◈ 677. [STAGE 40] Forgotten Season (3)
Present.
Crossroads. North gate.
“….”
King Aryan, who returned with the people who had run away, looked ahead with a stern face.
In front of the North Gate, the kings of the World Defense Front were looking at themselves with devastated expressions.
Miller Arian calmed his expression shamelessly, then went in front of the kings… and spoke in an ever calm and polite voice.
“I want to entrust myself to the World Defense Front again. My soldiers and all those who left with me say the same thing.”
“….”
“I will do anything if I can defeat the black dragon. Please give me another chance.”
“I don’t know why you had a change of heart, Miller.”
Traha stepped forward and let out a soft sigh.
“We also decided to retreat.”
“…what?”
“I decided that the battle at the Crossroads could no longer continue. “We will retreat and move north to push the front line upward.”
The city was already busy.
Miller’s eyes rolled back as he saw the men preparing to vacate the fort.
“No, no, no!”
Miller approached Traha with great strides and shouted.
“We must fight here, Traha! “Don’t bite the wire!”
“But Miller….”
“If you get bitten by the wire! “The longer there is no daylight in this world!”
dump!
Miller knelt before the kings.
“The North is dead.”
“….”
“As quickly as possible from here…! If you don’t defeat the black dragon! The Aryan Kingdom and all the northern countries… will be covered in snow and freeze to death!”
Only then did the kings learn why the people of the Aryan Kingdom had returned.
“I apologize like this.”
Miller knelt down and bowed to the crowned head.
“I would like to apologize for my selfish cowardice. So please… fight here.”
“….”
“Aryan the North… Please do not abandon the Crossroads…!”
The kings exchanged perplexed glances.
No matter how you look at it, it’s a situation where you have to retreat. After listening to Miller, I realized this.
The North is covered in snow right now, but what happens after that?
How many days will grace remain in this world? Even if you escape, isn’t destruction already up to your chin?
Traha muttered in a voice full of lamentation.
“Even if I stay here… who on earth is going to stop that evil dragon?”
Then,
“We will stop it.”
This time a voice came from the city.
When everyone turned around, the heroes of the expedition team, led by Lucas, were walking there.
Everyone was injured and wearing bandages. However, only his eyes were boiling with an eerie subdued hatred.
“We have a plan, Your Majesty.”
Lucas, who had shown courtesy in front of the emperor, reported in a dry, voiceless voice.
“Two more. “If I block the breath two more times, the black dragon’s body will reach directly in front of the Crossroads.”
“….”
“We will kill him then. “The operation is in place and we have the strength, skill and will to do so.”
After briefly explaining their operation.
Lucas glanced around and saw Dusk Bringer standing at the end of the group of kings.
“Please hold on for two more.”
“….”
“Whether you allow it or not, whether you abandon Crossroads or not, we will remain here anyway. And we will execute this operation.”
Lucas calmly spat out words that could sound disrespectful towards the emperor.
“Please decide whether to help me or not, Your Majesty.”
“…Lord Lucas.”
Traha clicked his tongue and looked at Lucas and the heroes under him.
“Is there any reason to do this?”
It was clear what the words ‘to this extent’ meant.
darkness.
Lucas and the heroes who followed him all had a noticeable darkness.
He was wearing like a cloak a deep and terrible hatred and resentment that was not even present when he was with Ash.
Vengeful demons….
Under the pretext of protecting the world, they were actually pushing themselves beyond human standards in order to avenge Ash.
“Because His Majesty the Crown Prince told me.”
When Ash’s story came up, Lucas’ voice was filled with animal-like enthusiasm.
“This is the entrance to royalties. “This is the world’s final line of defense.”
Point of No Return – Point of no return.
If you abandon this place. If you give me this place.
The world is ending.
Lucas could tell intuitively. The moment the black dragon crosses the Crossroads and goes further north, there will be no more hope for humanity.
If the night gets darker, there will be no more light in this world.
“So, all I can do is follow his words and kill him here.”
“Is that really the reason?”
“….”
“You’re not just looking for a place to die, right?”
The emperor’s eyes met Lucas’s.
The emperor’s eyes, which had lost their absolute glory, were no longer golden. It was the same deep black as his son.
And in the place where the glory was lost, skill and blood were filled with regret and pity.
“….”
For some reason, that gaze seemed like that of my father who died a long time ago.
Lucas lowered his bright blue eyes and avoided eye contact.
Traha turned towards the kings with a soft sigh and opened his mouth.
“This is a repeat of what I said before. “We have only one decision to make.”
The kings’ eyes grew tense, their teeth clenched, and their fists clenched.
“Do you die quickly or die slowly? In the end, that’s the only problem in life.”
Northerners on their knees.
Vengeful ghosts who have surrendered themselves to the darkness.
Even kings who are worried.
Traha looked at them all once and smiled, revealing his characteristic molars.
“Do you have the courage to bury everyone here together in the grave?”
***
12 hours later.
It’s been 48 hours since Black Dragon’s royalties landed.
Thump… thump… thump….
As the huge darkness crossed the forest, all the trees it touched were uprooted and rotted or withered and fell.
Behind the darkness moving northward, it was no longer possible to observe anything in the south. As the foggy night falls, everything is immersed in darkness.
thud…!
