Chapter 453
Chapter 453
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: World (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The dawn air was hazy. Nimbuton, just before sunrise, was shrouded in deep blue shadows.
Iril, hurrying along, cupped her hands to her mouth and shouted.
"Ronan! Dad!"
"Ro...! Dad...!"
The echoes carried across the hills. It was loud enough to reach quite far, but no reply came. Tears welled up in Iril's eyes.
"...You said you weren't going anywhere."
This was too much. It hadn't even been a full day since their reunion. The image of the whole family gathered around the table, talking, already felt like a dream.
If even her little brother from the original world had vanished, she would have fainted long ago.
Iril wiped her eyes with her sleeve and shouted again at the top of her lungs.
"Ronannn! Daaad!!"
"You damn bastards, where the hell did you run off to in the middle of eating?!"
Ronan3 growled from beside her.
He had a strict rule against swearing in front of his sister, but this time he couldn't hold back.
He had been searching alongside Iril.
"Just wait till I catch you. I'll beat you to death."
"R-Ronan... what do we do? If Dad disappears again, I... hngh, I..."
"I-It'll be okay, sis. They're probably just stepped out for a bit."
Ronan3 floundered as he tried to comfort her.
Iril, in a state of extreme anxiety, looked as fragile as a cracked glass cup.
Her breathing was ragged, tears flowing freely. Each drop felt like it was tearing her heart apart. Ronan3 bit his lip and pulled his sister into a hug.
"It'll be fine, no matter what. I'll find them."
"Hngh, o-okay..."
"There, there. So stop crying, alright?"
"Yeah. Hngh. Okay... I won't cry."
Iril nodded. Ronan3 confirmed her breathing had steadied before letting out a sigh of relief.
The flow of time suddenly felt real. Back when he was a snot-nosed kid, his sister had seemed so huge, but now her head barely reached his chin.
"Damn it."
Ronan3 squeezed his eyes shut and opened them. Even if the world ended, he had to find those two.
The search resumed. Dawn was breaking; the eastern sky was reddening as time passed. They were scanning the surroundings busily when...
"What is that?"
Ronan3 narrowed his eyes. An amorphous blob was glowing atop the hill.
The shadow of the massive oak tree, where he often napped as a boy, stretched to his feet.
"Sis. Look at that."
"...Huh?"
Iril looked up, sniffling. The glowing mass was clear in her eyes too. Within the softly shining white light, a small red flicker wavered like an ember.
"W-What is that? Will-o'-the-wisp?"
"Let's check it out... Feels kinda familiar."
The eerie will-o'-the-wisp felt strangely familiar.
The siblings clasped hands tightly and slowly climbed the hill.
"Hah... haaah...! Kugh!"
"Congratulations, Ronan."
Cain smiled. The primordial night sea was shattering into particles. The brilliant starlight flickered precariously, like a candle about to go out.
The world Cain had unfolded was collapsing.
I lowered my sword and brushed back my sweat-soaked bangs.
"D-Did... haa, did I do it?"
"Up to the essential points. You've reached the level where you can break someone else's world."
Cain pointed to the horizon as he spoke.
A sunset-colored line diagonally bisected the sea and starry sky. It was only a few meters long, not matching the starlight-gathering super slash Cain had shown me (which I named), but his world was undeniably crumbling from that line onward.
It was the trace of processing and swinging an imperfectly unfolded world as a slash.
"Not perfect, but impressive enough. At this level, you should be able to escape that Akasha's world somehow. You said you're favored as long as worlds are excluded, right?"
"Probably. I've beaten him up a lot."
"Then the key is to settle it quickly. Hmm..."
Cain stroked his chin. His face was as sweat-drenched as mine. He'd been replenishing my mana with self-potions whenever it ran out.
I opened my mouth, gaze fixed on the crumbling night sea.
"Thank you. It's thanks to you, Dad."
"No need for thanks. It's all because you're talented. Without your innate gifts and the experience from those two parallel worlds, it would have been impossible. You caught up to my thousands of years in just hours."
"But no room for complacency, right?"
"Of course. Your world should only be used for a single blow to shatter the abyss. After breaking the abyss, end it as fast as possible."
I nodded. We'd ended training despite the world's imperfection because our mana was depleted and we'd hit our limits. Further progress required more than just effort.
'Need real combat. Best if this settles it, but...'
I bit my lower lip. I'd ultimately failed to unfold my world widely.
No matter how hard I tried, ten meters radius was the max, so I suggested to Cain focusing on shaping the world into a weapon instead.
Honestly, a clever workaround, and it appealed to him.
- Oh ho. There's that method too.
- Pardon?
Cain praised it as a brilliant idea and accepted.
It was grueling, but easier than spreading it wide. Thanks to that, I barely mastered a single strike that could dent Cain's world.
The night sea scenery was now half-erased.
Cain, staring at my profile, burst into laughter.
"...Ronan. You're more like me than Kasha after all."
