Chapter 202 – 202 – Everything That Happened That Day (3)
[You are bringing trouble upon yourself by your habit of running wild.
I should have killed him a long time ago!]
A writhing hell, a mountain of flesh roaring. With the intention of grabbing Adamantine and tearing it to pieces at any moment.
[I’ll put an end to it now!]
“Ugh, ugh-!”
Of course, this is not just a verbal threat. Every time Adamantone’s footprints are left on the floor, the Demon King’s poisonous teeth and bone claws scrape away at the spot.
As he narrowly avoided the threat the Demon King took action, Adamantone thought with regret.
‘What on earth am I doing?’
If the question is what did you choose, the answer is obvious. It is suicidal. They just chose a method that was a little more complicated and terrible than hanging.
If the question is not about choice but about status, then I am running pathetically, sprinkling spit and tears. Just to live.
Some people might admire his courage in catching the Demon King’s attention, but Adamantone could not immediately feel any sense of admiration in himself.
The reason why the lighthouse of Wuja blossomed was not because he became some great person.
When will the moment when the warrior’s holy sword fully blooms its potential come? When is the moment when a weapon made by a blacksmith of the gods from metal from another world truly recognizes its owner as a warrior?
Adamantone had no idea. But at the same time, he seemed to have a vague idea.
Until now, I felt like I was running with something tied to my body and dragging me. He grew short of his dreams, and the cloak of arrogance he wore to cover up the disappointment that soaked his body was heavy.
Not now. My steps were as light as a five-year-old child. Otherwise, he would have been caught and killed by the angry demon king.
For the first time in a long time, Adamanton felt alive.
On the other hand, the Demon King was in trouble.
There is a proverb in Armatam that goes, ‘Even an elephant has a hard time catching a mosquito.’ This means that bigger is not always advantageous. These were the exact words that applied to the Demon King at this moment.
The waves of human bones and muscles fluttering about without a fixed form, striking at the enemy, may certainly be useful in stealing countless lives. However, there were also areas that such a body could not handle with great care.
For example, attacks by small animals digging holes between nerves and blood vessels.
[This is not the same…!]
Rats that gnaw away at nerves disrupted mutation and disrupted reaction speed.
It didn’t seem like Adamantone fully understood the abilities of his hero’s sword or what he was doing.
It seemed like he was just trying to stab the demon king with the enlightened hero’s sword, but when that didn’t work out, he decided to at least try to act as bait.
However, his powerful and dangerous warrior’s sword was effectively harassing the demon king, regardless of the owner’s intentions.
Disturbed by the pain and discomfort, the Demon King struck his body repeatedly on the ground. The rats that pop out through the holes they made are falling like fleas and crying loudly.
And every time it was crushed by the impact of the fall… It doubled or tripled in size.
Navigator Morgan’s sharp eyes did not miss the incident.
“Everyone… Did you see it?”
“What?”
“The number of rats is increasing. When one rat with a very full belly dies, it seems to split into several rats with bloated bellies!”
Isilun opened her mouth. The grey-white harmful animals born from Adamantone’s sword fragments were indeed noticeably increasing in number.
Finally, the Demon King was so distracted by the pain inflicted by the rats that he forgot the existence of the enemy. Seeing the glowing dregs of Edin, Isilun Sunstorm adjusted his sword.
The body that had received the Demon King’s heavy attack was completely devastated. His tired bones scream for their limits and his broken fingers scream.
However, Isil Rune Sun Storm succeeded in taking the stance by stimulating his whole body step by step. Isn’t it too early for him to give up?
Purple. The younger brother, whom the family had once given up on, did not give up on himself. The boy who wanted to become a warrior stood on the battlefield looking for an opportunity.
So shouldn’t we trust him, even if it’s too late?
Isilun rushed forward and shouted.
“It’s time to strike back! Support Adamantone Sunstorm!”
Many of the adventurers stopped, unable to follow. Most were just scared. The devil’s struggles become more intense, and the rats and blood droplets leap out.
