What I Live For
The magnificent voice of divinity had thundered without warning, followed instantly by an invisible barrier locking me and Tsarkhella inside. Yet in the face of this bizarre turn of events, the barbarian warriors were whipped into a total frenzy.
"Kuaaaagh! Lord Kubel! Lord Kubel Himself watches this duel!!"
"Aaaahhh!! A duel of absolute glory!! A contest personally presided over by the God of Beasts, the God of Warriors Himself!!"
"In the name of the warriorrrr!!"
"We shall live through battles that leave no regrets!!"
"Our very lives are named battle!! The meaning of our existence is battleeee!!"
Watching them scream at the top of their lungs with pure madness in their eyes, I actually began to worry their vocal cords would shred to pieces.
"What... what in the world is happening...?! Aljen! Do you know something?! Did you do something to the totem...?!"
Tsarkhella, on the other hand, was utterly flustered and tried to interrogate me, but I didn't have the spare breath to entertain her questions.
"...Hey. Are you Kubel? Explain to me what kind of sick, dog-shit stunt this is. Right now."
I spat the words toward the wooden statue crowning the totem pole, but no answer returned.
"You...!"
Focusing my consciousness onto the Absolute Ring Set, I attempted to trigger it against the totem.
Yet neither the rings nor the totem budged in the slightest.
Whether the artifacts' power failed to pierce it or the totem simply wasn't a valid target to begin with, I couldn't tell. But the moment my eyes met the gaze carved into the wooden effigy looking down on me, a boiling, suffocating rage tore a scalding groan from deep inside my chest.
"...Ha. You... dog-fucking... son of a... bitch...!"
A crimson fury so intense I could barely string a sentence together surged like lightning through my brain.
It was a sensation indistinguishable from trauma—a flashback drowned in agony.
My molars ground together until they bit into my gums. My clenched fists trembled so violently that blood began to seep from my palms.
Memories from the earliest days of my transmigration clawed their way to the surface.
Back when I lived in constant terror of whatever 'thing' had dragged me into this world.
The terror that some higher power seated far above, armed with absolute authority, was looking down on me, interfering with my life, meddling in my choices, and turning me into its puppet—that exact horror smothered my entire body once again.
Just like when it had forcefully ripped me away and stuffed my soul into Stanashila Aljen.
Just like when it had cursed me with Return through Death.
And yes, just like this very moment, where this damn god named Kubel had locked me and Tsarkhella inside a cage and was demanding a duel!
"...Aljen?"
"Hah, hah, ha... fuck... you...!"
I thought the hatred and madness had dulled after going through the grueling process of adapting, convincing myself to accept this new life. But now, it thrust out sharp, jagged thorns, stabbing straight into my heart, my brain, my eyes, and my throat, venting scorching heat outward.
I didn't understand what the hell they wanted from me.
I didn't understand why I was the one who had to do it.
I didn't even understand why they were doing this to me in the first place.
These so-called divinities never offered a scrap of explanation, babbling about causality and destiny while setting the stage as they pleased, crushing everything beneath the sheer weight of divine authority!
And powerless as I was, I had no choice but to be dragged along by their whims.
From start to finish... it was all the same. I had deliberately chosen to look away, but the truth was undeniable: my pathetic existence was no different from a puppet on strings.
Crunch! Grrrk!
"Haaah! Haaackh...!"
Clutching at my throbbing chest, I tried to take a swig of alcohol, but my locked jaw wouldn't part, my teeth clicking harshly against the glass rim.
"Aljen, are you alright?"
"...Heh, hehaha... Tsarkhella. Looks like that son of a bitch... wants us to fight to the death, doesn't he?"
When I finally forced my mouth open to squeeze out those words, her expression hardened like stone.
"Blasphemy, Aljen. Mind your manners before a divinity."
"Ha! Mind my manners? To that bastard? To me?! How dare he... how dare that piece of shit look down on me?!"
My head shook with pure rage as I glared up at the totem.
"I knew it. You can never trust them. None of them! Goddamn bastards, every last one! Ha, fuck...! When I met the Goddess, I should've cursed her out until my lungs gave out...!"
"...Who are you?"
"...What?"
Startled by the sudden question, I turned my head. Tsarkhella was glaring at me with tightly clenched fists, her entire body wound tight with vigilance.
"I felt an uncanny mismatch from the very first moment I laid eyes on you... but no matter how much time has passed, you're far too different."
