episode_0167

52. Descent. (5)

‘Crunch!’, ‘Keeek!’, ‘Bam!’, ‘Chaeaeng!’

The sound of metal clashing with metal continues to echo in front of the Children’s Museum.

There, a knight in pitch-black armor and carrying an axe and a blonde woman in pure white armor with fiery red hair were facing each other, brandishing twin swords.

The black knight wielding an axe uses not only his axe but also his huge body to push the woman away or block her sword.

The woman wielding the twin swords was rapidly swinging her swords, creating long trails of flame, and was relentlessly destroying the armor.

As they continued to swing their weapons at each other, they didn’t even realize that someone was coming out of the entrance of the museum, and they were just fighting with the intention of taking down the opponent in front of them.

” Please… Come to your senses…! ”

I ducked my body to avoid the axe the old man was swinging at me, and swung my sword while sliding between the old man’s legs, but even when it broke, black smoke appeared and filled the damaged area.

He quickly turned his body around and swung his sword at his back at an invisible speed, creating countless slashes, and the armor on his back fell off with a ‘thud’, revealing the old man’s back.

” Okay… with this…? ”

I clicked my tongue as I saw the pieces of armor that had fallen to the ground turn into black smoke and then stick back to the same spot where they fell.

” Tsk… I made something really annoying…! ”

I thought it would be impossible to block or evade with a sword as it swung its axe while spinning its heavy body, so I created a [Shield of Flame. Atlantes] engraved with pure white feathers, but it easily tore apart with a ‘Crack!’ sound and struck my body as it was.

” Oh my…! ”

Thanks to Patruna’s armor, his body… wasn’t cut in half… but the armor was dented enough by the axe that it looked like several ribs had been broken.

” Haa… Haa… Seriously… If it weren’t for the old man, then just…! ”

As pure white flames rose, the dented armor returned to its original state, and the broken ribs returned to their original state, making it easier to breathe.

But at the same time, an axe was swinging straight down at me right in front of my eyes.

He blocks it by crossing the twin swords he holds in both hands, but… with a ‘shatter! ‘ sound…

” Huh…? ”

Two swords split in two.

The haute cœur was cut cleanly, and the axe… grazed my face.

” Huuuugh….! ”

Fortunately, perhaps because I had pushed him back somewhat with the sword, he wasn’t seriously hurt, other than a cut to his left eye.

He started to treat Bane’s left eye by pressing on it, but… for some reason… the treatment was progressing slowly.

Perhaps, at this rate… my left eye wouldn’t return to normal while I was fighting the old man.

” Haa… In this situation, my sword breaks and I lose my vision. It’s really the worst. And on top of that, I can’t attack properly… ”

He put down his left hand, which was pressing down on his eyes, and stretched out his right hand… and took out the sword.

[ Durandal ] A sword that is said to never break.

” I think the problem was that I listened to Hauteclair because I thought it would solve it quickly… Well, I guess it doesn’t matter… ”

Fortunately, the bleeding seemed to have stopped, so I took my hand off my left eye and pulled Durandal out of its scabbard.

The red sword’s width and the sharp, yellow-glowing blade, along with the sound of ‘sseurung’, greeted me.

The clear sound that can be heard when swinging the pure white flame.

” Yeah, I should have used you. This time too… Please take care of me. ”

I felt good because the sword that made a ‘woo-woong’ sound seemed to understand what I was saying.

” Okay. Then… Let’s have the second round. Sir…! ”

While moving his body nimbly, he blocked the axe that was swinging down with Durandal and created countless spears of flame and swords that were stuck behind the old man.

The old man’s back turned into a hedgehog’s with a ‘Phuuk! ‘ sound.

But the old man, as if that didn’t matter, swung the axe towards me with both hands from right to left, and grabbed Durandal’s sword blade and held it against the axe’s blade.

With a ‘Clang!’ sound, the axe blade began to appear, shrouded in black smoke.

‘As expected… this was the answer.’

The flame of divine power. [Gluon], a technique that wraps a sword by making ‘holy fire’ to its extreme. With this, he burned the black smoke surrounding the old man’s axe and… cut down the red-hot axe.

An axe with half the blade snapped off with a ‘Koo-Woong! ‘ sound.

He didn’t stop there, but continued to cut the axe rapidly until it was no longer swingable, and only the handle remained.

The Black Knight threw down the axe handle and looked at me with his fist clenched and guard raised.

” Haha… As expected, you’re an old man. I told you that you never give up. That’s why I like you. So… ”

Once again… I released my strength and created a sanctuary that surrounded the old man and me, then I ran towards the old man with my sword held horizontally at head height.

