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+---
+layout: post
+title:  "TenKen Chapter 1257"
+permalink: Tenken/1257.html
+categories: TenKen
+chapter: 1257
+exclude: true
+translator: Seeker
+editor: 
+---
+<h2>1257: Relic Origins</h2>
+
+I had Fran ask Sibylla a question that had been on my mind.
+
+「What are relics? Also, is your sword different from a normal relic?」
+
+Sibylla and Apollonius had mentioned something about relics being "bestowed by the king", and it sounded like Sibylla's sword was special somehow.
+
+This piqued my curiosity.
+
+「Well, that's... 」
+
+「To put it simply, Raydoss's relics are powerful magical items granted to the dukes and Red Knight Captains by the king!」
+
+Apollonius answered our question in place of the hesitant Sibylla. It seems he had finished his conversation with Jean.
+
+Special magical items known as "relics" were granted to the dukes and Knight Captains by the royal family. These serve as proof of their position, and they cannot be wielded by anyone without official approval.
+
+Well, that much was kinda obvious.
+
+I wanted to know the details, such as why I can cannibalize them, their true abilities, and how they were created.
+
+「Does the king make the relics?」
+
+「That I don't know. All I can say is that he is the one bestowing the relics to us. Only the King, the Chancellor, and the four dukes know the actual secret behind them.」
+
+Was there some sort of skill for creating the relics? No wait. Considering how all the kings have the same ability, maybe there's a magical device for creating them? It would make sense for such a valuable item getting passed down the royal family for generations.
+
+Honestly, a magical item capable of creating multiple of those super-powerful relics sounds like it might be getting close to the divine sword level.
+
+Sibylla and Madred seem to have mixed feelings about Apollonius answering our questions readily. They themselves had kept silent about the relics. In fact, Kranzel never asked such questions to avoid antagonizing them.
+
+While Sibylla and her men betrayed Raydoss in a sense, their motivation still lied with the people and the nation. They were more than willing to share information about the faction responsible for the massacre, but they never disclosed secrets about Raydoss itself.
+
+Now, with the Hero Zombies joining our ranks, there was no hiding anything from us. Still, they didn't go as far as to interfere with our questioning.
+
+「... Is Sibylla's red sword different from other relics?」
+
+「Indeed it is!」
+
+Sibylla frowned, but she still had no intention of stopping Fran. After all, we could always ask later if she did.
+
+「For quite a while, there was a plan in the works to develop a powerful magical item with a Dungeon Core. But it turned out no one could control it, and the research stagnated for ages. All until someone brought up that Sibylla, who had incorporated a Dungeon Core into herself, might be able to wield it.」
+
+「Incorporated a Dungeon Core?」
+
+What's that supposed to mean? Well, I know Sibylla has a voracious appetite...
+
+「That girl can eat practically anything, and whatever she eats becomes her own power, even a Dungeon Core. I refused to let them use Sibylla as a guinea pig while I was alive, but it seems she ended up cooperating with the plan later.」
+
+「I see.」
+
+「Dammit, old man!」
+
+Sibylla exclaimed reflexively as if she couldn't contain herself. Having her secrets and the kingdom's classified information revealed in front of her must have been getting on her nerves.
+
+「What's wrong, foolish daughter of mine? I am currently serving the black cat girl, so I can't keep any secrets from her! How about I tell her about the time you wet the bed too!」
+
+「I told you, that was just me knocking over a water pitcher!」
+
+「Then how about the time you ate all the provisions at the garrison, and the adjutant scolded you severely? Oh, maybe when you got duped with counterfeit antiques and wasted your entire allowance!」
+
+「Ugh! Enough! Fran doesn't give a damn about any of those things! You're blabbing everything of your own free will!」
+
+「Fuhahahahaha! I wonder if that's really the case!」
+
+It's clear that these two get along well.
+
+Apollonius seemed satisfied after teasing Sibylla, and turned to Fran with a slightly more serious face.
+
+「What now? Do you want to hear more?」
+
+「Enough about Sibylla.」
+
+Digging any deeper into Sibylla's personal business would only strain our relationship. Also, we don't need to hear about Sibylla's abilities at the moment.
+
+Let's change the direction of the conversation a bit.
+
+「Tell me about the powers of the relics.」
+
+「Very well! Then let's start with Lucard!」
+
+「Sure, ask away.」
+
+Being under my control meant they would answer all my questions. The humble-looking young man Lucard began explaining his relic after getting nominated by Apollonius.
+
+The Vermilion Eye was a prosthetic eye-shaped relic. In addition to enhancing the wielder's vision and reflexes, it also had the power to identify weaknesses and see a few seconds into the future.
+
+Furthermore, observing the flow of his own mana allowed him to gain delicate control over magic. In summary, the relic allowed him to instantly determine the target's weakpoint and deliver a powerful blast of magic.
