Chapter 447
Chapter 447
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 447
Chapter Title: 2-117. In Father's Name (5)
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The breeze blowing in from the lake was refreshing. The water and sky were blue, and the land and trees were green.
I slowly looked around and stretched.
Yeah. This is what a landscape looks like, fuck.
Having been cooped up for three days in the colorless baldhead world and the main headquarters, coming out made the feeling all the fresher.
"Nice weather."
Along the water's edge, thousands of devotees stood in perfect rows. They were the followers of Nebula Klazie who had chosen judgment over death.
Come to think of it, Tieria had played a huge role. Saving all these lives with her own death. Maybe she deserves a medal as a martyr or something.
I turned to Letansie and asked.
"Flying squirrel, is that everyone?"
"W-wait a second!"
She was counting the devotees' heads from midair. Despite her fear, she handled things with impressive efficiency. In less than five minutes, Letansie nodded after finishing the headcount.
"Yes. That's everyone. But why do you keep calling me flying squirrel..."
"Don't sweat it. I checked back inside—if even one person's left behind, it's fine to kill you, right?"
"Th-that's too harsh... But really, everyone’s out. I'm sure of it!"
Letansie pleaded. I tried roughly counting the devotees myself but gave up. The flying squirrel I remembered was scared enough not to pull any stupid tricks.
I gazed at the water's surface and gripped my sword hilt.
"Alright. Then I'll close it."
"Close it? What do you mean..."
The moment Letansie tilted her head, a shooting-star-like slash crossed the lake. The surface split left and right, revealing the white muddy bottom. A wall of spray blocked the sky.
"Eek...!"
Letansie gasped. Rippling water shadows draped over the lakeshore. Even the devotees trembling in fear of judgment forgot their terror for a moment, letting out pure shock.
"N-no way!"
"...We chose not to resist wisely."
The spatial magic etched into the surface was breaking down into mana and scattering.
Watching the trash gawk reminded me of the past somehow.
"Brings back memories. Back then, it was just plain amazing."
It was back when I attended Phileon Academy. Big sis Naviroje had sliced the academy lake in half to teach me the importance of gear. That shock would probably stick with me till I died.
She's probably doing well here.
It was before the Varka Uprising had even happened, so she should still be working at Phileon Academy. Teaching students by day, rolling around at night in pajamas with snake prints.
Faces of people from this parallel world I hadn't met besides her—old connections—flashed through my mind.
"Like nothing ever happened..."
Honestly, saying I didn't miss them would be a lie, but you can't always do what you want.
Right now, the priority was smashing Akasha as fast as possible. Restoring the peace we rightfully deserved came before personal sentiments. I'd wrecked Nebula Klazie and the baldhead club, so I was halfway there.
Abel let out a hollow laugh.
"Unbelievable. You monster."
The uncle who'd lost his dream had completely shed his hostility.
Enjoying my exploits purely like a sports spectator was almost pitiful.
The split lake rejoined. The shadows vanished as the water wall collapsed.
The waves churning like a dragon might burst out soon calmed. The lake, stripped of magic, would slowly return to normal. Aquatic plants would grow back, fish would return.
Anyway, business here was done.
"Let's go. Fire the signal flare."
"Ugh... Got it."
Letansie whined. She raised her arm, and a red flash shot high into the sky. It was the empire's official rescue signal.
Krava Kratir or old man Rorhon should handle it fine. I can't catch all these guys myself.
Now, imperial troops patrolling nearby or forest rescue teams would come. They'd freak out once at the sight of all the pale wriggling maggots, and twice upon learning their true nature, pissing themselves while radioing superiors.
Eventually, the continent's top talents would arrive for emergency transport. Like the elders I mentioned—Duon or Sword Saint Zaifa.
My role was seeing them through to custody.
I could do that much. Sure.
The signal flare, hovering in the air for three minutes, fizzled out.
Dejected devotees murmured in gloomy voices.
"...Death sentence, right?"
"Don't give up hope. You didn't do anything too bad."
"Hunt. Arson usually counts as a serious crime. Even more if five or more people died."
"Ah. Then I'm not safe either. Honestly felt relieved killing only three."
Most of it made me want to puke. Regrets that I should've just killed them all cropped up here and there, but I couldn't take back my words.
Yeah, maybe one in a hundred has lighter sins. Like a newbie whose only record is stealing from a fruit stand.
As I killed time with positive thoughts like that.
Archbishop Alicia, consoling her sniveling chicks, spoke up.
"Hey. What's that?"
"Huh?"
It wasn't directed at me, but I turned out of habit. Her finger pointed at the now-calm lake. About a meter above the central surface floated a black sphere.
".....Magic?"
"A orb?"
The devotees' attention focused. It definitely hadn't been there moments ago. The sphere was about a meter in diameter. Its cosmic black was mystical yet somehow eerie.
"......!"
And I felt a heart-freezing terror.
I'd seen something like that in the previous parallel world. In the scorching southern palm groves. Amid my fierce battle with Akasha.
A flurry of thoughts surged, but my task was clear. I launched toward Alicia. Then, hurling the six truly innocent chicks far away, I yelled.
"Fuck, scatter!!"
"Kyaaah! Save us!"
"Wait, what are you..."
