Ch.35Descent – 5

“No, what is this……”

The city’s landscape had completely changed from what it was before I got stuck in the crater. A hollow voice escaped my lips as I took in the sight.

Buildings had been swept away to the point where the horizon was visible in the distance, and a little further away, a canyon had formed as if the continent itself had been carved out.

I wondered if this was really the same place that had been functioning somewhat normally until just recently. It was at a level where it wouldn’t be inappropriate to call it a ghost town abandoned for decades.

If humans and monsters had fought a massive battle here, perhaps more would have remained than what I was seeing now.

Something capable of causing destruction more horrific than war. The identity of the perpetrator was obvious. Of course, it had to be Serena. There was no need to think further.

The problem was why Serena had demolished the city to this extent. Had Kartina somehow offended her?

The blood that had suddenly risen from the ground was now drying up, leaving only tiny residues.

Plop. As I shook my head once, droplets of blood from my hair fell to the ground, forming a flattened circular shape.

I had been struggling in that pit for quite a while, but what on earth had happened outside?

Just when I thought I had almost climbed out, blood suddenly filled the crater, and I drowned about ten times.

To make matters worse, a building collapsed toward the crater, preventing me from escaping in time and sending me back to the bottom.

No matter how much it was made of wood, when it piled up to the size of a building, I could never push it up with my strength. Even if it was in blood and thus less affected by weight.

I was counting in my head how many times I might drown this time when suddenly the debris tilted, allowing me to barely escape.

And just as I escaped the crater, all the blood disappeared again, nearly causing me to roll back into it.

If that had happened, I would have given up and quietly called for Serena. If you try twice and fail twice, it’s right to just ask for help.

Having rolled around in a pool of blood, my entire body was a mess of red liquid. I thought anyone who saw me might mistakenly think I had just returned from a stint in hell.

It was funny that my clothes weren’t heavy from absorbing water, but from absorbing blood.

“My lord!”

As I was wringing blood from my clothes, Serena came running, almost flying, and knelt on one knee before me, bowing her head.

In contrast to me, she was spotless and clean. Clearly, it was Serena who had fought with Kartina, yet somehow I looked more of a mess.

“I have successfully carried out the order you gave me, my lord.”

“Order? What order?”

“Did you not order me to eliminate that lord?”

Did I say that? I tried to recall.

I remembered Kartina causing an explosion that destroyed the mansion, and afterward telling Serena to deal with her appropriately. But I don’t think I said to eliminate her.

Surely the abilities possessed by what these heretics worship as a god couldn’t be limited to just body explosion and causing blasts.

There must be countless things I haven’t experienced yet, so would I really have ordered her death? It was clear that the blood rising in the city was also that being’s doing.

Completely erasing one’s existence, squeezing humans to their limits, or making life completely unrecoverable.

I thought that if something was worshipped as a god, it should at least be capable of such feats. And I was planning to experience them one by one.

“You ordered me to try to keep that woman Kartina alive if possible, but to kill her if the situation became unfavorable, so I had no choice but to eliminate her.”

“Uh… the situation was unfavorable? What exactly did she do?”

Serena wouldn’t have had her life threatened by whatever was dwelling in Kartina’s body. After all, it was Serena who had remained unscathed even after taking the full brunt of the explosion Kartina caused right in front of her.

“She dared to ask if I had no intention of serving her. Since she both insulted you, my lord, and denied my reason for existence, I could not bear it and cut her down.”

“……”

I couldn’t understand why that person, no, that god, had provoked someone’s sore spot and brought this situation upon herself.

The reason I had Serena confront Kartina was because Kartina’s attention had completely shifted to Serena.

One person was torn to pieces by an explosion and recovered, while the other stood there unharmed.

Without knowing the inside story, if I, who might simply be seen as someone with super regeneration abilities, had appealed to be killed, it was obvious she wouldn’t listen with Serena right beside me.

A human who was no different from an ordinary person except for body recovery versus a human with skills that might rival her own, who was worshipped as a god.

It didn’t take much thought to figure out which one Kartina would be interested in first.

