Ch.38Ep.38: Clashing Beliefs

“I’m going to lose my mind… To be backstabbed like this…”

“So there was a reason I couldn’t choose Veichel. Since she never actually died, the reincarnation plan couldn’t have worked in the first place.”

While Radios was facing Veichel in despair.

The person who truly despaired was none other than Hades.

Of all people, Veichel had discovered the truth and fallen to corruption.

In this situation, there was no telling what Radios might do.

Especially since Radios had been extremely wary of Hades from the beginning.

He would certainly try to find out why Veichel had fallen by any means necessary.

‘If he discovers what Athena did, he’ll turn against us.’

Hades hadn’t installed a control device in Radios.

Or more accurately, he hadn’t been able to.

Radios was suspicious by nature, and had shown signs that he would abandon reincarnation at the slightest hint of something suspicious.

But as a result, Radios had become a robot that couldn’t be controlled.

For Hades, who controlled all the Underworld messengers and Das Pluto, this was nothing short of a disaster.

And now he couldn’t even retrieve Kynee and Astrape.

If he suddenly demanded them back, their already poor relationship would become completely hostile.

“Brother… This is no ordinary matter. Radios Magnum is no longer our ally…”

“…”

“We need to cut him off. If he attains an Order here…”

“Don’t worry about that. The Level 4 seal won’t be broken no matter what he does.”

The Level 4 seal was designed to be broken when one attained an Order.

But until the Level 4 seal was broken, he couldn’t even detect what an Order was.

Unless someone told him directly.

“I’ll have to give orders to Elysse.”

To cut off Radios Magnum’s head if the opportunity arose.

***

“How brave of you to meet me alone without even thinking of running away.”

“You were someone I absolutely had to defeat.”

“Yes. You’ve always been stubborn in strange ways.”

Shhhing.

As Veichel created a spear with magic power, Radios simultaneously generated a magic sword.

“Serena. Did you meet her?”

“…Yes.”

“How did she look?”

Was it provocation or not?

Veichel narrowed her eyes at Radios’s question, which was asked with an emotionless gaze.

But there was no need to withhold an answer.

“She asked me why I ended up like this. I suppose it’s because the person least likely to fall has fallen.”

“That’s right. The person least likely to do so… that’s you.”

Radios pointed his magic sword at Veichel and murmured softly.

“Let’s end it here, Veichel. So you won’t suffer anymore… I’ll end it here.”

“That sounds strange. The one who’s ending is you, Radios.”

Whoosh.

With those words, Veichel struck the ground with her spear shaft.

In the silent wasteland, the man and woman glared at each other.

Step, step.

As Veichel took the first step forward, Radios also stepped forward.

Their steps toward each other were extremely light.

And their pace quickened with each step forward.

As their walking turned into running, and the two came within striking distance.

Clang!

The magic spear and magic sword collided.

At that same moment.

“What are you saying! I’m going too! I can’t leave the captain alone!”

“It’s Radios’s request. I cannot allow it.”

“Even if it’s his request! I will stay by his side!”

Arsia had learned that Radios had gone to fight Veichel alone and tried to follow him.

But Kraud, following Radios’s words, prevented Arsia from going after him.

Breaking through by force was obviously impossible, and teleportation was also impossible.

From the beginning, Kraud was the only one in the goblin village who could use spatial magic.

This was so he could quickly annihilate any outside intruders.

Anyway, Arsia was now stuck in the goblin village.

“Please… please let me go.”

“Radios said he would finish this alone. No.”

“Chief!!”

“Trust him. He will certainly win.”

“..!”

Trust him.

That was what Radios always told her.

But this time, she didn’t want to believe his words.

And for good reason.

‘Black, he said… He absolutely, absolutely cannot win…’

The future of Radios she saw with her Clairvoyant Eye showed the same color as when he was betrayed and met his death.

As a last resort, she even mentioned her Clairvoyant Eye, but the answer was still no.

Enraged by this, when Arsia tried to leave the village on her own.

Elysse blocked her path.

“This is Lord Hades’s order. Let Lord Radios fight alone.”

“…Hades’s order? Are you saying the captain is following Hades’s orders now?”

“That’s not it. However, Hades said that the current situation is for Olympus’s benefit, so absolutely do not support Lord Radios–“

“For Olympus’s benefit?”

Boom.

Arsia, who had been holding back all this time, finally unleashed a roar through her magic power.

“Not for Olympus, but because they’re afraid their meal ticket will be cut off, right?”

“That’s not it.”

“You think you can block my way, you puppet of Hades?”

