Chapter 571: Cinder-Covered Sin and the God of Stitched Skin - Finale
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 571: Cinder-Covered Sin and the God of Stitched Skin - Finale
Just before Nevida could extinguish Mayel's illusion, the Regressor sprang from behind the completely unguarded druid.
‘An opening…!’
Shunk. Chun-aeng plunged into Nevida's back. It tore through her silk clothes, carving a gash nearly a handspan wide into Nevida's back, which was as gnarled as an old tree. It was a successful ambush, striking while Nevida was completely off guard. The Regressor tried to twist the blade and take off Nevida's head.
But too many trees had already grown. Nevida was the forest, and to be within it was to be in the palm of her hand.
Branches extending from the Little World Tree swallowed the Regressor whole. Vines coiled around her arms, legs, and wrists. The overgrown branches intertwined, obstructing her movements.
The Regressor, however, was a master of the Gam Qi Art. She could have simply torn the vines away with brute force, but she would inevitably lose her momentum in that instant. And against a foe as powerful as Nevida, even that momentary opening was far too great.
Nevida's palm heel slammed into her unguarded abdomen. She hadn't even seen the attack coming, and with her limbs bound by the thicket, she couldn't even react with Heavenly Counter Domain. All the Regressor could do was shroud her body in Qi and brace for impact.
“Agh!”
A single blow folded her in half, the shockwave blasting through her back. The Regressor was driven halfway into the ground, coughing up blood.
[Shei… You should have run, even if it meant leaving me. You could have escaped if you were alone.]
“If you wanted to help so badly, you should have come yourself. At least this one is better than you. She has the courage to stab me in the back herself.”
Nevida scoffed at Mayel as she encroached upon her existence. Mayel's form grew faint, like a firefly greeting the dawn. Nevida's forest had finally blocked out the light and summoned the darkness.
“Begone, you harlot's ghost. Next time, come in your true form. And with the will to die.”
This was merely Mayel's angel, a sign that she was watching over this space's future.
What Nevida had faced was nothing more than a dream Mayel was having in her private quarters in the far-off Sanctum.
Flower petals bloomed and scattered as Mayel's form vanished like a midsummer night's dream. Nevida did not revel in her victory. She, too, knew that this triumph was as fleeting as a spring dream.
Instead, Nevida moved at once. She kicked the back of the Regressor's knees and used the Little World Tree to overwhelm Jizan, which had been targeting her from an angle. With her limbs completely bound, the Regressor used the last of her strength to throw Chun-aeng. An invisible blade shot out and grazed Nevida's skin.
Even her last resort was aimed at killing her opponent. Seeing this, Nevida offered a small, first-time smile.
“Impressive.”
By then, bark had already sprouted on Nevida's skin. Barkskin. It was a primitive spell devised by humans who, in a time before armor, had envied even the bark of trees. But when used by Nevida, the incarnation of wood, it was harder than any armor. The Regressor's final gambit had failed to reach her.
“But this is the end. A pity. Had you not been the harlot's retainer, I might have let you live.”
“…Shut up! This isn't the end!”
“No. It is. The harlot who could help you is not here, and I have no reason to spare you. Your time is up.”
Nevida raised her hand, aiming for the Regressor's exposed abdomen. Her arm, once like a withered branch, now brimmed with spiritual energy, transforming into that of a beast with sharp claws. Without a moment's hesitation, Nevida thrust forward the massive arm, capable of tearing a human body to shreds.
Even in this desperate situation, facing death, the Regressor's eyes were wide open.
‘I still couldn't reach her…! But there's still a chance! I've already gained so much this time around!’
Heavenly Counter Domain, sensing the threat, desperately tried to move her body. But her limbs, bound by vines, would not obey. Her Qi, which had learned from countless deaths, and her body, which had yet to experience death in this timeline, screamed warnings.
A panorama of memories flashed through the Regressor's mind. She seared the moment of this death into her brain.
