Chapter 231
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 231
The mages of this world were a truly wicked breed.
To achieve perfection, to reach the absolute pinnacle, they would do anything. They casually committed acts that would leave others utterly horrified. Using innocent people as test subjects and reducing them to a state worse than death was a common occurrence.
And so, seeking to abandon this ruined world and lusting after a new one, they targeted the ‘heroes.’
“These specimens are certainly sturdy.”
“Elder, what should we do with this one?”
“He is the strongest of the monsters, making him perfect to use as the core. You there, place that thing on the altar. I shall handle it myself.”
“Yes, Elder.”
The Court Mages conducted their experiments in the Grave of the Evil God, where Arjio was sealed.
Perhaps because the world was in such chaos, or perhaps because no one dared venture to the Grave of the Evil God to stop them, they easily carried out acts that had long been forbidden on ethical grounds.
“Since the Evil God is sealed here, the energy is abundant. Yes, excellent. This is the perfect place for us to write a new history. If we harness the power of these monsters and the Evil God, dragging the Main God down to this chaotic earth will no longer be a mere dream…”
It was utter nonsense.
Drag a god down to earth?
They wanted to kill the Creator, steal His authority, and build a new world? Instead of trying to heal and cultivate the very land their souls were rooted in, they wanted to abandon it all and start over?
Fools.
As if such a thing were ever possible.
“W-what is the meaning of this…!”
“Why on earth is this happening?! What went wrong?!”
“T-there was no mistake! We definitely succeeded in drawing upon the Main God’s authority!”
“Then why in the world is this…!”
Naturally, their attempt ended in failure.
The man trapped in the narrow, dark Thorn Prison did not know the exact details. He could only guess that the mages had failed to kill the god, causing the Main God to abandon this world and depart. He surmised that their attempt to create a ‘new world’ using a partially copied authority of the Creator had instead birthed a horrific hell.
It was only natural from the start.
Humans could never harm a god.
They called us monsters so often they seemed to forget what materials they were actually using.
Fools. Utterly wretched fools.
Even though we were humans, not monsters…
They were strong, so strong they could hardly be called human, but they were humans nonetheless. Even a three-year-old child would know that a creation born from the Main God could never harm Him.
And besides, would the energy of the Evil God—used as a material just like them—have ever cooperated with the mages?
Of course not.
Amidst the pain, screams, and shrieks, a wave of ridicule toward the mages welled up. It was not just the man’s. All the ‘materials’ trapped in the Thorn Prison with him ridiculed the mages with every fiber of their being.
“You failed, you idiots!!”
“Kgh… Ehehe, kihihihihihik!!”
“Failures who can’t even live up to your names…!!”
“Die! Die! Die!!!”
Surrounded by blood, flesh, and the remnants of the Evil God, the mages gradually lost their minds.
“Wasn’t it you, Elder, who devised this plan in the first place?!”
“What?! Are you saying I was wrong?!”
“Yes, you were wrong! You were wrong! The world is completely ruined now!!”
“How dare you insolent fools…!!”
“We should have been begging the Main God for mercy, but you drove Him away!!”
“Come here this instant! I’ll rip your mouth apart!!”
Amidst the ridicule of the ‘materials,’ they slaughtered one another. It was only natural, as they were the only ones left in this world. It seemed all humans outside the Black Forest had long since perished.
Failures of a ruined world. Losers. Despite conducting all kinds of horrific experiments, they had only broken the world even further. Such a miserable and pathetic end suited them perfectly.
“...”
“...Ugh, argh…”
“Blegh…”
Even the few who survived the pandemonium couldn’t withstand the toxicity of the Black Forest and soon died. It was a pathetic sight, the sounds of those once-lofty mages vomiting and groveling echoing through the prison.
With all the mages dead…
“Aaaargh…! Argh, ugh, ah…”
“...Sob…”
“Cough, hack. Kehugh…!”
…only then did the ‘materials’ trapped in the Thorn Prison slowly begin to die.
“...N-next time we meet…”
“...In the embrace of God…”
Those who should have died long ago only drew their last breaths after the mages who had forcibly kept them alive were gone, their life-support devices finally growing old and breaking down. The stench of blood filled the air.
“...”
And only the man remained.
“...Why? Why?”
Please, no.
“Argh… Aaaargh…!! Aaaaaaaargh!!!”
Clatter, rattle-rattle—!!!
“Kill me, please…!!! Kill me!!! It hurts, I can’t take it!!! Please!!!!”
What on earth was the reason?
The elder mage’s words about using him, the strongest hero, as the ‘core,’ flashed through his mind. But even that thought was consumed by an immense wave of anger, despair, and fear, preventing him from thinking any further.
“Aaaargh!! Aaaaagh!! Cough, cough, kghhhhh…! Ugh…!”
He writhed in pain, screamed in terror at being left all alone, and then, exhausted, would fall into a stupor, repeating the cycle countless times. Though he had long since embraced death, the man ultimately could not die.
“...”
For a span of time that felt close to an eternity, the man was simply submerged in darkness. He was unable to think, occasionally squirming like a bug with all its limbs torn off, occasionally regaining a useless shred of sanity before sinking back into the void.
“...”
He no longer knew what he was saying, what he was thinking, or what state he was in.
