Chapter 5
Chapter 5
The Mage (2)
“You’re surprisingly alive. I heard you fell into a deep pit.”
The Hero lowered himself to the ground and aimed his holy sword at him.
“You’re in that shape because it got taken from you. Saintess or whatever.”
“……Hero.”
Even after hearing the insult, he felt nothing like anger.
“Hmm? Not angry? Or can’t be angry?”
Lack.
“Haha, looks like it’s the latter.”
I really am a deficient human being.
“Die already, husk.”
Chae-aeng!
In the instant their blades clashed once at incredible speed—
“……!”
Ain’s sword shattered into pieces.
He rolled forward to dodge the following strike.
But the Hero immediately grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up.
“Know your place and accept death quietly.”
Kwaaang!
He was hurled with brutal force, crashing through the roof of a building and falling inside.
“…….”
Unluckily, it was his home.
A place filled with memories of Amu. The only refuge the two of them had ever shared.
“If you’re going to give something and then take it back, you shouldn’t give it in the first place.”
Lying on the ground, Ain covered his eyes with his arm.
How meaningless.
Life is absurd, pointless, and worthless.
His body felt like it was sinking endlessly.
Slowly, he reached his hand forward, trying to grasp the light from the ceiling.
For some reason, that sensation of having light taken away felt strangely satisfying.
“……Life is hollow.”
Then what? Was he supposed to be swept away helplessly and disappear?
Kwaaaang!
The sound of the outer wall being shattered made him slowly rise.
Voices. He could hear voices.
Resist. Resist!
Resist the void, resist absurdity, resist meaninglessness, resist worthlessness!
So that life would never end in emptiness.
So that life would never end in absurdity.
So that it would not end in meaninglessness and worthlessness.
“Until I reach a conclusion I can accept, I have no intention of dying.”
He pushed himself up with that momentum.
And at that moment—
Whoooosh!
From high in the sky, starlight mist descended upon Ain.
He felt a gaze upon him.
Not human.
Absolutely not human.
A gaze from some great being beyond humanity, looking down at him from the center of the universe across countless light-years.
:: May your journey have a beautiful ending. ::
A voice was engraved into his mind.
He had never seen it, never heard it, yet he knew without doubt.
This was the voice of a transcendent existence beyond humanity.
“Apostle…?”
The Hero hesitated, stepping back.
The surrounding ghouls suddenly bowed their heads toward Ain.
Paah!
A rotating sphere formed above Ain’s hand.
An overwhelming surge of exhilaration coursed through his body.
“You became an apostle of ‘Void’?”
The Hero muttered in confusion.
“The apostle of an evil god.”
He widened his eyes and poured holy energy into his sword.
Kwaaaang!
Simply releasing light was enough to reduce everything it touched to ash.
“I will purify you here and now!”
He kicked off the ground and lunged.
Light poured down.
It was blinding, yet carried no warmth.
Only discomfort.
……
Ain extended his hand.
A white force visible only to him.
He condensed it into a single point, forming a sphere of pure white energy.
“The one who protects this world is the Hero!!”
Just before the Hero’s holy blade reached him—
Keeeeng!!!!
A massive shockwave erupted, sending the Hero flying far away.
“This power….”
Clink. Clink.
The holy sword fell to the ground.
Instinctively, Ain reached out toward it.
This time, he gathered a black force, and the sword flew into his hand.
“…Magic?”
Sparks burst from his palm the moment he grasped the holy sword, burning his skin.
He immediately dropped it.
“You… apostle of the evil god dare touch my sword!”
Enraged, the Hero stepped onto a wall and launched himself again.
“I will kill you, apostle of evil!”
Kwaaaang!
Ain once again gathered the white force.
Repulsion, pushing force, release.
Keeeeng!
The Hero was flung away again before he could get close.
The attack did not stop.
As the Hero was flying, Ain gathered the black force.
Attraction, pulling force, convergence.
Swoosh!
The Hero was pulled rapidly toward him.
“This—what is—”
Thud!
Ain clenched his fist and struck him with full force.
“Ugh!”
The impact and momentum doubled the damage, sending the Hero rolling across the ground.
……
Ain looked between the fallen Hero and the dropped holy sword.
“You’re weak.”
The Hero’s face twisted instantly.
“What did you say, you worthless—”
Fwoosh!
The holy sword trembled and flew back to him.
“I will kill you. I will definitely kill you.”
With each heartbeat, a powerful wave of mana radiated from him.
“Let the unbreakable shield that protects you become mine.”
He whispered softly.
The sword erupted with light that reached toward the ceiling.
“I will make sure not even your corpse remains, apostle of evil!”
Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwang!
Facing the enormous pillar of light, Ain felt pure instinctive danger.
If that hit him, he would die.
This time, neither black nor white force could disperse it.
There was only one option.
