Chapter 221
Chapter 221
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 221
Chapter Title: Your Name Is, You Are the Seed of Hope (4)
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9.
"The Holy Demonic Sword, called Sharholin."
A mystical glow where light and darkness flickered alternately along the blade.
There was no aesthetic beauty in its form.
Despite its utterly crude appearance, the power emanating from the blade was absolute in itself.
"It's the absolute divine weapon he wielded during his days as an apostle."
"You mean…… Dad gave this to me……?"
"Indeed. Shall we try drawing it?"
Draw it……?
She felt half-pushed into it, but.
In any case, Do Ye-jin climbed onto the pedestal and gripped the hilt wrapped in worn leather. The moment she did.
"Kyaaak!"
Agonizing pain as if her skin were burning away.
Do Ye-jin screamed and recoiled in shock.
Her palm…… it was scorched?
What is this? She shot her mother a look laced with slight resentment.
"As I said earlier, that sword is an absolute divine weapon."
With one swing.
The aspect of radiance dwelling in the blade absorbs all external forces and converts them into its own power.
The aspect of the abyss dwelling in the blade.
Then explodes that absorbed power in an instant, reducing heaven and earth to nothingness.
"It's a sword of absolute power, but if the sword doesn't acknowledge your worth, you can't even hold it."
Absolute divine weapon.
In that instant, tremendous realization dawned on her.
This sword…… this sword alone, she absolutely had to claim it.
"Shall we try again?"
To save the First Hunting Unit.
And to save everyone who came to rescue her…… But then it hit her, and she felt absurd.
"But…… it's a gift, right? A gift he left for me!"
Shouting that.
She gripped the hilt again.
Pain scorching her skin and muscles, vision blurring.
"What kind of gift is wrapped…… this tightly!"
She hastily let go, then gripped it hard with her left hand.
And this time.
She didn't release the hilt until she reached her limit. Then, a sticky dark blue-black liquid oozed from the sword.
"In the beginning, one god, Yotiatos, disobeyed, bringing sin into the world."
What……?
This is the abyss……?
"But you, born from a miracle as a god, if you obey, the whole world can reclaim the dawn."
It's cold.
As the abyss climbed up her arm, her entire body grew unbearably cold. Even breathing became impossible.
"How the hell…… am I supposed to draw this……!"
It was then.
Gurgle, gurgle…… A chilling sound echoed.
"Ikilas has already caught up……."
The sound came from right above.
She looked up, and immediately saw the ancient existences.
Do Ye-jin froze in place for a moment.
Their forms were utterly terrifying.
Countless writhing legs pounding against an invisible barrier, thump thump thump…… a horrific hundred-bodied horror……
"It's not impossible. This is the boundary between the creation world and the outer universe. Arishiel, draw Sharholin before it's too late."
What the…… hell……
With her throbbing hands aching as if tearing apart, Do Ye-jin gripped the hilt again.
Zzzzzzzzzz───!
The abyss…….
Starting from her palms, up to her elbows, her skin turned dark blue-black.
It hurts…… hurts…… hurts……!
A scream burst out, but she endured.
Suddenly, something internal ruptured, and blood surged up to her chin.
No.
Limit…… my limit……!
Do Ye-jin spat blood and collapsed to her knees.
"UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU……."
Then, a sinister wail washed over her like chills across her whole body.
Crackle, crackle……!
At the same time, the invisible barrier began to slowly freeze.
Time…… no time…….
She swallowed dryly, stood again, and reached for the hilt when.
"UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUEEEEEEE……?"
One of the monsters freezing and shattering the invisible barrier madly suddenly jerked its head up.
Why?
Countless eyes turned to look there as well.
"Uh……?"
Her mind went blank in an instant.
Beyond the ruins, collapsed at the dimensional gate connected to Ikilas……?
Ryu Hyun-ji…… it's Ryu Hyun-ji.
Then, one of the ancient existences tilted its head, let out a sinister laugh, and charged toward Ryu Hyun-ji.
- We all came to save you.
Ryu Hyun-ji's smile flashed before her eyes.
I have to save her.
Save Ryu Hyun-ji.
That resolve blew away the thought that she needed to draw the sword.
"Hyun-ji!"
Thus, Do Ye-jin leaped down from the pedestal and tried to rush toward her.
"Stop!"
If Arishel'rab hadn't scolded her for the first time then.
"What are you doing? If you don't claim Sharholin now, you'll never get it in your lifetime!"
Thump.
Lifetime……?
Do Ye-jin glanced back up at [Holy Demonic Sword: Sharholin]. The blade emanating transcendent power.
"Without even a shred of divinity, to endure the world, you absolutely need that power!"
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Then she looked back at Ryu Hyun-ji.
An ancient monster from Ikilas racing toward her at mad speed.
"You must give her up. With such a weak mindset, you can't accomplish anything."
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
"Is that trivial bond more important than this one absolute divine weapon?"
Absolute power…….
At those words, her body, about to charge, slammed to a halt.
Right…… it's absolute…….
She said that, but…… when would she get another chance like this? Probably never in her lifetime.
Yes.
No.
No, no it isn't.
If Kim Baek-jun.
If Hong Byeong-gyu, Yoon Geon-woo, Cha Seung-hyeon.
If Do Su-jin, Seo Hwa-yun, Shin Tae-yeop, Ryu Hyun-ji had chosen their own benefit over Do Ye-jin at a moment of choice.
She wouldn't be here now.
The one collapsed there wouldn't be Ryu Hyun-ji. It was Kim Baek-jun's smile he showed her in prison, Hong Byeong-gyu and Yoon Geon-woo's laughter, Cha Seung-hyeon's grin, the warmth in Do Su-jin and Seo Hwa-yun's embrace.
