Chapter 100: Face-to-Face Meeting (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 100: Face-to-Face Meeting (1)
Ryozo had not forgotten her recent dream. With her absolute memory, she gripped tightly onto the thread of that fading dreamscape.
The wisdom of the Ancients.
Gaia, Mesther.
She had to protect the message and legacy she had left behind—Yggdrasil. No matter what, at all costs.
Her life of nearly ten thousand years was, in truth, no different from history itself.
And history was an answer key that helped reveal the future.
'Gaia approached me through the World Tree, Yggdrasil, to deliver some kind of message.'
She didn't quite understand it right now. She would have to take her time to reflect and chew on it.
And so, Ryozo decided to engrave every single detail of the dream into her mind without missing a word.
...Yet, not even a few minutes had passed since she made up her mind.
"What... is that...?"
In an instant, Ryozo's mind went completely blank.
Episode. Face-to-Face Meeting
'Why is the Sword Demon here?'
That was her primary thought, but she quickly deduced the full picture.
The moment Ryozo had gone missing, Weapon must have contacted him. Knowing the Sword Demon's personality, he would have rushed over without delay.
Not only the Sword Demon, but several other familiar faces were visible. They were key figures from Joaquin and among the strongest powerhouses in the current world.
'He came to wipe out the Villains root and branch.'
Up to here, okay.
It was a heart-swelling moment showing Kang Geomma's devotion as a loving husband.
But, but.
Even so.
"Why is he..."
...embracing Rachel?!
The exact opposite of a devoted husband moment was reflected right onto her sharp eyes. To make matters worse, they were hugging mid-air for all to see.
So...
...so brazenly!
"Are you awake?"
A high-pitched voice cut in from the side.
It was Abel. She was standing at attention, resting on her sword blade like a cane.
Seeing her side profile, a warm emotion surged within Ryozo. As a tangle of emotions crossed her mind, she noticed dirt smudged all over Abel's body.
Ryozo gasped in surprise.
"Abel, are you hurt somewhere?!"
"...No. I'm not hurt at all."
"Still..."
Abel smiled softly.
"You've changed a lot too, Ryozo. In the past, you seemed like the type who wouldn't bleed if pricked with a needle. But now, even though you're injured yourself, you're worrying about me just over a bit of dirt."
"Are you teasing me?"
"Not at all. I'm just grateful."
'Pretty sure she's teasing me...'
For Ryozo, who had always been the one doing the teasing, it was a rather unfamiliar feeling. She pressed her temple with her delicate fingers and asked,
"What about the Villains?"
"Over there."
Instead of a long explanation, Abel cast her glance to one side. The corpses of the Twelve Villains were growing cold. At a glance, it appeared they had died without putting up any meaningful resistance.
'They were so excited when they were attacking me.'
They really went out spectacularly.
And...
"That's right. Geomma took care of everything. Originally, we were supposed to come along for a swift ambush, just in case you got hurt."
If Kang Geomma set his mind to it, Avallon Island would be utterly erased.
Ryozo knew through her conversation with Mesther—and through her memories—that this wasn't the only reason.
The Sword Demon was strong.
Exceedingly, excessively strong.
She had been aware of it, but witnessing the scene where he annihilated the angels made her realize that he was currently locking his output down to the absolute minimum.
For the Sword Demon, even a casual sword strike was more than enough to destroy the world.
That was likely why he was mainly using magic these days rather than his sashimi knife.
'To prevent strain on the world.'
The reason he had enlisted others for this raid on the Villain stronghold shared the same context.
Avallon Island, home to Yggdrasil—an entity deeply tied to the foundation of the world. Releasing his power here would overload the world itself. Keeping that in mind, the Sword Demon had brought them along.
'Because I got injured, in the end...'
Though the lightning had ceased and the tsunami had calmed, the traces remained. The sky was in a state of solar eclipse, and Avallon Island was thoroughly devastated.
...
Ryozo lowered her gaze.
