Chapter 73
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: Does Light Have Weight?
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A jumble of emotions flickered in the bewildered eyes of the Ogre King.
Kuwoh?
The strongest by far was, of course, disbelief and doubt.
I grinned at him, a sleazy smile creeping across my face.
I wasn't in the mood to smile.
It was an involuntary, loose grin, like Ebu's.
"Night... is... falling... now. So... even... with... raw... power... I... can... give... it... a... shot. What... do... you... think?"
The Ogre King just stared at me like I was insane and didn't answer. Even his growling stopped.
I hadn't really expected a reply.
"Not sure if a beast like you even thinks at all."
Didn't really care, either.
The blood splattered on my face from his minions, the filthy fluids that had touched my tongue—they'd already shown me everything I needed to know about their kind.
To them, humans were nothing but frail, puny lumps of meat.
"They say even butchers blindfold cattle when they slaughter them. Pigs get electrocuted for a quick death. But you lot? You just had your fun."
With human screams.
With limp, bleeding chunks of flesh.
"Now it's your turn to die."
The Holy Knight's time to strike back.
Kwang—! Kaang—!
I repeatedly deflected his axe.
Each time, the Ogre King's axe either buried itself in the ground or sliced through empty air.
Kuwooooh—!
When our blades clashed, I poured every ounce of strength into the hand gripping my sword.
Kwaaang—!
The rebound force made him stagger badly.
It was huge. Overwhelming.
That was the Ogre King's presence.
Slower on his feet than the armored ogres, but his axe swings were lightning-fast.
"It's fine. I've got Blue Eye. Blue Eye... it's basically part of me now."
Even though it had turned a deep purple, Blue Eye was still doing its job perfectly.
The Ogre King's axe couldn't even graze a single hair on my head.
"And I'm a Holy Knight."
What you gain, you lose something in return.
What's the price I've paid for surviving these ferocious monsters?
'Not yet. I haven't lost anything yet.'
Thieves like filthy beggars, a spoiled demon brat, a sickly knight, a ronin plagued by evil spirits, a dragonkin with a mind as pristine as her scales, a hippo-pig. No one's missing, right?
They're all safe.
That's what matters.
'Please, let no one die.'
If something demands a sacrifice—if Toolsep asks for something—could I give it?
Like Luke did.
Could I stake my life like that damned bastard who ditched me to face the trials of saving Hellite?
'Goddamn trials.'
It's my trial, too.
That's how I've decided it.
I have to resist Toolsep.
That's Kalruk's trial.
Thinking of Ebu, Hama, and Silver Star made that idea take root.
Someday, I might have to offer myself up.
As their protector.
Could I compromise with something like Toolsep—a thing driven only by will and greed, devoid of emotion or reason?
Impossible without Silver Star.
A sudden realization hit me.
About the state of my body.
'Peak condition.'
Not my usage limit, but the absolute max my body could handle from Toolsep.
Any more, and the overflowing energy would devour me whole in one gulp.
But facing the Ogre King like this? This was my limit.
To push beyond, I needed even greater power.
'I permit it.'
I absorbed starlight through my eyes, my scalp, my pores.
The divine power depleted from suppressing Toolsep began to refill.
Strength surged.
Kwaaaang—!
My vigorous sword swing knocked the Ogre King's axe aside.
He finally staggered.
It was a first.
'The peak is the turning point.'
The scales of victory were finally tipping.
He'd pushed me to my absolute limit.
I trusted the vague inspiration that had surfaced and clung to it.
Feeling Toolsep gnawing away at me bit by bit, I rolled like a dog, thrashed like a cat, and desperately grasped that thread of insight.
The starlight I'd accepted in exchange for who-knows-how-much of my lifespan.
The inspiration that I could wield that divinity.
Time to test if it was right.
'I command thee—.'
"I command thee—"
Kuwooooh—!
The Ogre King roared.
For the first time, the beast who'd charged alone as if telling his minions to stay back was now giving them orders.
Some ogres, afflicted by Requiya's curse, were attacking the King and each other mid-charge. Even so, most obeyed and rushed me.
'Holiness within me...'
Piiiiing—.
Tinnitus.
A sharp sonic wave clawed deeper than my eardrums.
Piiiiing—.
The divinity inside me wailed like a demon.
No sound.
A storm of light raged.
The purple-tinged world bleached to white.
Luke Seid was trapped amid the demonic horde.
The bastard was always in that state, so it wasn't anything new.
Uracha—!
If he'd made a sound, it might've been a grunt like that. The guy's got grit.
Light poured from his vigorously swung greatsword.
The beam sliced through the darkness, halting at the front lines.
Malevolence roiled across the Dark Plains.
It was a battlefield ruled by shadow devouring light, yet a growing brilliance daily pushed back.
Demons lunged.
Mouths agape to swallow Luke in one bite.
Crescent blades of light flew.
The demons snapped them up—and dissolved into light particles.
They charged again and again.
All of them.
Their purpose was obvious, no explanation needed.
Crimson madness streamed from demonic eyes like arrows, aimed solely at Luke Seid.
No one turned to flee.
Sliced or severed by light, they knew only forward.
Luke's helmet twitched faintly.
Glancing at the sky, maybe.
I'm up there.
Luke Seid sheathed his greatsword behind his waist and spread his legs wide.
