episode_0143

“… … ?”

Those who closed their eyes tightly in despair at the impending death slowly opened their eyes to the end that was never approaching.

“… Huh?”

And then I saw it.

An unbelievable sight.

A dragon that spewed out its breath with the power to destroy the world, and that seemed as if it would swallow the world whole.

The sight of two halves, starting from the head to the end.

At that unbelievable sight, they felt hope for a moment, but then shook their heads.

Until now, I have seen Armianon come back to life several times, even after his head was cut in half or split in two.

Anyway, it won’t be long before that monster will recover.

With that thought in mind, people tried to suppress the hope that had secretly risen.

However.

“… … ?”

Even as time passed, the scene they had pictured in their heads did not become reality.

Armianon, split in two, no longer moved.

No, beyond that.

“Um, that… … !”

The massive body began to shake with two halves.

“No way… … !”

When people saw that scene, their eyes widened.

I started to pay attention to Hope, who I had been trying to ignore.

And finally.

Kuung─

The legendary monster Armianon, a dragon with two halves, was cut in two and laid its body on the ground.

People just stared blankly at that scene, shaken by the vibrations.

Because it was such an unrealistic sight.

After staring at the black dragon’s corpse in fascination for a while, their eyes soon naturally moved.

Toward the man standing in front of Armianon.

The image of a man standing still, holding a sword in his hand.

They looked on with trembling eyes.

Meanwhile.

“… Warrior.”

Someone muttered.

It may be said to be an absurd statement, but no one present would deny it.

No, I couldn’t deny it.

There was no one here who did not know the legend of the hero Ferdion.

And, as everyone in this room looked at the man, they remembered a legend they had once heard.

The legend of a warrior who defeated a black dragon that would threaten the world.

At the same time, their faces began to brighten.

Because I realized that the hope I thought was a vain dream had become reality.

but.

Their expressions had to harden again.

Kuung─

Because the world suddenly became heavier.

***

Kuung─

Feeling pressure pressing down on my entire body, I raised my head.

And then I saw it.

A crack floating in the sky.

I felt it.

The ‘devil’ is once again looking down from beyond the crack.

… No, strictly speaking, it is not ‘again’.

Probably because he was watching what was happening here from beginning to end.

“… … .”

Armianon was an unbelievable monster.

So much so that the description of it as a legendary monster feels insufficient.

If Armianon got out of here safely and appeared on the continent. It would have been one of the greatest disasters in the history of the continent.

The destruction of the continent… I don’t think it would go that far, but it would probably cause equivalent damage to the continent.

To that extent, Armianon was a monster that exceeded standards.

however.

Even Armianon. It is just a small thing compared to ‘that’ looking down at this place from beyond the crack.

In other words, the gap between humans and ants is… No, there will be a bigger gap than that.

‘That’ beyond the crack… I couldn’t even guess how much power the ‘devil’ had.

I could only vaguely feel and guess.

That ‘that’ is truly a being that can destroy the continent at will.

Therefore, I had no choice but to swallow dry saliva.

The future of those here will be determined depending on what will ‘that’ has and what actions it takes.

‘That’ may wield its power in anger over the death of its own creation, Armianon.

And if that happens… … .

‘… It’s over.’

It’s over.

A complete and undeniable end.

There is no doubt that none of the people here will survive and die.

““… … .””

Everyone held their breath.

Under the pressure that seemed to crush everything in the world, everyone stood still, holding their breath.

and.

In the trembling silence, ‘it’ finally moved its gaze.

And where the gaze stopped… That’s right, it was me.

“… … .”

The pressure that was weighing on my son-in-law became even stronger.

A pressure that goes beyond the body and seems to crush even the soul.

However, there was no hostility or anger there that I was worried about.

‘… interest?’

What was there was not something like hostility, but something close to interest.

Even though he personally killed Armianon, the creature he worked so hard to create, instead of getting angry, he instead looked at him with interest.

It was hard to understand, but I quickly shook my head.

In the first place, ‘that’ and ‘those’ are not entities that humans can understand in the first place.

So even trying to understand their thoughts would be meaningless.

Because that’s what I thought, I gave up reading his intentions.

But.

‘… ‘If you think about it, it makes no sense.’

As I said before, there is not the slightest hint of hostility in his gaze.

Still, the pressure on my body was at a level that could crush my soul.

This is not just a metaphor; if a normal person were to receive this gaze, they would probably die instantly.

And even my soul would have been torn to pieces.

No, even if it doesn’t go to ordinary people, the warriors around here will be no different.

Right now, they are only holding on because they are receiving an indirect presence, that is, from ‘beyond the crack’. Assuming they receive direct attention, most of them would probably die on the spot.

Among these, the one that can withstand this gaze is… There are probably only Ten Sword-level warriors.

… No, maybe Kahim could do it too?

As for me, it’s not that I didn’t feel the pressure, but it wasn’t so much that I couldn’t handle it.

This is definitely thanks to stepping into a new realm.

