SWNOVELXO Chapter 2: Death
Somewhere…
"Is that all you got, Frain? Is that all a Continental Warlord is capable of? Come on. You should just stop living if that's it."
A man in his twenties looked up at the sky while kneeling in his ragged condition. His protective equipment—the robe that negates magical intervention, the staff that conjures his magical abilities—was now useless.
The last mage warlord, Frain Liuse, was on the verge of death as he knelt in front of his enemy, the one he hated most: Victor Wend, one of the Seven Continental Warlords.
"It's a shame I'll die without reaching my goal. My revenge was a failure," Frain muttered in a weak voice, his pale lips trembling.
Victor Wend, standing over Frain with an arrogant look, his armor still in good condition, grinned widely. Behind him stood his army, the one he led to defeat the last mage warlord.
"A pitiful being. You didn't even know why you were fighting. Let me ask you, do you know who killed your family? I'll give you this one chance to say your last words."
A weak, sarcastic smile spread across Frain's face. Was he now being mocked for failing to avenge his family?
"Of course I know who instigated the killing of my family. If I could turn back time, I'd kill him immediately. His greed and tyranny should never have started," Frain's frail voice continued.
Victor laughed, wiping an imaginary tear as if what Frain said was amusing.
"No... You can't. You didn't even know who really killed your family," Victor said, his tone filled with pride. "You don't know that I was one of the ones hired to kill your family."
Frain's eyes widened. He slowly turned his head toward Victor, weakly registering the proud look on his enemy's face.
"Well, I was just starting out then, but I hit the jackpot. Your father was the hardest one I've ever killed. His tenacity was unbelievable."
Frain felt his insides boiling, fury rising in his chest. His veins bulged as he tried to release his anger, but he was too weak to shout. There wasn't any energy left in him.
"Stop smiling..." he said weakly, those being the only words he could manage, glaring at Victor with pure hatred.
"Why shouldn't I? It was a great experience for me. If I hadn't managed to kill your father, maybe the aristocratic faction wouldn't have bothered to train me for my achievement. Well, even if they hadn't, I'd still be as powerful as I am now. But you get the idea."
Frain's eyes trembled as his lips went numb from biting them to muster the strength to lift even a finger. His mana flowed violently as he tried to conjure one last spell to end it all.
Victor continued his scorn and boasting, reenacting how he fought Frain's father and how he had violated his family's legacy. The details and the arrogant expression on his face fueled Frain's anger.
With no strength to move at all, Frain forced himself to smile. "Just kill me..." He then closed his eyes, mumbling a few words in his head. For his final fight, he should at least try one thing he had attempted before—Silent Incantation.
"Okay."
Victor swung his sword at Frain's weak neck, and his head immediately disconnected from his body. It rolled a few meters and stopped, eyes closed, as if he was content with what had just happened.
Seeing this, Victor couldn't help but feel his stomach churn. "Why the hell is he smiling like that? What a weirdo. He lost everything, yet he smiles on his deathbed?"
With his anger uncontrollable, he kicked Frain's head away and stomped on the severed neck of Frain's remaining body. "You should have pleaded!" As he continued stomping, even in death, Frain wasn't safe from the beating of his lunatic enemy, General Warlord Victor Wend.
***
At the same time…
"If I can't use this knowledge, then no one should."
A weak exorcist leaned back against the wall, spitting blood as he continued to move his hands despite being cornered by his enemies.
Before him stood a number of young exorcists, having overcome their own weaknesses, as they knew him well since they were his disciples.
The weak exorcist, unwilling to accept his fate, began to understand what was happening. His eyes moved as he drew a few runes and symbols in the air, glowing intensely as his spell activated.
The disciples, witnessing their weak master nearing his last breath, did not stop him in his final effort. It was the only thing they could do to show their respect.
"Please don't hate us. We don't have any choice. You are from an enemy country, Master," one of his disciples said. "By stepping into this country, you shall offer your knowledge for the sake of our future."
The exorcist spat blood at them, his eyes filled with hatred. He couldn't muster all his strength, but he focused on the final activation of a technique.
"Worry not… I will not let my country hold my knowledge, not even the Empire. Rest assured."
The disciples didn't want to betray their master. But without any other choice due to their circumstances, allowing him to activate his final technique was the only way to show their respect.
As the technique activated and glowed intensely, they weren't worried since it wasn't hostile. In fact, it seemed meaningless to them, merely a combination of useless runes and symbols.
"You should just die immediately, Master. Don't hurt us anymore."
The exorcist spat again. "Ungrateful fiends." He groaned as he closed his eyes, finally succumbing to death. His body involuntarily swayed down to the floor while the technique continued to glow.
His last thoughts were: 'Silent Incantation. To whoever finds my soul, remove me from this world.'