A Plan Until It Bursts (2)
Desire has a natural tendency to reach upward rather than downward. It was therefore perhaps only natural that the Heavens were overflowing with thieves. At least, that was how it looked from the perspective of a certain dragon whose freedom had been stolen.
The dragon began with the greatest thief among them.
I curse your god, Uranon.
The dragon known as the Shaking Spear snarled, its dark crimson scales trembling. It was tightly bound inside a spherical structure formed from hundreds of interlocking lines.
It was a truly pitiful sight. A race that would rank among the five most powerful instruments of violence in existence, reduced to nothing more than spitting curses because it could resist with nothing else.
I curse the Eleim, those foolish playthings of the Celestial God.
Giant gears rolled with a deep, rumbling sound like an old man’s spine. As the structure resembling an astronomical instrument rotated, the accumulated snow scattered across the mountainside, creating rainbows. The entire snow-covered mountain range shook as if enraged by the violent vibration. That was why it bore the names Winter’s Spear and Shaking Spear.
At the northernmost edge of the Heavens, atop the highest peak, the device that had claimed the entire upper portion of the mountain was in no way small compared to the peak itself. It looked like an oversized chess pawn devouring a dragon whole. The dragon, pinned like a specimen on a game board, roared once more.
I curse you lunatics who carry the name of Ingr!
Inside the massive steel sphere, countless delicate mechanisms moved with precision. Structures resembling anvils, hammers, and awls began to squeeze the dragon’s body and pierce its organs. The eye-rolling stimulation forced the dragon to spew terrifying flames. A physiological reflex that threatened someone’s death. The only thing this colossal dragon could do with its own power was struggle not to yield to the torture.
I will kill you. I will kill every last one of you! Even if I die ten thousand times, I will rise once more after the ten-thousandth death and hunt you down! I will burn away the very existence of you Heavenly spawn and the Ingr clan from this world! From your thousand-year-old hides to the babbling infants! I will leave not a single scrap of your filthy traces—!
It was impossible. Trapped in a device personally designed by the Celestial God in ancient times, the dragon could not even flee, let alone take revenge. An enemy that cannot move is not an object of fear. Therefore, to the Eleim in the control room, this indescribable monster was nothing more than a quiver that spat out slightly oversized arrows. No archer fears being devoured whole by his own quiver.
The Eleim technicians operated the hydraulic devices with indifference.
“Time until detonation.”
The control room’s instrument panel shuddered. The circular structure bit down and squeezed the dragon once more. Blood welled up from the dragon’s eyes like a spring under the mounting pressure. The Eleim watching through the window could not hide the flicker of triumphant satisfaction on their faces. The pleasure of controlling such a colossal being. Thanks to it, they could forget their anxiety for a brief moment. The unease that this act might bring countless deaths and spark a great conflict in the Heavens.
It probably wouldn’t take long for the dragon’s endurance to reach its limit.
“Three minutes remaining.”
“The Gladiator Fight is a law established by the Celestial God, so even the Winter King can no longer nitpick us on the same charges.”
“No longer able to charge us? There are plenty of ways to kill someone without using the Arena of Punishment. If I had taken in Nathan Maia, maybe, but do you really think the Winter King would let a little bean like you live?”
“You were planning to push Nathan to his absolute limit. Did you think I’d want to hand him over? Besides, the Winter King has a terrible memory. He’s the type who throws away his toys the moment he gets bored. Looking at what happened to the forest elf Weldeo in the past, there’s more than enough precedent—”
“The unfortunate Weldeo only escaped the Winter King’s obsession after his life had already run its course. Is that really your entire plan? Hoping that the old man, whose schemes have gone awry, will childishly throw a tantrum and then simply give up? No matter how little interest the Winter King shows in his children, the death of royalty is no joke!”
The two Eleim began arguing heatedly. Their conversation, intelligible only to them, went in one ear and out the other for the two humans.
Nathan, standing face to face with Aspen, was frozen like a rabbit before a predator.
“So…”
“So what.”
