Ch.25383. It’s Stranger to Have Multiple Suns in the Sky (3)

At the same time.

Kariel, positioned at the training grounds within the castle, found himself face to face with an uninvited guest.

“I never expected the power of deterrence to work in this manner.”

It was light.

Its essence is composed of light.

But what is its true nature?

“……”

Whoosh.

“My interest is piqued. That’s why I’ve come to see you in person.”

“You are…”

Kariel stared directly at him.

The man, who appeared to be an adult, was truly steadfast, like a birch tree that had willingly endured harsh storms, fire, and even cruel bitter cold.

Even so, the gentle expression on his face and those vibrant eyes… were utterly unfamiliar.

Finely braided jet-black hair.

Eyes containing a gleaming golden light.

Perhaps that was why.

A deep sigh escaped through the black helmet.

“So you were that light.”

“Is that how I appear?”

Light.

Another version of me from a different world.

To use the War God as an example, it would be like a burning chain, links of iron heated by fire until they turned red.

In contrast, the being before me had light as its very essence.

“I thought there might be something behind the War God, but…”

“I wouldn’t call it ‘behind.’ I did provide assistance, but I wasn’t specifically pursuing anything, so don’t worry.”

“……”

Right after clashing with the War God, I had vaguely sensed this being.

“……”

Wrapped in a snow-white robe covering his entire body except for his neck and face, he truly resembled someone.

Though his appearance resembled mine, his aura was definitely similar to ‘him.’

Especially that.

…The holy sword at his waist was a divine artifact I couldn’t possibly fail to recognize.

“This world is peaceful. Yes. Looking at it this way, I suppose our world was particularly brutal.”

“……”

He speaks.

“A world where the hero defeated the Demon Lord. Conversely, if even the hero couldn’t defeat the Demon Lord, can you imagine how the world would have changed?”

“……”

This person before me.

“Therefore, I cannot forgive you, Wisdom, for your collusion with the Golden Demon Lord. Even in defeat, she established her existence in the world like this, and eventually entangled even you, ultimately trying to destroy the hero and the world he inhabits. Truly a tiresome character.”

“……”

“In our world, I beheaded her.”

The savior of the world.

More precisely, the liberator.

“Because of that, I too came to learn several things.”

Things like the constraints of the Demon Lord, the constraints of the hero.

Life and species. And the principles of the world, the rules that bind everything.

“My existence formed you, and the existence of what you call the War God led us.”

“……”

If.

If father had failed to fulfill his duty as a hero.

If, just if.

If father and mother had been unable to give birth to Elimion.

Does it mean their fate is my fate?

As a hero, savior, and guardian…

Looking at it that way, all the innate talents given to me gain rationality.

And the person before me is proof of that, I suppose.

“Moreover, what you seek to achieve and what we pursue can never conflict. Isn’t that right, successor to the Demon Lord?”

“……”

“Come find me when your preparations are complete. I will personally welcome you.”

Having said that, he dissolved into light and disappeared, just as he had appeared.

“……”

As if he had never existed in the first place.

As if he had never existed at all.

“How strange.”

We didn’t need many words between us.

It’s not just because my abilities are special.

Even without that, we were at a level where we could understand each other.

However, while I might understand, I could never accept it.

The trajectories of our lives, our directions, the journeys we’ve traveled and the fruits we’ve borne are far too extreme.

If father and mother had failed to defeat the Demon Lord.

And if they had become fugitives, given birth to me, and then tragically, miserably, and pathetically lost their lives during that journey.

And if I, left alone, had realized I was the child of a hero, recovered my father’s divine sword, and ultimately honored his will by systematically defeating and vanquishing the Golden Demon Lord and her armies, along with those who submitted to and knelt before them.

If I had finally beheaded the Golden Demon Lord.

That completion would be him.

Hero Kariel.

Savior Kariel.

Emperor of Light.

Apostle of Light.

The one who leads the light.

One who defeated an entity that no one in the world could dare to oppose.

One who carries out the will of heaven by divine command.

“……”

So such a case could exist?

That side is extreme in its own way.

The War God must have found it quite disagreeable when confronted with that being.

But inwardly, he must have acknowledged it.

