Chapter 146: Asura laughs during the reunion with an old friend
Translator: Tseirp
Demon Lord Ship, Wendy Dart.
The steel ship spewing out steam made using unknown technology had run aground on Zoltan"s riverbed and lost its functions.
At the bow.
Prince Uzuku and Prince Silberio both held two imposing two-handed greatswords in each of their hands in ready stances.
Those were swords that were normally impossible to swing with a single hand but in the thick arms of the two princes, it seemed given that they could do so.
Behind them, Leonor glared at Mistome-shi with popping blue veins and the countenance of an evil spirit.
"Onee-sama, you never fail to cause me unpleasantness."
"That"s probably because you cause misfortune to people. Both your hands seem like they are about to be torn off from the weight of the hatred toward you."
"In that case, I shall strangle and kill Onee-sama before that happens … Unlike Onee-sama"s 『Archmage』, my 『Warrior』 can"t conveniently kill my opponent just by forming a seal and would take time so I"ll try my best to make it as painful as possible."
"Try it Leonor, if you are capable of it."
Although there was enough murderous intent between them to start the fight at any moment, the two Princes still stood between them.
We"ll have to defeat those two first.
"Mother, please stand down, this is a task for us brothers."
"But brother, doesn"t that look like the Demon Lord"s Egg?"
Prince Uzuku looked at Ruti and said with a ferocious smile.
"You"re right, I didn"t expect to meet her in such a place. As Asuras, we must destroy the Demon Lord."
"But can we win?"
"It would probably be impossible in this form."
I raised my sword to an upper stance and crossed the distance between myself and Prince Silberio is an instant.
I wanted to get a strike in before they transformed into their Asura Demon forms but Prince Silberio blocked it by crossing his greatswords.
A high-pitched metallic sound resounded
"Ku!!"
"Mother! Please give us some spare time! Pardon us from acting as your sons until the end of the battle."
"There"s no helping it. But you must erase everyone who sees your true appearances. This may be a remote region but it is still too early for others to know your true ident.i.ty."
"I know, fortunately, we are on a ship. We can probably kill all the mercenaries without letting any escape."
Prince Silberio and Prince Uzuku"s forms swelled.
Four swords swung down from above me as they both attacked with both of their swords.
"Ha!!"
In response to the swords closing in, I raised my spirit and struck upward with my copper sword, blowing away their attacks before thrusting my sword at the face of the prince baring his fangs whose body was wide open.
However, Prince Silberio avoided my strike with a paper-thin distance.
I flipped back to gain some distance before their retaliatory strikes could hit me.
By then, Prince Silberio and Prince Uzuku had already transformed into the shape of 6-armed Asura Demons.
"So there is a Hero like you apart from the Demon Lord"s Egg. Sheesh, I"m worried about the future."
The Asura Demon shrugged his shoulders. Blood stained the Asura Demon"s shoulder but it didn"t faze him.
The Asura Demon that was previously Prince Silberio had a cut running from his right cheek to his ear from my sword and his ear was torn.
"De-demon!!"
I heard screams of terror from behind.
Leonor"s mercenaries were terrified of the princes that have turned into Asura Demons.
"The after cleanup is going to be so enjoyable."
The majority of the mercenaries had lost their will to fight and was slowly retreating.
If the situation turned south for us, Garadin and I were tasked to stop them but now it was better to focus on the two Asura Demons and Leonor.
All right, I held my sword up once more.
"Onii-chan."
"I"m okay."
I answered while looking at my cut sleeve.
I wasn"t wounded but it was close.
"They are good even after hiding their ident.i.ties for over 40 years."
The true ident.i.ties of the two princes.
The Asura Demons who consumed Leonor"s stillborn child to take on their appearances.
They were Gashasura and Chugara who had once fought alongside Mistome-shi.
With six arms each, they were gripping 12 greatswords, one in every hand. Their stance gave off the impression that they were great warriors, unlike Shisandan who we fought in the past.
Using my knowledge and experience, I could fight by speculating the opponent"s divine protection and level.
By fighting while knowing the capabilities of the opponent, I could fight on even ground despite having the weaker 『Guide』 divine protection.
However, Asura Demons were the only race without divine protections.
Even during the fights against the Demon Lord Army, the greater the number of Asura Demons, the greater the restriction on my fighting capabilities.
"Being born as Princes, you two shouldn"t have had the chance for large battles?"
Gashasura, who was once Prince Silberio, laughed at my words.
"We are unlike humans who can only grow by killing others."
" … What?"
"Our days as princes were fruitful. We spoke to Martial Artist and Philosophers on this continent and partic.i.p.ated in sports."
"We mixed with n.o.bles, drank delicious wine, ate delicious food, held women. Just recently we mixed with the common folk, plowed the fields, boiled gra.s.s roots, drank cheap wine and sang. All of which are hard to experience at Asura Kshetra. All new experiences become the strength of Asura." (TL: Kshetra: Holy area/precinct.)
The two Asura Demon"s figures were intimidating.
I figured that their strength would have diminished after leaving the battlefield for so long … but it was a miscalculation.
"Asura Demons have strange physiology."
"To us, we find it strange that this world"s living organisms have their souls twisted by their divine protections."
Gashasura"s words were probably an extremely important topic regarding this world but … I dispelled it from my thoughts for now.
I exhaled and gripped my sword harder before unsheathing it.
Swift and sharp.
It was precision, not power, that was needed to counter the continuous strikes from the greatswords.
"Garadin please concentrate on supporting Tise, you"ll be killed if you fight them head-on."
"To be told that by a youngster! d.a.m.n it, I"ll do as told!"
Garadin shouted with regret and abandoned his warhammer, drawing his sword instead.
Probably to parry quick attacks.
Garadin may be a top rank fighter in Zoltan but the opponents were vastly stronger than him. He would be cut down immediately if he tried to exchange blows with them.
It would be good if he supports by coordinating his attacks with Tise to allow her to exhibit the strength of her 『a.s.sa.s.sin』.
"All right, now then …"
Just as I was about to ready my sword, a blast of magical power originated from behind me.
"Mu."
The Asura Demons quickly protected Leonor.
"Fire Storm."
An intense conflagration wrapped around Leonor and the Asura Demons.
But the flames did not reach Leonor as the Asura Demons were protecting her.
"What is the meaning of this Leonor!!"
Mistome-shi shouted.
"Why are the princes Gashasura and Chugara!? You guys should have already returned to the Dark Continent!!"
After witnessing the true ident.i.ty of the princes, Mistome-shi understood how Leonor could have two princes despite drinking the Concealed Progeny-Severing poison.
The two Asura Demon looked at each other in the flames and swung their 12 swords and sliced through Mistome-shi"s magic.
"It"s been a long time, Princess Misufia. The voyage with you was great."
"This brings back memories, Princess Misufia. Stealing a country with you was entertaining as well."
The two Asura Demons bared their fangs with their terrifying faces and laughed in a carefree manner.
"Why …… "
"Now we stand by Leonor-sama."
They ended with only that and bowed their head slightly before closing their mouths, perhaps to converse with Leonor.
I could not detect any ill will from their behaviors. They merely smiled after seeing a nostalgic friend.
Even though they ruined Mistome-shi despite being Geyserik"s sworn friends …
I was once again reminded that they hold different values compared to humans.