Vol 2. Chapter 41: Heroes Fade Like Flowers While G.o.ds Burn Brightly (2)
-That sacrifice. I’ll take it!
The red energy spread around the Fist Emperor gathered at a single point in air, dying it jet black. Soon, it took the shape of a human being, and its supposed mouth opened wide as if it were torn apart.
Woong!
Simultaneously, a large portion of the troops on the Zhu Family’s side began to expel the same red energy. However, only the troops belonging to outside forces were experiencing such symptoms, not the actual forces of the Zhu Family.
“This spell! This stigma! Fist Emperor! No, Zhu Family!!! Have you stigmatized us as offering!?”
“This is not a simple spell that could be prepared in a day or two. How could this be… You mean you planted parasites on all these people? When!?”
“W, we need to counter the…”
Screams broke out from here and there. They tried to resist, but they weren’t given sufficient time.
Puhuaak!
It was evident at first glance that tens of thousands of people had been affected by the spell. They were falling to the ground while spewing blood from their entire bodies. As more and more people fell, the black figure’s appearance began to become more distinct. Soon, a man wearing a colorful crown was standing in its place.
-Kuhahahaha! What a satisfying offering! Now tell me your wish!”
“A new offering will be made. Any way you want it. The target will be all the human beings in Gyeongbokgung Palace. I’m not making a wish, but rather paying you an additional price, so the cost should be halved.”
-Kekeuk, how crafty. Of course, the black energy covers the sky.
- I won’t refuse!
The eerie shout rumbled throughout Gyeongbokgung Palace. Jae-seok, who was conversing with many people while I was eating food, came up to me with a pale complexion.
“What? What’s going on? What is with this voice? Dae-ha, do you know anything about it?”
“Why do you think I would know?”
“Because… You are the only one who seems unconcerned right now.”
At his words, I looked around. I could see the eyes of countless people hiding in the safe house. I immediately recognized all sorts of emotions – fear, expectation, confusion, worry, et cetra… They knew that the outcome of this war would completely change their lives. The rise and fall of the nation and the group would sweep away individual circ.u.mstances and destiny.
‘But it doesn’t matter.’
I ignored their eyes. I emptied myself of any emotions. This was none of my business. I was only an observer, and I was watching the situation play out without becoming involved in it.
“Maybe I still can’t figure out the current situation then.”
I grumbled some nonsense. That was how much I cared for this situation, how much I thought of this war that was resulting in countless deaths.
So I had no choice but to admit it. My guard was down. Faced with the war, I was just a nosy spectator, and I never believed for a moment that I would become involved in the disaster.
To be fair, I…
I had never felt threatened after coming to Earth – not by anything, not by anyone. I kept reminding myself that I was only a weak, beginner ability user, but deep inside my heart, I held a sense of disregard and contempt that exceeded such conditions.
Perhaps it was only natural.
In the parallel world of Earth, the Great Wizard was respected and revered like a G.o.d. However, in the face of the Great Universe, he was nothing more than one of countless transcendents. Even the dukes of the Leonhardt Empire, who were considered strong, influential figures in the Great Universe, did not dare make eye contact with me when I opened my powers.
The Duke of Howard had been the leader of a powerful force, a power that was infinitesimally stronger than Earth. Moreover, the Duke himself had been a transcendent-grade Life Energy Pract.i.tioner. But I had eradicated them off the face of the universe because he had gotten on my nerves.
After I came to Earth, I awakened my abilities and trained hard, but it was never a means to gain power.
Brilliant Heaven Seven Lights, a method with detailed instructions on the path all the way to becoming a transcendent? Spiritual arts, which allowed me to meet with the Spirit G.o.d as soon as I entered the Spirit Realm, and gaining the power of a Unique World? Blacksmithing, which was full of exemplary armaments created by transcendents with all their hearts?
All of them were great training methods, of course, but they didn’t hold a candle to the Divine Spirit I possessed in my soul since birth. The only reason I trained in such methods was to practice controlling my own strength and soul. So to speak, I was merely exercising and controlling my diet for my health. The power I would gain from them was nothing but a bonus.
The Earth and the parallel world were not a threat to me. I did not feel any threat or pressure in front of their strength and cruelty, nor in front of their pride in history and tradition. Rather, I was afraid that I would become intoxicated in my Divine Spirit and annihilate them all.
This world was like gla.s.s.
This world was like a feather.
That was why I had not expected it. When the Fist Emperor unleashed an ominous being exerting all kinds of weird powers. I had been fascinated, but I had not been prepared, that this fragile world could also gift me with a sense of loss.
“No! Genie! Ares!! Protect…!”
I jumped up and shouted. But I was too late. My cognitive ability had been insufficient. After all, I was just a regular life energy pract.i.tioner.
Fwooosh!!
Huge waves of malice poured out towards the Lee Family’s forces. It seemed powerful and unstoppable, just like a tidal wave.
“My brother…!”
The golden knight on standby has initiated… My G.o.d! This is impossible…!”
Genie shouted at the swelling malice. Even Ares was surprised.
The power of a transcendent?! How could they!? From such a small sacrifice!?
“What, what is that!? What is it!?”
“Argh!”
The waves threatened to engulf the Lee Family
Rumblee!!
A barrage poured down from the sky and smashed apart the dark tsunami. It was no ordinary bombing, but a bombing from an Iron Heart. However, it was only able to block the dark tidal waves for about a second.
Boom!
But the split second bought enough time for a golden knight to descend in front of my brother. All golden knight units were equipped with a strong, defensive ability. Its golden shield was already deployed and held high.