‘See you in the next timeline! Now that I know Hughes is the King of Humans, I won't waste time beating around the bush!’
All to be of more help when she returned to the next timeline.
Wait, hold on.
If the Regressor dies, that's not good, is it?
“Wait!”
I threw all my strength into stopping Nevida. It was impossible to stop her with my own paltry power, but with Nevida's power, it was possible!
“Tree of Genesis!”
I connected to Nevida's Divine through my own, moving the very source that governed this green barrier. I couldn't seize control of the entire space like Nevida, but I could manipulate the area immediately around her and the Regressor!
The vines binding the Regressor momentarily changed direction, blocking Nevida's beastly paw. The paw slammed into the overgrown grass. It was a blow that could pierce through space itself, far too heavy and powerful for mere vines to withstand.
Still, a Divine was a Divine. It was enough to create a single moment's opening. The Regressor's Heavenly Counter Domain moved to protect her body in that brief instant her limbs were free.
“Kuh…!”
Unable to even let out a proper scream, the Regressor was crushed, spitting blood. Both arms she'd used to block the attack were broken and hung limply. The impact was so intense it nearly knocked her unconscious, but even after taking the killing blow, the Regressor was still alive.
I rushed over before Nevida could finish her off.
“Wait a minute, Ms. Nevida! Stop! You can't kill her!”
“My Lord. I shall dispose of her, leaving not even a corpse behind.”
“No, I'm serious, you can't!”
The world will reset! She'll regress! The Regressor will go back to the past without a problem and open her eyes, while the past me will know nothing and face the disaster that is the Regressor! The situation will slip out of my control!
Nevida didn't seem to care much for my wishes, but my sudden desperation made her pause her attack. She asked calmly.
“My Lord would not say such a thing without reason. For what cause must I not kill this harlot's retainer?”
Because she'll regress…!
I couldn't say that. It was the Regressor's secret, one nobody knew, and the fact that I knew it was a crucial weapon. Revealing it carelessly would mean giving up one of my advantages.
Besides, just a moment ago, hadn't Nevida used that bizarre technique to turn people into trees by forcing them through infinite deaths? If she learned about regression and used that attack… I couldn't even imagine what would happen.
So what could I say? That she's connected to the Saintess but is a good person, so please spare her? Nevida wouldn't care about that. That she might betray the Saintess and join our side? Nevida wasn't foolish enough to get into a battle of wits with the Saintess who could see the future.
Ugh. I have no choice. When logic fails, appeal to emotion. I shouted, half-sincerely.
“I've grown fond of her!”
Apparently, an emotional appeal was not the answer she'd expected. Nevida tilted her head slightly. Her deliberation wasn't long.
“The harlot's retainer harbors a dark heart and follows the harlot's will over her own. Keeping her alive will only endanger you, my Lord. You must cast aside such lingering attachments.”
“No, no. How can I just cast aside my feelings? That's easier said than done, you know?”
“Then I shall sever them for you.”
“No, no, no. I told you to stop! Who do you think you are, talking about severing my ties with Shei?”
This wasn't working. I didn't want to go this far, but… I shot back at Nevida.
“When I was trapped in the Abyss, on the verge of death, Shei was the one who saved me! I was about to be killed by that Human Regime thing you made, but Shei stopped them and saved my life! Shei was the one who helped me escape! She's saved my life countless times on our journey here!”
Actually, she tried to cut off my right arm the first time we met. There were times I almost died because of her, and the Saintess's constant interference exposed my movements and put me in danger.
Ah, now that I think about it, this feels unfair. After all I've been through, do I really have to protect the Regressor? As I was feeling a bit of self-loathing, I heard Nevida's voice.
“My Lord. Forgive my impudence, but do you truly not see the harlot's schemes?”
“Schemes?”
“The harlot twists cause and effect to move people. She saves them from mortal peril and demands repayment, all while hiding the fact that she created the peril in the first place. The affection and gratitude you feel, my Lord… if the harlot is involved, it all loses its meaning and becomes tainted.”