“I’ll inform you once more. If you insist on supporting Lord Radios, I will stop you.”

With that, Elysse drew out her scythe.

Seeing her resolute appearance, Arsia snorted.

‘Hades… you use him when convenient, but when he becomes a threat, you try to let him die?’

Using an enemy’s hand because moving directly would cause even bigger problems?

“Disgusting… I can’t stand how disgusting this is!”

What did it matter if she was being controlled or not?

She would erase this annoying woman right in front of her.

Even if Radios returned alive and blamed her.

As Elysse quietly watched Arsia using goblin fire.

“Confirmed intent to attack. Intercepting.”

She began blocking Arsia’s attacks with full force.

“Dad! Do something!”

“…Leave them be. People grow through fighting.”

“Dad!”

Brina, startled by the sudden fight between the two, asked Kraud to intervene.

But he stood with his arms crossed, not moving.

Nor could Brina intervene in that fight.

Not knowing the inside story, she thought both Elysse and Arsia were fighting for Radios.

Although she didn’t fully trust Elysse, she was a comrade.

In other words, she was torn about whose side to take.

‘And if Elysse were to use her Order…’

It would take the goblin fighters to stop her.

Fortunately, she didn’t seem to be using her Order to fight Arsia.

‘Brother Las… please come back soon…’

Since only Radios could stop the two of them.

Brina could only watch their fight and desperately hope for Radios’s return.

While this chaos was unfolding in the goblin village.

Clang!

“Have you gotten slower? Because of your prosthetic arm?”

“Your strength isn’t what it used to be either. I guess that’s what happens when you die and come back to life.”

“One of your arms seems dead, but your mouth is still alive?”

“You’ve become more foul-mouthed since coming back to life.”

Without using Orders or skills.

Radios and Veichel continued their fight using only their physical strength and magic power.

This wasn’t the result of an agreement, but rather like an unspoken pressure.

Although Veichel had received an assassination mission.

Although she had cut off her lingering attachment to the years spent with Radios.

She didn’t want to crush and overwhelm him with her Order and kill him.

They understood each other from the time they had spent together.

And just as Veichel hated Olympus, Radios must surely hate Olympus too.

He too had died without hearing the voice of the gods.

‘I must defeat you like this for my life to have meaning.’

Carrying out her own justice.

Veichel’s justice had been shattered, and a new belief was now moving her body.

She wanted to prove something, to make it recognized.

‘For that purpose.’

Not to defeat him with an Order, but with strength. To win against him solely with skill and power.

Crack!!

Just now, another magic spear had been shattered.

Radios’s martial skills hadn’t rusted; they had become even more proficient.

However, Veichel had lost an arm and had only recently been fitted with a prosthetic.

Her movements were slower than before, and she was clearly inferior to Radios in terms of physical power.

Nevertheless, she was more skilled at utilizing magic power.

Even if her spear broke, she immediately formed a new weapon.

Or she continuously launched check moves against Radios, who kept his distance with a short sword.

She, who was once called the apostle of Athena, the goddess of war, had a unique sense that came alive in battle.

Radios knew this well too, and his magic sword was shattered as many times as her magic spear.

‘You’ve weakened, but you haven’t weakened, Veichel.’

Perhaps as her movement declined, she had grown in other areas.

Breaking free from the framework of Olympus, she must have gained new insights.

Even now, as they clashed sword and spear, they observed each other’s eyes.

The meaning in each other’s gaze was the same.

The path you must walk is not there.

So I will end it now.

“Haaah!”

“Kugh!”

Radios, who had made his magic sword even larger to form a greatsword.

He struck down Veichel’s spear with force.

She momentarily lost her balance as she was pushed back in the clash of power.

Radios aimed for her side with his left knee, seizing the opportunity.

Clang!

She cleverly deflected his knee by turning her spear shaft.

Thanks to this, the situation was reversed again.

As Radios’s leg was lifted into the air, weakening the force behind his sword.

Veichel lowered her posture and thrust her spear blade toward his neck.

Swish!

But Radios didn’t stay still either.

He pushed off with his foot on the ground and backflipped.

He threw his greatsword and charged at her with twin daggers.

But Veichel seemed to have anticipated this, as she held short spears in both hands.

Clang-clang-clang-clang!

The two crossed their arms at a terrifying speed, deflecting each other’s weapons dozens of times.

It was very natural for small wounds to appear in the process.

Neither of them used skills first.

As if it were a battle of pride.

The woman who was once the captain of the Guardian Spirits and the man who is the current captain.

They swung their weapons at each other like madmen.