Chapter 430 – Trap (4)

– But human, are we really not showing up this time?

Cale who was hiding in a stealthy location nodded his head after hearing Raon's question in his mind.

'Of course!'

The plan was for them to not appear this time. Witira had said that Cale was going to come, however, there should be no reason for Cale to appear if things went according to plan.
Cale had to appear somewhere else instead.

'That's the way to properly trick the White Star.'

Cale was crouching down and watching everything with the most anxiousness he's had since crossing over to this world.
Witira was the most eye-catching.

Chhhhhhh-

The whip that was retrieved because of Sayeru wrapped around her again before being pointed at Clopeh. Witira recalled Cale's words as she started to speak.

'Just talk seriously with a stoic expression if it is hard to act. Then you look like you mean business. You'll probably look worried too.'

Witira spoke in a low voice with a stiff expression on her face.

"…Are you betraying us?"

She recalled her next lines as she blinked once.

"I thought young master Cale said that he would not be sending you out this time?"

Bear King Sayeru looked back and forth at Clopeh and Witira with an odd expression on his face.

'What the hell is going on with them right now?'

Clopeh and Witira.
He had never seen these two factions together before, however, they shared the common factor of Cale Henituse.
But one side was asking about betrayal while the other was asking for the Whale tribe to hand something over.

'Something is weird.'

This situation was weird. Everything was suspicious and hard to believe. The weirdest thing of all was…

"I am the Guardian Knight of the North. I live on the pride of having that title."

The weirdest thing was the existence of Clopeh Sekka.

"Nonsense! How can someone who talks about pride betray us like this!"

Witira did not lose her composure as she called Clopeh out.

Chhhhh-

The water whip was starting to roar louder. Anybody would be able to tell that she was getting angry even though she was looking and speaking calmly.

Ooooooong-

White aura started to cover Clopeh's sword as well. Sayeru turned toward the White Star. The White Star started to speak.

"That is a real aura."

They had heard that Clopeh Sekka was tied down to a wheelchair. He was supposed to not be able to use his legs nor even pick up a sword.

"So how-?"
"Either the necromancer or the Saint healed him, or the wheelchair was all just an act."

Sayeru looked toward Clopeh as the White Star answered his question.

"How are you able to control the wyverns?"

Clopeh stoically looked down at Sayeru. Sayeru could feel an odd sense of lunacy coming from Clopeh's eyes. As he started to frown after seeing that crazed gaze…

"Because I am the Guardian Knight."

Smirk.

Clopeh was feeling great. He was looking down from the highest spot. The bastard who had the sky attribute ancient power and said that he would become nature was below him right now.

"White Star. If it is you, you should know the special trait of my household."

The white snake household. They were quick-witted, did their best not to lose power, and cared most about their lives. Sayeru responded to Clopeh's question in place of the silent White Star.

"What does that have to do with you right no-"

Clopeh cut Sayeru off to say what he needed to say.

"Why do you think I joined Cale Henituse's side?"
"That-"

Something clicked in Sayeru's mind at that moment. The Sekka household was one that did not like to lose anything. Clopeh Sekka had the blood of that household flowing through him. Would he have joined Cale Henituse's side and followed his orders without getting anything in return?

He would have definitely received something from Cale Henituse, In that case, what would he have received? Sayeru looked up at Clopeh while the charming knight responded to the gaze.

"I am a true Guardian Knight now."
"Ah."

Sayeru gasped.

A true Guardian Knight. That meant that he could control the wyverns for real now.

He could hear the White Star's voice.

"You stole Syrem's power."

A portion of Syrem's ancient power was handed to Clopeh. That should have been what he had received from Cale Henituse.

"Ha!"

Sayeru scoffed. His mind cleared a bit. However, not everything was resolved in his mind just yet.
It was at that moment.

Ooooooooong-

The sword covered in white aura pointed to the sky as the White Knight calmly gave the order.

"Attack."

'What the-!'

The wyverns started to descend toward the whales, the Whale warriors, and the White Star's ships as Sayeru flinched at the sudden command.

"For the Paerun Kingdom's glory!"
"For the recreation of the legend!"
"For the Guardian of the North!"

Clang! Clang!

The knights in white armors sitting on top of the wyverns drew their swords. The knights swung their swords while the wyverns swung their sharp claws and opened their wide jaws.