Serena, for her part, was in a state of shock because I had been severely beaten, and in that moment, Kartina had attacked Serena first, so I had told her to deal with her appropriately and, if the situation became unfavorable, to kill her without regret.

I never imagined Kartina would provoke Serena’s temper in such a way.

“Can’t be helped. Good job, Serena.”

Yes, it was a shame, but I had no intention of reprimanding Serena for this. It was just a potential opportunity that unfortunately didn’t work out.

I wasn’t angry to begin with, and getting angry at Serena based solely on the result would just be foolish.

I was about to pat her head as usual, but I looked alternately at my hand soaked in blood and Serena’s spotless, flowing hair, and lowered my hand slightly.

Serena probably wouldn’t mind at all, but I was concerned.

“How are we going to explain this place now?”

“I will follow your will, my lord.”

“…I don’t know how you fought at all, Serena. In the end, you’ll have to report later—”

Wriggle. Suddenly, the bloodstains on my body began to flow down my legs and gather in one place. My hair returned to its clean black color, and my clothes, which had been soaked with blood, began to dry.

Not only that, but even the droplets of blood I had shaken off the floor gathered in one place, increasing in size. In an instant, Serena’s expression contorted as she reached for World Eater.

“You wench…!”

Seeing Serena’s reaction, it was obvious whose doing this was. Kartina. It meant that whatever was dwelling in that body was still alive and not dead.

To be alive after taking that attack—certainly, the being that the heretics worshipped as a god was worthy of such reverence.

Kartina, who had absorbed all the droplets of blood I had shaken off and barely formed a human shape, staggered as she set foot on the ground.

Her hair was bright red rather than orange, probably because there wasn’t enough blood to perfectly regenerate her body.

“Excellent. Truly excellent.”

That voice contained only pure admiration. There was no fear, anger, or sadness at facing the brink of annihilation.

“To think that I would be pushed to the point of surviving by a momentary stroke of luck.”

Kartina’s fingertip pointed at me.

“The blood stained on your clothes. Without it, I would have been helplessly annihilated in that dark abyss. It was an unexpected stroke of fortune.”

“My lord, please step back. I will accept punishment afterward.”

Before I could ask “What punishment?”, Serena drew World Eater in one hand and strode toward Kartina.

She seemed intent on annihilating Kartina again. Her expression was ominous. It seemed she was quite ashamed that Kartina had not died despite taking that attack.

“Serena, wait.”

Serena stopped in her tracks. I stepped between Kartina and Serena, blocking them. Confusion spread across her face.

“My lord…?”

“I’m glad you’re alive. I thought you were surely dead.”

This time, Kartina tilted her head.

It was certainly a strange thing to say. The lord whom this female knight served with complete loyalty had suddenly uttered such a line to someone she had just fought with the intent to kill.

“Glad I’m alive…? Are you my follower?”

“A follower? As if I would be. I believe in the existence of gods, but I don’t believe in gods themselves.”

“Then what is the true meaning behind your words?”

“Nothing special, just asking you to kill me.”

At my words, Kartina examined me carefully. Her gaze, as if appraising an object, swept over my entire body.

“I’ve seen many humans asking for power or to be saved, but a human asking to be killed? How peculiar. It’s even more strange because there’s no lie in your words.”

“Of course I’d say something like this for real, not fake. So, will you do it or not?”

“I have no reason to refuse. However, the woman behind you seems to have a slightly different opinion.”

Hearing that, I glanced at Serena. She still maintained her usual posture and expression, but I could roughly tell.

That meant she didn’t like my choice. She had been begging me to entrust only her with ending my immortality, so of course she would react this way.

I nodded to indicate it was okay. Serena bit her lip and put World Eater back with trembling hands.

If Serena had ears and a tail, they would undoubtedly have been drooping toward the floor.

Kartina approached me with staggering steps. Her hair, turned bright red with blood, fluttered behind her, and her equally blood-red eyes were fixed on me.

Kartina slowly caressed my chest and let out a short laugh. I just wished she would get it over with quickly.

I could almost hear Serena grinding her teeth behind me. If I hadn’t been here, another canyon would probably have formed in this area. I wondered how I should console her later.

Squelch. Kartina thrust her hand into my body.