63. That's Based on the First Playthrough
63. That's Based on the First Playthrough
Episode 63. That's Based on the First Playthrough
"Huh-huk......! Huh-huk......! Huh-huk......!"
Diaz had expended a considerable amount of energy as well, gasping for breath in rough heaves.
And then she just collapsed to the ground with a flop.
"W-We won...... A high vampire......"
In her eyes, filled with a complex mix of emotions—astonishment at her own growth, a sense of accomplishment at defeating a high vampire, and the liberation of having her revenge—she looked up at me.
But within that, there was also a trace of anxiety.
Even without asking, I could tell.
What it was.
Since the time I'd spent with her was already far from brief.
I offered a slight smile with a face that said there was nothing to worry about.
"The claim that Leahnoa didn't use demonic power is no lie, so do not worry. You will come to know the truth soon as well."
At that answer, Diaz instead looked somewhat apologetic.
"......I'm sorry. Even amidst all that, it seems I was momentarily shaken by Count Soleon's words."
"Think nothing of it. It was a matter concerning the honor of a close friend with whom you fought together your whole life."
"......Thank you."
Looking over there, I caught sight of Andrew as well, sprawled out flat on his back on the floor.
Considering how badly he'd been beaten, it was admirable that he'd held on this long.
That was a feat of mental fortitude, beyond mere stamina.
To have pulled through to such an extent—even I was astonished.
Out of the blue, Andrew, still lying flat, shouted out loud.
"I ain't some pushover son of a bitch! Hahaha! You thought I was easy pickings—well, serves you right!"
At his cry, the paladins who had fought together raised their voices as well.
"That's right! Serves 'em right!"
"How dare they mess with our Andrew!"
Andrew raised just his head slightly and laughed loudly.
"Right, right? See, the paladin sirs really have an eye for people, huh?"
"Of course! Hahaha!"
"Thanks for helping me out earlier! I survived thanks to you, Sir Andrew!"
Before I knew it, Andrew and the paladins had apparently gotten very close.
"Ayy! No way! We all survived because we fought together! If not for you sirs, I'd already be dead, y'know? Hahaha!"
"Kwoh! This guy's the real deal, isn't he?"
"Then you're buying us a drink tonight!"
"Of course, of course! I'm gonna treat you sirs until you're completely hammered tonight!"
......They had gotten way too friendly.
* * *
The series of battles concluded.
I looked down at the ground beneath my feet.
Count Garghent, who was beside me, saw me and spoke up.
"Is something the matter?"
"Hm."
I skipped over answering for a moment and walked slowly, tapping the floor with my foot thud, thud.
There was definitely some peculiar aura I could feel coming from below.
Outside the dimensional veil, it hadn't been easy to sense it...... but inside here, after the battle was over, I could tell.
During the battle, the things that posed a threat to life were the first to register, after all.
'A breathing sound...... is it?'
But it was exceedingly faint.
As if it might cut off at any moment.
A single name flickered through my mind.
'Pilmyeoljo.'
Did that mean those bastards had placed the Pilmyeoljo inside here?
It was a fully plausible claim.
This place was a death row prison located at the very outermost edge of the city.
In this entire region, there would be few places as difficult to escape from as this.
'And what's more, the bastards had brazenly set up camp right here, so there would have been even less chance to flee elsewhere.'
Once my speculation turned to certainty,
I didn't waste any time and moved my body.
I raised my left arm just as it was,
and swung it down with great force as if hammering.
Kwaang!
Crack crk craaack.
The eyes of the people far away all gathered on me at once.
Given that I suddenly struck the floor, it was understandable.
I lifted my head and spoke to Count Garghent.
"It will collapse soon."
Only then did everyone rise from their spots.
They seemed to have realized that I wasn't doing something strange, but that I had something in mind.
"Ah, ah! I see! Everyone, step back!"
When Count Garghent shouted, the knights began to murmur amongst themselves.
"Wh-what is it?"
"What's Sir Rohan up to again?"
"What's going on over there? Let me see too."
"I can't see from here either, quit pushing."
I paid them no heed,
and once more—
Kwaaaaang!
—I struck the floor with all my might.
And then.
