Chapter 469
Chapter 469
-----------------------------------------------------------------
>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 469
>Chapter Title: Returning to the Start
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
The next day, Hekai knelt before the altar in the pitch-black room, unchanged as ever.
It was his ritual.
"Totombo's breath is fading. It needs a nest. Grant me guidance."
Cloud Primordial God Horai answered.
- Above the clouds.
"...As expected, the same answer."
Always the same response.
Horai always wished to maintain the status quo. As if avoiding the shocks that came with change.
"...Brother."
There was one more person in the room. Hekum, Hekai's younger brother. He leaned against the wall, watching Hekai's actions.
"Hekum."
"......"
"Is this the outcome you wanted?"
The meeting had turned into a complete mess, and the tribe's future had been sucked into an unknown vortex of chaos.
Just because one extra option had been added, one they didn't need to know about.
"Are you truly... planning to lead everyone to ruin?"
"...Let's go to the surface."
"The surface... the surface. I like Father's earth too. Just stepping on it makes my whole body tingle. But... we're not ready."
"You can't start after preparing everything. It just delays the decision. If you have like-minded comrades..."
"Shut your mouth! One mistake now, and the Highwings are gone. Have you forgotten why our ancestors endured the stigma of cowardice and hid above the clouds?"
"...Time has passed."
Hekai pointed to the altar as he spoke.
"Horai... Father..."
"Brother..."
Hekum wore a sad expression.
"Horai is dead."
"......What?"
"What are you saying?"
"That can't be..."
The tribe's future.
The tribe's lives.
They were too heavy.
So even if the god was dead, they served it. It was just a temporary reliance, not expecting a real answer.
The voice's resonance felt so real that sometimes he mistook it for the genuine article.
Of course.
It always said such pleasant things.
So sometimes, he forgot that this voice was the devil's whisper.
"Ah..."
The reflection on the altar was not Cloud Primordial God Horai. It was Hekai's own face, sobbing and enduring.
Behind it, Hekum's face appeared as he approached.
"Let's do this together, brother. This is..."
Hekai asked the altar.
"Horai, I ask again today."
"Speak."
"Is Hekai's judgment wrong?"
Today too, Horai answered.
"It is not wrong, Hekai. Above the clouds. Only above the clouds is the true paradise."
Hekai realized he had spoken Horai's part himself and kicked the altar.
Kwaaaaaang-!
"Shut up, you damned fake god!"
Kwaaaaaang-!
Kwaaaaaaaaang-!
"Brother!"
"Let go! Let me go! Hekum!"
Kwaaaang-!
Hekum was flung back.
"Urk..."
"...You're weakening."
"......"
"The weight of everyone's lives is too much."
"...I'm sorry, brother."
Hekai looked at the fallen Hekum and said.
"...No, it's for the best. There's no answer even if you think about it. Yeah! It's simple. We're going back to the beginning."
Thud...
Thud...
Hekai started walking.
It was time for the appointment.
"Back to the beginning."
Hekai abruptly spoke to Kang Seol and his group, who were waiting ahead of time.
"We're changing the location."
"...The location?"
"Yeah, to a place everyone can see."
"Why?"
Hekai ground his teeth as he said.
"They need to know how their fate unfolds too."
Whoosh-!
Hekai snatched Kakui's reins and headed to the village's tallest peak in an instant.
* * *
Fwooooong...
Fwooooong...
The Kakui flock landed in the middle of the central residential area.
"W-What's that?"
"It's Hekai!"
"The elders too!"
"What is Hekai doing in the residential district...?"
"Those are the humans from yesterday! Weren't they killed?"
Kang Seol followed Hekai down but couldn't shake the strange feeling.
"...Human. Right, Kang Seol, was it?"
"......"
"Have you ever wondered why I'm testing you with such a primitive method?"
As a seasoned adventurer, Kang Seol quickly figured it out.
"Well, it must be Horai's way?"
"Kukuku... You're sharp. They say Father Horai mediated disputes with these childish methods. Everyone followed his will without question."
Hekai spread his arms wide.
"Can you imagine? Deciding everything with this ridiculous fight."
"......"
"But still... this is all there is. Back to the beginning."
He spoke to the murmuring trolls.
"If I lose to this man, we must act against the council. To the giants... and the dragon."
"Such..."