Nathan swallowed once. The senior knight’s face was clean and expressionless. The faint hostility that had flashed for the briefest moment was the entirety of what Aspen had shown. Just a little earlier, when he had said, So that’s Benny.
“I mean…”
“You mean what.”
Nathan knew what kind of person Aspen was. This senior knight, the very one who had passed on his crude tongue to Nathan, had a temper as fiery as the color of his hair. It was not a level that could be dressed up just because he was someone Nathan respected. Nathan remembered what Aspen had done to the shapeshifting demon. A changeling that had approached Nathan disguised as a village woman had been torn in half by Aspen, then hung from a pole and paraded around for eleven days. He also remembered how Aspen had suddenly thrown down his gauntlet at a knight from another order who had mocked Nathan. It had been quite the spectacle of a duel. Except for the part where he refused to stop punching the opponent with bloodied fists even after the man had begged for surrender.
There was a reason he had emphasized that it was mutual consent. It wasn’t just because the excuse sounded pathetic. It was to make sure that if sparks flew, they would land on the side that could handle them.
“Mutual consent? At least you’re not claiming you were the one who got raped by that giant. That’s something.”
Nathan began to suspect he might have made a mistake.
“I was wrong.”
“Two minutes.”
After one more sarcastic jab, Aspen fell into a long silence. The feeling was as distant as falling off a cliff. Seeing Aspen this calm for the first time made it even more burdensome. It would have been easier on his heart if Aspen had just gotten angry. He had no idea what the man would do next. Would he coldly turn away and say it had nothing to do with him? Or would he suddenly throw a discarded glove in Benny’s face and draw his sword…? Both guesses were wrong.
“That’s a word combination I’ve never heard before. A possibility of becoming parents, huh? A… kuk, adventure?”
Aspen tried to mock him again but let out a choked sound. Only then did Nathan realize. Aspen had been holding back tears all this time.
Nathan inwardly screamed for him to just swing a sword instead.
“Forty seconds.”
“You’ve always been like that, Benny. A child hiding inside her shell, hoping the world would catch up to your ideals. So why did you suddenly stop hiding and choose this grotesque form of suicide instead?”
“Because I’m tired of giving things away bit by bit! No one gets to reach into my life and take something without leaving a wound! At least not anymore!”
Each conversation continued on its own. Both sides were deadly serious. It was just that one pair kept choosing the absolute worst possible words.
“Ugh. Kuhup. Damn it.”
“Aspen.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m the one who drew the line and said we shouldn’t get serious. But I don’t even know why I’m acting like—”
“Try calming down and picturing a green meadow.”
“You really want to get the shit beaten out of you, don’t you?”
“Enough! Venessa Whitaker. You have put the entire East in danger. All for one Sapiens lover who shouldn’t even be allowed in a proper match!”
The words Sapiens lover delivered the finishing blow to the already anxious Aspen. His hand, which had been nervously fidgeting with his sword hilt, finally gripped it tight. A tiny groan escaped him.
Uuuuugh.
Nathan’s pupils shook like a small boat on stormy seas.
“As a Hedonic, I must praise your passion. But as one of the representatives of the East, I cannot possibly overlook this. You will pay the price for your actions. Tomorrow, I will formally challenge you to a Gladiator Fight. My demand is the ownership of the gladiator Nathan Maia—”
“It’s holding out a little longer than expected. Just a little.”
Laughter spread through the control room.
“But fire anyway. May the reign of the Celestial God be eternal, and long live His Majesty Ingr.”
The Sweetie, which had remained silent until now, suddenly let out a sharp howl. Then it bit the back of Benny’s head and fled backward. Benny, who had been about to shout something in outrage, bit her own tongue and was hurled into the air.
“Santra! I—aaaagh—!”
Nathan, who had been blankly watching them suddenly recede into the distance, shuddered as a chill crawled up his spine. A massive premonition. He didn’t know what it was, but something was coming. Without even understanding what it was, Nathan moved first.
