Chapter 54: Nightmare (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 54: Nightmare (1)
According to the original schedule, the Exchange Meet was supposed to end with a festival hosted by Parsi Academy.
From the very beginning, it had been an exchange where Parsi bowed low to Joaquin—even if the whole affair had been sparked by the somewhat impulsive actions of Abel and me.
Joaquin was the absolute Party A, while Parsi sat firmly in the position of Party B.
Thus, launching the festival was Parsi Academy’s duty, strictly speaking, because Joaquin had merely humored an "entertainment" from which they had nothing to gain.
...However.
As a result, the festival was canceled. Parsi Academy had no opportunity whatsoever to fire off celebratory fireworks.
Golems had appeared out of nowhere. But that was a mild surprise compared to what followed.
An unknown enemy that enraged heaven and earth. Very few knew that Ragnarok signified the Apocalypse. However, everyone in the world could tell that its power easily eclipsed that of the former Corps Commanders.
After all, the broadcasting stations had captured the entire incident from start to finish on camera. Their professional spirit wasn't just dedicated—it was downright miraculous. How they had managed to film amidst such utter bedlam was beyond comprehension.
'Then again, even after I became the Heavenly Sword, the media and reporters steadfastly offered me bitter criticism.'
Anyway, thanks to the press's uncompromising reporting, the whole world engraved the severity of the situation into their minds. Everyone understood just how tragic Parsi Academy's situation was. Despite the grand finale festival being skipped, no one dared to express disappointment.
However, the excitement of the Exchange Meet had to find an outlet somehow. And there was no place better suited for that than online communities. On the internet, another kind of festival was taking place—though in a somewhat subdued atmosphere out of respect for Parsi's misery.
Episode: Nightmare
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Title: Why those Giants this time were stronger than 2nd Corps Commander Kuarne
– Honestly, the moment they traded over twenty clashes with the Heavenly Sword, the argument was over lol
– But the real issue with this "Parsi Disaster" is that without the aid of other heroes, even the Heavenly Sword himself couldn't have stopped Parsi from becoming a ruined academy wiped off the map after ten years.
– What's creepy is that everyone except total brainlets knows that currently, the Heavenly Sword is the sole person suppressing the entire Demon Realm Gehenna.
– He appropriately leaves things for the Association and hero agencies to handle, but ultimately, it's because of the single existence known as the 'Heavenly Sword' that those magic spammers can't say a damn word.
– Meaning trying to overwhelm the Heavenly Sword with numbers doesn't work.
└ 3-line TL;DR please
└ 1. An enemy appeared who fought to a draw with the Heavenly Sword, who essentially hard-carries the hero world. 2. Feels like there won't just be one of these guys. 3. What do we do then?
└ That's more than three lines, bye
└ S.O.B.
└ I agree with OP. This isn't something we can just laugh off.
└ But what can we even do?
└ What else? Trust and cheer for the heroes.
└ Hmmm... is it really that serious? Isn't that just the heroes earning their high salaries?
=================
– But you guys are missing one huge blind spot.
└ ?
└ 22
└ 333
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– Everyone in the world knows how strong the Heavenly Sword is. But listen. What if he turns his back on humanity? What are we gonna do then?
└ Yeah yeah, whatever, anti-Heavenly Demon Cult hater.
└ There's always assholes like this. Can't someone trace his IP?
└ Just a worldline freak.
└ Giving me goosebumps though... The Heavenly Sword turning against humanity? Don't think anyone could handle that.
└ Honestly, I've been thinking the same thing. You all saw it this time, right? His form transformed and everything... Doesn't that look pretty familiar?
└ Like the Demon King from fairy tales?
└ Myth, you dumbass, not fairy tales.
=================
– ...This question is way overdue, but thinking about it, it is weird. Is the power the Heavenly Sword uses really a 'Blessing'?
└ True, at the point where he's throwing lightning, it's hard to even put him in the 'hero' category.
