Chapter 137: The Slanted Ceiling and the Mountain of Laughing Corpses - 9
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 137: The Slanted Ceiling and the Mountain of Laughing Corpses - 9
Earth Sage's hand repeatedly clutched at the air. I moved my fingertips ever so slightly, evading her attempts to snatch Jizan.
‘Right, left, up.’
Then I’d go left, right, down. From her perspective, of course.
Her hand would grasp empty air, her wrist would bump against Jizan, or she'd miss it by a hair's breadth. She was losing the mind game, round after round.
Ah, this was great. A fight only I could win. This was a real psychological battle.
‘In that case, I’ll just grab his hand…!’
Having lost the mind game repeatedly, Earth Sage swung her arm wide, reaching for my hand. Since Jizan’s movements originated from my hand, she intended to seize it and take the staff.
"Tut-tut. That's cheating."
Jizan was a blade without recoil. A light flick to the side sent Earth Sage's hand flying back at twice the speed.
There was only one way to grasp Jizan: to clench your fist at the perfect moment. Too early or too late, and your hand would just be repelled. Overpowering it wasn't an option.
That was why Earth Sage was struggling.
Clenching her fist with a grinding sound, Earth Sage growled at me.
"…The only reason I am entertaining this, Sir Hughes, is because I do not wish to harm you."
"I know."
"Holding Jizan does not make you invincible. Shall we not end this before you are further injured?"
She was right. Right now, Earth Sage's mind was churning with dozens of plans to turn me into minced meat.
For example, bringing the concrete ceiling down on me, destroying the platform I was standing on, or using a technique like dimensional force to pull me toward her.
No, if she just decided to close the distance, I'd be finished.
For now, I could dodge her by flicking my fingertips to move Jizan, but if she got close and moved faster than my hand, it would be my funeral.
If I were holding cards, maybe, but a steel staff was too slow.
So I had to guide this into a psychological battle with rules. I taunted Earth Sage, repeatedly thrusting Jizan toward her.
"Go on, take it. Why can't you? Am I hiding it? Did I say I'd never give it to you? I said you could take it if you have the skill, didn't I?"
"…Very well."
Her fighting spirit ignited, Earth Sage clenched both fists. Finally, was she going to use both hands?
‘The hands are a feint. I'll use my Qi to shake the ground beneath him.’
She lifted her foot high, planning to shake my platform and send me flying.
If I lost my grip on Jizan from the shock, she could take the test and claim it.
I was, after all, an ordinary human. Nothing special.
Even though I was holding Jizan now, it wouldn't remember me and refuse its power to another… Nothing like that would happen.
Jizan was a relic, a tool. I was just an ordinary person who happened to be able to lift it.
Which is why I couldn't let go until I'd written out all the test questions. Reading her intent, I pretended to dodge her hand and used Jizan to trip her.
‘Tch!’
No matter how "Unyielding" she was, there was no way to stand firm when the earth itself was tripping her. Instead of stomping her foot for a Tremor Step, Earth Sage jumped, using the Jizan I swung as a springboard.
I'd essentially sent a person flying with the tip of a blade, yet Jizan felt as if only a mosquito had landed on it. Heh, so this is Jizan. It felt good, like I'd gotten stronger.
"That's right. You wouldn't fall. You'd keep moving forward, always forward. You are a builder. One who creates results from the rubble. Tending to the dead and reminiscing about them doesn't suit you."
Earth Sage, who had landed far away, glared at me with terrifying eyes. I faced her and murmured leisurely.
"Trying to destroy the Abyss was about securing your justification, wasn't it? A justification to break the Anathema of not answering the nation's call. You gained quite a bit from your construction projects with the Military State, but because you failed to eliminate the Abyss, you lacked the authority to lead the Order of Gaia, didn't you?"
And with Jizan, it would be perfect.
As long as this relic—the symbol of the Grand Master and the power of the earth itself—existed, the Order of Gaia would rally beneath Earth Sage.
"And then you'll take Jizan and go demand an apology from the Sanctum. 'Spare a meal!' you'll say. 'Haven't you eaten your fill until now? Let's share the pie!' It's a perfect plan!"
The attempt alone would be meaningful. It would release the pent-up resentment of her followers and put her on equal footing with the Sanctum.
Earth Sage slowly rose to her feet.
"…So, do you truly intend to interfere?"
"I'm not interfering! I told you to take it!"
"In that case."
Qi erupted from Earth Sage's body, spreading in all directions. Thump. The ground shook as she took a single step.
Earth Folding. A technique where one extends their Qi into the ground and pulls themself forward in an instant. Charging with brute force rather than agility, Earth Sage shot toward me and threw a punch.
Now, if I block with Jizan….
‘If he blocks, I'll sacrifice the fist. I'll let it break if I have to and kick him instead.’
Huh.
‘Jizan's length can't block both directions at once. He'll have to deal with one of them with his own body.’
