Chapter 198. I Will Wait for You (1)
A knight who had mastered the 9-Star level of the Ocean Dominance Arts was said to manifest a vast ocean.
At first, Caron had thought it was merely a metaphor, but the moment he witnessed Halo's Oceanwolf Sword Arts, he understood what those words truly meant.
Halo's sea unfolded. Unlike Caron's own, Halo's was eerily silent, sending a chill down his spine.
Standing at its center, Halo simply brought his sword down.
Boom!
It was just one strike, yet that single attack split everything before him in half.
Slash.
The skull of the Bone Dragon, Erekis, was cleaved in two.
At that moment, the might of the strongest being—one who had transcended human limits—was laid bare without restraint.
"Halo Leston!" The Demon King of Sloth called out his name with delight. But before he could say another word, Halo's sword gleamed once more.
Slash.
Though Halo only swung once, his blade tore the Demon King of Sloth into hundreds of pieces. Halo's sword, Gram, burned with a pure white flame as it carved through Sloth.
Before Caron's eyes, swordsmanship that had reached divinity was on full display.
There wasn't a single flaw in Halo's strikes. He didn't even grant the Demon King the chance to resist.
"Sloth. You should have stayed buried in the Demon Realm. Did you truly think I would allow things to go your way?" Halo's voice rang out, quiet yet resolute.
And Caron knew that Halo was furious. The latter rarely showed his emotions, but now, he was seething.
And there was only one reason Halo would be this enraged. It was because of Caron.
"...You can pass out now. Your grandfather will take care of the rest," Guillotine said to Caron.
"No. I have to see it with my own eyes," Caron replied.
He had to take in what kind of being a knight who had reached 9-Star was, and what state he had to attain with his own eyes.
After all, in this new life, this was the first time he had ever seen Halo fight with his full strength.
Caron's vision wavered. Because he had lost too much blood, his eyelids kept getting heavier. But even as exhaustion threatened to consume him, he smiled and watched Halo.
Halo's ocean ruled over everything. It was an ocean that had become whole upon reaching 9-Star, one that didn't even allow an inch of space for enemies to exist.
With every flash of Halo's sword, the feathers scattered by the Demon King of Sloth vanished. The power of a Demon King who wasn't in his true form couldn't even reach Halo.
"How pitiful. Old wolf, has your age blinded you to your own fate?" the Demon King of Sloth asked.
Sloth's body scattered into feathers, then reformed over and over again. That was all he could do, as Halo didn't grant him any opportunity to counterattack.
Waves surged and whirlpools churned. Halo's ocean, filled with his wrath, bore down upon the Demon King of Sloth.
"Are you not even curious about your grandson? About how he possesses such exceptional abilities? And what he knows? If you are truly that monster's grandfather, shouldn't you at least wonder?" the Demon King asked.
Even the Demon King of Sloth gave up on resisting. He'd realized that there was no victory for him here.
And so, he changed tactics, attempting to engage in conversation, but Halo answered only by swinging his sword.
Slash. Slash.
With every flash of the sword, the Demon King of Sloth's form was torn apart.
Swinging his blade, Halo said, "Sloth. You still reek of filth."
Whoosh!
From the empty air, a sword massive enough to eclipse the sun took shape. It was a sword infused with the power of the ocean, one that could cleave the waters apart..
Caron immediately recognized that it was the power Halo had attained upon reaching 9-Star.
At a glance, it appeared to be nothing more than an enormous sword. But in truth, it was composed of thousands of smaller swords, all woven together.
"No matter what you know about Caron, nor what secrets you may have uncovered..." Halo murmured quietly as he brought his sword down. "I have no interest in hearing about my grandson from your filthy mouth."
"Haha! How amusing! Truly amusing! The so-called strongest man on the continent is this blind—" Sloth began, but was interrupted by Halo.
"Remember this, Demon King of Sloth." Halo's voice was calm but absolute. "One day, I will cross into the Demon Realm, and cut down everything you are and everything you have. Those who bear the name of Leston will bring an end to you and your kind."
Slash!
The massive sword cleaved through the colossal body of the Bone Dragon in an instant. Although its bones were harder than any metal in existence, it couldn't even resist the merciless force of the strike. The dragon was simply cut apart.
