533 – A Puppy Doesn’T Know How Scary A Tiger Is
There is nothing as meaningless as confronting common sense with absurdity. That’s why it doesn’t work, it’s absurd. No matter what choice you make, there is no correct answer, and conversely, no matter what you don’t do, it is not the wrong answer.
The returnee watched people die without doing anything, but in the end, it was right. Because the returnee was alive.
Not yet.
‘Fight? Don’t fight? What should I do?’
In order to live, it is even difficult to nod while San-gun kills all the Black Tiger soldiers and runs away… The returnee calmly grasped the situation even in the midst of the urgency.
‘If I run away alone, I will be hunted and killed. If I want to live a little, I should let everyone run away in different directions. Or I just have to lie down and hope the tiger spares me… Damn it! Even that is a matter of risking my life on the tiger’s whims!’
It was the same with me. Unless I can read San-gun’s mind, I can’t guarantee that it’s better to turn my back on the beast and run away.
‘I can live. But…!’
The returnee is also an almost absurd being. She, who has all kinds of means in her hands, has a countermeasure to overcome even this difficulty. However, it is a story that only applies to the returnee.
‘Hughes? Ende? And, Aji, who lost the crown? Should I let San-gun kill them and run away?’
The returnee can run away. After escaping from the absurdity for a while, she has the ability to observe the situation and change it after returning.
However, the returnee chose not to run away. Even if she dies, she can start over by dividing this experience into two and wanted to see what happens next.
‘No! How did I get this far…! If I run away from here, this time is over! What will happen to Aji who lost the crown, what is the difference between the wolf king with the intact crown and the last time. What’s different about Hughes’ involvement! I need to know that! I can’t know anything if I run away!’
Seven-colored lights flicker in the returnee’s eyes. The light of the seven-colored eyes merges into one and captures something beyond the light. The cursed eyes called the Jeonluncheonan and Unmyeongan flashed and illuminated the returnee’s impossible past.
The realm she had reached for a while. Instead of a reason that could not be grasped no matter what, there was a time when she practiced magic to learn her own magic. As a result, she failed, but thanks to that, it became an opportunity to better understand the power of the relic.
What is reflected in Unmyeongan is Shay, who was engaged in magic.
Mana flows out from a non-existent future. The present that contradicts the observed destiny. To fill the two gaps, mana is sucked from everything. The returnee’s subspace, Rene’s pocket, opened on its own. Mana flowed out of the numerous treasures and magic tools that the returnee had collected and assisted the returnee.
‘I don’t have to win! Just kick me out of here! It’s enough to make him act up! There’s no countermeasure, but… San-gun is originally a being without a countermeasure!’
If it’s for fighting, it would be better to use qi. The returnee is a half-baked person who has not mastered her own magic. However, this is not a fight, it is a matter of threatening San-gun by inflating his body and making a noise. What you need is not a sword but a bell.
The returnee concentrated the raging mana on Cheon-ae. Using Cheon-ae, which holds the sky and swallows lightning, as a catalyst, she pushed the limits of wind and thunder magic.
San-gun, who annihilated the Black Tiger soldiers and killed the Marquis, also turned his head. San-gun’s two whiskers shook.
The returnee fired a full-fledged blow against him.
“Cheonggeomgi, Storm Eagle!”
The atmosphere spread out a huge storm and flapped its wings. The wind raged and sucked in and surged everything around it. Sand and dust spread wide and cried like flying beasts. The air and the earth rubbed against each other, causing static electricity to occur without any authority.
It’s not even the wind at this point. Even a strong waterfall would not be able to compare to this power. In the midst of the fierce waves, ordinary humans were in pain just by being exposed. The watermen screamed in the wind that seemed to pull out all their fur.
“Euaaak!”
“Run away!”
“No! Bend down!”
The story that even a huge rock is safe from the storm is only because the storm is weak. The ground sank and the rocks rolled like shuttlecocks at the flapping of the Storm Eagle’s wings. Fortunately, instead of the rocks continuing to roll while hitting people, they got caught somewhere and created a structure that would deflect the wind at an angle.
“I’m alive…!”
“Toeeeng!”
“Oh, man, it’s noisy!”If it weren’t for Quito, dozens of people would have died in the aftermath alone, but the returnees had no power to care about that. If we don’t drive out the mountain army, we might all die!
“Get out of here!”
