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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 159
Something feels wrong.
Upon hearing the words of the man standing atop the fortress wall, the 7th Dragon Knight Order's commander, Siven, had a bad feeling.
"The pinnacle of the sword, he says... Arrogant fool."
But a mere sword?
For one who had evolved into a mighty Dragon Knight, his enhanced fangs and limbs were far stronger than any blade!
And yet, something about that man’s presence was unsettling.
The brilliant white aura surrounding him was so intense that it was visible even from this distance.
More than that, his voice was deep and resonant, reaching the ears of every Dragon Knight no matter their position—north, south, east, or west.
This was not an opponent to underestimate.
"Focus all breath attacks on him!"
It was just one human.
Still, Siven remained cautious as he gave the order.
At his command, the Dragon Knights swiftly directed their Drakes’ open maws toward the man.
—Swish.
The man extended his hand toward them.
Six-Sword Path (육검도, 六劍道)
Five Blades (오검, 五劍)
The Vast Sky’s Net, Inescapable (천망회회, 天網恢恢)
As the sun dipped below the horizon, suddenly, the sky shone as if it were midday.
Above the airborne Drakes.
A brilliant radiance surged from beyond the clouds.
Siven instinctively looked up.
"W-What is that…?"
Beyond the clouds.
A fierce light was woven together like fine threads, appearing in scattered patches.
The lights, though spaced apart, were all interconnected—
Like an enormous net.
"Haa..."
Siven let out a heavy breath as he stared at the vast, white net forming in the sky.
When had the aura extended that far?
No, was it even possible to enshroud the sky itself with aura?
All that man had done was stretch out his hand.
And yet, as if it had been prepared long before, an enormous aura of light had already enveloped the heavens.
"C-Commander! The breath attack…!"
The Drakes had unleashed their breath attacks all at once—yet before they could even reach the fortress, they vanished in an instant.
Just like before.
The dragon fire, poured down in unison upon the castle, had achieved nothing.
"Hmm..."
A chill ran down Siven’s spine.
The breath attacks weren’t blocked.
They simply disappeared.
Within this space, ensnared by the net of light, even the flow of mana felt disrupted.
He couldn’t control it properly.
The Drakes, sensing something unnatural, instinctively curled up.
"This... doesn’t feel right."
There was a time, long ago, when an advance force had gathered to subjugate a place called the Kingdom of Meier.
Back then, the Dragon Knights guarding the Drakes had been wiped out without even knowing what hit them.
Even the Empire’s strongest warrior, Duke Melvria, had ultimately been forced to retreat.
"Could it be… that man?"
The situation and location were completely different from back then.
And yet, Siven instinctively suspected that the nameless warrior from that time might be this very man.
The enemy was just one person.
The Dragon Knights numbered five hundred.
"Fall back for now!"
He made his decision.
"Fall back...?!"
The knights were bewildered by Siven’s command.
Even if their breath attacks had been blocked midway, the enemy was still just one man.
Fleeing out of fear?
"Commander, retreating because of one person... This is a disgrace to the Dragon Knight Order!"
"The Drakes won’t obey! No predator turns away from prey right in front of them!"
"The Drakes won’t resist. Just follow my orders!"
There was no way the Drakes would rebel.
They had sensed the change in the air before anyone else and were already shrinking back in fear.
Ignoring the knights’ protests, Siven turned his own Drake around first.
—
"The commander is too cautious."
As Siven retreated, the Dragon Knights followed with displeased expressions.
But soon, their faces hardened as they saw the vast net of light stretching from the ends of the sky down to the earth.
That light—
It was all aura.
A power so overwhelming that even the Dragon Knights couldn’t begin to gauge its strength.
"W-What is this...?"
Only now did they understand why the commander had ordered them to retreat.
Though the net had gaps here and there, covering both sky and ground—
The strands of light that formed it radiated an overwhelming, chilling power.
"We have to escape before the net tightens."
"The commander was right."
This was not something they could fight against.
The entire Dragon Knight Order pushed their Drakes to full speed, rushing through the gaps in the net before it could trap them.
The Drakes’ wings beat faster.
The knights merged their energy with their mounts, enhancing their physical abilities.
"Don't stay clustered! Scatter and escape the area!"
"Understood!"
Siven’s command swiftly spread through the order.
The knights scattered in all directions, flying toward the sky beyond.
Perhaps because they had reacted quickly—
They managed to reach the very edge of the net without encountering resistance.
Up close, the aura of light was immense and menacing.
But there was still enough space between the strands to pass through.
"We're through...!"
They had survived.
Just as Siven was about to fly through the open space—
"Ah..."
The head of the lead Drake—
Vanished.
Just like how their breath attacks had been cut off earlier.
It was as if the Drake’s head had never existed in the first place.
"No..."
Even though its head had vanished, the dragon’s wings did not stop flapping.
Starting from its neck, its body continued to disappear, section by section—
Until it reached the spot where Siven was seated.
"Ugh... No..."
Siven instinctively realized it.
The net in the sky was vast, making it seem as if escaping would be easy at a glance—
But in truth, no one could slip through.
The empty spaces where there was no visible aura—
Were only invisible to the eye.
They were not truly empty.
"D-Descend!"
Siven gave his final command to the Dragon Knights and leaped from the sky.
Falling from this height meant a high chance of death—
But touching that net meant certain death.
At the very least, falling gave him a slight chance of survival.
However, as he plummeted—
"Tsk..."
The net began closing in.
The aura of light approached faster than his falling speed.
Siven looked around.
