The Star Of Annihilation

The Star of Annihilation

Chapter 67 – Difference (1)

Written by : eleven

* * *

Wrath.

It was a word that was very heavy and loaded with meaning, but could be tossed around lightly by people everyday.

However, there were few instances… when someone should never be provoked. For if that person were to succumb to their own wrath, they might just risk everything they have just to satisfy it.

That was why wrath was one of the seven sins in the literatures of the Holy Church. It was a sin because of just how heavy it truly was.

* * *

Back to the present…


Roy coughed up blood as he tried to open his swollen eyes.

His head was pounding in pain as hot blood was smeared across his face and body.

‘Where am I…?’

Roy forgot where he was, and what he was even doing before he heard a familiar voice.

-Get a grip. You can’t kick the bucket here.


Ifrit growled in his shared consciousness with Roy as Roy could almost feel the sheer anger Ifrit had been subjected to as he watched his contractor be tortured by the son of his vowed target of revenge.

‘What- What is going on?’

“Ku-uck!!”

Roy’s head was spinning further as he immediately coughed up blood.

His condition was terrible.

His red irises displayed his emotions clearly : confusion, wariness, fear even.

-Look around you. The fight hasn’t gone anywhere, but it’s still not something that can be ‘won’.


Ifrit had a point. A myriad of colors illuminated the dark background as Roy tried to focus his eyes.

It felt like he was back on the battlefield in his last life, right before he spent his last moments being crushed hopelessly.

The difference was much in terms of setting, but this time, Roy was on the very forefront of the battle.

Trent was fighting with Tubel as his support against Mazre, one of the Great Three. Although Trent Freeman, the man known as the Sword Saint was having a look of excitement on his face, the fight was actually still not in his favor at all.

Imperial Swordsmanship First Series : Dance of the Sun Monarch


A bright blue, and familiar aura burst out of the corner of Roy’s eyes as he saw his master Lucius bloodied and sweating profusely while fighting against Hanu in anger.

Behind him, Ferneth and another person Roy had never seen before could be spotted supporting Lucius while Hanu was fighting back fiercely as well.

On one hand, his master’s fight was more even since Hanu was fiercely defending against a Swordmaster like Lucius and another Swordmaster of his caliber along with an Arch-Lich.

The reason they were faring better was because it appeared that Hanu was slightly weaker than Mazre, and also because of the fact that Lucius looked like he would kill Hanu here and now at the expense of his own life.

‘What… Why is this all happening….’

Roy felt tears streaming down his face as he saw his master fighting back fiercely against the Dragon that had cruelly tried to break his will earlier.

In fact, it could be said that Hanu had already broken him several times as Roy’s mana circuitry was a mess from the torture he was subjected to.

The most painful way to torture a wizard- espeically one with extremely high mana sensitivity, was to inject mana directly into their core to rattle it.

Roy had experienced pain beyond belief and was tearing up because of self-pity and the fact that one thing was different from his death in his previous life.

‘I’m not alone anymore…’

Roy felt like his lungs were burning, his muscles felt as if they were just put through a meat grinder.

Still, one thing had changed.

It was something inside of him that had been soothed.

No matter how tattered he was, no matter how beaten down he felt….

He didn’t feel completely powerless.

‘Have I changed?’

Roy thought to himself as his knees buckled and he collapsed on the floor consciously.

He just couldn’t bear the energy to even stand.

But even so, he felt content for some reason.

Even with the odds stacked against him and his comrades, he felt okay.

–Don’t speak nonsense. Of course you’ve changed.


Ifrit spoke angrily.

Roy felt something incongruent with Ifrit’s words though.

Ifrit was clearly angry, yet he was agreeing with him.

‘….?’

Roy blinked slowly as he stared at the night sky.

The same red star that always looked back at him these days, looked dim for some reason. Almost like it was fading.

-But you still do not have enough strength.
Ifrit’s words came down like a hammer.

‘Yeah but..’

-If you don’t want to see a thorny road ahead, then you should think carefully about me and my past.
Roy had seen bits and pieces of Ifrit’s past every time they assimilated together though [manifestation].

Ifrit had lost everything.

Even now, it didn’t make sense why he would enter a contract with someone like Roy.

Roy was like an old man stealing a young boy’s body.

He had incredible sensitivity to mana, but he would never break through to the level of a 5-star Wizard with mana sensitivity alone.

