Episode 199: The Reason I Knelt…
“Crow. Are you suggesting we play around right now?”
Needless to say, Altear’s reaction was colder than ice.
Clang! A gun barrel, saturated with dazzling light, came within inches of me. I immediately stopped my prostrations and shrank back in terror.
“That… that’s not it. After much reflection, I realized how much of a bastard I’ve been. Hence, I humbly present my insincere apology and request for peaceful resolution while pledging to dismantle violent society and contribute toward establishing a world of peace…”
“Show some respect.”
Suddenly, Altear cut off my elaborate excuse with a single statement.
Confused by her words, I tilted my head.
“Uh, pardon?”
“I said, show some respect. I will take my turn fairly, so let’s see if we can create room for dialogue.”
“……”
While saying this, the gun barrel of Gungnir only moved even closer.
Dialogue? Yeah, right. Just a glance at her determined eyes was enough to tell that she had no intention of talking to me. Not one bit.
‘Well, whatever.’
Of course, it goes without saying.
In truth, I had not the slightest intention of surrendering either.
‘Sorry, this was just a diversion to set up an ambush.’
For a brief moment, all eyes were on me.
In fact, none of the three seemed to actually believe that I intended to surrender. They were merely curious about my motives and decided to observe me. I probably would have done the same.
Initially, my strategy was precisely this: it was a success even before this very moment.
“So, what do you plan to do?”
Altear said with a meaningful smile.
Whoosh! The gas mask she was wearing made a hissing sound as if mocking me.
And so, in response, I gave a mocking laugh as well.
“Seven Sword Pierce.”
“…Pardon?”
“Seven Sword Pierce. Seven Sword Pierce. Seven Sword Pierce. Seven Sword Pierce.”
Suddenly turned into ‘that bird’, Altear tilted her head at the sight of me continuously muttering ‘Seven Sword Pierce’ like a mantra.
“Seven Sword Pierce. Seven Sword Pi… Gasp! Huff… Huff… Seven Sword Pierce.”
My breathing became increasingly rough. It wasn’t just from endless chatter—it was the result of my mana depleting uncontrollably.
With the sensation that my breath was about to cease, I pushed myself to the limit. Finally, releasing the pent-up breath, I dramatically pointed a finger at the sky.
“I’ve always wondered. If you keep using mana until it runs out, how many could you make?”
And now, as I speak, the answer to that question is unfolding above in the sky.
Altear sharply turned her gaze upwards and mumbled.
“…Impossible.”
The pupils of the three individuals, who followed my finger, dilated uncontrollably.
Ah… Wow. Short gasps of astonishment kept escaping from Altear’s gas mask. I chuckled, sharing in the moment.
“Doesn’t this at least cover the worth of three Halsenbergs?”
A dense cloud of swords, pulsating with azure energy, was covering the Amusement Park sky like a swarm of clouds.
Clang! Twin black and white swords rolled around me. They were the ones I had thrown high into the sky before falling on my face earlier.
I had skillfully controlled them with sword techniques, keeping them out of their sight; now, however, they were crashing due to my depleted mana.
“What, this… Crow, you son of a…!”
Altear, twisting her face like a demonic ghost, gnashed her teeth repeatedly. The veneer of courteous speech she had maintained until now was long gone.
“What’s the matter? You’re the one who started being manipulative with words.”
If I’m honest, even a five-hundred-year-old old crone is just as ugly when she loses her temper.
Somehow, it gave her a human quality, strangely making me feel a certain degree of affection toward her. I’ve always preferred imperfect people because they seem real—like they belong to the same species as me.
“To be honest, I can’t control these either.”
Controlling twenty-one mana swords is enough to fry your brain.
Let alone the overwhelming number of mana swords currently surrounding us.
“Save yourself if you don’t want to die!”
I immediately brought my hand down sharply, like a guillotine.
The mana swords, crackling with sparks, began plummeting towards the ground all at once.
