Ending Maker Chapter 139
Ending Maker Chapter 139
Chapter 51 - Hail the Sun #3
Kamael and Landius, the two main protagonists of Hero Legend 1, had many contrasting qualities.
Both were handsome, but one had delicate, refined features so beautiful he could be mistaken for a woman, while the other had a masculine, hearty face with bold lines and distinct features—the so-called dashing type.
Their builds differed as well. Kamael was slightly shorter than average with a slender frame, while Landius was already a giant of a man over 190 cm tall with bulging muscles even at the time of the first game.
'Their personalities were different too.'
Kamael was a realist who could be defined by the words cold, composed, and rational, while Landius was a traditional hero burning with passion, hope, and courage.
'A song of ice and fire.'
Kamael wielded the power of extreme yin, and Landius wielded the power of extreme yang.
The martial arts that represented the two of them were the Twelve Snowflower Swords and the Nine Extreme Sun Divine Art.
'The Warrior of the Sun.'
Landius was exactly what his epithet described.
When all the survivors of the Paragon Kingdom, including Kamael and Lena, had fallen into despair and terror before the absolute power of the Demon Prince, he alone did not despair. He did not give up.
'Like the sun itself.'
Like the sun that rises alone in pitch-black darkness to illuminate the world.
The man who drove fear and terror from everyone's hearts and breathed into them the hope and courage to fight once more.
'The Nine Extreme Sun Divine Art is just like Landius.'
Boundless vitality.
The power of light that drives out darkness.
The martial art of a man who always fought with everything he had, without tricks, to destroy the enemy before him.
"My disciple, do you know of the Nine Extreme Sun Divine Art?"
Yuder, who had snapped back to attention at Landius's question, gave a slight nod.
"I've only heard...... a little about it."
"I see. Then do you know the characteristics of the Nine Extreme Sun Divine Art?"
When Landius asked again, Cordelia's eyes lit up.
'HP inflation! Stamina gets insanely high! Recovery speed is fast too! The attacks themselves are simple, but each hit packs a punch! Whatever else you say, for one-hit damage, Landius is the best among the five protagonists! The satisfaction of charging up and unleashing that one hit!'
If you interpreted the Nine Extreme Sun Divine Art in game terms, it would be exactly as Cordelia said.
But since he couldn't bring himself to say it that way, Yuder offered a prettily packaged answer.
"I heard it's a martial art based on...... powerful vitality, like the sun."
"Yes, exactly. The Nine Extreme Sun Divine Art will make you into a sun. If you master it, the infinite power of life that never tires, at any time, will be with you."
'Right, right! The stamina is insane! Whatever else, you never get tired! It's like an Energizer! You can go all day like Captain America! No, you could probably go for days and days! You'd become Captain Saelun!'
As Cordelia's eyes sparkled again, Yuder bit his lip to barely hold back a laugh.
Landius continued speaking.
"I added the formulas of the Nine Heavens Nine Gates to the existing Nine Extreme Sun Divine Art and created a new Nine Extreme Sun Divine Art. But my disciple, I will pass on the original Nine Extreme Sun Divine Art to you."
Because Yuder's Nine Heavens Nine Gates was different from Landius's own.
'Twenty-Four Gale Steps.'
Yuder's footwork technique, which had transformed along with the Nine Heavens Nine Gates.
Landius, who had learned the Thirty-Six World Steps from Yuder, had formed a hypothesis.
Could Yuder's Nine Heavens Nine Gates harmonize and become one not only with the Thirty-Six World Steps but with every martial art in the world?
Landius himself could not do it, but Yuder, born with the Heavenly Martial Body, could.
It was something only Yuder, who had learned a more complete Nine Heavens Nine Gates, could accomplish.
"If you truly do so, it will be comparable to my new Nine Extreme Sun Divine Art. And through that, my Nine Heavens Nine Gates can also be developed. Your Nine Heavens Nine Gates as well, of course."
Yuder nodded.
