Ch.16955. Everything Was Burning (3)

I step outside with the giants, yet independent of them.

Heba stood there, aghast.

“Why now of all times…”

Her appearance had changed significantly.

Unlike her youth, she was now in an age of ripened maturity.

Her beauty remained, but she had wrapped her entire body tightly in black cloth.

Even her hands and feet.

And the city I had finally emerged into… resembled the present to some degree, with all the appropriate trappings of ruins.

“……”

This may be the past, but my body should still be anchored in the present.

Why did the entrance giant let me pass so easily? Why didn’t Zora try to stop me?

In this atmosphere of inexplicable questions and confusion.

With thunder and lightning.

It arrived with a bright, pure white light.

At first, I wasn’t sure what it was.

But it was clearly a boy.

Attire that blended pure white and gold.

Snow-white hair, eyes reminiscent of gold, and incomparable, striking features.

Suddenly, I realized he bore a striking resemblance to someone.

Heba shouted at him as if cursing.

“Bahram! You’ve chased me even here?!”

Bahram?

That guy?

-…This is unexpected.

The Demon Lord mutters in disbelief.

Then.

“I find your existence more surprising, my lady.”

The approaching boy said, looking directly at her, the Demon Lord.

-…Well, well.

And then.

He stares directly at me, as if to make a point.

He even addresses me.

“You do not belong here. Isn’t that right?”

“……”

Heba.

And the numerous giants behind her, along with the furry being presumed to be Aeshma.

For some reason, they all displayed bewilderment at the boy who was speaking toward an unexpected direction.

…After a brief pause, I responded.

“Can you see me?”

“That’s why I’m speaking to you, isn’t it? I can see you clearly.”

The boy truly… resembled someone perfectly.

…Your father.

Though his manner of speech… was quite different.

“Is this a coincidence?”

“Pardon?”

Unlike Heba, who was confused thinking the question was directed at her, the Demon Lord immediately understood.

-Is there such a thing as coincidence in this world, or not?

“I wish you all could see me directly, just as I see you and your lordship.”

…I glanced back with Heba and gave a nod as if to signal something.

She seemed to understand and led the giants and other groups away.

Suddenly, a flock of ravens began to cover the sky.

That wasn’t all.

A phoenix and a massive bull had appeared at some point.

As if they had sprung from the ground and sky without warning.

“Let us have a conversation, you and I.”

“……”

Wasn’t I supposed to be merely observing the past?

This is deeply perplexing.

Above all… I hadn’t noticed it well when riding the white horse earlier and stirring things up.

But up close, he truly, truly looked exactly like what my father must have looked like in his youth, a perfect replica.

No, that’s not right.

…Rather, it would be more accurate to say that my father resembles him.

“I know nothing about you and your lordship. I’ve heard nothing about you either. Yet why are you here? And you seem to know me personally. Or have you seen someone who resembles me? Your attitude isn’t proper enough to suggest you know me officially. I sense neither respect, awe, hatred, nor fear from you.”

Even as he faces me directly.

After questioning himself, he folded his arms and pondered.

“Well. It doesn’t matter now.”

He asked again.

“Do you know about me?”

“……”

The Demon Lord answered in my stead.

-Bahram Yasht. Verethragna. There are quite a few names, but these should suffice for now.

“It’s strange enough that an otherworldly being can communicate with us, but to recognize me as well…”

Otherworldly being?

-Doesn’t victory encompass wisdom and intelligence as well?

“I’m grateful for your acknowledgment.”

Neither modest nor humble.

He accepts the obvious as obvious, and shows no particular joy at being recognized.

Who would be happy about being told something so self-evident?

Even if to someone else it might be the highest praise.

For him, it’s just everyday common sense.

Not arrogant, yet noble and sublime.

…His very existence seemed to prove and reveal this.

“If you and your lordship don’t interfere, I intend to eliminate those beings according to my duty. Since it won’t be easy, I’ll settle for containing them, but what can I do? They are, after all, our people who need to be enlightened and reformed.”

“Weren’t you and your army the ones who eliminated those people without exception?”

He reacts to my words.

“Did you witness that battle? It happened well over a thousand years ago.”

A thousand years?

Behind us, a commotion begins to stir.

Perhaps a forced battle has broken out.

“What do you intend to do? Will you continue to block my path?”

“……”

Normally.

It would be appropriate to attempt a longer dialogue.

