Chapter 333
Chapter 333
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Great Will (2)
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The miracle's blessing.
The true holy sword.
And—the totality of the Great Will.
This place now was the ultimate destination reachable only by those who had inherited their existence as part of the Great Will.
Thus, the first hero Lindal had no doubt.
That he was its reincarnation, a part of the Great Will.
"...Who are you?"
No.
Lindal's expression, as he gazed at the other, was dyed in pure bewilderment.
To Lindal, the other's existence felt utterly alien.
He could sense not a trace of the Great Will from him.
He was a separate being, unconnected to the Great Will.
The doubt began there.
If he was a separate being unconnected to the Great Will—
How had he realized the prophecy and reached this place?
"Who am I—"
At that moment.
He opened his mouth to answer Lindal's doubt.
Rishir.
He was just as confused.
Lindal's words claimed they were one connected existence.
Rishir unwittingly shook his head.
Frowning as he did.
'Great Will... us...'
He had no intention of denying it was a noble existence deserving respect.
The praises of the Main God by the masses were surely for them.
Even so.
Rishir had no thought of equating them with himself.
The path he had walked until now—
He had no intention of acknowledging it as part of some grand, world-encompassing plan.
He was himself, and nothing more.
Neither Great Will nor Main God nor anything else.
What he had done until now was the same.
Sublime spirit.
Great Will.
What had moved him was nothing so grandiose.
Simply a desire for a better life.
Simply gratitude for the new life given.
Simply effort to protect it all.
It was his complete will.
Wholly for himself.
'Bastard...'
Suddenly, that name surfaced.
A fate forcibly imposed without regard for his own will.
It would not be an exaggeration to call his entire life a struggle to escape it.
Looking back, it wasn't even that long ago.
He had barely escaped the status of bastard—
And was living as his complete self.
How fulfilling and happy these days were.
"..."
Before he knew it.
The color of confusion on Rishir's face had completely vanished.
What remained was conviction.
He stared straight at Lindal with unwavering eyes.
And spoke with firm resolve.
Who he was.
"I am ... ."
"...W-What did you say?"
Lindal asked back with a blank face.
Even though he had clearly listened, he couldn't make out the name.
The clearly spoken voice smeared like an auditory hallucination.
At that moment.
Their gazes met.
Lindal's eyes, always directed far away—
As if encompassing the entire world.
The moment those eyes met Rishir's—
"...Ah."
Lindal let out a sound unwittingly.
He was having an experience similar to that of his past comrades.
They had complained when seeing Lindal's eyes, not filled with their own existence.
Now.
Lindal could fully understand their feelings.
The eyes. Perhaps the mind image beyond them.
His own existence couldn't fill them completely.
"...Just what—"
Lindal unconsciously tried to repeat his previous question.
"..."
But his mouth closed weakly midway.
"Hero Rishir...! What's going on—..."
It was thanks to Lu-Rakh's voice from the side.
"Rishir."
Only then could Lindal utter the name.
"..."
Rishir smiled in satisfaction.
And added.
"I'm also an honorary mage of the Gray Mage Tower."
"..."
Lindal nodded blankly.
He had no choice but to.
* * *
"So... what the hell is even happening...?"
The situation progressed far too rapidly.
Lu-Rakh voiced the doubt on behalf of Rishir's group.
"Seems like there was some mistake."
"Mistake...?"
"Originally, realizing the prophecy was something only possible for one who inherited the first hero's power. That's why they thought I was the first hero's reincarnation. But—"
Rishir shrugged.
"It turns out it wasn't. I have no relation to them."
A very clear answer.
Yet for some reason.
A lump of doubt remained in the corner of their hearts—
"...I see."
They decided not to touch it.
"Well then—"
Rishir looked around.
Then at the true holy sword in his hand—
And finally at Lindal.
"Lindal. Do you still have a story to tell me?"
"..."
Lindal closed his eyes slowly, then opened them.
"I have a favor to ask. Will you lend me your strength?"
Rishir responded to the resolute expression with a light smile.
"Mind if I hear it first?"
"Depending on what it is, you might say it's impossible?"
"Isn't that what favors are?"
"...True enough."
Lindal let out a crumbling chuckle.
Afterward, he regained his composure and spoke.
"Rishir. You know, don't you? The state this world is in right now."
Snap.
Lindal snapped his fingers.
The world surrounding them changed once more.
"This is—"
Rishir's group looked down at their feet in unison.
Now they stood atop a massive, opaque crystal that didn't let light through.
"A flickering candle."
Lindal said softly.
"That's our current situation. It wouldn't be strange if it went out at any moment, plunging everything into complete darkness."
"...Even now that the true holy sword has been born?"
"..."
Lindal's serious expression softened.
He slowly shook his head.
"I misspoke. Until you appeared, that was certainly true. But now that you've come— the story has changed."
Snap.
Lindal snapped his fingers again.
The world split in two.
Centered on them, darkness and light clashed like oil that wouldn't mix.
The darkness pushing, the light barely holding on.
A precarious sight for the light.
"Immortality."
Whoosh!
The moment Lindal uttered the word, the darkness's momentum grew fiercer.
And with the following words—
"Now we have a means to oppose it."
Whoosh!
The configuration reversed instantly.
Now the light began pushing back the darkness.
"The totality of the Great Will. The power that drives out darkness. If we fully awaken that power, we can achieve our goal."
Lindal's eyes gazing at the true holy sword filled with awe.
"Rishir. First off, thank you. For coming to us so quickly. But—"
A shadow like mist fell over his expression.
"Even so, the time given to us is not much. Even at this moment, the darkness is slowly eroding the light. The light is being helplessly pushed back."
Lindal's gaze toward Rishir was soaked in guilt.
"So I'm sorry to you. This is a duty we should have borne ourselves. Too heavy to entrust to another—... But now, we have no choice."
Lindal gripped his left hand tightly.
"Rishir. I beg you. In our stead, will you save this world?"
"..."
Rishir first turned his gaze to Jallak.
Then exchanged looks with the other holy swords.
Nod.
That was enough.
They looked at each other and nodded resolutely.
"Our enemy—..."
Rishir said, looking at Lindal.
"Where is it?"
His eyes filled with determination.
"..."
Lindal received that resolve.
He extended his hand toward the floor.
Crack!
As if the ground were splitting—
Veins bulged across Lindal's skin.
His eyes instantly turned red with bloodshot.
The opaque crystal he pointed to.
It was the world.
Lindal's will began to illuminate the world.
To uncover the naked face of the world overrun by darkness.
"Our enemy."
Lindal intoned in a solemn voice.
"...Where is it?"
The source of darkness.
The Lord of Immortality.
The great demon.
The beings that should have been greedily devouring the world were not felt.
As if most of them had already vanished.
The remnants trembling in fear, hiding.
"...Ah, the order—"
Rishir let out a meaningful sigh.