172. and sherpa
“Come down from your throne, Kulika.”
No one was here who didn’t know what that meant. A king who lives in the forest of the demon realm has no heir.
That’s why when I come down from my seat, I only close my eyes. The brilliant light goes out, the strength like a great mountain collapses, and only one rests in the bosom of the earth.
Kulika let out a snort and slowly exposed her claws. The corners of his mouth were hard to make out, but they drew an arc.
“I am not afraid of death. I have many things on my back, but if I have to lay everything down because of my lack, that rest is also prepared for me.”
Those in the highest positions are afraid of falling. However, they were different. Especially in the case of Coolika, on the contrary, she was looking forward to the day when she closed her eyes.
‘I think it will probably be you who takes the end of this long life. Sherpa.’
At the time, I tried to ignore the sincerity in his voice, laughing at me not to say nonsense.
With a painful emperor who stands on the border between duty and instinct because he is carrying something too heavy on his back.
A tyrant who enjoys fighting against the strong and bases his violent contempt on the weak.
In a situation where the battle between the two seemed to start at any moment, I pulled out the sword at my waist and stepped forward.
“Stop talking nonsense.”
While saying that, he secretly confirmed with his hands that the swords at his waist were fastened properly. One at the waist and one at the back.
The last one I have in my hand right now.
It felt like I didn’t have enough weapons to stand in front of those two monsters, but I’ll do it anyway.
“Hmm? Daniel. I remember the name, you who came to me in a human body.”
Charcal looked at me and raised his voice as if subtly happy. It was so obvious what excites him that he almost burst out laughing.
And Kulika.
“Returner who has gone through the apocalypse. I am finally seeing you.”
“What……?”
Suddenly, a shock came as if a rough rock had been blown over my head. In fact, in a feeling of pain, Kulika continued to open her mouth calmly.
“You fool, even though you have gone through all this, why are you keeping the end? Are you swayed by love and throw everything away?”
“……Who told you?”
There’s no way that Kulika knew all of this herself. I don’t want to believe it, but I asked for an answer that was too obvious, and Kulika answered without difficulty.
“A shaman who serves the Goddess of Time came to me and told me all of this. I have already failed once in preventing the apocalypse, and you are repeating the same thing again even though you have gone through everything.”
After all, the priestess of time was alive.
Because I was the only one who knew I had regressed.
“Didn’t I tell you that if that woman kills Rin, it will be the earliest end?”
“Know. She didn’t hide anything from me. Killing that little girl will awaken the earliest apocalypse.”
Are you trying to kill Rin, knowing that?
“However, I have one dagger that will destroy the end of the treasury of the gods.”
“……What?”
Wait a moment.
What do you mean?
I also knew that Kulika was the keeper of the treasure trove of the gods.
Inside the cave he was guarding, there were many miracles that humans could not dare to overcome.
Kulika was guarding them so that they wouldn’t go out into the outside world carelessly.
For example, Arianne’s flower, which eats all the mana around it, was a typical example.
But do you have any weapons to destroy the apocalypse?
“You can use it to get rid of the apocalypse. How did I know, the Maiden of Time came to me and asked for it. That’s why I’m cooperating with her.”
“The Maiden of Time…”
It was not difficult to infer how she knew of its existence.
‘I must have found out through my memory.’
As she read the memories of my entering Kulika’s Vault, she knew that there was something among the treasures that could prevent the end of the gods.
So she went to Kulika and got her cooperation.
“Put it into the woman who has awakened to the earliest apocalypse, and everything will be resolved. The end will be destroyed by the sword.”
I said let’s run away together, but it reminds me of the back of Kulika who was holding a sword against a large army alone.
Perhaps the blue dagger he was carrying at the time was a weapon that could prevent the apocalypse, but it failed. Not even a kulika could have penetrated a large army.
“I already heard about my failure from the shrine maiden. That’s why I have to prevent the apocalypse in advance. We cannot hope for a miracle from God to restart the world again.”
Originally, I would have cooperated with Coolika.
The fact that the end of Rin could be sealed was nothing short of good news that I had been waiting for.
If he knew about me well and decided to deceive me, I would have had no choice but to follow him.
I made a mistake.
“Awakening to the earliest end?”
Quulika nodded with a frown, perhaps sensing that my mood had become unusual.
“Yes.”
“So, you mean you’re going to kill her?”
Didn’t I just explain that the earliest Apocalypse will only be awakened when Rin dies?
He said it as if he was arguing, but Coolica replied as if he had no intention of hiding it.
“To save the continent, it is an inevitable sacrifice.”
“……Okay, I get it.”
Power goes into the hand holding the sword.
I took a step forward.
“I’ll take that dagger, Kulika. as a last resort. If you do, you will have to wait at least 10 years.”
Kulika also stepped forward.
“Little boy who keeps the apocalypse, it is pitiful to be sacrificed for a cause. I want you to know that this is an unavoidable choice.”
Finally, Sharkal, who was listening to all our conversations, stepped out with his staff on the ground.
“It seems like they have a really complicated story for each other. What does that matter? There is a sacrament called you, and I will savor my victory!”
The three beasts living in the Demon Realm Forest started running towards each other.
*
Koo! bang!
A violent sound of destruction could be heard from afar. The ground was vibrating so much that I felt that the forest itself, which had been so frightening, was trembling.
“Idiots.”
The archwitch, who had roughly anticipated the situation, sighed. If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have followed you like this.
“Let’s step back for now. If they start fighting, it’s not safe no matter how far they keep their distance.”
“But Daniel…”
When Hayoon hesitated, the archwitch tut and clicked her tongue.
“Don’t you know about his strength while working together? When mixed with them, he was mixed, but he was never a man who would die unilaterally. Worrying about him is rather holding him back.”
“……”
Ha-yoon, who kept looking at the place where the sound came from, nodded slightly and tried to follow the archwitch.
“hello.”
It was such a simple, light greeting.
Ha-yoon’s tension was relieved unconsciously at the refreshing voice that was literally permeated with kindness.
The experienced archwitch held her staff tightly and spit out a single word while drawing up mana.
“Pull out your sword.”
The one who appeared through the trees was a woman wearing a black nun’s uniform. The most conspicuous thing is that the right arm is horizontal and empty.
While ignoring the archwitch, who was eager to live for her, the shrine maiden looked at Hayoon.
“You are Hayun Ren, right?”
“How can I…”
“Because Heven Wren was my supporter.”
Power enters Hayoon’s hands. When the rage that seemed like it would pull out the white cloud dragon in her hands suddenly hit her, the shaman of time was rather embarrassed.
“Oh?”
“You were the one who stained your uncle with a strange religion and blinded him.”
“What a disgusting thing to say. He is only according to the will of the gods. For all of us.”
The smile he made with his lips ripped apart entered Hayun Ren’s heart. He lived a short life, but with a creepy laughter that he will probably never forget for the rest of his life.
“Hey, you killed your parents. It was all God’s will.”
If Daniel McClane had seen this scene, he would have felt alienated. The Maiden of Time was a woman who believed in the god she worshiped while possessed of madness.
Most of what the gods said were good words from her mouth, so she was always careful with her words and actions. So many nobles followed her.
But now something was different.
obvious provocation.
The cruelty of deliberately digging up the other person’s malice and trauma.
In the past, if you did evil things under the premise that it was for God, and you apologized to the victims through prayer.
Because now it was evident that they were enjoying their sacrifice.
Hayun Ren’s sword was pulled out, unable to bear it any longer.