Chapter 314: (Side Story) An Unobserved Tale. The Abyss Without the Regressor - (Part 2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 314: (Side Story) An Unobserved Tale. The Abyss Without the Regressor - (Part 2)
I am no prophet. I only read human thoughts; I cannot predict their future actions.
But… did I truly not know?
“Set, Re!”
Several months had passed since we fell into the Abyss. In this lightless darkness, survival was only possible by relying on one another. In such an isolated space, frequent contact naturally fostered affection where none had existed before.
And love, an emotion that contributes to the preservation of the species, grows all the stronger when a man and a woman have few other choices. Beta and Delta were a perfect example of this.
Well, that was a rather grand and roundabout explanation.
“Fahrenheeeeit!”
To put it simply, Delta loved Beta.
“Whyyyyyy!”
Bang. A spiral of flame erupted from the muzzle of the mana-ignited gun. It was less a magic bullet and more a simple bullet set ablaze by mana, but the intent to attack was conveyed with a clarity that surpassed what the eye could see.
Amidst the gunshots, Delta screamed.
“You cursed vampire! Did you have to—did you really have to kill her in such a horrific way? To you, Cindy was less than an insect! Whether an insect screamed or not, you could have just ignored it!”
Of course, only his intent and his screams reached their target. If the Progenitor could have been harmed by an attack from Delta, who hadn't even become an officer, she would not have remained a symbol of fear for over a thousand years.
As the bullets were swallowed meaninglessly by the darkness, the Progenitor recognized Delta and deigned to reply.
[Cindy? Ah.]
The coffin opened a crack, and a pure white hand emerged from the gap. At the tip of the pale, slender fingers… a bloodstained cross was held upside down.
It was Cindy’s. Gripping the inverted cross, the Progenitor spoke coldly.
[You speak of the whelp who dared to trifle with the Sky God's toy before me?]
“Cindyyyyyy!”
Bang, bang, bang. The moment he reloaded, he fired again without even aiming. It was debatable whether the shots could inflict any meaningful damage, but they didn't even hit the coffin in the first place.
Delta didn't care. He knew from the start that this act was suicide.
He just couldn't bear not to do it.
[You are right. Whatever you people prattle on about is nothing but meaningless noise, and whatever you do is nothing but a meaningless gesture. I neither judge it nor pay it any mind.]
“Right! If you’re so strong, then you could have shown some mercy!”
[However, faith in the Sky God is different. That is an insult and a blasphemy directed at me. I have always made them pay the price for that faith, and I always will. If their faith is so profound, they should have no regrets about dying at my hand to practice it.]
He was out of ammunition. As if he hadn't placed much hope in the bullets anyway, Delta aimed the empty gun and approached the coffin.
“Monster! You—you’re just a monster!”
[I have heard that so often, it is surprisingly unmoving.]
Delta’s heart was a vortex. A storm of emotions raged so fiercely that even I could not read them clearly. The fear of death, a fury that transcended it, love and loss, and a thirst for vengeance.
The one desire that remained after sifting through it all was…
‘You have to hurt, too…!’
A single wish that had barely managed to bloom at the bottom of this Abyss. I had watched, just in case, only for this to be the result.
‘I don’t believe I can kill her. I just want to convey even a tenth of this sorrow and pain to that monster! If bullets cannot hurt her body, then at least her heart!’
Delta, does that seem easy to you?
Language is a tool. Only those who have wielded it often can use it properly. For you, who can barely form the words, it is an impossible task.
“Yeeaaah! You’re so great. The mighty Progenitor, I’m sure! Remain a monster for all eternity, and live as a monster until the end of the world!”
I understood what he was trying to say. That she would be lonely for the rest of her life, that she would remain a monster until the end of time, dying without ever knowing emotion or anything else.
If he had refined his words just a little more, if he had uttered them with a deeper understanding of his target, he might have managed to wound the Progenitor’s small wish. But Delta could not reach that far.
[Your wailing is much the same. If your lover was so precious, then follow her to the same place.]
Darkness enveloped Delta. His feet lifted from the ground. In that moment, Delta knew he was going to die.