Kill before it is swung.
Now. Only now was the chance.
Kugugugugu!
The pillar of light descended.
Slash!
The beam grazed his shoulder and tore it off instantly.
Even so, Ain rushed forward without hesitation.
“You bastard—”
The Hero was shaken by Ain’s reckless advance.
Before Ain’s fist could land—
BOOOOM!
An explosion erupted between them.
Light, heat, noise, smoke.
As it cleared, a circular magic formation appeared.
Magic?
It wasn’t Ain’s doing.
“…This magic.”
The Hero looked up.
Ain followed his gaze.
Slowly, like something descending from the deep sea, a silhouette holding an umbrella came down.
Snap.
With a finger snap, a massive cube formed around the Hero.
Slash! Crackle!
The Hero swung his sword, but only sparks flew.
“You dare interfere with the Holy Kingdom’s Hero, witch!”
The cube began to rotate violently.
“I will return! I will come back to you!”
As speed increased, the cube shrank.
“Remember this, apostle of evil! I am—”
Before he could finish—
Fiiing.
The cube vanished in a flash of light.
Ain let out a short breath and collapsed to the ground.
From above, the woman descended with an umbrella still open.
She wore unfamiliar clothing.
She closed the umbrella and snapped her fingers again, igniting all the surrounding ghouls in an instant.
Then she spoke.
“So the fake Hero from the Holy Kingdom doesn’t even realize I saved him? Ungrateful, as expected.”
Wind blew through the broken sky, tossing her hair as she walked toward Ain.
Her gaze locked onto him.
“You got in my way, so I guess I can do things my way now.”
She bent down, lifting his chin gently.
“What are you?”
Daphne stared into his blue eyes.
Gray mana.
“Void.”
Sign of the evil god.
Black spheres drifting around him.
“Stigmata.”
Proof he had been chosen.
“You’re… who exactly?”
“…Who are you?”
“You’re the one who asked first. What are you?”
“….”
“Are you mute?”
Daphne glanced around.
Destroyed city. Swarming ghouls. A surviving boy. The apostle of an evil god.
Everything became clear.
“Are you alone?”
“…Not anymore.”
“You killed them all?”
“…What?”
Bodies everywhere.
Either turned into ghouls, about to become ghouls, or simply cut down.
“The Holy Kingdom attacked Ertzhain. They released the ghouls.”
“You saw the apostle of evil, so obviously.”
“No. The attack came first. And… what do you mean apostle of evil?”
“You.”
Daphne pointed at him.
“Are you pretending not to know, or do you really not know?”
……
The voice he heard earlier.
Was that truly divine?
Apostle?
What even was an apostle?
Ain could only question.
The oppressive mana pressure made it hard to move.
“An apostle of Void after hundreds of years…”
Daphne muttered.
“I’ve decided.”
She took out a sealed bottle.
“Drink.”
“What is this?”
“Holy water. Expensive stuff.”
“Why are you giving me this…?”
“Because you look like a mess.”
She pointed at his shoulder.
The holy sword’s beam had shredded it.
He poured the holy water.
Pain surged as he finally saw his wound.
But the pain gradually faded as the wound healed.
“Everything has a price.”
“What do you want from me?”
A contract floated in the air.
“Choose.”
“The world hates Void. If they find out you’re its apostle, you’ll be hunted everywhere.”
“I was asked by the Holy Kingdom to kill you anyway.”
“Is that a threat?”
“Something like that. Either I train you, or I kill you. Choose.”
She tossed him a dagger.
“How old are you?”
“Fifteen… almost sixteen.”
“Can you contain that thing?”
“…What?”
The sphere in his hand.
When he clenched his fist, it vanished.
“Huh?”
“…I didn’t expect you to do it that fast. Bring it back.”
He summoned it again.
“Good. Hide it. Don’t show you’re an apostle.”
She sighed when he hesitated over the contract.
“Just sign already. I’ll take you as my disciple.”
“…I was thinking.”
“Thinking what?”
Whether to die here or become a disciple of a beautiful, arrogant archmage.
“…”
“Forget it. Just die.”
She raised her hand.
“Wait.”
“Speak.”
“What is your name?”
“…Daphne. Daphne Akasha de la Odiel. The beautiful, elegant Archmage… and the Master of the Tower that reaches the sky.”
“…Is that impressive? How do I know following you is better than dying here?”
“You’re really annoying.”
She finally gave up.
“I’m a professor at Herban Academy. Heard of it?”
Herban Academy.
A place Amu once dreamed of going.
A contract formed.
A scale of magic bound them together.
“If you break it, your soul is the price. No afterlife, no reincarnation.”
Daphne opened a portal.
Ain looked at the ring Amu left him.
Frozen once, now thawed. Its light long gone.
He removed it.
And dropped it.
“I’m done.”
Daphne smiled faintly.