52 – Memories of Past Life
I said this once before.
This is a world where people called gods exist.
They are commonly referred to as transcendents and beings who have reached the end of the realm.
If you listen to them like this, they seem like great guys, but if you actually look at them one by one, they are worse than you think.
‘It cannot unleash its mighty power indefinitely, and there are many restrictions on its direct descent, and if people’s faith becomes clouded, it will eventually be unable to maintain its existence. Also, if it is stabbed by a weakness that is unfavorable to its compatibility, it cries without answering.’
▶Master… There’s something strange about the last one.
Choi Si-woo saw the being of God in person a total of three times in his past life.
Twice, as so many people died, it descended in a way that was close to struggling, so we could not see its true form or divinity.
‘The last time was when the goddess Irelua descended, prepared to disappear.’
The reason he called her Pingchang when he saw her on a regular basis was because he saw her appearance and form in person.
One of the three major gods.
And the only being with love and recognition that humans can understand.
That was Irelua, the goddess of the earth and abundance.
‘… In the end, I was cut off by the demon god.’
Anyway, to him, Irelua was a pretty good being among the gods.
At least, he was the one who took action directly against destruction.
Of course, that didn’t mean I wanted this cheeky Mesugaki form right in front of me.
“So. “I’m going to give the cross the power of a perm, so you can penetrate it?”
“Yes, that’s right! W, you understand quickly as expected. “My apostle.”
Irelua placed a lump the size of her fist on top of her head and nodded.
She crossed her arms solemnly, pretending that nothing had happened, but her tears continued to well up as if the area where she had been hit was painful.
Choi Si-woo looked at Irelua like that and shook her head as if she was puzzled.
“He is the third main deity and no one else… “Can’t you just open it with force?”
“Didn’t I tell you? Because he arrived in a hurry, he cannot exercise his powers properly. But don’t worry. “What will happen if we only raise the sacred items when we go in?”
She answered very naturally and with a facial expression characteristic of a young and cheeky female child.
Of course, it didn’t feel as provocative as before because of the swollen lump and tears on her head.
“What a shame~♡ As an apostle, I have to be helped by the goddess herself~♡ After all, I can’t do anything on my own, right? The trash of society~♡ Get out and die… Now, stop clenching her fists for a moment. “My believer.”
Irelua broke into a cold sweat as she saw Choi Si-woo approaching.
“Well, there is no way this weak body can withstand such a shock! “What are you going to do if you go back to the divine world?”
“… Write it. Still, she’s a goddess, so wouldn’t she be able to withstand one more hit?”
“Oh, no! I can’t stand it! It hurts before that! It has been 2,000 years since he became a god. For this body that has forgotten all about pain, your core honey balm is too painful! So, don’t come near her with your fists clenched. My apostle!! Please! Well, I did it wrong!”
* * *
After a while, the two people who asked for Seol Garam’s understanding looked at each other alone.
“Now it is time to talk about the whole incident. “My apostle.”
“I don’t have time, so please hurry.”
“I agree. Let’s get to the point. I think you know very well what this situation is like. “Because I experienced it once.”
Hearing Irelua’s words, Choi Si-woo’s heart suddenly felt heavy.
“… As expected, I’m back-“
Irelua quickly stepped forward and placed her index finger on his lips.
“Don’t say that word out loud. My apostle. “What you know may not be true.”
“… What?”
“Do you understand that you are embarrassed? I’m not here to talk about that today. For now, let’s take care of the task at hand first. As you know, this phenomenon occurred because one of the great evils from ‘outside’ descended. Encroachment on the world. A resonance that can be seen because a being of a stature capable of spreading one’s will has appeared. You too will know. “That their existence distorts the laws of the world.”
“… This is a characteristic of Yukma Station. So… “
Choi Si-woo lightly tapped the barrier behind his back.
“If I leave this like this… What happens?”
“… It will gradually expand and broaden its scope and lead many people into a dream. Apostle. As you know, the great evil is not in its complete state right now. It just descended. “They are probably struggling to prevent themselves from being banished to a world of complete nothingness, repeating extinction and rebirth.”
“… In other words, what happens?”
Irelua put her hands together and raised them, hooray~! And made a ‘pop!’ Sound effect with her mouth.
It looked quite cute, but due to the circumstances, there was no time to worry about such things.
“The entire continent will be blown away. “I don’t know anything else, but this small piece of land will probably never have existed.”
“It’s simple.”
“The solution is also simple. All you have to do is defeat the great evil that is the culprit and core. Unless you have a proper true body, you will be weak enough to win even if you are still immature in all aspects.”
Choi Si-woo’s eyes narrowed at those words.
“… But things can’t be that simple, right?”
“That’s right. If it could be solved with pure force alone, I wouldn’t have worried so much. This phenomenon is a mass of power that even the Great Evil himself cannot control. Therefore, it is a world where uncontrollable rules exist arbitrarily. Therefore, in order to reach the center, you will have to follow your own rules.”