Hesitation is natural. If given a few more chances, the devil would have turned them all into pieces of meat.
I also feel uneasy about those unidentifiable rats that viciously eat the skin of such beings. If they carelessly stick their ankles into that mess, they might also be treated as a meal, right?
However, there was someone who was not afraid of death.
Edin felt ashamed that she had let her junior take the lead. The end was near for her anyway, and the reunion and apology she had longed for was in vain.
If so, shouldn’t we at least use the remaining firewood to protect beautiful things until the end?
Edin ran without fear of the rats crawling under her feet. However, the rats were not interested in the flesh of Isilun and Edin’s ankles.
Only then did some of the adventurers realize that the rat was identifying Pia.
Immediately, someone roared and stepped forward. Because he was strong, he was a fighter who was said to have a body that was stronger than his head.
However, if the destination is a danger that everyone hesitates to jump into, like now, such a character should be called the courage to take the lead.
Nidroga ran wildly after Edin. He roared as if he was angry that he hesitated even for a moment.
The very large tin table used for the banquet was lifted like a blunt object.
“Welcome!”
Isilun and Edin cut off one of the demon king’s appendages in despair. Nidrogar smashed one of the piles of the Demon King’s protruding eyeballs against the table.
However, the rats did not bite any of the three who bravely stepped forward. The extermination party members, finally confident of their safety, gritted their teeth and followed Nidroga’s example.
The Demon King, suffering from a double whammy, turned all his remaining eyeballs towards Adamanton. Adamantone, who was running with his broken sword like a beacon, flinched.
The hideous mountain of flesh writhed, and dozens of sharply carved ribs popped out like arrows from a siege tower.
And it was launched quickly towards Adamantone.
Adamantone closed his eyes tightly and had a premonition of the sound of a blade being driven into flesh. However, all that was heard was a metallic crash sound.
“Well, you’re doing something useful just because you’re showing off, you amazing bastard! Keep running!”
Morgan and Youngrak intercepted the flying bone fragments aimed at Adamantone with guns and swords.
“What should I do? Just keep running!”
A group of adventurers stops the evil intentions directed at Adamantone. The Demon King, dumbfounded, once again created a scythe-shaped bone and tried to hit the adventurers.
However, when the muscles that the rats had gnawed away were torn, the scythe, which weighed over hundreds of kilograms, fell helplessly to the floor.
Nidroga picked it up and held it up, but lost his footing and stumbled. The inept adventurers screamed in horror and stretched out their arms to help Nidroga.
Dozens of hands supported it. And finally, thanks to the hand of someone who intervened, the bone scythe found its balance stably.
Nidrogar looked to the side and made eye contact with the porter, Erina, who was helping with the arm on the better side.
The two grinned. And shouted at the same time.
“I plugged it in!”
The sharp end of the scythe was deeply embedded in the demon king’s body and protruded from the other side.
Edin, who was riding on the devil’s body and frantically swinging his despair trap, laughed heartily as the bastard’s body shook with pain and convulsions.
[Are you going to laugh?]
Before he knew it, the Demon King was shouting with his remaining mouth. Some of those maws were still gurgling and spitting out rats.
A figure resembling Edin crawled out from the top of the devil’s pile of flesh.
The human figure covered in sticky blood had an expression that fell somewhere between disgust and anxiety.
Edin guessed that it was the main body that controlled the entire mass of flesh. It is said that he rose to the top to avoid the harmful algae crawling inside his body.
[Is it okay for your and my deep resentment toward the world to be destroyed in such a trivial and unexpected way as to be eaten by rats?]
“It’s a very fitting ending. If you’re dealing with the remains of a man who should have died and disappeared, what better way than to leave it to the corpse-eating beasts!”
The moment Edin aimed for the main body and lifted the Despair Trap, the extended flesh bound and lifted Edin’s incomplete body.
