Chapter 25: One of the Two Will Die (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 25: One of the Two Will Die (6)
―The Heavenly Sword has arrived at the Antarctic Base.
Ryozo said nothing at Vixbig’s secret report. Slouched in her seat, she merely tapped her fingers against the armrest of the sofa.
She glanced over at the black-haired girl Weapon had introduced as "Chae Lina."
Intellectually, she knew Chae Lina couldn't be Kang Geomma’s secret daughter. The girl was seventeen. For him to have a daughter that age, he would have needed to father a child at age ten.
Common sense ruled it out. Besides, Ryozo confirmed just how utterly innocent her husband was every odd-numbered day.
Abel, who was in charge of the even-numbered days, had likely erased the "secret daughter" hypothesis from her mind as well.
Still...
Some kind of connection between Kang Geomma and Chae Lina seemed undeniable. It left an uncomfortable taste in her mouth to just let it slide.
I was going to ask the man himself...
But the man in question had bolted.
The Antarctic Base. Normally, it was such an extreme wilderness that it would have taken her ages to notice his presence there, but...
―Awaiting orders.
Talk about the darkest spot being right under the candlestick. The moment Kang Geomma appeared, her faithful minion Vixbig immediately snitched!
Vixbig had recently fallen out of favor with Ryozo and been sentenced to exile. Now, the AI was wagging its tail before its master, desperate for a pardon!
"...Just leave him be for now."
―W-Why?!
"Let him get some fresh air. It's been a while."
―If that is your wish, my master.
"And stop talking like that."
Ryozo let out a sigh and turned her gaze back to Chae Lina, mulling over the word the girl had blurted out the instant she saw Leon.
Baldr (ᛒᛅᛚᛏᚱ).
Why had she uttered a name connected to Balor Joaquin? Just as Ryozo knitted her brows, Leon spoke up.
"Can we enter this friend in the first-year selection tournament for the upcoming Exchange Meet?"
Weapon blinked in surprise. "Lina?"
"It's hard to explain, but I've got a good feeling about her."
"She hasn't taken formal classes yet, nor is she officially enrolled—"
"Sounds good."
"Ryozo!"
Abel glared at her with narrow eyes. "Is the Association intending to interfere in Academy affairs?"
Weapon shrank back, pulling his head into his shoulders. Damn it. Why are these two so terrifyingly on the same page? Just what kind of life is the Chief living under the same roof with women like this? What kind of battle are you fighting all by yourself, Chief?!
So this is why he ran away immediately.
Ryozo and Abel shifted their razor-sharp glares onto Chae Lina.
Ryozo slowly parted her tightly sealed lips. "As of today, you are a cadet of our Joaquin."
The girl's dark eyes met Ryozo's, then tilted her head, her mouth full as she chewed on a sweet red bean jelly cube.
Episode. One of the Two Will Die
I gave Medea and Victor a rough overview of the circumstances. The sad, tragic story of how I fled all the way to the Antarctic to escape Ryozo and Abel's inescapable net... the sorrow of a married man...
Victor seemed to fully sympathize. Wiping away the tears of a family patriarch right in front of his daughter, he nodded repeatedly. "I understand. I understand completely, Heavenly Sword."
I appreciated the sympathy, but... this guy was still insisting on wearing a penguin suit. At first, I thought he was just cosplaying a madman. Seeing him maintain it for ten years, though, Victor was dead serious about penguins.
Medea seemed to have given up entirely; she didn't say a single word about it. She merely shot him the occasional fed-up glare.
She had grown indifferent to her father wearing a penguin suit, but her gaze toward me was that of a spoiled pollack—utterly dead-eyed.
Perhaps that was why her voice sounded somehow hollow when she asked, "You fled the moment you got the text?"
"Yes."
"Without even attempting to talk?"
I silently nodded, brushing off the thick layer of snow that had accumulated on my shoulders.
"..."
Perhaps I answered too nonchalantly. Medea looked utterly dumbfounded. Suppressing a groan with great effort, she opened her mouth.
"I don't know if I, a single woman, am in any position to say this... but usually, when something like that happens, isn't it best for the parties involved to talk it out?"
