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Chapter 215

It was two years ago that Adeshan first felt the presence of something inside her. She remembered it precisely because it was also the day she first met Ronan.

While nursing him after he was knocked unconscious by Navirose, Adeshan suddenly had a headache. It was such a dizzying pain that she almost fainted, even now thinking back on it, cold sweat streamed down her face.

Nevertheless, after the headache subsided, Adeshan began to feel the sensation of someone existing in her mind. The “someone”, vaguely felt, often spoke to Adeshan, but until now, the voice was too faint for her to understand.

【Yes. Just a little more.】

However, now it had reached a level of audibility. It was a calm yet commanding voice of a woman. Adeshan’s eyes widened. She opened her mouth without realizing it.

“What did you just say…?”

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing. Just a moment.”

Although Ronan asked, she waved it off. Once again, a voice resonated within Adeshan.

【Do not suppress your emotions. It is forcing raw, unrefined will upon the enemy.】

[Wh-Who are you? Why are you in my head?]

【Stay calm, Adeshan. There isn’t much time left.】

[H-How do you know my name…!]

Adeshan questioned in her mind, there was no reply. Ronan, who had been silently watching her, raised an eyebrow.

‘What…?’

For a brief moment, he felt the momentum of her days as the general. Despite her battered body, the mana rising above her shoulders pulsated more vigorously than usual.

The silhouette cast by her torch reminded him of Adeshan from his previous life. Thud. Adeshan, who stared into the void as if possessed, sat back down.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Y-yeah… I’ll catch up soon, so go ahead. We can’t afford to miss him…”

Though her wounds had healed, it seemed she still needed time to recover. Adeshan handed over the Blood Needle she had. Ronan, who had been holding her hand, nodded.

“I’ll finish this.”

“Please.”

Adeshan let out a weak smile. The Blood Needle she handed over pointed precisely towards the side gate that Barka had left.

With determination, Ronan took a step forward. The dim corridor continued. It seemed like an emergency escape route. Bloodstains marked the path he walked, showing the traces of his journey.

‘I sense it. He hasn’t gone far.’

Even without looking at the Blood Needle, he knew. Barka was still around here. Footsteps echoed in the narrow and long corridor.

The passage wasn’t long, and soon the end was in sight. Light seeped in from the already open stone gate. As he stepped out of it, a chilling wind rushed in as if freezing blood.

As expected, the passage led outside of the hideout. Behind him, the vast expanse of ice, a hallmark of the ghost-infested sea, stretched out before him.

“Hmm?”

Suddenly, Ronan furrowed his brow. Clusters of bulky masses were packed under the vast ice.

Arranged irregularly, they reminded him of raisins pressed into bread. It wasn’t rocks, it wasn’t something normal. It didn’t take long for him to realize that all of it was the bodies of Beastmen.

“What the hell is this?”

His forehead narrowed at the truly eerie sight. Even with rough counting, there seemed to be thousands. Was he storing corpses in the Sea of Ghost to keep them frozen?

“Damn bastard…”

Ronan twisted his lips. The more he peeled, the more wretched aspects revealed themselves, like an onion growing in hell.

Ronan wondered how he had managed to accumulate so much, but that wasn’t important right now. It was the moment Ronan had been looking for Barka. From not far away, a familiar voice could be heard.

“Did you really manage to bring down Aradan… At this point, I have no choice but to admit it.”

“Huh?”

Ronan quickly turned his head. Facing Barka, his eyes widened in surprise. Barka stood with crossed arms, just a dozen steps away.

“You.”

“Don’t worry. There are no more scrolls left, and I can’t go far anyway because of the crossbow bolt that woman fired… It wasn’t just an ordinary arrow.”

Barka spoke with a weary voice. Indeed, a crossbow bolt was deeply embedded in his right thigh.

From the abnormally swollen wound, red blood dripped steadily. It seemed poisoned. Barka continued speaking.

“But you didn’t kill Aradan. He can’t rest eternally until I allow it. Even if he’s shattered into a thousand pieces, he will survive, that is my masterpiece, Aradan Turkon.”

“You fucking bastard.”

For a moment, veins bulged on Ronan’s forehead. There was no need to activate the Aura. With a single leap, Ronan closed the distance and landed in front of Barka.

With this distance, he could cut any number of variables. He growled, putting his hand on the hilt of his sword.

“Is that all you have to say?”

“There’s still more. How about we negotiate?”

“Negotiate?”

“That’s right. I’ll make you an offer you cannot refuse.”

