Chapter 306

A wingless angel is soaring in the brilliant gray center.

This isn’t your typical angel; it’s a muscle-bound one. Just by looking, I felt a sense of overwhelming pressure.

As I stood there, slack-jawed, realizing the identity of the wingless angel.

She had no veil covering her head and seemed a bit emaciated, but her face was unmistakably familiar to me.

The illustrious lady with both the titles of Gwonseong and Saint, Rize.

She, who had been nowhere to be seen, had come to our rescue in our direst moment.

“······Ah. Grandfather.”

For a moment, I was stunned, but then I grasped the most crucial point. I hurried over to Rod.

Rod’s shirt was already soaked in blood. The level of bleeding was so intense, alive or dead, it was questionable.

First, I checked if he was breathing. He had lost consciousness completely, so he wasn’t breathing at all.

Next, I scrutinized whether his heart was still beating. I sensed no biological rhythm whatsoever.

-······Thud!

Just when I felt my heart drop, I heard the faintest whisper of his heartbeat.

It was a tiny, almost imperceptible sound, but I could clearly hear it. Despite being on the verge of death, Rod’s heart was still beating.

Apparently, he must have entered a state of suspense due to the purple curse. I had seen countless beings enter that state.

It was akin to how animals hibernate to survive the cold of winter. However, unlike those animals, Rod’s condition was grave.

‘First, I need to stop the bleeding······ No, does stopping the bleeding even matter?’

I recalled the knowledge I had gained from the Academy but realized it was futile.

If stopping the bleeding were possible, Rod would have done it already. There was no way he would have lost this much blood otherwise.

So what could I do now? First, I covered the hole that seemed to allow the wind to seep through with my hand.

Infection and all that jazz, but right now, I just had to prevent him from dying. Although whether the curse would lift was uncertain.

-Sizzle!

“Ahh!”

As soon as I placed my hand over the wound, an agonizing pain surged through me, as if I were being burned. I swiftly withdrew my hand.

In panic, I looked at my palm, scorched all over, aside from the blood smeared on it.

Could it be that this was caused by the purple curse? Just as that thought crossed my mind, I felt a presence beside me.

“Sivar brother! Pour your magic into the wound!”

“Huh······?”

“The purple can be neutralized with red. Hurry before the curse reaches his heart!”

How do you know that? Why were you so late? What if things go wrong? So many questions bubbled up in my mind, but I followed her orders nonetheless.

After all, it was the Saint giving the instructions. And I had less experience than Rize.

-Sizzle!!

I poured my magic into the wound as Rize instructed. The smell of burning flesh pierced through the scent of blood.

The pain was agonizing, but I couldn’t shake the fear that something might go wrong with Rod.

But this was the only method I had at the moment. I was clutching at straws.

-Sizzle······

As I endured the horrific pain, the sound of burning flesh gradually diminished. Could it really be neutralizing as Rize said?

I held on as best I could, praying fervently for Rod’s survival.

With this level of blood loss, it wouldn’t be surprising if he ended up with a disability. However, Rod was no ordinary human.

He had reached the state of blue, so surely he could return to normal. I hoped so.

“I can’t comprehend. I can’t understand.”

Just as I was applying first aid, the words of False, who had crashed into the wall, entered my ears.

As I glanced at the nearly shattered audience stand, I saw False walking through the hazy mist. His condition was anything but good.

His entire body was charred black, with parts of his brain and organs exposed. The structure of his muscles and bones was starkly visible.

Yet, thanks to that purple hue, he was gradually regenerating. Even after taking a direct hit from Divine Power, his recovery speed was impressive.

“I thought you were transferred to the opposite side of the planet… how did you arrive so quickly? You must have lost all sense of direction.”

“Chaos himself guided me.”

“Chaos… I can’t even blame him. Tsk tsk.”

False clicked his tongue, showing his discomfort. Unlike other gods, he displayed a favorable attitude toward Chaos.

Moreover, it felt more like he was opposing Rize personally rather than Chaos itself.

“I won’t stop you if you choose to fight.”

Rize twisted her body slightly in a threatening manner. Her fists were tightly clenched, signifying her readiness for battle.

Rize was the only being capable of opposing the purple hue, destined to take herself down with him if necessary.

“Hmm······”

After a prolonged standoff with Rize, False glanced at me with a nonchalant expression. I returned his gaze.

I couldn’t read the emotion contained within his purple eyes. What was he thinking?

“Are you truly considering embracing that child?”

“Yes.”

“If you’ve seen the ugliness of humanity······”

“I’m aware. No need for your lectures.”

