Ch.156156. Meeting (2)

The world is a vast collection of stories. If that’s the case, then protagonists must exist too.

Thud, thud. The footsteps were slow. Aryen felt an enormous pressure he had never experienced before gradually tightening around his body. Like a snake uncoiling and then wrapping around its prey starting from the feet, the space where the illusion had collapsed suddenly expanded and then began to shrink.

But don’t you think there can’t be two protagonists?

Someone whose face was hidden in darkness. The cast shadow seemed to be speaking.

This one was a protagonist. He could have been the world’s savior. But isn’t it ridiculous? A story about someone who has never once acted for others saving others. That qualification to save the world is granted solely based on one’s strength.

The darkness was mocking him. As if unable to contain its amusement, the voice was filled with laughter.

That’s deception and darkness. But he couldn’t let go of that attachment. Look at him now, existing as a ghost in the cracks of the world. What did he want? I quite liked that.

“What… is that supposed to be?”

Talk to him. And learn.

The shadow lifted completely. About five steps away. Aryen saw a battered version of himself staring back at him. An unfamiliar sight. He looked more haggard and darker than the self who had always fought on human battlefields. Above all, he emanated an ominous aura. That guy is strong. Much stronger than his current self.

“Are you satisfied with that?”

The haggard Aryen across from him spoke first.

“Laughing and chatting with those fanatics who worship that damn god. Unable to properly take revenge on the hero who kicked you out of the party. Isis, whom you loved, is not by your side. No one acknowledges you. You’re all alone.”

His eyes burned with crimson flames. Aryen frowned with displeasure at the hostile and murderous attitude. Had he been treating others with such an attitude all this time? Aryen was suddenly reminded of how he had treated others in the past. Who knew looking in a mirror could be so unpleasant?

“I saw your memories. What a joke. Did Kala tell you to live like that?”

What was irritating was that attitude of denying what had happened. Wasn’t it her who often said that one should live without looking back at the past? That wasn’t Aryen’s true self. It seemed like nothing more than a ghost of stubborn attachment that couldn’t let go.

“Did you really see my memories? I don’t understand what you’re so dissatisfied with.”

“You don’t understand what I’m dissatisfied with… We won’t be able to communicate. I’m quite disappointed in my current self.”

Aryen let out a hollow laugh as he watched this other self muttering to himself. Who was he to decide whether they could communicate or whether he was disappointed?

“What exactly do you want? Do you want me to go kill the hero? Isn’t that what that unidentifiable voice wants?”

“What I want… If it were that simple, I wouldn’t have come.”

The other Aryen took a step forward. He wasn’t taking any stance. He wasn’t even holding a sword. Just a simple step. But Aryen stepped back, feeling as if a cold blade was being pressed against his neck. He needed to be cautious. Every nerve in his body warned him so.

“For now, I want one thing.”

Another step. Suddenly, the other Aryen was right in front of him.

“If you’re going to waste that body and time like this, give it to me.”

“What nonsense—!”

CLANG-!!

They both drew their swords almost simultaneously. The two Aryens were holding their swords in the same stance. Aryen glared at the other Aryen. His sword hand throbbed. They had drawn the same sword path at the same timing. The difference was in speed and depth of the sword path. Aryen raised his head, inwardly shocked by the power.

“One exchange should be enough for you to understand. How much time and opportunity you’ve wasted.”

The other Aryen said, casually shaking his sword. Aryen gritted his teeth. This wasn’t an opponent he could defeat. The level of swordsmanship was different. The other side had already climbed too high.

“It’s just a waste of time. Don’t you agree?”

He looked up. Being forced to look up at someone who had broken his sword was a first for Aryen. Aryen dragged his hand on the ground and raised his head. The arrogant expression of the other Aryen loomed at the edge of his vision. Aryen stared blankly at that figure before breaking into a smirk.

“It feels like shit, but looking up…”

Did he think he’d be let off easily? A fierce expression spread across Aryen’s face.

“…isn’t all that bad.”

“You look truly foolish. Is this how Aryen Elmione was supposed to live?”

Aryen shook his head. He was becoming increasingly certain. That guy is definitely not Aryen Elmione. He’s just a ghost left with nothing but stubbornness and attachment.

“The world changes and people change too. Those who don’t understand that are the ones who get left behind.”

In response to Aryen’s sharp retort, the other Aryen raised his sword expressionlessly.

“It’s unfortunate you couldn’t prove it. This time, you’re the one being left behind.”

Thunk.

