Ch.121Chapter 121: Things I Want to Break (1)

The moment I decided to draw my sword, I reached out my right hand without any hesitation and pulled the dragon sword from my waist.

“Hooo…”

After letting out a brief exclamation, I pointed the dragon sword toward Renium’s neck.

Even though he had described what would happen at the fortress in my absence as a “grand festival”…

I’m not foolish enough to take that literally.

It must mean that the elite forces of the Obsidian Palace are making moves to capture Knight Haven, the steadfast imperial frontier, and turn this area into a base for demonic forces.

That’s why, without falling for Renium’s wordplay, I swung my dragon sword to threaten him and resolve this situation.

It happened so quickly that not even the sound of cutting air that normally accompanies a blade’s swing could be heard.

This movement was something I could never achieve in my normal state, where I typically pursue heavy, fatal strikes derived from weightiness.

I had no doubt that the dark blade of my dragon sword would soon be gleaming with the faint light of this place as it aimed at Renium’s neck.

CLANG-!!

That would have been the case if my sword’s path hadn’t been blocked by what seemed to be an invisible protective barrier.

Though my hand tingled with a heavy numbness from being blocked by the invisible force…

“Tch!!”

After clicking my tongue to express my frustration at the blocked sword and to release the pain accompanied by heaviness…

I twisted the blade’s path, attempting not to aim for his neck but to cut Renium entirely along the sword’s trajectory.

CLAAANG-!!

Each time I swung the dragon sword with passion, it was blocked by an invisible wall, making a metallic sound without inflicting even a scratch on Renium.

“Hmm. Impressive. You’re better than you look. If I hadn’t taken precautions in advance, I might have at least gotten a cut on my body.”

Renium’s expression still had a playful look as he offered what might have been either mockery or genuine admiration for my futile sword strikes.

“If only I weren’t in a state where I can’t touch you, I would have liked to see more of your skills.”

The moment I saw Renium sticking out his tongue and licking his lips while maintaining that expression, I felt chills run down my spine.

Despite the smile on his face and the absence of any killing intent or physical force emanating from him…

The atmosphere created by that eerie smile was simply overwhelming.

Should I call it cruelty hidden behind a smile?

Or perhaps madness that extinguishes life’s flame with a smiling face without a second thought?

The atmosphere I felt from Renium facing me now had aspects that were extremely difficult to explain in brief words.

But if I were going to back down in the face of the opponent’s revealed might, I wouldn’t have drawn my sword in the first place.

As I regained my composure and tried to swing my sword again…

“Tut-tut-tut.”

Suddenly, Renium clicked his tongue and raised his right index finger, wagging it from side to side, preventing me from making any movement related to swinging my sword.

Something invisible had seized my arm, which was necessary for swinging the sword, exerting a force that bound my body.

“It’s futile. I’d recommend you save your strength and spend your time quietly. Needless to say, I promise that if you stay still, you’ll be able to leave with your body intact once time passes.”

Just listening to his words, one might wonder if this was truly the twisted deity known for his bad temperament, as there was a certain politeness to it.

But this politeness, coming from someone who had already sealed my movements and held my life in his hands, seemed like crocodile tears—a pretense that almost made me laugh bitterly.

However, regardless of whether I felt like laughing bitterly or not, Renium, who had successfully sealed my movements, withdrew his wagging finger and slowly continued what he had to say.

“Still, even though I may fall slightly short of the greatness of those who lead the ten thousand demons and ten thousand gods, I am a deity after all. Playing around with humans like this isn’t much fun… so let’s play a game.”

“…A game?”

“Tut, tut. Your voice is too harsh. Speak more gently.”

Saying that, Renium raised his right hand high, bringing his thumb and middle finger together and flicking them lightly.

Snap, CRACK-!!

Instead of the crisp sound that should come from fingers meeting, an unnatural sound like something breaking pierced my ears.

WOOOONG-!!

As a strange sound echoed, a pure white, distorted portal-like thing appeared before my eyes…

And my body, which had temporarily lost its freedom, could now move according to my will again.

I wanted to swing my sword again to continue my seemingly meaningless resistance against him, but…

“The exit is this way.”

