Ch.23778. The Hasty Arrangement Between You and Me (2)

Kariel placed his hand on Lutesia’s head.

Gold, watching him from the side, remarked with an indifferent face.

I have always been drawing worlds.

And in those many worlds, I see versions of myself flowing along different paths.

That is my secret method for glimpsing other worlds, different from the World Tree’s way.

So I recognized it immediately.

From the moment I saw it, I knew what trick had been played.

I knew all along.

I have no desired direction.

I simply flow where the current takes me.

But there’s no guarantee that the flow will always go in the direction I want.

It was the same when I was chasing after him.

The journey pursuing Elbat was, to be frank, structured in a way she couldn’t predict.

That’s why my understanding was delayed, and if variables hadn’t occurred because of Kariel himself.

He would have become that failed person from another world over there.

That person’s miserable end would have become his life story.

Yes. If I had to make an excuse, it would be lack of information.

Such complexity and entanglement of causality. It’s so absurd.

But after everything has happened, after it’s all over, what difference does it make?

They say the world gives you another chance if you just don’t give up.

But that’s an ending where everything is over the moment you fail once.

Defeat is fate.

But if defeat means death, the end, and conclusion.

Then you must never be defeated there.

‘What nonsense.’

My thinking is becoming dull.

To begin with, this body has no brain to think with, no specific organs to speak of.

So everything I feel and think is all an illusion.

All thoughts and sensations in this state are completely absurd.

But I suppose it doesn’t matter.

“It’s done.”

Kariel calmly reported the fact as he supported Lutesia’s neck and slowly lowered her to the ground.

-How?

“…I lack finesse, as you know.”

I hid the memories and overlaid them with faint memories that never existed, yet could have.

“I arranged it so that she would feel it subconsciously, like a hazy dream, even if she couldn’t consciously recognize it.”

-Wasn’t that more troublesome?

“I’m used to imagination and thoughts.”

-I suppose so.

After all, how many decades have I been showing and pestering you?

“…For me, I simply couldn’t exclude the things she had experienced and felt.”

-How weak. You should have done it decisively. That would have been better for her.

“……”

Kariel turned his head to one side.

There, an entity extending from the World Tree had been staring at us intently with a stoic expression.

“You seem to have something to say.”

-Do I really need to report to you?

I snorted and waved my hand dismissively.

-Do as you please.

“……”

After a moment of silence, he just slightly nodded his head and headed in that direction.

-Hmm….

Gold looked up at the sky.

It’s deep blue.

Even though it’s a false world.

Below the sky stretches a desolate sandy plain, its domain endlessly vast.

-Eternal eternity.

Eternal and permanent, everlasting eternity.

-I see.

She convinced herself.

She briefly followed that dark retreating back as it grew distant.

Inwardly, she curled up one corner of her mouth.

-I’ve told you everything you need to know.

Now, well…

-Good luck.

You naive, foolish, silly little one.

Still, I’ll at least wish you good fortune in your endeavors.

====

“Resolving the situation this way. Isn’t that cheating?”

“……”

“Borrowing someone else’s power. Couldn’t you accomplish it on your own?”

Though it’s also the will of the World Tree.

The current him is probably also me from childhood.

“You know well that one can’t do anything alone.”

“That’s not why I gave up.”

“That’s unfortunate. I’ve always lived just for today and tomorrow. I’ve never had the luxury to entertain such grand thoughts.”

Black metal adheres between my fingertips.

The armor that had been clinging to Lutesia was gradually being transplanted to me.

“So you really have no regrets? Are you confident you won’t fail again?”

“…I can’t promise that.”

I know too little to be certain.

I have too little to be confident.

Some might grumble that I have everything, but

I’m still empty-handed.

Everything I have now is like sand in my palm or spring water—it could disappear at any time.

“Yes. Even in such a situation, you don’t become arrogant or prideful. That’s good.”

He smiles.

“That alone is something I could never achieve.”

“You must be quite impressive.”

I can only laugh hollowly.

How impressive must one be to have such audacity and self-esteem that reaches the sky?

“I told you earlier. That you could only become who you are now by abandoning everything. I was right after all.”

Think about it.

“If someone like me had encountered the Demon King of Wisdom, would she have bestowed upon me the same grace she gave you?”

“……”

I don’t know.

My thinking isn’t flexible enough to imagine such things.

“If you hadn’t been rejected and alienated, including by your father and mother, would your current path have even been possible?”

About that, I can speak.

I can say with certainty that my world would have been limited to the realm where they lived.

Escaping that realm is only possible when you’re convinced you can’t survive there.