But, the opponent was problematic.

Of all things, because he resembled my father, even though I knew he was speaking kindly… I couldn’t take it well.

So, I made a counter-proposal.

“If you withdraw quietly from here, there would be no need for blocking or anything else.”

“That’s impossible.”

He shakes his head.

“So it comes to this.”

-Kariel. Don’t forget what I said earlier.

The Demon Lord reminds me.

As she said, this being is the undefeated god of war who always emerges victorious.

“……”

However.

From the beginning, I’m not someone who fights to win.

I’ve never learned such a thing.

I draw a sword from the void and shroud it in darkness.

“…You too are an otherworldly being.”

I have no idea what he’s talking about.

“Does that matter?”

“It does. To handle chaos means to collapse order. Your very existence is evil.”

When he speaks with my father’s face, I find myself laughing for some reason.

“And what is that? Surely you don’t think you can do anything to me with such a weapon?”

“No.”

Of course not.

As a warrior wielding a golden sword appeared behind him, it was just as I expected.

I made up an excuse.

“I don’t know how to win.”

But.

“That doesn’t mean I’ll readily accept defeat.”

What I’ve always known from beginning to end was just one thing.

Not to be defeated.

To return the force that a hostile opponent extends back to them.

To ensure that those with malice are cut by their own malicious blades, their hands and feet severed.

From beginning to end, these are the things I’ve accomplished.

And.

I create one more shield.

“What… is that?”

The boy’s expression becomes unsettled.

Does he recognize this?

I deliberately gave it form.

Aegis.

Thus, armed with a sword in one hand and a shield in the other.

I face a warrior at least twice my size.

The silent warrior has an awkward form.

His face is half-hidden by a helmet, but his shape is incomplete.

His armor isn’t made of iron, nor is it even the hardened leather treated with special solutions.

…Yet that body was swollen like steel.

That being is certainly steel.

But the golden sword in his hand is a supreme treasure that would put even such steel to shame.

It’s a construct composed of victory itself.

That golden sword, wielded by steel hands and brought down upon me, must be the victorious one’s iron mace.

It’s not only larger than an ordinary sword, but sometimes nimble, sometimes heavy.

That’s why I compared it to a victor’s iron mace.

Indeed, as I deflected it with my shield, the ground beneath my feet collapsed from the intense recoil.

Regaining my balance, I block the next slash as well.

As if the space is being carved away by the deflected aftermath, a storm of blades sweeps across the exposed ground, tearing it to shreds.

As if a giant monster had struck the ground with claws stronger than steel.

‘Indeed.’

Yet what mattered was that I was still holding my ground.

As expected, the Aegis is truly a useful divine object.

An ordinary shield would have been destroyed in a single blow.

Even with darkness shrouding it, as someone still awkwardly handling it, I couldn’t fully bear the impact, cutting force, and weight originating from that golden sword.

But this one can.

‘If that’s the case.’

What remains is to secure a distance for me to attack.

The shield is also deflecting, parrying, and returning the repulsive force and elasticity intact, so if the opponent had a normal body… they would be bearing that impact fully.

The fact that he’s still fine means that this level of attack isn’t enough to even cause fatigue, let alone damage.

A battle-hardened warrior, wielding a supreme treasure, with a steel-like body and overflowing experience and years.

If, as the Demon Lord said, even this warrior is part of the god named Bahram and the god himself.

…It would be foolish to expect such a being to be amateurish.

Luck is even less reliable.

Chance even more so.

I must even consider that he might use luck to his advantage.

Getting caught up in the thought of winning would be a great danger here.

Didn’t they say I couldn’t win from the start?

Then, I need to lead to a development where, without winning, I can’t be forced into defeat.

And that…

…is a very familiar task for me.

Even with just a sword in one hand, I could sufficiently continue the sword techniques and sword results of Grandeus.

Using the shield here leads to efficiency of a different dimension compared to defense and protection with just a sword.

And that’s not all.

“?!”

The shield can also become a spear.

Sometimes a short spear, sometimes a long spear.

Extending it as if to throw, then pulling back by grabbing the end of the shaft.

In close quarters, using the sword, whether the opponent advances boldly or retreats, changing to a form suitable for the situation, whether moving the body or standing firm.

Using it in any way.

Simultaneously.

Splitting the darkness to leap through space and ambush from behind.

