328. The Hawk, the Wolf, and the Sea Serpent (5)
The arena was silent. On the vast prairie, the number of beasts glaring at him was uncountable, yet none dared to speak.
The rough breaths of the beasts echoed. Fernandez could sense a certain emotion amidst the chilling aura that seemed to pierce his entire body. Bewilderment. Yekaset seemed to be struggling to grasp the true meaning of his words.
An ancient undead that had lived since before the Celestial War. A primordial Great Demon that had existed since the first hunt began, and since sentient beings feared the beasts of darkness.
But Fernandez clearly remembered. Not all demons grow stronger in proportion to their history. A being imbued with divinity divides its power based on the number and quality of its minions.
Great Demons and celestial deities grow by swallowing reverence. They devour the awe and admiration of mortals, fattening their flesh and spirit with respect and fear. Gods and demons are not beings above humans. If anything, they are closer to parasites. Parasites that feed on the spiritual energy of mortals to amplify their power.
Therefore, Fernandez acknowledges their power but does not respect them. From the beginning, those immortal beings and mortals are not in a hierarchical relationship. It could only be a mutually beneficial transactional relationship.
[Ha…… haha…… ha! Right. You’re correct, Faijashi. My power is not whole, and my seal is still bound by those hateful celestial chains. But do you think that guarantees your victory?]
Fernandez quietly closed his eyes. Bewilderment, shame, and a rage that surpassed all of it began to swirl like a storm.
[Mortal, you overestimate your own power just because you’ve killed a few younglings. I have existed since the first life stirred in this world, and I will exist until the last breath of this world is extinguished!!]
The wolves lined up around him began to howl. The ground shook as if an earthquake had struck from the long howling. A presence that would have driven an ordinary human to madness from terror was radiating from the distant sky.
But Fernandez did not open his eyes. He calmly assessed his condition. Physical performance was below half, magic was unusable, and miracles were out of the question the moment he threw away his rosary and abandoned his priesthood.
‘I never intended to rely on miracles in the first place.’
Then, what is its weakness? A loosely broken seal and weakened divine abilities—these are only considerations if we assume a direct confrontation in the material world. At this moment, when its true body lies deep in the abyss, to kill it, one must descend into hell.
Or, to incapacitate it, all its minions in this place must be dealt with. An army of two hundred thousand, an entire legion transformed into its demons, must be annihilated. Either way, it’s equally impossible.
Fernandez admitted it. He had no cards to play. Almost completely. But……
“You’re no different.”
[What……?]
“The existence of Karadskar……. It must have been your only means to interfere with the material world. Now, you have no means left.”
[Open your eyes and see what lies before you. Each of the hundreds of thousands of troops blocking your path is my flesh and blood. Interfere with the material world? What meaning does that hold?]
Fernandez finally opened his eyes at those words. The insane beasts, oozing a chilling aura, were glaring solely at him. He steadied his posture, slowly straightened his back, and raised his blade.
-Kiiing…….
The tip of the sword trembled slightly. The clear sound seemed to calm the boiling blood vessels. Fernandez declared to the beasts staring at him.
“You have no means left either, Yekaset.”
Beings imbued with divinity devour the reverence of mortals. In other words, if mortals no longer fear them, they lose their power.
A thousand years have passed since the Celestial War ended. Charlemagne established the Empire, and the era of civilization began. Humans. Beyond the era teeming with demons, celestials, elves, dwarves, dragons, and monsters, they survived and spread their roots across this continent.
A thousand years. Even in the most remote villages, the flames of civilization now burn in this era.
“You’re too late.”
Occasionally, wolves snatch sheep from pastures. Until hunters exterminate the wolves.
Sometimes, rock trolls appear and ruin roads. Until knights hunt the trolls.
Madmen appear from somewhere and bite people to death. Until city guards arrest the madmen.
When has this world ever been friendly to humans? Even if a world without elves, dwarves, dragons, or gods were to come, with scorching deserts, icy plateaus, deep jungles, and forests where people disappear into the mist. Humans have always been weak, and the world has always been harsh.
Yet, even in the most desolate places untouched by the light of civilization. Humans never gave up, advancing until they finally seized the hegemony of this continent, and now, in this era where there is no land uninhabited by people—
“The threat of predators, beasts in the dark……. Aren’t they just villains in children’s tales now?”
He remembers his past life. By the time the Great War arrived in his past life, he was a notorious villain on the continent.
In an era of rampant madness, Sadarkelisa’s legion ravaged the northern continent.
When polluted wastewater flowed through city foundations, Urcasia’s locusts swept through the last remaining farms.
On days when human deaths were recorded as mere numbers. Mumto’s wraiths seized the wilderness.
And when destruction reigned as absolute terror. Tyban alone opened the gates of hell.
But Yekaset. The oldest, the ancient wolf, was never revered by any of the heroes of that era.
It wasn’t enough to swallow. Fernandez remembers his past life. No great demon could be called an easy opponent, but the fact that the remaining great demon at this point is him is almost a blessing.
[Him…!]
