Couldn't Reach...?
The Demon God worshippers exist to summon the Fragments of the Demon God. If that is their purpose, then why do the Fragments they seek to summon exist? To pour out the world's malice in its entirety and bring about total destruction. At first glance the two might seem no different—both equally insane. Yet between them existed one decisive difference. One side would struggle with all its might to achieve its goal even in death. The other side, knowing it could never fulfill its objective if it died, would therefore seek a moderate path to survival while acting.
If one possessed the will to carry out its task even after dying, the other possessed the will to live.
Full Moon
It draws forth the most complete, the most radiant full moon. Whether it could truly reach or cut, I couldn't say with confidence. Honestly, the stronger feeling was that it probably couldn't. Still, it was no exaggeration to call this technique nearly everything I possessed. Even if it couldn't cut, even if it couldn't reach, it could at least serve as a threat. The instant it is reflected in this full moon, you die. You will absolutely die. Simply hammering that thought into the Fragment of the Demon God's skull would be enough of a gain for me.
Shaaang—.
A clear sound slicing through the wind. There was no wildly rampaging energy, no explosive roars like those of a monster. Only a profound stillness remained, like moonlight pouring down beneath a clear sky.
I had wondered what would happen if the creature chose not to dodge and tried to block the strike with its body instead. But the moment the Fragment of the Demon God looked at me—and at the path of my sword—I was able to breathe a sigh of relief upon meeting its gaze.
“…Kruuuu!!”
“Kyaak! Kyak! Where do you think you're going?! You're getting sliced right here with me!”
Though Garam's neck was caught, her hands and feet could still move. Sensing the dancing moonlight, she clamped down on the Fragment with all four limbs. And right before I swung my blade, Jenia somehow managed to slam the creature down onto the ground.
In this position, it couldn't move freely while restraining a resisting Garam. It had only two choices. Take my attack head-on, or throw Garam aside and escape.
“Kraaaak!!”
In the end, it made its choice. Perhaps it still acknowledged its own weakness. It hurled Garam away and used the momentum to flee desperately toward a spot the moonlight couldn't reach. In that same instant Garam barely managed to leap clear of the light as well. She should have gotten up immediately afterward. The fact that she was rolling across the ground instead was anything but reassuring.
“Kyaang!!”
“Get up, Garam! Damn it! The thing's getting away!”
“Cough! Cough!! Shut up! Kyak! Kyaang!”
Garam's condition looked terribly wrong. She was the type who would pretend nothing was wrong even if blood poured from her in front of Jenia. Having entered my tutelage at similar times and competed fiercely in every aspect, she hated losing even in the smallest matters. That was the main reason.
Yet here was that same Garam, unable to stand, constantly clutching at her neck. A bad premonition gripped me as I rushed to her side and examined her throat.
“…Jenia.”
“Yes, Master!”
“Garam is out of the fight.”
It wasn't a mere bruise. The skin had turned pitch black and was necrotizing. I never imagined a single touch could inflict this kind of damage on a Hero's body. When you considered how much tougher a Hero's physique was than most monsters, it drove home once again that the Fragment of the Demon God hadn't earned its status as final boss for nothing.
“What…”
Jenia muttered in a flustered voice, then finally grasped the situation. Garam kept making pained noises—kyaang, kaeng—while grimacing, and the pure white skin beneath her face had turned completely black.
“Garam. Don't answer, just listen. Can you move?”
She seemed to hesitate for a moment before shaking her head. She was not the type to act spoiled in the middle of battle. Even if she were truly in agony, she would have forced herself upright in front of Jenia. The fact that she admitted she genuinely couldn't move meant her condition was serious.
Damn it. This made the situation far worse than I'd anticipated.
Garam and Jenia were my first and second disciples. Though they had received teachings equal to those I gave Iris last, they had entered the world earlier and therefore accumulated far more real combat experience. At the same time, the two of them had continued growing stronger by sparring with each other. Yet Garam had failed to endure even a few minutes before allowing an attack. And merely having her neck grabbed had inflicted this much damage.
Misjudgment.
Exactly. A complete misjudgment. My mistake.
According to Iris's memories, four Heroes had barely managed to repel the creature. Of course, the Fragment from that time and the one before us now were on entirely different levels. Fighting it while well-fed and fully rested was different from fighting on an empty stomach after days without sleep, right from the crack of dawn.
The Fragment standing before us was in the latter state. That was why I had thought the three of us—me, Garam, and Jenia—might be able to manage. Even if we couldn't kill it, we should at least be able to drive it off. But once we actually engaged, my prediction had gone completely astray. No matter how starved it was, a monster was still a monster. I had forgotten that simple truth.
Perhaps I should have stalled for time until the other disciples arrived. Two of them had yet to reach this place. Lily in particular was essential; her holy power allowed both healing and enhancement. The problem was that she had moved in the completely opposite direction before turning back, which meant it would take considerable time for her to return to the royal capital. Had beginning the fight without waiting for her been the error?
