6. Proof of Existence (53)
Was it a fox mine?
I hurriedly shook off my tail and tried to raise my sword again.
It was only a very brief gap. There was still a chance to catch Yuren.
I thought so.
While he was doing that, Yuren’s hand held the sword again. It was a movement that seemed to be living the time alone in the ship. When I calculated, there was no way the sword would drop so quickly.
My puzzled eyes turned to my arm. Before I knew it, the gray lesions had spread quite a bit.
The arm was floating alone in the slow time. It was such a slow pace that it was savage.
That subtle parallax completely turned me and Yuren’s fate upside down.
Pak, the blade fired like a beam of light penetrated my remaining shoulder. As my posture collapsed, Yuren’s kick hit my stomach right away.
Crying, the sensation of the barely subdued injury recurring with blood.
I even wanted to curse. But my body slowed down even faster than that.
Gray lesions spread more rapidly.
Whenever swords crossed, my body turned gray like a stone statue. In the past, it was to the extent that Yuren clicked his tongue.
“… … Ian, I told you.”
Pak, Yuren’s foot kicked my stomach, but I didn’t feel any pain. However, the body, which could not overcome the momentum, staggered away on its own.
hump, hump.
Cold sweat covered my vision and dripped down my face. Even though I gritted my teeth, my body didn’t listen.
“Objects hit by my sword gradually slow down.”
I groaned and raised my sword to the sky with my hands. But before it even struck, Yuren’s sword cut through my side.
Dripping, blood dripping down.
Suddenly, my knees buckled. I had to cover the affected area with my hand to keep my intestines from leaking out.
“There is no exception, not even once. This is the power of the evil spirit.”
Yuren deliberately lowered his stance and made eye contact with me. His eyes were extremely serious.
“Ian, are you still looking for God?”
“Hey, bastard… … .”
“In a broad sense, that is true. Foxes are also dogs.”
Hearing that sneer, I couldn’t help but groan.
I wanted to get into my arms and take out the healing potion. Shouldn’t he be able to compete with Yuren only after he finishes first aid?
However, there was no way Yuren would see this.
Then, a familiar scream hit my ears.
“… … stop!”
The trembling tone and Yuren’s eyes naturally turned to the epicenter.
There, a saintess who was full of fear was trembling in her eyes. He was in a panic more than ever and couldn’t come to his senses.
“Hey, that’s it… Don’t kill Ian. Uh, anyway I… Wasn’t I the target?!”
It was a claim made without any evidence.
If I could get rid of myself while imprisoning the saintess, it would be something the Dark Church would welcome with open arms. I didn’t even expect much.
I was just aiming for an opening while holding my breath as much as possible.
However, Yuren unexpectedly showed interest in the saintess’ proposal. Hmm, his eyes, which made a strange sound, glanced at me.
It was the eyes of a beast hiding a conspiracy.
“If my sister is really like that… … .”
Yuren let out a sigh and rummaged in his arms. And soon, a blood-colored orb came out of his hand.
When I realized its identity, curse words flowed from my mouth.
“Mi-chin kid!”
“It is blood.”
Yuren didn’t even listen to me and threw the blood essence at the saintess. The throwing direction was so accurate that even the saintess who was tied up was able to snatch it.
The saintess’ expression became dazed as she received the blood essence.
“The restraint sphere confines the divine power, but if you use blood essence, the story will be different. Don’t you want to save Ian?”
“Ha, but this… … .”
“Yes, it is an item made by squeezing the souls of orphans.”
Yuren’s answer was refreshingly straightforward.
A hideous smile formed on his lips.
“What, how are you? Isn’t it a sacrifice that has already been used many times? I think the price for saving Ian is cheap.”
“Saintess, don’t listen to nonsense… … !”
“Or would you like to pray to God?”
While dying, Yuren added that.
“Are you still afraid of heavenly gods? So far God has no interest in us! Even if you pray, you pray, there is no answer that comes back. In that case, is it wrong to seek salvation right in front of you?”
The saintess seemed unable to withstand the weight of the blood vessels on her palm.
Shaking hands, madly shaking eyes, rapid breathing and swallowing dry saliva.
Anyone could see that he was in a state of emotional instability.
