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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 167
Everything lost its color, and sound ceased. Silence settled over the scene. Yet, even in that moment, one being moved alone. A knight clad in worn armor naturally entered the field of vision, as if he had been there from the very beginning.
Gailgron.
The helmet he had originally worn was nowhere to be seen. He, too, seemed to have been injured while fighting Riorg Ribella, as blood trickled from a wound on the side of his head.
The Silent Hero.
The Talkative Hero.
Contradictory titles, yet nothing described him better. Among the past heroes chosen by Damrak, he alone enjoyed conversations with others. He did not discriminate between friend or foe—if communication was possible, and if the opportunity arose, he would engage in conversation. But that did not mean he was a frivolous man. Anyone who had seen him in battle could never deny that Gailgron was a hero. And that moment was now.
"……."
Gailgron stepped forward and raised his sword to shoulder height. In a world turned gray, he alone retained color, and from his blade, divine power erupted like an explosion. As if to prove he was a chosen one, the elongated blade radiated a dazzling light as it came crashing down upon Riorg Ribella, who stood atop the magic circle.
──────!!!
The wraith guarding the necromancer noticed and summoned shadows. With a mere gesture, five slashes tore through the ground, rising with tremendous force. The temple floor cracked, upheaved, and sent debris flying. Receiving direct magical support from its master, the wraith’s attacks carried far greater power than when Ian and Abella had faced it.
Even amidst the chaos, there was no sound. Nothing could be heard. It was as if witnessing an illusion.
But this was all real. Gailgron's sword erased the shadow slashes—literally. Shadows could not overcome light.
-…….
The wraith did not panic. Rather, it remained calm, as if it had expected this outcome, simply moving its hands once more. It responded with practiced ease, as if it had faced this opponent many times before.
Though no sound could be heard, the ground trembled violently. The temple's fractured floor surged upward like towering pillars, cloaked in dark magic.
──────!!!
The world remained eerily silent, yet the sight before them was anything but. The temple—or what was left of it—shook as if the entire space were being overturned. When Gailgron's sword fully swung, the stone pillars ahead shattered and crumbled. Soon, even the ashen hue faded, and the world returned to normal.
Rumble!
Ian frowned.
It looks like it's collapsing this way.
"What are you doing!? Get moving!"
Beside him, Abella shouted and quickly pulled herself away. The shattered pillars came crashing down, accelerating unnaturally due to the dark magic coating them.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
It was like watching a meteor shower fall.
Ian had expected Gailgron to block it, but instead, he had already charged forward. Unable to follow, Ian fell back and conjured fire. A thick cloud of dust surged toward them but was stopped by the wall of flames on the ground.
From a distance, Riorg Ribella’s voice rang out.
"I knew you would charge in like this. So, just like last time, let me offer you a little gift."
Whoooosh!!!
A fierce gust swept through, snuffing out the magic-induced flames and clearing their vision. And with it, Gailgron came into view—surrounded by dozens of skeletons and piles of bones. Ian's eyes widened.
A trap?
In that brief moment, Riorg Ribella and the wraith had vanished.
As expected, it was a teleportation spell. But as if he had foreseen Gailgron's intrusion, Riorg Ribella had cunningly prepared yet another spell.
Each skeleton wielded a different weapon. At first, Ian thought they might be magical arms recovered from the temple, but they were not.
Their weapons varied—some held swords, others spears, and some carried blunt weapons—each specialized in its own way.
The skulls, brimming with dark mana, recklessly entered the warrior’s domain. Gailgron swung his sword without hesitation.
Crack, cr-aaack!
His swordsmanship was distinctly different from Abella’s. It was rough, like a raging river. In fact, it seemed more fitting for him to wield a blunt weapon rather than a sword, considering how he crushed the skulls. Instead of piercing through the skulls, his strikes shattered them. Rather than slicing through bone, his blade pulverized it entirely.
Craaaack!
That didn’t mean his skill was lacking.
The terrifying aspect of necromancers was that the quality of their summoned forces depended on their mastery. As long as they had enough mana, they could replenish their numbers endlessly—unless they were summoning special entities like Galan or wraiths.
Among the skulls here, no such entities could be seen.
Craaaack!
Ian took in the sight of Gailgron. While it appeared as though he was overwhelming his enemies through sheer divine power, his footwork, stance, and countermeasures were all worth noting.
