Chapter 373: As If It Would Last Forever |
The forces from Claudia were unlike those from the Fallen Dominion.
They were disciplined, well-organized, and properly led.
A true army, moving in perfect formation, charged across the plains in front of Claudia.
Among them, one vehicle leading the charge was distinct from the rest.
A massive automaton carriage, several times larger than the others, bore Thundergears infused with lightning. They were spinning so furiously that the teeth of the gears were invisible to the naked eye.
Standing tall atop the vehicle, a single figure locked eyes with us.
The most striking feature was her bright yellow hair.
Tied into a single strand, it fell down all the way to her waist.
Normally, hair should fall straight down under the pull of gravity, but for some reason, hers seemed to float slightly, swaying with the wind.
However, the strange part lay at the ends of her hair.
Tiny sparks crackled and flickered between the strands whipping in the wind.
As the distance closed, she suddenly leaped off the carriage.
In this world, everything that leaves the ground follows a parabolic arc under the force of gravity.
Unless something rides the wind, its trajectory doesn’t change.
But the Thunderarch’s movement defied that rule.
Midair, she pulled with her arm and just like a thread pulling a floating object, her body was jerked forward, soaring in a near-straight curve.
In the blink of an eye, she landed gracefully on the deck of the Golden Ark.
- Boom.
The deck shook from the impact and static charges crackled beneath her feet.
She lightly tapped her electrically charged hair before turning to the only human standing on deck.
“This ship belongs to the Witherarch. Are you her guest?”
That human was me.
Facing the ruler of Claudia, the strongest of the Fallen Dominion, I gulped and answered.
“Yes. She’s resting inside the cabin.”
“A messenger from the Dominarch informed us that the Golden Lord was heading to Claudia. Where is the Golden Lord?”
“Right here.”
“What do you mean?”
At her question, I pointed down toward the deck below and explained.
“It’s a long story, but the Witherarch stopped the Golden Lord. In the process, the Dominarch died and now there’s a lot of political noise about a peace treaty. We were heading to Claudia to settle it.”
“Is that true?”
“If I were lying, wouldn’t you be welcoming the Golden Lord instead of us right now?”
｢The expected arrival time has passed, yet there’s no sign of the Golden Lord nearby. The terrain remains unchanged since the last time… That means it’s true.｣
As expected of a city ruler, the Thunderarch quickly assessed the situation.
After a swift glance around, she reached a conclusion and spoke her mind.
“Good riddance to that wraith.”
“…Huh?”
“What God of Alchemy? He’s just a lingering ghost that couldn’t even die properly, haunting the land.”
She scoffed. “Now that he’s gone, maybe this country can finally start looking like a real nation.”
The moment she determined the Golden Lord was no longer a threat, the Thunderarch relaxed, finally revealing her true feelings.
I wasn’t sure how to respond, so I just stood there in awkward silence.
Raising her right hand, she pressed her index finger and thumb together and muttered—
“Thunder Catch.”
- Snap.
The moment she snapped her fingers—
- CRACK!
Lightning struck her hand.
Like two colossal pieces of flintstone clashing against one another, an arc of electricity surged up, splitting the sky.
“Woof! Woof! Woof!”
“Aaaaahh!”
One dog and one human immediately freaked out.
Casually shaking off the lingering sparks, the Thunderarch remarked.
“Nothing to be afraid of. It was just a signal for my troops.”
“A signal or not, it was a freaking bolt of lightning! That’s terrifying!”
“Can’t help it. It’s my ability. You’ll just have to deal with it.”
Down below, her soldiers began spreading out.
Upon receiving the signal, they seamlessly transitioned from battle to search formation.
Their efficiency was far beyond what one would expect from the Fallen Dominion.
With her orders given, the Thunderarch stretched out her hand.
Without touching it, the metal door leading to the cabin swung open, seemingly repelled by her presence.
She turned without hesitation and marched inside.
“Azzy, let’s go too.”
But Azzy didn’t follow. I turned back to see her fur standing on end, puffed up from static electricity.
She was quite literally fluffy—or rather, she looked like a puffed-up furball.
“Woof! Fur! My fur!”
“It’s just static. Wash it off and it’ll settle.”
“Woof! No time! Let’s go, woof!”
“Why are you so against bathing? You’re not even a cat.”
I patted down her fur, flattening it as best I could, before following the Thunderarch into the cabin.
The Thunderarch immediately checked up on the Witherarch as she shook her awake.
Though Peru had yet to fully recover, the Thunderarch deemed it more important to hear the truth directly from her.
Peru, despite her pain, made an effort to explain everything she knew.
