The Protagonists of the Novel Escaped

The disaster of the rampage unleashed a bang of self-destruction!

Ilkeron, allowed a single strike, suffered a fatal wound as half of his face and upper body were engulfed by the explosion. Yet, despite such a lethal injury, he raised his body with a clear mind.

“I never expected this at all. Who would have thought you’d self-destruct…!”

Having triggered all the high explosives strapped around him, there was no way he could survive.

He must have been blown to bits, not leaving a shred behind.

What utter foolish bravery.

Even if it was a way to counter a surprise, it was still too foolish.

Gazing at the foul-smelling remnants of the explosion, Ilkeron raised his sharp blade. Edanant had slowly emerged from the charred battlefield caused by the disaster.

“I can’t believe this…! How are you still intact?”

– Because my body is completely fused with the disaster of war. Similar to how a fire magician wouldn’t get burned.

Despite facing a devastating force that could turn a wide area to ashes in an instant, Edanant was still whole. The armor that had housed the high explosives still held its form.

It was an absurd outcome.

To self-destruct using oneself as the trigger and still be unharmed.

Knowing him, he must have hesitated to resort to such an extreme act of self-destruction to counter the area of swiftness.

“But you can’t be completely unscathed.”

– What a foolish old man.

Though hidden by his armor, Edanant had sustained a severe wound to his neck. The strike Ilkeron delivered just before the explosion had ultimately turned fatal.

If he were lucky, his carotid artery must have been untouched.

Otherwise, he would have struggled to stop the bleeding.

He maximized the healing of his wounds with his divine status.
If he had reacted even slightly slower, a tragedy of a headless ghost would have occurred.

– Thanks to you, I almost became a headless ghost.

“I’ve grown rusty, haven’t I? Turning back from an explosion… If it were the younger Ilkeron Nebiaku, I would have chosen to perish alongside you.”

Had he bravely struck with the intent to die, Edanant would surely have met his end.

Knowing him, Ilkeron wore an expression as if feeling humiliation toward himself.

– It’s time for you to die already.

As Edanant raised one hand, all the muskets in the air aimed at the Black Cardinal. The intent was clear: to instantly kill Ilkeron, whose face and upper body were covered in gruesome burns.

Now, it seemed possible.

Having sustained such serious injuries, he would be unable to move freely.

Hesitation is the most feared factor in defeat.
The image of Ilkeron, utterly wrecked, proved that.

“Is that truly possible?”

As the Black Cardinal lifted his head, his one remaining eye glinted with determination, showing no sign of faltering even after losing one to the explosion.

The harsher the adversity, the stronger one becomes.
Isn’t that the tenacity of the fanatics who worship the Creator Deity?

Ilkeron displayed superhuman perseverance, continuing the battle. Grasping his sword with his battered hands, he appeared almost mad.

Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat—!!!

Hundreds of muskets fired off.

Moments later, a torrent of bullets poured onto the Black Cardinal like heavy rain.

How much could he endure?
There’s no way this battered body could withstand the pressure of the explosions.

– Well… the same trick wouldn’t work on the Holy Kingdom’s hunting dog.

Ilkeron activated the area of swiftness again, successfully escaping the blast zone. With astute observation, he predicted the high explosives’ triggers were set off.

Now that he had evaded the explosion, he would surely counterattack.

Demonstrating that, Ilkeron continuously activated the area of swiftness as he approached Edanant.

– How dare you close the distance.

There was no intention of allowing the hunting dog of the Holy Kingdom to get too close.

The high explosives embedded in his armor released a fierce heat energy, producing a massive explosion.

No matter how many times he tried, the result would be the same.
That battered body wouldn’t withstand the pressure of the explosion.

– Well… the hunting dog of the Holy Kingdom wouldn’t fall for the same trick twice.

Ilkeron activated the area of swiftness once more and was out of the self-destruction range. His keen observation had allowed him to detect the triggers of the high explosives.

Having successfully avoided the explosion, he would undoubtedly initiate a counterattack.

As if to show this, Ilkeron, activating the area of swiftness repeatedly, approached Edanant.