Ku-gu-gu-gung......!
"Uh, uwaah! It's collapsing!"
"Step back! Move to the rear!"
"Hey, hey! Hurry up and move, damn it!"
The floor caved in with me at the center.
Falling right down below just like that, I met a pair of glowing red eyes in the darkness.
* * *
Ta-ak.
Having shattered the floor,
I landed in the space beneath it.
And found myself looking straight into the red eyes.
The voice sounded from the other side first.
Having already been in the darkness, the creature seemed accustomed to it.
"You are one with a...... familiar scent."
My eyes were still adjusting to the darkness.
And gradually, the creature's outline became visible.
A giant crow with crimson eyes.
That was exactly my first impression.
That red-eyed crow was trapped inside a massive cage,
and as if that wasn't enough, its entire body was tightly bound with chains as thick as a forearm.
Those restraints were probably the handiwork of Redeia.
"Are you the new master of the Phoenix?"
As expected of the divine beast Pilmyeoljo, I suppose.
To figure it out in one go—that seemed far from ordinary.
Having no reason to lie, I answered immediately.
"I am."
"It has been a very long time since I've seen the master of the Phoenix. Did that fellow Phoenix lead you here?"
The Pilmyeoljo asked, tilting its head with a look full of curiosity.
This time as well, I told it the truth as it was.
"No. That fellow is currently sleeping in a safe place."
"......"
The Pilmyeoljo was silent for a moment, then......
"Ehyoo."
It let out a sigh.
At that sight, a laugh slipped out of me with a 'pfft.'
"That fellow. It seems it has not been long since it awoke."
"That's right. It's still just about the size of a baby bird."
"That would explain why its sibling is captured like this, yet it is sleeping soundly without a care."
The Pilmyeoljo shook its head from side to side, then opened its beak again.
"Could you loosen these a bit? It appears you have managed to cleverly slip past that witch and make it all the way here...... We must escape before the witch returns."
I drew my sword and first cut through the iron bars of the massive cage.
Sseuk.
Then I approached the Pilmyeoljo and carefully began slicing away the chains tightly binding its body.
"Oho. A very fine blade, indeed. Excellent! But, could you not hurry just a little more? If Redeia were to return at this rate......"
"There's no need to worry."
I continued to cut the chains at the same slow pace, taking care not to injure Pilmyeoljo's wings.
It was because the chains were bound so tightly they were nearly buried in flesh, making it difficult to go any faster.
Pilmyeoljo tilted its head as if it couldn't understand.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Because she's already dead."
"Killed...... her? D-don't tell me you mean that Redeia? You're saying you killed that witch?"
* * *
How many times would it ask in rapid succession?
It seemed that unbelievable to it.
I gave a clear answer.
"That's right."
"I-impossible......"
Without offering any particular response, I simply continued cutting the chains.
Pilmyeoljo asked again.
"Truly...... you're saying you killed that monster that traverses dimensions?"
Seogeok.
It was around then.
All the knots of the chains were severed, and the chains fell completely free from Pilmyeoljo's body.
Chwararang.
A clump of chains slumped to the floor with a heavy sound.
Perhaps from being coiled in them, the feathers of Pilmyeoljo's wings were an utter mess, all pressed down.
Looking at that state, I spoke again.
"Yeah. I killed her."
"That Phoenix fellow...... has brought quite the remarkable human this lifetime. Then what of the high vampires and the Vampire Lord that were beside her? Are they dead too?"
"Vampire Lord?......"
The two high vampires likely referred to Count Soleon and Count Molen.
However, I had seen no Vampire Lord.
'There must be a connection. Only a Vampire Lord can create high vampires, after all.'
And two of them had appeared at the same time.
Because of that, I had had a vague expectation.
But hearing it with my own ears made it hit home with a much greater sense of reality.
"You didn't see a Vampire Lord, I take it?"
"I killed the two high vampires."
"I see...... Dretnoer. That cunning bastard would've already prepared at least one hole to escape through."
Dretnoer......?
As an unexpected name popped out, my brow furrowed.
"That being is involved in this?"
At my question, Pilmyeoljo let out a voice that sounded extremely surprised.
"......That you would. Are you saying you know of Dretnoer?"
