Chapter 118
Chapter 118
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 118
Chapter Title: The Apostate's Memory
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Thud.
Screeech.
Do-jae braced his legs and landed on the ground.
Like a long jumper tracing a gentle arc to a stable landing, Do-jae slid smoothly to a halt.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes…"
Eun-hee, still in Do-jae's arms, blushed.
It was partly due to the close contact with Do-jae, but also from the embarrassment of admonishing herself for recklessly climbing onto the dragon only to fall off so futilely.
"I'm sorry. It took a while to break free from the dragon's binding."
Do-jae, along with Gwak Ji-hyeok and Bang Han-soo, had been ensnared by the dragon's binding magic, their movements restricted.
Kim Se-hoon, true to his title 'Void,' had avoided the binding, but he struggled to single-handedly protect the others from the flood of monsters.
The binding spell, cast with draconic words, was on a different level than ordinary magic. A simple Dispel Magic couldn't break it; they had to overpower it with Do-jae's mana.
The process took some time. Ten minutes had passed since the dragon left the sinkhole before they could finally escape.
"No, it's not your fault…! But Mr. Do-jae, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"
"Yes, I'm fine. More importantly… this is horrific…"
Do-jae set Eun-hee down and surveyed the area.
Outside the sinkhole, a tragedy was unfolding at the dragon's hands.
"Um… just so you know, your guild members are okay. Fortunately, they were a little farther away."
"Is that so? Phew… so they're here, then. We need to hunt this dragon before it causes any more damage."
"Yes…"
Eun-hee's voice trailed off.
There was something she couldn't bring herself to say.
About the Chilgok Unit.
She couldn't possibly tell him that she had seen familiar faces among the hundreds of bodies littering the ground.
"Ms. Eun-hee, please get to safety. If you can, tell the others to evacuate as well. We'll handle this."
Do-jae patted Eun-hee's head and gave her a bright smile.
It was a gesture meant to tell her to trust him.
"Yes…! I understand!"
Eun-hee started running toward the headquarters.
Do-jae turned his gaze back to the dragon.
A woman on a wyvern was confronting the dragon.
And from the sinkhole, Gwak Ji-hyeok flew out, carrying Kim Se-hoon and Bang Han-soo.
Vwoom.
Do-jae opened his subspace.
From the tear in space, dark, shimmering chunks of stone poured out.
Something he had been saving for this very moment.
They rolled quickly to Do-jae's feet, melted like liquid, and flowed up his legs.
The mythical metal, Orichalcum, now usable thanks to the Blood Armor of the Golem and his increased stats.
Drrrk.
The Orichalcum Golem Armor rose to his head, forming a helmet that covered his face.
Unlike the crude Stone Golem Armor, a sleek Orichalcum Golem Armor was now complete.
Flash.
The backs of his hands and feet, along with his two eyes, glowed brightly as Do-jae began to charge toward the dragon!
***
"Cold Tornado!"
A powerful whirlwind mixed with ice crystals rushed toward the dragon.
The dragon faltered for a moment but then dispelled the whirlwind with a flap of its wings.
Its wings, abnormally small for its size, were not of much help in flying; it was mana that kept the dragon afloat.
Therefore, Gwak Ji-hyeok had no intention of trying to bring the dragon down from the sky.
A fleeting moment.
That was all the time they needed to buy.
"Fall already…"
In that brief instant the dragon was halted by Gwak Ji-hyeok's magic, Kwon Ran-hee used her skill.
Thump.
Something pressed down on the dragon's head.
It tried to fly higher to resist, but having taken a direct hit from the skill, the dragon gradually descended.
Kwon Ran-hee's skill was Gravity Manipulation.
The pressing force was none other than gravity itself.
CRASH!
Landing with a cloud of dust, the dragon sank slightly into the ground before stopping and slowly raising its head.
Kuuuooooo!
Its roar shook the very earth, and at the same time, Kwon Ran-hee collapsed to her knees, blood streaming from her nose.
The gravity pressing down on the dragon vanished.
But Kwon Ran-hee had done her part.
The moment it hit the ground, Do-jae's golems could swarm it.
Clank- Clank-!
Led by four black golems, a hundred golems climbed onto the dragon.
The hundred golems lacked the attack power to pierce its scales, but the Attack Golem was different.
Pshuk!
Using the Blood Armor of the Golem skill, the Attack Golem's arm, shaped like a sword, carved a deep wound into the dragon's leg.
"Kuooo!"
The dragon roared in irritation, kicking at the golems.
But even when knocked away, the hundred golems quickly filled the gaps, hindering the dragon's movements.
"Lee Do-jae!"
Kim Se-hoon called out to Do-jae.
Do-jae leaped with Kim Se-hoon, landing on the dragon's back.
Then, each taking one wing, they swung their swords.
Shhhk!
Kim Se-hoon's two-handed sword and Do-jae's Black Scale tore through the thin membranes of the dragon's wings.
The red blood that flowed from the wounds evaporated into mana upon contact with the air.
Vrrr.
The Black Scale absorbed the dissipating mana.
Feeling the Black Scale's attack power increase, Do-jae continued to run along the dragon's back.
Fwoooosh!
A mana pulse erupted from the dragon's entire body.
Swept away by the pulse, the golems were thrown back.
Do-jae was nearly knocked off as well, but Kim Se-hoon, unaffected, reached out and grabbed him.
"Thanks."
Do-jae plunged the Black Scale into the dragon's broad back to withstand the pulse.
Vwoooom!
But with the nuisances shaken off, the dragon reared up and began to ascend into the sky.
This time, it was Kim Se-hoon who slipped and fell.
"Here!"