With a shrug of his shoulders, Renium pointed to the white distorted portal with his fingertip, guiding me to the exit, and I stopped trying to swing my sword.

“If you win the game, you can leave anytime.”

“You’re talking nonsense about games.”

Ignoring Renium’s mention of a game, I immediately stepped toward the portal in front of me, but…

[Kid, stop. Damn it. We’ve been caught.]

‘What?’

[We’re trapped.]

‘What do you mean? I don’t see anything blocking us—!!’

Just as I was about to dismiss Paphnir’s claim about being trapped by taking a step forward, I understood why he had told me we were trapped.

Starting with the tip of my foot that I had stepped forward…

ZAP ZZZAP-!!

I felt an unimaginable electric current penetrating my body.

“Ugh!!”

Letting out a faint groan involuntarily as the electricity made my entire body tingle, I pulled my extended foot back to its original position.

Fortunately, apart from the momentary electric shock, there was no significant damage to my body.

Still, an invisible electric prison…

Though I had never experienced it before…

When I read ancient documents from the Great Holy War period in my childhood…

I remembered reading about an invisible prison described in those documents, where a twisted deity trapped heroes who opposed him with a single gesture, either letting them wither and die or burning them with electricity if they tried to escape forcibly.

“…Lightning Prison?”

As I unconsciously uttered the name of the invisible prison described in the ancient documents…

Clap, clap, clap

I heard the sound of applause that seemed to carry a tone of praise.

“That’s right, Lightning Prison. Not just any prison. You know it well.”

“What do you intend to do by trapping me here?”

“Ah, don’t worry. As long as you don’t act up, nothing fatal will happen to you in there.”

“It’s only natural to act up, so adding the condition ‘if you don’t act up’ is already a failed premise, don’t you think?”

“True, I didn’t really expect that when I said it.”

“…”

“Haha, your expression is really turning fierce. You shouldn’t make such faces casually outside, you know.”

“I can’t help it when I hear nonsense.”

“Can’t even joke around. Well, as I said, this is a device to bind your feet and a tool for the game.”

“So I need to break this and get out by my own power, something like that?”

“Your temper may be foul, but you’re quite perceptive. That’s right. Try to break the electric prison that’s restraining you by any means necessary.”

“You think I can’t do it if you tell me to?”

“You’d better hurry.”

Grin

Changing his playful expression to a sinister smile, Renium’s words added fuel to my urgent feelings.

“Right now, my associate’s subordinates are leading an army toward the fortress where you were until just now.”

The sinister smile on Renium’s face as he delivered the message—that everything I held dear would be in danger if I didn’t hurry—showed no signs of fading.

#

When I first heard Renium’s provocative game proposal mixed with his smirk…

I firmly believed that this invisible barrier…

Could be instantly cleared away using the power of the crimson flames flickering from my dragon sword imbued with fighting spirit.

When the crimson flames, which had instantly annihilated impure energy derived from demons upon contact, responded to my will and flickered with brilliant fire…

“Oh… Oh…”

And when I saw Renium, who had momentarily set aside his playful expression and watched with interested eyes, I was confident.

But when the crisp sound of cutting air produced by swinging my sword with all my might…

CLAAANG-!!

Changed into a metallic sound as if blocked by something…

“…”

The tremendous throbbing pain transmitted through my fingertips stopped both my sword-wielding right hand and my confidence.

“It’s better to accept reality quickly. You’re only tiring yourself out for nothing.”

While I focused on suppressing the pain transmitted from my right hand through gritted teeth, I heard Renium’s voice in my ears, struggling to suppress boredom rather than pain, unlike me.

“Well, I think the situation will be over in about two hours, so just stay put until then, even if you’re bored.”

Would you do that if you were me?

When those demonic bastards who view the fortress as a thorn in their side are coming with an army as soon as the ominous demonic energy from the mountains becomes saturated…

I need to escape from here as quickly as possible to help stop them.

In a place like this… in a place like this…

“I don’t have time to waste!!”

I swung my dragon sword, engulfed in crimson flames manifested from fighting spirit filled with passion and urgency, with the determination to cut through the Lightning Prison’s barrier, but…

WOONG-!!

The moment I felt not the refreshing sound of cutting air that should come when a sharp blade cuts through the atmosphere, but a dull, blunt sound like swinging a club…

CLAAANG-!!

Once again, my attempt to break the Lightning Prison ended in failure…

“Kuhak!!”

A faint scream erupted from my lips to release the uncontrollable shock.

I had swung with the will to cut everything the sword’s path touched…

Yet the Lightning Prison that the tip of my sword touched was not cut; instead, it only returned lightning and shock to my sword-wielding right hand, enough to numb the sensation.

“Haa… Haa… Damn it, I don’t have time.”

As I tried to calm my rough breathing caused by the accumulated shock in my body and pondered how to overcome this situation, I heard in my ears…

“Yaaawn… Red-haired beings are all so impatient, like that abominable woman from a thousand years ago, and the dragon that circled around her.”

As Renium now even yawned, revealing his boredom…

[PFFFT!!]

Paphnir’s voice, unable to contain a sudden burst of laughter, echoed in my mind.

‘…Paphnir?’

I called out to Paphnir while suppressing my bewilderment, but…

[Pfft… puhuhuh… I don’t know who’s calling who impatient. It’s not even funny seeing someone who’s ruined things countless times because he couldn’t control his own temper saying such things.]

Paphnir’s voice, which broke the unusually long silence, didn’t stop with just one call from me.

Most of it was disparaging remarks directed at the annoying deity opposite me who was showing signs of boredom, but still.

‘…I understand you’re angry, but please help me deliver a blow to him.’

[Ahem. I spoke too presumptuously. I apologize.]

Only after hearing my request for help did Paphnir finally regain his composure, and from his mouth came…

[It might be a bit early, but given the situation, there’s no choice. Kid! Surround the ring with fighting spirit.]

He specifically pointed out what I should do.

Accordingly, as I imagined surrounding the Ring of Nibelung on my right index finger with fighting spirit and circulated the fighting spirit gathered in my heart throughout my body…

As always, the plain gold ring on my index finger changed into a form with elaborate engravings reminiscent of a dragon, now burning with crimson flames.

It was at this moment that Renium, who had been quietly watching without showing much interest in whatever I did, changed his attitude.

“Yaa…wn??”

Renium’s expression, which had been constantly yawning and showing signs of boredom, momentarily filled with shock, and then…

“That… that ring? Could it be? That’s impossible. What…”

For the first time since our encounter, the voice that escaped from the twisted deity’s mouth revealed his bewilderment, stinging my ears.

…What is this ring that makes him so startled?

I was about to ask the owner who had given me the ring about its origin, but…

[It’s ready.]

There was no time for that as Paphnir was about to direct my next action, saying it was ready.

Yes, right now, I should follow Paphnir’s instructions, which will be of great help in escaping from here.

There’s no time to dwell on trivial questions.

[Then…]

Paphnir, with more solemnity in his voice than I had ever heard before, trailed off and paused for a moment, then…

[Hoo…]

As if that wasn’t enough, as I waited for the words to fall from Paphnir’s mouth, who was calming his breathing with a deep breath…

[Call my name.]

Unexpectedly, Paphnir’s solemn voice telling me to call his name echoed in my mind.

…Wait, why are you suddenly telling me to call out your name here?

I was about to retort like this, but…

[Hurry.]

As he was still urging me to call his name with a solemn voice…

I pushed the momentary bewilderment I felt into my heart, and then…

“Paphnir.”

I called out the name of the one who had given me the ring, and…

WHOOSH-!!

At that moment, the crimson flames that had been flickering around the ring spread beyond it to envelop my entire body.

It was strange that I didn’t feel the heat that I should have felt with flames wrapping around my entire body, but…

[Power that has slept for a thousand long years! Now is the time…!!]

Paphnir’s resounding voice, still revealing his solemnity, didn’t allow my thoughts related to the flames to continue.

And at that moment, I felt it.

A massive power that I had never felt before, even when I lived as an agent of the demon god before my regression…

Was now being clearly engraved within my body.

A warm power that, despite being suspiciously strong and massive, didn’t cause any sense of rejection.

In a form that gave me confidence that I could do anything.