Chapter 565: The One Who Sees Ahead, The One Who Watches
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 565: The One Who Sees Ahead, The One Who Watches
In the dark of night, a halo of light shimmered atop a tall tree. Formed from the gathering of tens of thousands of fireflies, the ethereal glow was difficult to discern from afar, but it held the shape of a young girl.
Her black hair was as smooth as velvet. Her eyes were gently closed, her lips soft. A beauty that could not be captured even in sculpture was molded from the shimmering light. The Saintess of the Sky, Mayel, descended upon the land in a form of light and pointed the way.
[Look, Shei. At the King of Humans.]
And beside her, Shei stood atop the highest tree, watching over the village of the Undying.
The distance was immense. So vast that without her Seven Colored Eyes, a person would look like nothing more than a heat haze. From that staggering distance, Regressor Shei used her Farsight to witness every detail of the carnage in the Undying village.
[He is a destroyer of order. He rejects civilization and history, seeing humans only as purely human. Where one was born, what one has learned, the history one has lived—none of it has meaning to him. For he is the king of the pure ‘human,’ separate from all those things. He represents the ‘humans’ who walk this land, right now.]
Shei could not easily speak. The man she was seeing was far too unfamiliar.
She knew he possessed a body that could not die, but this was the first time she had seen him fight with it. And his method of fighting was utterly savage.
Trusting in his immortality, he threw his body about like a tool. A broken arm, flowing blood—these were now his instruments. He would break his own arm to bludgeon an enemy’s head, and after letting a skewer be driven into his body, he would use the gushing blood to neutralize his foes.
The blood of a Bloodfiend is a curse. While it alone could not kill the Undying, he moved with precision, aiming only for their ‘divine vessels.’ The divine vessel of an undying is the link to their Sacrificial Vessel. By staining that connection with his curse and severing it, he was rapidly depleting the Undying’s strength.
A fight between the Undying was a war of attrition. Instead of protecting their regenerating bodies, the key to victory was to wear down the opponent’s power. Rather than focusing all one’s strength for a single moment, one had to continuously make favorable exchanges.
And he fought more savagely than anyone.
[He affirms everything. He is indiscriminate in his means and methods. Rules are bent, promises circumvented, and loopholes in the order are found and exploited. For him, there are no taboos. The only thing that matters is whether something can be done or not.]
The Undying charged, trying to overwhelm him with numbers. Unflinching even when cut by blades, they were ferocious and reckless. A storm that could tear a man to shreds descended upon him.
But instead of dodging, Hughes leaped into a gap between three of them. His head was struck by an elbow, and his abdomen was pierced by sharp, outstretched claws.
Even as his body was riddled with wounds, his hands moved busily. He scraped an elbow with a skewer and scooped up the blood flowing from his stomach, flinging it at his attackers. The power of the Divine exerted absolute control, but only over his own blood. The Undying, splattered with the blood that carried the Progenitor’s blessing, began to slow.
The power of the Divine touched the very rules of the world. As long as it aligned with those axioms, it provided limitless, unconditional strength. The Undying were horrified by this other immortal power that never waned.
[If all humans were good, perhaps it would be fine. But some humans are evil, some are cowardly, and some are indifferent. The world is filled with people who hurt others, deceive them, and care not what happens to them. If they are left alone, evil spreads like a stain, darkening everything around it.]
An endless brawl, an exchange of curses. To be sure, Hughes, a single individual, was weak compared to the formidable undying.
But as the fight dragged on, Hughes steadily gained the advantage.
[He is the King of Humans. An ancient evil that has existed since time immemorial, one that indulges the sins of humanity. Shei, he… even now, weakened after being exiled by humanity, he is this dangerous.]
Shei finally understood what the ancient evil the Saintess of the Sky had told her to vanquish truly was.
The King of Humans. A being who awakens the wicked instincts in the hearts of men. An ancient evil far more dangerous than the demons of the past who had died and become Sacrificial Vessels.
