Chapter 431 – Trap (5)

However, Cale stumbled as he got up from his crouching position.

"Ah!"
– Human, what is it?!

Cale could see someone catch him before he fell.

"…Thanks."
"Did your legs go numb?"
"…Yes."

Smirk.

Choi Han chuckled. It was a subconscious chuckle and not a sneer.

"Should I carry you if your legs are hurting?"

Cale, Choi Han, and Raon were currently on a small glacier, digging a hole into the glacier and hiding inside while covering themselves with stealth magic.

"Am I a kid?"

Cale frowned as he stretched out his numb legs. He then looked toward Choi Han with a grumbling expression.

"…Mm, aren't you my nephew's friend? So technically, you are a kid to me?"
– That's right! Human! You are a child compared to Choi Han! Hehe! Whether you are twenty or six, whether it is you or me, we are all children compared to Choi Han! Hehehe!

'Shit.'

– Of course, you may have originally been around 36, but you are 20 here! Hehe.

'Damn it.'

Cale started to frown. Cale casually commented as Choi Han flinched after seeing such a large frown on his face.

"Carry me. My legs are still numb."

'Shit.'

Choi Han shook his head as he placed Cale on his back. It was at that moment.

"You think I can't reach you because you are in the sky?!"

An imposing and pressuring voice echoed around the area. Cale got chills on his back after looking out because of the voice.

"T, t, that crazy!"

Chhhhhhhhhhhh-

Water had gathered into a large pillar and shot up. Whale King Shickler waved both hands around while still dripping black blood from his mouth.

"Archie!"
"Yes, sir!"

There was someone who was riding on the pillar of water. The transparent and blue sea water was surrounding the Killer Whale Archie like a barrier.

Oooooo-
Ooooooo-

Then, as he heard some more cries…

Baaaaang! Baaaaang!

Whales and other marine animals started to surround the glacier Shickler and Paseton were on.

"Kehehehe!"

The pillar of water Archie was on finally reached the same height as the others in the air.

"Just the bastard I was looking for."

Archie than started to move toward the wyvern the White Star was standing on. The pillar of water moved with him to create a path for him.

"Coming at me alone?"

The White Star scoffed before looking at the approaching Archie who sneered back.

"What's wrong? You scared, little bitch? Hmm?"
"Ha!"

The White Star laughed in disbelief and his wyvern opened its mouth.

"Screeeech!"

Archie arrived in front of the screeching wyvern. He then swung his fist.

Baaaaaang!

A loud explosion rang throughout the battlefield. Archie heard a sizzling noise before noticing the water around his fist starting to evaporate.

Crackle, crackle.

An arm covered in white currents was blocking his attack.

"I can't let a bastard like you reach our liege."

Bear King Sayeru was leisurely smiling as he blocked Archie's way. Archie tilted his head at him before asking a question.

"You're the Bear King? Why the f*ck do you look so weak?"

Sayeru flinched and started to frown. He then glared at Archie as he spoke to the White Star.

"I'll take care of this bastard, so you go do what you have to do."
"Sure."

The White Star pulled on the wyvern's reins and moved toward the ground away from Sayeru and Archie.
Sayeru peeked toward him before surrounding his whole body with light.

"You damn arrogant Whale bastard, I will-"
"Hey!"

However, Archie was not even looking at Sayeru as he shouted toward the descending White Star's back.

"Hey! White Star, you avoiding me? Huh? Are you scared of me? Hmm? Why are you sending your subordinate to fight me? Hey, bastard! You running away? You leaving this feeble subordinate of yours and running away? Hmm? Are you a chicken? Hey bitch, why aren't you responding to me? Hmm? You must be damn scared."

Sayeru started to frown. Archie and Sayeru soon made eye contact. Sayeru was the first to speak.

"Look at this damn Whale bastard and his rude-ass mouth."
"It's still heavier than your mouth. You feeble weakling."
"You son of a bitch!"
"Why am I your son? Such an idiot."

Smirk.

Archie was smirking.
His task for this mission was simple.

'Archie, just act like your younger self.'

It was such an easy job. Archie thought this was perfect because the stress had been piling up inside him for a while.

'Your target is the Bear King. Keep yapping around him and rile him up. Make it so he can't make calculated decisions!'

It was something he could do well. Archie swung his fist toward Sayeru who was his target from the beginning had been.

"Hey feebly, play with me! Don't run away like your boss! Kahahaha!"
"This crazy bastard!"

'Why are there only crazy bastards everywhere?' Sayeru angrily flung a light arrow toward Archie.

Baaaaang! Baaaaang!

The arrow exploded with two noises while Archie shook his slightly burnt fist. The water barrier that the Whale King had created for Archie was strong.

"Hey. Do it properly without going easy. Are you looking down on me?"

Archie charged toward Sayeru with an angry expression on his face. He realized that Sayeru had gone easy on him.

