Chapter 492: An Older Sister’s Love
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 492: An Older Sister’s Love
“A Demonic Tree?”
“Kieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!!!!”
A colossal plant shot up, soaring into the sky. With its tens of thousands of teeth, this plant surpassed the power my mother originally possessed. The problem, of course, was control, but my sister wasn’t the only one who had grown. It wasn’t a massive leap, but I, too, had become incomparably stronger than before.
‘Just a little…’
Of course, I could control it. I had previously endured for over an hour in training. I could probably do it this time, too.
The speed of the vines extending from the massive plant, large enough to block out the sun, was clearly different from before. The power contained within them was the same.
CRUUUUUUUUUUUUUNCH!
The sound of the earth being torn asunder slammed into my ears. The Giant Wolf had escaped the direct range, but it wouldn't be able to avoid the aftershock.
‘She can’t get hurt.’
That was the rule.
I had to control my strength. The only thing to be destroyed was the Orb of Life. I figured the shockwave alone was enough to deal some damage. If I could create the same situation a few more times, the test would be over quickly.
It was obvious just by looking at my sister being thrown into the air by the shockwave. She couldn’t withstand it.
‘Overwhelming power.’
“Kieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!”
“Quiet, you idiot. You’re too loud. Hoo…”
The fight wasn’t over. I still had to focus. Once more, I swiftly swung the plant’s vine.
Riding the wolf, Kim Yoora carried my sister out of range. The fact that she was now charging straight toward me was almost laughable. That woman was the same. She was already considered to have the strength of a Blood Dagger Clan executive. But I was more than that. A woman desperate for Father’s love.
I heard she was rescued after being captured as a slave. She wasn’t even related by blood, yet people said she resembled Father. Honestly, she was a thorn in my side.
‘Would it matter if she got a little hurt?’
The thought crossed my mind, but I quickly shook my head. The test had barely begun, and strange thoughts were already starting to eat away at me. After summoning the Demonic Tree, it was crucial not to be consumed by this kind of thinking. It was important to suppress the murderous intent that surged up moment by moment, regardless of my own will. I had practiced it countless times, so I could definitely do it. I could definitely grow, just like my sister.
I could control it completely.
“Give up, sister.”
“It’s not over yet.”
Such tenacity.
But…
She wouldn’t be able to stop it.
However, her unexpectedly strong resistance was making me more and more anxious. Even though I was holding back, the way my sister was fighting was certainly beyond my calculations. Sword, magic, spirits, bow—she used them all in the right places at the right times, narrowly escaping crisis after crisis. It looked clumsy, but she was undoubtedly creating the exact picture she wanted.
‘To this extent…’
She had come this far.
My sister, whom I had thought was nothing special, had already grown this much. Switching places with Kim Yoora, she was getting closer and closer. The distance that had opened up was steadily closing.
‘I don’t want to be caught.’
This is all I have. My sister took everything else. This is the only thing left.
“I am special. I am special. I am special.”
You are a special child. You are a special child.
Yes, Mother, I am special. I even have horns, which my sister doesn’t.
You are a special child. You are a special child.
Yes, Mother, I am special. I’m already this strong. I was strong from the moment I was born. Others said I inherited Father’s blood most strongly.
You are a special child. You are a special child.
Yes, Mother, I am special. But Father loves my sister more. That must be why you aren’t loved as much. It must be my fault that Mother Mev became the mother of the tribe.
You are a special child. You are a special child.
Yes, Mother, I am special. But…
You are a special child. You are a special child.
But…
But sometimes, I want to be ordinary.
I want to be coddled like my sister. Sometimes I want to cause trouble. H-How about running away from home once? Maybe Father would pay more attention to me then.
Maybe everyone would click their tongues but still find me cute. I want to play pranks. I want to be the first to jump into Father’s arms and beg him for kisses.
He would definitely be flustered. He definitely would.
But I am special. Right?
“Don’t come any closer! Hk… ugh… Don’t come any closer.”
“No!”
“Eeeek! I told you not to come any closer!”
For some reason, I could hear a massive roar. It was hard to tell what was making them shout. That’s how focused I was. Just suppressing the murderous intent while avoiding the Demonic Tree’s influence was exhausting; I had no time to slowly survey the battlefield.
I thought it might be a cheer supporting my sister’s struggle. It probably was. Even from my perspective, what she was showing right now was truly astonishing. To the tribe members who looked up to Father, my sister’s image would likely overlap with his. At some point, Kim Yoora was no longer in sight, as if she had entrusted everything to my sister.
‘She… she believes my sister can do it.’
That must be it.
My sister, riding the Giant Wolf, was still charging toward me at full speed.
Even when blocked by vines, even when sent flying by shockwaves, she kept coming. No matter how many times she fell and collapsed, she got back up and continued to close the distance.
“I-I don’t want you to get hurt. Don’t… come any closer!”
“I already… told you no! Your sister said no!”
“Don’t try to take everything! Please, don’t come. Hk… ugh… You’re already loved enough by Father. Ugh… And as if that’s not enough, you get to act spoiled every day! Can’t you at least yield this much to your little sister? Huuuuuk…”
“You can act spoiled, too!”
“Do you think that’s as easy as it sounds? You don’t understand! You’ll never understand how I feel. Never! An ordinary person like you could never!”
“…”
“Huuuuuk…”
“Lapura, you’re an idiot!”
I don’t know what kind of superhuman strength she summoned. But my sister’s ability to keep dodging my attacks was apparently astonishing enough for the other Green Skins to see. Unidentifiable voices mixed together from all around.
