episode_0186

Episode 186 ■■(1)

The ground is stained black. Unidentifiable corpses litter the floor. An unidentified liquid, reeking of all kinds of foul odors, forms a river.

A scene of nothing but death, created in just three days. This is the current state of Eustia, the Holy Nation where the gods reside.

I watched the Holy Nation’s transformation from the orange volcano.

Even now, a black aura stealthily infiltrates. Soon, the orange divinity drives it away. I swung my sword to block the aura’s encroachment.

After confirming that the black aura was no longer entering, I turned and moved underground.

The underground was as unpleasant as the outside. Humans, elves, and dwarves. Those who barely survived were gloomy. Somewhere, the sound of crying could be heard.

I turned away from there and headed deeper underground, to the orange forge. The forge was in an uproar during the short time I was away.

“Why can’t we do it, why!!”

“Lady Elena, didn’t the Saint say so? That it’s not the time yet.”

“When is that time going to be! We’ve been here without taking any action! In a situation where we don’t know how many more lives will be lost! And until when…!”

“Do you think we’re not in pain! The Holy Knights are just as pained as you are, Lady Elena! If we only had the Saint’s permission, we would…!”

“Enough.”

I stepped into the heated scene and stopped Elena and the Holy Knight. They stopped arguing at my appearance.

“Have you arrived, Saint.”

He bowed and greeted me.

“Get out. I’ll talk to Elena.”

“Yes, Saint.”

The Vice-Captain left the forge. I turned to Elena. She glared at me with hateful eyes.

“What’s your complaint? Tell me.”

“……”

She suppressed her anger and opened her mouth.

“So many lives are dying even now. We saw it yesterday too… the sight of them being brutally killed regardless of race.”

“I know.”

“Then why!”

Elena’s voice suddenly rose. She calmed her excitement and continued.

“Knowing that, why don’t you do anything? It’s not about saving everyone. Just, just the ones we can see… just saving the people who are being sacrificed to them is enough.”

“I told you. It’s not the time yet.”

“When is the time that you, the Saint, are talking about!”

Tears welled up in Elena’s eyes, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

“My mother burned to death! My sisters, my people died miserably! And, and… Evan died…. The man I loved the most…”

She lowered her head in sorrow. Tears dripped onto the floor. I said to her, who was crying sadly.

“I know. I saw it with my own eyes.”

“Knowing that, why are you just standing still! It’s not just the people who were by my side who died! You too, the people by your side have died! But you, you…”

Elena tapped my chest with her head.

“Why can you be so calm…”

At those words, I said without a second thought.

“How does that help.”

Slap, Elena’s hand struck my cheek.

“What kind of man are you…!”

A contemptuous gaze is poured out. It’s a face that looks at garbage.

At that moment, my composure shattered. I lost what I had barely been maintaining. The expression I had been acting out so that the survivors wouldn’t be afraid was distorted.

“Do you think I’m okay with it!”

Beyle and Ariel were sacrificed while saving people. Lana was torn to shreds trying to protect me. And as she said, Evan too… the protagonist of this world also died at the hands of blackness.

Those who I should cherish more than my own life. Those who I should protect even if I die, died.

Without knowing how that feels. Without knowing what their deaths mean to me.

“Don’t spout such nonsense without knowing anything about me. And…”

But knowing that this won’t help, I calmed my overwhelming emotions and continued.

“Does getting angry, does being sad bring back the dead? Does commemorating their deaths make this situation any better?”

I looked into the eyes of Elena, one of the few surviving elves and a strong warrior.

“Think rationally. Don’t get rid of the only remaining hope just to save a few people.”

Only then did Elena calm down, but her voice was still full of depression.

“How are we going to win… You know how superior the enemy is. On the other hand, we don’t excel in manpower, support, or anything else. We’re just barely holding on in this volcano, relying on Lord Orange.”

I know, and it’s an undeniable fact.

The first thing Black did after obtaining the Saintess was to attack Green and White. The elves and Holy Knights were a major threat to Black, who still had weak forces.

The attack was successful, and the two forces were destroyed in less than a day. In the process, the World Tree died, and White was captured by Black.

It didn’t end there, Black completely absorbed the two forces. True to his name as the God of Death, he treated the dead elves and Holy Knights like necromantic undead.

Moreover, Red and Blue are on Black’s side. The two gods targeted people who participated in the exchange meeting or people from other countries. More than 90% died.

As a result, we were outnumbered by the opponent, and we were cut off from external contact and could not receive support. The three bastards completely took control of the Holy Nation.