- Ye-jin, frostbite.
- Ye-jin-ah.
- Hey, you blockhead.
Choosing the sword over Ryu Hyun-ji here would mean turning her back on all of them.
"It's not a trivial bond!"
Do Ye-jin had learned from them.
How to cherish each other, how to love each other…… so.
"Aaaaaaaaah!"
She roared, slapping both cheeks with both hands. She severed her inner desire in one go.
"I don't care how great that sword is—tell it to screw off!"
And.
Subordinate Realm Hardening, full power.
"You can find swords all over the <Workshop> anyway?!"
Without hesitation.
Without any warmup of power.
She hurled her body at full speed toward Ryu Hyun-ji beyond the ruins.
"But Hyun-ji…… there's only one of her──────!"
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
This is bad.
Outside the shrine's ruins.
Outside the invisible barrier…… a primordial blizzard raged.
This wasn't snow.
It merely looked like snow…… ancient bugs clinging to her body, beginning to devour her flesh.
"Hyun-ji……!"
But it didn't matter.
A laugh burst out instead.
Checking her pulse…… faint, but definitely beating. Ryu Hyun-ji was alive.
"Don't worry…… we'll go back together!"
Suppressing the horrific pain.
Do Ye-jin hoisted the unconscious Ryu Hyun-ji onto her back.
"AEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK───!"
That instant.
The moment an ancient existence from Ikilas closed in right before her.
When…… already this close……?
The moment it gaped its writhing horrific maw. The moment death loomed and every hair on her body stood on end.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
Something flew in.
Piercing the overwhelming divine ancient existence's head in one stroke and bursting out.
Spluuuurt─────!
Spinning through the air.
Scattering dazzling dark blue-black and silver light, it flew to Do Ye-jin's feet, embedded with a chiiiing…… and.
Hum…… hum…… hum…… hum……!
As if urging her to draw it.
It flickered with majestic, ecstatic light. Dark blue-black once. Silver once.
[Holy Demonic Sword: Sharholin]……?
What……?
How in the world……?
She cautiously reached out and gripped the sword, but strangely, it offered no resistance at all.
Strong…… so strong…….
The power inherent in the sword itself was so overwhelming…… just holding it choked her breath.
"You asked earlier? Why we had to make you human……?"
That was when Arishel'rab walked out from the shrine side toward her.
"Because those born with great power from birth…… can never know it in their lifetime."
"……Know what?"
"How to respect power…… how to compassionately embrace the pain of the powerless……."
In that moment, she couldn't say a word.
Because what 'that power' was rose in Do Ye-jin's heart.
"The very power the creation gods themselves showed us……."
Kim Baek-jun.
Hong Byeong-gyu, Yoon Geon-woo, Cha Seung-hyeon.
Shin Tae-yeop, Seo Hwa-yun. The dazzling smiles Ryu Hyun-ji showed.
"We hoped…… you'd become a child with that power……."
"……………!"
"There was the reason that gods can't exist as gods in the [Made World], but…… the more important reason was this."
No way…… this was a test Dad left for me.
To see if she had that heart or not.
To see what she would choose between absolute power and compassion…….
"We did nothing for you…… yet you grew up so splendidly……."
Arishel'rab's eyes brimmed with tears as she said that.
"Now…… Mom can go in peace……."
It was then.
Rumble rumble rumble……!
The world shook as if collapsing, and everything began to blur.
The connection to the outer universe was ending.
The alien blizzard too.
Ikilas's ancient existences too.
The shrine's ruins…… and Arishel'rab too.
That meant.
Do Ye-jin knew.
She could feel the despair rising pitch-black before her eyes.
I can't see Mom anymore……?
Then Arishel'rab ran to her.
Her presence fading, her strength waning? She nearly stumbled several times, but.
"Arishiel…………!"
She finally reached her to the end.
And embraced Do Ye-jin's head.
"You are…… our dawn, before the dawn of the whole world…… Mom and Dad's dawn……."
Her gradually fading body began to shake with intense sobs.
"But…… but…… I'm sorry…… I'm sorry…… for leaving you with…… something so painful and sad……."
So…… warm.
Her eyes…… her chest…… the depths of her soul grew hot.
"For dumping everything on you, who knew nothing……."
There are moments when, in a single instant, you can truly know the truth.
That single instant was now.
I…… I…… wasn't abandoned…….
"Really…… truly…… Mom…… Mom is sorry……."
She trusted me. Entrusted me to it.
Believed I could do it…… Mom and Dad just entrusted me with this most important task.
"No…… Mom……."
She finally shook off her tears.
Her low, sunken voice—she tried her utmost to make it strong.
"It's okay…… this is nothing……!"
「……?」
"Who am I? The daughter of Edelweiss and Arishel'rab…… Arishiel Rab, right?"
Do Ye-jin set down Sharholin, pointed her thumb at her own chest, and shouted boldly.
I'm happy about that fact.
You too, right Mom?
In that instant, Arishel'rab's eyes widened, then she laughed weakly, ahahaha…….
"Yes…… yes, that's right."
Her laugh sounded just like hers.
Even her smiling face was the same.
She wanted to know what else resembled, but…… time allowed to this mother and daughter was now gone.
"So Mom, don't worry about anything anymore!"
Instead, what she could do was a promise.
The first and last promise she could give her mother, who loved her this much.
"The wrongs that Mom and Dad…… and subordinate siblings like Balpa committed!"
By then, Arishel'rab's form.
Had become semi-transparent, the scenery beyond visible.
"I'll……! Make sure they're properly forgiven……!"
Thus.
To her mother, vanishing completely.
Arishiel Rab promised as her loving daughter.
"So Mom…… don't cry anymore……! Got it……?"