"Kasha..."
"Your mother. Seems all her genes except hair color went to Iril. If you'd taken after her even a bit, your life wouldn't be this twisted. With a flower-like face, women wouldn't leave you alone."
"Sounds like an insult."
"Just the facts. I act refined now, but in my youth, I was stubborn, foul-mouthed, full of myself. Hard to love... Every moment with you gives me chills of deja vu."
"Yeah. Kinda feels that way."
I had to agree. I barely remembered Mom, but knew she was incredibly kind.
If she'd been like Cain, I'd have been beaten black and blue by sis my whole life in Nimbuton. By the star's daughter's fists, far stronger than mine. Ugh, don't wanna imagine.
Cain continued.
"But that's why I like you. You're a hero because you take after me. Heroes need broad nosiness and a bitchy streak. Look at Iril—pure talent-wise, she matches you, but she's so meek."
"Yeah, can't picture sis in my spot. Too good a person."
"Exactly. But being a jerk with skills doesn't make a hero. I failed, you succeeded. One small difference split our fates. Know what it was?"
"No idea."
"You took a bit after your mom. Aside from this beautiful black hair... You know how to treat people sincerely like Kasha, so you weren't betrayed."
Suddenly, Cain ruffled my hair. It was sweaty and messy, but he didn't care.
"Because you truly seek to understand others, you're stronger than me. Remember that."
"Dad?"
"Talked too long. Iril's waiting—let's head back."
Cain smiled. The rift, centered on the sunset slash mark, instantly filled our vision.
Like entering his world, everything went blinding white.
"Ah."
The light faded. I opened my eyes. The sea was gone. The massive oak towered behind me. Familiar hometown scenery spread below the hill.
Nimbuton, devoid of people, seemed asleep. Dawn was breaking in the eastern sky.
"Already this late..."
I muttered, watching the brightening sun.
I thought only two or three hours passed, but it was a full night. Considering the gains, ridiculously short.
"......"
Cain stood beside me, silently gazing east.
His final words felt like a dying man's, making me uneasy, but he was still there.
I nudged his side with my elbow.
"Let's go back."
"Yeah."
Cain smiled. As we descended the hill amicably, a shadow suddenly popped from behind the tree. Ronan3. Before I could speak...
"You bastard!"
"Ugh."
A flying fist slammed into my face. Stinging pain snapped my head back.
Rubbing my cheek, I turned and chuckled at him.
"...Finally lost it, huh? Wanted to run Nimbuton naked?"
"That's my line. What the hell were you doing!?"
He grabbed my collar.
No more holding back. Reflexively, I seized Ronan3's face and slammed it into the ground.
Kwajik! Like a millstone shattering, his eyes rolled back.
"Kugh...!"
"Crazy fuck. Eat weird mushrooms or what?"
No clue why he snapped. As I reeled from the unexpected...
A familiar wail came from the side.
"Waaah, where were you?! Do you know how long we searched?!"
"I-Iril... look, it's like this..."
"You promised not to vanish without a word...! Liar!"
Sis was sobbing, hugging Cain.
Her grip was so tight, Cain's face paled.
I finally got it and smacked my forehead. "Brief outing" had taken too long.
"Oh. Shit."
Belated guilt hit.
Ronan3 twitched at my feet, foaming. Luckily, sis wasn't looking. I glanced around, picked him up, and propped him against the oak like an exhausted searcher napping.
Wiped the foam; perfect.
"Forgive me, me."
"You son of a... grrrk."
Ronan3 passed out.
Cain, gasping, begged forgiveness.
"M-Me... hngh, sorry. Daddy's fault, don't cry. Okay?"
"Okay. Yeah, not crying... But don't let go."
"Heh... heh heh..."
Cain forced a pained laugh. His face was dangerously pale, but I couldn't intervene. We were at fault.
Suddenly, bright light bathed the hilltop.
"Huh?"
"This is..."
Our trio's (sorry, Ronan3) heads turned simultaneously.
The sun rose in the east. The fiery orb, hidden by ridges, slowly emerged headfirst.
Cain stroked sis's hair.
"Hah... look, Iril... haa, so beautiful!"
"Wowww...!"
Sis exclaimed. Cain, barely escaping asphyxiation, sighed in relief.
Majestic sight. No clouds, pure view of the world's awakening.
As the sun fully crested, the world regained color. Like sunset but different.
Sunset steals light; sunrise shares it. Pushes cold, brings warmth. Awakens from sleep, gives strength for today.
"Sunrise..."
I murmured, entranced.
The risen sun gilded our faces in gold.
Suddenly, an idea flashed.
"Got it, Dad."
"What?"
"I think I realized something."
"Hm?"
Cain tilted his head, caught off-guard.
Naturally. Even I was surprised—a spark like this sunrise.
"What? Can unfold your world now?"
"No, not that... but I think I've figured out how to grab Akasha's balls."