[Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]

    Chapter 146

    For the fourth raid, Kaylen teleported.

    — "The vanguard camp is now heavily patrolled by demons, making it difficult to survey. It might be better to hold off on an attack this time."

    That was the warning from Ederna, the director of the observatory.

    — "No, the attacks must continue."

    Kaylen was determined to persist with the ambushes.

    I can handle demons up to the rank of Count. This time, I’ll target the demons guarding the supply depot.

    The objective of this raid was not the drakes, but rather the demons protecting them.

    Since the Geysir Empire was directly ruled by the Helmeier family, it was likely that the demons stationed in the vanguard were also connected to them.

    If I can capture just one of those demons, I might be able to get more information on Helmeier.

    The Geysir Empire—a land still shrouded in mystery.

    Kaylen had attempted to rescue the humans used as "feed" to gather information, but...

    — "G-Geysir Empire? They are demons...! One moment, they tell us to worship dragons; the next, they brainwash children!"

    — "Y-You heretic...! It was an honor to become one with the great Myr...!"

    The words of the brainwashed and the words of those dragged away as food were mixed together.

    None of it yielded any meaningful information.

    But if Kaylen could capture one of the demons preparing for this raid, the situation might be different.

    They’ve prepared thoroughly this time.

    Kaylen extended his senses as he observed the forest near the drake supply depot.

    This time, there were more presences gathered at the supply depot than in any previous ambush.

    It was a good decision not to bring the Royal Guard.

    During the third raid, they had encountered enemy dragoons.

    Just by being mounted on a drake, their strength had increased significantly.

    Seven Combine Suits: White Knight units had been severely damaged, and 25 knights had suffered critical injuries.

    Had Kaylen not intervened at the right moment, there would have been many fatalities.

    And now, with both dragoons and demons present, bringing the Royal Guard would have only made them a liability.

    For an operation of this scale, Kaylen was better off working alone.

    WEEEEEEENG!

    The moment he set foot near the supply depot, a piercing alarm echoed through the air.

    "Intruder!"

    As if they had been waiting for this, knights in black armor charged forward on their drakes.

    But rather than riding them, it was as if the knights and drakes had fused into one.

    The lower halves of the dragoons'' bodies were completely buried within the drakes'' backs, leaving only their torsos exposed.

    The dragoons of Geysir are nothing like what they used to be.

    In the past, dragoons still retained a conventional mounted form... but these ones looked like an entirely new fused organism.

    "Is it just one enemy?!"

    "Damn it... is this a diversion?"

    "Whatever! Kill him quickly!"

    From the mouth of a Blood Drake, human speech emerged.

    Since they had fused with the dragoons, the drakes were no longer just beasts.

    Whoosh!

    They’re much faster too.

    As Kaylen watched twenty drakes approaching, his eyes gleamed.

    They were at least 1.5 times stronger than regular drakes.

    On top of that, they swiftly took strategic positions, displaying a level of coordination.

    No wonder seven White Knight units had been destroyed in the third ambush.

    "Even so, they’re still just small fry."

    Kaylen drew his Holy Sword from within his Light Sword.

    "Kuh... Kuagh...!"

    "W-What kind of sword is this...?!"

    The bodies of the drakes and dragoons split apart in an instant.

    No matter how enhanced the drakes were, they were powerless before the Holy Sword.

    Boom!

    Twenty drakes plummeted from the sky at once, shaking the ground.

    Step. Step.

    Kaylen walked forward slowly.

    "Subdue him!"

    "It’s just one man...!"

    Blood Drakes charged from all directions, rushing at Kaylen.

    Kaylen raised his sword.

    Six Sword Path

    Twin Blades: Inferno Sky

    The sky was instantly engulfed in flames, and the swarm of drakes ignited at once.

    Without even managing to scream, they were reduced to ashes.

    Kaylen glanced up at the sky, then continued forward.

    Moving alone is definitely easier.

