Volume 3 - CH 51

Chapter 51 – The Divine Curse and Postponed Conclusion

“Nnnaaaahhh!!”

The giant cannonball cleanly struck Drake’s torso.

The short distance traveled and gunpowder gave the iron sphere terrific power and speed, but even more terrifyingly, Drake managed to stop the cannonball in its tracks.

“GRAAAHHH!!”

“Ooh!?”

He then proceeded to deflect it, as if shoving away a human opponent that tried to tackle him.

The cannonball smashed against the throne room’s wall, opening a large hole through the marble construction despite losing some momentum.

“Well damn…that’s a monster. Why did I even come here…?”

“Can’t we still run? Cerros?”

Roh and Xiao Mao stood there, dumbfounded.

They sounded overwhelmed, but I grinned and thanked them.

“Nope, you came at just the right time!”

“Gh…”

I didn’t wait for Drake to recover after deflecting the cannonball, and went on the offensive.

Even an immortal monster like him couldn’t survive such an impact unscathed.

His left arm, which had taken the brunt of the cannonball’s weight, was bent unnaturally below the elbow: his organs seemed to be damaged too, as bloody foam and spittle leaked from his mouth.



It was the perfect chance to cut him down.

“HAAAHHH!!”

“Gh…not so…fast!!!”

I swung my sword downwards, with as much power as I could, and Drake blocked it with his right arm,

The power boosted by my magic tool and the immortal monster’s power clashed, violently enough to crack the floor at our feet.

“Eat…my…blade…!!”

“Gh…GAAAHHH!!”

The first to reach its limit was not me or Drake, but the large sword in his right hand.

The black steel blade shattered, finally allowing my own sword to reach his flesh.

“Siegfried!!”

“G-Gwaah!!”

Drake’s sun-burned body was slashed diagonally.

It was deep enough to cut through the bones and reach the organs, and blood started spurting like a fountain.

“Ooh!! You got him!”

“Lord Dyngir!”

I heard Roh’s cheering voice, and Sakuya calling to me. She had probably regained consciousness since then.

However — 

“GRAAAH!!”

“Ngh…”

Drake, drenched in blood, kicked me.

The previous full-power slash left me completely open, so I had no way to defend. I took the full brunt of the kick and was blown backward.

“Gh…you can still move…this much!? How the hell do you die!?”

“Master!! Are you okay!?”

“Gwoof!”

I landed on the floor and Sue came running to me.

The Garm stood in front of her, as if to protect her from Drake, baring its fangs and growling.

On the other hand, Drake had been cut by my magic-severing sword: the wound on his chest showed no sign of healing, and continued losing blood.

He did not continue to attack me, however, or try to do anything about the Garm threatening him. Drake simply continued gazing at his wound.

“Gaha…haha…ha…hahahaha!!”

Eventually, his lips formed a grin, and he started cackling.

“Haha…fantastic…! So this is the reaper’s blade! My life is in danger like never before…the end of my immortality is approaching…! Such a sweet, beautiful sensation…! Hahaha…HAHAHAHA!!”

He was clearly not long for this world. One more strike, and he would definitely fall. Yet I was somehow entranced by the laughing Drake, and could only continue to look at him.

Everyone else seemed to be in the same state: we were all immobile, speechless before the bleeding man.

Drake’s insane laughter continued for a while, then ceased suddenly, as if a switch was flipped inside him.

“….aah, damn it! Why now, of all times!?”

Drake’s smile was completely gone.

His expression was now of anger, of frustration, of utter hatred.

“You mad, cursed god!! You stand in my way, again!? I was so..so close…!!”

“What the…?”

I reacted to the sudden monologue.

Drake looked at me, still too surprised to move, with an emotionless face.

“My fate…do you happen to be related to Grace Draco Omari?”

“She’s my mother, yeah…”

“That explains it.”

I frowned, suspicious of the sudden change of topic, but answered before I could think further.

Drake nodded, apparently convinced by my words.

“The son of the woman I loved and hated most in this world, is now coming to kill me…how whimsical and bizarre fate can be…”

“What the hell are you saying…you are her…”

“It’s over, for now. You’ll have to let me go.”

Drake tossed away his shattered blade and proclaimed his intention to escape.

“I haven’t had this much fun in a thousand years…that blasted god’s curse will not let me die even today. Our conclusion will be elsewhere.”

“You bastard…do you really think we will let you run? With that wound?”

I glared at Drake. I had too many things to ask, but there was one thing I could say for sure. I had to kill him on the spot! No way I would let him slip away, to fight another day!

“Haha…don’t say that, now. I don’t like this either. If only it was possible, I’d gladly let you kill me, here and now.”

Drake shrugged, as if I had put him on the spot.

The wound on his chest continued bleeding: it was a mystery how he could still be breathing.

“My beloved reaper, successor of a cursed bloodline…our conclusion will take place in my homeland, in Atlantis!”

“Wait, dammit!!”

Drake took something from his pocket and threw it on the floor, then turned away.

I hurriedly tried to attack, but stopped when I realized what he had thrown.

“This is…!?”

“I never said there was only one. Farewell!”

Drake jumped out from the hole, opened in the wall by the cannonball, and ran away, faster than any mortally wounded person ever could.

What he had thrown on the floor was a Crimson Jar of Sealing, the magic tool he used to summon the Garm. Not one, but three of them.

The opened lockets released red smoke, revealing a gigantic snake, a bird monster wrapped in flames and a large monkey covered in white fur.

“GHEAAHHH!!”

“KWEEEHHH!!”

“Tch…be quiet!!”

I kicked away the snake, which immediately tried to attack me, and stopped the monkey’s claws with my sword. The bird’s claws too were descending on me from above, so I jumped backwards to dodge.

“Bad, everybody! Calm down!”

Sue hurriedly ordered the beasts to stand down, but it was too late.

Drake had disappeared into the darkness: there was no way to hunt him down anymore.