Chapter 262

The six-star great magic that Hermai spun out by sacrificing his own finger, ‘Great Thunderbolt of Avici Yama Pado’.

Yama is the name of a bird.

It was as huge as a chariot and had five wings.

Each and every feather was made of lightning, descending from the sky.

Avici is the name of a hell.

As thousands of lightning birds pushed through the dark clouds and tried to land on the ground, the whole land turned into hell in an instant.

Hundreds of thousands of Yamas flew into the beautiful Great Imperial Palace of Cordis.

They all headed toward Secundus at once.

“…….”

Secundus was both blind and deaf.

It was because he had endured Hermai’s magic, ‘Great Thunderbolt of Screaming Roars’, with his bare body, causing all the weak parts of his body to turn to ash and crumble.

Even his marrow was burnt black, looking as if he would collapse at any moment, and a burnt smell leaked out whenever he opened his mouth.

However, he was still tamerarious.

“…Um…!”

Rather, this would be better.

Secundus plucked out his own two eyes that had been burnt black.

Then, two eyes grew back in an instant.

The reason was unknown.

His body was always strong in an incomprehensible way.

Secundus, having regained his sight, clenched his fist tight.

One Yama flew in.

It was made of lightning and had no substance.

However, Secundus’s fist struck the insubstantial Yama in a single breath and scattered it.

One lightning bird vanished and disappeared.

“…I am, Debius….”

He muttered in front of tens of thousands of lightning birds.

He clenched his fist, and clenched it again.

The fist he wanted to thrust, the fist he had to thrust.

He pressed all of this down firmly to make it into one.

Yes, as if making it into a single point, as if to bring down even the sky.

“…In this body, the blood of a lion flows-!!!”

The one hundred eight horns bound into one.

Debius One Hundred Eight Forged Horns, ‘One Point Sky Collapse’.

He gathered the Forged Horns that wanted to bounce out in all directions into one place.

The number was one hundred and eight. He put power that a human could not handle into a single fist and knocked on the sky.

Then, the sky collapsed.

The body that had burnt black,

The burnt smell that had permeated even the marrow,

And yet, the tamarious heart that did not break.

The cloudy sky could not handle Secundus.

The dark clouds vanished as if pouring down in a heap, and tens of thousands of lightning birds scattered like illusions.

The sky cleared and bright light poured in.

“…….”

The light poured down.

Secundus remained with his fist stretched toward the sky.

He looked dignified like a general returning in triumph.

However, the reality was that he could no longer move.

He did not even have the energy left to lower his fist even if he wanted to, so he just stopped there, having broken the sky.

“It is truly a dignified figure, Your Highness….”

“…Um. Are you… mocking me…?”

“No. This old man is sincere.”

Hermai Merhes had already descended to the ground.

The old mage did not spin out any more magic.

Instead, he bowed his head deeply.

It was respect toward Secundus.

“Your Highness dealt with this Hermai even while exhausted and worn out, and took one finger.”

“…It is only… one finger, merely….”

“It is something even Deballo could not do.”

“…Is that so? That feels good.”

“For 400 years, I mean to say it is the first time.”

Secundus smiled broadly.

He could smile even in that completely burnt state.

However, a smile was a smile, and pain was pain.

The half-burnt nerves screamed and presented a ceaseless scorching pain.

It hurt terribly.

But the pain was gradually moving away.

Secundus smiled bitterly.

“…This, I will die soon…….”

“You will.”

“…How long… will it take……?”

“It will be about five minutes, Your Highness.”

“……Right, then… a will… Um-hmm, I should have thought of one in advance….”

Secundus frowned.

Even furrowing his brows was not easy.

“……Umm…….”

Even his thoughts were difficult because the lightning had fried even the inside of his head.

He stirred his mind as if scratching it.

“……There was, there was something I had to say…….”

A mumble.

“…Someone said it…. To surely pass on these words if I met you, Grand Dean…. But what were those words…. More importantly, who said that…….”

“…To me?”

“…Who was it, it was a guy I was glad to see…. I thought he was dead for sure……. Meeting him was so glad… that I almost cried without realizing it…. Oh…! Right, I remember… It was him, it was him….”

Facing death, Secundus ended up spitting out a name he should not have spat out without realizing it.

“…It was Zionis….”

***

“…Who did you say?”

Hermai opened his eyes wide.

5th Prince Zionis, the fifth son of the Great Emperor who died during the Succession War 7 years ago.

Secundus strung words together in a stupor.

Because he had no ability left to judge whether he was saying words he was allowed to say or not, only the single thought that he had to pass on the words to Hermai remained.

“…When I met Zionis after a long time… He said to surely tell you this if I met you, Grand Dean…….”

“…What….”

“Come, come here….”

At Secundus’s words, Hermai approached slowly.

Secundus was regretting it, albeit slightly.

Even if I am on the verge of death, should I not have said Zionis’s name, but what can I do about what has already been spat out, right, let’s keep the secret even starting now….

“…Cornelius is alive….”

“!!!”

Hermai trembled at the whisper.

The old mage opened his eyes wide as if he could not believe it, and soon his eyes turned red.

He wanted to shout not to be funny.

He wanted to say not to plant futile hope in this old man and hurt him again.

However, in every single word Secundus strung together while burnt black, there was a weight that made it impossible to think of it as a lie.

“……A lie, it is a lie, Your Highness……. Do not torment this old man…….”

“…No, you must believe…. Zionis smuggled him out…. Cornelius is, very perfectly, peacefully, receiving a high salary and living well, he said….”

“…Is it really, really true?”

“Of course…!”

Secundus dragged up the corners of his mouth with difficulty.