‘Shouldn’t we be leaving soon?’
Even though he was momentarily absorbed in watching, he couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. Anyone could tell that this was a trap meant to hold Gailgron in place.
Scattered around the magic circle were heaps of skull fragments, likely from undead soldiers that had been collecting magical constructs before breaking apart. It looked like a trash heap.
“We should step back a bit.”
Abella seemed just as concerned. Ian, caught off guard, nodded and took a few steps back. Almost immediately, the magic circle on the ground emitted a bright light, resonating with the piles of bones atop it.
Wooooong!!!
Even as he saw this, Gailgron remained indifferent, focusing solely on crushing the skulls.
Then, as if reaching a critical point, the pile of bones atop the magic circle erupted in a chain reaction, detonating like a powder keg.
Just before the explosion, Gailgron swung his sword in a sweeping arc, tracing the shape of a crescent moon.
For a brief moment, Ian perceived everything as if time had slowed.
The bones, infused with dark mana, were shattered into tiny fragments, scattering in every direction by the hundreds. In an instant, the space was filled with a storm of bone shards.
Dodging was practically impossible. Deflecting every single shard was out of the question. He had to block them.
───────!!!
Following the trajectory of Gailgron’s sword, the world turned gray once more, and a brilliant light surged forth in its wake.
The storm of shards was repelled the moment they touched the light.
As time resumed its normal flow, the countless bone fragments that had blanketed the space vanished like snow melting away.
“Hah.”
A breath of awe escaped. It wasn’t something impossible to replicate, but could he react that quickly in the moment?
It was clear that Gailgron hadn’t just been protecting himself—he had ensured the safety of those around him as well. If not for him, the shards would have reached them even at this distance.
“……”
Gailgron stood still, his sword lowered.
His breathing remained steady, though his expression was filled with dissatisfaction. However, he wasn’t gravely injured.
All that remained was the magic circle, etched into the ground like a brand. Gailgron surveyed the surroundings. In the distance, faint traces of movement could be felt. As he turned his head, he saw Bishop Tarminan and the Ashen Paladin.
Their numbers were small, bearing clear signs of having fought fiercely.
“Ah…”
The bishop blinked, looking back and forth between Ian, Abella, and Gailgron.
Realizing the situation belatedly, he lowered his raised battle stance. With a wry smile, he approached, bowing his head slightly to Abella before kneeling in front of Gailgron, paying his respects.
“Amidst your busy endeavors, I sincerely thank you for responding to our sudden request for aid, Warrior.”
“Bishop Tarminan.”
“Yes, please speak.”
“Well done. It’s unfortunate that this place ended up like this, but if you had tried to handle it with your own strength, none of you would have survived.”
“I am ashamed.”
“The Lord has answered your faith and conviction, so lift your head. This isn’t over yet. There’s still work to be done, isn’t there?”
Bishop Tarminan nodded. Gailgron turned to Ian. His expression brightened.
“Well, look who it is.”
“It’s been a while, Sir Hero.”
“Sir Hero, my foot. Don’t be so stiff—just call me Sir Gailgron.”
“Can’t I call you big brother instead?”
Gailgron hesitated for a moment before shaking his head.
“Sorry, but that’s a bit too soon. Anyway, what are you doing here?”
“I came to the Grand Temple’s chapel to return an artifact I happened to acquire, and then…”
“You got caught up in all this?”
“Yes.”
Ian replied with a reluctant expression. Gailgron let out a short laugh, placed his hand on Ian’s shoulder, and gave him a couple of light pats.
“You really are unlucky. Well, let’s talk more in detail later.”
Gailgron looked around, then sheathed his sword and gathered divine power in his palm. The bishop and the knights watched in awe.
“Ooh…”
It wasn’t just light gathering—compared to other priests, the density of the divine power itself was on another level.
As he raised the golden sphere radiating with dense light, it soon extended into a pillar of pure illumination.
Kwaaaaaa!
The sacred light surged upward, covering the sky. The heavens, which had mirrored the temple like a reflection, faded away, and the isolated space began to rejoin the world once more.
This wouldn’t restore the temple, which had been twisted like a labyrinth, to its original state. But at the very least, it was a sign that everything here had come to an end.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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