Altear, with a startled expression, hastily exited the battlefield and shouted to the other two runners.
“Dyrus, Moskden! Escape the barrages!”
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! A storm of sword blades obliterated everything in the amusement park. Objects collapsed helplessly, and the area was obscured by a whirlwind of dirt and energy sparks, making vision unclear.
And finally, between the fleeing three sentinels, an opening appeared.
‘There! Found it!’
I quickly absorbed the Ethers of Water to restore my strength and mana, then gradually straightened my back.
Crack! The force in my toes made the ground beneath me sharply defined.
“The reason I knelt…”
The factory of living legendary lines. O great cartoonist Master Kim Wha-bak, descend to me now and grant your strength.
“Was to gain momentum!”
BOOM! I gathered all my strength in my toes and pushed off the ground.
“RAAAAAAAAAHHH!!”
SWISHHH! An incredible sense of speed enveloped my entire body.
I broke through the dense rain of mana swords and shot forward like a cannonball, deftly ignoring the numerous large and small cuts that formed as the blades grazed me.
Slithering like a snake between the three sentinels, I activated my black wings at full speed.
“Booster On!!”
WHOOSH!
I performed a second boost with my wings. My ears felt blocked, and a crushing pressure pressed against every vein in my body.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Explosions followed in rapid succession behind me in the sky. I was faster than sound itself, creating sonic booms as I surpassed the speed of sound.
“Damn it, catch that brat!”
So flustered was Altear that profanities flew out of her mouth. It was clear that my provocation and deception tactic had worked, leaving me overjoyed.
Triumphantly escaping the swarm of mana swords, just then…
“Tracer, Pursuer!”
At Altear’s scream-like call, whoosh! Something cutting through the air drew closer.
I swiftly turned my gaze behind me. An unknown yellow orb of light was hot on my trail, maintaining a precarious distance, just close enough to catch me but not too close.
‘What the hell is this?’
I had never seen Altear use this magical bullet in either my past or present life.
Lacking information, anxiety crept over me, and I gave it all I had to shake it off.
It wouldn’t work.
No matter how skillfully I moved or used cover to hide, it doggedly pursued me with ghost-like precision.
“Aaargh! What a stubborn thing!”
Even as I neared the entrance of the amusement park square and approached the return point, I couldn’t shake it off.
“Damn it, come on!”
The destination was right in front of me.
Initially, I was performing a desperate escape just to die near the return point if I had to. It was a natural outcome.
‘Just a bit further…!’
As I glanced back at the yellow orb, I sighed and deactivated my black wings.
Upon landing softly on the ground, the yellow orb of light began circling me, maintaining a certain distance, in an annoying manner.
“Hmph. Did you really think you could escape?”
Suddenly, Altear’s voice resonated closely.
Terrified, I quickly looked around, but there was no sign of her anywhere.
―Basic magic: Trace. However, when enhanced to the extreme via Gungnir, it becomes a harbinger of death capable of pursuing you to the ends of Hell, like this.
I soon realized that the voice was coming from the yellow orb hovering in the air.
I stared intently at the floating yellow light orb. Whether or not communication could occur in both directions was unclear, but I teased her as if talking on a phone.
“Escape? Not even on my mind. The goal was to return here as much as possible.”
―… What’s your new devilish scheme, Crow?
A response to my words emerged. It appears the communication was two-way.
A voice filled with suspicion and anger followed.
“Just because you speak as if I only scheme and behave irrationally doesn’t mean you should.”
But I didn’t answer her. I kept teasing her, scratching her nerves, all in good fun.
The malicious consideration of letting her stew in her curiosity was clear to her, judging from the wave of furious voices that flowed out next.
―Very well. If you won’t answer, then we’ll resort to force.
“And how do you plan to do that? Do you even know where I am?”
―No, but it doesn’t matter. Because this will work anyway.
And immediately after,
Centered around the yellow orb, there was a thunderous sound, and the surrounding air grew heavy.
