Chapter 276
Chapter 276
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 276
Chapter Title: God Slayer
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"...Hah. These damn bastards."
I'd scoured every dimension around here.
And not a single one of them would take in a lone human?
Throb... throb...
"No, seriously, what the hell is up with that woman..."
I could understand if they just said the circumstances didn't allow it, but every last one was turning me down because of that saintess.
Now word's spread that I'm wandering around looking for a dimension to dump this kid off in, so they're not even opening their doors—they're straight-up chasing me away...
"Maybe I should just go grab the Earth God by the collar..."
"I-I'm fine, really. You've already helped me more than enough..."
"...Haa. Let's take a break for now. There's nowhere left to go anyway."
It'd already been about six days.
A human could last maybe ten days in the divine realm at most.
She wasn't showing it, but I could tell the strain was starting to wear on the kid's body.
"Hey, do you even know why that saintess is so obsessed with you?"
At this point, I had to ask.
I got that she was pretty charming in her own way.
But those two had no connection to begin with, right?
Earth and that world were pretty far apart—no way it was just a coincidence.
"...Probably... because we knew each other before."
"...How?"
"Ever since I got here, these weird memories have been trickling in... In them, I was in that world."
"...Hm?"
"I think it's memories from a past life. Back then, I was born and raised on Earth... made a contract with a goddess and crossed over to that world. That's where I met Erdel."
'Being in the divine realm in soul form must be reviving her past life memories?'
Humans sticking around the divine realm this long was almost unheard of, so I couldn't be sure, but that was the only guess that made sense right now.
Even if past life memories got wiped, they'd still be etched deep in the soul.
...Wait a sec. If that's the case...
"...Did I butt in where I wasn't wanted?"
If they already knew each other, then I'd just misunderstood and caused trouble for no reason...
"Ah, n-no... We weren't that close. Even if we were... I wouldn't want to set foot in that world in its current state. The contract I took on in my past life is already fulfilled, so no reason to go back either."
"She seemed pretty damn unhinged about it for not being close."
"Erdel... has always been like that."
"Hold on... It'll be faster to read it than hear it."
"Huh?"
Scribble...
I conjured a brush in my hand and waved it. A blue aura flowed out from her.
I'd extracted the memories etched in her soul in the form of heavenly secrets—reading this would be way faster than hearing it told.
"Hm... If it's sensitive stuff, maybe I shouldn't?"
"I-It's fine. I wasn't confident I'd explain it well anyway... This is actually easier..."
"Alright then. Let's take a look. Might be some clues in here."
With her permission, I absorbed the heavenly secrets from her and read the memories.
"...What the hell is this?"
That's when I finally understood.
The long, grueling years this small, fragile kid had endured.
[Hero, you did great work again today. But... you seemed to hesitate against that yellow tower lord who showed up as an enemy today?]
[...Erdel.]
[Hero, you know this. Our allies are only the living. Once they're dead, they're enemies from that moment on. Did that woman tempt you with her wicked tongue?]
[You know that's not it...]
[What do you think I know? I'm dying of anxiety wondering when you'll get distracted by someone else. You're mine, Hero. Without me, you're nothing—and yet these damn bitches keep eyeing you...]
[...]
[What you need to know is that you're mine, Hero—and I'm yours. We've split our halves. You know better than anyone that the infinite divine power from my half is the only reason you're still alive. So why do you keep rejecting me? Why do you find me burdensome? Huh? I've given everything for you, so why won't you even grant me that one little piece of your heart?]
...Because that wasn't what I wanted.
Those words never made it past my lips.
There was a time when, in my anguish, I'd seek comfort in Erdel's embrace.
But now...
[Hero... Hero... Just wait a little longer... Once this war ends... once I have no reason to stay pure... Then we'll build our love nest, just for us... In some deep, hidden place where no one comes... A nest where we can share our love forever, just the two of us...]
Squelch...
I couldn't say when her obsession—enough to make the title of saintess ring hollow—had started overflowing visibly from her body.
No, Erdel had always been like that.
I'd just been blind to it, fooling myself.
Erdel, who once thrilled my heart with her ideal looks when we first met, no longer stirred anything in me.
It'd been too long since I'd felt any real emotion.
Pain no longer drew screams from me,
terrifying or grotesque sights didn't bother me,
and even good news or delicious food brought no smile.
Sometimes, gazing into a mirror, all I'd see were those black eyes, deep and sunken like a lightless sea.
The sparkling eyes everyone once called pretty were long gone.
'I just... want to rest now...'
