680 – 8. Will (54)
“Ecce, universa, quae habet, in manu tua sunt. .”
There was a thick burnt smell in the forest.
Black smoke rose like fog, pretending to be smoke. The old man, who was looking at the middle of the tree where the dark red lesions had spread, with his back turned, made such an unexpected noise.
Every time you take a step, the dry leaves scream.
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Because winter is in full swing, my breath turns white and frozen. The coldness of the silent forest was clearly at odds with the landscape of the area, which seemed to have been swept away by fire.
Probably not a simple fire or anything like that.
The flames were not visible, and all that remained was the dark red carbonized earth. My ominous premonition became even stronger because I couldn’t even feel the heat.
Hands naturally go towards the waist.
Whether that was the case or not, the old priest, dressed in shabby robes, just continued talking nonsense.
“Do you know what I mean?”
“It must be a Bible verse.”
My voice as I answered like that was as low as the water fog at dawn. Of course, the other person was not someone who could feel the slightest threat because of that.
The old man let out a faint exclamation and burst into laughter.
“You were a more faithful person than I expected. “Do you even know where that phrase comes from?”
“Not at all, I just happened to see it a while ago.”
It was around that time that my walking stopped.
Lower your posture and tense your muscles. His grip was already on the handle of the sword.
I thought of a hunter targeting a wolf in a snowy field. It was one of the few lessons learned from the elves in the North.
The fact that a ‘hunter’ is also a ‘prey.’
Hunting in the snowy fields has always been a game of risking one’s life. It was a sad struggle to continue living a difficult life, so I did not relax no matter how relaxed Eindel treated me.
The moment I reveal the back of my neck, that person will turn into a monster.
Funny enough, he is now imitating a priest.
If it weren’t for the Bible verse I saw in my memory from the future, I wouldn’t have even chimed in.
“It’s a story from a long time ago. One man’s faith was so great that he could rightly be called an example to others. But one day, an evil spirit heard the rumor and came to visit the heavenly spirit.”
There was no emotion felt in the old man’s calm voice.
It’s just that the eyes looking up at the sky with their backs looked a little lonely.
“The evil spirit asks the heavenly spirit. ‘Doesn’t that person’s faith come from possessions? “Isn’t he rich, has a beautiful wife and healthy children, and is respected by everyone?”
“So what are we going to do?”
“Then the Lord says!”
Ignoring my retort, the old priest clapped his hands and slowly began to look back.
Blue flame.
The eyes above the vague smile were shining like glow-in-the-dark insects on the shore. I felt like I caught a glimpse of a piece of madness in that flickering light.
“‘Leave everything he has to you (Ecce universa quae habet in manu tua sunt)!'”
hehehe, I said.
A weak laugh came out of the old man’s worn vocal cords. It was like the sound of wind coming out of a hole in the lungs.
Vanish, empty. So desperate.
When the eyelids that had been closed for a moment opened, the bright blue glow swirled with an even more intense light.
“This is truly a cruel story! Thus, the man who had deep faith loses everything. Property, family, everything! All that was left to him was the incomprehensible pointing that the successive tragedies were due to going against the will of the Heavenly God…….”
The loudly crying voice subsides and the blue flames also die out. Eventually, the old priest stood completely facing me, his expression solemn.
He had the appearance of a priest preaching without hesitation.
“Of course, it’s not a true story. There is a strong theory that this is an anecdote made up by one of the great prophets to teach a lesson… However, it is a passage that has many implications.”
“What is so impressive?”
“You can believe because you have it!”
Every time the old man shows his sincerity, as if he vomits blood, the whole atmosphere shakes.
Brrr, the trembling magic power shakes my internal organs. The dark red marks were growing in size like ivy.
The old man just stood there with a dignified expression.
“The Lord grants us many things, but at the same time, He also takes everything away in a single moment. After that, will we still be able to praise the Lord?”
A shabby sound.
Muttering to myself as if to soothe myself, I slowly drew my sword.
“Born in a wealthy family since childhood… I grew up not knowing hunger…….”
One step.
The noise of rustling leaves echoed, but Eindel showed no signs of movement.
“Unlike those who had to live each day to feed their mouths, he read books, learned letters, and became a priest. So, we have no way of knowing the suffering of those who were not chosen by the world.”
I aim my sword. Towards the heart of the enemy.
Of course, I didn’t know Eindel’s power yet. However, one thing is clear.
There must be a reason why it stands so proudly.
“Is that why? When I first lost my daughter-in-law and grandchild… And when I had to take my son’s cruel life with my own hands!”
Using his left foot as a stepping stone, bend his knees. All preparations are complete.
So one, two.
“I finally realized. To the world… ….”
Bang!
The space is compressed at once with a sound reminiscent of the firing of a gun. A single leap tears the distance apart and erases time.
Literally in the blink of an eye.