In truth, Delta had already committed suicide. He had stepped off the edge of the cliff; all that remained was the matter of when he would hit the bottom.
It was a rather long suicide, but the end had come. The Progenitor spoke.
[I do hope you all go to heaven. I will not be there, so it would be a good thing for us both.]
Hearing the Progenitor’s blessing that was not a blessing, Delta struggled. Not because he wanted to live, but because he wanted to achieve something, anything, before he died.
‘Somehow… even just a little, the pain I suffered…’
As his consciousness faded, Delta wished intensely for the Progenitor’s pain. Even as the blood consumed his body, chewing his bones and flesh, even as he felt excruciating agony, that was his only wish.
A man who had been Elsie Clark for most of his life, and Delta in the Abyss, died leaving behind nothing but a viscous afterimage.
He had fallen into Tantalus with a grand purpose, only to abandon that cause at the bottom and find a small happiness, yet in the end, he died within me, unfulfilled.
A pathetic death. Humans who were no more than beasts, knowing full well they would die, throwing away their own lives, swayed by unseen things like love and ideals. Some might call it romantic and praise it, but to me, it just looks foolish.
However.
I am the king of such fools.
The king of broken beasts who throw away their own lives, swayed by things they cannot see… that is ‘me’.
Ah. I’m supposed to be ordinary.
[I have given you enough time. I have also made an example. Is your deliberation over?] the arrogant Progenitor declared.
Ah, you pitiful being who has lived for so long that you seek to define yourself as a phenomenon.
Your wish is surely to become human again. Why, then, do you try to become a god? Do you desire so much to be understood by all?
You are no god. At best, you are the queen of vampires… and even then, you are a half-measure who cannot even represent them.
I opened my mouth nonchalantly.
“Seeing as two just died, I’m going to need a little more. Save me, and save my remaining comrades too.”
[You are a greedy one. There is a limit to how much I will indulge such absurdity.]
“In return, I will make your heart beat again.”
As if struck by something, the Progenitor flinched. In that moment, I twisted my body and turned toward Finlay, who stood with his head bowed. The Progenitor’s command was still in effect, so he had remained silent even as Delta died.
‘Hahaha! Serves you right. Yes, this is it! This is the proper food chain! Kuhahahaha!’
He was only silent on the outside; his thoughts were as loud as ever.
I had brought the stake that had once pierced Finlay and the Undying’s arm. As I approached him, holding the stake, his expression changed by the second.
‘There’s no way a mere human could harm the Progenitor! Heh heh heh. Yes! This is right… Huh? What is that guy doing…? As long as the Progenitor is here, I can’t be killed by a mere stake.’
“Set, Re, Bolt.”
I drove the stake into Finlay until it touched his heart, then channeled lightning magic into its end. The current traveled down the stake and into Finlay’s heart. His body trembled.
‘Ugh. What is this? This attack isn’t dangerous, but it’s so unpleasant…?’
It was a weak electric shock, barely enough to kill a human. It couldn't possibly work on a vampire. Finlay was fine. Outraged by the sudden attack, Finlay was about to ask the Progenitor for permission to kill me.
That’s when I spoke to the Progenitor.
“Did you feel that? Finlay’s heart reacting.”
Of course, I had read her. Finlay was within the Progenitor’s domain, and the movement of his blood was completely exposed to her senses. The Progenitor must have read the flow of his blood as if she were reading the lines on her palm.
The Progenitor did not answer. Reading affirmation in her silence, I shrugged and explained.
“I hear that a vampire’s heart doesn’t beat. They move their blood throughout their bodies using Bloodcraft. That’s certainly impressive, but it would be more convenient to have a heart, wouldn’t it? Moving everything piece by piece must be a pain. What do you think? My lightning might be able to make a heart beat.”
‘What? What is this all of a sudden? What is this insolent human saying to the Progenitor…! What are you plotting, Hughes!’
I got a reaction. The coffin lid opened, and an ephemeral girl, as if drained of all color, sat up. Revealing her true form for the first time in centuries, the Progenitor showed great interest in this new knowledge about the heart.
