215. King of the North (9)
#215
It was two years ago that Adeshan first felt the presence of something inside him. He remembered it accurately because it was also the day he first met Ronan.
While caring for the man who had lost consciousness after being attacked by Nabirose he suddenly developed a headache. He quickly sank down and was devastated. Even thinking about it now the pain was dizzying enough to make me break out in a cold sweat.
Anyway ever since Adeshan’s headache went away he started to feel that someone was inside his head. That ‘someone’ whose presence was only vaguely felt often spoke to Adeshan but until now his voice was too quiet to be heard.
【okay. Just a little more.】
However it has reached an understandable size. It was the voice of a calm yet dignified woman. Her Ade Shan’s eyes widened. She opened her mouth without realizing it.
“What did you just say…?”
“Huh? “What’s wrong?”
“Oh no. wait for a sec.”
Ronan asked but she glossed over the situation by shaking her head. A voice echoed from inside Adeshan again.
【Do not suppress your emotions. It’s about forcing your raw unrefined will on the enemy.】
[Who are you? Why is it in my head?]
【Calm down Adeshan. Time is not far.】
[How can you say my name…!]
She asked Adeshan telephonically but no answer came back from her. Ronan who had been quietly watching her raised his eyebrows.
‘…what?’
Although it was only for a moment I could feel the spirit of her days as a general. Unlike her battered body the mana blooming on her shoulders was pulsating more vigorously than ever.
Her shadow drawn by the torch was reminiscent of her past life. dump. Ade Shan who had been staring into space as if fascinated by something about her sat down again.
“Are you sure it’s okay?”
“Ugh… I’ll catch up with you in a moment so chase after me first. Because you can’t miss it…”
Her wounds were healed but it seemed like she still needed time to recover. She Ade Shan held out her blood gauge that she carried with her. Ronan who was holding her hand nodded her head.
“I’ll finish it.”
“Please.”
Adeshan let out a weak laugh. The needle she was handed pointed exactly to the side door through which Barca exited.
Ronan who had gathered her thoughts took her steps. It was a dark hallway. It seemed like a side road made for emergency escape. The traces of blood left by her crossbow marked the trajectory he had taken.
‘I feel it. ‘I couldn’t go far.’
I could tell without looking at her blood pressure readings. Barca was still around. Footsteps echoed in the long narrow space.
The passage wasn’t very long so the end was soon visible. Light was seeping in from the far end. The moment I left the already open stone gate a cold wind that seemed to make my blood freeze came rushing in.
As expected the passage led to the outside of the hideout. The massive bottom of the ship loomed behind us. It was like crossing the ship up and down through the underground. A vast plain of ice unique to the ghostly sea spread out before my eyes.
“Hmm?”
Suddenly Ronan tilted her head. Underneath the endless ice dark chunks were packed.
They were lined up at irregular intervals and were reminiscent of raisins stuck in bread. The unusual feeling wasn’t like a rock. It didn’t take long to realize that they were all corpses of prisoners.
“What the fuck is this?”
Ronan’s brows narrowed at the truly bizarre sight. She looked like she was in the thousands no matter how small she was. Could it be that they settled here in the Sea of Wraiths to keep the corpses frozen?
“You bad boy….”
Ronan twisted his lips. The more you peel it the more its shitty side is revealed just like an onion growing in hell.
I wondered how they had collected all this but that wasn’t the important thing right now. It was the car he was looking around for Barca. A familiar voice came from not far away.
“I wonder if he even defeated Aradan… I have no choice but to admit it at this point.”
“ok?”
Ronan quickly turned his head. When he met Barca his eyes widened. Barka was standing with his arms crossed not even ten steps away.
“you.”
“Don’t worry. “There are no scrolls left and you can’t go far because of the crossbow she shot anyway… It wasn’t an ordinary arrow.”
Barka said in a tired voice. Indeed there was a crossbow deeply embedded in his right thigh.
Red blood was dripping from the abnormally swollen wound. It looked like it had been poisoned. Barca continued.
“But I didn’t kill Aradan. Because he can never find eternal rest until I allow him to. “My masterpiece Aradan Turgung is something that survives even if it is cut into a thousand pieces.”
“You fucking bastard.”
For a moment a vein appeared on Ronan’s forehead. He didn’t even need to activate the aura. bang! Ronan narrowed the distance with one leap and landed in front of Barca.
With this interval it could be cut no matter what variables were taken into account. He growled putting his hand on the hilt of his sword.
“Is that all you have to say?”
“It still remains. “How about we negotiate?”
“negotiation?