The Sword Demon's rampage. The key figures had all gone into combat mode to restrain him.
Right.
She completely understood the circumstances behind all this.
"And what does that have to do with Rachel?"
"That... I don't know either."
Abel averted her eyes.
"...She just apologized out of nowhere a few times, then suddenly hugged Geomma..."
"Suddenly?"
"Yeah. All of a sudden."
Ryozo blinked her eyelashes.
Though she had pieced together the situation from fragmented clues, this made no sense to her whatsoever.
"Did hugging him change anything?"
So she asked back.
"First, the tsunami stopped."
"..."
Abel answered in a monochrome voice.
"Next, the lightning stopped."
"..."
Her golden eyes sank gloomily.
"Oh dear. Now his hair is returning to its original color."
Ryozo raised her eyes to check as well. Like ink spreading on white paper, his original hair color returned.
It was hard to see his facial expression due to the shadow cast by the backlight. The Sword Demon was simply frozen in place. That monstrouslystrongman was defenselessly allowing Rachel to hug him.
"Wow."
Ryozo's eyes went completely hollow as well.
"Our Geomma really likes big things, doesn't he?"
At that moment, Kang Geomma's shoulders flinched.
* * *
My vision, which had been playing in low resolution, gradually shifted to high definition.
I lowered my gaze.
A scene of complete devastation lay beneath my feet. In the blink of an eye, Yggdrasil had been reduced to a mere husk, and Avallon Island turned into a wasteland.
Lately sluggish, blood finally felt like it was circulating through my head again.
A faint headache.
A heavy sense of debt.
'Did I lose consciousness?'
I remembered the dark red impulse consuming my thoughts. In the end, the very worst-case scenario had... Looking around briefly, it seemed the people I brought along had joined forces to restrain me.
"...Ah."
Huh?
Right when a sigh was about to escape, my breath hitched in my throat. Like a prisoner bound in ropes.
As the cloudiness cleared further, my eyes caught sight of my solar plexus. Two arms were binding me tightly?
"Are you back to your senses?"
Fervent breath brushed against the back of my neck. Something else was pressed against my back as well. Something aggressively massive.
Turning around with stiff, creaking eyes, sure enough, it was Rachel. The only difference from usual was that her pupils weren't heart-shaped, but normal.
"Thank goodness."
Rachel buried her forehead into my back.
"I'm so glad."
Before I even had time to grasp the situation, sharp glares stabbed into my cheeks.
From below.
"..."
"..."
Ah. I'm screwed.
* * *
Meanwhile, Star Class at Joaquin Academy.
The abnormal weather triggered on Avallon Island wasn't confined to a localized scale; it affected South Korea as well.
Sensing something suspicious in the weather, the professor ended the lecture early at his own discretion.
"When the weather is ominous, stay in your dorms. Wandering outside might incur divine wrath."
This was a world where Blessings and magic plainly existed. Thus, the locals were sensitive to superstitions. They viewed severe weather as a sign of disaster and exercised caution. For instance, right before the outbreak of the Second Human-Demon War, dark clouds had blanketed the entire globe.
However, the current generation, having never experienced war firsthand, was simply thrilled.
"Ye~s!"
"Your answer sounds a bit too joyful, doesn't it? Should I have finished on time after all?"
"N-no..."
"I'm joking. It's dangerous, so everyone head to the dorms quickly. I'll personally let the other professors know that the afternoon classes are canceled due to rain."
The cadets packed their bags in high spirits. Male Cadet A was no different, humming a tune. His heart fluttered at the thought of playing games.
Blessing of the Apocalypse M 2nd.
It was a popular game lately, with the prevailing sentiment being that it was quite playable aside from the predatory microtransactions. The gameplay was average, but it had a strange addictiveness and easy-on-the-eyes visuals. Thanks to that, word of mouth spread even without special promotion.
"Hm?"
Just as he was about to leave, Chae Lina, her eyes fixed on the window, caught his attention.
