Chapter 365 - 191. The Boundary Between Life And Death-1 (Part Two)

Translated by A Passing Wanderer

Edited by RED

The entire world seemed to be split apart by the collision of the fierce flames and divinity, causing a massive explosion.

The Skeleton King's bones began to melt down, but at the same time, Surtr's flames were guttering and going out.

-Oh, oooooooh!- Surtr roared out a spirited cry. Its body began ballooning up next.

Vicious flames erupted out from its back, forcing the giant forward. The sword of fire was gradually pushing the golden sword back.

'Yes, I'm winning! I can do this! Because I am the fire, and I am the true death!'

Just as Surtr began breaking out in a smirk....

The Skeleton King's body was suddenly enveloped in thick layers of frost and seemed to freeze over. At the same time, the golden sword also became encased in ice, freezing up Surtr's sword solidly in the process.

-...!!!-

It didn't stop there, as both of Surtr's arms began rapidly freezing solid as well.

'No, this can't be!'

At this rate...!

The sword of flame shattered into bits and pieces, while the golden sword continued to thrust forward and penetrated deep into Surtr's side.

-Oh, King of Fire!-

Its impaled side instantly froze up before cracking apart. Putting up its final resistance, Surtr pushed down at the golden sword with its frozen hands.

-Your soul, I shall...-

But then Surtr's hands also shattered to bits. Its body eventually cracked apart, splitting into its upper and lower halves.

-...gladly devour it!-

The Fire Giant screamed hoarsely.

Its two halves, now free of each other, crashed back down to the ground. The Skeleton King didn't stop there, however, and reached out to grab hold of Surtr's head next.

The Fire Giant's brows shot up high in shock. It watched the Skeleton King's jaw open wide.

The whole jawbone seemed to disconnect as if the undead wanted to swallow Surtr's head whole in one go.

-N-no, wait! Stop! You bastard, let go of me right now! N-no wait, I beg of you! I, I don't want to die... No!-

Surtr erupted in flames and desperately flailed about with its arms to fight back, but all of its struggles were useless in the end.

The Fire Giant's head slipped inside the Skeleton King's mouth, and was crushed ruthlessly.

Almost immediately, the Skeleton King's figure began transforming. A set of ice armour manifested on its bony body, and black flames enveloped the armour's surface next.

Two souls, one imbued with frost and the other with fierce flames, thrashed about in torment deep within the Skeleton King's body.

The giant undead's eyes gleamed sharply and it suddenly cast its gaze lower to the ground. It was now staring at Allen some distance away.

-...'It' has gone out of alignment, I see.-

Right at that moment, blood splattered out from underneath Amon's Skull, currently perched on Allen's head. He faltered on his knees before collapsing to the ground. Alice hurriedly rushed up to him to support him.

-Oh, my master. I pray that...-

The Skeleton King's glowing eyeballs arched up like a pair of new moons as it grinned deeply.

-...you survive this ordeal.-

The giant undead's huge body began vanishing from the world. The countless walking dead freely roaming the burning land disappeared from the view as well.

"Lord Allen! Allen!" Alice desperately called out his name.

His bone armour automatically dissipated. But when she managed to yank the mountain goat's skull off his head, Alice was so shocked that she almost lost her grip on him.

Blood was trickling out from his eyes, nose, and even his mouth.

He was unconscious, all the while the divinity in his body was going wildly out of control and leaking outside.

He had to have exhausted his divinity reserve, yet the divine energy continued to flood out of him, and it was even beginning to shave away at his lifeforce.

Alice hurriedly pressed her ear to his chest. His heart had stopped beating.

'N-no!'

She urgently laid him flat down on the ground and began pumping his chest. She performed mouth-to-mouth and injected divinity into him, but there was no sign of him getting better.

'Dear Goddess Gaia, I beg of you, it's still too early! It's not yet time for him to go to your side!'

Alice continued to pump Allen's chest while inwardly praying desperately.

'Please, please...!'

It was right then that his heart began to faintly beat again.

'I did it!'

Alice became hopeful, but not too long after that, her complexion darkened once more.

His heartbeat was too weak. His body was gradually getting colder, as well. If his body couldn't absorb and maintain its divine power, then without a doubt, Allen would die.

"No... not yet!"

She started pumping his chest again and forced his heart to beat faster. She breathed into his mouth again and injected more divinity to continue healing him.

