Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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>Translator: Lord First
>Chapter: 68
>Chapter Title: The Second Phase
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
*
[Correct.]
At the voice that brushed through her mind like a licking tongue, Elfihera finally faced the truth.
What she had thought were treasures were the desiccated skeletons of humans, and the elixir she had believed to be a divine treasure was a sword piercing the statue's chest.
“Urk… ugh…!”
She covered her mouth and staggered back, the sight of the statue sending a shock through her that felt like her innards were twisting.
Her heart pounded, her hands and feet trembled, and she found herself stepping forward unconsciously. *I want to hold it. I want to grasp it. I want to pull it out and possess it.*
A temptation unlike any she had ever felt, a terrible desire hidden behind a veil of deceit, was crushing her heart.
But she couldn't.
She was an elf, the noblest race under the heavens. To succumb to a vile temptation resting upon the corpses of humans was far, far too wretched.
She was a mage, a profession that demanded more rationality than any other in the world. To be buried in emotion and act on impulse was a disgrace to all mages.
So, so…
[I have many names, but you may call me Salvation. I know the wish you harbor. Desire it, and it shall be granted.]
*No, you are not my god.*
Elfihera unknowingly took a step forward, then froze, startled by the crunch of bone shattering beneath her foot.
[Pull it out, and you shall receive. As I have spoken, you shall obtain what you have sought your entire life. Raise your hand and pull.]
The statue’s voice was steeped in divinity, the kind that the spirits of mortals could not dare to resist.
*Perhaps it can’t be helped. Isn’t resisting something like this a meaningless act in itself?*
Elfihera couldn't tell if this was the resignation of one who had succumbed to temptation, or if the temptation itself was whispering in her own voice.
As she took another step forward, a frigid voice cut through the air to her ear.
Yes, to her ear.
“Your words are lies.”
A cold voice that cooled her fevered mind.
Low and chilling. Laced with a sharp edge, growling like a savage beast.
A stark contrast to the soft, sweet voice of the statue. Unlike the voice that echoed in her head, this one was clearly audible to her ears.
And for that very reason, it was a realistic… ‘human’ voice.
The voice of a mortal, cutting through the boundary between myth and fantasy. And so, it was all the more distinct, all the more reassuring….
“You were sealed by human hands.”
Stated in a dry, dispassionate tone. *Long ago, humans had already defeated you.*
[Listen to me!!]
“No.”
A divinity so potent it was visible to the naked eye dyed the surroundings in darkness.
The sword embedded in the statue's chest rattled as if trying to pull itself free.
Yet the hand gripping its hilt remained heavy. Despite the divinity coiling around it like chains, it moved slowly, but with unshakable conviction.
One by one, the fingers were pried away.
[Stop, stop!! You cannot kill me! I am your god!!]
He paid no heed to the statue's screams, unwavering in the face of the terrible temptation one could feel just by looking.
How was it possible? If she were in his place, she would have likely given up.
He was facing the brunt of the pouring malice head-on. Though only a single stream of divinity flowed past his broad back, she was still in such agony.
As Elfihera trembled, a low voice reached her, and her shaking gradually subsided.
“I’ve met those who believed themselves gods.”
*Crack, crunch.* The sound of stone breaking echoed as divinity began to scatter madly in all directions.
She couldn't see it from behind the man's back, but there were some things you could know without seeing.
The man was now killing a god.
“They died.”
A desiccated voice, devoid of any excitement, passion, or sense of honor or accomplishment for the great deed he was performing.
He simply whispered, dryly, as if recounting a past experience.
-Crack!!
With a firm grip, he crushed the statue's head.
“Ah…”
Divinity exploded from within the seal. An overwhelming presence, so intense it made the world seem to warp, poured down upon the hill of remains.
The last throes of an ancient god.
The shriek of an immortal, a mixture of screams and agony.
The lament of a blasphemer, so profane that merely hearing it would deafen the ears and defile the soul.
Elfihera managed to open her mouth and cry out in a cracked voice.
“Get… away!! Run!! That… that thing…!”
How could she explain it? How could she persuade the man to retreat…?
To be in that spot, no, to be in this room, meant being cursed by it.
Barely keeping her eyes open against the swirling winds, Elfihera finally chose the most appropriate word.
So that even a human intellect could understand…!
“It’s going to explode!!”
“Hmm.”
Ivan's gaze fell upon Elfihera. He gave a short nod and vanished from her sight in an instant.
“Wha…?!”
“It was a good idea to bring you.”
Having appeared before Elfihera in a flash, Ivan wrapped an arm around her waist and turned his back.
Just as he was about to exit the room, a *clink* sounded in her ear.
“Hmm.”
Ivan's body froze. She could see chains wrapped around his ankles. When she followed them with her eyes, she saw that the black divinity seeping from the shattered statue had ensnared him.
“What’s the blast radius?”
“The, the explosion is just an expression… more accurately, it’s a conceptual reversal…”
“Summarize.”
“I don’t know! But looking at the seal’s structure… considering the range of its authority… within this room, it’s definitely…!”
“Close the door and wait.”
*Wha…?!*
Elfihera felt an extreme sense of floating as her vision warped and blurred.
A sudden *thud* and a stinging pain in her rear brought her back to her senses. She had been thrown out of the room.
“Wh-what about you?! I told you it’s dangerous!”
“I’ll be fine.”
Her body flinched at his low voice.
In a wave of intense déjà vu, she looked up at Ivan’s face with trembling eyes.
An impassive face, as if nothing was wrong. Twelve years ago. All that remained of his appearance from that time was the shape of his eyes….
“I expected a second phase.”
Ivan was a man of common sense, so of course he knew how boss fights were structured.