“Is that true? Can it truly move the heart?”
“Of course, my lightning might not work on you, Progenitor. You are such a powerful being, after all… However, it is known that a human heart can be moved in this way. If the principle is the same, shouldn’t there be a reaction?”
‘What? There’s no way a human like this could harm the Progenitor…! But why do I feel such an ominous premonition that my body is trembling? Something is dangerous…!’
Even for the Progenitor, revealing her heart to another was distasteful. But it wasn't out of fear that her heart might be destroyed; it was a shyness akin to showing her bare skin.
Shyness loses to desire. The same was true for the Progenitor.
Desire crushed her sense of shame. With the thought that she might as well be deceived just this once, the Progenitor tore open her chest, clothes and all. The beautiful fabric ripped apart, revealing the grotesque inside of her body.
The Progenitor spoke.
“Very well. Give it a try.”
“If I succeed, you will stop this fight. And while you’re at it, you’ll protect me.”
“Should you not be worried about what happens if you fail?”
“I’m not one for meaningless worries. What’s the worst that could happen? I die?”
Even as I conversed with the Progenitor, I could hear Finlay’s desperate mental screams.
‘Progenitor! You mustn’t. Please, you mustn’t! This man is dangerous right now. I don’t know how, and I don’t know his intentions…! But he will surely do something…! Progenitor!’
But the Progenitor’s command was absolute, and Finlay had to keep his mouth shut. Because the Progenitor had not permitted him to speak.
Giving Finlay a faint smile that only he could see, I walked toward the Progenitor, concealing something fatal in my hand, which crackled with electricity.
Today was the day everyone’s wish would be granted.
The Progenitor would regain the feeling she had longed for, and as Finlay wished, she would end her long seclusion and go out into the world.
Humans are creatures who kill themselves for something unseen. It is illogical, irrational, and a far cry from an ordinary beast, but…
Still, I am their king.
*
Kanysen, who had fought Ebon, died with his chest pierced through. Alpha bled to death after his arm was severed. The two had awakened the Undying, thinking it an ally, but in this land devoid of the earth’s energy, the Undying was nothing more than a powerless piece of junk. It was no match for Ebon’s claws.
The Colonel, along with Nabi, cornered Azzy. Unable to attack humans, Azzy couldn't use her front or back paws and was beaten until she finally collapsed, bleeding.
Though he had achieved his initial objective, Ebon trembled as a sense of unease flowed down his spine.
Kanysen and Alpha had clearly been stalling for time. That meant the rest of their group was doing something that required time. Ebon deduced it without much difficulty.
“Don’t tell me they plan to awaken the Progenitor…”
The blood flowing from Kanysen and Alpha’s corpses crept along the floor, heading somewhere. Ebon followed the trail of blood toward the underground armory, muttering to himself.
Ebon’s adjutant and confidant, Colonel Grant McKinsey, heard his muttering and replied.
“What are you worried about, sir? I heard the Progenitor does not interfere in disputes between humans.”
“She doesn’t interfere because her principles are absolute. She created those principles because she doesn’t want to interfere. What would the Progenitor, who scoffs at even the gods, have to fear? I don’t think she would break her own principles over something trivial, but I have no idea what these madmen who thought to awaken her might do.”
“The Progenitor didn’t even react when the Military State buried her in the Abyss. How could they possibly awaken her?”
As if in answer to that question, a voice came from beyond the steel door.
“What about a piece of an Undying’s flesh?”
Ebon turned toward the source of the voice. He saw a large steel door with a pattern drawn in blood. A crimson energy had been seeping through the cracks, but it suddenly scattered and the door burst open.
From within, a man holding something pitch-black staggered out.
Ebon recognized the man. He was a prisoner who had been hastily thrown in after Colonel Lankart’s prison break. For the Earth Sage’s plan to work, someone had to set foot in Tantalus and live there, so they had grabbed a prisoner with minor offenses who had recently been caught and was awaiting trial. It was only possible because Colonel Lankart had taken all the dangerous prisoners with him.
