Chapter 66 – Ellie
The wind blows from far away
I feel the heat in the blood-soaked air. The hot, fishy, damp wind greets me with a reddened face. If you feel the wind blowing leisurely from far away and feel it winding through your fingers, it feels like you are pulling my hand asking why it is so late.
“Ha…”
I moved my steps, mixing my breath with the wind. The world breathes with me and slowly caresses my hardened heart. As if it had to be, I deliberately make my heart beat and tense my whole body. Because someone is waiting for you over there. Because I’m looking forward to that meeting and I’m excited.
No. I denied it and moved on. There’s no one there It’s just that the demon lord I couldn’t meet then lurks. With a heinous plot in my heart, only pure malice awaits me.
…No.
Over there there is her
When I denied it, a familiar girl’s voice resonated in my head. Who is it Ellie. Or, Rachel. I shook my head before naming a girl I knew. Now it is clear who is speaking. Maybe you
There is no need to ask and confirm. Because I have nothing to talk about with you. You, who still ask me to give you everything, lost the right to talk to me long ago.
I close my ears and narrow my vision like a horse going obliquely and walk forward. For the first time, the experience of being trapped in a stone helped. Then your voice faded a little, and it felt like your mind was clear.
“…Ah…!”
But then another voice was heard. It was clearly a stranger’s voice, but somehow it felt familiar. I did not stop my ears. Then the voices of the others mingled together.
“Aww…!”
“Ahhhhh…!”
“Aaaaah! Ugh…!”
With each step closer, the sound became more colorful and louder. The sound of weapons clashing, the sound of flesh being torn, the sound of air escaping from lungs, the sound of heart bursting. It was the noise of life that was more familiar to me now than people’s laughter. While I was about to move without inspiration, something suddenly caught my attention.
Widely.
…
I stopped. Then a thick pool of blood flowed at my feet like a welcoming red carpet. The way I walked my destiny. It all felt like it was laying in front of my feet. Instinctively, I moved my gaze along the bloody road and then, very slowly, raised my head.
Then, I looked at the cross section of the shattered sky.
Until just a while ago, there was a hole where demons were pushed out. But now there was nothing left, only traces of the hole. Instead, a faint incontinence followed the broken section and headed somewhere. Instinctively I knew that was where I was supposed to go.
“Ha…”
My body let out a tense breath. Why are you nervous There is only a demon king over there. There are only wicked people who have nothing to do with me.
…No. There she is. She is the one who only looked at you, and that’s why she has no way to cut you off.
It’s no different than what you always do. Someone who has nothing to do with me. Things that have nothing to do with me. If it gets in the way, just get rid of it. There is no reason to harbor any feelings.
…No. It will be different from what you normally do. You must harden your heart.
Just cut it off and you’re done. All you have to do is break your arms, cut your throat, grab your head, and smash your brain to scatter the flowing brain water.
…At least one is correct.
You have to cut her throat.
Because that’s your destiny
“…Haaa…”
Suddenly, a familiar scent wafted up. A smell so familiar that I couldn’t get away from a place like this filled my lungs. So it didn’t work. When she raised her head, wondering where the faint scent came from, it was there again that caught her eye. The scene where the sky was smashed. The destination of my destiny. The end of the carpet draped in blood.
“No.”
I gritted my teeth. This is a deception. It’s another trick of the demon king. Thinking so, I gripped my sword tightly. Don’t be upset It’s not what you think.
I stopped thinking. But the eyes were directed straight ahead. The heat of summer, soaked in the twilight, clearly spilled over my face. I tried to push away the familiar feeling that I could feel.
And started running
In an instant, the ground moved away and the wind clawed at both cheeks. Thud. Thud. Thud. Every time he stepped on the ground, his heart beat together and made blood circulate throughout his body. As blood and heat spread all over his hands, feet, and head, his senses sharpened, and his hearing and sight, which had been closed with great effort, opened wide. Then the sounds of screams and slaughter that had been heard in the distance came closer in an instant and tickled my body.
“Aaaaa!!!”
“Ouch!!! Aaaaa!!!”
“Damn it!!! Run away!!! Run away!!!”
