Chapter 754

Chapter 754

It was about Cromwell's childhood.

"Ah!"

While sparring with a young demon, Cromwell slipped and fell, resulting in her first defeat.

The tip of the demon youth's sword touched Cromwell's neck.

Her first defeat ever.

Though young, Cromwell's talent was overwhelming, and she had never lost in a sparring match.

Cromwell was surprised, but the young demon who had defeated her was even more shocked. The elder watching the duel turned pale with bewilderment.

"Haha, you're amazing!"

Momentarily stunned, Cromwell got up, laughed brightly, and extended her hand for a handshake with the youth who had defeated her.

The youth, still dazed, accepted Cromwell's handshake. Cromwell patted the youth's shoulder.

"You're the first to beat me. Let's spar again next time! Alright?"

But that never happened.

That night, the youth was 'eliminated.'

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk...!

With an expressionless face, the elder swung his knife, stabbing the youth tied to the pillar in the stomach.

The youth twisted in pain and eventually died. The elder wiped the sweat off his face with his sleeve.

"Elder?!"

Cromwell, arriving a step too late, was horrified.

"What... what on earth have you done?! Why did you kill him?!"

"Your Excellency."

The elder spoke coldly.

"Your Excellency must neither lose nor fail."

"What...?!"

"As the ruler of the legion, you must be flawless."

Thus.

Anyone aware of Cromwell's defeat was eradicated.

Though an absurd thought and action, the elder's eyes held an eerily firm conviction.

Cromwell asked in a trembling voice.

"So, you're making it as if this never happened?"

"Yes. Your Excellency has never lost. Such a thing never happened."

After setting the limp youth's body on magical fire, the elder whispered sternly into Cromwell's ear.

"If Your Excellency truly loses, truly fails, then it will be I, and our entire legion, who will be tied to a pillar and killed."

"...!"

"Never lose. Never fail. Achieve only victory."

In an instant, the youth's body was reduced to ashes.

As Cromwell stood frozen, staring at the charred spot, the elder reiterated coldly into her ear.

"For the legion, only victory."

And it turned out as such.

Throughout her growth, Cromwell buried all her mistakes and pretended they never happened. She was forcibly made flawless.

She never once lost, never once failed. Cromwell grew to be the greatest commander of the legion.

And because of that.

Cromwell never learned to accept failure.

She never learned from defeat, never learned to steady her heart after a loss.

"Huh?"

And at some point.

Cromwell stood at a dead-end.

Dead End.

Defeated by Night Bringer, she could no longer move forward and came to a halt.

‘Ah...’

On the brink of life and death, she thought blankly.

‘Stopping... is comfortable.’

In truth, she never understood from the beginning.

Why she had to conquer the world.

What the ambition of her race was. What the glory of her homeland was.

She was just pushed to the forefront.

Because everyone expected it. Because everyone was watching her. Because everyone said she was the only hope...

But now, that tiresome race was over.

She could let everything go and rest.

"Your Excellency."

Then a voice came from behind. Turning around, she saw the elder standing with open arms.

Boom!

An enormous explosion and smoke spread everywhere.

-But, there was no damage.

"Is that all...!"

Just before the flaming fist fell, I conjured a magical barrier in the air and blocked it precisely.

The real-time melting and evaporating of the magical barrier bought us a few seconds, but it was enough. Our heroes had already approached Cromwell.

Then Cromwell swung her left hand horizontally.

Whoosh!

Likewise, some of the antlers glowed cyan, and this time, a long, blade-like arm formed in the air.

‘The cutting ability of the Mantis Legion...!’

Slash-!

And the incoming mantis scythe slash-

"Huup-!"

Thud!

Torkel took it head-on.

Normally, it's a kind of curse that would inevitably slice its target, but Torkel activated his ultimate skill [Humans Are Not Born to Lose] and neutralized the curse with his body.

"Nice, Torkel!"

But I stopped mid-praise, feeling awkward.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

So far, only parts of the antlers were glowing, but now, they were starting to light up in succession, spewing colors.

"Ah..."

Cromwell's green eyes widened menacingly, and around her, all kinds of monster attack methods materialized from magic.

"Ah, Father. Watch over me."

Crunch, crack...

It was clearly the sound of magic resonating, but it echoed like the eerie cracking of bones and joints.

"I will lead our legion..."

Cromwell opened her mouth wide and roared.

"To glory-!"

Boom...!

A fierce magical storm erupted in all directions.

The teeth of a hellhound, the venom of a centipede, the leg muscles of a cicada, and countless tentacles...

All of these took form through magic and poured out indiscriminately. The heroes who had barely approached had to retreat quickly to avoid being swept away.

"Ugh! What kind of creature is this...?!"

"Ash! We can't find an opening!"

"Fall back! We need to find a way!"

The close-range heroes, having barely distanced themselves from Cromwell, caught their breath and searched for a gap. But even getting this close had left them covered in wounds.

Watching Cromwell's constantly glowing antlers, I clicked my tongue.

‘The ranged attack team...!’

Our wizards and snipers were, of course, attempting to attack.

Slash! Slash!

But since the transformation phase, Cromwell's antlers had spread a thick mist-like magical barrier, neutralizing all attacks in the air.

Junior, who had joined us late, was struggling to unleash [Elemental Disassembly], but Cromwell, having devoured all the monsters in the area and made their magic her own, was producing power more rapidly than [Elemental Disassembly] could deplete.

‘The only fortunate thing is, her attacks are not precise!’

Cromwell's attacks were reckless.

It was like a boxer who had taken a barrage of punches and was unconscious, swinging their fists at anyone who came close...

‘In this case, the only attack method we can use is...’

I was quickly calculating when a voice came from beside me.

"Prince Ash."

I turned to see Dearmudin.

The old mage, with a somewhat complex expression, nodded at me.

"I know a way to neutralize that beast."

"What? Really?"

"Yes."

Glaring at Cromwell, Dearmudin gave a bitter smile.

"When I was at the abandoned cathedral, living with the demons... I learned of a weakness."

Then Dearmudin sighed deeply.

"Once again, such a role falls to an old man."

--TL Notes--

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