Chapter 138: Phantom Cavalry (2) (1/2)
Chapter 138: Phantom Cavalry (2)
99 times. It was the number of times Oswen was repeatedly knocked out and then forcefully awakened. The blacksmith ego had woken up several times but had fainted from confusion.
Fortunately, it didn’t go beyond 100 times. He finally started to show a little bit of stability.
“You...who are you?”
”I have already told you a few times. I am Randalph Brigsiel. I don’t like repeating myself so please remember this in the future.”
“My memories are a tangled mess. The memories of several people are mixed together. But I am the blacksmith Oswen.”
The southern commander and everyone else were fake personalities. Oswen’s true identity was the blacksmith.
”Were you originally a doom knight?”
”Ah...come to think of it, my body has changed as well. Oh my god...the Hell Monarch. That cruel person has played with me for thousands of years. He was angry because I threw the Seven Sins into the crack.”
The crack. The dark spirits knew how to handle cracks in space. They could pick up free goods from the crack. Then they sold the items.
Oswen turned his head.
”I remember that this is the world of the dead and Randalph is a hero in the south. But aren’t you still alive?”
”That's right. I am alive.”
“Amazing. Those swords are somehow familiar. Wrath and the Emperor's Sword! That cloak...Sloth. Apart from the Emperor’s Sword, they are all items that wandered through the crack. Where did you find them?”
It was a problem. Was it okay to let him know?
The Twilight Blacksmith Oswen. I expected a lot from him. I wanted Oswen to follow me.
If I hid the Heart of the Hell Monarch from him and he learnt about it later on, things could turn bad. It would be better to inform him now.
I explained how I obtained the Heart of the Hell Monarch and the Emperor’s Sword.
Oswen’s expression changed as he listened to the story.
”Ahh, something like that...”
“Do you believe it?”
”I can’t not believe it. Hah, then I guess the Hell Monarch has been destroyed. His heart belongs to Randalph...Maxium even mistook you as the Hell Monarch. Things are becoming interesting.”
Oswen laughed.
He was still in a little bit of pain.
Oswen was happy since the Hell Monarch was his enemy.
“Oswen. This isn’t the time to have hazy memories.”
This was enough explanation.
I had spent too much time finding Oswen. Now we needed to move.
”I was also the southern commander. The battle might have been lost, but don’t worry. The real power of the south isn’t at the fortress.”
“Then?”
”The southern commander hid 2,000 phantom cavalry in a place that no one else knows. The phantom cavalry only responds to the Hell Monarch, but you should be able to wake them up if you have his heart. You will launch that strength and gather the remaining power of the south. Makdalli has lost one wing so victory is possible.”
Phantom Cavalry.
It was somehow familiar.
'The phantom cavalry are troops that belong to the emperor.’
I read the description.
I didn’t know if 2,000 phantom cavalry could resolve this situation.
However, Oswen had a confident expression.
“Follow me. We will go to wake up the phantom cavalry.”
The weary Oswen rose from his spot.
It took three days and nights to arrive at the desired destination.
A huge mountain made of bones. It was a place where skeleton soldiers were buried.
”The southern commander created a secret place underground. The phantom cavalry are hidden there. Why?”
Oswen cocked his head with confusion. I was laughing.
”Is this your job?”
”You don't understand. I hate the Hell Monarch. On the other hand, I wanted to be the Hell Monarch when I was the southern commander. I’ve been protecting this place for a long time on behalf of the owner.”
”There is a difference in your eyes.”
“Yes. Most commanders won’t be like me. This state has lasted so long...they won’t admit that the real Hell Monarch has appeared.”
Oswen’s words weren’t exaggerated. It was natural since he still had the memories of the southern commander.
'Was Maxium unusual?’
Maxium. He had noticed from a distance that my heart belonged to the Hell Monarch. He shook off everything on the battlefield and ran over.
On the other hand, the commanders would probably have different reactions. Emperor’s Knight. I came to the conclusion that Maxium was unusual because he was the closest to the emperor.
”Time is really unique. It can change everything. Even those with absolute loyalty will change over time. The false loyalty would be worn away. Even so, there is no change in this world. It is indeed a sad place.”
Oswen had an increased appreciation for time.
He had finally found himself after so long. Everything changed and this was a far cry from his original appearance so...overall, there was a feeling of sadness.
”What do the commanders want? The Hell Monarch has stopped this world. As a blacksmith, I don’t know why they are so obsessed with God.”
”Maybe they want to escape the fate of guardians.”
”Certainly, they guard the Middle World from the Demon World. The emperor is not the emperor. That is why he was called the Shadow Emperor. He became crazy in the later years and became known as the Hell Monarch. But his destiny...”
Oswen smiled sadly and continued talking.
”It is really funny. His cursed destiny became twisted with another person’s. If the Seven Sins had entered his hands then the worlds would have ended.”
”Weren’t you the one who made the Seven Sins?”
”I created them. I used the ‘God’s Metal’ that the Hell Monarch brought me. I was engrossed in the work. However, the finished goods were beyond my scope of understanding. I collected the Seven Sins and abandoned them in a crack, where the dark spirits ended up picking them up.”
There was a bittersweet expression on his face.
He had gone through all that work, and the result wasn’t what he expected.
”What will happen if I collect all of the Seven Sins?”
Gathering three had given him the skill ‘Corruption.’ I couldn’t help wondering what the effect of putting together all Seven Sins would be.
“I don’t know. That only thing I’m certain of is that the one who wears them can cause unprecedented destruction. Therefore...I will help you, but don’t gather any more of the Seven Sins.”
“I’ll think about it.”
The one who wore them would cause destruction. But the Seven Sins weren’t made accidentally. The Hell Monarch had intended to wear them.
'I don’t intend to become the Hell Monarch.’
My goal was to go beyond that. The Hell Monarch was in a lower category.
From the beginning, it was impossible to be the Hell Monarch.
“Come this way. The phantom cavalry are inside.”
There seemed to be no end in sight to the tomb of bones. Oswen stopped and cleared the bones off one part of the floor.
After the dust was wiped away, stones with strange patterns on them were revealed.
Jeeeok!
Oswen drew the pattern on his ribs. It was a bizarre sight. I jokingly spoke while watching Oswen.
”I guess it doesn’t hurt for an undead.”
”My ribs are reacting to the magic power in the seal.”
”You examined it once. Hmm...make sure you remember everything.”
The glyphs on the ribs. They soon shone with light! The floor opened with a loud sound.
“Ah! This feels like a dream. This memory is real.”
”Is now the time to be talking?”
“Hmm hmm, I’m sorry. Let’s go.”
Oswen stopped fussing over his memories and started guiding me.
A spacious underground. A gigantic temple could be seen at the end.
The inside of the temple.