The old man threw a light straight at me, but I just slightly bent down and cut him horizontally before passing behind him.

He turned around again, raised his sword in the opposite direction, swung it diagonally from lower right to upper left, then turned to the old man’s right and swung it vertically while holding the sword properly.

As I continued to circle around the old man and pass over his body, the red sword that wrapped around him formed a sphere. It wrapped around him like a ball of thread.

There was a ‘thud’, ‘thud’ sound, and the armor covering the old man melted and fell to the floor.

Slowly raise your head and look around. Black smoke surrounds the sanctuary.

Yes, because Thanatos’ power, which was continuously regenerating the old man’s armor, was blocked by the sanctuary… the armor’s regeneration did not occur anymore.

” Phew… Now, with this… ”

As the red thread of swords surrounding him slowly unraveled, the old man, his armor gone, collapsed in front of me.

His expression was a joyful smile, as if he had finally been liberated.

*****

Hodoo-sik, who met his daughter again through his close friend Oh Hyuk-jin, realized that something had been eating him up after he thought that his daughter had died because of him.

He broke down when he realized that his daughter’s death was caused by his own weakness, and he wished that he could become strong enough to protect his daughter through whatever had consumed him.

But when he came to, he had already become a being who could only watch without being able to do anything, and it felt like his body was being controlled by someone else.

When my daughter woke up, I was so happy I almost cried, but I was heartbroken when I saw her looking so terrified.

And soon after, my daughter was dragged underground by Oh Hyuk-jin… and when I saw the deaths of so many people and being immersed in a pool of blood, my heart sank once again.

I wonder how that little thing… can endure this hell.

A month passed like that.

My daughter, who seemed pretty normal at first, started to look… like she was falling apart.

Mumbling to himself, shaking his head from side to side and shouting loudly, or suddenly laughing and staring at the ceiling.

I wanted to talk to him and tell him that it was okay. I wanted to tell him that my dad was here… but the voice wouldn’t come out.

When he realized that he had been completely consumed by the armor that had been enveloping him for a month… it was too late.

Yeah, that was it.

When I saw Ara suddenly appear and run away with her daughter, I thought there was finally hope…

The moment he cut off the arm of the child who chased after them and seemed to be close to Ara… it was not hope, but despair…

He shouted, ‘Stop! Please! Stop! ‘ at his body as it chased them and slammed down the wall, but his body did not stop.

At that moment…! I felt heat on my back and turned around to see ‘her’ there.

Although her appearance had changed considerably… he could tell.

A ‘savior’ who will solve the current situation.

After my daughter disappeared, the child who felt like my daughter was in front of me, ‘Charlotte’.

After that, he shouted at her, who was fighting him, to please take him down.

But as she was being pushed around, the thought occurred to her, what would happen if she were to hurt the child she thought of as her own daughter?

My heart felt like it was breaking as I cut through the two swords she was holding, slashing at her eyes.

A warm voice that is heard at the moment when you want to give up everything and wake up from this nightmare.

” Haha… As expected, you’re an old man. I told you that you never give up. That’s why I like you. So… ”

When I looked back at that voice, there was a child swinging his sword, not giving up on saving himself.

He smiled and waited as she looked at him with those clear, amber eyes that he had seen when they first met.

That she would save herself from this hell.

*****

” Mister! Mister! ”

I started to wake up the fallen man by hitting his cheek.

He grimaced slightly at my shouting, and then his mouth moved.

” Charlotte… Thank you… ”

” Oh, mister! ”

I hugged him and cried, saying, ‘I’m so glad.’

His hand that was ‘tap, tap’ing my back didn’t use any strength, but… that didn’t matter.

Because I was happy that I could finally see my uncle again.

” How are you feeling? Is there anything uncomfortable or anything…? ”

His hand slowly caressing my left eye.

” I’m sorry… because of me… with such a pretty face… ”

” It’s okay. It can be treated anyway. Even if it leaves a scar… it’s cool, right? ”

” Haha, you really are… ”

As I was talking to the old man, I heard rustling footsteps and turned around.

” Oh, Dad…? ”

The daughter of Mr. Dosik. Horyeong was there.

” Daughter… It’s been a while… ”

” Dad!!! ”

Let’s get out of the way for her to run towards the old man. Finally, seeing the father and daughter after a long time… my heart… was touched.

Now, if we go back like this… everything will be over.

” Hey, Sister! ”

As I turned around at the sound of a voice calling me, I saw Ara, Park Se-chan, and several children approaching, leading Pedro, who had his arm cut off.