With those final words, he took his stance.
"Watch closely. How your future unfolds. Now... I'm tired."
"Hekai..."
"Hekai..."
Kang Seol took his stance too.
'A fight excluding magic... just a dogfight.'
No matter the fancy words, it was just a brawl. Yet it was also the Highwings' ancient tradition.
'Let's see... what you've got.'
Fwooooong-!
Hekai's fist came rushing in an instant.
Paaaak-!
He blocked with his forearm, but the impact stung. With such a size difference, no need for weight classes. The spectators predicted one-sided violence.
But Kang Seol wore a serious expression, memorizing Hekai's fighting style.
Fwoong-!
Fwooooong!
'Right-handed? No, deliberate. Ambidextrous. Then...'
Kang Seol pretended to be fooled and slipped to the side.
Whoosh...
As expected, Hekai extended his arm to wrap around him. When the bigger body fights the smaller, one thought dominates the mind.
If I grab him, I can kill him.
Hekai was no different.
Paaat-!
Hekai's massive fingers grazed Kang Seol's collar.
Bwoong...
Kang Seol precisely targeted the forearm of the incoming arm with his elbow.
Bpak-!
"Gruk..."
A blow that dealt severe damage to the muscle. Then, a terrifyingly fast kick flew toward his face.
Suck-!
Hekai startled and pulled his head back. Kang Seol retracted the leg that had extended to where his head had been and said.
"A bit short."
"......"
Hekai thought the movement and confidence were coincidence. Humans always cowered before trolls.
Besides, he was a master of fisticuffs. The tribe's top warrior.
"Your movements are bizarre."
"I hear that often."
"It's a fight between warriors. I'm not the chieftain right now."
"Then like this."
"Kukuku..."
Hekai lowered his stance.
Standing at an awkward height just exposed his chin and vitals.
Paaang-!
Paaaaang-!
Kang Seol and Hekai exchanged blows.
Neither landed effective hits, but the fight meshed perfectly, like they'd rehearsed.
"Not bad."
"You too."
Pooeok-!
Hekai's knee rose into Kang Seol's abdomen.
"Kuhok..."
Bwoong...
"That one wasn't good."
Kang Seol smirked while airborne. He was getting fired up too, a little.
Hekai's fist targeted the floating Kang Seol.
Pak-!
Like a mollusk clinging to his arm, Kang Seol reached Hekai's neck in an instant.
He moved behind Hekai's back and choked his neck.
"...Got you."
"Argh...!"
Hekai arched back fiercely, slamming Kang Seol's back into the ground.
Kwaaaaaang-!
"Kuhuk..."
"Let go!"
Hekai escaped the loosened arms from the impact and tried to mount him instead.
Kang Seol sprang up, twisting and pulling the incoming arm.
Bwoooong...
Hekai's body lifted.
Kwooooong!
"Guk..."
He too was slammed down.
Pure physical combat, no abilities. Even Kang Seol couldn't predict the winner. They had bizarre regeneration, but one unexpected blow causing knockout decided it.
For Hekai, it was a fight he absolutely could not lose.
Thinking arts wouldn't end it quickly, Hekai changed tactics. Better to shatter bones with strikes and force submission.
Fwoong...
Kang Seol didn't dodge the fist but countered with his own.
Pakak-!
Fists collided, both startled and pulled back.
"Ugh..."
"Aaak..."
Kang Seol felt strain in his bones, Hekai numbness in his fist.
Fwoooong...
Fwoong...
Only the whoosh of fists filled the air, blocking all else.
Hekai thought about how he wasn't thinking right now.
"Why the smile."
"Just... don't know."
Pwaaak-!
Mid-sentence, Kang Seol's fist smashed Hekai's cheek.
"Guk..."
"Opening..."
Pak-!
Hekai's foot tripped Kang Seol's.
"Opening!"
"Th..."
A simple brawl, yet the spectators were entranced.
The pure clash of flesh against flesh resonated deeply.
Paaaak-!
Paaaak-!
Both duelists, fists embedding in faces simultaneously, muttered lowly.
"Horai... was right."
"I was about to say the same."
"Hehe..."
Fwoooong...
Paaaak!
One to Hekai's face.
Fwooooong...
Paaaaaaak!
One to Kang Seol's face.