He never was able to break through that wall of mental fortitude in his past life, and even now.

“….”

Roy felt guilty at these words of truth.

Ifrit was barely maintaining his anger through sheer willpower as he wished to kill Hanu and every last Dragon with his own two hands.

But, he no longer could due to the limitations of crossing dimensions.

“Roy!”

Suddenly a very familiar voice rang out through the bloodsoaked battlefield.

Roy turned his eyes, but couldn’t follow with his head as he had no strength left.

“N-Nate….”

Roy croaked out in a hoarse voice as the silver-haired boy ran towards Roy with his spear in tow.

Nate was not alone.

There were a few others alongside him.

Three other faces he did not expect at all, along with another friend of his that he somewhat expected to be with Nate and of course, the friend he had just made recently that was surely to be in such a thing.

Elizabeth was the one he did expect to be with Nate, since it was clear she was not exactly rational when it came to him and her heart.

Elias obviously came too if one thought about it, seeing how if this was an important event tied with the destiny of this world, of course the apostle of Dola would come running.

But there were three other individuals he did not expect at all.

The first was Mateo Lancer, the Seventh Swordmaster of the Empire.

Although powerful, it was unlikely that Mateo would truly be able to completely tip the already disadvantageous position into a favorable one.

Nonetheless his presence was welcome as he bolted in a glow of silver aura and darted straight into the fray, ignoring the reunion of the others.

The second person was Sistine Ismenian.

‘Why is the Imperial Princess here….?’

Roy’s head was full of questions as his eyes landed on the boy next to her. A familiar face nonetheless from his swordsmanship class, but he was unable to put a name to the face.

It was Hallen Tiberius, the future ‘indomitable shield’.

“Roy, don’t worry. We’ll get you out of here.”

“Na…Nate.. no. You need to leave right now..”

Roy was barely able to speak and Elizabeth rushed to him and started to perform a variant of her blood magic.

Noticing she had become incredibly proficient with it, it was quite a spectacle to see a magician that was capable of healing.

The only people that were known to be able to heal were priests from the Holy Church, thanks to their holy power.

But Elizabeth was studying a very peculiar type of magic that was close to necromancy like her master, Ferneth, but it also was entirely different.

[Blood Return]

Roy felt his body aching as blood swirled around from his surroundings; the blood he had lost earlier, started to swirl up into the air and penetrate his skin and go back into his arteries and veins.

The cuts on his skin and bruises started to heal rapidly as the blood quickly dried up into scabs.

“Come on, let’s get going.”

“I can..can’t get up.”

Despite his blood returning back into his body, his body was still incredibly ridden with fatigue and exhaustion from his depleted mana and demonic energy.

“Hey! You said your name was Hallen right?”

“Uh-oh… yes!”

Hallen, who was staring blankly at the sight of swordmasters and arch-mages fighting off these indescribable powerhouses that looked like humans, replied as Nate got his attention.

“Can I borrow you for a second? I need a bit of help.”

Nate hoisted Roy up onto a shoulder of his and signaled Hallen to take Roy’s other shoulder to carry him and help him out.

‘Hallen? Don’t tell me….’

Roy’s eyes widened.

It was too much of a coincidence wasn’t it?

Why were these people all gathered here… It was already incredible for him to gather Elizabeth and someone like Nate, but the Imperial Princess and Hallen Tiberius as well? They weren’t friends by any means, but why were all these important people here already?

‘Don’t tell me that the effects of the regression are speeding up the timeline?!’

It was starting to all make sense for Roy at that moment until….

Hanu looked over out of the corner of his eye and made eye contact with Mazre.

The fact that these humans were pushing them, the pride of the Dragon Race, the heir to the Lord himself, and one of the Great Three…!

It was ridiculous.

<Alright. It’s time to stop fooling around.>

Hanu pushed away Lucius’ sword that was zeroing in on his location with ease and started to circulate his large amounts of mana and aura together in a fierce rotation.

Lucius looked at this and quickly gave distance to them as he realized something off.

Trent was the same as Mazre was starting to the same thing.

Aura and mana were a rare combination, but to see them start to get circulated together….

Everyone present had an ominous feeling…

“GET BACK NOW!”

Trent yelled as loud as he could and poured his aura and ki into his voice to bring his allies to their senses.

BOOM!
Chapter 67 – Fin

Author Notes : for purchasing advance chapters go to http://www.ko-fi.com/betterdays