Barka’s lips curved into a somewhat relaxed smile. Seeing him speak such words in such a situation seemed to indicate a strong belief in what he said. After a moment of silence, Ronan spoke up.

“Go ahead, spill it.”

“Alright. What I want is for you to just let me go from here. Disappear without a trace. You can destroy my hideout or hand it over to the Empire, do as you wish.”

“Was it a plea for your life? Then what can you offer?”

“I’ll lift the curse cast across the entire North and allow Aradan to rest eternally. I’ll also provide any information I have about Nebula Clazier. Moreover, I am the Bishop of the Northern Diocese, and I plan to resign from this foolish group.”

Ronan hesitated at the last condition. He had momentarily forgotten that this bastard was a part of Nebula Clazier. Rubbing his chin, he replied.

“It’s somewhat tempting, but not irresistible.”

“Haha… I expected that and prepared something. Would you like to look over there for a moment?”

Chuckling, Barka nodded towards the north. The fierce wind caressed the ice plain where the corpses were stuck. Ronan, sensing something strange, frowned.

“Grrr…”

“Kkieeeek…!”

The familiar scream carried by the wind. Ronan squinted and scanned the direction of the sound. About 1km away, the bodies of beastmen were rising, breaking through the ice. Ronan’s face stiffened.

“Could it be…?”

“Yes. I released their control when I entered the hideout. By tomorrow night, all the corpses here will awaken, breaking through the ice. They can either turn the North into hell according to my orders, or peacefully return to sleep.”

Barka added that there were over ten thousand available corpses, all of them elite soldiers enhanced by his spell. They would’ve been used as forces when the time came to overthrow the Empire completely.

“Moreover, the curse I’ve spread across the entire North is one that you cannot undo with your abilities. It may look simple, but it took me over ten years to modify it. If you refuse my offer, I plan to trigger all the curses.”

Barka was speaking expansively, with arms spread wide. His antics resembled those of an intelligent protagonist who finally delivers the blow to the villain at the last moment. He concluded with a sly question.

“Well, isn’t this offer irresistible now?”

Ronan didn’t respond. Indeed, it wasn’t an offer that couldn’t be refused, but he had the right to be skeptical. From what Barka had shown so far, it was likely not an empty threat.

“Just pretend like nothing happened. Peace will return to the North, and once the truth of the incident is revealed, my foolish compatriots will sing your praises.”

Barka’s voice, sweetly tempting, radiated excitement. It was evident that he was already intoxicated with the sense of victory.

Alright, decision made.

After much deliberation, Ronan finally spoke up.

“Um… no way in hell.”

“What?”

Barka’s eyes widened. Ronan tugged at the hilt of his sword. Swoosh! Lamancha, which had disappeared for a moment, reappeared, neatly separating his torso and limbs.

“Ack! Aaaargh!”

There was no chance for any rebuttal. Barka, now a writhing mess, rolled on the ground. The scream of agony, the sound of bones breaking, reverberated over the Sea of Ghosts.

“D-Didn’t you hear me? If I die, there’ll be no one here to stop these corpses! Do you think you can cut down all ten thousand soldiers?”

“What does it matter?”

“That curse, what will you do about it? Killing me won’t make it disappear! Are you planning to send thousands, no, millions of people to hell?”

“That’s up to them to figure it out.”

Ronan replied nonchalantly. The composure vanished from Barka’s face.

“You… bastard! Then do as you please. The North will perish because of you!”

Struggling, he shouted with a voice full of anger. At the same time, a massive mana shockwave spread out from Barka.

Like sewage pouring out of a drain, the nauseating energy spread beyond the Sea of Ghosts, reaching to the horizon. With the tip of his sword pressed against Barka’s throat, Ronan spoke.

“Just stop now. I’ll at least kill you without any pain.”

“It’s already too late. Even if you somehow manage to survive, hell will be waiting for you!”

The sound of cracking ice echoed all around them. It was the sound of the corpses awakening from their slumber. Ronan, scratching his head for a moment, raised his sword.

“Well, then we’ll have to resort to primitive methods.”

“No matter how much you torture me, nothing will change!”

Barka explained that he had cast a spell on himself to not feel pain. Ronan sighed, sensing it would be a messy fight. Should he first gouge out both his eyes and take him to Rodolan? It was the moment he was thinking about how to take Barka to Rodolan..

“Ronan. Wait.”

“…Adeshan?”

Ronan turned at the familiar voice. Adeshan, who had come out from the laboratory, was approaching.

“…I think I can do it.”

