Quit The Hero Party

EP.501 Celestial Suppression (5)

How to kill the First Light, Acrita.

The one who crafted the dagger to stab Acrita was Rugran, the scribe of the Ancient Kingdom and the founder of Cartedia. But no matter how sharp the dagger, it’s worthless if it can’t reach its target.

How can we reach the Braver?

After much contemplation, Stella, the Watcher, and the Hero all proposed a single answer. It was a definitive method to kill the Braver known as the Great Mage. To seize magic from the mage and seal all miracles he wields.

…Even with the revelation that Acrita was a master spear wielder, the core of the plan remained unchanged.

A brief exchange of glances, and then Ayla moved her hands.

Stella commanded and amplified the flow of starlight, coordinating it. Following her touch, flowers of stars bloomed. Among the rising platinum petals, Resti opened her eyes.

The Watcher’s divine eye pierced through the flow. With just a gaze, spells were woven, and advanced calculations became possible. The calculated patterns encircled the three.

Finally, it was the Hero’s turn.

Chloe thrust her staff forward.

The tip of the staff clicked into the center of the calculations. Twisting the staff to the side, Chloe murmured, torrential flow.

Shiing!

A fierce current of starlight burst forth. The bursting starlight flowed along the calculations, creating a kikirik, kikirik sound as the formulas rotated… the cog-like calculations began to mesh together.

As the powerful current surged, Ayla adjusted the starlight. Coordination, calculations, and torrential flow. Blessings intertwined. Different starlights rushed toward a single destination.

Thus, the spell to kill the Braver was completed.

With each turn of the cog, starlight was scattered, and the scattered light bloomed into flowers. At the feet of the three, the flowers of stars were in full bloom. A tiny garden. From this small garden, Chloe opened her closed eyes.

Torrential flow, Chloe.

She twisted her staff.

In that moment, plop, plop, platinum droplets fell from the tip of the staff. The moment the droplets touched the ground, they became a flowing stream. The stream flowed, grew fierce, and by the time they noticed, it had become a river.

Swish!

The waterway made of starlight flowed.

Torrential flow, wherever the surging water flowed, flowers blossomed. A procession of flowers spread along the stream. On a barren land that was nothing, in an underground space where not even a ray of light could enter, platinum flowers bloomed.

The trickling stream that started from the tiny garden flowed into every corner of the underground space, and wherever the stream reached, flowers bloomed, transforming the underground into a massive garden.

Rustle.

A breeze swept through the underground space covered in platinum flowers. Whether it was the wind stirred up by the black dragon fighting Skebal far away, or the wind blowing from above, she couldn’t tell. But the platinum petals danced in the wind.

Amid the swirling petals, Chloe shouted.

Torrential flow, and swift.

The calculations whirled noisily, spewing light.

The properties of the stars and the spell she unleashed resonated. The swaying petals, the flowing river of stars surged with a momentary flash of brilliance.

Swish!

The petals fluttered chaotically.

The surging river became a massive wave, sweeping through the underground. The petals mixed in the wave gleamed brilliantly. The scene was so real, it felt like a dream, and yet it was too beautiful to be reality.

However, for only one person…

It was a nightmarish scene.

Watching the flooding petals and the waves, the Braver chuckled hollowly. The wave of light, the rushing petals, the expanding garden… were deadly poison to him.

‘Stella and the Watcher’s starlight gnaws at me.’

Their starlight will bloom by consuming Acrita’s very soul, burning it away. Each blooming star petal was as sharp as a blade. As for the flooding river… well, it needed no explanation.

“······.”

Acrita silently glared at Chloe.

A girl who looked like Gletus of Regulation. With a scowl, Acrita thought, ‘Is this chance, or fate?’

The girl resembled the woman who had defeated him in the primordial era, trying once more to bring him to his knees. There were too many suspicious aspects to merely call it chance. Yet, regardless of whether it was fate or not, his task remained unchanged.

Clench.

The Braver… no, the Celestial Acrita grasped his spear. He elongated the spear in his grip.

