Chapter 266

I, Shion Pollinglight.

Undergoing the thirteenth assassination attempt this year.

For reference, only about 22 days have passed since this year started.

“Guys like you show up once every two days.”

Pitch-black guys rushed in. Clothes black, masks black, even the swords were painted black.

It was not easy to distinguish them at night.

“Truly, I wonder how you all know and flock in droves when I send Amethus away….”

Dozens of men rushed in clutching swords, but Shion showed no sign of panic.

It is a natural thing.

He is Shion Pollinglight. Even without the sword skills of Amethus or Obro Denoebang, he harbors the Promise of Seven Secrets, the Septem Arcana.

Men rushing in.

A swarm of blades that seemed about to touch him any moment.

Second Ars, ‘The Unclosable Twenty Steps’.

The Ars that pushes away everything with a mind pushes the men away.

They were flustered but immediately lunged at Shion again. Some even threw their swords.

“Your judgment of the situation is quite fast. Seems you received proper training? Much better than the guys who came last time. Those guys were the absolute worst. They just walked in holding swords without even thinking of hiding!”

Shion laid out complaints.

Since the men kept silent, he thought he should talk at least.

He dodged the flying swords while chattering.

It wasn’t difficult.

“Let’s see, today….”

No need to take out even the heated iron bloodline.

Shion loosened his hands watching the men being pushed back.

He thought about using ‘Fantasy Finger’ but somehow felt lazy.

Need not mention ‘The Screaming Hunchback’ or ‘Soul Fire’.

“…Let’s do it by hand.”

Shion decided to tear the assassins apart with his own hands directly.

He had bandages wrapped around various parts of his body.

Beneath the bandages, there was black dead flesh and black scales filling up in its place.

Fangs in his mouth, proof that he was transforming into something not human.

Shion was becoming closer to a dragon than a human.

On top of that, a shadow like black mud wrapped around his body.

Sen Sorti’s masterpiece, Mana Armor Valziart.

With a light leap, he was behind dozens of men, jumping over them.

Before the men had a moment to catch up, Shion’s hands tapped the chests of two men.

He pierced their hearts precisely with his fingertips.

The two men collapsed with a thud.

Revealed fangs.

Sharp black claws.

Sharpness that ordinary humans do not possess.

Shion tore the assassins apart with such sharpness.

Since they came holding swords first, they wouldn’t have anything to feel unfair about.

When he tore at a neck, the neck was torn off cleanly.

When he poked a chest, a hole was made and they collapsed.

When he kicked a leg, it snapped like a sorghum stalk and they crawled on the floor.

Ever since revealing the ‘Dragon of Six Horns’, Shion was clearly becoming inhuman.

Without special training, without a strong will, his body was becoming stronger and stronger.

At the same time, it was becoming ferocious.

When he moved his body, people died as he wished.

Shion felt a certain kind of pleasure.

Was it thanks to the sense of control?

Or thanks to a deep instinct stimulated by blood and flesh?

Whatever the reason, a little vitality returned to his mind and body exhausted by fatigue and hatred.

He didn’t want to admit this feeling as pleasure himself, but his mood definitely improved compared to before.

He cleared away dozens of lives easily.

Shion’s heart also felt better than a while ago.

But only for a moment.

Blood and flesh were scattered everywhere.

Shion furrowed the bridge of his nose in displeasure.

“Ah. I got blood on me.”

He complains.

“I need to go wash my body. I can’t touch documents like this. Tsk, I’m in the middle of being busy, how will you take responsibility?”

There is no answer.

Since all dozens of men fell dead in an instant, it is natural.

Shion summoned ‘Fantasy Finger’ only then.

Clearing the debris was several times more troublesome than killing people.

Hundreds of invisible hands moved back and forth clearing the debris.

“More than that, how long are you going to keep watching?”

Shion raised his head.

There was an old man in the sky.

White beard, long robe, wooden staff.

The Great Mage who insists on the most mage-like attire in the Empire, Hermai Merhes.

“Peeping is a nasty habit, Grand Dean.”

“Excuse me for this. I didn’t know when to intervene.”

“If you were watching, you should have helped a bit.”

“You didn’t seem to need help.”

Hermai descended quietly.

He is the Imperial Chief Mage.

In other words, this place was the middle of enemy territory for Hermai, but he did not care.

The reason was simply because he is Hermai Merhes.

“It has been a while, Prince Zionis.”

“Has it been 7 years?”

“We didn’t share much conversation back then either.”

“Right. Must have been so. Then is this the first time sharing a conversation with you, Grand Dean.”

Shion had already rattled his metal armor to create a magical fog.

It was to prevent their story from leaking outside by any chance.

Hermai noticed it but did not bother to point it out.

“More than that, do these things happen often? I heard you became a hero of the West.”

“Once every two days? It’s nothing special.”

“It is quite special.”

“Compared to when I was in the Great Imperial Palace, well…. The assassins here are a ragtag bunch.”

The day before yesterday, they just barged in suddenly holding swords!

They don’t know the concept of assassination! Shion grumbled.

Hermai also smirked.

“You use a different name now, I hear.”

“Yeah. So call me Shion. I dislike my old name.”

“I will do so.”

“By the way, I heard you devastated the Throat Gate? Aida complained a lot.”

“Aida?”

“The Widow Queen.”

“Ah!”

Hermai giggled.

The Widow Queen blocked Two-Flame Grand General Sen Hostanio with an impregnable defense.

It was thanks to two Ancient Weapons, ‘Uvula of Abundance’ and ‘Moon-Shadow Cranium’.

However, Hermai poured down six-star magic and shattered that defense, so Schmeizen is currently fighting a fierce war.

