Killing What Should Not Be Killed
Should it be called a stroke of good fortune?
Or perhaps a tragedy?
Lee Taepyeong's sword pierced straight through Belakir's chest.
"*Cough!*"
Blood erupted from her mouth.
"...!"
"...!!"
Everyone watching from the arena held their breath.
Even Lee Taepyeong, who had just run his blade through Belakir's heart, remained silent.
"..."
He simply stared at Belakir, holding his breath.
*Thump.*
*Thump...*
*Thu...*
*mp...*
Taepyeong could clearly feel Belakir's heart coming to a stop.
But at the same time, he felt something else.
A new 'something' was flooding into the heart that had just ceased to beat.
*Splurt!*
Taepyeong ripped his sword out of Belakir's heart.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
Under normal circumstances, she should have dropped dead on the spot.
Yet, she merely swayed.
Belakir stood back up, perfectly fine.
And then...
*Crunch!*
She grabbed Taepyeong's sword.
As if it were a toy made of paper, the blade crumpled instantly inside her grip.
"..."
Taepyeong watched in silence.
This isn't...
...Belakir.
The moment he realized this—
*Click!*
It was as if someone had flipped a light switch.
The entire world was plunged into darkness.
The arena, the spectator stands, the Emperor's vessel—everything vanished from sight.
Only absolute darkness enveloped them.
"O, Star of Death..."
A voice echoed, sounding like a worn-out instrument, yet carrying the weight of waves crashing against a midnight sea.
"I have searched for you for so long..."
"..."
"I believed you would surely be hidden among the children of the night..."
"..."
"To think you would dwell within such a fragile lump of flesh..."
*Fufu.*
*Fufufufu.*
Every time Belakir let out a low chuckle, the surrounding darkness surged like tidal waves.
Taepyeong instinctively realized it.
This wasn't Belakir.
This 'thing' before him...
...was the 'Goddess of the Night' that Alteon had warned him about.
*Shhhk.*
Taepyeong pulled the Sword of Calamity from his inventory.
Normally, items other than the basic weapons provided were forbidden in the tournament, but this was no longer a simple sparring match.
"*Fufu...*"
Belakir—no, the Goddess of the Night—let out an even deeper laugh upon seeing the Sword of Calamity.
"Do not resist, Star of Death..."
"..."
"Surrender that power, and you shall be granted eternal rest..."
"..."
"Could there be any greater gift for a mere human?"
The dense darkness began to constrict around them.
Just as black claws reached out to seize Taepyeong's body—
*Slash!*
The Sword of Calamity sliced through the darkness.
And then...
"Since a moment ago..."
"..."
"What kind of bullshit are you talking about?"
Taepyeong glared at the Goddess of the Night, his face filled not with fear, but with sheer irritation.
*Screeech!*
Countless souls bound to the Void Stone wailed, tearing at the darkness.
*Slash!*
*Clang! Clang!*
Faced with a darkness that would drive any ordinary human insane just by looking at it, Taepyeong swung his sword like a madman.
*Shring!*
The Sword of Calamity flashed.
Each time it did, the screams echoing from the Void Stone were powerful enough to repel the shadows.
*Thrust!*
The blade pierced through Belakir's shoulder.
"*Fufu...*"
Yet, Belakir merely chuckled as if it were nothing but a tickle.
"...!"
At the same time, the wound regenerated at an absurd speed.
The physical vessel possessed by the Goddess of the Night had already transcended its mortal limits.
*Grab!*
Belakir seized Taepyeong by the throat and lifted him off the ground.
Her hand, stained pitch-black by the power of the Goddess of the Night, squeezed tight.
"*Ack!*"
It was an overwhelming strength, incomparable to before.
"Magnificent..."
"*Urgh...!*"
"Truly magnificent..."
Her voice sounded as if she were admiring a masterpiece of art.
"However, there is no time left..."
*Squeeze!*
"If we delay any longer, *they* will notice..."
Belakir tightened her grip on his throat even further.
No matter how powerful the Heavenly Slaughter Star trait was, the vessel containing it was ultimately just a 'human.'
If the vessel was shattered, whatever was inside would naturally spill out.
*Creak...!*
Or so the Goddess of the Night thought.
"...?!"
Right up until Taepyeong shattered her jaw.
My heart beat violently.
*Thump.*
Once.
*Thump!*
Twice.
*Thump!!*
Three times.
At the same time, I heard something snap inside my body.
It was the sound of a thin but resilient thread—something that had been barely holding on—finally breaking.
And then...
*Crack!*
My body moved.
I didn't even know how I did it.
It just happened.
My hand shot out, grabbed Belakir's jaw, and—
*Rip!*
I tore it right off.
