༺ Nuada Airgetlam (1) ༻
Let me, the Danann of Love, talk a little bit about my old memories.
One day, I fell in love with a lady whom I saw in my dreams. That love was so strong and fierce, that I fell sick and had to stay in bed.
I searched everywhere across paradise to find that lady, and my family was with me throughout that journey for love. It’s something I am still grateful to them for.
Like that, my brother and I found the lady.
Her name was Caer. Caer Ibormeith, the daughter of Ethal.
I led countless treasures and animals and asked Mother-in-law for her daughter’s hand in marriage, but she did not give her permission.
Therefore, I gladly fought her and asked her once again after defeating her but—
“Wait, what? Defeating her? Did you fight against your mother-in-law?”
“Yes.”
“…”
“What’s with those eyes? They seem like the eyes of someone looking at a piece of trash.”
“…”
“It might be difficult to understand the culture from several thousand years ago from a modern viewpoint, and in the first place, how would mortals possibly understand the ideas of gods?”
“…”
“Ehem! How dare you! You Goidels are worse – don’t your heroes kidnap women for their hand in marriage? There was even a hero who raped a lady on the spot after defeating her and gave her a way for their child to look for him!”
“…Trash.”
“How dare you!”
Ignoring Korin’s gaze of contempt, Oengus the Danann of ‘Love’ finished his love story.
“However, this was what my mother-in-law told me. She could not force Caer, who was stronger than herself, to get married.”
“How much respect did the Danann have for the strong? Because that sounds like a lot.”
“The Ard-Ri that inherited the position of the King of Gods had always been the strongest Danann of that generation. Do I need any further explanation?”
“…”
“In any case, Caer lived in the form of a swan once every year and lived while hiding herself in a lake with 150 swans. From the 150 swans there, I found Caer, sang the magical song for three days and three nights, and finally shared love with her!”
That finally marked the end of his long and rather barbaric story of love. The Danann of Love, Oengus who achieved his love, declared to Korin.
“Korin. O Korin Lork! Thou young hero and the loved one of many girls, who must overcome the trials of the Danann of Love! Can thee find thy loved ones from these countless swans over here? From now, I shall explain the rules of the-”
❰Orb of the Grim Reaper❱
-Boom!
-Squeak! Squeak!
-Quanng!
Brutally the swans were massacred. Meanwhile, Korin hugged the three leftover swans that were looking at him with large blinking eyes and put them before Oengus.
“Hurry up and return the girls.”
“…”
“What? What’s wrong?”
You told me to find them, and I did.
Right?
***
Find Marie, Alicia, and Hua Ran from the group of 150 swans.
I was a bit flustered when I first heard the nonsense of, ‘Find them with the power of love,’ but after thinking it through, I realized that it wasn’t that difficult of a quest.
In my possession was the ‘Orb of the Grim Reaper’, which I had acquired from the Grim Reaper. It was a hidden piece that could carry out a large-scale attack on the soul when combined with a specific item.
This orb, which had the power to immediately kill any animal with a weak connection between the body and the soul, was bound to kill all the other swans except for the 3 humans.
-Quack…!
As expected, most of the swans were massacred, and left behind were 3 swans that were looking at me with clear, sparkling eyes.
“These swans are the three of them, right?”
“Knng…”
Oengus turned to the swans in my arms. Soon, he clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“Tch tch…! Relying on petty tricks like that isn’t the true path of a hero.”
“We are no longer barbarians that kidnap and rape women. We need to use our brains.”
“Ehem! Like I said, that’s not what happened!”
In any case, unlike Stage 1 which was way too hard, Stage 2 was relatively easy, but the variable called the Danann of Love was enough to make me nervous in a lot of ways.
“The next stage should be the final one, right? You’re not going to give me another strange trial, are you?”
“Hmm, this time, it will truly be a trial of love-”
—!!
It was then.
The area around the lake where Oengus and I were standing in started to crack and deform.