"Different? How? Huh? What's so different about me?"
"...Not a single habit of the Aljen I remember remains. The way you stand, the angle of your gaze, the rhythm of your limbs, the range of motion in your facial muscles. Everything. Yes, it's as if... you've become an entirely different person."
"And so what?"
"...I asked who you are."
She repeated the question in a voice that had dropped several octaves. Staring at her, I finally pried my jaws apart and tipped the bottle back, gulping down the liquor in massive swallows.
Draining the entire bottle in one go, I tossed it aside and stumbled on my feet.
As the harsh alcohol tore through my brain, my vision swirled dizzily, shaving away huge chunks of my sanity in an instant.
I felt a little better.
The terror and creeping dread faded, replaced by an irrational, surging rush of confidence and sheer combative urge.
A twisted grin tugged at my lips.
"Pwahaha! Ahahaha! Right, because you're such a brilliant genius, aren't you? A genius who still remembers the childhood habits of a little brother she hasn't seen in years... how goddamn romantic!"
"...I asked you who you are."
"And if I tell you, what the hell can you do about it?"
Spreading my arms wide, I bared my teeth in a vicious sneer.
"That's right. I'm not Aljen. I'm a complete stranger who stole Aljen's body. Now what're you gonna do about it, huh?"
"Haaah..."
Raising her fists, she coated them in crackling, razor-sharp energy, her glare burning holes through me.
"What did you do to Aljen?"
"Hahahahaha! Yes! Exactly! That's what you're supposed to ask! Up until now, not a single bastard who found out ever bothered to ask that! Finally, a normal back-and-forth! But sadly, I don't have an answer for you! Because I don't fucking know either! It's not like I wanted to crawl into this pathetic body in the first place!"
"...You're saying it wasn't by your own will."
"Heheh, yeah. Not a single shred of my will was involved. It was pure, unadulterated force."
"...I won't kill you. Instead, I'll snap all four of your limbs and throw you at the ducal house's doorstep."
"Haha! Hahaha! So you're gonna fight me?! You're really gonna dance like a good little dog to that bastard's tune?!"
"And what is wrong with that? Kubel is a magnificent divinity. He is the guardian who remained on the earth to protect the northern nomads, a great being who honors true warriors."
"Heh, is that so? Wow, that's just so~ damn amazing. Is that why he feels entitled to toy with the souls of inferior humans however he likes? Huh? Shoving strangers' souls into foreign meat suits on a whim?"
"......"
In all likelihood, Kubel wasn't the one responsible for my transmigration, but I couldn't care less about the technicalities.
To my eyes, all these divine bastards were cut from the exact same cloth.
Her expression sank into icy stillness under my scathing sarcasm, and bolts of lightning began to crackle and dance around her skin.
"I cannot say I don't understand your resentment toward a god. But that does not mean I will ever tolerate blasphemy against the divinity I revere."
"Look at you, all high and mighty. So what? You're really dead set on doing this?"
"...I'll end it quickly. With as little pain as possible."
"...Ha."
Snap.
The sound of the alcohol blade cleanly severing the last tether of my rationality rang out inside my skull.
"Fine—!! If you're so damn eager to die, I'll kill you first—!!"
Unable to hold back my fury any longer, I unleashed the Absolute Ring of Taunt.
"Kh?!"
Kzzzzzt!
The moment the crimson light sank into her body, Tsarkhella erupted in blinding brilliance, her entire form cloaked in lightning—no, it looked as though her flesh itself had been converted into pure, searing bolts. She closed the distance at an imperceptible, split-second speed.
Speed was mass, and mass was power.
Simply being overwhelmingly fast exponentially amplified the destructive force of a strike.
If a lead bullet shorter and thinner than a human finger could punch through a slab of iron at supersonic speeds, just how devastating would her fist be—infused with raw aura and heavier by orders of magnitude?
Fwwwoooosh!
"What?!"
Yet her fist, driven forward with terrifying momentum, struck nothing but empty air. Wrapped in the eerie violet glow of the Absolute Evasion Ring, my body contorted at an unnatural angle, letting the blow graze harmlessly past.
"Double the pain, you crazy bitch. Drop dead."
BOOOOOOM!!
The dark aura of the Absolute Counter Ring whipped out like a concentrated squall of lightning, tearing directly through Tsarkhella's torso.
"Kah-urk?!"