He had heard the man was a petty criminal with minor offenses.
But what was this?
‘What is this… feeling of wrongness?’
Ebon observed him and realized what he was holding in his hand.
‘The arm of an Undying…?’
The man, his face smeared with blood, waved the arm that was not his own at Ebon. For reasons he couldn't fathom, Ebon found the sight deeply unsettling.
“Hello, Ebon Crimsonwilde. You well-fed cat. A pleasure to meet you.”
[Hee hee heeeigh!]
Just then, the sound of horse hooves grew closer from beyond the open door. Soon, a massive, blood-red horse burst out, squeezing through the passage. Ebon tensed.
‘Sanguine Horse Ralion…! The Progenitor’s retainer! They really awakened her! But…?’
The blood-red horse, showing the whites of its eyes… paid Ebon no mind and glared at the man. Horses are relatively gentle creatures, but its face radiated immense fury and killing intent. It was clear that a single touch from Ralion would crush the young man.
Just before the rampaging Ralion could charge the man.
The man extended his left hand. A piece of cloth spread out wide beside him. As the cloth fluttered before its eyes, Ralion’s gaze shifted to it for a moment.
Simultaneously, the man rubbed the Undying’s arm in his right hand against the ground. The pitch-black flesh crumbled and scattered on the floor, and Ralion’s hooves, landing on it, melted and slipped.
A movement as precise as a matador’s. Ralion narrowly missed the young man and went tumbling far into the distance. Of all places, it landed right where Nabi was.
Nabi leaped up and hissed.
“Nyaaaaaargh! What a weird horse-nya! Smells like blood! It’s disgusting-nya!”
[Phhhee hee heeeigh!]
With the two beasts starting to fight in the background, the man slowly walked over. Regardless of the bewildering scene, Ebon regained his composure.
‘Sanguine Horse Ralion is the Progenitor’s retainer. Seeing it attack him means he hasn't made an ally of the Progenitor. He must have failed to persuade her. In that case, there’s nothing to fear.’
“It seems your final gamble has failed. I’ll pray for your soul…”
“You’re chasing something unseen, too, aren’t you? Hahaha. Wonderful. How warm must your back be, how full must your belly be, for you to search for your own raison d'être at the cost of human lives?”
Ebon’s composure quickly vanished. His face hardened as he asked back.
“…What are you talking about?”
“It wasn’t like that at first, was it? All you had was the instinct to survive and hostility toward your enemies. With those two things, you fiercely defeated the kingdom, became a general, and turned into a cat with a warm back and a full belly.”
The man spoke only of what he wanted to say. But every word touched upon Ebon’s life, and Ebon could not simply ignore them.
“Now that you have no one to fight, you’re looking for someone to fight. You’re trying to fight your own past! You’re clinging to useless things you can’t even eat, killing your subordinates and yourself in the process! What a noble hobby!”
“You bastard…!”
“You are definitely human, Ebon Crimsonwilde! Because only humans are creatures that would risk their lives for the pathetic wish of being acknowledged as human!”
The man laughed maniacally. At the same time, the air changed color.
The darkness stirred ominously.
The blood seethed with unease.
Something was happening. No, it had already happened. The beastly intuition left in Ebon screamed so.
“You bastard. What have you done!”
“Hahahahahahahaha! You’ll find out soon enough!”
[Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! It hurts, it hurts!]
As he said, a scream echoed from somewhere dark and deep. The owner of the voice, sobbing in pain… was the Progenitor, Tyrkanzyaka.
Ebon’s body froze. This was the Progenitor, with her undying flesh. She shouldn't have cared even if a stake was driven into her heart. And yet the man before him… by what means had he made the Progenitor feel pain?
“Looks like the Progenitor slept so long her immune system weakened! She’s losing her mind over a heart allergy! Watch out for seizures and hysterics, everyone!”
[You dare…! You dare……!]
“Hahahahaha! How does it feel to be alive, Tyrkanzyaka? It’s the best, right? Thrilling, isn’t it? It’s my gift to you! A gift for you, who wanted to feel alive!”