Ugh, I hate this. Why does she keep trying to turn a mind game into a physical one? What's a frail mind-reader like me supposed to do?
This is barbarism, pure and simple. As I grumbled internally…
"Hah!"
Long silver hair and a dress fluttered before me. After shooting me a brief, resentful glance, Tyr raised both her arms and met Earth Sage's fist.
Feeling like I should, I closed my eyes. It was an excellent choice.
BOOM.
A massive shockwave spread out, powerful enough to make the dead bodies stir.
When I opened my eyes again, the earthy Qi that had filled Earth Sage's body and Tyr's crimson blood droplets were mixing and spreading out in a circle. The earthy Qi sank back into the ground, while the blood droplets returned to Tyr as if time were reversing.
The two women glared at each other, their fists locked at close range. Earth Sage was the first to speak.
"…Progenitor. Did you not say you would not attack?"
Tyr retorted, "So long as you showed no hostility first."
"I have shown no enmity toward you."
"Hostility toward him is hostility toward me."
Tyr said it as if it were the most obvious fact. Earth Sage glanced at me before replying.
"…You've fallen for a bad man."
"…I cannot deny it. I concur."
With those words, they exchanged blows once more. Tyr didn't dodge. Her eyes filled with blood, she tracked Earth Sage's fist and countered it directly.
A clash of pure power against power. Another shockwave followed. Tyr's body was pushed back slightly, but she quickly regained her stance and charged Earth Sage again, making no move to protect her vital points.
‘In terms of combat itself, I have the upper hand. The Progenitor's power is clumsy, as if she's not used to close-quarters fighting. However… this is disadvantageous.’
Earth Sage's gaze flickered to Tyr's arm, then her body, then the ground beneath her feet before she revised her plan.
‘The cost is too high. The exchange isn't worth it. She takes no damage. And on top of that….’
Below was a mountain of corpses, above was a ceiling of concrete. Until now, this terrain had been advantageous for Earth Sage.
But that was only when her opponent was the Regressor. If her opponent was Tyr, the mountain of corpses below was a battlefield made for a vampire.
Tyr's Bloodcraft could currently only control the blood near her own body, but Earth Sage didn't know that.
And even if she did, the terrain was still in Tyr's favor.
‘Shaking her off would be faster.’
Earth Sage feinted a punch, then ducked low and charged. Pankration. Caught by surprise, Tyr still managed to launch a kick from her awkward stance. It was a bizarre kick, soaring at a strange angle as if moving independently of the human skeleton and posture, but it was just as powerful as her punches.
However, even with the slight difference in power, it was within Earth Sage's calculations.
Splurt. Earth Sage's skin tore, and blood flowed. At the same time, Earth Sage grabbed Tyr's standing foot and the chunk of corpses beneath it.
And then she threw it all upward.
"Kyaa!"
There was no way to resist being thrown along with the ground itself.
Whoosh. The sight of Tyr flying toward the ceiling looked like she was falling backward toward Tantalus. A dull thud echoed.
Having sent Tyr flying, Earth Sage strode toward me, who had been standing behind her.
"Where do you think you're going! Stop!"
Just then, a wave of fresh blood slammed into her from behind. Tyr, who had been thrown with the corpses, had in turn fired the blood from those corpses, aiming for Earth Sage's unguarded back.
BOOM! Red fists rained down on her shoulders, back, and legs like cannonballs. It was energy fired through Bloodcraft. The mountain of corpses exploded, carving out craters.
Earth Sage groaned from the heavy blows. Her earring trembled violently before shattering with a crack.
‘…I can't face Jizan while leaving my back exposed! I need more time!’
Earth Sage, who had briefly recovered her strength using Preceding Funeral, clicked her tongue and spun around. She plunged both hands into the empty air as if prying open a door and pulled. Creeak, creak. An ominous sound came from her fingertips as…
Tantalus opened.
CRACK. Tantalus split open, its maw gaping wide to swallow Tyr. Realizing Earth Sage's intent, Tyr frantically waved her hands, but the Earth Art was faster. In an instant, Tyr's body vanished deep inside Tantalus.
Rumble… She was out of sight, but she was already clawing her way out through the concrete. Still, it was Tyr's first time swimming through the earth, so it seemed it would take her a little while.
After briefly neutralizing Tyr, a panting Earth Sage looked at me. Now, there were no obstacles between us.
"There is no one left to protect you now."
True that. She was right, so I nodded.
"You're right. It's finally time for the last test."
"Uwaaaah!"
And just in time, from down below, the Regressor burst out of a pile of concrete with a shout. Having recovered after collapsing once, she wasn't in perfect condition, but her eyes blazed fiercely.
"Just hold on a little longer!"
With the number of enemies growing, Earth Sage became impatient. She approached me quickly and said,
"I have no time for your test. Hand it over."
‘Now, don't blame me if you die.’