'That bastard's eyes have rolled over.'

Sayeru looked toward Archie who was charging at him with an angry and crazed smile on his face with disgust.

– Human! Archie is doing very well! This is so fun!

Choi Han, Raon, and Cale. The invisible trio were quickly moving. Cale who was on Choi Han's back was able to get a good look at the situation on the battlefield.
He opened his mouth to speak.

"…Wow."

Baaaaaaaaaang!

A large blue spear smacked a wyvern.

"Screeeech-!"

The wyvern fell to the ground. The White Star who was on its back kicked off to move away from the falling monster.

"As expected, the king is different."

The White Star had the fire sword in his hand. However, it was not the same sword that he had used to fight against Witira earlier. It was mixed with the Dragon Slayer's Sword of Disasters.

Tap.

The White Star's body shot forward with a light noise.

Baaaaang!

The blue spear soon crashed into the fire sword. That was the beginning.

Bang! Baaaaang! Bang, baaaaang!

The spear and the sword continued to clash against each other without stopping. Each clash was as explosive as the next. The White Star started to smirk.

"You fight well even though you look pale."

The sword aimed for the Whale's opening and the spear barely managed to defend.

"Ugh!"

Whale King Shickler let out a short groan. Shickler's complexion looked blue up close.

"How weak."

The White Star who was calmly assessing Shickler noticed Shickler smiling at him.

"I have enough strength to take you on."
"Mm!"

The White Star urgently moved back.

Chhhhhhhhh!

A long strand of water suddenly struck where the White Star had been standing. That water then surrounded Shickler before becoming like a cape around his shoulders and creating a giant wall.

"…Yes. You should be able to at least do this much."

The White Star then charged toward Shickler again.

"Screeeech-"

Ooooooo-

The wyverns and whales were already fighting. The ocean and the sky. They each aimed for the area that was incompatible with them and aimed for the enemies' openings.
The White Star's sword stabbed into Shickler's blue wall.

Siiiiizzle!

Shickler's blue spear appeared in the gap created by the evaporating water. The White Star cast his own water wall.

Bang! Bang! Baaaaang!

The clashes continued. Neither Shickler nor the White Star showed any signs of retreating. The White Star could see Shickler smiling at that moment.

"It looks like it is my victory."

Cale heard Raon shout after hearing Shickler's statement.

– Human!

A woman's voice echoed through the battlefield at the same time.

"Father!"

Chhhhhhh-

Two large water whips aimed for the White Star's back. Shickler's blue spear stabbed toward the White Star's front at the same time. The White Star kicked off the ground after seeing both his front and his back being attacked at the same time.

Bang! Baaaaang!

The whips and the spears hit each other in the empty area. The White Star looked back as he jumped.

"You're all here."

The other Whale warriors started to appear behind Witira as well. The White Star and Shickler looked toward each other. Shickler started to speak in that short instance of eye contact.

"Yes. They are all here."

He had the smile of a victor on his face. He looked relaxed as if he knew he was not going to lose.
However, that relaxed expression soon disappeared.

"My side is here as well."

The White Star gently smiled.

"What?"

Shickler's expression stiffened up. He heard Witira's desperate plea at that moment.

"Paseton!"

Shickler urgently turned around after feeling a strong amount of pressure behind him. He could see his son, Paseton. And behind Paseton…
A man was laughing.

"…The Bear King!"

Sayeru was laughing as he moved his feeble arm as if it was a snake. Before the shocked Paseton could run forward… His stealthy hand quickly grabbed the parchment sticking out of Paseton's pocket.

"Damn it!"

It was already too late by the time Paseton grabbed his shirt.

"Son!"

Shickler quickly threw the blue spear toward Paseton, no, toward Sayeru. He then quickly covered his son Paseton with the wall of his cape.
A man fell from the air.

"Ugh!"

Archie was flat on the glacier as he groaned. His entire body was slightly shaking. The Whale King's barrier was still present, however, that barrier was causing sparks because of the clashing of light and current.
Archie could only groan without even being able to lift his head from the glacier.

"Hehehe-!"

Sayeru who was behind this didn't hold back his laughter. Archie was no match for him. He was the Bear King after all.

Tap.

He handed the parchment to the person who landed next to him.

"Hey, here."

The White Star leisurely received the parchment. He then commented.

"That power is not here."
"You can't feel it?"
"Yeah."

It was said that only two earth attribute ancient powers had existed during ancient times. Of them, the earth attribute ancient power that the ancient White Star was said to have possessed…

The White Star would be able to feel something if an ancient power existed nearby. However, he did not feel anything. Then what could this parchment be? What was this thing that the Whales were trying so hard to protect?
In addition-

'Why do I not see Cale Henituse?'

That was the biggest question on the White Star's mind.

"Take it back!"
"Kill that bastard!"

