Trash of the Count’s Family - Chapter 648

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Boom—!
The earth trembled as if it might collapse under the sound that shook the very foundations of the world.

“Th, th—”
“…Oh, merciful heavens….”

Yet despite the quaking ground beneath their feet, the Knights stood frozen, their gazes fixed upward, utterly transfixed.
They had made all their preparations, ready to charge at the enemy at any moment, waiting for the signal to begin the battle.

To protect the Roan Kingdom.
They had stepped forward without the slightest hesitation.
My homeland, my friends, my family. Though the weight of each step taken to save them all was heavy, I possessed the courage to bear it willingly.

“This is… truly… a monster….”

Yet reality differed from vague imagination.

“Ssssshhhhsss–”
“Zzzzz—zzzzzz–”

A serpent and an eel.
The creature that seemed to exist somewhere between them possessed two heads. One was blue, the other golden.
Horns and fangs, a body as massive as an Ancient Dragon. A grotesque monster unlike anything they had ever witnessed. The sort of abomination one might see only in myth and legend—the kind of terrible foe that heroes in epic tales must vanquish to prove their worth.

Yet that serpent was merely a monster.
It was not the two-headed snake that had seized the Knights with dread.

“…This… cannot be real….”
“…Is that truly a monster…?”

The being that emerged into the world, radiating white light.

It bore eight Dragon wings upon its back, and its hide resembled that of a Dragon.
Moreover, it possessed the head of a lion with a magnificent mane, and talons sharper than those of any eagle.
Walking upright on two legs, with each step the creature took, the very ground beneath it was gouged deep.

Crash—crash—
The Plaza was already cramped with just the two-headed serpent, and when the lion-headed monster descended as well, buildings began collapsing around them.

“…This can’t be real….”

Yet somehow, the creature appeared sacred.

The monster’s eyes gleamed with golden light, while the dragon scales covering its body and the mane upon its head shone with a brilliant white radiance.
If the two-headed serpent resembled a villain from mythology, this creature looked like a divine warrior protecting the gods themselves.

“….”

The lion’s golden eyes swept silently across the surroundings.
Though the Knight knew that gaze wasn’t directed at me, the moment it passed over this way, my legs felt as though they might give out beneath me.

“…Stronger than a Dragon, perhaps.”

I had heard it from the higher-ups.
That I would have to fight the worst of monsters. That they would be stronger than Dragons, and might even be creatures from the Demon Realm, so I must do my absolute best.

The higher-ups were right.
These were the worst of monsters, appearing far stronger than Dragons, and they were not of this world.

‘…My absolute best? Can this even be overcome by doing my absolute best?’

Forget my best—I felt like I’d die the moment I charged forward.
The Knight was consumed by the terror and dread that the monster’s overwhelming presence inspired, unable to think of anything else.
Because of this, I failed to notice the battalion of soldiers following me.

“Th-this insane-”
“We’re all dead! We’re all going to die! Look at that! No one can defeat it!”
“…Will only we die? This entire Continent will be ruined!”

The soldiers’ hands holding their weapons trembled violently, their entire bodies shaking like aspen leaves in the wind.
We can’t.
We can’t fight.
We won’t make it.

There’s no courage left to charge forward.

“W-who could possibly charge at that monster? This is impossible—”

This is impossible.
The soldier who was about to speak those words suddenly felt his grip weaken.
Clang—!
His sword clattered to the ground. Yet instead of retrieving it, the soldier raised the hand that had held it and pointed toward the sky.

“…Your Highness?”

A figure in white armor was leaping across the rooftops, charging toward the monster.

“…The Swordmaster—”

And beside that figure, a swordmaster with flowing black hair rushed forward without hesitation, their blade brimming with dark aura, toward the enemy, toward the monster.

Those two were undoubtedly Crown Prince Albert Crossman and the youngest Sword Master, Choi Han.

One wielded a spear that gleamed with blinding white light.
The other wielded a sword—a blade that sparkled like the night sky cradling stars, wreathed in dark aura.

