episode_0197

Episode 197: Killing God (6)

A bright sky despite the absence of the sun. In that sky, numerous stone slabs the size of soccer fields floated, and I was lying face down on a slab, gasping for breath.

A scene from the past. A memory from a very old and distant past.

“Tsk, tsk.”

Then, a shadow fell over me, and I heard a tongue-clicking sound. I glanced up to look at the person.

“No progress, no progress at all.”

The Heavenly Demon (天魔).

Along with Noah Celestia, who taught me magic, my other master who taught me martial arts (武).

In my memory, I silently stared at the old man.

Thwack!

As if he didn’t like that, he flicked my forehead.

“Does glaring like that change anything?”

“Then why don’t you teach me better?”

“Even when I give you advice, this rascal.”

Another forehead flick comes flying. I couldn’t avoid a single one of them, due to the subtle principles contained within. Of course, even now, recalling the memory, I only saw half of it.

“Stop hitting me! I’m already exhausted!”

“So, a guy who’s about to die has the strength to resist. Well, resist some more.”

“Aaaargh!!”

The old man kicked me. I fell below the stone slab. After staying in the sky for 10 minutes, I landed with a thud in the same spot as before.

“Cough, cough, damn… you bastard old man….”

“You’ve had enough rest. Get up.”

That was accurate. Even if I couldn’t say I had rested properly, I had recovered to some extent. I forced myself to get up, grabbed my sword, and faced the illusion of his younger self that was created in front of me.

Whack!

I get hit.

Thwack!

I get hit.

Crack!

I get hit again.

I was constantly getting beaten by the Heavenly Demon’s illusion.

A counterattack? I didn’t have the luxury to do that. My skills were too meager to keep up with his movements at only 15 years old.

Even if I barely managed to defend and counterattack, it would only come back with even greater impact. No matter how much I used my head and resisted, the result didn’t change.

After 2 weeks of facing the illusion, the Heavenly Demon finally stopped me.

“Tsk, tsk, even after several days, you haven’t changed.”

“Hah, hah….”

“Did you think you could make up for your shortcomings with passion alone? Don’t be ridiculous. At this rate, you’ll be stuck in the same place even after 100 years, even after 200 years.”

I didn’t understand those words at the time, but I understand them now. No matter how full my desire for martial arts (武) was, I couldn’t even get close to making up for my innate shortcomings with effort.

“I’m teaching you because I was asked to, but this is too much. How could a dullard like you be born with such a destiny?”

“Shut up!”

I got angry at those words and rushed at the Heavenly Demon. And I said these words.

“Geniuses always talk so easily. Do you think I wanted to be born like this! I wanted to be born with decent talent! I couldn’t be like you, a genius among geniuses, but if I had at least been in the middle, I, I…!”

At that time, how much the old man’s words stimulated my inferiority complex. I blindly swung my sword and expressed my anger.

Of course, the old man easily blocked my attacks. He yawned and lightly received the sword with one hand.

Around the time the sword strikes exceeded several hundred, the old man grabbed my sword and said.

“Then give up. There’s nothing more foolish than continuing to hold onto something when you know it won’t work. Wouldn’t it be helpful to both you and me? Why waste time and struggle meaninglessly?”

Yes. He definitely asked me that. I had forgotten it, but I remembered it after a long time.

How did I answer at this time… Ah, I remember.

“To protect everyone. That’s why I’m struggling.”

I looked at the old man, burning with desire. Then he laughed heartily. It was the first laugh he had shown since coming here. He smiled with satisfaction for a long time and then said.

“How pure.”

Pure. The old man who spoke those words sat down. And then he looked into my eyes. I met his eyes. I could see an enthusiasm in his eyes that had never been there before.

“Originally, I was going to teach you roughly and send you back. But I’ve changed my mind. It would be a waste to send a pure guy like you away like this. So, from now on, I will teach you as your master.”

I was taken aback at first. But soon I showed respect to my teacher.

At that moment, the surrounding environment slowly began to disappear. It seemed like it was time to wake up.

Only then was I able to move my body freely. After that, I admired the scenery that I would never see again. This space was created solely to teach me, so it was no longer there.

I also looked at my original body after a long time. It was definitely a terrible body from the beginning. I don’t know how I lived with such a body.

After a while. Suddenly, I heard a voice from the front. It was the voice of the old man who should have already disappeared.

“Well, disciple…. How is it now? Do you still have that purity?”

I was speechless.

“What. How did you get here again?”

“Hehe, that woman came yesterday to tell me how you were doing. So I came to see your face.”

“Why do they always do things they shouldn’t do. Well, they were always self-willed.”

If that weren’t the case, they wouldn’t have reached their current positions.

“The answer?”

“You should know by hearing it. That I lost that kind of purity a long time ago.”

“It’s been noisy with stories about you.”

It would have been strange if the things I had done hadn’t spread. I carefully asked my teacher.