The knights were vanishing as if they had never existed.
Some had made the same decision he had—
But as the net tightened its encirclement around heaven and earth...
None could resist.
They all disappeared without a trace.
"So this... is the pinnacle of the sword..."
Siven thought as the aura of light closed in on him.
A net of light that covered both the sky and the earth.
A transcendent power that only a god should be capable of.
Was this truly the pinnacle of the sword?
"If so, then he is no different from a god of the sword..."
That was his final thought.
Siven was swallowed by the light and vanished.
—
A knight guarding the fortress wall stared at the man bathed in light with trembling eyes.
What he had just witnessed felt so unreal—
Like a dream.
"When the Drakes appeared and all breathed fire at once, I thought we were finished..."
There had been no hope.
The flames they unleashed had been too overwhelming.
"But that man stopped it all."
Not only had he blocked their breath attacks—
He had completely erased the retreating Drakes in an instant.
Even though the sun had set, the surroundings of the fortress were as bright as midday,
As the massive net of light continued to close in.
"But if that light keeps approaching... then we too..."
The man stood tall, radiating a dazzling brilliance.
He seemed less like a human—
And more like a divine emissary.
The knight steadied his trembling body and slowly approached him.
"W-Who are you?"
"I am Kaylen, King of Starn. The one who will be your ruler."
"The King...?"
Starn...?
"Which country is that?"
With dungeon portals severing transportation, even the affairs of the Lahendra Kingdom were unclear.
A mere knight could not be expected to know the name of a neighboring country that had changed twice.
"That's right. Lead me to your lord."
"We serve under the Lahendra Kingdom. How can we simply swear loyalty to a new king? That is impossible."
"Even after seeing that?"
Kaylen pointed at the net in the sky.
The aura of light drew closer, as if it would soon engulf the entire fortress.
The knight swallowed hard.
That aura had completely erased the Drakes.
If it touched the fortress, its destruction was inevitable.
"...I will take you to him."
With the knight leading the way, Kaylen entered the inner citadel.
A mere knight could not meet the lord freely, so they encountered several checkpoints.
However—
"Let's go."
With a single wave of Kaylen’s hand, the soldiers blocking the way stepped aside.
Even the soldiers themselves looked confused, unable to understand why they were moving aside.
"M-My body... My body..."
And so, Kaylen entered the inner citadel where Count Ainz resided.
"W-Who are you?"
Having received reports of the Drake invasion, Count Ainz had donned his mana suit in preparation for defense.
His voice trembled as he questioned Kaylen.
Kaylen’s presence, shimmering with overwhelming mana of light, was clearly extraordinary.
"I am Kaylen, King of Starn."
"Starn... Ah. I heard the Mayer Kingdom changed its name. But what brings you here?"
"What is your name?"
"I am Count Ainz."
"Very well, Count Ainz. Swear your loyalty to me."
"W-What nonsense is this? I am a noble of the Lahendra Kingdom!"
A foreign king suddenly demanding allegiance—
Was he insane?
Count Ainz couldn't help but think so.
Were it not for the overwhelming light mana radiating from Kaylen, he would have immediately ordered his soldiers to seize him.
"Do you know of the Geysir Empire?"
"Geysir? That country far to the west? I heard we used to trade with them back when the seas were safe."
"Are you unaware that they have invaded the Lahendra Kingdom and already conquered several fortresses?"
"T-That’s impossible. I've heard no such thing..."
Count Ainz only knew of Geysir’s distant location—
Completely unaware that their forces were now at Lahendra’s doorstep.
This was the extent of knowledge among Lahendra’s nobles.
They had no idea that Geysir was deploying Dragon Knights and expanding its influence across the continent.
"You will hear the details from the Dungeon Guild. Even now, Geysir’s Dragon Knights are invading various regions."
Kaylen had no intention of wasting time persuading the count.
"But what does that have to do with swearing loyalty?"
"If you swear loyalty to me and raise Starn’s banner, they will not invade."
"...I cannot believe that. Leave at once."
At Count Ainz’s command, the surrounding knights simultaneously drew their swords.
Kaylen chuckled.
"Drawing your swords? How considerate of you."
Srrrrrk.
The swords slipped from the knights’ grasps all at once.
Their new target—Count Ainz.
"W-What is this...!?"
"All you have to do is swear loyalty to Starn and raise its banner."
Chiiiiiik.
The swords grazed Count Ainz’s mana suit.
The sturdy metallic armor split apart instantly.
Yet, Count Ainz remained unharmed within.
"I won’t demand anything else from you."
"Ugh... Ughhh..."
Whoosh.
The swords moved again.
Count Ainz’s hair was severed completely.
In an instant, his once-thick hair was gone, leaving his scalp completely exposed.
Seeing this, Kaylen laughed.
"No taxes. No conscription. Even a mere verbal oath of loyalty will suffice. All you need to do is change the kingdom’s banner."
"If you refuse even that, I will replace you. Where is your heir?"
Srrrring.
The tip of the sword that had been floating in the air now touched his throat.
Count Ainz snapped back to his senses.
If he resisted any further...
Wasn’t this a death threat?
I... I can’t die!
He had never been particularly loyal to his country in the first place.
Dying over stubbornness was out of the question.
Count Ainz hurriedly dropped to his knees.
"I-I swear loyalty!"
"Then I shall accept your oath."
Kaylen pulled out the flag of the Starn Kingdom from thin air, smiling brightly.
The banner depicted six swords piercing through a dragon’s head—
A newly designed emblem, symbolizing the kingdom after its renaming.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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