"I do know of him."
"It's a first for me to be this surprised in such a short time. That a mortal human knows of Dretnoer."
It wasn't as if I couldn't understand Pilmyeoljo's surprise.
Because even in the original work, after all, Dretnoer appeared as a troublesome boss monster who had revealed himself for the first time in thousands of years.
I remember that even when he appeared, the fight began without anyone knowing who Dretnoer was.
'But that's based on the 1st playthrough.'
Once past the 2nd or 3rd playthroughs, I'd just skip the cinematic scene of everyone being shocked by Dretnoer's existence because it became annoying.
Having watched it that many times, there was no way I wouldn't know.
Well, anyway.
That Dretnoer's appearance was in the quite late stages, even in the original work.
'Strictly speaking, it is almost right after the battle with Redeia.'
Does that mean that bastard had already been moving from this point on?
Same went for Redeia.
It seemed they had been scheming something far, far earlier than I had thought.
'Truth be told, when experiencing it only as a game, I never really bothered to think about it......'
With the appearance of an unexpected entity, my mind grew a little complicated.
Just when I already had plenty to think about.
Pilmyeoljo heaped on one more piece of trouble.
"Dretnoer staked his immortal body and made a deal with an ominous being, the Monster of Morzadon."
"If you mean the Monster of Morzadon...... don't tell me, that is......"
"You are correct. A being that should not exist in this world, a curse-like entity born from fury."
Dretnoer was bewildering enough, but now the Monster of Morzadon too.
The Monster of Morzadon was a descendant of the Titans, the generation of gods that preceded the current ones.
Though called a descendant of Titans, just as its very title declared it a monster, the Monster of Morzadon was a being of horrific appearance.
It was easy to picture its form: like a giant mantis with eyeballs clustered all over it.
That monster, born from the fury of the Titans who were robbed of their divine thrones.
It had come to harbor a hatred close to a curse toward the current gods.
Naturally, it was bound to be extremely hostile toward humans who follow the current generation of gods.
Of course, because of that, I heard the Monster of Morzadon was locked in a prison created by the gods somewhere out there.
So it couldn't emerge into the world outside......
I asked Pilmyeoljo.
"Dretnoer conspired with that thing? For what reason?"
"That, I too do not know. I merely sensed it because an immortal being had sold off its immortality. That is why, while chasing the bastard, I was caught by Redeia. Most likely, Dretnoer and Redeia were both in the same faction."
"......"
It was a little disappointing.
To have no information.
However......
"But there is one certain thing."
Pilmyeoljo continued speaking.
It seemed the encounter hadn't been a complete loss, after all.
"Dretnoer and the Monster of Morzadon are intent on drawing the forces of Hell into this Middle Realm. They mean to plunge the Middle Realm into chaos. To satisfy that fury."
So, in the end, it is Dretnoer and the Monster of Morzadon who cause the Great Invasion?
Wait, hold on.
Though Pilmyeoljo spoke as if it were no big deal, to me this was incredibly crucial information.
Up until now, I had merely been preparing for the Great Invasion that would eventually occur.
And at most, I had been obsessed with delaying the Great Invasion.
Because there was no way to stop it. Because I didn't know how.
But now, the words from Pilmyeoljo's mouth revealed the very cause of the Great Invasion itself.
Which means, if I just stop those bastards......
'I wouldn't have to live in a demon apocalypse world?'
The world of Paogat after the Great Invasion was a world right before the end, so to speak.
Even if one survived, it would inevitably be a life where you couldn't stroll around comfortably, or eat and drink as you do now.
Monsters would pop out just by walking a few meters down the road, so what more need be said.
If I could prevent that event from happening in the first place?......
Pilmyeoljo spoke again to me, as I had closed my mouth.
"Dretnoer, that being must be stopped. If you promise to help me, O human. I shall bestow upon you the Blessing of the Mortal Bird. It is the power to send those who have defied the providence of death back to their rest."
And on top of that, it was offering a bonus......
Finding a reason to refuse was quite difficult.
My eyes flashed in the darkness.
How to Live as an Overpowered Character in a Game
Chapter 63. That's Based on the 1st Playthrough Though