Baaaaang! Baaaaang!

"Ugh!"
"Aaaaah!"

Screams were coming from all directions. The Whales, the White Star's forces, and the Wyvern Knights Brigade. Chaos was created as the three factions instantly started to tangle with each other. All three attacked each other and the aftershocks from their clashes were violent.

'…If it is like this.'

Sayeru's eyes clouded over as he watched.

The Whale tribe was fighting against the Wyvern Knights Brigade. He could tell the battle was fierce based on the loud explosions.

He recalled the information he received on Cale and his group's battle formations until now.

They always fought to protect each other. They all sought to sacrifice themselves to protect their allies. Cale Henituse was the prime example of that trait.

'But those allies are fighting against each other?'

That would never happen. Sayeru realized that the Whale tribe and the Wyvern Knights Brigade no longer had that common factor of Cale Henituse between them.

"You bastard, you dare to attack the Whales?"

Sayeru who had been thinking about a lot of things could hear Witira's calm but angry voice.
It was at that moment.

'Hmm?'

Sayeru saw it.

'Just now… Where did Clopeh Sekka look just now?'

Clopeh who had been looking down at the angry Witira had peeked elsewhere for a moment. That short peek was tugging at Sayeru's senses.

'There's something there.'

It was only the slightest of peeks. But he felt that there was something where Clopeh had looked.

And that direction-

'Farther West than the Whale tribe's village!'

Was Cale Henituse over there?
Or-

'I'll need to confirm it first!'

Sayeru motioned to the White Star with his eyes before quickly starting to whisper.

"Lift me up with the wind wall."

Sayeru spoke in a low but stern voice after seeing the confusion in the White Star's eyes.

"Hurry."

Swooooooosh-

Wind stealthily and quickly gathered around the White Star. Sayeru could instantly feel his body shooting up into the air.

Swoooooooosh- Swooooooosh-

The square wind wall was laid sideways to become a platform for Sayeru to stand on.
That wall was what was shooting him up into the air.

Baaaaaang!

Sayeru lowered his head. He saw a water whip that was urgently shooting toward him being blocked by the White Star.
Witira glared not at him but at Clopeh.

"You saw it."

Those cold words. Sayeru instantly felts chills on his back. The moment he made eye contact with Clopeh who was flying at the highest spot before passing him and getting even higher up…

"Kekeke-"

Sayeru saw it. As he looked toward the spot farther West than the Whale Village that Clopeh was looking at…

"Kekeke, that was it!"

'It was that!'

Sayeru could see something going on. It was visible once he was in the air.

Young Whale children were escaping along with some warriors. There were also two Whale warriors protecting the empty village. But those weren't important.

Toward the Northwest…
On a glacier farther northwest than the Whale Village… Three Whales were running fiercely as if they were heading toward the most northern tip of the World.

"…The Whale King!"

The Whale King, Shickler. The other two were the Whale tribe's strongest warrior, Archie, and the half-blooded Whale Paseton. Paseton was the weakest of the Whales, but the other two were two of the strongest Whales in the tribe. But they were running away?

'That must be where an item the Whales want to protect is located!'

Wouldn't that be the reason the Whale King is running away? Sayeru could see the Whale King looking back. Whale King Shickler looked toward Sayeru's direction before coming to a stop.

Chhhhhhhhhhhh-

The water around the glacier he was on started to fluctuate wildly.

The Whale King. If the Dragons were the ones who ruled the land and sky, he was the one who stood at the apex of the sea.

Sayeru lowered his head. He could see people looking up at him. Clopeh Sekka who was the closest to him had a refined smile on his face as he started to speak.

"…You saw it."

He had an oddly crazed look in his eyes. Sayeru sneered at him.

"Crazy bastard."

However, Clopeh started to laugh as he gave an order. His voice echoed throughout the battlefield.

"Follow me!"

Clopeh took out a flute.

Piiiiiiiiiiiiii-

A sharp noise cut through the northern ocean, making the wyverns screech as they shot back into the air. Clopeh controlled his wyvern and flew up to where Sayeru was standing as well.

"Looks like our Knights Brigade has more aerial forces than you do; that belongs to me."

Clopeh then smirked before looking around.

Screeeeeech- screeeeeeech-

The knights and wyverns instantly surrounded Clopeh and started to screech.

"Let's go."