Over and over again, she tried. However, he still showed no signs of reviving. His heart stopped beating numerous times, only for her to barely get it going again. This process kept repeating itself.

However, Allen was still dying.

Alice's irises trembled as an emotion close to despair quickly washed over her.

It was impossible to heal him. In that case...

'Resurrection... Yes, if it's Resurrection...!'

That's right, Lord Allen managed to resurrect His Highness Luan. In that case, I can also...!

Alice tried to recall the theory behind 'Resurrection', only to completely freeze up in place. In reality, only Allen was capable of using that ability.

The theory behind it was to combine a Priest's ability to wield the divinity that brought about life, and a Necromancy technique to shackle the departing souls.

But Alice could not use any Necromancy technique that could shackle souls!

'I, I have no way of saving him?!'

"Dear Goddess Gaia, please! I beg of you. Lord Allen, he..."

All the strength seeped out from Alice as despair quickly took complete hold of her. Tears formed on the edges of her eyes. She covered her face with both of her hands and began lamenting in despair. But right at that moment...

{It was an experiment performed by the ancient Holy Emperors, Your Majesty.}

She came to a stop.

{They believed that if they succeeded, the war against the vampires would come to an end.}

Alice suddenly recalled what Hans had said some time ago.

He definitely said it, didn't he? The Theocratic Empire's Second Imperial Prince, who should've been a vampire, had now become...

{What His Majesty the Holy Emperor wished to do, was...}

Alice's eyes grew larger and larger.

{A Holy Vampire. It was to create such a being, sire.}

There was a way. A way to revive him!

An existence that could use Necromancy but also possessed divinity. And it was none other than...

'...Roy!'

She desperately needed that boy's help, the one who happened to be the Holy Vampire.

**

-There are so many insects here!-

-Burn them all down!-

The Jötnar of fire charged toward the location of the refugees.

They began punching and swinging their arms around. But Charlotte raised her shield up to deflect the incoming attacks, jumped up, and accurately stabbed into a giant's throat with her sword.

One of the Jötnar collapsed lifelessly.

As the other Jötnar began marching forward, Paladins on horseback rushed out to inflict countless sword wounds on the giants' legs. Once the Jötnar lost their balance and went down to their knees, countless spears came hurtling in to impale their bodies.

Although the Paladins couldn't fully utilise their Rune Armour right now, there were a thousand of them here, so they didn't encounter much difficulty in subduing the twelve Jötnar.

Except that...

"We found you, livestock!"

...they couldn't stop all of the incoming vampires.

The vampires began summoning their own undead. These shuffling creatures pounced on the refugees, and panicking humans screamed out loudly in terror and hurriedly fled from there.

Laurence was sitting on the carriage driver's seat and continued to yank at the reins of the horses, but the vehicle's wheel had fallen into a pothole and didn't want to budge an inch. Seeing that there was no other choice left, he hurriedly climbed down from the carriage and grabbed Roy's hand to pull the boy away.

"Let's escape from here, Roy! Hurry!"

But the boy was making a dazed expression, instead. "Dad?"

Laurence came to a standstill just then.

The light burning in Roy's eyes sent shivers down the older man's spine.

"Dad, I... I'm thirsty."

"W-what are you talking about, son?"

Roy had taken a drink of holy water only a few moments ago, while complaining of a sudden bout of thirst. But that didn't alleviate his inexplicable craving.

It was right at that moment that a vampire suddenly pounced on Laurence from behind. The creature's jaws split open as it grabbed the man's shoulders. But just before its sharp fangs could sink into the unguarded neck flesh...

"...I'm thirsty." Roy's eyes glowed in a distinct crimson hue.

The boy jumped up, and in the blink of an eye, he ripped the vampire's head clean off.

The headless body began spewing blood like a fountain before catching on bluish fire.

The other vampires nearby all flinched in surprise and stared at Roy.

Crunch, munch...

Even though the severed vampire head was burning up in blue flames, Roy was still chomping and munching it down nevertheless.

The vampires witnessing that all froze still in place.

"W-what the hell is that bastard?"

"He... He's devouring a vampire?"

Roy's glare shifted over to the other vampires standing around dazedly. He muttered loudly, "...I'm still thirsty."

That one short sentence managed to drain all colour from the complexions of the vampires.

Roy... he was the Holy Vampire.

A predator who drank the blood of vampires!

< 191. The Boundary Between Life and Death -1 (Part One and Two) > Fin.