"I know that a direct confrontation is best."
"You know that, yet you ran away at full speed?"
I know. Of course I know. But you have to pick your battles based on who you're dealing with.
In a sword fight, I was fine taking on anyone. But in a verbal dispute, I was a man who could be defeated even by an academy cadet.
I bore the certified seal of a hothead. I naturally believed a single sword stab was far more effective than a thousand words.
Arguing against both Ryozo and Abel at the same time was an impossible feat. So I ran. Even if it drew ridicule, it was my best option at the time.
I do need to explain things, though.
As I thought earlier, I'll do it tomorrow. I had to give both of them enough time to cool off. Only then could a normal conversation actually take place.
―To summarize the Heavenly Sword's words, it simply means he was dealt an unfavorable matchup.
Reading my mind, Vixbig chimed in to defend me.
―Consider this, Lady Medea. Listening to the Heavenly Sword's account, there is undoubtedly a misunderstanding. However, humans are fundamentally emotional creatures. When logic alone would be insufficient, could the Heavenly Sword's meager eloquence possibly persuade Lady Ryozo and Lady Abel?
"Thanks for the kind explanation, Vixbig."
So I'll let it slide that you just openly roasted me. Just this once.
The furrow in Medea's brow deepened. Seeing this, Victor stepped up to defend me.
"That speech speaks the truth. The Heavenly Sword is a man who thinks things through before acting. Though he threw respect for his elders out the window and stabbed me before..."
You're still holding a grudge over that? For an Ancient, he sure held long, petty grudges.
Victor noticed the subtle narrowing of my eyes. Perhaps because of that, he elaborated with exaggerated gestures.
"Still, he devotes himself to humanity and remains faithful to his family! It is wonderful to see the Heavenly Sword's face after so long! Come, come, it is freezing out here. Let us warm up inside, Heavenly Sword!"
"Thank you for welcoming me despite my sudden visit."
"Hahaha. Don't mention it between us!"
"I'm grateful, but..."
I turned my head. There was a display screen. Inside the monitor, incomprehensible formulas and geometric shapes were jumbled together. I had no idea what any of it meant. However, chills ran down my spine. My instincts told me that whenever this happened, something bad was bound to occur.
"So you felt the anomaly as well."
Victor and Medea stepped up to my left and right.
"...What is this about...?"
The display—which took up an entire wall—was clearly reflected in Medea's glasses lenses. Because of that, she replied without revealing the window to her soul.
"The First Apocalypse."
* * *
Crunch, crunch.
A man adorned with a swarm of squirrels like hanging ornaments walked through the Demon Realm. The squirrels scrambled busily to cover the man's "vital area"—like a fig leaf on a Roman statue.
"I told you guys to stop doing that."
"(Know shame, human!)"
"(It's nothing to be proud of, walking around butt-naked!)"
"There's nobody here to see it anyway."
He was right. Animal-type "Demons" scrambled to flee upon spotting him, while bipedal "Majin" walked right past him.
So I've suddenly ended up invisible specifically to sentient beings.
There was that old saying, after all—that beasts possessed extremely heightened senses and could perceive things humans couldn't. Folk wisdom like birds sensing early signs of an earthquake, or dogs and cats seeing ghosts.
"(Fascinating.)"
The secretary squirrel murmured as he watched a Majin pass right by without noticing the man. The squirrel had perched himself near the hair by the man's ear.
"(I heard about this from Lord Lycan once. That it's possible to end up straddling two worldlines half-and-half. To think I'd see a living testament to it in person.)"
The man, Balor Joaquin, let out a hollow laugh. It was certain he had returned to his native worldline. However, it seemed it hadn't been a complete return. Just as the secretary squirrel said, he had returned in an unstable state.
Even the God of Sword couldn't directly oppose the Counterforce. That's why he had to send me back incompletely like this.
Presumably, the influence of the Evil Eye of the Loop played a role as well.
He had a track record of using the "strongest Demon Eye" to twist the natural order of the world once before. Furthermore, the God of Sword must have taken measures so he could slip past the gaze of the Counterforce, making this half-ghost state quite convenient for moving around.