The Saintess of the Sky, who had foreseen this entire spectacle, showed Shei the scene as she saw it.
To Shei, her last hope and her first despair.
[Even after this, will you still defend the King of Humans?]
Shei silently watched the ancient evil.
*
The Divine of Tyr promises an undying body, but only for ‘me.’ My blood is bound by a dominion as powerful as a vampire’s. I deliberately let it flow to corrode the bodies of the Undying.
That said, I didn't have enough blood to pickle them in it like Tyr could, so I simply injected it into their offered bodies via a skewer. The blood loss was enough to cause fatal exsanguination, not just anemia, but a Divine could withstand this level of damage.
“What are you all dawdling for?! The Sacrificial Vessel desires a tribute!”
One of the Undying rushed me with a dagger. I quickly read his thoughts. The offered part was his right buttock. A difficult target.
“Ah, I’d rather not aim for a man’s ass.”
I spouted nonsense as I reached out and blocked the dagger. The sharp blade tore through my palm and emerged from the back of my hand. Pain shot up my arm.
A desperate move, turning my precious hand into a scabbard—something I would never have done without my regenerative abilities. I clenched my fist around the dagger, my muscles contracting to grip the blade. Holding it fast, I yanked my arm back and kicked his ankle.
The Undying lost his balance for a moment and slipped. In that instant, I turned the dagger into a card, freed my hand, and easily got behind him. The skewer plunged into his defenseless buttock.
My hand was torn, and his ass was stabbed. In terms of exchange, it should have been my overwhelming loss. But in a fight between the Undying, it was different.
Compared to my hand, which was already healing on its own, a black, cursed stain began to spread across his rear.
“How…! My Sacrificial Vessel…!”
“Don’t be so dramatic. I find this unpleasant, too.”
I shook my hand, feeling the pain gradually fade as I surveyed my surroundings. Countless undying surrounded me, but they were hesitating.
Their characteristic immortal fighting spirit had vanished. No matter how much they punched or tore at my flesh, I regenerated in an instant. In contrast, I was slowly eating away at their bodies with my Bloodcraft.
Amazingly, the Undying were now feeling the same sense of hopelessness one feels when fighting another undying.
“What’s wrong? You’re all undying, aren’t you? Weren’t you supposed to fight without fear since you can’t die?”
They didn’t fall for the taunt. They were scared.
They, who had always held the upper hand with their inability to die, now faltered at the sight of visible wounds. They weren’t dead yet, but the slowing pace of their regeneration instilled a primal fear in them.
A fear of the end, something they hadn’t felt since becoming undying—the fear that if this continued, they might actually die.
Truthfully, if they had all rushed me at once from the start and torn me to pieces, I would have been helpless. They lack grit. I feigned composure and spoke.
“This level of power is common beyond the plains. Have you just been playing king of the hill with only the Piu around here? I am the adversary the Sacrificial Vessel itself ordered you to kill. You can’t come at me with such a half-hearted resolve.”
“Hmph! For someone with a hole in their mouth, you sure talk a lot!”
A tall undying, a head taller than the others, pushed through the crowd. It was an old woman with white hair worn loose and wild, her torn sleeves fluttering. She clicked her tongue, revealing a brawny, muscular physique.
The other undying spoke as they saw her belated appearance.
“Left Arm! Where have you been?”
“I was holding back. I don't like the idea of attacking someone who was a guest until yesterday. Once you welcome someone, you should look after them until they leave. That’s our tradition.”
Her bronze body looked as if it had been endlessly trained. Her left arm, where the sleeve was torn away, was particularly prominent. She was Left Arm, an elder who vied for the top spot in martial prowess in this village, and the godmother of the Undying.
The Undying called out to her, relieved.
“This is no time for that! The Sacrificial Vessel itself has given the order!”
“I’m not deaf yet. Stop screaming.”
She dug a finger in her ear with an annoyed look and stepped forward, her expression still sour.
