbing even in the heavens.
“What have you done to Diana?”
The king, holding two swords, asked in an enemy’s young voice. Like a necromancer, the old man in the robes of a cultist revived the soldiers killed by his ghost with a gesture of his hand. An army of monsters dripping blood and flesh that even the lord in front of them could not distinguish.
“I should ask not what you did, but what you would do?”
“I don’t think there’s any need to hasten orders with an old body.”
The elderly necromancer chuckled and nodded. The Lion King, who was left alone after the soldiers accompanying him were massacred, was still a strong man who could not be approached. He, who had a bit of trouble with an opponent he couldn’t defeat, meekly acknowledged his situation and spat it out.
“You got the point. Actually, we don’t have that much time.”
“If she obediently leaves her behind, I will give her enough time to run away. But you have harmed the subjects of sacred Britannia. He had better not expect any other mercy from me.”
“Yes, as a monarch, you could not forgive this old man for his behavior. On the other hand, I wouldn’t have wanted to be the man who lost his wife twice.”
Hundreds of monsters, led by specters, slowly approached. The Lion King cut off the approaching ones with one sword as if he was disgusting. He gave rest to hundreds of corpses who had lost their wits while charging at the man behind them who was watching from behind.
However, Chang!
Someone blocked the way of the king who was moving like a darting even though he was wearing heavy armor. It was a specter that single-handedly defeated my army. The existence that gently attacked while holding the invisible sword drove the Lion King.
‘Do I accept it?’
Flash! Lightning struck from the gloomy sky. The king, who took different positions with his twin swords, launched an onslaught like a flash of light at the specter. He slashed from the left and stabbed from the right, scattering blades as he leaped.
‘Even if it shakes, it doesn’t break.’
James Britannia is a master of tax avoidance. Even if he is a fairly strong person, he will be defeated sooner or later after sword to sword with him.
Is it different from a specter?
The Lion King’s swordsmanship is supreme. The prince, who dreamed of reigning, achieved the state by focusing on training alone, unlike the strong man who is said to be the leader of the continent. The sword, which reached its peak through self-taught, has a personality that no one can imitate.
‘You are flexible. That’s why it’s strong.’
Holding the lake, rock, and longsword of an ancient empire with both hands, he crossed his swords wide. At first glance, it seemed to focus on his defense, but it was a specter that constantly repelled his own attacks.
‘Then, where should I stop this!’
Seasons should be showcased with full diligence. With both hands full of energy, the lion sprayed the power from the crossed blades. It was a technique that applied the principle of the intangible sword. It was almost impossible to stop.
Slap!
Even so, the specter with the robe fluttering on his back carried the long swordsmanship pouring crosswise. She turned her body around and danced it back to James.
‘This swordsmanship, obviously… !’
The hesitant lion did not back down. Copying the specter’s action, he added a new offensive to the second reflected sword. It was a test to see if they could repel the attacks that cut through the air one after another.
Whoop, whoop!
The specter did not betray his expectations. Using his left foot as an axis, he rotated like a top and hit all the sword skills. It wasn’t just a counterattack, it was also doubling its power.
“Simon? Is it you?”
Only then did James see through the identity of the robed ghost. The king, who clicked his tongue a couple of times over the pitiful dead, firmly gripped both swords. The lion who took the throne at the end of a bloody road is inherently cruel.
A man worthy of being called a beast.
The only thing that could tame him was a beauty who escaped from the continent.
“It’s a pity, I can’t find peace even after death…”
His armor creaked and he lowered his stance and charged. He swung the two swords handed down from ancient times as sharp as the claws of a beast king. Without fail, I kept my distance and quickly chased after the ghost that was trying to counterattack, scraping off the hem of his clothes.
And what was revealed was the existence of only a skeleton with no flesh to break.
No matter how insightful James was, he would not have thought that the ghost’s true identity was Simon if he had not personally witnessed swordsmanship. Even a shaman who handles spirits in the first place is difficult to fully revive such a lofty status in life.
It would be better to say that it is impossible.
Nevertheless, the old man who raised the man who had been dead for more than ten years easily proved his ability. He resurrected Simon, the master and leader of the Somerset swordsman, and manipulated him into confronting him.
“It won’t take long, old youkai.”
The lion with the intent to kill was brainwashed. Like the nickname he had earned as a king, the mane that stretched around his armor stood up. The hair inside the heavy armor of the monarch who rules the Britannian Islands was not just for visiting Korea with such a chairman.
Puck! The lake sword struck the specter’s left femur.
Puck! The rock sword struck the specter’s right collarbone.
That wasn’t the end. The owner of the shiny silver armor peeled off the bony bones at a speed different from the movement he had seen a while ago. Even seeing through to the fact that the principle by which the dead Simon’s ghost exerts its power while alive with only a skeletal body is also the same as an intangible sword.