The problem lay elsewhere. He was unable to intervene in reality, and his range of activity was strictly limited to the Demon Realm.
That was because magic power was the very catalyst tying Balor Joaquin to this worldline.
Unless an environment overflowing with magic power is established in the Human Realm, I won't be able to cross over.
Even if I did cross over, I don't have a body anyway...
"It's troublesome in many ways."
Balor Joaquin scratched his forehead.
No wrinkles caught on his fingernails. Both of his arms were intact. Currently, his body—or rather, his soul—was in its thirties, and the injuries sustained in the 1st Human-Demon War were completely healed. If he could just recover his physical body, he would be able to display his peak prowess once again.
First. The short-term goal... is to figure out my current state.
Fortunately, the squirrels were intelligent. They explained the history of the world that had transpired while Balor was in another worldline. The squirrel claiming to be Lycan's secretary was sharp, providing immense help.
If things go well... Strength poured into his fist. I might be able to see you again.
A longing that had surged the moment he opened his eyes. A reunion with him was near.
While Balor Joaquin clenched his teeth silently, the secretary squirrel kept chattering.
"(Lord Lycan knows everything. He will understand your plight. I, too, learned the truth of the world from him.)"
Fate truly possessed a twisted sense of humor.
To think the rival who had severed his arm was now the leader of a swarm of squirrels. What was more, that rival might be the key to solving Balor's predicament. It was an irony beyond words.
"You really do live long enough to see everything."
"(No matter how long you've lived, it couldn't be longer than Lord Lycan.)"
"Well, I wouldn't be so sure."
Balor grinned slightly, showing his teeth. "I told you, I'm an Infinite Regressor. I don't remember every single lifetime I've been through, but at the very least, I've lived nearly two thousand years."
"(How am I supposed to believe that?!)"
"Me talking to you is proof enough."
"(That's what I'm asking! What does being an Infinite Regressor have to do with speaking our language?!)"
It's not like I always regressed as a human, kid.
No. If his faint memories were correct, he had started out as moss. After being devoured by a deer, he became a deer. Then a wolf. He slowly climbed his way up the food chain until he was finally born as a human at the apex.
"(...What kind of screwed-up world is this?)"
"I'm the one who should be lamenting here."
"(Fine, fine.)"
The squirrel washed his face with his paws.
"(So, what is your relationship with Lord Lycan anyway?)"
"I can't say for sure, but I probably had a fair share of responsibility in turning him into your species."
"(R-Really?!)"
Balor merely gave a slight nod and kept walking. Beneath his feet, gray weeds rustled softly.
"(Then you are a benefactor to us squirrels as well!)"
"Think whatever you like."
They're cute, but damn exhausting.
A full nine days had passed since he began traveling with the squirrels hanging off him. In his semi-corporeal state, he felt no hunger, had no need for sleep, and experienced no basic physiological needs. Though the squirrels did everything—including taking a dump—right on his body.
Balor didn't feel particularly aggrieved.
Thanks to their guidance, he had reached his destination: a giant pit. Gehenna's geography was ever-changing, so borrowing the wild instincts of animals was essential to avoid getting lost.
"We've arrived."
Right at his feet, a massive pit yawned open.
WOOOOOOOOONG!
An eerie wind spewed from the pit, blowing Balor's bangs back. The squirrels clung desperately to one another, holding tail to tail to resist the gust.
A wind heavy with demonic energy.
The translucent outline of his body sharpened noticeably.
Which meant the magic power down here was even denser than at the heart of the Demon Realm.
This mechanism, along with meeting his old rival, would serve as a clue to understanding what was happening to his body.
Grin.
Just as a smile spread across Balor's lips—
Below his neck was a chorus of frantic screams. The squirrels were trying with all their might not to get blown away by the headwind.
"(Save the squirrels! Save the squirrels!)"
Can't be helped.
"Up we go!"
Balor scooped up the swarm of squirrels in an armful. Huddled together against his chest, they only poked their eyes out.
"Hold on tight."
The next moment—
SQUEEEEEEAAAK...!
The screams were sucked down into the pit.
* * *
The guest bedroom at the Antarctic Base.