└ He's just so absurdly strong people ignore it.
└ Then... what IS the Heavenly Sword?
└ The greatest thief in history.
└ ?
└ The man who has both the Sword Princess and the Immortal Archer.
└ HEAVENLY SWORD! I WANTED TO BE YOU!!
……(snip)……
=================
* * *
"...This..."
Balor Joaquin (Ho Ak-hyeon, a sweet 53 years old) watched his disciple's heroic exploits on a Neotube video. Up until then, he had managed to feign composure.
Well, in truth, his heart had dropped in shock. Who could have imagined he had mastered that power to such an extent? On top of that, he was even combining it with Lycan's lightning magic.
He had reached the absolute apex of martial arts. It felt like only yesterday the kid was getting smacked on the back while learning the sword from him... The master felt a bittersweet pride at his disciple's remarkable growth.
In any case, Kang Geomma's martial prowess in dealing with 'Apocalypse: Ragnarok' was within an understandable range.
'His potential was obvious early on.'
Ho Ak-hyeon had recognized it the moment he laid eyes on those black eyes. Expending the [Evil Eye of the Loop] to send his own vitality and Lycan's into this world had been the choice of a lifetime.
However.
"...The mood is taking a strange turn..."
A low groan escaped him despite himself as he put his head together with Lycan (Ramji Thunder, a sweet 4,578 years old) to browse the online forums. Lycan, who was scrolling down with his gracefully curled tail, chimed in as well.
"(That Geomma brat used way too much power this time. Not only did he affect the worldline and probability... but more importantly, the way people look at him will change significantly.)"
The squirrel's eyes sank into serious gravity. Ho Ak-hyeon narrowed his eyes in displeasure.
"...I appreciate the serious conversation, but could you at least change your appearance first?"
"(I find this form quite comfortable, though?)"
"No, but..."
Lycan's subordinates, the Squirrel Corps, threw an even bigger fuss.
"(Our lord is the Corps Commander of the Squirrels, squeak!)"
"(Insolent human, squeak! You plan to coax our Corps Commander with sweet words to incite a dynastic revolution in the squirrel ecosystem, squeak!)"
"(Ghh, treacherous human! We must issue a Jindo Dog alert, squeak!)"
Lycan adorably crossed his arms and nodded with an air of solemnity.
"...Do whatever you want."
They were once rivals who had staked their respective worlds in fierce competition. It seemed time to lay to rest the spine-chilling majesty of the former 1st Corps Commander...
"(Corps Commander, Hero of the Origin. May I offer a word?)"
The Smart Chipmunk, who had been stroking her chin while staring at the screen, raised her head. She was the advisor to the 1st Corps Commander.
Lycan gestured haughtily to her with his chin.
"(Permission granted.)"
"(Thank you. First of all, in my judgment, this is not a matter that can be left alone.)"
"Your reason?"
"(According to the Hero of the Origin, is he not a 'being from the outside'?)"
"That is correct."
Ho Ak-hyeon, Lycan, and the Squirrel Corps were now sharing many inside secrets. Lycan already knew well due to the time he spent with Kang Geomma, but the others did not.
The secret story of Kang Geomma that they heard from Ho Ak-hyeon came as quite a shock to the Squirrel Corps. As the saying goes, 'Birds hear the daytime words, and mice hear the nighttime words'—they had thought their nocturnal ears were quite sharp, but Geomma's secret completely overturned all conventional wisdom and common sense.
The reason Ho Ak-hyeon had confided in the Squirrel Corps was that they were smarter than expected. As long as communication was possible, they were far more clever than average humans.
'There was more than enough time to talk.'
Balor Joaquin's physical condition was still positioned somewhere between a spirit and a real human. There had been progress, though. Thanks to camping out beneath the pit with the shattered egg, he had recovered roughly two-thirds of his true power.
'Still, it's far from enough to intervene in the affairs of the Human Realm.'