Alicia's face twisted. The women flying toward the canopy really looked like birds. As she opened her mouth for an enraged shout.
Kwaaaaaah!
The sphere over the lake exploded, darkness engulfing the area. Light vanished from sight in less than a second. The ground gave way beneath. Alicia gasped as the falling sensation hit.
"Gasp."
"Damn it. They set a trap in the meantime."
I spat curses. No sky, no lake. The dense forest green was painted over in darkness. Alien mana saturated everything. Akasha's mana, like nothing else. My body, lingering in midair, began to plummet.
Grinding my teeth, I muttered.
"...Abyss."
It was the Abyss, a world born from Akasha's aura. The bottomless darkness expanded rapidly, swallowing the area.
Suddenly, desperate screams erupted from below.
"KyaAaah!!"
"S-save me!"
"Moooom!!"
I looked down. Thousands of bread crumb specks screamed as they fell. Nebula Klazie's devotees plummeting. They vanished into the unfathomable depths far faster than me.
"Kkeeaaak! Kkak!"
"Lord...!"
Letansie and Kailasis were visible too.
But they fell slower than the devotees. Letansie, robes flapping as she spun, truly evoked a flying squirrel.
Abel's voice came from nearby.
"...Never thought I'd see the day."
He was falling the slowest among everyone except me. Probably the stronger you were, the slower the drop. Who'd have guessed such a gimmick.
I drew my sword with a bitter smile.
"You were watching me too, huh?"
I could guess why this happened. It was a trap. Akasha's trap.
Considering I hadn't sensed his presence nearby, he'd predicted my moves and planted the Abyss in the lake. Destroying the portal was likely the trigger.
Honestly, we were fucked. Utterly hopeless.
"You think I'll eat shit twice?"
But I couldn't just suck my thumb. Gripping the hilt, my blade glowed red. I swung at the expanding outer wall of darkness.
Kaaaaang!
The red slash streaked true, slamming into the dark. A ferocious metallic clang rang out. I'd gotten stronger—the Abyss seemed to shake a bit.
Probably wishful thinking. Damn it all.
The others' screams had faded.
As I prepared a second slash without giving up.
"...Huh?"
I felt something and raised a brow. The Abyss was actually shaking.
Curious, I swung again. The condensed slash drew a red line. Simultaneously, a pure white rift cracked in the distant darkness center.
"That's...!"
Traces of external intervention. My straight-flying slash hit the rift.
A dull rupture exploded, unlike before. The Abyss wall shattered like glass.
Darkness scattered, revealing the lake once more.
"Huff!"
I landed butt-first in the shallows. Lake water soaked my ass. Akasha's aura dispersed like smoke into the distance. Above, a piercingly blue sky stretched.
"Kkyaak!"
"Ugh!"
"Ngh..."
Soon others appeared. Abel and the archbishops who'd fallen slower. But no one else returned.
Frowning in confusion.
"Where's everyone?"
Something was off. The survivors were ridiculously few. Me, Abel, and the archbishops stared at each other in bewilderment.
Then, a firework-like boom echoed from above.
Puuuuum-!
"Hm?"
Judging by the volume, it was far away. As I looked up, wondering if a dragon took a shit.
Letansie shrieked.
"Eeeek! Wh-what is that?!"
"Why are you screaming..."
I couldn't finish. The sky was dyed red. Realizing it was a mass of rapidly falling liquid took no time. The stench of blood hit hard.
"Aaah!"
Letansie hastily summoned a barrier, but too late. The pouring red rain engulfed our vision.
Shooooaaaa-!
It sounded like ten thousand arrows falling at once.
"Grk!"
I shielded my face with my arm.
In the blood storm, mangled meat chunks indistinguishable from hail flew about. Amid the splattering blood and flesh, white fabric scraps mixed in. The survivors' faces hardened. The mystery of the missing devotees solved.
"So if you keep falling... you end up like this."
The lake turned dark red. Blood from the thousands who fell first. Goosebumps rippled over me. Without an escape method, we'd become such plummeting corpses. The Abyss wasn't just for capturing foes.
Wait.
A crucial doubt flashed.
Who made that rift that helped us escape the Abyss?
I'd thought rescue arrived, but no one else showed. As I spaced out like a ghost-possessed fool.
A chillingly familiar voice rang out.
"You there. Handsome young man."
"......!"
I whipped around reflexively. A man appeared where none had been. Familiar yet strange face. Sword in one hand, grip style much like mine.
My brows shot up like pulled by strings.
Seeing his white hair whipping in the wind, I chuckled.
"What, I wondered who helped."
"That voice... no way..."
Sitting by the water, I waved. Sprawled Abel's breathing quickened. The striding man stopped before me.
"How'd you know to come here?"
"You okay, Ronan?"
Ignoring the question, he offered a hand. Years in a can had bleached his skin vampiric-white. I almost joked he'd need to sunbathe naked for a while, but my voice caught. Blinking hard, I grabbed his hand.
"...It's been a while."
I stood. His grip pulled me up with wild-horse strength.
His eyes met mine—deep crimson glow. More like me and sis than Abel: sunset hues.
Facing Cain, I spoke.
"Father."
"Good to see you, son. Reuniting after decades at a blood-soaked lake. What a place."