Aspen was startled by the arms that suddenly yanked him into an embrace.
“Hey, wait! What the hell are you—”
Clutching Aspen tightly, Nathan threw himself toward the end of the corridor and shouted.
“Get down—!”
A few seconds after everything had passed, Nathan quietly opened his eyes. For a moment, he couldn’t say anything. It felt as dizzying as being rammed by a chimera. Like an unwelcome family elder who shows up without warning, knocks on the door with a bright smile, and brings yet another trial. After experiencing that kind of unpleasant visit several times, one inevitably ends up thinking the same thing.
What the fuck did I do wrong?
“It’s not your fault.”
“Thank you, Aspen. I was hoping someone would say that—”
Nathan froze mid-sentence as Aspen quietly tapped his cheek.
“I wasn’t talking about who you slept with. I was talking about all the shit that’s been happening lately.”
“I see.”
“Are you hurt? Can you move?”
“Yes. I’m not hurt.”
“Then get your body off me.”
Aspen kicked Nathan, who had been lying on top of him in a protective embrace. He then handed one of the two swords at his waist to the junior knight who was sprawled beside him and groaning.
Nathan, who had flinched at the sound of the blade being drawn, accepted the hilt with relief.
“The smell. Can you sense it?”
“Yes.”
Trying to ignore the pain in his waist, Nathan slowly stood up. The scent of sulfur, swamps, and dust. It was a smell all too familiar to the Lion Wing Knights. An extremely thick concentration of the Abyss.
When Nathan turned around, he was stunned by the view outside. There were two reasons. First, they had been inside a corridor with no windows, so the cityscape should not have been visible. Second, until just a few hours ago, the city of the Eleim had never looked like this.
A straight line of destruction cut across the once wealthy and pristine city. All that remained atop it were the black flames of the Abyss, burning like remnants. Screams echoed from every direction. The courthouse they had been in was no exception.
Nathan looked at the half of the courthouse visible in the distance. The other half had been split apart as if by an earthquake, grotesquely exposing the steel frame beneath its golden exterior.
“…What the hell happened?”
Benny, covered in dust, stood beside the knights and muttered with a dazed expression.
“Santra. Where did Lady Santra…?”
“Right here.”
Everyone turned to look. Santra stood at the very end of the corridor, one eyebrow raised.
“And what happened? It’s the Shaking Spear. The Winter King has made a move no one expected. War will break out again after hundreds of years. All thanks to you, Benny.”
Benny blinked. Her pronunciation slurred as if she still hadn’t recovered from the shock.
“When did you dodge all the way over there?”
“Just now. Since no one was paying attention to me, I simply used transition magic to get out of the way. I’m not particularly pleased with the insincerity of someone who volunteered as my escort, but I’ll generously overlook it for now. This doesn’t seem like the time to be nitpicking.”
Even amid the carnage, the Grand Arena Owner showed no sign of disturbance. She calmly waved her hand and created a door through space.
“Let’s move locations first. Before this building collapses—”
A sound like tearing air brushed past Nathan’s ears. The fingers of the Grand Arena Owner, which had been drawing a black circle, suddenly flew off. Santra looked down at her arm. Her index, middle, and the base of her thumb. Part of her hand had been torn away.
“What—”
The next moment, another tearing sound. Aspen shoved Benny aside, dashed forward, and swung his sword with ferocious speed. Exactly four times. He deflected the three arrows flying straight at them, but he could not stop the one that had arced over his head. That final arrow pierced Santra’s right shoulder.
Santra’s veiled head tilted as she collapsed backward.
“Benny, get behind the wall—!”
Nathan broke into a cold sweat as he scanned for the sniper’s position. Someone was looking down at them from a rooftop on the far side, distanced by the building’s collapse. In their hands was a rather large crossbow. The man calmly loaded the next shot. His white hair fluttered wildly in the heat of the Abyss flames.
Nathan recognized the figure at a glance and ground his teeth. It was Nili’s older brother. The Protector Lord of the North was aiming for them.