I arrived in front of Eindel and slashed his sword from the upper left corner.
It’s like the Milky Way pouring down.
It was like a guillotine falling down like a waterfall. The body that regained its strength after taking Emma’s reagent was in perfect condition, and its extremely sophisticated murder skills were shining for the first time in a long time.
If this continues, death is inevitable.
There is no human being who can guarantee survival in stopped time. So, will Eindel be defeated like this?
No, that can’t be true.
Because he was not a ‘human’.
A black shadow surges through the breathtakingly stagnant flow of time.
“…… “The heart of an outcast!”
The collision, which seemed like a loud bang, soon subsided. It was because the rising black shadow tried to grab my blade like a viscous liquid.
Use the magic of solution to disperse the shadows. Still, I couldn’t handle the endless amount of mucus, so I kicked the small branch of the shadow that was trying to hit me and opened the distance.
The foot slips, leaving a trail, perhaps due to excessive rebound. Then I saw it.
Awww-!
The identity of the shadow that rises like the stem of a plant.
Horns that crackle and emit electric charges and pure white eyes. Even a flexible body that repeats stretching and shrinking at will like an elastic object.
It was a face I had seen before somewhere. Although it was almost unrecognizable because it was covered in jet-black liquid.
I smiled as if I was happy to see him.
“It’s been a while?”
A monster that was killed along with his comrades here a long time ago.
It was a wolf beast that was later named ‘intestinal collector’. Now, even his faint sense of reason has been lost, and only his ferocious nature remains, and he has become Aindel’s puppet.
Now that you think about it, Eindel was continuing his research at the place where the wolf demon appeared.
I had no idea what kind of connection there might be.
It was then that a provocative question was asked.
“Isn’t it the same for you?”
“…… What?”
I tried to pass it off as the nonsense of a crazy old man, but why?
The reason why that one word pierced my heart.
As I unconsciously frowned and asked, the old priest standing behind the wolf demon beast had a faint sneer on his face.
“How does it feel to lose something you took for granted?”
“What bullsh*t… ….”
“A junior, a childhood friend, and strength… “Now you’re even eating your precious lover’s flesh.”
I opened my lips as if to refute something, but then closed them.
I feel like I’m out of breath.
My eyes heated up and I stared at the old man. He was laughing heartily as if my silence was actually pleasant.
“Isn’t it fun? There was a time when your stubbornness was called ‘belief’… After losing my strength, I was instantly reduced to being ‘obstinate’ or ‘foolish.’ God is so capricious. Even though it seems like He will give you everything…… “
Boom!
My body hit the ground again, shattering the ground. It was an impulsive strike due to excitement, but it must have been a sharp surprise attack aimed at a blind spot.
But the wolf demon once again blocked it. The figure that stretches its body and tries to wrap around the blade should now be called a snake rather than a wolf.
Old memories came to mind.
At that time, I had to go through great pains to kill this monster. It seems that the wolf demon beast has become considerably stronger than before, but unfortunately.
In terms of growth, there was no one who could beat me.
The moment the wolf demon wrapped around the sword, I had already let go of the sword. Perhaps this was something that even the demon beast had not expected, and the shadow of the demon beast stretching towards my arm split the air.
What was chosen instead was a hatchet.
The power of a downward strike that is held with both hands and full of aura is.
aaa!
Boom!
It was enough for the wolf demon that was emitting white light from its eyes and mouth to burst out. Even after it exploded, it seemed to be a fake life form that Eindel had created with his abilities, as the black liquid was dispersing.
The sword that was stuck on the ground is released and stays in the air for a while. As soon as I confirmed this, my hatchet made a dent and drew a pure white straight line.
My hand leans forward with him and grabs the sword.
In an infinitely slow time, only the old man’s wrinkled lips gently tap the eardrums.
It was time to hit the ground once again.
“You take everything away…” … !”
Leap.
Hatchet started first, but they arrived at almost the same time. Patriarch Eindel was pretending to hold the air with his palms stretched out in front of him.
It didn’t take long to realize the intention.
Go ahead and say it.
I feel a strong grip gripping my collar. Even though Eindel’s hand didn’t even touch my collar.
The one who suffered a sharp fall before him was Hatchet.
Quick! Seeing my sidearm falling to the ground, I turned my running body at an angle.
Then, the area near the nape of the neck was torn off as if crumpled.
It was around that time that the passage of time began to unwind along with the exhilarating pain. Although the body itself was fine, there were still limits to the use of imagery.
It was still enough.
Chuck, the blade is blocked by an unknown force. It was because the old man’s hand interfered with the blade right before striking Eindel’s head.
Is it ‘telekinesis’?
It was to the point of interfering with my frozen time. He had to be considered at least as skilled as a high expert or archmage.
In a confrontation between power and strength, the old man killed himself again.
“How do you feel? “How do you feel abandoned by the world?”
So, I answered with a smile on my face.