Part of me wanted to die,
part of me just wanted to go back to Earth.
What if I'd turned around and left right after arriving in this world and realizing the goddess had tricked me?
How could I have arrogantly thought I could save it back then?
Day by day, comrades dying. Former allies rising again on the battlefield as foes.
With time, all I felt was how weak I truly was.
Click...
'...Holy sword...'
A sword that evolved its combat style with its wielder's achievements.
It started as an ego sword with a spirit inside, but that spirit vanished fighting the second legion commander, leaving it a mundane blade without even conversation.
If there was any comfort, it was that it'd been with me long enough to adapt perfectly to my style.
A near-one-strike-kill method: channeling the near-infinite divine power from Erdel and exploding it in a single blow.
I'd had no leisure for proper training when I first became the hero, so I'd pursued maximum efficiency—and that's how it developed.
The holy sword grew accordingly, gathering energy to empower that one strike...
[...Hero? New intel just came in.]
[...]
[A chance to reach the King of the Undying... just one shot at it... You have to decide by tonight. Delay any longer, and the opportunity vanishes.]
[...Let's go.]
And that day,
as we headed to plunge our sword into the heart of the King of the Undying,
we were all exhausted.
The warriors who'd sacrificed their lives to open the path, the mages who'd burned their souls to squeeze out mana and shatter the spatial barrier.
They'd all just sought and seized a way to die without guilt.
And left that burden to me and Erdel.
Because I was the hero. Because she was the saintess.
Only I could kill him. Only she could reach him at my side.
Long since stripped of any sense of duty, with even my reason for standing on that battlefield fading, I forced myself to carry the wills they'd entrusted to me.
And in the end...
Crackle...
Boooooom-----!!!!!!!!!
We succeeded in erasing the very concept of death from that world.
...What the hell did I just see?
'........Is this really what she went through?'
The vibes were way off from what you'd expect.
Sure, her appearance was similar then and now...
'Karma of god-slaying, huh.'
No ordinary mortal could handle that.
Even with coincidences and miracles piling up, it'd been damn near impossible.
And against not some low god, but the supreme deity embodying the concept of death...
"W-Wait. Let me check your soul real quick."
No way a human carrying that kind of karma was just some kid like this.
I knew she'd reincarnated, but that massive karma wouldn't vanish in the process.
Karma etches into the soul.
There had to be something different from a normal human...
Freeze.
'...What the...?'
Peering deeper into her soul, I froze solid.
The massive karma.
All that from a human slaying a supreme deity—it was concentrated in one spot.
"It's like... they crammed something that wouldn't fit by force..."
This wasn't right.
Everything in excess turns toxic.
Too much power, and you can't control it, shattering everything around you.
Too much intellect, and you uncover forbidden knowledge, driving yourself mad.
"...That crazy bitch Earth God..."
She'd dumped it all into her charm.
Forced so much charm into a kid who couldn't even protect herself that every eye around her would be drawn to it.
'No wonder she hates when girls come up.'
She'd freak out every time the topic of women came up—I'd wondered why, but this explained it.
With this much, she'd been hounded by women before she could even speak properly.
But a bigger problem loomed now.
'...Damn it all.'
Even as a god, I was still a woman.
I hadn't noticed before knowing, but once I did, a strange feeling flooded my body in an instant.
Plop.
"...Ngh."
My hand moved on its own to her shoulder,
and in that moment...
"...It's okay."
She no longer felt like an innocent, clueless kid. Those dewy eyes looked up at me with a strange glint.
"Don't feel guilty. For a god like you, you've lasted pretty long."
"......"
"If this is how I can repay the care you've shown..."
......
Smack!
"Ow!"
"What kind of fresh-faced kid spouts stuff like that already?"
Pat pat.
I dusted off the hand I'd smacked her forehead with, shaking off the pink aura trying to invade me.
Come on, I'm a god. No way I'd fall for a kid like this.
"Anyway... I get why that woman's obsessed with you now. And why you definitely can't go back there."
"...I'm used to it."
"Sure, she fell for you before you turned into this, but even then, the signs were there."
No matter how much karma you cram in, it doesn't go on forever.
Taking on that massive amount meant she had the vessel to handle that level of charm.
'If even a tenth... no, a twentieth of it had gone to strength, she could've protected herself just fine.'
Young gods are such a pain.
"Alright, now that I know the situation..."
..........
"...What do I do?"
Knowing the full story somehow made my options feel even more limited. Or was that just my imagination?
Finding a place to leave this kid was still a pipe dream.