Clopeh changed directions toward the Northwest. The wyverns that filled the sky and covered the sun started to move in that direction.

"No!"

The Whale warriors started to shout.

"Stop!"

Witira jumped across glaciers to head Northwest as well.

Oooooo-

The whales stopped flighting and started to move Northwest. A sense of urgency could be felt coming from their large bodies.

It was at that moment.
The Guardian Knight who forced this sense of urgency on the Whales heard a very quiet voice with his sensitive senses.

"Hehe."

Clopeh turned his head. He could see Sayeru laughing as he stood in the air alone.

"…Huh?"

Clopeh felt the sky tilting to the side at that moment. No, it was his body that had tilted. The wyvern had tilted to one side and was trying to kick Clopeh off it's back.

Grab!

Clopeh started to frown as he urgently grabbed onto the wyvern's neck.

"Why is it suddenly acting like...!"

He could then see the other knights who were falling into the ocean.

"…Captain-nim!"
"Aaaaaaah!"
"The wyvern, it suddenly! Aaaaah!"

The falling knights sounded scared.

Rooooooooooar!

The wyvern jerked its head and Clopeh ended up falling into the water as well. He could see the wyverns lowering their heads to someone at that moment.

The White Star.
The wyverns flattened their bodies toward him in submission. The White Star then leisurely stepped onto the largest wyvern that Clopeh had been riding on.
Sayeru got on the wyvern next to him.

Sayeru and Clopeh made eye contact. Sayeru was still sneering at Clopeh.

"Did you see that?"

The wyverns carried the White Star, Sayeru, and some black mages as they headed Northwest.

The White Star looked toward Clopeh before he left.

"There is a limit to what the fake can do."

He then prepared to leave without looking back at Clopeh. He gave the order.

"Go."

The wyverns quickly started to move.

"The real one is different."

The White Star did not respond to Sayeru.

Syrem, the fake Dragon Slayer. His power was a fake created by the White Star with half the original power.

The wyverns considered Cale Barrow, the true final Dragon Slayer, as more of their master. Dragon Slayers, the ones who could kill the Dragons who ruled over the land. The White Star cast the true Sword of Disasters in his hand and his blade pointed toward Whale King Shickler in the distance.

Cale quietly asked at that moment.

"Choi Han, did you see that?"

He patted his legs that were numb from crouching as he asked.

"You got a good look at how he controls the wyverns, right?"

He heard a quiet but vicious voice respond next to him.

"Yes, Cale-nim, I think the full power will be mine soon enough."

Choi Han had a pure smile on his face. Cale started to smirk while looking at the White Star's group who left without looking back and the Whales who were stealthily saving the Wyvern Knights Brigade and Clopeh who had fallen into the water.
He then gave the order.

"Raon, now."
– Alright! I'll send the signal!

Cale slowly counted in his mind.

'3.'

The White Star quickly arrived near the Whale King thanks to the wyverns.

'2.'

Then, as these two strong individuals who were worlds apart in strength compared to most people… As the White Star and Whale King Shickler faced each other…

'1.'

Cale saw it.

"Cough!"

Whale King Shickler who was making the waves fluctuate coughed up blood toward the air. The blood was black.

Drip, drip.

The blood that dripped down his beard continued to wet the glacier.

"Father!"

Paseton shouted with concern. He sounded as if he was crying. The White Star's eyes clouded over as he watched, while Sayeru shouted in joy.

"That must be why you ran away! They sent Witira forward because the Whale King's condition isn't good!"
"Sayeru."

He flinched after looking toward the White Star. He could feel the fierce look in the White Star's eyes.

"Look at that weak Whale."

Paseton, the weakest Whale, was holding onto his father. There was a piece of parchment slightly poking out of his inner chest pocket as he leaned forward.

"F, father, are you okay?"

Tap.

Paseton could see the Whale King grab his shirt with his palm. He then realized that the parchment was sticking out a bit. The Whale King moved Paseton who was hiding the parchment behind him as he glared at the White Star.

"How laughable."

The White Star sneered at the father-son duo as his eyes fluctuated with greed.

– Hehe, that's fake blood! Little Paseton is such a good actor! Choi Han, learn from him!

Raon munched on a pie as he talked into Cale's mind with excitement.

Smirk.

Cale subconsciously smirked again.

"I should start moving as well."

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Rai_Mayank]