One day, when boredom grew even greater than his pain and fear, he tried counting the passing of time. He stopped counting after 742 years, 9 months, 3 days, 2 hours, and 19 seconds.
“...”
Sometimes, illusions seized him. He remembered the days when he had lived like a human.
He felt a deep resentment toward the nearby ‘materials’ who had all embraced the mercy of death while he remained, and he felt a loneliness more agonizing than the pain itself. Was he truly the only one left in the world?
Was there really no one else?
Then.
“...?”
He heard something like footsteps.
“...Ah, uh, ugh...”
He heard a voice, as if coaxing and soothing someone.
Who is it?
No, it didn’t matter.
Anyone would do. A human who had survived the catastrophe, an expedition from a new era born after countless years, or even the descendants of beasts that could speak.
Please, please, just…
If only they would look at him just once.
“...”
“...My word.”
“...”
“Are you alive?”
“...Ugh...”
“How pitiful.”
As if aware of his desperately trembling breath, the voice outside the prison continued.
“Hey, calm down. I’ll get you out of there soon.”
Finally, it was the end.
* * *
“...Ah...”
It was a long time after that when the man regained what could be called his first shred of consciousness.
“Are you awake?”
“...W-who are you…?”
“Now you look a bit more human.”
“...”
His eyes… ah, his eyes.
Something appeared in his field of vision.
“...H-hug...”
“Do you need a hug? In case you think I’m an illusion?”
“Please hug me. Just once… please, please…”
“You still seem terrified. It’s all right. I am no illusion.”
It had been so long since he had seen anything that his eyes throbbed with pain. The fact that what streamed down his face were normal tears and not blood felt disgustingly unfamiliar. His breath caught, and his limbs trembled.
The entity he dared not look at approached him gently, its touch contrary to its rough, sharp voice, and embraced him. A cool body temperature. Yet, the hand patting his back was warm, and the soothing voice was gentle.
“Yes, you must have been terrified.”
“...”
A dazed feeling washed over him.
Just like that, he lost consciousness again.
* * *
After that, the man woke up and lost consciousness repeatedly, too many times to count.
Only after a long time had passed, when he could recognize that this was the 182nd time he had regained consciousness, did the man finally realize something.
During all that time, the person before him had been continuously comforting him.
“...”
“...”
“Oh, my.”
A young man with bright red hair grinned as he looked at him.
“You can see me now, can’t you?”
“...Ah...”
The man nodded, albeit clumsily.
“...H-how… how long have I…”
“It must have been quite some time.”
“...”
“Now, let’s see.”
The young man approached and held out his hand.
“May I take your hand?”
“...Yes.”
“Good, give it here.”
The body temperature, which felt quite cool, was somehow familiar to the man. No, he had grown accustomed to it. He stared blankly, unable to tell how long the young man had stayed by his side, as the young man leisurely took his hand.
Then, he gently stroked and pressed it. The man flinched slightly but soon calmed down.
“Look, this is your palm.”
“...Yes.”
“These are your fingers, and these are your fingernails. One, two, three, four, five. There are five in total.”
He continued speaking softly and slowly, as if teaching a newborn how to live.
“If you press here and let go, you see how it turns white and then red again?”
“...Yes.”
“It means blood is circulating. Can you feel your bones, nerves, and blood vessels reaching all the way to these fingertips?”
“...Yes.”
“You’re doing well. Splendid.”
The young man repeated similar actions after that.
“This is your foot. This is the sole, and these little guys are your toes. They’re much shorter than your fingers, aren’t they? That’s how they’re supposed to be, so don’t worry. Mine are the same.”
“...”
“Now, my fingertips are touching the sole of your foot. How many do you think there are?”
“...Three?”
“Mhm, good. Very well done. Does it hurt when I press here?”
“No, it just… feels refreshing.”
“How about here?”
“There too.”
“Well done. Now, take my hands. Hold on to me with this hand and the other. Then, place your feet on the ground. It will still be difficult to put strength into your legs, so don’t worry and just lean on me.”
The young man took his hands and pulled him up. As he stumbled, he naturally leaned against the young man. Though slightly smaller than him, the young man supported him firmly, like a tree rooted in the ground.
“Can you feel the cold, soft texture of the earth through the skin of your soles? Good. Now put strength into those toes. Starting from the biggest one, then the next, the next, and all the way to the last little one.”
“...”
“Splendid.”
Once that process was over and the man stood on his own, the young man took a step back.
“Good.”
“...”
“Now, can you see me?”
“...I can see you.”
It was a tall young man.
He thought it had been quite a long time since he had seen someone tall enough to nearly meet his eyes. Well, in his situation, what wasn’t a long time… but that was just how it felt.
His skin was so pale that his veins showed through, as if he had never seen the sun.
His thick, wavy hair was tied and hung long to one side, and his neck was adorned with glittering gold and jewel ornaments.
Smooth fabric wrapped gently around his body, along with thick, furry animal hide. And bare feet, just like his own. A neck draped in ornaments. Lips curved in a sharp smile. A nose. And…
“...”
…eyes like melted gold.
“...I can see you clearly.”
“Very well done!”
The young man smiled.
“Congratulations on becoming human again!”