What Medea and Victor had told me earlier. The shockwaves of that conversation kept me from falling asleep.
In the end, I decided to sort out my thoughts. Interlocking my fingers behind my head, I stared up at the ceiling.
How should I describe this feeling?
It was too complex to capture in a single word.
"Is the Apocalypse really coming?"
It wasn't really the kind of thought one should be having in a comfortable bed.
Ever since becoming a being somewhere between a human and a god, my mood swings had diminished. Perhaps it was because the "Mental Rank" stat from the Blessing of the Sword God had hit max level.
Get a grip, Geomma.
Are you in your right mind, comparing this to a game in such a dire situation? You're in your late twenties, it's about time you dropped the edgy, nonchalant act. The fate of the universe is on the line!
"Not only Yoo Se-in, a reincarnator, but even the natives of this world felt the signs, yet I didn't sense a damn thing."
Total failure as a god.
"Haaa."
Let's stop the self-deprecation here.
I shifted slightly. Changing my posture, I sank into reflection.
The research initiated from the sense of dissonance Medea felt. As if proving the excellence of the Ancients, they had deduced the near future with remarkable accuracy.
Setting aside whether it was true or not, the fact that they said the exact same thing as Saintess Yoo Se-in... could hardly be called a coincidence.
"It's essentially the final nail in the coffin."
It felt so detached from reality that it was hard to grasp, but I had to engrave it into my mind.
A somewhat abstract yet despair-inducing great evil—the Apocalypse—was set to overtake this world.
According to Yoo Se-in and the Poison father-daughter pair, it would happen in three distinct phases.
The names were grand, too.
Ragnarok.
Kali Yuga.
Prasho Kereti.
And what else was there?
Anyway. Except for Ragnarok, they sounded unfamiliar. But the fact remained that all three were eschatological prophecies.
"Fuck."
They just can't leave this world alone. Now that I beat those octopus bastards to a pulp, actual "concepts" are taking physical form to attack.
Taking physical form...
"..."
Wait a second. A lightning-like realization struck me.
If it has a physical form...
My ability is that whatever I slash gets cut. On top of that, I fully absorbed the Blessing of the Sword God. The moment something touches my sashimi knife, it gets sliced into pieces regardless of what it is.
Think, Kang Geomma.
Ponder more fiercely. Find the divine move that will save this world standing at the crossroads of ruin.
I am not omniscient. Nor am I omnipotent. Looking at the big picture, I'm a pathetic excuse for a god.
Precisely because of that, there must be something I can come up with.
Mindlessly swinging my sashimi knife isn't the solution to everything. There's no telling how far the fallout might spread.
The Academy Exchange Meet was coming up soon, too. The impending end of the world wasn't the only thing requiring my attention. Even if no one spelled it out for me, I had a duty to protect this world.
To borrow Yoo Se-in's words, the primary responsibility for the world turning out this way lay with me. Because I had sliced up the false gods, the Counterforce was trying to forcibly hit the ending button. I was the one who shattered the logic of this world.
"Ugh."
In a corner of the freezing Antarctic base, I sat on the edge of the bed with my arms crossed, deep in thought.
I felt as though steam were rising chillingly from the crown of my head.
I really need a Status Window right now.
That special perk that used to neatly organize and tell me the directions and instructions...
Creeeeak.
In an instant, the bedroom door opened. Light streaming in from outside cut through the darkness of the room.
"Geomma."
Through the cracked door, only a head of jade-colored hair poked in.
I stammered. "P-Principal?"
"It seemed like you were awake."
"Ah, a-ah, yes, yeah."
"What's with that reaction? Why are you so flustered?"
And no wonder. It was my first time seeing Medea without her glasses.
My honest impression was...
Those glasses were doing her a massive disservice.
A huge disservice, at that.
Her beauty, which couldn't be fully hidden even behind glasses, was finally blooming in full force.
I was completely stunned. All my previous heavy thoughts vanished in an instant. Her bare face, seen for the first time in ten years, was that much of a shock. The classic "beauty takes off her glasses" cliché hit me with a critical strike.
"Um..." Medea hesitated before speaking. "Do you happen to have a moment?"
She shyly tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear.