Ch.155155. Meeting (1)

Aryen faced the wounded giant. The giant’s movements had noticeably slowed. Massive scars left by Quenore Strope’s sacrifice were etched across the giant’s body. Its left arm had been severed. Its side was flapping like torn paper. The fortress that had withstood attacks from the kingdom’s finest mages and knights without a scratch was now crumbling.

“Evernode…”

The knights fell into despair. Quenore Strope was dead. Evernode’s walls had collapsed, and people’s lives were being trampled under the giant’s feet. Those whose lifelong beliefs had crumbled in an instant could only stare blankly at the scene, unable even to feel anger.

“We must go. Now is our chance to behead the giant.”

Aryen’s condition was far from normal. His body was as battered as the giant’s after fighting monsters one after another. His mind was filled with only one thing: the murderous intent to kill his target. Hatred for losing Quenore, and the deaths of comrades under the giant’s footsteps, drove Aryen forward.

“Aryen!!”

A slap. Aryen rubbed his left cheek and blinked. The saint, Isis, stood blocking his path. Blue. It must be Isis’s eyes. Aryen looked down at Isis holding his arm, his gaze asking why she was stopping him.

“Get a hold of yourself. The Grand Duke entrusted you with field command. You can’t just rush out driven by murderous intent and hatred.”

Isis’s voice was trembling. Focus was gradually returning to Aryen’s eyes.

“I need to advance now. We can’t let the giant cross the northern line.”

“Stop trying to move forward alone, focusing only on what’s ahead.”

Frustrated by Aryen’s words, Isis grimaced and turned his body around. There were knights. There were soldiers. Having lost their commander, they were looking to Aryen, their only hope. Aryen’s grip tightened on the Holy Sword.

“You need to look at the people, the people who believe in you, and then move forward.”

Aryen looked down at the Holy Sword. Look and move forward? Aryen couldn’t remember ever seeing anyone other than himself. Such things were like dreams that had been shattered years ago.

“I can’t do it.”

“Yes, you can.”

Isis’s hand touched Aryen’s. As that small hand squeezed firmly, Aryen gently closed his eyes. At the end of the dark world, he seemed to see a very faint light. Aryen opened his eyes again. An energy he had never seen before was rising from the Holy Sword’s blade. The energy didn’t just swirl around the sword but also flowed into Aryen’s body. Aryen gripped the sword handle tightly.

“…Are you all going to stop here?”

Aryen spoke. The knights began to raise their heads one by one. This was unlike his temperament. Until now, he had always fought alone and thought that was the natural way.

“Stopping like that won’t rebuild the fallen walls, nor will it bring the dead Grand Duke back to life.”

Those words were meant to persuade the soldiers, but also for Aryen himself to regain composure. Aryen turned his head to look at Daphne Ephiphone’s face. Daphne’s expression seemed to waver between determination and fear. Aryen spoke again.

“I’m going to defeat the giant now. Those who want to stay and despair, remain here. And just watch as revenge for our land and the Grand Duke is achieved by someone else’s hands.”

Aryen raised the Holy Sword. Entranced by the light emanating from the sword’s blade, people rose to follow Aryen with dazed expressions. Hope. It seemed to have finally taken shape and appeared.

“I will join you…!”

“Me too! Me too!”

The number of soldiers following Aryen grew. Aryen merely glanced back once and continued walking forward. The northerners kept advancing. The giant roared toward the sky. The snow intensified. Aryen walked through the falling snow. Now it was the giant’s turn. Aryen stepped forward and aimed the tip of his sword at the giant.

“For Evernode!”

“For the Grand Duke!!”

Monsters were charging in. Soldiers and knights clashed with the monsters. Aryen gathered the new power flowing through his body, kicked off the ground, and leaped forward. The snowstorm brushed past. He raised the Holy Sword. Seeing the massive wave of power approaching, the giant roared again. The sacred energy of the Holy Sword pierced through the snowstorm and surged toward the calamity as light.

==

“What… is this?”

A dazed voice. Aryen muttered blankly as he stared at the scene before him. There was snow below his ankles. He recognized the people, but he didn’t know what was happening. The soldiers and knights shouting in the distance were Evernode’s forces. And the one charging forward with the Holy Sword raised was none other than Aryen himself.

“What on earth is happening?”

It was an illusion. He knew it was an illusion. As proof, he couldn’t feel the touch of snow at all. Yet the cold seemed to climb up Aryen’s feet, along his blood vessels, up his spine.

What do you think all this is?

“Stop playing games and speak plainly. What is this?”

Aryen’s voice was filled with killing intent. With nowhere to go, the killing intent swirled like a vortex and turned back toward Aryen. The darkness that had engulfed Aryen was laughing. He wanted to swing his sword, but his arms wouldn’t move. Aryen’s strength was powerless before the darkness’s laughter.

Exactly what you see. That is you. If you have eyes, you should be able to see and understand.

“I said stop playing word games. Who are you and what do you want from me?”

Who I am is none of your business. That you over there is your business. To be precise, it’s who you were.

The darkness spoke in an amused tone. Aryen had no such memory. He bit his lip. So what connection did that have with him? He wanted to ask why there was any reason to show such an ill-conceived illusion.

If you still don’t understand, watch slowly and think about it.

The voice of darkness disappeared. Aryen was left on the snowy field again. In the distance, the giant’s massive body was collapsing to the ground. Aryen stood tall on top of it, catching his breath. The giant’s blood flowed like a river, staining Evernode’s land red. Evernode’s knights and soldiers swarmed like bees around Aryen.