Something ice-cold pierced his chest. The ice inside his body alternated between freezing and boiling, then freezing again. Amidst the fluctuating temperature, Aryen’s life and consciousness were intermingling. Blood flowed back from his lungs. A gush of blood spilled from Aryen’s mouth.

“Kuh…, huk.”

Aryen decided not to close his eyes. He needed to confirm that this cursed remnant was a different entity from himself. Blood flowed from Aryen’s dark eyes. Beyond the reddened world, he could see a face identical to his own, twisting its lips.

“Farewell, Aryen. Regret everything from the depths of your consciousness.”

The illusory space was completely collapsing. Aryen could barely recognize that the edge of his blurry vision was the shadow of the room. But it wasn’t Aryen’s own will that was moving his body.

“Aryen!!”

He heard a voice calling him. It was Bishop Andre’s voice. Aryen tried to turn around, but his body remained motionless. Someone else was controlling his body.

First, those guys.

At the muttering voice, Aryen screamed. No sound came out. Slowly, Aryen’s body turned. He could feel the rising killing intent with his entire body.

“Step back!!”

As Bishop Andre’s shout burst out, Aryen drew his sword.

==

So, how does it feel?

Aryen responded with a cold smile to the voice echoing in his head. There was no blood on the sword. It was a nostalgic feeling. The sword he had used well until he obtained the Holy Sword. The sword that had broken while facing a giant. In this world, it was still intact. His skills were also fully preserved. It wasn’t satisfying enough, but he could display a decent level of swordsmanship.

“I don’t feel particularly moved. Nor do I think I should.”

He had missed his targets. The joy of obtaining a new body quickly disappeared, and now he only felt the uneasiness of having missed his target. Aryen clicked his tongue as he looked at the corpses of the inquisitors scattered on the floor.

“It’s surprising that these guys weren’t eradicated and still remained here.”

Aryen used the tip of his sword to turn over an inquisitor’s face to check. An expression of shock. He probably didn’t even realize he was being cut at the moment it happened. After checking each of their faces, Aryen sheathed his sword. The observation was over. Now it was time to move.

“What do you want from me?”

Why do you ask me such a thing?

The darkness in his mind was still laughing. Aryen didn’t care about that unpleasant laughter. It must have brought him back to this world because it wanted something, and that’s why it was providing such conveniences.

“A mercenary needs clear calculations. One should at least be able to distinguish whether what goes into one’s mouth is poison or medicine.”

So you’re saying you’d be more at ease if there was a price for bringing you into this world.

The darkness spoke like an observer. Aryen thought that someone was seeing through him from a very high place—or a very deep place. Of course, now was not the time to investigate that background.

“There’s no favor without a price. Unless bringing me here was your goal in itself.”

Meet the hero.

The darkness said without hesitation.

“That guy?”

Kill the hero. Do what you must do. You know what that is. After that, I’ll take care of everything. Do you understand?

Saying “I’ll take care of it” was the same as saying “don’t ask questions.” And Aryen wasn’t one to talk much. Just doing what he’s told, not looking when told not to look, being indifferent when told not to care—that was the duty of an exemplary mercenary. Aryen leaned against the wall and sighed.

“You’re telling me to find and kill him? My position as Aryen Elmione in this world doesn’t seem particularly good for that.”

The hero will find you even if you don’t try to find him.

“…I’ll do it then.”

Aryen nodded with a sigh. In the end, he had to change the fate that he and his companions had met in that world. It was something only Aryen, who knew how this world would end, could do. Aryen organized the time and events in his mind.

“I’m going to the capital.”

Aryen declared as if declaring war. A plan was forming. Solely to kill the hero, and to revise the ending that Aryen had faced in the previous world.

“First, I’ll kill those who are currently fawning over the hero.”

Wasn’t that Daphne someone who followed you before?

“Not here. The Daphne of this place has nothing to do with me. She’s someone who only looks at the hero. If she says she’ll follow me again, I’ll leave her be, but if not, I’ll kill her or capture her.”

Aryen said with a confident voice.

“First, that nun. I’ll kill the inquisitor. If George blocks my way, there will be no mercy for him either. I have no reason to explain my position to him, so I’ll take him down. I’ll take down anyone who gets in my way. I’ll even kill the queen if I can. She chased me in the previous world. That’s how I’ll lure the hero to me and kill him.”

His words were cold and unwavering. Aryen’s grip on his sword hilt gradually tightened.

And?

There was a hint of laughter in the darkness’s voice.

“And.”

Aryen knew. How the previous world had perished. What the cause was. He remembered all the calamities that had emerged when that ‘source’ opened. How they began to devour the world, how they destroyed stars and returned the world to nothingness.

“I will destroy the Holy Sword.”