The returner slashed the angel with all his might. As it became dark enough to see his figure, the storm suri was launched towards the mountain army. Like an eagle greedily grabbing everything on the ground and trying to fly away.
It looks like an eagle, but has no substance. No matter how many times I waved my hand in the air, the wind of my hand only created large ripples, but the storm itself did not disappear. Sangun lowered his body with a frown on his face. The jeogori skirt flaps wildly.
-But it doesn’t get pushed out. Even as he held onto the ground with his feet and hit the flying stones. Sangun lowered his posture and walked steadily while glaring at the returner. Even with the wind blocking his view, Sangun’s shining eyes pierced everything and he stared at the returner.
It was a sight that seemed like it would run away in fear, but instead of running away, the returner increased its strength even more. Lightning flashed in the sky.
“Heavenly Sword, Thunder Mae!”
A bright yellow light flashes from the mouth of the storm eagle. Lightning collected by the Returner from Claudia’s Lightning Falls. That power arises in the storm.
I have no intention of causing harm. How much pain would the mountain ranger suffer if struck by lightning in a dust storm? The returner focused his power on thunder instead. The lightning struck the wind and caused vibrations.
Rumbling.
A noise as loud as the roar of the mountains tore through the world. As if it would reverberate throughout the vast plains of Enger, all of the enormous power turned into noise and rushed through the ground and sky. Rocks and sand bounced out of place due to the vibration, and even the air was shaken to the point where a haze was visible.
That noise was refracted in space like a thousand cherry blossoms and sent towards Sangun. A distant roar tore through the world that would have made any animal cover its ears and run away with its eardrums bursting.
For a moment, it was as if all the sounds in the world had been silenced, and a dead silence filled my ears.
Storm, light, noise. The returner, who had unleashed all the power that a beast would hate, suddenly raised his head.
‘… Uh? ‘What about Sangun?’
The mountain army disappeared in the blink of an eye. A returner’s senses are almost as sensitive as an animal. Even now, when we see ‘everything’ through destiny, there is nothing that a returner cannot see.
‘Did you run away? I wish so. Please tell me you did! But, if he didn’t run away… !’
Still, the returner could not relax.
Tigers are fast and strong. And above all, it is quiet. He hides his presence and approaches his prey, then bites and breaks its neck in one fell swoop.
The fact that Sangun hides his presence is almost like an act of authority. The returner who floated inside Destiny spread his energy widely. Although I briefly missed it, the Returner’s Eye is also an unrivaled treasure.
He discovered something that leaped through the storm and noise, the three forces of seeing temperature, seeing depth, and seeing through. And it’s incredibly fast! I had the illusion that a tiger’s stripes were gradually getting bigger in a cloud of swirling dust.
The returner moved as soon as it was detected. At that moment, the mountain army that tore through the darkness rushed like a thunderbolt.
“Cheonang… !”
Even though it spread the space, spread the wind, and reacted with a thousand radius.
The Sangun’s front paw pierced everything and struck the returner.
The small body flew like a bullet through the storm and dust. The returner holding the cherry blossoms is caught in a storm and flies like a kite without even reaching the ground.
‘Ugh… !’
However, the situation of the regressor was better than that of the Marquis Raphaeno. The unrivaled Qigong created by Cheonbangyeong and Geomhu responded to Sangun’s blow. Energy, magic power, muscles, strength, everything moved to block the blow of a distant strongman, and only his life was saved.
The number of times he has faced life-or-death battles with forces overwhelmingly stronger than him cannot be matched by a returner. Thanks to the experience he gained through repeated regressions, he was able to maintain his consciousness even during this storm.
‘Don’t fall! You won’t die from this! No, it doesn’t end even if you die! Compared to the King of Sin, you lack the will and strength to kill me!’
She floated into the air, flowing with the wind and looking below her. Fortunately, Sangun was only glaring at the returnee.
‘If you protest in the air, you can buy time! Even tigers don’t have wings, so they wouldn’t be able to jump this far. If you buy time and run away… !’
However, no matter how much of a returner he is, he has no experience fighting one-on-one with mountain forces. There is no need to stick your head into the tiger’s maw.Amidst the storm, the tiger surged forward. It trampled upon the floating stones and gravel in the air, snatching at tree roots and logs as it ascended. By the time the Regressor regained his senses, the mountain beast had already leaped within striking distance.
Too fast and powerful to evade, the Regressor gritted his teeth, feeling the raw difference in ‘strength’.
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‘…Even so, it can’t be…?!’