– Despite being little more than a walking corpse.

Deploying high explosives required a minute of time.

If he decided to prepare for another self-destruction, even the hunting dog of the Holy Kingdom wouldn’t attack carelessly.

Edanant raised Aldebaran, ready to counter the oncoming blade.

“Will you last until then?”

As if sensing Edanant’s intent, Ilkeron raised his sword and spoke.

Feeling the cold gleam of the blade, Edanant experienced a spread of fear all over his body. There was no doubt Ilkeron would activate the area of swiftness again.

And he was right.

Ilkeron’s figure blurred like a mirage, and the armor of disaster fell apart.

Clang!
Clang, clang, clang—!!!

The scream of metal echoed. Shreds of the armored disaster were scattered everywhere.

Hack!

Had he been in perfect condition, he would have succeeded in a clean cut.
Having executed the swift strike, he would have severed the life thread.

But unfortunately, Ilkeron was close to death. Furthermore, repeatedly activating the area of swiftness caused a backlash that shook his insides.

He spat out a mouthful of blood.
It was a sign that Ilkeron was slowly reaching his limit.

– Huuu…!

Right in front of him, the Black Cardinal exposed a gap, but Edanant took a step back. Perhaps injured by the strike that had severed the armor of disaster, Edanant pressed his chest as he attempted to stem the bleeding.

His instinctive fear was not mistaken.

The blade of swiftness had precisely aimed for his heart. Had Ilkeron’s assault succeeded, Edanant would have died with his heart pierced.

Unbelievable.
Is this the swordsmanship possible by a human that’s little more than a walking corpse?

He faced death twice already.
How long could he survive by luck alone?

Awareness of the severity struck Edanant, and he raised one hand, commanding the muskets. Though Ilkeron was significantly weakened, he decided to finish it with a barrage of bullets.

Kaboom—!!!

But before he could pull the trigger, the muskets bounced away.

A red storm.
The wind was unleashed from the Holy Sword.

The whirlwind of the Holy Sword twisted through the air, annihilating the disaster of innocence in an instant. Startled, Edanant turned to see the direction from which the ambush had come.

“Master…! I’ll kill that disaster of innocence!!”

A Holy Knight, draped in the wind with the Holy Sword, rushed in.

Sirelle Beilred.
The leader of the guardians and a monster among the Seven Heroes of the Warring States.

Sirelle had barged onto the scene after being detained by Maximilian’s betrayal. Edanant sighed heavily while gazing into the eyes of Sirelle, filled with deep hatred.

– Things are going to be a huge mess. It’s always a disaster.

“No matter what, even I can’t stop Sirelle from suddenly leaving the scene.”

Edanant turned his head as Maximilian, the man with black hair, spoke in a monotonous voice.

Ilkeron, seeing him, swallowed hard.

“To think you could overpower the master… You’ve grown so much since then. I’m proud of you as a brother.”

– What nonsense are you spouting?

Maximilian smiled faintly and retrieved a vial. The red potion inside was a high-grade potion that could heal even fatal wounds in an instant.

Receiving it, Edanant poured it over his severely injured neck and chest.

Sis…sss-.

Smoke began to rise as the deep wounds started to heal.
Confirming that the bleeding had completely stopped, Edanant grasped the hilt of his sword and began to advance. At that moment, Maximilian also drew the Holy Sword in both hands and confronted the Holy Knights of the Holy Kingdom.

“Elder brother?! So you really came to help!”

Zebeline, sweeping away the nearby Holy Knights with pressure waves using her white lightning, shouted with surprise upon seeing Maximilian.

To which he nodded and replied,
“I can’t put a burden on a pregnant woman. Edan, finish them at once.”

– You’re still trusting that fool…?

An unexpected alliance had formed.
Who would have thought he would partner with the one who abandoned the family?

He knew.
They had to overcome the situation even with the enemy’s help.
It was all to protect Zebeline from those of the Holy Kingdom.

As Maximilian aimed to confront both Ilkeron and Sirelle, Edanant’s expression became complicated, and he joined the fray.

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