“… “What if it’s a law?”
“The great evil that has descended now is a being that deals with illusions. There is a high probability that you will see your own nightmare. Do you understand what this means?”
After a brief pause, Choi Si-woo spoke softly.
“… Are you saying that the memories of my most difficult time are being replayed?”
“As it is an uncontrolled space, it won’t be that accurate… Most likely, something similar will unfold around the same time. And this will lead to gathering the pieces of the key to overcome the nightmare and destroy the great evil.”
“Fragments of a nightmare… “
“That’s right. As expected, I know it well as I have fought once before. If we collect them all, we will be able to completely eliminate the Empress of Dreams.”
“As far as I know, there are a total of 5. If I had one of them… “Where are the other four?”
Irelua looked at the slippery barrier.
“… There, like you, there are people trapped by something called ‘fate.’ If you have already experienced it once, you will know who it is as soon as you see it. But… “He doesn’t seem to be able to escape on his own, so you will most likely have to help him.”
“… All right. “I guess I should go in and take a look first.”
“… Are you okay? I kept it simple because I didn’t have time, but… In reality, it will be a very difficult and painful journey. “Because you have to deal with not only your own nightmares, but also other people’s nightmares.”
Choi Si-woo, who cleared his throat, instead of answering, put pressure on the back of his hand.
A huge cross came down with a bright light.
“Why are you asking this question when you already know everything? If you don’t do it, you’ll fail. If we’re going to do it, let’s do it quickly.”
“… Please, my apostle.”
Irelua stepped forward and placed her hand on the cross.
Her symbol, symbolizing her, filled her surroundings and changed the color of her cross to pink.
[The Holy Relic – Perm’s Cross temporarily unlocks its original power.]
The jewel embedded in the center of the cross gave off a brilliant glow.
Jeok-! As it was, part of the barrier cracked, leaving just enough space for one or two people to enter.
“The entrance is open. “It won’t last long, but five minutes will be enough.”
“… Of course, we can’t go in together, right?”
I just threw this out there.
Whether it is Mesugaki or Pingchang, a goddess is a goddess.
If you just wear it on your back and carry it around, you can use it for many purposes.
Then Irelua scratched her head as if she was troubled.
“Wow, I don’t think any apostle would ask for help from such a young body, which is not perfect.”
“You know that saying? I want to lend a hand to a cat… Still, she’s a badass goddess, so if you go in, why don’t you give her a meat shield at least once?”
“… Oh, how cruel! “Does she intend to use the goddess as her shield!”
“Are you trying to do that?”
“… Huh, lame♡-“
“-If you use that, it will be a sweet chestnut.”
“…… “
I smiled bitterly at Irelua, who was sweating coldly.
“It’s a joke. Irelua will soon be gone, so there is no use in asking her. She will go in first. “Please take care of Seol Garam.”
“Um… I think I’ll have to tell the person directly about that… “
She stopped her steps at those words.
When I turned around, I saw Seol Garam standing with a solemn resolve, as if he had heard the story from the middle.
“I’m going in too.”
“You heard the explanation. There’s nothing you can do with just force… -“
“-Still, Siwoo is planning to go.”
Seol Garam, who cut off his words, held Choi Siwoo’s hand tightly.
The determination and resolve stood out in the gray eyes.
“I can’t let my friend go to a difficult place alone.”
“… It will be more painful than you can imagine. “You may not get any help.”
At his words, Seolgaram shook his head.
“I will definitely overcome this. And I will help Siwoo.”
“… Do whatever you want.”
Choi Si-woo felt like he had retreated a lot, even to himself.
If it had been the way it was, he would have stopped it somehow.
He might regret it.
It may be that there is one more burden that needs to be saved.
‘Still… ‘
He had no intention of breaking her heart.
“Then let’s go.”
“… Huh.”
After speaking, the two took the first step into the barrier together.
* * *
– Battalion commander… –
-Captain… —
-Leader… –
My head is buzzing.
I slowly opened my eyes to the noise, as if a mosquito had come into my ear and was having trouble.
A space filled with dark green.
The surrounding area is full of machines, weapons that are presumed to be military, and a huge monitor… Up to dozens of seats.
It is a place in my memory.
‘… Meeting room?’
There is no doubt about it.
Because I always waited here before receiving orders for operations.
‘Then is this place underground now?’
While I was zoning out for a moment, someone came up next to me.
The fresh scent of flowers passes my nose.
It was definitely the smell of a perfume I had smelled before.
“Battalion Commander Choi Si-woo? Are you okay?”
“…… “
A familiar voice.
When I raise my head, I see a woman’s face that seems to be covered in a hazy fog.
It was soon taken away and its shape was clearly recognized.
An expression looking at oneself as if one is worried.
Blond hair with a brownish tint, and even a short cut hair.
Choi Si-woo muttered to himself at that moment without realizing it.
‘… ‘Ohana?’