“Even if the world had been uniquely kind to you, the result would have been the same.”

…In such a world, you would have had no reason to harbor obsession or make desperate resolutions, nor any reason to apply them to anything.

“……”

There’s no need to say what doesn’t need to be said.

“You don’t need to make excuses to me.”

“That’s true.”

…See?

“It’s not a lie. I want you to do well.”

“How cunning.”

“Because the outcome was good. At any rate. Besides, you’ve lost the most important thing too, so let’s call it a draw.”

What’s there to brag about drawing with my younger self?

“Go now. It’s about time her influence is fading.”

“……”

“I’ll end my petty revenge here.”

He’s irritating until the very end.

The sandy beach disappears, the blue sky fades.

Even the fortress visible in the distance grows dim.

The false world swallows up the false god, the false demon king, and even the World Tree wearing a false mask.

And so it returns to nothingness again.

====

The infected world is suddenly lifted.

While the demon realm’s creatures lose their vitality,

The middle realm’s creatures, who had been desperately counterattacking, regain their vigor and raise their banners of counteroffensive.

Just then, several divine beasts roar through the sky, waving blue banners.

Reinforcements appear, sitting atop them and raining down arrows at high speed.

Also.

There’s a certain change in the fierce battle of heroes and valkyries.

“Lansrus?”

Gazef shouted in delight as he deflected a giant spear-sword that was about to cut him down, surprised by the figure who had blocked it.

A lake dragon.

At first glance, he resembled a blue-scaled lizardman.

But he clearly had a form that seemed to be half dragon, half human.

He was blocking the War God with a sword in hand.

“What a disgraceful one.”

The heavy voice irritated the War God’s eardrums.

“What? You should have remained in seclusion or fled to another continent.”

“You speak as if you’ve seen such a future.”

Lansrus deflected the spear-sword.

For beings like him, mysterious swordsmanship wasn’t what mattered.

Clearly, it was strength backed by skill that counted.

Though he possessed the legendary Dragon God Sword, to him it was merely a tool and procedure for training and perfection.

After all, even he was, in a sense, close to being a trainee.

The Dragon God Sword wasn’t something he created.

It was something that existed somewhere in space, established by the Dragon God, which he discovered and implemented after great effort.

Though its completion is still far off…

“I can show you a thing or two.”

“Why not attack in your true form?”

At the War God’s words, the lake dragon let out a snorting laugh.

“Divine beings were generally the natural enemies of giants. Would our situation be any different, as divine beasts and giant beasts?”

“How pathetic.”

That’s why it’s annoying.

But even he is no match for the War God.

After just a few dozen exchanges, the outcome was clearly divided.

“Your swordsmanship seems to have divinity in it, but you can’t handle it yet.”

“Regrettably so.”

With his left forearm dangling halfway, the lake dragon fixed that area with his sword-holding hand and snorted.

“Lansrus! Even you can’t do this alone!”

Gazef shouts as if about to jump in at any moment.

But.

“That’s enough. My role ends here.”

“Who decides that?”

The lifting of the infection clearly showed that Lutesia had failed.

But that much, for someone like himself who was already unaffected by the demon realm or infection,

could impose no restriction or harm. In other words, his existence itself meant the world he led.

Therefore.

Everything is a battlefield I lead and decide!

“……”

Yes.

…If it weren’t for that strange thing approaching, he might have cut off someone’s head right away.

Or perhaps thrust his hand into a heart and pulled it out.

There are various methods.

Various, but…

“War horse?”

A giant wooden monster.

A being who charged alone on horseback against the demon tree’s minions, piercing its trunk, lands in the middle of the battlefield as if flying through the sky.

But it wasn’t a gentle landing like a bird settling on the ground.

KWANG!

A powerful shockwave swept through the vicinity with the intense impact.

From there.

A being charging straight across the battlefield, wielding a giant spear.

A knight in jet-black full armor.

The heavy charge of a war horse also clad in jet-black armor extends in a straight line toward them.

“This bastard…?”

Before the words could finish.

KWANG!

As the horse charged like a rhinoceros, the rider on top brought down a jet-black spear.

Instinctively, the War God positioned his golden shield on the left.

At the same time, he skillfully swung his giant spear-sword diagonally upward to smash the horse, separate from the descending spear.

The jet-black war horse collides with the golden shield.

The jet-black spear aims for his head, passing over the golden shield.

And the War God’s spear-sword also targets both the war horse and knight.

“?!”

As it strikes the War God’s head.

Somehow, the long jet-black spear even deflects the edge of his spear-sword.

‘This bastard?’

