67. My Child
67. My Child
Coincidences piled up.
Luck upon luck stacked together,
and Ultimately, even the gods were influenced by that light and found themselves cheering without realizing it.
To win.
That he could win.
That he would not break, and would keep moving forward.
A 'Hero' created through the 'Hands of the Gods' as they clasped their hands in prayer.
[Truly... it was filthy meeting you, and let us never see each other again.]
The scene of him executing justice with the sword bestowed by the goddess sent deep ripples through the hearts of the watching gods.
"Ur... was it? You have a good eye. You've taken a fine child into your embrace."
"Rather than taking him into my embrace, it's more like I was the one taken into his."
Ur clasped her hands tightly together and stared at the Hero beyond the mirror.
The long, long time of trials.
Just as the conclusion was being drawn—
[───Crunch....!]
".....Huh..?"
Once again, the situation changed in an instant.
[Uu, ooooooh! Guu, guoooooh!!!]
"Ah...no....NOOOOOO!!!"
He was struck by the club and collapsed to the ground.
The dagger bestowed by the goddess shattered futilely.
Even the blessings granted by the gods were severed, and all that remained was miserable reality and endless despair.
[Keok! Keup....Cough!]
"Chrono....get ahold of yourself. Just a little more, just a tiny bit more and it's done....!"
The troll's state was not normal.
It was a sight of being driven to the edge and forced to surpass its limits.
Conversely, it meant the troll was also cornered against an insurmountable wall.
Just once.
Just one more attack was all it would take.
So, please.
[The...impossi.....ble is....]
"Uugh......!"
Get up.
You can get up.
You can do it.
You are a child who can do it if you try.
Endure the pain.
Withstand the trial.
Dust yourself off and stand back up.
Something like this, you won't be broken by a mere trial like this, right?
"Chrono....."
I believe.
Because I believe in you.
Ur clasped her hands together and prayed.
As if a god praying wasn't laughable enough, she prayed nonetheless.
[Fami...liar......]
"Ah......!"
Had her prayers been heard at last?
He staggered, trying to rise from his spot.
He faltered several times, but when he finally managed to lift his body.........
[Kee, haaah.......!]
"....Chro...no...?"
Tears were streaming down his face.
With an expression she had never seen before.
His horribly distorted face was filled with nothing but pain and misery.
[Uu....uuu, uk.....!]
He tried to hold back the tears.
He tried to pull himself together.
But he could not.
The leaking tears grew thicker, and his body, having once admitted defeat, crumbled helplessly.
[Geuk! Keu, ah....ah, aaaak.....!!!]
"..................."
He was trampled by the troll.
His head was stepped on and kicked.
He curled up and tried to endure, but his trembling body was clearly at its limit from any angle.
[Sh, shi....baal......!]
".....Chrono..."
A limit.
Chrono was already driven to his limit from the start.
Because he didn't want to die.
In order to live.
Soothing himself, saying he was used to it.
Honing his will that was already pushed to the cliff's edge even sharper.
Surpassing his limits.
Enduring.
Holding on.
Clenching his teeth and trying.
And what awaited him at the end of all that was──not sweet victory, but only bone-aching 'death'.
[Cough! Geuk, guk....uuweeek....!]
"...Eup....heuk, eut....euueup....!!"
Tears fell.
He moaned, overcome by pain.
Limbs trembling violently. A body covered in blood.
The Hero who had squeezed out every ounce of strength, no— the end of 'a boy who tried to become a Hero', a boy who was just so utterly ordinary, was like this.
Because no matter how hard you try,
no matter how much you resist,
there is a wall you ultimately cannot overcome.
No matter how much you try to overcome it,
no matter how much you muster all your strength to leap over and conquer it,
a soul that perishes in the end having accomplished nothing.
A soul that was finally shattered, broken, burned its last spirit and spoke.
[Sa...save me......]
"───!!!"
To save him.
[Save... me... please... SAVE MEEEE!!!]
He screamed, trembling violently.
He fled, crawling on all fours.
A face stricken with terror.
A face drenched in tears.
A sight of him hideously distorted, letting out a scream.
Hideous.
Filthy.
Decidedly not a 'hero'.
Just the voice of an utterly ordinary 'weakling'.
The goddess who had been silently watching that sight spoke.
"At last, he realizes his place."
"Eut───!!!"
What did she just say?
"What is that strange expression. From the start, is it not that arrogant wretch who was a fool, deluding himself that he could do anything despite being a mere human who does not rely on the gods?"
"Take that back!"
He tried so hard!
He kept fighting!
The one who broke the promise first in the first place was───Cronus, you!
"Hmph....What does that have to do with anything?"
"Wh, what... what kind of ridiculous───Kyaaak?!!"
In an instant, Ur's body was pressed down to the floor.
Cronus, who had suddenly stepped on Ur and pinned her down, spoke.
"In worshipping the Main Gods, effort is unnecessary. Courage, thought, even the act of considering something is already human arrogance. I merely taught him a lesson personally because he didn't know his place and ran wild, when he should have simply existed and worshipped. Of course, the same goes for you right now, wench."
For a brain-dead imbecile like a worm, your tongue is remarkably short-sighted.
"....Keheuk...!"
Cronus's right foot pressed down on her back.
Ur let out a pained groan but continued to gaze at the mirror.
'Chro, no.....'
