Became a tyrant of defense games - Episode 471
◈ 471. [Side Story] Good Brothers (4)
Just now.
A palace of thorn trees soaring into the sky. somewhere inside.
“Cough!”
Metallic, who was walking forward carrying Lark, vomited blood..
The old knight had pieces of thorns stuck all over his body, and blood was pouring out with every step he took..
Currently, the Thorn Tree Palace is completely occupied by Everblack's branches..
The thornbush was trying to get rid of an intruder that Fernández did not allow..
Every few steps I took, thorn tree trunks fell from all directions..
Metallic desperately moved his body to avoid the attack, but was unable to prevent his injuries from increasing..
at last,
dump!
After accumulating injuries one after another, my two strong knees hit the floor..
“……I think that's it for me, my lord..”
Metallic coughed up blood and muttered in a dying voice..
“I'm sorry for not being with you until the end.…….”
“Thank you for coming this far..”
Lark, who kneeled in front of Metallic, praised the old knight in a quiet voice..
“Thank you for the long time.”
“It was an honor to serve you master..”
“It was an honor for me to be with you too..”
The large metallic figure, smiling faintly, slowly collapsed forward..
“To the empire, and to the master's future... … Let there be light…….”
thud……!
The old knight collapsed and died in a pool of his own blood..
L'Arc closed Metallic's glassy eyes, which he could not close, with his remaining arm..
“Rest in peace for your future as well..”
After a moment of silence in front of the death of the adjutant who had been with me since the day I first went into battle,.
Lark looked inside the imperial palace. The entire passageway was filled with thorn vines..
Larc, who had lost all his limbs, had no way of getting through these thorns and getting inside..
But Larque stood at the front of the aisle, kneeling..
Whoosh-
Hiss-
The tree trunks swarmed around Lark, making noises like poisonous snakes. Exhaling bloody air as if it would tear the next victim to pieces at any moment..
“I am L'Arc 'Avalanche' Everblack..”
In front of him, Larque stood aloof..
“He is the commander of the 1st Legion, a pilgrim on the border, the military commander in charge of the imperial army, and the rightful successor to the blood of the imperial family.…….”
Larque scolded fiercely..
“He is the guardian of humanity.!”
The thorn trees all trembled and stopped in place..
“I want my younger brothers… … I have to go see the guardians..”
The ends of his arms and legs were cut off, and he was in a miserable state, leaning on his forearms and knees..
Larque roared once more in a confident voice..
“Can't we open the way quickly?!”
The branches of the trees trembled and made a path..
Larque entered it..
The road was still long and difficult - but he had work to do..
***
bang! Kuwagwanggwang!
Inside the throne room of the Rising Thorn Palace, Fernandez and I were fighting again..
Meanwhile, Fernandez was concentrating his magic on creating this ‘ark’..
And when the ark was completed, it finally began to exert its full force in the fight against me..
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
He covered his body, wounded by my attack, with thorns, and slowly stood up, wearing the thorns like armor..
In his hand was a huge staff made of thorns..
“Did I mention earlier that round 2 has begun, Ash??”
Fernandez grinned in front of me with my mouth wide open in embarrassment..
“Then, I think I'll start soon..”
“Geez, don't go into phase 2 even though you're not a monster.!”
The end of the thorn tree trunk, which coiled like a group of poisonous snakes, split into four branches... … A flash of magic flashed within it..
Flash! flashing-!
Kugwagwagwagwang!
Rays of light fly and explode.
It was an unbelievable power. In the face of the absolute difference in output, the shadow army made up of my remnants quickly began to retreat..
“Pfft……!”
I tried to recruit all the magicians from my remnant unit to fight against Fernandez, but I couldn't handle it. This one was swept away at once..
Wizards are strategic weapons comparable to Earth's fighter planes..
And although all fighter planes are powerful, of course, the combat power varies greatly by generation and technology..
Just as there is an incomparable gap between the fighter planes of World War II and the fighter planes of modern warfare..
And the magical fighting power of Fernandez and I... … To put it bluntly, there is a difference in performance between a biplane and a stealth aircraft..
Even if dozens of biplanes attack in formation, they will not even leave bullet marks on the latest stealth aircraft..
That level of pure and overwhelming difference in output..
Quagwang! Kwagwagwagwang!
As the strongest wizard in the empire and the last wizard in countless world lines, Fernandez's all-out effort was terrifying..
After blowing away half of my remnant army with a wild spell of magic, Fernandez spoke calmly..
“In 15 minutes, this ark will depart for the spirit world..”
“……!”
“It is a powerful and safe ark that will not be swept away by the space-time drift of the spirit world. In other words, it's impossible to get out of here..”
Fernandez tilted his chin and grinned..
“15How about we get the shutdown protocol up and running in a minute, and have another passenger on board, Ash? Wouldn't it be boring if we were the only humans in the world??”
“Please stop talking nonsense…….”
I'm sharing the redevelopment rights for Yeonggye housing~ You fell asleep saying something like this, you scammer.!
“Hard sell of goods! Soliciting customers! Fake product! False advertising! This is a serious crime?!”
Your dream of owning your own home will come true! Not in that kind of purgatory!
I manipulated the remnants of the army and attacked Fernandez..
Half of them were blown away by Fernandez's attack a little while ago, but in the meantime, the other half came close to Fernandez again..