The tiger was akin to a calamity, hence the term ‘hohwan’. The inescapable death roared before his very eyes. Its forelegs descended with blinding speed. The Regressor felt a sense of powerlessness and despair, yet… he swung Cheon-yeong with the same momentum he had been ascending.
The sharp blade of Cheon-yeong sliced through the mountain beast’s hand. The thick fur was severed, leaving a tiny gash on its flesh.
A tiny wound. The price paid to inflict it was catastrophic.
Kwa-ang. The Regressor’s body plummeted like a thunderbolt. His flesh tore, and his bones twisted. Blood gushed from his mouth, nose, and ears as the Regressor fell towards the ground. He was already on the brink of death before he hit the earth, but the aftermath was even more gruesome.
“aaagh!”
Blood erupted from his mouth like a fountain. Unable to move his body, he trembled violently in excruciating pain. The mountain beast’s footprints were clearly visible on his body, and a crimson aura shimmered through his clothes.
‘Ah… it hurts… ah!’
Cheon-yeong and Cheon-banggyeong had somehow reacted to the fall itself, but the impact he had sustained was too great to mitigate all of it. Blood vessels burst, and his eyes turned red with blood instead of their usual seven colors. The magical energy that had filled his entire body scattered in all directions.
And the mountain beast that had struck the Regressor down was floating in mid-air, having struck with such force. If it fell to the ground, that would be the end of the Regressor.
To the next round.
“No, the mountain beast here….”
There was no right answer anyway. If the Regressor had stalled for time while Aji and Do escaped, would they have survived? Collapsing this quickly, it wouldn’t be strange for them to be pursued and killed.
He had neither read minds nor seen the future. I recalled a slim possibility in a desperate situation.
Wolf, promise. The mountain beast had made a promise with the wolf. It must have been the king’s promise. Then.
“Aji!”
There was no need to say it. Aji, who had finished healing, was already running towards the mountain beast. However…
“Ugh?!”
His vision blurred, and he momentarily lost his balance and fell. Regaining his senses, he tried to run again, but his gait seemed clumsy.
It was a slim possibility. Aji was not a wolf, and he had even handed over the crown. It was too optimistic to assume that he would be considered qualified to participate in the promise.
But I had to do it anyway.
I ran towards the falling mountain beast. Even a tiger was subject to the laws of gravity, and its skirt was flipping over as it fell through the air.
Even so, its gaze remained fixed on the Regressor. Sensing a threat, it was filled with murderous intent. I looked at the mountain beast and shouted.
“Tiger!”
What did I have in my possession right now? Cards? It wouldn’t work. Mashin? I wasn’t the one who drank it, and it felt awkward to use it as a tool.
Damn it, I have nothing. All that’s left is the empty symbol of being the king of humans… I don’t know if this will work.
“I am a human! The promise has been kept. The wolf is gone! It’s over!”
I shouted desperately, but it didn’t even look at me. My voice was small, but it couldn’t have been deaf, given its keen hearing. It was simply ignoring me because my presence was weak and I didn’t represent anyone.
In that case, how about this? I stabbed Jijan into the ground and scooped it up like a snow shovel. Soil and boulders surged forth.
I’m nothing special, but Jijan isn’t. The mountain beast finally looked in my direction. I, who had caught the mountain beast’s attention, shouted.
“Tiger, stop! The target of your promise is gone, so your reason for leaving the mountain is now….”
As I shouted, the mountain beast suddenly crouched down. Then, with a powerful extension of its limbs, the mountain beast’s body accelerated towards the ground in an instant. What the hell? What did it step on to run? It looks like it’s just swimming through the dirt.
I got its attention, so it’s okay, right? I’m the king, so it won’t just kill me, right?
The moment I thought that, the mountain beast disappeared as soon as its feet touched the ground. Oh no, the mountain beast was looking at me from a short distance away. A spine-chilling roar was directed at me.
My limbs wouldn’t move. Cold sweat drenched my body. I desperately greeted it, facing my instinctive fear.
“Tiger, nice to…”The words didn’t continue. Because my sternum collapsed from the Mountain Lord’s blow.
My chest and back touched. Blood spurted out of my crushed lungs. My flesh and bones twisted from the punch he threw out in annoyance. Like when you press down on a meat dumpling and the filling bursts out, tearing the skin, something bright red flowed out of my torn skin and reflected on my retina. The shockwave exploded over my clothes, and my body flew away as if I had been hit by a horse.