‘Energy can only be operated by those who are extremely trained. Magical power can only be handled by those who are highly gifted.’
Simon Somerset, a former subject of mine and a swordsman who gave his life for love, he has gradually attained Buddhahood.
‘I don’t have much insight into handling my magical power, but I know about energy very well. As if holding a sword in the air and swinging it, did you recreate blood and flesh by using a weapon where only bones remained? If you can really revive the strong of the past era… !’
Fierce thrusts from the two swords aimed for the skull. Even if Amman Somerset’s Yugeom is specialized in counterattacks, it cannot beat the swordsmanship of Lion. Even in the era when the three masters of the Guild were said to be the strongest in history, James Britannia was one step above them.
How much more so now that all these years have passed.
Even Oliver of the Sword is the same. The prosecutor, who had never been able to compete with him in the past, showed his skills to match his own on the day he returned to his hometown. The time given to the talented meets the effort of endurance and bears fruit.
“It is over.”
Perseok! He declared after breaking the ghost’s skull. As expected, Simon, whose entire body was crushed, fell to the floor like a funny toy. He doesn’t know if he can raise the puppet again with a few small bone fragments and powder, but there was something more important right now.
“Give me Diana!”
Wedge! James threw the lake sword at the opposite gorge and moved forward almost at the same time. Even wearing heavy armor, he easily leaped across the distance of about ten paces. Then, at the right time, he slashed the rest of his rock sword, following the lake sword that hit his enemy’s staff.
Like that, Pitt!
He aimed the blade at the wrinkled necromancer’s nape. So that the guy holding my fainting lover by his side won’t take hostage.
“Don’t move. From now on, if you lift even one finger without my permission, you will die.”
“You are really fast, lion of the island…”
“Put her down right now.”
The old man with a wicked smile shook his head. Slowly, with an exaggerated gesture, he laid the king’s mistress, who had been embracing him, on the dirt floor. Then, in surrender, he raised his hands and stepped backwards to face the enraged James.
“If you want to die in peace even a little bit, please answer my question obediently.”
“Ku-k-k-k-k-k-k-k…”
“I am the man who loves the woman you cursed. The rest of her decision was delayed as she could not clear her mind about her departed first wife, but now she intended to receive her as her official queen.”
The old necromancer’s expression was certainly not that of a dying man. The Lion King, who was very annoyed by that fact, continued with a colder voice.
“So I ordered a solo inspection of this province of Erinn and tried to give it a political position. However, when I heard the news that he was even kidnapped in an unexpected commotion, I couldn’t understand for a moment. I didn’t know that there were still people who would rebel against me here.”
“The time is right around the corner. Did you think that Britannia would be safe just because she released the reins of the sword that was seething with revenge on the continent? People in the world say that the messenger of the system is the king who will never come again, but from this old man’s point of view, he’s just a coward.”
Every wise ruler must be politically weak. In particular, a geographically isolated island country is more likely to achieve peace when the country is in chaos. It was in that context that James handed over Oliver Somerset to the heir of Gaul.
Just as the wise king there, Alphonse, predicted.
“You must have been afraid of losing Diana of Aquitaine, right? Because you can only protect my body under any circumstances, you wouldn’t want to lose someone you love more, right? So, in order to relieve her grudges, she must have tried to focus on internal affairs while neglecting the war on the continent, right?”
“You say that it is a pierced mouth. Don’t jump to the conclusion that just because my sword is big, it’s going to be a disadvantage for torture. You can gouge out her eyeballs and cut her tongue into whatever shape you want.”
“Sovereign who can reign, your weak-willed actions will not help you against the threat to come. If he recovers the body he prepared, your world will be destroyed.”
The lion, who maintained his composure as much as he was enraged, grabbed the necromancer by the collar. He acted as if he could kill with a sword at any moment, but pressed him to tell me more. It was because the words he uttered reminded him of a person from the past.
“Are you talking about Alexandre of Dior? Did you, too, become the number of Millennium Balls that would rage with that Heavenly Man?”
“Oh, unfortunately, I serve someone greater. He’s just a thief who stole my master’s feat. But everything that is disorganized will eventually go back to its original place.”
“I won’t say it twice. Clarify your purpose.”
The dark clouds that hung over the sky grew thicker. Originally The weather in this country is said to be hot, but it was too harsh. As things grew darker around him, James realized something was definitely wrong.
“You talk about two, so I talk about five.”
The old man, with all his right fingers extended, grinned. He rejoiced, folding his fingers together with each subsequent exhalation. It was as if he had been waiting for this moment.
“One, their necromancy has already surpassed the level I showed you.”