“I also had to do my job.”

“I’m not blaming you. Though I do hate it.”

“How thoughtful you are.”

Hermai stroked his beard.

Shion, having cleared away all blood and flesh, turned his head.

“So what business brings you here, Grand Dean Hermai? You are one of my biggest enemies.”

“You already know, don’t you.”

Hermai’s tone became even more polite.

“Where is Cornelius?”

“…….”

Shion raised his head slightly.

Looking at the sky, he closed his eyes gently.

If Hermai knew of Cornelius’s survival, that means…….

“……Brother Secundus has died.”

“Yes. I did so. Heroically, and dignifiedly… truly manly, and also Debius-like.”

“Ha, showing off you’re an old man, Grand Dean. Why attach such poetic expressions to someone you killed?”

“Why do you, Prince, speak as if you didn’t know?”

Shion frowned in displeasure.

Hermai continued without caring.

“You knew Prince Secundus would die, didn’t you? So you must have informed him of Cornelius’s news.”

“……I didn’t know it would be this soon.”

“Do you feel sadness perhaps?”

“No reason not to.”

Shion suddenly felt self-loathing.

Everything he spat out was true.

Knowing Secundus would die, he informed him of Cornelius’s survival.

However, he didn’t know it would be this soon.

Also, he did feel sadness.

But even though he was speaking the truth, it felt only like an excuse.

“…….”

Tsk. He clicked his tongue.

“Give me a reason why I should tell you Cornelius’s whereabouts, Grand Dean. You clearly said you are my enemy.”

“The reason is easy.”

Hermai spoke with a somewhat haughty voice.

“You can blame this Hermai.”

“Hmm.”

“Anyway, even if I search personally, I will find him soon. I just want to make the job easier. If you tell me Cornelius’s whereabouts, I will obediently withdraw from the front lines.”

“That is certainly attractive.”

Shion nodded.

Hermai continued.

“Deballo has deep family love. He will be passive from now on. If this Hermai is missing from there, only Kerenneus remains….”

“Kerenneus is an excellent supply officer but different from a great general.”

“Correct. It means the war will become very favorable for the West.”

“Still not enough. I need to place one more condition.”

Shion spoke as if whispering.

“Hermai Merhes.”

“Yes.”

“You need to protect the Hanchamus Islands for a bit.”

“…Hanchamus Islands? So Cornelius was there.”

“Yeah. I gave him a very generous treatment.”

“Good. Who exactly do you want me to protect? I will hear the names at least.”

“…….”

He was silent for a moment.

It was a name difficult to spit out easily.

“……Serena. Serena de Verchello.”

Shion spoke his wife’s name.

“And, Santia Hostanio.”

“Princess Santia was also alive?”

Hermai spoke in surprise.

“I thought you hated all blood relatives, Prince.”

“I thought I was like that too.”

Because I even hate myself.

“…But again, it wasn’t like that.”

“People are like that.”

“Is that so? Am I still a person?”

“It is a question I cannot answer. And I don’t particularly want to answer either.”

Hermai floated into the air.

Hanchamus, Hanchamus Islands! His heart was urgent.

Even now, he had just flown straight from the Great Imperial Palace.

With the heart wanting to see his adopted son whom he thought was dead, he wanted to leave quickly.

“This Hermai Merhes will exit from this war.”

“That’s fortunate.”

Shion smiled broadly.

He was beautiful under the moonlight.

Despite being in the process of becoming inhuman.

“…By the way, Prince.”

“Ah, don’t. You’re going to say something embarrassing, right?”

“Whatever the reason, I give deep thanks to you, Prince. For saving my son, truly, truly …thank you.”

“I said don’t do it!”

Ugh! Shion shuddered as if creeps washed over him.

Hermai giggled and flew up even higher. Shion waved his hand to see him off.

Thinking it was the last time, there was no reason not to wave a hand at least.

“Let’s not see each other again, Grand Dean.”

“Yes. Please let us not see each other again, Prince.”

***

Hermai left.

Shion remained alone.

And he chewed on Secundus’s obituary.

“…You died quite early, Brother.”

He is a regressor.

He chewed on life before regression.

“…This life is truly fast. I thought a few years would remain.”

It was an excuse.

He knew the words he repeated to himself were excuses, but it was hard to endure without spitting them out.

He felt deep guilt.

It became as if he not only abetted Secundus’s death but used it.

No, that was the truth.

Shion let Secundus die.

Rather, he used his death for fate.

Even though Secundus treated him as a brother.

Even though he lived cherishing him in his heart for 7 years thinking he was dead.

“…….”

He was dumbfounded by his own brazenness.

However, it wasn’t even new.

A life harboring secrets is discovering one’s own bottom anew every day.

Since Shion already hated himself, he could quickly turn the direction of his heart.

“……Still, it is as Hermai said.”

In fact, he couldn’t help but turn the direction of his heart.

If he chewed on Secundus’s death and his own responsibility, he was certain his heart would fall and not be able to stand up again.

Therefore, not knowing what words he was spitting out, he just muttered.

“…I am sorry for my brother, but it is a good thing for me. For fate, it is unavoidable…. Because the phase will change again, yes, because it will be so.”

He scratched his arm vigorously.

“…It’s the final stage, Shion. Almost there….”

The skin where black scales had sprouted was itchy.

“……Now it’s really the end. Dimashq, at Dimashq Plains…. If only I could reproduce the great victory of that time…….”

Blood came from the skin scratched by claws, but rather it felt refreshing so he scratched more vigorously.

Wounds appeared and healed repeatedly. Pain also repeated being intense and fading.

“……Right, at Dimashq Plains, I will end everything.”

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