Chapter 272: Winter (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 272: Winter (2)
The Island of Hawaii.
The Gehenna Gate stood as a abyss deeper than pitch darkness. Even in its immediate vicinity, night was bound to fall.
Rustle...
A group of figures clad in black, their bodies shrouded in dark masks and night-stealth garments, stepped out one by one from the pitch-black cover of night—a dead zone for the moonlight.
It was as if shadows were sculpting themselves into three-dimensional forms to take human shape, though the chilling crimson gleam spilling from their eyes set them apart from ordinary shadows.
Step, step.
Someone came to a halt beneath the shade of a tree, leaning his walking cane against the trunk. As he pulled down his mask, a face deeply lined with wrinkles was revealed.
The old man, Al'tair, Head of the Auditore Family, looked up at the crescent moon nestled among ink-colored clouds.
"The moon is unusually bright tonight," the patriarch murmured.
Beside him, a slender figure in black pulled down his mask, letting it rest beneath his chin. It was Nox.
"Indeed, My Lord. On nights like this, people usually drink a lot at the shop..." Nox murmured with concern.
The head of the family slowly lowered his gaze to look at his grandson. Wrinkles creased around his eyes as he smiled. "You seem to find working at the shop quite enjoyable."
It had been about half a year since Nox started working at the Korean sushi restaurant. As of the New Year, he had finally been allowed to hold a sashimi knife.
"It's not so much enjoyable..." Nox scratched his forehead at the patriarch's fond smile. "...I've just gotten used to it after doing it for half a year."
"You say that, but your body says otherwise. The corners of your mouth are twitching."
"...!"
Nox quickly pulled his mask back up. Even so, the area around his exposed eyes flushed bright red. The patriarch's gentle smile deepened.
"There is nothing to be embarrassed about. It is important to learn the value of labor at a young age—especially for those like us who grew up without any financial wants."
"Yes, My Lord."
"Nox, if you wish, I can excuse you from this mission."
"No, sir." Nox shook his head firmly. The red light flickering in his eyes steadied, locking forward. "This is an order directly handed down by the Heavenly Sword. Nothing could be more important than this."
Receiving that resolute gaze, the patriarch smiled faintly and pulled his mask back over his face. He spoke, his voice now altered and muffled by the cloth.
"You all heard Nox. This 'Investigation of the Demon Realm Gehenna' is a mission personally assigned by the Heavenly Sword. Therefore, you must be even sharper than usual. Understood? Furthermore, this investigation will last five days. Though you are all trained to adapt to the Demon Realm's environment, do not let down your guard for even a moment. This is a battle of endurance. Pace yourselves carefully."
The masked figures in black replied with silent, subtle nods. The head of the family looked over every member before continuing.
"And there is something extra the Heavenly Sword added. He emphasized it as being even more important than the mission itself. Hmm... perhaps, for us, it might be the hardest task of all."
Nox asked with a slight trace of nervousness, "What is it, My Lord?"
The patriarch curled the corners of his mouth beneath his mask. Though hidden, everyone could sense his bright smile.
"'All of you, come back alive.'"
Having said that, the patriarch turned toward the Gate.
"How long has it been since I last looked at the moon so directly?"
Stepping out from the shade of the tree, he bathed fully in the moonlight. Below his feet, his shadow stretched long.
"Perhaps it is the very first time since I truly took up this path."
The old man's eyes, reflecting the full glow of the moon, traced back through his memories. After a brief moment, he spoke over his shoulder to his children.
"As the Heavenly Sword commanded, return safely without exception. Otherwise, I shall personally inflict severe punishment upon you."
The patriarch took a step forward. The figures in black seemed to ripple like gentle waves before sinking directly into his shadow. Overlapping, their shadows formed a massive triangle behind him.
"Let us go, my sons and daughters."
The dim moonlight illuminated their path far ahead.
*
Four days after Karon and Shail had departed.
Two welcome faces paid a visit to the office that had been filled with nothing but silence.
"My Geomma! Have you been doing well without me!?"
Academy Principal Medea greeted him with a wide, toothy grin. Beside her was All-Power Meain Poison, looking slightly worn out.
My eyes widened. "Why do both of you look like that?"
The Poison sisters were in a shabby state. Dust covered them from head to toe, and the fronts of their clothes were torn, revealing glimpses of soft bare skin.
"Ugh." I unconsciously pinched my nose. They smelled awful.
The older sister, Meain, explained the situation. "We haven't been able to wash properly for a month. I told her we should shower and tidy ourselves up before coming, but Medea pestered me so much just to see your face right away."
The story went like this: On the day of the Joaquin Terror, the Poison sisters had immediately requested cooperation from their father, the Hero Association President, because his technological capabilities were state-of-the-art.
In response, the President actively aided his daughters. Using his launched satellites to track the enemies, he demonstrated top-tier fourth-industrial-revolution skills that far outstripped Ryozo's.
"Unlike the usual Villain Syndicate, those guys were small-time fries operating in isolated cells, so they didn't have a main hideout. The problem was that because they were in cells, they were scattered all across the world. But what could we do? We had to catch them. So we traveled around the globe for a month and wiped them all out."
Meain let out a deep sigh. "...We tried to keep a few alive to interrogate them, but whenever they tried to speak, their heads just blew up. A demon they contracted with must have planted magic in them."
I served tea to the sisters, who were slumped side by side on the sofa. "Thank you both for your hard work. Drink some tea first and relieve your fatigue."
Medea took a sip, her eyes going wide. "Whoa, what? Why is this so good?"
Meain, who hadn't shown much interest, also brought her cup to her lips. "...Huh? It's this good? It feels like my fatigue is melting away."