Five phases at most, two at the very least.
Since the first phase was a gimmick, the second would be a physical fight. Fortunately, that was his specialty.
“N-No, what are you talking about…”
Ivan didn't answer her and turned around.
*Slam.* The door closed in front of her.
Just like when she first faced this door, not a single trace of magic or divinity could be felt.
She forced her limp legs to move, crawling on all fours toward the door. She gently brushed her fingertips against the tightly shut seam for a moment.
Then she hugged her knees, sniffled, and lowered her head.
A human’s lifespan is too short.
This human, too, would fade away in a fleeting moment.
But his soul, like that of an elf, despite its short life, remained unswervingly righteous….
“Come back…”
Elfihera sniffled and closed her eyes.
*
Ivan turned and climbed the hill of remains once more.
[You alone—]
“You ask what I can do? I’ll show you.”
[You are but—]
“A mere human. Correct.”
There were no more temptations. Only a directionless rage.
A single emotion blazed within the malice overflowing from the statue’s destroyed head.
Slowly, the black darkness seeping from the stone began to take shape, forming into a giant with five heads.
Ivan walked straight up to the statue.
This thing had been sealed for the past two thousand years.
Two thousand years ago, it was defeated by the hands of humans.
And during that time, it had struggled desperately, setting traps and trying to widen the cracks in its seal.
Naturally, its power would not be what it was at its peak.
Fortunately, his own power was still at its zenith.
And to add one more thing.
“For one who tempted with happiness, you look rather pathetic in the end. Are you not happy anymore?”
[You…!!]
“Let’s end this quickly. I have much to do.”
Ivan gripped the sword that had been embedded in the statue’s chest once more.
He felt no more temptation.
That meant this sword was no longer acting as its seal.
And one more thing.
If it was the catalyst once used to seal this being, then it was a weapon capable of damaging its true form.
Every boss fight has a gimmick. That was ‘common sense’ that any 21st-century earthling would know.
-Screee.
The unadorned iron sword slid out from the marble statue’s chest with a flesh-cutting sound, smooth and without friction.
Ivan gave it a light flick of the wrist to gauge its center of gravity, then held it upright.
*A well-made weapon.* A catalyst that sealed an evil god. Would it be an item for a mage or a warrior?
Once he returned to the surface, who would be the most efficient person to equip it?
He thought as much.
*
Leaning against the door, Elfihera lost her balance and collapsed as the door opened silently and smoothly.
“Aah!?”
“Were you sleeping?”
A warm presence touched her back. As she looked up with trembling eyes, she saw the man standing there with the same expression he’d had when he first entered the room.
“A-A-Are you… okay?”
“I’m fine.”
Ivan lifted Elfihera to her feet and began to walk.
Half-cradled in his arms, Elfihera spoke.
“What, what happened in there….”
“Nothing happened.”
“Uh… uh uh… that can’t be right.”
“So it seems.”
“Fine, don’t tell me if you don’t want to.”
“Alright.”
“Wow… really. Humans…!! All that worrying for nothing!”
Ivan ignored Elfihera’s outburst. Having reached the edge of the ruins, he looked up.
Deep underground, with the veil of magic lifted, a small cluster of light was visible far above.
“Can you use Levitate?”
“Of course I can.”
“See? It was a good idea to bring you.”
“…..”
She mumbled in his arms with her head down, then tilted her head in confusion.
A thought had suddenly occurred to her.
*Why is he so… ‘warm’…? Wait, this feels like…?*
She fumbled to place a hand on his chest and gasped in surprise.
“Why is your body burning up! What did you do in there!”
“Hmm.”
“Not ‘hmm’! You’re driving me crazy! I understand that your conversational skills might be a bit lacking because you’re human, but…!”
“I’m fine.”
“Aaaargh!! Stop saying that!! What do you mean, you’re fine?! Are we in a contest to see if my temper explodes or your insides do first?!”
Elfihera shouted and completed the spell.
Slowly, their bodies began to rise.
Ivan took one last look at the ruins before looking up again.
The sewers were close. Once they reached the entrance, Elizaveta’s forces would be there. Even if they weren't, the university was a straight shot from the sewers.
It meant they had reached a secure area.
“You did well.”
“…You did more. I didn’t really do anything.”
“No. You fulfilled your role.”
Finding the seal and deciphering the ancient language. That was all. He had never expected more.
So, she had done exactly what was needed.
Everything else—this child’s safety, the extermination of the sealed being, assessing and responding to the situation, scouting—was all his responsibility.
Ivan slowly closed his eyes as his vision blurred.
At Ivan's words, Elfihera lowered her head again, chewing on her lip before speaking.
“Um, you know. Twelve years ago. Th-that, um. That time.”
“…”
“Do you… really remember? Back then, I… to you…”
“…”
“Hello?”
When Elfihera looked up, she saw Ivan with his eyes closed.
Hearing his steady breathing, she raised a hand and stroked his cheek.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t thank you then. Including for today, thank you.”
Having reached the sewer, she kept the levitation spell active on Ivan, floating gently across the waterway while still in his arms.
“You worked hard. Sleep well.”
*
Ivan gripped his head and opened his eyes.
Consciousness returned in a hazy blur, accompanied by a throbbing headache.
It was like the hangover after a night of heavy drinking. But surprisingly for this era, Ivan was a man who rarely drank. Thus, he had no reason to experience a hangover.
He pushed back the soft velvet duvet and sat up in bed.
“What…?”
Velvet duvet? A bed?
Ivan’s thoughts sharpened abruptly.
A floor covered with a red carpet, and a bed where a velvet duvet billowed softly.
And at its edge, the silhouette of someone lying with their back turned.
A woman.
“Hmm.”
*