In the primordial age, there was an old man known as the Great Blacksmith, who quenched fires. The old man crafted countless legendary weapons for heroes, loved by the gods, yet he himself didn’t care much for divine powers.

To him, the pinnacle was always the blade.

He despised magic. He loathed divine powers. He regarded miracles as akin to insects. Thus, he always worshiped nothing but blades. This stubbornness was clearly visible in one of his creations.

Among thirty-seven masterpieces, the thirty-seventh weapon.

The last metal forged by the Great Blacksmith.

‘The Spear of the Fool.’

It was a single spear.

The old man packed his life’s essence into that one spear. He forced his philosophy into it. The day his spear was stolen by Acrita, the old man had smirked and said,

“That spear pierces miracles.”

A warrior without magic, spells, or powers… a spear that would pierce those who wield miracles, the old man proclaimed.

「Fool, dimwit.」

「A weapon for those dull enough to know only blades, as charmingly stupid as they are. You’ll understand once you use it, kid.」

Indeed, as the old man said.

With this single spear, Acrita slaughtered numerous generals wielding divine powers. He killed mages. If it was unfortunate for the old man that the spear was taken by Acrita, it was fortunate for the Great Blacksmith that the spear achieved its original purpose.

‘Back then, with this…’

It had blocked Gletus of Regulation.

Starting the Spear of the Fool was simple. Be a fool. The condition was to be a dimwit who could wield neither magic nor miracles.

Rustle.

Acrita sprinkled every last trace of mana left in his soul. He loosened the shadows that wrapped around him.

Thus, the Great Mage became Celestial.

The moment he exhausted all his mana, Acrita became a mere warrior holding a blade, not a Great Mage. In the Great Blacksmith’s words, he had become a fool, returning to his essence.

Swish.

Only then did the Spear of the Fool respond to Acrita.

The moment the wielder confirmed he bore no mana, the spearhead turned a deep blue. Realizing the Spear of the Fool was activated, Acrita exhaled deeply.

He steadied his breath, took a step, and assumed his stance.

And thus, he prepared to unleash his technique.

In truth, his technique was nothing grand.

What he was about to unleash bore no resemblance to the miraculous strikes of Ganikalt or countless heroes. That was something to be expected.

Acrita knew nothing of techniques that cleaved the heavens.

He had never thought he wanted to know. He didn’t care for the notion of the sword’s limit, the beliefs to be imbued in the blade, or the warrior’s resolve. He didn’t attribute any grand significance to the blade he wielded.

‘It’s pointless.’

To him, a blade was merely a tool to kill. Thrusting. Stabbing. Piercing. Killing. He had always pursued efficiency, so his trained techniques were those of killing people.

Weapons are solely for the purpose of taking lives.

Spear, simply a means to stab and slice in order to kill.

Acrita remained true to that principle.

Following the actions he had practiced thousands, millions, tens of millions of times, he simply repeated them. Stepping forward, Acrita moved his arm. The spear, drawn low, arced forward.

Shlash.

As he took a step, he thrust the spear.

Bang! The air exploded with a sound. The spear vanished for a moment and then reappeared. It was the basic move of a spear.

Yet its aftermath was anything but simple.

With a boom, the petals that were swirling toward Acrita erupted. They were shredded along the path of the spear’s thrust. Stepping forward amidst the scattering petals, Acrita took another step.

With that, the flooding petals were torn apart again. He thrust the spear forward, twisting his body, pulling the spear back down to return to his original posture. The sequence of actions flowed with extreme smoothness. Thrusting, swinging the spear to slice, Acrita stepped forward.

First strike, second strike, third strike…

Upon touching the deep blue spear, the petals crumbled.

The droplets that sprang up evaporated. The Spear of the Fool. A spear made for the absurd fool was capable of piercing any miracle. At the moment it touched the spearhead, miracles held no meaning.

However, the Braver had no intention of remaining a fool.

Hadn’t he once charged at the Regulation with nothing but that spear and his technique, despite knowing defeat? Humans learn from their failures. A Braver is no exception. As he swung the spear, Acrita’s gaze drifted.

The mana he had expelled moments earlier.

The shadows swirling around him.

Aware of it, Acrita murmured a spell.

