Chapter 62
Chapter 62
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Toward Godel
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In a deep spot within the forest, the well containing Neshef's memories.
"Iven, the time has come for you to see the truth."
Iveldra sat elegantly, like a mother cradling a saint, and spoke to Iven.
"You couldn't overcome the backlash of lowering your horns, and the witch and the king of the dream demons already know this and are prepared. They'll steer the story toward their own will until you return, and I'll help you recover here."
Iveldra slowly lifted the sleeping Demon King's body with that mysterious magic and submerged it into the well blacker than black. The memories, sticky like oil, rippled faintly, and Iven was sucked into them.
"The kin of sin have awakened, Iven. Hurry and find one of them, then come back."
Iveldra sensed the kin of sin that had appeared across the continent. She realized that each one had awakened at the place where they themselves had died, but only one had yet to find its place.
To find that one, she prepared to head north of Gehenna. Toward the land of frozen, cursed immortals. For if that lost kin of sin returned, Iven would awaken.
"Without them, you won't regain the power the previous great Demon King had, and you won't have the strength to face the Hero ahead. So you must hurry and find all the awakened kin of sin and devour them once more."
Iveldra resolved to move so that the vanished Iven could accept Neshef's memories here and awaken anew.
"El Neshef, please watch over your agent and mine with mercy."
With that, Iveldra cloaked herself once more in the darkness.
***
The Hoshekhhatar cockpit, heading toward the deep abyss.
"Tell us the situation."
At Bulki's words, Captain Dayagnel spoke while smoking a cigarette thick with the scent of the sea.
"There have been five battles over the past week, and only two involved horrors appearing. The deeper we go following the Great Sea's Mir, the fewer monsters we see-not even a single fish. From the current situation, it seems we're truly trapped in the real deep sea."
"Indeed, Hero. Actually, on the first day, when Yam stopped the shield's omen as you mentioned, the pressure inside the ship had already risen to a level it could barely withstand."
"So it was the true deep sea, unreachable without a Mir."
"That's right, beautiful Shainelius!"
"You really can't hold back even here."
The Hero's party chimed in at the captain's words. A week had passed since the Great Sea's Mir, Yam, had said it would take them to the bottom of the abyss to reach Or's corpse. In other words, they had been sinking endlessly downward toward the center of this world, without light or end.
Bulki had shaken off his anxiety through his conversation with Yam, but he was still closely monitoring the current situation of the Hoshekhhatar.
Because only then could he turn their anxiety into hope.
"So, if Yam stops protecting us, we all die?"
At that moment, Captain Dayagnel's son, Dapbaganel, asked in fear. Bulki answered.
"Don't worry. Yam is leading us. Even if we stay in this deep sea for days, the horrors don't approach because Yam is protecting us."
"But our food supplies are now..."
Bulki wavered at the continued worries but still smiled, turned to the cross spear, and spoke to Yam.
"Yam! I assume you heard all that. We trust you, but if it's not rude, could we ask how much further we have to go?"
Beyond the cross spear, the massive Mir radiating blue light shot out bubbles wildly, as if laughing, and spoke to everyone through vibrations.
『It'seems everyone is growing more worried because I'm too slow.』
"We're not mocking the Great Sea's Mir. It's just that everyone feels the food dwindling."
The Great Sea's Mir Yam was quite pleased with Bulki's actions. The Hero was speaking directly to it on behalf of the group that had followed him here, trying to reassure them through its own voice.
Understanding the Hero's intent fully, Yam blew more bubbles and replied.
『We've almost reached the bottom of the world. Once we pass this point, everything will reverse, so from now on, I'll take you all inside me to endure that power.』
With that, Yam turned, opened its massive mouth wide, and swallowed the Hoshekhhatar in one gulp. But since it had no physical body, no shock hit the ship, and they simply gazed at the deepest part of the sea through Yam's transparent skin.
『Now, we'll cross the boundary.』
Suddenly, Yam, having swallowed the ship, plummeted toward the bottom at tremendous speed. The unshakable deep sea distorted all the darkness visible through the cross spear under some pressure, which everyone confirmed with their own eyes.
Bulki recalled a memory from the past. It was just like when Cheret, carrying him during the third demon invasion, distorted the light as it ran.
"Everyone, brace for impact!"