But considering the expected response, I don’t rush in recklessly.

‘I see.’

In fact, this is easier than facing the giants.

With giants, there were issues of size and compatibility.

…Rather, this being.

Despite effort, reflection, and harsh practical experience.

Despite being a battle-hardened warrior who has strung together blind victories and turned defeats into glorious victories.

He is still just beyond the category of superhuman.

In the end, he’s a human with limbs and flesh.

And once I could handle the Aegis skillfully.

The compatibility made it much easier for me to deal with him.

Just dealing with him, that is.

“!!”

A muted battle cry.

My skin cries out, and my hair stands on end.

He is certainly strong.

And it was clear from his eyes and aura that he still had several moves left.

However, if we’re counting like that, I’m not to be underestimated either.

Since leaving the Valley of the Lake Dragon, this person is probably the strongest adversary I’ve faced head-on.

…Excluding that damned Demon King, whom I didn’t actually fight.

However.

‘…God of War of Victory. His true power probably isn’t just in his physical existence.’

From the beginning, being a god of war doesn’t just mean being good at combat.

That’s included, but ultimately, he’s one who wins in war.

In the end, our current match is limited to combat.

That’s why I have a slight advantage.

But.

…That’s only when he allows this structure.

If the tables turn, the story changes.

“I acknowledge it. You are strong.”

The warrior speaks.

Golden lightning rises above the golden sword.

“But compared to the adversaries I’ve faced in succession, you are still nothing.”

So prove it.

Show me if you’re worthy to be my opponent!

A small roaring voice.

But the weight of those words was extremely heavy.

The warrior’s movements became twice as fast.

Even the power he unleashed.

If this had been an ordinary exchange of blows.

I would have collapsed or lost long ago.

But.

When we strengthen our defenses, we finally reveal our true worth.

Beyond deflecting with the shield, returning the force.

And from there, hijacking the current and electricity that rides in, using it as a means of counterattack.

“What is this?”

His momentary confusion.

Plus, this has excellent compatibility.

‘Astrape.’

The shield transforms into a giant spear made of electricity.

A giant creation beyond gold, a mixture of pure white and gold.

However, it suddenly turns black, transforming into dark electricity.

In my hand, pitch-black electricity swirls.

A scream rises up through my grip, threatening to tear the air.

“Hup!”

He rushes in with a flash of vigilance, but.

Clang!

This is a spear, but also a shield.

The form it had taken until now was just an illusion.

From the beginning, this divine object has no fixed shape.

It only had form because I wished it so.

That masterful deception revealed a momentary gap.

And so I.

That giant spear….

Not at the golden sword.

Not at the warrior’s massive frame.

…I threw it at the distant massive bull.

The black lightning, drawing an extraordinary trajectory.

Penetrating in all directions as if drawing across heaven and earth, it lodged precisely in the neck of the bull that was about to ram into a giant.

Rumble!

Before the sound, the pitch-black light, the impact originating from it, sweeps in.

Black electricity, electric shock creates a small storm, spreading evenly to nearby giants and flocks of ravens large and small.

Everything happens in an instant.

In a flash.

Even the phoenix flaps its wings roughly as if burned by the aftermath.

Also.

I immediately swung my sword to deflect the warrior’s continuous attack with one hand.

At the point when I threw the electric spear, the warrior immediately understood that I could no longer create either Aegis or Astrape.

If not that, such an intense assault could only be seen as venting frustration for being ignored.

But the warrior’s eyes, glimpsed briefly, were deeply sunken.

Even if his heart burns hot enough to set the world ablaze.

This person’s mind is extremely cold.

Cold enough to feel the north wind as warmth.

Victory doesn’t come from excitement or frenzy.

Victory is part of a plan built soundly and solidly.

But actions must be bold. Aggressive.

‘It’s funny.’

But you know what?

Coincidentally.

I too had unknowingly become a battle-hardened warrior.

Using this person as a mirror, I was repeatedly realizing it.

…I just hadn’t been aware of it.

Also, that I hadn’t properly clashed with a warrior worthy of making me aware of it.

…I finally recognized this.

I have grown stronger.

Now, truly only a few steps remain.

Through this journey, I will definitely find that answer.

Your father’s absurd strength.

And.

The resilience and power to defeat it.

The golden sword and the black sword meet.

Like intertwining snakes, the electricity rising between the two swords was violently splitting the air.