Chapter: 167
While those thoughts were swirling in his mind, the undulating flames had suddenly come right up to him. Just as he was about to shove himself into the fire…
Koo-woong!
“…?!”
The atmosphere shifted dramatically.
“Cough!”
Bang! Thud, thud!
The sounds of rough groans and people collapsing to the ground echoed from behind him. Lian swallowed dryly as he stared at the ominous flames before him.
‘Gargandoa… is this really just some flashy magic…? No way!’
[ …No, it’s definitely not. ]
‘What do you mean -…’
Before Lian could finish his thought, ‘something’ was looming over them.
“Gah…!”
The ground trembled and cracked as if a massive gravitational force was pressing down, and Lian’s feet began to sink into the earth. His body felt impossibly heavy.
This was no gravitational attack. It was merely the ‘presence’ that altered gravity itself.
“A-Aah…”
Someone let out a moan soaked in ecstasy. A familiar voice—it was the Priest.
“Glory, glory…!”
As his reverent voice rang out…
Splat.
The Priest’s head exploded.
“Gah…aah…”
“Ugh…”
The villagers, flattened against the ground, were drenched in warm blood and guts, gasping only to expel suffocated sounds. Not even able to twitch a finger, their eyes trembled in terror.
It didn’t matter if they were knights or mages. They were all flat on the ground, squirming in equal measure.
“Cough…”
Only the Duke, Noah, and Iris remained on their knees, struggling to rise. Jess was growling, pulling herself up awkwardly like a beast before collapsing again.
Iris didn’t have the same strength as the Duke or Noah, but some unknown ‘presence’ within her kept her from falling.
Lian was the only one standing on two feet.
‘Gargandoa… what in the world is happening right now?’
The ridiculous situations and atmosphere that had always felt lighthearted due to his comedic filter now felt eerily chilling, like a scene from a past life.
The survival instinct that had not kicked in until now was now frighteningly sharp.
[ That magic has summoned something here. Damn, it’s akin to the beings those madmen worshipped. ]
At the mention of worship, Lian recalled the ‘Outsider’ presence.
‘Could it be…?’
Before he could think any further, the Magic Sword cut in sharply.
[ Partner, get out of here immediately. No matter how strong I’ve gotten, I can’t take down a being of a different caliber. ]
For once, the usually cocky Magic Sword was being dead serious, urging Lian to escape without looking back.
[ If you use all your strength, you could probably get away. ]
‘What about the others…?’
[ … ]
‘If I leave, what happens to everyone else?’
[ They will die. ]
Hearing that, Lian replied with resolve.
‘Then I’m not going.’
[ But… ]
‘Running away from here will lead to destruction anyway.’
In a world without heroes, there could be no hope.
‘Besides – running away like this would just be too embarrassing.’
Subtly coaxing the Magic Sword, it quickly responded, a bit starry-eyed.
[ Heh, that definitely wouldn’t look cool. ]
Having secured his partner’s agreement, there was just one task left: shaking off that overwhelmingly terrifying entity.
‘I don’t expect to defeat it. Is there a way to buy some time for the others to escape?’
[ There is. The being has summoned part of itself here through that magic, so if you enter there and disrupt the magic, it’ll work. But that’s basically saying we’re going straight into the enemy’s lair and causing chaos. ]
‘It’s risky, huh?’
[ It’s a guaranteed way to die. It’s just a matter of how long it takes. ]
The thought crossed Lian’s mind that if he died this time, he might not return to the comedy world and might just vanish. With that domineering presence, it felt like any powers would be rendered useless, but… that was just a guess. He wouldn’t know for sure until he faced death.
‘Well, it’ll work out somehow!’
Lian shook off the paralyzing fear with his typical upbeat mindset and hefted the Magic Sword with shaking hands.
‘My goal remains unchanged.’
[ Hmm, this ending isn’t too bad. ]
The Magic Sword, still a bit enchanted, sounded oddly calm as if it thought dying alongside Lian wouldn’t be the worst fate.
“Ugh… Lian!”
“…!”
Just as he was about to step into the ominous flames, a suppressed voice clung to his ankle. Turning to face the source, he saw Noah, gripping the hilt of his sword like a cane in an effort to rise, chewing his lip until it bled.
Seeing Noah’s anxious face made Lian blurt out a calm remark without thinking.
“I’ll be right back, so just stay out of the way!”