In an awkward stance, he planted his empty fists on his hips.
His light converged to a single point. Like a star.
A star embedded in the earth gazed up at me.
I read his will.
'I command thee—.'
No voice reached me.
'—holiness within me—.'
"I command thee—"
"holiness within me—"
A whirlwind erupted around Luke.
Fierce, yet silent.
A storm of stillness.
In an instant, a hemisphere of light engulfed Luke and the demons.
The sphere drew in darkness, swelling larger.
Like a black hole.
It had mass like a colossus, form sharp and defined.
Its size knew no bounds.
The dome shredded and devoured every demon and shadow in reach.
Growing all the while.
Finally, the massive dome detonated.
Piiiiing—.
The light wailed.
'You're copying me. Chasing the stars. Luke's the wanderer, I'm the wanderer's star. Mad Star.'
Luke was my star, and I was his.
Luke collapsed to one knee, exhausted.
His radiant armor heaved dramatically.
Catching his breath, it seemed.
But Luke couldn't rest.
The dark waves, burned away and repelled, surged back.
Summoning his greatsword anew, Luke looked to the stars.
A grin flashed inside his helmet.
I blinked, returning to reality.
My vision slowly recovered.
The purple world had returned to normal.
My mind was calm.
'The divine explosion shoved Toolsep back.'
Inspiration confirmed.
Sometimes I wondered.
Does light have weight?
Is it just heat?
What sacrifices fear before the flames.
Light comes first.
Before unblinking eyes, life bows as offering.
It dares not face the blaze and squeezes its eyes shut.
Too late—even closed, the retinas burn.
Only awe remains.
The optic nerve's agony fades before the heat registers.
Even firefighters in suits and shields feel it.
What about monsters?
Do beasts become children before pain?
The greatest of ogres, freakishly huge and strong, hurled his axe aside.
It clattered ridiculously away.
Guoooooh—!
The Ogre King rubbed his eyes with rock-like fists.
Back to the first question.
Does light have weight?
Yes.
The Ogre King seemed to know the answer.
Should I ask?
How heavy is light?
Does it hurt when it hits?
Kurururu...
The Ogre King swallowed his pain with a bloody gurgle.
Blood streamed from his nose and ears.
He coughed violently, spewing more.
'Divine Burst. Full power.'
The technique Steron used to knock out Requiya and the rest.
I'd unleashed the divine power from starlight all at once.
Toolsep, poised to devour me, synergized with it instead.
Far stronger than anything I could've mustered alone.
'And it calmed Toolsep down, too. Looks like blind hunches don't exist.'
I stood at the center of a massive crater.
A towering white mushroom cloud scattered sparkles as it dispersed.
'Just like an atomic bomb footage.'
Bushes flattened across dozens of meters slowly rose. Light flecks clung to every leaf like glitter, defying the sunset.
Ogres embedded in the walls up to the ramparts twitched.
None dead.
'Too bad.'
Instant death would've spared them suffering.
No personal grudge.
Even enemies—I don't wish that kind of torment on anyone.
I'm not that twisted.
They couldn't even scream, flesh torn, guts twisted in agony.
I'd ease it if I could, but I'm tapped out.
'Can barely stand. Luke collapsed after his full-power burst, too.'
The ramparts were silent.
The thieves had turned away, arrows nocked, eyes squeezed shut.
Holy Knights stood like statues. Only their helmeted eyes darted frantically, unable to believe what I'd done.
The demon wore an expression—was it crying or laughing? Hard to tell with the double nosebleed.
The sickly knight lowered his shielding arm and met my gaze. Tears welled in his eyes, curving into crescents.
Don't smile, man. You're growing on me.
The knife guy laughed heartily, like a department head whose son aced into a top college. His shirt was gone, ripped-away muscles bare. He'd been close enough to catch the storm's edge.
'Not bad. This is fine.'
Oh, can't forget the rest.
"Fuck yeah! Killed 'em! Ebu did it—!"
Ebu was hopping mad before the gates, forgetting he was in his underwear. Someone mosaic his ass.
Kuuuuwuu—!
"Yeah! Hama killed one too—!"
Victory-drunk thrashing after finally slaying the frozen armored ogre.
The armored ogre had vanished without a trace.
Too far for the divine burst to reach.
Devoured by holy power, as expected.
'Everyone's safe.'
Kur—.
The Ogre King glared at me through tear-streaked blood.
Congealed crimson dripped heavily from his fangs.
I spat indifferently at him.
"If you wanna live, I'll let you go."
Please take the offer.
Not sending you back 'cause you're cute.
Not betting you won't return soon, either.
I'm exhausted.
Pulling out more Toolsep would shatter my body.
Still, can't show weakness before an enemy.
I'm Holy Knight Kalruk.
Kurururu—.
The Ogre King growled. A wolf that had forgotten speech, face twisted in rage and resentment.
"Boss to boss here. You've paid a heavy price, so I'm giving you a shot."
Is he thinking it over?
The Ogre King rolled his eyes.
"For all the humans you've butchered, I should lop your heads off and hang 'em from the gates right now."
Whoops. Too arrogant.
The Ogre King's face twisted viciously.
Already ugly, but worse.
"End... now."
He trudged forward and scooped up his axe.
"Yeah. Knew you'd say that. Gotta be the boss."
Sigh, this damn mouth of mine.
Ah, gotta pee.