Before leaving, Shail had donated all her tea leaves and taught me how to brew them.
"Ah, right." Meain paused mid-sip and looked at me as if recalling something. "How did the army organization go? I heard bits and pieces, but I don't know the specifics since we were constantly rushing around."
"It's progressing smoothly," I answered, sitting across from the Poison sisters. "With heroes from the Hero Association forming the core, foreign legions are being dispatched from all over the world. On top of that, hero agencies from various nations have expressed their intent to cooperate, and many unaffiliated heroes are volunteering as mercenaries."
"Wow, then a massive number must have gathered."
"Yes. It seems to be well over twenty times more than I originally anticipated."
"Aww, good boy! That's our Geomma!"
Medea tried to throw her arms around me, so I quickly backed away. Sorry to say, but the smell was just too intense. Not to mention her worn, frayed clothes looked like they might slip right off at any moment.
"Why don't you check your own state before lunging at him?"
Thankfully, Meain stepped in to restrain her younger sister. Medea squirmed against her sister's grip before slumping back down. Her eyes were unfocused, like a drunkard's.
Meain frowned as she looked at her sister, then offered me an apology. "Sorry. Her speech and behavior reverted to that of a child, didn't it? Truth is, she's out of her mind right now. And understandable—she killed far too many people throughout this winter."
"Ah... I see."
"No matter if they were villain lackeys, they were born human. For someone unused to killing to suddenly slaughter dozens, hundreds... It might sound like I'm taking her side, but she's only managing this well because of her strong mental fortitude. An ordinary person wouldn't have ended up just like this."
Meain gave a bitter smile. Though the tea tasted sweet, the inside of her mouth felt sour and bitter.
"Geomma, do you know what the most important condition for the 'Awakening of the Blessing' is?"
Meain carefully set down her teacup without making a sound. Her younger sister was already dozing off, leaning against Meain's shoulder.
"There are several conditions, but the most certain one is taking as many lives as possible. If you kill, kill, and kill again... there comes a moment when your mind suddenly goes blank. When you become beyond desensitized to murder and reach the stage of enjoying it, you abandon your humanity."
Saying so, Meain tilted her head back. Her light green hair spilled softly over the back of the sofa.
Gazing up at the ceiling and toward the sky beyond, she murmured, "This world is truly bizarre. To receive more blessings from the gods, one must continuously slaughter life."
Meain slowly brought her head back down. A swirl of complex emotions crossed her face.
"...What on earth is the goal of those bastards called gods? No, are they even gods at all? Looking at what they do, they're worse than demons."
Meain reminisced about the past as she listened to her sister's even breathing.
·
·
·
There was a time when she roamed the front lines. But as her path became stained with blood, her reason gradually grew clouded.
She tried hard to turn a blind eye to that fact, believing she could handle it. It was childish arrogance.
Time passed. In the end, Meain went on a rampage under the pretext of the 'Awakening of the Blessing.'
The military was almost deployed to stop her, but Medea opposed it. She argued passionately that she would stop her sister alone.
Those present were skeptical.
Second only to one, above all others.
In her awakened state, Meain was considered a step below the Hero of the Origin, but comparable to the Seven Champions.
How could Medea possibly stop her?
At that time, even the Sword Emperor, the Spear Saint, and the other Seven Stars tried to dissuade Medea. Yet Medea ultimately succeeded in suppressing her sister's awakening.
The toll was immense, of course. Because of it, Medea hovered between life and death for several years. Even after regaining consciousness, she was unable to unleash even half of her power.
Her younger sister Medea had smiled innocently, saying it was fine even though her dantian was destroyed.
It was from then on that Meain began to curse the world and the gods.
Without hesitation, she headed into the Demon Realm Gehenna. Wandering through Gehenna, she searched for vestiges of the gods. In case they ever woke from their slumber again, she had to find clues.
That day was winter, too.
Unlike the human realm, the snowfall in the Demon Realm was a dark, crimson blood-red.
Meain discovered a narrow earthen cave. Stepping inside, she was astonished to find a filthy, scruffy boy curled up and trembling violently. In the corner of the cave lay an old, thick ancient book. It was a book of prophecy.
After reading the entire book of prophecy, Meain confronted the truth of the world. At the same time, she realized that the boy was the hero written of in the prophecy.
Meain reached out her hand to the hero.
—Don't stay here. Come with me.
Perhaps out of a sliver of pity.
—You must play your part.
To satisfy her own selfishness.
—Accept the God of Sword, and I will help you annihilate the gods seeking resurrection.
·
·
·
While Meain was lost in thought, I remained still.
'The more life you take, the closer you get to the Awakening of the Blessing.'
I pondered her words. If that were true, I was likely the most dangerous candidate. Along with the members of the shadow family, the Auditores. Assassination was their family business, after all.
'Come to think of it...'
The Auditores were currently infiltrating Gehenna on my orders. Today was the fourth day, so they would be returning tomorrow.
'I'm sure they're doing fine.'
I shook off the anxiety creeping up inside me. If I couldn't trust their skills, who could I trust? Most unforeseen incidents wouldn't pose a threat to them.
It was at that moment.
BANG!
The office door burst open violently. Meain snapped out of her thoughts, and Medea, who was dozing, flinched, her shoulders jolting.
A man with a valiant demeanor strode in. Plate armor clanked with every step he took, his cloak fluttering behind him.
"Forgive me for my sudden intrusion."
The man was the Knight Commander of the Outer God Church. His left knee slammed into the floor with a metallic clatter.
"A frantic dispatch has just arrived from the Auditore."
With a grim expression, the Knight Commander spoke.
"It is reported that in the Demon Realm—in Gehenna—they have spotted the hero, Leon von Reinhardt."