Even the personnel staying in the volcano now are barely surviving thanks to Orange. Even then, 1/3 of them were not in good condition.

Yes. Clearly, the current situation was unfavorable. It wouldn’t be strange to die tomorrow, and hope didn’t exist.

But it was worth a try. Because I was here with two arms and two legs intact. If my body was healthy, I could restore this state to normal.

However, basic preparations were necessary, and there was no way to prove it.

So, the only thing I could say to Elena, who was in despair, and to the survivors, was.

“Believe.”

Just that word.

“Believe…?”

“Yes, believe. That I have a way.”

However, as the situation was, Elena couldn’t do that. She grabbed my sleeve and said in a trembling voice.

“Just, just tell me what it is. Please, please… I beg you, Saint… Any absurd plan is fine…”

That desperate voice was like clinging to a rotten rope and hoping for hope. I sympathized with her sense of loss more than anyone else, so I decided to tell her only.

“Th, that’s true…?”

And Elena, who heard the secret of the world, asked back as if she couldn’t believe it. Her hands were trembling.

“Yes. It’s true.”

“But I’ve never heard such a story from my mother either…”

“There’s no way the World Tree would know. In the first place, it’s a story that no other god knows except for the two of us.”

“Ha, haha…”

She laughed as if she had lost her mind. Soon, she wiped away her tears and straightened her back. The face that had gained hope had returned to that of a knight.

“I will… return to my post.”

“Get ready to go out at any time.”

“Understood.”

Elena bowed and left the forge.

“Hoo…”

After she left, I reorganized my intensified emotions. The higher the excitement, the higher the probability of failure. So I have to control my mind as much as possible.

As I sat there quietly, I felt another presence. It was Orange.

“The enhancement?”

“Just finished.”

Orange tossed Karsa. I received the sword and drew it from its scabbard.

A sword of dark black light, like the God of Death, Black. Karsa’s color became even darker than before.

Moreover, the energy I felt was also satisfactory; the enhancement went well.

“From the looks of it, you seem to have gone through quite a bit of hardship.”

“As a blacksmith, I poured all my skills and divinity into it.”

Whether that was true or not, Orange’s divinity was greatly reduced. He was on the verge of being demoted from god to mortal.

“But… what you said just now, is it true?”

“Looks like you heard it.”

“This is my space, after all.”

“Well, there’s no need to hide it from you. It’s an undeniable truth.”

“Heh heh…”

Even he, a god, couldn’t believe it, and just stared blankly at the ceiling.

“Amazing. To think such a secret was hidden.”

After muttering to himself for a long time, Orange finally said to me.

“Saint, no, Kyle Arden. Blood of Arden. Please save Eustia…”

“That’s why I’m doing this damn thing. So get some rest now.”

“Yes, I need to rest. Then I’ll see you later, Saint…”

With those words, Orange disappeared. It was because he had used too much power.

I offered a silent thank you to him, who had maintained his beliefs as a blacksmith until the end, and left the forge.

Now, the preparation is over.

***

When Orange left the world and the fire that had been blocking the enemy’s invasion disappeared, Black immediately prepared to attack.

“……”

Black’s puppets surrounded the volcano in the far distance.

They were once ardent followers of Eustia, students of Tianis like me, or the appearance of foreigners who came to the Holy Nation after they died.

Fortunately, there were no protagonists or supporting characters among them. I retrieved them somehow because I knew what would happen if their corpses and souls entered Black’s hands.

“Saint. Preparations are complete.”

Then Elena said.

Turning around, I see elves, Holy Knights, and dwarves equipped with weapons. They were ready to rush into those puppets at any moment if I gave the order.

They didn’t lose their morale even though certain death awaited them. The source of that was their desire for revenge for their god and their race.

“Saint, we would appreciate it if you could say a few words before the expedition.”

“Yes, I have to…”

This could be the first and last attempt. I activated the ring and opened my mouth.

“Maybe you’ll run out of strength and die along the way. Or maybe you’ll die a dog’s death before you reach your goal. But.”

I draw Karsa from its scabbard. The sword shone even brighter when it met the sunlight.

“I am by your side. I am your Saint.”

I am the savior who will save you from this hell.

I pointed the tip of my sword at Black.

“The target is Black, the god who was once called the God of Death! Charge!”

Immediately, the followers who craved revenge ran after me. And at the same time as charging, I infused my will into the ring.

[Warning. The opponent may notice if you use this power.]

Ignoring the beeping sound, I said.

“Use it without saying unnecessary things.”

[Checking the wearer’s permission.]

[Seal Release: Brave]

[The blessing of the stars rests upon you.]