I'm sorry.
I meant to protect you.
I meant to do my best.
[Ah....aah, ah......!!!]
A voice filled with terror.
[Aaaaaaaaaaaack!!!!!]
Finally, it turned into a thin scream.
And just as the troll's massive club was about to crush───down on Chrono's body.
───Kaaaang!
[.....Huh...?]
".....Chrono?"
Something protected Chrono.
At his side. A single sword fastened on the left, opposite side.
Emitting a pale red aura, a thin protective barrier shielded Chrono.
"How, tenacious. Just how arrogant do you intend to become...."
But even so, it was only buying a little time, and the predetermined ending would not change.
Cronus gazed at the mirror with a leisurely smile──but Ur's thoughts were different.
[This is...what Mars gave....]
'Chrono's eyes....'
They grew calm.
The fog that had filled his eyes cleared, and the fire began to reignite.
Unlike the beginning, it was small and seemed insignificant.
But still, it was a clear flame that 'existed' in that spot.
It looked as if it would go out, but it did not.
Among countless beasts, the 'flame' possessed solely by humans.
[.....Heu]
He raised his body.
It was already a complete mess.
Every single breath was painful.
[It's pure love.]
But despite that, he stood up.
Even as he vomited blood and staggered, he finally got his body upright.
Before the pain of his body being crushed.
Before the terror that he might die at any moment.
Before the dark despair where not an inch ahead was visible.
Lighting the flame called courage.
Illuminating the light called life.
"Guu, ooooooh!!!!"
".....Huuuuuu"
Overcoming the fear.
Enduring the pain.
Repelling the black-stained despair with hope.
"[Counter───!!!!]"
He thrust out his fist.
Against the violence trying to kill him, trying to break him, he advanced, holding out only his one fist.
─Udeuk, ppujijijik!!!
"Keuhat....!"
A shattered right hand.
A body collapsing.
He was already exhausted beyond exhaustion.
"Ha───Assei!"
Just because his wrist was shattered didn't mean his arm disappeared.
He absorbed the shock with the connected arm and succeeded with the [Counter].
"Giyeol!"
'Guts'.
A skill that allowed him to withstand a single blow that would lead to death, and at the same time,
the reason humans, as humans, could push forward even surpassing gods.
"Heu, aaaaaaaaaaap!!!"
"Guuuk──?!!"
Even if he possessed half-baked knowledge.
Even if he always lacked wisdom.
Even though his inferior physical abilities always held him back.
"Guu, geut───Kwadeudeudeudeuk!!!"
"Ah, aaack.......!!"
Even if he might die from a single misstep.
Even as the troll bit into his shoulder right then, crushing his bones, the reason he did not let go of the sword handle.
The reason humanity could become the master of the world was clearly.
"Dieeeeeeeee!!!!"
"Guuuuuuuuuk!!!!"
Guts.
Will.
The heart that thinks of someone.
A single miracle achieved when all of these combine.
"───────Keuha!"
Soon, the despair crumbled away, and the human left alone spoke lowly.
"I'm dyingggg...."
The collapsing despair.
The human laying his body atop it.
The 'Hero' who had defeated a despair that could not be overcome even when heroes gathered to face it together, just stared blankly at the sword in his hand and muttered.
"Still...at least I didn't break this one."
Even as his whole body was shattered and dying, finding something so amusing,
the human smiled a cheeky grin and slowly closed his eyes.
""""............""""
None of the gods spoke.
Perhaps the events of today would be passed from mouth to mouth for ages to come.
A brave warrior who defeated a troll.
A wise soldier who cleverly overcame overwhelming violence.
A thief who fled from death to the very end.
A Hero who made even gods look forward in anticipation.
".............Ha"
You foolish bastard.
That's why We told you.
That you could do it.
To believe in Us.
But you endured without believing in Us until the end, so this is what happened.
Therefore, this is entirely your fault for not following Our words. It happened because you are a young, foolish, and ignorant human.
"....Fine. We admit it."
Young.
Foolish.
And ignorant,
"You won. You brainless idiot."
Humanity that endured,
withstood,
and finally seized victory.
It was obviously right to rejoice over it, but—
".......Chrono..."
No one could smile.
Because this was not a 'hero's victory'.
Because this was not a victory that could be smiled upon and praised.
Not a heroic tale that should have been composed of a noble battle,
a beautiful tale,
and a glorious ode to courage.
Just a story of a hardship.
Just a story of enduring.
A miracle full of coincidence where coincidence upon coincidence upon coincidence piled up.
A story of an ordinary man where he might have died at any wrong moment,
which only came about because he was so desperate.
Thus, about the human who charmed even the gods,
who had nothing to boast about.
"I've made up my mind."
We say.
"That child."
A single ray of light to break through the despair.
Because he knows despair, because he knows fear,
a person who can therefore summon even more 'courage'.
A person who has 'courage' and can give 'courage'.
"Hero."
The Queen of the Gods,
Hera spoke.
"Heracles (My child)."
...
..
.
"Um, but Hera? I apologize for interrupting during this thick atmosphere you've set, but....."
"Hermes?"
Hermes, who had popped out from the side, pointed at the mirror and said.
"Over there, isn't Hero dying?"
"Ah."
It seems it was already mentioned before, but
Hera was also a daughter of Cronus, a bloodline of that family.