"Hide in that wretched Demon Realm and await your end. It won't take long," Halo concluded.
Erekis and Sloth were both split in two.
Until now, the Demon King of Sloth had endlessly scattered and reformed himself, but this time, he no longer could. Halo's blade had severed his essence.
Even as he was split in half, the Demon King of Sloth glared at Caron and Halo. Then, grinning widely, he let out a gleeful cry. "Death and terror have already descended upon this land! Beyond the North Sea, I will be waiting for your arrival! A grand feast shall be prepared, so do not be late. My patience is not infinite."
With those final words, the Demon King of Sloth's form dissipated like smoke.
After a moment...
"At last, I find peace... Rael Leston. And Rael Leston's friend, this is all thanks to you."
Erekis's voice echoed in both Caron and Halo's ears.
"Thank you again. I can finally embrace this darkness... in tranquility."
With those last words, Erekis' body split cleanly in two, and his voice was never heard again.
The lifeless body of the Bone Dragon began its descent toward the earth. As the overwhelming force of gravity pulled everything downward, Halo calmly turned his gaze to Caron.
His grandson's body was in ruins. Caron was barely clinging to life, his entire body pierced with feathers. It wouldn't have been surprising if he had died on the spot. And yet, even in Caron's tattered state, his blue eyes still burned with fierce hatred toward something unseen.
"...Caron," Halo called out in a low voice. "I know you're keeping a secret."
"...Grandfather," Caron said.
"I will wait for the day you tell me the secret yourself. A child as sharp as you would not keep a secret without reason," Halo said, his gaze softening, and emotions flickered behind his eyes.
He wanted to hear what had driven his grandson to fight so desperately, and what it was that made him throw himself into battle so ruthlessly, but he suppressed the urge.
"I trust you, my grandson. So I will wait. One day, please tell me your secret," Halo said.
Thus, he chose to respect his grandson's will.
Caron struggled to smile and gave a weak nod, then said, "...Thank you, Grandfather."
"Just remember this," Halo said as his lips curled into the faintest smile. "No matter what others say or what happens, you are my grandson. That will never change." His voice was filled with the warmth of a grandfather's love.
Caron imprinted that gentle voice into his mind and smiled once more. He wondered what expression Halo would make after finding out everything.
...Would he smile? Caron thought.
In his previous life, Halo had stood on the opposite side, but in this life, they stood together facing the same direction.
There were times Caron had imagined what it would feel like to fight alongside him. He'd been curious how he would feel, and now he knew.
It's pretty nice, Caron thought, still smiling, then closed his eyes.
And before long...
Boom!
Erekis' massive body finally crashed into the earth.
***
As Erekis' body crashed into the ground, a massive cloud of dust billowed into the sky. But Leo and Adina, who had been waiting below, paid it no mind as they sprinted toward Caron.
"Caron! Caroooon!" Leo shouted as he ran toward his cousin.
Caron, hearing the desperate call, let out a faint chuckle and muttered, "People would think I was dead or something."
"Look at you! What the hell happened to you?!" Leo cried. "Elixir! Do you have an elixir?"
"I drank everything I had during the fight," Caron replied casually. "Ah... I think I have glass shards stuck in the roof of my mouth."
"You're going to die if we leave you like this..." Leo's eyes filled with tears as he took in Caron's condition.
Caron was beyond wrecked. His complexion had turned alarmingly pale, and he had lost far too much blood.
But before panic could take over, Mos arrived right behind them and quickly placed his hands on Caron. He said with a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, it's over now."
Pure mana, drawn from the World Tree's sapling, seeped into Caron. Its power rapidly mended his battered form, restoring his strength at an astonishing rate.
Only after Caron's condition had stabilized did Leo finally notice someone else standing there.
The moment he registered the old man's presence, his eyes widened in disbelief. He murmured, "...Am I... seeing things?"
"You two are as close as ever," the old man said with a smile. "I'm glad I sent you with him."
"G-Grandfa—" Leo stuttered before quickly composing himself. "Leo Leston of the Ducal Family of Leston greets the head of the family—"
But before he could finish, Halo raised a hand, cutting him off. Then, with a gentle motion, he ruffled Leo's hair and said, "I came here as your grandfather. No need for such formality."