Manipulating the external mana rather than internal mana required immense computational power… yet hadn’t he ascended to the level of the Great Mage for this day?

The superhuman computation power made it possible.

Holding the Spear of the Fool, Acrita manipulated the external mana. Unlike in the primordial era, as if to showcase the weight of his many years, he unleashed all his weapons.

Necromancy, sorcery, spells, miracles, everything.

All he had built up crushed the flower field.

Torn and crushed, the Braver, holding the Spear of the Fool, charged forward.

With her staff extended, Chloe furrowed her brow.

The raging tide of stars, the blooming petals.

All of it was a poison so lethal that just reaching the Braver could mean his demise. There was no doubt about that.

‘Yet, why…’

Amidst the blooming petals and surging waves, the Braver did not falter. Chloe, still frowning, looked beyond. Through the Watcher’s sight, she viewed Acrita charging over the platinum garden.

He sliced through the approaching petals, piercing them.

Summoning the ground with the spell, he made a makeshift foundation to dash upon. As the ground where he landed sank, and the chains threatened to break, Acrita was no longer there. He had already leaped off the chains.

As he shredded the petals, he swung the spear.

With the path traced by the swung spear, completed spells radiated light one after another. The spells, touching the petals that swallowed them, crumbled. But the Braver recognized that it took time for them to disintegrate.

Identifying where to pierce, Acrita seized his opportunity.

Like a seasoned hunter, he plunged in to rip apart.

Shooting spells, Acrita barreled toward the waves. The moment he thrust the spear, bang, a hole formed in the wave. Though the incoming tide promptly filled the gap… that spear was peculiar.

‘It pierces the moment it touches.’

An inexplicable spear.

The deep blue spear pierced through even miracles. The trajectory of the spear he wielded was simple, and the actions of thrusting and retracting followed smoothly without obstruction.

Thrusting, burrowing, and escaping.

Spraying spells to create gaps and surging inward.

He felt as though he were facing not just one, but hundreds and thousands of enemies. Chloe frowned even deeper and swung her staff. The raging waves pursued Acrita.

‘It needs to end quickly.’

For Belnoa’s sake.

While it seemed impossible, if she could finish the fight even a moment sooner, perhaps she could save Belnoa. Clenching her teeth, Chloe attempted to restrain her increasingly anxious heart.

The waves surged significantly for a moment.

The flooding starlight rushed in from all directions toward Acrita. And then, at that moment. Acrita stomped his foot firmly on the ground amidst the oncoming waves. As the earth crumbled with a boom, Acrita buried his foot deep into it while drawing his arms back.

Whoosh!

Hidden by the oncoming waves, the ensuing motion was not visible. But soon enough, the realization hit. With a bang, a massive hole tore through the waves. The sound of the air bursting echoed.

Shwing!

The swirling petals ruptured. As they were shredded, something flew toward Chloe. Drawing a line and bursting forth like a beam, it was… the deep blue spear held by Acrita.

Throw!

Piercing the spells and starlight, the javelin penetrated Chloe’s outstretched staff. The ancient staff, woven from the World Tree, shattered. As it broke, wooden shards burst forth…

Bang!

The advancing spearhead tore through Chloe’s arm as well. Blood sprayed. Flesh erupted. Chloe’s expression twisted. However, even though the spear had pierced through both her ancient staff and her arm, its speed did not falter.

The spear continued past Chloe, heading further back.

In that direction was Natida, who had been supporting Chloe. Her pupils widened. As the spearhead charged toward Natida’s heart, her eyes were wide open, but she had no means to stop it.

Just as the spear was about to pierce her heart…

Kaang!

Something fell from above and struck the spearhead. The trajectory of the Spear of the Fool was twisted, plunging it beside Natida.

…The only thing capable of halting the spear that could not be stopped by magic.

Natida’s gaze lingered.

Whatever it was that had fallen from above, that altered the trajectory of the spear and saved her life. She saw it lodged into the ground. Upon seeing it, she inadvertently broke into a smile.

“You’ve kept your promise, haven’t you?”

At that moment, someone landed before Natida.

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