” Lay down here quickly. I’ll treat you. ”

” Thank you, sis… ”

If it were up to me… because of the brooch I gave to Ara and Pedro… these wounds should have been treated already, but Pedro couldn’t.

While treating Pedro’s wounds, I looked at Ara with some doubt and asked.

” You… What did you do with the brooch I gave you? And Pedro too. ”

Ara sobbed and looked in the direction where the old man was.

” Yeong-i… lost consciousness while coming, and then her body started to heat up… so I couldn’t help it… ”

” Yeah… Good job. Don’t worry. Pedro will get better soon. ”

Perhaps… the reason Ling fell was because she received Thanatos’ power and became a vessel for her to descend… so her body couldn’t hold on and she lost consciousness.

As I was slowly healing Pedro’s arm, I heard Ling’s voice screaming from behind.

” What, what is it…?! ”

I quickly turned my head back and there was the old man who had been stabbed by the ‘Black Crystal Sword’ on behalf of his daughter.

Yeah, that’s the thing I forgot and left behind without finishing it properly… Sir…

” Damn it…! Ara, you’re watching Pedro from here! Mr. Park Se-chan… Please protect the two. ”

” Yeah…! ” / ” Got it. ”

The voice heard as I cut off Oh Hyuk-jin’s head with Durandal after he flew straight to stab the old man.

{ With this… I… can be reborn…! }

A clear and hoarse voice.

Thanatos’ voice was heard from Oh Hyuk-jin’s mouth.

After that, Oh Hyuk-jin… turned to black ash and disappeared… and behind me…

” Ah, Dad…! Dad!! Ah, no…! Huuuugh!! ”

I saw Yeong-i crying while holding onto her uncle.

And… ominously, black smoke and sparks were pouring out of the child’s body, and a black light appeared.

” Hey, Ryeong! Calm down…! ”

{ We finally met… Now… I thought everything was okay… But, just like that voice said… This world… must disappear… Everything… Everything…!! }

I couldn’t see clearly because of the wind pressure pouring out along with the black smoke.

I covered my face with my arms and saw a little bit of that place…

‘Whoosh!’ A black lightning strike struck and enveloped a child.

As he floated into the air, his clothes tore and the black patterns carved into his body took over the child’s body, and the black smoke and light that enveloped the child’s body became a cocoon.

” Damn it…! Why did it have to come now…! ”

I had no choice but to leave Gochi alone, carry the old man on my shoulder, and go to where Ara was. Then I put as much divine power as I could into the brooch the old man was wearing.

” Hey, unnie…! Ryeo, Yeong-i…! ”

” Listen carefully… I’ll take care of it now. You guys run away quickly. Please leave the old man to me. ”

” What? Hey, wait a minute, sis…! ”

He made a ‘snap!’ with his fingers and created a ring of flames and pushed them into it.

Let’s look at Kochi, leaving behind Ara’s voice shouting at me…

With a ‘thud’ and ‘thud’ sound, the shell began to open and black… wings emerged.

{ Phew… Finally meeting you. How is it? How does it feel when hope turns to despair? }

‘Whoaak! ‘ Black smoke began to cover the entire place, and I released my strength in response, spreading my wings made of pure white flames.

[ Not good. You really are… the worst. ]

{ Compliments. Thank you. I guess it’s good to have a body like this. }

[ Huh! Wake up, I’m going to get you out of that body anyway! ]

As I pulled out Durandal and approached her, she summoned a long black scythe and swung it around, opening her mouth.

{I’m sorry, but… you have to ‘exit’ this ‘stage’.}

[ what…?! ]

I looked back at the force that was sucking me in, and there was a portal made of black smoke.

And then the black smoke pulled me in and I fell into the portal.

[ Thanatos!!!! ]

{Goodbye. Manieneu.}

The only goddess who could stop him in front of his eyes. When Manienu disappeared, Thanatos spread his wings and flew up.

{ Now, this world… must disappear? }

As I gathered the black smoke from my hand and threw it into the sky, the sky gradually… turned completely black.

Instead of the night sky being illuminated by stars and the moon… it was completely pitch black, revealing an abyss.

The end of the world has come.

*****

When I opened my eyes after falling into the black portal, what I saw was an old… ruin.

” Damn it…! That Thanatos guy… ”

I slowly got up and looked around… I felt a familiar… sense of unease.

Now the color has faded, but if you look closely, the marble is shining pure white, and if you look up, there are stained glass windows that are broken here and there, but quite beautiful.

” Now, wait… This is… No way… Right? ”

Yes, where I am… is the place where I met Patruna and made a wish.

It was the church of Patruna.

The place that sent me from the other world, ‘Maderona’, to my original world.

Once again, I have returned… to this other world.