”Hyung! Can you hear me!?”
I shouted. Although I was in a safe house, the words would have been delivered to Albatross through Udjat and relayed through the golden knight into my brother’s ears. I saw the malicious wave washing over the Gyeongbokgung Palace through Udjat’s eyegla.s.ses. It was an overwhelming power, a materialization of evil that had been acc.u.mulated for hundreds or thousands of years. Moreover, it contained a power that was beyond this world, the power of a transcendent.
The Fist Emperor was a completer at best. Even if he gave up a large sacrifice and power, how could he control a power of this magnitude?
‘No, I’m wrong.’
I grasped the situation belatedly.
The black figure standing in the air, the one Fist Emperor had addressed as the Demon G.o.d.
‘He summoned the soul of a dead transcendent!’
I shouted while jumping up.
“Stick close to the golden knight’s back!”
I knew that my brother would be fine if he stuck to the back of the golden knight. It would allow him to withstand the wave of malice. No matter how transcendental and powerful it was, the range of the attack was way too wide.
The golden knight received the affinity advantage due to the Iron Heart, and it was a Human-rank Gigas that was specialized for defense. It would be able to hold steady if the attack’s area remained widespread.
However.
Pat!
On the screen, I saw my brother jumping up on the shoulders of the golden knight.
“No, don’t…!”
But before I could do anything else, he cut the evil spirit in a single blow.
-You… insignificant.
The wave-like evil energy started to scatter apart. The black figure had an expression of disbelief as it observed the huge crack cutting through its body.
“Haha, that’s why you should never let your guard down.”
My brother was floating next to the figure. But he wasn’t floating on his own. A thread of black energy was penetrating his entire body.
“I’m sorry I acted on my own until the end, Dae-ha. But.”
My brother apologized to me with a pale face, blood pouring down like a waterfall.
“Please take care of her.”’
Kwooooo---!
-N, no! You insignificant mortal dare---!!
Along with a scream, a crack in the air engulfed everything in a flash. The malicious waves, the Demon G.o.d who was responsible for it, and the one swordsman who had charged at the figure. They were all gone.
“…..”
“…What?”
“What the h.e.l.l is this…”
I could see silence descending on the battlefield. I could also see people with blank expressions. I took off Udjat because I didn’t want to see them anymore.
“Specify target. Yeong-min.”
I spoke as I walked forward. A text popped up in front of me with an answer.
Target does not exist.
“Specify target. Yeong-min.”
Target does not exist.
“Teleport!!”
Target does not exist.
I walked out without saying anything. As I arrived at the door to the safe house, the gatekeeper blocked my path.
“The safe house will be sealed until the end of the war.”
“The war is over.”
“Stop spouting nonsense. Go back.”
“Specify target. Min-kyung.”
Pat!
The environment changed in an instant. The safeguard located in the bas.e.m.e.nt of Hamhwadang possessed all sorts of preventative measures and spells to hinder s.p.a.ce movement, and the same was true for Geunjeongjeon Hall. But the disaster-ranked t.i.tle, Disaster of Mankind, possessed the ability of absolute teleportation that ignored any and all obstacles. Although it had already been used up, the stacks had been recharged with the effect of recharging by 1 stack each time a wicked being is killed (up to 10 times). It seemed that the t.i.tle had judged the ones I killed to have been wicked.
Chachang!
“Who is it!?”
“How did someone teleport into this place!?”
“No, wait. He is…”
The warriors of the Lee Family reflexively raised their weapons toward me, then took on dumb expressions after confirming my ident.i.ty. Neither the Zhu Family, the Lee Family, nor anyone else involved in the war had come to their senses yet. They had pointed their weapons toward me, but they seemed to be at a loss. Min-kyung, who had always maintained an imposing att.i.tude, was also staring at me blankly.
I ignored all of them and walked across the battlefield tow here my brother had disappeared.
“…You. Why are you here?”
The Fist Emperor spoke. He was standing still in devastation.
I ignored him and looked over the floor. I saw the cutter knife that my brother had been holding.
“Can’t you hear me?”
The crazy old man was saying something, but I could not hear him. I stayed still while holding the cutter blade. THIs was all. All that was left was this cutter knife and my brother’s blood on the floor. Moreover, the blood had been mixed with the blood of others, so it was hard to distinguish.
“Haha.”
It was so ridiculous that I could only laugh.
My brother could have lived. It wasn’t that difficult. If he followed my words and hid behind the golden knight’s back, as I said, he could have endured the evil-filled waves of darkness. No, my brother would have been able to survive without the aid of the golden knight.
He had been able to send a huge blow towards the black figure. If he had created a dimensional crack instead, he would have been able to escape the tsunami of malice with ease.
“Hahahaha!”
But my brother had known. If he protected his own life like that… All of the troops that stood behind him, and the queen who led them, would have faced certain death.
I asked myself.
What the h.e.l.l is this?
What’s going on here?
How did this happen?
I could not believe it. I never imagined that the situation could turn out like this. Even after partic.i.p.ating in a war full of death, such a situation was completely unexpected. My brother had been unexpectedly strong, and I had prepared measures just in case.
“Let’s hear the explanation later. For now, let’s get out of here, Fist Emperor-nim. That stupid boy claimed to be the swordsman’s brother, so let’s capture him and.”
“..it.”
“What?”
He expressed confusion at my words, so I turned around.
“I can’t help it. You.”
And I spoke.
Insignificant. Insects.