Ch.113The Edge of the World, the Outer Continent (7)

8th Circle Spell, Glimmer.

Eight rings wrapped in flames rotated violently. Each time the rings collided, the flames leapt up like fireworks, painting the sky red. From the moment the witch gestured, the sky was neither blue nor black.

Just red.

Only a terrible redness occupied the sky.

Looking up at the crimson sky that seemed ready to melt at any moment, Najin let out a hollow laugh. Indeed, Merlin was right. This was not an opponent he could face right now.

How to confront it.

How to block it.

How to avoid it.

Nothing came to mind. Even with his ability to foresee the near future. Even if he drew Excalibur, the situation wouldn’t change. Before the flames that would burn heaven and earth, Najin was powerless.

‘This is a transcendent being. This is a Witch.’

A witch standing alone under the red sky.

Looking at this transcendent being who stood in a realm he could never reach in his current state, Najin smiled. It wasn’t the laugh of someone who had lost his mind, nor was it maniacal laughter.

It was mockery. Derision.

Is that the realm you reached after carving away a thousand years? Did a millennium place you in that position? Yes, I admit it. It’s overwhelming. Right now, I see no way to reach you.

But…

“Not that impressive.”

That’s only for now.

Don’t think your thousand years will last forever. It only took 18 years to hold your millennium at bay for 15 minutes.

-Yes, that’s it.

Merlin’s laughter.

And the sound of someone’s footsteps striking the ground. Listening to that sound, Najin smiled.

Najin had been defeated by the witch. Najin’s blade never reached the witch, and he couldn’t make her shed a single drop of blood. It was a miserable defeat, but not a meaningless one.

15 minutes. The time he had promised Jillet.

During that time, Najin had drawn the witch’s attention, received her gestures, and finally bought time. The time Najin had gained was not worthless.

Slash.

Because a figure who would give meaning to that time had appeared on the battlefield. With a quiet cutting sound, a single line was drawn between Najin and the witch. Along that one line, a storm raged, driving away the heat.

Then, tap.

Between Najin and the witch, in the middle of the battlefield, someone took a step. The step was light, but the weight of that presence was anything but. The moment the man appeared, the tilted scale instantly balanced.

Sword Master of Ruin, Kirhov.

To face a transcendent being, another transcendent being was needed.

A superhuman who had reached transcendence with a single sword had arrived on the battlefield.

2.

Three hundred years ago, there was a country destroyed by a fallen star. The destruction happened quietly, and the very fact that such a country had existed was forgotten from people’s memories. That was the power of the star that intervened in its destruction.

Oblivion and Erasure.

The star with such powers wished as it destroyed a nation: May all traces of this place’s existence vanish from the world. Normally, that wish should have been fulfilled.

Memories, evidence, traces.

Everything should have disappeared.

But the star’s wish was only half-fulfilled.

The world forgot that such a nation had existed, but evidence of its existence did not vanish from history. Thus, the world remembered the nation’s existence through records and history.

The name of the forgotten nation was Rondinell.

The forgotten country, Rondinell.

The records of Rondinell were not completely erased, and they were not treated as mere fiction, solely because of one man’s existence.

Sword Master of Ruin, Kirhov.

The only survivor of Rondinell and the living proof that Rondinell had existed. The Sword Master who made this fact known to the world by wielding his sword.

“It’s been a while, Witch.”

Kirhov, who had intervened on the battlefield, raised the corner of his mouth. Looking at the back of the man who appeared before him, Najin sensed it. This person was the “Kirhov” that Jillet had mentioned.

“…Kirhov.”

Witch of Glimmer, Ermina, frowned. She spoke with a grimace, as if spitting out the words.

“Get lost. I have business with the impudent brat behind you, not you.”

“I don’t want to do something as tasteless as interfering in a fight… but well, isn’t that what battlefields are for?”

Kirhov raised his sword.

His eyes narrowed in an instant.

“And I always have business with you, Ermina. You should know that fact, shouldn’t you?”

The witch said no more.

With a click of her tongue, she snapped her fingers. The moment the middle finger and thumb made a ‘snap’ sound, the red sky fell.

Glimmer, the flame that extinguishes starlight.

Only then did Najin realize that the sky hadn’t been dyed red—flames had been covering it. The sight of the flames that had covered the sky falling to the ground was both mystical and grotesque.

“What a rough welcome.”

Under the falling sky.

Kirhov merely raised his sword. As he took his stance, he looked back.

“You there, boy.”

“…Yes?”

“I’ll thank you later for buying time. Run away. I won’t have the luxury to protect you while fighting.”

“I, I’d like to, but…”

Najin smiled bitterly.

“My body won’t move. Sadly.”

He had pushed his body beyond its limits. His flesh had reached its limit long ago, and with flame arrows embedded throughout his body, even wiggling a finger was an ordeal.

“I don’t think you need to worry about that.”

Kirhov smiled.

Najin soon understood the meaning of that smile. With a clattering sound, chains flew in from somewhere and wrapped around his arms.