“okay. “I will make you an offer you cannot refuse.”
There was a somewhat relaxed smile on Barca’s lips. When I saw him say such things in such situations it seemed like he had a strong belief in it. Ronan who was silent for a moment opened his mouth.
“Tell me something.”
“good. All I want is for you to just let me go from here. It disappears without a trace. “You can either burn my hideout or hand it over to the empire.”
“Was it a begging for life? So what can you offer?”
“I will lift the curse on the entire North and put Aradan in eternal rest. I’ll tell you as much information as I know about Nebula Clage. Even so I am the bishop of the Northern Diocese and I plan to withdraw from this stupid group.”
Ronan was shocked when he heard the last condition. Because he was such an asshole I even forgot for a moment that this bastard was Nebula Clazier. He was smoothing his chin and opened his mouth.
“It’s attractive but not irresistible.”
“Hehe… I knew that would happen and prepared for it. “Would you like to look over there for a moment?”
Barka grinned and glanced north. A strong wind was caressing the icy plain where the corpse lay. Ronan suddenly sensed a strange sound and frowned.
“Grrr.”
“Keeeeek…!”
The roaring sound in the wind was familiar. Ronan narrowed his eyes and looked in the direction the sound came from. About 1km away the corpses of prisoners were breaking through the ice. Ronan’s face hardened.
“That can’t be right….”
“okay. I lost control the moment I entered the hideout. Tomorrow night every corpse here will wake up smashing through the ice. “They can follow my orders and create hell in the North or they can just go back to sleep.”
Barka added that the number of bodies immediately available was more than 10000. The fact that they are all elite soldiers who have gone through his own strengthening procedures. These were the troops that would one day be used to completely overthrow the empire.
“Furthermore the curse that has been placed on the entire northern region is one that your abilities will never be able to lift. It looks simple but it took over ten years to renovate it. “The moment you reject my offer I plan to unleash all the curses.”
Barka was speaking with his arms spread wide. What he was doing was like an intelligent protagonist who took a hit at the villain at the last moment. He concluded with a question mixed with laughter.
“Isn’t this an offer you can’t refuse?”
Ronan didn’t answer. It was truly an offer he couldn’t refuse so he had the right to flutter his mouth. Judging from the abilities Barca has shown so far there is a high possibility that this is not a lie.
“It’s just moving on as if nothing happened. When peace comes to the North and the truth of the incident becomes known my foolish compatriots will sing songs praising you.”
I could even feel the excitement in Barca’s sweetly seductive voice. It was clear that I was already intoxicated with victory.
Okay I decided.
Ronan who had been thinking for a while finally opened his mouth.
“Uhm…fuck it.”
“what?”
Barca’s eyes widened. Ronan tugged at the hilt of his sword. Sigh! La Mancha who had disappeared for a moment appeared and at the same time his torso and limbs were neatly separated.
“Whoa! “Kaaaa!!”
He had no time to protest. Barca who had become a turtle rolled around on the floor. A blood-curdling scream echoed across the sea of ghosts.
“Didn’t you hear me? If I die there will be no one to stop the corpse here! “Do you think you can cut down all 10000 soldiers?”
“Why not try something?”
“What are you planning to do with that curse? It won’t go away if you kill me! “Are you planning to drive dozens… no millions of people into hell?”
“That’s up to them to take care of it.”
Ronan answered calmly. The composure disappeared from Barca’s face.
“Holy shit…! Then I’ll do whatever you want. “The North will be destroyed because of you!”
As he struggled he shouted in an angry voice. At the same time a huge ripple of mana spread around Barka.
Like wastewater from a sewer the disgusting energy spread across the Sea of Ghosts and to the horizon. Ronan said pointing the tip of his sword at his throat.
“Just stop now. “At least I’ll kill you without pain.”
“It’s already too late. “No matter how you survive hell awaits you!”
The sound of ice breaking was echoing everywhere. It was the sound of corpses waking up from their sleep. Ronan scratched his head once and raised his sword.
“Then we have no choice but to go with the primitive method.”
“No matter how much I torture you nothing will change!”
Barca explained that he had placed a spell on himself that prevented him from feeling pain. Ronan who had a feeling that it was going to be a very dirty fight sighed. Should he first gouge out both his eyes and take him to Rodolan? It was the car he was thinking about how to transport.
“Ronan. wait.”
“…Adeshan?”
Ronan turned his head when he heard his familiar voice. Before I knew it Adeshan had come out of the lab and was approaching here.
“…I think I can do it.”
His unsteady gait made him look like he was drunk. She stopped in front of Barka. Barca looked up at Adeshan and snorted.
