TopAppnovel Chapter 194 : Dwarf (6)
Chapter 194 : Dwarf (6)
Chapter 194: Dwarf (6)
As he swung his sword frantically, the external noise was cut off and he fell into deep immersion.
The movements of the summons appeared sluggish, and he somehow blocked and evaded the attacks rushing at him from front, back, left, and right.
It wasn’t as though there had been no moments of crisis.
At such times, the Dwarf-Forged armor proved to be of considerable help.
Once, his entire flank had nearly been bitten clean through, but the mithril armor endured their crushing bite force.
After confirming the performance of his armor, he pressed the offensive even more aggressively.
It turned into a scene of mercilessly grinding down the Enemy.
“He has modified that fellow’s Swordsmanship to suit his own taste.”
Taironi observed while dealing with the ones Robin failed to catch.
Seeing his old comrade’s Swordsmanship again stirred a strange feeling within him.
It was such an irregular style that he had long since abandoned any expectation that someone would ever recreate it.
The sword that had overcome countless crises unfolded right before his eyes.
“When you said we should leave it behind as a record, it sounded absurd. You were right, Sella.”
Comrades who had gathered under the cause of killing the Demon King and reclaiming peace.
Among them, the words of a mere green porter at the time flashed through his mind.
-You never know, right? Maybe someone will accomplish what we couldn’t.
When he first heard the suggestion to leave their achievements behind in the world to keep the Demon Tribe in check in case of the worst, he had dismissed it as half nonsense.
Building a memorial hall wasn’t difficult, so he had simply gone along with it.
He had never imagined that a swordsman would appear who made Harold’s Swordsmanship his own.
“Still, is it impossible after all…….”
Robin was fighting well, but the fundamental problem remained unresolved.
Unless the source that was pouring out an overwhelming quantity was destroyed, the same problem would eventually repeat itself.
And no matter how many cannonballs the countless Dwarves fired, that damned passage would not close.
Everyone had put their heads together to devise a solution, yet no sharp answer had emerged.
All except one.
“Robin! Use your Domain! That’s the only way!”
Whether he heard Taironi’s words or not, Robin was too busy dealing with the summons surging before him.
“Robin! Are you listening to me!”
He shouted several times, but Robin continued to fight in silence.
Even the way he immersed himself in battle resembled Harold.
In the past, another comrade would have restrained him from the side, but now there was no one who could help.
“Robin!”
No matter how much of a master of Swordsmanship one might be, being human meant there would inevitably be openings.
Even for Robin, who swam alone through slowed time, there were blind spots beyond his reach.
When he was exposed to an attack aimed at his back, Taironi launched his mechanical arm.
Clatterrrrr!
The sharp teeth lining the gaping maw bit down with a crunch on Taironi’s hand.
Even though it was made of steel, it was torn off like paper.
“Eat that and choke on it.”
Unfazed, Taironi severed the chain connected to his hand.
“Robin! Get back!”
Sensing the danger, Robin heard the warning properly this time.
The moment he took a backstep and retreated, the summon that had bitten Taironi’s arm exploded.
KWA-A-A-A-ANG!
The wave of summons that had been pouring out at random halted for a brief moment.
Breaking out of his immersion, Robin flinched when he saw Taironi.
“Taironi, your hand……!”
“It’s nothing. Let’s catch our breath for a moment.”
He slammed the button beside the door they had entered through, and a loud alarm blared.
The Dwarves above drew out their firearms and aimed this way.
“Fire!”
The door shut at the last possible moment, and the roar and tremor rolled over the wall.
Robin and Taironi leaned against the wall and stared at the trembling door.
“Since you slew the Dragon, have you felt any changes?”
“Not particularly.”
“No matter how much it was brainwashed, a Dragon is still a Dragon. Truly, you felt no change at all?”
Slaying the strongest creature on the surface was an achievement that could be counted on one hand.
Those who contributed in the process would surely have raised their own standing.
No, it had to be so.