Ho Ak-hyeon was a man with exceptional situational awareness. Had he been someone who only cared about his own era, he wouldn't have gone through the trouble of founding Joaquin Academy.
He suppressed his urge to storm out of the Demon Realm and rush to help Kang Geomma. Instead, he chose to actively communicate with the squirrel pack to learn about the state of the world piece by piece. Exchanging knowledge based on what each knew, their relationship had progressed to the point where they could share opinions on such crucial matters.
Smart Chipmunk spoke up.
"(A being born bearing the karma of the Demon King... sent down by the Counterforce to bring an end to this world. That is Lord Geomma's role and the purpose of his existence, as I understand it.)"
She was spot-on. Smart Chipmunk continued her argument.
"(In that case, Lord Geomma's true nature is demonic and evil. Yet, through his humanity, he has severed himself from that darkness and evil. And the pillar that allows him to maintain that humanity is none other than the people who trust and rely on him, isn't it?)"
"You could say that."
"(However, if by some chance people define Lord Geomma not as good, but as 'evil'... if they endlessly condemn him and drive him to become evil... what will happen then?)"
"(I'd rather not think about it.)"
Lycan let his elegantly curled tail droop.
"(Evil doesn't just sprout from nothing. It is cultivated by one's surroundings. The sprouting of an evil seed in one's heart is far more influenced by the environment than by the individual.)"
The weight of his words resonated deeply. Lycan was, after all, a former ruler of the Demon Realm.
The conflict between Lycan and Balor Joaquin had stemmed from the ideological differences between their factions. In the 1st Human-Demon War, humanity had narrowly won, branding the defeated demons as the forces of evil.
From a human perspective, demons that devoured people were undeniably evil.
"(You cannot call a falcon evil just because it preys on mice. When the values of species governing the natural order clash sharply, humanity—at the pinnacle of species in this world—arbitrarily divides good and evil. Perhaps... that is the future that brat Geomma will face...)"
Lycan muttered bitterly.
"Do not worry."
Ho Ak-hyeon tapped Lycan's shoulder with his index finger.
"(...Do you have something to rely on? Something between you and Geomma that I don't know about?)"
"It's not a secret backup. I simply believe in the boy himself."
Ho Ak-hyeon smiled. The warmth of his smile heated a deep, frigid underground cavern in the Demon Realm.
"He has overcome it once before."
Geomma himself had sheepishly claimed it was thanks to meeting a good master, but Ho Ak-hyeon thought entirely otherwise. He had overcome it through his own strength.
Kang Geomma's true talent was not his skill in wielding a sashimi knife. It was that he did not break, even in the direst of environments.
Let justice be done, though the world perish. (Fiat justitia, Pereat Mundus.)
"...Hold on just a little longer."
Ho Ak-hyeon clenched his jaw tightly.
'I will come meet you soon, my son.'
* * *
[Until the ■■ of □□ (1/4)]
[Proceeding with the first trial...]
[Reward Obtained: 【? ? ?】]
* * *
"Ptui."
Saliva ran stickily down my cheek. I wiped it off casually. The sleeve I used was covered in lint, looking shabby and worn.
People often say the birth of a life is a blessing.
"I shouldn't have given birth to a thing like you."
In my past life, I grew up drinking down my parents' curses.
"We're bad parents? What a joke. Hey, kid."
Every time he pressed his rough, jagged toenail into my cheek, I thought to myself: Someday, I'm going to break his toes first.
"Kim■■. You... a bastard like you was born evil. We didn't raise you like this; you were just born that way."
"In a way, we're the good guys here. Because we're disciplining you properly!"
I am...
"...not Kim■■..."
"What the hell is this brat saying? Denying the name given to you by your almighty parents? Honey, this kid needs another beating."
"Is it raining? Open the window a bit. Let's get rid of some dust in here."
Staring at my father as he slowly unbuckled his belt, my blood-bruised lips parted.
"I am..."
A dark ember ignited in my eyes.
"the Sword Demon."