Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Old Tales - 1
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A screen appears.
But this isn't the Eye of Omniscience for peering into secrets.
It's merely preparation for the linked technique Trail and I share: "Bind and Slash."
Time stops.
Kaild is frozen in a look of shock, knees bent as he tries to put as much distance between us as possible.
*Phew. Alright, let's give it a shot.*
[Think you can pull it off in your current condition?]
*If I grit my teeth, I'll manage somehow.*
I approach Kaild slowly.
Even Idria can't resist in this world where time has stopped.
That's why, last time, she had no choice but to meekly offer me her wrist.
A half-baked fake hero who never became the real deal has no way out.
"Graaaah."
Truth be told, I'm not in great shape myself.
Moving alone within absolute time exacts a heavy toll.
It feels like every bone in my body is shattering.
Blood streams from my eyes, my organs churn violently.
[A little further. You're almost there.]
*Cough. Yeah.*
And at last—
I stand before Kaild.
"Kaild Wake."
Foolish fake hero.
Why chase such pipe dreams?
Why kill the true hero and do the bidding of a false demon king?
If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be going through all this trouble.
......But.
"I'll give thanks for one thing."
It was because of your nonsense that I met Trail.
And by returning to the past, I learned the hidden struggles of my comrades—things I never knew before regression.
I felt the bonds we share.
I got to spend some truly enjoyable times with them.
"As a token of my gratitude, I'll allow you to be the first to break my no-kill record."
*Whoosh.*
I swing my sword with every ounce of strength I have left.
With time frozen, nothing changes for Kaild.
But I know.
Right now, I have "killed" Kaild.
[Is it over?]
*Yeah. You can cancel the Eye of Omniscience now.*
[Got it. You look like you're about to drop dead.]
*Click.*
The screen vanishes, and time resumes its flow.
Right before my eyes, Kaild mutters,
"What... what the hell was that just now?"
"Farewell, fake hero."
"You bastard—"
You bastard.
Those were Kaild's dying words.
*Splash!*
His head hits the floor, and blood erupts like a fountain from the stump of his neck.
I stare at it all in a daze, as if lost in a dream...
*Thud.*
And collapse backward.
[Hey! Don't pass out. You'll die if you sleep now.]
*It's okay. My comrades will come save me soon.*
Maybe I'll just close my eyes for a bit.
I'm so exhausted.
Trail gazes down at the unconscious Maide with pity in his voice.
[You've been through hell. Your party better hurry up.]
That's when it happens.
*Riiiip.*
The sound of space tearing apart.
Rather than panic or startle, Trail simply frowns.
Knew you'd show up eventually.
The rift widens, and Idria emerges with her hollow eyes.
"......"
[......]
They say nothing for a long moment.
Idria breaks the silence first.
"Long time no see?"
[......]
"Oh, come on. Don't play dumb. I know we can talk through your soul."
Idria's tone is utterly different from how she speaks to other humans—even heroes like Repia.
It's warm and familiar, like chatting with an old friend.
Trail responds with a sigh.
[Yeah, long time no see. Not that I'm thrilled about it.]
"Ditto. I can tell just by looking, right?"
Idria points at herself with a finger.
*Crack. Drip.*
Cracks spiderweb across her skin, and something black and viscous begins oozing out.
Her face, neck, arms, legs.
Soon, black blood leaks from all over her body.
Trail says,
[Knew you'd wind up like that. So why show yourself?]
"Just in case. Figured after all these years, I might've built up some resistance."
[Fair enough. Back in the day, you'd have turned to black ash the instant we met.]
"It's the same now. If I so much as point at Maide, he'd crumble to dust. I was hoping otherwise, but I can't kill him with you watching."
Her lips twitch.
"It's so unfair. You're just too strong, Bion Kunze."
[Maybe so.]
"Other heroes claw their way to victory in desperate battles against demon kings. Why do I have to end up like this just from meeting you?"
[Because I'm a very special hero. Just as you're a very special demon king.]
Idria giggles.
"What was that? Self-praise? We're both special, sure—but you're saying you're a bit more special?"
[You're going to lose. It's decided.]
"......"
[It's decided.]
*Sizzle.*
Her hair stands on end.
Trail smirks.
[Bad static.]
"Don't insult me any further."
[Be honest—you'd have to put up with far worse. You pulled a cheap stunt, after all.]
"Using this guy to kill you, you mean."
Idria nudges Kaild's headless corpse with her toe.
She looks at it like a filthy insect.
"Had no choice. Like you said, you're too special, so I needed another way. And this one's pretty unique himself."
[Can't argue—he did kill me, after all. Not your average pawn. Nice card you played.]
"What I'm saying is—you got Maide too."
[Maide isn't my card. He's more like...]
Trail swallows the word "comrade."
Idria presses on, uncurious about the rest.
"Maide's got skills, sure, but he always seems one step ahead. How does he do it?"
Trail doesn't answer that it's because he rewound time using my power.
The power to command time.
And the Eye of Omniscience.
These are Bion Kunze's trump cards against Idria.
No reason to reveal them to his arch-nemesis.
*Well, Idria might figure it out on her own someday.*
No need to look far—Maide's "Bind and Slash" clearly draws on time manipulation.
If he keeps using it, she'll catch on eventually.
But until then, better keep quiet.
Trail shrugs.
[Who knows. He's special too, I guess.]
"That's no explanation. Want to make a bet?"
[......?]
"That guy's no human, guaranteed."
Trail bursts out laughing.
[Could be.]
"Could be? You cool lending your power to some unknown entity?"
[If it means killing you, I'd team up with far worse.]
"You really hate me, huh."
[After tormenting me for eons, how could I not? Bet it's mutual.]
"Hmm. Half and half. The other half still hopes you'll understand me."