The bodies of the massacred swans vanished as if they hadn’t been there from the start, and the peaceful lake transformed into a barren wasteland.
Moytura.
It was the land where the Danann fought against the warriors of darkness and a ruin from the past which was also accessible in the game. That was when Claiomh Solais woke up inside me.
The soaring heat was so fierce that it threatened to scorch everything in existence, but thanks to the Blessing of the Sun, I was safe from all sorts of heat and flames.
Seeing that Claiomh Solais was activated without me doing anything…
“Nuada Airgetlam.”
“That is so, Inheritor of the Sun.”
Standing in front of me was a man with an extraordinary countenance and atmosphere. His blonde hair shone brightly like the Sun. One of the strongest Ard Ri from the race of Danann was standing there with a crimson coat cast over his shoulders.
He was one of the five Danann that could be encountered at Mag Mell in the game.
“You don’t seem so surprised. As if you’ve been expecting it.”
Nuada looked directly into my eyes with his fierce crimson gaze while stroking his beard. He had the dignity of a king who could suppress normal people with nothing but his gaze, but I was also a veteran who had gone through countless battles.
“I was expecting either you or Dagda from the start. I really wasn’t expecting that romanticist to show up.”
“Hoho, romanticist? How dare you!”
Oengus tried to add something else but shut his mouth when Nuada stopped him. Oengus was just a normal god whereas Nuada was the Ard Ri, the King of Gods. It was obvious who had more say between the two of them here.
“I will grant him the third trial.”
“Hmm.”
“Don’t feel offended by it, Oengus. He has come here with Claiomh Solais. Naturally, he must be after my Airgetlam.”
Saying that, Nuada revealed his arm which had been hidden beneath his crimson cape. That arm of his wasn’t a normal one, but a synthetic one gleaming in silver.
Eochaid Bres, one of the King’s Subjects who used to use Claiomh Solais in ❰Heroic Legends of Arhan❱ had another item with him – the epic item, Airgetlam (Silver Arm).
It was an item that was necessary for someone to gain perfect control over the Sun, Claiomh Solais. Originally, it was supposed to go to Eochaid Bres but was left behind in this iteration, which was nothing strange.
“Well, I’ve had my fill so I will leave the last trial to Ard Ri. However, King Nuada.”
“What is it, Danann of Love.”
“Once the trial is over, I hope you return everything back to normal.”
“Hoh~. Have you become fond of that young man? May I ask why?”
In response to his question, Oengus replied after turning around with a beautiful smile on his face.
“He’s someone being loved by several ladies! We cannot have those girls cry in sorrow!”
“Hmm, I will. Only if he passes the trial.”
After saying that, Nuada turned his gaze towards me.
Nuada Airgetlam.
He was one of the 3 Kings of Gods that represented the race of Danann and was the 2nd strongest god out of the five strongest Danann. At the same time, he was the owner of one of the 4 great treasures except for Lia Fail which was always given to the Ard Ri as the stone of destiny.
Spear of Light Areadbhair of Lugh.
Magic Cauldron Undry of Dagda.
And Nuada was the owner of the Sword of the Sun, Claiomh Solais.
When I brought the head of Mata, the hundred-legged four-headed monster, I was anticipating that the one showing up would likely be Dagda, the one who defeated that monster, but at the same time, it was possible for Nuada to come due to the Claiomh Solais inside my body.
It seemed that my guess wasn’t too far off the mark.
“Korin Lork. Young hero who chose Justice from the two descendants we have left behind.”
“Two descendants?”
“Indeed. During our fall, we left behind 2 possibilities, with one of them being your master and the current Ari Ri, Erin Danua. As for the other one…”
“The Usurper, Tates Valtazar.”
“Looks like you are somewhat aware of what is going on.”
“Somewhat, yes.”
Valtazar was a descendant left behind by the Danann. He was left behind in the world in a state of cold sleep, and his existence had been kept a secret from Master Erin.