“I see you handle Fighting Spirit quite well. What about the next stage—Domain?”
“Domain? What is that?”
“Did you not learn Harold’s Swordsmanship?”
“I did.”
“From what I can see, your Swordsmanship was without excess. You should have more than enough capability to declare a Domain.”
Taironi asked in a voice filled with desperation, but Robin had no idea what he was talking about.
Judging by the context, it seemed to be a powerful and advanced technique, yet he knew nothing about it.
“If Fighting Spirit is the emission of the user’s will, then Domain goes beyond mere emission and occupies space itself.”
“You’re hoping that I can use that Domain.”
“Yes. That is precisely why I brought you here.”
“Even if you say that, I have no idea how to use it.”
Rat-a-tat-a-tat!
Between their silence, the steady sound of bombardment rang out.
Taironi lowered his head as though at a loss.
“Is whether I can use Domain or not that important?”
“To break high-level magic, there is no other method.”
“No way. You’re Taironi—the one who even landed a blow on the Demon King.”
He did not say it lightly.
According to the records discovered so far, Taironi had possessed such exceptional skill that he was called the greatest blacksmith.
That did not refer merely to his ability as a smith who forged weapons.
Whether combatant or non-combatant, they had all possessed the martial might to stand against a hundred alone.
Ordinary members of the Demon Tribe had been no match for them, and even the Demon King, ruler of the Demon Realm, had withdrawn without deciding the outcome.
“There’s something I’m curious about.”
“Speak.”
“Why aren’t you fighting?”
Taironi turned his head to the side.
Robin inspected his armor and applied potion to his abrasions.
“I may not know the reason, but I can tell you suffered a severe injury. That must be why you’re moving like that now.”
“That’s right. Compared to before, I am very weak now.”
“Even so, your past achievements haven’t vanished. Why don’t you use Fighting Spirit?”
“Dwarves have their own way of fighting. Charging in and swinging a sword like a brute—that was Harold’s specialty.”
“I heard that when Taironi drew his hammer, he wouldn’t retreat until he smashed the skulls of the Demon Tribe.”
“I told you, things are different now.”
Robin finished half the potion and swallowed the rest in one gulp.
It burned in his stomach as though he had swallowed a lump of iron.
“President Burt even exchanged blows with the Imperial Knight Commander.”
“A mere Knight Commander is no match for Harold.”
“The old man from the Knight Order I know had dementia, yet he used Aura and Fighting Spirit at the same time.”
“It’s a miracle he didn’t die.”
The more they spoke, the stronger the sense of incongruity became.
Though he hadn’t heard much due to the urgency of the situation, ever since entering the Dwarf Kingdom, there was one feeling he could not shake.
Defeat.
Even accounting for their disadvantage, the Dwarves were steeped in the signs of loss.
“You too, and the Dwarves as well. Your spirits are all broken.”
“…….”
“That’s why you can’t use Fighting Spirit. Am I wrong?”
“No.”
“How did it come to this?”
“I’ll show you.”
Pshhhhh!
A hazy steam burst from Taironi’s torso.
With a metallic click, the front of his upper body opened wide like a lid.
Eyes that looked stubborn, and a blunt nose.
A frame larger than that of an ordinary Dwarf, with rugged muscles.
But upon seeing the devices densely embedded at the center of his chest, Robin could only stare in shock.
“How… are you even alive…….”
“My heart and lungs were removed and replaced with artificial devices. The curse is layered fivefold, so they cannot function properly. I had an Artifact custom-made to keep me breathing.”
It wasn’t only his upper arm that was in serious condition.
Artificial joints were mixed into his fingers, knees, and toes.
“When I went to the Demon Realm with Harold, I was perfectly fine. But before war, even the strongest fall.”
“Don’t say something so absurd.”
“Absurd? I should have died long ago. I retreated while the young soldiers bought time.”
A war against the Demon Tribe unknown to the Empire.