“So, are you disappointed?”

“What is there to be disappointed about? I’m just amazed. That you made such a choice.”

It was the teacher who was always laughing as usual. Seeing that figure after a long time made me think.

“He’s so consistently human.”

The Heavenly Demon (天魔). The name that makes all the demons (魔) in all dimensions tremble.

His cruelty was recognized even by the demon gods, surpassing the demons and demon lords of the Demon Realm, and his power could not be ignored even by the gods of all dimensions. As such, the man in front of me was a terrifying being.

But he, the teacher, was the most human of all the humans I had seen.

“You’re the only one who would say that to me.”

I don’t know why he’s laughing again, saying that’s a good thing. I can’t help but laugh too.

Anyway, I told him my current feelings.

“Well, I think it’s slowly coming back. That purity from back then.”

“Is that so.”

“Yeah.”

The teacher turned his head and looked at the disappearing space. I looked at the disappearing figure of my teacher.

“Then… see you later.”

“If I have time.”

“You’re still not cute.”

Thwack!

Whether it was a reprimand or something else, the teacher flicked my forehead. Immediately after, his figure completely disappeared from the space.

I turned my eyes away from the spot where my teacher had been sitting and said.

“Well, shall we go?”

After that, I woke up from my sleep.

***

As soon as I regained consciousness, the pungent smell of blood stung the tip of my nose. It wasn’t just one, but the smell of over a hundred different types of blood.

I immediately opened my eyes and assessed the situation.

The first thing that caught my eye was Lana’s summons scattered on the floor. There were dead children, and there were summons that were barely alive.

Thud!

Then I heard a heavy sound. I turned my head and saw Red and a dragon underneath him. And not just a regular adult dragon, but a dragon of the ancient dragon class.

“As expected of a dragon. To withstand this much against me. It would have been fun if dragons had remained in this era.”

Red, with a satisfied face, landed the final blow on the ancient dragon presumed to be Leo. The dragon was reverse-summoned and disappeared, and the victor was the God of Strife.

With the obstacle gone, Red walked towards this side. No, to be exact, he was heading towards Lana, who was protecting me.

“Now….”

The moment he reached out to Lana. I teleported and brought her over. I sighed at Lana’s appearance up close.

“Haa….”

Her arms and legs were twisted grotesquely, and her whole body was stained with blood. There was nothing intact about Lana’s appearance. She would have died if it weren’t for the bracelet.

Realizing that, tears welled up in my eyes. I heard that sadness becomes dull, but that’s not the case at all. Seeing the heroine, and Lana at that, dying for the second time, my heart aches as if it’s being torn apart.

“Hehe, it’s Kyle….”

Then Lana’s hand touches my cheek. Even though it looks like she’s in excruciating pain, she smiles brightly and welcomes my return. I grabbed her hand with a trembling hand.

“Why, why did you go this far…. I told you to just hold on. Why, knowing that you can’t beat God….”

Enduring against God was enough with an adult dragon. There was no need to force an ancient dragon to come out. In fact, it went that way.

Nevertheless, using all the power of the bracelet to bring out Leo from the more distant future was one thing. It was to defeat God. But no matter how much power was supplied by the bracelet, it was difficult for Lana, who was not a 7-circle mage, to defeat God with her skills.

“Because… only Kyle sacrificed himself…. Now, now I’m going to protect you… not just Kyle alone, but me too… cough, cough!”

“It’s okay, don’t say anything if it hurts. I know what you mean.”

How devoted is this. No matter how much you like someone, it’s hard to sacrifice yourself to protect someone.

Even so, my feelings for Lana were continuing to grow. But if she shows me this side of her… even I would have no choice but to admit it.

I held Lana’s hand tightly. And then I met her eyes and conveyed my feelings.

“Lana. You know I love you, right?”

“Hehe, I love you too….”

After confirming each other’s feelings. I used magic. It was teleportation and sleep magic.

“I’ll come to pick you up when it’s over. Rest.”

“Kyle… don’t get hurt. Okay…?”

“Yeah, I promise.”

After moving Lana, I got up. And I turned my head to Red, who was staring at me blankly.

“Did you finish your farewells?”

“Yeah.”

“It was touching.”

For a moment, anger surged, but I suppressed the emotions that seemed about to explode and moved in front of him.

Once again, I face Red. He scanned me up and down. It was as if he was evaluating me. Red asked with a satisfied smile.

“Saint, how are you going to entertain me?”

At those words, I drew my sword from its scabbard. I can feel the sensation of a body that has reached the Master level, a body that has been reborn. I slowly moved my body and said quietly.

“Red. God of this world.”

I held the black sword in reverse grip. I kept the God of Strife, standing leisurely, in my eyes. And then, as if releasing the suppressed anger, I drew mana from my dantian.

After that, I continued as if asking him.

“Do you know martial arts (武)?”