And with endless hatred, I tightened it as if I was going to crush it. The devil’s main body distorted his face with hatred.
[You trapped me in hell. You reduced me to the ugly bastard I am today. You, your mediocre heroism and weakness, took away everything I could enjoy as a human being!]
“That’s right. I’m sorry.”
The many eyes attached to the Demon King’s body shook. Edin smiled with a pale face and nodded.
And then I looked down at Adamantone, who was still panting and running around eagerly, as instructed by his allies.
“One of the reasons I came back was because I had to apologize to you, a part of me. Although it was necessary, the sacrifice I forced myself to make was cruel. I failed to love myself as much as I loved the world.”
[What are you saying?]
“Of course, even if I were to go back to that time, I would make the same choice a thousand times, ten thousand times. The sealing of the World Temple must continue. But… If I could go back, I would not make the same mistake. Reconcile with me, control my anger, and save myself. I will forgive you… So that you will not be born to suffer.”
[Gibberish. You can’t change anything.]
“That’s right. So accept it too. The time of Edin Eyennad and his shadows is over.”
Edin, who had been writhing around his bound body, suddenly lowered his head. Only then did the Demon King realize what he had missed.
“Now is their time.”
While the Demon King was distracted by Edin, someone jumped up using his scythe as a stepping stone. And he approached, using Edin’s back as a shield.
Holding on to the moonlight so vivid it looks like it’s about to explode.
“My ordeal. My nightmare. My maker!”
Florica shouted, staring straight into the Demon King’s eyes.
“Remember this: the Children of Sunstorm killed you!”
It was a blow that could not have been delivered in the church’s training ground, with hands soaked in bloody tears, and on a sinking ship in the stormy sea.
At that time, the fear that I would die if I failed weighed down my reflexes. Now, the reasons why he must succeed were giving strength to Florica.
A trace resembling the waves of a lake cut off the devil’s body.
The devil couldn’t even spit out a word.
The crumbling wall of flesh turns into pitch-black demonic energy and scatters in the sky. The adventurers who had climbed onto the Demon King’s massive body and stabbed it with spear knives fell to the ground screaming.
When their prey disappeared, the rats, who had been running around in fear, suddenly ran towards Adamantone, who had fallen from exhaustion. Adamantone was scared and pretended to cover himself with the hilt of his sword.
The rats, whose bodies were metallic, were sucked into Adamantone’s hands and restored the broken body of Uja’s lighthouse.
Soon, Adamantone felt a heavy hand. And he was taken aback by the appearance of the hero’s sword, which was much larger than the original.
A little later, seeing Adamantone rolling on the floor and cheering while hugging his sword, Isilun wiped away his tears with a happy expression. Morgan, on the other hand, muttered in her helpless tone.
“It’s good.”
“That guy’s sword, he had terrible abilities. It’s a sword that fills its stomach with flesh.”
“It’s an Adamantonic ability.”
“···If you’ve done something right, let’s start by praising everyone. Isn’t that too much?”
An exhausted Florica grumbled to her extermination party comrades. And she soon became contemplative.
[How dare you disobey your father? Failed
···
On the subject of the work
···.]
While everyone was cheering and celebrating the victory of the battle, the true body of the Demon King that Florica had cut down was crawling, spilling blood. With my eyes burning with hatred.
[Do you think you won? The Demon God will give birth to the Demon King again, Mithra will return, and the world will once again be reborn as a crucible of trials and fear. There is no meaning to your struggles-]
“So persistent.”
Something stepped on the devil’s head. Just as the Demon King was about to open his eyes in humiliation, his Eshen gave strength to his feet.
His skull collapsed with a crashing sound. Seeing Eshen crushing her body with his heel, Florica was horrified, but felt a sense of liberation in her heart.
“A guy who is persistent in his bad ways is neither cool nor fun. Isn’t that right?”
Eshen tapped her foot to shake off the residue and lifted the crying Adamantone to his feet.