“That’s why I was leaving it to you lot. My conscience would be clearer if you were just dealing with an intruder, not a guest. Tsk, tsk. And yet, it still came down to me in the end.”
Dusting off her hands with a grumble, she abruptly picked up a nearby log and hurled it at me. The massive log instantly filled my vision. There was no blocking it. I was struck squarely and sent rolling into the distance like a ball.
“But now that I’m here, this old body can’t rest! Your rampage ends here! Get up, young man!”
Tch. She’s not letting her guard down.
I pushed aside the log, which was now sprouting lush leaves, and stood up. By using Druidism to grow branches and leaves, I had cushioned most of the impact. Just because I could regenerate didn’t mean I had to take every hit.
“My, my. The whole village mobilizes at a single word from your Sacrificial Vessel. Are you sure about this?”
“The Sacrificial Vessel has so commanded! But that no longer matters! If we can’t even catch a single rat that has disturbed our village, how can we protect our traditions and our children?!”
‘Left Arm’ produced a leather strap from somewhere and tightly bound her left arm. As she flexed, the arm she had offered to her Sacrificial Vessel hardened like rock under the pressure.
“We were born warriors! We will fight you with our warrior’s pride on the line!”
*
“Mm. Mayel, I get what you’re trying to say. But you know…”
Shei, who had been watching the fight, suddenly spoke up. The Saintess of the Sky turned her gaze slightly to listen.
“I don’t think Hughes is as bad a person as you say.”
The Saintess of the Sky sees the future. For her, even this situation where the King of Humans was clashing with a barbaric civilization was just another thread of the future she had ‘seen.’ Nothing that happened was surprising. It was all within her prophecy.
However, she could not see the future of another Saintess. Therefore, Shei’s questions were all outside the scope of her prophecy.
The Saintess of the Sky was also just a girl chosen by the Saintess of Origin long ago. As powerful as she was, she had her limits. Mayel chose her words carefully in response to Shei.
[Shei, this isn’t about debating his good or evil, but about showing you his essence. If there is no respect for what has been built, conflict is inevitable. If he were to win and shatter the order, all that would remain is a wilderness where only the law of the jungle prevails. That in itself can be called evil.]
“Mmm. That’s true, but… how do I put it? Hughes didn’t seem like he was trying to break every rule and order he came across, you know? Though he did get on people’s nerves.”
And Shei was one of the most unpredictable people Mayel had ever encountered.
“Besides, I also got a slightly unpleasant feeling from the Undying village. Hughes probably just wanted to mock them for it.”
[And what was that?]
“It’s hard to put a finger on it. It’s like they were showing off. It felt less like they were helping and more like they were looking down on you. It just left a subtle, unpleasant feeling.”
She was driven by her feelings. Separate from the fact that Shei had befriended the King of Humans, she was siding with him because she had found something vaguely irritating about the Undying village.
Shei was simple. And that made her all the more difficult to understand. Mayel let out a small sigh as she looked at the girl who would become the linchpin of the future.
[The Undying have the only stable society in this land. Their village survived even when the World Tree burned and Muhu died. Though it may have originated from evil, their order has supported a pillar of this land of Manguo. Do you still think a bloodbath must befall their village?]
“Huh? I doubt it’ll be a bloodbath. Would Hughes really try to kill all those people?”
[Yes. He accepted their challenge. He fights and defeats those who challenge him, risking their lives to protect their petty pride, primitive faith, and barbaric traditions. And he kills those who fought with the resolve to die, sparing only those who would live as cowards.]
“That’s the future you saw?”
[A future already realized.]
The future seen by the Saintess of the Sky was nearly absolute. Unless Shei herself intervened to twist it, it would almost certainly come to pass. Shei knew this from experience, yet she remained skeptical.
“That’s strange. It doesn’t seem like something he’d do.”
There are many who won’t believe without seeing. Mayel decided to show her the truth.
[Watch, Shei. See what he has done.]