There was only one thing that this could suggest.
It meant that there were different opinions even among the Danann.
“Revenge. That was the hope we had left behind in Valtazar. To wipe out the filthy Goidels that dare betray the gods.”
Without hiding his burning fury, Nuada expressed it instead.
Even though the Danann had received the Goidels with goodwill as the predecessor of the land, they responded with a betrayal and tried to take the world for themselves. While leaving behind Erin Danua, the Danann of Justice, they also left behind a Danann that would avenge their fate.
“And letting you know, I am an advocate of revenge. What does that sound like to you?”
“That you are not that happy with me?”
“Right.”
According to the original storyline, the one laying their hands on Airgetlam wasn’t me nor the player, but Eochaid Bres, an antagonistic villain.
Nuada was probably the one who personally handed Airgetlam down to him.
Out of the five Danann that could be encountered in the game, Dagda, Lugh, Nuada, Dian Cecht and Manannan, Lugh and Nuada were on the side of enacting revenge. That was why their trials were a lot more difficult than that of Dian Cecht and Dagda.
“However, I am the one that came here with the Sun in hand, and you must reward me through a proper trial.”
“Of course. But…”
“Ah… I don’t like the use of that conjunction there.”
Originally the third trial of Nuada was to last 1 minute against a fragment of Balor, the king of giants. I had made enough preparations against that but…
“A normal trial won’t suffice for someone who has brought the Sun here. For your third trial, you must defeat the great warrior, Sreng.”
“…”
Damn it. At this point, was my existence itself like a bug for the storyline?
***
In ❰Heroic Legends of Arhan❱, there were three previous inhabitants of the continent that were mentioned.
First of them were the giants that took after the legacy of the Sky Titans.
Second were the Danann. Previously referred to as gods, they were like the teachers of the current Goidels.
Third and last of them were the Corca – the children of darkness and night that eventually lost to the Danann after a long fight for supremacy… They were close to the so-called demons.
After losing to the gods, the descendants of their warriors degenerated into being spirits but… as expected of those that contended against the gods, they were incredibly powerful.
-Shieeeeeek—!
An enormous warrior walked out from a dimensional crack while giving off an incredibly ominous aura. The gloomy atmosphere around him and his blood-craving eyes revealed a portion of his hatred towards the Danann.
“Yo. Hello there.”
It seemed that I had to defeat this guy for my last trial.
Sreng, the Great Warrior, huh.
He was a character mentioned briefly in the game as the warrior who cut off one of the arms of the all-powerful King of Gods, Nuada, and it seemed that I had to beat that monster…
Tightly, I held onto my spear and waited patiently for him to move first but the armor-less great warrior continued glaring daggers at me with blood-stained eyes. At last, the moment he raised his greatsword-
❰Ominous Snake❱
A serpent slithered forth. At a speed much faster than the slow giant, the silver spear penetrated through his chest.
-Kajik!
It was a simple stab and I definitely wasn’t expecting him to allow this easily. Feeling a bit spooked, I looked up at the giant, who nonchalantly moved one of his hands to grab the spear that was digging into his chest.
“Kuhk…!”
Immediately I tried to retrieve the spear but he was much stronger than me. After tying me down on the spot, he slashed down with his greatsword… In the end, I had to give up on the spear and fall back.
『ᚲ』— Kenaz
— Hagalaz, Sowilo, Berkana
I quickly activated the Rune combination which I had practiced hundreds of times until this point. Using a set combination that created flames and amplified it, I formed it into a sentence that rapidly devoured the giant.
-Hwaruruk!
Now, my Rune Spells were no longer at the level of normal Rune Magic.
Thanks to [Rune Amplification], I was able to use Rune Magic, which was usually at the level of elementary-grade spells that barely reached the level of a middle-grade spell when arranged into a sentence, that rivaled high-grade spells.
