Ch. 315 Heroine – Chapter 315
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 315
It was the most solemn day that came every year.
Commemorating the victims, mourning the fallen.
Praying for the departed, comforting those who remained.
Embracing wounds that had yet to heal, sharing the grief.
The Great Catastrophe.
The most horrific disaster in the history of the United Nations.
An unforgettable nightmare for those accustomed to peace on thin ice.
An era of strife. The early days of the United Nations’ founding. It was a disaster rarely seen even in the chaotic times when society and systems were not yet complete.
The life-risking struggles of the Supernaturals, and the control of information to guard against mental corruption, made the war a spectator sport for ordinary people. They acknowledged the danger of the monsters but did not truly feel it. Information related to monsters was strictly regulated, so all materials proving their existence were censored.
Therefore, for the majority of citizens, monsters felt like a fictional creation. So much so that conspiracy theories arose, claiming that the monsters from another world did not exist and were merely propaganda from the government and the Celestial Corps. There were even protests claiming it was a manipulation by the Supernaturals to control the non-powered.
However, on that day when the peace achieved through the blood and sweat of countless heroes was shattered.
People learned.
How ignorantly they had been living.
The disaster they thought was a spectator sport was right in front of them.
The war with the monsters was not a fabricated lie, nor was it a thing of the past.
The war for the survival of humanity was still an ongoing, unending struggle.
District 1. Many people gathered in the square. Some to mourn family, some to mourn friends, some to mourn lovers. To mourn the precious people they could no longer meet. The memorial service, which began early in the morning, soothed the pain of many.
“Ahahaha, humans are swarming like bugs.”
A girl in a red fox mask sat atop the clock tower, a famous landmark in District 1. She playfully swung her legs back and forth to the ticking of the clock, observing the scene below. The eulogy carried on the wind reached her ears. Astaroth hummed a tune.
“We exterminated so many, yet they still swarm like insects. Makes humans seem like trash.”
300 years ago. She had been killing them since the first invasion, yet there were still so many humans.
“Perhaps the greatest strength of humans was their fertility. They just keep increasing as we kill them. Thinking about it, it makes sense. “
Astaroth chuckled.
She didn’t hate humans. She even had a liking for them.
Considering that even Murmur, who was indifferent to humans, secretly despised them, it was quite an unusual case.
In the past, she genuinely hated them, but now she didn’t have any particular resentment. A lot had changed between the Astaroth who descended on the lost paradise five years ago and the current Astaroth. It might have been because she lived among humans, or because of the influence of the girl she used as a vessel, or because she learned the unknown truth.
“The Four Seasons.”
She murmured softly.
When she took off the red fox mask, her clear blue eyes were revealed.
Astaroth looked up at the sky and muttered to herself.
“I pity you.”
You are the perpetrators to us.
But to you, we must be the perpetrators.
Stealing our paradise must be a just revenge for you.
Our attacking you is our just revenge.
It was too late to argue about who was right and wrong.
In the end, they were both perpetrators and victims to each other.
“So.”
The corners of her lips twisted.
Astaroth narrowed her eyes.
A bright, yet unsettling smile.
With a smile that combined kindness and eeriness, she said.
“I’ll end it all.”
She opened her parasol and placed it on her shoulder. Even though there were no sunbeams because it was covered by dark clouds, she shielded herself with the parasol. Pressing down on her mask, Astaroth slowly rose from her seat.
“So, can you just step aside? Today is a special day. I don’t want to be disturbed.”
“Well, I’ll consider it depending on your attitude.”
Hair like the night sky fluttered in the wind.
Brilliant golden light dwelled in her clear blue eyes.
A light that seemed to pierce through anything tapped on the parasol.
The God of War glared at Astaroth, averting her eyes.
“If you obediently die, I will step aside without interference.”
“Ahahaha, what’s that? If I die, there’s no point in stepping aside. The Seasons’ Bell is good at making jokes too. That was the funniest joke I’ve heard this year.”
“You’re one to talk. Thanks to you, I can laugh for once.”
Astaroth shrugged her shoulders. She gently shielded the golden light with her parasol as if it were dazzling.
“So, you’re the one? The commander of the Celestial Corps who crushed Murmur. It’s the first time I’ve seen you in person. How did you know I was here? Did the Seasons tell you? That’s strange. I was hiding pretty well.”
“That’s not what’s important right now.”
The God of War’s right hand gripped the sword hilt. Even when facing Murmur, he hadn’t wielded a weapon, but now he was drawing his sword.
“What’s important is that I’m standing in front of you now, and what I’m going to do.”
