The Legendary Spearman Returns

Side Story Chapter 218

-What?

Out of all the people around the portal, Jack was the most sensitive to demonic power and the Seven Evil Sins, so he was the first one to notice the black thing flying out of Kireua. Anyone else wouldn’t even be able to notice Coal, let alone see it.

-Wh-What in the world...?

Jack’s jaw dropped to the ground. Although it wasn’t complete yet, the dimensional gate was firmly established. It certainly shouldn’t have been shaking like it was now. Yet, that wasn’t the end of the problems.

The gate undulated like an ocean wave and vomited out the vitality that it had already absorbed.

“Urgghh...” The survivors groaned as their vitality was returned; losing and recovering so much at once was more than they could handle.

-N-No. My gate! My gate!

While Jack screamed, Kireua darted toward him. Coal had sacrificed itself to give Kireua this opportunity, so he was going to regret it his entire life if he let it go.

‘Magic Sword Arts Level 5: Destruction Sword.’

Kireua decided he would kill Jack with this strike, knowing that he was pushing himself past his limits.

Level 5 Magic Spear Arts techniques far exceeded the level of advanced Masters, so it was unclear if Kireua would succeed even using his full power. However, Kireua saw the walls he had to surmount and was undeterred.

‘I can do it,’ Kireua told himself. No, he had to do it. For the sake of the survivors, for a better Avalon, and Coal, whose ego was being ground away even at this moment!

Kireua’s sword burst into black flames.

As his mana rushed within him like an ocean wave, his aura enveloped him like a storm. Huge mountains, vast oceans, and dense forests would become ash before his sword. His enemies would be trampled and burned, and when he was done he would have no more enemies in this world.

‘A little more...!’ Kireua clenched his teeth, blood dripping out of his mouth.

He was overtaxing himself. Even though he knew the Level 5 Magic Spear Arts techniques in theory, he’d never actually tried to put such exquisite techniques into practice.

Cain’s eyes slowly widened. “That’s His Majesty’s...”

It was almost like he was looking at Joshua. It was a perfect recreation of the Magic Spear Arts.

‘Apocalypse.’ Kireua swung his sword down.

The attack sliced through the air toward Jack, but despite its fancy name, it looked like an ordinary aura strike—far too slow in Jack’s eyes.

-This is nothing!

Jack created two immense spheres of lightning in his hands that grew until the entire clearing was brightened by their crackling light.

-Heaven’s Fury!

Jack could use an Eighth Circle spell just by incanting the name because he had calculated the formula beforehand. His two spheres of lightning flew into the sky.

The rest happened in a flash.

Living up to its name, Kireua’s attack was accompanied by the ominous rumbles of thunder, harbingers of doom. The thunder was far louder than anyone was prepared for.

“Arghhh! My ears...!”

“Knights, shield your ears with your mana and then protect the children!” Cain shouted.

Kireua and Jack met head-on.

“Urgh...!” Cain flinched.

A rain of extremely powerful lightning bolts lashed out at Kireua unerring accuracy, shrouding him in a blinding halo of light.

“Everyone, close your eyes!”

Despite being infused with mana, Cain’s voice was still drowned out by thunder. Fortunately, Anna was ready.

“Leave it to me!” Anna turned to the side. “Sylphelion!“

Her mighty wind elemental spirit appeared and created a barrier of wind, just in time to deflect a torrent of stray sparks. Had Anna been a little later, all of them would have been caught in the rain of lightning too.

“Your Highness...!” Cain clenched his teeth, frustrated that he was unable to join the fight in order to protect the survivors.

After a long, violent minute passed, the deafening thunder, quaking ground, and blinding light began to subside.

When he saw the battlefield again, Cain’s lips trembled in awe. The forest had turned into an inferno. Craters littered the Black Monster Forest’s firm ground, dotting the now barren soil with pools of molten lava.

The collision between the ebon flames—the fires of the Demon Realm—and an Eighth Circle lightning spell had evaporated everything in the vicinity, both monster and tree.

And in the center of the devastation, a human and a lich were facing each other.

“Your Highness!” Cain shouted as he struggled toward Kireua.

Even at a glance, Cain could tell that Kireua’s condition was serious. His scarlet hair was blackened by ash, and a lot of his hair had been melted to his scalp by the heat. Worse, he was covered with scars that ran across his skin like tree branches, proof that the lightning bolts had overcome his defenses.

“You!” Cain’s rage boiled over and he threw himself at the lich, his sword lunging for Jack’s neck.

But then he heard a quiet sound, like sand slipping away. Cain stopped right in front of Jack because it was clear where the sound was coming from. Jack had been neatly bisected and then turned into dust. Cain’s lips trembled again. Kireua had done it. The Imperial Family’s ugly duckling had slain an Eighth Circle mage.

“Your Highness...” Cain clenched his fists in a vain attempt to control the rush of emotions.

Kireua staggered. Cain reached out to him, but someone else was quicker.

“Good job.” Anna gently embraced Kireua, patting him on the back.

Although he was gravely injured, Kireua’s mind was clearer than ever, so he couldn’t smile despite his victory.

“...Coal,” Kireua murmured, almost inaudibly.

Anna’s eyes snapped to the dimensional gate, the cause of everything. It was fading away too. It turned out that the forest, Kireua, and Jack weren’t the only ones to undergo a cataclysmic change.

“His Highness Kireua... is this strong? ”

“The rumors were wrong. He’s comparable to His Highness Selim!”

“E-Even the sky was shaking. Maybe he’s stronger than Prince Selim...”

Anna let the troops’ whispers sink in as her eyes darted over the awe-inspiring aftermath. All of the trees nearby had been cleanly erased, unveiling the sky, but it was split into two right after the dimensional gate had disappeared.

Kireua coughed and trembled weakly.

Anna smiled bitterly. “Get some rest. It’s over now...”

Though no one else had noticed yet, Anna could tell that Kireua was quietly crying. He mourned for Coal.

-You... fucking... brat...!

Cain and Anna turned around and saw the scattered particles of Jack’s body merging back together.

“...He’s a lich, alright.” Anna frowned, concerned. “But he’s recovering too quickly, considering the damage he took.”

It was well known that a lich was immortal unless their phylactery was destroyed, but that didn’t mean that a lich was always invincible. Enough damage would slow a lich’s recovery considerably.

“...It’s okay. It’s over,” Kireua quietly told her.

“Hmm?” Anna looked down. “What did you say?”

“Coal... The power of Greed swallowed the gate and the world beyond it to stop the greedy gods from entering.”

Anna's eyes widened in shock. How strong was the power of Greed to swallow the world beyond the gate? However, if that was true...

-...What? N-no. That’s impossible... impossible!

As expected, Jack disintegrated again, a lot quicker than before.

-Nooooo!

Before long, everyone could instinctively tell that Jack was gone for good.

Anna heaved a sigh of relief and stroked Kireua’s head. “...Its name was Coal, right? You and Coal saved the world. Allow me to offer my gratitude on behalf of all of us.”

Although Kireua hadn’t told her a lot, Anna was quick-witted and had pieced things together on her own. It might not be enough to stop Igrant’s destruction, but it was clear that the continent would be forever remembered as the land of humans, not a realm lost to the gods from beyond the gate.

“Thank you, and goodbye, Coal.” Anna bowed deeply at where the portal used to be.