The Dwarves had been fighting a grueling war for a full ten years.
“In a war where lives hang in the balance, it was a grievous mistake.”
“Didn’t you request aid from the Empire?”
“Of course I requested reinforcements.”
“Then why…….”
“The Emperor’s stance is that he will not interfere in matters that occur in the Uncharted Area.”
The Dwarf Kingdom, situated in the Uncharted Area, was not something the Emperor concerned himself with.
They had maintained friendly relations and trade, but supporting a war was another matter entirely.
To secure war supplies, the Dwarves had traded with terms favorable to the Empire.
As a result, the voices arguing that the Dwarves should be supported diminished even further.
“No matter how outstanding one person may be, leading an entire group is another matter. Aside from the defeats, the things I attempted were deemed harmful, and I had no choice but to leave the Kingdom.”
“And yet you still brought me here like this. Isn’t it because you want to save the Kingdom?”
“That’s right.”
“Then why do you wear such a despairing expression?”
Taironi dragged both hands down his face.
The fatigue he had suppressed all this time slid down his throat.
“I’m exhausted now. Our last remaining forces are on the brink of annihilation, and the Empire is watching to see if there’s anything left to squeeze out. When we should be united, there are even voices calling for surrender from within.”
“And the one you placed your hopes on can’t even use Domain.”
“…I wasn’t blaming you.”
A situation where internal division would be fortunate compared to receiving no external aid.
The crisis the Dwarves faced was more severe than he had imagined.
“If we had more resources, we might have endured a little longer.”
“Don’t speak as though it’s the end.”
“The reason I’ve confessed something I haven’t even told my own kin is because I feel great remorse. You’ve done enough. You may leave now.”
“What are you planning to do alone? Are you going to self-destruct or something?”
“If necessary.”
“That wasn’t the solution you mentioned.”
“It’s fine. Go.”
Taironi waved his hand with a faint smile.
Having let go of his lingering attachments, he even seemed at ease.
Robin took a deep breath in and out before standing.
“To be honest, I’m disappointed. The hero I imagined didn’t look like this.”
“I’m sorry to disappoint you. From the beginning, this was a war we could never win.”
“We lost because we lacked resources. We were late because we drank too much the night before. We lost because our bodies were broken. No one fights under the exact same conditions. Everyone fights with the weapons they have. The moment you start making excuses, you’ll lose again in the same situation. In the history of the Dwarves, who once swept across the eastern continent as if it were their front yard, has there never been a crisis like this?”
Taironi slowly lifted his head.
Robin rolled his shoulders, loosening his body.
“To hear someone who knows better than anyone that the moment you give up is the real end say something so deflating… I wonder what President Burt would say if he saw this.”
“That bastard would slice those things apart in five seconds flat if you just put money in his hands.”
“Is that so? Then I’ll buy you more than five minutes. Think about what you can do, Taironi.”
Thud.
As Robin grasped the door handle, Taironi called out to his back.
“Why go this far?”
“Have you forgotten the promise? There’s much I still need to hear from you. And aren’t you President Burt’s close friend?”
“Reckless.”
“President Burt is my benefactor. He’s also the teacher who taught me many things. Though I don’t know how he himself thinks of it. If a comrade of such a man needs help, I can’t just pass by. And above all…….”
He rotated his neck once and continued.
“There aren’t many people left in my life to whom I can repay my debts.”
Taironi did not know how heavy the weight behind those words truly was.
He merely assumed that the path Robin had walked had not been smooth.
“If Domain is such an incredible technique, then I must learn it here no matter what. Once you’ve regained your spirit, at least shout some guidance from behind.”
Bang.
When he struck the button beside the door, the bombardment ceased along with the alarm.
As he had when he first arrived, he pushed through the acrid smoke and entered.
The massive door closed, and soon after, the chilling sound of summons being shredded seeped through.
“What I can do…….”
Taironi stared blankly as he recalled the past.
How he had overcome countless moments of crisis even worse than this.