CRASH. A giant arm made of blood burst through the steel door. It looked as if a demon had stuck only its arm out of a pit in hell. The crimson arm, dripping with blood, fumbled along the ground as if searching for someone.
[I will not, will not forgive you! I will not forgive you!]
“If life is pain, then pain is also life! No need to thank me. Fulfilling wishes is my role, after all!”
Detecting the voice, the demon’s arm clenched into a fist. In that instant, every hair on Ebon’s body stood on end. Just after Ebon instinctively kicked off the ground to evade, the massive fist slammed down.
The impact, like that of a fallen meteor, shattered the concrete in a radial pattern. Blood splattered into the air. Ebon had barely managed to escape, but the Colonel, who hadn't, was crushed by the fist and reduced to a pool of blood.
Though his mastery of Qi was low, an officer who had reached the rank of Colonel was turned into a bloody pulp without even being able to resist. Ebon knew he wouldn't fare much differently.
Facing the fear of death, Ebon glared at the man.
‘The Progenitor’s rampage is because of that man! To survive, I have to offer him up!’
His target set, Ebon charged fiercely. Running on all fours like a beast, Ebon reached out to subdue the man.
But it wasn't easy. The man’s movements weren't fast, but they were agile, and above all, he used the demon’s arm as if it were his own. Ebon, thrown back by the demon’s arm as he tried to snatch the man, shouted desperately.
“Are you trying to kill us all?!”
“I wasn’t planning on it, but it turns out everyone here is a suicide enthusiast! Well, what can you do! Humans can do anything. If they’re going to use that power to kill themselves, I’ll lend a hand!”
“You…! Ugh!”
The demon’s arm swept across the ground. Ebon had no way to dodge such a wide-ranging attack and was sent flying like a ball.
Yet, amidst all this, the man was unharmed. The Progenitor’s voice echoed, using the entire space as its vocal cords.
[Not even heaven will take you. I will hang you upside down and grant you an eternity of pain!]
“Woah! Your obsession is terrifying. But what to do, I have no intention of getting caught! Alright! I’ll give you a mission! Progenitor Tyrkanzyaka, once you get out of the Abyss, try to find me! It’s more fun to live with a purpose, isn’t it? Hahahahahahaha!”
[That will not happen. You will not escape this place!]
“Unfortunately for you, I’m a magician. When everyone thinks it’s impossible, I have a knack for soaring into the sky and vanishing into the earth. Ta-da!”
The man exclaimed and snapped his fingers.
Immediately after, a massive explosion was heard. It came from the control room in the center of Tantalus. Red flames and acrid smoke shot up as the shockwave shook the ground.
And from there, cracks spread.
In truth, Tantalus could be destroyed with explosives. Gamma, the technician, had figured this out within a few days.
The space beneath the floor of Tantalus was empty. It was like a lid placed on top of a container. If one made cracks in various places, inserted explosives into the gaps, and detonated them, Tantalus, weakened by 25 years of prisoner riots, would be unable to support its own weight and would break apart, falling into the Abyss below.
But Gamma, who had grown fond of his own life, never spoke of this fact. He agonized over it alone until, later, through Hughes’s mediation, he confessed it before everyone. He was forgiven by all and was moved to tears.
But he didn't know.
That someone had independently attached a detonator to the explosives.
By the time Gamma realized it, the explosives were detonating right before his eyes.
The beast of blood roars. Human corpses are swallowed by a wave of crimson, and the undigested flesh is cursed. At the same time, explosions and shockwaves rock the earth. The ground shakes, the walls crumble. The world tilts. Gravity goes awry.
The concrete land, the artificial ground upon which they stood on two feet, had met its end.
Tantalus was falling into the Abyss.
Screams, roars, collapse, descent.
“…Sorry, Azzy. Looks like I can’t keep my promise this time either.”
And an apology for a promise unkept.
Engraved with all that had happened there, Tantalus fell, becoming a colossal tombstone for the dead.
Rumble.
The ground split apart, and the pitch-black Abyss swallowed everything.
And so.
Everything.
Into the Abyss.
And into a past that no one would ever know… it fell.