episode_0138

“Screech!”

Another life crumbled into nothing.

It had been almost two hours since they began their search, and in that time, they had dealt with dozens of parasitic monsters.

“Sigh… Just how far does this go? There’s no end in sight. Only these disgusting creatures keep appearing.” “Just a little more effort. There probably isn’t much left.” “Why? Do you sense something?” “No, not really. It’s just a hunch. More importantly, everyone seems tired, so let’s take a break. Regina-nim, please rest. I’ll take watch first.”

Isis, who had ordered the break, patted Regina’s shoulder and kept watch on the front. There was no need to worry about their rear; they had already dealt with all the parasitic monsters in the areas they had passed through.

As I leaned my back against the wall, Abel slumped down next to me and spoke. “By the way, this is serious. What’s the situation like outside?” “Why, are you worried about Uni?” “Huh? Th-that too, but I’m not just talking about Uni. Everyone’s out there.” “Everyone…”

It was truly as he said. Everyone was at the fortress. All the main characters who would play significant roles in Abel’s Chronicles had been assigned to the Western Front. They were probably sweating profusely, trying to stop the monster legions pouring down from the mountains. And we would have already been counted among the dead.

“Ruan. Isn’t there anyone you’re worried about?” “Worried? Well, I should probably save myself before worrying about others, shouldn’t I? Though, it would be a bit sad if they weren’t there when I returned.”

Still, such a thing wouldn’t happen. Bruno would handle Behemoth, and the knights and soldiers on the front lines would deal with the remaining monsters. Of course, even so, the students wouldn’t be completely unharmed, but at least the main characters wouldn’t be seriously injured. I even know that Skadia would gain another realization from this battle. Personally, even if we don’t get along, I have to admit her talent.

‘By the way, what about Deborah?’ Since she’s so deeply involved with me, I’m worried it might act as some variable and cause problems. I was already planning to visit Deborah on the last day, and this would make a good excuse to go.

‘She’ll be surprised, won’t she?’ She might cry and cling to me, thinking I was dead but then seeing me return perfectly fine. I missed Deborah’s warmth. As I reminisced about my friends and chatted with Abel, time quickly passed.

We resumed our search. Thirty minutes later, I crushed a parasitic monster underfoot and looked around.

‘It feels like we’re almost there.’ In the game, the flow of time was different from reality, so exact calculation was impossible, but I remembered it taking around three hours. As if to prove my conjecture, a vast cavern could be seen in the distance. Light brightly illuminated the floor, as if there was a path leading outside on one side.

“Everyone, look over there! It’s light!” “Are we there? Let’s go quickly.” “Be careful. We don’t know what might be there.” Isis calmed the excited Regina and slowly moved forward. Soon, everyone stepped into the cavern.

“Oh my God, this is…” “Is this a real monster?” “Wow…” Everyone expressed astonishment and awe. I, too, couldn’t close my mouth as I looked at the enormous body that filled 90 percent of the cavern.

‘It’s incredible.’ Behemoth, the Demonic Beast of Destruction. The legendary demonic beast that descended 600 years ago and inflicted immense damage across the entire continent now lay before my eyes. The pressure was so great it felt suffocating just to look at it. The reason we could remain unharmed by its tremendous power was because the silver longsword plunged into its crown indicated that it had already ceased breathing.

But despite being dead, an enormous amount of demonic energy was gushing from its corpse. That’s when it happened.

“What is that…?” Regina squinted and pointed at Behemoth’s crouching lower abdomen. The flesh there was bulging. The moment everyone instinctively assumed a battle stance as their unease intensified.

Rip! “Shriek!” A monster measuring 30 meters tore through Behemoth’s belly skin and revealed itself. Its appearance was identical to Behemoth. Only the dozens of tentacles sprouting from its entire body hinted at its true nature.

Isis shouted. “Everyone, be careful! It’s a parasitic monster!” Indeed. Its true identity was a parasitic monster that had taken over Behemoth’s carcass. It had absorbed demonic energy from the corpse, preserving its strength as much as possible, waiting a long time for prey to appear.

In the instant everyone but me flinched in surprise, the parasitic monster moved. Crash! The ground caved in, and the parasitic monster’s tentacles, rushing forward with afterimages, swept across the entire space. A flurry of blows! A rapid barrage of attacks that left no room to dodge. Isis succeeded in deflecting all of them with spear techniques that were almost divine.

However, perhaps because she moved too abruptly and couldn’t fully deflect all the impact from the tentacles, she lost her balance. The parasitic monster immediately thrust its maw forward. Its jagged, sharp teeth were poised to tear into her slender neck.

However, she wasn’t alone here. “How dare you!” Boom! With Regina’s subsequent supporting fire, the parasitic monster was engulfed in flames and knocked back. Afterward, Abel, who had intervened, focused its gaze to block the monster as it rose and charged again. It was excellent teamwork.

However, even with that, it was impossible to defeat the creature. They were barely keeping up with its tempo and enduring. Even this was only possible thanks to me and Regina; otherwise, they would have been miserably overwhelmed. Still, if this situation continued, their stamina would eventually run out first.

‘Not yet?’ I glanced at the silver longsword plunged into Behemoth’s crown. The soul of a paladin who lost his life during the battle with Behemoth resided in that sword. Previously, this soul would directly speak to Abel when he was in danger, urging him to draw the sword. Perhaps it wasn’t speaking because the danger wasn’t as great as I thought? If so, that’s a misunderstanding, so I wished it would hurry and speak.

The moment I was anxiously waiting for the paladin, a familiar voice echoed in my head. -You. Seize the sword.

“Huh?” A dumbfounded sound involuntarily escaped my lips. The voice I just heard was exactly like the paladin’s voice from the game. I wondered if I was hearing things because I had wished for it too intensely, so I picked at my ear, and then the familiar voice spoke again.