Whoosh!

Soon the chains pulled taut, and Najin’s body was yanked backward. At the place where the chains had pulled him, there were the Chain Unit survivors from the battle with the witch, and their commander, Jillet.

“Retreat, we’re retreating!”

Jillet began running with the immobile Najin on his back, trying to get as far away from the battlefield as possible. Riding on Jillet’s back, Najin looked behind.

There was a battle of transcendent beings.

There was a realm he would have to reach someday.

Najin captured in his sight the image of the swordsman swinging his sword at the flames covering the sky. With wide-open eyes, Najin watched the sword wielded by the swordsman who had reached transcendence.

Slash.

Kirhov swung his sword, and a single sword strike that reached the sky split the flames. As the split flames rushed in to fill the gap, he swung his sword once more.

With each swing of his sword, a line was drawn.

Lines crossed and began to connect.

Every time he swung his sword, the wind raged. Every time he drew a line, the flames split and the heat was pushed back. With each inch the sword advanced, the red sky retreated an inch.

‘…Ah.’

Najin groaned.

There was a swordsman who was cutting down the flames that covered and obscured the sky all by himself. A transcendent being who was not swept away by anything—the realm Najin would have to surpass someday was unfolding before his eyes.

Someday.

Certainly, in the not-too-distant future.

A battlefield he would face again.

Since he couldn’t stand on that battlefield now, Najin merely engraved their battle in his eyes. To remember the approaching storm, the current heat.

3.

After retreating to a safe place far away,

Najin and the Chain Unit joined allied forces and arrived at a tent. They willingly offered their tent to Najin and lent him priests.

Removing the flame arrows embedded in his body.

Emergency treatment for burns and other injuries.

By the time the treatment was over and Najin could barely manage his body, Jillet visited the tent. Behind Jillet stood soldiers from the Chain Unit.

“Thank you.”

Jillet’s first words were of gratitude. He bowed his head to Najin.

“Thanks to you, we survived. Our allies retreated safely, and even the Chain Unit, which was prepared for annihilation, had half its members survive. All thanks to you buying us time.”

Jillet raised his head.

His body was covered in soot, and one of his arms was severed. When Najin looked at it, Jillet shrugged.

“An arm is getting off cheap. I was prepared to die, but somehow survived. Bowing a hundred times wouldn’t be enough.”

“…Is that so?”

“Of course. You don’t seem to grasp how amazing what you did was…”

Jillet smiled bitterly.

“On a small scale, you saved me and the Chain Unit soldiers, and on a large scale, you saved hundreds or thousands of retreating allies. The witch’s single gesture swept away dozens or hundreds of soldiers… and you withstood that multiple times.”

This is an incredible achievement.

Saying this, Jillet patted Najin’s shoulder.

“It’s tremendous. You saved our allies who were about to be annihilated. The 15 minutes you held out were more valuable than anything. I and the Chain Unit standing here, and the surviving soldiers, are proof of that.”

Jillet spoke sincerely.

Najin remained silent, not knowing how to respond. Something felt awkward. He had experienced many battles before, but this was the first time he had saved people.

‘No, I’ve fought to save people a few times before…’

But this was different somehow.

His hard fight had saved people. Because he had held his ground, hundreds of lives were saved. The weight of such statements felt unfamiliar to Najin.

That’s because he hadn’t intended it.

He had merely followed his convictions. He just didn’t want to run away. He just didn’t like it. For such reasons, Najin had jumped into the battlefield. He might have thought about saving them, but that wasn’t his primary focus.

‘It’s a bit…’

Perhaps that’s why. Najin felt somewhat uncomfortable with Jillet’s gratitude. He hadn’t swung his sword purely to save them.

“Actually…”

Najin voiced these feelings.

He felt a bit guilty accepting thanks without clarification. While Najin was speaking, Merlin was just smiling beside him.

“…So, I didn’t swing my sword with the thought of saving you all. I think your gratitude is a bit excessive.”

After hearing Najin’s explanation, Jillet blinked and then burst into laughter. As if it was ridiculous. As if he was looking at an oddity.

“Well, I wasn’t thinking about it because I’ve only seen your incredible side, but you really are still young.”

“What? What do you mean…”

“What does intention matter? The result is that we survived thanks to you. That’s what’s important.”

Jillet chuckled as he spoke.

In battle, he had lost an arm and suffered burns all over his skin, but his smile was comfortable. It wasn’t just Jillet. The soldiers of the Chain Unit merely smiled at Najin’s words.

“It’s not excessive at all. It’s right to be grateful, and you deserve the gratitude. So you can stand tall and proudly say it.”

Say what?

“Today, in this place, I saved hundreds of lives. You have the right to say that.”

Like a hero in a heroic tale.

Like Arthur who galloped across the continent, you saved many lives today. That’s what Jillet was saying. Listening quietly to those words, Najin awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, and then…

“Is that so.”

He finally smiled.

You saved hundreds of people today. It was not a bad sound, and it felt good.