Or rather, to my eyes it looked as though it had pierced her clean through, but shockingly, her body remained in one piece.
Did she deflect it with an aura barrier at the point of impact?
"Tsk..."
It would have been wonderful if that single blow had ended it all... but frankly, I hadn't expected it to be that easy.
I knew all too well that someone at the Master Rank wasn't an opponent to be brushed aside so lightly.
"O-Ooooohhh!! The challenger landed a clean hit on the Great Chieftain!!"
"How did he do that?! Is he actually a monstrous warrior beneath that frail appearance?!"
"Fight!! Fight!! Fight!!"
"Spill your blood!! This duel to the death shall guide us down the path of glory!!"
"Regardless of rank or status!! Regardless of where we stand or which path we walk, we are all warriors!!"
I let out a hollow laugh at the sight of the barbarian warriors roaring with adoration toward me simply because I had landed a hit on Tsarkhella.
Cheering their lungs out while their own Great Chieftain took a beating was a mentality I couldn't even begin to comprehend.
"Lord Aljen...!"
"Kh...!"
Outside, Muriel and the rest of the party were desperately throwing everything they had against the barrier trapping us, but the absolute power of a divinity wasn't something mortal strength could shatter so easily.
"Whew..."
I didn't know what level of duel Kubel was demanding, but whatever the case, surviving against Tsarkhella meant I had to lay every single card I possessed onto the table.
"Let's see here..."
The tools currently available to me for direct combat were the Shroud of Sacrifice, the Invitation of the Forgotten, and the World Tree Bracelet.
...Naturally, that wasn't nearly enough.
Using the Shroud of Sacrifice to transfer the damage to someone else would keep me on my feet, but my companions outside could end up suffering catastrophic injuries. The Invitation of the Forgotten was an artifact utterly unsuited for a direct brawl, and while the World Tree Bracelet would provide some support, it wouldn't be enough to halt a Master in her tracks.
"Dammit..."
Then did that mean I only had one option left?
I glanced down at my left arm, bound tightly beneath layers of immaculate white Silk of Atonement.
I really didn't want to expose it if I could help it, but my hands were tied.
Stumbling slightly, I lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and watched Tsarkhella slowly push herself back up. An idea sparked in my head.
"Ah, but will that even work...?"
It probably would.
After all, it had functioned against the demonic energy, the plague, and the lingering divine authority that refused to dissipate even after the clone of Demon King Otiliv had perished.
However, applying that principle mid-battle was a completely different beast.
"...Well, I might as well throw everything I've got at the wall."
If I died, so be it.
The Save Point wasn't too far behind, anyway. If worst came to worst, I could just die and run it back from the start.
"Heh, hahahaha! Aljeeeen!! No, you mystery man occupying Aljen's flesh! You! You're turning out to be far more entertaining than I ever could have hoped!"
Having pushed herself entirely upright, Tsarkhella was practically bouncing on the soles of her feet, her face split in an innocent, euphoric grin that looked nothing like her earlier solemnity.
"How on earth did you pull that off just now?! My body moved completely against my will, and then you hurled an attack of terrifying magnitude right back at me! With Lord Kubel's totem presiding over us, foul tricks shouldn't be possible, so just how did you do it?!"
"Pheeew..."
When I exhaled a plume of gray smoke in stubborn silence, her lips curled upward into a ferocious, predatory sneer.
"Right. You want me to find out for myself, don't you? Fine, then...!"
Kzzzzk! Crackle!
Her breathing was ragged and her limbs were trembling from the severe damage my counterattack had dealt, yet the combat momentum radiating from her figure burned brighter and hotter than ever before.
"You crazy battle maniac."
"Ahahahahaha! That's right! Because that is the very reason I liveeee!!"
BANG!
With a crisp sonic boom, she vanished entirely from my line of sight.
Flap—!
In that exact instant, long strips of pure white fabric began to unravel chaotically, whipping through the air around me.
The Silk of Atonement that had been wound tightly around my left arm peeled away, dancing like ribbons across the empty sky.
"Hahahaha! What kind of cheap trick is th... is... what...?!"
Cloaked in lightning, she tore through the fluttering white cloth to strike, only for her eyes to rip wide open in sheer shock.
Reflected clear as day in her pupils was a grotesque, twisted arm entirely consumed by demonic corruption.
...It didn't take long for the blistering heat that had gripped the Wasteland to freeze into dead, suffocating silence.