At Bulki's shout, they all grabbed nearby objects to steady themselves. Then, the black bottom reflecting Yam's light finally revealed itself, and anyone could easily predict that colliding with it would kill them all.
"El Miplas, save us!"
Dapbaganel screamed almost like crying now.
"Yam! Lead us!"
At the same moment as Bulki's shout, just as Yam's head touched the bottom.
Pfuuuh.
"Huh?"
What in the world was this? They had clearly hit the bottom, but in that instant, gravity reversed, the bottom became pierceable like a water surface, and Yam, leaping through the boundary into the air, was flying through the sky.
"This is..."
Everyone lost their words at the sight of clouds glowing without a sun.
"Are we... dead?"
Dapbaganel couldn't believe the scene before him. No, how could a child who had never seen the sky above comprehend this reversed world at once?
The sparkling clouds, the clear blue sky, this mystical wonder utterly different from places shielded by the sun.
At that moment, Yam spoke to everyone.
『This is the world upholding the world, where Or's corpse lies. Do you see his dead flesh far in the distance?』
What appeared before the party was a form resembling a human, colossal beyond a single glance, the size of a continent. The pure white divine body with wing-like horns on its head was transparent like clouds, appearing light as well.
The Hero gazed upon the origin of his power.
"El Or..."
Thus, the Hero reached the destination of his adventure.
***
And so, the Demon King collapsed from the backlash of lowering his horns with the flames of sin, and accordingly, the kin of sin that awakened began appearing in various places around the world. But the Hero had already gone to the reversed world and didn't notice, learning of this fact only after finishing training with those he met at Or's corpse.
But on the sidelines of all this story, there were two knights silently crossing the desert.
"Bison, is it just straight along this path?"
"What paths are there in a desert? We just go."
They were the beastman knight Bison, whom the Hero had parted with just before boarding the Hoshekhhatar, and Gil, a senior knight of the 2nd Knight Order.
I, the witch, know that their story must be properly concluded at this point before moving on.
Their role in the tale was far from minor, for they were the first to witness the Demon King falling and the backlash of sin manifesting in the world.
They were essential to bring all the stories together at the right time.
"They said to just follow the paths moved by the sand birds Joins that live in the desert, but those flat-lying birds haven't budged all morning."
"Have a little more patience. That's how deserts are. In a world shielded from the sun, the most dangerous thing is going against the wind. If the sand rises and scatters the path, it's over. We have no choice but to trust those birds. Besides, don't they look kind of cute like that?"
"Cute my foot! It's just hot and annoying!"
Gil spoke while adjusting the robe draped over his armor to block the sandstorm. He opened his canteen, drank some water, and immediately offered it to Bison, who refused.
"You'll get thirsty if you don't drink."
"I'm fine. After drawing this sword called whatever, my body shrank, so I don't really need it."
"I see. By the way, have you manifested yours?"
"Manifested?"
Bison asked back as if it were the first time he'd heard it.
"I thought the 3rd Knight Order explained it. I'mean, has the name of your sword come to mind?"
"Oh, that?"
Bison pulled out his spear-like sword and continued explaining.
"I heard all beastman knights have already done what's called manifestation. As soon as I drew this Navatgahar, the Enduring Sawblade, my form became similar to humans."
"The Enduring Sawblade, huh. Maybe that's why you're enduring this thirst."
Bison planted his spear again and stood.
"The birds are moving. Let's go again. At this rate, it'll take a week. Straight to that Godel."
Godel. The majestic city reached after a week along the desert path connected to Helred. Thought of as an independent continent due to the desert, but actually a place where humans and beastmen live, just without communication. Gil stood following Bison and asked again.
"Come to think of it, have you been to Godel?"
"All beastmen from the Barad Great Plateau have been there at least once. Of course, it's not as civilized as you knights might think."
"Not civilized?"
Bison draped his robe again and answered.
"It's not a city. It's a kind of seal that spews resources and energy. And the one guarding it... or rather, haven't you ever wondered why the Empire doesn't deal with Godel?"
Bison pointed far away with his spear.
"One week. In one week, we can reach the place where Agagthur, the Mir of blazing evolution, is sealed. Let's go."
The two set off once more toward Godel, the final refuge of those exiled for not believing in the gods.