Rin was currently laying in one of the rooms of the Beast King’s palace, fully aware that she was dreaming.
Why? Because the boiling heat and headache that had plagued her moments ago had vanished completely.
She realized she was in a dream but didn’t have any intention of waking up. After all, it was just darkness surrounding her, and nothing else was visible.
Even if she did wake up, her body would still be in pain.
‘Daniel must be worried.’
She didn’t know why she suddenly felt that way.
After using her powers, a hot energy surged from the imprint on her chest, spreading throughout her body.
Still, she had confidence she could suppress her powers. Ever since she killed the Priestess last time, the darkness had obediently submitted to her, as if it were completely hers.
In fact, she told Daniel this, so he probably wasn’t worrying too much.
‘Is that so?’
Still, she wished he would worry more than that. She couldn’t help but hope he wouldn’t leave her side for even a moment.
So, Rin let out a small giggle by herself.
–Surprised, huh?
If it weren’t for a sudden woman’s voice echoing around her. The words of the goddess piercing her whole body, as if the entire space was speaking.
Rin already recognized it as the voice of the Goddess of Death.
–I never imagined you could master my powers this perfectly. Thanks to that, my plan to awaken you to the Apocalypse has hit a major snag.
“Should I at least apologize, then? I think it’s fortunate, though.”
At Rin’s bold reply, the Goddess of Death let out a strangely relaxed laugh. It made Rin feel oddly anxious, and she instinctively shrank back.
–Thanks to you, I’ve used quite a bit of power. So if I lose this time, it’s a complete defeat. I won’t be able to use my powers anymore.
“Lose this time?”
Rin, who couldn’t understand what she meant, listened as the Goddess of Death continued without acknowledging her confusion.
–Long ago, I granted you power, but I didn’t teach you how to handle it. That way, I could easily control you.
……
–But Daniel McLean. Your love for that boy is truly intense. It’s enough to make you master my power.
“Compliments won’t get you anywhere.”
–Heh.
Though Rin wanted to glare at her menacingly, she had no idea where to direct her glare and simply crossed her arms.
–So I thought of various ways to send you into a rampage. What should I do? How can I make you my Apocalypse again and destroy this world?
A wave of anxiety washed over her.
She felt like a fish caught in a net, unaware of the trap she was in. She thought she was swimming in the sea, but the truth was she was trapped in the net.
–Did you absorb the imprint I gave to the Priestess of Time well?
“Uh……”
A jolt of realization hit her.
The Priestess of Time had frantically searched for her, and in front of Rin, the Goddess of Death had initially ordered the Priestess to kill Rin.
But when it seemed like that would fail…
“You told her to kill… me.”
–Only then could she witness the sight of a Priestess who wouldn’t die. And only then would you realize that you could only kill the Priestess using your own abilities.
Nausea rose within her.
If it weren’t for her own darkness, she wouldn’t have been able to stop the Priestess of Time. That was why she reluctantly absorbed it…
In truth, the Goddess was saying the Priestess had been an enormous yet absolutely unavoidable bait.
–Now is the time to bring silence to the world.
Rin’s body began to be consumed by darkness.
*
Hobaek let out a hollow laugh.
He knew deep down that he was in the wrong, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that everything had been fully denied.
That man remained silent, yet his mere presence made him realize he was a danger to this kingdom.
“Are you truly Emperor Kalius?”
The savior of all Beastmen.
The being who had influenced their prosperity the most until now.
From his appearance to the Sword of Rest he wielded.
He perfectly resembled Emperor Kalius.
“Indeed.”
Hobaek couldn’t help but sigh at the answer. He was ready to become a malevolent spirit, burning himself up for revenge on his daughter.
But now, a massive wall had appeared before him, making his whole being tremble.
“The Emperor has many legends surrounding him. One of which is that he lives forever, and that he became a god to protect us.”