I don’t want to lose.
Of course, I don’t want to lose.
Even as I kept increasing the output, my sister’s form was truly ideal—sometimes taking the hits with her body, sometimes swinging her sword, and other times blocking the attacks with magic.
“Don’t… come!”
A massive vine shot out in an instant.
“Ah!”
It was then that I realized my mistake.
I had put too much power into it. There was no way, absolutely no way she could dodge it.
She might even die. No, at the very least, she would be gravely injured.
“Sto… Stop!”
“Kieeeeeeeeeek!”
“I told you no!”
“That wasn’t for you! Dodge it! Dodge!”
I wasn’t talking to my sister. But the Demonic Tree, already in motion, wouldn’t stop. The massive plant’s vine was about to swallow her whole. Just as I bit my lip, certain it would happen…
“Huh?”
I saw her change course in mid-air, dodging the massive vine. It felt like time was slowing down. After halting her advance for a moment with defensive magic, she twisted the sword in her hand to deflect the vine. Small spirits pulled at her body with all their might. Naturally, her body moved out of the attack’s range. While I was momentarily stunned, I saw my sister rapidly closing in.
I thought there was no way she could dodge it. No matter how much she had grown, it wasn’t the kind of attack she could evade. Even Mother Mev or my goblin aunts probably couldn’t have dodged it.
“No… way.”
In that moment of shock, I felt my sister’s sword pierce through my magic.
Crack.
With that sound, I also felt the Orb of Life shatter.
“Ah…”
“Haa… haa… haa… See? You’re not special. You’re an idiot.”
“Ah… uh…”
I don’t know why. But suddenly, tears started to stream from my eyes. It was probably because I had lost. And yet, I started to feel a sense of comfort. Funnily enough, I was finding solace in her words telling me I wasn’t special.
My mind started to feel incredibly clear, as if this was the result I had wanted all along.
I had disappointed my mother and father. I must have looked pathetic. Drunk on the power I was so confident I could control, I had failed to stay vigilant until the very end.
If my sister hadn’t dodged that last attack, it would have been a disaster. She would have been seriously hurt, or even killed.
The test was over. I wouldn’t get the position of Father’s successor. Mother might scold me. She might not stroke my hair anymore. Father wouldn’t tell me I was amazing, either.
They might not call me a special child anymore.
“Huuuuuuuuuk…”
But my sister’s voice felt like it was clearing a blockage deep inside me.
“That’s… cheating. Huuuuuk… Uuuugh…”
It was then that I felt a tremendous surge of magic, and heard my Great Mother’s voice.
“Laveua, that’s against the rules. It seems you got too excited. And congratulations, Lapura. But you need to cool your head a bit, too.”
Something about the situation had started to feel strange.
“Okay, Great Mother…”
“What?”
Of course, I couldn’t understand what was happening. Why was my sister being held by Great Mother? Why couldn’t Uncle Gark and Uncle Hark make her move? Why was she congratulating me? Why were the other tribe members cheering for me? Why were the other Green Skins looking at my sister with disapproval? I couldn’t understand any of it.
As I looked up at my sister with tear-filled eyes, her form came into view. She was covered in wounds. It seemed she hadn’t completely dodged the final attack; one of her wings was half-torn, and blood was still streaming from her arms and legs. She looked utterly exhausted, as if she had used up all her magic, and her gasping breaths made it seem like she could collapse at any moment. I saw Mother Baek Ahyeon arrive and start healing her.
They weren’t fatal injuries, but the sight of her bleeding was enough to shock me.
“Ah…”
Only then did my head begin to clear. I could understand everything about the current situation.
“S-Sister.”
The Orb of Life my sister had been holding was already broken.
It must have happened before my own orb was shattered.
“When…”
Before my Orb of Life was broken, the one my sister had was already gone. That was probably why Kim Yoora had disappeared midway through the fight.
“I don’t have much to say, but you should be prepared for a lecture from your father, Laveua. Didn’t you hear them say you were eliminated? Why did you keep…”
“Yes… I’m sorry, Great Mother.”
“And Lapura… Hoo… That last part… No, let’s talk about this when your father gets here, too.”
“Huh? Y-Yes…”
It was then that I realized the first cheers I heard had been for me. At that point, my sister’s orb was already broken. She must not have been able to withstand the impact of the second attack after I summoned the Demonic Tree. I couldn’t understand why she had kept charging at me, why she had kept approaching and extending her sword even though she knew she would be reprimanded.
There was no way the young me could understand why she had made such a choice.
“Ah… uh…”
“Idiot.”
“Huuuuuuuk…”
But…
But the tears kept flowing. My throat was so tight I could barely make a sound.
Though drowned out by the continuous cheers, tears inexplicably poured from my eyes.
“Huuuuuuuuuk…”
“Congratulations, Lapura.”
“Huuuuuk… Ugh… Hic… Hic…”
“Lapura, congratulations.”
“Huuuuuuuuk… Ugh… Hic.”
“Are you feeling okay?”
“Yes, Great Mother. I’m sorry about before. Hehe.”
“Huuuuuk…”
“Lapura, you should at least wave your hand! You won!”
“Hguuuuuk… S-Sister…”
“Hm?”
“Hic… D-Don’t touch me. Hguuuk… Hic… It’s uncomfortable.”
“Ah. Sorry…”
“D-Don’t be too far away either. Hic… Huuuuk… Y-You can… hic… at least hold… hic… my hand.”
“Ah! O-Okay!! Hehehehe…”