“…With their help, I was able to stop the Golden Lord’s rampage.”
After hearing the rough summary, the Thunderarch nodded.
“Well done, Witherarch, or should I say, the next Golden Lord? All of Claudia’s citizens will revere your bravery. Even if we had exhausted all the power from the Thundermill, we wouldn’t have stood a chance. Thanks to you, at least we didn’t lose our home.”
“…and-”
“The ceasefire? I don’t particularly care. The Abyssal Plains is on the opposite side of the Fallen Dominion to Claudia, so it’s none of my concern… I’ll leave it to the judgment of the Golden Lord. However…”
The Thunderarch shot a sharp look at the Regressor and Hilde.
“If the Military State makes excessive demands during the process, I will intervene immediately. The Fallen Dominion has not lost this war, and even if we had, Claudia would never be attacked. No matter what you’re after… as long as I’m here, you won’t get it easily.”
As if to affirm her words, powerful energy crackled around her arms and legs.
The residual lightning sparking in all directions was a direct display of her power.
She was Elkid, the Thunderarch, ruler of Claudia, and the most powerful Primarch of the Fallen Dominion.
A descendant of the first Thunderarch, who captured the Lightning Thief and returned stolen thunder to the sky.
Steel serves as a conduit for lightning.
The more refined it is through alchemy, the more effectively it channels electricity.
At the peak of their craft, alchemists could carry lightning within them.
Normally, they avoided doing so, as lightning’s power was as dangerous to them as it was to others.
However, a select few—those with special traits and Unique Magic—could wield lightning and become the strongest of all humans.
Elkid was one of those few.
The Chosen of Thunder, the strongest Primarch of the Fallen Dominion.
And within Claudia, where lightning perpetually raged, she wielded power akin to that of a god.
And yet, in the face of such a figure, the Regressor…
“Oh, come on! You’ve got it all wrong! I’m not siding with the Military State and I have no intention of being your enemy! In fact, I even have a gift for you!”
…was acting like she was trying to make friends.
The one caught off guard was the Thunderarch herself.
She had exuded an intimidating presence to ensure she wasn’t underestimated, but rather than responding with defiance, the Regressor simply acted friendly.
Awkwardly, the static in her hair fizzled out.
｢What is this? I was expecting resistance. If they were envoys from the Military State, they should’ve tried to match my pressure…｣
Letting both her hair and her presence settle, the Thunderarch skeptically asked.
“…A gift? There’s no such thing as ‘impossible’ in Claudia. I don’t know what you’re offering, but I doubt it’s anything we need.”
She remained wary, but surprisingly, the Regressor—who was usually the most cautious person in the room—was completely open toward the Thunderarch.
That felt unfair.
The Regressor always stood her ground against everyone, so why wasn’t she treating the Thunderarch the same way?
｢Elkid. This is the first time I’ve met you this early. Before, I only sought you out after obtaining Jizan to implant the Thunder God. So this is what you were like a few years younger…｣
Tsk. So now it’s not just political ties and personal connections, but even past-life connections?
How am I supposed to compete with that?
It’s honestly depressing when I think about how I almost lost my right arm back then.
The Regressor confidently stated, “No, you’ll need this.”
“Putting aside what it is… what do you want in return?”
“Nothing much. Just a gesture of goodwill. At most, I’d like the ceasefire negotiations to go smoothly.”
“A gift with no price is even more suspicious. What exactly are you offering that makes you so sure of yourself?”
The Thunderarch was still skeptical.
However, the Regressor, who had built a close relationship with her in a now-erased future, was already treating her as an ally.
｢She’s still on her guard, but it’s fine. There’s no way she can ignore what I’m offering. Now that the Golden Lord has been dealt with, all that’s left is to get rid of the Thunder God. Once I do, she’ll be on my side again in this timeline too, and I can help Elkid as much as she’ll help me.｣
Even if the memories hadn’t happened yet, the Regressor was confident she could regain the Thunderarch’s trust.
“Claudia is the city where the Lightning Thief hid the thunder, right?”
“I don’t need a history lesson from an outsider.”
“Just hear me out. The first Thunderarch caught the Lightning Thief and returned the stolen thunder to the sky, but the Thunder God, even on the brink of fading from existence, still descends with the clouds periodically, venting its wrath upon Claudia. Am I wrong?”
“That is indeed a troublesome issue…”
The Thunderarch was about to ask if the Regressor planned to eliminate the Thunder God, but she stopped herself.
Asking for something impossible would only make her seem desperate.
However, she didn’t need to hold back.
“I’ll kill the Thunder God.”
The Regressor, in her warmest tone yet, said the most terrifying thing.
***
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