“……”
“Have you truly become a god? Have you come to punish us? This foolish father who plotted rebellion, swayed by mere emotions?”
“I’m no god. However, I have always been watching over you.”
“That’s a centuries-old legend. I want to think it’s a cunning trick by the Beast King to shake my resolve, but…”
Hobaek had to lower his head in acknowledgment.
“Every instinct tells me that you are genuine.”
“If that is so.”
Kurika stepped forward. Somehow, it felt like the opposing army retreated at his single step.
“Cease this pointless slaughter. Do not unleash another storm of blood upon the kingdom seeking peace. The true enemy you desire is right here.”
“……What do you mean?”
Hobaek, confused, didn’t understand what he was saying, yet Kurika continued to calmly reveal his sins.
“The one who killed your precious child, Horan, was me.”
“……What are you saying?”
As the confused Hobaek listened, Kurika continued explaining.
“The organization Horan belonged to, Tudogs, stole knowledge and items that should not exist in this world. I killed her to recover it and destroy the traces.”
“……You?”
“In the midst of that, I also faced the Guardian and Maester who came looking for Horan.”
Questions swirling in Hobaek’s mind began to piece together. When they pursued Horan, there were representatives from various races, unconscious near the corpse of Horan.
Horan couldn’t have knocked them all out by herself.
However, there were traces of battle.
Blinded by anger at the death of his daughter, Hobaek arrested the elves and dwarves.
“So that’s why they were all unconscious. Because they faced you.”
“Yes, Horan’s crime was severe, so I couldn’t spare her. But the others were simply those who pursued Horan, so I showed mercy.”
“I see. I see……”
Hobaek slowly raised his head, growling as he bared his teeth.
“You killed my daughter!”
“……”
With a massive spear in hand, Hobaek charged at Kurika, brimming with rage.
“Let’s gooooo!”
“Chargeeeeee!”
“Today, we shall determine the true ruler of this land!”
A multitude of nobles and generals followed Hobaek, rushing forward in unison.
Watching the scene, Kurika gazed at them with pity.
“Oh, poor father.”
*
“Wow.”
Have you ever seen people flying like fruits being thrown? Honestly, I’ve seen it a few times. I’ve even experienced it.
But I had never seen so many people being tossed around like this. To be precise, they weren’t being tossed; they were being pushed out.
With a single swing of Kurika’s great sword, at least three enemies were cut down, and those who fell were tripped by the impact, causing six more behind them to stumble.
That’s what an one-man army looks like.
A level of destruction I couldn’t emulate.
Kurika’s muscles seemed to bulge, as if this was their peak, showing no mercy to a single enemy.
“His whole body is a weapon.”
He wasn’t just fighting with the great sword in one hand.
Perhaps because of the overwhelming number of enemies, he swung his great sword while snatching enemies by the neck with his other hand, using his teeth to finish them off.
It felt less like a battle and more like hunting.
Though Hobaek was gritting his teeth and managing to hold his ground, he could only do so because he wielded a spear. If it were a sword, he would’ve been sent flying.
“I really don’t need to step in.”
I was ready to join in if the pressure against them showed signs of increasing, but with this, it felt like I was just spectating a fight from a cozy spot.
There was much to learn from Kurika’s wild combat style.
As a student of the Academy, I was trying to absorb Kurika’s unique movements.
Boom!
A huge roar came from behind the fortress wall. Not only I but also Kurika and others turned to look.
Creek…
The massive gate that had been kept shut, warned against the incoming enemy forces, cracked open. I hurriedly retreated.
Countless people poured out from outside the gate.
“Sa… Save meeeee!”
“It’s a monster!”
“Run! Just run!”
People rushed out as if they had seen something they shouldn’t have. Even with the rebels around, they seemed caught in greater fear.
“What the heck is happening……”
My words couldn’t continue.
It was painfully obvious what was happening.
“The palace……”
A massive darkness swirled as if alive, consuming the palace of the Beastmen.