Along with the sound of tearing flesh and shattering bone, hot blood sprayed everywhere.
The moment the blood drenched my hands, voices began to echo in my mind.
Kill her.
Kill her.
Kill her.
You can kill her.
I told you to kill her!
Kill her!
"...Alright."
I obeyed the voices echoing in my head.
I did it because I was certain that it was the only way I would survive.
I didn't even need a sword.
All I needed was my bare hands.
*Grab.*
I grabbed Belakir by the head.
"..."
Perhaps because her jaw had been ripped off, she couldn't make a sound.
Holding her head in place, I shoved my thumbs deep into her eyes.
Until both eyeballs burst.
"...!!!!!!"
With a silent scream, she let go of my neck, and I dropped to the ground.
And then...
*Bam!*
I lunged at Belakir again.
It was a literal tackle.
*Crash!*
There was no time.
As I had already seen, her body was regenerating at an insane speed.
Her torn jaw, her burst eyeballs—they would all be restored to normal in just a moment.
So, before that happened, I had to kill her.
"Hahaha!"
How long had it been since I fought without a weapon?
Far from feeling anxious, my body felt incredibly light and refreshed.
*Smash!*
I threw a punch straight at her head, which was already regenerating.
Then to her solar plexus.
Then to her flank.
Belakir thrashed and struggled, but fortunately, I was faster.
*Crack!*
*Thud!*
*Thwack!*
My fists rained down relentlessly, and blood splattered in every direction.
The more drenched in blood I became, the clearer my mind grew.
I knew exactly where to strike, where to pierce, and how to kill her.
"..."
Her regeneration was still too fast.
In that case...
*Shring.*
I picked up the Sword of Calamity.
Then, a voice echoed—not Belakir's, but the Goddess of the Night's.
It made sense, since Belakir was no longer in any state to speak.
"Stop!"
An urgent voice cried out from the darkness.
"Cease this instant! This is my—!"
I smirked into the darkness.
"You know..."
Even though the surroundings were pitch black, the Sword of Calamity gleamed coldly.
"You should've done something when you had the chance."
"..."
"Declare your defeat."
*Slash!*
The Sword of Calamity severed Belakir's head from her shoulders.
She's not dead yet...
My heart pounded.
I raised my sword once more, and this time...
*Thrust!*
I drove the blade straight into her heart.
*Thump.*
Just like before, I could feel the heartbeat traveling up the blade.
*Squelch...!*
I twisted the sword, pushing it deeper until the heart stopped beating entirely.
At that moment, a black light erupted from Belakir's body.
"O, Star of Death...!"
With that final, scream-like cry, the black light vanished in an instant.
And then...
*Ding!*
A cheerful, familiar notification sound rang out.
"..."
I stared blankly at the system window.
One Who Killed What Should Not Be Killed?
What kind of achievement name was that?
Well, the reward seemed decent enough...
Or was it?
It sounded good, but it wasn't like I could just run into a divine being and kill them every day...
"...Ah!"
Just then, a voice echoed from afar.
I raised my head.
"My son!"
I saw the Emperor running toward me in his stocking feet.
Huh?
He wasn't the type of guy to act like this.
The Emperor personally helped me up and asked urgently,
"What on earth just happened?"
What happened?
Wait, could it be...
Did the darkness prevent anyone outside the arena from seeing what was happening?
I silently looked around.
Shock. Horror.
Countless eyes, filled with terror, were staring at me.
Well, I suppose they had no choice.
After all, lying right next to me was...
"..."
...the brutally mangled corpse of Belakir.
"I'm sorry," I said, looking up at the Emperor.
"She just..."
"..."
"...refused to surrender."
As I spoke in a calm, flat voice, the Emperor swallowed hard.
"I-it is fine..."
The Emperor quickly composed his expression and patted my shoulder.
"It is fine, my youngest. It is fine."
Sure, I was fine.
The one who wasn't fine was Princess Belakir.
"The victor of this tournament is you."
Ah, right.
Come to think of it, this was a tournament.
I had completely forgotten because some random foreign entity like the Goddess of the Night suddenly crashed the party.
*Bwaaaaaap!*
The horn, which I was sick of hearing by now, blared once more.
At the same time, beautiful fireworks lit up the sky above the arena.
"Sigh..."
I looked up at the fireworks and let out a deep sigh.
Should I tell the Emperor what happened?
If it was the Emperor, he would probably know what the 'Goddess of the Night' was.
He would also know why she kept talking about the 'Star of Death.'
But on the flip side...
"..."
The Emperor might target me just like the Goddess of the Night did.
I should probably think this over a bit more.
For now, though...
"Now, let us get you treated—"
"Father."
"Yes, my son."
"Before I get treated, I need to receive the Blessing of the World Tree first."