Chapter 48: Academy Exchange Meet — Conclusion (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 48: Academy Exchange Meet — Conclusion (6)
We are sprinting at breakneck speed. Outrunning the speed of sound, we charge toward the sun.
Perhaps we are approaching the speed of light, given how white is nibbling away at the edges of my vision.
'Sight' refers to the phenomenon where light bounces off an object and slams into my eyeballs... Cut out the overly complex chatter, Kang Geomma; it doesn't suit you.
There's no need to quote Ryozo just to sound smart. That would look even more pathetic.
I think in my own way.
I gently closed my eyes.
Feeling the chilled air and the wind in the flow of clouds, I detached the physical world from my mindscape.
'The Apocalypse has finally come.'
Just a brief eye contact with Yoo Se-in was enough to roughly grasp the situation. The Saintess, the Sage, and the universe had continuously tossed clues of the Apocalypse my way.
While I seemed to keep my gaze averted from the Apocalypse, I had always engraved it like a heavy knot in my chest—so I could pull it out and jam it between the folds of my brain at any moment.
'...Is this Apocalypse truly meant for me...?'
It's a bit late for it, but what a selfish question to ask myself.
Then again, if not now, I won't have time to think about it at all.
'Strictly speaking, my race is a god.'
The Apocalypse is typically the sole reserve of humans. It means their world is ending; I have never heard of a myth where a god's world comes to an end. Rather, it was usually the gods who condemned humanity.
Apocalypse.
In truth, I know it is a concept necessary for this universe—a self-cleansing mechanism to wash away the decayed parts for the universe's survival.
'...And that I am the one meant to play that role.'
A bitter smile spreads across my face. I feel the wind brushing against the corners of my mouth.
This is precisely why a god shouldn't possess personal will. A god, by definition, is a creature of 'phenomena' and 'effects.' 'Action' and 'reaction' belong to humans.
Yet a fellow like me, despite being the God of Sword, tries to act and react instead of existing as a phenomenon and effect. Whenever this happens, the words hurled at me ten years ago by the False Gods grip my heart tightly.
They warned that, in the long run, I would become a detriment to this world. They prophesied that if my personal will aligned with humans, the 'Unknowable Will' would step in to re-adjust.
"They say even a broken clock is right twice a day."
To think the day would come when I'd agree with them—a god is a god, after all.
Nevertheless, they were wrong, and I am right. I am a combination of three things: the spirit of a Human, the flesh of a Demon, and the armament of a God. To put it simply, am I something like a mutt?
A stray mutt has a stray mutt's way of surviving. Sometimes tenderly, sometimes wickedly, and when necessary, mercilessly. That is how I have lived, and that is how I will live until I die.
Now, it's time to open my eyes.
Witness, act, and respond to the Apocalypse.
I am still human.
Episode. Kni■ht o■ Apo■alypse
High in the azure sky, where the sun threatened to pierce my eyes, I looked back. Clouds like a flock of sheep lay far behind me. It was hard to gauge with the naked eye just how far off the ground I was.
I had become closer to the heavens than to the earth. The identity of the speck clinging to the sun finally came into faint view.
"Grrrrr!"
Fur bristled stiffly between my fingers. Since I was holding onto him instead of reins, I instantly felt Skoll's fierce aggression.
"You felt how dangerous that bastard is, too."
I patted the nape of Skoll's neck and raised my eyes. A man mounted on a white horse was looking down at us, haloed by the sun.
'A knight.'
But he was hardly the stalwart figure one usually imagines. His back was hunched like a hunchback, and his facial flesh sagged so low he resembled a bulldog. His heavy eyelids drooped so much I almost mistook him for a human-shaped sponge. His hair was a lifeless pale green, looking like a piece of flavorless kelp slapped onto his head. On top of that, he held a bow as large as an adult man.
Auuuuuuuuuuuu...!
Auuuuuuuuuuuu...!