At some point, the advance stopped.
The darkness slowly stretched its trembling feet around and firmly held on to the ground.
Gooooooo…!
Afterwards, the air trembled, magical power vibrated, and an enormous sound spread throughout the surroundings.
Breath, without a doubt.
Climbing Night – The Night Bringer was loading his fifth breath towards Inse.
“Khuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu…!”
However, the scouts of the scouting team had to inform Crossroads of this fact.
Everyone was lying dying in the forest not far from the teleportation gate.
It was because the Night Bringer’s morale had become too thick. Everyone who was watching was on the verge of going crazy or suffocating to death.
“Ahhhhhhhhhh!”
A soldier covered in tears and snot desperately raised his twitching arms and pressed them against the floor.
“I have to let you know… I have to let Crossroads know…!”
The soldier bit the flesh on the inside of his cheek instead of his lips, which he no longer had anything to chew on. But let alone coming to my senses, I didn’t even feel pain.
Somehow, my arms, which were trying to crawl towards the teleportation gate, lost strength. The soldier, face down in the dirt, chewed the dirt and shed tears.
“Ah ah….”
I was afraid.
Of course I was afraid of dying in a place like this, but now I was even more afraid when I imagined that vicious darkness trampling on the helpless people above the front lines.
I was afraid that the sacrifices of my colleagues would become meaningless. I was afraid that the glorious days on the front here were disappearing.
The soldier was a veteran skirmisher who had participated in all battles in Crossroads since the day Living Armor invaded after Ash took office.
He has witnessed the battles fought and the miracles performed on this front.
All those days were falling apart.
That’s why I was afraid, and that’s why…
“Keuuuuuuu!”
After hitting the dirt with his forehead, he tried to crawl forward using his shoulders instead of his disobedient limbs.
“Urgent, urgent, urgent…!” Night Bringer’s next breath…!”
But it’s far.
The teleportation gate is close, but I can’t reach it with this body that doesn’t move properly. If things continue like this, no matter how hard we struggle, it will be too late.
“Please… Crossroads….”
The soldier sobbed, putting his head down on the dirt floor.
“Protect the world….”
And. The sound of the magic stone of the teleport gate being activated was
heard
.
Flash!
Magic light flashed.
Jerk. Jerk.
Then the sound of footsteps approaching.
The soldier thought he was already dead and was hallucinating, but that was not the case.
Someone approached and gently placed a hand on the soldier’s shoulder.
“Shhh. are you okay. “Everyone is fine.”
It was a tired but warm voice.
“Close your eyes. That darkness is now polluting my mind just by facing it… But it’ll be okay as long as I’m here. “Take a slow, deep breath.”
The mere sight of that person brought the entire scout team to their senses. Strength returned to my disobedient body.
The soldiers stood up, breathing heavily. In the meantime, as the other person said, everyone’s eyes were tightly closed.
If this person tells you to do it, you must do it… For some reason, it was imprinted on everyone.
“Everyone did what they had to do.”
Someone tapped each soldier on the shoulder and made them hold each other’s hands.
“From now on, just leave it to me and return to Crossroads. Because the teleport gate still works. “Go and tell me about his breath.”
“….”
“You can’t open your eyes. It’s right to hold hands. “Go straight in that direction.”
The soldiers acted as if they were fascinated by his words.
The teleport gate was right in front. The soldiers staggered one by one and returned to the Crossroads through the teleportation gate.
“Oh and!”
The veteran skirmisher who was walking blankly at the end of the line suddenly came to his senses when he heard those words.
“Do you have any cigarettes left?”
The scout hurriedly searched in his chest, took out a new cigarette pack he was carrying, and held it out behind him. The other person smiled happily and took the cigarette pack.
“This is it. thank you. I almost died from picking up shitty cigarettes in the basement and smoking them because they tasted so bad. “Of course, Everblack is the best cigarette.”
“….”
The scout, who was still standing in front of the rotating magic door with his eyes closed… stuttered and asked a belated question.
“Who… who are you?”
“huh?”
It’s definitely a voice I’ve heard before. That’s a voice I hear very often.
For some reason, it felt unfamiliar, as if I was hearing it for the first time. So the scouts could not know who their opponents were.
It’s a very familiar and even nostalgic voice.
Who was this person?
“….”
Then the other person was silent for a moment and then said,
“Just… one of your colleagues.”
He said that with a grin and pushed the scout into the teleportation gate.
“He’s a forgetful old man.”
Flash!
The magic light flashed and the last skirmisher was pushed into the teleport gate.
The man turned around – Ash skillfully opened a new cigarette pack and took one in his hand. Then, he walked towards the Night Bringer with a nonchalant gait.
《…?》
Embarrassment, confusion, and joy flashed through Night Bringer’s eyes as he belatedly noticed Ash getting closer.
“player? How… are you alive?》
“It’s been a while, Black Dragon. I haven’t seen you before. You’ve grown a lot.”
Ash clicked his tongue as he examined the breath gathered by the Night Bringer.
“Don’t blow on fire…”
He waved the cigarette pipe in his hand.
“Try to light a fire here.”
《….》
The Night Bringer’s huge mouth, which was gathering its breath, opened wide as if it could not contain its laughter.