At this rate, no matter what choice the saintess made, it wouldn’t be strange. I took advantage of Yuren’s carelessness and used my final strength.
Black was too slow.
The shorter the armament, the easier it was to surprise the opponent at close range.
Fortunately, I had another suitable weapon.
My bent knees bloomed like a seizure, and my body surged like a spring. Before I knew it, I had a hatchet in my hand.
Could it be that he still didn’t know how to resist?
Yuren looked surprised and took a step back. His sword shot through my heart like an instinct.
The pace wasn’t very fast. It was a check that I hoped would turn into orbit along the way.
Of course, I had no intention of matching that intention.
Pak, and blood spattered.
The hatchet that dug deep into Yuren’s cartilage trembled. The cramps in my arms were contagious.
And the silver sword that pierced my heart.
Blood bubbles leaked from my clenched teeth, and Yuren’s expression contorted with pain and surprise.
“Gee, crazy… … !”
“Ian!”
At the end of the tearing cry of the saint, my body fell apart.
Blood flowed endlessly from the hole in the chest where the sword came out. Maybe it was because he was too overworked, his consciousness was not clear.
blurry blurry
The voice of the saintess crying came from afar.
Looking down at the collapsed me, Yuren said in an absurd tone.
“Ian, you need to learn to give up… … .”
do you have to give up?
what the hell how
The moment I lost my consciousness like that.
“… … You have to learn how to give up.”
Suddenly, my vision suddenly became clear.
It was downhill.
Moonlight broke through the dark night and poured down. I was persuading the woman with a sullen expression next to me, sitting on the staggered road.
“If the commander says he will stay on the frontline, how will the soldiers feel relieved to retreat? Your existence is more important than hundreds or thousands of people… … .”
“It is my heart.”
Pouting her lips, the woman showed off her pouting teeth.
It was kind of silly. It was a cute signal asking me to understand my heart, but unlike before, I had no intention of falling for the woman’s tricks.
“Then you want to open your eyes and watch hundreds of thousands of people die and get injured? I can’t do that.”
“We are at war.”
Trying to calm down my excitement, I continued speaking in a strong tone.
“You have to know how to let go in order to win. Focus on what you need first, and worry about the rest later… … !”
“Do you think so?”
I was speechless at that short question.
Light pink eyes were staring at me. It’s as if he’s trying to dig deep into me.
When no answer came back no matter how long I waited, the woman slowly stood up.
“Can you see the plains over there?”
“… … Of course you can’t see it It is our main battlefield.”
“What about the ‘flesh nests’ that fill the plains?”
It was a word that was hard to fathom.
When I kept silent, the woman put on a very forlorn face.
“It was a few years ago. I went to volunteer at an orphanage. There, orphans are disappearing one by one.”
“So?”
“Of course, the orphans were trampled on. However, at the time, I was completely preoccupied with the conflict with Patriarch Aindel. If I took the initiative, I could help not just a few orphans, but thousands… … .”
The woman smiled bitterly and lowered her gaze.
It was the behavior of a sinner.
“The results are right in front of my eyes. Missing orphans became flesh seeds, and more orphans were kidnapped… All the people I wanted to save have turned into monsters and are aiming for my neck.”
“… … It’s not your fault.”
“of course?”
The eyes of the woman who responded to my comfort were filled with pure questions.
It seemed that he had no intention of ridiculing or blaming me. So I couldn’t even open my mouth.
whose fault is it?
I didn’t know either.
Why did the world become like this, and why there is no sign of the war situation getting better even though countless people die?
If anyone knew the answer, he would want to shake his collar and ask.
While I was silent, the woman’s eyes picked up the stars in the night sky.
“Ian, have you ever resented God?”
Again, it was a question without an answer.
Actually, what I wanted to say was obvious. Wouldn’t anyone living in this era give a similar answer to me?
Do you resent God?
every time How could it not be?
I had to force myself to stifle the voice that abruptly hit the uvula and rose up. Even so, I couldn’t say such a disrespectful thing in front of a priest.
But the words I wanted to say came from an unexpected place.
“I have.”
Not at all what a priest would say, but my bewildered eyes turned to the woman.