“…This is ridiculous.”

Aryen snorted. The illusion didn’t end. Aryen folded his arms and glared at the snowy field, as if waiting to see how far this illusion would go. A snowstorm blew in. The darkness seemed to be trying to pressure Aryen by drawing in even sensations.

“If that’s your hope, I’ll play along here forever.”

Aryen sat down with a thud. For a while, the illusion continued to show Aryen standing on the giant’s corpse. The expression of someone surrounded by people, receiving cheers, and feeling unfamiliar with those cheers. It was an expression he had never made in his life. Aryen exhaled softly as he watched his own puzzled face. It was an unpleasant, disgusting expression.

“Is this all you’ve got?”

Of course not.

The darkness laughed.

Don’t try to hide your anxiety by pretending to be strong.

And the scenery blurred. The sky lowered, the bitter wind subsided, and the snow melted. Aryen’s eyes were shaken by the scene that appeared before him.

==

“Aryen.”

Aryen turned his head. His mind felt empty, then suddenly filled with a certain sensation. Warm and cozy, yet nostalgic weight, touch, and scent. A name formed on Aryen’s lips before he knew it as he staggered, losing his balance.

“Kala.”

“Why are you spacing out like that? Do you know what day it is today?”

“What?”

Aryen frowned deeply and turned his head. Then he flinched at the sight of those gray shining eyes. Memories that couldn’t possibly have happened flooded over Aryen like a tidal wave.

“You…, you…”

“What’s with that face, like you’ve seen a ghost? I won’t play tricks, so get up quickly.”

Kala spoke lightly and moved away from Aryen. Aryen slightly frowned as he watched Kala stomping her foot. Today, what day was today again?

“What day is it today?”

“What do you mean what day? It’s the first anniversary of your retirement. Come on, it’s your turn to make breakfast this morning, so hurry up.”

Kala playfully poked Aryen’s back. Pushed by Kala, Aryen moved from the bedroom to the hallway, and from the hallway to the kitchen. When he looked back, Kala was cheerfully waving her hand with a bright smile. Aryen absentmindedly washed his hands as he turned on the water at the sink.

==

“Enough.”

His voice was cold. Blood was flowing from Aryen’s tightly clenched fist. Uncontrollable killing intent was released, eating away at the space. But there was no target for the killing intent. Like a wheel spinning in the air, the killing intent circled around and was absorbed back into Aryen.

Someone who looked exactly like him was with Kala. Aryen was watching the play from the theater seats. The scene continued to show Kala and that someone living a happy life together. He gradually calmed his mind. This was an illusion. Such things never happened.

Does it seem like an illusion?

The voice whispered. Aryen gritted his teeth.

Well, keep watching.

The voice of darkness disappeared. The illusion continued. Aryen watched the scene with bloodshot eyes. What? That he could have had such happiness? Aryen’s face contorted.

“This is an insult to Kala.”

The fog contains memories. Fragments of dead memories. You can’t say for sure that isn’t really her.

Fog?

Before Aryen could properly understand the darkness’s words, the Aryen in the illusion stabbed Kala in the chest. Blood flowed from Kala’s chest, and the Aryen in the illusion shed tears. Kala wasn’t crying. As if not feeling any pain, she gently embraced the illusion and whispered something in his ear. Aryen couldn’t hear those words. He could only blankly watch as Kala collapsed.

The fog grows by devouring unfulfilled dreams.

“Aaaaargh!!”

The Aryen in the illusion looked up at the sky and screamed. The house was collapsing and turning into a whitish fog. Aryen grabbed the Holy Sword that appeared again and began thrusting it at the fog. The formless fog was helplessly cut away under the light of the Holy Sword.

In other words, what the one who was you is meeting now are fragments of memories that woman held. You were deprived of even the chance to meet her.

“…”

Aryen remained silent. Rather, his expression seemed to be gradually settling into calmness. Breathing. Aryen was taking deep breaths in and shallow breaths out.

“Is this all you wanted to show me? It’s so obvious it’s not even funny. What, are you saying that if I hadn’t been a hero, I could have met the fragments of memories Kala held? Bring something more fresh.”

You seem to be misunderstanding something.

The darkness whispered.

This isn’t some procedure to persuade you.

“What?”

It’s a process of sharing memories with someone else.

A chill swept over Aryen.

In other words, it’s a courtesy to help you understand what will happen next.

“…Next?”

Before Aryen could ask, the fog dispersed and the scene changed. This time it was a plain. Tens of thousands of monsters were moving somewhere. It was the battle when the comet approached. The Aryen in the illusion led the soldiers from the front. He cut down the pouring monsters and advanced, wielding the shining Holy Sword. A rain of fire shot by the mages poured down.

Finally, the same time has passed. It’s time for cracks to form in time, space, and the world itself.

“Speak so I can understand.”

Aryen spoke, trying to maintain composure. He was responding to what the darkness was saying, but there were many unsettling elements. How much time had passed outside, what had happened, and what was this all about? And apart from those doubts, what was this uneasiness creeping up from deep within his heart?

Now, the time has come.

CRASH!!!

The incoming comet shattered into pieces. Aryen blankly stared at the falling comet fragments, and the darkness chuckled with a low laugh.

Say hello, Aryen. That over there is the protagonist.

Protagonist?

As Aryen stood dazed, the world shattered into pieces and collapsed. And the Aryen from the illusion, who had cut down the comet, began walking toward Aryen, step by step.