“Chok…?!”
This wasn’t hyperbole or metaphor.
The air truly felt like it was pressing down on my shoulders, head, and entire body.
Crack! The ground beneath me felt as if it was being crushed by some great compressor, caving in progressively. This phenomenon was proof that my senses were not deceiving me.
“What… What’s going on…”
Something was happening. Altear was up to something.
With wide eyes, I stared at the orb as Altear’s short magical incantation sounded again.
―Tracer. Gravity.
BOOM! The force pulling me towards the ground intensified.
Crack! My legs gave way under the strain. Unable to withstand it, I collapsed, flat on the ground.
“C… Huhk!”
It felt as if my lungs were being squeezed out of me. Involuntarily, I exhaled a gasp.
Once again, Altear’s merciless voice echoed.
―Tracer. Gravity.
Crack, Crackle, BOOM!
The sound of my bones cracking filled my ears. A crushing sensation overwhelmed my organs, making it hard to breathe.
I felt the urge to vomit. My eyes, brain, everything in my body felt like it was collapsing and spilling out of my mouth.
“ARRRGGHHHH!!”
Unable to hold back from the fear more than the pain, I screamed.
Apparently hearing this scream, the yellow orb glowed continuously while emitting Altear’s voice.
―Some attack spells work in conjunction with Tracer spells. They function as relays, dramatically increasing their range, like this gravity magic.
Damn it. I was caught off guard.
It was too sudden, leaving no time to prepare or evade.
I barely held onto my fading consciousness and, shortly thereafter, Altear’s voice sounded once more.
―Tracer. Gravity.
The ultimate death sentence I heard as my life ended.
—
[The point of immortality has been updated.]
[Time: Year 1108 of the Continental Calendar, July 13th, 23:15]
[Location: Unterland, District 10, Downstream Valley of the Dead]
After quite a while, a warning about mortal peril reappeared.
“… Whoa. That’s unsettling if it didn’t show up.”
While reading the panel with disbelief, I was almost certain by it.
Among the three-pronged paths, some of the runaway knights are hiding. Otherwise, there’s no reason the return point would update now.
“Let’s prepare anyway.”
I immediately started jotting down a note to put in the Box of the Dead. This was almost an automatic routine for me now.
Without thinking, I opened the Box of the Dead and, whoosh! An overwhelming number of notes far exceeding its capacity spilled out, surprising me.
“Ugh, what the… Just wait a moment!”
I hurriedly scooped up the scattered notes on the ground. Then, with uneasy feelings, I started reading them one by one.
I couldn’t help but exclaim in amazement as I read.
“Wow. This guy seriously wrote a thesis.”
It was packed with information about the middle section of the Valley of the Dead’s three-pronged routes. It included far more detailed information than I could ever imagine.
‘Moreover… The content is shocking.’
That Zadkiel was already dead.
Also, the plague had nothing to do with Zadkiel spreading it.
And Altear was controlling the runaway knights.
Even worse, she was also conspiring to block access to the amusement park, implying that I should go there to suffer and die.
The collection of unbelievable facts even made me doubt its authenticity, even though I knew I wrote it myself.
[Important: Go back right now and bring Yuria. This is more urgent than the residual memories. Do not question it; just do it.]
Additionally, there was a cryptic message with an asterisk marking its importance.
I thought for a while where I stood.
‘If she’s joking, it must be incredibly serious if it’s more pressing than recovering residual memories…’
Activating the lantern, I sensed that the residual memory wasn’t too far away.
Should I detour slightly and recover the memory, or should I prioritize retrieving Yuria first as instructed by the note?
‘Damn it. I don’t know.’
Deliberating didn’t help. After all, I lacked that specific memory.
However, based on prior experience, the advice from my past self always seemed to result in unexpected windfalls, even while asleep. Thus, I soon got up and began retracing my steps.
‘Let’s go. To fetch Yuria.’
Somewhere in the distance, a crow let out a low cry and flew away.