While I was lost in thoughts about this and that.

─────.

A voice was heard.

No, more accurately, he should be described as a doctor.

‘It’ beyond the crack spoke to me.

‘Interesting.’

… That’s it.

“… … .”

At this moment, I recalled a memory from the past.

I remember the first time I encountered one of ‘those guys’ at a lake near Lakenwood during the summer of my freshman year.

He also showed interest in me.

When I remembered that memory, questions naturally arose.

Why are they so interested in me?

Simply because I defeated their creatures and minions?

Of course, there was no way I would know the answer.

A vague thought crossed my mind that that might not be the reason.

───────.

The bastard’s voice continued again.

“… … .”

My eyebrows naturally furrowed as I understood what he meant.

A doubt arose as I looked at the crack.

However, ‘it’ did not provide an answer to the question.

Immediately his gaze fell from me.

Seuuuuh─

The crack that had opened in the sky gradually began to get smaller.

And at the same time.

Sreuk─

Armianon’s body, which was the size of a mountain, and the slime monsters that covered the surroundings disappeared without a trace, as if they had been erased with an eraser.

I noticed.

That all of this was done by the being beyond the crack.

A young question grew in my eyes, but of course there was no answer.

Sigh─

The crack completely disappeared.

Right after that.

“… … Breathe.”

“… Oh, what the hell is that… … .”

People who couldn’t even breathe properly were breathing heavily.

Perhaps because the pressure that had been weighing on the sons-in-law had disappeared, a deep sense of liberation appeared on their faces.

But I am.

With an open face, I just looked up at the sky where the cracks had disappeared.

His last words were playing in my head.

‘I’ll be watching.’

The guy said that.

***

When the whole situation was over, people let out a sigh of relief and fell to the floor.

Although I was the one who dealt with Armianon, there was no denying that they also went through a lot of hardship.

Because I had to fight non-stop against endless slime monsters.

Most of them were so exhausted that they could barely move, and they had injuries to a greater or lesser extent.

However.

Nevertheless, their expressions were bright.

Because I realized that I had escaped the crisis and survived in the end.

However, even in the midst of this, there was someone with a dark expression.

Exactly, me.

The reason was not because of what ‘it’ said a moment ago.

It was because the eyes of everyone here were focused on me.

“Aren’t you in big trouble now?”

I couldn’t deny what Ethan said with a smile on his face.

Considering the situation I’m in, I can’t be happy about this kind of attention.

… No, it would have been better if it was just a glance.

In particular, the owner of the gaze that was felt strongly was a problem.

Ten swords including the Silver Knight and Blood Flower, Panana Johanna.

and… … .

“Hey! Andel… ! What are you… … !”

Even Max came towards me with a face filled with indescribable emotions.

Even without using much imagination, it was easy to predict that they would surround me with endless questions.

However, should I say that I am fortunate?

That prediction did not become reality.

Just before that happens.

Pachang!

Because the tomb collapsed.

“What, what!”

“ Why is this suddenly happening…? ?”

Although it was a sudden phenomenon, I was not very surprised.

Rather, I thought it was natural.

In the first place, this space itself was created for a purpose.

Now that the purpose was accomplished, there was no reason to maintain it any longer.

Additionally, the appearance of Armianon or the ‘Devil’ would have had a great impact.

Because they are too large for an artificially created space to handle.

Just like that, I alone maintained my composure among the panicking people.

And, taking advantage of that opportunity, he left the place.

Due to the chaotic situation and the crowds, none of those who were approaching me could chase me.

Thanks to you, I was able to successfully escape the crisis.

Through that process, I became distant from people.

‘What should I do now…? .’

I was thinking about the future.

Now that he has attracted attention with his identity as Andel, Darvilo is now in a position where he cannot return.

The regret in itself wasn’t that great, but there was something that bothered me.

Having to leave without being able to say goodbye to people who are indebted to him, including Anton and Nina.

But it was unavoidable.

‘Those two people… I’ll have to look again later.’

After everything was resolved.

I shook off my regrets, thinking that if my name was cleared, I would have to come to Darville again to express my gratitude.

Anyway, this prevented one of the church’s plans.

But, of course, this was not the end.

It is certainly a great achievement to stop their plan, but we have not yet reached a fundamental solution.

Now I had to find the shadow of the church again and chase after them.

If I think about it that way, the thought that it might not be much different from the situation before coming to Darbil suddenly crossed my mind.

However, that was literally just a momentary thought.

Because there was one big difference between then and now.

“Where are you going in such a hurry?”

A familiar voice came from behind me.

As soon as I turned my head, what I saw was a face as familiar as the voice.

“You should keep your promise to explain later, man.”

Unlike then, there was one companion whose identity there was no need to hide now.

So, I came out of the forest with a lighter step than before.

… However, it didn’t take long for those steps to become heavy.

The rumor I heard in the city I stopped by shortly after leaving the forest made my steps and my heart heavier than ever before.

It was none other than a rumor that war would break out soon.