Useless. I should have expected to be compatible.
That’s why I shouldn’t have gotten involved with a regressor.
I didn’t even have time to feel pain. Like an ordinary person who encountered an angry tiger, I was crushed by those huge forelegs and became compatible.
With that, my consciousness was cut off…
I felt like I had fallen into warm, soft water from my back. A sense of floating that I couldn’t tell if I was rising or sinking enveloped my body.
It’s cozy. Like I don’t want to get out of bed in the morning, I also felt like I wanted to keep sinking like this. But suddenly, I thought of the Mountain Lord and kicked my feet and came to my senses.
What the? When I came to my senses, it was pitch black in all directions. I waved my arms and legs, but nothing caught. My feet didn’t touch anything and were just kicking the air.
Is this the afterlife? No way.
Do you mean that unrealistic space where dead animals leave their bodies and only their consciousness is transmitted, and after being evaluated for good and evil by religious standards, they receive eternal punishment or reward? Regression is more realistic than that. Regression is simple.
But I’m just a beast. If such an unrealistic space exists and has dragged me here, I should act like the most devout believer right now, according to the situation. No, it’s not even acting. If it’s real, I should repent and believe and follow it right now.
[Bad thoughts.]
What? Who is it? Someone who can read the thoughts of a warlock!
If you are God, I am sorry. This ugly beast is foolish enough not to believe anything but what it sees, so it could not accept your teachings. As punishment, I was torn apart by the Mountain Lord, so please forgive me with your generous mercy.
[You’re not dead yet. Don’t close your eyes.]
…Wasn’t I dead? No way. I don’t have any divine power or sacred power, and I’m not a vampire. Could I have survived that blow?
[Yes. Because I’m inside you.]
Who are you?
[I am you. You are me. I am me who entered you.]
What are you talking about? I can’t be two. Show me your face.
[-Okay.]
And what appeared before my eyes was a beautiful girl with silver hair, red eyes, and pale, almost white skin. I was quite embarrassed that I didn’t expect to see her here.
What the? I thought I was like you, so I thought I was something like a dog and a wolf about the king of humans… Why do you look like Tir?
Tir spoke to me in a tone that was not like Tir at all.
[You can’t die. You can’t die. You have to live. Because we have to meet again.]
Thank you for your words, but I can’t live on words alone. I need many things to live.
[Open your eyes. Breathe. Move your heart.]
Do you think it’s as easy as you say?
[You have to.]
No, I don’t have the strength.
[You do.]
What?
[Strength.]
Something touched my empty hand. The Six of Spades, the card of the devil. It probably contained Tir’s devil, but my body just got a little stronger. Even if I understand my body, I can’t use it without qi…
[You will not die. You will remain the same. Just as you gave me your heart, I gave you my god.]
The devil is not perfect. The devil is a universal concept and a great tool, but it does not help all humans perfectly. Like vampires who take away free will or golden beetles that destroy the body, they ignore the minor differences between humans and lead them in their own way.
…No.
It is not the devil that is imperfect, but humans. The universal truth of the devil is too great and wonderful to care about each individual human. In the process of using the devil, individuals are crushed and suppressed, causing harm.
This is why it is called the devil.
[Live.]
But Tir’s devil is throbbing inside me.Vampire? No. If I were a vampire, Heart’s potion wouldn’t have worked. It doesn’t prevent me from changing, it just keeps me alive. From dying.
Normally, being revived like this, the homunculus’ dilemma should have changed me. Like the homunculus of the Golden Dawn or the vampire of Tir, my nature should have changed, but I desperately resisted that change.
[As it is, I have to meet him again.]
High-ranking demon, huh.
Tir’s shadow spoke in the darkness with a face identical to Tir’s.
Just as I gave Tir my heart, Tir gave me his blood. Just as I recalled Tir’s heartbeat and presented it as a gift, Tir carved my body and breathed life into it.
I was able to give Tir my heart without change because I am the king of humans. Conversely, Tir’s blood revives me without causing change because I am the king of humans. I read the blood and make it my tool.
Thanks to becoming blood, I gained regenerative powers. Or perhaps Tir became blood in order to give me regenerative powers.
I don’t know for sure, but at least I won’t die from a single blow. I haven’t stopped the change itself, so if my body is torn apart, I don’t know.
For now, that’s enough.
With the sensation of my body rising, I opened my eyes and came back to life.