“Are you planning on messing with my mind with that strange technique? “I’m sure you’ve already confirmed that that doesn’t work right?”
“huh. “It was like that before.”
“That’s funny. Does it happen again now? “Only those lesser-known people get caught…”
Barca was about to say something. Suddenly Ade Shan bent his knees and placed his hand on his head. For a moment Barca’s body became stiff.
“Huh…!”
Ronan who was watching frightened and stepped back. The shadow mana so intense that it made his head hurt was blooming over Ade Shan’s shoulders.
‘What happened?’
Although the original growth rate was fast this was too radical. It was reminiscent of the moment when Schlieffen awakened his Auror in Dainhar.
“It takes…it takes…it takes….”
Barka was repeating the same words like a parrot. His eyes were already blurred as if there were dark clouds. It was a phenomenon that proved that the mind control had worked. Ade Shan who had been quietly glaring at him opened his mouth.
“Barca. “Remove all the curses you have spread.”
“…I will do so.”
Barca nodded his head. Ronan’s eyes widened. His overall attitude including his tone of voice had become polite like a serf treating a noble lady.
As he muttered something the wave of mana spread beyond the horizon once again. The waves flying through the wind felt clear and clean unlike before.
“oh my god.”
Ronan who instinctively sensed that the curse had disappeared let out an exclamation. This level of control was almost comparable to his previous life. He Ade Shan continued.
“Barca. “Stop raising corpses.”
“…I will do that. However we cannot control the bodies that have already risen.”
“doesn’t care.”
Barka shook his head and mumbled something again. The sound of ice breaking coming from all directions suddenly quieted down. He seemed to have ceased all activities except for the corpses that had already appeared outside.
Adeshan made a few more requests after that. He demanded that he dig up any information he could and lift the curse that was binding Aradan.
“…I will do so.”
Barka nodded his head soullessly and complied with her request. There was some shocking information related to Nebula Clazier but it was not as shocking as what was happening right now so there was no time to react. After finally finishing the question and answer Ade Shan removed his hand from Barca’s head.
“Barca. Now open your eyes and look at me.”
“I will…Huh?!”
The drowsiness disappeared from Barca’s voice. When he came to his senses his eyes widened as if they were about to pop out.
“What have you done to me now?!”
“Barca. I’ll give you one last chance. “I apologize to those who have suffered from the evil deeds you have committed.”
“Don’t be funny you damn bug! “You can’t tell me right now what you did to me!”
Barca bared her fangs and growled. She apparently had no recollection of what she had done while she had been mind-controlled.
Of course since her limbs were cut off she was not a threat at all. Ade Shan looked down at him with cold eyes. She spoke to Ronan.
“Ronan. “Do you remember what you promised me?”
“promise…? ah.”
Ronan nodded her head. She was talking about her promise she had made in her ice den. Ronan had said she would cede the right to kill Varka.
“I remember. “I do whatever I want.”
“thank you.”
Ade Shan she laughed. But it was just a passing phenomenon like moonlight shining through a storm. She looked down at Barca again with a straight face.
“What…what are you trying to do?”
Just meeting those sunken eyes made my blood freeze. Barca feeling an instinctive sense of foreboding struggled. I don’t know what it was but I felt like something terrible was going to happen. Ade Shan who was staring at him quietly opened her mouth.
“Barca. “From now on no matter what happens you must not breathe.”
“What kind of nonsense is that? “Why would I say something like that?”
Barka was speechless. For some reason I couldn’t breathe. It felt like my throat had closed so wide that not even a drop of water could pass through. Ronan who was watching the scene chuckled.
“I like it because it’s shabby. She seems better than being torn limb from limb.”
“I was worried. Originally it was impossible due to the structure of the body but I thought it would be possible with this ability…”
Adeshan hesitated. Her eyes were fixed on Barca’s eyes. Her gray eyes reflected her own white dying face.
“Everything you have achieved will be lost. “If there is a hell your soul will surely burn there.”
“Gagging…! “Wow!”
“Miracles don’t happen. You die without accomplishing anything. “Until the end he never became anything resembling a king.”
“Kaaaaagh! “Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!”
Barka writhed in pain twisting his limbless body. The will to live was moving his dying body. He may or may not but Ade Shan calmly continued his speech.
“And in the North where peace has been restored people’s laughter will echo again.”
“…!”
After about five minutes the movement stopped. Barka’s face was distorted in complete despair as his breath stopped. Ronan strolled over and grabbed her neck. After confirming that his pulse was not racing he nodded.
“I went. completely.”