That it was impossible to defeat immediately and would have to be confronted later.

Is that why he sought to secure divine status and divinity even while bearing such excessive weaknesses?

The first War God probably only inherited the divinity of Ares.

The same would be true for the Great Demon Lord’s legacy.

But the reason he greedily sought to secure Mars, a divinity equal to and above Ares, as well as numerous other divinities, was…

…because he properly understood that nothing less would suffice against that.

“Yes. In the end, it’s the sun.”

To bring down the sun, one cannot become the moon.

The moon merely fills the void it leaves.

“……”

Perhaps that’s why the War God, that guy, hoped to become an even greater sun to devour that small sun.

And that path diverges vastly from mine.

“It won’t be long now.”

Yes. It won’t take much time.

Already, everything is clear before my eyes.

But the definitive future remains unseen.

Confronting that being means exactly that.

If my existence covers everything in the abyss, in darkness, in blackness.

That being would dye everything white with light.

Therefore, I cannot see.

He cannot glimpse me either.

Just as I cannot glimpse him.

====

And then, two more days passed.

After several small interim festivals preceding the main event.

Finally, that day arrived.

In place of the king, the Wolf Prince, the Crown Prince, faced the main tournament participants.

Simultaneously, announcing the beginning to all people, the Warrior God Festival officially commenced.

The main tournament would take place over two days.

The circular arena located within the royal capital was also a relic of the old Vera Empire.

Originally, it had been nearly destroyed with only traces remaining, but the founding king of Dabas had carefully restored it after much deliberation.

The scale was truly immense, to the point where one could say the royal capital’s layout was planned around it, though newcomers might not notice it at first since the arena was partially sunken underground.

Nevertheless, approaching it would fill one’s field of vision with its scale, eliciting involuntary exclamations of admiration.

Even more impressive was the vast and expansive activity area that unfolded as one descended underground.

The seating capacity easily accommodated tens of thousands.

Thanks to this, the circular arena, which readily accommodated even spectators flooding in from outside, was currently bustling with overflowing crowds.

The Warrior God Festival was a national event that Dabas Kingdom had carried on since ancient times.

Although chivalry was permeating the world, the spirit of warriors and their long-standing achievements, which had permeated the world long before that, would never diminish.

As long as the people of Dabas existed.

“Ugh…”

And Raymond, who had entered the main tournament of such a grand competition, was feeling queasy due to the pressure of entering his first match.

Because of this, even after being led to the arena, he still couldn’t regain his composure.

When cheers erupted loud enough to burst eardrums, and shortly after, a dark-skinned girl appeared as his opponent.

‘Huh, maybe this time too… it might be possible?’

He had fallen into complacent thoughts, but as soon as the battle began, Raymond painfully realized just how complacent he had been.

‘Aaargh!’

He couldn’t scream aloud because there wasn’t even a moment’s opportunity to do so.

Yet somehow his body reacted and managed to dodge.

“You’re quite nimble, aren’t you?”

But that alone was enough to soak his entire body in cold sweat.

Was it because of the tension and shock added to his brief movement?

His breathing was already disrupted.

‘I thought I was going to die.’

They say that as long as you don’t die instantly, a white mage on standby will rush over to heal you, but even without that, while cheers might follow, there would be no condemnation or blame for someone who killed their opponent.

In fact, it seems that every year, some people die in this tournament.

A festival where people live and die.

‘This is why these barbaric warrior types!’

Although Raymond didn’t despise mages, just disliked them, his way of thinking was still far removed from that of warriors.

“…Phew.”

He gauged the distance while trying to maintain as much space as possible.

Nevertheless, it was clear that he was outmatched in every aspect.

Whatever training she had undergone, her level was truly extraordinary.

‘…I’m starting to get a feel for it now?’

Things he couldn’t even guess before—how strong someone might be based on their appearance, what weapon they used, where their center of gravity was, how they might react—while not everything, he was beginning to see some of it.

And that’s precisely why he was left speechless.

‘Do the real ones come out once we reach the main tournament?’

He realized just how lucky he had been.

Considering that even Delica, who was far beyond his reach, had surrendered with both hands up, even if he miraculously overcame this crisis, the next one would likely be difficult.