“··· ···”

At my clear but sharp response, False fell silent. His expression remained impassive.

While keeping an eye on them, I was preoccupied with giving first aid. It was almost time to stop the bleeding.

“What bleeding······! Luna! Get inside the Dueling Arena and find the hemostatic potion! You might find it if you dig around!”

“Okay!”

“I’ll do the emergency bleeding. Let’s strip him down first.”

Just then, Kara gave a timely directive. While Luna went off to search for the medicine, I took off Rod’s shirt.

The sticky blood had clung to him, forcing me to cut it with my sword. Finally, I could assess his condition.

“What in the world······ what kind of wound is this······? Cracks······”

“··· ···”

Around the wound inflicted by the purple spear, spiderweb-like cracks etched like scars.

The area near the wound glowed faintly in purple; had it not been neutralized, the cracks would have shone in purple as well.

Above all, what concerned me most was the end of the crack. I couldn’t tell if it had touched his heart, or just barely missed it.

[This······]

I caught False’s words in my ear. As soon as I heard them, I hastily looked up.

“You’re just spouting nonsense.”

“··· ···”

Rize had grabbed False’s mouth, or rather, the entirety of his face, with one hand.

It seemed that just as False was about to pull a trick, Rize had swiftly moved in and caught him.

However, False was not going down easily. A purple spear was aimed at Rize’s neck.

Essentially, they each held the thread of the other’s life. If push came to shove, they’d probably take each other down.

“Withdraw peacefully. This fight is immeasurably against your favor.”

“··· ···”

“There are still opportunities left, are there not? I will protect them each time.”

Rize’s statements were unarguable. False was surely aware of this.

Half-exposed through Rize’s fingers, False remained unperturbed. But his actions spoke louder than any expression.

-Swish

The thick spear that had been aimed at his neck gradually lowered. It signified that he had no intent to attack.

Rize understood his intent and released her grip on his face. The moment she did, False stepped back.

“Really now. That wretched demeanor of yours remains unchanged. At least you’re better than the girl behind you.”

“··· ···”

“For now, you’re managing to play the role of a human. But Saint, you know well that······”

“Those of the purple hue are different from ordinary life. That’s what you meant.”

“You’re quite sharp.”

False smirked, a trace of mockery etched in his smile.

“All life is born under parents, spreading new life and eventually crumbling away. What a beautiful beginning and end it is.”

“··· ···”

“But not for us. Our appetites, minds, beginnings, and ends are utterly different from what life holds. We simply do our duties without a sound.”

“You were born to be that way.”

“You could have been as well.”

Rize offered no rebuttal. She merely listened in silence to False’s words.

In some ways, it was a mindset no different from a demon, but in reality, it was worse than that.

At least demons have hearts. Even if they are wicked, a heart is still a heart.

But the purple hue possesses no heart. It merely fulfills its given role in silence.

“To live as a human? You’ve already failed. You may seem fine now, but it’s merely a matter of time.”

“I will stop that.”

“Among humans? Once you’re of no use or show a weakness, you’ll be devoured by the beasts?”

False’s disdain for humans was laid bare before me. Yet, every word he spoke rang true.

Humans, in the end, are beasts. When hungry, they eat; when tired, they sleep; when sick, they relieve themselves—beasts.

They may use their superior intelligence to create complexity, but at their core, they are no different from beasts.

Sometimes, they even commit acts more heinous than beasts. They are worse than filthy animals.

“You’ll grow more disillusioned as you watch these selfish humans rot day by day.”

“Perhaps.”

“My hands will be stained with blood more often.”

“That’s fine with me.”

Rize slowly raised her fist, pointing it at False.

“Even if you are born with your fate decided, you can still choose who you will be.”

“A whale born among minnows.”

“That doesn’t mean you can’t play with the minnows.”

“··· ···”

Now was the time to silence False. His brow furrowed.

“By your words, humans are indeed selfish, and that isn’t going to change until the end of the world.”

-Boom!

A small explosion erupted from Rize’s body. Clouds of mist billowed up and obscured my view.

As the mist cleared, Rize’s figure emerged. I couldn’t see her face as I only had her back to look at.

However, judging by her stance, no longer in the form of Gwonseong but that of a Saint, it was clear she had lost all motivation for battle.

It was a dangerously reckless action, yet Rize had a confidence that warranted it.

“But······”

The Saint of “Chaos,” not Gwonseong, admonished False.

“Because we are selfish, we are capable of altruism.”

It was a statement that no one could contest—one that was perfectly chaotic in its essence.

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