Nevida spoke not with conviction, nor with doubt. It was as if she were explaining a natural phenomenon, like rain or clouds.
She's talking about that. I know. Just like how Hilde couldn't abandon the Sanctum that saved her, and how the tormented Thunderarch ultimately chose faith. The Sanctum sows the seeds of faith even in the midst of crisis.
“The peril you faced, my Lord, was but a pit dug by that spider-like harlot. Do not trouble yourself, and simply watch what I do.”
“Come to think of it, there were dangers I faced because of Shei, too. Hmm. You're right, Ms. Nevida.”
I know. I get it. But I'm not trying to save the Regressor out of simple affection.
She'll regress if she dies!
“Still, there's a fine line between love and hate. It's sad to see someone you know die right in front of you.”
“I shall dispose of her where you cannot see.”
She's planning to ignore me completely! Dammit, what do I do? Let her die? But what if she regresses?
No. The Regressor must not die! At least, not until I've regained my power!
“That's a royal command!”
My sudden shout made Nevida stop, her body reacting before her mind. She withdrew the hand that was about to tear the Regressor apart and stared at me like a startled deer.
“‘A royal command,’ you say. My Lord… do you remember it?”
Long ago, in the age of barbarism when humans were still beasts, the King of Humans merely reigned; he did not rule. As nothing more than a Beast King, he did not command others or have them serve him. His followers simply revered him and served him as king according to their own will.
But even followers need a token of their loyalty. If the king demands nothing, their loyalty is nothing more than unrequited love.
So the king's warriors asked a promise of the King of Humans.
To give them a chance, just once, to prove their loyalty.
It didn't matter how important or trivial the task was. The mere fact that the King of Humans had ‘asked’ was what made them the king's warriors. For they had received a reward for their devotion.
And Nevida had not yet received a royal command. To receive her lord's command once more. That was Nevida's lingering regret, the driving force that had allowed her to endure for eons.
Of course, she probably didn't want to hear it from a half-baked king like me.
“You do not yet sit upon the throne, my Lord. This is merely a desperate measure to escape the current situation. I cannot accept this royal command.”
Nevida would not entrust her wish to me. She already had the power to fulfill her own desires. She approached the Regressor, who lay collapsed in the middle of the thicket.
“However, I shall honor my Lord's wish, if not your command. I will at least spare her life.”
“Wow. Thank you. I'll repay you handsomely later.”
But wait, what? At least her life? That sounds a little scary.
Nevida stomped on the Regressor's chest. The gap in their power was immense. All the Regressor had left was the chance to start the next timeline. A huge chance, to be sure.
The Regressor gasped in pain but did not lose her defiant attitude. She looked up at Nevida with unbroken eyes.
“…Just kill me. You'll regret it if you don't.”
“It is my Lord's wish. You should thank him.”
“Hmph. You think I'd be grateful…?”
Instead of answering, Nevida grabbed the Regressor's shoulder. To say she simply ‘placed her hand’ on it would be an understatement; the aura was too savage. The hand gripping the shoulder transformed into that of a beast.
I had a bad feeling. I wasn't a prophet, but an image of what was about to happen formed in my mind. I prayed desperately that it wouldn't come to pass, but my premonition was not to be avoided.
Without a word, Nevida twisted the Regressor's right arm and, in one motion, tore it off. As if snapping a branch from a tree.
The forest shook violently. Hot blood sprayed through the cold wind that flowed between the trees. The Regressor let out a horrific scream.
Holding the Regressor's right arm like a toy, Nevida nonchalantly reached for the other shoulder. The Regressor trembled, frantically shaking her head. Even she, who did not fear death, felt terror at the sight of Nevida's raw barbarism.
But her opponent was the human closest to a beast, a calamity of civilization that preserved the age of barbarism. She felt no emotion, no hesitation, at having ripped off a person's arm. Nevida applied more force and muttered.
“Then, blame my Lord.”