"How... How are you here?" Leo asked, still reeling from shock.
"It's a long story," Halo said with a chuckle. "One that can wait until the battle is truly over."
Halo's warm gaze lingered on Leo.
Unlike his father, Raphael, who was consumed by greed, this grandson understood true devotion. Leo was a remarkable young man.
After exchanging a brief greeting with Leo, Halo slowly turned his attention to the others. There was a young elf child and a woman from the tiger clan.
The latter, in particular, lowered her head nervously and said in a trembling voice, "I-It is an honor to meet you! I am Adina, daughter of the tiger clan chieftain!"
"The tiger clan... They are formidable warriors," Halo remarked. "I am Halo Leston, head of the Ducal Family of Leston. I sense great courage in you as well."
"T-That is too much praise!" Adina stuttered, flustered.
Caron smirked at the sight and spoke up with a teasing tone. "Grandfather, the atmosphere between Adina and Leo is kind of... interesting. Maybe you should just match them together."
"Is that so, Leo?" Halo asked with mild amusement.
"...We're not quite at that stage yet," Leo muttered, glancing at Adina before adding in a barely audible voice, "But... I wouldn't say I have no feelings..."
"You're so shy in front of women," Caron said with a grin.
"Oh, like you're one to talk? You've never even met a girl properly!" Leo snapped.
"I'm actually pretty popular," Caron said.
Halo let out a quiet sigh as he watched his grandsons bicker.
The fact that Caron had the energy to joke around meant he was doing much better. That young elf's mana had to have played a significant role in his recovery.
"You are..." Halo spoke carefully as he looked at the young elf. "...So, you are the sapling of the World Tree. You already knew I was coming, didn't you?"
"Hehe," Mos replied.
"Thank you for healing my grandson," Halo said.
"It is the duty entrusted to me," Mos said.
While Halo was exchanging greetings with Caron's group, a sudden commotion erupted in the distance.
Screams echoed through the air, but they weren't from the elves. They were the agonized cries of the dark elves who had been besieging the city.
Caron closed his eyes and shared his vision with Pluto. His sight expanded toward the east, where the city of Aileen met the sea.
There, an overwhelming army was advancing. But something about it was strange.
"...Monsters?" Caron wondered.
At the vanguard of the approaching forces, Caron saw monsters—ones he was certain he had seen somewhere before. He wondered why there were monsters leading the reinforcements.
Halo spoke up, his tone oddly casual. "Caron... I heard you have a daughter now."
"...Oh!" Caron exclaimed.
"If you caused trouble, you should have at least told me. My great-granddaughter sent those monsters to support you. She also asked me to tell you she's sorry she couldn't come in person," Halo said.
"Aqua...? Wait, Grandfather, that's not exactly what you think—" Caron tried to explain.
"I understand," Halo said, cutting him off. "As I said earlier, we can discuss the details once the battle is over. But for now..." He glanced toward the battlefield. "It isn't over yet."
Nodding, he tightened his grip on his sword, Gram, and strode forward. Without even looking back, he called out to Caron, "I will finish this. All of you can rest here."
Boom!
A colossal blaze erupted in the distance.
The Spirit King of Fire, Ifrit, had descended upon the battlefield. And alongside him was Orion, the elf patrol captain of the Southern Great Forest.
"Yes, Grandfather," Caron murmured. At last, he allowed himself to relax, closing his eyes.
The rescue fleet had arrived far sooner than expected. And now that Halo himself had joined the battlefield, their victory was as good as certain.
For the dark elves, the battle was already lost.
"Leo," Caron mumbled.
"Yeah?" Leo answered.
"I'm gonna sleep for a bit," Caron said.
"...Here? Hey, at least go inside first. Sleep inside— Hey... Are you seriously asleep already?" Leo asked.
He let out a deep sigh as he looked down at Caron, who had passed out without a care in the world.
Leo carefully lifted his cousin onto his back. He could hear Caron's slow, steady breathing against his ear.
"Sleep well," Leo murmured. With those quiet words, he gazed out at the battlefield.
The war that had once seemed endless was finally drawing to a close.