Chapter 70

Chapter 70. Stop the Movement, Are You Cheating? (2)

In my past life, when I fought Lilian, I had to start without any preparation, making it a disadvantageous battle from the beginning.

‘This time, I’ll make it the opposite.’

I’ll use every means to kill Lilian.

Even if it’s a pawn I can’t control, Keter was willing to use anything if it meant messing with Lilian.

That’s how it was with Jairo in front of me.

He calls me “boss,” but I don’t expect him to fight for me sincerely.

No, it’s foolish to believe that in the first place.

Who would risk their life for someone else’s goal? You can force someone to fight, but they won’t even give half their strength.

You have to make them fight because they want to. Only then can you draw out their full potential.

In my past life, I didn’t care about Jairo’s circumstances or goals, but now they seem very useful.

Especially his confident talk about the “awakening of the Demon Sword” piqued Keter’s interest.

“So, the concept is to amplify the power of the Demon Sword through sacrifices?”

“It’s not about amplification. It’s about drawing out the true power of the Cursed Artifacts. As you know, boss, every Cursed Artifact has a unique trait. My Obelisk’s symbol is absolute power. It destroys anything. Not just physical things, but even Aura and Magic.”

The “absolute power” Jairo speaks of clearly refers to “Ain.”

I’ve used the Demon Sword Apophis, so I know. Apophis also uses Ain’s power, but there’s a clear limit to how much it can use.

The Obelisk, however, seems to have a much larger capacity for that power.

“So, what happens when you draw out that true power?”

The result was more important than the method.

Jairo lowered his voice even further, whispering.

“You gain the power to kill even a god.”

“What’s the source of that information?”

“Aren’t you surprised? The power to kill a god. Or do you not believe me?”

“I believe you. But it’s like this.”

I picked up a wooden fork. It was made from young birch, known for its durability and antibacterial properties. A steel core was inserted in the middle, giving it a good weight.

“Can this fork kill a person? Yes, it can. If you stab them enough, they’ll die. What about an Orc with tough skin? You can kill it too. Just stab its eyes. What about a Gargoyle with even tougher eyes? You can make a wound and keep stabbing it with the fork until it dies. Then you can say the fork killed it.”

Even in simple, intuitive words, countless things can be hidden.

It’s deception and play.

Gods especially love that kind of thing.

At my words, Jairo was left speechless. He probably hadn’t thought about that part. He was too focused on breaking the restrictions.

“If you break the restrictions, you gain the power to kill a god. But who benefits from breaking these restrictions? The user of the Demon Sword, or the Demon Sword itself?”

“Are you saying the Obelisk was trying to use me?”

“Weren’t you trying to use the Obelisk too? It’s mutual exploitation.”

Apophis also begged me. To destroy it. It said it would do anything for me.

It told me that if I awakened Ain’s power, I could destroy it, but I don’t believe that.

Does it make sense that a Demon Sword that uses Ain’s power would have its seal broken by the same Ain’s power?

But when the person involved says it, the listener naturally believes it.

It’s a blatant but effective trick.

Jairo glared at the Obelisk, as if asking if it was true.

But the Obelisk remained silent.

I spoke for it instead.

“I believe the information about the restrictions and awakening is true. The part about being able to kill a god is probably true too. But how you obtained that information, and what kind of information it is, is important. Now, let’s hear about the conditions for breaking the restrictions.”

I know information about Demon Swords is valuable. The fact that Jairo is so willing to share it means he wants something in return.

But he probably has no intention of sharing the real valuable information.

So I made the first move.

I gave him a reason to talk.

If he still doesn’t talk, it means he doesn’t trust me at all, or he’s a smart guy who thinks he can handle everything on his own.

I hate both, so it’s easy for me to decide how to use Jairo. Whether as a partner or as a disposable tool.

So, what will you do, Jairo?

“…Keter.”

He doesn’t call me “boss” anymore. His voice has become calm and heavy.

“I’ve killed countless people to obtain the Obelisk, to learn how to kill a god. If sacrifices were needed, I offered them without hesitation.”

“I can see that.”

“It wasn’t just one or two. I remember all of them. 372 people. Some of them deserved to die, but not all. Some were completely innocent. I’m a murderer. The smell of blood never leaves my nose, and the cries of the dead haunt my ears. It’s so painful that I can’t last a day without getting drunk. That’s the information I obtained. Listening to it means you’re stepping into my dirty, ugly karma.”

“Huh.”

I laughed.

Jairo’s face twisted. He thought I was mocking him.

Sorry, but I’m not sorry.

“Animals hunt and are hunted. It’s natural. Why do you impose meaning on it? The people you killed were just weaker than you. They weren’t prepared. They couldn’t escape. They couldn’t change your mind. They were unlucky. Humans don’t even commit suicide alone. Someone has to create the opportunity. The same goes for being killed. They create the opportunity themselves. That’s why death is as natural as breathing. Those who die did things that led to their death, and those who live did things that led to their survival. The cries of the dead and the weight of karma are just meaningless restrictions you’ve imposed on yourself.”

“…….”

Jairo looked at me.

I looked back at him.

His body was exhausted, and his mind was sick. He was like that when I first met him. If left alone, he would clearly fight until he died.

At that time, I was studying “poison,” and I offered to make it easier for him.

Jairo asked in a tired voice what the price was.

I didn’t want anything. It didn’t seem like I could get anything from him anyway. So I told him to become my subordinate. I didn’t bother adding the condition “if you survive.”