“…Damn.”

The Knight finally came to his senses. He bit down hard on his lips.
Blood beaded at his lips. But as the taste of blood filled his mouth, his thoughts began to clear.

In his eyes, and in the eyes of those commanding Roan’s forces stationed in Pursulsi, the backs of those two figures were reflected.

One bore the insignia of Roan emblazoned upon their pauldrons across both shoulders, while the other wore only light leather armor and carried nothing but a sword in hand.
Two knights—one white, one black—their appearances starkly different.

Yet in the eyes of all who watched them, the same emotion emanated from those two backs.

“Damn it!”

Shing—!
The Knight cursed roughly and drew his blade.
And the soldier who had dropped his sword bent down and retrieved it once more.
In that moment, their current commander, the Knight Commander, stepped forward from the rear.
Having arrived late from hastily devising strategy, he advanced to the very front and cried out.

“Only two left!”

The Knight Commander continued, his eyes fixed on his liege’s back as he advanced ahead.

“Everyone here remembers that there were originally eight of these monsters!”

It was true.
Alberu had prepared for the worst when he heard that summoning was proceeding in Pursulsi. That’s why the Knights and Soldiers had been training all this time, preparing for the possibility that eight monsters might invade Pursulsi, drilling for that exact scenario.

“But you all heard in real time that the number dropped from four to just two!”

This too was the truth.
The Knight Commander closed his eyes briefly as he observed those listening to his words. His heart ached.
Yet he shouted without the slightest hesitation.

“Thanks to Former Commander Kale Heniatus standing at the very front and fighting first, we now face only two of these monsters instead of eight!”

The Knight Commander added the honorific to Kale despite him not being a Knight. It was a mark of respect, and no one objected to it.

“And now His Highness and Choi Han will face those two at the forefront!”

The fact that his liege and the young swordmaster stood at the vanguard dispelled the Knight Commander’s fear of the monsters.

“I ask for nothing more! Hold your positions! Do your part!”

That was the hardest thing to do in war.
Yet the Knight Commander had no choice but to shout it.
After all, he was speaking to himself as well.
Then it happened.

Kwaaaaaang—

A deafening roar suddenly erupted, stunning the ears.
Black aura poured down upon the first-rank monster, the Electric Eel, like lightning surging up from the very earth.

“Tssssss—!”
“Sssss!”

The two-headed serpent’s gaze shifted toward Choi Han, the master of the black aura that had assailed me.
But Choi Han was already preparing his next strike.

Whoooosh—whoooosh—
Like the final breath of an imoogi before its ascension to heaven, a black dragon materialized, coiling around Choi Han’s blade and enveloping his entire form.

Choi Han opened his mouth as he observed the two-headed serpent watching me.

“I’ll settle this quickly first, then join you.”

Alberu opened his mouth while adjusting his spear.

“Can you handle it alone? You couldn’t before, remember?”
“…I’ll try.”

Choi Han couldn’t give a definitive answer that he could settle it alone.
The monstrous Electric Eel’s scales were too hard to cut even with Choi Han’s aura. There were only a few vulnerable points—its horns and the inside of its mouth—that Choi Han could target.

‘The problem is whether I can attack those points by myself.’

Choi Han recalled how, the last time he’d targeted those weak points, Kale Heniatus had restrained the Electric Eel. That battle had only been possible because many comrades from the 3rd Continent had assisted.
Choi Han deliberately didn’t mention this to Alberu.

“…Will you be alright alone?”

Instead, Choi Han asked Alberu with concern in his voice.

“That’s already been discussed.”

Apart from Kale Heniatus, Choi Han knew the most about the Electric Eel.
And Alberu was in a situation where he could handle that eighth-rank monster reasonably well here.

“Neither of the two can escape beyond Pursulsi.”

So Choi Han and Alberu each had to take the lead and pin down those two creatures.
That was the most immediate priority.

“I’ll finish quickly and come help.”
“Choi Han. Don’t overexert yourself alone.”