“Kyaang! Keong! I-I'm sorry, Master. Kyaak! Kyak!”
Garam's face had turned a sickly blue, and now she was even coughing up blood. She possessed a Hero's natural recovery, yet this damage was enough to shatter even that.
“Kuhahaha!! Hero! Hero!!”
I wanted to join the battle, but taking care of Garam came first. While I held her and focused on evasion, Jenia began buying us time. Having witnessed what happened to Garam, she would surely try to preserve herself as much as possible. Still, I worried how long she could endure against a Fragment that had seized the initiative.
What now?
Should I hand Garam to Jenia and fight the thing myself?
But the moment it noticed our weakness, the situation would only grow more tangled. It would definitely ignore me and pursue Jenia and Garam instead. Then Jenia, burdened with a teammate, would be unable to fight or flee freely.
“Kiing… king…”
The color of Garam's face in my arms grew steadily worse. For now I was drawing the Fragment's attention while holding her, and Jenia was landing hits, but I couldn't help wondering how long even this could last.
“Tsk.”
The sound of a tongue clicking rang out, and the Fragment abruptly stopped its pursuit.
“I cleaned up roughly and came at a leisurely pace, yet what is this sorry sight?”
Blazing flames—no, it couldn't be called mere flame. It was burning internal energy itself, overturning the battlefield with terrifying momentum. It was a level I couldn't even hope to imitate.
“…What the hell are you now…”
The creature sensed danger with disgusting speed. The instant it encountered the strongest presence, the Fragment fixed its gaze on Master.
“Hah.”
That look must have displeased her greatly. A sigh of utter disbelief escaped between Master's lips.
“No matter the enemy, basic respect for the strong is only proper. What an ill-mannered wretch.”
Master—the Heavenly Demon—readjusted her grip on her sword. It seemed she intended to teach the meaning of 'respect' for the strong personally. An overwhelming energy I had faced only a handful of times began to gather.
Woong! Woong! Woong—!
In mere seconds the world's energy flipped three times. First centered on Master, second around the Fragment of the Demon God, and finally across the entire area encompassing them both. An indescribable power surged in, pounding fiercely against my chest.
“Hyeon.”
A faint call reached me through the turmoil. When I turned my head, Master was not looking at me. Her eyes remained fixed solely on the mighty enemy before her. Yet somehow I felt she was watching me with perfect clarity.
“Watch carefully.”
Slow. Far too slow. Like a child swinging a sword, Master's blade moved with agonizing slowness. So slow that even a monster could have dodged it easily. So slow that one might even be able to catch the sword itself.
But the moment that thought formed, my special privilege shook its head, calling the idea nonsense. Look, it said. Look properly. Open both eyes wide. See whether that can truly be called slow. Observe once more and then speak.
“If it cannot reach,”
The sword cried out. The world cried out with it. Toward the malice that had raised every thorn and bared every fang, Master swung her blade with impossible lightness.
“Then simply run until it does reach.”
Master's sword split the sky.
The wildly surging energies finally began to subside. Even so, the internal energy still boiled violently; it was clear she had unleashed an attack beyond words. After checking the surroundings, I first looked to Garam. Her complexion remained poor, but she was still breathing. She seemed to have resisted desperately and bought us whatever time she could.
“M-Master?”
Jenia was unharmed as well. However, she appeared extremely tense—quite unlike her usual self—clearly shaken by Master's attack.
“J-just now… what on earth was that? What the hell…”
“Now you understand why I told you never to anger Grandmaster?”
“I already knew, but this is just…”
Jenia's own internal energy must have been vibrating madly as well. If anyone untrained had been nearby, I was certain their internals would have been pulverized instantly, killing them on the spot. It was an attack of such overwhelming power that neither the Heroes nor I had any desire to face it.
Yet because I roughly knew what would happen next, I gave Jenia an order. Once she had calmed, she was to take up her spear and prepare to fight once more.
Rumble….
The boiling energy, the swirling dust, and the raging wind all grew still. The first thing to enter my vision was Master, who looked slightly weary. Under normal circumstances I would have brought her water and told her to rest after her hard work.
“Krrk…”
But it was still too early for that. As the dust settled further, the Fragment of the Demon God appeared—looking utterly unscathed. Even after taking that attack from Master, it seemed perfectly fine.
In the end…
In the end, it couldn't reach.
It had been a strike meant to cleave even the sky itself. Yet in the end it could not break the laws that bound this world.
“…Hmm.”
Strangely, Master did not seem greatly disturbed. If anything, the faint smile on her lips looked almost odd. With a sense of disbelief I turned my head. And there it was.
A very thin but unmistakable line of blood etched across the creature's forearm.