I tested the poison that could even intoxicate a Master-level strongman on Jairo. It was successful. It was the first time I’d used it on a real person, and I thought he might die from the side effects, but Jairo was lucky.

From then on, Jairo lived.

He depended on my poison, under the pretext of being my subordinate.

He lived without any purpose.

“Do you know what kind of certainty I feel in my heart right now?”

Jairo spoke without looking away.

I made a V with my fingers and rested it under my chin.

“That guy is really handsome, isn’t he?”

“Boss, I think you already know. Truly, certainly.”

Jairo, cutting off his words, finished with a desperate look in his eyes.

“The method to kill a god.”

* * *

Joyray placed a whole roasted pig and two glasses of dark beer on the table.

“What are you guys whispering about? If you’re going to do that, just get a room.”

Keter flicked a gold coin with his finger.

Seeing this, Joyray bowed deeply.

“Enjoy your meal!”

Joyray took even the empty plates away.

Keter took a big sip of the dark beer and bit into a large piece of the roasted pig.

“Anyway, these guys are no help. Right?”

Keter pointed to the Obelisk and the Amaranth on his right arm.

He had just heard from Jairo about the method to break the “restrictions.” The method was incredibly complex and difficult.

Basically, the first task is to find the true name of the artifact to break the restrictions. The names they are currently called are only part of their true names.

So, how do you find the true name?

Knowing the true name alone doesn’t break the seal. Each artifact seems to have a different method for breaking the restrictions.

In the case of the Obelisk, there are five seal locations on the continent.

You have to destroy the seal locations, but the annoying thing is that while three are known, the other two are unknown.

Even the three seal locations the Obelisk revealed are in absurd places.

The capital of the Empire, uncharted territory not on any map, and the Spirit Realm.

Jairo is strong. Even without using the Demon Sword, he’s a 4-star Knight. With the Obelisk, he can easily defeat a 5-star Master and even match a 6-star Grand Master who has surpassed human limits.

Even so, destroying the three seal locations mentioned earlier is impossible. Absolutely.

There’s a reason Jairo gave up without even trying.

“Hey, Amaranth. Do you know the true names of the others? You’re from the same god, so it’s not like you’ve never met.”

Keter spoke to Amaranth for the first time in a while.

Amaranth answered immediately.

[The true name is not just a sequence of names. It’s the source of power, so without an enormous sacrifice, it cannot be spoken.]

“Do you know a way to find the true name?”

[Are you trying to seek information without paying a price?]

“Don’t you want your restrictions lifted? I was willing to help, but if you don’t want to, fine.”

[Stop trying to deceive me. I won’t tell you unless you swear to spend your entire life trying to lift my restrictions.]

“Okay. I’ll take that as a yes, you know something. I’ll ask again when I’m really curious.”

“I’ll tell you this much. It’s true that if the restrictions are lifted, you can kill a god. It’s not like stabbing someone to death with a fork. I swear on my name. If the restrictions are lifted, you can fight a god, and if the opportunity arises, killing one isn’t difficult.”

“Don’t try to deceive me either. It’s obvious that it’s not about killing a god, but about being able to resist one.”

Of course, even that is an incredible feat, but what Keter wants is not just defiance but certain death.

Keter told Jairo.

“Give up on lifting the restrictions of the Demon Sword to kill Lilian. Even if you somehow break the seal, there’s no guarantee you’ll win.”

“I already gave up on that long ago.”

“You gave up on killing Lilian too?”

“That depends on what you say, boss. You said you’d kill a god, so I believe you know the method.”

“That’s right, I do.”

“……!”

“Curious? Want to hear it?”

“Yes.”

“Will you do anything to know?!”

“Yes!”

“Desperate?!”

“Yes!”

Jairo shouted so loudly that Keter’s mana barrier shook.

Keter took out a business card from his pocket and stamped it with Akra’s ring.

With this stamp, you can leave Ruquer. The method Oren used to take Keter out was through this stamp.

“Here, take this and go to Sephira.”

“…With just this one card, I can leave Ruquer, where no one has ever escaped?”

“Disappointing, right? I was shocked too. But it’s true.”

“I’ll believe you. But telling me to go to Sephira… Are you employed by Sephira?”

“No? The lord there is my father. I’m the illegitimate child.”

“Then am I becoming a Knight of Sephira?”

“Are you crazy? Why would I hand you over to House Sephira? You’re my subordinate.”

“You have something you want me to do.”

“Yes. I plan to make Sephira the strongest family on the continent. You’ll have to help.”

“You’re not going to tell me how to kill a god.”

“I’ll tell you. If you earn your keep in Sephira.”

“So, until then, we cooperate.”

“If you don’t want to, fine.”

“When will you be back?”

“As soon as I’m done. It could be tomorrow.”

“I’ll go.”

Jairo took the card and stood up immediately.

“Before I go, I’d like as much alcohol as possible. I don’t want to lose my mind in front of your family.”

“Stop.”

“My mind can’t take it.”

“Were you planning to kill Lilian with that kind of mindset? Seriously?”

“I understand what you’re saying, but if I don’t get drunk, I’ll definitely go crazy.”

“Don’t hold back. Just go crazy.”

“……?!”

“That’s how you enjoy life in this messed-up world.”

“Ah……!”

Jairo understood Keter’s true meaning.

But there was still something that worried him.

“I might cause trouble for your family.”

“I know.”

Keter smirked.

“That’s why I’m sending you.”

It was a bright smile, as if showing what true madness was.