‘But I’ve done well to get this far, right?’

Sword? Blade?

Anyway, he had only been learning this properly for a month or two at most.

He had wondered if he might have some innate talent, but Kariel had said no.

He had said:

[You have a talent for effort.]

A talent for effort?

[It’s a talent that won’t be used unless you put in a certain level of effort and immersion.]

When he asked if that was something great, Kariel neither affirmed nor denied.

[Think of it as a talent that allows you to consistently continue what you’re engaged in, without getting tired of it, according to your will.]

It was an explanation that was hard to understand.

“Huff! Huff!”

“Caught your breath, shall we continue?”

As she walked toward him step by step, despite her mysterious beauty and alluring movements, each one felt like a sharp awl piercing his entire body.

It literally felt as if she could attack him freely from anywhere, at any time.

And that wasn’t just an illusion.

Just her approaching with her body lowered made his vision go dark.

But it wasn’t real yet.

It was just that with a mere hint of her fighting spirit, he had frozen like a frog before a snake.

But if he didn’t resist, he’d really be eaten!

Raymond reflexively took the most familiar action.

Neutralizing the opponent’s attack with the slender knife in his hand.

Though it was called a knife, excluding the handle, it was only half the length of his arm.

…But this was the best he could do right now.

Because this length and weight felt like an extension of his hands, arms, and feet.

Clang! Tang!

Nimble sword strikes twisted and deflected the precarious slashes.

“Hmm?”

Because of this, Aristetis, the girl wielding the sword, seemed to sense something strange and intensified her offensive even more.

Amidst the sword strikes that came like flowing water or gusting wind,

Raymond responded to them precariously, as if swept up in a storm.

‘Ah, ah! Aah!’

Die! Really die! I’m going to die!

Blocking was all he could do.

With no room even to breathe, he was somehow responding with extreme concentration.

But with the thread of life seemingly about to snap by the slimmest margin, his heart kept sinking.

Yet the fact that he was somehow responding was likely the fruit of the hardship engraved in his body.

However.

While he himself might somehow respond.

…The knife in his hand didn’t seem to have that luxury.

Crack!

Beyond the blade giving way, it shattered, and the blade fell off.

Thud!

The blade embedded itself in the ground with a brutal sound.

“Gasp!”

Before he could even be startled, with her skill, she could have already sliced his neck or torso, but Aristetis prevented needless tragedy by stopping her sword near his neck.

“Well done!”

“Ah… yes. Th… thank… you?”

While Raymond trembled and gave a clumsy response in his dazed state,

The match was declared, and the explosive cheers of the audience violently shook the circular arena.

“……”

Although he had lost, Raymond found it somewhat strange that he was here, even as a supporting character.

They might not respect or admire him, but even so, this situation of receiving applause from them was… honestly a bit… how should he put it.

“For someone with one arm, you’ve done quite well. You must have worked hard.”

“What? Ah… well…”

I did work hard. I worked very hard.

It would have been nice if he could assert that confidently.

For some reason, at those words, like a mute who had eaten honey… Raymond could only let out an awkward laugh without saying anything.

‘Did I really work hard?’

It was true that every moment had been his best effort.

But experiencing this situation, a strange stubbornness welled up.

Along with a sense of self-loathing.

In fact, I could have worked harder than I did.

At the time, I thought it was my best effort.

But looking back, I regret it.

…When will I be able to live a life without regrets?

Clearly, in the past, this much would have been more than enough to move and impress me.

But now, greed arises.

Enthusiasm surges.

…It’s not because I lost to a girl.

It’s just… since I’ve come this far, if I could have at least reached the semifinals or finals, if not won.

Then perhaps, the disappointment would have been less… that kind of regret… is all it was.

…If I had just been eliminated in the preliminaries, I wouldn’t have had such absurd thoughts.

“Haha…”

Truly.

Human beings, greed.

It seems there’s simply no end to it.

Was that why?

“Are you okay?”

“Huh? Ah? Yes. I’m, I’m fine…”

To the point where he didn’t even realize he was sobbing.

Raymond was truly, truly feeling a surge of sorrow.

If I too.

If I had worked hard, worked as hard as others.

If I had worked a little harder than others.

If I had truly done so…