There’s no need to underestimate him. But there’s also no reason to overhype him and get scared prematurely. The reason he wants to destroy civilized society, yet doesn’t annihilate humanity, is to evoke the ancient fear of the unknown in the darkness and swallow that reverence.
Not yet. As long as he hasn’t succeeded, his power and influence are far from the greatness of the Celestial War era.
“Now, release the wolves. Do we need more conversation?”
[You will die here!]
“Do I have a reason to live?”
With Karadskar’s death confirmed, there’s little left to do to maintain civilized society. Among the great demons, only Tyban remains with his original power intact, and without him, even the seals can’t be broken. Now, civilized society will be free from the threat of demons.
“All I see is the need to kill.”
-Awooooooo!!
The wolves, engulfed in extreme rage, charged at him. Fernandez smiled faintly and raised the sword hilt.
As long as Yekaset can’t intervene in the Material World, the best he can do is a mass assault using minions. Even that is fatal to Fernandez now… but Fernandez firmly gripped the hilt and slashed straight down.
-Kang!
The first wolf’s chest split vertically, and thick blood splattered everywhere.
* * *
The smell of iron lingered in his breath. It was dark all around, and he couldn’t tell if the growling sounds were coming from his own throat or the charging wolves.
Kirhas was thrashing like a beast. Her muscles, pushed to the limit, were now tattered. She didn’t even have the strength to swing her sword once more, yet her arms still moved. One might call it a miracle.
[We must retreat.]
The golden mask pressing on her head had deep scars. She had been using the mask almost like a helmet. Still, as a divine relic, it didn’t tear easily under the claws of demons.
Kirhas moved without answering. Their claws slashed through the air as if to crush it. She barely dodged by bending deeply and swung her sword again. A thick, hairy arm shot up into the sky.
“Still…!”
A blue line scattered like lightning. The positions of the enemies, her posture, the direction of the attack, and the retreat path—none of it was clear. Severe bleeding from the scattered wounds all over her body had drastically narrowed her vision.
But she took another step toward the direction where the blue line flickered and scattered.
-Kwang!
A long scar formed on the ground where she stood. A wolf had clawed at the spot. The wolf, having scratched empty ground, quickly turned to look at Kirhas. The blade slashed through the air, and the wolf’s head rolled on the ground.
It was a battle that could already be called legendary. She had cut down over a hundred enemies, slaughtering them like sheep. Even delivering a hundred sword strikes to a stationary scarecrow would be laborious, but each of her strikes, made with her life on the line, had tripled that effort.
Of course, no ordinary Beastman Warrior’s body could endure such activity. Her body was on the verge of destruction. Yet, yet.
Even if just for a day, no, even half a day, she would die before Fernandez.
That belief was the only thing driving her. She thought that as long as she was alive, Fernandez couldn’t have died. It was baseless faith, but it was the only lifeline holding her now.
-Kang!
The blade struck the charging fangs and split the wolf’s head in two. The blue light flickered again. A faint, thin possibility of victory. She threw herself toward that direction.
The dance of the blade was like a storm. Moonlight reflected off the slashing sword as it tore through the pack of wolves. Each one was a minion of the great demon, the weakest of the demon soldiers, yet they could become the nightmare of a village. But in this moment, Kirhas was moving beyond all of them.
‘I need… to buy… one more day.’
Her thoughts were disjointed. Her mind was clouded, her body overworked, and her survival instinct pushed to the limit. She couldn’t think rationally. She simply moved forward, following the direction her hope pointed.
[Kirhas. Dodge!]
“……!!”
For a moment, the world seemed to brighten, and her hair stood on end. She leaped up as if bounced.
The light signifying victory. Only she could see it, that innate instinct now blooming at her feet, illuminating the entire area!
“What… is this…!”
She couldn’t tell the direction. Where should she go, or where should she dodge? It felt like watching a compass lose its magnetism and spin aimlessly. She lost her sense of direction and was engulfed in confusion.
But the wolves didn’t continue their attack. They seemed to have forgotten their rage and madness, staring blankly at something beyond the sky.
-Piririririk…!
She turned her half-closed eyes toward where the wolves were looking. Beyond the swollen yellow moon, a bright blue light shone from the east. She squinted and stared straight at what was approaching.
The dark shadows created by the storm clouds scattered, and the sharp sound of tearing air was heard.
“Yepo…? But how…?”
Kirhas’ ears perked up. She knew that sound. The loud cannon fire she had heard at the port, accompanied by cheerful laughter!
-Kwaaaaaang!!!
A crimson flame erupted, striking the midst of the charging wolves!
“They… flew through the sky…?”
The massive city walls revealed through the torn clouds, the pillars and spires lined up on top. The giant sea serpent flag fluttering in the raging wind—
The Elven Serpent King, Guimeran’s flagship, was floating in the sky!
“…Abel… you!”
A massive figure glowed faintly beyond the clouds. Two dragons, like falcons lifting sheep, held the sides of the flagship, spreading their wings.
-Piririririk!
Once again, the sound of cannon fire embroidered the sky—
-Kwaaaaaang!!
This time, not Yepo but a heavy shell slammed into Yekaset’s demons. Flames rose like pillars, illuminating the surroundings.
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