Fernandez shouted as he tore off the stuck remnants one by one with thorns..
“Why don’t you just admit it now! Your strategy has an overwhelmingly high chance of failing! Even if that happens in the spirit world, even if it's just a mental body! Surviving! Isn't that safer?!”
“Please stop acting like a parent telling his child, who dreams of becoming an artist, to be safe and become a civil servant.!”
Looking back, I... … No, it's a legend that Godeok's parents were both, oh my.!
“What is the meaning of such a ‘safe defeat’?!”
I vomited with a blood boiling voice..
“Those things are just preserved… … It's just a stuffed paradise!”
“It's better than not even being able to preserve it.!”
Fernandez also shouted.
“How many times do you think I recorded the sight of your futile challenge being shattered! Know how to compromise, Ash! Even if it is a safe defeat, we must take it in hand.!”
……There is no truth to what Fernandez said..
Suddenly I remembered the card game I played with gamblers..
How to win at Texas Hold'em Poker.
You should be able to look at your hand, calculate the odds, and give up the stake without hesitation if you think you are at a disadvantage..
So you can win the whole game.
In short, it is a ‘game that you have to lose well to win in the end.’.
What is different about life in this world?.
Know how to back down, know how to compromise, know how to bend... … It will be something that can endure the long journey called life without being broken or broken..
……but.
If this game is the last poker game in the world.
In that case, even if what I have in my hands is the weakest card without any pedigree. Even so, you have to go all in..
Without backing down. Without compromise. without bending.
Even if it breaks, breaks, and ends up falling into pieces.
must fight.
That's my choice as a fighter..
“Don't talk like a safe loss isn't a loss! What I wish for... … It's victory!”
There's no need for a bad ending or a normal ending..
All I want is the one and only true ending.
And after that - this is the world in which everyone will live.!
“Unless the odds of winning are zero, why not surrender?!”
“No, you will have to surrender! 'Cause I'll make it happen!”
Empty arguments ring in the air..
We continued our bloody fight, with neither of us willing to give in to the other..
Fernandez fully rose from the throne and came towards me with great strides, and my remnant army that tried to stop him was swept away miserably..
Before I knew it, Fernandez had passed the long carpet and was standing right in front of me..
Fernandez, who had fused with the thorn tree, looked much taller than usual..
A magic light flickered behind Fernandez, who looked down at me arrogantly with his dark red eyes..
“All I need anyway is your soul.”
Fernandez pointed his thorn stick at me..
“Let's kill the body first, Ash..”
I gritted my teeth as I faced him. Clutching the flagpole in his hand.
And, that was right then..
“stop-!”
A hoarse shout was heard from the entrance to the throne room..
Fernandez and I looked towards him in horror..
And there,
“……Larque type?”
He was in a miserable state, losing all his limbs, but he was smiling at us... … The first brother was standing.
Both Fernandez and I froze in embarrassment..
“I'm here to get you, little brothers..”
Lark looked at us with his unchanging warm eyes and whispered sweetly..
“Let's go home together.”
***
It didn't feel real.
Lark appeared in that miserable state, and the words that came out of his mouth.
Let's go home?
Is that what you're going to say in this ark of thorns floating in the distant sky of this ecliptic where all the citizens are on the verge of death?.
But Larque continued.
“Fernandez can still turn around.”
“…….”
“Let's go back. And let's have a meeting together and come up with another way to save the world. We are the same ‘guardians’… … And aren't they brothers?.”
“What nonsense are you talking about, brother?…….”
Fernandez let out a laugh..
“There is no turning back. we have come too far.”
“no. There is nothing that cannot be undone.”
Larque was strong..
“There must be something else we can do to protect the world. So, let's lower our weapons on each other and talk.”
“There is no turning back!”
Fernandez shouted as if he was coughing up blood..
“Who do you think cut off your limbs?!”
“…….”
“The person I brainwashed to come this far! A human being killed! How many people do you think there are?!”
Fernández jerked his cane up. Then dozens of thorn tree stems wrapped around the tip of the staff and turned into a huge spear..
“How many worlds did it take for me to reach this conclusion... … You think it's destroyed?!”
I also took my gaze away from Larque and glared at Fernandez..
“Stay back, Larc..”
“…….”
“After settling the matter soon, I'm going to take my brother with me and escape from here.……!”
Taat-!
Me and Fernandez lunged at each other at the same time..
Fernandez's huge thorn spear was hurled at me, and my last remnants thrust their swords forward. I prepare my 'trick' behind it all…….
and,
Taat!
Larque got in between them..
I had no calves or feet below my knees, so I had no idea how he was able to jump so nimbly..
Frightened, Fernandez and I changed the direction of our attack without realizing it. but it's a little late.
Sigh! Phuwak……!
Fernandez's thorn spear and the swords of my remnants were inserted into both sides of Larc..
“older brother……?!”
“brother?! What is this…….”
While we were horrified, Larque came out with only his forearm and grabbed Fernandez by the back of his neck.-
wobble!
I hugged you all at once.
And even though he was coughing up blood, he smiled..
“It's a hug of friendship, you bastards.……!”
There were no arms like the marble pillars of the past, nor was there any strength that could have broken our waist..
But neither I nor Fernandez had any choice but to accept his embrace..
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