“Don’t run away! We are the Empire! If we fall, it’s all over!”
Humans struggle to protect it, and demons run to take it away. The screams of people screaming in order not to lose or be taken away are painful because I am so used to it. How miserable are the words of human beings who have locked themselves in a huge boulder.
Before I knew it, the castle wall appeared in front of me. I spurred the ground as hard as I could and took a deep breath.
“Huh…”
Down there, the face of a demon caught my eye. The face of a creature with only plunder in its head does not contain much emotion. Unlike the choices he had made so far, deciding his fate was so easy and simple.
Just like what I’m going to do to that demon king.
When I finished thinking, I was already falling straight towards him. It seemed to sense a strange energy, and the humans around it raised their heads at the same time. I couldn’t tell what they were thinking when they saw me coming down from the sky.
What is certain is that the moment I split his body in half and covered his whole body with blood, I felt peace for a moment.
“…!!!”
“Huh…!”
Deciding on the sound of my eyeballs being crushed along with my tongue as his will, I immediately threw myself toward the hole in the wall where the demons were pouring in. I only bumped into the shoulder of the one running in front, but the formation that followed collapsed and countless demons fell down the wall screaming. I crushed the entrails and flesh of those still on the wall and scattered them into the air, then paused to catch my breath to wipe the blood off my sword.
“Ha…”
A mixture of blood and intestines flowed down his face. I didn’t wipe off the thick bodily fluids, I just let them flow over my face. Between breaths and breaths, a fishy yet familiar smell wafted thickly. Killing now seemed inseparable from my life. I raised my head, scattering my sword wildly.
And like destiny, I faced the shouts of people.
“It’s the hero! The hero is back!”
“Finally! The warrior has finally arrived!”
“I won! I won! I’m all alive now!”
Hope was crawling out of the scene where despair and grief mixed and leaked out in screams. People’s shouts, hopes, and expectations were holding my ankles, and they were trying to put the name of a warrior on me again. And calling that name, I was hoping for salvation from me again.
I was threatening to give it up again, blindfolded to how much the name had taken from me.
“Haaa…”
I took a deep breath again. Demons were swarming under the wall, and I could see something white shining beyond it. As soon as I saw it, I jumped down the wall, scattering long shadows as if to shake off the people’s shouts.
“Keeeee!!!
For the first time, I heard the screams of demons. The feeling of discovering a madman flying towards you in the midst of a battle that was clearly overwhelming must have been frightening. As I lowered the sword with all my might, dust scattered around me, and the remains of the mangled corpse flew up along with it.
“Huh…!!!”
A rough breath dispersed in the air, and the demons surrounding me were captured in my field of vision. All of them were full of fear. How will I look in their eyes? At least he won’t be a warrior. Maybe it looks like a monster.
Okay. It was better that way. Because monsters have no obligations. Having shaken off the hero’s name, I rushed at them, wildly swinging my sword, in order to become a monster again. Soon, the screams of the demons filled my ears.
“Kieh!”
“Ugh…!!!”
Their screams were no different from humans. They were equally emotional, equally pitiful and sorrowful. Does not matter. ‘Cause I’m a monster No matter how much blood you cover, you don’t feel anything.
It stabs, cuts, shoots, raises, and digs. I ran like crazy, taking dozens of lives in one breath. If it is blocked, it crushes the flesh with the weapon as it is blocked, and if it is not blocked, it kills people without even realizing it. All the landscapes passing by out of sight were smashed by me, and a bloody sound of destruction tore the space apart. Every time a scream rang out, I purposely shouted to drown out the scream.
“Aaaaa!!!”
I felt the touch of the sword as the stronger and tougher guys clung to me. But I didn’t care. If a stronger one came, it was enough to stab him harder. Dozens, hundreds, thousands of demons rushed to stop me alone, but they couldn’t even touch my collar and collapsed. It wasn’t just the human world that was weak. It’s just that this world itself was so fragile.
Why was such a world so cruel to her?
“…!!!”
The handle of the sword slipped out of my hand, perhaps because of my distracted thoughts. At that time, a huge demon who seized the opportunity came crashing into me with a heavy body.
“Oooooh…”
“Aaaaa!!!”
But before he could even scream, I jumped at him with my bare hands, grabbed him by the neck, and tore it open. Before he could even scream, he fell to the floor and struggled, and I climbed on top of him, screaming, digging through his flesh and guts.
“Aaaaa!!!”
“…! …! …!”
Every time he stabbed his hand, his body was shaken, and hot heat gushed out like steam. I didn’t even know why I was doing that, and I crushed him until my entire field of vision was covered in blood.
“Aaaaa…”
In an instant, he turned into nothing but bones, and I breathed heavily and lifted his head. Ok who’s next Who will come to me next?
When I looked around like that, I noticed that the demons were hesitating.
“…”
“Uh… Ugh…”
“Aww…”
Every time I cast a glance, they looked at me with utterly terrified eyes. As I staggered to my feet, some of them fell on their seats and took a backward step, as if their legs were weak. No one scolded them. He just stepped back with the same expression on his face.
“Haha…”
I looked at him and picked up the sword that had fallen on the floor. The names of many people were buried in the nameless sword. I raised my head as I wiped the blood off my sword in the air.
And finally I faced the end of my destiny.
A dazzling space spread out before my eyes. Above the bloody battlefield, a white stairway stretched out like the Milky Way in the night sky, and at the end of it stood something lofty that scattered a clear glow even in the twilight. It swayed subtly as if it were looking down at me, or as if it was just staring into the air, exuding a sense of presence.
And, a familiar smell was spreading softly.
“…”
I started walking slowly. The demons who had been blocking my path until just now moved to the side, creating a path towards the end. In the meantime, I had seen many processions of people surrounding me, but I felt like I had never seen them so full of fear.
However, all those distracting thoughts disappeared the moment I stepped on the stairs for the first time. For some reason, as the white, strangely soft touch drifted under my feet, a tingling sensation penetrated my heart. Rather than stepping on the stairs, it felt like walking on a meadow.
“…”
I’m sure these stairs were built for the use of a giant being up there. I was climbing the stairs with strange ease. Each step was so familiar, as if it was created according to my stride. As if you were waiting for me As if the fate to come is me.
“…Ha.”
It was such a generous treat that I didn’t even know where I was going. So, the anger rose. Even you guys are mocking me. You are already deceiving me and trying to deceive me.
Yes, with this familiar scent that keeps wafting up.
“Bitch…”
At that moment, I started running upwards, stepping on the stairs like a young boy.
To become a knight. Like those days when I thoughtlessly ran to become a hero, I grabbed my beating heart and ran toward the end. At the end of this road is the very demon king who has redeemed my destiny. At this moment, there was only one emotion I had to feel, anger. I tried to shake off all other emotions while running.
I was out of breath, and soon the stairs came to an end and I began to see the scenery beyond the sky. The moment the proud face of fate that had been waiting for me with its chin drooping loftily came into sight, I screamed with all my might.
“Devil!!!”
When I called that name, the end of fate wrapped in years turned its head this way.
Unlike me who was drenched in blood, the demon king was looking at me with a white and soft shell. At first glance, the skin of the demon king, which looked like cloth or plant skin, was constantly moving and sweeping over the huge body. Without arms or legs, the huge body of the demon king was more like a castle. I even felt like they were blaming me for not looking back then..
Without hesitation, I leaped toward the castle. And at the same time, as if he had been waiting for it, white wings spread wide from the demon king’s back. So, coming out from the end of the sky, the demon king violently bumped into his body.
!!!
When the wings and the sword collided, the white shell surrounding the demon king’s body was crispy and shattered, and a portion of it collapsed. However, the whole thing did not collapse, so I grabbed the wings and jumped up, and struck the sword towards a deeper place.
“…!”
Then the Demon King momentarily twisted his body and spread his wings wide. Then, he straightened his feathers and aimed them at me. Just like the countless stars that will soon decorate the night sky, all the feathers that were spread out in the sky fell towards me at an unexpected moment.
“Ugh…!”
A feather brushed my shoulder, which was still floating in the air, and splashed a drop of blood. I quickly landed on the ground, caught my breath, and raised my sword sharpening my instincts, not my eyes. Then, he began to pluck off the flying feathers one by one.