-Bearer of contradictory powers. Seize the sword.

This was real. That damn paladin’s soul was really speaking to *me*, not Abel.

‘Ah, damn it.’ I didn’t want this. It must be because I absorbed the Phoenix egg. According to the story, Abel visits the Friuli territory during winter break, so I never imagined such a variable would occur. If I grab the sword, I’ll immediately inherit some of the paladin’s power, but I don’t know what to do.

As I pondered, I decided to just blurt it out. “Abel! I’m hearing a strange voice in my head right now, you know?” “Huh? A strange voice?” “Yeah. It’s telling me to grab the sword, but I use my fists, don’t I? Do you want to try grabbing it?”

“…What?” Abel, busy fighting, turned his head to stare at me, looking dumbfounded by my sudden words. His expression was one of disbelief.

“I’m not joking! It’s real, I swear! It says it’s the paladin who was there when Behemoth was killed. It says it’ll bestow its power if I grab the sword.” “……Are you serious?” “I am! Just try grabbing it, as if you’re taking a gamble. Please?”

As I continued to speak unbelievably, Abel’s face changed from disbelief to pity. The other party members were all reacting similarly; if I said the same thing one more time, I felt like I’d be labeled a madman. As I awkwardly smiled, the parasitic monster happened to strike Abel’s shield.

“Ugh! Sorry! I can’t leave my position right now. Ruan, you go check it out!” “Me?” “Yeah! I can hold out for a bit.” “Right. Ruan! You go!” Isis echoed. She seemed to think I was very ill and wanted me to rest for a while, even if just for a moment. I appreciate the concern, but I’m perfectly sane, so I wish they wouldn’t do that.

‘Damn it. No choice, huh?’ There was no point in trying to persuade them any further. Aside from being treated like a madman, everyone’s stamina was rapidly decreasing even at this moment. If I dragged this out, it would be irreversible.

“Everyone, just hold out a little longer!” I, who had been keeping the parasitic monster in check, boldly pulled back and headed towards Behemoth’s head. Using Infinite Thread to propel myself upwards, I deftly climbed its body with Moon Shadow Steps. I quickly reached its head.

A silver longsword that hadn’t lost an ounce of its light despite 600 years passing. Its appearance was as if it had been forged from molten moonlight. As I briefly admired its appearance, the voice echoed in my mind, as if urging me. -Seize the sword.

“Alright, alright.” I’m going to get a complex from this. Sighing, I decided that since things had come to this, I might as well hope for the best and grabbed the sword.

At that moment, my vision was bathed in bright light. Flash! With an intense glare, as if hit directly by a flashbang, and a sensation like my soul was leaving my body, my vision cleared.

I found myself standing in a space where the background was entirely white. “Finally, we meet face to face.” A voice of unparalleled smoothness, a deep baritone. As I turned my gaze towards its source, I saw a handsome middle-aged man with golden hair and blue eyes.

“You are…” “I am Paladin Alfred. I am the one who called you.”

Clad in golden armor, he exuded an untouchable divinity, even though only his soul remained. Yet, an aura that put others at ease coexisted with it, indicating he was certainly no ordinary person. He observed me and then admired.

“By the way, I’ve never seen a person like you before. The power of a divine beast flows within your body. And the power of a dragon, simultaneously. Remarkable.” “You flatter me.” “Haha! Flattery, you say? Not at all. It’s a body unprecedented and never to be born again.”

“…Thank you.” I scratched my head awkwardly. I was used to all sorts of insults and abuse, but this kind of praise was new to me.

“Haha! There’s no need to be so humble. I merely stated the truth as it is.” “I understand. By the way, what is your intention in showing me this? It’s hard to believe there’s no reason.” “Ah, I’ve taken too much of your time. I know. This unfortunate situation has arisen because we couldn’t properly eliminate all the lingering threats.”

Alfred, with a somber expression, raised his head and looked towards the sky, where a screen appeared. It was a scene of Abel and the others fighting fiercely against the parasitic monster. As I marveled at how strange it was, the screen soon changed, showing a clash between a giant beast and a human made of lightning. With every exchange of blows, the terrain transformed and the sky quaked.

“Is that… Behemoth?” “Yes, it is Behemoth. To be precise, it’s the offspring of the Behemoth you saw. Though it’s grown quite large to still be called an offspring.” “You mean there are more offspring left?”

“…No, excluding that one, the only one left is the one you all were fighting. And even that one had just been born.” It was a relief that there were no other individuals. If there had been a few more Behemoths, the Western Front would have been breached that very day.

“What is your intention in showing me this? It’s hard to believe there’s no reason.” “Haha! You’re quick-witted. As you said, I have a request.” “A request…” “Could you lend me your body for a moment? Just for a moment, truly. I wish to complete my unfinished mission before I depart.”

Alfred’s request was as expected. Confirming that it was no different from before, I readily nodded. “I understand.” “In return, I’ll impart one of my techniques… Huh? What did you say?” “I said I understand.” “Oh… You trust me?” “After all, I have no other choice. In times like these, one must gamble.”

Though I said that, it wasn’t really a gamble. I knew that Alfred truly only intended to help. However, Alfred’s reaction seemed different, and he burst into a bright laugh.

“Hahahaha! It’s fortunate that the person I met after 600 years is you. Indeed, you are a vessel capable of holding the power of a divine beast and a dragon. Then, without further ado, let us proceed. It will be a short time, but I ask for your cooperation.” Alfred extended his hand. “The pleasure is mine.” I responded with a smile and firmly grasped his sturdy hand.

The moment their intentions aligned, a white light flashed again, and when my vision returned, I was back in reality.