Skoll and Hati let out long, roaring howls. To me, those howls were an alarm bell.
'Dangerous.'
My breathing turns ragged. A tsunami of unprecedented scale smashes against the breakwater built by my Mental Rank. Calling it a white horse was being generous; he was an old knight riding what looked like a pale, washed-out donkey. An overwhelming pressure, incomparable to anything before, crushes the area. The False Gods? They were cute compared to this.
Just as I used my index finger to loosen my collar,
=Why does the Apostle defy the natural order?=
The old knight's voice resonated repeatedly behind my eye sockets.
=Do you truly not know the end that awaits those who defy Heaven?=
I pried open my constricted throat with sheer willpower.
"...Why don't you introduce yourself first?"
I was just acting tough.
Yet, the old knight complied smoothly with my bluster.
=I, too, am a member among the Apostles of the Counterforce, just like you. The one who governs 'Conquest' and 'Pestilence,'=
The word 'Conquest' struck a sharp chord. So I blurted out immediately,
"Ragnarok...?"
=So you recognize me.=
The old man pulled up one corner of his mouth slyly. With his forehead wrinkles twitching along with it, it was a smile both sinister and repulsive.
The old knight, Ragnarok, continued.
=Then again, someone of your stature could hardly pretend not to notice the world's anomaly.=
Damn it. I had my suspicions.
'The Apocalypse has manifested.'
As a user of the Miracle Blessing M System and someone with a decent knowledge of subculture, I knew a thing or two. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The four taboos of the universe.
Does that mean there are three more monsters like him left? You really made up your mind to tear this world down, didn't you? Counterforce, you fucking piece of shit.
=Apostle, you are truly selfish.=
"..."
=The world ought to be left as it is. Yet you attempt to lock this world inside a picture frame—just so it looks pleasing to your eyes. Is that for the good of this universe? I think not. The universe requires a natural self-cleansing process. Only when the old ways perish can new life sprout. Someone like you should know this all too well, should you not?=
"..."
=Indeed. Being an entity from the outside, there is no way you wouldn't know. You know that this world's 'narrative' ended ten years ago.=
He hit the nail on the head so many times it didn't even sting anymore. On top of that, he casually spoke the truth about me being a possessed entity. He's a minion of the Counterforce, so it would be weirder if he didn't know.
I shrugged glibly.
"Like you said, I'm pretty selfish. Besides, the Counterforce's 'self-cleansing process' you talk about just means resetting this world once, doesn't it?"
=Correct.=
"You can't just reroll a world."
=That is merely your own claim. The flow of the world is a cycle. Even water stagnates and rots if it does not move.=
Astonishing. To think an Apostle of the Counterforce knows what 'rerolling' means. An Apostle really is an Apostle.
Taken aback, I caught my breath before speaking up again.
"The flow of the universe doesn't have to be carried out only in such a manner. Why are you so obsessed with such a primitive method?"
=Hahaha.=
Ragnarok let out a dry, raspy laugh. Skoll and Hati winced.
The ominous voice of the Apocalypse instantly made the three of us shrink back.
A moment later, his expression turned heartless, as if he had never laughed in his entire life, and he spoke.
=Why do you draw your blades behind my back while saying such things? You, too, are an Apostle of the Counterforce, so you know full well—the only way to set the world right is through the most primitive method.=
"You've got sharp instincts for an old man."
I flicked my wrists. Hidden beneath my sleeves, Murasame and the unnamed EX-rank Sashimi slid smoothly into view.
=Apostle of the Counterforce. Pitiful creature unable to cast away your humanity. For what reason do you hesitate to realize your true identity?=
"I know my identity all too well."
The disciple of Balor Joaquin, the Demonic Sword, and the God of Sword.
But Ragnarok shook his head. He then narrowed his eyes, revealing eye sockets that were entirely pitch-black.
=You do not know yourself.=
He looked down upon the three of us with eyes replaced by the abyss.