“Aaaaa!!!”
Rather than being heavy, sharp feathers dug into my vital points, and I swung my sword and bounced them all off. Broken, smashed, and crushed feathers became fragments embedded in the ground and colored the entire floor white. The light was so dazzling that I closed my eyes and, paradoxically, I was the only one in the white world trapped in the dark and danced madly.
When the sight is closed, the other senses become sharper. The things that I tried to close up open my eyes and instinctively absorb the surroundings. Soon, my sense of smell, which had been dormant in the dark, awoke, and the smell I had tried to ignore penetrated my nostrils.
Okay. The lethally vivid scent of mint.
“Ugh…!”
Every time I break a feather, the scent of peppermint flowers spreads, and memories of summer spread in my sight, which was only darkness. Look this way It seemed like he was calling out to open his eyes and face me. Luca. Here it is i’m here The closed field of vision unleashes imagination and hears sounds that cannot be heard.
“Aaaaa!!!”
I scream and try to erase it, but there is no way the voices of reality can bury the hallucinations of dreams. The scent of peppermint stings my nose every time I swing my sword and grab a feather with my hand to break it. It was strangely refreshing at a time like this, and my nose felt dizzy and a cold energy permeated my eyes.
Open your eyes, Luca. Don’t ignore look at this A girl’s voice is heard, and her closed eyelids are all white. Just as I was about to scream again, holding back the tears that were about to leak out, I heard a voice again.
Now. Won’t you turn around and look at me?
“Ah…!”
The young man who lost everything because he never looked back opened his eyes. Then, the last feather she broke shattered in front of her eyes. And the demon king, who was looking at me beyond that, spread his bony wings wide.
“…!!!”
“Ahh…!”
At that moment, the space around my body collapsed and pressed my body hard. The heavy air, the broken spaces, and the whole world press me down as if they were pushing me to the ground.
“Ah… Ugh…!”
It is a sight I have seen once. It seems that I can hear the cry of a girl in her snowy field that day, squeezing the space and making a fuss. Now it’s time to face her. It’s time to meet her just once, according to her wishes.
“Ah… Uh…”
It feels like my body is about to break. If I am crushed like this and become another tear of blood shed by the world, the earth will swallow me. What did I say that this is your destiny They will mock me again by mentioning that damn fate.
“Ugh…!!!”
I looked up. Even if it’s a fate you don’t want to face, now you have to take off your clothes and look at the reality.
“Ugh…!!!”
Overcoming the oppressive gravity, I forcibly raised my head. The demon king slowly withdrew his wings and hid his own face. Like Hong-bun’s bride who is ashamed to face her, like a lover who hides her face in his arms.
“Huh…!”
I caught my breath. I raised my sword to cut off the demon king’s veil. Now is the time to face your destiny. It’s time to end everything. Even if you despair, even if you collapse. Even if
Really you even if it is there.
“Aaaaa!!!”
I spread my legs wide open and jumped on top of the demon lord’s head. Then, he raised his sword towards the setting sun and struck it down with all his might towards the wing of the demon king. Including all the time so far. With all the pain you’ve been through
“Devil!!!”
“…!!!”
The moment the sword touched the wing, everything was shattered and white fragments burst out. Instead of being sharp, they flew softly into the sky. As I cut off the demon king’s wings, I plummeted toward the ground, and the scent of mint flowers that I couldn’t hide now permeated my whole body. I fell as if I was being embraced by the demon king, and eventually hit my face on the ground.
“Ugh!”
The soft floor warmly wrapped around my body, just like when I fell while running as a child. I shook my head, clutching my throbbing nose. Don’t be alarmed just yet. The Demon King is still…
…
At that moment, I stopped all my movements and stared blankly ahead.
The white shell covering the demon king’s body was shattered and flowed down. White shards, no. The petals were blown away by the wind and occasionally stuck to my face, and the white light mixed in with the red sunset made my eyes sore.
It was like a flower bud opening. In the spring that came back after overcoming all the pains of the harsh winter, the flower that had drank blood was finally unfolding its leaves and was about to reveal its delicate figure. The leaves hadn’t even fully unfolded yet, but I was already trembling all over.