+
+The last resort ability involved activating several types of magic eyes at the same time, thus giving him a huge boost of power for a few minutes.
+
+Simple and effective. A woman named Shuzeka was apparently the current wielder, as well as the most powerful wielder in the relic's history.
+
+We got a lot of info on the other relics as well. Well, the relics themselves were right in front of us, so I could always appraise them too.
+
+Particularly surprising was the Cardinal Flag's ultimate move. I never imagined it would drain the life force of your companions. Good thing I learned about that before using it carelessly.
+
+「Then what about Sibylla's red sword?」
+
+I had seen her sword before, but I knew nothing of its abilities. We've only seen Sibylla swinging it around like any other weapon.
+
+「That I do not know. The Red Sword Knights were always a unique order. Unlike other the others, we were never bestowed a relic.」
+
+「Really?」
+
+「Indeed. My girl's sword is a recent creation. It didn't exist when I was captain.」
+
+The Red Sword Knights were the first order of Red Knights to be established in Raydoss. Their main mission was to patrol the country and eliminate threats such as magical beasts and bandits. In addition, they also had a hidden duty.
+
+They were intended to act as a failsafe in case those in power ever go off the rails. If the royal family, the Chancellor, or anyone else ever proved to be harmful to the people, the knights were to stop them by any means necessary.
+
+「Those who rely on the relics lose everything when said relics are taken away, rendering them unable to oppose the king. As such, exceptional individuals are chosen for the Red Sword Knights, and they are not given a relic based on the king's powers.」
+
+In other words, Sibylla's sword wasn't truly a relic. It would be more correct to simply call it a magic sword.
+
+「Hehehe, pretty cool, right? Those researchers made this sword just for me!」
+
+「Oooh, your very own weapon, huh? That's quite something!」
+
+「Damn right! I still despise those researchers, but it was all worth it since I got this baby!」
+
+Either way, we won't learn its true capabilities unless Sibylla tells us. But it seems we won't have the time for that.
+
+「Mrgh.」
+
+『Here they come again!』
+
+「Woof!」
+
+Now that we've traversed deeper into Raydoss, we once again sensed the presence of the undead hordes.
+
+
+
+
+

_posts/2024-01-25-chapter-1258.markdown

@@ -0,0 +1,168 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title:  "TenKen Chapter 1258"
+permalink: Tenken/1258.html
+categories: TenKen
+chapter: 1258
+exclude: true
+translator: Seeker
+editor: 
+---
+<h2>1258: Facility Infiltration </h2>
+
+We sensed a massive amount of undead in front of us.
+
+Klimt's Great Spirit had wiped them all out, but they simply spawned more. And it seems these undead were being summoned in the same way as Apollonius. Rather than reanimating a bunch of corpses, they were recreating past warriors who had fought in this area.
+
+I might be able to dominate them using Evil God's Trust, but they seem too weak to be of much use...
+
+But while I was considering it, a hundred undead were suddenly blown high into the sky, along with a deafening explosion.
+
+And this was not a singular occurrence.
+
+Explosions and bursts of flame covered vast swaths of the horde, obliterating countless undead.
+
+Yet none of these attacks were actually aimed at them.
+
+An intense battle was taking place at the base of the undead-infested mountain.
+
+The combatants flew through the sky at incredible speeds, exchanging fierce attacks. The undead were merely getting wiped out by stray bullets and shockwaves.
+
+I saw three figures engaged in battle, likely in a 2-on-1 fight.
+
+All three were exuding tremendous amounts of mana, and I could easily sense them even from this distance.
+
+We decided to pause for a moment and observe the fight. Rushing in will only get us caught in the crossfire.
+
+「Maleficent...」
+
+『Yeah, and he's up against Nameless and Laranflura.』
+
+Even from here, I could tell that Maleficent was completely berserk. He's probably gotten taken over by his demon.
+
+At any rate, he didn't seem to care the slightest about dealing with the Evil God Fragments.
+
+Meanwhile, his opponents Nameless and Laranflura were much stronger than when I last saw them.
+
+A rampaging divine sword wielder versus two abominations who were at least Threat Level A.
+
+In that case, it might be a miracle that the entire region wasn't flattened yet. Maybe their battle had only just begun.
+
+『Since Maleficent is here, does that mean Persona is in this facility?』
+
+（Yeah, that's right.）
+
+Apollonius and his friends already knew of my existence, so I simply talked to them via telepathy. In fact, Sibylla and Madred were the only ones here who didn't know about me.
+
+『Is she still alive?』
+
+（She should be.）
+
+Hmmm. Depending on Persona's condition, Maleficent might go completely insane...
+
+Persona, huh...? Apollonius and his friends were apparently recreated through some form of power from the information accumulated in the land.
