Raising the Princess to Overcome Death-Chapter 283: Engagement – The Two Fathers
282. Engagement – The Two Fathers
Malpas, despite having eight wings, couldn’t fly. He had gorged himself during the Nine-Day War that broke out over a decade ago.
His wings, covered in the weapons of his victims, were heavy, and the raven’s insatiable greed for shiny things knew no bounds. Yet, he was powerful.
“Gah!”
Malpas’ beak, as large as a cart, pecked at a knight’s body. As birds often do, his head moved swiftly.
Blink, and he was looking in the opposite direction. Blink again, and he tilted his head, aiming in this direction.
If you made eye contact, you were dead.
Whether his sharp beak tore into your innards or severed your head, the knights couldn’t approach him.
In truth, even trying to approach was difficult.
Each time Malpas flapped his wings, a fierce storm of metal surrounded him.
*
[Iron Ring]
*
The shards that fell from his wings spun around him. As one great warrior lamented, he was on a completely different level from any demonic beast. The only reason the knights were holding on at all was because of—
“Look at me! Look at me!! You bird-brained bastard!”
Swordmaster Arpen Albacete, who fought on, becoming bloodied amidst the flying shards.
But Malpas seemed determined to ignore Arpen. When Arpen charged, he would flap and leap, seeking out another prey, sending fragments scattering. Ray was also disregarded in much the same way.
A plaything for the Apostle of the Chief God.
Malpas wouldn’t have survived this long if he didn’t know what was dangerous and what wasn’t. Clang! The paladin’s shield barely blocked the beak but was deeply dented.
“Hey, Ray. That thing... Huff. Can we even catch it?”
Exasperated, Arpen asked, panting. Ray’s body was drenched as if soaked in rain from his sweat and blood.
“…We have to.”
Though he spoke decisively, Ray was also deeply troubled. It was a bad sign when even Oriax, who had faced him head-on, now seemed admirable.
Malpas was cunning.
He didn’t just avoid those who were a threat; he knew how vulnerable humans were to even the smallest setbacks.
Malpas stomped on the eight-step wooden podium set up for the war declaration ceremony. The metal claws splintered and shattered the wood beneath his feet—a minor inconvenience to him, but a nightmare for the humans.
Humans lose strength when the ground beneath them isn’t flat. If it’s sloped, it at least needs to be solid.
But the podium, riddled with holes and splintering, creaked precariously whenever someone stepped on it. Even though the king might only fall to his knees if the podium collapsed, it was becoming increasingly difficult to fight.
Yet, descending wasn’t an option… Citizens were surging below the podium.
Currently, they were recklessly charging at the knights without coordination, but who knew what would happen if Malpas was left unchecked. Malpas might just turn the podium into his command post, and then Ray thought they’d be truly doomed.
“Then what should we do?”
Arpen asked as he pulled himself up from the fractured floor. His fine silk clothes were in shambles. Ray pointed out the only hopeful sign.
“His wings are shrinking.”
Indeed, the number of Malpas’ wings had decreased. From eight, they were now down to six, and their length, once spanning three sheets, had shortened.
It was a result of enduring the priests’ blessings and using his widespread abilities. Malpas was overexerting himself.
“We just need to hold out a little longer. There will be significant losses, but…”
Arpen followed Ray’s gaze to the scene below. A storm of blood raged beneath the podium.
Citizens rushed forward, and knights hesitantly fought back. The square was gradually turning red, and it was impossible to tell whether it was due to the bloodshed or the crimson mist Malpas had summoned.
‘It’s okay… Everyone, everyone will come back to life. When the loop restarts…’
Ray was overwhelmed with guilt, but Arpen merely clicked his tongue and turned away dismissively.
People dying wouldn’t bring down the kingdom... Even if all of Barnaul’s citizens perished, as long as the prince survived, it was fine. Arpen was thinking this when he shouted, “Fortify our defenses! Buy us some time!”
“Huh? Father?”
It was then, when the knights were shrinking back in the face of Malpas’ ferocity, that Noel Dexter ascended the podium. With a calm, steady gaze, he looked at his son and shouted words that were the complete opposite of Arpen’s.
“Citizens are dying! If you are knights who have enjoyed the reverence and privileges of the people, then it is time to fulfill your duty! Set aside your shields and draw your swords! Honor will stand with you!”
“Father!!”
Noel charged.
But he was the only one who did.
*
[Iron Ring]
*
Noel leapt into the storm of iron, immediately drawing Malpas’ attention.
- ......
Malpas tilted his head curiously.
The monstrous beak, which had already devoured dozens of knights, shot forward like a flash, and the surrounding knights could only groan in despair. The outcome was largely the same, but…
‘The Swordsmanship That Conceals a Moment’s Breather.’
Noel shattered the wooden floor as he leapt, and Malpas’ enormous beak struck out almost simultaneously.
Realizing that his target had jumped, Malpas adjusted his direction, and his blood-stained beak pierced through Noel’s abdomen.
But Noel’s grip on Rera’s sword was reversed. Unlike usual, he held the handle with his left hand above, and with the sword reversed, his left hand was firmly on the sword’s guard.
And with his right hand…
- Caw!!
With a motion akin to hammering a nail, Noel’s lower half was blown away, but he struck the hilt. The sword he had aimed with his left hand lodged into Malpas’ nostril.
It was like shoving a toothpick deep into someone’s nose. Malpas let out a pained scream. A young warrior, embarrassed by what he had just witnessed, shouted defiantly.