“I’m so glad that even you aren’t persistently evil. It’s terrible to remember that the Demon King tried to turn you into a biological weapon.”
“···It was like that.”
Adamantone, who blankly pondered Eshen’s words, trembled along with the extermination party members.
“If it were a one-on-one duel, I would have been defeated by a hero like my sister or Florica… But if I were in a position to command a war, I would.”
“Even then, if you had been able to cultivate the warrior’s sword and the lighthouse of Wuja had not abandoned you, a disaster would have probably occurred.”
Did they say that a hero who is out of line is no different from a monster? There are countless examples in history where a misguided hero caused large-scale casualties.
Not long ago, Adamantone thought that he had been reduced to being treated as the same species as those people. Not now.
“Well, it seems like it’s just a distant fantasy now.”
Eshen shrugged. And he gently tapped Adam Manton on the shoulder, as if he didn’t know he would do this.
“Well done.”
“···It’s strange.”
Adamantone looked around blankly.
“I thought his self-efficacy would just overflow, and he would feel like I accomplished something. I don’t know why he’s anxious.”
“Isn’t it because the work isn’t over yet?”
Leni, who was helping Nenya, who had fallen from exhaustion, pointed to one side of the hall. The adventurers opened their eyes wide.
A pair of men and women are kissing her. Since it is a place where there are many eyes watching, it is easy to feel embarrassed and fall, but there is no sign of noticing the gaze of others in the two’s closed eyes.
It was as if he had just fallen asleep. No, it seems more like a stone statue.
Garam Taiga, who had been watching him stomping his feet a little while ago, nodded to the crowd as if asking them to take a look.
And then she pushed the entangled man and woman with all her might. Then, her man and woman swayed like balloons and took a spin in the air.
Thanks to this, the astonished adventurers discovered another fact. The feet and knees of men and women were even floating in the air.
Strangely enough, it seemed like just the two of them were trapped in another time and space.
“Tan, Tena. What happened?”
Eshen said, pulling her head.
“What should I do?”
“···For now, don’t try to separate them. It seems that their souls are mixed and in contact, so it would be dangerous if the connection is lost for a while.”
Monica, who had rushed in and treated Tan’s bleeding, spoke anxiously.
She seemed equally unconvinced by Monica, but the extermination party members cautiously gave her a nod. Among them, Monica was the only one who had any understanding of how the Ishtar faith worked.
“Has Mitra been eradicated? Is the medicine working properly?”
“Now that the heavy, creepy presence is gone, maybe that’s it. It seems like things have worked out just fine.”
However, there was another reason for Monica’s anxious tone. Monica was looking up at the cracking ceiling.
“Except one thing. How do I do this?”
The entire Amethyst Palace shook. When everyone was exhausted, they got scared and rolled on the floor.
It wasn’t difficult to guess the cause. This is probably because Angrakam, Lord, Evenna and the Demon King destroyed an entire floor.
Nidrogar quickly changed into the form of a dragon and flew outside, but came back and rolled on the floor, screaming.
“The tree! The tree is falling!”
“···I will try to support it somehow.”
Nya opened her eyes and spoke as she stood up with all her might.
“By growing new stems, we can prevent it from collapsing right now.”
“There are 40 more floors above here? The whole thing is collapsing? Can it handle that weight?!”
“It will hold up for a while. While I hold up the tree, you can carry as much as you can!”
Cried Nenya, trying to hide her despair.
Defeated them all. The demon king’s fragments, Evenna and the guardians of the royal capital, and even Mitra.
It is no exaggeration to say that the impossible was achieved. If there is fairness in the fate of fate, it is only natural to provide a wonderful vacation plan to those who saved the world against slim odds.
Is it really going to end like this?
No. There is still more that can be done. For everyone. And for Lennie.
Nenya prepared to hold on, mustering the last of her magical energy.
She didn’t know how long she could last.
Therefore, when Leni held Nenya’s arm tightly, the despair she had tried to bury deep inside her came out of Nenya’s mouth.