Truly, the end of life was not far.

He prayed.

He prayed that he could finish these words.

To a father who thought he had lost his son, to be tamerarious until the end, without a gap for secrets and lies to intervene, with just a heart wanting to deliver good news.

“……Zionis, although he is a guy who always lies… this was real…. I even communicated with Cornelius, the waves, waves… right, the sound of waves……. Did he go to a beach alone or something, that hateful mustache Dean….”

“The sound of waves! Then where, where is it…?”

Hermai muttered as if possessed.

He muttered places where Cornelius might be, as if Secundus in front of his eyes was not visible.

Indeed, it is understandable to lose one’s mind since the adopted son he thought was dead is alive.

‘Ah, was that it, Zionis……. I knew I would meet Hermai…….’

Secundus realized Shion’s inner thoughts.

Now Hermai will break away from the Western Front.

Because he has to find Cornelius.

Who is there that can stop a father trying to find his son?

If one of the Great Emperor’s three confidants disappears, the war situation will flow favorably for the West.

‘Right, it is a good thing. It is a good thing but….’

Secundus closed his eyes.

It was because the strength to lift his eyelids had disappeared.

‘…I feel a bit disappointed, Zionis….’

You mean you didn’t tell me even though you knew I would die.

I will have to scold you soundly when I meet you next time.

Will there be a next time?

No, there will be someday…. At that time, let’s scold him for combining even the matters from 7 years ago.

But let’s not do it too harshly.

There must have been circumstances.

He is a guy softer than anyone even if he pretends to be strong….

‘…Still, if this older brother doesn’t believe him, who will believe him….’

The darkness inside his eyelids was cozy.

Secundus felt the sensations of his body drifting away one by one.

It became as if his arms and legs were not his own.

His spirit was leaving the body and flowing somewhere.

He didn’t know where it was, but he just became comfortable.

‘…Um….’

Young days that suddenly come to mind.

The kind voice of his mother, the lion friend he rolled around with, the teachings of his maternal grandfather, the first meeting with Kateka, Sister Leniar with whom he eventually got along well, that cheeky Zionis……. Amidst the lingering faces, he smacked his lips.

It was the last word.

“……Still…….”

He smiled in regret.

One face shimmering, fine hair braided in three strands, a figure strongly beautiful even with half the face covered in scars, the one who came to him as a first flutter of heart, and remained as a last regret ……Nereyades.

“…With Nana, just one meal… I wanted… to have… it…….”

***

Secundus Debius.

Former 2nd Prince, Current Three-Mi Grand General.

Age at death, twenty-nine.

He returned alone following the Emperor’s command to hold a banquet, and lost his life to Hermai Merhes’s magic at the end of a fierce battle.

He knocked down thousands of strong men but the lives he took were merely four.

The entire Imperial Family rushed to kill him, but he stubbornly did not kill lives that did not need to be killed.

He was tamerarious like that until the end.

***

Secundus Debius lost his life.

It was in that very posture where he collapsed the cloudy sky with his fist.

“…May you rest in peace, Your Highness.”

Hermai carefully laid him down.

He saw Ferbias approaching but did not pay heed.

Ferbias took such an attitude of Hermai as an insult and raised his voice.

“Grand Dean.”

“Please be quiet, Your Majesty. I am laying down the deceased.”

“Grand Dean-!!!”

Ferbias Caseptus shouted abruptly. He even pointed his finger and sputtered.

“I heard it!”

“What are you speaking of?”

“I mean I heard the conversation between you and Secundus!”

The golden-haired, golden-eyed Emperor’s fingers trembled.

No, it wasn’t just the fingers.

His lips and pupils were also trembling crazily.

Whether people looked or not, he did not hide his impatience and raised his voice.

“…That guy Secundus, he clearly said that name, right? Huh? He must have said the name of the guy, who died, so he shouldn’t be able to speak of!”

“…….”

“Answer, Grand Dean! Answer quickly!”

“……What answer do you desire?”

“Zionis-!!!”

Ferbias ground his teeth.

“He said Zionis is alive, didn’t he!!”

“…If I say no?”

“Funny talk! Are you also a traitor? Secundus clearly said it. Zionis, that guy I cleared away with Nebulo 7 years ago…! He babbled that he met him after a long time!”

“…You do not distinguish between what to say and what not to say.”

Hermai let out a sigh.

Ferbias was confessing that he killed two half-brothers 7 years ago.

In the middle of the Cordis Great Imperial Palace!

He was not just out of his mind, it was clear he was half crazy.

Secundus Debius was that shockingly tamerarious.

“…Zionis, Zionis!”

Ferbias’s golden pupils glistened with madness.

Rather, becoming like that, he resembled Great Emperor Continua even more.

“…That guy, that guy was alive? Since when? No, all along? No, no, then the corpse from 7 years ago? No, no, no, then, surely… Amethus’s betrayal too…….”

Ferbias, who was muttering, suddenly lifted his head.

He finally realized the truth.

“……Wasn’t the name of the Western bastard Amethus followed …Shion? Shion Pollinglight?”

Ferbias hurriedly rummaged through his bosom and took out a small cylinder.

It was a magic tool that stored tens of thousands of documents.

He soon found one document.

It was a report submitted by the Intelligence Bureau regarding a dangerous figure of the West.

“…Shion Pollinglight. Estimated to be under twenty. Blonde hair… blue eyes…!”

The Emperor just lamented.

“…It was you…!”

A painful heart flowed out.

Whether that was his own fault or anyone else’s fault, only the fact that it was painful mattered.

“……Everything, everything was because of you, Zionis! You damn, half-brother of mine……!!”

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