Chapter 471

Chapter 471

A little earlier.

The Thorn Palace soaring into the sky. Somewhere inside.

"Cough!"

Metallic, carrying Lark on his back, spat out blood as he moved forward.

The old knight's body was pierced with thorn fragments, bleeding profusely with each step.

Currently, Thorn Palace was completely overrun by Everblack's branches.

The thorns were trying to eliminate intruders not permitted by Fernandez.

Every few steps, thorn stems fell from all around.

Metallic desperately dodged the attacks, but couldn't prevent his injuries from worsening.

Eventually,

Thud!

After accumulating multiple injuries, his sturdy knees hit the ground.

"I think this is as far as I go, my lord."

Metallic, spitting out more blood, murmured in a fading voice.

"I regret not being able to be with you until the end..."

"Thank you for coming this far."

Lark, kneeling in front of Metallic, praised the old knight with a strained voice.

"I've been grateful for a long time."

"It's been an honor to serve you, my lord."

"It was my honor to serve with you, Captain."

Metallic's large frame slowly collapsed forward with a faint smile.

"For the empire, and for your future, my lord... may there be light..."

Thump...!

The old knight died, collapsing into a pool of his own blood.

Lark, with only a forearm remaining, closed Metallic's unblinking, pale eyes.

"May you also find peace in your future."

After a moment of silence over his deputy's death since their first day on the battlefield,

Lark looked towards the inner palace. The entire passage was filled with thorn vines.

Lark, having lost all limbs, had no way to get through the thorns into the interior.

But Lark stood at the entrance of the passage on his knees.

Sssk-

Sssk-

The tree branches, hissing like venomous snakes, surrounded Lark, ready to tear apart the next victim with a fierce air.

"I am Lark 'Avalanche' Everblack."

Before them, Lark remained unfazed.

"I am the commander of the 1st Division, the pilgrim of the borders, the supreme commander overseeing the imperial forces, and the legitimate successor with royal blood..."

Lark declared fiercely.

"I am the guardian of humanity!"

The thorns shuddered and halted in place.

"I must meet my siblings... the guardians."

Despite his tragic state, crawling on the ground with severed limbs and knees,

Lark roared once more with an undaunted voice.

"Will you not open the way?!"

The branches rustled, trembling, and opened a path.

Lark entered.

The path was still long and treacherous - but he had a task to fulfill.

***

Boom! Whoom!

Inside the rising Thorn Palace audience room, Fernandez and I were engaged in battle again.

Fernandez had been concentrating his magic power on creating this 'Ark'.

And once the Ark was completed, he began to exert his full strength in the fight against me.

Sssrrr!

He covered his wounded body with thorns, then slowly stood up, wearing the thorns like armor.

In his hand was a giant staff made of thorns.

"Didn't you say round 2 starts now, Ash?"

Fernandez grinned in front of me, mouth agape in shock.

"Then maybe I should start getting serious too."

"Damn it, you're not a monster, stop going into phase 2!"

The ends of the thorn stems coiled like a nest of vipers, then... a flash of magic sparkled from within.

Flash! Flash-!

Magic lights flickered behind Fernandez, who looked down at me arrogantly with his blood-red eyes.

"All I need is your soul."

Fernandez pointed his thorn staff at me.

"Your body will die first, Ash."

Facing him, I gritted my teeth, gripping the staff in my hand.

And then, at that moment.

"Stop-!"

A hoarse shout came from the entrance of the audience chamber.

Fernandez and I, startled, turned in that direction.

And there,

"...Lark, brother?"

In a tragic state, having lost all limbs but smiling warmly at us... stood my eldest brother.

Both Fernandez and I were stunned into silence.

"I've come to fetch you, brothers."

Lark, with unchanged warm eyes, softly whispered to us.

"Let's go home together."

***

It felt unreal.

Both the appearance of Lark in such a gruesome state and the words he uttered.

Go home?

Is that the right thing to say in this thorn Ark, high above the Imperial Capital, where every citizen is on the brink of death?

But Lark continued.

"Fernandez, it's not too late to turn back."

"..."

"Let's go back. And together, let's find another way to save the world. We are both 'guardians'... and brothers, aren't we?"

"What nonsense are you talking about, brother..."

Fernandez chuckled hollowly.

"It's too late to turn back. I've come too far."

"No. There's no such thing as a point of no return."

Lark was resolute.

"There must be another way to protect the world. Let's lower the weapons we've pointed at each other and talk."

"It's too late!"

Fernandez cried out, as if spitting blood.

"Who do you think cut off your limbs, brother!"

"..."

"How many people do you think I brainwashed! Killed! Just to get here!"

Fernandez raised his staff, and dozens of thorn strands wrapped around its end, transforming it into a giant spear.

"How many worlds have perished, do you think, for me to reach this conclusion!"

I also took my eyes off Lark and glared at Fernandez.

"Stay out of this, Lark."

"..."

"I'll finish this quickly and then, I'll take you with me to escape this place...!"

Flash-!

Fernandez and I charged at each other simultaneously.

Fernandez's giant thorn spear thrust at me, and my last afterimages thrust their swords forward. Behind them, I prepared my 'trump card'...

And then,

Flash!

Lark suddenly intervened.

It was astonishing how he leaped so agilely despite having neither calves nor feet below his knees.

Startled, Fernandez and I unknowingly changed the direction of our attacks. But it was a bit too late.

Thud! Thwack...!

Lark's sides were impaled by Fernandez's thorn spear and my afterimages' swords.

"Brother...?!"

"Brother?! What is this..."

Amidst our shock, Lark, with only his forearms remaining, grabbed the back of our necks and -

Whoosh!

Embraced us both at once.

Even as he spat out blood, he managed a sly smile.

"It's a hug of brotherhood, you rascals...!"

He no longer had his marble-like strong arms, nor the strength to wrap around our waists.

But neither Fernandez nor I could do anything but accept his embrace.