“···What are you doing?”
“We decided to be together wherever we go, right?”
“···Let go. Go Nidro! Take Lenny first!”
“Where are you going first, leaving me behind?”
It is said that in ancient times, there were elves who buried the humans they served as servants. Of course, elves tend to have longer lifespans, so it was rare for them to die early due to their master’s death.
However, being forced to face death is sufficiently unpleasant. Nenya had no intention of forcing such a vicious act on Leni, who did not belong to her.
But Lennie smiled faintly. What was contained within it was a firm will and comfort.
“No matter what happens, I have no intention of letting you go alone.”
“Don’t do this, Lennie. You-“
“I’m your puppy.”
Nya exhaled softly and nodded her head. And she smiled with tears in her eyes.
Magic is affected by the user’s emotions. As was the case with Evenna a little while ago, the throbbing of the heart increases the output of mana.
Closing her eyes, Nenya felt her powers as a mage step into realms she had never before reached. She was convinced that she might be able to save everyone even if she had to burn her own life.
Vines surrounding the amethyst tree sprouted from the underground. And she began to securely hold up the entire building that was about to collapse.
A little later, Nenya opened her eyes.
“It’s strange.”
“What is it?”
“···I thought I had to do my best, but why is it less difficult?”
Lennie carefully pointed towards the entrance of the hall. Nenya opened her mouth.
The woman in the suit raised her cold head and finally cleared her throat as if to ask if she was looking in this direction.
“Hmm.”
Nenya noticed the staff in the woman’s hand. And she also found about a hundred people lined up behind the woman.
Everyone was a wizard. Her group of over a hundred wizards were helping her by raising their wands.
Nenya looked up at her ceiling. She was wriggling her fragments as if her ceiling was about to fall apart, and then she was being put back together again and again. As if being lifted by an invisible force.
“Telekinesis type? That’s Magus level…?”
“As expected, Ebenenyar, one of the progenitors of magic, recognizes you at a glance. As a descendant following the traces of Mana, I pay my respects.”
The woman with a chilly expression bowed deeply. The party members glanced at Nenya with her new eyes.
Nenya waved her hand awkwardly and greeted her.
“I am Managing Director ‘Arabeth’. All the agents accompanying me, including myself, are Magus-class wizards. Meet the great wizard.”
“Uh, yes. But who…? Where are you the director?”
“···I understand even if you don’t say it.”
Someone muttered with a pale, tired face. As he spat out the water he was drinking and gurgled, the corners of his eyes trembled.
“They’re really tracking me to the very end of hell. They seem like terrible bastards…”
Garam blinked her eyes as if she had no idea. It was because a person as persistent and strong-willed as his father, who had won over his mother, could not immediately think of a group that could be criticized as ‘terrible’.
However, when her older sister Eshen whispered to her, pointing to their conquest, Garam quickly understood what was happening.
The wizards who appeared out of nowhere were wearing badges in the shape of crossed long swords.
“Armatam… Long sword bank?”
“We are looking for Mr. Vincenzio Don Alamo. I believe he may be one of your names. Is that correct?”
Managing Director Arabeth glared straight at Youngrak. Youngrak, who respected their intelligence, only closed his eyes and did not deny it.
“It seems like there is a minor issue we need to adjust.”
“… You chased me all this way just for a check? Did you ever see lights flashing outside and dragons jumping out?”
“Should I care?”
When Adamantone asked blankly, Arabeth answered in a very business-like manner. Her expression did not change even after seeing the demon king’s body and the half-destroyed hall.
The wizard of the Long Sword Bank, who seemed to be interested only in his own business, looked back at them as if he were very suspicious.
“My business concerns people who filled out documents at the hospital affiliated with the Temple of St. Yankarov, saying they would pay in the name of the Long Sword Bank, and then disappeared along with a large checking check. It looks like we have two options now.”〈 Br〉
“Which…?”