    Compared to when he traveled with the Saintess or the Royal Guard,

    he had nothing to protect, allowing him to move freely.

    "Kugh... Was the commander right?"

    Ssshhhhh...!

    The Colossal Blade clashed directly with the Black Sun.

    Cracks formed along the iron blade in an instant.

    The Black Sun, too, began to fracture.

    The forces of the Colossal Blade and Dragonflame were evenly matched, either one capable of shattering at any moment.

    Kaylen’s expression hardened as the impact weighed down on both his arms.

    "Astella. Your origin is the sun itself."

    He awakened even more of Astella’s power.

    Fwoooosh!

    A pure white light ignited once more along the Colossal Blade, absorbing every last ember of the Black Sun''s flames.

    The cracks in the Colossal Blade were sealed by fire.

    Meanwhile, the fractures in Dragonflame only deepened.

    "This...!"

    A voice, filled with shock, echoed from above.

    Unlike the low voice from earlier, this one sounded strangely familiar.

    And then—

    Ssshhhkk!

    The Colossal Blade finally split the sun apart, unleashing a massive surge of condensed fire mana into the sky.

    Fwoooosh!

    The flames were far stronger than those from Twin Blades: Inferno Sky, which Kaylen had unleashed just moments ago.

    The only difference—these flames burned black.

    The sky had become a hell of dark fire.

    "Ugh...! Aaaagh...!"

    "The fire...! It won''t go out...!"

    The Blood Drakes flailed wildly through the sky, desperately trying to extinguish the flames.

    But their flesh turned to ash in an instant.

    And then—

    Thud!

    A knight crashed down before Kaylen’s eyes.

    "Kh...!"

    The knight wore a suit of full plate armor—black from head to toe.

    Peeking from beneath the helmet were long, brown ears. A Dark Elf, no doubt.

    The black mana surging around them made it clear—they were the one who had unleashed Dragonflame.

    I can''t let this one live.

    They were far too dangerous to take as a prisoner.

    Strong.

    Even earlier, it had taken the combined power of the Four Blades and the Holy Sword just to barely split Dragonflame.

    If he had fought with only one of those powers, it might have been Kaylen lying on the ground instead.

    I''ll kill them.

    As Kaylen’s Holy Sword gleamed—

    The fallen Dark Elf knight opened their mouth in an instant.

    "In the name of the dragon, I command the mana...! Protect me!"

    Ssshhhhhkk!

    The sword aura of the Holy Sword struck a black barrier.

    Kaylen, recalling an old memory, stepped closer to the Dark Elf.

    Barriers formed through Dragon Tongue magic were useless against me.

    Dragon Tongue spells would vanish the moment they touched his body.

    Wasn''t that how he had so easily subdued the Jester-Masked Sorcerer?

    The Sixfold Sorcery: Dragonflame seemed impossible to nullify instinctively... but this Dragon Tongue magic—I can unravel it.

    Just as he expected, the moment he placed his hand on it, the black barrier began to dissolve.

    "N-no... what is this...?"

    The Dark Elf stammered in shock as the shield vanished.

    Hearing their voice up close, Kaylen found it oddly familiar.

    But he knew no Dark Elves personally.

    Could it be...? Should he check their face?

    As Kaylen’s blade flashed—

    The Dark Elf’s helmet was split clean in half.

    Clatter. Clatter.

    And as their face was revealed, Kaylen’s mouth fell open.

    That face.

    A face he knew all too well.

    The one he had loved more than anyone—

    Melvria.

    She was the spitting image of Melvria.

    "You... Melvria...?"

    "...You bastard. Stop pretending to be my father!"

    Melvria, who had been glaring at Kaylen with piercing hostility—

    Shrieked the moment she called his name.

    "You wretched ghost...! How dare you mimic my father from the past?! The Six Sword Path, the Holy Sword—he abandoned those long ago! My father has long since advanced to the Sixfold Sorcery!"

    [Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]