“Ah…”
The flower petals that had been shattered following the trail of the sword I struck melted the moment they landed on the floor, and someone’s figure began to shimmer between them. Like flower petals that had been dyed white, the pure white dress was scattered in the wind, and I bit my lip when I began to see the slender body seeping through it.
“…”
My destiny turned its head this way. From a little further away, still trapped in the petals, she let out a deep breath, her heart beating.
After catching her breath for a long time, she slowly walked towards us. Rather than stepping, as if flying, I was suddenly on her shoulder as she gently brushed through the air and ran.
Black hair. Flowed down
Her hair, black as night, was scattered over her face. The red sunset light blended into her hair, which seemed to be neatly organized and a little disheveled.
“Ah…”
One step, one step. As she approached me little by little, her face became clearer. Under my long eyelashes, my image was reflected in brown eyes almost the color of chocolate, and I made my way through a world filled with the scent of mint with a cute nose like a squirrel. Instead of blush, ominous black waves smeared on her cheeks like her tattoos, and her hands turned into something bony like tree branches, but that didn’t even change who she was.
“Ah…”
I watched her approach as I knelt on her floor. I can’t even see her clearly yet, but I already intuit her identity.
“Ah… Ugh…”
Even if I wanted to deny it, I couldn’t. Instead, questions that had been sleeping deep in his mind rose up.
Will there be that sunshine-like smile that I loved? Is the yellow flower that used to bloom in my heart all of a sudden asleep?
But those questions didn’t matter. As she finally approached my eyes and the all-too-familiar scent of mint spread, her name slowly slipped from my lips.
“Ellie.”
“…”
Ellie didn’t answer. She just looked this way with a hard expression she had never seen before.
“Ellie…”
“…”
Her eyes turned to the distant, bloodstained horizon. So much blood flowed and corpses piled up in the years we hadn’t met. Over that long period of time, she and I have changed so much. But no matter how many things have changed, no matter how many events have passed, one thing is certain. You were ellie
“L…”
I tried calling her name again, but bit her lip before I could finish. She didn’t scold me for coming so late, or she didn’t get angry that it was all over. It was just looking at me.
“I… I…”
The young man who had finally made his wish reached out cautiously. He held out his hand eagerly, begging for it to be held. There were so many things in it, and that’s why so many things had escaped, and the ring was still on that hand, which was now the only one left.
But Ellie didn’t hold her hand. Only the heartless eyes piled up like dust on the back of her hand. Eventually, I put my hands on the floor and collapsed. His hardened heart shattered and thick blood flowed.
And hot tears poured out of his dry eyes.
“Ah…”
“…Black…”
“…Ah…Ahh…”
“Ahhhhh…”
“Aaaaa”
“Aaaaa”
Warrior. Monster. Lump of stone. A country boy from Laurenheim.
All the names flowed through the cracks of my fingers, washed away in tears.
In the end, all that was left was an immature child.
A young child who was accidentally chosen by a cruel fate.
A foolish fool who only looked forward and ran, only to look back after falling.
The child clung to himself like that and cried for a very long time.
“…”
Hard.
Suddenly, a shadow fell over my head with the sound of a collar brushing against my skin. I raised my head with one last hope. Then I saw Ellie’s face as she leaned towards me.
“Ah… Ah… Ha… Huh…”
I looked up at her, giggling like an idiot, still unable to stop her crying. I’m sorry Ellie. Sorry for being so late. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you. The words that I couldn’t say were piled up, but my throat was blocked and I couldn’t say anything. A soft smile suddenly appeared on Ellie’s lips as she looked at me.
“I finally met you.”
A soft yet calm voice rang in my ears. For a moment, as if time had stopped, the noise around him subsided.
“My own warrior.”
Ellie’s bony fingers gently brushed my rough eyes. Perhaps it was an illusion, something flickered in her eyes.
“Ruler.”
Before she could figure out what it was, Ellie closed her eyes and knelt down in front of her. Sand dust or pollen fell from her body with her head down. And, with the scent of peppermint piercing her nose, her last words resonated clearly.
“Now cut my throat.”