Beings with monstrous durability and destructive power—victory wouldn't come easy. But hits landed more frequently than at the start.
Chwaaak...
Torn flesh spewed blood, and each side gripped hands tightly. Wounds screaming agony without words.
"Kang Seol..."
"Brother..."
"Hekai..."
A moment hinted at the outcome, if only for an instant.
Fwoooong...
Paaaaaaak!
Hekai's fist into Kang Seol's jaw exposed the whites of his eyes.
"No! Kang Seol!"
But his eyes refocused instantly, glaring at the target.
Fwoong...
Paaaaaaaaak-!
A spinning upward kick embedded near Hekai's jaw.
Kwooooong...
Hekai staggered back. As he caught himself by touching the ground, inexplicable tears streamed from his swollen eyes.
That was when he realized he was crawling on the ground.
"My tusk... broke."
One of Hekai's tusks lay broken on the ground. Like his situation.
"Why cry."
"Just..."
He understood.
This humiliation.
"...Feels like I'm going to lose."
Unlike his iron will not to lose, his legs shook, and the ringing in his ears persisted.
Sorry. It hurt.
Then, a voice reached Hekai's ear.
"Hekai! You idiot! Get up!"
"...Hekum."
"You slug! Punch that ugly mug! Kill him! Kill him dead!"
Hekum had brought Kang Seol, yet here he was cheering for Hekai. Hekai couldn't fathom why.
Nor why he was shaken by that fool.
"Hekai! Get up! What a sight!"
"Right! Hekai! Not yet!"
The elders, just hoping he wouldn't lose.
"It's okay to lose! Keep fighting!"
"Losing's fine! Just land one good hit!"
What had become of everyone?
In a fight where victory mattered most, they said it didn't.
Crunch...
Hekai rose on one knee.
"You waited."
"......"
"You look calm. In a situation where you might lose... not scary?"
Kang Seol smirked.
"It's routine."
Hekai was certain he couldn't beat this man.
"Enviable. First time for me."
Crunch...
Hekai threw a punch.
Pajiiik-!
Kang Seol couldn't dodge.
No, he didn't.
He returned it in kind.
Kwajiiik!
The slugfest moment arrived.
Squeezing out the last dregs of strength.
Kwajiiiiik!
Kwajiiiiiiik!
Only flesh-ripping and bursting sounds exploded.
Kwajik!
Kwajiiiiik!
Somehow, the watchers suffered more.
Kwajiiiiik!
Kwajiiiiiiiiik!
Kwajik...
Pooeok...
If demons fought in hell, it'd look like this.
Kwajik...
Puk...
Two warriors with faces bruised blue.
The fight continued until one broke.
Thud...
Hekai knelt.
"Sorry... everyone, I lost."
"......"
"Sorry... sorry."
Silent spectators.
Hekai asked.
"What you... want... say it..."
"...Stand with us against the council."
"...The terms changed."
"We fought this much. ...Can't lose out."
"You bastards. Means death. I shouldn't have lost..."
Hekai turned to see the Highwing tribesmen.
"It's... done."
He expected fierce backlash.
But no one opposed.
"Well, can't be helped."
"Well fought, Hekai!"
"To the surface! Yeah... it was coming."
"...What?"
The elders patted Hekai's shoulders.
"Hahaha! Hekai! Look at you!"
"What's with that face! Uhahaha! Why the long face!"
They helped him up.
"Hekai, we're not as weak as you think."
"......"
"No need to bear it alone anymore. This much is enough."
"Did I... do well?"
"Yes, Hekai. You bought us time. Time for everyone to steel themselves."
Fwoong...
Fwoong...
Tribesmen on Kakui looked down from air and rooftops.
"We can't beg for our paradise."
The grand elder, highest in rank, bellowed so the peak echoed.
"The Highwings head to the surface!"
Hekai thought.
Horai is dead, yet still with the Highwings.
"Horai... was Hekai righ..."
Kwoooooong...
Totombo exhaled wind, clouds parting to reveal the ground.
They had shunned it, yet longed for it all their lives.
"...No, nothing. Rest in peace."
As Kang Seol approached, Hekai said.
"Kang Seol... I have something to tell you. Urgent matter."
Kang Seol, wounds mostly healed, waited.
"The giants' revival ritual is imminent."
The moment he'd tried so hard to prevent was almost here.