In truth, it was only because he hadn't had the chance to talk—Yuder wanted to hurry and discuss the Nine Heavens Nine Gates, the celestial maidens he encountered each time he opened a gate, and the things he had learned upon newly opening the fifth gate.
'Hey, but Yuder.'
It was right then. Cordelia raised her hand slightly and sent him a look, and at the look, which was different from before, Yuder responded immediately.
"Cordelia?"
"Um, can I ask just one thing?"
At Cordelia's question, Landius also showed interest.
"Young lady, what is it about? Is it a question about the Nine Extreme Sun Divine Art?"
"No, um...... it's about the Orb of Life."
Yuder had absorbed the Orb of Life, the holy relic of Aeris, the Goddess of Life.
Thanks to that, the Orb of Life itself was now nothing more than a pretty ornament. Because its power had been entirely absorbed by Yuder.
'But the Orb of Life had several special functions attached to it.'
Regeneration, for example, or the amplification of vigorous vitality.
'Could those traits have transferred to Yuder as well?'
It was a fairly reasonable question.
When Cordelia carefully voiced what she had thought of, Landius turned to look at Yuder, and Yuder narrowed his brow before closing his eyes.
'The Orb of Life.'
If it wasn't simply the life force contained within it that had been absorbed.
If the goddess's blessing had come along with it as well.
Yuder turned his gaze inward upon himself.
He descended deep beneath the surface of his consciousness and examined his own spirit and body.
Perhaps this too was a special ability he had gained upon opening the fifth gate.
Deeper, and deeper still.
What he could learn by observing his own spirit and body.
The abilities Yuder himself had newly acquired.
"Wow."
Yuder, who had let out an exclamation without realizing it, drew a dagger from his waist and cut his own forearm with it.
It was a sudden action, but instead of crying out in surprise, Landius and Cordelia widened their eyes.
Because the shallowly cut wound healed in an instant.
"Regeneration?"
"Wow, there's not even a mark."
Cordelia marveled as she fiddled with Yuder's arm.
Because truly, not even a trace of the cut remained.
"Astonishing. The blessing of the Goddess of Life remains fully in my disciple's body. Truly the goddess's care...... it is a miracle bestowed by the goddess. Be grateful."
Having said that much, Landius clasped his hands together and offered a prayer.
Perhaps because Landius was originally from a holy knight background, his praying posture was extremely natural.
"Thank you, Goddess. Thank you so much."
Cordelia offered a prayer as well, and Yuder, swept along by the atmosphere, also closed his eyes and expressed his gratitude.
"Anyway, this is excellent. Now that you have regeneration, I can work you hard without holding back like before."
When Landius said this with a hearty laugh, Yuder blinked. He couldn't help it.
'Excuse me?'
You can work me hard without holding back?
Wait, then before, that insane training had been him holding back?
"My disciple, there is no time to delay. There is much I must teach you, and much I must learn from you, so let us hurry."
"W-wait a moment. Master?"
"Ho ho ho, did you not gain regeneration? Just looking at you, your stamina seems to be overflowing. It seems the speed at which you absorb nutrients has also increased thanks to the regeneration."
"No, that can't be."
What connection could regeneration possibly have with faster digestion—
'Is there?'
He wasn't hungry.
Because of the complete bodily transformation, he had exhausted so much stamina that his whole body had been weak until just moments ago, but not now.
It felt as though he had absorbed every bit of nutrition from the absurd four liters of liquid Landius had prepared.
His vision was clear, and strength overflowed in his limbs.
"Ho ho ho, wonderful. No risk of injury, fast recovery, and digestion the moment you eat. Truly a body optimized for training. From now on, I shall work you without rest."
Landius, delighted all by himself, sprang up from his seat and tossed Yuder a training uniform, and Yuder looked at Cordelia with a bewildered face.
'H-help me! No, save me! Cordelia!'
Would the eyes of a stray puppy wandering without an owner and soaked by rain look like that?
For a moment, Cordelia felt a surge of sympathy, but there was only one thing she could do.
'You can do it.'
Just don't die.