Her staggering steps resembled those of someone intoxicated. She stood in front of Barka. Barka sneered as he looked up at Adeshan.

“Hah, are you trying to manipulate my mind with that strange magic again? You already know it won’t work, right?”

“Yeah. That was before.”

“Ridiculous. Now it will? Only lowlifes would be affected…”

Barka was about to say something when suddenly Adeshan, kneeling, placed her hand on his head. For a moment, Barka’s body stiffened.

“Ugh…!”

Watching in astonishment, Ronan stepped back. The shadow mana, so intense that it made his head hurt, was blooming over Adeshan’s shoulders.

‘What happened?’

While Adeshan’s growth rate was already rapid, this was too radical. It reminded Ronan of the moment when Shullifen awakened his Aura in Dainhar.

“Affected… Affected… Affected…”

Barka was repeating the same words like a parrot. His eyes were already clouded like overcast skies. It was a clear sign that his mind was properly under control. Adeshan, watching him intently, spoke.

“Barka, release all the curses you’ve spread.”

“…I will.”

Barka nodded. Ronan’s eyes widened. His demeanor, including his tone, had become as polite as a peasant addressing a noblewoman.

As he murmured something, another wave of mana spread beyond the horizon. Unlike before, the wave flying through the wind felt clear and pure.

“Oh my god.”

Ronan exclaimed instinctively, sensing that the curses had likely vanished. This level of control was almost comparable to her from the previous life. Adeshan continued.

“Barka, stop raising the corpses.”

“…I will. However, I cannot control the corpses that have already risen.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Barka, nodding, mumbled something again. The sound of ice breaking from all directions noticeably decreased. Except for the ones already exposed, it seemed like all the corpses had stopped moving.

Adeshan made a few more demands. She requested any information he could provide, and asked him to lift the curse binding Aradan.

“…I will.”

Barka responded soullessly, nodding to her demands. While some shocking information related to Nebula Clazier emerged, there was no reaction more surprising than what was happening before Ronan’s eyes. After the exchange was over, Adeshan removed her hand from Barka’s head.

“Barka, open your eyes and look at me now.”

“I will… h-huh?!”

Barka’s voice lost its drowsiness. His eyes, now fully conscious, widened as if they were about to pop out.

“Wh-what did you do to me?!”

“Barka, I’ll give you one last chance. Apologize to those who have suffered because of your actions.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, you damned bug! Tell me what you’ve done to me right now!”

Barka snarled, baring his fangs. It seemed like he didn’t remember what he had done while under the control. Of course, with his limbs severed, he was not threatening at all. Adeshan, looking down at him with a cold gaze, spoke to Ronan.

“Ronan, do you remember the promise you made to me?”

“The promise…? Ah.”

Ronan nodded. She was talking about the promise they made at the ice cave. Ronan had promised to hand over Barka’s fate to her.

“I remember. Do as you wish.”

“Thank you.”

Adeshan smiled. But it was merely a passing phenomenon, like moonlight flickering through a storm. She then became serious again and looked down at Barka.

“Wh-what, what are you trying to do…”

Just meeting that sinking gaze made his blood freeze. Sensing a terrifying event about to unfold, Barka struggled. Adeshan, who had been staring at him silently, spoke up.

“Barka. From now on, no matter what happens, you must not breathe.”

“What kind of nonsense is that? Why would I…”

Barka’s words were cut off. Somehow, he couldn’t breathe. It felt like his throat had closed up so tightly that not even a drop of water could pass through. Though Ronan didn’t know what was happening, he chuckled as he watched.

“It’s satisfying. Seems better than tearing limbs apart.”

“I was worried. Originally, it would’ve been impossible due to the structure of this body, but with this ability, it seems possible…”

Adeshan murmured. Her gaze was fixed on Barka’s eyes, which reflected his dying face in white.

“Everything you’ve accomplished will disappear. If there’s hell, your soul will surely burn there.”

“Keuk…! Ugh!”

“Miracles won’t happen. You’ll die without achieving anything. Until the end, he’ll never become anything resembling a king.”

“Arraaaggh! Ugh, ugh!”

Barka twisted in agony, even though his body was missing limbs. His will to live was moving his dying body. Adeshan, remaining calm, continued speaking.

“And, in the North, where peace will be restored, the laughter of people will echo once again.”

“…!”

After about five minutes, his movements ceased. Barka’s face, with his breath cut off, was distorted in utter despair. Ronan, approaching cautiously, checked his pulse. Confirming that there was no pulse, he nodded.

“He’s gone. Completely.”