It was worth it. The Lion King made a serious face from his first remark. It was a shame because it was covered by a helmet, but the necromancer’s words hinted at a very serious truth. It’s enough to say that it’s great enough to not be shocked by it.
“Secondly, how sweet do you think the chance of reunion given to those who have been bereaved will be?”
It wasn’t the bullshit of a cornered old man.
“Three, out of those buried in white bones, how many people are as skilled as you were against today?”
It was a truth that could be inferred after putting together the facts I had seen and experienced.
“Fourth, the identity possessed by this body is a low-level priest belonging to the Archbishop’s faction of the Gallic Church of the Celestials.”
No, even if it wasn’t, I knew it instinctively.
“Five, even so, you won’t hesitate, will you?”
The lion’s arrogance rose. Even in the midst of this, the ruler of the system, who never acted recklessly, raised the necromancer with the utmost solemnity.
“… What will happen to Diana?”
“Let me tell you that the curse of this body is not so weak.”
“I will ask you one more question. If the master you serve is not the abominable Gaul millennial Alexandre, then who the hell is it?”
Pod! An old, crumpled finger pointed to the heavens.
“The door to the divine world will open again.”
Further questions and answers were meaningless. James, having stabbed the necromancer in a pragmatic gesture, cut his head from his torso. He slammed his body to the ground as the blood gushed like a fountain.
Then I went over to my lover who was spread out on the dirt floor and shook his head.
“Diana…”
As she fainted, he hugged her, who had no sign of waking up, and threw her on her knees. Until the king, who went out with soldiers, did not return, and the servants who went looking for him found it.
All along, I sorted out the rain of thoughts.
‘I thought the cursed lineage of Aquitaine was the problem.’
Sending Oliver Somerset to the Continent, he thought, would bring the woman he loved to safety.
‘That wasn’t it. It is true that Alexandre Dior dreams of resurrection, as Jacques de Gaullia said. However, there are forces that do not like his progress. It’s not a secret plan, it’s an impatient situation to openly attack.’
The five clues are too explicit. Besides that, the necromancer alluded to his identity and motives. Even though she knew that she would infer a lot from it.
‘A group of people following the millennial ball in Gaul are trying to resurrect the dead Alexandre. The way they earn loyalty from their subordinates would be to promise the bereaved person’s revival. Putting aside whether that is possible or not, it is clear that it will be difficult to change one’s mind.’
The faith of those who follow the dead duke will be second only to fanaticism.
‘It takes decades, if not the time it takes for a person’s bones to rot. If the Millennium Gong faction and its opposing factions use omnidirectional necromancy on this continent…’
The conditions for reviving the dead are unknown. However, judging from the example of the sword we encountered here, if we assume that it is possible only with bones, the situation becomes serious.
‘Skilled people who have made a name for themselves over the past few centuries will be resurrected all at once. An army of them will trample the whole world.’
It is still unknown which side is promoting the ruin.
‘Was the curse on Diana part of that plan? The continent’s orthodox healers disappeared because of the Grand Mande Incident caused by Alexandre Dior!’
What is certain is that both factions are wary of the Gallic Bishop.
‘Since it was said to be possessed, the body must be separate. If, as he said, that old man is a priest belonging to the Continental Celestial Church, it will lead to diplomatic friction. Moreover, I cannot ignore the possibility that all these clues are a hoax. Naturally, there is no choice but to clash with the archbishop in some way.’
The sudden feeling of déjà vu gave me an unpleasant feeling. It’s funny, but paradoxically, that’s why the Lion King was convinced of his reasoning.
‘Constantina Rus’ motive is Ursula Aquitaine.’
The iron-blooded Empress who lost her nanny.
‘Helene Hellas’ motive is Sophie Aquitaine.’
An esthetic queen who lost her half-sister.
‘Albenis Aragorn’s motive is Mercedes Aquitaine.’
A mad king who lost his wife.
‘Yusuf Nasr’s motive is Warda al-Shazaar Aquitaine.’
Sultan, a snakehead who lost his foster daughter.
‘And my motive, Diana Aquitaine.’
A number of factions are intricately intertwined and are about to wage an all-out war. Even though I know that someone is deliberately promoting such an atmosphere. No one will stop because it is a matter of conviction, not pride.
At the end of a great war that would leave only ashes, only one person would emerge victorious.
A necromancer who will bring the dead back to life and make them my armies.
However, in the name of a lion, I will definitely not let things go the way you want.
“Your Majesty, are you okay!”
“It’s here! He is here!”
“Hey, hurry up and bring the stretcher!”
Soldiers on horseback huddled together. Only then did James straighten his knees and raise himself up, looking at his unconscious lover as if he was soundly asleep.
“Those who want peace.”
For you, Diana.
“Prepare for war.”
He said he would gladly conquer the continent.
In the battle of courtship that originated from Aquitaine’s lineage!