Earth Sage charged, ready to kill if necessary. Just then, Ralion, whom Tyr had left as a last resort, blocked her path.
Harassed by Azzy, then by Nabi, and now Earth Sage. Despite this grueling lineup, Ralion charged without fear.
While Earth Sage was briefly tied up with Ralion, instead of running, I pulled Jizan far back.
"No. You're not the one taking the test."
There was no test for Earth Sage. She would simply forge her own path with her own strength.
The one who had to take the test now was…
I turned my head and glanced at the corpse of the Grand Master, kneeling, pinned by the crucifix. Whether it was a trick of the light or real, something shiny fell from the kneeling corpse.
"Now. It's time to take the test you've been putting off, Grand Master."
I can't read the thoughts of the dead. I didn't know if that was a tear or an illusion.
But Jizan would have to answer.
Earth Sage shattered Ralion's torso. Through the scattering spray of blood, our eyes met. Just as I was about to throw Jizan, Earth Sage's eyes widened.
‘Don't tell me he's going to throw it? Now?’
Correct.
‘Where?’
Somewhere between Earth Sage and the Regressor.
‘Suddenly, why?’
Because of the postponed test, of course.
I grinned and threw Jizan far away.
Tumble, tumble. The jet-black rod, looking like both a staff and a sword, flew through the air. Who could guess that such a small rod held the weight of a mountain? Yet even such a remarkable object traced an ordinary trajectory as it flew, no different from a common staff.
‘Nice pass… but that was too close for comfort! Throw it straight!’
The Regressor saw it and ran toward its landing point, and Earth Sage immediately kicked off the ground.
‘Even if I catch it, I'll have to pass the test! I won't be able to use it right away! But, as a wielder of Earth Art, perhaps I can bypass the test!’
No, how many times do I have to say it?
It's not your test paper.
-Truly, did you have to do this….
The crucifix trembled. A voice echoing from its tip seemed to speak to me.
Without turning my head, I answered.
"Yes. Choose. It's easy this time, isn't it? You just have to choose who will wield your power."
-Ah… So even in death, I could not escape.
"It's not that you couldn't escape. It's because you left it behind. If you didn't want to leave a trace, you wouldn't have left a relic."
-You are cruel. Truly cruel….
The flying Jizan trembled. Below it, the Regressor and Earth Sage were closing in. Earth Sage, running below, was slightly closer.
If it didn't move, Earth Sage would get her hands on it. She would embark on an endless struggle for the revival of the Order of Gaia. And she would eventually succeed, even if she herself might die in the process.
The Regressor, on the other hand…
-Truly, you say that girl has seen the future? That she intends to stand against the King of Sins?
"Whether you believe it or not is up to you. It's an unguaranteed future that can change at any moment, just like the one the Oracle told you about."
In the end, the choice that had been postponed had come once more.
Would she entrust it to the Oracle who dreamed of something better and let it be buried?
Or would she move forward, even if it meant being drenched in crimson blood?
-Ah. How truly cruel.
In the past, the Grand Master made a choice that was not a choice. She hesitated, was murdered by the Oracle, and fell into the Abyss, losing even the opportunity.
-And yet… even if this proves to be a mistake in the future.
In the end, she couldn't bring herself to bury the Overlord's soldiers. She was only ever pushed around.
If she'd had the iron will to bury the Overlord's 100,000 soldiers herself, the world's history might have been different.
But if she were that kind of person, she wouldn't have grieved over 300,000 deaths.
-I… find death sorrowful. Corpses frighten me. I despise this foretold ruin with all my being. I prefer a single small flower blooming on a grave to a splendid palace built on blood-soaked earth.
Thwip. The flying Jizan twisted its trajectory.
Both Earth Sage's and the Regressor's eyes widened. This small but certain change was purely Jizan's will. There was no other explanation for such an unnatural movement.
-Not for them… but for my own weak self.
In the end, the one Jizan chose…
was the Regressor.
-I shall bury death. In the embrace of Mother Earth.
With that final expression of will, the crucifix piercing the Grand Master's abdomen began to crumble from its base.
The Sanctum's treasure that had frozen time was disappearing. As if unraveling a tightly wound spool of time, the sharp edges of the crucifix rapidly rusted, fading away before the march of time.
I felt her fading presence and murmured.
"Farewell, Chorine. The first Earthweaver and the last graveman. And a single human who could not become a god. Your will has been retroactively applied along with your sin. Thanks to your choice now, the you of that time has resolved her regrets and reclaimed her sin."
The lingering regret, the choice she couldn't make back then, was fulfilled today. Now she could rest in peace.
"You could not become the death of 100,000 soldiers, but you were a good graveman who comforted the souls of 300,000 prisoners. May you rest peacefully in the embrace of Mother Earth."
-Thank you….
And so, the Grand Master's fading consciousness sank beyond the horizon.
The unfinished story was completed, reaching across time.