“Yeah! What the hell are we doing? We boast about being warriors all the time, but now that a real trial is here, we’re cowering in fear? Remember this! My name is Kali Toluca! The husband of ‘Marsha’ and a warrior of the Toluca tribe!”
Kali Toluca tossed aside the wooden plank he had been using as a shield and charged into the iron storm. Although his cheek was cut by a flying shard, he did not stop.
This is how it should have been from the start.
"I told Marsha that I would definitely face the Great Warrior’s Trial someday, that no warrior was as brave as me! How can I hide now?"
Kali Toluca followed in the footsteps of the bravely fallen Noel and challenged Malpas, striking at the beast’s toe while it was momentarily disoriented.
He was quickly devoured, but his courage spurred the other great warriors to charge, shouting their names as they attacked. Even paladins holding shields joined the assault.
“You damn bastards! This is what we should’ve done from the start... Everyone, charge! My name is Arpen Albacete, the greatest genius born of the Albacete tribe, a great warrior, and none other than a Swordmaster!”
Whether paladins or great warriors… are all warriors so hot-blooded? But the words and actions Noel left behind had stirred the hearts of even the most composed royal knights. The battle became an all-out assault with no retreat.
Of course, Malpas was no easy opponent.
As the knights swarmed him, Malpas swept his surroundings with his six iron wings and moved his beak relentlessly. He pushed the encircling knights off the podium one by one, picking them off methodically.
After a long bout, Malpas suddenly stopped. With his head raised, he stood still, as if calculating, his eyes scanning the battlefield like a general.
“What the hell? Why did he stop all of a sudden?”
Malpas spread his wings wide. And then... he took off!
But it was a pitiful sight even to watch.
He barely managed to ascend a few meters, unable to fly far and focused solely on gaining altitude.
Just as Arpen was about to engage, he roared in frustration.
“Get down here, you damn… bird bastard!”
- ...For a greater victory.
Malpas’ wings, composed of swords, shattered into pieces. Shedding his heavy wings, the red raven returned to his original form and casually flew off to the east.
However, the aftermath of shedding his wings was far from casual. The people on the podium screamed in terror.
“Everyone, take cover!!”
Thousands of weapons that had been attached to the wings rained down like a storm. The downpour struck the 2nd Knight Order and thousands of citizens battling below the podium.
---
“Rera.”
How long had it been since he’d hugged his daughter?
It felt like the last time was when he held her as a little girl. Such was the relationship between a grown daughter and her father.
“Rera, you’ve gotten a bit heavier... Ugh! Haha, strong as ever.”
Rera’s elbow dug into his solar plexus. Dehor was struggling to restrain his thrashing daughter.
It was a relief Rera didn’t have a sword. She had returned empty-handed, her eyes dazed, after checking on Elson.
As the citizens continued to die, she was ensnared by *
[Blood War]
*, which sought to maintain balance in the conflict. Dehor held his daughter tightly, preventing her from getting into trouble or being killed by a knight.
He wasn’t the only one in this situation. All over the chaotic battlefield, people clung tearfully to their parents, siblings, children, or lovers.
Many were being dragged toward blood-soaked knights.
Dehor’s great strength ensured that didn’t happen to him.
But since he was designated an enemy by the *
[Blood War]
* His large body was peppered with swords, and his daughter, a trained martial artist, was struggling fiercely against him.
She was impressively strong.
She must’ve inherited it from someone.
Her punches were relentless.
If she wants to be a great knight, well, at least my daughter’s not lazy.
Despite being bloodied and bruised, Dehor didn’t resent his daughter, who was beating her father senseless. He prayed to the gods, hoping they could just stay like this.
But the heavens were indifferent.
With the shout of “Everyone, take cover!!” the sky darkened. Dehor glanced up and muttered, “Oh no…”
Swords were falling like rain.
It would be nice to hide between those buildings over there. But it seemed impossible to drag his struggling daughter there in time.
Dehor used his weight to shield Rera, covering her. He stroked her hair and whispered.
“Be good to your mom. I lost the bet... but give her a shoulder massage for me.”
There was a time he regretted not having a son. He had dreamed of teaching his son how to hunt and going on hunts together.
But my daughter, you are more precious than anything in the world. Well, that last hit did sting a bit. Watching you grow up has been my joy and pride.
I worried that, because you had a great warrior for a father, you might grow lazy. But you never did. Perhaps it’s because of that guy, Ray.
Honestly, I never liked him.
When he was younger, he seemed too weak, like he’d never measure up as a man, and aren’t all men wolves except your dad?
But when you came home crying after losing to that nerd, I knew it. I knew you’d end up marrying him.
‘I should never have been so petty...’
I should have given you both rings when you got engaged. If only you had rings blessed by the priest...
- Thud.
A sword pierced Dehor’s back.
Dehor checked to see if any part of Rera’s body was exposed and gave a faint smile. Never had his ample bulk felt so fulfilling.
- Thud. Thud.
“Urgh... He...”
“Huh? What is this? Dad! You’re heavy!! What are you… Dad?”
Dehor’s head slumped, and as the red mist cleared, the square had transformed into a battlefield littered with thousands of embedded swords. The cries of despair filled the air as citizens rushed to the scene...
“We... We were truly worshipping a false god. Anne, what do we do now... Huh? Anne, what’s wrong?”
A chillingly low voice. Anne, gripped by a fit of rage, stabbed Ran in the chest.
“Ann... you...”
Anne pushed her sister’s corpse into a pile of bodies and staggered toward the east where Malpas had disappeared, her steps dazed.
She was leaving behind her beloved husband and two children, with only an old, worn feathered headband in her hair.
.
!
Chapter 283: Engagement – The Two Fathers
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