+
+In other words, they were reproductions from data.
+
+Persona possessed an Extra Skill called "Source of the Data God". Could this similarity be a coincidence?
+
+（If Persona is there, we need to rescue her.）
+
+『Right, and this might be the perfect chance to do so.』
+
+Maleficent was keeping Nameless and Laranflura distracted, so we could infiltrate the facility, shut down the ritual, and rescue Persona. That should solve everything in one fell swoop.
+
+『Alright! Let's sneak in.』
+
+（Nn!）
+
+『Apollonius, we should be close to the summoner's facility, right?』
+
+（It's on that mountainside on the left!）
+
+『Quite close then.』
+
+We can be there in a few minutes.
+
+『Perfect! Let's move through the sky and close the distance with a teleport!』
+
+「Nn! Teiwas, we're teleporting. Start by going up.」
+
+「Roger that!」
+
+Teiwas cast the teleport while giving us a military salute. Despite his talents, his range of teleportation actually decreased significantly once he joined us. 
+
+He was previously connected to the Evil God Fragment sealed in the land of Raydoss. Consequently, this allowed him to use the Evil God's power for long-distance movement within Raydoss territory. That's why we didn't sense the Hero Zombies at all when they ambushed us.
+
+Now that he's connected the Evil God Fragment within me instead, his teleportation range was greatly reduced. Makes sense, since we had no connection or affinity with the land of Raydoss. 
+
+That said, the current situation also had its advantages. Namely, the ability to teleport long distances in the sky. In his previous situation, distancing himself from the land would diminish his powers.
+
+We all rode on Urushi's back and used teleportation to quickly ascend into the sky. 
+
+「Everyone, hide your presence. Urushi, cover everyone with dark magic.」
+
+「Woof!」
+
+We concealed our presence using every means possible, but I still had my doubts. We're trying to sneak past a divine sword wielder and a monster who has devoured tens of thousands of human sacrifices... 
+
+Our plan was honestly more of a gamble, but it went surprisingly well. The three combatants were so focused on their battle that they had no attention to spare for us. 
+
+Finally, we teleported straight from the sky to the research facility's entrance, slipping through the battlefield where Maleficent and the others were still raging.
+
+Fran and the others readied themselves as Apollonius unlocked the door.
+
+「We save Persona and defeat all the enemies!」
+
+「Yeah! Those bastards slaughtered so many Raydoss citizens... They die here!」
+
+「Countless children have lost their lives... Absolutely unforgivable!」
+
+The killing intent coming from Sibylla and Amanda was really intense! I'll be counting on you two! 
+
+Sibylla led the charge into the facility with high spirits, and it was packed with undead, including the Duke Zombies. It seems they didn't take security lightly.
+
+We had to clear the path as sneaking was no longer an option. It wasn't much of an obstacle for us, though. 
+
+「Smash 'em all!」
+
+「Fuahahaha! Charge!」
+
+「Dammit Apollonius! Leave some prey for me!」
+
+「Hohoho! Then I'll take a piece of some those dukes.」
+
+Sibylla, Apollonius, Begareth, and Zinga eagerly stepped forward to mow down the undead. Furthermore, the undead surging up from behind were quickly eliminated by Yuvel and Oldona. 
+
+「Yuvel! We should start doing our jobs or our liege will get angry, you know.」
+
+「Hmph. Oldona, cover me.」
+
+「Sure thing!」
+
+Yuvel practically cleaved through the entire front line, with the skilled mage Oldona occasionally supporting him with enhancement and flame magic.
+
+It's hard to imagine from his noble appearance, but Yuvel's fighting style was brutal. He rushed in and obliterated the undead by swinging around a giant sword that was larger than himself.
+
+There was no need for defense. Any enemy that attempted to attack him in melee range was struck down before they could even finish their swing, along with any of their nearby friends. His strategy was simply annihilating his enemies without allowing them any chance for action.
+
+As for the long range attacks, it seems he either deflects them with his greatsword or leaves them to Oldona's barriers.
+
+「Aw, mine isn't very effective against undead. I envy those with the brute force relics.」
+
+「But Vio-neesan, can't you just punch them like normal?」
+
+「Punching zombies will only get me covered in filth! You go punch them, Lucard. Are those worthless muscles just for show?」
+
+「W-Worthless muscles...? I-I don't want to punch zombies barehanded either! Besides, your red mist can do physical attacks too, right?」
+
+「But it's so inefficient.」
+
+「...I-I see...」
+
+Well, I guess we're already kinda steamrolling the undead, so Violetta and Lucard don't need to join the fight. Despite their argument, I noticed how they were on the watch for sneak attacks.
+
+In the end, we managed to reach the center of the research facility without stopping once.
+
+
+