REAPER SCANS
The Reincarnated Martial God Brings Down the Heavens
[Translator – San]
[Proofreader – Abstract]
Chapter 169 - Escape (3)
At the border area between the Hart Kingdom and the Empire,
“Is it over there?”
Marquis Foltaine had finally arrived at the location. Following him were his order of knights and a force of ten thousand soldiers.
“Hmm…”
He focused mana into his optic nerves.
It was a distance of at least several kilometers. However, for Marquis Foltaine, who had already reached the rank of Master, such a distance posed no issue.
At the farthest edge of the horizon, he saw the border guards of the Empire stirring in commotion.
“Hahaha. They wouldn’t be so nervous if they hadn’t done anything wrong, right?”
Indeed, the imperial border guards were in utter shock.
“Wh-What is that massive army!?”
“Are they… trying to start a war with us?”
“Quickly! Report this through the communication crystal! This is an emergency!”
Releasing the mana from his senses, Marquis Foltaine turned back. The commotion behind him was quite loud as well.
“What’s all this ruckus!?”
“My lord.”
One of his knights promptly stepped forward, as if waiting for the chance.
“Everyone is uneasy.”
“Uneasy?”
“They fear that our actions might give the Empire an excuse for war…”
Before the knight could even finish speaking, a smirk twisted across the Marquis’ lips.
“Fools.”
“I-I apologize.”
If this had been the usual Marquis Foltaine, he would have cut down the knight who spoke such cowardly words.
However, just this once, he decided to let it slide. Today was a good day, after all.
“You idiots! Do you still not understand?”
Instead, he roared. His voice was infused with mana.
“We have done nothing wrong, yet we shrink back and bow our heads. This is why those imperial bastards dare to act so arrogantly!”
“…!”
His voice carried such force that its energy reached all the way to the border.
Shiiing.
Marquis Foltaine drew his curved saber.
“We are not here to start a war. We are not here to invade or plunder. We are here… to protect!”
“…!”
Only then did the soldiers open their eyes wide.
“If we are merely protecting what is ours, why should we care for anyone else’s approval!?”
His mana sent a shiver through the soldiers’ hearts.
“No, we should not!!!”
A tremor of conviction spread through the entire army.
“Anyone who crosses that border…”
With a sharp grin, Marquis Foltaine raised his sword and pointed it towards the boundary.
“Cut them down, even if that person is the Emperor himself.”
* * *
Reaper Scans
[Translator – San]
[Proofreader – Abstract]
Join our discord for updates on releases! https://dsc.gg/reapercomics
* * *
“At first, I was unsure. But now, I believe you. After taking the Elixir of Revival, I can see it more clearly.”
The Elixir of Revival. I knew that name.
‘A pill that forcibly awakens a person’s mana, burning through their life force to its end.’
Similar to how an elderly person might regain complete clarity just before death. However, death is guaranteed for those who consume it.
“Be understanding. If you had lived through what I have… you, too, would find it impossible to trust people so easily.”
Saying this, Raven handed me something. A plain, silver ring.
“Give this to Zion. Then, he’ll help you.”
“…”
I stood frozen, but my mind was racing. This meant—
‘Wasn’t Zion a traitor?’
Then, Raven’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
“Your daughter is safe.”
“…!”
Again, Raven was socially awkward. The fact that he had something important to say piqued my curiosity.
He wasn’t one to set the mood like this. Yet, here he was, using his final breaths…
“She has grown so well that you might not even recognize her. She’s healthy. And happy.”
“…”
“Do you want to see her? Hahaha. You’ll meet her soon. That child will be overjoyed. Her father, who was supposed to be dead, will have returned… Ah. Then again, she might not even recognize you.”
I clenched my teeth without realizing it. My lips split open, and blood trickled down.
Every second was precious. Yet, in his final moments, Raven wanted to talk only about my child.
“You damn fool.”
Without thinking, I cursed. It was the only way to mask the tremor in my voice.
“Hahaha!”
Raven let out a hearty laugh.
“…Just one question.”
“Hm?”
“Who did this to you?”
At my question, Raven gave a bitter smile.
“I won’t tell you.”
“What?”
“You’ll try to get revenge, won’t you?”
Suddenly, Raven grabbed my shoulder with force.
“Don’t. Let go of revenge.”
“…”
“You don’t have to avenge us. Just forget about the Emperor, forget about the Empire… and live.”
“...”
“I know because I’ve been through it. A life consumed by hatred eats away at your own soul… It’s exhausting.”
My eyes trembled.
“A life where you have to constantly doubt, monitor, despise, and hate the comrades and family you once trusted the most. It will hurt more than you think.”
“Raven…”
“I want you to see only good things in this life. At the very least, I hope you can be happy.”
Something inside me crumbled.
“You’re trying to make me give up on my revenge… Is that why you even prepared something like this?”
I held out the silver ring in my hand.
“I heard that Zion ordered someone to steal the ingredient for your cure. I’ve already confirmed it with those involved, so don’t even think about denying it.”
“I won’t. Because it’s true.”
“…!”
Raven shrugged as he watched my eyes widen.
“If you’re talking about Panella, do you really think that’s the only thing we embezzled?”
“…What?”
Raven suddenly chuckled as if recalling a memory.
“We’ve been continuously siphoning off many of the Imperial Palace’s assets. Thanks to that, we became quite wealthy.”
“…!”
A thought struck me like lightning.