Most high-grade spells were enough to obliterate Grade 2 demonic beasts in one shot. Naturally, I wasn’t expecting that one spell to be enough to kill the ancient monster but…
■■■■■■■■■■■——!!
“Isn’t he looking way too healthy?”
Despite being enveloped in blazing flames, Sreng roared as he pounced at me yet again.
-Vuung…!
His mighty charge brought with it a fierce tempest. Even a slight scratch from that destructive greatsword was sure to be detrimental. I was anticipating him to retaliate and was able to barely dodge in time, but…
-KWAAA——!!!!
The land beneath me that was struck by the greatsword paved in deeply… as the entire ground got crushed apart.
“What kind of…!”
As if struck by the high-grade spell, Earthquake, the ground crushed apart. There were barely any footholds but that didn’t stop the monster from pouncing forward one more time.
Kwaang! Fiercely kicking off the ground, Sreng charged forward. He bashed his way through the flying fragments of the ground until he was right before my eyes, but it was still somewhat within my expectations.
“You are being too clingy with someone else’s belongings.”
Click! Clicking my finger, I activated the Rune of Raidho – the rune of acceleration that was engraved on the Silver Spear that was still buried in his chest.
『ᚱ』— Raidho
“??!”
Sreng, who was holding onto the spear to make sure I couldn’t retrieve it, accelerated along with the silver spear and flew off like a cannonball.
Kwang! Kang! Kwagang!
To complete the command of acceleration given to itself, the spear continued flying with Sreng. His body got smashed into the ground every time he twisted his body in an attempt to stop the acceleration of the spear.
“Krrrh…!”
In the end, he gave up and released his grip on the spear. He must have judged that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to let the spear fly off and fight with me bare-handed, but…
“Come.”
One of the powerful runes engraved onto the Silver Spear, the Rune of Return, allowed the spear to return to my hand before the monster could reach me with his feet.
And the moment it landed in my hands, I started dashing towards the giant and jumped into the air.
“…?”
Halting his feet, Sreng looked up at me. He must have been looking to attack me the moment I landed back down on the ground, but that was a grave mistake on his part.
Secret Arts of Crumbling Mountain—
Like the quiver of a bow, my body twisted back.
And hanging on the string of that bow was the Silver Spear.
—Thunderous Strike
-Gwaaaaaaaaaang!!
The javelin shot out of my hand at an explosive speed. It was the Fifth Style of Six Ways of the Spear and was the strongest skill in my arsenal in terms of brute force aside from Claiomh Solais.
■■■■■■■■■■■——!!
Sreng swung his greatsword at the spear, but it was far too late. The silver spear that erupted out of my hand had already finished penetrating his heart.
“Huu…!”
Heaving out a deep breath, I observed the opponent. There was a massive open hole in his chest and no possibility of revival. A strong yet mindless berserker was in fact the easiest type of foe to fight against.
His actions were simple so clearing it without taking any damage wasn’t that hard as long as…
‘Wait. How did someone like this cut off Nuada’s arm?’
I was wondering why but that was when Sreng, who was supposed to have turned into a corpse already, was showing some ominous signs.
“Guwoooooh…!”
“What the…”
New flesh was being formed around the agape hole on his chest. Regeneration? Did he have a Unique-Grade regeneration ability or something?
Even Senior Marie had to replenish tons of blood to survive a wound that big and yet…
[That Warrior is a contender of the Danann.]
Nuada’s voice echoed across the dimension. What did that have to do with me though?
[The great warrior of the king and son of Eirc was given one destiny.]
He was already almost finished with his regeneration. I had to retrieve the spear before he could attack me again!
“Come…!”
The Silver Spear started flying back to me but on the way—
-Grip!
Sreng gripped the flying spear and immediately pounced at me.
[The Great Warrior Sreng will certainly cut off one of the King’s arms.]
Like a divider, the greatsword flying straight down in his hands separated my left arm from my body.
