279 – Final Chapter (32)
“If you lose in sparring, you’ll stop everything?”
“Yes.”
I looked at the Blood Demon with my eyes wide open for a moment.
I am so embarrassed.
The person who was pulling out the void with the intention of destroying the continent is now going to stop everything.
The efforts he has made to create this situation will be worth 300 years. It was embarrassing to hear that it could be given up just by winning or losing in a one-on-one sparring.
As if he had read my question, the Blood Demon opened his mouth.
“From the beginning, we both did our best. The main deity alone used up a lot of energy in summoning the void. The voids that you came to almost annihilate are the majority of the power that the main deity has. Of course, this deity remains.”
The waves of emptiness that kept coming. Those phases, which seemed like they would never end, seemed to have ended with my colleagues and I handling them for the last time.
But rather than being happy, I felt sad.
This is because the cult leader’s appearance revealing his power was too calm.
It is as if the rest of the world can occupy the continent.
“Of course, you will be no different.”
“… Me?”
“Yes. You have also created a certain amount of power. The empire, several guilds, and even some of the saints’ faction of Holy Constantine. I am aware to some extent that your power is also not small. The powers that have gathered under your will. On the contrary, the principal thinks you are amazing. People have different intentions, but you are able to bring them all together like this.”
The leader lifted me up.
I feel like I and the leader are on equal footing thanks to how much they have lifted me up.
And although it may be surprising, it is not wrong.
Now that I am facing the leader one-on-one like this.
My colleagues who led me to this point. Their power can clearly be said to be comparable to that of the cult leader.
“The original being and you. Each of us brought the world together in different ways.”
The leader summarized our relationship in one sentence.
I nodded and agreed.
There was no reason to be polite or humble, even when looking at my colleagues. If we stand facing each other like this, we are in the same class.
“I never thought I would face the final boss on equal terms.”
“It’s an honor to know.”
“Is this truly an honor?”
“… It sounds like you’re being sarcastic.”
“I guess you still have a modern sense.”
“I admit it. When I look at you, my peace of mind sometimes shakes for some reason.”
“You got scratched, right?”
“That’s childish.”
Unfortunately, I could no longer scratch the religious leader.
I may look pathetic, but what can I do? When dealing with strong people, especially those who are overwhelmingly stronger than you, you have to create a gap somehow to have a chance.
Has my strategy revealed itself?
The leader smiled and opened his mouth.
“The principal will never underestimate you. If you do your best, half of me will follow.”
“Half of it?”
“Yes. Haven’t you learned the vision of Shaleam Bridge?”
I suddenly realized.
This is the prelude to a one-on-one sparring.
Evaluating each other and thinking about what strategies and decisions to make.
The invisible fight has already begun.
“Rather than learning it, it’s more like reading it once.”
“That alone is shocking. It took me over a year to read even the original copy. Even when I gave it to you, I thought you wouldn’t be able to read even half of the book.”
“But why did you give me three books?”
“I wanted to feel a bigger wall and see myself falling into a state of intoxication.”
The religious leader calmly and quietly confessed his evil deeds.
So you were expecting my head to explode while trying to learn those three books?
… This bastard?
“Don’t stare too hard. As a result, didn’t you learn all three books? That was unexpected.”
But when the other person treats me so calmly, I can’t be the one to get angry all of a sudden.
I asked as I whet my appetite.
“If you ask me, it’s like they took all the money from your shale as a suburbanite. Aren’t you angry?”
“It’s a difference I’m thankful for.”
“Thank you?”
From Noble mtl dot com
“Through your enlightenment, the main Buddha has also risen in rank. I don’t care what happens in the process.”
He doesn’t get angry even though he steals the secret stone that contains the essence of Shaleam Bridge. Just looking at this, the leader is not an ordinary human being.
“… I don’t know if he has a big heart or if he’s just crazy.”
“I don’t care. Everything is insignificant under the value of strength.”
Yes.
The word crazy would be more appropriate.
He is the leader of the place where the tribes that are crazy about strength are gathered, so it would be natural.
However, there are still questions.
“But I was the one who destroyed the blood demon’s dantian.”
“Yeah, that hurt quite a bit. But there’s no reason to worry about it either.”
“… Why?”
“I will soon become a god who transcends the human body, so what is the meaning of the body?”