Black blood streams down as she makes a pleading face.
"It's not like I chose to be born this way. I just was—a demon king. So why do I have to die by your hand, over and over?"
[That's how it's decided.]
"I want to live."
[Can't allow it.]
"You're so heartless."
She giggles and snaps her fingers.
*Whoosh.*
Kaild's head and torso float up into the air.
Trail calls out sharply.
[What do you think you're doing?]
"Don't interfere. Not that you could anyway."
[......]
"A bodiless soul like you can't touch the world. Best you can do is glare and make me bleed."
[You...]
"You should've gone quietly to the afterlife. No need clinging to Maide."
*Riiiip.*
Idria tears open space.
Trail shouts urgently.
[Don't do something pointless! That guy's already dead!]
"His soul hasn't crossed the Redbi River yet. And even if it had, I could drag it back."
[Stop.]
"This one's still useful. I'm planning a second round with him. Time for me to get more involved."
[That's uncharacteristically stupid of you. Kaild's reputation will tank after this. Maide will spread word of his crimes far and wide!]
Idria smiles brightly.
"I know that much. I've got plans—don't worry."
[This isn't out of worry.]
"Bion, I'll win no matter what. I'll flood the world with lies."
[The world's already swimming in them.]
"And you know that."
Her voice grows icy.
"I'll craft the perfect lie—one without a shred of truth."
[......]
"Farewell, oldest hero."
Trail takes a light, deep breath.
Bodiless as he is, he has no way to stop Idria.
He grinds his teeth and says,
[Maide will come for you soon. Oldest demon king.]
Idria vanishes into the rift without a word.
Left alone, Trail sinks into silent thought.
The demon king of lies and deceit, Idria. The oldest demon king.
When the world brims with certain energies, a corresponding demon king descends.
Destruction, greed, corruption, withering—like that.
But what of lies? What of deceit?
[Kukuku.]
They've existed since the dawn of time.
Humans lie without being taught.
Just as children lie instinctively without instruction, even when human civilization was in its infancy, lies overflowed.
Thus, it was only natural—in the ancient eras before history's records—that demon king Idria descended.
And just as natural.
Hero Bion Kunze appeared.
But their battle left no records.
Bion quietly eliminated Idria without gathering a party or tackling quests.
He had no need for fanfare.
No need to build fame.
That was the divine design for slaying the unprecedented demon king Idria.
[A hero needing no fame.]
Bion was a hero from birth.
Paradoxically, that's precisely why Bion Kunze's name appears in no history books.
He was a hero acknowledged by the gods—not by humans.
[But even after I killed Idria, the world soon filled with lies again.]
Bion Kunze descended once more to slay the revived Idria.
Lies proliferated anew, and Idria reemerged.
Bion appeared and struck her down.
Lies overflowed, Idria descended. Bion Kunze appeared. Idria slain.
*Just how many times has this repeated?*
Trail stops counting as dizziness overwhelms him.
That's when—
"Over there!"
Voices of Maide's party members.
"Bro!"
"He's not dead. Still breathing."
"Oh heavenly god, here your..."
"Hey! You pray too. Unless you wanna die."
"No need to kick my ass over it."
Some great comrades, huh.
Trail smirks.
He murmurs to the unconscious Maide.
[Lately, watching you makes me think I should've gathered some comrades myself.]
And Maide replies.
*You already did, dummy.*
I was dreaming.
In the dream, I was out on a village excursion with my parents.
Dad holds my right hand, Mom my left.
I consciously avoid looking to the left.
"Dad, why'd we come out today?"
"Haha, what're you saying? It's your mom's birthday."
"......"
"Let's eat something tasty and head home. Sound good?"
It doesn't.
I don't think Mom deserves that kind of treatment.
So I desperately try to tell Dad the truth.
"Dad. Mom is..."
"Yeah?"
"Mom... Huh?"
That instant.
Blood Letters appear above Dad's head!
I first started seeing Blood Letters at age seven.
Dad died before that.
So why are there Blood Letters over Dad's head?
It reads:
-Sinned against Dian Mohan and 5 others.
Dian Mohan.
That's Mom's name!
Why? Don't do this.
Don't show me something like this.
That's when.
[You must learn of even more sins.]
*Wh-who's there?*
[Killing Kaild wasn't the end—it only fueled Idria's ambitions. Prepare for the second round.]
*Trail? No, you're not. Who the hell are you?*
[Correct. I'm not Trail. Thus, not Bion Kunze.]
The voice continues.
[Shall I let you hear their conversation?]
I don't reply, but soon my hearing opens up.
Trail's voice and Idria's alternate in my ears.
I come to understand their relationship—and how long they've been at war.
*The oldest demon king. The oldest hero.*
My body suddenly trembles.
I grit my teeth.
The voice speaks again.
[Killing Kaild was unavoidable, but still reckless.]
*What?*
[Your no-kill rule must not be broken. Fortunately, Kaild's soul hasn't crossed the Redbi River. Looks like Idria plans to revive him. Since it hasn't entered the afterlife, no issue there.]
*......*
[Preserve your no-kill as much as possible. It's for the good of us all.]
It keeps talking.
[To use your term, I've slightly enhanced your "Blood Letters" ability.]
*Hey! Who are you? Didn't you hear me?*
[Uncover more of the world's secrets. Someday, you might reach me.]
I was already unconscious, but it felt like I plunged even deeper into the abyss.
No—less plunging, more like sustaining further injury?
Control returns to my body bit by bit, starting from my fingertips.
I crack my eyes open just as Idria has vanished.
Party members' footsteps approach from afar.
That's when Trail says,
[Lately, watching you makes me think I should've gathered some comrades myself.]
I reply,
*You already did, dummy.*
[Wh-what? You heard that?]
I smirk.
*Every word.*