He said it as if it were no biggie, promising to be back in no time like he usually would, and then threw himself into the flames. Between the crackling noises, he swore he heard someone scream.
Gurgle.
‘Ah.’
The moment he entered ‘that’ place, Lian felt his mind go woozy.
‘Aah…’
‘That’ was an exalted existence that humans could not confront. It was an ‘entity’ that one couldn’t even comprehend, let alone define or visualize—it was something one should never encounter.
A being that dwarfed all the Outsiders he had faced looked down at Lian.
It knew Lian well. It was aware that he came from a different world, that he was chosen by the god of this dark fantasy world, and that he possessed powers unfathomable to mere humans.
Just as humans don’t bother exterminating every bug, the entity showed no interest in Lian. He wasn’t a threat.
The reason such a being would incur immense causality to seek out Lian was simple.
Gurgle.
‘What a fitting vessel.’
The entity gazed down at Lian, who had lost all sense of reality. The body crafted meticulously by the god was indeed suitable for accepting the god.
With satisfaction, the entity wrapped its tentacle-like hands around the body it intended to use and tried to return to its domain, the Demon King’s Castle. Then suddenly…
Dorr.
Lian’s dazed eyes snapped back to focus, locking onto the entity. An act that humans should never do—an act their souls should be incapable of—was unfolding.
It was nearly impossible for a natural disaster to gain intellect, and it was an unfathomable situation even for an entity of high caliber, causing it to freeze in place.
Creak.
In that instant, the Magic Sword moved like a painting, ‘slicing’ off a part of the entity.
A situation that couldn’t possibly be described as a ‘miracle’ had rendered the entity again at a loss for words.
‘What in the…?’
The phenomenon of a being with a soul lower in rank than an insect cutting down a being that was a part of the universe couldn’t be explained through any logic.
The entity was bewildered, taken aback, curious, slightly amused, and very angry.
Yet its thoughts returned to the beginning.
‘How tempting.’
To use this special body for itself.
The entity felt a surge of excitement and moved with Lian straight to the Demon King’s Castle.
Woosh!
The unsettling flames suddenly vanished without a trace, and the oppressive presence that had weighed down the land was erased in an instant.
Clang!
Thud, thud!
As soon as the entity disappeared, those who could barely move began to roll on the ground or drop their swords. These knights, who thought dropping their swords would be disgraceful, couldn’t blame anyone for losing their weapons.
“Aaaah!”
“Yikes!”
The gruesome sight of the Priest’s headless corpse lying sprawled out on the floor served as a reminder that this wasn’t a nightmare. Some villagers who had managed to stay awake fainted in shock or crawled on the ground, frantically searching for their fallen relatives.
When the villagers realized that everyone except the Priest had survived, relief washed over them.
“Lian, where is Lian?!”
“You’re kidding, right? No way!”
The people from the Duke’s House, realizing Lian’s sacrifice too late, were floundering in guilt and despair.
“No, no! This can’t be true!”
Iris started scrambling madly toward the place where the flames had danced, her legs trembling. While the captain of the knights tried to stop her, the Duke bit his lip and restrained him.
“…Let her be until she calms down.”
Knowing well the sense of loss when losing something precious, the Duke couldn’t bring himself to stop Iris.
“…”
Jess was staring blankly, her expression completely lost as she gazed intensely at the spot where the flames had been. As her rage reached a boiling point, her mind cooled down, racing faster and deeper than ever before. She kept thinking and thinking and thinking.
About the reasons why her master couldn’t possibly be dead and how to bring him back by her side. The murderous intent twisted in her red eyes.
“AAAHHH!”
Noah was clutching his head as if it were about to explode, unable to utter a coherent word. The shock and anger at losing Lian right before his eyes choked him. Tears streamed down his face, soaking the ground.
Through his blurry vision, he saw the expressionless figure of the ranger captain approaching.
‘Ah…’
Only then did Noah painfully understand the advice he had given her. She no longer needed to wonder if her wants were sinful or noble sacrifice.
Because the one she had to protect was gone.
*
Author’s Note: Thanks for waiting, Ilham Senjaya! Have a happy day! :3
That ‘entity’ can be seen as the final boss. Its abilities not working are for that reason. The latest episode (168) is scheduled to be uploaded on the 6th at dawn. Thanks for your patience. Recommendations and subscriptions are love! Next episode: View.
You may also like Mesugaki Tank Enters The Academy