As he fell, Kim Se-hoon threw his two-handed sword, lodging it next to Do-jae.
His massive sword, embedded horizontally, became a perfect foothold. Do-jae stepped onto it.
Thump!
Using the rebound, Do-jae jumped.
He landed right on the dragon's head.
Then, to keep from falling, he grabbed the dragon's horns.
Orichalcum extended from his palms, forming rings that wrapped around the horns, securing him firmly.
"Stay still!"
Do-jae placed his hands on the dragon's head.
His goal was to somehow erase the aura of Gellahan, which he felt more strongly than anything else.
Kuuuooooo!
As he pushed the Nerves of the Golem into it, the dragon shrieked.
The sound was enough to make even Do-jae wince, and most of the hunters below fainted and collapsed.
But Do-jae didn't stop, churning the inside of the dragon's body with the Nerves of the Golem.
From its head to its neck.
From its neck to its chest.
And then he found it.
An immense concentration of Gellahan's mana, unlike anything Do-jae had ever felt.
"Haaaargh!"
He began to absorb Gellahan's mana through the connection of the Nerves of the Golem.
The eyes of his Golem Armor.
The jade-colored glow of his eyes began to turn black.
He stripped away Gellahan's mana, absorbing, merging, and breaking it down.
"K-huk!"
As he surpassed his limits, pain set in.
His own mana was being corroded by Gellahan's.
- Stop! You will not be able to withstand it!
- This is your limit! Any further and you will no longer be yourself!
Elatra and Altein tried to stop Do-jae.
But Do-jae did not stop.
Because Haydn had said this:
- Adversary. I shall attune your causality. Continue.
Elatra and Altein were shocked by Haydn's words.
- Attuning causality! Are you saying you would forsake your own causality for Gellahan's sake?
- Haydn, you mustn't. It would be better to let more humans be sacrificed than for you to do that!
But Haydn remained silent.
Even as his consciousness faded, Do-jae trusted Haydn and continued to absorb Gellahan's mana.
"Kuuoooo…"
The dragon's movements gradually subsided, and it hung motionless in the sky.
Seizing the opportunity, Gwak Ji-hyeok and Kwon Ran-hee attacked with their skills, but a black mist emanating from Do-jae nullified their attacks.
"The Black Cloud!"
"It's the Black Cloud!"
A black cloud that covered the sky.
The dragon's massive form slowly vanished into the cloud.
***
- Welcome, child.
A feeling of complete liberation, where nothing could be felt.
Having experienced this once before, Do-jae realized he was in a memory of the past.
'Gellahan…'
Gellahan was looking at Do-jae with a relaxed posture.
Unlike last time, the other Ascetics were nowhere to be seen. Only Gellahan was there, leaning against a sunlit window.
- Come here, child…
Gellahan beckoned to Do-jae with a wave of his small hand.
But Do-jae did not move from his spot.
He still didn't sense the aura of an apostate, just like before, but unlike then, he now knew about himself.
- Do not worry… I have not yet moved any fate…
'Huh?'
Do-jae had no intention of moving, but his body moved toward the window on its own.
- What do you think…? Does it look peaceful to you…?
Outside the window, dozens of species of monsters were playing in a beautiful garden.
They weren't fighting, but mingled together, resting or enjoying the sunlight.
There were humans among them, one even sleeping soundly, leaning against a Grade 1 monster, a Balrog.
'…It's peaceful.'
It was an utterly unbelievable sight, but it truly looked peaceful.
Monsters don't just fight humans.
He'd seen it in the specialized subjugation missions; monsters of different species fought endlessly among themselves.
But seeing them gathered like this without bloodshed, Do-jae thought that this must have been what the Ascetics had wished for.
- Is that so…? I think so too…
Gellahan straightened up from his leaning position and placed a hand on the window.
Gellahan watched the scene outside for a moment.
Then, suddenly, the monsters began to fight each other.
Pshuk!
Shk!
The monsters fought fiercely, as if they were mortal enemies.
They bit with their teeth, gored with their horns, and unleashed barrages of magic.
The peaceful garden instantly descended into chaos, becoming a pandemonium.
- Then how about this…? Does it look peaceful?
The weaker species fell without a chance to resist, while the stronger ones killed other monsters and moved on to new fights.
Amidst it all, the utterly ordinary human was the first to become a corpse.
'What is your intention, Gellahan… Why are you doing this?'
Do-jae asked, his voice trembling.
The mockery in Gellahan's voice had gotten on his nerves.
- Intention…? This is also peace… child. You do not know what peace is…
'You're insane…'
Do-jae was dumbfounded by Gellahan's words.
It was Gellahan, not him, who didn't know peace.
He couldn't understand what Gellahan was trying to show him by continuing this.
- Child… they know nothing… In the end, they will never know… What they think is everything is a lie. A phantasm riddled with falsehoods… Everything is in this one finger. Ah… Haydn, it has been a while…
Muttering inscrutable words, Gellahan looked past Do-jae and greeted someone warmly.
- Adversary, it is time to return.
Haydn grabbed Do-jae.
He had no physical body to be grabbed, but that's what it felt like to Do-jae.
And he was pulled away somewhere with a sudden jerk.
Do-jae vanished from the past memory, leaving only Gellahan and Haydn.
- Haydn, I will say it again, I have not yet touched any fate…
- I know. But causality has been twisted. And it cannot be changed.
Haydn's form began to fade.
Gellahan looked at Haydn with a somehow sorrowful expression and spoke.
- Goodbye, Haydn…
- Gellahan. We shall judge your transgressions…
With those final words, Haydn vanished completely, leaving only Gellahan to gaze out the window.
And slowly, the memory of the past returned to the past.