Lap pillow and ear cleaning and...... anyway, I'll be nice to you.
Our Yuder can do it, right?
'Hey! Cordelia! Hey!'
The silent scream ended, quite literally, in silence.
Landius hauled Yuder to his feet with hands like pot lids, the blanket slipped off, and Cordelia quickly covered her face with her spread fingers.
* * *
Time passed.
Landius truly worked Yuder brutally, just as he had said he would.
Aside from eating and sleeping, every moment was training time, and since even his meals were nothing but that gray liquid, it amounted to torture by food.
As a result, for Yuder, the only joy of the day was sleeping time.
"Sniffle. Cordelia. Sniffle."
Cordelia smiled bitterly as she stroked the head of Yuder, who was trembling like a PTSD patient while using her lap as a pillow.
She had only watched the training briefly on the first day, but seeing Yuder, of all people, break down like this in just three days, it really did seem like hellish training.
"Our Yuder, sleep well. You have to sleep. You only have three hours of sleep a day. There are only two hours and fifty-three minutes left now."
"Ugh."
Yuder, who trembled again at Cordelia's words, squeezed his eyes shut and tried to sleep, and Cordelia stroked his head again.
And had about ten minutes passed?
Cordelia gently slipped her legs out from under the head of Yuder, who had fallen completely into a deep sleep, and slowly rose from her seat.
For Yuder it was time to sleep, but for Cordelia it was time to begin a different part of her daily routine.
"Young lady, are you going again today?"
As she stepped out of the small room where Yuder slept, Landius's voice came from near the entrance.
Perhaps mastering the Nine Extreme Sun Divine Art really did eliminate the need for sleep. Once his training with Yuder ended, Landius simply sat cross-legged like that without sleeping.
Cordelia smiled slightly and said,
"Yes, but it seems like things are gradually getting sorted out."
"Do not overdo it. Send a signal immediately if it becomes dangerous. I know you are strong, young lady, but no one knows what may happen in real combat."
"Yes, thank you for worrying about me."
Cordelia, who had answered prettily, left the third-floor training room and headed deeper into the Temple of Life.
What Cordelia was doing while Yuder trained with Landius.
'I think I've mostly cleared the third floor too.'
Cordelia was clearing out the monsters occupying the Temple of Life.
It was partly because she had nothing else to do while Yuder trained, but there was another reason beyond that.
'I can't just sit still.'
She was glad Yuder was getting stronger.
It wasn't empty words—she was truly happy.
Because he was her Yuder.
Because the enemies they would fight in the royal capital were no pushovers.
She really hated it when Yuder got hurt.
She always thought she wanted him to get stronger so he wouldn't get hurt.
But apart from all these feelings.
'I need to get stronger too.'
She needed to gather even a little more experience and level up.
She needed to seek new ways to grow without settling for what she currently had.
Because this was reality, not a game.
Because there would be ways to get stronger outside the established framework.
Yuder was striding forward.
The speed at which he was growing stronger was so fast it was frightening.
So she had to catch up.
Cordelia herself had to get stronger too.
'I want to stand beside him.'
No, it wasn't that kind of soft feeling.
It wasn't that she didn't think such thoughts, but the emotion boiling up in her chest was a little different from that.
Something more fundamental.
A feeling Cordelia herself had carried from her previous life and still held in this one.
'I'm going to get stronger.'
Not only to see a perfect happy ending,
not only to overcome the coming trials.
A more fundamental reason.
A simple wish, but strong because of it.
'No matter how much some other family's Outboxer has become our Yuder.'
Because I don't want to lose.
Because someday, I definitely want to win.
'I won't lose.'
A fierce smile spread across Cordelia's face.
Clenching her fist, she fixed her gaze straight ahead, and soon the power of a holy angel radiated from her entire body.
Wings of light unfurled, and an angel's halo rose above her head.
But she did not stop there. She tried something new.
To surpass Yuder, to go beyond not losing to him and achieve victory.
Cordelia closed her eyes.
She unleashed a new power that had not appeared in the original work.