‘Then, those teleportation and illusion magic circles…?’
Raven continued speaking.
“My Poison Palace was the perfect organization for embezzlement. As long as there were no overseers, we could easily squander expensive materials under the guise of failed research.”
“...”
“Of course, we had to show some results, but… heheheh. Isn’t it amusing? We built a resistance against the Emperor using the Emperor’s own money.”
I let out a hollow laugh without realizing it. Raven—this guy was not one to be content with a quiet life of servitude.
At the same time, I finally understood the vast fortune Zion had accumulated.
‘...Just one thing.’
There was a contradiction in something he said.
“If you were already embezzling funds, why did you have to steal your own cure? Even while suffering from that damned curse?”
“...”
“If you hadn’t been caught, you could have just taken other valuable things and left that alone, right?”
“...”
“...!”
Watching him remain silent, my eyes slowly widened.
“…You were caught, weren’t you?”
Suspicion turned into certainty.
‘If the Emperor, known for his paranoia, noticed the disappearance of rare materials and began suspecting Raven and Zion’s connection…’
The simplest method would be… to use Zion to destroy Raven.
Yes.
If it were the Emperor…
Grab!
Suddenly, Raven gripped my shoulders tightly.
“Don’t do it.”
“…What?”
“Promise me. Give up your revenge.”
“...”
I gave no response. Raven’s face grew even more desperate.
“Please… Just promise me. You… You must not live like I did.”
My breath quickened and my vision turned red. Then, I saw it clearly.
The dying man before me. The sight made me suppress my fury with great effort.
“…Then answer me one thing. What happened to the others?”
“...”
Raven stared at me for a long moment before sighing.
“Bastion… He was captured by imperial pursuers and locked in the underground prison of the palace. That was more than ten years ago.”
“…His exact location?”
“I don’t know.”
“You…”
“I’m serious. I worked for the imperial intelligence organization and tried to find out, but I never could. The prison must be extremely well-hidden, but it is definitely somewhere in the palace.”
I clenched my eyes shut.
“…And Urha?”
“Urha… They say he’s a madman now, wandering the continent. No one knows where he’s gone…”
I slowly ran a hand down my face.
A prisoner.
A lunatic.
A walking corpse.
An alcoholic.
A crippled traitor.
That was the fate of my former closest allies.
“…Ugh.”
“…!”
I froze.
Raven collapsed to the ground, clutching his chest. I quickly caught him.
“It seems… I really don’t have much time left.”
A bitter smile spread across his face.
“Yeah, I never expected… a stubborn ox like you to actually listen to me.”
“…If you know that, then shut up and focus on staying alive.”
I tried to channel mana into his body.
But—
Grab!
His hand stopped me.
“I’m dying anyway. Don’t waste your efforts and just grant me my final request.”
“Cut the nonsense—”
“Ancelot!”
I flinched and exhaled deeply.
“I’ll at least… hear you out.”
At last, Raven smiled faintly.
“You’ve been given a new body. Forget the past and live with your new identity. The current Empire… even for you… it’s too difficult to…”
His voice weakened.
I quickly covered his mouth.
“Is that your only request?”
“…And…”
After a brief hesitation, Raven glanced past me toward the bushes.
“Take care of my daughter… Nella.”
The corners of my lips twisted upward.
“You bastard. Are you asking me to return the favor for taking care of my daughter?”
“Ha… Hahaha…”
Raven let out a quiet laugh. Then, as if his pain had reached its peak, he clutched his chest tightly.
“Damn… it. This moment is so enjoyable… I finally got to meet you again… I-I even wanted to stay with you in the afterlife… But even that… has been taken from me… I truly… resent the heavens.”
“...”
This was it.
His final moment.
I forced myself to keep my eyes wide open. I refused to miss a single second of it.
“Aren’t you… curious? How I… recognized you… instantly?”
“Yeah, I’m dying to know. So stay alive and tell me yourself… you damn bastard.”
Seeing my trembling voice, Raven’s smile deepened.
“Ever since you died… I devoted my entire life… to one piece of research.”
My body flinched at his words. He was once called the greatest genius of the continent.
“Transfer Technique…”
“Transfer Technique?”
Raven nodded.
“Just like how dragon hearts or spirit beasts store immense power within them over time… Special beings… accumulate vast energy… inside their bodies.”
“...”
“I… sought a way… to store the countless resources of the Poison Palace within my own body. And then… an idea struck me… What if I could transfer not just mana… but also my knowledge… to another vessel?”
I instinctively shook my head.
That was impossible.
“Ha… Hahaha. I’m a genius… remember?”
Amused by my reaction, Raven smiled proudly.
“Anyway… it was a study touching the realm of the gods… Moving one’s essence entirely… meant studying not just the body… but also the soul… My eyes now… possess the ability… to perceive the essence of things…”
So that’s how he recognized me. Raven stared at me intently.
“Now… I want to see… the results of my research.”
His breathing grew more labored.
“Take… my everything. You’ll become stronger than ever… And with that strength… you can better protect… your… daughter.”
“…Enough.”
“Even if you don’t accept it… I will die… But if you do… I can… stay with you… even in death.”
Damn it.
Damn it.
Damn it.
I cursed repeatedly.bThen, Raven gently pressed his forehead against mine.
“I was… happy to have you as… my friend, Ancelot.”
Fwoooosh!
A brilliant light burst from his forehead.
* * *
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