Chae Lina was always expressionless. Furthermore, her hair was ebony, giving her whole persona a monochrome feel. That dryness drove people wild—along with her spicy slaps.
'Oops!'
'Almost exposed my secret taste.'
Just as Male Cadet A quietly opened the door—
Chae Lina scratched at her chest with her fingernails, groping as if an insect were crawling on her heart.
After doing that for a moment—
Thump, thump.
She thumped her chest audibly and muttered.
"By something like this..."
Her lips twisted as if anger was welling up.
"How can it be blocked by something like this?!"
The male cadet saw Chae Lina's emotions for the first time that day.
* * *
...Four days had passed since then.
The backbone of the Villain Syndicate was virtually severed. It felt almost anticlimactic how helplessly they were swept away, but that was because they had been desperately hiding in rat holes, knowing they'd be vaporized if I caught them.
It was only right to applaud Ryozo's competence for finding the syndicate's headquarters with only a scrap of information.
—I won't announce that the syndicate's core is gone.
Ryozo's logic went on as follows.
We haven't yet uprooted all the politicians and figures in power connected to the syndicate. They're still acting impudently, relying on the syndicate as their backing. Therefore, we'll maintain the 'Villain Syndicate' as a phantom organization to let them run wild further.
It was a sound opinion. The higher-ups agreed as well. Might as well use this chance to pull out by the roots all those bastards colluding with the pathetic Villain Syndicate.
One issue settled. Next, with Joaquin and the Association leading the charge, restoration work on Avallon Island began. Fortunately, progress was swift, partly thanks to the Korean construction company that built the graduate school building participating in the work.
We aren't yet able to save Chloe or prepare for the Apocalypse in earnest.
Even so, I feel that we're slowly drawing closer to the root of the problem.
Awakening of magic.
Disbanding of the Villain Syndicate.
Through these events, the outline of the dark cloud known as the Apocalypse is taking shape.
'It's probably coming soon.'
Lately, the fine hairs on my body stand on end.
I trust my instincts completely. The Second Apocalypse isn't far off.
'That's one thing, but...'
Right now, I have to deal with my own personal Apocalypse.
"Geez. And Ryozo."
Rachel declared before the situation had even settled down. It was during a briefing on what had happened to the Sword Emperor, Medea, and All-Power.
"I want to be the third."
"...The third what?"
The Sword Emperor asked. Rachel wiggled her pinky finger.
"Pfft!"
In the end, the Sword Emperor spat out the black tea he was holding in his mouth. Beyond the round mist of tea spray, the heavily sour expressions of Ryozo and Abel were reflected.
I have no right to speak.
Because I'm currently practicing a vow of silence due to that incident.
'Haah, please...'
While my face turned ashen, Rachel asserted herself without a care.
"Ah, of course, I'm not saying I'll just become it without doing anything."
"Not even 'just'!"
The Sword Emperor sprang to his feet.
"Huh? Why?"
"Th-That is far too shameless!"
"What's shameless about it? Polygamy was legalized after the 2nd Human-Demon War anyway!"
"True. It's within the legal framework."
Medea chimed in after setting her teacup down. Ah—no, Principal, if even you agree, I'm going to be in real trouble here!
"Anyway! Since I'd feel dirty stealing someone else's man too—"
'That IS what you're doing, Rachel.'
"If I—!"
Rachel pointed her finger straight ahead.
"—become one of the Seven Stars before those two, let me fair and square become Geomma's third!"
...
Silence fell over the room.
I seriously feel like throwing up.
'Please, someone help me out.'
Reading the desperation on my face, Medea quietly raised her hand. Good, if the Sage objects, even Rachel will back down a bit.
"I'm already a Seven Star Hero, though?"
"...Huh?"
Even Rachel was flustered.
"I'm already one of the Seven Stars."
Medea merely emphasized it again.
Instantly, I was sentenced to be a human dartboard.
Ryozo and Abel's glares pierced right into me.
"..."
"..."
Save me.