“That’s what they usually say. ‘You either get a chance to be called out, or you get punished by the Long Sword Bank!'”
Shin Kyo-ju Youngrak spoke on behalf of Arabes Managing Director. And he quickly grabbed Adamantone by the collar as he retreated.
“Where are you going? Quickly take out the check!”
Adamantone rummaged through his pockets.
Meanwhile, dust fell from the ceiling. Out of urgency that she might be crushed to death without their help, Florica quickly reported her loss.
“We took that check by mistake!”
“How did such a mistake happen?”
“Well, it’s too long to tell the story…”
“Soo, I lost my check…?”
Florica, who had tried to explain, looked behind her with the veins between her eyebrows bulging.
Everyone turned to Adamantone. Eshen expressed his opinion fiercely and silently.
Look again carefully. I will rip your dick off.
If everyone had stamina and energy left, they might not have put as much pressure on Adamantone. The wizards of the Long Sword Bank did not threaten to tear down the building.
Perhaps, after some time has passed, and you look back, you will conclude that bankers would not stamp people to death with a single check…
“I knew it would be like that!”
“You fucking idiot, are you out of your mind!”
“Mother, this is how I die today! Please write on my tombstone that Adamantone Sunstorm killed me!”
“Make it up and find it, you crazy person!”
Everyone was so exhausted that it was impossible to make a normal decision. In front of the terrified people, Adamantone began stamping his feet in fear.
“Oh, I don’t even know where it went, so how can I find it!”
“I don’t know what the circumstances are, but I will reimburse you.”
Rod, who belatedly returned after climbing up the wall, raised his hand and smiled sheepishly.
The tension was relieved, and the exhausted people sat down. The managing director of Janggeom Bank had a strange look in his eyes.
“Are you really the person I’m thinking of?”
“If he is what you think he is, is it enough to just give him a verbal guarantee without documents?”
“It’s enough.”
“That’s right. Everyone calm down and let’s talk outside first.”
The adventurers cheered, as if they were finally convinced that they were alive. Looking at the people praising Rod and clinging to him, Arabeth bowed his head a little.
“···Um. I was going to say that from the beginning.”
———–
“In the beginning, the two options that the wizard of the Long Sword Bank was trying to present were ‘talk here or talk outside safely.'”
“That’s kind of funny. Anyway, if you’re all magus-level wizards, I don’t know what, but you should come a little early. It would have been a lot of help when taking down those bastards.”
“Are you hoping for more luck than this? Haven’t you achieved the best outcome through your efforts?”
“That’s right. The last one is a bit absurd. Because Adamantone poisoned the Long Sword Bank with a check, everyone was safe until the end.”
“Things in this world work in ways you never expected. It’s the same principle that it’s easy to get what you want. I’m a living proof of that.”
Danar Numen Evennarsson smiled, licking his dry lips.
Then he stopped talking and chuckled for a while. I waited quietly.
Danar’s body was connected to complex machinery. His twisted valves and tubes are piled up like a mountain, making him look like a small flying insect wrapped in a spider’s web.
I am not recovering from the injury from the holy spear. Surprisingly, he was like this from the beginning.
I glared at a corner of the king’s secret abode. There are golems lying around that took the holy spear thrown by the Demon King instead of me. The face is exactly the same as Danar’s, but all the fuel inside has been drained, and it is lifeless.
Of course, the body is also lifeless. Even the broken and dysfunctional golem looks very healthy compared to Danar’s skinny body.
“Originally, no matter what happened, I would have gone to see Tena first.”
“I guess so.”
“I came first because I heard you were about to die.”
“Is that so?”
“You’ll have to explain what happened.”
“What should I tell you first? Why did I end up in this miserable state? Or, how did you create the golem that connected my mind?”
Danar quietly closed his eyes. The guy even looked somewhat relieved.
“If nothing else, do you want to hear about your parents?”
I almost grabbed the defenseless guy by the neck and strangled him.