He could hear the shouts of the Whale warriors and could see Witira and the Whale King charging toward him. However, he soon looked away.

"Cast the teleportation magic circle!"

Multiple black mages started to cast a teleportation magic circle after hearing Sayeru's shout. They looked as if they had practiced this many times. It was only natural. These black mages had been gathered specifically to cast this quick teleportation.
Sayeru started to command them in the White Star's place. However, he soon turned to look at the White Star after feeling something was odd.
The White Star was quietly looking at the parchment.

"…What's wrong?"

The White Star's hands were shaking as he held the parchment. Sayeru had never seen the White Star like this.
Unfortunately, the White Star was unable to respond to Sayeru's question. His eyes were wide open as they focused on the old parchment in his hand.

"…This is real."
"What do you mean it's real?"

Sayeru approached him in confusion, but the White Star just kept reading the parchment over and over. There were words written in the ancient Eastern continent's language. It was odd to find something on the Western continent written in the Eastern continent's language, but there was something else that was even weirder.

An unknown language.

The language that the White Star had only seen in one other place during his 1,000 years of life and had still not been able to decipher.

"…Nelan Barrow....!"

The language in Nelan Barrow's memoir was in this ancient text.

"This looks like a real ancient text."

It seemed to be as Sayeru described. The feeling of the parchment as well as the unique way the ink seeped into the parchment… Everything seemed exactly as they used during ancient times. However, Nelan Barrow, the first Dragon Slayer's language, was the greatest proof.
Sayeru looked at the status of the teleportation before reading the text written in the Eastern continent's language.

"…I debated it for a while. I had no choice as I had seen the results that were created through the sacrifices of so many people. At the same time, I found the seeds that could grow into such a disaster once again. The cold place up North, the hottest place in the West, and the sturdiest place to the East."
There were a lot more long sentences after that. Sayeru's eyes clouded over as he continued to read.
The spot they had expected the final earth attribute power to be located… This text addressed the land of the Whale tribe, the Caro Kingdom, and the Roan Kingdom.

"Hmm?"

His expression then turned odd after seeing an unknown language he had never seen before. However, his face soon filled with even more confusion.

There was a small piece of paper stuck to the parchment. It looked as if someone had accidentally put it there and forgot to remove it.
The piece of paper fell off from the parchment. Sayeru watched as the White Star picked it up.

This piece of paper was a modern piece of paper. Someone seemed to have quickly written on it. It looked as if someone had made comments after reading this ancient parchment. However, Sayeru could not read it. The texts written on the paper were in the same unknown language used on the parchment.

"…There's someone."

He heard the White Star's low voice at that moment. His voice was shaking from shock, excitement, and lunacy.

"… There is a person who can read this text."

Ooooooong-

The teleportation started to commence. Sayeru looked toward his subordinates who were barely managing to defend against the Whales' attacks, then toward the teleportation magic circle that was getting completed, and then finally toward the White Star.
The White Star was laughing as if he was crying as he continued to speak.

"Yes. It was weird. There are two others for whom time is twisted. How could there be others who also had their time twisted?"

That was weird. No, he should have thought that it was weird. He started to think about the two bastards who were getting in his way. The two odd humans he had first met at the Mogoru capital and realized that time was twisted for them as well. He then thought about the bastard he had only considered as Cale Henituse's subordinate until now.

Why?

He was someone with black hair, black eyes, and seemed to have suddenly appeared in this world. He was a human who maintained his youth because time was twisted for him even though the White Star could tell that he had lived a long time. He was also talented in the way of the sword.

"…Why did I not realize this until now?"

"That bastard-
He's like Nelan Barrow."

He recalled something from the records of the first Dragon Slayer that were in the Dragon Slayer village, information that people in the world did not know about because only those from the Dragon Slayer village had access to this information.
The corners of the White Star's lips slowly started to go up.

"…Choi Han..."

'That bastard can read this text!'

The White Star's eyes started to sparkle. He had found a way. No, he might have found an opportunity to get access to all records of ancient times and became an even greater ruler.

"Sayeru, call that bastard over."
"Who?"
"The bastard who started the fire in the Jungle."

The person who had started the fire in Section 1 of the Jungle with former Imperial Prince Adin and the black mages.

"Ah, the bastard who said she'll start the fire and put it out? The bastard that said she would infiltrate the Jungle as a spy while pretending to be a shaman?"
"Yes."
"Why do you need that illusionist bastard?"
"A person."

Paaaat!

The teleportation was finished, and the White Star instantly disappeared from the land of the Whale tribe. He said something to Sayeru after seeing the frowning Witira's face disappear.

"I need to make someone mine."

There was a need to control someone.
The corners of the White Star's lips were curled all the way up now.

***

"Choi Han, that bastard should come to look for you, right?"

Cale asked as he shrugged his shoulders in laughter.

***

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]