“You’re talking as if it’s confirmed.”
“It will happen if you don’t stop the original being.”
Even the voice was expressionless, but the content was quite provocative. It was also a signal that it was time to have a physical conversation rather than just empty words.
Sureuk.
The leader stood up from his seat.
He turned his back and looked up at the plum tree.
Even the white hair gently blowing in the wind is like a painting.
If it were a game, a still image would have appeared along with a text like “Final Boss, Shaleam Cultist.”
This is a man who looks like even that phrase was written in fancy handwriting with a brush.
He asked quietly.
“What should we do?”
“What?”
“Rule. If you want, you can stop at the level where the other person becomes incapable of action. If you do that, your life will be saved. If you want something a little more intense, you can end at the legs or arms.”
“Are we going to set rules?’
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Only his mound was visible here.
His facial expression was unreadable and only his calm voice came out.
“The original being and you. There are things that we have all achieved as strangers in this world. Although the methods and forms are different, the size cannot be said to be small. You, too, will want to see the ending of this place in some way. So, choose. How will you fight? Since we are from the same background, I can at least give you your life if you want.”
Ending.
This is the ending of these scenarios.
I definitely wanted to see it.
At least the reason I held on to Panta
But.
“No.”
I shook my head.
The leader asks.
“Are you saying you don’t want to see a defeated ending? Surprisingly, it wasn’t that stagnant.”
“I still want to see the ending. But one condition has been added. There is an ending that I must see.”
“What is that?”
I paused for a moment.
It was so cliché that I was embarrassed to say it.
But I opened my mouth.
“Everyone lived happily ever after.”
There is only one ending I truly want right now.
You can be confident even if you are shy.
To achieve that, we must do our best.
You must do your best to defeat the blood demon.
So there is only one way.
“So what I want with you, leader, is life or death.”
I stood up from my seat.
I wanted to wake up coolly, but my knees caught on the table. I continued talking, pretending not to be in pain.
“Let’s fight until someone dies.”
The religious leader is a strong man.
You can only win if you fight with the readiness to die.
That is advantageous to me.
Jeobbuk.
The leader turned around, his clothes fluttering.
“Good.”
Did you like my answer?
The corners of his mouth turned up.
“The one who survives takes over the continent.”
With one heavy word.
— Wow!
His exploits surged.
◆
The distance was wide enough.
The physical condition of the religious leader could not be said to be good either. No matter what anyone says, I was the one who destroyed his dantian.
Thus, the moment the religious leader raised his hand to me.
There was enough time for him to reflexively stretch out his arms and take a defensive stance.
But…
— Crackle!
I had a gut feeling the moment I blocked his attack that was extending in a straight line.
‘If I hadn’t been able to stop it, it would have broken into pieces.’
I immediately raised the earth elements in my body.
He poured his magic power into his hands, which had been strengthened with body strengthening parts, to the point of ignorance.
An attack that can only be prevented in this way.
Kugugugugu!
When I came to my senses, I had been pushed back 100 meters from my original position.
My calf, which is half buried in the ground, is so cold.
I deliberately opened my mouth awkwardly.
“Isn’t a raid too mean?”
“It’s not an attack. I was just checking to see how much you can block.”
“Even looking at the liver is so damn strong.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
We exchanged words briefly and gained time to recover.
I deliberately spoke softly to make the leader come closer to me.
Anyway, that damn bastard.
I expected it, but I didn’t know it would hit me like that as soon as it went into actual combat.
Well, crazy people instinctively choose to do stupid things. There is bound to be less socialization.
“Since it’s a boss fight, I hope they fight with a bit of dignity.”
“Ah. From your perspective, Bonzon would be the final boss. hahahaha. I’ve never thought about it that way.”
He laughed as if it was fun.
It was an opportunity.
Pabababat!
Under his feet.
The shadow wriggled and shot out a chain.
Shadow Chain, a technique in the vision of Hwalam Bridge that was used when arresting Sajonwi.
The sharply fired chains began to wrap around the pontoon.
Charralalak!
The chain sprouting from the floor rotates like a vine growing and wraps around the Blood Demon.
A moment of curiosity in the eyes of the religious leader seen through the gap.
Kkkdeuddeuk!
The chain roughly swallowed the blood demon.