=I would like to enlighten you, but that, too, would defy the natural order of the Counterforce. Take that curiosity with you to the far side of the world.=
Ragnarok sluggishly raised his wooden bow and, just as slowly, pulled back the string.
=I am the Knight of Conquest and Pestilence. Ragnarok.=
Drawing the nockless, arrowless string back to his philtrum, he declared:
=I have arrived at this place to annihilate you all.=
Thwack...
The bowstring snapped back into place. Simultaneously, the hollow sound of the vibrating string echoed across the entire sky.
Ruuuumble!
A colossal roar and overwhelming presence shook our surroundings. Skoll and Hati halted mid-air, snapping their necks back in alarm.
The vision of all three of us shuddered heavily.
Behind the sun at Ragnarok's back, a sphere no less massive sneaked its head into view. It was..., the moon.
A sight where the sun and moon stood shoulder to shoulder in a single sky. Before I even had time to gasp, specks began to swarm intensely across both the sun and the moon.
They were arrows.
=These are the Arrows of Conquest. The moment they pierce an entity, its ownership belongs to me,=
From the black moon poured a deluge of pale white arrows like rays of light.
=And these are the Arrows of Pestilence. Arrows that burn away the souls of those who resist.=
From the bright sun burst forth arrows the color of crude oil all at once.
=Human, pay the price for defying the Counterforce along with this world.=
The arrows are fast.
My time slows down. It was because I accelerated my thoughts with Lightning Magic. I applied the same effect to Skoll and Hati.
Just then.
《Hey, snap out of it.》
It was Yoo Se-in.
《Thinking hard about complex stuff doesn't suit your character, Kang Geomma, alright? Keep it simple, keep it simple. Do it the way you do best.》
The Saintess's voice flowed through the frozen time.
《This Academy Exchange Meet was my own preparation for the Apocalypse. I couldn't tell you directly because of narrative probability, so I beat around the bush. But before we get into the main event, there's one thing you need to do for me.》
'Something I need to do?'
《One minute.》
Yoo Se-in spoke without a hint of tremor in her voice.
《Just stop those arrows from striking anyone for exactly one minute. I'll handle the rest after that. As the reincarnated one, I'll set the stage. You, as the possessed one, be the protagonist.》
'...'
《It's one minute. Do whatever you want for that one minute. Don't worry about your surroundings.》
Decline and extinction are cosmic inevitabilities. We, the squad of regressors, possessed, and reincarnated, are indulging in reckless bravado against an unavoidable fate.
《It's been a while since you couldn't unleash your full power because you were holding back for those around you, hasn't it? Give it your absolute best for one minute.》
Yoo Se-in is telling me: if I'm going to act reckless anyway, I might as well throw off the reins completely.
[Do you accept? ☞ (Y/N)]
I burst out laughing. Old memories resurfaced vividly.
"Why do you have to show it as a Status Window?"
Even while saying that, I willingly nodded my head.
[Y/N]
▲
Beep-
[Unauthorized external intrusion detected. Deploying internal security program.]
[In progress...]
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[...!]
[Error occurred! Error occurred! Error occurred! Error occurred! Error occurred! Error occurred! Error occurred! Error occurred! Error occurred! Error occurred! Error occurred! Error occurred! Error occurred! Error occurred! Error occurred! Error occurred! Error occurred!]
[※※An error has occurred.※※]
[The Counterforce directly intervenes in the worldline alongside the Apostle to execute a re-adjustment.]
Bzzzz—
[Thank you for your hard work.]
— Academy Exchange Meet — Conclusion. FIN
...
...
...
I swung.
糸/ /吉
[■■■■■/ /□□□□□]
A slash and the sound of tearing air.
I slowly lowered the sashimi knife that had severed the empty air. The next instant, Yoo Se-in's voice chuckled close to my ear.
《If you slash, it will cut.》
I am human,
《May the Blessing of God be with you.》
and a blade that cuts down anything.