At the sound of his name being called, Choi Han turned his head to look at Alberu.
This time, Alberu spoke while watching his own opponent rather than Choi Han.

“…Just don’t die. Keep enduring and answers will surely come. We can’t afford recklessness anymore.”
“That’s precisely what I wished to say to you.”

With those words, Choi Han left Alberu’s side and rushed toward the two-headed serpent.
He extended his sword.

Roooaaaar—
The black dragon followed the blade, extending beyond the sword’s tip toward the monster as it opened its maw. Its momentum matched that of the two-headed serpent.

“Our teacher is quite impressive, isn’t he?”

Alberu spoke playfully, then picked up the spear he’d been caressing and shot forward.

‘First, I need to gauge its strength.’

I had to understand just how powerful that creature standing so proudly above me truly was.

-In the 3rd Continent, that creature is called a Lion Dragon.

Hearing Tae-rang’s voice, Alberu channeled magic.
Whoosh—
Golden light reminiscent of the sun infused the white spear as Alberu wielded it like swinging pure radiance toward the Lion Dragon.

Boom—
A thunderous roar echoed once more.

“…Ha, haha—”

At the end of that roar, Alberu burst into laughter.

-The terrifying aspect of the Lion Dragon is that it uses weapons. Despite possessing a robust body, razor-sharp claws, and multiple supernatural abilities.

Alberu let out a soft chuckle as he observed the weapon that had blocked his spear.

-And that weapon is a shield.

At some point, a holy white shield appeared in the Lion Beast’s claws.
It reminded me of someone’s silver shield.

-We called that shield the Unbreakable Shield. Thus, this spear forged from that monster’s bones became known as the Unbending Spear.

Tae-rang continued in a monotone voice.

-Seven nights and eight days. After facing seven nights and eight days, we were finally able to kill the Lion Beast. As a result, casualties numbered in the thousands, and an area ten times the size of Seoul became an irreparably devastated zone.
-Thus, we assigned the EX-rank designation to a monster for the first time, when only SSS-rank had existed before.

The smile vanished from Alberu’s lips. Eyes cold with fury gazed through his helmet at the monster’s golden gaze.

“…The Unbreakable Shield, you say—. Similar names, yet serving entirely different purposes.”

Alberu could not inflict even a scratch upon the monster’s white shield.

-The Unbending Spear can pierce the hide and bone of the Lion Beast, which possesses the greatest hardness among all monsters. However, the shield cannot be destroyed.

Tae-rang spoke in an emotionless voice.

-Based on current combat strength assessment. Victory probability is 0%. One hour. That is the duration we can endure, assuming the Master and Swordmaster Choi Han’s deaths.

A faint chuckle escaped.
Alberu laughed again.
Even if he and Choi Han died, they could only hold out for a mere hour. That spoke volumes about how formidable this Lion Beast truly was.

-You have no intention of fleeing?
-Don’t you wish to live?

Alberu met the lion’s golden gaze.
The monster simply gazed down at him silently, showing no particular desire to fight—or perhaps lost in other thoughts entirely.

Boom— Boom—
Even amidst the thunderous sounds, Alberu tightened his grip on the spear.
Choi Han was truly giving his all, yes, fighting without regard for his own life. I could tell from the sounds alone.
Though his limit was clearly approaching, he relentlessly unleashed attacks infused not merely with aura but with the Black Dragon itself, desperately searching for the moment to exploit the two-headed serpent’s weakness.

Alberu answered Tae-rang’s question about whether he wished to live.

“…I have to live. Of course.”

Me, the others, this nation.
And this world too.

Uuuuuu—uu–
Light surged through the white spear once more. The air around Alberu vibrated. Ordinary mana, not dead mana, reacted violently to his magic.

-You’re serious.

Like Choi Han, Alberu—now fully prepared to unleash his complete power—charged at the monster again.
The monster indifferently raised its massive shield, blocking the pathetically small Alberu with ease.

Crash—Bang, Boom! Boom!
Alberu collided relentlessly, either trying to pierce through that shield or bypass it to reach the lion-dragon.

“Ugh!”

The lion-dragon’s brow furrowed. The monster gazed at the approaching spear as if searching for something, then swung the shield differently than before.

Crash——
The loudest thunderous sound erupted, and Alberu’s body was sent flying backward.

Crash!
“Cough!”

His body slammed into a building wall. It wasn’t merely blocking—the overwhelming force of that shield strike sent Alberu flying before he could even regain control of his own body.

“…Damn it.”

It was strong.
Far too strong.

-Are you alright?

Alberu’s eyes closed for a moment, overwhelmed by despair.
Then his eyes snapped open.

Wheeee—wheeee—
The sound of a flute echoed through the air.

“Finally, they’ve arrived.”

Alberu pushed himself to his feet. Crunch. Debris from the wall cascaded down.
Without sparing a glance at his dented armor, Alberu turned his gaze toward the source of the flute’s melody.

The flute’s call drifting from the North.
He could soon see an enormous wyvern materializing in the sky above Pursulsi.
Four figures stood upon the wyvern’s back.

“It seems we’ve arrived first.”

Swoooosh—
A water whip sliced through the void, and its wielder descended to the ground.
Witira, the Whale Tribe’s successor. She flashed a knowing smile toward Choi Han and Alberu, who watched her approach.

Boom! Thud!
Two men followed her down to the earth. Archie of the Whale Tribe and Paseton, a Whale Tribe hybrid, gazed upon the two monsters and spoke.

“Well now. These creatures look like they’ll be quite the delicacy, wouldn’t you say?”
“Hmm. We should test our strength against them first.”

Second only to dragons in power. The Whale Tribe, deemed the mightiest among all beast-kin.
And the wyvern’s master who had brought them here.

“One cannot afford to be late on the path toward legend. To be a true hero, one must arrive first and walk that legend together.”

Guardian Knight Clophe Seka raised his flute to his lips.
Wheeee—whee—
Upon hearing that sound, more wyverns bearing knights would descend from the North to join them here.

“Hm?”

Yet Clophe suddenly ceased his playing, seized by an ominous presence.
He turned his head.

The eastern sky.
Like the sun rising beyond the horizon, something massive and black was revealing itself as it approached.
Clophe’s mouth fell open.

“…A Bone Dragon?”

And a smile bloomed at the corners of Alberu’s lips as he gazed up at the eastern sky.

A black Bone Dragon clad in sturdy armor over its skeletal frame.
The dragon’s eyes gleamed with a platinum light—a hue similar to the luminous attribute wielded by the Dragon Hybrid.
Upon the back of that colossal Bone Dragon, soaring freely as if alive and breathing, stood Necromancer Mary alone.
Behind her, her black robes billowing, two figures who appeared human stood with dignified bearing.
Alberu recognized them immediately.

“…The dragons have come.”

The Ancient Dragon Erhaben, and another dragon—Mila.
The dragons had arrived.

Alberu clenched his fist.
He closed his eyes, then opened them.
This would be the beginning.
Our allies were arriving from all directions even now.

“…This is worth attempting.”

Albert Crossman, who would be recorded in history as a great king in the not-distant future, now harbored no doubt in his conviction that his allies would achieve victory.

Later, the reason this war came to be called the greatest battle was not because it was merely a conflict between humans, but because it was a struggle involving all living beings that breathed across the entire Continent.
Humans. A small number of beastkin. Those cast aside for their dark attribute. Mysterious beings whose existence was known but never witnessed.
In this war, all of them fought from their respective positions, and it became the beginning of those living on the Continent recognizing and standing together with one another.

And the one person who brought all these beings together came to be called the beginning and the end of everything.
Yet that person, Kale Heniatus, now lay in bed with his eyes unable to open.

“…Haa…ha….”

At his side, Raon remained, unable to depart.
Raon turned his head for a moment.

CRAAAAAASH!

Beyond the Terrace, a fierce battle raged on.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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