“Kill me? Me? Can you do it?”
“Do you think I can’t?”
Astaroth frowned at the God of War’s question. You never know until you try. The same goes for the outcome of a battle. You don’t know until you clash directly. But that only applies when the combatants are of similar caliber. The girl in the red fox mask nodded readily.
‘Yeah, I don’t think I can win.’
The other captains were amazing too, but… what is this guy? The leader of the captains is definitely different. I know that similar sensation from experience. Among the equally matched devil gods, there were four demons with particularly different statures. Baal. Agares. Vassago. Amon. The overwhelming presence I could only feel when standing before them.
“Are you sure? About fighting here?”
But even after realizing the difference in power, Astaroth was not deterred. Not even a hint of fear could be seen. Instead, she burst into laughter as if mocking him.
“There are a lot of humans here, you know? Do you want to make the people who came for the memorial service mourn themselves?”
A commander and a devil.
The pinnacle of humanity and the pinnacle of monsters.
The battle between beings capable of erasing a city from the map was nothing short of a natural disaster.
Even being caught up in it would mean death. Just being swept away by the aftermath would leave not even scraps of flesh.
Moreover, if they were to fight in a densely populated area like now, the casualties would be incalculable.
“You seem to be mistaken about something.”
Golden light was overlaid on the sword’s blade.
The sword shone brilliantly like the Holy Sword of Johan.
A radiance that seemed to draw the stars of the night sky to the ground.
The God of War glared with the radiant sword, threatening her.
“Do you think that you can even struggle in front of me?”
“…”
“…I want to say that, but I’m a man who knows when something is impossible. If a devil god is determined to take the surrounding people as hostages, even I would have a hard time stopping it.”
Any other place would be different, but this place was crowded with people for the memorial service. If even a single devil god’s attack was missed, countless lives would depart this world.
I have to kill her in an instant so she can’t even struggle. If you ask whether I can do it or not, I can. But it was an uncertain possibility. It’s just that I can, but it’s not guaranteed that I will. There was also a high possibility of failure. The God of War does not overestimate himself. He did not want to gamble with the lives of others.
“If I were alone, that is.”
“…Huh?”
“I refuse gradual deployment.”
“Oh, I think I’ve heard something similar before. When was it?”
Krung!
The sound of thunder echoed.
Astaroth looked up at the sky at the sense of deja vu.
Electricity flowed through the unruly yellow hair.
A chilling strangeness was contained in the eyes that seemed to be carved from diamonds.
“Long time no see.”
“Ahahaha, who is this? It’s Lightning Man? How have you been?”
2nd Division Captain.
Thunderclap, Kallad.
He landed behind Astaroth.
“Excuse me.”
What drove out the sound of thunder was the fierce sound of wind.
The already fierce wind was even more rampant like a runaway horse.
The flow of air, which could not be seen, began to be visible visually.
The soil, dust, leaves, and other materials carried by the wind were crushed into powder.
“You came too? Eyeball monster.”
“It’s a hard title to deny, but you’re not one to talk.”
4th Division Captain.
The Storm, Karma.
Drawing a curve with his closed eyes, he blocked Astaroth’s left side.
“Is this the girl? She’s certainly dangerous. I can feel the hair on my whole body standing on end.”
Part of the clock tower was crushed. The clock tower shook as if there was an earthquake just from landing.
Golden eyes sparkled through the vivid crimson hair.
Thud. Creak.
A chilling sound like bones breaking echoed from her clenched fist. A woman nearly 2 meters tall took Astaroth’s right side. Her white coat fluttered like a mane. Her pupils sharpened like a lion that had found its prey.
“I’ve never seen you before. I know you’re a captain, but who are you?”
“You don’t need to know. What does my identity matter to a bitch who’s about to die?”
6th Division Captain.
The King of Beasts.
Elijah.
“You called three more captains just to catch me? Don’t you think that’s overkill?”
“It’s overkill to kill you. But it’s the right force to minimize damage.”
Ahahaha, this is a big problem.
It’s a definite checkmate.
I can’t let my guard down even with just three captains, but the captains are just window dressing.
The real deal is the boy in front of me.
Fight four captains, including the God of War?
Astaroth stroked the edge of her mask and nodded.
“Yeah, I’m screwed.”
Regina, my precious friend.
How are you doing?
I’m about to die right now.
Help me.
Author Note
A/N (Author’s note):
Astaroth, in the middle of gunfire.
Translator Note
T/N (Translator’s note):
Let her win, she done no wrong!
Placeholders
0 Comments