This technique, beyond familiar, makes his blood boil.

So the weapon wasn’t lengthened out of boredom.

But the War God was now wearing a rare golden helmet that might be mentioned in ancient myths.

Then the War God’s form disappeared like magic, like a lie, in an instant.

However, even the decisive counterattack that came after a momentary gap, without sound or presence,

was naturally met by the black knight who turned his horse’s head.

“You bastard! Every time I see you, you’re playing games?!”

Though the jet-black spear seems pitifully small against the giant spear-sword.

Without breaking, snapping, or even bending.

It responds and counters adequately.

The harmony of mysterious spear techniques and the war horse that constantly changes position and direction.

No matter how explosive or destructive the slash, delivered like an ambush with presence hidden and breath killed,

it responds to it as if by magic.

Black chains surge explosively.

Even those are appropriately avoided by the war horse’s ghostly movements.

Moreover.

“What?!”

Movement that seems to transcend space.

More accurately, it was closer to traversing the abyss, darkness, shadow.

…Whatever.

“Caligula.”

He whispers softly.

“Push forward.”

Krrrk!

The armored horse snarls like a predator.

Then without hesitation.

It charges.

KWUNG!

“What?!”

While the War God considers whether to bring out a chariot,

a spear thrust coming up from below, barely grazing the horse’s head, instantly expands into a giant blade and club.

It strikes upward with the momentum to cut and crush his body.

KANG!

The War God immediately blocked it with the iron chains wrapped around his forearm.

But the impact sent his body flying like an arrow shot from a curved bow.

“You bas—!”

An ancient chariot drawn by two black horses descends from the sky to catch the War God’s body like an acrobatic feat.

But already climbing up a giant jet-black branch shooting diagonally from the ground like walking a tightrope.

The jet-black war horse was rushing toward the War God’s destination.

“What the hell are you—!”

Even while shouting angrily,

the War God skillfully regained control of the chariot and clashed with him.

At that moment.

The jet-black knight launched himself from the war horse toward the War God.

In his left hand, a spear.

And in his right hand.

Trailing a giant jet-black flame.

-Mastema’s radiance.

Reverse holy fire.

He poured fire magic against divinity.

“Ugh!”

As the War God faltered at this unexpected attack,

black chains instinctively extended from all over the War God’s body to wrap around him.

Also, intense cold suddenly froze the air solid as if to drive away the heat.

TWUNG!

The jet-black spear disintegrates it upon contact.

-Peccata.

Disintegrating divinity once understood is now effortless.

It’s not easy, but.

If I had to hold back in a situation where I needed to use it, there would have been no need to learn it in the first place.

So when the time comes to use it,

I will gladly employ it.

“You bastard! How far will you—!”

Stop talking already.

You’ll die in that time.

The jet-black spear extends like branches, targeting the gaps in his defenses, including his breastplate.

“?!”

It grazed and passed by.

Just one out of dozens of branches, but.

…That alone was meaningful enough.

“Keogh!”

That alone made him cry out as if dying.

Mistilteinn.

From the moment this was in my hand, no matter how great you are, you should have been wary of me.

…Though I deliberately didn’t reveal it to you.

Having much divinity means there are also many countermeasures that are close to natural enemies.

…Similarly, knowing doesn’t make preparation easy, nor is implementing it particularly simple.

“Now is not the time for you to rampage. At least in this moment, it will be endlessly unreasonable for you.”

The jet-black knight, extracting himself from the War God’s chariot and settling on the chariot’s horses,

delivered this declaration, or rather, notification, so one-sidedly.

“Deterrence, you worm… cough!”

The War God coughs up blood with a pale complexion.

He must be furious for many reasons, but what can he do? That’s how the world is.

“…I’ll look forward to next time.”

“You’re letting me go like this? On a day like this?!”

“If I didn’t, there would be no next time for us either.”

“You garbage! You’re avoiding this to escape the burden?! The only chance to finish me off?!”

“……”

“You, you bastard. You truly have no answer.”

“I know.”

Speaking so bleakly through the helmet formed of jet-black,

the knight launched himself from the chariot’s horses and was caught by the jet-black war horse with flying momentum.

“…I know.”

The jet-black war horse and knight collided with the ground.

The earth briefly cried, stiffened, and was gouged and scraped by the impact.

“……”

Yet the lone horse and rider remained intact, still showing no sign of wavering or fading in their imposing stance.

And watching that scene, someone who was once a hero and is still called a great hero,

quietly uttered that being’s name.

“Grandeus…?”

Gazef turned to look at his old comrade who had spoken that name.

Loroana.

She had uttered that name.